Halloween 2024: Chasing Illusions

Obviously, the big thing in October is a day for spooky stuff, otherworldly stuff, and all kinds of things related to them. And they're all under the banner that is called Halloween. In some of the past years (see below), I discussed about "spooks", particularly during a time when Pokémon and everything in the world were at odds. Something that may play into the "spooks" and the things that make them up in the world are the "illusions" that accompany them, and now it seems I have to discuss them with a Pokémon perspective along with the conceptual tie of "chasing" them.

For the "illusions" part, that's not fairly difficult to understand. Some Ghost Pokémon are capable of initiating the "poltergeist" phenomenon with their abilities, some Psychic Pokémon are capable of bending things like spoons, and others can manifest as other Pokémon; to (uninitiated) people, they do seem rather illusory - especially befitting of the occasion of this day. Then, there's the existence of a myriad of Shadow Pokémon - including but not necessarily of the above types - whose illusory qualities become evident in their darkness.

As for "chasing" them, that may be the necessary thing to exercise control over them, in particular if the origins of today are of concern. And some Pokémon Trainers may still do just that, in particular for matters of Shadow Pokémon that they need to adapt for their own needs, moreover any of the other illusory ones that were mentioned above. To chase after these illusions and more seem par for the course, even given Pokémon.

There is actually another inspiration for this post's theme, and it's musical. "Chasing Shadows" is a piece by Yanni that is admittedly more spirited and less spooky, but it seems supportive enough to become the background of a few pursuits of any of the illusions I've mentioned above. Still, it does seem to depend on the viewpoints of the listener.

Goh: I just listened to the piece, and it made me want to chase a few things on my own.

Ash: Haha, same here!

Me: Well, I hope you chased after a few things I needed for today first.

Ash: I sure did! I was able to fix up a few Pokémon things you had problems with the night before.

Goh: Maybe the "spooks" got there before today came?

Me: Maybe Goh has a point. Anyway, thanks also for the other things. It'll be good for a little night in and whatever tomorrow brings.

Goh: So, no plans like last year.

Me: Nope. If there were, I'd be all over it by now.

Ash: I guess that's fine too. I think it might even be great for Halloween!

Me: I'd agree. I still wish I could make an actual Halloween night happen with what I have today.

Goh: Who knows? I think it might just work.

Ash: I do too.

Me: Then, it won't be an illusion.

Illusions come in many guises, Pokémon or otherwise. Some of them could totally be chased and be taken advantage of, while others could be just left alone to their devices; either way, something will manifest, and that something may be illusory (or not as much) in quality.

Right now, though, Halloween is no illusion - it's still something conceived yet has become a cultural facet of life. So, Happy Halloween, and be mindful of (and chase) the illusions. 🎃

One year ago: Halloween 2023: Going (All) Out

Two years ago: Halloween 2022: Relative Spookiness

Three years ago: Halloween 2021: Spooky Branding

Four years ago: Halloween 2020: Facing the "Spooks"

Five years ago: Halloween 2019: Taking My Chances

Six years ago: Halloween 2018: The Tricks to Treats

Seven years ago: Happy Halloween!

Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 10/30/2024

Well, tomorrow is a rather obvious day, so the event rollup for Pokémon Go have to be gotten going today or else. As far as this month goes, it's a bit of a busy month with some little events and some big ones - perhaps, that may even be relative considering the content of the events that took place. In any case, it's time to see how things were manifested as well as how the events themselves manifested.

Up first, the month began by delivering the counterpart to October's ultimate event, as the Galarian Expedition event from October 4 to 11. That meant the reentry of Zamazenta (with Shiny possibility in raids) accompanied by a selection of complementary Pokémon in the wild. More importantly, the Galarian forms of the Kanto Legendary birds could now be Shiny, and some changes occurred to Pokémon appearances from the Daily Adventure Incense. Rounding out everything were a paid Special Research set for an extra Master Ball, Collection Challenges with capturing and evolving demands, Field Research, and showcases. All these seem rather straightforward, so it took something else to liven them up.

Specifically, that would be Team Go Rocket with another "Taken Over" edition from October 8 to 11, in the second half of the above event. The focus this time was on Shadow Heatran - continuing the seasonal Special Research - along with new Shadow Pokémon and other Shadow Raids. As usual, they also appeared more frequently and Frustration could be changed by TM into other moves. Field Research might have rewarded useful items (including TMs), showcases featured appropriate Pokémon, and there was an extra bundle in the in-game shop, overall making for a dark but lively twist.

A Raid Day was set for October 12, and the subject of that day's event was Mega Mawile, marking its debut. As with Raid Days in general and contemporary fashion, more free raid passes were given out and more remote raids could be performed, while there was a greater Shiny chance for the featured Pokémon. Then there was also the extra paid event ticket offering more raid passes, XP, and Stardust, as well as greater Rare Candy XL chance. It was a little big thing, this time for a somewhat big element.

From October 15 to 17, there was the Magnetic Study event. This short midweek event featured three Pokémon - Plusle, Magnemite, and Minun - on each of and for the three days of the event, with increased Shiny chance for each and more frequent encounters with all of them through a Magnetic Lure Module as well as Field Research tasks. Each day (and thus Pokémon) were also associated with a different bonus - double XP catch, increased raid XP, and double Stardust catch in order - and had a Timed Research set for that day to encounter the Pokémon and get other bonuses. By its name, it was indeed a "study" with loads on all three days.

On October 19, a Research Day was set, and it was for Yamask, both the Unova and Galar forms. As is the norm for this kind of event, Trainers were to encounter the Pokémon through completing Field Research tasks from 2 to 5 PM, and an extra paid ticket for more encounters could be opted to be purchased for this purpose. Adding to the mood were a few Pokémon in the wild that were either shady or earthy, befitting both forms, and mask fashion items becoming available in the in-game shop. The event became a minor "masquerade party" for an afternoon.

The highlight of the month finally came on October 22 with Part 1 of the traditional Halloween event, lasting until October 28. This part's primary aspect was the debut of Morpeko with its form-changing Aura Wheel attack, which could be gotten through Go Battle League or Field Research encounters. Gastly also became present in Max Battles for a chance to get one is Dynamax-capable. They are joined by a host of creepy and spooky Pokémon in the wild, raids, and Field Research encounters, with particular Shiny emphasis on Umbreon (raids) and Zorua (wild). A free Timed Research set furnishes Spiritomb as its ultimate reward, while two paid sets furnish mostly costumed Pokémon, all of these carrying over to Part 2. Along with bonuses of double catch Candy and increased Candy XL chance, new fashion items and stickers livened up the event, not to mention the usual niceties of the Halloween overworld appearance, Lavender Town music, and appropriate showcases, jump-starting the spooky celebrations to come.

Intervening the two parts of the Halloween event was the Go Bigger event on October 26 and 27. This marked the debut of the awaited Gigantamax forms, beginning with the evolved forms of the three Kanto starters in a Raid Day-like fashion, cycling hourly at select Power Spots for Trainers to battle. And battle they will, necessitating efforts that are just as gargantuan as the Pokémon forms... but I'll cover this separately. Regardless, it too may be considered an "intervention" of its own.

