People who are frequent readers of this blog may have noticed something peculiar about the titles of posts for this month, as seen on the right-hand side of the blog (when viewed as a desktop site, for those on portables). Many of them are long and span two lines or more, for this month outnumbering one-line titles. This may be something that is a common occurrence for many of the months that I've written posts in on this blog, but it's something that's particularly noticeable for this month, which is why I've called attention to it in order to flesh out what it means or might mean for me, this blog, and Pokémon as the subject matter of this blog.
I probably should mention that to a large extent, the long titles were not intentionally made to be such. Most of them just happened to occur that way, in order to communicate the essence of the posts that I make. The appearance of this blog in particular may also help, as with a different appearance, the titles might actually appear shorter, and some of those two-liners might actually be just a one-liner. But if I were to attribute a reason for the long titles, it may be that the month of March this year has been one of upheavals, with all that has gone on with me personally as well as the world of Pokémon and the real world beyond. I therefore had to be more descriptive in the titles to show a greater glimpse of my posts.
As for longer titles being a segue to longer posts, that may be but not necessarily a given. The subject of post length is actually one that I've discussed 15 months ago in the end-of-year post for 2018, wherein I've said that the posts on this blog becoming longer constitutes an "evolution" in Pokémon terms, a development of sorts. That's something that has naturally occurred over the course of this blog. I could make longer titles to take into account the longer content of those longer posts, but I don't need to; I can let the titles of the posts reflect what I write in them independently of their content, and that's more satisfying than having the titles be dictated by the length of the posts.
In the future, long posts that may or may not be accompanied by long titles will remain a certainty. That is of course part of the grand vision of eventually being able to write something (a book, if it may) that I and other Pokémon fans can take pride in. It's something that I've mentioned time and time again on this blog, and I still believe it's a lofty yet noble goal even in times like these. It remains a clear vision in a time when everything suddenly became blurry, seemingly in contrast to what I've already noted at the beginning of the year. It's as clear as the belief that I'll still be able to have Pokémon and be able to relate to it somehow, especially through this blog.
The long titles of many of this month's blog posts may not mean too much of anything. It may just simply be something that is a happenstance. Yet, happenstances themselves may only be a figment of perception, and therefore the recent long titles do mean something. What it seems to mean, considering the recent upheavals as well as my persistence with Pokémon, is that I still have many things to say. Given the case, it may serve me well to be able to write about Pokémon as much and as long as I like, and to be long-winded about it from time to time.
One year ago: Cosplay: ONEGAI Bunkasai 2019 - Eiyuu no Uprising
Two years ago: Mauville's Progress
Three years ago: Nostalgia: Episode 672 - "Here Comes the Trubbish Squad!"
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
The State of Nominations, Part 3
As with four months ago, it seems apt that I make another post to update how my PokéStop nominations in Pokémon Go have progressed, and there are plenty to be updated at this point. The nominations in many cases can take a long time to be processed and to result in something, so the four-month time frame seems appropriate while the nominations that I have are undergoing the process. But then there is the possibility that many things can happen, as has been the case since that last post, which becomes the prompt for this post.
The number of nominations certainly factors in. Up to today, I've made 58 nominations, which is 36 more than the last time. As expected, I continually regained nominations and I continued making them, which means more and more nominations that could be made. And I'm due for even more: some weeks ago, the limit of available nominations seems to have doubled from 7 to 14, which means I can stand to nominate more than ever before. I happen to have 7 spare nominations at the moment, which means I'm due for at least 65. Of course, what applies to me certainly will apply to others, so now the race for nominations is ever bigger.
Of those nominations, I've had only six approved, which is an increase from before, though still paltry in comparison to the total number that has been made. Notably, even with Wayfarer, it still took one to two months for some of the recent ones to be approved. Meanwhile, I've also had two nominations "superseded", in that someone else nominated the same object or place that I nominated, and theirs was approved first. As for rejections, I've had five total. Likewise, the case of the latter two also took a month or more before either became apparent, showing the true extent of the process. Even then, I still have nominations still "hanging" from nearly nine months ago with no clarity on their fate.
While the approved ones have been great and the "superseded" ones are understandable, it seems that the most recent rejections have illustrated that I may have run into a "conspiracy" of sorts in order to maintain the status quo. Some areas may have players that are adamant to keep the composition of PokéStops and Gyms in the area the way they are for Lure Module hangouts or raid runs, and they won't let new nominations (or even edits) challenge the way things are; I've actually witnessed this reluctantly in my raid group, for the same area where two of the nominations got rejected, and yet my nominations appear to be valid otherwise (they are both historical buildings). It's a situation that is as welcome as it is regrettable.
With the way other things are in the world right now, it may not be worthwhile for me to venture out farther to make new nominations. At the same time, I do not wish to let my existing ones linger. Thereby, this opens the possibility of using some of the ones I have for the renomination of previous nominations that quite deserve to become a PokéStop; it's a possibility that has been posed by others. In order to test this, I have renominated one of my nominations that have lingered for seven months with no followup, at least not that I know of. That nomination was made before the advent of Wayfarer, and it might just be possible that it had "gotten lost in the shuffle" of the old OPR system. I will wait and see what this leads to before attempting to renominate another one of my old nominations.
The nomination process has never been instant and never will be. However, it's an ever-expanding process and one that may require some finessing. Fortunately, that has occurred within the span of four months since I updated the progress on my PokéStop nominations. It remains an ongoing process, much like my progression with the Pokémon that I have caught and practically everything else. At this point, some experimentation may be in order as I continue to wait and see what happens with all of my previous nominations.
One year ago: Tournament: Raid Group Cup
Two years ago: Lugia Raid Burnout
Three years ago: Ice Is Nice with Pokémon
The number of nominations certainly factors in. Up to today, I've made 58 nominations, which is 36 more than the last time. As expected, I continually regained nominations and I continued making them, which means more and more nominations that could be made. And I'm due for even more: some weeks ago, the limit of available nominations seems to have doubled from 7 to 14, which means I can stand to nominate more than ever before. I happen to have 7 spare nominations at the moment, which means I'm due for at least 65. Of course, what applies to me certainly will apply to others, so now the race for nominations is ever bigger.
Of those nominations, I've had only six approved, which is an increase from before, though still paltry in comparison to the total number that has been made. Notably, even with Wayfarer, it still took one to two months for some of the recent ones to be approved. Meanwhile, I've also had two nominations "superseded", in that someone else nominated the same object or place that I nominated, and theirs was approved first. As for rejections, I've had five total. Likewise, the case of the latter two also took a month or more before either became apparent, showing the true extent of the process. Even then, I still have nominations still "hanging" from nearly nine months ago with no clarity on their fate.
While the approved ones have been great and the "superseded" ones are understandable, it seems that the most recent rejections have illustrated that I may have run into a "conspiracy" of sorts in order to maintain the status quo. Some areas may have players that are adamant to keep the composition of PokéStops and Gyms in the area the way they are for Lure Module hangouts or raid runs, and they won't let new nominations (or even edits) challenge the way things are; I've actually witnessed this reluctantly in my raid group, for the same area where two of the nominations got rejected, and yet my nominations appear to be valid otherwise (they are both historical buildings). It's a situation that is as welcome as it is regrettable.
With the way other things are in the world right now, it may not be worthwhile for me to venture out farther to make new nominations. At the same time, I do not wish to let my existing ones linger. Thereby, this opens the possibility of using some of the ones I have for the renomination of previous nominations that quite deserve to become a PokéStop; it's a possibility that has been posed by others. In order to test this, I have renominated one of my nominations that have lingered for seven months with no followup, at least not that I know of. That nomination was made before the advent of Wayfarer, and it might just be possible that it had "gotten lost in the shuffle" of the old OPR system. I will wait and see what this leads to before attempting to renominate another one of my old nominations.
The nomination process has never been instant and never will be. However, it's an ever-expanding process and one that may require some finessing. Fortunately, that has occurred within the span of four months since I updated the progress on my PokéStop nominations. It remains an ongoing process, much like my progression with the Pokémon that I have caught and practically everything else. At this point, some experimentation may be in order as I continue to wait and see what happens with all of my previous nominations.
One year ago: Tournament: Raid Group Cup
Two years ago: Lugia Raid Burnout
Three years ago: Ice Is Nice with Pokémon
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Pokémon Go: A Drive to Investigate
As noted in my event rollup for this month, Pokémon Go held another paid event in the style of the previous one for its "Mysterious Weekend". I had dropped a few clues yesterday in terms of what the general overarching event entails, and now it's time to unveil the mystery: the event, titled "A Drive to Investigate", is for the in-game debut of Genesect, a Mythical Pokémon of the Bug and Steel types that can use the move Techno Blast, which may be of the other five types I mentioned there thanks to various Drives, which the title alludes to. Likewise with Regigigas, the debut event is an "early access" before the Pokémon enters EX Raids (replacing the former), though with EX Raids canceled for the foreseeable future, it seems uncertain how one would be able to capture one until they return. That became one of the considerations for me opting to pay and partake in this one.
Another consideration was the cost-effectiveness of the benefits I would receive based on a simple cost analysis. After performing one based on the revealed bonuses, I determined that the bonuses plus what would be the trips to qualify for and battle in an EX Raid was well worth the money, making its purchase to be rather attractive. This Special Research would also give something to do while my mobility is limited, certainly with current circumstances and most likely from home, as it had been billed that the Special Research can be played from home. Even so, it would seem that one would still have had to go out (but not far) in order to complete some parts, which can be and may have been an issue. One would still have to heed the "primary warning" regardless in order to complete the objectives viably.
Like the previous Special Research, the content of this one is also significant and substantial. The Special Research spans five pages, which can all be described in a "thematic" manner. Each page contains an "action" task, a "catching" task, and an "interactive" task; the "action" tasks deal with mostly battling or Pokémon enhancement and award 1000 Stardust, the "catching" tasks demand catching 25 Pokémon corresponding to one of the possible types for Techno Blast and award 3 Rare Candies, and the "interactive" tasks mostly deal with Buddy Pokémon or social tasks and award a Pokémon encounter. Completing a page awards two item bonuses and another Pokémon encounter, with Genesect being on the fourth page (except for the last page, which awards Genesect Candies instead). Altogether, this was a pretty significant bundle, but the rewards were just as significant.
The "action" and "interactive" tasks should have been straightforward to complete, as the requirements are not too great. The most strenuous part of the Special Research would have to be the "catching" tasks, which require no less than 25 of the specified Pokémon type. This is a number that may be difficult to come upon, particularly if one doesn't move about or activate a Lure Module or Incense, the latter of which may or should have come from the practically free bundle. My experience is that even with an Incense and the right weather, the Pokémon of the right types seem hard to come by, which make it hard as well to complete the respective task. As a result, at this point, I'm still on the crucial fourth page of tasks, the one which contains the all-important Genesect encounter, while most others have gotten past this page or completed the Special Research altogether. Other than that, this Special Research remains as something neatly doable.
As it has been said the current form of the Special Research had been changed from its planned form in order to accommodate localized play, it is hard to expect that the form will be changed further. This is unlike the previous Regigigas Special Research, which did become simpler or more generalized in some aspects. The only exception could be for the "catching" tasks above, which could be toned down to 15 Pokémon each as an example to account for harder times. However, 25 seems to be quite sufficient to keep people occupied with this Special Research if they haven't completed it, though it might still be hard (especially now with the Psychic Spectacular still in effect). It may be that the Special Research is still attractive in any case.
As a final thought, much of the things that I concluded for the Regigigas Special Research (A Colossal Discovery) can be concluded for the Genesect one as well. Commitment and helpful resources do help, and the multiple benefits and accomplished objectives make the Special Research worth its price. At present, it also provided another outlet for keeping Trainers occupied until such time that Genesect can be obtained as normally intended, through EX Raids. It's a hard time for everything, and the Special Research had to take into account for that. But if anything, good results may still be achievable even within those times, as with the things that this Special Research had to offer.
One year ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 3/29/2019
Two years ago: Takara Tomy Pokémon MonCollé Friends: Pikachu
Three years ago: Pokémon Mechanical Fan
Another consideration was the cost-effectiveness of the benefits I would receive based on a simple cost analysis. After performing one based on the revealed bonuses, I determined that the bonuses plus what would be the trips to qualify for and battle in an EX Raid was well worth the money, making its purchase to be rather attractive. This Special Research would also give something to do while my mobility is limited, certainly with current circumstances and most likely from home, as it had been billed that the Special Research can be played from home. Even so, it would seem that one would still have had to go out (but not far) in order to complete some parts, which can be and may have been an issue. One would still have to heed the "primary warning" regardless in order to complete the objectives viably.
Like the previous Special Research, the content of this one is also significant and substantial. The Special Research spans five pages, which can all be described in a "thematic" manner. Each page contains an "action" task, a "catching" task, and an "interactive" task; the "action" tasks deal with mostly battling or Pokémon enhancement and award 1000 Stardust, the "catching" tasks demand catching 25 Pokémon corresponding to one of the possible types for Techno Blast and award 3 Rare Candies, and the "interactive" tasks mostly deal with Buddy Pokémon or social tasks and award a Pokémon encounter. Completing a page awards two item bonuses and another Pokémon encounter, with Genesect being on the fourth page (except for the last page, which awards Genesect Candies instead). Altogether, this was a pretty significant bundle, but the rewards were just as significant.
The "action" and "interactive" tasks should have been straightforward to complete, as the requirements are not too great. The most strenuous part of the Special Research would have to be the "catching" tasks, which require no less than 25 of the specified Pokémon type. This is a number that may be difficult to come upon, particularly if one doesn't move about or activate a Lure Module or Incense, the latter of which may or should have come from the practically free bundle. My experience is that even with an Incense and the right weather, the Pokémon of the right types seem hard to come by, which make it hard as well to complete the respective task. As a result, at this point, I'm still on the crucial fourth page of tasks, the one which contains the all-important Genesect encounter, while most others have gotten past this page or completed the Special Research altogether. Other than that, this Special Research remains as something neatly doable.
As it has been said the current form of the Special Research had been changed from its planned form in order to accommodate localized play, it is hard to expect that the form will be changed further. This is unlike the previous Regigigas Special Research, which did become simpler or more generalized in some aspects. The only exception could be for the "catching" tasks above, which could be toned down to 15 Pokémon each as an example to account for harder times. However, 25 seems to be quite sufficient to keep people occupied with this Special Research if they haven't completed it, though it might still be hard (especially now with the Psychic Spectacular still in effect). It may be that the Special Research is still attractive in any case.
