Pokemon VS Reality

[Eevee Lover]

Well, unfortunately, a lot of people misjudge you for liking Pokemon, especially at older ages. I have this problem to the max, being 16, female, and attending an all-girls school. Plus, the students are AMERICANS!!! So, one day, I decided to wear my Eevee hoodie as part of an outfit (I had done a dye-job on it, made it purple with pink bands, and a pink area around the Eevee). Well, somebody recognized it as a Pokemon, and all of a sudden, hardly anybody wants to associate with me. (This was sophomore year, and somehow is still a problem!) But, it was a double-edged sword. Now I know who my friends are, and who will be taken in my stupid rumours, who I wouldn't want to associate myself with anyways. Still, it hurts, being gossiped about, and not being able to make many new friends. I'm glad to be able to vent, but I hate taking self-pity all to myself. So, I want to hear your problems, or what Pokemon has done to actually help your life.

Of course, it does help sometimes to be as obsessed with Pokemon as I am, (I import every game, posters everywhere, every game/guidebook along with it, can tell a Pokemon by it's image, or even itscry. Plus cards and so much more.) as a couple of my friends enjoy it too, not as much, but still I have them as friends mainly because of fate that they'd know about my Poke-fever. [sub]And it helped me get my boyfriend, w00t![/sub]

 

[Valin]

Well, unfortunately, a lot of people misjudge you for liking Pokemon, especially at older ages. I have this problem to the max, being 16, female, and attending an all-girls school. Plus, the students are AMERICANS!!!

Misjudged at such a young age like that? I'd hate to find out what would happen if people found out I still enjoy Pokemon (Age 23, male), albeit not as much as I used to. Still, I have trouble associating with people. Period.

One of my friends used to enjoy Pokemon, but now hates it with every fiber of his being, mostly because it has been around for a long time (don't ask me the logic behind that). He knows that I still like it, but doesn't give me a hard time because of it. I just make sure we don't discuss the topic.

I have another friend that still likes it also, partially due to the nostalgia factor (we've been into Pokemon since the Red/Blue days). We occasionally have battles on Diamond/Pearl (having a real-life Pokemon rival is pretty fun, actually. I usually the one on the losing end, though...). Plus, he's currently attending school in Japan, where I imagine you'd be a bit more popular for liking it.

In high school (back when it was still the big fad going on), I once did a research paper on Pokemon and its creator, Satoshi Tajiri, about how a total misfit became the one to start one of the biggest franchises of all time. The paper got a pretty good mark (A or B. It was a while ago...).

Still, nothing is wrong with enjoying Pokemon. Personal interests are what make people unique. I know it's kinda cliched, but it is still the truth. If people won't accept you for what you like, don't worry about them. I'd rather have a few friends I can feel comfortable around than several, whom I'd feel tense around.

 

[Hoenn Master]

Ouch... and unfortunately I have come to school with "The Baddie Wave."

I have a secret... I'm a Pokemon Trainer. Yes, that was me trying to be funny at 7 a.m. People stereo-type people on nearly everything. I hide the fact that I like it to most people, but I do have 4 or so friends that are into it. And my crush likes it too. :-[ Kinda... not what I'd expect.

Of course if anyone teases me about my Pokemon-likingness, I just ignore them. Of course it hurts me, but that's why I'm thinking o soundproofing my walls. ;D

However Pokemon has actually improved my life in various areas. It has made me 4 friends. Like I said, my crush likes it.... It has opened the doors to the part of my mind I like to call 'Creativity.' I learned how to be strategical. It's helped me with my math skills. I can't think of anything else, but yeah. You get it.

AL has... *yawn* been awoken to early.

 

[RLRL]

To be honest, it doesn't bother me if other people have a problem with me liking pokémon. I used to get teased for still playing the games about 5 years ago because I went to an all boys school, so of course everyone around me was trying to act as macho as possible. I could have "renounced my faith" regarding pokémon but to be honest I couldn't have cared less about what anyone else around me had to sa, I enjoyed the games and that was all that mattered to me.

