WHAT IS POKEMON?

Pokemon, originally called Pocket Monsters in Japan, is a Japanese multimedia franchise, primarily known for its games and anime adaptation. Originally released as Pocket Monsters Red and Green in Japan on February 27, 1996, and created by Game Freak with core concept coming from the mind of Satoshi Tajiri, Pokemon is an RPG that takes place in a universe where humans co-exist with creatures called Pokemon that have a variety of different powers.

Pokemon come in many different forms and can either be kept as pets, used in sports, trained for battle, and assist humans in jobs like construction. Though the franchise has spawned many spin-offs, the core games always give the player a similar goal: to train your Pokemon to the top and become League Champion, as well as fill out your Pokedex, a catalogue of caught Pokemon that you've seen on your journey.

WHAT'S MY CONNECTION TO POKEMON?

I didn't actually grow up with Pokemon like a lot of people I know did - I knew what it was as a kid, but I never interacted with any of the games. It wasn't until when I turned 15 that I got my first Pokemon game, that being Pokemon Sun and Moon for the 3DS. Because my first game was the newest game, I felt like I was kind of "late to the party" so to speak. And even then, while I had played some of Sun and Moon, I didn't get into Pokemon for real until Sword & Shield released in 2019. I got sooo into the game and to this day I still have hundreds of hours sunk into it.

Now, before I ever got into Pokemon, I don't know why I thought this, but I had always been under belief that the games never did anything besides the whole "training to become League Champion" goal the player has. I never knew Pokemon had a plot. I didn't know the characters got development. I had a pretty shallow view of the series and didn't think there was anything deeper than what I saw on the surface... and while Pokemon Shield might have been the wrong game to change my views here, boy was I FLOORED. Nobody told me you had to deal with the literal fucking apocalypse almost every game!!! Nobody told me that your rivals get heart-wrenching character development!!! Pokemon really took me by surprise, and it was that very surprise that lured me into the series for the long haul.

I fell DEEP into my new Pokemon hyperfixation and around this time, I had also been doing little parody/RP accounts on Twitter for the Sonic series. It was in I think December 2019 that I made my first account of that kind for a Pokemon character, that being Hop from Pokemon Sword & Shield. His brother Leon came later, and I remember I also had accounts for Raihan and Gordie. Actual roleplay accounts started interacting with me, and while I didn't really... get why? At first?

Either way, I started having a LOT of fun roleplaying back with them. Online roleplay had always been one of those things that I just dismissed for whatever reason. I didn't see the point in it, and I couldn't take it seriously when I saw other people doing it. But when I started doing it myself with other Pokemon fans I got into it big time, and Pokemon roleplay on Twitter ended up consuming my life for the better part of 2020 and 2021. At my peak of it I had like... 30 different accounts. And got them locked multiple times because Twitter thought I was a bot. I wasn't, I was just really autistic.

I was very involved in the Pokemon RP community on Twitter, I participated in multiple storylines and even tried starting my own with other people, but it unfortunately didn't go anywhere because I've always been bad managing things like that. Around late 2021, I took a step back from the Pokemon RP community on Twitter amid a lot of personal drama I had with friends I made through it. I won't go into detail here, but it was pretty messy. I still popped back in every now and then though for sporadic activity. I officially left when I left the rest of Twitter behind me in late 2023, when Elon Musk started sending the platform to shit.

Here's an incomplete, but still long list of characters I played on Twitter (asterisks indicate a character was one of my main muses, minuses indicate a muse whose account was very short-lived): *Hop, *Leon, *Cilan, Chili, Cress, Erika, Whitney, Elesa, *Blue Oak, *Ash Ketchum, -Misty, -Iris, -Brock, Giovanni, *Ruby, *Ethan, *Lucas, Barry, -Wally, Marnie, -Gladion, -Trevor, -Avery, -Sabrina, Commander Jupiter, -Steven Stone, Harley, Burgundy, -Sonia, -Valerie, *Iono, and multiple Pokemon, including Team Rocket's Meowth.

MY STARTERS

My starters from each region and their nicknames!

MY TEAMS + MY PROGRESS WITH EACH REGION

KANTO

GAME: POKEMON LEAFGREEN

TEAM:

SPARKY THE CHARIZARD ♂, LVL 65. SODA THE VAPOREON ♀, LVL 63. MAX THE RAICHU ♂, LVL 63. SUGAR THE CLEFABLE ♀, LVL 62. A.J. THE MAGNETON, LVL 61. GOLDIE THE PERSIAN ♀, LVL 60.

PROGRESS: I beat Blue and became the new Pokemon Champion!!! Last time I left the game, I saved at home in Pallet Town.

JOHTO

GAME: POKEMON CRYSTAL

TEAM:

BUBBLES THE FERALIGATR ♀. BOXX THE HITMONTOP ♂ ✨. PLUTO THE UMBREON ♂.
MIKU THE FARFETCH'D ♀, SALSA THE GYARADOS ♂ ✨. CARRIE THE HAUNTER ♀.