As a final thought, much of the things that I concluded for the Regigigas Special Research (A Colossal Discovery) can be concluded for the Genesect one as well. Commitment and helpful resources do help, and the multiple benefits and accomplished objectives make the Special Research worth its price. At present, it also provided another outlet for keeping Trainers occupied until such time that Genesect can be obtained as normally intended, through EX Raids. It's a hard time for everything, and the Special Research had to take into account for that. But if anything, good results may still be achievable even within those times, as with the things that this Special Research had to offer.
One year ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 3/29/2019
Two years ago: Takara Tomy Pokémon MonCollé Friends: Pikachu
Three years ago: Pokémon Mechanical Fan
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 3/28/2020
Even with these hard times, Pokémon Go still manages to have its assorted events over the course of this month. Events are the way to keep players going in any game, and especially this one, with its obvious title. However, when even the players - here, Trainers - can't go, then that demands for the events to be adjusted according to conditions. In that regard, many of the events this month did change in some way, so for this rollup, I want to take account the changes to them as well in order to put them into perspective with all that has happened.
Like last month, the events for this month are or were methodically organized into weekends with special features. They too featured or were to feature an additional Legendary Pokémon available in raids to complement the weekend. The first weekend was a "Team GO Rocket weekend", where Pokémon related to Team GO Rocket (particularly of Poison and Dark types) appeared more often. The highlight of the weekend was an afternoon of a total takeover from TGR, which could be used to pursue certain Shadow Pokémon from its team leaders, and even change out the Frustration move from them, which normally cannot happen. Shiny Skorupi, more Stardust from TGR, and their special music were the bonuses from this weekend; the extra Legendary Pokémon present in raids was Darkrai, befitting the weekend's nature. Overall, this weekend was also the one that happened as intended, even if some couldn't fully participate in it, myself included.
The second weekend didn't really have a theme or overarching event, but it was the weekend when Community Day was supposed to take place, which by now is known that it was postponed. It may be considered fortunate considering all circumstances, even one of my own. Giratina was the Legendary extra for this weekend, so it can be christened as the "spiritual weekend". This month, Community Day was also to feature an additional paid Special Research à la the Colossal Discovery paid event, for this occasion titled "Investigating Illusions", that would be available for a small price, give similar bonuses, and have been available for purchase a few days prior to the event, but obviously things fell apart and everything was cast aside. It was at this time as well that Giratina also became available through Go Battle League as an alternative to raids, providing an outlet for those who wanted to get one without raiding.
The third weekend was what was officially called the "Mysterious Weekend" because it featured a bevy of Pokémon of different types in the wild, particularly of the Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, and Ice types, as well as Bug and Steel types in raids, including Cobalion as this weekend's complement and also becoming available in Go Battle League. For those in the know about a certain Mythical Pokémon, the mystery should be rather solvable with these clues. What is important is that this weekend involved a Special Research for that Mythical Pokémon as with A Colossal Discovery, with similar pricing and content. This was planned to take place ideally and be available for purchase over the weekend likewise, but circumstances forced the Special Research to be modified for localized purposes, as well as to be available for an entire week. I purchased the Special Research and will unveil the mystery and divulge its details separately.
The fourth weekend, which is the current one, becomes the return of the "Psychic Spectacular" and a weekend for it. The highlight of this weekend is the introduction of the Solossis and Gothita species families from the fifth-generation Unova region, while other Psychic-type Pokémon join in through being found in the wild, raids, and 2-km Eggs, as well as through Field Research. Baltoy in particular becomes available in its Shiny form as another highlight. Unfortunately, the selection of those available in raids is not quite as significant as past events, seemingly owing to the current situation; this weekend was also to feature the Psychic superstar Legendary Pokémon Lugia as a complementary raid, but this was dropped in favor of an extension of Cobalion on all fronts through the end of this month. It would have certainly added weight to the event.
This month was supposed to be a significant one for events in Pokémon Go... and it was, to some extent. But then circumstances changed quite quickly and left some events in a different state than as they were intended. Yet it has to be understandable in these hard and trying times. It may prove to be that way for both those who partake in the events and the game providing the events for the times to come. Within those times, there will likely be lots more adjustments and adaptations on both ends in order to keep things going, or perhaps to maintain a semblance of that.
One year ago: Local EX Raid (and Priorities), 3/28/2019
Two years ago: More on Ali (and the Early Manga)
Three years ago: A Pikachu Wall Hanging
Like last month, the events for this month are or were methodically organized into weekends with special features. They too featured or were to feature an additional Legendary Pokémon available in raids to complement the weekend. The first weekend was a "Team GO Rocket weekend", where Pokémon related to Team GO Rocket (particularly of Poison and Dark types) appeared more often. The highlight of the weekend was an afternoon of a total takeover from TGR, which could be used to pursue certain Shadow Pokémon from its team leaders, and even change out the Frustration move from them, which normally cannot happen. Shiny Skorupi, more Stardust from TGR, and their special music were the bonuses from this weekend; the extra Legendary Pokémon present in raids was Darkrai, befitting the weekend's nature. Overall, this weekend was also the one that happened as intended, even if some couldn't fully participate in it, myself included.
The second weekend didn't really have a theme or overarching event, but it was the weekend when Community Day was supposed to take place, which by now is known that it was postponed. It may be considered fortunate considering all circumstances, even one of my own. Giratina was the Legendary extra for this weekend, so it can be christened as the "spiritual weekend". This month, Community Day was also to feature an additional paid Special Research à la the Colossal Discovery paid event, for this occasion titled "Investigating Illusions", that would be available for a small price, give similar bonuses, and have been available for purchase a few days prior to the event, but obviously things fell apart and everything was cast aside. It was at this time as well that Giratina also became available through Go Battle League as an alternative to raids, providing an outlet for those who wanted to get one without raiding.
The third weekend was what was officially called the "Mysterious Weekend" because it featured a bevy of Pokémon of different types in the wild, particularly of the Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, and Ice types, as well as Bug and Steel types in raids, including Cobalion as this weekend's complement and also becoming available in Go Battle League. For those in the know about a certain Mythical Pokémon, the mystery should be rather solvable with these clues. What is important is that this weekend involved a Special Research for that Mythical Pokémon as with A Colossal Discovery, with similar pricing and content. This was planned to take place ideally and be available for purchase over the weekend likewise, but circumstances forced the Special Research to be modified for localized purposes, as well as to be available for an entire week. I purchased the Special Research and will unveil the mystery and divulge its details separately.
The fourth weekend, which is the current one, becomes the return of the "Psychic Spectacular" and a weekend for it. The highlight of this weekend is the introduction of the Solossis and Gothita species families from the fifth-generation Unova region, while other Psychic-type Pokémon join in through being found in the wild, raids, and 2-km Eggs, as well as through Field Research. Baltoy in particular becomes available in its Shiny form as another highlight. Unfortunately, the selection of those available in raids is not quite as significant as past events, seemingly owing to the current situation; this weekend was also to feature the Psychic superstar Legendary Pokémon Lugia as a complementary raid, but this was dropped in favor of an extension of Cobalion on all fronts through the end of this month. It would have certainly added weight to the event.
This month was supposed to be a significant one for events in Pokémon Go... and it was, to some extent. But then circumstances changed quite quickly and left some events in a different state than as they were intended. Yet it has to be understandable in these hard and trying times. It may prove to be that way for both those who partake in the events and the game providing the events for the times to come. Within those times, there will likely be lots more adjustments and adaptations on both ends in order to keep things going, or perhaps to maintain a semblance of that.
One year ago: Local EX Raid (and Priorities), 3/28/2019
Two years ago: More on Ali (and the Early Manga)
Three years ago: A Pikachu Wall Hanging
Friday, March 27, 2020
Countermeasures for Pokémon Go
Having been on a spate of posts related to COVID-19, I can't and don't wish to discuss it further until truly good news comes about. But before I leave off the topic, I want to discuss another way this affects one of the Pokémon games I frequently play now, which is Pokémon Go. As noted a few posts ago, there were a few countermeasures that were implemented in the game in order to make the game more viable to be played wherever one is, without having to go out (or at the least minimally). It's a significant thing for a game whose one of its purposes is designed to get people out and about.
Two weeks ago, there was a valuable addition to the Shop. A box of 30 Incense could be bought for the very low price of 1 coin; this becomes a very important bundle of items as it lets Pokémon appear and be caught no matter where one is, especially if Pokémon appearances are minimal and one is not close to a PokéStop or Gym. Four days ago, this was expanded upon as weekly 1-coin boxes that can contain very useful items, for which this week the box contains 100 Poké Balls. The Incense and Poké Ball boxes will be swapped for a new box next week, which should leave Trainers expectant of what will be available then to help them.
Along with the expanded 1-coin boxes, Gifts can now be found more frequently from PokéStops and Gyms, and Trainers can be more liberal with them. Trainers can now hold up to 20 Gifts at any time and open up to 30 from others. In addition, Trainers can get more Poké Balls from Gifts; usually a Gift may contain 3 Poké Balls as a possible partial bundle, but now Trainers can get 5 of them, which means up to 15 per opened Gift. This may supplement the boxes, or at the least for this week suitably fill in for it. While one may not have to search for Gifts, one may feel more comfortable in opening them, as they are especially helpful even now.
In the battle arena, the changes are quite profound. For Go Battle League, where the hottest battles are taking place, for up to the middle of next month, walking or coins to unlock further battle sets are no longer necessary, absolving one of requirements that may be arduous at the moment. For general battling, up to the end of next month, Trainers can now challenge one another remotely as long as they are Good Friends (one interaction with a Gift); this vital change is what allows remote tournaments such as for the SLA to be able to take place, as mentioned two days ago. With these changes, battles can continue to take place and Trainers can continue to reap the rewards.
Other elements have also been changed up for the foreseeable time ahead. More Pokémon are available in more places, making it viable to catch more Pokémon, hopefully without traveling far. Incense as well as the Mystery Box also lasts for one hour, double their usual duration, to allow for even more Pokémon to be caught. The first catch of the day also awards triple Stardust and triple XP, making it especially valuable. Finally, Eggs can now be hatched at half their distances, also obviating the need to travel far. These are all profound changes as well for increasing playability.
Pokémon Go for a long time has been positioned to offer something that can be played in order to go out, meet people, and explore. But in the wake of the pandemic, all three objectives become out of the question, especially for long distances. The countermeasures that have been implemented are to preempt the need for all three, at the least I would say to a good amount. It leaves better prospects of a "Go at home" situation, which seems to have to be the case until better prospects will allow Trainers to accomplish all three objectives out in the world once again.
One year ago: Ingress and Out
Two years ago: Pokémon in Common Terms
Three years ago: Cosplay: CLAS:H/ICGP 2017, Regional Edition
Two weeks ago, there was a valuable addition to the Shop. A box of 30 Incense could be bought for the very low price of 1 coin; this becomes a very important bundle of items as it lets Pokémon appear and be caught no matter where one is, especially if Pokémon appearances are minimal and one is not close to a PokéStop or Gym. Four days ago, this was expanded upon as weekly 1-coin boxes that can contain very useful items, for which this week the box contains 100 Poké Balls. The Incense and Poké Ball boxes will be swapped for a new box next week, which should leave Trainers expectant of what will be available then to help them.
Along with the expanded 1-coin boxes, Gifts can now be found more frequently from PokéStops and Gyms, and Trainers can be more liberal with them. Trainers can now hold up to 20 Gifts at any time and open up to 30 from others. In addition, Trainers can get more Poké Balls from Gifts; usually a Gift may contain 3 Poké Balls as a possible partial bundle, but now Trainers can get 5 of them, which means up to 15 per opened Gift. This may supplement the boxes, or at the least for this week suitably fill in for it. While one may not have to search for Gifts, one may feel more comfortable in opening them, as they are especially helpful even now.
In the battle arena, the changes are quite profound. For Go Battle League, where the hottest battles are taking place, for up to the middle of next month, walking or coins to unlock further battle sets are no longer necessary, absolving one of requirements that may be arduous at the moment. For general battling, up to the end of next month, Trainers can now challenge one another remotely as long as they are Good Friends (one interaction with a Gift); this vital change is what allows remote tournaments such as for the SLA to be able to take place, as mentioned two days ago. With these changes, battles can continue to take place and Trainers can continue to reap the rewards.
Other elements have also been changed up for the foreseeable time ahead. More Pokémon are available in more places, making it viable to catch more Pokémon, hopefully without traveling far. Incense as well as the Mystery Box also lasts for one hour, double their usual duration, to allow for even more Pokémon to be caught. The first catch of the day also awards triple Stardust and triple XP, making it especially valuable. Finally, Eggs can now be hatched at half their distances, also obviating the need to travel far. These are all profound changes as well for increasing playability.
Pokémon Go for a long time has been positioned to offer something that can be played in order to go out, meet people, and explore. But in the wake of the pandemic, all three objectives become out of the question, especially for long distances. The countermeasures that have been implemented are to preempt the need for all three, at the least I would say to a good amount. It leaves better prospects of a "Go at home" situation, which seems to have to be the case until better prospects will allow Trainers to accomplish all three objectives out in the world once again.
One year ago: Ingress and Out
Two years ago: Pokémon in Common Terms
Three years ago: Cosplay: CLAS:H/ICGP 2017, Regional Edition
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Looking for Good News
My recent posts over the past few days have had some connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, which is obviously the ongoing issue for much of the world right now. It can be a tough thing to find any good news; in fact, most of my mainstream sources are filled with news about the pandemic, which even if true and important may still not be too good, or in other words they are burdensome for the mind. Therefore, I have to look for good news elsewhere. I find that there's a certain drive that Pokémon lends to that.
I still have my Pokémon fellows in different places, and they're active to different extents even with the pandemic looming overhead. They, like me, have different things to do in addition to the Pokémon things they have going on, but once in a while they can spare a few moments to update the things they have going on, whether it's Pokémon or otherwise. I have faith among them that they're doing their best to keep the pandemic at bay through what they do, and if they can report on it for the rest, then that may be good and provide a sense of relief, especially if related to Pokémon.
Even with that, I still desire further contact with one or two of those fellows in order to really find out how they're faring and what they're up to, especially with regard to Pokémon. In these times of "social/physical distancing", it becomes the perfect time to initiate phone calls, video calls, conference calls, and the like in order to keep up with others. This would especially be true for Pokémon-related matters, and it would serve well for all parties on their ends. Not to mention, it can help to take minds off of the pandemic, just like any piece of good news truly would.
And then of course there are the official channels of communication from Pokémon, which give out updates about Pokémon matters. They may or may not be construed as "news", but for fans, the information should still be as good as any piece of good news. Likewise, they would accomplish much of the above as well, in providing things to keep up with, a sense of relief, and a way to take one's mind off of heavy matters as this ongoing health concern. One may still need to come back to it, of course, but at least there's a way to trim the burden with the "good news" received from here.