I still get people who say stuff along the lines of "you're 18, you shouldn't be playing pokémon" but my only response to that is "why not?". Practically all my friends know that I play the pokémon games, most of them know that when I was in japan last october I bought a DS lite and a copy of Diamond, nowadays noone really cares because they're mature enough to appreciate that other people like other things. I have a couple of posters in my room for pokémon and even one for the digimon movie, but I don't go over the top just because I don't like the idea of covering my walls in pokémon posters.
But then again, I rarely find any pokémon merch that actually interests me in buying, especially seeing as a large chunk of my money tends to be spent on another "childish" obsession of mine, Transformers. See it this way, the older crowd of pokémon fans, that have been around since the days of Red and Blue are equivalent to the kids that began collecting Transformers in the 80s and still do today. Just check out the forums on theallspark.com and you'll see that theres collectors there that are way into their 40s, their real lives haven't been ruined by liking transformers in the same way that pokémon won't ruin any of our lives. Pokémon is a relatively young fad, but any true fan of anything will have to deal with criticisim from someone at some point.

 

[Rayn_Shyu]

Well...I guess I don't have as bad of a problem as you guys but...yeah.
It's kinda embarrassing to go to you're parent and say: "I want a Pokemon Game for ________." I have no driver's license yet (not even in driver's ed...>.>; ) so I can't go to Walmart and get it myself. And then at Walmart you have to tell the guy at the desk thing what game you want and they kinda stare at you then get it (I r shy like that...). Oh, I also had the worst time getting Pearl with my mom. 1, I had to go to Piano lessons. 2, I had to finish my homework. 3, when we got there, we couldn't find it and had to talk to the guy at the desk. 4, when I finally got my hands on it, my mom decided to get pants and junk while we were there.
But I think its the most annoying when people look at my doodles and ask "R those Pokeymans?" (not really like that...but yeah). I don't want to say anything, so I just kinda grumble and move a little. I don't know what people would say if I announced that I did, some kids in band are like "Lolz ______ collected Pokeyman cards when he was little!" so...that's probably not too soon.
The weirdest part is though when you find someone else who likes it, and you didn't know before. You can have some pretty weird conversations with them.

 

[Orangen]

Pokémon used to be a problem for me in middle school, but now in high school it's come as a blessing. Most of my friends like Pokémon, and as I'm in Anime Club, I have a place where I can talk about it without getting made fun of.

Also when I went to go pick up my Pearl Version at my local Walmart, I was wearing my Anime Club shirt as well, and the lady at the counter actually asked me questions about the club instead of making fun of Pearl.

 

[Prof. Cinders]

I'm in the very nice position that is, "Pokemon has made my life worth living". Odd, huh? It's an obsession of sorts, it's made me stand out at school as one of the "mad" people (this is a good thing in my books ^^), and it's got me so many friends online. Some of which I have met. One of which I love very much. ^^

I've never really had any problems with pokemon at school. Some of my friends like it, most of them don't, but we're all weird in a way (one of my best friends is a trekkie >>"), so we get along and manage to stand each other when we fangirl over something.

Pokemon's also introduced me to the wider world of anime and manga, so I learnt how to draw properly instead of my fugly stuff from before.

Oh. And I has authority on forums. Always a good thing. >=)

 

[Dreampirate]

It's no secret to anyone I know that I like Pokemon. I'm a kinda pokemaniac since I: Can name all the pokemon, recognise by cry, know all the moves and to an extent which pokemon can learn them by level up, etc. It's actually a curse, since I always make a habit of knowing everything about the game I'm playing; people treate me like a walking Gamewiki. :

Being recognised as a pokefan is the least of my problems, seeing as everyone knows that I'm slightly eccentric. (breaking into dance in the middle of the schoolyard is pretty normal for me, and I have a bad habit of making actions to stuff I'm enthusiastic about...)

I've been a fan since the r/b/y days so all that 'still into pokemon?' crap has no effect on me, I also try to convince people to buy the games. Downside is, of course; I don't have many people to trade or battle with, which gave me even more of a reason to buy a DS and Pokemon D/P. (Wi-fi)

15 year old eccentric, A* student; pokemon fanatic (to an extent), anime/manga/doujin, movie lovers are much more common these days. (In my eyes anyway) LFGirl with same interests, 500gold.

God I love being alive in this day and age.

Konata, always related.

