Being a "Love Slave"

In this day and age, people have become more communicative, sometimes with cleverly derived slang terminology. Recently, I've learned the (true) meaning of one of those slang terminologies, and it was not what I expected. The slang terminology I'm about to discuss has the meaning of "love slave", which when applied to a person, means that one would do anything out of love - not needing love, as I thought it would mean. And yes, if it's on this blog, it has a few Pokémon connections, quite a bit of which are rather personal.

The term has been applied to a certain fan who has a "fans of a fan" following in my VGC/main series group... or rather, the fan chose to apply the term to oneself. Apparently, based on my understanding, the fan has deeper and more significant connections to Pokémon than I thought the fan would have, and is perhaps something I would like myself; maybe it is this that led him to appear at one point during the coverage of this year's World Championships. Regardless, I'm sure that the fan has done many things with and for Pokémon, and has been recognized for it, thereby making the fan a "love slave" as self-described.

In the realm of my Pokémon Go group, the term has been applied to those who have spent extreme amounts of cash to play the game, especially not by the expected route that is cheaper over time and more effective. The term applies for those within my group and sometimes to those outside my group. The "slave" part is apparent in that the money spent by the person is continuous and unrelenting. As for the "love" part, it may seem slightly questionable, but if the results are as good as the money spent, then I'm sure that there is a whole lot of love there.

As for myself... in a way, I could be described as one. I have this blog, in which I've continued to post each day for almost three years, and that time is coming up real soon. All the things I've presented by way of this blog, including the most recent and spectacular collaboration yet, are by themselves also "love slave" products. I've devoted myself to this blog as much as I've devoted myself to Pokémon, and both build upon each other. I've let myself fulfill the definition of the term "love slave".

The word "slave" tends to have a negative connotation, especially as history can attest. Coupled with the word "love", however, some of those connotations may seem to vanish. It's in parallel to "dedication", though because of the nature of slang, it's almost "proletarian". Regardless, the term exists and may seem to have its place, including among Pokémon fans like me and what they do in relation to it, such that they may fully satisfy its definition for and with it.

One year ago: Cosplay: Chibi Daisuki! Japan Fest
Two years ago: A Beautiful Symphony