Halloween 2018: The Tricks to Treats

One of the things I miss about Halloween due to being displaced from where it is more significant is trick-or-treating, something I've noted in my Halloween post last year (see below). It's supposed to be a bit of a choice: if you don't "treat", you get a "trick" instead. In today's Halloween, that can mean and involve many things, and for many people including myself, that includes Pokémon.

Since Halloween is related to costumes, and costumes may be related to cosplay, it does mean the first and the last can interlink. I've never been much of an outgoing trick-or-treater, but if I were, now it would be with one of my Ash costumes. The "trick" part would be going to "capture" to get candy for Pokémon (á la Pokémon Go), and the "treat" part would be to see how much I can get. At the end of the day, though, I might have to distribute my candies to fellow trick-or-treaters, seeing how I'm not exactly fond of candy (a personal secret, which I do have to divulge).

I prefer to be on the other end, warding off "tricks" by giving others "treats". In fact, I had done this before during my phase of living in the United States. It was just as great to stay at home and wait for trick-or-treaters before springing them my selection of candy. Had I had my Ash costumes back then, I would have upped the ante with my own trick-or-treat: wear the costume, and then give treats. I'm sure it would have been just as much fun and made things a bit more festive.

Today, though...

[AshKetchumMode]

Hi guys, so it's Halloween for my friend, and my friend asked me to get in on the action. So I did, with my Sinnoh outfit. Just as I came, I spotted a Giratina! I wanted to battle it, of course, and I got to, with some other friends. We knocked it out, but then I couldn't catch it - it was kind of hard. Some of them also went for a Deoxys today, but I couldn't quite go because it totally depended on my friend. After that, I did meet a few Dark and Ghost Pokémon, and I caught some of those. That was still fun. Later on I got some spooky food on a stick and enjoyed the rest of the day with my friend.

So yeah, that's some of the tricks and treats today. I'd love to have more next time!

[/AshKetchumMode]

In normal terms, yes, that means there was a raid for Giratina and an EX Raid for Deoxys today, but I couldn't participate today for the latter. There will be one next week, though. It's neat that this happened on Halloween, and it's something I look forward to participate in on a slightly larger scale in the future, possibly with a few more tricks. Some treats help too. And then of course there's me, and there's Pokémon.

Happy Halloween! 🎃

One year ago: Happy Halloween!

Community Day Workflow

A workflow is a pattern of steps by which things are accomplished. A workflow for Community Day in Pokémon Go, therefore, means a pattern of steps by which this event may be accomplished in the best way possible. Ever since they've started this year, Community Days have always provided a source of fun and camaraderie for players that play Pokémon Go, and it has only gotten better with the addition of features like Research and trading. However, it may be better still if a player knows what to do. And thus I offer my personal workflow for dealing with this monthly event.

Since Community Day starting with April's has integrated Field Research tasks (usually in the form of "catch-3" tasks), Community Day is really no longer viable to be done simply by just sitting the entire time, which was indeed possible in January, February, and March. Therefore, with the presumption that the normal tasks are in place - and not like July's tasks, which are slightly different - I spend a good bit of the first hour collecting and completing the Field Research tasks. The trick is, of course, to clear and/or complete previous tasks (remembering also to complete the ones taken during this time) and have sufficient bag space to spin the PokéStops, though with plenty of captures along the way, this should be no problem. Early in the hour is also the time to set up Lure Modules to make use of their usual extension; in an area with lots of PokéStops and players playing, this should prove quite beneficial.

In the second hour, things should let up a bit, so this could allow for a moment's rest - in other words, to sit and catch a break. In that time, captures could continue in an area densely surrounded by PokéStops with Lure Modules on them and be enhanced with the help of an Incense, Star Piece, or both. So I activate either or both of these as I rest while still capturing, taking full advantage of their short time. During this time I also start sorting out the Community Day Pokémon that I've captured and start transferring ones that are statistically weak and/or below a certain threshold, usually a "rolling average" of the ones I've captured. Certainly this process may have started early from the previous hour, especially if I had already captured many with poor stats early on.

What happens in the third hour is a combination of the first and second hours, involving looking for PokéStops with uncompleted tasks as well as capturing any featured Pokémon that are left, usually in combination with transferring those that are not up to snuff. Prior to September, I would have also evolved the most worthy "candidates" to obtain the special moves of evolved forms, if present, during this time. Since the extension of move windows, however, this could be delayed; the addition of the trade feature also makes it possible to trade subpar catches with other people in hope of better ones, but this too is best done within the extended move windows, leaving the rest of the time to catch the remaining ones present. After the appearances end, then it's time to trade if possible, and evolve the best ones present. Once things are done, then they're done.

This is only my personal workflow for Community Day; it is purely a suggestion for players that don't have (any idea of) one. They can certainly develop theirs on their own, perhaps based on mine. It is still useful to try to conceive one in order to plan out things during the event, do what needs to be done, and do them well. And that's really the essence of a workflow: to be able to accomplish things by way of the planned patterns. I'm certain that Community Day in Pokémon Go can benefit by the use of such a workflow, and be made more fun in the process.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Halloween 2017 Event

Expression of Care

It came to my attention recently that a social experiment had been carried out. I wasn't a witness to and didn't participate in the actual experiment, but the experiment as well as the results of that experiment appear to be well-documented. As gravitated to Pokémon as I am, I couldn't help but consider this social experiment in light of Pokémon and what it could possibly mean if it were really linked to it.

The experiment involved an advertising billboard that was put up with one detail that is noticeably incorrect. Predictably, in this day and age of social media, a flood of reactions resulted among their users, and beyond social media, the incorrect detail was reported in a few places as well. Eventually, another advertisement acknowledged the incorrect detail and said that it was a social experiment - which is also how I knew about this. Certainly, the advertisement also rectified the incorrect detail.

The results of the social experiment seem to lead to the conclusion that by reacting to the incorrect advertisement, people show that they care. If people no longer cared, they would probably not have reacted to the advertisement and set many people abuzz through the various forms of social media present today. More than that, they show that the care is innate for those who feel deep senses of connection to the incorrect advertisement. I find this fascinating, which then led me to think about it with Pokémon.

In regard to Pokémon, I would react too if something related to it appeared as detrimentally incorrect as this one. Likewise, it would mean that I do indeed care and won't let a slip-up go by. I probably wouldn't go all out on social media to express the incorrectness, but since I have this blog, at least I can rationally discuss it on this blog, and other people could comment on it here as well. That would be analogous to the "other-place reporting" that took place above. The hope is of course that the mistake would be rectified as above.

Granted, Pokémon is a major thing and it would be hard for something like the above to occur, let alone as an experiment; it's more likely that something goes wrong unintentionally and then quickly fixed, most likely with an apology. Still, I would likely address it, as with anything else Pokémon, because of my attraction to it. In that way, I would show that I care. A social experiment is hardly needed in this case - or rather, my case personally.

One year ago: Three-Line Episode Summaries

Pokémon Go Community Day Repeat, 10/28/2018

This month, aside from a certain concert only loosely related to Pokémon that bombed, Community Day in Pokémon Go also bombed for a large number of players for various reasons and with various effects. In several of the previous Community Days - most famously the second - the solution would be to extend Community Day for far longer than it should have been. Instead, Community Day would be repeated in its entirety, and that repeat was scheduled for today. And so I participated once again.

All the perks, and I mean every single one, returned, including the three-hour Lure Modules and fast Egg hatching - everything. It is after all a repeat, so things have to be exactly the same... or almost. An unspoken perk of this repeat is that because it coincides with the Halloween Event, which I have discussed in the previous post, all Beldum captured earn the player double Candies, which is an additional perk of the Halloween Event that I neglected to mention. Because of this added perk, this Community Day repeat becomes highly lucrative for any player who missed last week, didn't get good results, and/or is looking to build up a candy stock.

Since I've returned to where I live, I can take part in this repeat as I take part in most other Community Days: get together with my raid group, install a boatload of Lure Modules on the many PokéStops scattered in my area, and have a ball - a lot of fun, that is. The good part is that I wasn't alone in my efforts as I was last week, as the others in my raid group donated their Lure Modules to the cause, making this rather festive and not at all like last week's mini Beldum spree. Beldum appearances vastly improved this time, resolving one of the complaints from last week.