 

[Gardevoir Master]

I remember in high school, I think, back in the RBY era, some of the other students caught me making Pokemon graphics for my computer graphics class. One turned to the other and made a joke that I think went...

*Pokes him*
"Pokemon..."
*Pokes(?) him again*
"Pikachu..."
*Points to his crotch*
"PokeBalls!"

... Or something like that. But I don't think I was directly mocked for it. In fact, last semester in College, one of my classmates found me waiting in the room while I played Pokemon Diamond. When I told him what game I was playing, he said, "Dude, Pokemon is fun!" Didn't say anything else on the subject, though.

I don't think I was ever scarred by something Pokemon related. In fact, I think I was more affected in Middle School by overhearing some kid say, "Watching Sailor Moon means you're gay," although that particular event probably wasn't the only reason why I went to great lengths to watch it without being caught. All I know is, I would tape the show in the afternoon so I could watch it in the morning before anyone else got up. I guess I was crazier back then, because I doubt there's a show I would do that for today, much less Sailor Moon. Although, I do seem to have developed a slight aversion to copious fanservice for some reason...

 

[Satoren]

Have I ever been mocked for being a POkefan? I don't know, I've never noticed. But here, even the most childish anime has a college or High school fanbase so I don't feel all that alienated. Pokemon is a fun game, although when my friends catch me playing it on the computer, they suggest we just play something else, not that it isn't fun, it's just that we much prefer a game everyone can enjoy.

Well, I was never made fun of being a POkefan in High School, because, well, I wasn't, for a while, I forgot about Pokemon, and its only having met another Pokemaniac in college (a senior no less) did my need to catch the critters arise again.

Of course I'm better now than back in grade school, comparing reality to places and faces in Pokemon, bringing tiny POkemon to school and throwing them at people (), crying at the sight of my precious shiny magikarp card being torn to pieces, when I look back at those times, I'll admit at some point I bow my head in shame...oh wait, what am I getting at?....

POkemon is nothing to be mocked about, at least for me and my dormmates...

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

POKEYMANS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS ROFLCOPTERS!!!111!1(one)!111!(eleven)!!1

(ahem) Seriously now.

I may not exactly be much of an example for how PokéMon interacts with reality, since I was never really too involved with reality and most of my social life is online-based (lol, internets). But as far as I know, I never took any flak for liking PokéMon - and if I did, I never really noticed it.

I really don't give a flying desu what people might think about me liking PokéMon, or Digimon, or several other anime series which some people might consider 'childish' - especially when the same people were ALL OVER IT when it was the trendy thing to be all over. If I like something, I like it for something about it - not because it's the 'in' thing to like. (Fact is, I became a fan of PokéMon while - and maybe even after - the fad was dying around here).

Frelling hypocrites. xD

 

[Meangreen]

Heh, I remember back to the days when I was worried about school-kid guided flak and all that. But that's long gone now... :'(

At one stage I had my whole flat playing. It's actually quite noticeable the amount of people who appreciate it as an addictive tactical game. Either that or they have a pokemon t-shirt or something for the reminiscent lolz value.

 

[King of Rhinos]

ive never really had any problems with people finding out i like pokemon...or any other anime...or starwars...well, except that one time...

we were on a field trip and three of my friends, two of whom i didnt know even liked pokemon, had brought theyre ds and diamond version. i had brought my ds, but no games because i was going to play mario kart with my friend. then later on while we were in the bus, this girl came up to us and asked what we were playing, so my friend told her. then he said that all four of us played it, which annoyed me to an extent, seeing as she blabs out every rumor she hears, to EVERYONE.

but nobody really remembers that anymore...

on the positive side, i made a friend for my liking of anime, albeit the least popular girl in her grade, and the fact that she punches me often...

 

[Linkachu]

Man, I wonder how many times I've posted this story on these very forums o.o

And now, in my long-winded fashion of story telling... XD

The Past: I often forget these days that I ever had a rough time in Jr. High. I'd started at a new school and didn't know anyone, so naturally I was made a target early on. I ended up falling into a strange crowd of people sooner than later, tho. None of us were really seen as "cool", but we weren't the bottom of the barrel either. To be honest, most of my friends got around with other groups as well, so we were a fairly non-judgmental bunch.

