#idk maybe i'll feel less salty in a few days but so far

[sage-nebula]

I think the reason why I feel as if M20 is killing my interest in bothering to even remotely keep up with the anime anymore (i.e. ending my already strained relationship of, “I’ll keep up with the spoilers, and if an episode looks interesting enough I’ll actually watch” with it) is because I feel like this is the final confirmation that the anime team really does not, in any way, shape, or form, care about making this a narrative that actually builds upon itself into something greater.

Truth be told, I’ve known that for a long time, in a way. The writing has been on the wall for ages. But for the longest time, it seemed as if they were actually making an effort. Although it lost the narrative feel it absolutely had in the first season, and even to a degree still had in the second, in favor of being an easily marketable commercial, it still tried to build upon its past history and carry a thread of continuity. Aside from character cameos (which continued all the way through the BW series), there were flashbacks, gifts sent from old friends, direct references made, and for OS--->DP direct and traceable character development. (We can explain Ash’s behavior in BW as him goofing off, and I think that works perfectly well as a Watsonian explanation, but I think the Doylist reasoning of “it was a soft reboot of his characterization” still holds true.) Of course there were things that changed with each saga, of course it was just meant to be a commercial, of course promoting the games still came before the narrative, and of course this wasn’t a story they ever planned on having end. Of course all of that is completely true, and I was under no illusions about it.

But they still tried. They made attempts to build upon their history in whatever ways they could. And I suppose that gave me hope---hope I didn’t even know I still had---that perhaps the series I started with, the one I loved and held most dear, was still there as a foundation. It still existed. It still mattered.

This movie confirms that it doesn’t. I’m not saying “it was absolutely a retcon omg” like so many people are getting sand in their smallclothes over. I’m saying that it doesn’t matter if it was a retcon or not. It’s not necessarily that the staff “omg hates the OS” or wants it gone now. It’s that they don’t care. It literally, honestly, truly does not matter to them. And even if it matters to individual members on the staff? Even if they’d say, “no no, that’s not true, we care!” and claim they’re just doing what they’re doing because they must advertise the games (which yes, is part of it)?

It still doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter what their personal feelings are because it doesn’t matter for the show. As far as the Alola saga, and the Kalos saga before it, and whatever saga come after Alola are all concerned, the foundation can be whatever the hell it wants to be, because these sagas exist independently of them. We won’t have character cameos anymore. We won’t have female companion specials after each series ends anymore. Ash might make a vague reference to his thirty tauros, but I will be shocked beyond belief if we ever see them. Ash has, off the top of my head, three pokémon capable of mega evolution (Charizard, Pidgeot, and Sceptile---and yes, Pidgeot does count, because he could always make good on his promise and go back for Pidgeot at any time), and another who could be capable of it if he evolved to his final stage (Gible). Yet we didn’t even have them discussed, much less shown, because as far as the Kalos series was concerned, they didn’t exist. And maybe they don’t! Maybe they do care about the narrative and seamlessly moved us into an alternate universe where Ash never captured any of those pokémon. But it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because the producers don’t care. Because all they care about is the series they’re working on right now. If there’s a convenient line of dialogue in there about tauros, fine, whatever, they can throw it in, just as they did with the Piplup line last saga. But in the end, it doesn’t really mean anything. It’s not going to affect the narrative. There is never going to be any payoff for anything that happened in the show’s history. Once that saga ends, it’s done. And whatever happened back then? Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect the here or now. Just as Ash’s childhood could be rewritten to suit Kalos (I’m not talking about the events in his childhood, I’m talking about his characterization in his childhood, because they had him behave so differently that while it’s believable he grew up to be Kalos!Ash, it’s not believable that the child who met Serena at the summer camp could have ever grown up to be OS!Ash), so could literally anything else. It doesn’t matter if this movie is an AU or a retcon. It doesn’t matter. Nothing, at all, matters.

And that’s it. It’s gone. Whatever hope I had left---the little hope I had left, so tiny I didn’t even notice it was there---that this show still had a history that could be built on and borrowed from even though the show itself would never reach a conclusion, is gone. It should have been gone years ago, and I realize that now, but it’s like that line from Braveheart: “Dreams die hard, but you hold them in your hand long after they turn to dust.” I was holding on to a tiny grain of hope and I just don’t see the point anymore.

