AsianKid
Youngster
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2015
- Messages
- 195
- Points
- 93
Community Spotlight
The "Community Spotlight" is an interview series under The AOK Times that aims to provide greater insight into the thoughts and minds of PWO's amazing community members. It follows a Q&A format and the responses are released with the expressed consent of the interviewee.
Interview w/ Fadoka
Hello, I’m known as Fadoka, but this nickname is not my actual real name, it’s just derived from the real name and it has a little story behind it since school days when we used to play basketball. I just snipe long range shots and I had strong arms so they actually called me “Bazoka” then later it became “Fadoka” since my real name starts with the letter “F”. Funny to remember but childhood memories are always the best.
I’m a Christian from Alexandria, Egypt. Though most might have thought I’m much older but I’m 26 years old. I have to mention that Alexandria has the best beaches and hangout spots so I’m really lucky, it is my hometown. It really helped me develop some character since younger age from dealing with visitors and tourists that helped me learn a lot of cultures and languages at younger age. I’m currently working as a head auditor for a company and as for my personal statues, I’m currently engaged.
I’ve been playing PWO since the starts. I’ve been around at 2008 when Gyaradoses used to Hydro Pump, when Dragonites used to Water Gun and when Charizards used to Flare Blitz, those broken Traunt Slakings. It was fun as it lasted. I actually started the game at 2008 but then I didn’t play for a while due to studies. Then back in 2011 I returned to play but then I forgot the older account details that I had so I registered “Fadoka_1” at 2011 that was later renamed to “Fadoka” which is the same name as today. I’ve played the game for 7420+ hours and counting. I’m really happy for playing PWO and it has a lot of memories from over the years for me with old friends.
My hobbies are basically playing football (Soccer for some), swimming, obviously basketball since childhood and I spend a lot of time at the gym and hanging outs. Also, there are some gaming that I love doing as hobbies like Fifa, GTAs, of course Pokémon Showdown which is PvPing basically, and so on.
2. Now, there’s no question that you’re one of—if not—the best PvP trainers in the PWO's entire history. Your recent victory in the Generation I Tournament accompanies your numerous accolades. While the dominant battle numbers speak for themselves, I’m most impressed with the consistency of your performance no matter the format. While there are many other impressive battlers, what do you believe distinguishes you from the rest? And perhaps, gives you that extra edge over the competition.
Well, if there is anything that seems to distinguish anyone from a group of doers in any part in life and not only this case, it’s basically the “Mentality”. I’ve talked about it before but the way you think and the beliefs you put in and apply are what keeps you somewhere else. You could have a different point of view than the whole herd in a general case, but when you decide to stick from it, search more, try to reach something different while keeping the consistency, you will definitely be something. Funny fact about the word “consistency”, its one word that got me accepted in my current job when I was asked but a human resource manager “What is the most difficult thing in life in your opinion.” Back to the point, I decided to have my own thoughts, my own beliefs at things, Some, might be worried about losing and its negative vibe but they just don’t know that losing is the step for winning so just lose every single time without caring that you actually lost. Look at what caused the loss and learn from it next times, then you’ll be a winner once you cover most of the defects and put a ton of focus and take things serious on big stages. You can’t win without losing first then learning from mistakes and covering things up.
You have to outwork everyone and keep in shape, putting the pressure away every second of your road. “Their words mean nothing to me. I know what I’m doing and what I’m believing in”. As long as you care about what is being said around you, you will never take any step forward. Put people’s talks in the garbage can and focus on your work. And since you mentioned the Generation I Tournament, I’ll have to tell you that I stayed awake for nights just making teams, testing them, and actually before the tournament started, I had 20+ Gen 1 teams that I arranged from hardest to weakest and I chose which teams I’d use on each round, etc. Sticking to all this while keeping longevity for the love of the game. You would definitely find yourself different even when you haven’t planned being different at all. As long as you keep pushing no matter how huge letdowns are, you’ll reach the big stage one day. Challenge yourself and set goals, always set goals and try to reach them. This puts you on the edge of growing bigger.
