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This post is written by Salem & N!

Ok, so, a billion fucking years ago, in like 3rd-5th grade, we were Pokemon OBSESSED. We spent all our birthday, chirstmas, and chore money on Pokemon cards, spent hours looking at the different pokemon on the website judging them, made homemade pokemon cards, played all the free games, and watched every episode of every show.

Where did this obsession go? I have no idea. Its a lost memory of ours. I'm sure if I dug at it, one day I could remember why I associate so much shame and distance between me and my relationship with the franchise. All I know is my brother is now the owner of all my good cards, and I know he takes good care of them. He's always loved Pokemon, and is deeply involved in the community. For his 16th birthday I bought him a copy of Pokemon Scarlet, and he managed to catch a shiny version of every pokemon in the game. What. The. Fuck??

I currently own one Pokemon card (image on the right). I bought it at a card shop on a whim for about 42 cents because I liked the art style a lottttt. We actually always really enjoyed art of the trainers, especially cards of N, who we'd later find out we have an alter of. -Salem

Hi, N here. I think my existence originated from enjoying the character and his arc in the show Pokemono Black & White. Something about the way he (the character) interacted with the other characters, advocated for the rights of pokemon, and had mysterious origins really captivated all of us I guess, and now I'm here. I don't come out often, I'm more of an internal advisor concerning the body's health, but I would like to see us get back into Pokemon. For me, Pokemon isnt a hobby, its my life; I see pokemon in the real world because they "bleed through" from my source. Our partner system's plush pikachu brings me comfort, because he looks very similar to the pikachu in my reality who follows me around, named Pip. Pip and I have a very loving bond; he rides on my shoulder or head often, similar to Ash's pikachu, and plays at my feet.

I haved mixed feelings about Salem's desire to get us back into Pokemon, because the way they're going about it feels harmful to me, as if its being appropriated, not fully appreciated, and seen as a kids game. I mean, it is a game that kids can enjoy, but its also my entire world. -N

I think, if we are going to return to it, we'll probably slowly dip our toes into it, and focus on collecting plushies and watching the shows over first. Eventually, we'd like to learn to play the game, but we are quite afraid of losing, because that would mean messing up, which our gatekeepers and mind are very against. I'd also personally like to collect art cards and trainer cards.
-Salem