Pokemon Fandom Crossroads?

Whoo, first entry in a really long time!

The million dollar question for me now is, where do I take my Pokemon fandom from here? If Black/White were any indication, I won't be liking where the Pokemon game franchise goes in the future. Due to the many flaws inherent in those games, it doesn't make for good replayability. I'm not looking forward to R/S remakes either as the region itself has not stood the test of time. Unfortunately it looks like the games, which got me hooked on Pokemon in the first place and have been reliable standbys, are losing their appeal.

I can't return to fan fiction either. Besides making a complete idiot of myself during the last writing competition, I have not had any good ideas of stuff to write. And I'm not particularly looking forward to having to include 5th gen Pokemon even if I had some epic idea to write. I'm even having trouble finding good fan fictions to read (but if anyone knows of a good journey-type fiction that features an entirely female main cast who *don't* have a "female protagonist from B/W" fashion sense, please inform me immediately. Inclusion of classic American sedans and national hotel chains optional but would be appreciated.) Heck, I could make a whole list of things I'd like to see in more fan fictions but don't for one reason or another and turn that into a blog entry on its own.

The anime? I recently tried to watch a recent episode and had to give up after five minutes, as I swear that show's characters have reached a new high level of annoyance. The card game? No, my brother sinks $40 a month into buying Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and I don't want to waste that much money on a bunch of cards.

My fandom now consists mostly of collecting fan art of my beloved Leaf-chan from FR/LG (and trying not to get sick every time I see someone trying to pair her up with that idiot punk who stole her glory in HG/SS... you know who he is). I guess I could revisit my old games like Platinum and Leaf Green, but one can only play through even the best Pokemon games so many times.

So, any ideas on how to rekindle my interest in the franchise, considering the games are headed in a direction that threatens to alienate me and I really don't have mucgh interest in the other main aspects? I feel that most of my time on PC is spent in the non-Pokemon sections, or me complaining about the new games while reminiscing about the older, more enjoyable games.

And holy crap, I sound like an old geezer now :/

May I suggest spin-offs? They weren't mentioned at all in any of that :x Or the manga, omg yeah forget spin-offs read the manga gogogogo

Ah, I know exactly how you feel. I've been feeling realli nostalgic lately about Pokemon, especially now with the fic I'm writing. (Strangely, even though it's based off of Sinnoh, the second-newest region :P)

Aside from Platinum, I also have Fire Red, which was the first Pokemon game I ever owned, and I do like to revisit it sometimes to just play it. (By far, though, I think the best game was Emerald. There's just so much interactivity, so many things to do (whereas in Fire Red, you can visit the Sevii Islands and beat the Elite Four only so many times) and the time clock plus fishing plus Battle Frontier make for one really involving game.) Playing Emerald really helps me get in touch with my old memories of Pokemon.

My annoying blabber aside, I suggest that if you want to revive your Pokemon experience without moving to the B/W generation (and I understand perfectly your reasons for not doing so), then you should play your old games, but play them in a new way. If you don't mind losing one of your game files, then you could start a new game (though you might not want to, and I get that too). You could also try playing a game that you've never played before, possibly getting a cheap used game off of eBay or something. I did that once, and I had fun with it.

Outside of games, I've never been much involved with Pokemon. My only other suggestion, and I know it might not be your favorite, is to write. Just write. In truth, coming up with your own stories and basing them off of your favorite regions, characters, etc. is the most fulfilling experience you could ask for. I sometimes revisit my Platinum game and go to Jubilife City where a part of my story is set, and I think to myself, "So much happened here! Next to my story, this game seems so empty."

I can't forcibly give you ideas, but if you really want to write but are at a loss for ideas, then just start writing about something. Pick a random topic and try to develop it. Eventually, you might tap into something good. An entire fanfiction can arise from a single promising sentence.

I believe that is all. :P

Why don't you buy a japanese version of red or green and play through it for the lulz of discovering terrible sprites?
:3 My boyfriend bought it for me and is gonna send it over. I look forward to learning katakana and exploring the challenges of playing this game in another language :3

You can always take a break from the fandom, you know.. and try something new :3

I think I tried a volume of the manga way back when, and I couldn't get into it. As for spinoffs, I haven't really liked too many of them besides Colo and XD... they don't have the "trainer" factor which is actually what I enjoy most about the franchise (or did, at least).

Well, I do have multiple Leaf Green copies as well as my brother's now-ignored Platinum. I really didn't enjoy Emerald all that much (too much water, too many swimmers in speedos). As for writing, I just don't see that a viable option considering my last attempt at writing... I've lost all credibility as far as fan fiction is concerned (I can't even post said story even after making all those changes because I'm worried I'll be humiliated right off the site). And then there's the whole "Pokemon don't motivate me anymore" thing... not the region, not the Pokemon themselves, nothing. Right now, anything I write would be a forced effort and not something that I would enjoy. And you know when writing is forced, it rarely turns out well.

The original Japanese games, huh? If I had the money to get them and an old Game Boy so I had something I could play them on, then maybe... but I actually have been exploring various other anime shows as of late. I've also played through some other JRPG's that I've already beaten. I have been taking a bit of a break from Pokemon; I just don't want that break to become permanent. Perhaps I need an extended break; then I might later be more motivated to play my old Pokemon games again.

I'm feeling it too Elite, it's not just you. Not mainly because I've become less interested in Pokemon, (I'll admit that I didn't enjoy the newest games but I'm still interested in the R/S remakes) but because I've found new things I find just as interesting. I don't think Pokemon will ever really leave me, and it will never leave you, I just think you'll pay less attention to it.

You've had so much fun with it up until now, and the fun is fading? I guess that happens with everything. You could devote your time to making a fire red hack for your region in Lurking In The Shadows if you were really desperate! I reckon playing through the game of your own region would be fun.