3. You’re a trainer of many sayings; some less serious than others. In particular, you’ve been the poster boy of the “EZ” term within the community which has
Basically, about the “EZ” movement thing. It was an internet trend some years ago that I actually found it funny. I used to battle some of my friends on Showdown and started using the word to tease them “GG EZ” and stuff. It was always funny and different that previews some sense of humor without actually talking much, which is pretty much my personal style. Lately the “EZ” worked as “hello” to me since everyone basically knew I use it too much. And it’s actually great to see people using it for the fun of it. It’s like spreading a scent in the room which actually spreads a positive energy around. Though I have to mention, to be remembered and to be successful: you will have to have your own sections. Like thoughts, beliefs, actions, and even catchphrases. Being creative at such things will always give you a second life even if you aren’t around. It makes you happy when people use the words you use. By then you know you’ve left a mark and that’s a really sweet feeling. Even at the guild we call ourselves the “EZers”. It's actually a bright vibe.
4. “The dead are rising from the grave.” I’ve seen many instances of the phrase being used throughout the years. It was first used by the former leader of Inferno Blaze but you have since taken up the mantle as the face of BlaZe. As one of the few guilds that have stood the test of time, why do you think this has been the case? A story akin to Ash’s Charmander, how is it that the eternal flames of the guild have remained ablaze? And what are your thoughts on the guild’s future in this post-Beta era?
BlaZe stood the test of time because unlike most guilds, it is a guild of purpose. It’s not just a guild that was made out of sudden and just accepted anyone to be a part of it. But BlaZe was made by a group of friends among myself back then that actually loved to do PvP and were rich and had a lot of resources in-game. That love for PvP actually pushed us to gather and challenge one another to the top and prove a point and also have longevity. And till this day we do have a challenge in the guild and we improve ourselves PvP-wise. We all love PvP (other stuff like hunting and collecting too, but mainly PvP) so when we share the same interest, we are always united.
BlaZe remained over the years because it turned from a “guild” to a “family” since day one and it’s the same way today. We do talk to each other, we know one another. We discuss matters and we are always in touch. Maybe some people from the guild did quit over the years but I’m always in touch with them or at least most of them. The guild will always remain strong and united even if the activity number is low. Whomever has the guild tag is worthy of having it or at least has the potential to really represent it for the future. So, basically, that answer includes the “Post Beta” part too.
About “The dead are rising from the grave.” That quote was first used by Nikola (Also known as Darcia or Kidman) the first guild leader of BlaZe. We used it to express a feeling using it when we battled and won a game against one another. When I lost the first game and then won the second. It would definitely make some sense. That’s how it was first made but then we just used the quote outside of that exact scene. It was spammed especially by me at that time on chats etc. It sounded fun because it’s mysterious and pretty much catchy to the ears. Though there are no deeper meanings for such quote, though I guess he picked that line up from a certain anime or a movie back then when he first used it lol.
5. “Greatness isn't a word. It's an act you prove.” The single post on your Forum profile. In your opinion, do you believe that you’ve done enough to be considered “great”? Whether positive, negative, or somewhere in between, how much would you say you care about other trainers’ opinions of you?
When I wrote that quote on forums, I didn’t mean it as a self-reflector but as a wise word. It’s basically about focusing on your target aside from focusing on what is being said and thrown around. Once this is done, you find yourself labeled “Great”.
Speaking of myself achieving enough, pretty much nah. I know what I have already achieved might be counted as a thing for some but personally, I always believe that consistency and longevity is required and needed to be sometime, and that’s at every part of life including work and even whatever healthy activity. I always keep myself hungry to get more.
About caring about other trainers’ opinions of myself, simply it depends. Depends on what? Depends on how mature they are. Putting names aside, I’d take a word from a little child that sees something lacking or missing in me and tries to advise me because it’s coming from the heart. So, imagine it from someone with a brain? Of course, I’m always open to hearing opinions and caring from those who are worth hearing from according to my brain meter which is basically “Making sense”. And I always listen carefully and I take the opinion to work to self-improve. That’s the good part of it. Because there comes the other part of human beings that I don’t give the F word about or their opinions at all. They are usually biased towards a certain thought that is derived from jealousy or certain stuff they believe in, and they reflect their defects towards who they can’t overcome. So basically those, they can talk or even act like clowns all day long without me even giving a Rattata’s skeleton.
