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#1

Manga / Re: Best part of the Pokemon A...

Last post by wilbie - November 12, 2025, 07:56

(spoilers for 'yellow' arc)

if you'll allow me to get a little sidetracked with context, i spent a lot of the time collecting and reading the first 14(?) volumes when i was really into pokemon special/adventures, and trying to immerse myself after a long time into the ruby and sapphire arcs felt a little alien because the characterisation was so unfamiliar to what my expectations were, i guess, and i never finished it, and i regret it a little. but i have so much to talk about regarding the stuff that preceded it; i really really enjoyed seeing how every character fit into the puzzle and had a role, i love mato's illustration work so much, and it's compounded my enjoyment for pokemon as a franchise many times over!

I think the part where Red, Blue and Green infiltrated Team Rockets base in Saffron city was pretty freakin cool

the 'taking down team rocket' story was seriously awesome!!! in particular i loved the simultaneous rocket elite battles in the hq that had you wondering what was going to become of each of the three characters, it's so exciting to have the interwoven threads of each character's story occur in the same area >.<

i can get so easily excited about all of the arcs, especially the red/blue storyline, but i have an especially soft spot for yellow! yellow of the viridian forest. her character and the way she treats people and pokemon alike must have left an imprint on young me, because she's always been my favourite, i think.
perhaps i tend to enjoy the healer/support archetype more than the straightforward classes of the battler, trainer, etc... but there's really something special about the way she has such a way of battling that's endlessly exciting - her pokemon aren't powerful, nor are they highly leveled, but the dynamic between her and her pokemon is so so cool, she's able to triumph against the odds (especially in the lance battle, or the lorelei encounter!) by intimately knowing the ability of all of her seemingly basic pokemon to do so much, and there's something immensely satisfying about that to me, as if she can take on anything. it's a character that i kind of wish i could embody for sure! (not to mention the immense gender envy she gives me, but i digress..)
my favourite scene would have to be the pikachu and caterpie scene..... that may be the cutest thing i have ever read

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

#2

Random Randomness / Re: The Internet, and Why We'r...

Last post by DrampardonMe - November 09, 2025, 14:11

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!

#3

Music / Re: Songs you associate with g...

Last post by wilbie - November 09, 2025, 06:24

things like this really make me wonder why the word 'horny' has sexual connotations/origins, it seems like a pretty funny literary blip that, if there were infinite universes out there, not a large percentage would probably have this word! so who's to blame child you

Plantasia by Mort Garson (and the rest of the album too!) really reminds me of some of the earlier generation pokemon games; i discovered this when i was really into playing some older ones again and it really did feel like i'd unearthed a collection of tunes that took me back, as if i had the chance to hear some of my favourite themes from diamond/pearl for the first time again.
The music was created in 1976, far preceding the pokemon series, but had very little reach, and was only reissued in 2019 where it became popular online! so it's really interesting that it seems coincidental that both ichinose and sato of game freak and garson presumably managed to capture such a similar magic on their own, it's really cool to me and hearing one definitely makes me think of the other now!

#4

Music / Re: Which songs are you curren...

Last post by wilbie - November 09, 2025, 06:12

I'm not sure I get the actual meaning of the song, but in recent years, it's struck me as one they'd pick to play at the end of a movie as the protagonist squints over the horizon, says some "deep" one-liner amounting to "Job Well Done", and then he and his pals ride into the sunset, roll credits, etc.

it's funny you mention this scenario since this tears for fears song was my high school graduation song for the music class i did. our class got a choice between a few songs and i don't dislike it or anything but for a class with such an eclectic music taste it definitely seemed a little uncharacteristic haha. 'all my friends' by LCD Soundsystem was one of the selection and it would have been so much cooler! and i regret not pushing for it but i think it's a little late to be reminiscing over pretty out-of-date events.............

pertaining to the topic question, i'm usually listening to new stuff, it's kinda fun to expand my music palette! right now, university exams are certainly eating me up and my music interests are representative of that; therefore my go to would be more ambient or low energy music so i can study, but whether it actually helps or not is disputed... regardless, though, i'm really enjoying myself with them:

replica - oneohtrix point never (amazingly immersive soundscapes!!)
norberg - tim hecker (calming blankets of noise)
structures from silence - steve roach (sleepy space ambient)
promises - floating points, pharaoh sanders and the london symphony orchestra (dreamy minimalism)

#5

Your Art / Re: jirachi fan art

Last post by wilbie - November 06, 2025, 03:46

ah you're totally right with the glow, that would have been just what it needed, i think. thank you!
the eye being open is something i genuinely never see depicted in fanart even though its so evocative! i forgot it had one too, i was actually gonna draw it anyway but when i was searching for references, i was looking at the fold of skin and realised it would be really cool; maybe i could have done something cooler with it had i planned for it earlier. there are a bunch of weird quirks with some pokemon that are very little known! the weezing fact i didnt know and that is pretty freaky to me hahaha

#6

Random Randomness / Re: The Internet, and Why We'r...

Last post by wilbie - November 06, 2025, 03:40

i know very well what internet fatigue is like; in the age of the internet where most people have adopted a small few outlets of information, entertainment and fulfilment, it's no surprise that many people are disenchanted by the magic of the post-independent digital era - there are dopamine traps to avoid everywhere, and the culture that has been created is definitely emblematic of that. 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.

but, still, i really really like what thunders said here, it's very astute..... and true too! the residual sense of community, the way you can express who you are freely and find others that do the same, it's all here and i'll be a part of it for as long as i can see into the future (which, granted, isn't that far...) and it's totally true that there's a lot more to discover and connect with people over, and it's really cute to be in it. i'm here because i stumbled upon the name rater too and i thought it was funny

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. allowing algorithms and bad habits run free for you (especially as someone with adhd) is hard to recognise sometimes, but i'd be hard-pressed to ever find places like this uninteresting!! i hope to see some of your replies on this :>

#7

Your Art / Re: jirachi fan art

Last post by DrampardonMe - November 05, 2025, 20:32

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)

#8

Your Art / Re: Elite Four Shauntal for Sp...

Last post by DrampardonMe - November 05, 2025, 20:16

^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.

#9

Your Art / jirachi fan art

Last post by wilbie - November 05, 2025, 07:14

hello! earlier this year, when i was thinking of something to create for my monthly artwork challenge i have going on this year, i had the perfect pokemon to fit a design i had in mind, and i think it turned out pretty nicely; jirachi is one of my favourite pokemon, and i seldom stumble across depictions of it with its eye open, so i thought that would be really nice :)

the image is designed to emphasize the eye, but i made an alt with prettier colours too! i hope you guys like it, however many of you may see it!

#10

Your Art / Re: Elite Four Shauntal for Sp...

Last post by wilbie - November 05, 2025, 06:41

i really like this!! super cute hands are impossible so i dont blame you haha