Personally, I got a ton of Beldum again, though many were still off in regard to stats. This was rectified slightly, however, by trading with others after the Beldum stopped appearing but while still in the window for Meteor Mash as the special move, which since last month's edition has been extended by one hour. Further, I also caught more Shiny Beldum than I did last week: four, which is double that of last week, but still far fewer than others that I polled. Their stats are subpar, but they may become bargaining power for trading for other Shiny forms, and that may be a good thing. Overall, my complaints are more or less resolved.

The good thing about repeating the event rather than extending it is that this leaves players more time to prepare and recover, and accommodates players who may have missed the original event, possibly helped by other perks in effect. In my case and other players' cases, it may also allow for the event to be conducted in two different places for both times. The bad thing is that players may have to reinvest to participate again, specifically regarding Lure Modules, which naturally last longer with an extension and not have to be reinstalled. The opposite situation may also occur, as players who made the original may miss the repeat. The comparison of the two solutions indicate both good and bad things.

While it can't be hoped that these repeats may occur, this solution seems to be viable enough if a Community Day goes awry for a few or many reasons. I personally approve of this solution, especially if it can have a much better turnout like today. Now the hope is that actual Community Days may go as smoothly as today did, perhaps even better than what any repeat or extension may remedy. But should things go wrong (per Murphy's Law), at least now it should be known what to do to make things right. ✔

One year ago: At the Movies: Episode 698 - "Movie Time! Zorua in 'The Legend of the Pokémon Knight!'"

Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 10/27/2018

Before this month ends, I've got to do an event rollup for Pokémon Go. As I've mentioned all the way back in June's edition of this rollup, I recap things that have happened or are happening, and that I have not already covered otherwise in a different post and are not viable for one, at least not yet. Even then, there are fascinating things to be discussed about quite a few of these events, especially in regard to their features, and there are three that strike that fascination and really include features.

A couple of weeks ago, there were two events that could almost be said to be linked to one another. Over the course of a week, there was something called the "Psychic Spectacular", and then for one day, there was something called "Female Day". The former involved increased appearances of Psychic-type Pokémon, while the latter involved increased appearances of female Pokémon. What's more, both events unleashed Shiny forms, the former for the Drowzee family and the latter for the female Nidoran family. It is becoming evident that events like these, not to mention Community Days and such, seem to be vehicles for not only featuring select Pokémon, but unleashing their Shiny forms as well. The Shiny forms may or may not be welcome with certain players, but at least the featured Pokémon may be nice to capture.

Whilst discussing features and fascinations, there is a big one that has both: fourth-generation Pokémon have now made their way in! This is another great step for the game, which had already celebrated two years of presence last July. Like the third-generation Pokémon, the fourth-generation ones will come in waves of updates, and the first wave featured the starters as well as a few stars like Starly (ahem), Bidoof, and even Riolu. Bidoof was even "popular" for a single day, which made for a rousing good time. Meanwhile, Shinx became a popular Level 1 raid boss due to the possibility of it becoming Shiny, being the first Pokémon of this generation that got its Shiny form. The others will come in due time and will surely be the source for more fascination.

Since it's October, it can't be forgotten that Halloween is almost here, and to celebrate, the Halloween Event has returned. All the perks from last year's edition have returned - Ghost types, Dark types, and the Spooky Pikachu - as well as a few new ones: now Spooky Pikachu is available in its Shiny form, and with the entry of the fourth-generation Pokémon, Drifloon plus its Shiny form and Stunky also enter the fray. The biggest new perk is a change in the Level 5 raid boss: Giratina, in its Altered Forme, becomes the first Legendary boss of the fourth-generation Pokémon in Go to coincide with the event. This Halloween event just got way more spectacular.

These events are fascinating indeed and really do feature a host of Pokémon in the game, even in the quirkiest of ways. And then there are all the Shiny forms that make it in as well. Features and fascinations will always and surely be a part of the events that appear in Pokémon Go, but then these recent ones seem to have quite a bit of those - maybe even an overload. The events that come may not measure up in terms of that, but that remains to be seen; they'll still have them regardless.

One year ago: Expecting Something Special

Two-Sided Stories

I've occasionally mentioned on some of the posts on this blog that there are two sides to every story, and now I feel that I have to expound on that, as well as what it means for me and Pokémon. In general, this means that stories have good and bad sides, but these sides are also relative in some cases. It has to do with how things are seen, even from multiple sides within those sides.

Many stories that involve Pokémon also involve the raising of them, and this certainly provides for the two sides of a story, and perhaps even more. This was something that I illustrated previously with the case of Charizard, but the same really applies to any Pokémon. Pokémon are beings that have their own feelings as well, so they would be seeing things in their own way, as much as the Trainers that raise them see things in their own way. The Pokémon would expect that things go one way while the Trainers expect another. If these are more or less in line, then there's not much to say about the two sides, but if these are not, then that's when the two sides become more pronounced. With interactions between the two sides, the stories become told.

The villains of the Pokémon world also facilitate the two sides of a story. In their case, they could become their own side of the story. I've noted a certain sympathy for them, and this leads to the interest of knowing what they had expected. Recently, anti-hero movies have come into vogue, and these are essentially the stories of villains; the ones in the Pokémon world could go through a similar course. Here, it is their expectations that run the course and become their story. Though some of their actions may be cruel and unforgivable, there might be a chance to see more of their humane side and less of that other side.

What seems to be important is that no matter from which side, there are stories to be told. All the characters involved have their own expectations, which may be innocent and well-intended or radical and forced. None are to be discounted; personally, it seems to be as valid to see from one side as it is from another, though in the end the most appropriate one has to win out. This applies for Pokémon as it does anywhere else.

Perhaps it may be more than two sides, but that seems to be OK. It would serve well to still know that this is the case before being able to find out the respective stories and relating them.

One year ago: Pronouncing Pokémon

Dilemma of Colors

I'm involved in cosplay - Pokémon cosplay to be exact - so I have to deal with many things that are related to these efforts in general. This includes picking things out, whether fabric for clothing or materials for accessories, that are of certain colors. This might seem like a simple thing, but it's something that is potentially fraught with its own difficulties. It's something that has been attested by the greater public as well as myself.

Some time ago, a intensely heated debate arose on the Internet regarding two photos that appeared to be of the same piece of clothing, but in different colors. To make a long story short, the two photos were indicated to be in fact the same piece of clothing, but only one of the photos showed the clothing in true light. The lesson here is that color may be perceived differently in different situations, and even by individual people. For anyone who works with colors, whether artists, designers, or yes, even cosplayers, this could become a sensitive issue.

I'm no stranger to this issue. Last year, during a certain theme event, I made my debut as Ash in his Alola costume. However, as I continued to wear it, I felt that the pants were off regarding its colors. I then made the executive decision to change the colors of the pants after a couple of events, and four months later, I wore the costume with the revised pants. The issue seems to be that the color of the pants had been a bit falsely perceived as I was creating them, and this lends credence to the lesson above. It's something I wish to avoid in the future as much as possible.

I'm currently involved in a specific project, and I've become the acting "project manager". And yes, that project does involve colors, so I'm somewhat responsible for checking the colors of things that others contribute to the project. All the same, though, I can't be too hard on them, though I do expect that I and the others arrive at a happy medium. As for what that project entails, I can't divulge much of the details yet, and I may have to find a way so that I could discuss it here. I'm sure it will be highly fascinating once it's complete.

Color is inherently everything to a Pokémon fan, and it seems to be even more so for someone who couples this with cosplay. It may be something finicky to pinpoint for people and to get right even for myself. But with all that I do involving both, I still have to make the efforts to get it as right as possible, as difficult as it may be. The good thing is that once it's right, the results may just be really spectacular, both for myself and for others.

One year ago: Pokémon XY Pikachu Freezer Bottle

Items with a Purpose

Any player of the Pokémon games, in particular the main series games, knows that there is a staggering variety of items in those games, and each of those items have at least one purpose. Other Pokémon games use a smaller subset of those items and/or reinterpret some of them in various guises, but the items still have their purposes. This is something I'm convinced of when I have to deal with them, regardless of the Pokémon game in question.