The pandemic situation will likely persist for some time ahead, and the situation of not being able to find anything good to take in will likely be the same. But my interest in Pokémon, as well as that of others, may provide an outlet for good news for all of us. It's certainly different from mainstream news and won't replace it for important matters, particularly for the current situation, but the good news from others with close links and particularly in relation to Pokémon is as good as any at this time. Now it's just a matter of waiting for the best news of all so that life and Pokémon may continue for the better.
One year ago: Nominating PokéStops
Two years ago: Envisioning More Local VGC Tournaments
Three years ago: Slowpoke Moments
I still have my Pokémon fellows in different places, and they're active to different extents even with the pandemic looming overhead. They, like me, have different things to do in addition to the Pokémon things they have going on, but once in a while they can spare a few moments to update the things they have going on, whether it's Pokémon or otherwise. I have faith among them that they're doing their best to keep the pandemic at bay through what they do, and if they can report on it for the rest, then that may be good and provide a sense of relief, especially if related to Pokémon.
Even with that, I still desire further contact with one or two of those fellows in order to really find out how they're faring and what they're up to, especially with regard to Pokémon. In these times of "social/physical distancing", it becomes the perfect time to initiate phone calls, video calls, conference calls, and the like in order to keep up with others. This would especially be true for Pokémon-related matters, and it would serve well for all parties on their ends. Not to mention, it can help to take minds off of the pandemic, just like any piece of good news truly would.
And then of course there are the official channels of communication from Pokémon, which give out updates about Pokémon matters. They may or may not be construed as "news", but for fans, the information should still be as good as any piece of good news. Likewise, they would accomplish much of the above as well, in providing things to keep up with, a sense of relief, and a way to take one's mind off of heavy matters as this ongoing health concern. One may still need to come back to it, of course, but at least there's a way to trim the burden with the "good news" received from here.
The pandemic situation will likely persist for some time ahead, and the situation of not being able to find anything good to take in will likely be the same. But my interest in Pokémon, as well as that of others, may provide an outlet for good news for all of us. It's certainly different from mainstream news and won't replace it for important matters, particularly for the current situation, but the good news from others with close links and particularly in relation to Pokémon is as good as any at this time. Now it's just a matter of waiting for the best news of all so that life and Pokémon may continue for the better.
One year ago: Nominating PokéStops
Two years ago: Envisioning More Local VGC Tournaments
Three years ago: Slowpoke Moments
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
The Difficulty of Sickness
With the COVID-19 pandemic going around, it becomes a difficult time for everyone, including myself as a Pokémon fan. It might make it more difficult for me to find topics to write upon, and even if I do, it might be difficult for me to write about them. One of those topics is sickness, and certainly in the context of this blog, in relation to Pokémon. Even so, I do have to say that it's a topic that has always "gone under the radar", one that sometimes passes through my mind but is quickly dismissed and one I could address but then wouldn't know how to. Now that there is a pandemic, it seems the best time to address it as best as I can.
This is admittedly a jarring topic to write about in connection with Pokémon. After all, sickness and disease as its extension is nothing fun to bring up or mention, let alone discuss or write about. Meanwhile, Pokémon is something that should bring some fun with whatever happens involving it. The two are seemingly incompatible, or at the least difficult to be related. However, much of Pokémon is based on real life, as its many games and things have demonstrated over the years. Therefore, it seems easy to deduce that sickness and disease might be present in some way... and they are. They may not be as serious as their real-life counterparts, but they are insightful nonetheless.
In the anime, there are a couple of episodes where some characters have gotten quite ill as a result of (mis)adventures, and these episodes are as harrowing as they are entertaining. I've rarely seen them again since the first time I saw them, but they may be usefully entertaining in these hard times. In the main series games, there is of course the Pokérus, which as serious as it is, also has interesting effects on the side. As a general overview, this does affirm what I've stated above; specific discussions regarding any of these can wait to go in dedicated posts of their own once I can deal with them.
I did choose to discuss this topic by virtue of the current happenings, and that is purely my reason for doing so. At this moment I'm not sick, and I don't wish to be so in these hard times - any time, even. Life (and sometimes even Pokémon) at the moment is already difficult enough, and the burden of a sickness is one that is unnecessary. Yet the reality is that sickness is a part of human life as this pandemic demonstrates, and it is clearly integrated into some Pokémon aspects as well, so I can only be prepared to face them however they are.
I still find it difficult every so often to find and write up about things on this blog and particularly link them to what happens with Pokémon and/or my experience with it. That might seem to be even more the case at this current time with what is happening in the world, with a certain sickness going around. It is truly difficult, but then a look into Pokémon shows that some of the same difficulty is present, though obviously not to the same degree. Either way, it remains something that one has to work through somehow, whether it's in the real world or the Pokémon world.
May we have the power to work through all our difficulties, including that of sickness.
One year ago: All I Learned with Pokémon
Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 3/25/2018
Three years ago: "Grow Old Along with Me..."
This is admittedly a jarring topic to write about in connection with Pokémon. After all, sickness and disease as its extension is nothing fun to bring up or mention, let alone discuss or write about. Meanwhile, Pokémon is something that should bring some fun with whatever happens involving it. The two are seemingly incompatible, or at the least difficult to be related. However, much of Pokémon is based on real life, as its many games and things have demonstrated over the years. Therefore, it seems easy to deduce that sickness and disease might be present in some way... and they are. They may not be as serious as their real-life counterparts, but they are insightful nonetheless.
In the anime, there are a couple of episodes where some characters have gotten quite ill as a result of (mis)adventures, and these episodes are as harrowing as they are entertaining. I've rarely seen them again since the first time I saw them, but they may be usefully entertaining in these hard times. In the main series games, there is of course the Pokérus, which as serious as it is, also has interesting effects on the side. As a general overview, this does affirm what I've stated above; specific discussions regarding any of these can wait to go in dedicated posts of their own once I can deal with them.
I did choose to discuss this topic by virtue of the current happenings, and that is purely my reason for doing so. At this moment I'm not sick, and I don't wish to be so in these hard times - any time, even. Life (and sometimes even Pokémon) at the moment is already difficult enough, and the burden of a sickness is one that is unnecessary. Yet the reality is that sickness is a part of human life as this pandemic demonstrates, and it is clearly integrated into some Pokémon aspects as well, so I can only be prepared to face them however they are.
I still find it difficult every so often to find and write up about things on this blog and particularly link them to what happens with Pokémon and/or my experience with it. That might seem to be even more the case at this current time with what is happening in the world, with a certain sickness going around. It is truly difficult, but then a look into Pokémon shows that some of the same difficulty is present, though obviously not to the same degree. Either way, it remains something that one has to work through somehow, whether it's in the real world or the Pokémon world.
May we have the power to work through all our difficulties, including that of sickness.
One year ago: All I Learned with Pokémon
Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 3/25/2018
Three years ago: "Grow Old Along with Me..."
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Virulent Impacts
Those who read this blog frequently may have noticed that it's nearing the end of the month and there has been no sign of a Pokémon Go Community Day, as something that I regularly report on for this blog since almost the time it began. Unfortunately, that has become one of the victims of the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting disease has claimed many human victims, which is truly regrettable, but also regrettable is how it has also claimed victims of events related to Pokémon, even personally. It seems worthwhile to detail them in a post on this blog.
In Pokémon Go, the effects are widespread. As noted, Community Day became a victim, though in earnest this also occurred to a different extent last month, when it was dropped for areas already heavily affected by the virus; this time, it was dropped for everyone. This month's edition was to feature Abra along with something special for those who could afford to get more. Meanwhile in other areas, this month was intended to have a slew of Legendary Pokémon in raids - more on this separately - but this obviously couldn't be effective due to disease control restrictions; some instead became available through Go Battle League as encounter rewards. And since it would be inconvenient, Raid Hour fell victim as well and was canned. Furthermore, EX Raids also became canceled just a little over a week ago. To make up for many of these happenings, special bonuses (or countermeasures) were added to allow play to still proceed somehow even with restrictions, which I won't explain now. The point is that much of the things and more that had been planned fell apart.
Along with Pokémon Go, some competitions involving Pokémon also fell apart. Still in the realm of Pokémon Go, the Silph League Arena became problematic in the execution of this month's theme and tournaments (Toxic Cup), and as such, the possibility of its execution was extended to April. April will still have its own theme, which I'll discuss later, and this will be the theme for the Regional SLA championships... which will have practically no chance of being conducted in person due to restrictions in effect. Therefore, the SLA has allowed the possibility of remote tournaments, helped in part by a lifted restriction in Pokémon Go. In fact, the Toxic Cup I participated in a few days ago was one such tournament, which I took part in from the comforts of my own home. The case of remote tournaments will be for some time ahead. Of course, some competitions cannot be held remotely, like TCG matches, and this has resulted in the cancellation of regional TCG championships in my area. As for VGC, it has its own tradition of remote (online) tournaments, one of which was just completed recently for this year, but for live tournaments, they obviously just won't take place. The bigger fate of the World Championships this year seems to be overcast as well.
Even more unfortunate is other local personal agenda that involves some special characters.
Ash: Oh no! All events and conventions from now are gone?
Me: Yes, they're gone. They're postponed, actually, but who knows when they'll come up again. I can assure this even if they haven't assured it.
Pikachu: Pika chu... [quite dejected]
Ash: So that means... the one you sent me to a week ago is the last one?
Me: Yes, effectively so. There would have been a month's worth of events before a big rest, but now it's just a really big rest.
Ash: I'm sad, but I understand. I don't want to catch something bad and pass it on to you or even Pikachu.
Me: Exactly. That's the point. You go back to Pokémon training, and I'll tell you when things are back to normal. Stay safe.
Ash: Got it, I will. Come on, Pikachu.
Pikachu: Pika. ["Sure."]
So much has happened in the three months that this pandemic has plunged the world into chaos. Sadly, that's also the case for many events related to Pokémon, even by my own personal efforts. It has been total chaos and the end doesn't appear to be in sight any time soon. One can still hope that everything will become resolved, including things related to Pokémon, and that's totally valid; I have such hopes as well. In time, it just may happen, and the least I can do is to be there for it with this blog and my Pokémon spirit, ready to dive into it all again when the time comes.
One year ago: From One Path to Another
Two years ago: (Again a) Local Ex-Raid, 3/24/2018
Three years ago: The Many Forms of Pikachu in Shuffle
In Pokémon Go, the effects are widespread. As noted, Community Day became a victim, though in earnest this also occurred to a different extent last month, when it was dropped for areas already heavily affected by the virus; this time, it was dropped for everyone. This month's edition was to feature Abra along with something special for those who could afford to get more. Meanwhile in other areas, this month was intended to have a slew of Legendary Pokémon in raids - more on this separately - but this obviously couldn't be effective due to disease control restrictions; some instead became available through Go Battle League as encounter rewards. And since it would be inconvenient, Raid Hour fell victim as well and was canned. Furthermore, EX Raids also became canceled just a little over a week ago. To make up for many of these happenings, special bonuses (or countermeasures) were added to allow play to still proceed somehow even with restrictions, which I won't explain now. The point is that much of the things and more that had been planned fell apart.
Along with Pokémon Go, some competitions involving Pokémon also fell apart. Still in the realm of Pokémon Go, the Silph League Arena became problematic in the execution of this month's theme and tournaments (Toxic Cup), and as such, the possibility of its execution was extended to April. April will still have its own theme, which I'll discuss later, and this will be the theme for the Regional SLA championships... which will have practically no chance of being conducted in person due to restrictions in effect. Therefore, the SLA has allowed the possibility of remote tournaments, helped in part by a lifted restriction in Pokémon Go. In fact, the Toxic Cup I participated in a few days ago was one such tournament, which I took part in from the comforts of my own home. The case of remote tournaments will be for some time ahead. Of course, some competitions cannot be held remotely, like TCG matches, and this has resulted in the cancellation of regional TCG championships in my area. As for VGC, it has its own tradition of remote (online) tournaments, one of which was just completed recently for this year, but for live tournaments, they obviously just won't take place. The bigger fate of the World Championships this year seems to be overcast as well.
Even more unfortunate is other local personal agenda that involves some special characters.
Ash: Oh no! All events and conventions from now are gone?
Me: Yes, they're gone. They're postponed, actually, but who knows when they'll come up again. I can assure this even if they haven't assured it.
Pikachu: Pika chu... [quite dejected]
Ash: So that means... the one you sent me to a week ago is the last one?
Me: Yes, effectively so. There would have been a month's worth of events before a big rest, but now it's just a really big rest.
Ash: I'm sad, but I understand. I don't want to catch something bad and pass it on to you or even Pikachu.
Me: Exactly. That's the point. You go back to Pokémon training, and I'll tell you when things are back to normal. Stay safe.
Ash: Got it, I will. Come on, Pikachu.
Pikachu: Pika. ["Sure."]
So much has happened in the three months that this pandemic has plunged the world into chaos. Sadly, that's also the case for many events related to Pokémon, even by my own personal efforts. It has been total chaos and the end doesn't appear to be in sight any time soon. One can still hope that everything will become resolved, including things related to Pokémon, and that's totally valid; I have such hopes as well. In time, it just may happen, and the least I can do is to be there for it with this blog and my Pokémon spirit, ready to dive into it all again when the time comes.
One year ago: From One Path to Another
Two years ago: (Again a) Local Ex-Raid, 3/24/2018
Three years ago: The Many Forms of Pikachu in Shuffle
Monday, March 23, 2020
Continue Our Videogame Innate Desires
I had planned on titling this post something else, but I found that title to be relatively common and rather obvious. Therefore, I chose a different title that would be less obvious (but still indicative) and tie to the raison d'etre for this blog, which is of course Pokémon. As I've noted in earlier posts, these are currently dicey, strange, and sometimes sad times. The reason is certainly because of the COVID-19 (corona virus disease) pandemic, which has affected just about every part of human life, including those related to Pokémon - though I'll detail the specifics of the latter in a different post. For now, I'd like to address it generally, but still with Pokémon in mind.
The virus started wreaking havoc around late December. At that time, it was sufficiently localized enough that most other things, including many Pokémon things, weren't too affected. Over the course of three months to today, however, things got really bad and now it has spread pretty much to every part of the world, including even in my local area. As a result, many things have been put into disarray, including some that are quite related to Pokémon. Again, those I will explain in a different post to come, but what is clear is that everything's a huge mess. And that makes me concerned and sad as a Pokémon fan, especially for others affected around the world.
However, even with that, there is still no reason not to continue being empowered to keep on doing the things that one needs to do, whether it's work, learning, or even leisure as with Pokémon. But they all need to be conducted in a safer way, at home if possible, and certainly without crowding in some way. It's something that may be challenging to execute due to demands of every single thing. But empowerment is a necessary thing, which is why I've worded the title of this post the way it is. For me, Pokémon is something that is empowering and originated as a video game, so it serves well to continue it, but again within safe limits for me and others.
