Community-Built Region RP (All Welcome, Even If Not RPing!)

[Junier]

Okay, so I was about to diss Fox hard for associating Mexico with a stable of the American Wild Weest but the American cowboy is rooted in the vaquero anyway, so well-played, you canine.

To be honest though, other than associating an entire region with a vaquero aesthetic, applying "cowboys" to our Lil' Mexico could spill into plot-based elements (concerning a cowboy isn't a universal idea [a theme] but an archetype).

Star's dichotomy between life and death has me thinking that's interesting to base a regional theme off of, rather than a pair of legendary Pokemon. My other big one is cultural influence or learning from the past. There's a lot of "mythos" presented through Pokemon, but because of the lack of world-building foundation the franchise has, it's often taken at face value. I think introducing a theme that necessitates an exploration of culture will also necessitate a stronger setting, which itself will be better for a roleplay!

It also can tie into fossils easily, because I want FOSSILS, but that's selfish, I know.

 

[Kung Fu Ferret]

Okay, so I was about to diss Fox hard for associating Mexico with a stable of the American Wild Weest but the American cowboy is rooted in the vaquero anyway, so well-played, you canine.

To be honest though, other than associating an entire region with a vaquero aesthetic, applying "cowboys" to our Lil' Mexico could spill into plot-based elements (concerning a cowboy isn't a universal idea [a theme] but an archetype).

Star's dichotomy between life and death has me thinking that's interesting to base a regional theme off of, rather than a pair of legendary Pokemon. My other big one is cultural influence or learning from the past. There's a lot of "mythos" presented through Pokemon, but because of the lack of world-building foundation the franchise has, it's often taken at face value. I think introducing a theme that necessitates an exploration of culture will also necessitate a stronger setting, which itself will be better for a roleplay!

It also can tie into fossils easily, because I want FOSSILS, but that's selfish, I know.

I'm an extinct species aficionado, so if you need original ideas, let me know!

 

[Star Arcana]

After reading Junier's comment, and doing a little research, I've prepared my pitch. Mexico has a very rich past, parts that are remember, but others that are forgotten. At the same time, much of the Day of the Dead is to remember and celebrate lost family members. This theme of keeping the past alive is even present in modern Mexican culture, there are some traces of paganism in the Catholicism many practice. A perfect example of this is the Day of the Dead itself, which is considered a Syncretic Christian celebration.

Of course, the opposite of remembering is to forget...

So, I'm proposing MEMORY as my theme, with remembering and forgetting as the opposing forces. This could be taken in a number of ways, of course, but that leaves room for us to get creative!

 

[BugTypeAficionado]

A bit late on the draw, but submissions are now closed for the overarching theme of our region. I'm thinking of extending these submitting/voting periods to two days instead of one, if anybody has any particularly strong opinions about that one way or another, don't be afraid to tell me.

A poll will be going up as soon as I can edit it, and then that poll will be closing in two days time.

EDIT: Poll's up! I tried condensing some things, while also giving them some brief explanation to try and justify their concept beyond the title. If I worded something in a way that you think doesn't do your suggestion justice, I can edit it... although we'll need to reset the poll as well. So hopefully things are okay as is!

 

[Blacephalon]

This looks interesting!

I voted Memory since I never thought a theme like that could work until I saw how it could be described. All three of the themes are pretty nice in my opinion so I'm fine with either of them!

And yeees to Latin America-themed region.

 

[BugTypeAficionado]

Looking at the polls right now, I think it's safe to say what the winner is. I was planning on keeping the voting going until tomorrow, but looking at the current standings, I think the results are pretty clear. And we already got a large influx of voters (thanks Fox), so I highly doubt we'll get 5 more votes for the runner up within that time frame. So, without further ado, the winner for the overarching theme of our region is...

Memory!

To quote Star, "This could be taken in a number of ways, of course, but that leaves room for us to get creative!"

Results
Memory - 8
Cultural Influence/Learning from the Past - 4
Life and Death - 0

Now, lets properly return to our region's name. All the options listed before are still valid, but if the newly established theme gives you some new inspiration, post that as well! Submissions for names close as of posting... but that's not all.

Since we're now stuck retreading old ground, I wanna leave something to keep our momentum going. While working on names, lets start talking about starters. Specifically, if they will have an overarching theme, and what will it be if so?

Just about everyone can tell from a glance that Kalos' starters have an overarching theme. Chesnaught is based off a Paladin/Warrior archetype, Delphox off of a Mage archetype, and Greninja off of a Thief archetype. All three are connected as a trio of traditional RPG class archetypes. Alola's starters follow that trend, with Decidueye being an Archer archetype, Incineroar being a Fighter archetype, and Primarina being a Bard archetype. Unova also has a theme, but it is a bit more debatable. Serperior has design elements of a European/French nobleman, Emboar has design elements of a fiery pig creature from Chinese Mythology, and Samurott has design elements of a Japanese Samurai. All three are connected by having design elements from different cultures.