Part 2 of the Halloween event continues where Part 1 left off, from October 28 until November 3 (this coming Sunday). This time, the main focus is on the addition of two new costumed Pokémon: Froakie and Rowlet - along with their species families - and who were "previewed" in a paid Timed Research set from Part 1. There is also the debut of Gigantamax Gengar, though that is mostly reserved for the big spooky day tomorrow and carrying over to the weekend. Most of the Pokémon in the wild, raids, and Field Research encounters are now of the costumed sort, with some having a greater Shiny chance; there are now special 7 km Eggs containing some Pokémon with certain costumed forms. Besides Gigantamax Gengar as above, there are also specific Candy bonuses from costumed Pokémon on the big spooky day, which is certainly what the event is all about.  

Many things in fact had to manifest in the game events this month in Pokémon Go, not the least of which is what awaits at the end as the big and obvious thing, with a lot of little things before then. Most of the manifestations were no illusions... although some could be perceived as such, yet somehow still fitting in with the runup that is this spooky month. 

One year ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 10/30/2023

Two years ago: Cosplay: Halloweeaboo Cosplay Party

Three years ago: In the Blackest Dens

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 10/30/2020

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 10/30/2019

Six years ago: Community Day Workflow

Seven years ago: Pokémon Go Halloween 2017 Event

YouTube Pokémon Highlights: More from DevinSupertramp

The previous post on parkour and Pokémon was actually a neglected draft from five years ago that I've only managed to flesh out more recently. It was also admittedly based on a few YouTube videos, though I had also wanted to keep it from becoming an edition of "YouTube Pokémon Highlights" and thus tried not to write it up in that style. Even so, the videos nevertheless prompt me to make one of these highlights, for the fact that two of them originate from the same content creator and there is more than meets the eye. 

With that, the content creator is called DevinSupertramp (stylized as all lowercase letters on the channel page), and the key figure is a filmmaker by the name of Devin Graham, who makes videos along with a host of dedicated people, called Team Supertramp (who else). The videos are a blend of sightseeing, extreme sports, crazy things, and pop culture - and it is obvious where Pokémon fits into this framework, in light of the post from the other day. The filmmaker also has a separate channel under his own name that focuses on the "meta" behind the videos - techniques, tips, and even behind the scenes - which are a part of this highlight as well as the videos from the main channel. Since (at least) one of their videos were shot in or close to my "neck of the woods", that was what led me to posit about helping other Trainers in parkour, hinting at a collaboration; such may never happen, but it's still fun to think about it.

Besides the parkour videos from the other day, there are a couple more videos related to Pokémon on the main channel that deal less with extreme sports and focus more on its pop culture side. A video entitled "Pokémon battle in real life!" is a six-minute spoof based partially on Legends: Arceus and other Pokémon facets, while another entitled "Banette's Curse" is a literal short film (clocking in at 17 minutes) with some dramatic aspects about it; the latter is especially appropriate to be mentioned now, certainly with it approaching Halloween and all. It's important to mention that these as well as the previous parkour videos - for that matter, many on the channel - employ other people to enact their premises, while Devin is simply the mastermind behind the concepts and videography.

Meanwhile, the behind-the-scenes look at the videos are just as fascinating and entertaining to watch as the actual results. For the Pikachu chase parkour, it is revealed that there was a mishap: Calen Chan, the traceur (parkour athlete) in the role of Pikachu, did indeed fall while filming - the "twist" at the end that was retooled in the actual video, also highlighting a certain danger in the sport in general. Then there are the ones for the other parkour video (an apparent fact: it was quickly produced to tie into the hype of the game at that time), as well as ones for both of the videos mentioned above. They're all reminders that these videos come neither from thin air nor instantly, and they have production values of their own.

Looking at the other videos on Devin's channels, all of them may be attractive to certain groups of people, including fans of the pop culture aspects highlighted in them. Regardless, it's the Pokémon aspect I'm interested in, especially for the purpose of highlighting them here, and Devin has made that work so well (or almost) in the two videos involving parkour and the other two featuring just Pokémon in general. That much speaks to me as a Pokémon fan, as much as Devin (and Team Supertramp) express other things in the other videos.

One year ago: Cosplay: Toys & Hobbies Week 2023

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 10/29/2022

Three years ago: Holowear Wonderings

Four years ago: Road to 25th Anniversary: Getting Warmer

Five years ago: Psyduck Is Missing

Six years ago: Expression of Care

Seven years ago: Three-Line Episode Summaries

PokéParkour

One kind of sport that some people would consider "extreme" is parkour. The sport involves athletes getting from one point to another in quick time and great style, which means running, jumping, dashing, leaping, and so on and so forth to achieve the objective. In the world of Pokémon, their athletes (Trainers) don't need to do all the same funky and extreme things to get around, although there is the prospect that they may be able to do just that. If that happens, then it may just be deserving to call it "PokéParkour" per the title of this post.

While I've found that I'm not exactly fit for parkour, I might just be able to assist other Trainers (and likely their Pokémon as well) in their parkour efforts, particularly if it's to chase after some other Trainers with less-than-savory agendas like those of Team Skull, some of which might have parkour skills of their own and need to be chased down with those very same skills in order to prevent them from carrying out their agendas. Being that the parkour sport has some inherent dangers of its own, they may need all the help they can get.

Back to the case of their Pokémon, they might just be able to execute parkour moves of their own, and ones that are even more extreme than what their human partner Trainers are capable of. And if they're not affiliated with certain Trainers, they may run in order to evade capture... although the Trainers may be resourceful enough, with or without parkour skills, to corner and eventually capture them. Certainly, after that, they can then ally with some involvement of parkour for all their battle and non-battle needs.

In fact, those scenarios have been illustrated in a few YouTube videos, though with humans acting out the parkour scenarios for Trainers and Pokémon alike. Two videos illustrate the "capture" scenario and their eventual resolution (though without the above extrapolation) and were filmed during the initial explosive breakthrough of Pokémon Go. Another video illustrates the "chase" scenario and has a twist at the end, driving home the point that I made above. The production quality of the videos is very good as well.

"PokéParkour" becomes a fascinating display of what human Trainers and Pokémon species might just be capable of, considering the videos as above. And that would be some extreme abilities in getting from place to place while leaping over things rapidly and stylishly, a useful thing to do in some circumstances if not a whole lot of fun. It's as much fun to think about for a Pokémon fan - me - while being able to actually do it as some people can... and most likely their Pokémon, if they were actual Trainers.

One year ago: Moon Matters, Pokémon Matters

Two years ago: From Draft to Post: The Thought Process of Pokémon Blogging

Three years ago: Pokémon Unite Halloween Event

Four years ago: Being a Scanner or Diver with Pokémon

Five years ago: On Tap for Go

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Repeat, 10/28/2018

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

Cosplay: Japanese Culture - Anniversary Edition

Me: OK, now here's something to discuss.

Goh: A festival!

Me: Sure. And you might recognize the title, because...

Ash: Wait! Is this like the one from two months ago?

Pikachu: Pika? ["Is it?"]

Me: Good guess, and you're absolutely right. I think they're also tying it with the establishment of the venue.

Goh: OK, same organizer, same place, same competitions, everything.

Me: Exactly that. I hear they also got a bit of help from an outside organizer who helped with certain festivals.

Goh: That's nice at least. So... the competitions. 

Ash: Our friend set me up with the "other" Rica Matsumoto song for the singing competition!

Me: Yup - it's the first competitive attempt for that, and we can finally get it in after we "practiced" it so long ago.

Goh: How'd you do?

Ash: I think I did great! I got the words spot on and did the things our friend suggested I do.

Me: Right, it's to put on a little show while doing that - the song is known for its "transforming" role, after all.

Ash: I guess I did "transform".

Goh: That must have been a sight to see.

Pikachu: Pika! ["Very nice!"]