Admittedly, this may be hard to distinguish for certain classes of items. An example is items that restore HP. In the main series games, there is a bewildering array of these items. Though they all perform the same exact function, their differences are in the amounts of HP that they heal. Yet with such a bewildering array, some players may be tempted to keep a large number of only a few items in an attempt to keep things simple. The issue that I have with this is that it almost disregards the value and capabilities of the items. It seems a bit much to think that, for example, a Hyper Potion can assume the function of a Lemonade, given that they are priced differently and the former may be overkill in its function compared to the latter. It seems it may be better to keep both and use either when suitable or necessary.

A key issue that seems to relate into this is determining what to keep and how many to keep. In the main series games, this is hardly an issue since bag space is indefinite, at least in later games. But in a game where bag space is at a premium such as in Pokémon Go, this does become quite a relevant issue. With regard to the values and capabilities of each item, in my view, it is permissible to keep just a handful of the less capable items for when they are perfectly suited and use them up when they burgeon, instead of discarding them without regard, except in dire situations. In that way, at least they may get some use rather than being viewed as a waste of space.

Item usage is and will always be part of the Pokémon games, as items are inescapable from the games and there are many variants from them. Yet it seems that as much as it is dictated by practicality, it's also to an extent dictated by utility. No matter how an item functions, the item may still have a purpose in certain situations. The challenge perhaps lies with the player to determine when the items are best used and to use them at that point, rather than leaving the items to languish or discarding them. At the least, the purposes will be fulfilled.

One year ago: Beyond the Boundary... of Languages

A Storybook and a Reference

There is one more Pokémon thing that I took away from my recent travels to see a concert that just didn't happen as intended - as in, not at all. After the festivities of last Sunday's Pokémon Go Community Day (or lack of them), I took to exploring some shops near the place where I took part in Community Day. One of them is a bookstore that sold all kinds of books, including... Pokémon books! Knowing that, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get one book to satisfy my attraction and as a memento of my travels.

Four in one, and...

That book is as you see here. It's titled Storybook Treasury because, also as evident on the front cover, it's actually made up of four books in one. I've skimmed through the entire book, and I can say that this is true; some parts of the book repeat in what is present on the pages, and the individual "parts" are meant to be separate books. Even so, the contents of the parts seem different from one repetition to another, so some mental synthesis may be in order. Also, though "storybook" indicates that this book is written for young readers - and in fact, this was where the book was indexed in the bookstore - I dare say that some parts may be slightly hard to understand for some readers, though slightly older readers and Pokémon fans may be able to understand the book more fully.

The theme of the book is of course Pokémon, but it specifically deals with the creatures that bear this name. Some human characters also appear and make the book more lively, and one of them happens to be none other than... Ash Ketchum himself. Some other characters related to him also appear in the book, many of which are additionally connected to the most recent Alola saga. Because of that, this book is quite influenced by the Pokémon anime, which now appears more oriented to younger viewers than ever these days. I find nothing wrong with that, and that makes me enjoy the book personally.

Guess who?

As for the "reference" part, which I've mentioned in the the title of this post, after having skimmed through the book, I'd say that it is as much a reference book as it is a storybook. The reason is that the individual Pokémon are explained in their characteristics in almost an encyclopedic manner, and therefore it is like (or in some ways, rather is) a reference book. It's not quite in-depth as a real reference book devoted to Pokémon would be, but that goes back to the intent of this book to serve younger readers. It's still fairly captivating for any Pokémon fan.

I'm quite fond of this book. As a storybook, it's a bit entertaining; as a reference book, it's somewhat informative. Everything is tied up with influences from the Pokémon anime, which is perfectly enjoyable. While I have to say that the dual purposes of my recent travels were not quite fulfilled, this book accomplishes its (unstated) dual purpose nicely, and it's a worthy memento of a travel that is in part influenced by Pokémon too.

One year ago: A Successor Has Been Named

Resilience

While a certain issue is still relevant, I want to discuss about it, and its (and my) relation to Pokémon as well. Something that Yanni - yes, it's somewhat related to him again - always seems to discuss is the resilience of the human spirit, how people are able to bounce back after certain disasters that befall them. I find this to be rather true as well, and since people (humans) are involved in the world of Pokémon as well, I find it perfectly applicable in that regard.

The Community Days of Pokémon Go sometimes don't go too well, if yesterday and my general experience is of any indication. Though I've been out of it for a bit now, VGC ultimately involves a lot of bouncing back, inside and outside the battle. Even the anime series has a lot of of ups and downs for the characters involved. All of these understandably take some resilience to go through and then continuing as if it never happened. This is surely what Yanni tries to capture, and I can hear that in his music.

A different kind of bouncing back would have to involve players who couldn't play for some reason, and then be able to come back and play the games. That's what happened to me when I became able to play Pokémon Go again last year. To some extent, buying the New 3DS and avoiding disasters on my old 3DS could be considered "bouncing back" as well. But then there are players that haven't been so lucky or have encountered situations that prevented them from playing the games normally. The fortunate situations have to be appreciated, while the unfortunate situations have to be hoped to get better.

Yanni says that this resilience is an amazing thing; our will to progress is something great, especially when combined with some faith. I do have to say that I agree, and it's something of a universality, even given something fictional as Pokémon, which does feature human characters. Of course, the ones enjoying Pokémon are humans too, and they have to go through their own tribulations. With faith, everyone can enjoy Pokémon as well as everything in life, moving past whatever challenge comes about.

And the current challenge, of course, is for the man himself to heal after the foot injury, while I continue to do what I do with Pokémon, in addition to everything else in life. Get well soon, and I hope to be able to see you live someday... with some Pokémon spirit in tow.

One year ago: Cosplay: Arigatoo...!!!

Pokémon Go Community Day, 10/21/2018

As I've noted in yesterday's post, I was supposed to watch Yanni in concert the other day, but this plan went south when he became unable to perform. I also noted that on the same weekend, Pokémon is still involved; this month's edition of Community Day for Pokémon Go, which is today and would have been the day after the concert, is the reason. And because of the travel plans to the concert, it means that I participated while I traveled to the concert that would have been.

Actually, I could have missed today's Community Day if I hadn't found out about it early on. One of my raid fellows had found out about the Community Day schedules for a few months ahead, way back in August or so. Because of that, I was able to conclusively determine that this month's Community Day was the day following the concert. Had I missed the information, I probably would have planned my travels in such a way as to make participation in Community Day infeasible, but because of the information, I was able to plan my travels accordingly. As for those plans, concert or no concert, Community Day was going to happen; had it been possible to gracefully cancel the travel plans, I would have taken part in Community Day where I live, much like I did in previous months, but because I couldn't, I traveled, and Community Day happened as planned... as I traveled, that is.

And the plan for today's Community Day was to take part in it in a well-known tourist area, which also happened to have quite a few PokéStops around, with the hope that there might be a few more participating Trainers around. However, that did not seem to be the case, since I saw no one that seemed to be playing. Even so, two other Trainers did install Lure Modules on two PokéStops, and I leveraged the situation by installing three of my own on three others. All the PokéStops were arranged on a straight path, which facilitated this month's Community Day perks.

Speaking of perks, this month's perks are the Pokémon Beldum, the move Meteor Mash for its final evolution of Metagross, as well as its Shiny form and 3-hour Lure Modules, and accelerated Egg hatching. This month's Community Day is therefore the first Community Day to involve a third-generation Pokémon since the start of this series of events. Though limited, the situation above is what facilitated the last perk, as the route was simple, going along the straight path and back. I finally hatched some old Eggs that I badly needed to hatch to leave room for new Eggs. That was quite helpful.

As for results, this seems to be an unlucky Community Day for me. Though I got a good number of Beldum, very few actually had very good stats, which is a shame. Not only that, I only collected a grand total of two Shiny Beldum, while others caught way more than that, though this seems to be normal for any Community Day. What wasn't normal was that Beldum appearances seemed rather sparse for a Community Day; other Pokémon seemed to appear just as often, if not more. By reports, some people saw almost no Beldum, and this was happening in many places. This situation has been officially acknowledged. In the past, the solution would of course be to extend the event on the same day, but this time, a new solution is in place: this Community Day will be repeated (redone) at a certain date to be announced. That should bode well for anyone dissatisfied with the appearances, the ones captured, and the lack of Shiny forms, for which I have complaints for all three. Actually, this solution would be analogous to Yanni rescheduling his concert for another time; he has, in fact, done that for one of the concerts that didn't happen, so it might just happen for my case.

