The world of Pokémon today has many elements and just as many terms for those elements. In fact, some of them are used by different people related to Pokémon in different ways, and they might be official or "not-so-official". In the latter case, the people who use the different terms might be considered to conform or deviate, respectively, to the terms being used. As a person who is interested in languages and their use, this becomes a matter I'd like to examine, particularly with some relevant examples.
One example is the term "starter Pokémon", which many fans including me use and has been discussed as in the linked post. Officially, though, there is another term in play, which would be "first partner Pokémon"; in that respect, the common fan term is not too far off in spirit - which would make it "conform" in that way - yet it's still slightly deviating because the nuances of the "partner" aspect aren't captured. Meanwhile, the fan term itself captures other nuances that the official term doesn't capture, still making its use attractive.
In line with the first term, there is the one for "pseudo-Legendary Pokémon", also used by fans and deriving from a well-established official term (and now common as such). As expected, the term itself isn't in play officially, and the official reference for them is "powerhouse Pokémon". The fan term is thus only slightly conformant to an official aspect and is rather deviant in other respects, though an implication of "power" may still be considered to be present - which would then make it slightly conformant to the official term.
Given the above, conformation and deviation seems to take place in a number of ways with the senses of the terms. Of course, the most major conformation and deviation would be in the decision to use any of the terms above. One could conform with fans and use the established fan terms, or conform officially and use the designated terms, and the deviation would occur in the other respect. It's a decision that would have to be considered in many regards and circumstances.
For as long as there is Pokémon to deal with, there will be lots of elements as well to deal with, which means ascribing to them certain terms. As certain as they are, there might be some that will remain in fandom parlance, others that are present in official parlance, and many that will be in common parlance. Conformation and deviation to any of these are also certain to occur as the terms themselves conform and deviate in certain respects to the elements - though most likely, not for their understanding.
One year ago: The GS Ball That (Never) Was
Two years ago: Cosplay: 5USUME! Spirit of the Winter - JMS 5th Anniversary
Three years ago: Quickies: Yawning Away Matters
Four years ago: The Flying Cup of GBL
Five years ago: Performance Critique: Project "Untitled" J-Karaoke
Six years ago: Let's Rule the World, Together
Seven years ago: Triplets and Pairs
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