The State of Nominations, Part 23

Fittingly, after another two months, it's time to update the status of the nominations I made for new PokéStops in Pokémon Go. The subtopic for the discussion this time is productivity - as in, what I've done in the past and what I can stand to do in the future. It's apparent that a change in tracking method that I had detailed previously had worked some wonder not only for the tracking but also the creation activity, so that is obviously something to consider. But then life happens for me, as it does for other people, and that too needs to be taken into account in both progression and reporting.

As usual, I presently have to deliver the counts. Since the last time, I've made 182 distinct nominations, an increase of 12, one of the largest in recent times. 107 of these are Accepted according to Wayfarer, an increase of 17, which is indeed substantial as it means I have over 100 that are as such. Yet the ones that are Not Accepted are substantial in its own regard, as there are 56 of these, which is an increase of 13. The remaining nominations are Duplicate (11, same as last time), Appealed (5, up by 1), and In Voting (3, down by 3), with none In Queue (all 16 out). This last bit is not only substantial but also telling of the productivity.

Then there is my own take on the numbers. Of the above, 106 are approved, 46 are rejected, 22 are superseded, 5 are appealed, and 3 are submitted; in order, that means differences of +17, +13, +-0, +1, and -18, mostly in line with the above. The correspondences by now are quite clear and remain as they are, but these differences are just as telling. And that goes both ways, on the side of Wayfarer and on the side of me as the user and contributor to the system (and eventually to Pokémon Go).

What this tells is that the productivity on the Wayfarer side has increased, especially after that "fast-track" program I detailed a couple of updates ago. That means faster voting and decisions for newer nominations, and older nominations no longer clog up the system. Meanwhile on my side, after the switch to the spreadsheet, I'm no longer burdened by the limitations of the text file and consequently could stand to nominate more while letting the spreadsheet keep track. That also translates into increased productivity on this side.

Still, faster is not necessarily better, and I've identified a number of rejected nominations that were probably hastily considered on, but I cannot appeal since I've exhausted my current slots for appeals. At this point, I am considering to renominate them rather than to appeal them just to get things going - that is, to be "productive" with them. Yet that might have to wait for "spurts" in productivity beyond other issues that I currently deal with.

Having dealt with nominations for a long time and experienced great results out of them regardless, I can - and should, though this is a different story - stand to be more productive with them. The numbers I've detailed above speak for themselves, and it's just a matter of continuing them with whatever I do next for these nominations, to be as productive as I possibly can with them.

One year ago: The Long and Short of Titles, Again

Two years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 11

Three years ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights - Virtual Team Lounge

Four years ago: Mythical Numbers?

Five years ago: To Watch a Movie

Six years ago: Like a Fierce Double Battle

Pokémon Go Community Day, 7/30/2023

Community Day - at least the non-Classic edition - is rather late this month, which is highly unusual. Also unusual, but a little less so, is the chosen species (family) to be featured, but seeing its nature, it's still pretty much "par for the course". It might represent a "young" spirit of Pokémon in more ways than one, and the rest of its species family might be considered "hypnotic", "macho", and "zany". That's a lot of descriptors, so the effort to be put it in might be cut out as well, given that multitude.

Much, then, can be said about this edition's featured species and its family, Poliwag. It's a young tadpole and is said to be one of the early inspirations for Pokémon - "trading tadpoles through a tube". Its evolutionary next of kin is Poliwhirl, followed by the branches of Poliwrath and Politoed; the former gets the Fast Move of Counter and the latter gets the Charged Move of Ice Beam, both having a place in PvP dynamics and as such are rather suitable for that. The primary bonus is quartered Egg hatch distance, perhaps both as a nod to this month's Classic edition and to help Trainers make a dent in their stored Eggs - and to help if they somehow missed that from then (or last week's repeat).

Since the evolution to Politoed requires a King's Rock, Timed Research is available to furnish that should Trainers not possess a stock of them; they are also available in Field Research. Then as usual, there is the slew of other bonuses: double Candy and Candy XL chance, extended Incense and Lure Modules, extra Special Trades and discounted trades, photo bombs and local Poliwhirl raids for added encounters, and the extra paid Special Research titled "Slippery Swirls" this time for an insightful look into the species family - including the swirly belly that three of its members are known for.

In a break from the previous edition, my local meetup was relocated to a place that used to host others in the past due to last month's park being in use for another event, not wanting to cause interference. But that didn't stop many from attending, including current and past Trainers alike, some of which I am quite acquainted with. Lure Modules - more than the usual, it seems - were set up and everyone caught as many Poliwag as possible, which were then rounded up in a giveaway. I didn't win anything, but it was nice to see who won and got what; perhaps they were more deserving.

A group of good size in a great place.

This edition presented a rather complex evolution effort for me. I wanted to have ones for both Great League and Ultra League for both Poliwrath and Politoed, and I got just that, though they might be a little subpar. I also evolved the best ones I had, one of them being a Lucky Buddy Pokémon. The Shiny form became a Politoed for PvP purposes as above. Finally, I evolved a Shadow and Purified forms into Poliwrath as they seemed to be more fitting as such. It was certainly complex, but fortunately Candy was in no short supply.

As something that represents a youthful spirit, both for itself and Pokémon in general, the featured species is whimsically appropriate for Community Day, and that becomes realized this month. It can (and does) mean a lot of effort to be put in, but they might just pay off, especially once PvP is taken into consideration. Certainly, there is also no better time to spend it in the company of many fellow and prospective Trainers, and that's just due course for this event and Pokémon Go in general.

One year ago: The State of Nominations, Part 17

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/30/2021

Three years ago: Go Fest 2020 Crafts: Gift and Pikachu Visor

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/30/2019

Five years ago: Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Six years ago: Cosplay: ACOLYTES 2017

Cosplay: Anime Cosupure (Cosplay) Matsuri

Me: Well, I was going to relax today and take care of other things, but then this happened.

Goh: How do you know about these things?

Me: I have great friends, so I know when I know.

Ash: Just as great as us!

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["Like us!"]

Me: Absolutely. Now, as you know, the place where I am has many students of different kinds. And sometimes they have projects that they want to try out.

Ash: Right! Like the competition for the performance one that you just put up.

Me: That's one of them too. So this is another one by different students in a different place. And, um... it seems like this could be their first time, so we might have to excuse some of their errors.

Goh: The title doesn't look too convincing. Is that why you added that bit?

Me: Yeah, you can already tell. That's one of the reasons why I'm sure it's the first time.

Goh: I got the schedule, and it seems like the main thing is the competition. And it's only for an afternoon.

Me: That should be nice for Ash. I decided to send you with your outfit from Kanto and Johto, but the new one I got.

Ash: Nice pick! I like that one too.

Me: Also, the place is somewhat different.

Ash: I pass it all the time when you send me to places! I didn't think I'd ever get to go in it.

Me: That's nice, isn't it? So how'd the competition go?

Ash: I got signed up! But then it seems they wanted things done just as they want...

Pikachu: Pika, pi pika... ["Yeah, as they say..."]

Me: See, that's a sign. They might not have thought things through.

Ash: Then it was time for the competition. They wanted everyone to perform for a bit, but then they had a lot of time left over, and they had trouble trying to fill it. They even asked everyone back for a parade and a photo op, and I wish they told us all this at the start.