Ash: And I think our friend will be able to see for himself.

Me: Interesting! I'll definitely look it over.

Goh: And there was a character parade, right? 

Ash: Right. But our didn't set me up for that, even with my Journeys outfit.

Me: Sorry about that. This time, I really just wanted us to "put our Eggs in one basket".

Goh: And watch that basket, apparently.

Me: That sounds like a quote I know. So, how'd we do on that basket and those Eggs?

Ash: They didn't hatch. 

Goh: I see.

Me: I'll see about "incubating" them for another time with you.

Ash: Sure, I'll try again.

Pikachu: Chu pika chu. ["With me."]

Goh: OK, the rest of the festival had to be for entertainment.

Ash: Yeah! Two dance groups and the karaoke group we know.

Me: That's standard by now and always fun to see.

Goh: You must have also had fun in different ways. 

Ash: Sure. I talked to many of our friend's friends and did things with them - we even played games together.

Me: Absolutely better than nothing. It beats me moping around for something that happened yesterday.

Goh: I'm sorry to hear about that.

Ash: I sensed it - but it did help me to sing for you.

Me: Thanks. And while the results are just the same as last time, at least we got something out of it.

Goh: And the performance you can see.

Me: Indeed. That may be useful to me in more ways than one. 

Pikachu: Chu~ pika. ["I think so."]

Ash: I can't wait to see what you'd do with that!

Me: I can't wait either - and for the next festival or convention opportunity as well.

One year ago: The Future of My Pokémon Cosplay Costumes

Two years ago: Equivalent Spirits

Three years ago: Road of 25th Anniversary: The Penultimate Resolution

Four years ago: Pokémon Go as a Gacha Game?

Five years ago: Explaining the Supernatural

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 10/27/2018

Seven years ago: Expecting Something Special

The Light of My Pokémon Spirit

I had intended today's post to be saved for a specific Pokémon agenda (or perhaps even a multitude of them), but they turned out to be iffy and can't even be approached in discussion format. So, I've decided to discuss the experience surrounding the agenda (or agendas) with something I thought of while going through them. As indicated by the title of this post, that would be the "spirit" of my Pokémon dealings, and in particular, the "light" given off by that "spirit". It's a point with different impressions and interpretations.

To be dealing with certain things is to have the spirit to deal with them, as much as one can possibly have for that purpose, and then to radiate that out as the "light" that comes off of it. As for how this would apply to me and my Pokémon dealings, as I make the best effort for those dealings and be able to include other people (or fans), I'm also radiating my enjoyment out of that. At least, that's what I believe and strive to do, which is the best I can possibly do under any circumstances - hopefully the best ones possible.

Recently, however, I'm finding that my "light of the spirit" is fading even with some of my best efforts and/or in (the) light (ahem) of other people's spirit, which I'm sure has some Pokémon relations that could also be in common with mine - but not necessarily. That's what I found even with the agendas of today, one of which is with long-running issues of a certain group and the others with a different but supportive group as well as some posts on social media, a reason why I don't check it frequently. With Pokémon, it becomes a difficulty of my own.

Certainly, there is (or was) an inspiration for the central idea of this post. That inspiration is from a instrumental piece entitled, well... "The Light of the Spirit", a piece by the Japanese-origin musician Kitaro. It is quite melancholic and somber in its early sections before becoming flourishing and bright in the later sections; it might be considered the musical image of a spirit brightening its environment. And it is an ideal representation of how my Pokémon dealings should have played out in experience.

Out of all the things that I do in my life and besides (in addition to) the ones necessary to ensure my survival, my Pokémon dealings are ones that will stick with me and my spirit. They brighten my life - even if it would take more to brighten those of others - and do so by radiating from my spirit. In that sense, the musical piece I mentioned above is an appropriate inspiration, as well as a wish that everything would continue to be as such for Pokémon and me, even if like today, some of the related agendas have their "light" fizzle out.

One year ago: Let's Go Get the Party Started

Two years ago: Censure, Cut, and Correct: Errors in Pokémon Transmission

Three years ago: Pokémon Music on Vinyl?

Four years ago: Usage Experience of Go Plus Peripherals

Five years ago: Tournament: Raid Group Sinister Cup

Six years ago: Two-Sided Stories

Seven years ago: Pronouncing Pokémon

Bringing Things to the Forefront in Pokémon Go

One more discussion of an obscure Pokémon Go aspect, for this month's "four fours", is in order before going into what could be a complicated weekend in more ways than one (as well as some usual end-of-month business). Now, the game in a way could be regarded as bringing Pokémon to the "forefront", especially with the way it experienced an explosive popularity around eight years ago. Yet it could also be considered that the game itself brings other things to the "forefront", as matters related to one's Pokémon collection. The purpose of this post is then to try to elucidate that.

Perhaps one of the ways that this is accomplished is by the marking of specific Pokémon as "favorites" and being able to pick them out quickly at a glance from the others, while also affording a little bit of protection for them. The tags feature further refines the fronting of these and other Pokémon a Trainer may eventually come to possess, making all kinds (and certain kinds) of Pokémon identifiable for current and future purposes. In this way, essential qualities are being put forward definitively.

Then there's the Today View and by association the views for Field and Timed Research, which have gone through a few changes and updates. Each of these changes and updates have brought different things to the "forefront" at different times, even though the Field Research tasks and Timed Research sets are still the primary focus in many ways. And they have to be, because they are still the main ways of furnishing certain main content and bonuses, in addition to other things that may be emphasized.

Recent updates do show other ways of bringing things to the "forefront". For example, Special (including Timed) Research sets now climb to the top when any of their tasks are completed, and they can even be starred just like indicating a favorite Pokémon. Trainers now are also seeing the location information for their caught Pokémon below the name, height, and weight instead of below the moves - although it seems that the same information for Eggs are buggy. Still, having them at the "forefront" means their helpfulness is recognized.

Even more updates in the future will likely see a lot more things about and surrounding the Pokémon - caught or otherwise - in Pokémon Go being put in the "forefront", but that should very much mean good things, even if they aren't realized immediately. Still, they do have to be considered and implemented in the best way possible if the game still wants to put Pokémon at the "forefront" of it all and serve every single one of the fans well with those things.

One year ago: Hot Springs with Pokémon

Two years ago: Virtual Voices for Pokémon Characters

Three years ago: The New Tournament Pantheon

Four years ago: Type Logic: Of Light and Darkness 

Five years ago: One-Upping Ash

Six years ago: Dilemma of Colors

Seven years ago: Pokémon XY Pikachu Freezer Bottle

We Welcome You to Pokéween

It's one week before the peak of the "spooky season", and I thought I'd discuss (and preview) it a bit, certainly with the necessary Pokémon connections. Now, Pokémon and Halloween have always gotten along, for all the specific reasons (and more) that I've outlined way, way, way back in the first Halloween post I made. Even so, in most of the past years, they seem disparate, still belonging to their own realm. Over the past year, this has turned somewhat, bringing both realms closer together - so this post is a bit of a late thing as well - and that is done under the banner of "Pokéween".

For the occasion, the profile pictures of Pokémon accounts on social media have been changed to a Pikachu jack-o-lantern, and relevant content for the season is abound within them - an example being costume guides based on the latest anime series. Then there is supplementary content for fun activities like coloring pages and pumpkin carving stencils, which are especially fun if one finds out and keeps track of them through the e-mail newsletter. Indeed, the festivities began early and are coming out strong.

