Pokéshame

[Muyotwo]

A recurring topic, but one that's still worth discussing here.

So, on the train ride back to the house, I sat across from a guy (twentyish)who was playing on a DS Lite. I got out my DS and played a bit of FFT, then I noticed the car was fairly empty, so I asked him what he was playing.

Him: "Umm... uh... well, Pokémon Platinum... you?"
Me: "Final Fantasy Tactics, but I've got Diamond in my bag."
"Oh. Uh. Yeah. I just... it's good for the train, gives you something to do, you know?"

Despite all of these "No, I don't really like Pokemon, I just kill time" disclaimers and such, he ended up showing me his Pokemanz, marveling at some of the legends I had, and he was pretty knowledgeable on all of it, and he asked me to help him get the national 'dex.

I've come to the conclusion that there are few fandoms in the anime/gaming 'verse that are quite as ashamed to be a member as Pokemon people. I'd probably put Pokepeeps at #2, underneath male Sailor Moon fans of America.

Why so ashamed, guys?

[Vran]

Hey, I'm not asha--

Oh. Well, I am a Sailor Moon fan.

[Jerichi]

I think it's because everyone saw it as a kiddy fad back in the day, so to play it in public and admit to liking it makes you look like a kid.

It's kinda dumb but I think that's why.

[Tyranidos]

People make fun of me

[deoxys]

I used to feel ashamed but tch, I have no clue why. Pokemon is a fantastic game, why should I be ashamed? It's on my myspace and facebook and I tell people who want to know. Why should I care what they think?

[The Morg]

All that shame of being associated with pokemon is what cost us some of our cool oldschool members. Like Timmel.

[iAmDewgong]

I feel like the mass amount of dumb comments on Serebii and such (Tangrowth etc) takes down the status quite a bit.

[Weebos]

I play it in public and I don't give a shit about some coo' foo' whos steppin'.
Anyway because of that I pretty much started a pokemon revival at my school single-handedly.

[Tyranidos]

Well, my closest friends all dowloaded emulators and played Platinum, so then I told them about everything that they should do.

[Doppleganger]

I don't really get the shame - back in elementary school I remember everyone was crazy about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in second grade and suddenly in third grade it wasn't cool anymore. I never understood why people just suddenly stopped liking it, their loss I guess.

With anime fans it's understandable - there are a lot of really embarrassing anime fans out there and associating with them is only a little ways short of admitting one indulges in the same carnal activities as they do.

I guess...because Pokemon isn't as good as it used to be?

[Muyotwo]

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

I don't really get the shame - back in elementary school I remember everyone was crazy about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in second grade and suddenly in third grade it wasn't cool anymore. I never understood why people just suddenly stopped liking it, their loss I guess.

With anime fans it's understandable - there are a lot of really embarrassing anime fans out there and associating with them is only a little ways short of admitting one indulges in the same carnal activities as they do.

I guess...because Pokemon isn't as good as it used to be?

Damn, I remember back when that show came out, my best friend and I both watched it every day... but would never tell eachother that we were watching it xd.

"Um... so... we'll meet at 3:30?"
"Yes. 3:30 is good"

*both watch Power Rangers at their own houses*

[deoxys]

Originally Posted by Doppleganger

I don't really get the shame - back in elementary school I remember everyone was crazy about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in second grade and suddenly in third grade it wasn't cool anymore. I never understood why people just suddenly stopped liking it, their loss I guess.

With anime fans it's understandable - there are a lot of really embarrassing anime fans out there and associating with them is only a little ways short of admitting one indulges in the same carnal activities as they do.

I guess...because Pokemon isn't as good as it used to be?

I knew some people in High School who loved anime but would hide it, while others made ir known and still were made fun of, such as one girl, who insisted on wearing the Konoha ninja headband to school, and read manga in class (even though the teacher would yell at her to put her "korean comics" away, and then she'd get laughed at.)

And ah, Power Rangers. Loved that show, but back in kindergarten I'd try to play with the first graders who had power rangers toys, and they shoved me away and told me to go back to my Barney. Then, funny enough, I was still into it in first grade and I was made fun of by them for liking it, because they apparently grew out of it.

Also, speaking of Pokemon revival, for some odd reason, two years ago, all of the high scjool jocks at all the high schools in the area suddenly decided Pokemon was cool agaon, and they'd bring their game boys to class and play Pokemon RBYGSC and battle each other, although the fad only lasted for a month.

[Weebos]

Originally Posted by deoxys

Also, speaking of Pokemon revival, for some odd reason, two years ago, all of the high scjool jocks at all the high schools in the area suddenly decided Pokemon was cool agaon, and they'd bring their game boys to class and play Pokemon RBYGSC and battle each other, although the fad only lasted for a month.

These are the people who still play when the doors are locked.

[Treepandaone]

Iunno, its not something I announce in public as an intrest of mine, but you can't really fit it into a conversation.

But I think anyone who knows me, knows I like Pokemon.