6. Personally, I’ve had the unfortunate privilege of facing your Pokémon in the heat of battle. While your
Tyranitar and Dragonite are always special cases for me because they are among my favorites aside from them being top-tier PvP Pokemon in the first place. Currently, there are big scene changers like Crawdaunt, Infernape, Garchomp, Scizor, Alakazam, Gengar, Heracross, and Weavile. These are pretty much ones of my favorites to use and they have done good to me. Especially Crawdaunt since it holds a lot of memories with me and It’s a dark type and it’s the same typing as Tyranitar which is my favorite type as well. As a short advice for PvP: Balance your team around offensive pokemon while having 2 tanks as maximum and the rest could be bulky offensive ones while every team spot could provide coverage and chemistry with the others. This helps the games to be pushed somewhere to speed up no matter what. Having an offensive awareness is always a big part of beating walls and fat teams down. It’s made for this purpose hence why I’m really big-time into wall breakers and offensive Pokemon no matter if they are bulky or fragile. Each and every Pokemon has its use. Even the most fragile Pokemon Like Alakazam has done a lot for me in a good way.
7. It was brought to my attention that you left PWO for another dimension for quite a bit. Can you explain your experiences over yonder and what sort of events led up to your return here? As a trainer who has had a glimpse of the other side, how does PWO fare and can we expect your presence to be around here for a while longer?
It’s no secret that I’ve been through a lot in Pokémon terms and yeah, I’ve been to an online game that was held by Shane and my best friend and former guild leader Nikola himself. So basically, I had to give it a shot when it was new especially with the hype and these flames that I always have inside me which always push me to prove a point no matter what the place is, and just to try to top. Luckily and fortunately after hard work and improvements too, I was able to do it again. I was remembered there by name and made a lot of friends. Some were PWO players who recognized my name and some knew me from what I’ve done there. That’s the player part but as most of you might have not known there is a different part as well which is the staffing part. I’ve been the lead of trade mods there and I’ve even set the trade rules at a point to the game. I used to handle the reports (with my team) including scamming, real money trades and everything related to trades even like calculating time for online auctions. It was fun as it lasted but of course, dealing with a lot of, let me say “heavy amount of disgrace incidents” from the community there, made me reach a point where I no longer wanted to be a part of that staffing team especially when that game had a newer owner after Shane and Nikola. That new owner basically could unban a real money trader just because he donated a ton. It gives you a lot of negative feelings as a trade mod to ban a real money trader and then you find them playing the next days and actually with worse attitude than the previous. When I saw that, I’ve seen that my time there was done. Especially since I had a lot of “haters” there that hated me and the guild just because of a rivalry but to a way too serious extent. Imagine not being able to trade just because you are you. You are forced to make an alt account and trade these people if you ever wanted to pick a Pokémon out of them. Imagine having a whole guild ganging up on you just to try to trick you to a point to cost you a certain tournament battle or to get into your brain. Yeah, I’ve experienced a lot there and I’ve learned a lot and this ride has actually given me a lot of maturity and cold blood. But then you decide that enough is enough especially when you don’t find any appreciation at a point or a good return for the hard work you exert.
Longer story short: I’ve achieved all what I wanted at that place and I’ve returned to that home that I always loved and didn’t leave in first place. I wanted to find peace and I’ve said and I’ll always say that PWO is beautiful because of its community and that’s what gives it an edge above the rest. Even if other Pokémon games have bigger and wider updates and details, but PWO will always remain the one online Pokémon game with the most beautiful community. That’s what keeps me here, and I will always stay here as long as the game keeps living because I love PWO. It’s memories and childhood ones too with that old generation of players and currently the newer one too. One has to admit that you could hit lots of bars but then you sit down and say: “The old wine is the fine wine.”
Alright, these next few questions are something I like to ask all my interviewees.
8. What piece(s) of advice would you give to your past self who just started in PWO? Or are you the type to say that “everything happens for a reason” and wouldn’t change a thing?
I have never regretted or made any poor decisions that I wished I could do over just because every step on the road I keep my brain cells functioning. Sometimes I overthink things (In a good way) just to try to figure out the way it would function best in every situation.
Okay If there are certain advises to give my past self it would be: “Do not hesitate to ask for help” and “Do not be shy to basically reject someone’s proposal.” These two advises are the most important parts that I lacked as a little kid.