PROGRESS: So unfortunately since I've moved between multiple laptops, my first and original Crystal save file is gone and I have to go off of memory here. I know I had to have beaten all the Kanto gyms because last I remember I was - I THINK - levelling up to prep for Red's fight. I don't remember if I attempted to fight him or if I even beat him. I do know what my team was because a friend on Discord was gracious enough to make copies of my Pokemon on PKHex for me.

HOENN

GAME: POKEMON EMERALD

TEAM:

CHICCO THE BLAZIKEN ♂, LVL 45. PORTOBELLA THE BRELOOM ♀, LVL 42.
PIPIMI THE AZUMARILL ♀, LVL 40. SABRINA THE XATU ♀, LVL 40.
MOONIE THE ILLUMISE ♀, LVL 40. DAPHNE THE DELCATTY ♀, LVL 40.

PROGRESS: I beat Winona and got the Feather Badge. I last saved in Lilycove City.

SINNOH

GAME: POKEMON PLATINUM

TEAM:

CINNAMON THE INFERNAPE ♂, LVL 37. PLUTO THE LUXRAY ♀, LVL 37.
BELLE THE DRIFBLIM ♀, LVL 36. SOPHIE THE GLISCOR ♀, LVL 36.
CHI-CHI THE CHIMECHO ♀, LVL 36. ZERO THE PORYGON-Z, LVL 36.

PROGRESS: I beat Fantina and got the Relic Badge from her, got an Eevee from Bebe in Hearthome City (that I named Jack), and then fought Barry for the third time. I last saved in Veilstone City. Wondering how I got Porygon-Z so early...? ... I hacked him in with cheat codes. Don't tell Nintendo.

UNOVA

GAME: POKEMON WHITE

TEAM:

PEPPER THE EMBOAR ♂, LVL 42. WASABI THE SIMISAGE ♀, LVL 38.
PARIS THE GARBODOR ♀, LVL 36. CHARLOTTE THE SWOOBAT ♀, LVL 37.
VELMA THE LIEPARD ♀, LVL 36. CLEO THE COFAGRIGUS ♀, LVL 35.

PROGRESS: I beat Brycen and got the Freeze Badge from him! I explored Dragonspiral Tower and Relic Castle and obtained the Dark Stone from Lenora in Nacrene City, where I last saved.

KALOS

GAME: POKEMON X

TEAM:

RUBY THE DELPHOX ♀, LVL 66. SPARKY THE CHARIZARD ♂, LVL 60.
WASABI THE SIMISAGE ♀, LVL 59. MARS THE SYLVEON ♀, LVL 58.
SODA THE GOODRA ♀, LVL 53. BOO THE DRIFBLIM ♂, LVL 54.

PROGRESS: I beat Wulfric and got the last gym badge. I've yet to challenge the Elite 4. I last saved on Route 21.

ALOLA

GAME: POKEMON MOON

TEAM:

JAZZ THE PRIMARINA ♂, LVL 52. WEDNESDAY THE GOTHITELLE ♀, LVL 49.
NEPTUNE THE PERSIAN ♂, LVL 48. MAX THE RAICHU ♂, LVL 48.
BELLE THE DRIFBLIM ♀, LVL 46. LUNA THE LYCANCROC ♀, LVL 47.

PROGRESS: I completed Acerola and Nanu's trials and fought Lusamine for the first time on Aether Paradise! I then went to Poni Island with Lillie, and I last saved in Seafolk Village.

GALAR

GAME: POKEMON SHIELD

TEAM:

I changed my team a lot while playing the DLC so for brevity's sake I'm just sharing the team I beat the main game with.

DAISY THE CINDERACE ♂, LVL 100. SILVERLOCKS THE DUBWOOL ♀, LVL 100.
AMBER THE THIEVUL ♀, LVL 100. BLAZE THE ESPEON ♀, LVL 100.
BOO THE DRIFBLIM ♂, LVL 100. MADAM SPOOKY THE DUSCLOPS ♀, LVL 100.

PROGRESS: I completed the main game and the Isle of Armor DLC. I do not remember if I completed all of the Crown Tundra DLC, but I did finish Calyrex's story and catch it. I last saved in Hammerlocke.

HISUI

GAME: POKEMON LEGENDS ARCEUS

TEAM:

CHESTNUT THE TYPHLOSION ♂, LVL 48. DAWN THE DRIFBLIM ♀, LVL 44.
TRUFFLES THE PARASECT ♀, LVL 45. PLUTO THE LUXRAY ♀, LVL 45.
GINA THE TANGROWTH ♀, LVL 47. JELLO THE VAPOREON ♂, LVL 46.

PROGRESS: I became a Fifth Star Galaxy Member and quelled Electrode's frenzy. I last saved in Jubilife Village. Here's a pic of my trainer!

PALDEA

GAME: POKEMON VIOLET

TEAM:

COSMO THE MEOWSCARADA ♂, LVL 68. PANCAKE THE DACHSBUN ♀, LVL 66.
BREAKFAST THE TINKATON ♀, LVL 65. WEDNESDAY THE GOTHITELLE ♀, LVL 66.
BELLA THE DRIFBLIM ♀, LVL 67. DAPHNE THE FLAREON ♀, LVL 66.

PROGRESS: I completed the main quests and story of the game after beating AI Turo. I've yet to start the DLC.

MY FAVE POKEMON AND TRAINERS!