Tag: asks

At my university depending on class size you can have a small to medium sized Pokémon with you during lecture. Usually it’s my pikachu or sylveon I have with me but I’ve noticed my recently caught (about 3 months) mimikyu is jealous. Now mimikyu has been as much a partner to me as my sylveon and pikachu has but she’s really shy and so I worry about her hearing a loud noise or seeing another Pokémon and getting scared. I also worry about other people having negative reactions to her. What do I do

Sometimes, the best thing to do when you’re uncertain is to experiment, anonymous. Your mimikyu may seem shy, but you never know if she would be perfectly fine in a public setting if you never give her the chance to try it. Besides, if she’s feeling jealous of the fact that you bring your sylveon and pikachu to class, giving her a chance will allow her to decide whether or not it’s worth it.

That said, for the most part, nervous or socially awkward pokémon can handle public situations if their trainer is close by and capable of keeping them calm. Before bringing her to a lecture, consider exposing her to slightly less populated settings (such as a quiet park or street) and teaching her how to heel. Gradually expose her to louder and busier areas until you reach something comparable to your lecture hall. Then, when you bring her with you to class, keep her close by (in your lap, if you have to) and reassure her every so often with physical contact.

If she can’t quite tolerate the classroom and if she is still feeling jealous despite this, consider doing other things to keep her both entertained and reassured. Study with her and explain your lessons and notes, for example. (This is an excellent way to study for an exam or work on a paper, by the way!) Alternatively, include her in non-academic activities, such as chores around the house, an extra half an hour of playtime, and so forth.

If, however, she enjoys being out in public, when it comes to other people, show them (through the way you interact and handle your mimikyu) that she’s harmless. A fear of ghosts is perfectly natural for humans, however, so keep in mind that sometimes, shouts of surprise or fear are inevitable. Just focus on keeping your mimikyu calm and happy and think about others’ reactions only if they pose a danger to her or if there’s any way you can put their minds at ease without an argument.

Opinions in the Gym leaders/ Elite four – Champion system?

In terms of the system in general or specific members thereof, anonymous?

If we’re referring to the system in general, I for one can’t entirely complain. While it’s true that a region can get by without any form of organized league (take Alola until recently, for example), leagues—and thus, the Elite Four/champion by extension—often function to bridge the gap between that region and the rest of the world. By offering an organized league, foreign trainers are more likely to explore the region, and in return, they bring revenue and push regional governments to improve infrastructure (among other things), particularly to gym-hosting towns and cities. Moreover, for researchers, it means trainers help us discover new pokémon, which brings us even closer to understanding their world—and ours, for that matter.

Of course, there are downsides to a league presence in a region. An increase in foreign trainers means an increase in human traffic in untouched wilderness. With an increase in human traffic to such areas comes the spread of disease, the accidental introduction of invasive species, poaching, population disturbances, and quite a number of other risks and dangers. Granted, yes, that would be what the Pokémon Association is for, but rules and regulations are only as good as the people who follow them. That is to say, unless both regulations and enforcement of such are equally strict, the concern of human traffic to previously untouched wilderness is still a valid one, given that organizations such as Team Rocket still exist.

That and, of course, in some cases, a region lacks a league for cultural reasons. Alola was far from the only region to resist the implementation of a league for so long; in some countries, it’s even seen as akin to imperialism. (It certainly doesn’t help that the concept originated in Kanto, which has had … quite an unfortunate history, I must say.) In those cases, I believe that the people’s concerns are just as valid as any towards human traffic, and their wishes should be respected. It just so happens that in some cases, a compromise is capable of being reached—as in the case of Alola. But I do recognize that’s not the case for every region in existence.

If, however, you mean to ask how I feel about the Elite Four and champion separate from the league, it’s absolutely possible to have one but not the other. Take the Orange Islands, for example, which lacks an Elite Four but has a champion who also technically serves as a fifth gym leader. For smaller regions, it’s absolutely possible to be creative with the setup for your league, and the Association is often accommodating for those cases. However, larger regions often need a more significant payoff, so to speak. After all, larger regions ask trainers to go through eight full gyms before even thinking about a final battle for a title. Of course, in these cases, regions often give registered trainers a choice between a tournament (the more popular method, as more people can participate in them) and the Elite Four gauntlet (far more challenging … but also far more difficult to arrange), but either way, the option for either challenging fellow trainers in a grand tournament or the best trainers in a region is often a fantastic incentive to push trainers forward from their first badge to their last.

In short, anonymous, it certainly depends on what you mean by your question, but generally speaking, I’m rather for a league—and, by extent, an Elite Four and champion.

I have a bed in my living room for my meowstic s and their babies. My meowstic recently had two baby espurrs and they both keep sneaking into my room in the middle of the night. I wake up with two balls of fluff cuddling my side, while I love their affection I think it’s making their mother upset. What should I do?

