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Retcons, like 'em or lump 'em

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DrampardonMe:
Everything from the trivial to the taxing, let's talk about 'em!

Here's the one on my mind at the moment: Kris and Lyra are treated as separate characters because Kris fans will RIOT if they aren't*. Meanwhile, everyone's just cool with Gold being retconed into "Ethan", and... Silver is still Silver.

*To be fair, they ARE drastically different designs, but I thought that was the point, since there was no girl in the original Gold and Silver. To me, that just makes Gold's name being retconned all the stranger.

I realize this is a relatively minor one, but dang if it doesn't bother me something fierce. I guess it all comes down to merchandising at the end of the day, since for ANY game (not just Pokemon), it's easier to have an "official" name for a character-- even a blank-slate self-insert-- than something more generic. (Apologies in advance to anyone actually named Ethan)

Oh, and for something more lore-related: didn't X and Y play up Mega Evolutions as something which required the Trainer and Pokemon to have a strong bond for it to work, only for every game afterward to retcon it all as putting a strain on the Pokemon? I guess there's no reason it can't be both, but it feels like they backpedaled a bit and, well, demonized it a bit more. Unless they were emphasizing it in a "DBZ Powerup" sort of way? But then, that whole thing with the ancient war and such... I guess I'll reserve my full judgement for when Z-A comes out.

Anyway, which retcons actually work/make sense, and which ones don't work as well, or are just plain silly? I'd like to hear your thoughts!

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