In reference to that title I was planning to use but didn't, which happens to be a rib on another cultural facet, the takeaway from it is that too much of something is as bad as not enough even in hard times such as these, but I'm sure that with Pokémon, I have just right to keep empowering myself through these times. Meanwhile, as for the prospects of making it through them, someone famous whom I've addressed several times on this blog has said that we can and will make it, as it is the nature of humans as intelligent beings to do so. While the person didn't specifically mention Pokémon, I'm sure that its continuance can and should be involved - within reason - in order to both fulfill leisure and preserve existence.
Stay safe everyone. Let's hope hard times will soon pass.
One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 3/23/2019
Two years ago: The "Generals"
Three years ago: Pokémon Food... For Us
The virus started wreaking havoc around late December. At that time, it was sufficiently localized enough that most other things, including many Pokémon things, weren't too affected. Over the course of three months to today, however, things got really bad and now it has spread pretty much to every part of the world, including even in my local area. As a result, many things have been put into disarray, including some that are quite related to Pokémon. Again, those I will explain in a different post to come, but what is clear is that everything's a huge mess. And that makes me concerned and sad as a Pokémon fan, especially for others affected around the world.
However, even with that, there is still no reason not to continue being empowered to keep on doing the things that one needs to do, whether it's work, learning, or even leisure as with Pokémon. But they all need to be conducted in a safer way, at home if possible, and certainly without crowding in some way. It's something that may be challenging to execute due to demands of every single thing. But empowerment is a necessary thing, which is why I've worded the title of this post the way it is. For me, Pokémon is something that is empowering and originated as a video game, so it serves well to continue it, but again within safe limits for me and others.
In reference to that title I was planning to use but didn't, which happens to be a rib on another cultural facet, the takeaway from it is that too much of something is as bad as not enough even in hard times such as these, but I'm sure that with Pokémon, I have just right to keep empowering myself through these times. Meanwhile, as for the prospects of making it through them, someone famous whom I've addressed several times on this blog has said that we can and will make it, as it is the nature of humans as intelligent beings to do so. While the person didn't specifically mention Pokémon, I'm sure that its continuance can and should be involved - within reason - in order to both fulfill leisure and preserve existence.
Stay safe everyone. Let's hope hard times will soon pass.
One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 3/23/2019
Two years ago: The "Generals"
Three years ago: Pokémon Food... For Us
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Celebi @ Everywhere
This is kind of an old thing that I need to get out of the way, and I've finally gotten a handle on it. Two years ago, I executed a photo project with Pokémon Go and the Mythical Pokémon Mew; I hinted that something similar could be executed with the then-up-and-coming Celebi, and I was right. Likewise, Celebi can be left uncaught to take pictures with before catching, and that of course led me to undertake the same project as with Mew, this time dubbed rightfully as "Celebi @ Everywhere".
For this project, I wanted to take a different approach, and so I decided that two themes would be involved: "nature" and "shrine". According to its origins, Celebi is the protector of the forest, and it has a shrine built in its honor. Therefore, for the pictures, I wanted to take half of them in settings that contain some natural quality, and the other half I wanted to take in places that have a shrine-like appearance. The number of pictures would be the same as for the Mew project (20 pictures), so 10 would be of the "nature" theme and 10 would be of the "shrine" theme.
Since the Mew project, there have been some changes in the way photos are taken, which affected this project as well. From the time Go Snapshot became live, the Trainer name watermark is no more, and thus I decided that all the pictures should be free of the watermark. Also, while theoretically I could catch Celebi and then take pictures afterwards, I found that the sizes and positions of Pokémon tend to be limiting in some cases, which is why I kept Celebi uncaught as with Mew for the purpose of this project. This is one of the reasons why it took such a long time for this project to be completed, aside from the fact that I've simply got other things to do.
Still, in that time, I did manage to take good pictures of Celebi in places that I consider to be representative of the two themes, whether concretely or partially abstractly. There's a local mini city forest that is reminiscent of Celebi's original forest:
And I'm sure Celebi likes vast expanses of rice fields as much as deep forests:
A small shrine is grand for Celebi:
But a larger "shrine" seems to be grander:
These are but four of the 20 pictures I took with Celebi, and the rest of the pictures can be seen in a gallery I have put up in my OneDrive. As with Mew, I have formally ended the project by capturing Celebi, which so happened to complete my Johto Pokédex in Pokémon Go. It's a pretty nice touch, even if it may be somewhat coincidental. After the capture, I took a photo of Celebi using Go Snapshot for comparison:
Unlike quite a few of the pictures in my gallery, Celebi appears fixed in the center and with the same size in each picture. I'll have to admit that this is because my current phone does not support AR+, and I'm limited in what I can do with the device I have. I'm certain that as I am enthusiastic for both photography to a certain amount and Pokémon to a great amount, I may decide to invest in a device capable of AR+, but that's for a later time, way later than now.
This project was fun, but it was also quite time-consuming - maybe not so much because of the effort put in, but because of the downtime between the efforts of the project. While the Jirachi Special Research has been on for some time (and has been on delay for me personally due to this project), I may or may not decide to take it up for it. For now, going by its lore of bringing a bright future, may these pictures do so in the best manner possible given the efforts that went into them.
One year ago: At the Same Time
Two years ago: Shiny Lugia Obsessions
Three years ago: A Passion for Red
For this project, I wanted to take a different approach, and so I decided that two themes would be involved: "nature" and "shrine". According to its origins, Celebi is the protector of the forest, and it has a shrine built in its honor. Therefore, for the pictures, I wanted to take half of them in settings that contain some natural quality, and the other half I wanted to take in places that have a shrine-like appearance. The number of pictures would be the same as for the Mew project (20 pictures), so 10 would be of the "nature" theme and 10 would be of the "shrine" theme.
Since the Mew project, there have been some changes in the way photos are taken, which affected this project as well. From the time Go Snapshot became live, the Trainer name watermark is no more, and thus I decided that all the pictures should be free of the watermark. Also, while theoretically I could catch Celebi and then take pictures afterwards, I found that the sizes and positions of Pokémon tend to be limiting in some cases, which is why I kept Celebi uncaught as with Mew for the purpose of this project. This is one of the reasons why it took such a long time for this project to be completed, aside from the fact that I've simply got other things to do.
Still, in that time, I did manage to take good pictures of Celebi in places that I consider to be representative of the two themes, whether concretely or partially abstractly. There's a local mini city forest that is reminiscent of Celebi's original forest:
And I'm sure Celebi likes vast expanses of rice fields as much as deep forests:
A small shrine is grand for Celebi:
But a larger "shrine" seems to be grander:
These are but four of the 20 pictures I took with Celebi, and the rest of the pictures can be seen in a gallery I have put up in my OneDrive. As with Mew, I have formally ended the project by capturing Celebi, which so happened to complete my Johto Pokédex in Pokémon Go. It's a pretty nice touch, even if it may be somewhat coincidental. After the capture, I took a photo of Celebi using Go Snapshot for comparison:
Unlike quite a few of the pictures in my gallery, Celebi appears fixed in the center and with the same size in each picture. I'll have to admit that this is because my current phone does not support AR+, and I'm limited in what I can do with the device I have. I'm certain that as I am enthusiastic for both photography to a certain amount and Pokémon to a great amount, I may decide to invest in a device capable of AR+, but that's for a later time, way later than now.
This project was fun, but it was also quite time-consuming - maybe not so much because of the effort put in, but because of the downtime between the efforts of the project. While the Jirachi Special Research has been on for some time (and has been on delay for me personally due to this project), I may or may not decide to take it up for it. For now, going by its lore of bringing a bright future, may these pictures do so in the best manner possible given the efforts that went into them.
One year ago: At the Same Time
Two years ago: Shiny Lugia Obsessions
Three years ago: A Passion for Red
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Tournament: Raid Group Toxic Cup
As always, when the SLA theme turns over, my raid group has to host the tournament (the "cup") for the respective theme. However, as I've noted in some posts recently and especially the previous one from yesterday, these times are strange at the very least and have other unsavory qualities as well. They too have affected this tournament as well as other similarly held tournaments in a major way, but I'll detail the specifics when I see that the time is right. For now, the tournament at hand is the one to be explained in this post.
The place of the tournament is different as well, but that ties into the above and therefore I won't explain it now. As for the participants, they are almost entirely different. There are many active Trainers from my raid group, "detached" members of my raid group, the "extended family" of my raid group, and still others that are even further distanced from my raid group, including two of the national top Trainers. Altogether, this came to 41 participants, which is more than most of the recent ones I've been in.
Before this tournament began, circumstances from the previous day allowed me to test out the team of Pokémon I planned to use in the tournament with one of the more deft Trainers in my raid group, which I have to say is quite a rarity. On evaluation, my team seemed to be pretty good except for one Pokémon, which needed to be replaced with something else, and so I did at that moment. While I couldn't test out the change before the tournament began, I tried to sense how things might go when the actual tournament came with the change, and then execute the tournament itself.
Because of the increased number of participants, the tournament lasted for six rounds. I didn't fare too well in the first two, losing both overall while only winning one battle. This was followed by a close win in the third, with two out of three battles. I then proceeded to a total blowout in the next two rounds, and in the last round I almost made it through. Overall, I finished third from the bottom; it was a worse turnout than the previous tournament, though it had been said that my performance was a little better this time.
As with the previous tournament, there were some surprises, or lack of them. The two top Trainers dominated the matches and shared the win... along with four other Trainers in a six-way tie, something that every so often happens but seems especially so when my raid group hosts a tournament. Further, over the course of the matches, I got paired with my "sparring partner" from the previous day, which became the way I received the comment above. The tournament also suffered from match delays and dropouts due to the changes in effect, though arguably they can occur regardless.
It can be said that the changes in effect have resulted in a more lively tournament in some way, which seems to be the only one good thing in these strange times and beyond. Still, it may be perceived that some things are not meant to be, including those changes, these strange times, and everything associated with them. They all remain as things to consider as the SLA continues to progress and my raid group keeps up following that progression for future tournaments down the line.
One year ago: Gender Appeal
Two years ago: At a Loss... in Lavender Tower
Three years ago: GSC Nendoroid Series #425: Red
The place of the tournament is different as well, but that ties into the above and therefore I won't explain it now. As for the participants, they are almost entirely different. There are many active Trainers from my raid group, "detached" members of my raid group, the "extended family" of my raid group, and still others that are even further distanced from my raid group, including two of the national top Trainers. Altogether, this came to 41 participants, which is more than most of the recent ones I've been in.
Before this tournament began, circumstances from the previous day allowed me to test out the team of Pokémon I planned to use in the tournament with one of the more deft Trainers in my raid group, which I have to say is quite a rarity. On evaluation, my team seemed to be pretty good except for one Pokémon, which needed to be replaced with something else, and so I did at that moment. While I couldn't test out the change before the tournament began, I tried to sense how things might go when the actual tournament came with the change, and then execute the tournament itself.
Because of the increased number of participants, the tournament lasted for six rounds. I didn't fare too well in the first two, losing both overall while only winning one battle. This was followed by a close win in the third, with two out of three battles. I then proceeded to a total blowout in the next two rounds, and in the last round I almost made it through. Overall, I finished third from the bottom; it was a worse turnout than the previous tournament, though it had been said that my performance was a little better this time.
As with the previous tournament, there were some surprises, or lack of them. The two top Trainers dominated the matches and shared the win... along with four other Trainers in a six-way tie, something that every so often happens but seems especially so when my raid group hosts a tournament. Further, over the course of the matches, I got paired with my "sparring partner" from the previous day, which became the way I received the comment above. The tournament also suffered from match delays and dropouts due to the changes in effect, though arguably they can occur regardless.
It can be said that the changes in effect have resulted in a more lively tournament in some way, which seems to be the only one good thing in these strange times and beyond. Still, it may be perceived that some things are not meant to be, including those changes, these strange times, and everything associated with them. They all remain as things to consider as the SLA continues to progress and my raid group keeps up following that progression for future tournaments down the line.
One year ago: Gender Appeal
Two years ago: At a Loss... in Lavender Tower
Three years ago: GSC Nendoroid Series #425: Red
Friday, March 20, 2020
Sad Music from Kanto
I've hinted in a couple of earlier posts that these are dicey times as well as strange times. I've continually neglected to explain about them, but I will most likely have to do so very soon. Unfortunately, in some sense these are also sad times, which becomes more regrettable. As a Pokémon fan, I'm gravitated to regard such times in a Pokémon-related manner, and for the "sadness" portion, I'm reminded of three pieces of sad-sounding music from the Kanto saga of the anime. I would say that they're all representative of this sentiment.
One of those pieces is a light instrumental piece that is often linked to the initial story of Charmander. The foreground is piano-like while the background is ambient, while the structure consists of variations of a single phrase with variations at the beginning and end with an interlude in the middle. The lone foreground instrumentation illustrates loneliness so well, which is why it's very appropriate for that moment. It seems to also be appropriate for these times, when people may need to place themselves in seclusion.
Another one of those pieces has light instrumentation at the beginning and slowly transitions to a small orchestra at the end. This piece, while may be linked to a certain (minor) occurrence with Butterfree, may also be linked to moments where Pokémon or people console each other due to certain happenings. It may be described as sad at the beginning, but mellows out toward the end. The situations are consoling, and the music seems to be such as well. It is perhaps the sentiment that is as desired now as it is highly reflected in scenes containing this piece of music.
The last piece of music is perhaps the one packed with the most sadness. It's the piece that becomes the climax of the Butterfree story, certainly during its departure from Ash. It also has a range of instrumentation from light to full. It is sad through and through, including for the moment in question, which is why I do not think about this piece too much, especially given current conditions. I would rather think of the other two pieces, especially the second one, which has at least some hope by its sound.
In these dicey and strange times, there are also the opportunities to feel sad. For a Pokémon fan like me, that means being reminded of some sad pieces of Pokémon music, especially these from the Kanto saga of the anime. Yet I can't think about these sentiments for too long, for there is the hope that what is dicey may fall into place and what is strange may become familiar, however long it may take. At that point, thinking about sadness (and these pieces of music) will no longer be needed, and only gladness is present. Of course, Pokémon will hopefully be present no matter what.
One year ago: A Girl and a Fan
Two years ago: The Place to Be
Three years ago: Cosplay: Daisuki Japan 7 - Wanderlust!