Now, obviously, not all starters have these overarching theme or design, but it is a nice flourish if we wanted to go the extra mile. If you want to suggest a theme for our starters altogether, suggest one below, and if you'd rather not have a theme for them, there will be an option on the polls when the time comes. Submissions for overarching starter themes are open from now until two days from now, around the same time our region naming poll comes to a close!​

 

[ImMrRoboto]

I think the starters could all be based on Power, Wisdom, and Courage from Legend of Zelda. There's the obvious Fire-Power, Water-Wisdom, and Grass-Courage, but we could also mix it up with maybe a Water/Fighting (Power), a Grass/Psychic (Wisdom), and a Water/Dragon(?) (Courage). I think it'd be neat. Any other thoughts on what type Courage could be?

 

[Groc]

I'd like to see some of the creatures from folklore. You of course have the chupacabra, but you could add the Cherufe (which is a reptilian magma dweller), or dip into Aztec folklore for creatures like ahuizotl or quetzlecoatl. Not sure if they'd be starters or legendaries, though.

As for Courage, why not Dark? It takes great courage to overcome your fears and negative emotions and be a good person.

 

[Junier]

To be honest, I prefer the time before "thematic starters" in the way that was described. The Sinnoh trio is probably my favorite because the Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup lines are all individually unique without their inspirations feeling dependent on one another. Just feels more standalone. (That or narrowing down the newest three gens of starters to fit roles oversimplifies them a bit. Like, Incineroar fits as a "fighter," sure, but its Dark-typing, belt, and Pokedex entries make it a total heel, yknow?)

Uhh regarding a region name though, I'm no good with names, but I can propose a concept for one: merging a Nahuatl and Latin root or prefix/suffix. A two-tone reference to linguistic influences!

 

[BugTypeAficionado]

To be honest, I prefer the time before "thematic starters" in the way that was described. The Sinnoh trio is probably my favorite because the Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup lines are all individually unique without their inspirations feeling dependent on one another. Just feels more standalone. (That or narrowing down the newest three gens of starters to fit roles oversimplifies them a bit. Like, Incineroar fits as a "fighter," sure, but its Dark-typing, belt, and Pokedex entries make it a total heel, yknow?)

I might've oversimplified things, so let me try and explain it more properly. These themes don't, and shouldn't define a starter's design. They're meant to be neat, minor tie-ins to each other (the Unova trio does this the best imo), and the themes aren't going to define the starter's design as a whole, just a minor aspect of it.

Lets take a look at Greninja, for example. Yes, it does fill the "thief" archetype, but even though it is a Dark type, Greninja isn't much of a thief in any way, going by its Pokedex entries at least. Instead, its design is more strongly based off of a ninja, and it shares design elements with a character from "The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya", a Japanese folk story about a ninja who can shape shift into a giant frog. Greninja's design is much, much more than a thief archetype, and thats the way I'd like to keep it for our starters.

Of course, I also understand not wanting to give starters an overarching theme at all. A majority of Pokemon's ensemble of starters didn't have anything like this, and only with the most recent generations did these subtle (for the most part) overarching themes start to occur. If the majority vote would rather not have one, I'm not going to have one awkwardly shoed in. But we'll see!

 

[Star Arcana]

I think the starters could all be based on Power, Wisdom, and Courage from Legend of Zelda. There's the obvious Fire-Power, Water-Wisdom, and Grass-Courage, but we could also mix it up with maybe a Water/Fighting (Power), a Grass/Psychic (Wisdom), and a Water/Dragon(?) (Courage). I think it'd be neat. Any other thoughts on what type Courage could be?

I like this idea. It's not really Mexican, but it is rather unique.

I was thinking of using this as a base, and applying Mexican national animals to it. Like, their bird, mammal, ect. I'll have to see what those are before officially suggesting it, however.

 

[CountDVB]

EVERYONE, HOLD UP!

Now, I actually had a list of original Pokemon actually already made based on a Mexican-basesd region. And I would be happy to show them off. Here are the starters. I will be happy to post the whole list if ya'll want me to

Shrucub- Grass
Junguar- Grass/Fighting
Jaguarrior- Grass/Fighting
Shrucub line- physical sweeper, knows various physical attacks from different types.
Based on jaguars in the jungle.

Serspark- Fire
Serknow- Fire/Psychic
Sagepent- Fire/Psychic
Serspark line- defensive based, mixed attack. Can defend self, but balanced in attack.
Based off of serpents and how Quetzacoatl was a god of wisdom. Also on the fire snake that's Xiuhcoatl

Mistpup- Water
Xologhoul- Water/Ghost
Xolocopomp- Water/Ghost
Mistpup line- speical sweeper, various special attacks.
Based on Xolotl and how dogs would carry souls across rivers, acting as psychopomps.

 

[Kung Fu Ferret]

I also have an idea for the starter trio.