Goh: How many characters were there?

Ash: Around 20.

Goh: They might have been expecting a lot to come, but fewer came.

Me: All of these are classic problems, especially for "rookie" organizers.

Goh: Here it says they have a band and a dance group. Did you get to hear and see them?

Ash: I thought I missed them the first time, but I guess they were just late. They sounded and looked good, though!

Goh: That's a relief. Oh, and the DJ at the end.

Ash: I got to see that just before I came back to you, and that was fun.

Goh: Great stuff.

Me: Of course, after all this, I have to ask about how you did. So.

Ash: Well, I think I got a good thing going!

Goh: Good enough to win something?

Ash: No, not this time. But a character friend of us did win - the same one from last week.

Me: Oh. Well, um, that's great, I guess.

Ash: But that friend is still interested in you - and us! That's the same one from "It's My Town". I think we really can get it going.

Pikachu: Pi pika. ["I do too."]

Me: Now I really don't know what to say. But we'll still see what happens.

Goh: So this project had a few good things, but it could be much, much better.

Me: That seems to be the fate with these kinds of student projects. In fact, the other one Ash and I mentioned, that hasn't been seen for many years - maybe because the new students couldn't manage.

Ash: They'll have to up their game for next time!

Goh: I agree! Don't you think?

Me: Things can and will happen - maybe for us too.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/29/2022

Two years ago: P25 Music for Life?

Three years ago: The Values of Posts

Four years ago: By Words, By Sound, By Video

Five years ago: First Anniversary of My Raid Group

Six years ago: Under 100 Hours?

Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/28/2023

July is a month that tends to leave its mark in Pokémon Go events. In some past years, this may be with the addition of Pokémon Go Fest occurring within it, but in other years, it would be simply because of the milestone that the game itself makes in the month, which would be its anniversary. That's definitely important to cover, but then so are all the other events beyond that which is pertinent to this specific occasion. And this month happens to be in no short supply of those events.

First up is of course the Anniversary Event, which ran from July 6 to July 12. Since this year is the seventh anniversary, the theme was "lucky 7" as the main feature became Squirtle and its species family, with Ponyta (Dex number #77) and Togedemaru (Dex number #777) as secondary features and other fan favorites as tertiary features in the wild and raids. For Squirtle, its party hat costume variant can now evolve to the higher stages and retain the costume. Meanwhile, over the seven days of the event, exclusive starter Pokémon appearances and exclusive bonuses were present, along with general increased Lucky (Friend and Pokémon) and Gimmighoul Coin chances. Those same starters and Mega Energy for associated species families were also present in Field Research tasks, and paid Timed Research provided greater bonuses. Other special features involved the return of the Shiny Mew Masterwork Research (for those who don't have it) and its associated bonuses, as well as new fashion items and special stickers plus a web store deal that made the celebration more festive.

A short two-day event occurred on July 15 and 16, called "Catching Some Z's". For those who think it might have something to do with Pokémon Sleep, it does... but that's a matter for a separate post. What is important is that the event marks the debut of Komala as well as a Snorlax wearing a nightcap, for which the former can be found in the wild along with other "sleepy" Pokémon; raids too have some of the "sleepy" Pokémon. The latter has to do with the Pokémon Go Plus + peripheral - which was released alongside the event - as linking it to Pokémon Go from this point onward rewards a Special Research containing the Snorlax. New fashion items and stickers (for those who link the peripheral) also complemented the event of dozing proportions.

The next event from July 21 to 24 could be considered to be both groundbreaking and controversial. Called "Blaze New Trails", the event is to celebrate the launch of a new feature called Routes, which I'll likewise cover separately from this rollup - and it's the part of the event that lends its "controversy". A few "trailblazing" Pokémon became the feature of this event in the wild and in 7 km Eggs, with Yungoos in particular as one of those Pokémon having a greater Shiny chance and being able to be encountered as a Field Research task reward. But the most important Pokémon of the event has to be Zygarde, which debuts with this event by a Special Research set titled "From A to Zygarde". Still, the remaining "A-to-Z" details of this event is dependent on that Routes feature, especially for the debuting Pokémon and its implementation in Pokémon Go.

Meanwhile, on July 22, a new event "hatched" into being, appropriately being called "Hatch Day". It's an event with a featured Pokémon much like Community Day or Raid Day, but this event obviously focuses on hatching Eggs. On this day, Riolu was the star, as it hatched more frequently from 2 km Eggs obtained from PokéStops, and it had a greater chance of being Shiny. Complementing the event were a double Stardust bonus for hatching as well as Field Research tasks and a Timed Research task giving out a Super Incubator, plus a web store exclusive deal. Like the other featured Pokémon events, this one seems rudimentary now but will likely expand with time.

Currently, there is the return of Adventure Week, which started yesterday (July 27) and will finish on August 2. As with past editions of the event, Fossil Pokémon are abound - specifically this time, Tyrunt and Amaura, which can now be found in their Shiny forms. They join Tirtouga and Archen in 7 km Eggs, and the rest of the fossil brethren join them in the wild. A selection also appears as Field Research task rewards, while a free Timed Research set allows Trainers to choose one of two approaches to encounter a selection of Rock-type Pokémon, and an additional paid one allows for more Tyrunt and Amaura encounters with bonus incubators. Also during this time, Mega Tyranitar debuts; though not a fossil, it does have the likeness of one and complements the others. Other complements are aurora skies on the overworld, halved hatch distance and increased XP from spinning PokéStops, and four Collection Challenges that deal with the Fossil Pokémon in all their glory, as does the event in general.

Looking at the above, the events this month really do (or did) make their mark on this month as a special month for Pokémon Go in general. Not only were the events in no short supply, their features weren't few either. But for a celebratory "anniversary month" like this one, that has to be in order for the game to continue to leave its mark - hopefully in the best of ways as the occasion would suggest.

One year ago: Energy Exchange in Pokémon Unite

Two years ago: Road of 25th Anniversary: Creative Excitement

Three years ago: On Live Blogging (and Pokémon)

Four years ago: Team GO Rocket Blasting Off

Five years ago: Figure Photography

Six years ago: Modern Games, Retro Flavor

Character Limits in Pokémon Games

Besides limits on Pokémon storage and items, some Pokémon games have another kind of limit, which concerns the names of and given to things. That would be the "character limit" for those names. Because Pokémon started life on a low-bit console (the Game Boy), it would be natural that character limits exist there to keep things technically in line. These days, there are still limits, but they may be considered to exist for more practical purposes, particularly across games in the "ecosystem".

Historically in the main series games, Pokémon nicknames have a limit of 12 characters (in the English version at least - 5 in Japanese), and in fact, that's still pretty much the case today. Even in Pokémon Go, it can be discovered quickly that the limit still does exist; attempting to enter more than 12 characters in the Name entry will result in rejection of the 13th character and beyond. Therefore, this limit is not only for practicality but also consistency with "legacy" Pokémon that continue to persist today after system transfers.

Pokémon moves have also had their character limits. The legacy limit was 12, which explains why in the old days the Self-Destruct move was rendered as "SelfDestruct". Nowadays, moves can obviously have many more characters, an obvious one being "Precipice Blades", the "signature move" of Groudon (16 characters in all, including the space), as well as the more recent "High Horsepower" (15 including the space). This was definitely a limit that needed to be raised in order to be more expressive.

