btamamura - Tumblr blog

[btamamura]

Happy Kenji Day!! 25 Years!!

I made a celebratory thread on Twitter, so I’ll link it here. Feel free to pop over and give it a read!

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

1. Sometimes with caution, sometimes recklessly, he’ll do what needs to be done and see it through to the end.

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

2. He is great with navigation, carrying the maps, knowing where they are and even dropping island and town trivia.

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

3. His Pokémon are a great team who help him in different ways, and he appreciates them for it.

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

4. He can be cute without even realising it.

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

5. He cares very much for Pokémon, whether he knows them or not, and will help those who need it.

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

6. When it comes to relatable moments, those would definitely be when he is fanboying about meeting Professor Oak.

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

7. He has knowledge outside of Pokémon Watching, including which fruits would be ripe enough to eat and recognises the signs of incoming hurricanes. But he is also eager to learn more and expand his knowledge.

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

8. He cares about his friends. He doesn’t want to see them hurt, but he will always support them!

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

9. Supporting Ash all the way through the Masters Eight, even celebrating victories with some of his Pokémon. #ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Top 10 Things About Kenji/Tracey - Countdown to Kenji Day

10. His appearance in the final episode ever. He was voiced again after many years, even briefly, and Venonat had evolved into Venomoth.

#ケンジの日2024

[btamamura]

Kenji once again concerned about dietary habits for health reasons.

[btamamura]

A Love Letter for Tracey Sketchit from btamamura

(CW // Contains very, very brief mention of sexual assault, bullying and suicide)

Hello, Tracey. You don’t know me, but for over 20 years, I have known you. I guess that would be a creepy way to put it, huh? But, nonetheless, it’s the truth.

I was around fifteen when I first saw The Lost Lapras aired on TV for an advanced screening. At the time, I had been aware of Pokémon. My brother would watch episodes and I sometimes joined in if Sailor Moon wasn’t on and I was up to get ready for school. I had a novel adaptation of some of the episodes and the anime dub soundtrack. Got those for my birthday. Was even going to see the First Movie in cinemas when it came out.

Even so, my awareness or thinking to call myself a fan was still minor at best until the moment you appeared on screen, observing the Pokémon that belonged to the delinquents who were hurting Lapras and calling them out for neglecting the care of their Pokémon, then complimenting and sketching Pikachu.

My attention was grabbed instantly. Who were you? I needed to know more…! So, I focused more on the episode. An artist, a Pokémon Watcher, a fan of Professor Oak, someone who was amazed to hear Meowth speak human language, someone with a Venonat, someone named Tracey. And I knew I wanted to know you more.

So, I started watching more and more of the Pokémon anime dub. Then, it finally aired again. For real. The Lost Lapras. Not just an advance screening but the real thing. Meaning more episodes to come. And more chances to get to know you.

And the more I got to see you, the more I got to know you, the more I liked you. When I found out my school could print coloured pictures on their computers, I made a collage of the only pictures of you I could find and then slipped it into the cover of my binder folder. Whenever I felt upset in class, whether the work was stressful or I was being bullied, looking at you helped me feel better.

When the second movie was announced to be coming to cinemas, I decided I was going to Closet Cosplay as you to the best of my abilities. I had already cosplayed in the same way with a group of friends I had met who were also into Pokémon.

I did the cosplay and even had my dad take a photo, which I have enclosed with this letter for you to see. At the time, I would have been almost 16. Just three months off. And I was so excited to see the movie. I got the soundtrack and the novel adaptation, the VHS and eventually the DVD.

Imagine my shock and sorrow to learn people hated you the more I scoured the internet about you. Most forums had character bashing pages with you as the focus, there were fanfiction where you were killed for no reason or made gay in a homophobic lens, not in the accepting lens. Meaning it was very derogatory. And very heartbreaking. But, I also found a page that would lead to another big change in my life. The Kawaii Kenji Shrine. A page dedicated not to the English dub take on you but the original in which you were Kenji. Little did I know that finding out who helped give you a voice in that would lead me to becoming the anime fan and seiyuu fan I am today. I was introduced to the song Minna de Arukou, a song I have loved ever since first hearing it in its entirety. It was the first Japanese song I learned how to sing by heart. I read the stories, and none were hateful. Sure, some had sad content, but they weren’t done in hateful ways. It also led me to two other character shrine pages that supported you. One of which introduced me to the D.O.T. aka Defenders of Tracey. I’ve been a defender of yours for as long as I’ve been a fan and it made me happy to know others would defend you too.

And then, something traumatic happened to me when I was sixteen. Actually, two traumatic things. I was sexually assaulted and lost a friend to suicide. Focusing on you helped provide comfort in that time. So much so that the next year when it had been a year since the Good Friday I had been sexually assaulted, when I saw you heavily focused on in the episode of the anime dub that was on that morning, that was all I wanted to think about. You brought me comfort and distraction at a time I needed it most. The whole weekend, when I woke up, through the day and right before bed, I would watch the episode again and again and again because it was the first time in a long time I had been able to see you in an episode. It felt especially special because of the timing, like you were personally trying to comfort me and say that I was going to get through a time related to traumatic memories and stress and come out of it okay, even if not recovered yet from the pain it caused me.

I have been able to make irreplaceable friends because of you, friends dear to me who have also been fans of you since Day One. Medea10 being one of the closest I’ve had that after I got myself a little commissioned plush of you, I got one made for her too. You helped her a lot in life too but I will leave it to her to tell you that someday.

Even these days, over 20 years later, you are a source of comfort and support. Thinking about you helps me through sad times. Rewatching the episodes with you in them got me through ten lonely days in hospital when I needed major surgery - a thyroidectomy - and couldn’t have visitors because a pandemic caused global hospital lockdowns where only patients and end of life family visits were allowed in aside from the staff themselves.

Thank you, Tracey. From the depths of my heart. I will continue to love and admire you, defend you from haters and naysayers and doubters, and always be a fan who supports you, even now with the anime having come to its final conclusion. Thank you for the comfort and the support you gave me without being aware of such.

Thank you for being you, no matter if Kenji or Tracey Sketchit.

Love from btamamura.

[btamamura]

Never forget that Tracey’s debut scene consisted of him doing the following…

Interrupting a battle by calling for all trainers involved to hold on and then immediately stepped in to analyse all Pokémon involved.

Outright called out how three delinquents had been neglecting their Pokémon’s care by pointing out the Spearow was overweight and lacking vitamins, Beedrill’s colouring was off and Hitmonchan was clearly lacking in exercise necessary for helping Fighting types get stronger.

Praised Pikachu’s care, noting the shiny coat and developed electric sacs.

Made sketches and took notes the entire time he was doing so.

Wanted to have Pikachu do an electric attack so he could get a reading on his voltage meter - the reading was inconclusive since he wound up getting caught up in getting shocked when Pikachu was shocking the aforementioned Pokémon when the delinquents sicced them on Tracey.

Gave Ash medicine and ran off to get help after seeing Lapras looked hurt.

All of that happened in his debut scene. How can people call him boring when his debut wasn’t just “someone approaches and goes ‘oh hey, a Pikachu!’ or has a gentle introduction” but going all out in calling out neglect, praising proper care and getting shocked and then running off to get help for an injured Pokémon?

[btamamura]

New fic

[btamamura]

New fic

[btamamura]

Happy belated bday (Certain I missed it)

Thanks! (No worries, it’s all good!)