The thematic electronic games also get in on the fun. Pokémon Go has the now-pertinent Halloween decorations up (with a bit of a delay), and it as well as Café Remix and Unite have their traditional Halloween events with the usual bonuses; the one for Pokémon Go will be explained in due time while the others just demand playing through them and seeing what bonuses can be gotten from the events. Each of these has also been promoted under the Pokéween banner, making them emblematic of it.

A number of merchandise items has also been promoted. The seasonally appropriate "Trick or Trade" TCG booster packs are one of them, as well as a Cubone Funko Pop! figure, all kinds of Pokémon decorations and tableware, and selections of costumed plush dolls. They're all fit to be ordered - even now just to collect them or save them for next year - and add a Pokémon brand of spookiness.

Halloween is now not that far ahead, so it's time to consider the aspects that will make it a great one this year. That means setting the mood in the games and preparing all the fun stuff that fans can use to add Pokémon to the occasion as the peak of the "spooky season". With that, every fan (and other people) are now welcome to take part in the occasion as "Pokéween", the mutual celebration of the franchise and the most haunted time of the year.

One year ago: Changing Post Topics on the Spot

Two years ago: Pokémon (Pikachu) Loot from Utsuru KJR

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Event Rollup, 10/24/2021

Four years ago: Type Logic: Of Dragons, Fairies, and Steel

Five years ago: Pokémon Annual 2019

Six years ago: Items with a Purpose

Seven years ago: Beyond the Boundary... of Languages

Pokémon and Steampunk

The mention of the Brave Olivine as part of the discussion on Pokémon airships the other day also merited the mention of its characteristic appearance, which is distinct of a particular style: that which is called "steampunk". It's a visual style (as well as genre) that is invoked in some settings of contemporary fiction popular among some circles - some of which I take interest in, other than Pokémon. As for the style and genre alongside Pokémon, that becomes the purpose of this discussion, to determine how it may be considered to be realized here.

Put simply, "steampunk" is a blend of Victorian (19th century) sensibilities and futuristic (forward-thinking) fantasies, incorporating technologies and machines that are recognizably contemporary - to the present time - but powered by retro-mechanical means and certainly, steam energy. Thus, it looks like as if the future came back to the past, or alternatively the past embraced the future, seemingly merging the two in an alternate course of development, which could be considered the case for many things of this style and genre.

As for the airship that prompted this discussion, it's an airship nonetheless, but it has a noticeably gaudy and industrial appearance to it that is less like modern airships. Many parts of it appear very much mechanical, including the Pokémon battlefield on the upper deck that comes together just so when the time comes for it to be used. The airship still runs on conventional mechanisms - perhaps seemingly defying those conventions as well - but the overall implementation looks like something out of the past rather than its present.

If there is anything that symbolizes the steampunk style and genre to a great degree, the Legends sub-series could be considered one, at least for the only currently released game (Arceus) that makes up the series. It's more Oriental than it is Victorian, but the "steampunk" style is at least evident in the ancient Hisui capture balls, which indeed do let out puffs of steam when a successful capture is made in lieu of the modern light. The next game in development might have further answers in addition to those already present. 

Even Pokémon species don't seem to want to be left out of the movement. The two that exemplify the movement are Volcanion and Magearna - which also happen to be prominent in a movie or feature film of their own, also with "steampunk" sensibilities... but I'll get to this one later. Volcanion has fire and water running through its veins, creating steam as the key energy of this style, and Magearna is composed of gears as prominent mechanical features of this style. The manifestation of the style and genre thus applies to everyone and everything.

"Steampunk" is conceptually unique for its futurism made present (ahem) in a past time context, as well as the elements that particularly exemplify that style and genre. For Pokémon, semblances of it can be seen in various parts or elements, including the most recent one of that featured airship. Considering how the Pokémon world is mostly aligned with the present world, "steampunk" might be something odd for it, yet it does somehow work as well, and it makes for a world within a world that other fans and I can also appreciate and enjoy.

One year ago: Memories of Unova

Two years ago: Cosplay: CyFest 2022

Three years ago: Creepy Pokémon Flashbacks

Four years ago: Minimum Play with Pokémon Go

Five years ago: Performance Critique: Akatsuki no Matsuri 2 J-Song

Six years ago: A Storybook and a Reference

Seven years ago: A Successor Has Been Named

Pokémon Airships

An airship is a flying vessel that often relies on light gas to float (obtain lift) and engines to get around, in contrast to hot air balloons that rely on heated air and the wind respectively. Regardless, they may take the form of an elongated balloon and have characteristic markings on them - some of which could be Pokémon ones, and in fact, there have been a few airships in and around Pokémon, which prompts a little bit of exploration in this regard.

The Kanto-Orange Islands transition in the anime notably featured an airship that look like some early realistic airships with no markings, and one particularly well-known (or rather, infamous) example at that. Indeed, the airship showed itself to be a bringer of chaos for Ash and co. as the regional transition took place. The airship itself isn't particularly emblematic of Pokémon, but its role in the anime storyline at that point is definite.

Closely related is the Flying Palace of Gelardan in the second movie, also bringing its own brand of chaos to the Orange Islands. It doesn't look like the other airships I mention here - in fact, it may seem to not qualify as one as it's circular and achieves lift mostly by propeller propulsion - but it may sometimes be cited as one owing to its rather distinctive appearance, as well as the way it moves and brings about its chaos.

Of course, the most recognizable and most current form of a Pokémon airship is the Brave Olivine of the Rising Volt Tacklers, featured in the Horizons subseries of the anime. It meets the classical definition of an airship, and it's also "classical" for its distinctive style of appearance, which merits a separate discussion. True to its name, it's also a "brave" ship at that for its brave passengers seeking brave new worlds and challenges.

What about real airships? Photographic records show that there was a Pikachu airship - which could also be described as a "blimp" as with some modern airships - that was part of a certain Pokémon event in Japan. It's a real airship in all regards, and its distinctive yellow livery with several Pikachu lends a festive appearance, furthermore for the event associated with the airship's appearance, which could only be a dream for certain fans.

Pokémon airships are certainly unique - at least in some ways - and their existence becomes further affirmation of that. Though two of the imagined ones as above have some pretty nefarious roles, and may not warrant one to get on them, the other imagined one and the realistic example are definitely inviting ones that may just prompt fans to try to get on board the distinctive vessels to allow them to see the (Pokémon) world in a distinctive manner.

One year ago: Cosplay: Tanoshii Matsuri

Two years ago: Stamp Events in Café Remix

Three years ago: Just Waiting on an Absol

Four years ago: On the Variety of Go Plus Peripherals

Five years ago: A (Not So) Little Anniversary

Six years ago: Resilience

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Arigatoo...!!!

Visiting Pokémon Go Trainer Friends

As evident on this blog, sometimes I need to travel - for things like other general needs, festivals or conventions, and of course for Pokémon Go matters. Pokémon Go is a great traveling game because... that's what it's meant to do: it's to get people to go outside and go places, which also implies traveling. Certainly, for the purpose of Pokémon Go, that would involve meeting up with (visiting) friends to take on battles together or even battle each other. For this post, I'd like to recollect how and where those visits might happen.

One of those visits is at the home of one such friend. That friend had a simplistic home - and it turns out the elements of Pokémon Go around the house were rather simplistic too, yet seemingly sufficient to start play before going somewhere else. And while that friend is on a bit of a hiatus from Pokémon Go, I still have the friendship link, as well as a Lucky Trade memento from an earlier time. It might be some time before that friend gets back to playing Pokémon Go, but there is comfort that it can be done from that house.