Then there are limits on owner or Trainer names. The historical main series game limit was 8, but modern versions have a greater limit. As for outside the main series, Pokémon Go obviously has a high character limit, given that my Trainer name (PokeMasterBP348) is 15 characters in all; Pokémon Home, meanwhile, has a limit of 18 characters. This aspect is also a natural one to be expanded for the same expressive reason as with Pokémon moves above with added creativity from those who play.

More limits beyond these three aspects exist, but these three aspects are likely to be relevant to most people (Trainers), whether they play the main series games or Pokémon Go, or even both in conjunction to obtain the best possible results out of each one. In any case, the limits on characters for certain aspects as above can be said to have "evolved" - like the Pokémon they represent - from being technical to practical in nature. No matter how many Pokémon or items Trainers have, the limits should still serve them well.

One year ago: New Strides with the Daily Adventure Incense

Two years ago: Further Remixes of GBL Leagues?

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/27/2020

Four years ago: A Time for Everything

Five years ago: Online Pokémon Newsletters

Six years ago: Sprites, Models, and Evolutions

Quickies: Off (and On) the Beaten Path

It's been quite some time since I've made a "Quickies" post, but that has to do with my freedom (or lack of it) to do certain Pokémon things or even to get around to do them. This second matter is one that should be familiar for longtime Pokémon fans, as in certain older featured regions, they possess Routes as part of their landscape. They're certainly a directed way of getting around to where one needs to go in those regions, as they are focused on specific paths between two places of concern. It was the prevailing view before the modern view of openness along those paths.

For all their closed quality, their directedness also allows for a (more or less) specific experience to be captured. They can allow for passage past particular terrains, landmark objects, and mysterious spots even slightly beyond their confines. It's one experience, but the experience isn't necessarily the same, especially as given some routes can also be traversed in two directions and may necessitate - or suggest - traversing different places as part of their paths. They are both limited and limitless at the same time.

Perhaps that is something that a certain thing related to Pokémon has been trying to recapture recently. Specific paths are being tracked or recorded to pass through places or areas of interest so that others can follow it to obtain some of the same experience. Given the thing's general openness other than this, it could be welcomed for its capability of experience presentations to to others who may not have considered them.

There may be a certain joy in following beaten paths as much as going off of them. Even with their necessitated design, the Routes of old at least were able to facilitate this, and it makes some sense to be applied even in the more open Pokémon world of today. The beaten paths may stay, even with the people opting to go wherever they may with Pokémon.

One year ago: Performance Critique: SUCOFEST 2022 J-Song

Two years ago: Basic Buddy Photo Tricks in Pokémon Go

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Fest 2020, Day 2

Four years ago: Mobile "Invasion"?

Five years ago: Two New Pokémon Center Merchandise Lines

Six years ago: Supporting Doujin and Indie Stuff

NADWPKMN - The Video Series: Special Episode #1 - AsiA Cosplay Competition Single Performance

Me: Let's make it three in a row and discuss this from way, way, way back.

Ash: Hey, you finally put it up!

Me: Yes, if you remember, I had you reenact one of the most important first moments of your journey some years ago. Goh wasn't around back then, but he deserves to know all the same now.

Goh: Oh! It was- It was-

Ash: It was at that moment, Pikachu and I bonded.

Pikachu: Pika! ["Sure did!"]

Me: It was a dramatic moment and a turning point that made the rest of the journey possible. 

Goh: I understand a lot of things now.

Ash: But when I performed, a lot of things didn't go right.

Me: Right. I discussed that on my own a few days after the fact, but from my [OOC] view. But now we can do it with our [IC] view.

Ash: Um, yeah. So when I was called up, I was totally rushed and I forgot a few things, like the pass. I even forgot to tell your friend to record it, but luckily your friend didn't forget.

Goh: How could you forget?

Ash: I thought I (we all) had a little more time.

Pikachu: Pika chu pika. ["My thoughts exactly."]

Ash: Oh yeah! The outfit I wore for this was an old version. My friend got a new one years later.

Goh: That should be less problematic, if you can ever get to perform this again.

Ash: I hope so! But then the way Pikachu is, it's a problem for this one.

Me: I kept thinking someone else and/or a background video could help. In fact, I thought about this performance for a certain convention last month, but it just couldn't happen.

Goh: So that's the story.

Me: Indeed it is. I really hope that next time everything can go much better.

Ash: I agree! I think it can - and will.

Me: Especially now that I've finally uploaded the video and fulfilled the promise from many years back.

Goh: Now people can make suggestions for you two.

Ash: That would be great.

Pikachu: Pika. ["Agree."]

Me: Took the words right out of my mouth. It's also fitting that we discussed this one year after we discussed the related regular episode (see below).

Ash: Hey yeah!

Goh: Interesting how that happened.

Me: And of course, this is just one of many special moments I hope to share through special episode videos, this being the first one.

Goh: Can't wait to see those.

Ash: You'll like them!

Me: Moments like these are indeed special regardless of what might have happened.

One year ago: NADWPKMN - The Video Series: Episode #4 - In Character Spirit

Two years ago: Other Uses of the Pokémon TCG

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Fest 2020, Day 1

Four years ago: Pokémon for Print Projects

Five years ago: World of Pokémon... Media

Six years ago: Videophones and Pokémon, Then and Now

Pokémon Go Community Day Classic... Repeat, 7/23/2023

Me: In the meantime, let's talk about this.

Goh: So, Community Day got repeated again. And this time it's this month's Classic edition.

Me: Yes, from two weeks ago. 

Goh: But I'm looking over at your write-up, and you didn't seem to have a problem.

Me: I didn't, but apparently other Trainers did - I'm told they couldn't be present due to a technical issue. So that's the reason for this repeat, and we're in luck that it's the Squirtle edition. 

Ash: Oh, Squirtle! I remember my time with the Squirtle Squad.

Me: And you'll have noticed some of them wearing sunglasses. You'll obviously remember that.

Ash: Yeah! They're the "cool" ones.

Pikachu: Pika! ["Cool!"]

Me: All right, so all the perks from last time continue to apply for this repeat - including the tasks with Professor Willow, which I organized so you can have another go.

Ash: Neat!

Me: That's something you didn't get to do the last time I sent you on a repeat edition, so now you got it.

Goh: How'd things go?

Ash: They went great! I set up a Lure Module at a PokéStop at the festival, and then I walked around to catch the ones with sunglasses. I also caught as many as possible for my friend's stock of things.

Goh: How many Squirtle did you catch?

Ash: A lot, haha. I lost track. And I didn't catch a Shiny one - but my friend here should already have some from before. But I also caught one with sunglasses that was almost perfect! I evolved that one to finish the professor's task.

Me: Impressive! But you didn't evolve anything else?

Ash: Not with what you had. And I couldn't find anything better for you to battle with. 

Me: I guess that's true. There is supposed to be a Shadow form, but I've never found anything good enough to keep.

Goh: Maybe you'll find one soon.

Me: That might just be possible. If that happens, then I might just be able to evolve it myself.

Goh: Interesting!

Me: But I can't say more than that. At least, if this serves as the only consolation for not putting you in the character parade...

