The Topics

The Pokémon Topic is the term used when referring to one of the seven forum threads relating to Pokémon on Scratch, beginning in 2013. They are housed in the Things I'm Reading and Playing section of Scratch Discuss. The Topics are renowned for their large amount of activity, with Topic VI gaining over ten thousand posts in only three months. It is also known for its extensive subculture by regular participators. Discussion has also spawned a wide variety of side topics discussing specific aspects of Pokémon rather than the franchise as a whole, such as the anime and side games.

Original Post
The OP of a Topic varies in complexity. Topic I's first post was extremely basic, while the others have increasingly ornate designs. Topic V's description, made by CatsUnited, has been adopted into all subsequent Topics, with some tweaks to preserve relevance. Most OPs contain:


 * A banner (as of Topic V), which is either comprised of fanart, official art, or a composite.
 * A title (as of Topic II), usually saying "Pokémon Topic" and the topic number in Roman numerals
 * A note explaining outdatedness, if applicable. Usually also includes a link to the next Topic
 * An explanation of Pokémon, which has been the following since Topic II:"'Pokémon is a franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, a Japanese association composed of Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures Inc. Pokémon has covered a wide variety of media, from video games to trading cards to anime. Any discussion relating to the Pokémon anime, the Pokémon video games, the Pokémon TCG or Pokémon in general goes here.'"
 * Recent Pokémon Games (as of Topic V), accompanied by the date and platform of each game's release.
 * A request for people to mark spoilers (Topic III). The only request of this kind was found in Topic III, where "If you're going to spoil anything, please keep it transparent! Please and thank you." is written. Spoiler warnings have since not been included.
 * Rules of the Topic(s) (Topics III and VIII). In Topic III, the only rule was to stay on topic, with it being noted that veering off topic has nearly caused the previous Topic to be shut down. Topic VIII adds two extra rules, with them asking that people be nice to each other and that slander of the Pokémon Sun and Moon character Sophocles be prohibited. The latter rule has not been enforced as strongly, however. Otherwise, it is silently noted that Scratch's site-wide rules also apply.
 * Recognized Side Topics (as of Topic II), accompanied by links to each one. Since Topic V, Pokémon Sword and Shield is in slightly bigger text, as if to signify that it is a core game. Topic VIII does the same with Pokémon: Legends Arceus.
 * Previous Topics (as of Topic II), accompanied by links to each one and, since Topic V, the date of each one's beginning and end. Topic III did not mention the first Topic. It and Topic IV also linked to the profiles of the creators of the Topics, but this practice has since been discontinued.
 * An explanation of Pokémon Topic memes (as of Topic VI): When memes became more widespread on the Topic, a description was necessary to ensure that people did not mistake the memes for being off-topic. Originally, the only explained meme was N and Lettuce Hair, but this eventually expanded in Topic VII to include Ghetsis, Colress, Harmoniarolling, and a warning to not call anybody on the Topic a "simp" for N.
 * An image of N surrounded by lettuce reading "reject humanity. return to l e t t u c e." (as of Topic VII): The image was created by user chiaki_NaNami0-0 and eventually added to Topic VII during its runtime. Credits to the user were added in Topic VIII, below the image. It was briefly deleted in Topic VIII, but brought back quickly.
 * Pokémon of the Week (Topic VII): A system where one Pokémon would be highlighted every week, hypothetically. However, it became defunct, with the Pokémon of the Week remaining Mudbray.

Length
A new main Topic is made when 10,000 Posts are hit (with the exception of Topic I, which lasted for 15063 posts - the rule was not in place at the time), to prevent the slow page loading times associated with particularly large threads. However, this is not a strict rule rather than a guideline, as shown by how Topic VII lasted for a couple of pages longer due to activity continuing past the threshold while the topic's manager was offline.

History
The main Topics can be looked at in three eras:


 * 1) The Old Era, consisting of Topics I and II. At this point, the Pokémon Topic as a whole was in its fledgeling stages. Activity was rather sparse - this is best showcased in the first topic's lasting for four years, the longest of any other Pokémon Topic.
 * 2) The Modern Era, consisting of Topics III, IV, and V. Topic III marked the introduction of the most prevalent Pokémon Topic meme, which involved the similarities in appearance shown by the hair of Pokémon Black and White character N and lettuce. This meme changed the face of the Topics forever, with discussion regarding N becoming much more prevalent and activity increasing considerably.
 * 3) The Speedrun Era, consisting of Topics VI, VII, and VIII. This era is named as such due to all Topics after Topic V being completed in five months or less, a drastic reduction from the previous Topics which usually ran their course in around a year. Some may choose to consider the Speedrun Era as being part of the Modern Era.

List of Main Topics
ProgrammingPro01, who owned the first one (2013-17)

WolfCat67, owner of the second one (Jan-Nov 2017)

Divions, EeveeLegends by the end of it, owner of the third (2017-2018)

Wahsp, who owned the fourth (2018-19)

CatsUnited, owner of the fifth (2019-2020)

wkmewsic, owner of the sixth (2020-2021), Just in time for Crowned Tundra Release. Also know as the 'speedrun topic' due to the very short lifespan of the topic compared to previous topics.

M1mikyu, owner of the seventh (2021-2021)

And the current topic, owned by -Charon- (2021-???)

Sub-Topics:
There are specialised topics as well, which you can find on the first post of every topic, besides the first one.

Sword and Shield (Topic)

Shiny Topic

Shipping Topic

Trading Topic

Adventures Topic

Comp. Topic

Diglett Topic

Journeys (Topic)

Meme Topic

Showdown (Topic)

Pokemon GO (Topic)

PMAH, Studio.