This Community Day not only was scheduled alongside a concert that wasn't meant to be, but also seemed to have its share of problems. Unlike the concert, I at least obtained something fruitful - and quite useful because I traveled for it - though still not completely satisfactory. On that note, the solutions are apparently similar as well: reschedule concert, redo Community Day. When both occurs, they might just make for greater days, whether or not they happen roughly at the same time as is the case of this weekend. I'm looking forward to them already.

One year ago: Pokémon Brand Parodies

Santorini and Sootopolis City

OK, I have to admit it: I've been listening to Yanni a lot recently. His pieces are wonderful to listen to when I'm doing all kinds of stuff. And sometimes, that leads me back to Pokémon, something I'm also happy to discuss on this blog. And I'm about to discuss another one of those connections.

One of his most-celebrated pieces is "Santorini". Its original arrangement is majestic, but its live version is epic, as one of the pieces performed in his Acropolis concert over two decades ago, and more recently again in his Dream Concert. The piece gets its title from the Greek island of the same name, which has a rich history, not the least because it was involved in a geological event with a volcano a long time ago, which ultimately led to the island in its current state. It is perhaps this that Yanni wanted to capture in the piece. Regardless, the island itself is very beautiful, especially with the architecture of its buildings.

The island of Santorini also just happens to have a Pokémon connection, in the form of Sootopolis City in the Hoenn region. Like the real-life island, Sootopolis City is linked to volcanoes, or rather a volcano, because it is situated within the crater of one. The architecture of the buildings is a lot alike, which means that Sootopolis City must have been directly inspired by Santorini. And thus, I can't help but think of Sootopolis City as well to some extent when I listen to Yanni's piece above. The two places, both in the real world and the Pokémon world, make for great analogues of each other. And of course, both are beautiful no matter who regards them.

I'm writing this because... OK, I was supposed to be attending Yanni's concert tonight on this date at a well-known historical site, but then somehow the man himself injured his foot, and that took out a few of his planned concerts, including the one I was supposed to watch tonight. I'm rather disappointed, certainly, but it is what it is. And because travel plans have been made, I don't have much choice but to follow them. No matter - this will simply be a weekend getaway instead. What's more, Pokémon will still be involved somehow, so I'm still a happy camper.

A lot of Yanni's music celebrate life, and I personally consider that a great thing. "Santorini" is one of them. And as a Pokémon fan, I'm happy that I can relate it to something from that world as well, namely Sootopolis City. It's amazing how everything connects so brilliantly and makes me have appreciation for them.

One year ago: To Genwunners: Get with the Program!

Being Young and Proud

We're much too young
And life's so big
We don't know yet what the future brings in its hands for us
What tomorrow brings the future knows
No matter what you say, no matter what you do, we are united
Young and Proud, Young and Proud
We're on the same side of destiny
On the same side of destiny...
-- "Young and Proud", Ace of Base

One of the things that I like and find charming about Pokémon (and perhaps other people do too) is its prominent feature of youths as main or key characters. It's no surprise, as Pokémon is partly oriented to children and youths, something I've discussed every now and then. Yet that doesn't stop me and others from liking Pokémon, and that in fact may lead to a sense of pride. That brings to my mind this song, a classic from the early days of this music group.

The part that I've quoted above is the initial verse of the song. It seems it would be something perfectly applicable to a young Pokémon Trainer starting out on a journey. For someone so young, the world (and life) really is big, and the future is something of an unknown. But with a Pokémon alongside, anything may happen; whether good or not so good, the Pokémon and the Trainer are together. It may be a source of pride regardless, for the both of them.

Though much of the latter half of the song (including the chorus) speaks of unrequited love, it can also be construed as a desire to have this spirit, and thus, Pokémon. This might explain why many people, including me, still play Pokémon to this day. It becomes a longing for the good old days when they were younger and prouder. Perhaps the latter may not have changed, even though the former is no longer true. The spirit is what is sought after.

Pokémon features things that appeal to younger audiences, but in spite of that, older people also enjoy Pokémon. For me, this is not too much of a concern, and my friends who like Pokémon don't seem to be concerned about it either. What seems to be most important is the spirit of youth and pride, something that becomes the main theme of this song. I'm not (too) young anymore, but at least I still have some pride that I enjoy Pokémon. Why not - it's still a great thing to (long to) be young and proud.

One year ago: PokéNumbers

The Moves Pokémon Know and Use

Pokémon are highly associated with the moves that they know. They're a key part of the gameplay in many Pokémon games, particularly the main series games and even popular spinoff games like Go. Given this state of affairs, however, it is also wise to think about just what kinds and varieties of moves Pokémon can actually perform. It's something that seems highly dependent on the Pokémon and the characteristics of certain moves.

Most Pokémon actually know a good deal of moves by some fashion. They can learn moves naturally as they level up or even through the process of breeding, something that is particularly evident in the main series. They can also learn moves by tutors and Technical Machines, which expands their repertoire. Sure, what they know is not all the Pokémon moves that exist, but it's not supposed to be that way; every Pokémon has some things they can do and others that they can't, and that's something typical to be expected of many Pokémon, no matter how varied their repertoire of moves are.

What makes things complicated is that some Pokémon can learn moves that let them use practically almost any move under certain circumstances. Smeargle, for example, knows the move Sketch, which allows it to learn and use almost any move with an exposure. Skitty knows the move Assist, allowing the Pokémon to use any other move that Pokémon in the party know, which may indeed be quite varied. A number of Fairy Pokémon also know the move Metronome, which means they can use just about any move that other Pokémon know. With any of these moves, it becomes possible for Pokémon to use any move beyond what they're supposed to only know. Perhaps that's the key point with these moves: they don't really "know" the moves that they use, but are just imbued with the knowledge temporarily (or almost permanently, in the case of Smeargle). Beyond that, they're just any other Pokémon with limits to what they can normally do.

Speaking of limits, some Pokémon only know a very small and fixed number of moves, and are unable to use anything beyond that. This would then be considered an extreme case, even atypical in some respects. But then it just goes back to what Pokémon can do, which in this case just happens to be not very much. This is still a worthwhile footnote.

So some Pokémon know many moves - not all, but a good number - and can use them well too. But then there are Pokémon that seem to be able to use many more moves than they know, as well as some that are severely restricted. Whatever they do, they're all still Pokémon, and they have to use moves to really do what they can do. And that is just a good part of what makes them what they are.

One year ago: Second Remakes?

The First Sinnoh Saga Japanese Opening Theme

For those who recall, last Sunday at a certain event, I participated in the karaoke competition with something that I've always wanted to sing, which is the first Japanese opening theme to the Sinnoh saga of the Pokémon anime. Its title, strangely enough, consists of a sole English word: "Together". Beyond its strangely simple title, though, there's quite a bit to say about the elements of this particular song.

As I've noted in a post about its end-of-saga counterpart, the song is also sung by Akiyoshi Fumie, which makes for an interesting link, as this one "opens" and the other one effectively "closes". Like the other song, there are references to Pokémon moves and even items, and the lyrics illustrate things that happen in the spirit of togetherness, which explains the title. Perhaps the most memorable part for those who understand little Japanese is the last part of the choruses, with two repetitions of "Good Good Smile"; I noted that those who listened as I sang tended to follow this part. It still fits the spirit, which is a good thing.

The music itself is upbeat and cheery, which helps to reinforce the spirit of the song. Now, I have to say that although this song is a Japanese creation, I find that the instrumentation seems to more evoke a different place: Ireland. The instrumental bridge particularly almost sounds like something out of Ronan Hardiman's The Lord of the Dance, and perhaps some expert choreographer can synchronize an Irish jig to fit that portion. I tried to take advantage of this for the karaoke competition and attempted to incorporate it into my performance, though it did seem come out lame. I still think it was the best that I can do.

This is a song that personally will continue to resonate with me. It makes for a good opening to the Sinnoh saga due to its inspiring qualities. Plus, now I've memorized the lyrics thanks to the demands of the karaoke competition. Whether or not I will sing this again is an open question, but what is not to be questioned is the attractiveness of the song. For many Pokémon fans, this would be the song that brought them together with the Sinnoh saga, and that's quite appreciable enough given what the song offers musically and lyrically.