Ash: It happened at the same time as this.

Me: ...I'm told, then I got my money's worth out of this one with Professor Willow's tasks rather than in the character parade.

Goh: Oh, so that's what happened.

Pikachu: Pika chu. ["I see."]

Me: Whether I'm justified in this regard, I may not be able to say. But at least I can say that the Squirtle family is always welcome on any occasion.

Ash: I'm with you there!

Me: Even if it means having to have Community Day (Classic) twice over.

One year ago: Cosplay: SUCOFEST 2022 - Multiverse

Two years ago: More Pokémon Fun with Soccer Players

Three years ago: Preparing for (Everyone's) Go Fest

Four years ago: Making Things Simple

Five years ago: The Greatest, Everyday

Six years ago: Pokémon School

Cosplay: Shokumatsu

Me: So, um, today's going to be a little (maybe, make that a lot) different.

Ash: I'm in! So what's the deal?

Me: A group of my friends were invited by the organizers of a food festival to liven it up with characters, music, and... you know the deal.

Goh: Oh, so it's one of "those" deals.

Me: Yeah, Goh already knows where this is heading.

Pikachu: Piiii~ ["There~"]

Me: Anyway, let's cut to the chase: how was it like?

Ash: It was in front of a mall! But they had to share with the cars coming in.

Goh: They couldn't find another entry for the cars?

Ash: I saw one but they didn't use it.

Me: You'd think that they know that the way crowds are drawn to things like this, they'd make space for the people.

Ash: Yeah. There wasn't many when I came, but then it was just like any other you sent me to.

Pikachu: Pika pika chu. ["Just like that."]

Goh: So how did they entertain the people?

Ash: They had a singer, a comedian, a character performance, and a dance cover.

Goh: That seems nicely varied. And of course there had to be competitions-

Me: Hold it - I'll take this one. For this one, since my friends really know me, I couldn't really put Ash in them.

Ash: One of your friends felt bad for that and tried to put me in the singing competition on the spot, but he couldn't. And he wasn't able to either.

Goh: That was nice of him, even if it couldn't happen. I guess the other competitions were character ones.

Ash: Yeah! There was a character parade, a street competition, and a "low-cost" one.

Goh: Low-cost?

Me: That's more of a creative one, just using whatever you have, and it can be silly too. But that one needed to be done before today, so it just couldn't happen.

Ash: And we'd look too silly.

Pikachu: Pi pika! ["Very much so!"]

Me: Right, so that's not really for us.

Goh: But there still had to be winners for them. So who won?

Ash: Two good friends of our friend won the singing competition.

Me: Hmm.

Ash: And a character friend of me and our friend won the character parade and the "low-cost" one - both the same.

Me: Hmm.

Ash: And two people who looked furry won the street competition.

Me: Hmm. Now I feel strangely beside myself for sending you today - although it would be more so if I hadn't.

Goh: You don't usually feel like this after something like this.

Pikachu: Pika chu? ["What's the matter?"]

Ash: Is this why you wanted me to come back to you as soon as it was done?

Me: In a way.

Ash: Don't be too sad - I got to talk with a friend of yours and the furry people, and you might have something good, for us even. And you did have me do something with a lot of Squirtle during that time.

Me: Well, I guess that's the only consolation. Anyhow, I think we need to regroup before we get ready to send you to somewhere else next time.

Goh: Try not to get too weighed down on things.

Me: Let's see what I - er, we - can do.

One year ago: Respect for Zeno Robinson

Two years ago: More on Ideal Raid Lengths

Three years ago: The State of Nominations, Part 5

Four years ago: Movie Manga, Part 2 (Really 2)

Five years ago: Pokémon Style Figure Sun & Moon 2 - Mimikyu

Six years ago: Cosplay in a Bag

Pokémon Unite 2nd Anniversary

Right, so this year, Pokémon Unite turns 2, and its anniversary date was yesterday. But for the sake of posterity, I cover it today as with last year. Now, the second year of any life is a tumultuous one, a period known as the "terrible twos". And that may be true to a certain extent, with an issue I raised in a different post. But that's more of a negative damper than anything, and meanwhile, this is a positive celebration. So, it is best to focus on the positives at this time.

Irrespective of "backstage" issues like the one I mentioned above, the game has kept on going. It did so with a new map for supreme challenges of ranking and continued additions of Pokémon for that and other purposes. This also includes the first ever playable Legendary Pokémon (Zacian), which has the potential to open the door for other shenanigans... and it has, which is to be explained shortly. Apart from that, the progress is still rather impressive for a game this age.

New features are certainly also part of that deal. Pokémon emblems, continuations of the Battle Pass, and new items bring about certain dynamics to the team battles. There are also other visual and functional improvements that make things very much more lively for those who play. While these are arguably inevitable, at least it still shows that the game is on the minds of the people who make the game happen even now.

Then there is the anniversary event, which began on the same day. That day also introduced its second playable Legendary Pokémon and one with a higher-order evolution; that should already be immediately evident. Then there is a new map that is effectively the inclusion of a unique battle mode borrowed from a different kind of strategy game. These and other aspects are effectively unique and need to be covered separately.

Much has gone on over the two years that the game has existed, and with the state of the Pokémon world of today, much still stands to go on and be incorporated into it. Even at that length of existence, the main thing may be to just enjoy the game as it is and will be, during and past this period of certain tumults.

Enjoy things, for as long as possible. Happy second anniversary to Pokémon Unite.

One year ago: Pokémon Unite One-Year Anniversary

Two years ago: Go Fest 2021 Epilogue: Nighttime Music, Vocal Version

Three years ago: Getting Crafty for Go Fest

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 7/21/2019

Five years ago: Pokémon Style Figure Sun & Moon 2 - Mimikyu

Six years ago: Cosplay in a Bag

The Andotrope for Pokémon

In this technologically advanced world, there is always a quest to seek new technologies for all kinds of things. So too is this true for Pokémon and its associated world, for which its technologies are just as advanced as the real world, if not more so. For those into visual media in either case, they're always in need of or can use viewing technologies to show off different things. Now, there's an innovation that lets the people do just that and in a way that lets them have a multidirectional perspective - and this is good for Pokémon matters too.

Meet the Andotrope. In brief and without going into too much technical detail, this innovation is an evolution of the zoetrope, a manual animation device, to be able to display virtually any clip of indefinite length facing any viewer in any direction. In essence, it can be pretty much described as an omnidirectional holographic viewer. In its initial incarnation, the technology uses two back-to-back tablets that spin at a high speed along with a slitted cylinder as with the zoetrope to provide the omnidirectional viewing capability. At this point, the applications to certain fandoms already become apparent, but Pokémon can have its share too.

One of the practical and realistic Pokémon applications is to be able to use the Andotrope as a showcase for certain Pokémon; for example, a Sylveon fan can have it showcase a loving example that one can gaze at and it can gaze back - the "waifu" potential here is high. If a larger Andotrope could be built, it could possibly be used as part of a "4D theater". An example of this is one showing a Blastoise shooting jets of water that viewers can actually feel with real water jets. Of course, this has to be appropriately crafted to produce dazzling effects rather than terrifying ones, and certainly within the limits of safety. I discussed these possibilities with some of my Pokémon friends, and they appear to be receptive to it, confirming the potential of the innovative display.

