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[find the things you enjoy, and make it your own.]

Ah, shoot. I would have replied to this topic a lot sooner, but I wasn't sure what to say to it, whoops!

i work from home, so i make money on the computer. i wake up in the morning, and i sit at my desk and do work on the computer. i've made friends on the computer—when i'm done with work, i talk to my friends on discord and hang out and play games. i share things i've made on the internet, i see things others have made on the internet, i learn about what's happening on the internet, i wouldn't be who i am if not for the internet!

I suppose if it's out of necessity, I can see it, but I could never work from home! Most of my down time is, admittedly, in front of a computer. Making that my job would muddy things too much, haha. And yeah, I'm not against "having friends on the Internet" by any means, but in recent years, I've made more in person, and some of them really have my back. So, it could just be my own bias/experience talking here!

so the internet couldn't possibly be fatiguing for me! for me, the internet is the same thing as the outside world—to be tired of that would be to be tired of life! but my life's only just started!

if anything, i think the length of time that the internet has been around has given us plenty more to discover these days. i'd never have discovered this place if it wasn't for the internet guiding me here. a youtube video showing up on the recommended page of someone who lives on the other side of the country, who sent that video to me, and it just happened to be a video of someone reading off old name rater reviews...

Admittedly, it took a lot for me to get fatigued from it, and like I said, it's more of an "on-and-off" thing for me, but just the same, glad you get a lot of positive out of it. I wouldn't take that from anyone.

being young enough to only be able to chase the tail-end of the forum times, the difference between the culture then and now is beyond drastic, and i find myself missing all the opportunities and good times that had been presented then (even if i was never there!), as opposed to the monoculture of social media.

Ah, yeah. In all fairness, I don't think I discovered forums properly until maybe GameFAQs. Theirs was probably the first I ever posted on, haha. I joined PKMN dot net in... 2005 or so, only two years after it was made (I think?), but didn't REALLY use it until a year later. I much prefer forums to chatrooms and the like, but then I guess there's only so much difference between "Type something before someone says something else (live)" and "Type something before someone says something else (turn-based)", haha.

But yeah, the difference between forums in their heyday and whatever constitutes "Social Media" these days is like night and day!

anyway, it's true that i feel internet fatigued sometimes, it's natural, but the way out of it should be simple in theory!... find the things you enjoy, and make it your own.

I think we're all on the same page with how to fix it, at least! Although, I think some of that is easier said than done. Depends on what you like to do, really. For example, fandoms are pretty easy to connect over (I mean, we're posting on a Pokemon Forum ) but original content will always be an uphill battle to get people to care. I say that from experience, but I also say that knowing I need to work better on actually MAKING my original stuff, eheh. I know you can't make everyone care about everything you make, but I think about this stuff on and off, eheh.

Ah, hope I didn't derail my own topic too much. Thanks for the perspectives, both of you!

Nice work on both! Regarding the first: considering what you were going for, I'd have suggested maybe giving its true eye a glowing outline so it pops a bit more, but no problems with it, besides! I definitely like the second version!

Jirachi is definitely a cool event legendary, but somehow I went all this time not only not realizing Jirachi had an eye on its stomach, but that its Gen III sprites show its eye open, but... not in the rest? Reminds me how one of the Pokedex entries says Weezing churns gas between its two heads, but we never actually see that happen, even though that'd be super cool and/or freaky. (Neither here nor there, though, haha)

^Thank you! Yeah, I'm trying to get better at 'em, but I think hands are hard for most people to draw, even on a good day, haha.

So, since today is apparently the release date for Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver in the US, I figured I'd make a thread celebrating it, and Gen 2 in general! What better way than to share some memories of our experiences with it? I guess we can include Crystal, too, even if it came out later.