And yet, I was probably bullied by 70-75% of my entire grade. Not class, but grade. The reason why was simple really: I wasn't afraid to be myself. I was ahead of my time with the current wave of the Anime Craze in NA, and one of the first people to admit to liking/watching/collecting it. That alone made me a 'freak' by typical teenaged standards (especially at a school with a total population of 500 students spread between grades 7-12). I also had a very aloof personality that made it hard for people to read me, and traits like that tend to irritate some people. So yeah... once '98 rolled around and I became obsessed with Pokemon, which was soon dubbed a "kiddy" series after the Anime debuted, it was just another thing for people to mock me over. I swear, I'd have people in grades above AND below me making side comments in the hallways about me being a "Pokemon freak" or just a freak/nerd/moron in general. It was fairly pathetic of them xp

But that was just the reality of it. I still wore Pokemon T-shirts to school, or my Charizard dog tags and/or Rattata necklace. After the Rattata necklace finally fell apart, I just wore a Porygon necklace instead. I'd play my Gameboy with Pokemon Red (and later on the GBC with Silver) at school in the cafeteria during lunch breaks, and doodle random Pokemon during class. I also had a cut-out picture of Red, Blue, and Green standing by Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur taped up in my highschool locker for my entire Jr./Sr. highschool career (minus grade 7). Honestly, I probably flaunted the fact that I loved Pokemon too much, like with all the random keychains I totted around on my backpacks and purses (sometimes the hooks of my jeans), but I was a teenager obsessed... and I wanted the world to know it XD

By grade 10, people seemed to stop caring. It almost happened overnight. The amount of bullying I'd been receiving dwindled down to a handful a people. Then two people. Then no one. I might've gotten the random comment about how "Pokemon sucks", "Pokemon's for babies!" but it just made me laugh. If someone asked "Do you like those Pokeyman things?", I'd respond "Yeah, I love those Pokeymanz!" It just didn't matter anymore. Like so many have said already... who cared if my fandom seemed lame to others? What did it all really matter in the end if I loved Pokemon, something small children can love as well? We're all gonna die someday anyways. Things like our hobbies or how we find entertainment means little considering. I was happy and loved Pokemon, and that's what mattered to me.

And seriously? Looking back, highschool was frelling awesome in multiple ways

The Present: I may get a random comment from my mother like "How can you still like Pokemon?", but that's about it. Pokemon is just one random hobby out of many that has both hardcore and casual fans, and I've met both in real life. It still surprises me how many people have bought into the D/P craze. I never expected my older sister to buy Diamond. Now, her and her roommate have even bought Battle Revolution! It cracks me up. Plus, I'm tainting the younger generation of my household. Already my six year old sister loves Pokemon, and I'll get to the three year old soon, too... yes I certainly will >=)

When people at work ask me what sorts of things I'm into and I tell them about Pokemon, they'll respond, "Ah! My kids are into that, too", or about how they've heard of it. They don't make silly comments about being "too old" for it. We just chat. Life outside of highschool is fairly tame that way.

 

[Sarah888888]

Lol I'm a high school freshmen and I finally found some sophomore friends who are in to pokemon like I am(one of them wore a t-shirt with the pokrmon logo and pikachu on it)

 

[00wolf]

I'm a high school freshman as well and I openly play and talk about Pokemon in public. If people find it weird that I still like it, then that's their own business and I really don't care what they think. I have many friends in school that find Pokemon fun and enjoyable and many even play it. The only thing bad Pokemon has brought me is an empty wallet.

 

[Carmen Lopez]

I don't make it widely known that I like Pokemon so I haven't taken any crap for it. But now that I'm a freshman in college I may volunteer the information from time to time. (We were playing Pokemon hangman in before class yesterday). Not that I'm ashamed of it but I just don't want to here any BS about it. Plus I guess people wouldn't expect someone like me to be into Pokemon anywho.

I've never really had anyone outside of the internet to have a good Pokemon conversation with. Sure, in high school there were a few who USED to be into Pokemon but aren't now to talk to but they don't count. They're still stuck in the first generation. I have some hope of finding someone in college though. I saw someone playing Diamond or Pearl in the library once.