Then, when I go to a certain faraway place, there is a friend of not just Pokémon Go affairs but also Pokémon in general, and I have the courtesy to hit up that friend when certain Pokémon Go matters pop up and I'm in the area. We've spent Raid Days together, so that's one point of convergence; we haven't had (an edition of) Community Day together, though it might be something to fancy for when the occasion is right. Overall, I'm very happy to have connections to this friend, allowing for Pokémon Go visits with that friend.

In another place, I've spent an afternoon and evening at a café with many Pokémon Go Trainers, some familiar and others less familiar. In fact, most of us happened to be "visitors" to that place, and we were all equally sharing the experience with those of the local Trainers. This has not happened again since - and there was one opportunity that I missed (perhaps for good reason) - but I'd like to think that such a visit can and will happen again. Likewise, the circumstances have to be right, but that will hopefully make for a good visit.

Sometimes, Pokémon Go - if not other matters - demands me to visit different and out-of-the-way places on occasion. Yet, knowing that there are other Trainers out there whom I can visit and have fun with, in particular together as friends, makes me happy and desire to do so whenever the opportunity arises. It certainly will take time and effort to arrange, but in doing so, I'm fulfilling an objective of Pokémon Go itself as a game that does make one get up and go - and of course, visit places and make new Trainer friends.

One year ago: The First-Generation Wild Pokémon Battle Theme

Two years ago: Possible Participation in Pokémon Unite Tournaments?

Three years ago: All for Pokémon Communication

Four years ago: "To the Sea" with Pokémon

Five years ago: Some Pokémon Commercials

Six years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 10/21/2018

Seven years ago: Pokémon Brand Parodies

Best Watching Experience for the Anime

A few of my recent posts on this blog have dealt with the anime - whether overtly or covertly - and that's a fine Pokémon topic, even if it's not this month's "four fours". That said, they have made me realize that there is a subtopic I haven't covered about it all this time, and that would be the experience of watching it. It's just as much a part of the situation as is any element of the anime. Specifically, for this topic, I want to discuss the best ways of manifesting that experience based on, well... the experience (of mine and others) in doing so.

Those like me will have experienced watching the anime on broadcast TV, especially on weekend mornings. It's a fine experience and likely the best (and only) one given our circumstances at those times, but it may have been able to be improved with, say, food to eat (a given for the morning situation above) and friends watching together. And while the moments were fleeting, there was no need to review them as they transpired, which could be considered a blessing for those times and still makes them good.

Expanding on the "with food" experience as above, special watching sessions where food is a necessary part could be created, which could make for great experiences. Once, I had conceived such a session for watching the fourth movie, making it a "dinner and a movie", complete with several food courses themed after parts of the movie. While I didn't share it with any other person, it was undeniably a great one - which explains why I still remember it to this day. It's certainly well worth to be replicated even today.

Now, though, many fans will likely watch the anime on smart devices from certain streaming sources, wherever and whenever in any condition. It may or may not be the best experience, but I can suggest a couple of things to make it better: one is to find a really comfortable position for doing so, and another is to turn on the "Do Not Disturb" function so that petty device notifications can absolutely be silenced to avoid disruptions from them. Other than that, the best experience for watching like this may be any that can be had now.

It's expected that fans will continue watching the Pokémon anime in all sorts of ways and in different places and times, and the experiences of those circumstances will also be different as well. Yet it's possible to regard some of them as being the best experiences, or even possibly replicating those experiences and making them the best that they can possibly be. The anime is great to watch, but so should be the experience of watching it, and it may just take a few more things outside of watching to be able to make that happen.

One year ago: Tabletop RPG for Pokémon?

Two years ago: Pokémon Species Fan Collectives

Three years ago: Battling Against Pokémon... and Algorithms

Four years ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights - Comic Dub Special

Five years ago: Cosplay: Akatsuki no Matsuri 2

Six years ago: Santorini and Sootopolis City

Seven years ago: To Genwunners: Get with the Program!

We Groove, We Battle, We Rise

You and I are only animals

Live and die like burning candles, yeah

You and I diggin' a dirty groove

'Cause we've got none to prove

And nothing left to lose

You and I we're like a perfect team

You and I live in an orange dream

You and I we're up against the wall

We got to beat them all

To be invincible, yeah...

-- "You and I", Ace of Base

Something that sets apart this blog from others like it and other Pokémon sites is the incorporation of experience to provide some perspective and affirmation of certain aspects of Pokémon. One of those ways, as an example, is by considering perspectives from songs and tying them to Pokémon matters, as I have done in the past in alternating years for a certain artist (see below). To continue the pattern, I have another song from them, and this one might be considered a rather evocative one in some respects.

This song is a rarity from the artist in that it predominantly features the vocals of the group's male members rather than the female ones (they're still there, though as an accent), and it could be considered one of the few songs that exemplifies their club sound before they went more in the pop music direction. As for the song itself, the first chorus is quoted above, and overall, the lyrics are slightly suggestive of grooving and making love - as expected by the club sound - as well as getting a sense of romance.

As for how to treat this song in connection to Pokémon, it's not hard to sense that the lyrics can vaguely describe a Trainer, their Pokémon, and the connection between them - as well as their struggle to achieve certain success. They might have a little (OK, a lot) more than "none" to be proven and about the same for things that can be lost, but ultimately like in the quoted chorus above, they'll have to make moves - which may or may not be of the dancing kind - to groove in battle and rise to (total) victory.

In that sense, the song could be considered adjacent to another song with a bit of a similar title that is already in the Pokémon vein, which is somewhat less clubby-sounding and a lot more sentimental. Even so, a few of the same messages could be considered to be echoed by the other song, although not in the same way as the song being discussed. Notably, the former has love somewhat implied, while the latter (this one) mentions it more obviously. At least some love seems to be necessary anyhow.

Nevertheless, Trainers and their Pokémon have relationships that necessitate them to act in the ways of this song and the other one, and the results might be as I describe in the title of this post: grooving to battle and then rise above their matters. That becomes the perspective and affirmation taken from the songs to reflect them - by way of my experience - in Pokémon matters. Sometimes it may take a little bit of looking outside to look inward, as through pop songs into Pokémon, but the gained views are well worth it.

One year ago: Changing Map Elements in Pokémon Unite

Two years ago: Pokémon, Lucky Love in Teenage Heaven

Three years ago: Breakthroughs Involving Pokémon

Four years ago: The Challenges of the Juvenile

Five years ago: Pokémon Movements in Pokémon Go

Six years ago: Being Young and Proud

Seven years ago: PokéNumbers

Bringing Raids Closer in Pokémon Go

Next on the Pokémon Go "obscure things" agenda is a matter that might not seem to be that "obscure" but can go in that direction. By now, raids and related battles are very much commonplace in the game, but what may still not be as such even today is the proximity of Trainers to those raids. It becomes a challenging matter when either the raids or the people (Trainers) who partake in those raids - or even both of these - become distanced from each other, and that makes it (and ways of coping with the situation) the obscure part.

Obviously, remote raids were developed as a coping method, particularly during the "great downturn of the world" some years ago and had its own popular segment afterwards. To Niantic, however, despite the official implementation, they regarded the method as "obscure" and tried to quell its use by making it more expensive... but they just got "obscured" instead and now provide periodic discounts on the items (raid passes) that make it work. Regardless, the benefits are apparent, whether for "obscure" or less "obscure" communities.