One of those pieces is a light instrumental piece that is often linked to the initial story of Charmander. The foreground is piano-like while the background is ambient, while the structure consists of variations of a single phrase with variations at the beginning and end with an interlude in the middle. The lone foreground instrumentation illustrates loneliness so well, which is why it's very appropriate for that moment. It seems to also be appropriate for these times, when people may need to place themselves in seclusion.
Another one of those pieces has light instrumentation at the beginning and slowly transitions to a small orchestra at the end. This piece, while may be linked to a certain (minor) occurrence with Butterfree, may also be linked to moments where Pokémon or people console each other due to certain happenings. It may be described as sad at the beginning, but mellows out toward the end. The situations are consoling, and the music seems to be such as well. It is perhaps the sentiment that is as desired now as it is highly reflected in scenes containing this piece of music.
The last piece of music is perhaps the one packed with the most sadness. It's the piece that becomes the climax of the Butterfree story, certainly during its departure from Ash. It also has a range of instrumentation from light to full. It is sad through and through, including for the moment in question, which is why I do not think about this piece too much, especially given current conditions. I would rather think of the other two pieces, especially the second one, which has at least some hope by its sound.
In these dicey and strange times, there are also the opportunities to feel sad. For a Pokémon fan like me, that means being reminded of some sad pieces of Pokémon music, especially these from the Kanto saga of the anime. Yet I can't think about these sentiments for too long, for there is the hope that what is dicey may fall into place and what is strange may become familiar, however long it may take. At that point, thinking about sadness (and these pieces of music) will no longer be needed, and only gladness is present. Of course, Pokémon will hopefully be present no matter what.
One year ago: A Girl and a Fan
Two years ago: The Place to Be
Three years ago: Cosplay: Daisuki Japan 7 - Wanderlust!
Thursday, March 19, 2020
No Sight, No Mind
There is a neat quote that is in a way related to Pokémon through and through, though the language doesn't show it. It's one that I always remember, and it goes like this:
The second part of the quote is a humorous interpolation of the adage. The second half of that part can be taken to refer to a person who is delusional or even "crazy" (out of mind); the first part, in relation to the second part, can be taken to mean being "dismissed" or "not recognized". Therefore, the implication is that a person who is perceived to be mentally abnormal is not regarded. I can say that this has happened at least once to me with my interest in Pokémon. In those times, certain other people regarded me as a "nut" for Pokémon before they realized that my interest in it had a rational basis. They have since apologized to me and I've subsequently received the apology, though it does seem regrettable that this had happened. Learning from this, I've taken it upon myself to have an open mind for other people with other interests that I'm not necessarily interested in; they, like myself, might just be "in the right mind" after all.
The quote above is simplistic yet humorous through its associated wordplay. But behind that, there are also deeper meanings. Moreover, its relation to and with Pokémon inside and out is also appreciable. It seems surprising how that can be, perhaps just as surprising as its memorable quality.
One year ago: Fashion Statements by Pokémon
Two years ago: PokéTerminology
Three years ago: Cosplay Hair
"Out of sight, out of mind."The first part of the quote is a well-known and familiar adage. One is likely to forget something if one doesn't see it. This applies to just about everything, not just Pokémon - something that I've experienced first-hand. But for the context of this blog, Pokémon is obviously important, and therefore it shouldn't be forgotten, let alone unseen. I find this true whether I'm dealing with the games and particularly certain happenings within them, or even things like the anime that I need to refer back to certain other things. The point is that if one wishes not to forget something (that is, keep it in mind), one should keep things visible (in sight). It's what I should do as a vocal Pokémon fan, and what I and others can do for other important things, both Pokémon and beyond.
"Well, you are out of sight if you are out of mind."
The second part of the quote is a humorous interpolation of the adage. The second half of that part can be taken to refer to a person who is delusional or even "crazy" (out of mind); the first part, in relation to the second part, can be taken to mean being "dismissed" or "not recognized". Therefore, the implication is that a person who is perceived to be mentally abnormal is not regarded. I can say that this has happened at least once to me with my interest in Pokémon. In those times, certain other people regarded me as a "nut" for Pokémon before they realized that my interest in it had a rational basis. They have since apologized to me and I've subsequently received the apology, though it does seem regrettable that this had happened. Learning from this, I've taken it upon myself to have an open mind for other people with other interests that I'm not necessarily interested in; they, like myself, might just be "in the right mind" after all.
The quote above is simplistic yet humorous through its associated wordplay. But behind that, there are also deeper meanings. Moreover, its relation to and with Pokémon inside and out is also appreciable. It seems surprising how that can be, perhaps just as surprising as its memorable quality.
One year ago: Fashion Statements by Pokémon
Two years ago: PokéTerminology
Three years ago: Cosplay Hair
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
On Blogging and Microblogging
I have come a long way with my Pokémon blogging efforts on this blog. It has spanned hundreds and hundreds of posts, some of which are significant; it's probably significant enough to write (or at least to form) a book, but that's another matter. What matters now is that it is a major effort, unlike a certain kind of blogging effort that can be considered "minor". By the title of this post, that effort is called "microblogging", and it's something that deserves some discussion in a post, including its relationship with Pokémon.
"Microblogging", as might be expected, is blogging that is performed at a small scale; it can be described as the regular content involved in typical blog posts, but less of it, more succinct, and/or not as detailed. There might be just short bits of text, or not a lot of text with some kind of media (pictures, videos, and so on), or even just the media itself with no text. If this sounds like the posts or tweets that are made on Facebook or Twitter, one might be right, as the two are sometimes (or often, in the case of the latter) cited as platforms where the activity occurs. Instagram and Tumblr would also be further examples.
Many things about Pokémon are certainly shared through the above means with the above activity, from independent fans alike to collectives of them. Pokémon itself even exists officially among some of these means, notably for the first three I've mentioned. The typical shared content often involves media as pictures or videos, but textual content isn't uncommon. The content involves new updates on Pokémon happenings as well as fun things in general. Whether official or less so, they seem to accomplish the purpose of microblogging with involvement of Pokémon.
Even so, I'm particularly not gravitated to doing such with Pokémon, at least not significantly. The primary reason is that I have (and chose to communicate with) this blog. Through a regular blog, I can sound more authoritative about things, even though the content remains personal. No matter how official things are, there seems to be a feeling that the information shared through microblogging means is rather casual. With a true blog, I can avoid such a perception - and bear to share much more than what can fit within the confines of the limits of the posts, something that the services above often have. Yet, I can still leverage them to promote what I put on this blog if or when I want or need to.
Microblogging certainly has its place, even with Pokémon in consideration, though it's personally not for my (general) needs. My needs remain with this blog for many objectives, including more directed ones with Pokémon in tow. There's still something to say about these efforts with regard to Pokémon, even with official efforts included, in that they can advance significantly how everything Pokémon progresses. I'd like to think that I'm doing the same, except predominantly with a more major form and less so with the more minor form. Regardless, I'm sure that no matter which method is utilized, we and Pokémon can all advance significantly together.
One year ago: Character Songs
Two years ago: "You Shall Not Pass" - Hard-to-Access Gyms and PokéStops
Three years ago: Alton : Food :: I : Pokémon
"Microblogging", as might be expected, is blogging that is performed at a small scale; it can be described as the regular content involved in typical blog posts, but less of it, more succinct, and/or not as detailed. There might be just short bits of text, or not a lot of text with some kind of media (pictures, videos, and so on), or even just the media itself with no text. If this sounds like the posts or tweets that are made on Facebook or Twitter, one might be right, as the two are sometimes (or often, in the case of the latter) cited as platforms where the activity occurs. Instagram and Tumblr would also be further examples.
Many things about Pokémon are certainly shared through the above means with the above activity, from independent fans alike to collectives of them. Pokémon itself even exists officially among some of these means, notably for the first three I've mentioned. The typical shared content often involves media as pictures or videos, but textual content isn't uncommon. The content involves new updates on Pokémon happenings as well as fun things in general. Whether official or less so, they seem to accomplish the purpose of microblogging with involvement of Pokémon.
Even so, I'm particularly not gravitated to doing such with Pokémon, at least not significantly. The primary reason is that I have (and chose to communicate with) this blog. Through a regular blog, I can sound more authoritative about things, even though the content remains personal. No matter how official things are, there seems to be a feeling that the information shared through microblogging means is rather casual. With a true blog, I can avoid such a perception - and bear to share much more than what can fit within the confines of the limits of the posts, something that the services above often have. Yet, I can still leverage them to promote what I put on this blog if or when I want or need to.
Microblogging certainly has its place, even with Pokémon in consideration, though it's personally not for my (general) needs. My needs remain with this blog for many objectives, including more directed ones with Pokémon in tow. There's still something to say about these efforts with regard to Pokémon, even with official efforts included, in that they can advance significantly how everything Pokémon progresses. I'd like to think that I'm doing the same, except predominantly with a more major form and less so with the more minor form. Regardless, I'm sure that no matter which method is utilized, we and Pokémon can all advance significantly together.
One year ago: Character Songs
Two years ago: "You Shall Not Pass" - Hard-to-Access Gyms and PokéStops
Three years ago: Alton : Food :: I : Pokémon
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
There Are Monsters Outside
No more I love you's
The language is leaving me
No more I love you's
The language is leaving me in silence
No more I love you's
Changes are shifting outside the words
-- "No More I Love You's", Annie Lennox
As is true with many songs, they remind me of Pokémon in some way. The song that I've quoted above likewise does the same. However, I found that even though that is the case, I found that I was struggling quite a bit to write this post for a few reasons. I even had trouble deciding which part I should quote. Yet after all that, I finally settled and wrote up this post to at least show how my mind works with Pokémon and the rest of the things that life has to offer.
This song is a popular hit from a long time ago, even predating the conception of Pokémon by one year. It's a mellow song somewhere between sad and happy; it's really a break-up song by which one states that one has been freed from the weight of a burdensome relationship, for which the title is appropriate in saying that one no longer needs to say expressions of love to the other person. Realistically, this song cannot be said to have any connection to Pokémon. But there is one part of the song that suggests otherwise.
That part is the "spoken interlude" (bridge) of the song. It could be described as the innocent thoughts of a babbling youngster before coming to gripes as an adult with the situation in the rest of the song. Most notably, this part contains two mentions of "monsters", one of which is in the last line of that part and becomes the title of this post. Those who are Pokémon fans will recognize how this fits, of course, because "Pokémon" is short for "Pocket Monsters", and therefore a fanciful interpretation of it might be construed to be an exotic perception of "the monsters outside".
Still, the "monsters" thing is a crux of the song, being mentioned as early as just before the start of the second verse. An alternative fanciful interpretation is then needed, and by the chorus, one seems to be indicated. The interpretation is that the relationship of me and Pokémon goes beyond love, from the early days of naive fascination to the current times of neat understanding. It almost seems like it no longer needs "I love you's" to say that I have dedication for all things Pokémon; the message may be considered similar to a different song, but that would certainly need a different post.
The difficulties I had in writing up this post may indicate something else: this dedication and attachment may go beyond language. This does, of course, correspond to the other lines of the chorus as above. With that, it seems the struggle I had in writing this post is validated, even if the Pokémon relationship is rather abstract. Along with the reminder of it, it is apparent that no words are needed and the changes that take me along for the ride simply transcend it.
One year ago: "Monkey Trio" Keychain Figures
Two years ago: What's Played, What's Not, and What's Next
Three years ago: Pokémon X Food Network ...?
The language is leaving me
No more I love you's
The language is leaving me in silence
No more I love you's
Changes are shifting outside the words
-- "No More I Love You's", Annie Lennox
As is true with many songs, they remind me of Pokémon in some way. The song that I've quoted above likewise does the same. However, I found that even though that is the case, I found that I was struggling quite a bit to write this post for a few reasons. I even had trouble deciding which part I should quote. Yet after all that, I finally settled and wrote up this post to at least show how my mind works with Pokémon and the rest of the things that life has to offer.
This song is a popular hit from a long time ago, even predating the conception of Pokémon by one year. It's a mellow song somewhere between sad and happy; it's really a break-up song by which one states that one has been freed from the weight of a burdensome relationship, for which the title is appropriate in saying that one no longer needs to say expressions of love to the other person. Realistically, this song cannot be said to have any connection to Pokémon. But there is one part of the song that suggests otherwise.
That part is the "spoken interlude" (bridge) of the song. It could be described as the innocent thoughts of a babbling youngster before coming to gripes as an adult with the situation in the rest of the song. Most notably, this part contains two mentions of "monsters", one of which is in the last line of that part and becomes the title of this post. Those who are Pokémon fans will recognize how this fits, of course, because "Pokémon" is short for "Pocket Monsters", and therefore a fanciful interpretation of it might be construed to be an exotic perception of "the monsters outside".
Still, the "monsters" thing is a crux of the song, being mentioned as early as just before the start of the second verse. An alternative fanciful interpretation is then needed, and by the chorus, one seems to be indicated. The interpretation is that the relationship of me and Pokémon goes beyond love, from the early days of naive fascination to the current times of neat understanding. It almost seems like it no longer needs "I love you's" to say that I have dedication for all things Pokémon; the message may be considered similar to a different song, but that would certainly need a different post.
The difficulties I had in writing up this post may indicate something else: this dedication and attachment may go beyond language. This does, of course, correspond to the other lines of the chorus as above. With that, it seems the struggle I had in writing this post is validated, even if the Pokémon relationship is rather abstract. Along with the reminder of it, it is apparent that no words are needed and the changes that take me along for the ride simply transcend it.
One year ago: "Monkey Trio" Keychain Figures
Two years ago: What's Played, What's Not, and What's Next
Three years ago: Pokémon X Food Network ...?
Monday, March 16, 2020
Brushing Up on Pokémon Mythology
Two months ago, I wrote up a post about reading the lore connected to all things Pokémon. Now I would like to discuss about mythology related to Pokémon, specifically about knowing them. It could be considered an offshoot of that topic since it involves much of the same points, but at the same time, there are a few different things that are involved, so it becomes worthwhile to discuss it in a separate post.
I actually thought up of this topic while talking with a friend about the characteristics of a certain Pokémon. It's not a Mythical Pokémon as the topic of this post would suggest, but it's also one that may have a rich backstory and mythology behind it. This indicates that many species or even species families of Pokémon can and do have their associated backstories and mythologies, even those that don't bear the tags of "Legendary" or "Mythical". Even so, it's something that remains to be fleshed out.
That said, there are hundreds and hundreds of Pokémon out there, and it's impossible for me to list all their mythologies in a post that's not even designed to contain them all. I can't even contain them all in my feeble mind even if I wanted to. But most if not all them remain fascinating in order for one to relate to them, and they're something that should be rightly known by many who know about Pokémon. In that sense, a popular adage becomes very true: "knowing is half the battle" - appropriately enough for Pokémon.
