Creatures of the Land

Besides water as in the sea, the land is another element that supports life. For many creatures, including people, it is in fact the venue of life, without which they cannot live elsewhere. Predictably, as creatures that are based on real-life counterparts and even beyond, some Pokémon - according to their lore - abide by the land, sustaining themselves and even others by the way they do so. It's a fascinating way that things happen, and it's something to be touched on.

Two Pokémon are known for their relationship to making the land, well, what it is. Groudon is the most salient in this regard, being the antithesis of Kyogre in making more land for itself and all other land-dwelling Pokémon. Even if it's just a legend, such a role would undoubtedly be important in making the world what it is today. Meanwhile, Torterra could be considered to be an offshoot of this legend, with itself having a back on which small Pokémon can live - sometimes for all their lives without realizing it. The depiction in the Detective Pikachu movie could be considered a stretch given its typical size, but it does fit the lore somewhat well, especially if it happens to be large enough.

As well, there is a certain family of Pokémon whose species might seem to destroy the land but are in fact beneficial in some ways. They would be the burrowing family of Diglett and Dugtrio, both in their Kanto and Alolan forms. Like the moles that they are, they burrow through land as part of their lives, with the Alolan forms doing so through even tougher soil, making them hard as steel. In doing so, they achieve something else: they turn over the soil like a plow, and as farmers can attest, this makes the soil in the land fertile for growing different crops like vegetables. They're still voracious for what they are, being moles, but their beneficial effects are almost wondrous.

What is no wonder is that land is and will still always be the environmental element that sustains life for many creatures in real life as well as in the world of Pokémon. For the latter, it seems amazing that there are ones that involve themselves in the dynamics of the land and/or support not only themselves but also other forms of life. Even as a lore, it cannot be denied that the way they are is valuable to many kinds of life, including themselves, and that's something to ponder as life goes on.

One year ago: Play Where You Are (or at Home)

Two years ago: Time of Posting

Three years ago: Pokémon Asia McDonald's Happy Meal Toys, Waves 1 and 2

Four years ago: Watching and Re-Watching

Glacial Scaling

For many, December is a very chilly time. It's a time when the air becomes chilly, and one then seeks the heat of the flames to warm oneself up. This interplay continues throughout the month and even further into the season of which it is a part. It's also the interplay of choice for this month's themed cup in the current Silph Arena season, with it being encapsulated in a theme that goes by the title of "Glacial".

Unlike last month's themed cup, this one follows a more conventional Silph Arena format. For this one, the Pokémon must have at least one of five types: Water, Poison, Psychic, Ice, and Dragon. In addition, the ban list this time is quite significant (aside from Mega Evolution, which is banned by status quo), with 13 species in all: highlights include Altaria, Swampert, and Jellicent, with the full listing available on the themed cup page. This results in approximately 300 species to choose from, though as always, not all of them will be viable.

A suggested meta interaction relationship is in the form of a triangle, with the Ice-type realm in one corner, Dragon- and Water-type realm in another corner, and Psychic- and Poison-type realm in another corner, each offering Pokémon that can suitably go against those in the other two realms. Notwithstanding this network of interactions, the basic interactions remain those between Dragon and Ice as well as Psychic and Poison, with Water to balance things out plus any additional secondary types that can and do come into play.

In fact, that is exactly as intended per the development notes for this themed cup. The second pair of types is intended as a way of bringing certain type counters (particularly, the Dark type) without actually featuring them, in addition to Water acting as a foil itself. Meanwhile, most of the ban list was based on the rationale that they're too powerful (Swampert), versatile (Jellicent), and/or bulky (Altaria) for this themed cup and therefore would dominate otherwise. Overall, the goal was for balance with a particular dynamic flavor.

Whatever teams that Trainers will make for this themed cup, it's clear that they will have to take into account a few relationships that can warm things up and/or cool things down, depending on what happens in battle. Then, all that's left is to do execute the relationships as they appear in battles all throughout this month as they scale the "glaciers" - literal or figurative - that becomes the namesake of this themed cup.

One year ago: Go Beyond... Features

Two years ago: The Social Aspect of Pokémon

Three years ago: More Weather Boosts for Types?

Four years ago: Game Bugs and Fixing Them

Forgotten Parts of Games?

Earlier today, I had a logjam of things to do, and in that logjam was a couple of Pokémon things. Interestingly, however, one of those Pokémon things involved a particular Pokémon facet for which my recollection has become fainter, both in execution and experience. It necessitated me to review a guide for information about the facet, and the action of me doing so shed light that my execution and experience was as such, effectively making me question whether I had dealt with it or had forgotten to do so, making it a (possibly) forgotten part.

Pokémon games, especially the main series ones, have always been complex wonders, even the very first ones. There have been stories about forgotten Trainer battles, forgotten areas to explore, even forgotten Pokémon to catch - with the last of these possibly having a relation to the circumstance above, and the others having been mentioned by others. In short, forgotten parts or things are seemingly inevitable, especially if one is progressing without the aid of guides and such, and they may be considered regular occurrences.

