Ry: Hello, Pokecharms. It's me, your host, the amazing Ry_Burst. And today I have a very special guest with me today. Here is one of the few, who keeps 'Charms from going nut-so cray-zo. So without further ado, please welcome, @Teapot!
Teapot: Hi there! Lovely to speak with you
Ry: So for those who don't know much about you, what's the biggest job you have as apart of 'Charms?
Teapot: Primarily, I'm the site's webmaster, which means I keep Pokécharms running day-to-day. That generally involves keeping the server updated and maintained, coding improvements and fixes for the site, and generally hovering around and keeping the site as good a place to be as I can manage.
Many of you will also know my other main role, which is as an administrator. Alongside the otherstaff, it's my job to write and enforce the rules for the site, which help keep the site a kind and friendly place for all visitors. Our aim is to be the best community for creative Pokémon fans,regardless of skill level or preferred medium, and so I try to work hard to make that a reality. The other big part of being an admin, aside from shouting at people, is lending an ear to the community and helping out where I can – whether that's showing people how to use the features of the site, or giving creative advice, I'd much rather be a friendly helper than a strict disciplinarian!
Ry: So focusing more on the enforcement, any interesting stories of people you've had to bust, who were breaking the rules. I feel like you would have some interesting stories.
Teapot: Oh, that's a tricky question! I don't tend to get too many interesting stories when it comes to people breaking the rules. 90% of the people I have to warn are genuinely just not aware of the rules, so my warnings are just to point them in the right direction. The other 10% generally tend to be people who are stubborn or genuinely clueless – far too many people think they can get banned and just register new accounts over and over again, and presume it's okay (or worse, that we won't notice). Of course, we always do notice – it's a quick way to get yourself permanently banned, which I never like doing, but it is sometimes necessary.
I guess one fun story comes from six years ago or so, where a kid turned up on the site and started being a bit spammy and silly, which was odd but otherwise fine – but then she started pretending to type as her pet bird Pocco, and despite repeated questioning and it being pointed out that birds can't type, absolutely, steadfastly insisted that the bird was, in fact, typing to us. You could tell because the bird "t al kE dl iK eThi s," of course. I think we eventually had to ban her (or perhaps Pocco?) for repeatedly spamming the site despite usasking her to stop
Still, at least we now know that birds don't understandPokécharms rules. Apparently.
Ry: Apparently so. So, what aspect of 'Charms do you enjoy the most? The stories, the artwork, the RPs, the chats?
Teapot: I enjoy all of it! I have a soft spot for writing, because that's the creative field I'm good at, but the honest answer is that I most enjoy seeing all the creativity that comes from this community, and I love watching our creators improve and grow. It's wonderful to see new and talented members join us, but it's really something else to watch someone get better at their chosen craft. I've been lucky enough to have been here for over a decade now, so I've seen it happen more than you might think – I've witnessed a few of our most longstanding members grow from young people who barely know how a forum works to truly talented creators and mentors to the newer members of the community. It's a wonderful thing to see, and a huge part of why I do this job.
Ry: That’s pretty cool. So let’s hear about your beginnings in ‘Charms. As I’ve said before, origin stories are pretty cool. So how did you fall upon ‘Charms?
Teapot: I joined the site way back in August 2007, so a bit over ten years ago now. Until then, I'd mostly been hanging around the Sims community, which was (at the time) full of drama and trolling, but on a truly epic scale, only achievable by a community comprised mostly of bored middle-aged women. One of my friends, @baratron, was on one of the less drama-prone IRC chatrooms and mentioned offhand how she'd been talking about something on a Pokémon chatroom she was part of. I got curious, asked what chatroom she was part of, and followed her onto it to see if it was any less drama-prone than the sites I was used to. It was!
Of course, I quickly worked out that there was a website attached to this chatroom, so I joined and started reading through it, then registered, and... well, the rest is history, as they say.
Ry: So with you being apart of ‘Charms for a while, I have a question. When do you see the biggest influx of new RPers? I feel like there would be a noticable month or something, but I’m an ignorant person and often over look simple facts.
Teapot: There's not really a regular time when we have a big influx of new members – we tend to get a few people registering regularly, rather than large bursts. That said, we do get more new members on average in the lead-up to an new game releasing – they visit for the news or TCM, and stick around for the creative content!
Ry: Unfortunately it seems many do not stay or read the rules, and are booted. But from what I’ve seen the ones who do, usually end up becoming members for a while. Well some. So Teapot, let’s move off from the site for a bit. What are your thoughts on Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon? Do you plan to get one, and if so, which one?
Teapot: Oh boy, this is something I can ramble about a lot!
Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are perhaps the most weirdly-marketed Pokémon games since I joined the fandom – they were announced pretty late by Pokémon game standards, then just abandoned to the internet speculation machine for a good three months before we finally got any real details. From the initial descriptions and the first trailer, it was pretty hard to be hyped without jumping to conclusions one way or the other – depending on who you asked, it was a glorious sequel that fixed every problem Sun and Moon suffered from, or a reheated, rehashed version of the previous games with a few new outfits, Necrozma wedged into the story, and nothing else.