What I've explained in the other post remains true as well. The mythology as part of the lore becomes important to know about in some way, whether through short descriptions or longer collections of them. It becomes the way for getting to know the species, even more so if the mythology is quite significantly related to the Pokémon world (the second feature film or movie comes to mind) or is otherwise highly linked to what exists in the real world. These further linkages become shaped through knowing about them.
The variety of Pokémon species out there comes out to a mind-boggling number. With that mind-boggling number, there is also the sense that there may be a great deal of things about them that are mind-boggling about them, not the least of which is their mythology as part of their role. Still, I'm sure for fans like me, there's nothing like brushing up on that knowledge so that it is less mind-boggling and the fascination for them and Pokémon as a whole remains.
One year ago: Cosplay: Neko-Neko
Two years ago: Our Glory of Love
Three years ago: Multilingual Pokémon
I actually thought up of this topic while talking with a friend about the characteristics of a certain Pokémon. It's not a Mythical Pokémon as the topic of this post would suggest, but it's also one that may have a rich backstory and mythology behind it. This indicates that many species or even species families of Pokémon can and do have their associated backstories and mythologies, even those that don't bear the tags of "Legendary" or "Mythical". Even so, it's something that remains to be fleshed out.
That said, there are hundreds and hundreds of Pokémon out there, and it's impossible for me to list all their mythologies in a post that's not even designed to contain them all. I can't even contain them all in my feeble mind even if I wanted to. But most if not all them remain fascinating in order for one to relate to them, and they're something that should be rightly known by many who know about Pokémon. In that sense, a popular adage becomes very true: "knowing is half the battle" - appropriately enough for Pokémon.
What I've explained in the other post remains true as well. The mythology as part of the lore becomes important to know about in some way, whether through short descriptions or longer collections of them. It becomes the way for getting to know the species, even more so if the mythology is quite significantly related to the Pokémon world (the second feature film or movie comes to mind) or is otherwise highly linked to what exists in the real world. These further linkages become shaped through knowing about them.
The variety of Pokémon species out there comes out to a mind-boggling number. With that mind-boggling number, there is also the sense that there may be a great deal of things about them that are mind-boggling about them, not the least of which is their mythology as part of their role. Still, I'm sure for fans like me, there's nothing like brushing up on that knowledge so that it is less mind-boggling and the fascination for them and Pokémon as a whole remains.
One year ago: Cosplay: Neko-Neko
Two years ago: Our Glory of Love
Three years ago: Multilingual Pokémon
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Cosplay: IAM COSPLAYCON
Me: Sometimes, the oddest things happen when I'm trying to send you to events, conventions, and such. This is one of those times.
Ash: OK, what's this one?
Pikachu: Pika pika? ["What is it?"]
Me: Well, this is really an automotive exhibition, for cars, motorcycles, and the like. It's a convention, but not for Japanese things - but strangely, some of the cars are. Still, they also marked the competitions that involve us as a "convention" as well.
Ash: I can't drive a car or ride a motorcycle, but a bike or skateboard is OK.
Me: You know what, neither can I. But if I'm sending you, it has to be to show off you.
Ash: Through competitions, of course.
Me: Absolutely! There's a singing competition and character parade. And I want you in both.
Ash: Neat! And I'm singing...
Me: You're singing "Together", of course with your Sinnoh outfit.
Ash: That's a good one. I need to make up for the last performance.
Me: That's what I thought as well. But first, how was the exhibition?
Ash: I saw lots of cars! They all look so different, though.
Pikachu: Pika pika pika! ["They're all neat!"]
Ash: Pikachu seems to like running around and looking at the cars.
Me: There's a good reason for that. The title of this exhibition has "IAM" in it, and the "AM" part refers to "Automodified", so therefore there are many modified vehicles.
Ash: Maybe you'd like to make one with me on it?
Pikachu: Pika Pikachu! ["And me!"]
Me: If I had the resources, I'd gladly do it. Anyhow, the point is that this is more about the cars and stuff, but at least I can bring you in. Which brings me to the point: how'd things go in the competitions?
Ash: In the singing competition, I messed up my introduction, but the song itself was perfect. The other 18 people were good too. The character parade was the usual from me, nothing too special compared to the 29 others.
Me: Hmm. Would that be somehow reflected in the results?
Ash: I guess. I didn't win the character parade, even with five prizes. I didn't win the singing competition either, and there were a few that I thought would win something but didn't.
Me: That is strange, just as strange as these times. Perhaps more on this at some point later.
Pikachu: Pika pika chu. ["Strange indeed."]
Ash: Oh hey, speaking of strange, someone sang the "lovely boy" song from my adventure with Rayquaza and Deoxys that one time.
Me: Oh wow! This is the first time it has come to my attention that someone else sang a Pokémon song. And you became the lucky witness.
Ash: It was so fun! I hope the cars come back so I and Pikachu can come back too.
Pikachu: Pika! ["Yes!"]
Me: That might be a tall order, given this is an annual thing, this character thing is new, and then there are these strange times. But if it works out next time, why not? It might work out just as great or even better than today.
One year ago: The Pokémon Search Bar in Pokémon Go
Two years ago: Ash and Pikachu, DJF 2018 Style
Three years ago: A Psyduck Headache
Ash: OK, what's this one?
Pikachu: Pika pika? ["What is it?"]
Me: Well, this is really an automotive exhibition, for cars, motorcycles, and the like. It's a convention, but not for Japanese things - but strangely, some of the cars are. Still, they also marked the competitions that involve us as a "convention" as well.
Ash: I can't drive a car or ride a motorcycle, but a bike or skateboard is OK.
Me: You know what, neither can I. But if I'm sending you, it has to be to show off you.
Ash: Through competitions, of course.
Me: Absolutely! There's a singing competition and character parade. And I want you in both.
Ash: Neat! And I'm singing...
Me: You're singing "Together", of course with your Sinnoh outfit.
Ash: That's a good one. I need to make up for the last performance.
Me: That's what I thought as well. But first, how was the exhibition?
Ash: I saw lots of cars! They all look so different, though.
Pikachu: Pika pika pika! ["They're all neat!"]
Ash: Pikachu seems to like running around and looking at the cars.
Me: There's a good reason for that. The title of this exhibition has "IAM" in it, and the "AM" part refers to "Automodified", so therefore there are many modified vehicles.
Ash: Maybe you'd like to make one with me on it?
Pikachu: Pika Pikachu! ["And me!"]
Me: If I had the resources, I'd gladly do it. Anyhow, the point is that this is more about the cars and stuff, but at least I can bring you in. Which brings me to the point: how'd things go in the competitions?
Ash: In the singing competition, I messed up my introduction, but the song itself was perfect. The other 18 people were good too. The character parade was the usual from me, nothing too special compared to the 29 others.
Me: Hmm. Would that be somehow reflected in the results?
Ash: I guess. I didn't win the character parade, even with five prizes. I didn't win the singing competition either, and there were a few that I thought would win something but didn't.
Me: That is strange, just as strange as these times. Perhaps more on this at some point later.
Pikachu: Pika pika chu. ["Strange indeed."]
Ash: Oh hey, speaking of strange, someone sang the "lovely boy" song from my adventure with Rayquaza and Deoxys that one time.
Me: Oh wow! This is the first time it has come to my attention that someone else sang a Pokémon song. And you became the lucky witness.
Ash: It was so fun! I hope the cars come back so I and Pikachu can come back too.
Pikachu: Pika! ["Yes!"]
Me: That might be a tall order, given this is an annual thing, this character thing is new, and then there are these strange times. But if it works out next time, why not? It might work out just as great or even better than today.
One year ago: The Pokémon Search Bar in Pokémon Go
Two years ago: Ash and Pikachu, DJF 2018 Style
Three years ago: A Psyduck Headache
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Pokémon Anime Song Remixes?
As a music fan and a Pokémon fan, in addition to the certain kinds of music I appreciate, I love all kinds of Pokémon music, including the songs from the anime. Along with that, I also enjoy remixes of different pieces of music with sufficiently varied styles. It follows that I would enjoy remixes of songs from the Pokémon anime, which would be something I enjoy as much as the original songs themselves. It also becomes a neat discussion topic for a post on this blog.
I thought of this topic when I was listening to one of the opening themes of the anime for something I need to do. (I've already discussed it in another post, but I'll keep it under wraps for now.) I think the original sounds really great, but I also think that a trance remix of it would be excellent and would lend a different character to the song. The tempo of the song could remain the same or be slightly faster owing to the musical genre, but the essential melody can remain the same, as with the vocals, which are already excellent in their own right. Though the time of the song has passed, a remix would also serve well to keep the song in memory.
It should be noted that the remixes I'm thinking of are different from the "alternate versions" of a song. Some songs of the Pokémon anime have "alternate versions" that sound rather different from their original versions, and I would call them as such. Still, a few of these do resemble their originals to a good extent, so much that they can be considered "remixes". It is admittedly hard to draw the line, as these "alternate versions" and "remixes" are both alternative arrangements of the songs. Supposedly, if the "alternate versions" are very similar to the originals, then it may be sufficient to call them "remixes".
That just leaves one to wonder about their existence. A cursory examination of existing media on the Internet showed that this doesn't seem to be a common thing for the actual songs from the anime, even more so the Japanese side. However, what is abound are fan mixes of things, some that are related to the anime and others that aren't, among all the other official things present in some form. What I'm thinking is that a few popular remixing musicians could be commissioned to create new remixes of the original songs, and this could then be compiled for something specially official. It would be interesting to see if this can happen.
Something I love about music is that one doesn't have to create something new; one can become a remixer by rehashing a previous creation. For Pokémon fans and especially the fans of its anime adaptation, the songs related to it become just as important as the episodes themselves. Combine the two, and that presents the potential for remixes of the songs of the Pokémon anime. I'm sure that if more of these can be created, it has the potential to please music fans, Pokémon fans, or fans of both like me.
One year ago: Profits on the Side
Two years ago: It's Pi Day!
Three years ago: Pokémon and Puzzle Games
I thought of this topic when I was listening to one of the opening themes of the anime for something I need to do. (I've already discussed it in another post, but I'll keep it under wraps for now.) I think the original sounds really great, but I also think that a trance remix of it would be excellent and would lend a different character to the song. The tempo of the song could remain the same or be slightly faster owing to the musical genre, but the essential melody can remain the same, as with the vocals, which are already excellent in their own right. Though the time of the song has passed, a remix would also serve well to keep the song in memory.
It should be noted that the remixes I'm thinking of are different from the "alternate versions" of a song. Some songs of the Pokémon anime have "alternate versions" that sound rather different from their original versions, and I would call them as such. Still, a few of these do resemble their originals to a good extent, so much that they can be considered "remixes". It is admittedly hard to draw the line, as these "alternate versions" and "remixes" are both alternative arrangements of the songs. Supposedly, if the "alternate versions" are very similar to the originals, then it may be sufficient to call them "remixes".
That just leaves one to wonder about their existence. A cursory examination of existing media on the Internet showed that this doesn't seem to be a common thing for the actual songs from the anime, even more so the Japanese side. However, what is abound are fan mixes of things, some that are related to the anime and others that aren't, among all the other official things present in some form. What I'm thinking is that a few popular remixing musicians could be commissioned to create new remixes of the original songs, and this could then be compiled for something specially official. It would be interesting to see if this can happen.
Something I love about music is that one doesn't have to create something new; one can become a remixer by rehashing a previous creation. For Pokémon fans and especially the fans of its anime adaptation, the songs related to it become just as important as the episodes themselves. Combine the two, and that presents the potential for remixes of the songs of the Pokémon anime. I'm sure that if more of these can be created, it has the potential to please music fans, Pokémon fans, or fans of both like me.
One year ago: Profits on the Side
Two years ago: It's Pi Day!
Three years ago: Pokémon and Puzzle Games
Friday, March 13, 2020
The First Hoenn Saga Japanese Opening Theme
Last week, I (or Ash) performed in the J-Song (singing) competition what I consider to be a really great Pokémon song. The performance didn't go over as well as it should, but I still regard the song as a great one. As noted in that post, the song is titled "Advanced Adventure" by an artist called Garden. It also constitutes the first opening theme of the anime adventures in Hoenn, which is why I've titled this post the same way as other similar posts. The song is a great one because of its qualities and my personal relationship to it.
This song has male vocals, which tend to be a rarity for the Japanese side of the anime as many songs have female vocals (or at the least those which emulate that of the male main character). Its structure is nothing too special: it follows that of standard modern pop songs (ABABCB), though its "B" chorus part does have a "pre-chorus" part. The most distinct part of the song is the melody of the first two lines of the "A" verse parts; this part of the first verse is in fact repeated to close off the song and is included in a related medley. It becomes a marker for the song.
Something that may have contributed to the attractive quality of the song is the upbeat sound of the song. But that may be just a "me" thing - which I'll explain shortly below - as the lyrics mean quite a bit as well. Like many Pokémon anime openings, it contains aspirations for the expected journeys. The song even mentions a few things that were first introduced in the Hoenn region, Double Battle and Mach Bike being two of them. The driving force of the song can be likened as upgrading one's adventure, which makes the title highly appropriate.
Personally, this was one of the songs I first really enjoyed from the Japanese side of Pokémon, though it took me some time to acknowledge it. That's because I enjoyed the instrumental or karaoke version first, and it took somewhat of a long time before I got into the original Japanese vocal version. The instrumental adaptation used as BGM in the episodes is also quite enthralling. Regardless of whichever one I liked, I often played this song on a Friday (which incidentally is today) to herald the weekend, which is often filled with Pokémon. It seems remarkable that I have gotten to enjoy this song for a long time.
The song itself is also remarkable overall. It's spirited and masculine, which is a nice change of pace considering most of the other openings. The spirit of the song is also present with all its forms, whether with vocals or plainly instrumental. While it's hard to say for other fans, I'm sure that this is why I enjoy the song so much to the point of performing it. Still, I may have come quite short on the performance from last week, but there's still room to improve, as it was only the first time it was performed. If anything, the spirit of this song should be the driving force to advance, exactly as suggested by the title of this song.
One year ago: The Poké Ball Classics Merchandise Line
Two years ago: Yes, Even More Pokémon Stickers
Three years ago: Every Day We're Shufflin'
This song has male vocals, which tend to be a rarity for the Japanese side of the anime as many songs have female vocals (or at the least those which emulate that of the male main character). Its structure is nothing too special: it follows that of standard modern pop songs (ABABCB), though its "B" chorus part does have a "pre-chorus" part. The most distinct part of the song is the melody of the first two lines of the "A" verse parts; this part of the first verse is in fact repeated to close off the song and is included in a related medley. It becomes a marker for the song.