Less realistic but still practical for Pokémon purposes is to use the innovation to realize some holographic screens that Pokémon also displays from time to time. This could be for smaller displays that are often controlled by consoles, or even - again, if a larger one could be created - perhaps a display akin to what Professor Cerise uses in his laboratory. In either case, some modifications might have to be made to the implementations, but the basic display principle ought to be able to remain the same as it was initially innovated. These are just my ideas, and other fans may be able to suggest other ideas.

Now, it's called the "Andotrope" because its innovator is Mike Ando (also known as RIUM+), a friend of mine from the Myst series fandom who is also known for high-tech geeky endeavors. He created the device in order to replicate holographic projectors in one of the games of that series... inadvertently creating the innovation, and now it's subsequently patented - one will have to ask him for licensing. This was also unveiled at this year's Mysterium convention... which took place earlier this month at its turn from the last month. In effect, posting about this allows me to meet my "Myst quota" for this blog of one post a year since three years ago. Speaking of posts, for those interested in full details about the innovation, I suggest reading his post about it on his blog.

As one person in certain Pokémon games says, technology is incredible. That rings true for both the real world and the Pokémon world, which benefit from all the technologies that exist therein. And now, both of them (or at least, one going to another) can now benefit from a recently created innovation, the Andotrope, that has the potential to realize many kinds of display possibilities, some of which may be wild and far out. It's a technological quest that has led to the accomplishment of wondrous results.

One year ago: The Wonder and Intrigue of "Oh?"

Two years ago: Kicking Up the Cards

Three years ago: In and Out of Patterns

Four years ago: Cosplay: Japanese World 2019

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 7/21/2018

Six years ago: My Favorite LINE Pokémon Stickers So Far

Performance Critique: Mezase Pokémon Master feat. Otaku (Redux)

If a previous effort of collaboration with Otaku Band could be described with "fait accompli" and "rite of passage", this latest one could be described with "redemption". That happened earlier this month at a local festival on its second day, with our collaboration being the very same song that we performed earlier. It's an opportunity that doesn't come very often if at all, and it had to be maximized to the point of writing a critique, if at all possible. And it is, certainly thanks to a video recording that will be explained soon.

The story of how I got to initiate this one was similar to how the previous collaboration was initiated: I saw their appearance on the performer list and communicated with them. At first I wasn't sure that it was going to happen, but when I met them, I was assured that it was going to happen, thanks to their manager - a very good friend of mine, who has to remain as such. And so, it became the last song of their setlist, and I was called up to join them for this purpose just like the previous collaboration.

The start of things to come.

As with the previous collaboration, I had the inkling that my voice may or may not be able to be heard. This time, however, I trudged on with what I can do, and I let my inkling go. And I was right to do so, for in the video recording, at least some of my voice did come through. Even so, with my voice being or not being able to come through at times, I suspect that other factors may be in play - specifically, related to myself and singing on stage. This is something to consider before the next performance or collaboration, with whoever it might be.

The second verse, a point of contention.

Last time, the "elephant in the room" was the second verse of the song, and this time, it's still that way. One consolation is that I saved myself from committing the same slip-up from last time by having "practiced" with a modification of the original arrangement as sung by Rica Matsumoto at a different festival event. The big thing now seems to be the particulars of the actual arrangement that Otaku Band performs, which seems to have further nuances at that part besides what the band manager informs (or informed) me to do to conform.

The penultimate chorus, with my touch.

Beyond that second verse, things remained smooth sailing, at least for the most part. Being that I am used to (in other words, have gotten familiar with) the Rica Matsumoto arrangement, there may still have been a couple of disjunct parts, especially without me knowing what the band's main vocalist (once again, Dina) has in mind. The least I can do is to complement with my touch as per the Rica Matsumoto arrangement, and once again this meant the call-and-response on the penultimate chorus just like last time.

The end, as usual: GIVE IT UP FOR OTAKU BAND!!

Of course, there is the video source (of these pictures) to explain. Usually, I would try to have someone record my performances, but they're not often available to assist for one reason or another. This one, however, was recorded by someone in the audience, and luckily, it was of the entire performance. It also was posted on Instagram (by the recorder - @vino_lazy), and that is how this was obtained. Although audience cheers - and the voice of the recording person - also came through in the video, I'm at least thankful that it was recorded nonetheless.

From this "redux" collaboration and the previous one, some takeaways may still be had. One is that while I've effectively made good on (redeemed) the previous collaboration, there may just be room to do one better next time. Another is that while Otaku Band and I are "free-spirited" people - we do things with minimal practice and they seem to just somehow work themselves out - for this song, it may be great if we could ever have a "jam session" to allow practice on it and be on the same frame of mind about it, no matter how remote this possibility might be.

Having collaborated with Otaku Band three times now and twice on the same song, I can only feel blessed and grateful that the opportunities came about, no matter how they turned out. They're all testaments of how this band is a "legendary" band where I am as well as their (and others') consideration of me as a "legendary" person with certain specialties, including vocal skills. Combine that with a "legendary" song by a "legendary" artist, and there might just be something to behold for all convention goers and Pokémon fans alike.

One year ago: Possible New Research Tasks?

Two years ago: Bridging Myst and Pokémon Fans

Three years ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights - Animated Special

Four years ago: Seeing the World with Go

Five years ago: (Routine or Special) Local Ex-Raid, 7/20/2018

Six years ago: On Pokémon Promotional Toys

Remaking My Pokémon Papercraft Models?

It's been such a long time since I've addressed anything related to Pokémon and papercraft, so this discussion is somewhat overdue. Specifically, this discussion was prompted after I looked over some of the earlier models that I had built, which are presently in various conditions. Some of them are still as fine as they are when I had built them, while others are less fine or had become more so after all the tribulations that had taken place since. Given this condition, I started to wonder if I should remake some of the models, which then led to this post.

For example, the Pikachu that I first built and initially used in cosplay still turns out to be fine all this time, and thus is not needed to be remade. On the other hand, it has a "younger sibling" of Pichu, and that model is slightly falling apart; this is definitely a candidate to be remade. There are also a few Poké Balls in various conditions, and they may or may not demand to be remade. It may be in my best interest to take the best one I have and discard the rest for a true "fresh start" with only the best models I have, as the others I mentioned above.

The only thing that currently restricts any possible efforts to remake my Pokémon papercraft models is fitting in that effort along with all other efforts I have to make, Pokémon or otherwise. It's something that has presented a challenge in recent days, though I myself might have been the one that caused it to be a challenge in the first place. Yet as with all Pokémon challenges, that might be something to take on - perhaps just not at this moment while I get all my other challenges and efforts in order. 

So, it seems that I have found the incentive to get back to Pokémon papercraft, yet it's also an incentive that requires a bit of devotion just as with all my other Pokémon prospects. The fact that many of my models still survive the test of time does suggest that Pokémon papercraft is still something worthwhile for me to take on and preserve, moreover as it still constitutes my interaction history. Yet it's also a literal "history in the making", as Pokémon itself continues to provide the advancements for that history to occur.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Goodies, Round 3

Two years ago: What It Takes To Jump-Start Pokémon Go Trainers

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 7/19/2020

Four years ago: The First Johto Saga English Opening Theme

Five years ago: Fast Moves and Charged Moves

Six years ago: Movie Times

Translation Issues in Café Remix?