With the introduction of Campfire, player Trainers have become less obscure to find and could potentially be gathered together for close raids in certain locations - although the potential of this could still be considered somewhat "obscure", moreover if some of them still need to travel and/or can't use remote raid passes for this purpose. Viewing faraway raids through the app is also now not such an obscure thing, but certainly, the opportunity of playing into them might be the (most) obscure aspect even with Campfire on hand.

Recently, it was discovered that some raids a little farther away can be raided normally (that is, by using a non-remote raid pass) by turning off device location before using a raid pass, an "obscure" but useful bug. At this point, Niantic is likely fully aware of the bug but has chosen not to fix it as its utility may be apparent (not "obscure") even to them. It might as well be made official - by increasing the distance that a normal raid pass can cover - so that more Trainers can take advantage of this obscure yet useful situation.

Even something as conspicuous as raids in Pokémon Go can have inconspicuous ("obscure") aspects with all the developments that have taken place up to the present day, certainly involving all of the above mentioned aspects. Some raids will remain closer or farther depending on the locations of players (Trainers) and how they choose to go about the game and its related aspects, but it is certain that raids will continue to bring them closer to the Pokémon they raid and other people they encounter in the process.

One year ago: Quickies: Gifts of My Heart

Two years ago: On the Giving and Taking of Collections

Three years ago: Keeping Pokémon Cities Weird

Four years ago: Starting with the End in Mind

Five years ago: October (on the) Road

Six years ago: The Moves Pokémon Know and Use

Seven years ago: Second Remakes?

Old-Time Watcher's Dream

Sometimes, it takes a long time after a Pokémon dream before another one comes to my sleep. Other times, it might come much sooner than expected. In this case, it was only about one and a half weeks ago that a Pokémon dream came to my mind during my sleep, and I've just managed to have another one come into my mind. When I awoke, I thought it was insignificant and that I could ignore it, but a second thought leads me to think it has at least some significance. As such, I ended up gathering my thoughts on it so that certainly, I could write about it in a post on this blog.

The dream involved watching the old Pokémon anime series - the one that takes place in Kanto, certainly, and the one that details the first advances (and stumbles) of Ash, who is now familiar to just about any Pokémon fan. Moreover, it apparently was situated in an old house of mine - the "previous previous" house that I lived in, which I also referred in a post around five years ago, meaning the memory of it is still lingering in my mind even many, many years after the fact (of its disappearance, no less).

What made the dream somewhat surreal, as some dreams typically in certain ways, is that as I was watching, the experience was interrupted by certain events, whether of my own doing or others' doing. In particular, there was a certain appearance by an "unsavory" figure (at least, considered as such in recent times) that spoiled the experience - not the story of the anime itself, but more on what I was doing while I was watching. As thus, it wasn't the best experience I could have while watching the anime.

Perhaps the appearance of the old anime series wasn't without reason. That appearance might have something to do with that series actually being currently shown - particularly for viewers who may be in the general area of where I currently am now. That also means that there is a sense that I want and need to be dealing with this present matter, maybe even so that I can write a blog post on it.

Having only dreamt a Pokémon dream only fairly recently, this one can be considered to be "hot on the heels" of that previous dream. The subject of the dream also seems to be a "hot" one in a way that I may be needing to warm up to as soon as possible for all my Pokémon dealings - and that's certainly before this or some other Pokémon things grow cold on me, which is always a possibility.

One year ago: Mission Bingo in Café Remix

Two years ago: A New Set of Pokémon Dolls

Three years ago: My Qualms in Taking On Ranked Matches

Four years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 10/17/2020

Five years ago: Wallpaper: Pokésoft Mix

Six years ago: The First Sinnoh Saga Japanese Opening Theme

Seven years ago: Pokémon and Trains

(Half-Hearted) Attempts at New Unite Event Formats?

Those who have played Pokémon Unite in the past few days will have noticed a couple of new events with interestingly innovative mechanisms and neat rewards to go along with them. However, those mechanisms appear to be very much "ornery" and thus can also be described as "half-hearted" as far as event formats go, even as an attempt to introduce some novelties. Thus, I figured it's worth it to write about them to flesh out what makes them tick and how they give rise to the perceptions above.

One of the new events is called the "Ice Pops Challenge", and it involves earning new items called "ice pops" (go figure) from the event missions and then consuming them for the actual item rewards, the ultimate reward of which is a new fashion set. It seems a little inspired by Energy Exchange and has a similar "bulk open" mechanism. The other event is called the "Treasure Chest Challenge", and it involves earning "treasure chests" (also go figure) from playing matches and waiting for them to be able to be opened, which will take several hours; once opened, they will contain a few small rewards, but the most valuable in this case are the Event Tickets, for which collecting 300 of them allows them to be exchanged for a spectacular Holowear. Both of these also involve Aeos Gems: they are used in the latter to open the chests right away and the former to complete missions rewarding the event item.

Unfortunately, that's the "ornery" part. Because of practically requiring Aeos Gems to complete the events (or at least to accelerate their completion), these events are essentially "paid" events with a "trial" for those who don't pay - the payment part certainly being the purchase of Aeos Gems, which are obviously only available through payment. It makes them seem "half-hearted" for players that still have not committed any effort in the game that is facilitated through payment (for Aeos Gems and then their usage), which practically includes these new events and their ultimate rewards. While they may be happy to play through them, there may also be a sense of sadness in not being able to make the most of them.

When considered as an "attempt" at new formats, these events do seem to fulfill that purpose in any case - it's just that their present practical payment requirement makes them terribly "ornery". Time might tell if they might have the "heart" to be developed into events that everyone can enjoy, but at the moment they only seem to have "half" of that.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 10/15/2023

Two years ago: Taking Raids to the Elite Level

Three years ago: Quickies: Real Interest in Pokémon Sweet Treats

Four years ago: Hunting for Rewards from the Go Battle League

Five years ago: Where I Want to Go

Six years ago: (Improving the) Local EX Raid, 10/16/2018

Seven years ago: Trainer Fashion

Renewing the Anime, Revisited

It was about half a decade ago that I made a post considering how the Pokémon anime could be "renewed" and what elements could go into that "renewal", which in fact what was seemingly happening at that time with what would then be known as the "Journeys" sub-series, else considered as the "world saga". Several years later, the anime was indeed "renewed"... only in a direction that many fans may not or could not have expected, with "Horizons" as its series moniker and completely different characters. With these in mind and a few tidbits that have come to light, I want to consider this topic again while extrapolating the points of the tidbits into the discussion.

While some dedicated fans (like me) might have never gotten tired of Ash as the old protagonist, what might have gotten them tired are the "unfavorable outcomes" that have occurred in past sagas, not to mention him changing out nearly his entire roster in going to each region - except, of course, for Pikachu as his loyal partner. Insights into this have shown that there were indeed downturns in those who watched the anime at certain points where these events occurred, perhaps becoming fed up that he can't seemingly get his act together, until certainly the "ultimate end". In hindsight, it might have been better for Ash to have been able to "renew" to have more great moments and less of those "unfavorable outcomes", though with certain dynamics - a balance has to be struck, after all.

Meanwhile, Ash himself may seem to have been "tugged in different directions" over the course of the anime. Besides the above matters as "stumbling blocks", there has also been the matter of introducing a certain kind of "intimacy" - loyal fans will know where this is going - which becomes another kind of "stumbling block" instead, as it provoked different reactions among fans, forcing Ash (and thus the anime) to be tugged into another direction. This also then causes the difficulty of "renewal" itself for maintaining or attracting viewers.