One year ago: Pokémon and Trains

(Improving the) Local EX Raid, 10/16/2018

Hmm, yes. Today is another EX Raid day in my local area, exactly two weeks after the last one. I hadn't been planning to earn my pass for this one and was hoping for an invitation by one of my Ultra Friends, but in the end I ended up raiding anyway in part to ascertain which EX Raid Gym I wanted to participate in, and as a fallback measure. I chose to raid the same Gym as the last time, and everything worked out as expected.

The tag for this one is "improving", because the objective was to step up my experience of the current EX Raids and see if the current experience has been stepped up as well. It seems the later has happened, since the EX Raids happened with no danger of cancellation - by voiding the Gyms of any raids before the EX Raid happens - unlike before when it was reported that some EX Raids (not in my local area) had been cancelled due to conflicts with other raids. It was a stroke of luck that the previous ones had not been canceled, and now it seems that future ones will be fortunate ones as long as this keeps up.

As part of the expectation, I was hoping to capture a Deoxys with a higher CP than what I had previously, but that didn't work out. The Deoxys I captured last time had a CP of 1511, and the one I caught today had a CP of 1512 - a measly improvement of only 1 CP. It's still a far cry from the maximum possible raw CP, which I may or may not be able to get, but anything may happen. After one of my friends completed the EX Raid, that friend went on to capture Suicune by way of Field Research, which did have the maximum raw CP. Perhaps if something like that happened with the EX Raid, then there would be some rejoicing.

As well, I wanted to take pictures of Deoxys with the AR function, which was something I didn't do last time for practicality. I had planned on doing this regardless of the CP that I was given for Deoxys, which then turned out as above. The pictures looked great, though.

Deoxys @ Fountain. The fountain is the actual site of this EX Raid Gym.
The water only sprays during certain hours.

Group photo with Deoxys.

This one is indeed a massive improvement from last time. Of course, it won't be the last time I take pictures with Deoxys, especially since I haven't been to the other EX Raid Gym. I expect that to happen rather soon.

I'd say much improvement happened today in the way of the Deoxys EX Raid. Some were better than others, but everything can't exactly be hoped for to happen at one time. That said, it'll still be some time for Deoxys to appear in EX Raids, especially with all its forms, so some improvements are bound to happen next time as well. I'm already looking forward to them.

One year ago: Trainer Fashion

Ultra Ball Hanging Ornament

As I've mentioned in my post about the equipment that I use for my Pokémon cosplay, the Poké Ball that I use is based off on a hanging ornament. I found the ornament in a merchandise stall at an event, and I bought the ornament immediately to replace an older one I used. The same merchandise stall, though, also makes the other two kinds of major Poké Balls (Great and Ultra Ball), and I finally got the Ultra Ball variant the other day, by way of the stall selling at yesterday's event.

It shouldn't be hard to match up the colors of the Ultra Ball, and this one evidently does that. The black and the white parts of the ball, as is the yellow part of the upper half. Design-wise, this ball is appropriate as well. The yellow part of the upper half is neatly arranged and does not conflict with the hanging loop; this was one of the few balls sold that was so. The hanging loop is also black, which in this case perfectly matches the upper portion of the ball, unlike the Poké Ball keychain I got the week before, which clashes a little with the red upper portion. Given all of these, I'd say the Ultra Ball I got is just right.

With this Ultra Ball, I also have completed my collection of hanging ornament Poké Balls from this merchandise stall. Back when I got the Poké Ball to replace my previous one, I got a second one to keep as a collection, as well as a Great Ball. Looking at them side-by-side, I'd say they're all excellent, even if the Ultra Ball is a little slightly off in proportion (most likely because it was created later).

While I can conceivably also add a Great Ball and an Ultra Ball (the ones that come from this stall) to my cosplay equipment, I prefer not to, because the Poké Ball seems to be sufficient in most cases, and I'd rather not add extra things to carry. It's a nice idea, but it personally doesn't work for me. I'm just fine with the Great and Ultra Balls as hanging ornaments and nothing else.

The fact that the stall provides the Great Ball and Ultra Ball as hanging ornaments seems to indicate that the stall listens or pays attention to Pokémon fans like me, who expect not only one kind of hanging ornament, being not just the Poké Ball. This Ultra Ball is just the ticket for interested fans to buy them and have an impressive set, or in my case, to make my collection as perfect as it can be, especially in the case of the Ultra Ball I got.

One year ago: Cosplay: MAXcited

Cosplay: Akatsuki no Matsuri

[AshKetchumMode]

After last week's sticky situation, there's nothing like another theme event... right? Well, that's exactly what happened. My friend had been planning to send me to this one too, and it was just bad luck that what happened last week happened. Luckily things are much better this week, and that makes me glad, as much as my friend is glad.

This one is quite the event. My friend says the title of the event means "dawn festival", which I guess it's great. Actually, this is supposed to be a two-day thing, but my friend told me all the good stuff were on the second day. My friend did check, and it really wasn't too interesting. So we thought everything was really going to happen on Day 2, and we were right.

My friend signed me up for two competitions today: singing and the character parade. Yeah, that means the singing competition is the main one today! We chose to sing the first opening theme for my Sinnoh adventures. My friend had thought about this one a really long while back, and I have to say that it's a great choice too. Because of this, my outfit had to match, so I brought my Sinnoh one for today. My friend can't stop talking how it's the first one that we came up with, so it's great too.

My friend suggested a few things when I performed for the singing competition. They were a bit cheesy, I think, but they seem OK and everyone liked it. As for winning, I guess I have to be honest - I didn't win a thing. For the singing competition, only two people won, even though almost 20 people entered. For the character parade, three armor characters and three fabric characters won - but I wasn't one of the fabric ones. Yes, I'm a bit sad too.

Pikachu: Pi... ka... [tired, drawn out]

Yeah, I'm sorry, Pikachu, but that's how it went. Maybe we'll find better luck elsewhere.

Other than that, the event was a bit small. There were only a few vendors of goodies, and the stage was just big enough for all the fun. Everything was still good, except for the part where everything got pushed back a bit and everyone seemed to get in the way. That's a bit of a hassle, but everything's OK in the end. It's also much better than if I was sent to a faraway event which also happened today, of all days. So my friend and I are lucky - not so much with winnings, but you get where this goes.

This was a good day to get out and get some fun at this event. I'm happy, and so should my friend. Yet I think our work is cut out for the next one. We'll have to see...

[/AshKetchumMode]

One year ago: Never Stop Exploring

Pokémon and Adventure Games

Remember the post I made on journals a couple of days ago? They allude to another game series that I play, and the games of those series can be considered to be of the genre of adventure games. Now, technically speaking, many Pokémon games involve an adventure, so they all could be considered "adventure" games. However, they're also to a greater part other kinds of games, so they cannot be purely considered adventure games. Even so, a few games can be considered close parallels to the games of the genre.

What is perhaps the closest parallel would be the game Detective Pikachu. I still haven't been able to play the full game, but the parallels are already apparent in the demo. The player is prompted to look around and examine things in order to be able to advance the story further, just like in those games. Likewise, the player needs to act upon things once they are clearly in place so that things happen as they should. These are the hallmarks of the games, and as they occur in Detective Pikachu, it too can be considered the closest parallel to the adventure games - or rather one on its own.

Just as close would be games in the PokéPark series, which I've played to certain extents. To a good extent, they are also adventure games in that the player is prompted to inquire, investigate, and interact to proceed further; even the subtitle for the first game indicates the "adventure" orientation. What makes the games less of those games is the large number of mini-games that are akin to ones from party games, and must also be played in order to advance. So on one hand, the adventure part is well-defined, but on the other hand, it's also downplayed due to the mini-games. They're still fairly good from the standpoint of the former.

It should be noted that one of the most popular Pokémon games can also be considered an adventure game, at least by its catalog description. That game is Pokémon Go, and it is included as an adventure game by Google's Play Store. In a way, it is a true and open-ended adventure, as the focus is on getting out there and catching Pokémon. Yet it also includes many of the mechanics familiar to those who play the main series, as a role-playing game, and that may be considered where the adventure ends and one becomes a Trainer just trying to one-up other Trainers. There is still a good adventure to be had in this game, though.