Whilst I've discussed in brief a present issue that Pokémon Café Remix may have, there is actually and seemingly another present issue that needs to be discussed at length, since it is "up my wheelhouse", so to speak. The game is designed to be multilingual in its interface, and therefore translation is involved in this aspect. However, there may be a sign that the translation is imperfect in at least one part, which may suggest that there are imperfections elsewhere. Because I deal with languages and translation, this becomes something that I have to address in a discussion.

The part in concern is a feature that allows a previous party (in the game called a "lineup") to be immediately selected for use in a One-Minute Cooking stage. When activated, a popup is displayed with this exact wording:

It will be changed to the following lineup you previously played with.

Would you like to proceed?

The problem is that while the statement I quoted makes grammatical sense, it is slightly referentially off. The "It" that will be changed is obviously the current lineup, which is to be changed to the previous lineup; it seems rather abnormal to be referred by "It" as far as English is concerned in this presentation, and for that reason, I suspect that a slight error in translation may have occurred from the original Japanese, which may very well be considered as such given where Pokémon hails from.

In all my years of playing the puzzle Pokémon games, including Pokémon Shuffle as the predecessor, this is the first one that has caught my eye as an egregious wording "error", if it really is as such. Still, I don't have access to the original Japanese to verify or the skills to do so, nor am I really considered a native English speaker (near-native at best) or able to confirm the technical details that may have contributed to this "error", yet based on what I know about English and its specific uses (here user interfaces), this does raise some questions.

Having said that, whether this may indicate further translation issues elsewhere in the game may be something that I cannot establish for certain, but given the necessity of this game and its predecessor to be continuously updated - and in multiple languages, no less - translation issues may just arise as part of that process. And it's just as much an issue, if not more so, as any other issues the game might have.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Repeat, 7/16/2022

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Fest 2021, Day 2

Three years ago: Team GO Rocket's Aerial Attacks

Four years ago: The State of Nominations

Five years ago: The Eevee Identity

Six years ago: Only One Save File

Contemporary Issues with Pokémon Games

The Pokémon games of today are ideally played for their enjoyment, whether leisurely or competitively. However, something that may impede that enjoyment are the issues that the games have. They're not technical problems so much as they are "overheads" that may not sit well with those who play. And presently, they run pretty much across the board of current Pokémon games, making the issues rather "contemporary" and rather deserving of a discussion.

As I've mentioned a few years ago, the main series games are (or have gotten) complicated, and that's not likely to change - at least in the simpler direction and in development. The only conceivable way to make it simpler is to get familiar with it, whether by searching for information by oneself or by becoming trained in it, just like what a certain "man of magnets" is doing for those who would like get involved in it for VGC purposes. This may be considered a "barrier of entry" for the games and their competitive play in general.

Also as mentioned, this time a couple of months ago, Pokémon Go is having its spate of issues, which are mostly caused by the actions of its developer (Niantic) and may be taken to constitute a "blunder". Now it seems that they are trying to fight for the lost revenue while dodging the underlying causes of them all. Taken together, this is definitely an "overhead" in the truest sense to the point that "the sky has fallen" on some community support institutions for the game. Without resolution, things are just definitely going to drag on.

In a different area, Pokémon Unite is starting to rear an ugly head, the one that belongs to the "pay to win" devil. It's clear that some things that don't rely on payment of real money for Aeos Gems are being left to languish, and those Gems continue be the main way of obtaining things with real value, like new Pokémon and new Holowear. Even a certain new feature that I've yet to discuss - and may not, given how it ties into this - is almost totally dependent on Aeos Gems, and only becomes further affirmation of the situation.

If Unite is becoming pay-intensive, Café Remix meanwhile is becoming effort-intensive. The "standardization" of One-Minute Cooking continues to make itself evident through yet another play aspect that utilizes the format, and the format continues to be used in a spate of events for certain special Pokémon. And these events evidently require a lot of repetitive actions (therefore "grinding") to obtain as many things as possible from them, even everything. It's a literal "daily grind" that is seemingly the only thing one can do.

There is, to be sure, still some enjoyment in playing any or all of the games mentioned above, whether or not they have their issues. But in light of the above, the issues are becoming hard to avoid in their evident quality, if they hadn't already started to show that even way before. And they all pertain to the present, the time when Pokémon and its games are so widespread among fans. As "contemporary" as the issues are, perhaps it's also necessary to alleviate them somehow.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 7/17/2022

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Fest 2021, Day 1

Three years ago: Catch Me If...

Four years ago: The First Johto Saga Japanese Opening Theme

Five years ago: Rearranged Pokémon Music

Six years ago: How Far Do People Know Pokémon?

Cosplay: Onokatsu Japanese Festival

Goh: Oh! I guess we know what were in for today.

Me: You betcha. So this is obviously a festival, and it's held by a local eatery, hence the name.

Ash: Do we get to eat?

Pikachu: Pi? ["Do we?"]

Me: Well, as always, that depends on the schedule and what I can allot for you.

Goh: Now this one shouldn't be too out of place.

Me: It's a Japanese eatery, so it works well.

Ash: I like the food anyhow!

Me: I think we all do. So, we ought to look nice for this one, as best as we can.

Ash: Hey, how about my special journey outfit?

Me: Sure! That should work for us. I think I need to send you again with it anyhow.

Goh: I got ahold of the schedule, and it says it runs from the afternoon to the evening.

Me: Oh, does it? Hmm, I already sent Ash a little early to help with some of my Pokémon errands.

Ash: That's OK! I got a lot done for you while they weren't completely ready.

Goh: But when they were, how was it?

Ash: Crowded! But it didn't start out that way. At first there was just a few people. Then it just got really full.

Goh: Oh. This always happens, doesn't it.

Pikachu: Pika chu. ["Always does."]

Ash: We were at the corner of two roads. Everyone almost spilled over to the bigger one.

Me: Small event, big crowd. Typical. Um, so today there was only one competition for you, the character parade. How did that go?

Ash: I did just fine!

Pikachu: Pi! ["Nice!"]

Ash: But I didn't win anything.

Goh: How many prizes for how many?

Ash: 10 out of 60 or so.

Goh: About one in six. A little hard.

Me: Oh well. At least it was free entry today.

Goh: Was it? Now it makes sense.

Me: I guess it just plain didn't work out. Maybe next time.

Goh: Also, was there entertainment? What did you get to see?

Ash: I got to see guitar friends of my friends. They play guitar in a neat way.

Goh: I'd love to have seen that!

Ash: There was a band and a couple of dance groups too. And a DJ.

Goh: Oh, that's standard.

Me: Yeah, that should be pretty nice. After all that, maybe we can describe today as a usual festival in unusual circumstances.

Ash: I got told that it was to celebrate the opening of the eatery. It's pretty new.

Goh: That explains why they held the festival. Pretty nice, though.

Pikachu: Pi pika chu! ["It's all right!"]

Me: Well, maybe after this I'll consider eating there myself. But thanks for a good day, though.

Ash: No prob.

Me: This festival at least had the spirits of good food and good merriment.

One year ago: Cosplay: Community Base Party

Two years ago: Go Fest in the Time of...

Three years ago: Starting from Somewhere

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Version 1?