Grass starters could be based on various New World monkey species. Grass/Rock when fully evolved.
Fire starter could be based on the vampire bat, with hints of the Mayan bat god Camazotz. Fire/Flying when fully evolved.
Water could be based on the jaguar knights of the Aztec empire. Water/Fighting when fully evolved.

With a legendary duo possibly based on the Quetzalcoatl and Xototl.

 

[Junier]

I might've oversimplified things, so let me try and explain it more properly. These themes don't, and shouldn't define a starter's design.

Totally see where you're coming from. I think as long as we don't limit ourselves to the themes alone when deciding on the starters, it should be fine. I don't have any qualms with starters like Greninja or Incineroar feeling "oversimplified," so I don't think our fan starters will have that problem, especially with multiple people pitching in!

EVERYONE, HOLD UP!

Speaking of which: the main appeal of working with others on anything, in my opinion, is that it's collaborative. I'd personally wouldn't be comfortable if this turned into everyone submitting chunks of their own isolated fan projects, since I don't think that's really the point. Especially for something as quintessential as the starters!

Though I'm unsure if you actually want these guys, as they're presented, to be the three, or if you're just providing some inspiration. I like a few of your inspirations, especially Mistpup's, and Ghost starteres are bomb-ass! That might just be Godzil giving the impression; I (am I'm sure others, right?) would like to have a say.

Oh, and speaking of what the starters actually are, I'd totally like animals especially relevant to Mexico represented through the starters! It'd be really cool.

Hate to edit when I've already quoted two people but I think this is getting a bit off-topic? We're focusing on the starters' themes and not the starters themselves, I thought, so I'll nominate prehistoric species as one; some have theorized all Grass-types have been headed in this direction, but why not give all the types this treatment? And we could just do RPG classes again, lol. There's Monk and Dancer left, at the very least.

I guess "Triforce starters" makes a bit of sense, but Courage would just manifest on a behavioral level, right? And then what would a starter based on "Power" be like? Strong, yeah, but so is every starter and every Pokemon in their own way 'cause they're meant to be. I guess what I'm saying is "The Triforce" is too vague; a bit ironic as I was iffy on "themed" starters initially, lol.

 

[Star Arcana]

Hate to edit when I've already quoted two people but I think this is getting a bit off-topic? We're focusing on the starters' themes and not the starters themselves, I thought, so I'll nominate prehistoric species as one; some have theorized all Grass-types have been headed in this direction, but why not give all the types this treatment? And we could just do RPG classes again, lol. There's Monk and Dancer left, at the very least.

This is pretty awesome as well. We've had a knight, mage, and thief in gen 6, and a ranger in gen 7. We don't have a cleric, but making that work as a starter could prove tricky. I think, if we went that route, having a witch doctor type Pokémon could be interesting, and would give it some offensive focus as well. An alchemist would also work, which would give you three less common classes.

I could see a witch doctor being part grass, and an alchemist being part poison.

 

[BugTypeAficionado]

Again, late on my part, but my absence has seem to give more ample time for discussion! Maybe I should leave longer breaks between polls and such.

EVERYONE, HOLD UP!

Thank you for the contribution, but we haven't even gotten into deciding the meat of our starters' yet, and in the future I would ask if you could please keep from posting things that are of current relevance (unless we're having a discussion or something about future contests. But that would be something better suited for a Discord server than a thread). These Pokemon are good, but most of these specific factors will be determined by the majority. If the stars align and the voting allows you to resubmit one of these starters, than by all means, but that is currently not the case.

Also, the poll for our region's name is now up! I was considering excluding Aztlan for being a real place... before I remembered that the Kanto region is named directly after the Kantō region in Japan. So real places like that are technically on the table. I'll leave the poll open for a day, and if we have enough votes to make a decisive choice, I will close it then. Discussion for our starters' overarching theme is still open, too.

Although, I also want to make a disclaimer. They do not have to have any correlation to Mexico's native animals, its mythology, or anything Mexico. Of course, if you want to go for the location bonus, then by all means, but it is not a requirement. Hate to bring it up for a third time in a row, but Unova's starters are a good example. Most people don't think of Japanese samurais when they think of New York, do they? Plus, there's plenty of space in the Pokedex for having a line specifically designed after a native animal or a mythological creature, so just keep that in mind.

EDIT: Keeping the poll open a day longer. We have enough votes to make a decision, but I want to give more time to let a majority of our readers vote.

 

[BugTypeAficionado]

We currently have a two-way tie between Espivida and Aztlan! If you haven't voted yet, please do so we can break this tie! At this rate I might have to let this poll go on a day longer.

 

[Foxrally]

Well Mr. GM, if you wanna keep this going, you're gonna have to be the tiebreaker. Don't want this to slow down now!

 

[Groc]

Well, I didn't vote for either of those, but Espivida was my second choice.

 

[PastelPhoenix]

time for a come from behind victory for Chantixo.