Even if many offerings of Pokémon games don't closely align with true adventure games, they still in a way offer "adventures" with what happens in them. I find nothing wrong with that, and I still like them for what they are. But true adventure games that do involve Pokémon are or would be something else indeed, and I would enjoy playing them as much as I do playing any other Pokémon game. Perhaps with enough demand, this could remain a good direction for Pokémon games to take.

One year ago: Respect for Ikue Ootani

Finding and Re-Finding Players

The Pokémon games are played by many people, as can be attested by the so many things that have resulted from them playing the games. Some parts of the games can even provide a great challenge, which results in things like the World Championships. But what is perhaps also a great challenge is finding (local) players to play with - and then finding them all over again - for any of the games. This sometimes can turn out not as well as it should, by way of what I've been through.

When I started out playing the main series games, I very rarely found any players to play with. Most of the people (friends) that I came into contact with would look at me with a "huh?" expression when I discussed Pokémon. Once in a while, there were people who knew what it was, and we did connect through that, though not intensively, so we never spent any real playing time together. Since then, I've also lost contact with them and never recovered any real method of communication. I still wonder what happened to them.

As I've mentioned in a number of posts on this blog, I'm also a part of a local association of players. But beyond the first tournament we had, nothing else really ever materialized, and it has come to my attention that some of us may be off on other pursuits that may not involve Pokémon, leaving the local association in disarray. Thus the issue becomes how to seek out players who will want to join to keep it alive. So far I've not succeeded; I've met one person, but that person is not convinced. This is a real issue and something has to be done.

In the realm of Go, there seems to be better luck in finding players. I've come across them occasionally by walking and playing, as did my other raid group members. However, this is also threatened by players that are part of "invisible forces" or are generally recluses to begin with. On the whole, this does not seem to be a major concern, but the unification of them seems to be, as well as what happens later on out of that unification. In time, maybe all the local players might just be found.

It's great to play the Pokémon games, but it would be greater still to play them with other people. For that, the challenge of finding players becomes an important one. It may be hard to find players and harder still to re-find or continue finding them, but this is something that is really to be done. Once that's done, all that is really left to do is to enjoy playing the games, as they should be enjoyed with a multitude of players.

One year ago: The (De Facto) Series Mascot

Pokémon Game Journals

In another game series that I play, journals are an important part of the games. They leave vital clues for the player, indicate personalities of characters, and provide a reading diversion. Most Pokémon games are action-oriented, so journals like these would more likely get in the way rather than be a useful aid as well as entertainment. Even so, journals could at least be useful and attractive in some ways, in particular to different figures in the Pokémon world.

The professors would certainly keep lots of journals related to their research on Pokémon. Fully fleshed-out journals for them could conceivably contain not only lots of text, but also sketches and images, which are also often found in journals in the other game series. As for their ability to leave vital clues, they would likely become important when it comes to hinting about certain Pokémon, as in the case of the newly-discovered Meltan. The perhaps unparalleled knowledge provided by the journals would be their appeal point.

Keeping a journal would also be in the interest of the villains of the games. In fact, this would be practically inevitable; whether visible to the player or not, they'd have to write down their ideas for their grand schemes, as they can't conceivably keep all their ideas contained in their minds. Their journals would perhaps have more text than images, but the more technically-oriented among them could have more sketches in their journals. In this way, they would show their depth of character. Whether or not this could be made more visible in this manner is another matter.

To a minor extent, other supporting characters (that are neither of the ones mentioned above) may also be subject to owning a journal. In fact, this has been illustrated in the Mystery Dungeon series, in the "Explorers" sub-series, where one of the NPC Pokémon keeps a miniature journal, wherein it is also indicated that the player character has "snooped" reading it. Such a journal, if fully fleshed out, could likely be full of text rather than images, like the ones for the villains. And as in the example above, if fully realized, the results could be quite entertaining.

Many Pokémon games are not really provisioned for full journals, though there is at least one example of a miniature journal. The idea of full journals in Pokémon games remains an interesting idea, especially if a game could be crafted that would allow for them. They would be a part of the game that would provide intrigue and goad the player to advance, which also happens to be the exact point of them in the other game series. Given the varied casts of characters in Pokémon games, as well as possible Pokémon game varieties, the idea of journals in them might just be very much possible.

One year ago: All That He Wants... (Is Another Victory)

People-Adventure or Pokémon-Adventure?

In the beginning, Pokémon involved the adventures of people, along with the eponymous creatures - which it still does today in its main series games as well as spinoff games like Pokémon Go. As the world expanded, Pokémon themselves could be made the primary focus of the adventure, most notably in the Mystery Dungeon and PokéPark series. This becomes dualistic in a sense, being that games can feature one or the other. Both have their own considerations and characteristics, which lead to preferences.

With a "people-adventure", the human characters are the "stars" alongside the Pokémon. The focus on interactions that are realistic, since they resemble much of the interactions in real life, but also fantastic, because they still involve Pokémon and their special capabilities. It can be said that the focus is really on "immersion", since the primary human character is most likely supposed to be a characterization of the actual human player, sometimes in a "you-are-you" situation. The adventure plays to the human aspect as much as it does to the Pokémon aspect.

In a "Pokémon-adventure", the Pokémon are the stars, with little to no human involvement. Here, there is a potential for more fantastic interactions, since the capabilities of Pokémon may be more exploited for this purpose rather than standard human interactions such as by simply talking. The focus then becomes placed on "imagination", as it becomes a view into what Pokémon might do among themselves and each other when the human aspect is almost completely removed. The Pokémon aspect is fully emphasized in this manner.

Which is better? I happen to like both, since the former is typical and the latter is unique. Some people, though, might like the former due to their familiarity with the main series games or other Pokémon games with actual human feature, for which many games do adhere to this. This might also explain the relative paucity of the latter. Either really isn't right or wrong; they're just fundamentally different approaches with different concepts.

Any Pokémon game will assuredly feature the creatures that bear its name. But then, not all Pokémon games may feature active human presence. That could be said as something dynamic about Pokémon games - that either one may occur depending on the nature and point of the games. Whatever happens and whichever players prefer, both will likely have their own inceptions as the world of Pokémon games moves forward.

One year ago: Kanto Starter Keychains

What Pokémon Eat

One of the questions I get frequently asked, as a major Pokémon fan, is "what does Pikachu/do Pokémon eat?" It's an enigmatic question that is in the interest of Pokémon fans and non-Pokémon fans alike. What's the answer? It's a bit long and winded, but fortunately I've explained quite a bit of it in other posts on this blog. All I have to do is to recap those relevant posts and give a bit of additional information as well.

A quick but partial answer that I often give is that Pokémon eat Pokémon food. This is a bit "duh", but this is the reality as depicted in the anime, which could be taken to be a general case. The food is often depicted as kibble-like pellets, for which it is understood that different formulations exist for different Pokémon. Exceptions exist, of course, and one particular one is that Beautifly eats nectar instead of kibble; Bug Pokémon with similar anatomy may do the same - for that matter, Pokémon with specialized anatomy may have their own type of food. It's obvious, but not necessarily simple.

If Pokémon food is not available, then Pokémon would predictably turn to other natural sources of food, and they do. There are many kinds of Berries available for Pokémon to consume, though they probably cannot subsist on that alone. For that, there is the apple, which provides an additional source of sustenance. There may be other varieties of natural edible substances that Pokémon may consume, but that may be up to the individual imagination as much they could reasonably look like the real-world counterparts.

Perhaps in a rare case, Pokémon could consume either people or other Pokémon. As I've detailed in a post regarding food chains, Pokémon lore is detailed in the Pokédex, and if the lore is taken to be true, then Pokémon can conceivably eat people (when the conditions warrant for this occur) or other Pokémon (like typical predator-prey relationships in life). But of course, these situations may be far and few between, and Pokémon may far prefer the other two things to eat rather than this extreme case.

The reality is that Pokémon is a living world with many people and creatures in particular. In the same way that people need to eat to survive, Pokémon have to also consume at least something to maintain their survival. The question that I initially posed - or rather was posed by other people to me - becomes a valid concern. The answer to that question is ultimately as sensible as much as it is complex, even if it's slightly imaginative.