And then there are modern games like Pokémon Go that may possibly have many things to do in a single day, especially during events like Community Day. The potential for forgotten parts or things is compounded in this case; for instance, there have been times where pictures have been forgotten to be taken to get the featured Pokémon to appear. And when one does not have much time to play, something as basic as spinning a PokéStop might become a forgotten thing or part, lost in the logjam of things...

...which brings me back to my earlier logjam, in which I seem to have forgotten another thing, which I didn't realize until late, besides the seemingly forgotten Pokémon part. At least, the seemingly forgotten part wasn't completely forgotten due to having had some recall of some of the key things. It may be that one of the struggles of playing the Pokémon games is remembering the things that one need to do and remembering how to do them, in the hopes that they may not be forgotten in the now and possible future.

One year ago: Resistance vs. No Effect

Two years ago: Off We Go... to Galar!

Three years ago: A Sewaddle Keychain

Four years ago: In and Out of Poké Balls

For Points and Performance

In Pokémon Unite, its ranked play system has a fascinating mechanism. That mechanism is called Performance Points: after every Ranked match, points are earned according to certain circumstances. Meanwhile, the mechanism itself has earned some criticism from certain players for the assistance that it provides, making rank progression perhaps too easy. It may be helpful to discuss its quirks in order to put things into perspective, both in and out of the game.

On one hand, it can be seen how the mechanism makes things easy. Win or lose (in most circumstances anyway), points are still earned, and when a gauge for them is filled, they give an extra medal, the equivalent of winning a Ranked match. For those who have no trouble winning many matches in a row and do that consistently to get up to the higher ranks, the presence of Performance Points could make things too easy. But for those who may not be able to do the same, the points might be helpful in their assistance.

Some (including me) have experienced the pain of one or more losses in a row due to unforeseen or unexpected circumstances, and Performance Points can be helpful in these situations. The full gauge can give back a medal that was lost due to a loss, and in exchange for a significant portion of a filled gauge, it can prevent a rank demotion - two situations that have in fact happened to myself. At the very least, the points should be able to lessen the stress of specific Ranked match happenings.

I in fact play another game (not so much nowadays) with a different rank progression system that is purely based on points, and the results of the game are dependent on luck just as much as, if not more than, skill. The experience would be comparable to Unite without Performance Points, and I would think an assistive mechanism like Performance Points would help for that other game just as much as Performance Points have helped in Unite. From this outside view, it seems Performance Points have at least some good things.

Criticism regarding Performance Points is not likely to go away at any point, especially toward the degree of assistance that it provides. In any case, the mechanism is intended to be helpful, and it is, if the experiences of others (possibly) and mine have something to say about it. As part of the grand system of ranked play in Pokémon Unite, it may be quirky, but it may still be the enabler for many to not only succeed in the rankings but also show good performance for that.

One year ago: The Touch of Satoru Iwata

Two years ago: For Want of an EX Raid

Three years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day Weekend, 12/1/2018 to 12/3/2018

Four years ago: Fallen Comrades

A Lasting Graffiti

I will always love you for what it's worth

We'll never fade like graffiti on the overpass

And I know time may change the way you think of us

But I'll remember the way we were, you were the first full stop

Love that will never leave

Baby, you will never be lost on me

-- "Overpass Graffiti", Ed Sheeran

Before proceeding with the rest of the Season of Heritage, I'd like to dip back into the Season of Mischief to explore a neat phenomenon related to Pokémon Go (and Pokémon in general). One of the last events of the season and the respective month was the special collaboration with Ed Sheeran, for which one of his songs was featured directly as a temporary nighttime music, at least in instrumental form. The song that I've quoted above, as the lyrics of the chorus of the song, is that very song.

Like many of Ed's songs as well as modern (pop) songs, the song is about love. Specifically, it's about a certain one-sided love that appears to be lost but is in fact still retained in the viewpoint of whoever would be singing this song. The chorus is rather emblematic of that theme - further as it also contains the words that become the title of this song, though not in the same syntactic structure as the title of the song - which is why I've quoted the chorus.

Yet, notwithstanding all other parts of the song, I prefer to take another interpretation of the chorus, specifically a Pokémon one. My interpretation is that it's a nostalgic "callback" to what might represent one's first Pokémon adventure, no matter from what era a fan might hail from. That adventure is likely to represent a lasting memory, no matter what changes might have taken place for Pokémon since then. This pretty much explains the attachment that some fans have for Sinnoh (as their first adventure) that then leads to the entire remake business.

Ed Sheeran himself, in the special performance that is currently unavailable, has stated his recollection for his first Pokémon adventure way back when, which led him to pick a Water-type starter. This was then manifested as the dominant Pokémon type during the collaboration event. I'm certain that he would agree on the recollection aspect, and in that regard, maybe he would have made a fine fit into the P25 Music program, regardless of what he conceived.

