Do you keep your love of Pokemon a secret from others?

[colours]

the reason why i ask this is that there may be some people that might not want everyone to know they like pokemon, and also some people that flat out don't care. i really applaud ppl who wear pokemon shirts in public without giving a crap what anyone else thinks. i want to be like that. o:

 

[NMLewis]

I have a water bottle at work with stickers of my faves on it. Occasionally there are customers who can identify them, which is always pleasing. Separate those who only know Pokémon on the surface level, you know.

I have shirts with Spheal, Miltank, Keldeo and Mandibuzz. I need to get others.

It's a massive part of my existence, so people might as well know about it.

 

[Cinnabar]

I don't mind what anyone thinks, honestly, I want to show that I am a fan. I have worn several different shirts many times out and about, and when we went on vacation as a family last year, I wore a vibrant Psyduck Confusion backpack.

 

[colours]

i feel like i still somewhat care. i don't know if i'll get to a point where i'll wear pokemon shirts in public, but i think owning a few pieces of merch is fine by me and i don't really mind what people think of that. idk maybe i'm odd in that line of thought.

 

[Leaf_Ranger]

In my case I'm generally open about my likes of Pkmn and videogames in general. That said, I live in a country where soccer plays a BIG role in the daily lives and so at work I only reveal that I like and play Pkmn with those that I feel confident with. I don't have Pkmn shirts to wear but I'm thinking of making one with either Koffing's skull, Team Rocket's "R" or Plasma's shield. Last but not least, I also love some things to be kept secret, so one more reason to just not go out in public making statements of love to a franchise.

 

[Felly]

I'm not super open about it, but I'm more open nowadays about it than I was when I was younger. I don't actively try to hide it, but I'm not super open about it either. I only have one Pokemon shirt (which I haven't worn yet), but I wouldn't mind investing in more, haha. I've just learned to care less about what people think about me and the things I like over the years, and instead embrace the things I like.

 

[Phosphene]

My friends and family know of my like of Pokémon, but I try to keep it to myself as much as possible. I always get really awkward and closed off whenever my family tries to talk to me about Pokémon, often times desperately trying to change the subject. Sometimes I’ll open a little about it, but that’s rather rare.

I used to wear a few Pokémon shirts though—in fact I think there’s a yearbook photo of me in a Treecko shirt—but I’ve stopped as I prefer plain t-shirts and would rather keep Pokémon to myself.

 

[bluering8]

I can't think of any reason I'd care whether people know that I like Pokemon. When I was younger people would occasionally attempt to shame me for my more childish interests (in the "we're just trying to help you grow up into a functional adult" sense), but the wonderful thing about being a functional adult is I now get to decide a) I want to spend my life in a manner which I find enjoyable, not pandering to the demands of weirdos who think they get a say in how I spend my leisure time, and b) I don't make eye contact and my social skills are wonky at best, so anyone who'd judge me for liking a particular fictional franchise has probably already decided I'm a freak and there's no point pandering to them in the first place.

I don't currently own any Pokemon shirts, but I used to and probably will again in future, and I own plenty of other fandom shirts which I wear in casual situations. Like, sure I'll go do my grocery shopping in a shirt with a picture of Megatron/the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/velociraptors, if I owned a Pokemon shirt I'd be equally happy to wear it out in public.

 

[hanecco]

I'm wary of revealing what entertainment I like, because in the past I've gotten disproportionately harsh reactions. If I'm questioned about it, I'll say I like Pokemon, but I'm not open about it, either. Most of my friends figure it out after a while.

As for merch, I don't mind wearing things stuff which blends in to everyday life, but a Pokemon fan would still recognise; things like these, these, or these. (none of which I own...)

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

I let people know I like pokemon if I’m asked about it, but barely anyone knows how much. The community around me is very judgemental and now that we’ve all just gotten to adulthood, several other people are going through that stupid “hurr durr that’s kid stuff I’m a mature adult” phase. So I’m reserved about it.

 

[Esserise]

Sort of, but only because I'm just by nature a very private person irl and not too open about any of my interests unless I have an established closeness with someone. But I don't have a problem with casually wearing the couple of shirts that I have out to the store and such; nobody's ever commented on them or anything.

 

[prog rocker]

It's not a secret, but I don't tell anyone either freely mostly because I have no one to talk to.

 

[Silktree]

My family know about it, especially as my nephew talks about it with me whenever we meet (I've only experienced SwSh gameplay first hand through him). My brother used to be a fan and knows that I haven't stopped.

 

[Insanish Danish]

Nah. I might not openly gush about it, but I don't hide it either. I wear Pokemon shirts in public a lot and I tend to get compliments when I do. There's a lot of people out there who think Pokemon is cool

 

[techitisJ]

I don't hide it. I'll talk about in public spaces freely, sometimes even squealing over it a bit too loudly when rewatching the latest trailer in the school cafe (during pre-SM). I used to do wifi battles with a couple of friends while eating lunch in High school. I had a shirt, and a few pins, but I don't pull off T-shirts all that well and I don't have lotta luck with pins so I don't wear much gear. Though when Let's Go came out I clipped an Ultra Ball to my waist when I went out to pick up my copy of the game.

 

[Aulos]

I keep most of my interests private from most people (IRL I am known for playing the bassoon and oboe, being good at music history, and stuff like that. That's it lol). However, all of my friends do know I like Pokemon and play the games.

 

[Parissong]

I used to keep it a secret since I used to get teased about it. But now that I am in college, I am pretty open about it and it is well-received! I even met and became friends over competitive battling with some people from my campus!

(IRL I am known for playing the bassoon and oboe, being good at music history, and stuff like that. That's it lol)

Actually used to be super active (clarinetist) in my high school band and I got some pretty good vibes from playing city or route themes during our down time!

 

[colours]

ngl when i go back to campus i'm considering just bringing my switch and playing shield, lmao. i need to stop caring so much about what other people think about that. u.u

 

[IndigoEmmy]

I don't just go up to people and say "i like pokémon" but i have no need to keep it a secret.

EDIT:
The only time i do keep it a secret, is it my school in the afterschool things, you have eighth graders (such as myself) in the same room as 4 year olds. That's like a ten year difference. For some reason these kids say they love pokémon (And their precious ultra mega super duper Solgalelo GX, yes it's spelled wrong on purpose) so i could never wear my Eevee t-shirt (i'm wearing rn lol) in afterschool stuff.

 

[Trainer Gabriel]

I would say not really. I don't bring it up out of the blue, but I'll mention that I play the video game series, when asked specifically, or wear my Pokémon t-shirt that I got a few years ago on occasion (something I haven't had for probably at least a decade prior).