 

[Goemon2057]

The trick is really,to remember its just a game.Don't go spreading it around to people who don't care.I played the game when it first hyped in the US,and thats when i talked about it all the time,thats when everyone else did.

When high school senior year came,i was on it again,but i only talked to some people every now and then.Cause when it comes down to it its just a game,and seriously noone should be expected to take it seriously when you start hyping up about somthing you did in it.There will be people who tease you for just playing,they're just jerks and should be ignored. If you're getting teased for talking to people a lot about it,then just stop talking to those people about it.

Once you've been around the school for awhile,you should probably get an idea of who likes what.And if you come to the conclusion that noone likes pokemon,just don't talk to anyone about it.Its better to just assume they don't care,than possibly annoy them or get a negative reaction.If you just play every now and then you're bound to see an interested person check what game you're playing,and its quite possible you'll start up a discussion without ever saying a word.

That said,the people in my senior year as i said were amongst the RBY years,so i knew at least 5 or 6 people on hand who at least knew the game to talk.I didn't really have anyone to play with but did have people to talk to.Just remember that theres probably things you don't like,that you don't want people to talk to you about.Don't do the same for other people.Just remember not everyone likes the same thing,and if someone teases you about it just tell them you don't care,or remind THEM "its just a game".Because its a pretty ridiculous thing to be made fun of as is.

...i think i rambled a bit,sorry if i'm a bit off-topic ^^;;

 

[Agent Zero]

Well, unfortunately, a lot of people misjudge you for liking Pokemon, especially at older ages. I have this problem to the max, being 16, female, and attending an all-girls school. Plus, the students are AMERICANS!!! So, one day, I decided to wear my Eevee hoodie as part of an outfit (I had done a dye-job on it, made it purple with pink bands, and a pink area around the Eevee). Well, somebody recognized it as a Pokemon, and all of a sudden, hardly anybody wants to associate with me. (This was sophomore year, and somehow is still a problem!) But, it was a double-edged sword. Now I know who my friends are, and who will be taken in my stupid rumours, who I wouldn't want to associate myself with anyways. Still, it hurts, being gossiped about, and not being able to make many new friends. I'm glad to be able to vent, but I hate taking self-pity all to myself. So, I want to hear your problems, or what Pokemon has done to actually help your life.

Of course, it does help sometimes to be as obsessed with Pokemon as I am, (I import every game, posters everywhere, every game/guidebook along with it, can tell a Pokemon by it's image, or even itscry. Plus cards and so much more.) as a couple of my friends enjoy it too, not as much, but still I have them as friends mainly because of fate that they'd know about my Poke-fever. [sub]And it helped me get my boyfriend, w00t![/sub]

I think a lot of the backlash comes from Pokemon's early popularity.
My generation, for example, was in grade 4/5 when Gen I came out. It was huge, everyone loved it. Everyone played it, kids would stay inside to trade and battle rather then go out and play after lunch. Then, as kids grow up, they tend to disregard what they liked even a year earlier so they can prove to themselves and other that they've "grown up."
They love Pokemon as kids, so then they shun it and anyone who still likes it even a year latter in an opposite reaction to prove they've "matured." ****

Case in point. I was in grade 5 when Gen I hit shelves. Almost everyone played it. Then the next year we were all in grade 6, the beginning of middle school (aka junior high). So there was a lot of talk of "having more responsibility" and "learning to grow up."
So the above phenomena happened. Pokemon got the stigma as a "kiddie" thing, and anyone else who liked it was "lame."
I experienced this first hand. All though honestly a lot of kids in my class turned to jerks once grade 6 began anyway, Pokemon or not.

Once I switched schools starting for grade 7 it became much less of a problem. Mostly because there was a large animae fan element, and Pokemon was just seen as an other aspect of that.
Since then it hasn't been a problem. By high school everyone's into different things, and Pokemon's just one of the many things people are into. Transformers, which I'm also a fan of, is much the same way.
People would occasionally ask me "you're a Pokemon/Transformers fan right?"
I'd say "yeah."
And they would be like "cool."
Basically everyone has their own "thing." And people, for the most part, respected that. At least that's how it was where I went to HS. It's sad to see that the mode of thought that prevailed when I was in grade 6 continues into HS in some places, but I'm not shocked. Some people are just jerks. Just avoid them. You could be into cars and some people will target you for it. So just live and let live.