One year ago: Pokémon Jigsaw Puzzle

A Poké Ball Keychain

Yesterday's event or convention can be thought of as "lucky", for some people or others. In some ways, I could be considered lucky as well, especially after having obtained a piece of Pokémon merchandise, which I'm about to discuss in this post. It too is rather cheap, though like with anything cheap, you do seem to get what you pay for, for reasons that will become apparent. But it is still good to examine the merchandise and note down its details in the hope that it is useful.

While this piece of merchandise is indeed advertised as a keychain, it seems it may be a little too large for that; I would never dream of carrying something as large as this with my keys because it would be a bit unwieldy. It seems it may be better to re-brand this as a "hanging ornament", for which it resembles. In that sense, I would then put it on my bag, as an example of a usage scenario, which someone else demonstrated for a similar-sized item. Its proportions also seem a bit off; from the top and the front, it looks round, but from the sides, it looks elliptical. As well, the black stripe and button seems to be a bit massive for its size.

But it's not all bad. The colors are highly accurate and make it pleasing in appearance. The ball itself is well-crafted, even with materials that I myself would make Poké Balls out of; the inside seems to be a bit firm, but I rather like it this way. The chain itself also looks sturdy, which supports the above usage scenario. In some sense, except for the concerns I've mentioned above, it's a bit simple and understated. It's something I would make given the right tools and time, and certainly the right materials would also help.

All told, this Poké Ball acting as a keychain has its share of pluses and minuses, seemingly tending toward the latter. But it's still a good one in some aspects, and I'll accept it for that reason. It is what it is, and I can't hope to say anything more about it. At the least, I'm lucky to review it, so that this may lead to better merchandise in the future, and may lead me on the lookout for such.

One year ago: Cosplay: Kisetsu no Matsuri

Cosplay: SJF - Tomodachi 3

[AshKetchumMode]

Hi guys. I'm in a bit of a sticky situation. You see, my friend wanted to send me to this theme event, or it could also be called a convention. It's something that he's always done every single year. But then suddenly he got into a pinch, and that made him almost unable to send me here. I told him that he didn't have to send me here if he couldn't, but he insisted, so that's the position that I ended up in.

So I ended up coming. My friend really wanted to send me here because he had heard that many of his friends also sent in their characters, and he was right. I met a few of the ones that I often meet when my friend's friends send theirs in. But because of my friend's problem, I ended up coming late, and by the time I was ready, we had lost a lot of time.

The event or convention itself had the things that you usually find: communities, merchandise, and food. Oh yeah, there were also three guest stars who the people know well. One of them I think even knows me, because we met at a different one earlier - but I didn't meet the guest star this time. If you think about it, maybe we wouldn't have missed much. But then, maybe it wouldn't be me and my friend missing the stuff - it would be other people missing me and my friend. That's a big thing, I think.

Something this big has to have competitions, but my friend was so busy, he didn't set me up for one, and the two we think we can do well, the singing and character parade, was on the previous day. The previous day - oh yeah, I didn't say this one was a two-day thing, didn't I? Well, it is, so that's what happened. So with my Unova outfit, I came today just to make it fun.

Pikachu: Pikachu. [happy]

I know today was a bit sticky, but I had some fun too, and so did my friend. I have to come back again, but maybe as long as my friend isn't in a pinch and I won't be in a sticky situation like today. And we'll have to think up of something really special to do too! That should be the key for enjoying this one the next time around.

[/AshKetchumMode]

One year ago: Iron Trainers?

My Town, Pokémon Town

I've been in the town where I reside for a good while now. This is even way before I met all the friends that I have now, before I got into cosplay, and before Pokémon Go was released. Of course, my attraction to Pokémon is far longer, but I appreciate both the same. And sometimes, I'm inclined to think of my town in Pokémon terms. It's a fantastic way to think about the situation.

Like any town in this world or the Pokémon world, there are residents in my town. Many of them are locals who get along just fine with the local Pokémon. However, there are also many who are visiting Trainers that seek to apply their Pokémon knowledge in various ways, as well as to interact in ways that are just as varied. How long they stay is up to them, but it is assured that the interactions will continue to be varied with those who stay and those who go.

Because there are many Trainers, there are naturally many Gyms as well. I happen to live near a large complex of such Gyms, and traveling to the east, south, and north, one can find more complexes of Gyms. Personally, I am proud to have been able to become a disciple of one of these many Gyms - twice over, in fact. Other Trainers are disciples of the many other Gyms, and sometimes we interact too, mostly in good terms. It's great to be able to do so.

Meanwhile, some areas seem to be characteristic of certain Pokémon. In my area, I tend to see a lot of Meowth and Skitty, along with some Rattata. The nearby complex of Gyms seems to be interested in providing homes to different kinds of bird Pokémon. Another locale seems to have been influenced by many Smeargle. Strewn around the town are many parks, with their associated Pokémon; the town center park seems to be happy to host a ton of Lotad. The list goes on and on.

It may seem a little abstract to talk about my town, for example, in Pokémon terms. But as a Pokémon fan, it goes naturally. At least it may provide hints to other Pokémon fans. I foresee remaining in my town for some time ahead, so I can continue to identify parts of my town using Pokémon imagery and maintaining my appreciation for it.

What's your town, Pokémon town?

One year ago: What's in a Name?

Starters and "Pseudo-Starters"

Anyone who plays the Pokémon games, and in particular the main series, know that in order to begin the games, one chooses from a set of three Pokémon, known as the "starters". These three Pokémon are invariant from three types - Grass, Fire, and Water - which demonstrate relationships at a very basic level. However, in the case of Pokémon Yellow as well as certain spinoff games, the player can or does start with Pokémon that is none of these. I've taken to call these Pokémon as "pseudo-starters", a term I've previously mentioned.

Of these, Pikachu has to be the one that fits the criteria the most. The player is given this Pokémon to start with in the Yellow Version, and plenty of other Pokémon games majorly feature Pikachu in a main role, being one that can be closely controlled by the player. Eevee would be a close second; the rival in the Yellow Version is actually given this Pokémon to start with, though this is not a player-controlled thing. What will be player-controlled, however, is when Eevee (and Pikachu) will be featured in the Let's Go games coming out soon. This effectively affirms their "pseudo-starter" status. Meanwhile, though not in prominent roles, the Pokémon that a player may potentially start with in Mystery Dungeon, for example, could also be considered "pseudo-starters".

On one hand, the "pseudo-starters" are not really "starters", since the reference for this is well-established, being one of the three Pokémon as above that exist in every other main series game. On the other hand, certain games force the player to have (or at the least more likely to give them) one of these Pokémon to start the game instead of a "starter" proper. Yet it's not totally wrong, as quite a few of the "pseudo-starters" have abilities that equal or go beyond even the starters. Pikachu as an Electric-type Pokémon is almost incomparable, and Eevee has its evolutionary prowess, as examples. They seem to be worthy of being "starters", just as the Pokémon that rightfully have this attribute.

Any Pokémon game expects that the player begin with a certain Pokémon. But then, not all the games may be expected to start out with Pokémon of specific characteristics that typically constitute the "starters". In that case, this leaves the door wide open for "pseudo-starter" Pokémon to fill the void, which may have wonderful roles of their own. Yet that's a good thing, because they become exemplary of the greater world of Pokémon. They may not be expected "starters", but their values as part of the world of Pokémon are still indicated, if nothing else.

One year ago: The Old New Thing: Second-Generation Games

A Strongly Brilliant Thing

It's a little over a month before the release of the Let's Go games on the Switch, so I thought I'd discuss some of my impressions so far. One of those impressions is that the game may just be an excellent thing - in fact, "a strongly brilliant thing", as per the title of this post. The reason why is a little complex and outward-reaching, but somewhat makes sense.

When I saw the first trailer for the Let's Go games, I thought that the games were rather unique, nostalgic, and impressive. This led me to think of another unique and impressive thing: "Electric Dance System Music", one of the pieces of music in the latest version of DanceDanceRevolution, which happens to be an amalgam of that game's reveal trailer and system music. In fact, the music comments contain the exact phrase which becomes the title of this post, along with indications of "glory" for that game. This then goes back to my impressions of the Let's Go games through the trailer.

