Latios
Editor of the Johto Times newsletter
- 49
- Posts
- 20
- Years
- Seen May 25, 2024
I always look back fondly at my years enjoying the Pokémon series, but over the past couple of days I have been feeling extra nostalgic, and feeling a little guilty for allowing myself to forget about forgetting some awesome websites and people I used to speak to from the early to mid 2000's.
I remember visiting so many Pokémon fan sites, almost all of which no longer exist. Does anyone remember how there would be a long list of affiliate links where you would see all the websites that supported each other? Or the awards section of websites where other sites in the community sent them a jpg image saying they were awesome? Or Guestbooks where people would (usually) send heartfelt messages about how much they enjoy visiting their website? The internet used to be so much more wholesome than it turned out to be in the wake of social media. Even my own fan site I managed back then, is no more.
There were two websites in particular that I had won contests on, and still retain those prizes to this day. One was a Pokédex from a website called Pokemonaholic, where I was their 1,000,000th visitor. That Pokédex took months to arrive via boat, and we were both worried it had got lost somewhere. I also won two Pokémon cards from Pokeschool, which included a Dark Venusaur winner stamped promo card, and a holographic fire energy card promo. I even tried to find the people who sent those out just to say thank you for the memories, but I don't think they're even around anymore, or perhaps even care?
That brings me to some of the friends I met all those years ago. Those people may have left Pokémon behind completely, got families, done amazing things in their lives, and that part of their life may have moved on completely. I think the worst part for me is knowing that I can't contact those people anymore, as we never exchanged our real names with one another, settling instead of a fun pokemon related nickname, with accounts and emails long forgotten, or shut down. I guess it hit me recently that nothing is forever, and that we should always try to value the memories and keep the fondest ones closest to our hearts.
I guess that's why this forum is so appealing to me. It has withstood the test of time, and they have modernised to suit the present day. People are still using it, and there's still an active community. I'm sure that many of the users here didn't begin when I did, but for those that have, I wonder if you have felt the same way as me? The only other site I can think of that is still around is Serebii, but i'm sure there has to be more.
I needed to get these feelings out, and this felt the most appropriate place. Please don't feel like you need to respond to this, just some old man clinging on to the past I guess! :P
I remember visiting so many Pokémon fan sites, almost all of which no longer exist. Does anyone remember how there would be a long list of affiliate links where you would see all the websites that supported each other? Or the awards section of websites where other sites in the community sent them a jpg image saying they were awesome? Or Guestbooks where people would (usually) send heartfelt messages about how much they enjoy visiting their website? The internet used to be so much more wholesome than it turned out to be in the wake of social media. Even my own fan site I managed back then, is no more.
There were two websites in particular that I had won contests on, and still retain those prizes to this day. One was a Pokédex from a website called Pokemonaholic, where I was their 1,000,000th visitor. That Pokédex took months to arrive via boat, and we were both worried it had got lost somewhere. I also won two Pokémon cards from Pokeschool, which included a Dark Venusaur winner stamped promo card, and a holographic fire energy card promo. I even tried to find the people who sent those out just to say thank you for the memories, but I don't think they're even around anymore, or perhaps even care?
That brings me to some of the friends I met all those years ago. Those people may have left Pokémon behind completely, got families, done amazing things in their lives, and that part of their life may have moved on completely. I think the worst part for me is knowing that I can't contact those people anymore, as we never exchanged our real names with one another, settling instead of a fun pokemon related nickname, with accounts and emails long forgotten, or shut down. I guess it hit me recently that nothing is forever, and that we should always try to value the memories and keep the fondest ones closest to our hearts.
I guess that's why this forum is so appealing to me. It has withstood the test of time, and they have modernised to suit the present day. People are still using it, and there's still an active community. I'm sure that many of the users here didn't begin when I did, but for those that have, I wonder if you have felt the same way as me? The only other site I can think of that is still around is Serebii, but i'm sure there has to be more.
I needed to get these feelings out, and this felt the most appropriate place. Please don't feel like you need to respond to this, just some old man clinging on to the past I guess! :P