University is great though. The group of people is so diverse that you could be a fan of anything and get away with it.

****I'm in no way saying Pokemon is "immature" or a "kiddie thing." I'd be dissing myself if I said that. I'm just saying that a lot of kids turn on Pokemon and give it a negative stigma in an attempt to prove to others and themselves that they've matured.

 

[Doctor Oak]

I don't make much mention of my fandom for Pokemon to people I know offline. To be honest, it would involve having to explain it to them - but that's the driving reason behind not doing it, i'm too lazy to do the explaining.

I don't actively make a secret out of the fact I'm a Pokemon fan - but I don't really bring it up.

My geekyness is well known and worn with pride though. Everyone knows I'm a bit of a Net addict and a videogame enthusiast all around - especially when it comes to Nintendo (and I guess it can be assumed by most that this would include Pokemon if they thought about it enough). People come to me when they want to talk about videogames or ask about a game or system and it's quite nice having that.

Of course, when it comes to buying Pokemon games or even merch - I have no problems at all. I'll happily walk up to the guys at GAME and say "the new Pokemon game plzkthx". Hell, when the Manaphy promotion was going on here, I think I was the only person that day over the age of 10 to bother with it in that shop, didn't bother me though.

Also, you'll find now that since the fad well behind us now - and indeed something that can be remembered with nostalgia by now rather than with resentment by people not involved in it (or those who feel bad about the fact they were...), it's becoming a lot easier to acknowledge the games as something anyone can enjoy. Nintendo's image changing into something similar is also helping a huge amount. The fact that the merchandising attack is a lot quieter these days and the anime isn't broadcast on terrestrial TV any longer (anywhere in the English speaking world now that CN has Pokemon both here and America) means that it doesn't seem as forced upon people any more and it can be much more socially accepted.

It's just how these things go - I mean, you have to remember that if you said you played videogames at all over the age of about 11 about 10 years ago you were looked upon with quite some disdain...

 

[Agent Zero]

I don't make much mention of my fandom for Pokemon to people I know offline. To be honest, it would involve having to explain it to them - but that's the driving reason behind not doing it, i'm too lazy to do the explaining.

I don't actively make a secret out of the fact I'm a Pokemon fan - but I don't really bring it up.

My geekyness is well known and worn with pride though. Everyone knows I'm a bit of a Net addict and a videogame enthusiast all around - especially when it comes to Nintendo (and I guess it can be assumed by most that this would include Pokemon if they thought about it enough). People come to me when they want to talk about videogames or ask about a game or system and it's quite nice having that.

Of course, when it comes to buying Pokemon games or even merch - I have no problems at all. I'll happily walk up to the guys at GAME and say "the new Pokemon game plzkthx". Hell, when the Manaphy promotion was going on here, I think I was the only person that day over the age of 10 to bother with it in that shop, didn't bother me though.

Also, you'll find now that since the fad well behind us now - and indeed something that can be remembered with nostalgia by now rather than with resentment by people not involved in it (or those who feel bad about the fact they were...), it's becoming a lot easier to acknowledge the games as something anyone can enjoy. Nintendo's image changing into something similar is also helping a huge amount. The fact that the merchandising attack is a lot quieter these days and the anime isn't broadcast on terrestrial TV any longer (anywhere in the English speaking world now that CN has Pokemon both here and America) means that it doesn't seem as forced upon people any more and it can be much more socially accepted.

It's just how these things go - I mean, you have to remember that if you said you played videogames at all over the age of about 11 about 10 years ago you were looked upon with quite some disdain...

Thank you for saying what I tried to say in less convoluted manner

But yeah, I actually feel more awkward buying the latest WWE game then I do buying a Pokemon game.
Yes, I know it's all fixed, just give me the game already!