Recently, though, we're finally seeing actual footage and newsof genuinely new features in the games, and most importantly, confirmed what I hoped to be true – that they've gone back and massively expanded the Sun and Moon story, finishing off the hanging threads and expanding the plot. The recent cinematic trailer is really, really cool, and shows there's a great deal of focus on revamping the plot this time around – or at least the second half! Given how rushed the back third of Sun and Moon felt, it's a compelling reason to pick up the new games alone, but the expanded Pokédex and whole host of new features could prove to make USUM the mostimpressive third versions we've seen in a while.
The one thing that could be said about the previous three Pokémon games (XY, ORAS, and SM) are that, as good as they all are, they they all felt rushed – once you beat the Elite Four, there's not all that much to do in any of them. It doesn't feel like they had enough time to adequately finish the games, really. My hope is that lingering feeling will be gone with USUM, and we get a B2W2-style extravaganza of polish and features to round out the seventh generation. After all, after USUM we will be waving goodbye to Pokémon on the 3DS, and moving onto Switch and the eighth generation of Pokémon games.
Overall, I started off sceptical, but I can't really stop myselffrom getting hyped about these games anymore. All the hype!
Also, UB Assembly is somehow adorable.
To answer your other question, I'll be picking up Ultra Moon, as I had Sun originally and want access to the otherexclusives.
Ry: From what I’ve heard from my own research, and some claims are that USUM will have almost double the script, than of SM which excites me a lot. The prosect of getting to enjoy the game more, only adds to the appeal. I hope it’s true.
So jumping around to the next topic, we all know your favorite Pokemon, Porygon-Z, but what is your favorite Starter in all the games?
Teapot: That's a tricky one! I think my favourite starter is probably Snivy, or to use its proper name, the great Lord Smugleaf. It's a shame we never got to use Contrary Serperiors in-game legally, Contrary is a great ability.
My other favourite is probably Pikachu, because I was one of those kids who got into Pokémon while Pokémania was in full swing. I had a Pikachu plushie and absolutely adored it – it was the last one in the shop on Boxing Day, I was six yearsold, and it still sits next to my bed to this day!
Ry: Interesting. So that’s all I have for this interview. So thanks, Teapot for joining me here today. And thank you for what you do for this site. I mean, I know a lot of lives would be different if this site wasn’t around. Plus some of the rules helps keeps the site’s much needed sanity.
Anyways, as Porky Pig says, “Th-th-that’s all folks.” Please give Teapot a round of applause for joining me here to day and have a good one.
Teapot: Hi there! Lovely to speak with you
Ry: So for those who don't know much about you, what's the biggest job you have as apart of 'Charms?
Teapot: Primarily, I'm the site's webmaster, which means I keep Pokécharms running day-to-day. That generally involves keeping the server updated and maintained, coding improvements and fixes for the site, and generally hovering around and keeping the site as good a place to be as I can manage.
Many of you will also know my other main role, which is as an administrator. Alongside the otherstaff, it's my job to write and enforce the rules for the site, which help keep the site a kind and friendly place for all visitors. Our aim is to be the best community for creative Pokémon fans,regardless of skill level or preferred medium, and so I try to work hard to make that a reality. The other big part of being an admin, aside from shouting at people, is lending an ear to the community and helping out where I can – whether that's showing people how to use the features of the site, or giving creative advice, I'd much rather be a friendly helper than a strict disciplinarian!
Ry: So focusing more on the enforcement, any interesting stories of people you've had to bust, who were breaking the rules. I feel like you would have some interesting stories.
Teapot: Oh, that's a tricky question! I don't tend to get too many interesting stories when it comes to people breaking the rules. 90% of the people I have to warn are genuinely just not aware of the rules, so my warnings are just to point them in the right direction. The other 10% generally tend to be people who are stubborn or genuinely clueless – far too many people think they can get banned and just register new accounts over and over again, and presume it's okay (or worse, that we won't notice). Of course, we always do notice – it's a quick way to get yourself permanently banned, which I never like doing, but it is sometimes necessary.
I guess one fun story comes from six years ago or so, where a kid turned up on the site and started being a bit spammy and silly, which was odd but otherwise fine – but then she started pretending to type as her pet bird Pocco, and despite repeated questioning and it being pointed out that birds can't type, absolutely, steadfastly insisted that the bird was, in fact, typing to us. You could tell because the bird "t al kE dl iK eThi s," of course. I think we eventually had to ban her (or perhaps Pocco?
) for repeatedly spamming the site despite usasking her to stopStill, at least we now know that birds don't understandPokécharms rules. Apparently.
Ry: Apparently so. So, what aspect of 'Charms do you enjoy the most? The stories, the artwork, the RPs, the chats?
