Wednesday, 5 September 2012

Final Round


As the sun arises I crack my hands, and ready my weapon. Mind focused with tea in hand, “This is it” I thought. Many have fallen these past few weeks, but as the final battle approaches an end is in sight. Will it be the end I dream of? Only you can decide.

Why should you choose me?
What makes Pokéjungle so great is its community spirit; it differentiates itself from other Pokémon sites by the way it interacts with its readers. Most places just talk AT you, and treat you as followers; I find that Pokéjungle talks TO you, and anyone can be a leader. This sense of equality can only be achieved by the topics that are created here. Everyone who is left in the competition possesses the skills to initiate an adrenaline filled discussion. However I feel I stand apart with my unique humour and quirkiness which I always try to incorporate into my articles. As demonstrated by my Castform article and the CoroCoro leaks (article #8), I have a distinctive style which I hope is both refreshing, and interesting to read. I’m always looking to improve, learn, and challenge myself with every new piece I write. I take on board all criticisms, so eventually I can perfect my imperfections. My mind is always bursting with new ideas which I feel could benefit the community, and make this already fun place even more entertaining.

Ideas:
With the growing number of Pokémon fan sites, and the growth of Pokéjungle, it makes sense to think of new ways to connect with the audience. With 3 extra staff members to help soon with the work load, there is ample opportunity to expand upon the content that is already offered on this site. New daily/weekly columns can be integrated to feed the hungry minds of us fans whilst we wait, for the next bit of juicy news. Here are a few things I would love to implement if I was permitted:

Meloetta’s Montage:
This would be a regular Photoshop event (you are not limited to Photoshop) where you are given a theme from which you must create a clever and/or funny image. For example the theme could be “photography”, so someone could have an image of a Pokémon taking a picture of a human (to convey ironic humour). But another person might put a Pokémon in a pose to make it look as if it’s in a model photo shoot. The entries can be collected during the course of the week, and at the end we’ll show off the top 10 (or more if there are many good ones). I’m sure some of you are aware of a similar activity being used on a popular gaming blog; however this one would be solely Pokémon themed. I think this idea, though not original is still a great way to keep people entertained. Even if people don’t, or can’t take part it’ll still be fun for them to see what others can come up with. We could even have a drawing only activity called “Ditto’s Doodle”.

Virizion’s Vision:
The Pokémon games are so expansive these days that there are always plenty of new ideas fans want to see implemented into the series. For this activity we could collect people’s thoughts, and discuss them in greater detail. We could have idea of the day/week for example. This task would create a great buzz, and would be great for those who are not into Meloetta’s Montage, or Ditto’s Doodles.

These are just some of the ideas I have rattling around in my head. I feel that with these added activities and more, this could help make sure that Pokéjungle stays the number 1 place for Pokémon fans all over. Some could argue that there needs to be databases, and competitive sections etc to rival the other sites, but this isn’t what Pokéjungle is about. We are a community, a big family where all we want to do is to share stories, and have fun with one another. That’s not to say we can’t have those features, I just want to help maintain what makes this site great. I believe we can co-exist with the others because what we have here is special, and no one can take that away from us.

Who else should be in the top 3?
Finding out who wrote what didn’t really make my decisions any easier. All the articles are great, and while some are better than others in round 1, round 2 was a complete turnaround. However for me there is one stand out person who has a bit of everything, and would fit in well with Pokéjungle.

He/she created the bullet pointed (#11) and Chatot articles. Now I probably don’t have to go into too much detail with their first article as it stands out so much. The bullet point idea is very simple, but it is the most efficient way to deliver new information. Why didn’t I use it? Well I thought it may be too risky to have a lack of constructive paragraphs in the first round, so instead I put a recap at the end to make up for it. Obviously I was wrong in doing so as they won the majority of the votes. Nevertheless, what they wrote is great; he/she analysed and picked out the information well. They proved that simplicity is sometimes the best course of action. Also the hide/show tag they have implemented is a very thoughtful touch, especially as the information is all spoilers.
For round 2, I found the Chatot article to be my favourite. The opening description about what makes a “gimmick” Pokémon, is the most clarifying. There is plenty of coherent detail which describes what features are needed to be considered a gimmick, and what type of gimmick Pokémon are around. He/she even gave a few examples. Another part I found fascinating is the zoological side. When you read an in depth piece about a single Pokémon, you expect to find out everything to do with it, including its origins. In this part they really show off the effort they have made when researching the Pokémon. The battle paragraph is great too, going into a lot of depth with its signature move. Overall I felt that the article was well put together with all parts fully analysed, and structured well.

My second choice was tough but I finally decided upon the person who did article #7 in round 1, and the Deerling/Sawsbuck piece in round 2. Out of all the entries, I found he had the most consistency with his grammar, and punctuation. His first submission is very clear, well written, and interesting to read. It was missing a bit of flair; however he did attain a certain level of professionalism which I felt others could have used more of. For the Deerling/Sawsbuck “Focus On”, I once again found it to be highly professional, and one of the more in depth pieces. He went into a comprehensive amount of detail when it came to the aesthetics of the design, and its competitive value. Though I feel there is still a slight lack of personality about his writing style, he still manages to get his opinions across, and he is still in my opinion the strongest grammatical contender.

Well this is it... I would like to thank everyone who has supported me these past few weeks, I would also like to thank PJ, Ozy, Dae, Kriffix and NL for not only giving me this opportunity, but for also believing in my potential. I have loved every minute, and I hope this could be the start of a true love story *Dirty Dancing theme plays*... Hang on a minute, stop the music! I can’t end on that cringe inducing line. Cue the Pokémon theme!

(dun dun DUN)

I wanna be a journalist (DUN dun dun)
Like lots of people are (DUN dun DUN dun)
The top 3 is my real test
But writing is my cause

I will practice all day and night (DUN dun dun)
To perfect my grammar skills (DUN dun DUN dun)
So each of you understand
The potential I possess

POKÉJUNGLE! Gotta write for you
I’d Cherrim the chance to show what I can do
POKÉJUNGLE! Take a chance(y) on me
I’ll prove my worth, you will see
POKÉJUNGLE! Gotta write for you
A site so green, joining you is the ultimate dream

Please choose me for your top 3
POKÉJUNGLE! Gotta write for you.

Actually that was probably worse...

This was for round three of the Pokéjungle competition (Entry 3).

- Sam Peace

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