What I remember the most is catching my first non-Gyarados shiny-- a purple Drowzee, on Route 35! I evolved it into a Hypno, obviously. They were both my favorite Psychic-types at the time, so it was that much more special to me. Then I goofed up the save file

I also think it was neat you could catch one of the Electrodes during that one part where you're supposed to make them faint to turn off some power generator. I always make sure to nickname that one "ROCKET", because, well, it was being used by Team Rocket. Other than the basic beats of the plot, I don't recall much, but it HAS been years since I played (Not counting their remakes, which as far as I'm concerned were "Most Improved", despite some weird character design choices...) so I may be forgetting some ancient memories I used to hold dear...

Anyway, who else is big on Gen 2 and remembers their Gold and Silver playthrough(s)?

In all fairness, I don't need it to be October for me to draw Shauntal, but anyway, here you go:

Also in all fairness, I've only drawn her a few times before. I wanted to work in her book and pen, but I wasn't up to it, so I hid her hands 
 
At any rate, I threw this together kinda quickly, so pardon if anything's wonky. Otherwise, lemme know what you think!

Mostly replying because you mentioned the Utack & Swampy comics, and I kind of regret not internalizing them a bit more. I remember liking them, but that's about it. Something about him mixing berries or something in one of them for a Berry Goop Trap or something? I miss Utack himself, too. He was a swell guy from what I remember.

The other reason I'm commenting on this is, on the topic of 2000s Internet nostalgia: I remember even outside of PUK, sprite comics were Really Big (believe it or not), and I used to dream of making one but with like, sprites made from the ground up. Unfortunately, sprite comics are even more frowned upon than they were back then (I... think? I don't see many new ones anymore, but then I hardly look, lol) so I just kind of got in the habit of trying to DRAW-draw. I need to find a newer tool for making sprites, though... and if I'm gonna do that, I might as well make this game I have in mind... but neither here nor there, I suppose!

Wait, is this topic more for PUK nostalgia? Either way, I try not to look back at my old posts (whichever ones still exist from before my rejoining) because it does make me cringe a bit to look at them. But then, I had my ups and downs with this site, too. I think we all did.

Gosh, I gushed more than I thought I would. Well, hope I've not been a nuisance myself, haha.

EDIT: I could type an entire RANT on Homestar Runner dot com, but five months ago, they were basically making a video about Internet nostalgia themselves, which reminded me of this thread. Just thought I'd mention that. We're not alone, haha.

^One of the Kamen Rider series is slated to make its official debut in some upcoming DLC for the newest game, and Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Gundam have some crossover video game history together themselves. Plus, Zyuranger DID appear in a spin-off (if that at all counts, being a phone game and all) so there may be some hope for the Sentai series! ...but don't quote me on that (Unless it happens, in which case, you heard it here first, lol)

And honestly, I get what you mean. I had to slog through a main chapter focusing on a series I wasn't keen on from what little I knew about it, and its presentation in-game didn't help my impression. Where we might differ is, I find new favorites in the context of Super Robot Wars, even if I've never seen the show(s) before. Although, that's not for not wanting to watch (some of) them (L-Gaim's opening theme had me curious about it long before I played a game with that series in it. I am not immune to propaganda) but it's cool to see how different characters might interact/the shows' plot points might converge. I guess it depends on if you care for the plot or the gameplay more...

I'm curious what other shows you might wanna see represented, though. Here's hoping you get your Dream Roster in some way, shape or form!

To whom it matters, it's the first console release of the series in Western territories which actually allows for the use of giant robot shows like Gundam, Getter Robo, and whoever else they shove into any given entry! (wasn't 30 for Steam? I don't count Steam as a "console", per se)

Anyone try the demo? I had a positive-enough impression to get the full game, but then I'm somewhat of a SRW fan myself, lol. I'm somewhere in Chapter 3, enjoying mostly side missions! Not in a hurry to advance the plot, when most of the main plot points don't involve series I like or am able to tolerate... At least, thus far. I wonder how much of what I do actually impacts anything, but I'd like to find out for myself...