Something that may have contributed to the attractive quality of the song is the upbeat sound of the song. But that may be just a "me" thing - which I'll explain shortly below - as the lyrics mean quite a bit as well. Like many Pokémon anime openings, it contains aspirations for the expected journeys. The song even mentions a few things that were first introduced in the Hoenn region, Double Battle and Mach Bike being two of them. The driving force of the song can be likened as upgrading one's adventure, which makes the title highly appropriate.
Personally, this was one of the songs I first really enjoyed from the Japanese side of Pokémon, though it took me some time to acknowledge it. That's because I enjoyed the instrumental or karaoke version first, and it took somewhat of a long time before I got into the original Japanese vocal version. The instrumental adaptation used as BGM in the episodes is also quite enthralling. Regardless of whichever one I liked, I often played this song on a Friday (which incidentally is today) to herald the weekend, which is often filled with Pokémon. It seems remarkable that I have gotten to enjoy this song for a long time.
The song itself is also remarkable overall. It's spirited and masculine, which is a nice change of pace considering most of the other openings. The spirit of the song is also present with all its forms, whether with vocals or plainly instrumental. While it's hard to say for other fans, I'm sure that this is why I enjoy the song so much to the point of performing it. Still, I may have come quite short on the performance from last week, but there's still room to improve, as it was only the first time it was performed. If anything, the spirit of this song should be the driving force to advance, exactly as suggested by the title of this song.
One year ago: The Poké Ball Classics Merchandise Line
Two years ago: Yes, Even More Pokémon Stickers
Three years ago: Every Day We're Shufflin'
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Possibility of a "Basic League"?
Those who play Pokémon Go and engage in battles using its PvP feature will surely recognize the battle league "tiers" that one can participate in, as I've detailed from the onset of the feature. They are the Great League (up to CP 1500), Ultra League (up to CP 2500), and Master League (no limit); they all correspond to different types of Poké Balls. With that in mind, it seems one league may be considered to be "missing": the one corresponding to the basic Poké Ball, which for the purpose of discussion in this post I will call as the "Basic League". It might be something that is compelling to have.
For this league, the format can easily be deducible. It would be a league where the maximum CP allowed would be 500, a logical progression from the league CP limits above. Such a league would allow Trainers who have many Pokémon close to this CP to participate, which are likely beginning Trainers or even enthusiasts who like to have low-level Pokémon, of which at least one of my fellows may be indicated as such. I call it "Basic League" because Pokémon that have this CP are likely to be Basic Pokémon, the first non-baby in the evolution lines of the species.
The above is certainly a good reason to allow for the existence of this league. Another good reason is to make certain Pokémon be able to be used more in PvP battling. Some Pokémon in their Basic forms and even some that don't evolve are unable (or at the least less able) to be used in Great League PvP because even with maximum stats at maximum level - possibly even with a Best Buddy boost - their CP is nowhere near the upper bound of 1500, which is the ideal thing for most Trainers. But pitted against others of similar lower CP, this might make for interesting battles.
It seems some Trainers who are only distantly related to me agree with this proposition, which is why they are hosting a tournament this weekend with the stipulation of Pokémon that are CP 500 or less, fitting with the above. They have entitled it the "Cheap League" perhaps for the fact that most Pokémon powered up to approximately CP 500 are cheap, even if this isn't necessarily true for some. I most likely won't be able to participate due to the fact that I've signed up for something else the same day as the tournament, though if this tournament is successful, it may become a testament that this format can and does actually work. The execution remains to be seen.
For now, the proposition of the "Basic League" with Pokémon of CP 500 or less seems to be a workable one. It fills the void for the usage of certain Pokémon by certain Trainers, in addition to that of league selection itself. The possibilities are intriguing and demand to be explored. If this league results in battles that are just as exciting as the counterparts of higher leagues, which should be the case, then it deserves to be implemented somehow. The battles that occur in this league may just be as basic as its possible name, or could even be anything but.
One year ago: Beta Testing
Two years ago: Taking the Go Train
Three years ago: Worldly Inspirations for a Small World
For this league, the format can easily be deducible. It would be a league where the maximum CP allowed would be 500, a logical progression from the league CP limits above. Such a league would allow Trainers who have many Pokémon close to this CP to participate, which are likely beginning Trainers or even enthusiasts who like to have low-level Pokémon, of which at least one of my fellows may be indicated as such. I call it "Basic League" because Pokémon that have this CP are likely to be Basic Pokémon, the first non-baby in the evolution lines of the species.
The above is certainly a good reason to allow for the existence of this league. Another good reason is to make certain Pokémon be able to be used more in PvP battling. Some Pokémon in their Basic forms and even some that don't evolve are unable (or at the least less able) to be used in Great League PvP because even with maximum stats at maximum level - possibly even with a Best Buddy boost - their CP is nowhere near the upper bound of 1500, which is the ideal thing for most Trainers. But pitted against others of similar lower CP, this might make for interesting battles.
It seems some Trainers who are only distantly related to me agree with this proposition, which is why they are hosting a tournament this weekend with the stipulation of Pokémon that are CP 500 or less, fitting with the above. They have entitled it the "Cheap League" perhaps for the fact that most Pokémon powered up to approximately CP 500 are cheap, even if this isn't necessarily true for some. I most likely won't be able to participate due to the fact that I've signed up for something else the same day as the tournament, though if this tournament is successful, it may become a testament that this format can and does actually work. The execution remains to be seen.
For now, the proposition of the "Basic League" with Pokémon of CP 500 or less seems to be a workable one. It fills the void for the usage of certain Pokémon by certain Trainers, in addition to that of league selection itself. The possibilities are intriguing and demand to be explored. If this league results in battles that are just as exciting as the counterparts of higher leagues, which should be the case, then it deserves to be implemented somehow. The battles that occur in this league may just be as basic as its possible name, or could even be anything but.
One year ago: Beta Testing
Two years ago: Taking the Go Train
Three years ago: Worldly Inspirations for a Small World
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
The Wonders of the PokéRap and Beyond
Anyone who has been with Pokémon since the early days and particularly the English side of things will almost certainly recognize the PokéRap, a series of songs that list almost nearly all the Pokémon of a generation in a lyrical fashion, though not necessarily in index order. They're all great Pokémon songs in their own regard and therefore also great pieces of Pokémon music; within that greatness there is also a sense of wonder that lies in how the songs accomplish their purposes.
As the songs list nearly all of the Pokémon species that belong to a particular generation, the songs become almost like a "mnemonic" aid by way of how they are related by purely lyrical composition, which is not a bad thing. I would say that if I wasn't exposed to these songs, I would have more trouble keeping track of the names of the Pokémon concerned - and I'm sure there are other fans who would agree. Again, the Pokémon listed aren't related by index order or other relations, but that seems to be the least of the worries when one is just getting to know them. Those other relations can then follow after knowing them.
The spirit of the songs listing Pokémon species can be argued to be memorably noble, so much that it occurs or at least can be construed to occur beyond the proper PokéRap songs, which I've detailed as a song that is superficially like them and two songs that vaguely include them. What this shows is that there is a sense that the names of Pokémon species are important to be remembered in some way, whether formally through index listings or lyrically informally through the PokéRap songs and the songs resembling or having a relationship with them.
As a bit of an aside, on the "other side of the pond", the Japanese side, there are the "Ieru ka na" songs, which pretty much accomplish the same purpose, but with the Japanese names and a different musical style. The spirit is therefore also the same, which at least shows that the English side attempted to maintain the commonality through the PokéRap songs, in a way that suits it better than a direct port of the "Ieru ka na" songs, which would be difficult in the first place anyhow. The same sensibility and importance seem to very much apply.
It's a wonderful thing to be able to spot Pokémon by their names upon appearance, more so if one is provided the means for that, for which the PokéRap (or the "Ieru ka na" songs) do so. Through them, one is invited to commit their names to memory so that one can sensibly recall them, being one of the most important aspects of Pokémon, if not the most important one. I'd say that's vital for longtime fans like me and in fact all Pokémon fans that hail from any time period, wherever they may be.
One year ago: Quantity and Quality
Two years ago: Cosplay: Daisuki! Japan Fest 2018
Three years ago: Have You Seen My Childhood?
As the songs list nearly all of the Pokémon species that belong to a particular generation, the songs become almost like a "mnemonic" aid by way of how they are related by purely lyrical composition, which is not a bad thing. I would say that if I wasn't exposed to these songs, I would have more trouble keeping track of the names of the Pokémon concerned - and I'm sure there are other fans who would agree. Again, the Pokémon listed aren't related by index order or other relations, but that seems to be the least of the worries when one is just getting to know them. Those other relations can then follow after knowing them.
The spirit of the songs listing Pokémon species can be argued to be memorably noble, so much that it occurs or at least can be construed to occur beyond the proper PokéRap songs, which I've detailed as a song that is superficially like them and two songs that vaguely include them. What this shows is that there is a sense that the names of Pokémon species are important to be remembered in some way, whether formally through index listings or lyrically informally through the PokéRap songs and the songs resembling or having a relationship with them.
As a bit of an aside, on the "other side of the pond", the Japanese side, there are the "Ieru ka na" songs, which pretty much accomplish the same purpose, but with the Japanese names and a different musical style. The spirit is therefore also the same, which at least shows that the English side attempted to maintain the commonality through the PokéRap songs, in a way that suits it better than a direct port of the "Ieru ka na" songs, which would be difficult in the first place anyhow. The same sensibility and importance seem to very much apply.
It's a wonderful thing to be able to spot Pokémon by their names upon appearance, more so if one is provided the means for that, for which the PokéRap (or the "Ieru ka na" songs) do so. Through them, one is invited to commit their names to memory so that one can sensibly recall them, being one of the most important aspects of Pokémon, if not the most important one. I'd say that's vital for longtime fans like me and in fact all Pokémon fans that hail from any time period, wherever they may be.
One year ago: Quantity and Quality
Two years ago: Cosplay: Daisuki! Japan Fest 2018
Three years ago: Have You Seen My Childhood?
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
A Taste of the Poison Paradise
While still on the subject of "toxic" things, there is one more of these to explain. As I've explained in the previous post, the concept of "Toxic" very much applies in the main series of Pokémon games; however, this is not so the case in its revolutionary brethren of Pokémon Go. That is, except for this month, for which it becomes the theme of the Silph League Arena. It does seem kind of strange to hold this theme right now when things are really dicey (which I may or may not discuss in a separate post), but this theme beckons regardless.
For this theme, the inclusions and exclusions are very simple. What's in (the former) are Pokémon that are of the Normal, Bug, Ground, Grass, and Poison (surprise!) types. What's out (the latter) are the three species of Tropius, Noctowl, and Vigoroth, as well as any Pokémon that have both Water and Ground types (Quagsire, Swampert, and so on), the last of which are playfully referred to as "mudbois (mud boys)" since soil and water combine to make mud. The theme also appears to be similar to the Jungle theme from last year, almost like an expanded version of it. With these inclusions and exclusions, there is really no need for an "approval list" like most of the more recent themes, but one is available regardless for convenience and certainly administrative purposes.
With this theme, it's easy to see how things play out in a general sense. Bug types play into Grass types, Grass types play into Ground types, Ground types play into Poison types, and Poison types play into Bug types, forming a square loop. Poison types additionally play into Grass types, while Ground types additionally at the very least hinders Bug types, taking care of the "diagonals". The inclusion of Normal types allows for the inclusion of many Pokémon with secondary types that can play into or hold back any of the above, such as the Pidgey family with their secondary type of Flying. This is certainly a general overview and does not preclude specific happenings, especially with multiple types in the mix.
Indeed, a good number of Pokémon having these types have been shown to be very well suited for this theme, and many of them have secondary types that can complicate the general relationships above. Deciding which ones to include, though, may still depend on the whims of Trainers as well as what Pokémon are generally conveniently available. The exclusion of the so-called "mud boys" is in fact beneficial as they have tended to be major contenders in past themes, and the void that they have left becomes neatly filled in by the Pokémon that wouldn't otherwise be viable for usage. What's left is to see which ones can work with Trainer styles and resources in order to make it to the top.
As noted above, this theme comes at a time when some sort-of related things are up in the air. Even with that, there is still quite a bit of intrigue for it regarding its stipulations and how things can play out. Trainers regardless seem happy to snap up this theme just like they do for all other themes. While it isn't the same "Toxic" as for the main series games, it has its own appeal, which as the lyrics of a certain related song that is also referenced in the title of this post describes, is a certain "addiction" and "love" - hopefully also not of the same kind of bad behaviors.
One year ago: Everybody, Polkamon
Two years ago: Action or Strategy?
Three years ago: Thank Heaven for Little Boys
For this theme, the inclusions and exclusions are very simple. What's in (the former) are Pokémon that are of the Normal, Bug, Ground, Grass, and Poison (surprise!) types. What's out (the latter) are the three species of Tropius, Noctowl, and Vigoroth, as well as any Pokémon that have both Water and Ground types (Quagsire, Swampert, and so on), the last of which are playfully referred to as "mudbois (mud boys)" since soil and water combine to make mud. The theme also appears to be similar to the Jungle theme from last year, almost like an expanded version of it. With these inclusions and exclusions, there is really no need for an "approval list" like most of the more recent themes, but one is available regardless for convenience and certainly administrative purposes.
With this theme, it's easy to see how things play out in a general sense. Bug types play into Grass types, Grass types play into Ground types, Ground types play into Poison types, and Poison types play into Bug types, forming a square loop. Poison types additionally play into Grass types, while Ground types additionally at the very least hinders Bug types, taking care of the "diagonals". The inclusion of Normal types allows for the inclusion of many Pokémon with secondary types that can play into or hold back any of the above, such as the Pidgey family with their secondary type of Flying. This is certainly a general overview and does not preclude specific happenings, especially with multiple types in the mix.
Indeed, a good number of Pokémon having these types have been shown to be very well suited for this theme, and many of them have secondary types that can complicate the general relationships above. Deciding which ones to include, though, may still depend on the whims of Trainers as well as what Pokémon are generally conveniently available. The exclusion of the so-called "mud boys" is in fact beneficial as they have tended to be major contenders in past themes, and the void that they have left becomes neatly filled in by the Pokémon that wouldn't otherwise be viable for usage. What's left is to see which ones can work with Trainer styles and resources in order to make it to the top.
As noted above, this theme comes at a time when some sort-of related things are up in the air. Even with that, there is still quite a bit of intrigue for it regarding its stipulations and how things can play out. Trainers regardless seem happy to snap up this theme just like they do for all other themes. While it isn't the same "Toxic" as for the main series games, it has its own appeal, which as the lyrics of a certain related song that is also referenced in the title of this post describes, is a certain "addiction" and "love" - hopefully also not of the same kind of bad behaviors.
