The Colors of the Flabébé Species Family

Quite a few Pokémon fans will recognize a particular species family that is made up of three flowery Pokémon species, as the Flabébé species family. Flabébé is of course its base member, which evolves to Floette and then Florges. A particular trait of this species family is the color of the individual species, which is specifically determined and retained with evolution. It is also known that colors (may) have certain symbolism, so this becomes a point that makes for a good bit of discussion.

As a review, the Pokémon of this species family come in five colors: red, blue, yellow, white, and orange, in roughly increasing rarity in at least one respect. Incidentally, I've discussed the first four colors elsewhere on this blog in two posts, both early in my blogging years, in two pairs. That means orange is the only color I haven't discussed its possible symbolism, and for the purpose of this discussion, orange can be construed as the color of adventure and creativity. With that, all the colors are accounted for.

The symbolisms of the colors could be considered to be somewhat representative of the possible natures that Pokémon species may have, at least if they are "shoehorned". While they don't necessarily correlate, preferring to have any of them might indicate what one might look for in certain Pokémon; and if one is like Goh, then one might prefer to have them all just like he has them (or had them, by now) in the anime. In that way, some representations might still be had, especially with the main color symbolisms as a guide.

It is important to note that Pokémon Go treats these colors differently: red is exclusive to Europe, Middle East, and Africa; blue is exclusive to Asia Pacific; yellow is exclusive to North and South America; and white and orange are global but rare and exceedingly rare. As well, Pokémon Shuffle shows the first two members without their colored flowers, while Florges is red only, perhaps to demonstrate a "neutral" stance. So, the colors might not mean anything in the regard of these two games - or one can take what one wills.

Flabébé and its kin could indeed be considered a unique species family for the differentiator that it possesses, as their colors. They might mean strong and likeable qualities, specific aspects of certain Pokémon, or regional representation... or even relatively nothing. Yet with the way colors are, something is still to be gained to some extent, and that may be up to the individual Trainer to decide. However one decides, Flabébé and its kin are still out there, waiting to complement a person appropriately.

One year ago: Catching Up on GBL Happenings

Two years ago: All Star, All Pokémon

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 2/7/2021

Four years ago: Turning Around and Back

Five years ago: Local EX Raid (with "Friend Boost"), 2/7/2019

Six years ago: An Eye for Pokémon

Seven years ago: Conserve and Cooperate

Living on Pokémon Islands

The world of Pokémon mirrors the real-life world, including that of its "Earth". As a result, it also has its typical landforms, including islands - something I've addressed in the past. Furthermore, the various regions affirm that people and Pokémon alike can establish lives on these islands... though evidently the islands are not all equal in stature. It is this point and the characteristics they beget that seems worthy of some exploration.

Some people live on the "Right Island" of Hoenn, which represents a major landmass of the region. It's a relatively big island and it's also still relatively connected to the rest of the region by land byways and a minor water byway. People and Pokémon here are likely to have an easier time living because of those connections, even if the region itself is archipelagic and insular, and thus may be hard to get to from other parts of the world.

Cinnabar Island is then a matter that is as similar as it is different. It's still a part of the Kanto region, but it's separated by some great waterways, which addresses the concerns above as with the Hoenn region in general. Life could be somewhat harder here because of its isolated location, and understandably so with consideration of a certain happening between the introductions of Kanto and Johto. It's still a difficult position nonetheless.

Perhaps in a more difficult position is the Fiore region, which is even more insular than Hoenn and may be separated by even greater distances, which could make external connections even harder. Yet the people of the region still seems to have it easy among themselves, which might not seem to make things as problematic. It could be considered Hoenn on a miniature scale and one that still works out in its own ways.

Life still managing to flourish in these island areas in Pokémon world regions is certainly still something no less than miraculous - or just typical, considering their similarities with certain parts of the real world. And while Pokémon species don't manifest in the latter, similar challenges beyond Pokémon species still arise, and that's just the way life is in general. Having that mirrored in the Pokémon world is something to behold.

