Pokemon

Since my fantasy world was initially inspired by Pokemon, I feel like it’s only appropriate to kick off my fan blog with this beloved franchise.

When I was a kid, I was a rabid fan. If it had the Pokemon logo on it, I was interested in it. Games, cards, plushes, toys, anything. I even asked my grandparents to get food at Burger King a few times just so I could get their kids’ meals toys when they were offering gold-plated plaques of Pokemon in Pokeballs. The height of my Pokemon frenzy occurred during Gen 1 and 2, being around 1999-2003 or so. I played Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, and Silver more times than I know. By the time Crystal came out, I was tired of the same game, so I didn’t play it as much.

As I consumed more media, eventually my love for everything Pokemon waned. When Gen 3 came out, I played Ruby once, and that was enough. I bought Pearl when Gen 4 came out, but didn’t even get halfway through. But then Gen 5 occurred, and it was like my interest had been sprayed with a Revive. I wanted to play Black and White immediately.

My interest since that revival has been restricted just to the main series of video games, and to the creatures themselves. I have bought every main series game on release. I hadn’t had a 3DS until the release of X and Y, so when I bought them, I got the red 3DS XL with Xerneas and Yveltal, too.

Some time a few years ago, Pokemon plushes seemed to have made a comeback. What really pleased me, however, was the variety. I remembered being a kid and every plush you could find in stores was either Pikachu, Eevee, or one of the starters (or their evolutions). Now I was finding Pokemon that I thought I was the only fan of! Chandelure! I didn’t know anyone else gave a damn about my precious chandelier!

These days, I still buy Pokemon merchandise if it involves one I love, and to be honest? I love most of them. A lot of fans have their favorites, often from Gen 1 or 2, and rag on the new generations. I’ve heard all the complaints: they’re overdesigned, they’re ugly, they’re unoriginal. Frankly, I don’t care about them being overdesigned. After all, I loved Digimon, too, and those were the definition of overdesigned monsters. I think a lot of the new Pokemon are just as cute and cool as the first few generations. And I think there were just as many ugly and uninspired designs in Gen 1 and 2 as there were in the last few. A lot of people like to complain about the ice cream and garbage Pokemon while conveniently forgetting that Gen 1 had magnets and toxic waste Pokemon. And Jynx. God, what was GameFreak thinking with that one…?

Even though I love most Pokemon, I *do* have a favorite. It’s… Primarina! Prior to her, it was Spheal. For the unaware, I fucking LOVE seals. When I was a baby, the stuffed animal my grandparents put in my crib was a seal, and I grew up attached to that thing. I collected more seals, at one point having way too many damn stuffed seals for my own good.

I still have quite a lot! When I first got into Pokemon, I was glad there was a seal (Seel and Dewgong), but I didn’t really like their designs that much. I hated how Seel had its tongue out all the time. I also thought it was unlikely they’d ever design new seals, so I figured Dewgong was the best I would get. Imagine by utter ELATION when Gen 3 came out and reveal that good ol’ roundboi Spheal! Omg, it’s soooo cute :3

When Popplio was announced not just as a new Pokemon, but as a started, I was thrilled. I just hoped to God that the final form would also please me. I was more than satisfied, as I also love the ‘feminine’ Pokemon like Gardevoir, Gothitelle, and Delphox. Primarina was everything I could have asked for in a Pokemon and more.

These days I don’t play the games as much, and I never got into the competitive scene. I’m what the hardcore players would call a casual, and I’m okay with that. I still enjoy the games when they come out, and the creatures delight me. It will always remain a cherished part of my childhood and the primary inspiration of my fantasy world. No matter what happens to the franchise in the future, it will always be what set me on my course to becoming a fantasy author.