More generally speaking, are there any giant robot shows you'd want to see in Super Robot Wars who haven't made it in? Or maybe you want them to handle your favorite(s) better in the next entry? I don't wanna go on another silly list of who I'd want in, but it's a shame Gurren Lagann has only appeared in the Z series and... X, I think? Might be fun to toss in Tank Police, especially after we got Cowboy Bebop, of all things. Other than that, just gimme a main-series debut for Sgt. Frog. I mean, if there's any DLC waves after the first two announced for Y, who knows what we'll get down the line. Personally, I'm wondering why Braiger and The Big O couldn't be in the same package as Jeeg...

Honestly, social media was never going to be a proper replacement for forums in their heyday, but I do think something happened in the late 2000s/early 2010s that caused people to be... more prickly, for lack of a better word? and I don't just mean here on PUK, I mean on the Internet as a whole. Well, maybe that's when social media started to bud, lol

I've been feeling like I wanna use this site more a lot lately, though. I know a made a lot of posts when I rejoined, but... eh, I don't wanna get negative here.

^Y'know, that actually makes sense, and I feel silly for not seeing it sooner. I try to take my time with (most) games, too...

[i think that hurts his character, honestly]

i never really considered my opinions using their teams—tierno i just remember as being the Big Guy Who Dances and have a very hard time remembering him for anything else. i think that hurts his character, honestly.

I was looking into some of his lines (because darn if my memory of X and Y isn't rusty, too...) and... yeah, it does seem to be the extent of his character. I guess I just filled in the blanks myself since then...

Since you like Shauna, I'm curious what kind of Pokemon players you think she represents, if any. I think me not being able to see that is what bothers me most about her character-- the best I can come up with is "Those With Enthusiasm for the Franchise", but other than what I said earlier, I just don't recall enough to say if that makes sense. I dunno, I'm probably overthinking this whole thing a smidge, haha.

[ghost:]

ghost: sableye! if i'm to be true to my heart here. i've loved sableye since i was a kid—when i finally deleted my old childhood save in pokémon sapphire, it seemed that kid-me was trying to replace my starter with a sableye. somethin about the funky purple guy who eats rocks and had no weaknesses until gen 6. pmdeos probably didn't help

Y'know, Sableye was my favorite Ghost- and/or Dark-type for a while, if I recall. I still feel kind of bad I haven't used one seriously since Sapphire; what with it getting Prankster and a Mega Evolution, it's clearly gotten more love since its debut. I dunno, maybe I'll save using one for when I get Legends Z-A...

i really like the white one! it makes it feel more cohesive as a pokémon, to me, and there's something about white flowers that just feel... unnatural and slightly uncanny to me in a way that makes it feel very awesome when a pokémon that's designed around holding-and-looking-like a flower simulates that

I can see that, and the white ones being relatively rarer certainly helps that impression! For me, it was a process of elimination-- Red is Too "Default", Yellow was Too Plain, and Orange is kind of gaudy (at least on Florges, although I wouldn't take Trevor's orange one away from him or anything, haha) I guess if they made a lavender/lilac/otherwise purplish Florges, it'd probably be my second-favorite, but now I'm just making stuff up, so I'll just say White Florges is.

when i was a little baby child, makuhita was my favorite pokémon, and i thought hariyama was the worst for replacing my belovèd makuhita. i don't know why i was like this, and i think hariyama is a fun pick these days, but thinking about it always reminds me of that

The general notion seems to be more people like Makuhita better anyway, so I don't blame you (my sympathies to Kid You, of course), but as the biggest Hariyama fan I personally know-- and for the record, I like Makuhita as well-- it sometimes gets lonely having him as my #1 Pokemon. Glad that experience didn't make you bear a grudge, though!

Also, both Vulpix being your faves kind of reminded me I'd like to use that and/or Ninetales more. I vaguely recall using Alolan Ninetales in Pokemon Sun... but I think it was too frail most of the time. Might be easier in Scarlet to have either kind do some cool stuff, though!

[Regional Bird]

I can't remember the last time, if ever, I did one of those grids, let alone one so involved! I was gonna post a pic, too, but I basically typed it all out, haha.

Darmanitan is a really close second for my favorite Fire-type, honestly. I tend to flip between it and Oricorio, but for raw power, Darmanitan can't be beat! Crobat is another one I had fun with, and on the same team as Darmanitan in White 2, I think.

