The Poke-Belong Club

Dear Nixie,

I write to you in the strictest of confidence and though it may be true that there are some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told, this particular matter is not the case. I am haunted in the unsaid. I lie awake in the weight of an abstruse complexity. Isn’t it true that all of us are the chameleon of heart? Must we not adapt in some settings to reach comradery, or in my case bare within us the handcuffs and shackles of saving face for the sake of our kin, to at least some extent?

The truth I bare is strange, so much stranger than fiction but…here goes…. I am an adult woman who enjoys the world of Pokémon characters. There I said it. The powerful truth now does prevail. I’d like to have dropped the children off to school in a little cozzie cos play or two but alas duties calls and we must leave at the gate our hearts on a spear, before long, look straight ahead without blinking once, learn never to show too many signs of kinship and remember that it’s always a good idea to gush to others about your children but not over them in public when they are with you for fear of the deadly death stare. Ah, so so many rules.

As a result, I joined a kind of secret service society…very political, very philosophical, very inner child psycho drama, an imperative sociological collective based on all that is Pokémon. We reject on some levels, the mass marketing aspect of the Pokémon but were all drawn together by our original love of Manga based comics and, in particular, our favourite cartoon “Kimba the White Lion.” Let’s face it, we are the geek fest and dominion of hyper analysis where pop culture is concerned. We take the good with the bad, we see the light, the dark. We look at Pokémon in the face of a Functionalist, Conflict or Symbolic Interactionist Perspective. We draw, write, debate and make music and….dress up. We come from realms where some may not understand us.  Okay so as doctors, lawyers, teachers, fire fighters and more we, may not be able to turn up for work dressed as Yungoos or Gumshoos but in our place… Poke-belong….we can. We hope to move people in this direction one day though, oh you never know your luck in a big city right? We feel it’s important that people care about its effect, understand the interplay between mass consumerism, children’s play experiences, the strange yet growing phenomenon of adults to the retention of a pseudo psyche state of child play and how we can extrapolate from that a way forward. It’s important to remember that the game and it’s imagined world did sometimes bring people together.

My heart is broken. I am and continue to have supported Mr Barrack in his efforts on the political stage. It came to light in our underground society that he “doesn’t care about Pokémon.” We want him to know we care about him and we are people who take voting seriously too. Oh I do hope he changes his mind about us for we did not forsake him.

Yours Truly

Bonnie

Dear Bonnie,

Bonnie, dear dear, never fear, Nixie is here with a smile. I’m sorry you feel alone sometimes. You’re not the only one. I’m sorry you feel you have to hide your true self, change your colours to suit the world, to save face. For isn’t it true that while the chameleon changes colour it can also look in two directions at once. You seem to be a very eclectic kind of soul. That’s not so bad. That’s great. If you keep it under your hat, I’m a fully grown woman who owns a Pikachu onesie and yes that was me buying milk in a quick rush to the checkout last Saturday night. I wanted to get home to watch reruns of Murder She Wrote. Ah, a good mystery is quite the healer, especially when solved. I suppose because it all gets wrapped up in the end. Life’s not always a wrap (that’s a wrap as they say in the movies). I suppose threads remain dangling about, such is life.

Perhaps though you’re not so different my little Meowth. There’s so much to unite us all. 

I suppose it goes back to Sociology. It’s the central decider to all and everything. The study as such of this area is very important. I suppose it’s all fallen back into a rather heavily weighted conflict perspective in our society and on the world stage. I just wish there were more Meowths to negotiate. A Caterpie my dear may turn into a Butterfree but the heart that beats inside remains the same. We change but something of our child’s eye and beating beauty remains, though for some it’s just been extinguished (hopefully temporarily). It’s not always perhaps so clear cut of course and as Grimsley says; “There are bad ways to win – and good ways to lose. What’s interesting and troubling is that it’s not always clear which is which…” but I’m of the opinion that most people know when they have won badly or lost well and that’s why his name is Grim-sley.

I can only say this….just do your best and be yourself where possible and I’m sure Mr Obama would welcome an invitation to your Jiggly Puff themed dance party. Mine came in the mail and I will be there with bells on or should I say with my inflatable cozzie ready to go!

Oh and as far as parenting goes…

It's not all easy but, that’s not to say there aren’t some moments of total Piplup when the elegance and adorability of your kin will have you all Oshawott and Pachirisu snug. Keep your chin up. 

May some energy cards revitalise the spirit in the face of a down day,

Yours Truly

Nixie. 

ps all schools should have games clubs in the school library...cards, chess, Pokemon, board games, D and D etc. It takes all types to make the world go round and most of those children are the smartest of all in reality as the games are very complex in actual fact and multilayered. I'll think about ways we might spread the word Bonnie. Thank you kindly for bringing this need to my attention.