My opinion could change when the sting of this dies down, I guess. But I don’t see the point in caring about a show that doesn’t even care about itself. The writers clearly don’t care about the history they built. They don’t care about the history they’re creating right now, as I type this. Right now the Alola saga is going on, but come Gen VIII, nothing that happens here will matter. Each of Ash’s Alolan companions will be gone. His Alolan pokémon will be gone. All of it, save for vague references here or there, will be gone. So what’s the point in caring? What’s the point in watching? What’s the point when, in twenty more years, we’ll have a 40th anniversary movie that’s an “AU” so they have an excuse to create yet more characters they’re going to promptly forget about once the show is over?

And hey, maybe I’ll have to eat my words. Maybe I’m wrong, wrong, wrong. Maybe, just maybe, the movie will surprise us and go out of its way to prove it’s an AU by showing us the worlds colliding and the original trio still being together, to show that they do have some care for the history. Or maybe the Alola series will be surprising and will have direct cameos (preferably from Iris), or we’ll get to see some of Ash’s old pokémon. I would love for that to be the case. It’s not like I want to be salty. Hell, I was so, so beyond excited for this movie when it was first announced, and even after I realized that excitement is dangerous after the Darkside of Dimensions fiasco in YGO fandom, I still kept some tendrils of excitement. God knows I could use some happiness and joy in my life nowadays. So yeah, I would love to be wrong. I would love for the PokéAni writers to show me serious continuity. Not just an off-hand comment here or there, but actual, true respect and adherence for where it came from.

But after last saga? After this movie? I don’t have that hope. This movie officially crushed the last few shards of it I had remaining. So yeah, I kind of agree with Kate over on the Pokéshipping blog, tbh. Our reasons might be different in the end, but ultimately I agree. This does make me want to give up altogether. I just don’t see the point in caring about a show that clearly cares so very little about itself.

[greazmonki]

1. I am type 8, tritype 8w7, and I forgot my instincts.......

2. The feeling of complete freedom, finally attaining a hard goal, laughing with people I actually like, and last, but not least, pizza.

3. I would have to say failure, and yes, it is quite cliche. The reason I find failure so terrifying seems slightly different compared to what others perceive failure as. For me personally, failure doesn't have much to do with others, even though I do like to impress, letting myself down by not attaining a long term goal is far more wretched than letting someone else down or have someone think less of me. I fail others all the time by not abiding to their ideal demands, but if I fail at something important to me then I fail myself, and that makes me excruciatingly depressed.

4. My greatest weakness....I think we all like to believe we don't have weaknesses, or maybe that's just what I think because I'm an 8, lol. I'm not the best at comforting someone who need emotional support, I can be blindsided by my pride, I probably expect too much from myself, but then again maybe I'm just comparing my work ethic to others and they just aren't doing enough? Who knows, I prefer to focus on my good qualities. I can be very mean. OH, I guess one could say I'm self centered.

5. My strengths, I must say, I have a very strong mind, I can be quite the leader, but I don't like to boss other people around, (I've always hated being told what to do so I try not to be a hypocrite), logical advice, and well, I don't know, I'm just living my life yo.

6. I'm really goofy. I can be really deep at times, but I like to just glaze all that over with my stupid puns. I really like to have fun, but if I'm not in the mood...well, don't even laugh or I'll punch you. I'm someone who doesn't give two craps about anything, but I try if it has to do with someone's well being. Oh, and if you harm a selected few of my friends or a defenseless person, put em up cuz I'm going to kick your ass. And if I can't physically do it I'll find someone who can.

7. Intimidating, intense, edgy, goofy, entertaining, quiet, salty, sweet, nice, and idk depends on how well you know me. The intense one is common. Most people find my at least mildly intimidating.

8. My aunt once told me, "You know, Abby, life is just so amazing. You can be whoever you want to be and do whatever you want. There's so many things to learn and so many places to go." I was in a slump at the time and what she said just completely opened up my eyes. Whenever I'm not being successful at something, or I feel trapped, I remind myself of those words and think, "I can go anywhere and be anything I want, I just have to keep taking the steps to get there."

9. To wake up in a peaceful house with a view of mountains and look forward to my day ahead.

10. Eights aren't horrible, we're just struggling to be good.

Enneagram survey

Hi everyone.  I am doing a survey/study about patterns of thought between the enneagram types.  Just reblog this post with your answers to these questions…

1.) What is your enneagram type and tritype? (with wings and instincts if you know them.) 

2.) What makes you happy?  

3.) What is your biggest fear? 

4.) What is your greatest weakness? 

5.) What is your greatest strength?   

6.) How would you describe yourself?  

7.) How would other people describe you?  

8.) What is something that really motivates you?

9.) What is your greatest life goal?

10.) Anything else you would like to share about yourself?    

Please share this post to as many people as possible!  I want to get several hundred responses so that the results are as accurate as possible.  Thank you, and have fun with this!