Five years ago: Daily Tasks

Six years ago: Flying Quirks of Charizard

The (Master) Magnet Man

If there's a hallmark of my relationship with Pokémon, it would be that it is a very social one. That means meeting and interacting with other people, as far as my social interactions allow that to occur, whether physically or digitally. The process includes other fans (or Trainers, in in-game parlance) and popular figures, no matter what domain of Pokémon they are involved with. A significant one over the past several years has been with a fan, friend, and proficient player or master Trainer who has a certain magnetic personality - one that is deeply related to Pokémon - and is therefore apt to be discussed.

That person is called by the nickname Magnetman, but those who are close to him also know him by his first name, Adryan. He is called as such because his favorite Pokémon and effectively his representation, in a way, is Magnezone, and it's present on all the related social media branding wherever he is of concern. Evidently, he likes Pokémon a whole lot, and it's his primary dealings as well, though he's an open gamer as well. His choice platform is YouTube, and it is there that he streams and uploads videos; it can be found by his handle, @MagnetmanGaming.

Specifically for Pokémon, he deals with VGC, an area that I've become rather inexperienced in. As for his experience, it is undeniably great. He's been involved in a handful of national and international tournaments, and even became a winner in one. Nowadays, he also uses his experience to provide lessons by coaching to others, with hope that they'll gain the same experience and be able to adopt his winning ways in order that they themselves can win, and thus preserve his winning legacy in a way. If that's not important for VGC, I don't know what is.

More recently, he's also become proficient in Pokémon Unite, which has become its own thing. Currently, he's affiliated with one of the Wotaman teams, and has been frequently called upon for participation in tournaments. I had the chance to play together in one match at one point in time, and surprisingly, I ended up becoming the MVP of that match - yet that was quite some time ago. It may be a long time before we are able to play together again... or may be potentially pitted on opposite sides in that effort.

As noted, he's an open gamer, and his library (other than Pokémon) is pretty standard and diverse for a gamer - though it doesn't have much correlation to mine apart from Pokémon. Much of it is also streamed, again through the YouTube channel as above. He calls his loyal followers (including me) part of the "Magnet Crew", and we interact on a certain platform familiar to gamers, yet again affirming one of its many social uses.

On that note, my social dealings with Pokémon become affirmed in both position and importance, along with whatever other dealings I choose to take up for Pokémon. And if they involve people like Adryan "Magnetman", then that is quite fortunate, as it means I have a real friend and comrade who I can refer to and link up with at times for Pokémon affairs. That has to be masterful as much as it is magnetic.

One year ago: My Nintendo Rewards - Pokémon Wallpapers

Two years ago: Professor Willow Goes to the TCG

Three years ago: More on Remote Raids

Four years ago: The Switch Lite

Five years ago: Mew @ Everywhere

Six years ago: What Kind of Pokémon Are You?

The Single-Type Cup of GBL

A few weeks ago, Go Battle League introduced a new, special secondary format to complement ongoing league formats. That new format demanded a certain "pure spirit" from Trainers to deal with the "purity" that the format demands. And that "purity" is figuring out how certain types of Pokémon work against others without extraneous nuances of duplicity - that is, more than one. Aptly, the format is called the "Single-Type Cup" for that reason.

It is obvious that for this format, only Pokémon of single types are fair game, and those of two types are out; this makes it the counterpoint to Silph Arena's Fusion themed cup. But as with that earlier format, it isn't as simple as that, for there are two species that are banned. In this case, they are Cresselia (a strong Legendary Pokémon) and Deoxys in its Defense form (a viable Mythical Pokémon), both of the Psychic type and having proven their capabilities time and again even in standard Great League with no modifications - for which indeed this format takes as a base for its battles.

It can be seen easily that were they still included, they would have been ninth and first in the species rankings, and thus it is fortunate they were excluded. Other species highlights include Haxorus (particularly evolved during Community Day) as well as Dragonair, Pinsir, Machamp, and Muk (of the classical Kanto form), the latter four being viable with their Shadow counterparts as well. Overall, it seems that the types of Dragon, Poison, and Psychic have a certain edge by virtue of being represented by some strong species, and they all can (or could, by now) stand to become part of teams for this format.

All Trainers have to familiarize themselves with the types of Pokémon and how they play out in battle, and this format essentially gave a mostly no-frills ("pure") way to do just that. Thus, it works out well as a complementary format to a league format, being that it should be able to provide insights at the very least... or more of the same challenges that Go Battle League has provided in a somewhat more limited form.

One year ago: Forest Bathing with Pokémon

Two years ago: Redeeming Offer Codes in Pokémon Go

Three years ago: Miss You, Brandon

Four years ago: Cosplay: COSTHNIFEST

Five years ago: Spending on Pokémon

Six years ago: A Pokémon Forum Persona

The Pokérus and Its Importance

At the height of the recent three-year quandary that the world had gotten into - and now has mostly escaped (I say "mostly" because it still lingers in some ways - refer to the discussion) - I had thought about discussing a related Pokémon aspect. However, I thought that it would be insensitive of me to do so, much like a situation involving submarines some time ago, so I held off on doing so for the three years that it went on. Now with the world the way it is, it seems more appropriate to make the discussion, moreover since neither the cause of the situation nor the related aspect is effectively going away in any case.

That aspect is of course the Pokérus, a "disease" that affects Pokémon in the main series games and related ecosystems. I say "disease" because while it does affect (infect) them like one, it doesn't have debilitating effects; on the contrary, it has stimulating effects. Once infected with the Pokérus, a Pokémon will be able to earn EV or Effort Values at twice the normal rate. The implication is that such a situation minimizes the required effort of training, and that's a win-win in a certain manner for Trainers and Pokémon alike (at least in most cases), unlike the "lose-lose" of a true disease.

Pokérus may be gotten from a Pokémon in the wild, though the chances of this are more or less like catching a Shiny Pokémon; they may be more likely gotten through a Wonder Trade for an infected species, as I did. Once in a party, the Pokémon will transmit Pokérus to other Pokémon in the party through battling activities, with an "infectious period" of a few days. Infected Pokémon may be "quarantined" by putting them in a PC box, and doing this freezes their "infectious period" until they are taken out to a party again. At "recovery", they will still have the Pokérus and its effects, but they will no longer be infectious.

What this means is that even in the Pokémon world, it is established that there are microorganisms affecting Pokémon much as there are ones for real-world creatures, including humans. It also becomes further affirmation that the world of Pokémon is in many ways an image or even an "alternate universe" branch of the real world. And while the "dark side" of such microorganisms may (or will) never be heard about, the Pokérus is a rather light-sided one in contrast. More importantly, it heeds at least some of the same principles by way microorganisms spread and infect larger organisms.

It's hard to deny that for as long as there are living creatures that develop themselves, there will always be microorganisms that develop along with them and have the possibility to infect them, as has been the case in the real world for a few years back. It is definitely not necessary to recall the plight from those few years, but it is necessary to recall that Pokémon has something of its own in its regard, and something that doesn't cause a plight, no less. At the least, now the discussion deserves to be made as a facet of Pokémon that is just as fascinating as any other in the great world of its franchise.