[Talon87]

Funny thing is, you strip people of a little bit of their identity / you inject a little bit of anonymity into them by way of Twitter or weblogs and you'll discover tons of people who still play. Hell, today on Twitter I saw a post by a member named "Niggadelic" -- no, I am not making this shit up (click me!) -- who was talking about Rotom's several forms.

Gotta love Niggadelic proving CShore11 wrong: Pokémon clearly is not just "a white kid thing," lol.

[Stlbk]

Well Pokemon has always been a touchy subject in school for myself.

I wanna say R/B came out in America in October of 7th grade.
I got it the first day it came out cause I saw it in an ad and got hooked.
Saw the show just by looking on TV one day and enjoyed it thoroughly.

It was acceptable in 7th grade, even in to a little bit of 8th grade.
I would hide it around that point, as well as the card game that would encompass the next 5 years of my life.
Then 9th grade came around and I hid it initially. Then I met this odd person in gym class named *****, roughly translates as MM or Kuno, and somehow we started talking about some of them Pogeymanz.

Found out Kuno has a website, not this one yet, and I thought it was pretty dang cool. We hung out, traded Pogeymanz, traded cards and such. Then we did something that defines this thread: in 9th grade, Freshman year of High School, we brought our games/gameboys to school.

Let me say this again....WE BROUGHT POKEMON TO SCHOOL IN FRONT OF PEOPLE.
Not a big deal to you? Kids in high school made it an issue, hell we nearly got in at least 5 fights that I can think of offhand.
But thankfully cause we stuck our grounds and wouldn't be pushed around. Was rough but the year went by.

Then Kuno's family moved! Gasp! So the next year I denounced Pokemon publicly and from there on it was a hidden shame.
I would still go to the place I played Pokemon TCG, which was a great source of confidence at the time for me. But back in school I was as normal as everyone else, living the "normal" life.
Also I was able to keep in contact with Kuno online, and thus how I came here.

So yeah, it needed to be hidden simply because it wasn't worth the hassle unless you had a friend to weather the stupid reactions of mentally challenged teenagers.
I still don't tell people about my Pokemaness or that I read manga.

Most individuals can't handle it. Different society I guess, as it's fairly acceptable in Japan. But Japan is not southeast USA, and these kids act like you're attempting to ruin their lives.

I know this is basically a dead thread. Just felt like rambling!

[Lady Kuno]

Today my prof asked what hobbies we all had as kids and I said Pokemon. Yeah I'm cool.

[Muyotwo]

You need to come out of the Pokécloset, Beak. It's the only way you can pull yourself out of your shame spiral.

Does your wife even know?

[Stlbk]

My wife embraces the Pokéshame, and for that I am most grateful lol.
Not that she won't roll her eyes when I buy the newest Pokemon game.
She'd probably be more wary if I was as involved in Pokemon as I used to be in high school.
Always in moderation my friends!

Besides, no need to take on people who won't change their opinion.
Why waste my energy on people so ignorant?

[Talon87]

Okay, Steel, ... seriously? You need to drive up to Lafayette, wife in tow, and check out my apartment. Maybe then you can be your full Steelie self and your wife will always say, "Well, at least he's not Talon."

My living room's main wall:


My bedroom's back wall (wall w/ bed), door side:


Again, but this time with ruler for sense of scale:


To thine own self, be true.

[Jerichi]

>Lumineon

...why?

[ZoraJolteon]

>No Cradily

TALON'S WRONGNESS STRIKES AGAIN!

[AshsBabyLapras]

Originally Posted by Jerichi

>Lumineon

...why?

u joking? That one is quite possibly my favourite. It's so cute~

Nice sense of colour thar, Talon. I am impressed.

On topic: My mother always said guys wouldn't want to date me if they saw the size of my Pokémon plushie collection.

...it's since doubled in size (at least) because of Muyo (who spoils me too much).

[Muyotwo]

Because Lumineon is great.

That picture ruined Jasmine for me though. Reminds me a little bit too much of Dahlia Hawthorne, which brings forth RAGE.

[Talon87]

I chose the ones that had:
(1) the best overall art,
(2) the least creepiness factor for guests,
(3) the best roles in suiting my desire to make a color wheel

Notice that Lumineon occupies the blue spot. To its purple-blue clockwise right is Wooper (I hate Wooper, but the picture this artist drew is adorable enough to melt even my heart), to its green-blue counterclockwise left is Ivysaur (who I like, and who was drawn well too).

Besides: Lumineon is a beautiful Pokémon.

Originally Posted by ZoraJolteon

>No Cradily

The artist's Cradily drawing either didn't exist at the time, wasn't drawn well, or didn't fit with the color wheel.

Zora, if you think these represent my favorite Pokemon, think again. The only ones in the color wheel who'd even rank in my Top 20% would be Ivysaur, Meganium, Vileplume, and Cherubi. But it wasn't all the Pokémon. Notice there's a cute girl in each of the photos, too. (Well, the Sunflora one's a boy imv, but whatever.) For example, what wins me over in the Weedle picture isn't the Weedle but the adorable Weedle-girl who's sticking her tongue back out at Weedle.

For more information, see Gijinka: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_anthropomorphism