Had all things gone better for Ash, the possibilities of "renewal" - whether of the current discussion or of the previous discussion - might not have been considered too deeply, and he could still have been the protagonist. Still, in any case, there would have been one "renewal" to worry about: Rica Matsumoto as the (Japanese) voice of Ash is getting on in years, never mind other matters in life, and would have needed to consider finding and naming a successor for voicing Ash, much like a certain voice actor for a certain main protagonist of a certain long-running anime that is almost as old as Pokémon. This would be the case for Sarah Natochenny on "the other side of the pond", although her case could be deferred slightly as she herself was also on the receiving end of a "voice talent renewal". This is one case of an inevitable "renewal" no matter how things go.

Now that a "renewal" has occurred, however, it does bear the thinking that it could have happened in the first place - as in, not having gone with Ash as a protagonist that would be long-running, even though a quarter century of him on the screen pleases many fans like me. It could have taken the different direction of, say, adapting the manga based on the game characters one-to-one, leading to many separate sub-series much like one for a neighboring monster universe. Of course, it's never too late for this to occur (more extensively), not to mention that the possibility of seeing Ash again somehow may still be on the table.

Any process of "renewal" is a hard one to go through, but for the Pokémon anime, which has a history almost as long as the franchise, the process seems harder because of all the things that have gone on and around it. Nevertheless, it has happened once and might just need to happen again in order to entice and maintain viewers from then and now to continue seeing the great big world of Pokémon in animated form - new and old as the case may be.

One year ago: Cosplay: Road to CHoCoDays 10th

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 10/15/2022

Three years ago: Chiki Balls Pokémon Coins: Expanding the Collection

Four years ago: Strange Eggs, and Getting Estranged with Eggs

Five years ago: Rekindling Old Games

Six years ago: Ultra Ball Hanging Ornament

Seven years ago: Cosplay: MAXcited

Nobody's Perfect

For those who haven't read my posts since the beginning of this blog, I'd like to bring up an important one dealing with my status as a Pokémon fan. That post concerns my faults and/or imperfections and how that might manifest in my Pokémon dealings - or by now, have manifested through my blog posts up to this point. The reason I'm bringing this up is that it may have become apparent (if not already so) that for a certain important person related to Pokémon, and thus even the person possesses imperfections and/or faults. The title of this post certainly concerns that state of affairs and how that is applicable in certain respects.

Now, I'm not about to point out who that person is, out of pure respect, as I'm sure even with or without the imperfections and/or faults, other people and I still hold that person in a certain regard. Yet, to find out about them, it may seem surprising, and it may seem easy to discount the person because of the imperfections and/or faults - further, it may be necessary to maintain a good image of Pokémon, as reported in the proximity of where the imperfections and/or faults are referred to. It's certainly a matter of definite gravity, though it does show that not even Pokémon (or someone related to it) is perfect.

Personally, this would be the second time I've discovered that an important person has a flaw or a flawed experience. I recall discovering that someone else - who also happens to be mentioned on this blog at length in relation to a Pokémon element - being discovered to have an allegation of such in the past, even if I can't vouch for them myself, likewise with those of the important person as above. The person remains of a certain regard among people, including me, even with an apparently ascribed "dark mark".

The entire point of the above seems to be that it goes back to the exact title of this post and the other post that I brought up. I'm not perfect, then and still now, though I try to achieve that. So has apparently been quite a few things about Pokémon - if many past posts are of any indication - and now the matter of that important person that's almost tantamount to a similar person who I like. At this point, it may be that we all just have to "pick up the pieces" of what has been perfect for all of us and work with that, instead of dealing with ones that aren't.

One year ago: Cosplay: MCP Mini Contest 

Two years ago: The Evolution Cup of GBL

Three years ago: A Pokémon Best Friend Dream

Four years ago: Workouts, Exercise, and Fitness with Pokémon

Five years ago: Community vs. Central Management

Six years ago: Cosplay: Akatsuki no Matsuri

Seven years ago: Never Stop Exploring

Cosplay: Axis Cup and Cosplay Festival

Goh: Oh, is this a continuation from last week?

Me: It apparently is. This time, it's for the region where I'm in, not the one next to it like back then.

Ash: I get it! So this and last week were regional tournaments.

Pikachu: Pika! ["Must be it!"] 

Me: That's one way to think of it. And as you saw, it's not just one game this time - there is (or was) another one.

Goh: Wait, two games? You mean... this also happened yesterday? It's a two-day thing?

Me: Uh-huh, and Ash was there - but only briefly.

Ash: Yeah! You sent me to raid for Mega Mawile with your friends first yesterday. 

Me: Yup. Ultimately, that's what I had you do, since it was somewhat important for us, given it's a Pokémon deal.

Goh: But there wasn't a parade the other day, was it?

Me: Actually, there was... but it was more for spooky stuff, creepy stuff - like for the end of the month, but we'll get to that when (if) that happens.

Ash: I got to see some of the winners... but some of them weren't spooky enough - maybe?

Pikachu: Pi... pika? ["Maybe... not?"] 

Me: It's also a Saturday, so you'd imagine it wasn't too lively.

Goh: Even the game they had didn't have too many people playing.

Me: You know, I liken it to part of the raid effort earlier: it maintains a dedicated community just enough for it to survive.

Goh: OK, but there had to be some of your friends yesterday.

Ash: Sure. Not many, but good enough. There was a lot more today!

Goh: And the game... it was last week's.

Ash: Yeah, and a lot more people playing it. The final match was even live for everyone to see.

Me: Good to know. We don't need to touch on that too much, so let's discuss what else happened today.

Ash: I was supposed to be there a little early with a friend of ours, but...

Pikachu: Pika pika? ["Didn't come?"] 

Me: Um, I'm sorry about that. I think something happened, so I took the brunt for sending you - especially before things may get dicey outside.

Ash: I caught up to our friend later, and I think something did happen.

Me: OK, let's not talk about that. What about the rest of things?

Ash: I got held up at the entrance before I could get in.

Goh: Problems? Issues?

Ash: Technical, I think.

Me: Typical. What about once you got in?

Goh: There must have been entertainment, even if it's the usual.

Ash: Like singing and dancing, solo and in groups?

Goh: Like that.

Ash: Sure. They were great.

Me: And then there was the character parade.

Ash: I did just great this time!

Pikachu: Chu! ["Yes!"] 

Ash: But not enough to win something...

Pikachu: Pika... ["Hmm..."] 

Goh: How many characters were in it?

Ash: You wouldn't believe it. Over 50!

Goh: Wow!

Me: I think that's the largest for a local festival or convention in recent memory.

Goh: Seriously, though - how many prizes?

Ash: There were 20 - but two were repeats for "best of the best".

Goh: So, 18. More who didn't win than who did.

Ash: I thought some nice characters would win, but they didn't. And some of the winners were wild too.

Me: *sigh* Lottery effect. Some of my friends would agree.

Goh: And... that must have been all.

Ash: Pretty much. I left to get back to our friend just after the awarding.

Me: OK. I've got some final notes: there were actually two local organizers involved in this - one yesterday and one today.

Ash: I met them - characters and people I know.

Goh: That could explain some stuff.

Pikachu: Chu... ["So..."] 

Me: And the sponsors for this are also involved in a festival a long ways away from here.

Ash: I hear the "best of the best" winners are going there!

Goh: Oh! Figures.

Me: With that, I'm sure Ash had a good day, even if it does seem somewhat strange.

Goh: Maybe you can make up for it another time? 

Ash: I'm sure we can.