One year ago: Good Pokémon Cosplay Relationships

Two years ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights - Sheet Music Boss Edition

Three years ago: Giving the Gift of Pokémon GIFs

Four years ago: I'm a... Bounty Hunter?

Five years ago: Losing and Finding Links

Six years ago: Strategy Guides and My Pokémon Experience

The Final Stretch: Silph Arena's Last Championships

The time of its end is almost at hand, so I might as well make this post. Silph Arena as the last vestige of The Silph Road is about to wrap up, but before it can do so, it has to determine a world champion for its individual tournaments. And all that takes place within this month, the ultimate month of its existence, but more on that will come shortly. What's important is that it also uses a specially designed format or "meta" for creation of teams for the competition. Admittedly, this post will focus more on that and less on the tournament aspect, though both are still relevant to some extent, so this post will cover both.

For the format, it is a slot-based affair with restrictions based on species. The first slot is reserved for one starter Pokémon, including their evolved forms, from Kanto to Alola, as all that are currently present in the game. The next four slots are reserved for groups of featured Pokémon from all the formats over the course of the initial seasons of Silph Arena (2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022) that are neither the preceding nor the following. The final slot is for Legendary Pokémon, Mythical Pokémon, or Ultra Beasts, essentially being the "superclass" of them. For all of these slots, Shadow Pokémon are allowed, but Mega Evolution is banned as is the usual norm (for a Great League format or theme). In some sense, the format resembles the Timeless themed cup but with further inclusions and exclusions.

Because of the format's structure, there are some implications. First is that practically any Pokémon species that are on the list is viable (except for Registeel, which duly noted has been banned for this purpose) as long as they can make it for Great League. Next, only one starter (or its evolved form) and Legendary superclass Pokémon is allowed, and because the "species clause" is still in effect, they all must be unique - if the list hasn't already established that. Lastly, the format encourages Trainers to be a little daring in their choices, although it is still filled with "standards" that are still viable. It is for a championship after all (and the last of its kind ever for the Arena), so it has to be this way.

As for the schedule, over the past two weeks, skilled Trainers should have received invitations to participate in a Continental Championship (coming up in a few days on July 15-16) for the usual four conferences, with 128 in all for each. These will be Swiss round affairs, from which the top four go on to the World Championship tournament, held live on July 29. That marks the end, and after archival, Silph Arena and The Silph Road shuts down entirely on August 1.

Even though I'm not a participant in the concluding tournaments, it's still nice for me to be able to write about them, and in this case, it would be the last time as Silph Arena is about to bid farewell to Trainers. It's a final stretch that many never expected, so in some ways, the format or "meta" has to be somewhat unexpected as well. Regardless, things have been set into motion in Silph Arena, and in motion they will be within the last half of this month until they all come to a rolling halt at the month's conclusion.

One year ago: Common Event Mechanisms in Pokémon Unite

Two years ago: Collaboration for Pokémon

Three years ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights - GabaLeth Edition

Four years ago: Brandon Tan in My Town!!!

Five years ago: Exploring Dual Types

Six years ago: "Don't Fear Failure!"

My Mental Health with Pokémon

One of my social media "clusters" - the best way of describing it without going into detail about what it is - has a division for supporting others due to mental health problems, whether by life issues or even just wellness issues. While it can't solve every problem that is posed by the members, at least the support may mean something. This has gotten me to think about my mental health, which in the framing of this blog would be in relation to Pokémon. It would also be adjunct to a discussion from around two and a half years ago regarding my "wellness" with my Pokémon blogging efforts, only this time with Pokémon in general.

Regarding that general state, I find that in most cases, Pokémon improves my mental health. By playing the games or dealing with related aspects, I prevent myself from getting into situations that worsen my mental health, or if I'm already in them, I can then take a step back to think about them to alleviate my mental health state before trying to repress the situation again. Like the mental health division above, it's not intended to try to provide solutions to the problems that affect my health, although such solutions might just present themselves as I'm dealing with Pokémon and can be implemented after my time away.

Yet there is the possibility that some adverse effects to my mental health may result from my dealings with Pokémon things. Specifically, this involves my reactions when certain things occur in the games or whatever Pokémon thing that I'm involved with. But I also have to say that those reactions may possibly be the byproduct of the mental health state that I already possess, which I've not yet confirmed but have suspicions of. This would be a circumstance beyond my control and something that not even Pokémon can solve, although it may become something to be explored according to my interests.

I still think highly of that social media "cluster" of mine providing a space for the support of others with mental health issues due to one reason or another and the possible attempts to resolve those issues. In light of this and the above, Pokémon becomes a separate space where I may get to try to resolve my own issues (by clearing my mind off them temporarily), even with the possibility that it may introduce other issues of its own - though it may not be my fault entirely. At that point, at least I'm getting a certain sense of my wellness of my mind and how to keep that in check with all the things I have to do.

One year ago: All the Silph Arena Themed Cups Prior

Two years ago: Travel to Atlantis

Three years ago: Reminiscing More of My Early Days with Go

Four years ago: A T-Shirt for One's Journey

Five years ago: The Wonders of Weather in Go

Six years ago: Going Back to the NDS

Am I Suited for a Pokémon Unite Team?

I've been playing Pokémon Unite for quite some time now, and I've gone through most of the experiences that the game has to offer... except for one big one. I'm still not part of a team, which is practically necessary for the best experience in playing the game. At the same time, this prospect raises certain questions, one of which is included in the title of this post. To answer the question, it is necessary to examine a few considerations that have an impact on that answer.

The first consideration is rank. Most teams, particularly those that are designed to be competitive, have the requirement of its members having the Master rank and to maintain that rank over successive seasons as the rank is reset. Meanwhile, the highest rank I've ever gotten is Veteran, and a low class at that. Thus, I'm not exactly suited for a team by this consideration, unless a team is fine having me as I am while we help each other and carry our progressions with further play.

Commitment becomes the next consideration. A Pokémon friend of mine primarily deals with VGC but has a darned good grasp of Unite as well, and now that friend is part of a team that is one of many teams under the same banner. As such, my friend has also been forced to drop a few other commitments, including those of VGC, when the team is called into action. It's this kind of commitment that I may or may not be ready for, given that I have other commitments, Pokémon or otherwise, that are not as easy to be dropped, unlike my friend's.

As well, there are technical considerations. Becoming part of a team entails changing the player name, which further entails spending Aeos Gems and thus paying for them, unless  maybe prefixes could be implemented while partially obviating the requirement. Then there is the (likely) required familiarity of one or more roles and thus possession of certain Unite Licenses and thus spending Gems... and one gets the point really fast. And they are all technical considerations that come into play.

So, with all the considerations above, it seems I may not be presently suited for a team for playing Pokémon Unite together. And yet, it's a vital part of the grand experience that the game offers, particularly for competitive play. It's still a prospective and valiant objective for anyone who still deals with the game (like me) even if it may not be completely necessary for good play. That may still be something to keep up as best as possible for now, and the team prospect might just reveal itself later on.

One year ago: Go Battle Events on Different Timescales

Two years ago: Raid Achievements in Pokémon Go

Three years ago: New PvP Challenge: Premier Cup

Four years ago: Local EX Raid (and Mix-Ups), 7/10/2019

Five years ago: The Currencies of Magikarp Jump

Six years ago: My Trusty NDS and Pokémon Games