One year ago: Rise of the Watery Naiads

Two years ago: Go Tour, Next Age and Next Stage

Three years ago: Movie Manga, Local (Re) Edition

Four years ago: In My Full Time

Five years ago: The Feeling of Disaggregation

Six years ago: Life with My Raid Group

Seven years ago: Alola-Exeggutor - From Humanoid to Coconut Tree Dragon

The Plush Dolls That Sit Pretty

I've possessed quite a few Pokémon plush dolls, and they're all interesting in their own ways. Yet I also take interest in the related merchandise that I don't possess - though I could always hope to one day. One of those is the Sitting Cuties line of plush dolls from Pokémon Center. As expected, this line features many Pokémon that fans love, in particular sitting poses that captivate them and a nice size. It is decidedly hard to obtain in my current state of affairs, but that doesn't stop me from being able to write about them.

Some Pokémon, of course, can naturally sit, so they're obvious fodder for this line; that includes two-legged friends like Pikachu and Charmander as well as four-legged friends like Eevee and its evolved forms. A few Pokémon like Gardevoir and Garchomp are perhaps not as well-known for their sitting poses, but they're a part of this line regardless and ought to please their respective fans. And then there are a few oddities like the Legendary Rayquaza and Mythical Jirachi that are better known for floating rather than sitting, yet they too are part of this line. So it seems that this line can (try to) please all kinds of fans under the sun.

Certainly, I have my preferences for what I would like to get from this line. Lately, I've been captivated by Lucario, so this becomes somewhat of an interest. For a non-starter option, Jolteon seems to be a good choice. And then there is the usual lineup of species I'm interested in - Charizard, Pikachu, Eevee, and more, any or all of which I can stand to get if the possibility somehow would present itself... though I wouldn't know how.

Plush dolls seem to be an infinitely adaptable form of Pokémon merchandise, and the Sitting Cuties line is a sure bet in this case. It is neat to see Pokémon species be able to sit in all their own ways and have that realized in a cuddly, cushy form. I'm certain that if the opportunity arises, fans like me won't stand to sit pretty before getting their hands on them.

One year ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 2/5/2023

Two years ago: The Little Intricacies of PvP

Three years ago: Get Your Game On, Go Tour

Four years ago: It's (All) About Time

Five years ago: First-Generation Glitches... Plus My Experience

Six years ago: I Need a Laugh - Pokémon Humor

Seven years ago: Itasha Revisited

Pokémon Go Community Day, 2/4/2024

The process of placing a Community Day edition at the start of the month is one that I'm sure was made through at least one decision. For this particular edition, I personally had to go through some decisions as well, and there are more decisions to be made as well - but I'll save the latter for another time. What's important that the current edition is a rather fortunate one in certain ways, and that's something to be recognized regardless of the decisions that were made.

With that, the featured Pokémon for this month's edition is... Chansey, the Egg Pokémon. It's similar to the featured Pokémon of Magmar and Electabuzz from a long time ago, as it's the main member of an evolutionary chain that includes a baby form (Happiny) and a further evolved form (Blissey) - only it doesn't need an evolution item. To that end, the latter gets the Charged move of Wild Charge, while the former also appears by way of 2 km Eggs gotten during the event, which may be Shiny as with Chansey. The main bonus also benefits the former: quartered hatching distance, for hatching those Eggs and any others as desired, as with the past featured Pokémon. 

The remainder of the bonuses are of the familiar sort. As usual, extended Incense and Lure Modules serve to facilitate capturing as many Chansey as possible, along with photo bombs for a few extra. Double catch Candy and double Candy XL chance facilitate earning more resources from the captures with the limited time. Trade bonuses, as discounts and an extra Special Trade, are available to those who need to use them. The paid Special Research is entitled "The Shape of Happiness" and deals with the "happy-go-lucky" aspect of this species family. Other bonuses involved additional Chansey raid battles, Field Research and showcases, shop bundles, and stickers - once again, as part of the norm.

As for today, I spent it at a place with a meetup history and got to go through the event with lots of friends. We were all vying for as many Chansey and related resources as possible, but we were also vying for a special chance - yet this is better detailed when that special chance comes about. In any case, I got the usual lineup of Chansey evolved into Blissey with the special move; some people even obtained "perfect surprises" due to some extraordinary scouting, while I got mine through fortunate Field Research - befitting the featured Pokémon of today's edition.