Me: I've got some plans already, but until they come to fruition, we have the remnants of this day by this talk.

One year ago: Unexpected Collaborations with Pokémon

Two years ago: Pokémon Café Remix Burnout?

Three years ago: Tournament: Raid Group "Relaxed" Lunar Cup

Four years ago: The Day-Night Cycle and Pokémon Games

Five years ago: Cosplay: KAI ESports Exhibition

Six years ago: Pokémon and Adventure Games

Seven years ago: Respect for Ikue Ootani

I'd Rather Be... With Pokémon

If you gave me a chance I would take it

It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it

Know with all of your heart, you can't shame me

When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be

No, no, no, no, no, no place I'd rather be

No, no, no, no, no, no place I'd rather be

No, no, no, no, no, no place I'd rather be

When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be...

-- "Rather Be", Clean Bandit (feat. Jess Glynne)

If there's an underlying message that all my posts on this blog, even up to this one, it is that my preferences are directed mostly toward Pokémon. It's evident through one song I brought up early in my blogging years, along with other songs since that time. As a matter of fact, so is one other kind-of popular song from that time - even, slightly further back - that pretty much describes the same message, which would be the above song, for which the pre-chorus and final chorus are quoted.

The song above could be regarded as a love song in some ways, describing the dynamics of a couple in such a state. They would be able to work out their differences and find points of commonality and compatibility with each other. Ultimately, both would feel that they are meant for each other and prefer to be in each other's company... just like how my preferences are attuned to Pokémon, feeling a certain kind of compatibility for doing things related to it and just dealing with them.

For relating this to Pokémon, a Trainer's relationship with their Pokémon is one that may not be a preference for certain species, but a preference for success, something that could be illustrated by the quoted lyrics above. That would mean making the extra effort for them to be able to achieve certain things and fulfill certain things, affirming that they and their Trainers are meant to be - and "rather be".

As a matter of fact, today there was a choice between activities for me and a certain someone I'm familiar with, and there were elements of preference to be dealt with. In the end, I made choices according to Pokémon preferences, and those choices are ones that work for me and that certain someone. It would have to be detailed in a separate post, one that should highlight the relevant preferential aspects.

Many preferences are still to be had in my life for one thing or another. But more still are directed to Pokémon, and that for me is an "I'd rather be (with)" situation - and considering the relevant song, that applies for many places and times with different people as well. Those are truly chances to be taken and shots to be made.

One year ago: Performance Critique: Bunka no Tenkai J-Song

Two years ago: Pokémon Café Remix Personal Feature Wishlist

Three years ago: Thrills and Spills in Quick Unite Battles

Four years ago: The Deprecation of HMs

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 10/12/2019

Six years ago: Finding and Re-Finding Players

Seven years ago: The (De Facto) Series Mascot

Haptic Feedback in Pokémon Go

Veteran gamers will likely have experienced "haptic feedback" at least once at some point in time. This refers to actions in games that generate vibration on a game controller, if said controller has a vibration mechanism. For that reason, it's also sometimes called "rumble" for the sound and motion it makes. Just recently, the feature was also added to Pokémon Go, obviously utilizing a phone's vibrate function for this purpose. Yet it also has become a bit of an obscure aspect of its own, which makes it perfect to be discussed along with other obscure aspects of the game for this month.

The feature actually constitutes a bit of an expansion of the vibration feature, as the game does make the phone vibrate for situations such as a new Pokémon appearing or finding a match in the Go Battle League. Now, the feature is also invoked during the situation of Pokémon capture, where actions made with the capture ball will generate certain vibrations. This also happens during some Pokémon battles: a notable occurrence is in Max Battles, when a Trainer's Pokémon goes to its Dynamax form, which initiates a really long vibration, evocative of the big size of the Pokémon. The "feedback" is thus real by any sense of the word.

What makes the feature obscure - or drags it into that realm - is that some people may not actually enjoy the feature despite the added realism (or the illusion of it) that it gives. For them, turning off the feature is easy: it's toggled by one of the option buttons at the top of the list when opening up the Options screen for the game. Of course, they might turn it off for a more practical reason, which is to save battery power, as vibration is known for being a battery drain for phones after all; if the "battery saver" function of the phone is on, the feature is regardless inactive. Of course, practicality is not necessarily a measure of obscurity.

Back to that obscurity, I am likely to be one of the few people who enjoys the feature, even at the expense of battery power as above. It serves as a useful backup guide even in situations where I cannot or am expected to not be able to hear game sounds that do serve some guiding function. In that sense, it really is a kind of "feedback" that is in line with the proper name of the feature. Even so, I could sense how such a "feedback" for some people might make them feel a little uncomfortable, as it could be considered a "stimulant" in a way - and that's as far as I'll go in addressing that. Personally, that isn't much the case for me.

Regardless, Pokémon Go implementing "haptic feedback" is a natural step to take since the game is present on smartphones, which are pretty much universally capable of vibration given their necessary functions. Having been used in controllers for console games to add a sense of realism in playing games, that sense of realism also becomes evident here - even if it could be too real for some people, becoming the only "obscure" aspect about it. For me (and certain other people), though, it is not "obscure" at all and demonstrates a real aspect of Pokémon through some familiar vibrations.

One year ago: Searching Again for My PvP Competitive "Fire"

Two years ago: Pokémon Airlines in Its World?

Three years ago: Lunar Mysteries of the New Season

Four years ago: Making (Personal) Breakthroughs in the Go Battle League

Five years ago: Shuffle Secrets

Six years ago: Pokémon Game Journals

Seven years ago: All That He Wants... (Is Another Victory)

Quickies: Color Neighborhoods, Pokémon Style

A long time ago, I had hinted that a certain place in my "Pokémon" town could have been influenced by the presence of Smeargle. And that's for a good reason: the place - or more appropriately, places - could be described as "color neighborhoods" because they're places that exhibit and exemplify certain colors, the likes of which may just be painted by the Smeargle present therein. That leads me to wonder about how these "color neighborhoods" might just be manifested (further) in Pokémon style.

One of the neighborhoods is actually of a single color, which some Smeargle might be interested in, changing the color of the paint on their tails to suit. More likely, though, they'd be more pleased to be present in the other neighborhood, which is of multiple colors; there, they'd cycle through all the colors as they paint the neighborhood. While they might possibly romp around painting houses and things every which way, it's also quite possible that they will possess the restraint to paint things as dictated by the people living there.

Meanwhile, if these "color neighborhoods" could actually exist in the Pokémon world, it is likely that they'd involve other Pokémon besides Smeargle. That single-color neighborhood I mentioned, as an example, might have the Bronzor family present about the place, lending its color to the neighborhood. As a more remote possibility, a golden yellow neighborhood could have the members of the Gimmighoul species family lending their characteristic color to the place, obviously being more hospitable with their coins.

The concept of "color neighborhoods" is an interesting one, especially as implemented in the real-life places of my "Pokémon" town. While the concept was manifested through paint and thereby could be realized through the presence of Smeargle, there is the potential to open up the concept through the presence of other Pokémon contributing their colors to the places to represent the neighborhood as intended. It's rather fanciful to think about this in terms of Pokémon, but that's something that I (and possibly other fans) could only desire.

One year ago: Kecleon Role Wonders

Two years ago: Pokémon Mascots for Existing Sports Teams

Three years ago: The Music of Unite

Four years ago: How Simple Is Pokémon Really?

Five years ago: Illusions of Success?

Six years ago: People-Adventure or Pokémon-Adventure?

Seven years ago: Kanto Starter Keychains