- “Do not hesitate to ask for help”: At school I used to be the guy who never asked the teacher one question during the whole calendar year and yet passed every time. But when I grew up and found a job, because responsible etc. and then I took a flashback and though “If I actually asked blah blah, I’d have been better at blah blah”. So, it’s no shame to ask for help. Actually, it’s beneficial to ask those who are worth asking. It skips time as long as those whom you ask are experienced and aware of what you’re asking.
- “Do not be shy to basically reject someone’s proposal.”: Trust me, as a shy type of person or even not. If you can’t say the word “No” to what is not beneficial for you, this will waste a lot of time and energy for someone that might have been not good enough for you or not even your level. Learn to reject politely. Learn to give good reply at the same exact moment of the situation. Do not return home and keep your flames burning for keeping yourself silent in the face of something that did hurt you. Just interact directly. Deal with the people the same way they deal with you. Be nice to the nice, be worst to the bad, while keeping your own principles that made a man out of you in first place. I worked on these two defects and I found myself as a manager and a lot of personal successes career-wise and personal-wise too.
Though, I also believe that “Everything happens for a reason”. Which is a clear message from the creator to those with brains. But it would be useless if you don’t seek towards knowing the fruit from the scene. You wouldn’t be wise if you seek passing through a rainy storm and you question how you ended up with a common cold. You have to learn from every action and everything that happens around you. Don’t wait to fall but you could learn from someone’s fall too.
9. Name three things that you would like to see in PWO.
1. A better positive community in terms of activity and attitude.
2. More staff contributions like staff-held events and a bigger staff impact on the game and paying close attention to those who actually love the project and love to see it growing.
3. A raised Pokemon gaming awareness and definitely an active battle scene. Also spreading the basics, like letting people know the basics of hunting, PvP, the difference between the good and the bad Pokemon, etc. This would raise people to be dedicated to whatever Pokemon gaming section they love to be at.
10. Despite your heralded efforts and the statue raised within the Pewter Museum, do you still have that same hunger and fight within you since when you began? How have your goals evolved over the years?
I’ve always had this hunger and I will always have it. This hunger did actually grow especially that I’m a way too competitive person who loves challenges and set goals. I’m a holder of that mentality that every successful end of a story is the beginning of a bigger and wider successful story so that you’d have to work even harder because to remain consistent is harder than reaching the top itself. So, I’ve personally raised my personal bar and my roof to bigger hopes and I take my goals personal to see if I’m actually competitive enough like I see myself or not. Having that stage fear isn’t catching me anymore after a long ride with hardships. I’ll always be a part of whatever competition available to prove myself this point and to create memories to be proud of.
Alright, the spotlight is on you! You're free to talk about whatever you want. What message do you want to share with the Community?
In the end, I would really like to say that life is a long and tough road. You will find a lot of hardships and a lot of challenges, everyone will. But what will make you special and different from the rest is the way you react and deal with such hardships. Always have a functioning brain. In any environment you’re at, put people in categories in your mind. Know who you’d listen to and who you wouldn’t even look at. Focus on your goal and only it. Do not let others pull you down when they find you running on a road that you paved for yourself.
Understand people and give them chances. Put yourself in people's shoes and see if you will like the way you’re about to treat them with or if they will accept such actions or words you’re about to act or say to them.
Be nice, always be nice and never let the world change you in a bad way no matter how hard it pushes you down to the ground. If you fall once, stand up thrice because that’s how winning is done.
Always search for your personal defects and put plans to fix them, then directly act. Do not let your flames cool.
At school, work, or any environment, learn to stay calm and talk less, listen more. The more accurate your ears are, the more successful you will be.
Do not take people’s words as facts that reflect you. Just because you yourself don’t even know your inner powers to an extinct that reaches a 90%. So why would those who know you less matter to you? Do not let their negativity hold you down.
Such advises might seem obvious but there is a funny fact about this world, it's that everyone acts like they know but in fact, everyone might know but only few that act. Those who act are those who top. Stay cool and believe in yourself, outwork everyone and be the hardest worker in the room. One day you’ll definitely be remembered.
Wrap Up
And with that, the long-awaited third Community Spotlight issa wrap! Keep your head on a swivel because who knows what trainer The AOK Times will look to interview next? Don't bat an eye
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