 

[SuperSkitty]

I know what you mean Morphing Emotions, I'm 12, a girl and most of my friends are boys- cause they like Pokemon, but girls don't like me cause I like Pokemon AND am popular with boys! I can chat FOREVER about Pokemon and a lot of people tell their friends about me who ask me for help... (I get people I don't know who come to me for help.. )


Another problem is that my mom buys me mostly Poke-shirts........ :


But it's also good to speak out about what you like- be different- be yourself! Cause I'm not afraid to tell people I AM a Poke-maniac, I LOVE all kinds of anime, (i.e. Mew Mew Power/Tokyo Mew Mew, Pichi Pichi Pitch Mermaid Melody, lots!) if they can't accept me for that it's THEIR problem- not mine. ;D

 

[Zaroshi The 13th]

Okay, i know what people are like when it comes to middleschool pokemon stuff. I am at a school where EVERY ONE is a wannabe gangster, meanwhile, (even being a guy going through puberty...) i keep my calm (generally) and purposly act somewhat uncool (in other words, myself) because 1) I dont wanna be involved in a shallow preppy filled world. No offense to any preppies who are somewhat decent, but preps at my school ARE MEAN! (thats basically mutual i assume...) It's especially hard because i am a tactical GENIUS when it comes to pokemon. I actually prefer ghost types (Though i think people figure that out...) and am really annoying to fight. In fact, i am working on a club for people who play the game. My official title is : Will 'o' Wisp "Will", First seat of Pokemon Squad ________ (name requires vote once group officially set up.)

Just keep your'e cool if people are being piss-ants... zaroshi has SPOKEN!

 

[Power Metal Maiden~]

I'm 16 as well, but I guess I'm lucky..because people at my school actually think it's cool that I still like Pokemon at this age, because I've stuck with something besides the music I like and what not. That may be because I've been in school with most of these students since elementary school and they know how crazy I am and they like it (for one reason or another) The people that don't respect it really don't matter to me anyways, so it's all good. You just have to remember that people who are putting you down for something you love or are interested in shouldn't be bothered with, they don't mean anything.

Of course, I have one best friend who doesn't really know much about Pokemon, and I think she gets annoyed when I draw them on my folders and talk to my other friend all the time about them.. But I try to talk about other things around her, I don't have to keep her locked up in childhood with me XD

 

[Ecko]

im 15 (well almost) and my friends and i never talk about pokemon. but we arent afraid to ask each other for tips about pokemon cause most of us actually played every pokemon game ever made and we all have watched and got addicted to the pokemon series at one point in our life. and if any of my friends are reading this (which they probably arent) and have never watched pokemon before..... > > you arent my friend any more.....JK JK

also kids the age of 10 and under dont deserve pokemon cause i bet you they never watched the very very beginning of pokemon

 

[baratron]

also kids the age of 10 dont deserve pokemon cause i bet you they never watched the very very beginning of pokemon

By your logic, I wouldn't deserve Pokemon, because I never watched the very very beginning of it. I was too busy being at university .

[quote author=Doctor Oak link=topic=2828.msg39252#msg39252 date=1196648913]
I don't make much mention of my fandom for Pokemon to people I know offline. To be honest, it would involve having to explain it to them - but that's the driving reason behind not doing it, i'm too lazy to do the explaining.

I don't actively make a secret out of the fact I'm a Pokemon fan - but I don't really bring it up.
...
It's just how these things go - I mean, you have to remember that if you said you played videogames at all over the age of about 11 about 10 years ago you were looked upon with quite some disdain...
[/quote]

Any of the students who come to my house for lessons find out pretty quickly that I like Pokemon, because I have Pokemon wallpaper on my laptop screen and on the screen of the computer in that downstairs room. If I ever bring the laptop to print out syllabuses or exam papers, they see it. Heh.

I do find it quite amusing when my students are all amazed & disbelieving that I still play video games. I had to point out to one of them the other day that I've been playing video games since before he was born, why should I stop just because I'm older? Besides, the technology is so much cooler now.

 

[Mystic_Suicune]

I don't really care if people know I like Pokemon or not. It's something I like. 'Sides, most kids at my high school (I'm a tenth goin' on 11th), are okay withthe 1st season and games. So I'm pretty much in the clear there. My Poke-obsession helped my in 1st through 4th, 'cause Pokemon was "the shit" back then. Nowadays, I only go nutso over the Poke-movies and games. Now I'm a Naru-tard.

 

[LittleMissSunnshine]

Im a ninedies kid, so all my friends who are ninedies kids consider loving pokemon (specially the first season) the awsomeness thing you can love. ;D

so, no problems on this front. :3