Regardless, the song is still about that one-sided love, which perhaps Ed might know a thing or two based on the lyrics. Yet nostalgia is just as strong a feeling as love, and that's something Pokémon fans know a thing or two about, even with Ed Sheeran included. And they might just have a thing about being made to last, just like certain writings on walls.

One year ago: Let's Go (Above and) Beyond

Two years ago: Being a "Love Slave"

Three years ago: Cosplay: Chibi Daisuki! Japan Fest

Four years ago: A Beautiful Symphony

The Season of Heritage

When discussing "heritage", what comes to mind? Does it conjure up images of the classy old past? Or does it conjure up images of ruinous sites with spiritual value? Whichever one it may be, a new Pokémon Go season might not be the first thing that comes to mind... and yet, that's how it is. Today marks the first day of that new season, the Season of Heritage. As expected, the title itself has a great significance; that mostly applies for Pokémon Go, but other Pokémon affairs have some stake as well.

For starters, Pokémon Go is starting things off with what appears to be a visit to Unova, for which the appearance of the two "box legends" of the region - Reshiram and Zekrom - is a definite marker for that. In a few days, the Unova ambiance is likely to become stronger. Then, in January, a stop (or another, since everyone has just practically been there) in Sinnoh might be appropriate, which is then capped off with an arrival in Johto in February. They all have their "heritage" elements, including the two that I posited at the beginning of this post. As for details, they may have to wait until the time becomes pertinent - which is also likely why this season started off scanty with information, aside from the title, which was only divulged within less than a day.

That stop in Sinnoh (again) would certainly mark and herald the arrival of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, slated for release in January. Incidentally, the other two regions mentioned above have a partial role to play, as two of the starters are "imports" (in a modern sense) from those very regions. Alola hasn't been accounted for, especially since it was first teased a long time ago, but that might just happen to fill things in at that point and becomes an additional "heritage". By then, there is something else that will become "heritage": the 25th anniversary of Pokémon, which will then be due to be replaced by the 26th soon afterward. After it becomes "heritage", it will be the perfect time to reflect on what has made it such.

It is certain that "heritage" means many and different things to different people, which ought to include the elements above. And in bringing the concept together with Pokémon, one can't escape talking about specific regions, for which their "heritage" values have been or will be apparent. The departure from the major anniversary only adds to the "heritage". Having all of that encapsulated in a single season has to speak for the significance of them all.

Hence, the Season of Heritage begins as Pokémon marks itself further into heritage.

One year ago: The Deactivation of My Regional Figure Group?

Two years ago: All the Missing Pieces

Three years ago: Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee Uptake

Four years ago: Poké-Friends and Gratitude

The Peak of Mischief

As it has been another three months, another season is coming to a close in Pokémon Go, and it's the one marked by mischief of a certain nature, mostly due to the "'real' lord of the rings" that is Hoopa. And it's true - a good deal of mischief had occurred in Pokémon Go in different ways. Yet perhaps that could also be said to have happened in some ways outside of Pokémon Go. Thus, as with previous posts on the end of seasons, the discussion treatment will be loose and general without it being specifically focused on Pokémon Go, though quite a bit still will be.

In Pokémon Go, thanks to its appearance, Trainers have had to do a bit more work than usual thanks to the appearance of Hoopa, unfolding as an episodic Special Research of its own that also progresses with specific events, which for this month was during the entire Festival of Lights, including its "shadow" portion. Then, this was capped off by the "Unbound" portion of this program that requires either finishing that episodic set or paying for it (or both, if one wanted to double up). This additional work could be construed by some as an "annoyance", though others might take it in stride and consider it "playful". Either way, it seems to live up to the way that the Pokémon is, being the Mischief Pokémon.

Meanwhile, another current big "mischief maker" is Pokémon Unite as its battles unfold and new Pokémon join the fray, which sometimes is initially regarded as "playful" but has often turned out to be an "annoyance" instead - until Trainers and the game get over them and order is restored, at least temporarily. The recently released "Sinnoh remakes" have not (yet) been proven to be a "mischief maker", but if certain issues come up - as has been the case for many main series games since the sixth generation - then they'll surely be patched out before mischief of the unintended kind occurs.

Even so, some of the viewpoints above may be understandable. "Mischief" can be more or less described as a "playful annoyance" of a minor extent by its definition. In some ways, things have been like that, at least unless they get too major, which hasn't been the case. In any case, however, it seems that everyone has gotten a taste of the "peak" of things even if "mischief" has been solely related to Pokémon Go over the past three months.

Now, as expected, a new season will kick off tomorrow in Pokémon Go. Yet compared to previous seasons, the information for this has presently been scant and seemingly as well as comparatively late, which may (or may not) be another form of mischief. It may just be one more thing to tide over as the pages of mischief turn away for these new pages.

One year ago: The State of Nominations, Part 7

Two years ago: Cosplay: UC Bunkasai

Three years ago: Local EX Raid (and Rain, Again), 11/30/2018

Four years ago: Feature Film 20 - "Pokémon The Movie - I Choose You!"