I'm on the far left in the back.

With today's edition, I actually had been considering attendance to it as a "representation" of camaraderie against attendance to a "representation" of festivity, and I chose (that is, decided on) camaraderie - moreover because the "representation" of festivity (actually, make that "representations", since there were a couple for today) were planned in a bit of an impromptu as well as minorly conflicting manner. Still, it also meant letting go a little bit of something that could assist my attendance to this edition. The camaraderie makes up for that slightly, though I do hope to make it up some more later on.

As this edition shows (moreover personally at that), some things may have to rely on fortuity in order to turn out great, and the selection (decision) of Chansey as this month's featured Pokémon may be considered to play into that. A few chances were abound, and some - including me - took some of those chances to make some fortunate turnouts. It's a situation that is hard to replicate in any other edition, but with luck, those other editions might serve to replicate the best successes like what happened with this one.

One year ago: Distilling TCGO-TCGL Matters

Two years ago: The Past, Present, and Future of Silph Arena PvP

Three years ago: The Consideration of Gaming Journalism

Four years ago: Lost Player Ties

Five years ago: The False Gods

Six years ago: Tournament: PTC18 Online Tournament 2

Seven years ago: Pokémon and Mahjong Tile Games

Challenges of Relating to People with Pokémon

I've obviously dealt with Pokémon for a very long time now. That also means that I've had to relate to (deal with) different people (Pokémon fans) who in turn have to relate to others themselves. It seems that the matter may not be considered an easy one, given the diversity of people vis-a-vis that of Pokémon species. With that in mind, there are some challenges in this regard, and I feel the need to address those challenges based on my experiences as a fan as well as those of other fans.

Some fans are admittedly of the reserved kind, who might need a little help when getting along with others. I should know; I consider even myself to belong in this group - but then, so might be the case of certain fans I've met, including one from a very long time ago with whom I used to play the main series games but I've lost contact at this point. Yet we did get along just fine, so it seems we provided the help for each other, and Pokémon became a kind of a bridge for that. That has to be something fortunate.

On the other hand, some other fans are of the "free soul" type, who might get into a roller coaster of feelings - a little intense at times and not so intense at other times. I can point out a few people in my present circles who are very much like this, and it seems I have to figure out the best times of interacting with them. Even going back to my recent Pokémon past, I can also identify a few people who are like this and required relating in similar ways as the people of the present - definitely easier said than done.

The biggest challenge of relating to other people or fans, perhaps, is to do so in ways that don't turn out to be offensive to either or both parties. Recently I've discovered that a friend of a friend - certainly a fan as well - seemed to have offended someone else in attempting to relate, with major consequences for the person in question. It means that like in other areas of life, it is necessary to be prudent and consider appropriate communicative norms; the fact that it did happen may be indicative of existing norms within circles themselves.

A social-communicative topic like this for Pokémon may be broad, and the situations above may only scratch the surface of the spectrum of relations between fans, with other relations possibly existing. What is clear is that as fans, we're still attracted to Pokémon in our various ways, and that should be an asset for us in establishing good relations with others rather than a liability. Pokémon may be an easy matter for me and others, but the harder thing may be to establish good and meaningful relations with each other.

One year ago: TCG Live on the Horizon

Two years ago: Standing Guard for Arena PvP

Three years ago: Labyrinthine Expectations

Four years ago: Editing PokéStops

Five years ago: Under a Truck

Six years ago: Formality of Ownership

Seven years ago: The Sweetest Days - Ash and Pikachu

In a Trainer's Bag

The bag is a tool familiar to pretty much any Pokémon Trainer, as it is the tool that a Trainer uses in order to store helpful items for one's journey. Those helpful items span a gamut of usefulness by their functions as well as that of quantity by the included amounts. They are even shaped by the different game contexts in which they are present. All told, those are factors to be explored, and it is fascinating to do so.