Teapot: I enjoy all of it! I have a soft spot for writing, because that's the creative field I'm good at, but the honest answer is that I most enjoy seeing all the creativity that comes from this community, and I love watching our creators improve and grow. It's wonderful to see new and talented members join us, but it's really something else to watch someone get better at their chosen craft. I've been lucky enough to have been here for over a decade now, so I've seen it happen more than you might think – I've witnessed a few of our most longstanding members grow from young people who barely know how a forum works to truly talented creators and mentors to the newer members of the community. It's a wonderful thing to see, and a huge part of why I do this job.
Ry: That’s pretty cool. So let’s hear about your beginnings in ‘Charms. As I’ve said before, origin stories are pretty cool. So how did you fall upon ‘Charms?
Teapot: I joined the site way back in August 2007, so a bit over ten years ago now. Until then, I'd mostly been hanging around the Sims community, which was (at the time) full of drama and trolling, but on a truly epic scale, only achievable by a community comprised mostly of bored middle-aged women. One of my friends, @baratron, was on one of the less drama-prone IRC chatrooms and mentioned offhand how she'd been talking about something on a Pokémon chatroom she was part of. I got curious, asked what chatroom she was part of, and followed her onto it to see if it was any less drama-prone than the sites I was used to. It was!
Of course, I quickly worked out that there was a website attached to this chatroom, so I joined and started reading through it, then registered, and... well, the rest is history, as they say.
Ry: So with you being apart of ‘Charms for a while, I have a question. When do you see the biggest influx of new RPers? I feel like there would be a noticable month or something, but I’m an ignorant person and often over look simple facts.
Teapot: There's not really a regular time when we have a big influx of new members – we tend to get a few people registering regularly, rather than large bursts. That said, we do get more new members on average in the lead-up to an new game releasing – they visit for the news or TCM, and stick around for the creative content!
Ry: Unfortunately it seems many do not stay or read the rules, and are booted. But from what I’ve seen the ones who do, usually end up becoming members for a while. Well some. So Teapot, let’s move off from the site for a bit. What are your thoughts on Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon? Do you plan to get one, and if so, which one?
Teapot: Oh boy, this is something I can ramble about a lot!
Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are perhaps the most weirdly-marketed Pokémon games since I joined the fandom – they were announced pretty late by Pokémon game standards, then just abandoned to the internet speculation machine for a good three months before we finally got any real details. From the initial descriptions and the first trailer, it was pretty hard to be hyped without jumping to conclusions one way or the other – depending on who you asked, it was a glorious sequel that fixed every problem Sun and Moon suffered from, or a reheated, rehashed version of the previous games with a few new outfits, Necrozma wedged into the story, and nothing else.
Recently, though, we're finally seeing actual footage and newsof genuinely new features in the games, and most importantly, confirmed what I hoped to be true – that they've gone back and massively expanded the Sun and Moon story, finishing off the hanging threads and expanding the plot. The recent cinematic trailer is really, really cool, and shows there's a great deal of focus on revamping the plot this time around – or at least the second half! Given how rushed the back third of Sun and Moon felt, it's a compelling reason to pick up the new games alone, but the expanded Pokédex and whole host of new features could prove to make USUM the mostimpressive third versions we've seen in a while.
The one thing that could be said about the previous three Pokémon games (XY, ORAS, and SM) are that, as good as they all are, they they all felt rushed – once you beat the Elite Four, there's not all that much to do in any of them. It doesn't feel like they had enough time to adequately finish the games, really. My hope is that lingering feeling will be gone with USUM, and we get a B2W2-style extravaganza of polish and features to round out the seventh generation. After all, after USUM we will be waving goodbye to Pokémon on the 3DS, and moving onto Switch and the eighth generation of Pokémon games.
Overall, I started off sceptical, but I can't really stop myselffrom getting hyped about these games anymore. All the hype!
Also, UB Assembly is somehow adorable.
To answer your other question, I'll be picking up Ultra Moon, as I had Sun originally and want access to the otherexclusives.
Ry: From what I’ve heard from my own research, and some claims are that USUM will have almost double the script, than of SM which excites me a lot. The prosect of getting to enjoy the game more, only adds to the appeal. I hope it’s true.
So jumping around to the next topic, we all know your favorite Pokemon, Porygon-Z, but what is your favorite Starter in all the games?
Teapot: That's a tricky one! I think my favourite starter is probably Snivy, or to use its proper name, the great Lord Smugleaf. It's a shame we never got to use Contrary Serperiors in-game legally, Contrary is a great ability.
My other favourite is probably Pikachu, because I was one of those kids who got into Pokémon while Pokémania was in full swing. I had a Pikachu plushie and absolutely adored it – it was the last one in the shop on Boxing Day, I was six yearsold, and it still sits next to my bed to this day!
Ry: Interesting. So that’s all I have for this interview. So thanks, Teapot for joining me here today. And thank you for what you do for this site. I mean, I know a lot of lives would be different if this site wasn’t around. Plus some of the rules helps keeps the site’s much needed sanity.
Anyways, as Porky Pig says, “Th-th-that’s all folks.” Please give Teapot a round of applause for joining me here to day and have a good one.
