Luke Loves Pokémon (a Forumite Podcast)

Perhaps yer man Drunka feels it's a bit much to put his podcast in both his signature and create a thread for it. I, the composer of its start and end themes, have no such qualms.

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So yes, this one's perhaps a bit more relevant to all the rest of us than MM was, and definitely deserves its own topic. Nice work Mr. Summerhayes!

Well, nobody ever really posted in the Guesstus Flask or Monster Mash threads. I suppose Pokémon has a little more popularity around these parts. I considered posing in the General Pokémon thread, but now I've got a dedicated thread that I didn't start. Ideal result!

Really, if I want an audience, I have to do more of the whole "self promotion" thing but it always feels super uncomfortable to me.

Really good video dude! Interesting and fun content, my only critique is the volume for the sections with you on screen are super quiet! Other than that, good stuff I look forward to the next! 😊

Yeah, before I record the next couple I want to figure out a better way of capturing audio for the video segments than just using my camera.

Drunkalilly wrote:

Really, if I want an audience, I have to do more of the whole "self promotion" thing but it always feels super uncomfortable to me.

Colour me surprised! But yup, happy to help you out there - especially when I'm promoting my own music at the same time.

Hopefully this one'll get a bit more traction: we haven't had regular forum-wide #content to follow since TRP died on its backside.

I enjoyed the first episode. Chucked you a rating on Apple Podcasts too.

I'll look this up over the weekend and give you a tediously detailed review on my new website, podgital floundry.

Does the YouTube video run at 4k and stable 60fps? If not, one star.

Muss wrote:

I'll look this up over the weekend and give you a tediously detailed review on my new website, podgital floundry.

I hear that's part funded by the man Iris elvas.

I'm very happy, incidentally, to use this thread to discuss Pokémon one family at a time as they come out.

I never liked Charmander much. Where you find the design iconic, I find it a bit too simple. Lizard with flame on tail. Also I'm a Pokéhipster, and he (87.5% of the time) was the popular option.

Honestly you make a really good point about Charizard not being dragon that I'd not really considered. Massively undermined now, of course...



...but perfectly valid for the time, when dragons were rare and magical. I agree with you about Mega-Evolutions too, sod them.

Charmeleon is bobbins.

It would actually be more helpful for me if we used the thread to discuss the Pokémon coming up next, rather than the one I just covered :p Give me Squirtle opinions I can steal quote in a listener interaction section.

Balladeer wrote:

I never liked Charmander much.  Where you find the design iconic, I find it a bit too simple.  Lizard with flame on tail.  Also I'm a Pokéhipster, and he (87.5% of the time) was the popular option.

I'm putting all of that 100% down to the hipster angle. I should clarify, I'm a Squirtle kid, but Charizard is pretty cool. Sometimes things are popular for a reason, you know . . .

Quote :

Honestly you make a really good point about Charizard not being dragon that I'd not really considered.

Of course I do. I'm very smart and insightful. That's why I have a Poképodcast.

Squirtle is a good boy or girl.

I like turtles.......that squirt water.

Charizard is a standard dragon. Dragons are cool, but a lizard-hippo thing with a jungle on its back and a tortoise with cannons in its shell are cooler.

Speaking of... yes I think the Squirtle line is my favourite. Not sure about Squirtle himself: again, a bit simple apart from the curly tail. 'Draw a blue anime tortoise.' But it's a cutie, and the Squirtle Squad were fun. Wartortle is the best of the first-gen. middle evolutions, another grumpy gus but with elfin ears and waves coming out its bum.

Then you get to Blastoise, who is a tortoise with cannons in its shell. Don't really need anything more on top of that, do you? Mega-Blastoise continues to be a misstep, but its ability is pretty cool.

I have nothing to add about Squirtle. I'm disobeying the rules and saying that I loves me that Bulbasaur. Seeing that first episode of LLP, and his little happy face... what a guy.

Jimbob wrote:

I have nothing to add about Squirtle. I'm disobeying the rules and saying that I loves me that Bulbasaur. Seeing that first episode of LLP, and his little happy face... what a guy.

It's not a rule, it would just be helpful. I'm happy for this thread to include love for all Pokeymans!

Anyway, here's an episode about Squirtle!
I use Balla's quote to add the illusion of Listener Interaction. I did put a deep distorting filter over it but it just sounded pointlessly weird. I think I'll do it for the video version, but also have me in silhouette while I read it, like an anonymous witness on the news. Speaking of, the video version will definitely be late this week as I've got moving and starting a new job to be dealing with, and before that I'm making the most of being able to spend loads of time with my GF. I only just squeezed out the podcast!

Woohoo!

Caterpie and Weedle, then.  I don't feel like Game Freak had particularly nailed how to do early-game bugs at this stage, so we got two rather disappointing offerings.  Weedle is a chain of blobs, Caterpie's just a cartoon caterpillar, the middle stages had nothing of note beyond cheap innuendos and a surprisingly decent Pokémon Stadium mini-game, we only remember Butterfree because it made us cry when we watched the anime, and Beedrill... is pretty good! A nice bipedal bee warrior.  That said, bees don't hatch from cocoons.  This has always annoyed me inordinately.

Then we got Mega Beedrill because somebody decided that Beedrill needed to look less endearingly chubby and more like something out of Gurren Lagann.

