under construction

pokémon is my favorite franchise of all time. it's been in my life since i was a toddler, and it's been with me through some of the biggest changes in my life. through thick and thin, i've found comfort in the pocket monsters that inhabit each playthrough. each one is a friend that, in some ways, knows me better than some of the people i know in person. it's silly. they're just pixels and data, but they really have shaped me in ways that i really can't put into words. however, that won't stop me from trying.

pokémon has always been in my life. something about the franchise just clicked, and it was beyond obvious to my parents, so, even as a toddler, i was often surrounded by a healthy mix of authentic and bootleg pokémon merchandise. i'd watch the pokémon anime nearly every day, and when i got tired of watching the same vhs tapes over and over, i'd try my hand at drawing pokémon. again, my family took notice. my very first game i owned was pokémon yellow: special pikachu edition which i played on the bundled pikachu themed gameboy. it was my dad's christmas gift to me when i was 5 back in 2003, and without a hint of hyperbole, i genuinely believe that day completely changed my life.

ever since then, i've played and loved every single mainline game and fallen in love with some of the spin-off games as well. even at pokémon's "lowest" (the past few games have been fantastic; y'all just care too much about graphics), i have found something to enjoy in every single game. i always fall in love with every new pokémon design, but i'll also fall in love with the lore of the region, the music, the atmosphere, the themes, or the characters. often, it's all of the above. there's always something for me to love in every pokémon game. i love shiny hunting, filling out my dex, and getting to build teams with new mons in every playthrough as i explore the region. and while i explore the region, i've found solace and comfort. every region feels like a new home where i am welcomed with open arms. so, i never really intend to not play pokémon games. as long as we're both around and i can afford to do so, i will play pokémon.

my favorite generation is generation 5. while i enjoy every gen for their own reasons, generation 5 has the strongest hold on my heart. it was the first generation i got on release, and it's also the first generation to truly make me fall in love with the characters beyond just their design. the story, lore, and general characterization feels like some of the best pokémon has to offer. it always fills me when awe when i go back to explore the region; whether it's exploring castelia city, scaling black tower, uncovering secrets in relic castle, or navigating the giant chasm, there's something that always just captures my imagination and brings me back to when i was 12 playing these games for the first time.

to this day, the tao trio remains as some of my favorite legendaries alongside the rest of the dex which holds a special place in my heart, and the decision to only include new pokémon in black and white has shaped how i play every new game. it is a set of games i wish i could experience for the first time again. but while i can't do so, i can at least look back fondly on those memories and make new ones with each replay.

outside of the generation 5 games, my second favorite games are pokémon scarlet and violet. despite its many bugs and lower quality graphics, it is one of the best games in the franchise's history. it has a fantastic dex full of charming designs, multiple amazing story lines that converge in really fun ways, and some of the best characters the series has to offer. while i have enjoyed the characters in the past, gen 5 was really the last time i had any deep interest in the characters. scarlet and violet changed that. for the first time in 10 years, i felt a connection with the characters i hadn't felt in forever, and it was accentuated by the climax of the main game and dlc stories.

pokémon is an intrinsically important franchise to me. it brings me comfort and acts as a major source of inspiration for my art and my interest in the natural world. it drives me to create new art, and it .