How I Learned To Love Pokemon Again

Hey Gang!

One of my best friends, Emily has decided to grace us with her thoughts of Pokemon Go. Make sure to read all the way to the end to find out more about her, her novels and where you can stalk *ahem* visit her social media.
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 That is right people. I have gotten the Pokemon Go App. I haven't battled anyone yet, but I'm working on getting a Gloom, Ponyta and a Vulpix. (Some of my favorites.) So yes, the hardcore Digimon fan has gone over to the "Dark Side" and she is loving it. Don't think this means I now favor Pokemon. In fact, one of my hopes for the future is that the people behind Digimon will be inspired to create their own app similar to PokemonGo so I can play with my favorite monster fandom. I also still stand by my belief that Meowth not knowing how to use Payday because he learned English is stupid.

  How did a hardcore Digimon fan like myself end up with Pokemon Go? How am I re-learning to love Pokemon? In order to tell this story, we need to go back to my childhood. Late 90's and early 00's. When overalls were acceptable fashion, the internet was dial up and T.V. only had 99 channels. During this time I was a casual Pokemon Fan. I didn't play he card game and only attempted the video games a few times.
 My source for Pokemon was the anime, which I could only watch at my Grandparent's house, because they had WB and my parents did not. I do remember having a few Pokemon Toys, but I definitely wasn't a hardcore fan. Then out of nowhere, Digimon appeared before me. This show came just when I needed it, and spoke to me in a way Pokemon wasn't able to. It was one of my early fandoms and I still love it to this day. It also helped that I could watch Digimon wherever I went.
 So like every fangirl, I tried to share my love for it with others. This didn't end well. Most kids snubbed Digimon for being a rip off of Pokemon, and at the time, my shy self wasn't skilled at debating. I had a lot of labels put on me that marked me as the weird kid and being a Digimon fan was one of them. Even as I grew older and didn't see the people of my childhood anymore, I found myself starting to hate Pokemon. It wasn't something I did on purpose. I just started to associate Pokemon with a bad part of my childhood, subconsciously, I suppose. Something that just brought me sadness and pain. While Digimon gave me hope that I would find friends that loved the same things I did.
 I didn't realize I was carrying all these feelings with me or even that was my true reason for disliking Pokemon. I just thought i was a classic fan war. You had to pick a side, there was no licking both. though part of that mindset might come from the sport side of my family, who will always cheer for the U.K. WildCats no matter what happens. So with all this baggage I was unknowingly carrying with me, why did I ever consider getting Pokemon Go?

The answer is obvious to both a Digimon and Pokemon fan: Friendship.

 If you recall from the Pokemon Vs. Digimon Debates between Spokhette and Myself. You will know that we are very close friends. She loves Pokemon as much as I love Digimon. Due to all the stuff going on in my life, I have to move back down south, and away from my friend. Meaning we weren't going to see that much of each other. I could tell she was very sad about this, and I wanted to do something for her to make it easier. During this conversation she had mention that she had watched Digimon.

 I was shocked, because it wasn't something I had asked her to do, and while it's not going to be her new favorite T.V. Show, she did seem to like it. So I thought, why not get Pokemon go, that way when we do see each other, we'd have something to connect with. Now, I know what you're thinking. Emily, you can't battle with other trainers unless they own a gym. Well, see I didn't know that because I wasn't really part of the Pokemon fandom.
 I'm glad I didn't know that though, there is a chance I would have had second thoughts about joining. As I have been running around trying to find Pokemon that are awesome to show to Spokhette, I have started to remember what Pokemon was really like for me as a child. It wasn't something negative or mean spirited. It was something that was fun and joyful to be part of. It also forced me to look inward to unpack the baggage I was still carrying with me. I had wanted to believe that I had put that behind me, but it just wasn't true. Knowing that has just empowered me to unload the last bags so I can finally be free.
  So with each new Pokemon I capture, I guess I'm really re-capturing the joy I had as a child. We all have to grow up, but there are things from our childhood, that we never truly outgrow. Joy should definitely be one of those things. You can't feel that if you're carrying negative things from the past. So don't be surprised if you see me post about my Pokemon adventure, because it is one I definitely need to take.


About The Author: Emily Kirby is a novelist, Creator of the Codex Series, runs her own Youtube Channel and Blog.You can find her on Instagram and Twitter.

How has Pokemon Go effected you? Are you enjoying it? Lets talk about our catches on Twitter!

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 Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy, ~Spokhette!~