Drunkalilly wrote:

...my GF.

I'm planning to work my way through the episodes up to date on my day off on Sunday and I'll share my thoughts on the 'Mon then. Looking forward to it, and I appreciate a good bite-sized cast.

One wee thing I'd say is if you're looking for ways to build a wee audience up, I'd maybe retitle your videos on YouTube - brilliant idea going with the 'Dex numberings, but YouTube's wonky algorithms might not agree with it.

Here's a podcast about Caterpie.
I'm saving Balla's quotes for the Weedle episode as I don't feel I have as much to say there.

JayMoyles wrote:

I'm planning to work my way through the episodes up to date on my day off on Sunday and I'll share my thoughts on the 'Mon then. Looking forward to it, and I appreciate a good bite-sized cast.

Looking forward to this!

Quote :

One wee thing I'd say is if you're looking for ways to build a wee audience up, I'd maybe retitle your videos on YouTube - brilliant idea going with the 'Dex numberings, but YouTube's wonky algorithms might not agree with it.

Yeah, I'm taking a break from youtube for a moment but when I go back I'll try to properly "play the game" and get some real views.

I enjoyed those episodes! I'd say this podcast is very cosy in tone - I think it's the backing tracks coupled with the fact that you're speaking calmly rather than the usual inane nonsense we spout on Mash.

I do like how you mention the anime - I think that's an integral part of Pokémon's appeal for many of us, especially for the first generation. I wonder if the anime mentions will drop off as you get to the later generations and don't have those childhood memories to draw upon from when we all watched the show.

In regards to the 'Mon themselves, I can't really add anything to the starters beyond what was said!

As for the Caterpie line, the memories from this 'Mon come from the anime. I remember feeling horrified watching Metapod get crunched by Pinsir in one of the early episodes.

And Weedle... I recall feeling a sense of dread watching the anime and seeing the hordes of Kakuna descend from the treetops and evolve into that swarm of Beedrill. The Pokémon world is scary. From a gameplay sense, I tended to avoid the Weedle line to take advantage of Butterfree having confusion to deal with some of the nastier Poison types in the route ahead.

Can't believe you didn't use the opportunity to use the pun currently sitting in the tagline. Shame. I see what Jay means about it being nice and cosy, though.

Be honest now: would you have remembered that mini-game had I not mentioned it?

The Venomoth thing is interesting. I can see it working. I was just thinking that they should've swapped it and Beedrill, so you get an actual moth popping out of a cocoon and not a sodding bee.

Balladeer wrote:

Be honest now: would you have remembered that mini-game had I not mentioned it?

I genuinely would! I actually really loved the Stadium minigames, particularly when you could use "your" Pokemon from the Game Boy games.

Oh, and while I'm at it, here's an episode about Weedle.

I had planned to upload it now but schedule its release for Tuesday, but it turns out you need to pay for a Soundcloud Pro account for that. I plan to get the next couple recorded and edited this weekend, so I might need to employ the Balls Man or Jay to take them from my dropbox and get them on the soundcloud.

Hearing about the massive hornets that actually exist in Japan has made me question ever wanting to visit the country.

As for the next 'Mon...

I really like the Pidgey evolutionary line. Pidgey is fine and all, but I really dig Pidgeotto and Pidgeot's designs. Reading about in the Pokédex that Pidgeot could fly at Mach 2 speeds seriously impressed me as a kid, even if I had no idea how fast that actually was. It just sounded cool. Much like most Mega Evolutions though, Pidgeot's strips away some of that cool factor for an over-embellished design in my books.

I was never a fan of Rattata or Raticate beyond having a chuckle at the strong Rattata memes from Youngster Joey. I gravitated towards the cute or cool looking 'Mon and Rattata and Raticate came across as threatening and unappealing to me. The massive teeth and cruel eyes on both were a bit much for young Jay. Also, I never forgave Ash for even considering trading his boss Butterfree for a Raticate, let along actually doing it.

Drunkalilly wrote:

I plan to get the next couple recorded and edited this weekend, so I might need to employ the Balls Man or Jay to take them from my dropbox and get them on the soundcloud.

Not after those libellous comments about my editing skills in the recent Versus Mode thread.

That's me told about the Weedle line! Glad you didn't make friends with the hornet, else we might not have a podcast now...

I don't care much for the Pidgey line at all. This follows the trend of me finding over-simplistic the ones others find iconically simplistic. I struggle to tell them apart. That said, the Pidgeot official art, with its head feathers spreading out like a crown, is good. Suitably regal. This is one of the rare occasions too where I prefer the Mega to the base forms: its gorgeous crest, beautiful colouring, and destructive ability make it the first Mega I've really appreciated since this podcast began.

Rattata is a cool meme. It doesn't really do much else: it's a purple rat. But Youngster Joey's Rattata spawned years of imitations: for that, and little else, we should be thankful. Raticate I like, it's a fat ol' pompom with a big appetite. Also Super Fang was a truly destructive move for such an early-game Pokémon.

The Alolans flip that around. Alolan Rattata's subtle change is appreciated, the tufts and moustache looking like someone fused a Rattata and Dick Dastardly. Truly a Normal/Dark type. Alolan Raticate, however, takes the pudginess too far. Its cheeks don't look cute, they just look a bit daft. Not a fan.