How recently, anonymous? If it was a couple of months ago, it’s likely that your espurr have grown old enough to leave their mother’s side, at which point it may be important to show your meowstic that you can be trusted with her kittens. Allowing her to care for the espurr during the day and starting them off with light training should help, as you’re actively showing your meowstic that you have no intention of overstepping your bounds while at the same time allowing her to see how you intend on treating her kittens when they’re old enough to battle.

If, however, they’re younger than eight weeks old, then this is indeed a problem and may indicate that they’ve imprinted on you. Granted, this isn’t entirely a bad thing; it’s simply that it’s understandable that your meowstic feels some level of jealousy or apprehension if this is the case. As separating yourself from the kittens may cause them stress (never mind the fact that espurr generally develop telekinetic abilities at a young age and may find ways of getting back at your side regardless of what you do), it may be a good idea to move their bed into your bedroom and allow the family to sleep with you until the kittens grow more independent.

Alternatively, it may be possible to coax your espurr into their bed (as opposed to yours) by covering it with a shirt you’ve worn or leaving an object that smells like you with your meowstic. If your espurr can curl up with something that reminds them of you in their bed, then they’ll be less likely to seek you out during the night.

Best of luck, anonymous, and congratulations on the new additions to your family!

Recently a wild absol has taken to hanging out in my garden, and I’m going crazy trying to figure our what it’s warning me against. How can I possibly heed the prognostications of something that can’t speak human? Please advise, as I am very worried.

Bill: It’s very possible that, like this anonymous asker, the absol isn’t trying to warn you at all and is simply enjoying your garden. This can happen if you live in or very close to an absol’s mountainous home … and if you have a particularly relaxing garden, for that matter. As with the other asker, you should observe its behavior and try to determine whether it’s relaxed or tense. If it’s relaxed, then there is likely nothing you should worry about. However, if it’s tense, keep an eye out for any changes in its behavior, as increasingly frantic behavior (pacing, barking, approaching with a severe expression, and so forth) indicate how close disaster is to striking.

Best of luck!

Are there any service Pokemon you’d recommend for an autistic person with hyper-sensitive sight and sound issues?

This can sometimes come down to personal preference, anonymous, but there are a number of choices, each sorted by move.

For one, some people with hypersensitivity issues find that using moves like Feather Dance or Cotton Spore effective—the latter especially because it can be done in small doses to create makeshift earmuffs that are effective in filtering sound. To this end, members of the cottonee line are especially popular.

Additionally, others prefer using Teleport to transport themselves to a fixed, calming location. It’s also useful when the person in question is rendered unable to verbalize their need to leave; most pokémon with this move are psychic and thus able to sense their partner’s distress or hear their thoughts. While the abra line are most known for their ability to use Teleport, the ralts line tends to be more popular, especially given ralts’s empathic powers (and kadabra’s tendency to induce headaches).

Other people with hypersensitivity issues prefer using moves such as Wonder Room, which can—depending on the power of the user—be used to create a comforting space anywhere the user’s partner may be. (Some pokémon capable of using this method are trained to keep their spaces small and to custom-tailor each space to suit their partner’s needs. Such spaces can be anywhere from soundless rooms with opaque walls in calming colors to transparent boxes that merely filter sound.) Solosis tends to be popular for this, as it can double as a stim toy if necessary (no, this doesn’t hurt it), but for reasons I admit I’m not sure of, psyduck is just as popular. Apparently, its vacant stare is both hypnotizing and calming.

And then, of course, some people may only need a pokémon that can help them navigate overstimulation without moves. In this case, psychic pokémon are often the best, as they’re capable of helping their partners communicate their needs, and because many psychic-types train through meditation, they often are extremely patient and capable of guiding their humans through similar calming techniques long enough to help them find a safe, calming (physical) place. Medicham is especially popular for this.

So, in short, I suppose it depends on whether you want to filter stimulation, remove yourself from stimulation, or simply have a pokémon who’s calm and reassuring at all times, but there are quite a few options for you, should you need it. Of course, don’t forget to talk to your therapist (if you have one). They may offer suggestions that will fit your specific needs—possibly even suggestions that aren’t listed above.

When I think about it, ‘accidentally’ turning yourself into a pokemon via a teleporter related accident seems like a great way to get out of watching Binaclebob Trapezoidpants.

You would think so, anonymous, but unfortunately, the way my partner administers Binaclebob Trapezoidpants makes it unfortunately difficult to get out of watching it.

For those curious, my account has a rather … unique feature due to a few prior incidents in which I may or may not have been found staring at a certain meowth-themed website for hours on end after late-night coding sessions. To put it as simply as possible, this feature is essentially a failsafe or an emergency button: whenever the other administrators agree that I may need a break, they lock my administrator’s panel until I fulfill certain requirements to prove I’m rested enough to resume work.

Or at least that’s what it’s supposed to do. In practice, the other administrators mostly use it to make me watch children’s cartoons of questionable taste whenever I make somewhat equally questionable decisions.

This, of course, is a tangent, but that’s just to say that if anything, being trapped in the body of something too short to reach the mouse (and thus control when the videos begin and end) actually makes things worse.

Again … not that I have any experience with this whatsoever.