Magnezone is definitely cool, but I can't remember if I used one in Gen V or Legends: Arceus... Probably both! I have yet to use one in Scarlet, but I like how wild ones roam outside the Great Crater of Paldea.

Overall, pretty cool taste you've got! But uh, did you mean Seismitoad? That's what you have on the grid, at any rate. Always wanted to try raising one at least once, myself...

Oh, and to briefly address some categories on your grid (because why not) [spoiler'd for space]:

[spoiler]Regional Bird: Probably Hoothoot, because I like owls, and Noctowl is cool, too. Unless Spearow counts?

Regional Mammal: Zigzagoon. From its cute/wacky design to its cry and even its silly name, I can't help but love it! Though if we're talking evolved forms, then I'd say Diggersby is my fave.

Regional Bug: I have a soft spot for Weedle (it's fun to draw), but Wurmple is the more interesting of the two. Fully evolved, uh, maybe Kricketune?

Eeveelution: This one's kind of tough, honestly. I'm usually indifferent to Eeveelutions, but if it was from a spectrum of Design to Function, Flareon's my favorite design, Espeon's the best for what I need it to do, and Jolteon's the happy medium. Vaporeon WAS my favorite up until Gen 3, I think, but I haven't used one seriously for some time now...[/spoiler]

I'd say more, but whoops, this is already turning into another text wall!

[Normal: Stoutland]

Been a while(?) since we had this topic, but it's a go-to topic for a reason, eh? Curious to see what others' tastes are, and if possible, talk about why you like each one! I mean, if you want to.

I'll start by saying, some of my favorites fluctuate for varying reasons, while others will stay the same no matter what. That said:

Normal: Stoutland
I went into Pokemon White relatively blind, and I don't regret it. I had all but boxed my Herdier after a bit, because I didn't realize it evolved into BEST DOG until I saw an Ace Trainer use one in... was it that bell tower? Then I apologized profusely to him and told him he was the Goodest Boy.

Fire: Oricorio
I was waiting a long time for a Fire/Flying that wasn't Moltres or Ho-Oh, and honestly, its gimmick was pretty fun in Gen 7. Surprised I haven't trained one proper in Scarlet yet.

Water: Phione
There are a lot of contenders for "Favorite Pokemon of my Favorite Type", but my go-to is this one because it's cute, and it's easier than going "uh, um, I like too many of them".

Grass: Weepinbell
Not gonna lie, I think it was the old episode "The School of Hard Knocks" where Joe's Weepinbell used Razor Leaf, spinning around and everything, that convinced me it was cool. I don't dislike Victreebel, but I'm pretty indifferent to Bellsprout at this point. Weepinbell's the happy medium, I think. In terms of equal parts cute and cool, Cacnea's a close second.

Electric: Iron Hands
I probably shouldn't like it, but I do. I got the event one as soon as I could. I also lucked out with a holographic Iron Hands card, which I think warmed me up to it even more. I mean, it's robot Hariyama! Plus, its typing is cool.

Ice: Snorunt
Another "cute pick". Between its lore and the sad fate of either evolution, I'd rather keep my adorable visitor ALIVE, thank you very much!

Fighting: Hariyama
Before Gen 3, my fave was Hitmonchan, but since then, well, the rest is history. I can't put into words why I like Hariyama. I'm not exactly a sumo enthusiast (per se, maybe some day that'll change?) so it really just boils down to its design for me.

Poison: Trubbish
I remember cracking up the first time I saw one in-game because a Janitor tossed one out. I KNEW I had to get one after that... Kinda sad it evolved into Garbodor...

Ground: Sandslash
It and Sandshrew were my faves since Gen 1. Currently have a sort of Sandstorm team on Scarlet, and Sand Rush is too cool to NOT make use of (also another reason why Stoutland is cool, haha), so I had a newfound rekindling of it being my favorite. Sandslash in particular has that nice balance between cute and cool. Mostly cool, though.

