[Worldbuilding] "It's just a little tweak, nobody would notice"

So, what is this "tweaking" I refer to?

Well, we all know how we write stories here based on the world of pokemon or the even better world PMD #ShamelessPMDfan #GatesUnderrated #TradeMyGaryForAGengar. Well, I'd imagine that we don't often enjoy the rules that come with the original conceptions of the games or see that they don't necessarily fit with what our story is trying to say.

So I dedicate this jumbling mess to ask "what do you do to expand upon the world of pokemon" in a way that either adds or adjusts a certain aspect.

I would give an example from my writing, but I probably have worldbuild regurgitated enough for y'all so I'll leave the floor open for anyone who wants to give the first example. Though I may add later, just not first to keep up appearances!

I change my pokemon RPs so that the journey is about testing your strength instead of beating every gym leader. And so that the journey is the very graduation test for becoming an official trainer. I like when there's more meaning and aim to it like that.

I typically expand moveslots from four to six to allow for a bit more flexibility in writing without completely removing restrictions. I also like to sprinkle a little more realism into things like differentiating what makes an amateur and professional trainer, aging up the minimum trainer age creating some more clear culture and economy etc.

I also have the moveset be 5 or 6 for a bit more flexibility while at the same time not go overboard. In Foul Play I have Hau and Selene still study while they're on their journey through online assignments that they do at their own time. Also in Foul Play I have Mega Evolution not only drain the Pokemon's energy but also the trainer's due to both of them having sync energies when a Pokemon Mega Evolves.

One of the things I'll keep is the minimum age to 11 trainers to get a license. I know lots of people like to raise it to a couple years or more, but I actually don't like that as you're trying to have other people accommodate your trainer around instead of the other way around. For me, I would have services like Pokemon rangers help out much younger trainers. This is a YMMV thing though and my own personal preference lol.

Hmmm I change enough that it's probably easier to ask what I don't change; on a note of comparison to previous posts I'll mention that I *don't* raise the starting age for Pokémon training, though having to start at like 11 is a fact of life for some people.

Of the kind of small things I change or "update" from what's already there is the fact that I make Trainers and their Pokémon in general understand each other very well, provided they've been on the road for a while, but in contrast even an experienced Trainer has trouble understanding someone else's Pokémon without some sort of aid. Similarly, Pokémon species understand each other across the board on very general terms (baring fangs is almost always a threat display) but anything more specific requires some sort of common ground.

gimmepie said:

I also like to sprinkle a little more realism into things like differentiating what makes an amateur and professional trainer,

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Could you expand a bit more on this? It's for a book.

Another thing I do is make stuff like Mega Evolution patently worse than fighting normally, in particular if it has to be maintained for a long while.

Venia Silente said:

Could you expand a bit more on this? It's for a book.

Click to expand...

Well, the way it works in Stairway is a common way I do it. There you need a license before you can even start competitively battling as an amateur/semi-pro. You don't get paid for that, it's effectively a gamble. You earn winnings by defeating gyms or fellow trainers. To get pro status you have to do well enough in the amateur league, which you need to beat 8 gyms to access.

The pro competitors are more like professional athletes with how it works. They get paid a wage just for participating in the league with the top 5 being the standing e4 and champ. The higher you are ranked, the more you make. Gym leaders are pros, but don't have to compete and get paid a middling amount.