One year ago: Everybody, Polkamon
Two years ago: Action or Strategy?
Three years ago: Thank Heaven for Little Boys
Monday, March 9, 2020
Toxic People and Fans
Some days ago, I brought up some of the problems that might plague certain Pokémon fans. All the problems are worrying to some extent, and one of them even prompted the reminder of a song that has links to Pokémon. Now I'd like to discuss another of those problems, specifically the second one, but in a different light. Those familiar with social interactions in this modern day and age will most likely recognize the term "toxic" as it applies to people; unfortunately, "people" also includes certain Pokémon fans, and this becomes something that makes up the second problem.
A Pokémon frame of mind might provide some aid in understanding the issue. There is a well-known move in the main series games that many Pokémon know and becomes essential in that regard. It goes by the same name, "Toxic". When the move is executed, opposing Pokémon become (Badly) Poisoned (they gain this status condition), but the poisoning becomes progressively worse, costing more and more HP each time until the Pokémon faints or the status condition is dealt with and eliminated. The effects in battle may be limited to the Pokémon involved, but when people are involved, it becomes an almost entirely different matter.
For people, while HP isn't involved, morale definitely is, and "toxic" people would cause a reduction in morale just as the Toxic move would cause a reduction in HP after the status condition has been inflicted. As well, while in battle only the Pokémon involved are really affected by the move, "toxic" people may have far-reaching effects than just one person or a group of people to others. The point of "toxicity" is that there is a negativity that is involved: if a person causes someone else to feel worse each time interactions occur, then that person can be said to be "toxic". This is even more so if repeated interactions only increase the negativity further, as with the status condition in the games.
Unfortunately, that is what the overconfidence, boastfulness, and pompousness of the problematic people result in, as I've expressed in the other post. It's something that I recognize about them as I continue to meet with the people in question, and it's something that others recognize as well. They don't seem to recognize the potential effects on others, however, and far worse still, some of them have recognized themselves in their condition, and they seem to make little effort to change. No wonder why I and my friend decided not to join a few of them even when given the chance, and splitting has continued to occur.
For Pokémon - as in the species - the problem of Toxic may turn out to be a serious one, especially if it becomes unavoidable and/or cannot be mitigated. For people and Pokémon fans, the problem of "toxic" is always serious, as it can cause relationships to deteriorate (which in fact it has, by experience). It's a problem that people ought to recognize and prevent the spread of, lest it worsens oneself and others around. I can only hope that we can find the Antidote to cure ourselves or others of the poisoning that may have or has occurred before the status condition worsens itself for everyone concerned.
One year ago: Interpretative Soundtracks
Two years ago: Father Figure?
Three years ago: Tonight, We Honor the Hero
A Pokémon frame of mind might provide some aid in understanding the issue. There is a well-known move in the main series games that many Pokémon know and becomes essential in that regard. It goes by the same name, "Toxic". When the move is executed, opposing Pokémon become (Badly) Poisoned (they gain this status condition), but the poisoning becomes progressively worse, costing more and more HP each time until the Pokémon faints or the status condition is dealt with and eliminated. The effects in battle may be limited to the Pokémon involved, but when people are involved, it becomes an almost entirely different matter.
For people, while HP isn't involved, morale definitely is, and "toxic" people would cause a reduction in morale just as the Toxic move would cause a reduction in HP after the status condition has been inflicted. As well, while in battle only the Pokémon involved are really affected by the move, "toxic" people may have far-reaching effects than just one person or a group of people to others. The point of "toxicity" is that there is a negativity that is involved: if a person causes someone else to feel worse each time interactions occur, then that person can be said to be "toxic". This is even more so if repeated interactions only increase the negativity further, as with the status condition in the games.
Unfortunately, that is what the overconfidence, boastfulness, and pompousness of the problematic people result in, as I've expressed in the other post. It's something that I recognize about them as I continue to meet with the people in question, and it's something that others recognize as well. They don't seem to recognize the potential effects on others, however, and far worse still, some of them have recognized themselves in their condition, and they seem to make little effort to change. No wonder why I and my friend decided not to join a few of them even when given the chance, and splitting has continued to occur.
For Pokémon - as in the species - the problem of Toxic may turn out to be a serious one, especially if it becomes unavoidable and/or cannot be mitigated. For people and Pokémon fans, the problem of "toxic" is always serious, as it can cause relationships to deteriorate (which in fact it has, by experience). It's a problem that people ought to recognize and prevent the spread of, lest it worsens oneself and others around. I can only hope that we can find the Antidote to cure ourselves or others of the poisoning that may have or has occurred before the status condition worsens itself for everyone concerned.
One year ago: Interpretative Soundtracks
Two years ago: Father Figure?
Three years ago: Tonight, We Honor the Hero
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Pokémon Conferences?
An interesting thing happened at the second of two events I visited the other day. The event had a presentation, or it could be called a "conference" of sorts, specifically for Pokémon Go. It was neat, even more so because I unexpectedly though gladly became involved in it. That leads me to think that similar "conferences" can be held for all other things Pokémon. It's a fascinating idea that deserves to be fleshed out further for its possibilities, for which I want to take this post to do.
Arguably, such "conferences" can already be said to exist, in the form of the World Championships for all the important Pokémon games, as well as Pokémon Go Fest for Pokémon Go. But these are more tournaments rather than they are "conferences" proper. What I'm thinking of is a proper way for fans (as well as official people) to get together and discuss, present, share, collaborate, and so on and so forth about Pokémon, moreover if it becomes officially supported and sanctioned. It's likely something that few game franchises have.
Something that resembles my general idea can be seen in last year's World Championships. I saw an image of a live discussion forum with some people majorly related to Pokémon, one of which is someone who my fellow local Pokémon fans, especially of the main series, particularly look up to. From this, it can be ascertained that the person is involved with serious Pokémon affairs where I am, if the person's presence in various local Pokémon-related affairs doesn't already make things evident. Something like this may be included and further expanded in the "conference".
If a true "conference" can occur somehow, then it becomes obvious that I would like to partake in it. With this blog, I obviously want to represent myself as a blogger, or even a writer if greater Pokémon endeavors in this regard can be realized. Of course, I also want to represent myself as a Pokémon fan who wishes to contribute somehow to all Pokémon fans no matter where they are, and I would say that is a noble goal for any fan to others. The "conference" would make the perfect venue.
A "conference" might sound like an odd thing for Pokémon, which constitutes games and therefore action with them, rather than discussion. However, as I've expressed many times over and is rather obvious, Pokémon is many things today with games and beyond. If there is something that what happened yesterday and in the past can indicate, it may be that there is still some room for discussions about Pokémon and all of its related things to take place. I'm sure that can mean further action with them.
One year ago: Add Hope and Tears...
Two years ago: Cultivate or Gather Berries?
Three years ago: Pokémon and Music Games
Something that resembles my general idea can be seen in last year's World Championships. I saw an image of a live discussion forum with some people majorly related to Pokémon, one of which is someone who my fellow local Pokémon fans, especially of the main series, particularly look up to. From this, it can be ascertained that the person is involved with serious Pokémon affairs where I am, if the person's presence in various local Pokémon-related affairs doesn't already make things evident. Something like this may be included and further expanded in the "conference".
If a true "conference" can occur somehow, then it becomes obvious that I would like to partake in it. With this blog, I obviously want to represent myself as a blogger, or even a writer if greater Pokémon endeavors in this regard can be realized. Of course, I also want to represent myself as a Pokémon fan who wishes to contribute somehow to all Pokémon fans no matter where they are, and I would say that is a noble goal for any fan to others. The "conference" would make the perfect venue.
A "conference" might sound like an odd thing for Pokémon, which constitutes games and therefore action with them, rather than discussion. However, as I've expressed many times over and is rather obvious, Pokémon is many things today with games and beyond. If there is something that what happened yesterday and in the past can indicate, it may be that there is still some room for discussions about Pokémon and all of its related things to take place. I'm sure that can mean further action with them.
One year ago: Add Hope and Tears...
Two years ago: Cultivate or Gather Berries?
Three years ago: Pokémon and Music Games
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Cosplay: Robotto no Sekai + SUCOFEST 2020 - Gamerverse
Me: You know what I always say: achievements don't come by themselves. So I hope you don't mind me sending you here to attempt to get them.
Ash: Hmm, what's the deal this time?
Pikachu: Pika pika? ["What is it?"]
Me: OK, so this is apparently an event held by a distant education institution (but not a school). This event has two halves: the Japanese theme and the general theme, and the Japanese-themed half is today. For it, the event title is translated in Japanese, and it means "Robot World".
Ash: I've never heard of this one out of any of the events you've sent me to. It must be new.
Me: I would say that I agree. I think this is the first time on record that the organizer created the event.
Ash: But the competitions are neat! Character parade, singing, and photography. I think you want me in the first two, right?
Me: Indeed! For this one, I'm going to let the singing competition dictate everything. And I want... "Advanced Adventure".
Ash: Hey, I like that song! I didn't personally sing it, but I'd love to. I guess this means the Hoenn outfit.
Pikachu: Pika pika! ["Yes, yes!"]
Me: Exactly! It's a neat song, and it fits you and I both, I think. How'd things go?
Ash: Well, today is Saturday, so it seems people had things to do, and most everyone was late. They all came about an hour after it was supposed to start.
Me: On one hand, this is a problem, but on the other hand, it might be understandable for some.
Ash: You seem to be right. But it might be a little stressful for them... and I guess for me. I lost track of some of the lyrics of the song, so it was a little strained, and the mic confusion at the start didn't help.
Pikachu: Pika chu... ["Oh dear..."]
Me: I'm sorry that happened. We can and should try again some other time.
Ash: Yeah. But the parade was OK, though.
Me: I'm glad. As always, the results are important.
Ash: I didn't win the singing competition. There were 10 people with me and the ones who won really had things going for them.
Me: Sure enough.
Ash: But for the parade, there were only four of us, and I got... SECOND PLACE!!
Pikachu: Pika pi-ka!! ["Excellently done!"]
Me: NICE!! It's something that hasn't happened in a while. It's still very important in any case.
Ash: Yes! The event wasn't much and so were the rewards, but they seem OK.
Me: I kind of think that this is good for a start. I'm sure they can do much better next time.
Ash: Yeah, just like I can do better with my singing.
Me: Don't worry about it. There will be a chance. Oh, by the way, my figure friends told me they'd open up a stand at a different event just a distance away. Would you have a look?
Ash: OK. The event ended early, so I had time, but it was a bit hard to get there. But when I was there, it was really neat. The theme was about games, so they had it in a cafe with lots of game things.
Pikachu: Pika chu...! [astounded]
Ash: Even Pikachu can't believe it.
Me: My figure friends have met there once, and now I think I can see why it's fun.
Ash: I met a few characters there, but not many. There weren't any competitions, but everyone in their communities was welcome. So I met your figure friends, and they said they had a great time.
Me: Anything else?
Ash: The Trainers who played in their area invited me to talk about what you did. I had a blast with that.
Me: That's nice. But I bet you couldn't stay long since you needed to get back to me for things, right?
Ash: Yeah, that. I wish I could spend more time.
Me: That's hard, but maybe next time it could happen. I suppose we can say this is a good day.
Ash: Agreed!
Pikachu: Pika! ["Sure!"]
Me: You sure can't beat two good events with Pokémon in both somehow.
One year ago: The Marketing of Expectations
Two years ago: How Many to a Raid?
Three years ago: To Be Continued... maimai ORANGE (PLUS)
Ash: Hmm, what's the deal this time?
Pikachu: Pika pika? ["What is it?"]
Me: OK, so this is apparently an event held by a distant education institution (but not a school). This event has two halves: the Japanese theme and the general theme, and the Japanese-themed half is today. For it, the event title is translated in Japanese, and it means "Robot World".
Ash: I've never heard of this one out of any of the events you've sent me to. It must be new.
Me: I would say that I agree. I think this is the first time on record that the organizer created the event.
Ash: But the competitions are neat! Character parade, singing, and photography. I think you want me in the first two, right?
Me: Indeed! For this one, I'm going to let the singing competition dictate everything. And I want... "Advanced Adventure".
Ash: Hey, I like that song! I didn't personally sing it, but I'd love to. I guess this means the Hoenn outfit.
Pikachu: Pika pika! ["Yes, yes!"]
Me: Exactly! It's a neat song, and it fits you and I both, I think. How'd things go?
Ash: Well, today is Saturday, so it seems people had things to do, and most everyone was late. They all came about an hour after it was supposed to start.
Me: On one hand, this is a problem, but on the other hand, it might be understandable for some.
Ash: You seem to be right. But it might be a little stressful for them... and I guess for me. I lost track of some of the lyrics of the song, so it was a little strained, and the mic confusion at the start didn't help.
Pikachu: Pika chu... ["Oh dear..."]
Me: I'm sorry that happened. We can and should try again some other time.
Ash: Yeah. But the parade was OK, though.
Me: I'm glad. As always, the results are important.
Ash: I didn't win the singing competition. There were 10 people with me and the ones who won really had things going for them.
Me: Sure enough.
Ash: But for the parade, there were only four of us, and I got... SECOND PLACE!!
Pikachu: Pika pi-ka!! ["Excellently done!"]
Me: NICE!! It's something that hasn't happened in a while. It's still very important in any case.
Ash: Yes! The event wasn't much and so were the rewards, but they seem OK.
Me: I kind of think that this is good for a start. I'm sure they can do much better next time.
Ash: Yeah, just like I can do better with my singing.
Me: Don't worry about it. There will be a chance. Oh, by the way, my figure friends told me they'd open up a stand at a different event just a distance away. Would you have a look?
Ash: OK. The event ended early, so I had time, but it was a bit hard to get there. But when I was there, it was really neat. The theme was about games, so they had it in a cafe with lots of game things.
Pikachu: Pika chu...! [astounded]
Ash: Even Pikachu can't believe it.
Me: My figure friends have met there once, and now I think I can see why it's fun.
Ash: I met a few characters there, but not many. There weren't any competitions, but everyone in their communities was welcome. So I met your figure friends, and they said they had a great time.
Me: Anything else?
Ash: The Trainers who played in their area invited me to talk about what you did. I had a blast with that.
Me: That's nice. But I bet you couldn't stay long since you needed to get back to me for things, right?
Ash: Yeah, that. I wish I could spend more time.
Me: That's hard, but maybe next time it could happen. I suppose we can say this is a good day.
Ash: Agreed!
Pikachu: Pika! ["Sure!"]
Me: You sure can't beat two good events with Pokémon in both somehow.
One year ago: The Marketing of Expectations
Two years ago: How Many to a Raid?
Three years ago: To Be Continued... maimai ORANGE (PLUS)
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