Flying: Gligar
Such a cool design, though I do miss when it was more purple. I'm... not a big fan of Gliscor's design, nor do I appreciate the Toxic Orb shenanigans. Good thing I can slap Eviolite on Gligar and call it... okay? Been meaning to try it out at some point, but haven't properly since Gen V...

Psychic: Hypno
This is one of those "I dunno, I just like it" picks. Some cool Psychic-types since, don't get me wrong, but I think the shiny Drowzee I raised into a Hypno wayyy back in Pokemon Silver helped push me into liking it more. I usually don't care about optimal stats or whatever, but power creep has not been kind to this 'mon, to the point where I feel it even in-game... I hope it gets a bone tossed its way at some point!

Bug: Durant
For YEARS people were saying "Trapinch is kind of an ant?" and I was like, "No, that's an antLION. WHERE ARE THE ANT POKEMON???" Pokemon White did NOT disappoint. I had fun using the one I had in Triple Battles. I don't think most people anticipated Aerial Ace with a Flying Gem boost. It came in more handy than you'd think!

Rock: Kleavor
I should probably state that, in real life, I fear bugs more than I ought to-- some more than others. If I met this thing in person, I'd probably scream. However, it's an AXE BUG with AXE ARMS and (in my humble opinion) SO MUCH COOLER THAN SCIZOR. I hope future generations are kinder to it.

Ghost: Lampent
Cute and cool. Mostly cute. Its Pokedex entries make me a little sad, though. Nothing against Chandelure, I just don't like it as much. Ghost/Fire is a cool typing, besides.

Dragon: Drampa
Most Dragon-types have a history of being taken too seriously, beasts in competitive, etc., but I don't care about any of that. If it tells you anything, my favorite Dragon was Shelgon for the longest time, because I just don't care for Dragons as a type. Drampa doesn't make it any less my least-favorite type, but it's at least one I like in terms of design, and 135 Sp.ATK is still pretty impressive, even if its other stats aren't. But then, it's so old, it earned a Normal typing by being so frail. That's the only way I can explain it, lol

Dark: Krookodile
This one was fun to use in Gen 7. Makes me wonder why I never used one sooner. Or since. I guess not many of my favorites are Dark-types...

Steel: Skarmory
Dear GAME FREAK, please let me own a Steven Stone Skarmory before I die. Thanks.

Fairy: Florges
Specifically the blue-color one. I like all three of its line, but if we don't count Pokemon which were retconned to be Fairy (in which case I'd say either Jigglypuff or Togekiss), then this one is kind of neat, if a bit less cute than Floette. I liked using Wish in Rotation Battles when I could pull it off.

Okay, text wall over. Thanks for reading me gushing about (some of) my favorite Pokermints. I'm going to rest now. Please discuss your favorites too.

^To be fair, yeah, I have more shinies on Scarlet than I was ever lucky enough to find in previous games--not that I'm complaining! Before that, I typically didn't get more than one per game, maybe two if I played it enough. Not to defend its relative ease, but most shinies I found were down to pure happenstance rather than seeking them consciously. I think the first one I caught was a shiny Psyduck, which more than made up for the only shiny* I ever failed to catch-- a shiny Psyduck in the Great Marsh of Pokemon Pearl.

If I had to gripe about shiny colors, I never evolved my Pansear, because Simisear's shiny is underwhelming in comparison, and at that point I didn't want to find that out the hard way... I'm also not a big fan of shiny Hariyama, but if I had a spare shiny Makuhita, I might consider raising one. I almost wish there were more than one shiny color, but that would lead to "Oh, I found a shiny Pokemon, but not the one I wanted". Not sure what Game Freak could do to spice up shinies more at this point, though. Custom colors are a pipe dream, haha.

*Unless you count a Misdreavus that ran away faster than I could throw a Pokeball at in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but that was my fault for being ill-equipped, maybe?

I've considered going back into Let's Go to do some shiny hunts fairly recently before too, but then I learned how the shiny chaining mechanic in that game ACTUALLY works and I just can't be bothered anymore lol

Never played the Let's Go games. Dare I ask how bad that mechanic is?