Some Trainers may only possess a limited set of items in their bag in both usage and quantity, much like how early generation main series games had a limit on the latter that also had effects on the former. They would believe in storing the most essential items with the most essential functions, like the best kind of Potion and Revive for their needs, and not much (if any) of any others of their kind. Their journeys would be strict and methodical, yet still ones that are manageable from their positions.

Others, meanwhile, have the sufficient set of items: just enough of certain (or most) items, and using those items when they get a bit too numerous - something easily achievable in Pokémon Go with its limited yet expandable capacity if necessary. They would have a greater range of items with more diverse functions, but likely in certain quantities to keep them in check. Trainers of this kind are likely those with journeys that are more free but still constrained in some ways, yet can work out either way as they progress.

Yet others carry the expansive set of items, which can be accomplished with the modern bag in the main series games, or having the greatest bag capacity in Pokémon Go to allow diversity in both item types and quantities. With this at their disposal, they're literally free to have most anything and everything, though they'll have to eventually use some of the items when certain conditions demand them to do so. Their journeys are also as such as a result, tending to have a very great degree of freedom as their items allow.

Even with the same bag, it's plain to see that Trainers can use them in different ways - with specific regard to contents and space - for whatever their journeys demand or wherever their journeys take them. The common denominator among these Trainers remains the familiarity with the bag as the main tool to store their items and the consequential usage of those items, no matter the context or the journey.

One year ago: Being Surrounded by Promotional Cards

Two years ago: NADWPKMN - The Video Series: Episode #1 - An Introduction

Three years ago: Pass Challenges with Pokémon

Four years ago: Total Experience

Five years ago: Legends Among People

Six years ago: Pictures Worth Thousands of Words

Seven years ago: Pokkén Sentiments

Overlapping Events in Café Remix

With the shift to more frequent use of event mechanisms to bring about new Pokémon as a consequence of limiting main orders, Café Remix now has to have a variety of those event mechanisms in order to maintain interest. It also seems to have to do one more thing: overlap some of those mechanisms and have multiple events going on. The occurrence of this has prompted me to discuss how it takes place, as well as how it should take place, for the benefit of all concerned.

First of all, it helps to quantify the scale of the event mechanisms. There are major mechanisms like the "important visits" by Legendary or other Pokémon, which may use either Slow Cooking or One-Minute Cooking, as well as single-player "hospitality" events, all of which demand quite a bit of effort. Then there are minor mechanisms like team points events and the recently introduced Outdoor Tea Party, which still demand some effort but not as significantly. Further, there are supplementary mechanisms like Mission Bingo and Lucky Wheel, which are completed through results obtained in other events. It becomes obvious that the mechanisms are not all equal in significance.

The next matter then regards their actual overlap. At one time, an "important visit" had overlapped with an edition of Outdoor Tea Party, albeit the durations of each were different, but still allowing one to be a respite of the other. Presently, there is the remnant of an Outdoor Tea Party event overlapping with a short team points event (to end within a day) as well as the remnant of a Mission Bingo; once the team points event ends, it may be due to overlap with another short event of a yet-unspecified format until both the Outdoor Tea Party and Mission Bingo end. There have been other variations as well.

It may be considered that major mechanisms ought not to overlap with one another, at least not with the same times and durations, lest priority conflicts may result. Minor mechanisms, like in the above example, could overlap with one another - though again preferably at least not at the same time or even with similar durations. As for supplementary mechanisms, there could be a few of them going at the same time as major and minor mechanisms, though it is also wise to limit them to avoid overwhelming results.

As it stands, Café Remix is now majorly all about events demanding constant attention, especially considering the rewards they beget. These events too have different methods (and complexities) to their madness, and it becomes inevitable that they would have to somehow overlap to furnish their rewards, beneficial as they are and still will be. The management of these overlapping events, both by the "provider" and "enjoyer", becomes something of utmost importance, no matter how much fun to be had.

One year ago: Pokémon Is... A Lifesaver?

Two years ago: NADWPKMN YouTube Channel Open!!!

Three years ago: In Search of Friends or Accounts

Four years ago: Let's Go Fight to the Top

Five years ago: Wrap the Light Fantastic

Six years ago: The Workings of Raids

Seven years ago: Poké Ball Food