Four Notions

In the world of Japanese fandoms, there are things that fans do or have in pursuing their passions. Some of these can be encapsulated in what I call notions, or concepts. Among these, there are four popularly recognized ones that people talk about - or rather, what I and my local fellow friend fans talk about, as these notions could be said to have been popularized by a local web comic series that pertain to Japanese fandoms. They too apply to the ways of my life with Pokémon. Here, then, are the four notions:

"Waifu". I've already discussed waifu somewhat with the Pikachu marriage that I found out about. Many of my friends subscribe to this notion, but I have a hard time doing so. Consequently, I can't say that I do have one, not even ones from Pokémon. There is hardly anything out there that I can refer to as my waifu; there are things and characters I like, but I wouldn't call them as such. Besides anything that I've discussed about this concept, it is pretty much safe to say that my relation to the notion is non-existent.

"Gacha". This notion refers to the act of randomly drawing for something, whether game elements, collections, or the like, taken for its resemblance to certain toy vending machines in Japan. Most of my friends realize this notion in the games that they play, and I do too. The Pokémon Safari found in Pokémon Shuffle is essentially this, as there is no telling what Pokémon may be encountered, as is the selection of the balloon area in Rumble World. I have yet to play another Pokémon game with this concept realized, but I will likely encounter one soon. One other thing: I feel that my friends take this notion too seriously, so I only wish to maintain a level head in regard to this one.

"Salty". This notion is the feeling of being annoyed, even envious, of what has been accomplished. My friends often say they have this feeling and I have to say I do too, even with Pokémon things that others have exhibited. (Likewise, if I've committed this to others, then I'm sorry as well.) I'm trying my hardest to not let this feeling come over me, but sometimes things just happen. It's just something that I don't want to feel all the time.

"Splurge". This notion is popularly known among my friends as "khilaf", a term that is borrowed from Arabic which means "to err". For that, I respond in Latin with "errare humanum est" - "to err is human". So yes, that means sometimes I fall into the same pit. Still, I set limits on myself, and this has worked well in preventing this notion to be realized, though I do sometimes violate it, not the least of which is for this blog that I have now so that I can bring Pokémon stuff to light.

These four notions seem to shape me and my fellow fans' passions, and that means for me Pokémon is included and relevant. They're not all bad, but they can be controlling at times; thus the trick is being aware of the controlling situation and escaping that control. In doing so, we're all constantly developing regard and becoming better fans.

P.S. I realize this post is made on a blessed day for some people; I guess it's kind of cathartic in a way? What a blessed day it is.