Based on what has been disclosed about the game, I say that I might not be too far off. The things in the trailer seem to be quite fantastic and well-conceived, especially if they can be executed as the games come out. The game's marriage of the old and new, for example the Kanto setting and Mega Evolutions, also appears really great. The surprise reveal of Meltan through Go and external channels just adds to the intrigue of the game. These are all what makes the "strongly brilliant" quality apparent, and since they were brought up to be revealed, they're also further in line with the music comments, which also suggest "revelations" (as in "to declare... the new daybreak").

I'd venture to say that the initial trailer could be rearranged to have it fit the sound of "Electric Dance System Music". It would be a neat project to undertake, but alas, time is short and I'm rather ill-equipped for it. But if they weren't, then I'd happily work on this in a heartbeat and present something along with this post. For now my words suffice.

It does seem a little early to say this, and odd too to pair it with something remotely distanced from Pokémon, but it's the conception I ended up with. Yet as a fervent Pokémon fan, I'm sure that I won't be disappointed. In any case, the Let's Go games are due out soon, and by then, I may just be able to immerse myself in the brilliant concept of these games.

One year ago: Feelings for Female Trainers

The Items of Shuffle's Special Shop

In an earlier post, I have explained a general overview of the Shops in Pokémon Shuffle, at least for the 3DS version. I've also previously mentioned one of its items when a certain incident happened. I thought that it might be helpful to explain the items found in it and outline some usage scenarios.

It should be noted that in purchasing any of the items from this shop, the item is immediately activated and no other item may be purchased and activated until the current item expires. Further, each item is also quantity-limited, and once they're gone, they're gone - at least until the limits are reset each week, at which point the items may be purchased again.

Here then, are the four items of this shop:

No Hearts Needed (Trial). As the wording indicates, the "No Hearts Needed" items allow stages that usually require Hearts to be played without expending them; the Heart counter shows ∞ (infinity) while these items are in effect. In the case of this one, the item is actually free, but the player still needs to go to the shop in order to activate it. The effect lasts for 15 minutes, but the player gets only one per week. I find this helpful in the initial part of Escalation Stages or whenever there is a long stretch of easily achievable stage levels, as well as for Pokémon Safari stages as a temporary aid. Regardless, the player needs to do everything quickly with this in effect.

No Hearts Needed (30 min.). Those who aren't satisfied after using the trial item may opt for the basic paid item, which lasts twice as long. It costs only 1 Jewel, but the player can get up to 3, which means a total of 90 minutes in three chunks of 30 minutes, plus 15 more minutes from the trial item. This item has less time pressure due to the extended length, but it is still desirable to attempt stages as quickly as possible, which shouldn't be too hard for the same usage scenarios as above.

No Hearts Needed (24 hours). If 30 minutes is still too short, a player can opt to get this one. It lasts the entire full 24 hours, but only one is obtainable per week, and it costs a whopping 10 Jewels. Hence, any player that spends for this one ought to have some serious play time and a good amount of Jewels (money) to spend. I prefer to use the other items instead as I wouldn't really have any plan on how to use this item while active; conceivably, those who spend on this one must have a really definite plan, considering the breadth of Shuffle's stages.

Hearts per 15 min. + 6 Hearts. For those who would like a little more planning time between each play, this item may be better suited. Normal Heart recovery is cut in half for 8 hours, the maximum of time-recovered Hearts is doubled, and a 6-Heart bonus is awarded, which means a theoretical total of 38 Hearts over the course of this item. Like the 30-minute No Hearts Needed, there are 3 of these each week and each costs 1 Jewel. The only problem with this item is that it is a little less flexible because physical Hearts are used, though in some cases this may be worth more than even the No Hearts Needed of the same cost.

These items should all be helpful for players in a pinch that need to make great advancements in the game, as well as those just starting out and wishing to do the same. Each player has their choice of items that they can use however they wish. Beyond all the restrictions of each item, progression in Shuffle should be aided greatly with them, and that's the point and ultimate goal of these.

One year ago: When an Iris Blooms: Episode 669 - "The Bloom Is on Axew!"

(Welcome Back to) Local EX Raid, 10/2/2018

As I've mentioned four days ago, today is the day of the first EX Raid in my local area that features Deoxys as the EX Raid boss. Actually, make that two EX Raids, because both of the Gyms in my area that have a history of hosting them, hosted ones at the exact same time. I got my invitation for the one with which the history of EX Raids started in my area, and honestly, I prefer that it would be this way, since these essentially "start fresh" with a new boss.

Most of the fellows in my raid group got one or the other, but that didn't stop an enterprising few to be able to get both, thanks to the new "shared invitation" feature and fortunate relationships. It also helps that the two locations are only about 2 km away, which is quickly traversed by vehicles, and which most of them do have. I don't, but in any case I'm not currently interested either; there will likely be other opportunities very soon. Whatever happened, now coordination had to be done on three levels: individually for each, plus one more for those who got both.

The battle flights consisted of 10 to 15 Trainers, but it seems this might be a bit much, since it seems Deoxys is rather easy to subdue (in any form) in comparison to the sometimes-unruly Mewtwo, a fact that I've been frequently reminded now that Mewtwo is a common raid boss. For the next EX Raids, perhaps battle flights of 8 to 10 Trainers can be used to allow for optimization of everyone's abilities. And yes, everyone got the Normal Form today, which means that it is likely that the four forms will rotate somehow. Again, this has to be seen.

The debut group, with me taking the picture.

Since this was my first Deoxys EX Raid, I wanted to focus on capturing Deoxys rather than to do tricky things with it (read: use the AR function to take pictures). In lieu of that, I just have normal pictures and images. One of my fellows did try some tricky things, and they actually turned out great. I will certainly have to do this next time, now that the camera function works as expected once again.

Not too bad for a first one.

Given the long road of Mewtwo EX Raids, there should be plenty more opportunities for Deoxys EX Raids, with all that has happened. This first one was not to be missed for whatever reason. Of course, that also applies to the forthcoming EX Raids, which should be quite fascinating. I'm already highly expectant of the next one.

One year ago: Preparing for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

I Wanna Be a Pokémon (_____)

If you've kept up with me through this blog, you'll know that one week ago I "spread my wings" by also taking part in a J-Song competition with one of the most iconic songs in all of Pokémon. It represents something else I can do with Pokémon, and it's also great because I could incorporate cosplay as well. On that note, there are a few things that I could do that involve Pokémon; this explains the title of the post, where the (_____) part is a "blank" that you can fill in. I have some ideas for that "blank" myself based on everything that's gone on.

Because I've sung once, I will try it again - and in fact, there are already plans for next time, with a different song in mind. Thus, I want to be a Pokémon singer. I want to be able to sing as many Pokémon songs as I can, and blend it with my cosplay. The fortunate thing is that the competitions for this allow this to happen nicely, which is a great thing; now I just have to memorize the songs for this purpose, which could be a little challenging, but still doable. I'm certain that this is the start of something that can take me to greater heights.

Something that I'm not quite adept in is making works of art, but I do dabble in it, so I could hope to become a Pokémon artist as well. As I've detailed recently, I still have an interest in Pokémon Art Academy, but I may have to start all over again to take full advantage of it. Time is not something I have quite a bit of, so I have not been able to foster this as much as I would like. Perhaps once I'm securely settled and have quite a bit of time to spare, it would be the moment to develop this and start outputting great art.

While I can't currently hold out hope for artistry, I can still hold out hope for writing, especially through this blog, so being a Pokémon writer is certainly in the cards. It's been a while since I've started this blog - I'm closing in on two years' worth of writing, and I'm just two months away - but this is still my side project. It might as well be my main project, but it hasn't come to that yet. My main project would be something beyond the confines of this blog and in a print form, something I could take pride of for all Pokémon fans out there. In the meantime, I still believe this is a good start.

In a way, this is a bit of an adjunct to a post with similar themes that I made earlier this year. All of these are different things I could be, with regard to Pokémon; they're what makes me, well... me! Sure, it's great to play the games, watch the anime, and all that, but I want to be able to do other things too and be something great in them, perhaps even the best. If you're a Pokémon fan, you too might have something - or different things - to fill that blank so you could say that's what you want to be with Pokémon.

One year ago: Playhouses, Children, and Pokémon