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[Ech]

Greetings, you people, you! I just realized that this is going to be my first post so I guess this is going to simultaneously serve as my introduction thread, even though that's obviously not the point of this thread. For some reason, I'm always too lazy too shy to actually post anything in the introduction forums and prefer going straight to whatever it was that made me come here. So just to give a couple things about myself; I'm a butt-face memester that likes Nikki Minaj and draws some lame butt-face art with MS Paint. And also, my favorite Pokemon is Agumon.

... Anyways, after spending some time lurking around like a creeper and revisiting an old passion for writing stories and other lame junk, I decided that I should give roleplaying a shot. Though I indulged in the activity before, that was when I was younger and stupider (lol, implying I actually got smarter) so I doubt I can be considered a seasoned veteran to some of you. My lackluster skills and impulsive demeanor will probably make me come off as some sort of annoyingly pretentious ham-handed clown but I hope that I can stick around long enough so that I can learn and improve on fixing any of my flaws, so I can have fun with others more easily. But my enthusiasm is faltering a bit since I've been having some difficulties joining a thread here; mostly due to the fact that many of the stories that piqued my personal interests are filled up or are so far in progress that, even if there was an available spot, joining at that point would make me feel like I'm just invading a home like some sort of freakish parasite alien.

After moping about and dealing with some real life shenanigans , I decided that if I can't find a thread to join then there's only one thing left to do; I'll just try to make one myself. Boy, who would have thought making stories would be such a pain in the butt?

So, getting to the point of this thread; I just want to run over the ideas I had and get some feedback (like maybe some ideas weren't that bad?) before having any actual commitment to anything. I mean, there's nothing more discouraging and disappointing when you decide to pour in so much effort into building something, only for it to completely suck. (Also, being new means I'm more likely to get ignored and I also have the disadvantage of not knowing anyone and people's preferences, so hopefully this helps me get some insight)

I want to focus on a Pokemon themed setting, considering this is a Pokemon forum after all. I want to make an effort to stay faithful to the source material and deeply wish to utilize the individual characteristics of each and every Pokemon.

I plan on having this unnamed story set place on a fictional variant of Earth, where Pokemon suddenly started to appear out of nowhere. The standard tropes in Pokemon are thoroughly deconstructed, showcasing the severe consequences of having creatures as strong and unpredictable as Pokemon roam freely around in real-life ecosystems, as well as interacting with humans and their established settlements. Even though I said it deconstructs the tropes that builds the traditional plot for Pokemon, that doesn't mean I'm aiming to turn this story into Neon Genesis Evangelion: Pokemon Version. I mean, the world isn't some excessively dark dystopian wasteland where people are forced into hiding because they're scared of getting mauled by feral Charizards or Pokemon are being genetically modified into mutant zombies by stock evil scientists. The deconstruction is mostly to focus on the conflicts and parallels between humans and Pokemon, as well as technology and nature; taking a note fromTakeshi Shudo's original schemes regarding the Anime. It also focuses on the interactions between Pokemon and humans; since real life Earth wasn't built to deal with beings like Pokemon (no traditional battling, no Gym Leaders or trainers, no Poke Balls to contain them), how do modern humans deal with them? Likewise, how do Pokemon survive in such an alien world that was never meant for them? The latter question will be thoroughly explored, as this RP solely focuses on Pokemon characters and there will be no human players (except NPCs).

The story takes place in a fictional area called Cyan Shores City, which I'll be designing the layout of it with a horrible 3d map (I would post up a draft, but I'm literally not allowed to make use of anything but plain text until I make five posts). The style of the story is going to be a mixture between adventure and slice-of-life, just to make it a little diverse though not to constantly derail the plot off course. I want to try to integrate the whole "gotta catch em all" gimmick into the plot just because why not.

While the theme of this story regarding the cliche of nature vs man has been done to death and I'm pretty sure this setting of having Pokemon invade the real world has been done before, I mostly just want to try creating a familiar place but have everyone explore it through the perspective of something completely different. I just want to know if this is a premise worth venturing, otherwise I should find something else.

I guess, considering that I am new, I'll always appreciate any advice to ease me in, whether it's for roleplaying or for anything else that I might find helpful -- you can be super nice, super mean or just ignore me because I'm a butt-face memester.

sorry for the dumb title and cringey humor plz don't ban me

 

[moon]

Welcome to the forums Ech! Don't worry, we appreciate cringey humor, especially if there's puns though.

Your idea sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Do you know how the pokemon supposedly "appeared" in our world? Is that going to be a mystery to be explored or mostly just a fact that's not in focus?

Wouldn't it be nice to have both human and pokemon players? Making the RP go a sort of digimon like way, man meets monster, man maybe befriends monster etc.

Will you have villains of some sort to be fought, or will it truly mostly be slice of life-ish and explore personalities rather than plot?

I hope the questions are alright c:

 

[Ech]

Welcome to the forums Ech! Don't worry, we appreciate cringey humor, especially if there's puns though.

I'm not clever to make puns.

Your idea sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Do you know how the pokemon supposedly "appeared" in our world? Is that going to be a mystery to be explored or mostly just a fact that's not in focus?

All the Pokemon originated from within a large isolated mountain that bases a mysterious abandoned laboratory. But other than the possibility that Pokemon are digital or synthetic in structure (I guess that makes them literally Digimon, lololol), the true origin for Earth's Pokemon remains an absolute enigma to both humans and Pokemon alike, so it's something that can be explored but never fully understood in story.

Wouldn't it be nice to have both human and pokemon players? Making the RP go a sort of digimon like way, man meets monster, man maybe befriends monster etc.

The original pitch was going to have the standard set-up of human trainers with Pokemon, but I wanted there to be a bigger focus on the Pokemon themselves and present humans as the alien element in the story (though this doesn't mean I'm antagonizing them), rather than the other way around. I also wanted that human friend figure, a Shepherd, exclusive for myself as the GM. This Shepherd character is an avatar of the GM, being responsible for moving the plot by introducing and organizing events, managing tasks and even bringing chaotic ordeals to the party whether it's intentional or not. It's just a very meta way to get into my position as a GM since I have a literal representation of the role in-story that doesn't breach the fourth wall. But I suppose it's because of this that I just can't find any consistent way for other potential human players to participate in the long-run. Like, what would a human player do besides the obvious? A Pokemon would a lot more to deal with, considering they're the ones exploring unknown territory so the possibility of having weirder adventures and wackier experiences is higher for them. In contrast, humans are weighed down by mundane tasks in their daily lives and nothing really justifies them to go out of their way to spend so much time with Pokemon without causing problems for themselves. Unless they have no life like the Shepherd, who is explicitly a social loser and a nobody like myself. Basically, I have an easier time making Pokemon prominent and relevant to the plot, but not so much for humans who at most only provide some contribution.

But I realize though that having only Pokemon players would be a serious restriction for some, especially since this story does take place near urban areas filled with many human conventions that, under normal circumstances, a Pokemon would probably be prohibited from and I'm not sure if people would be happy about missing out on certain elements like that. I don't know; this is still in progress, so if enough people care, I could find a way.

Will you have villains of some sort to be fought, or will it truly mostly be slice of life-ish and explore personalities rather than plot?

It really is half and half, as I want this story to have some sort of coherent plot (there is an end) but also keep it simple and friendly by focusing on camaraderie. The primary plot revolves more around trying to unite Pokemon and humans together, so there isn't a traditional villain that's out to exploit for profit or destroy the world or something crazy. But I do plan on introducing some dangerous elements into the story.

I suppose the story does deal with having to repel feral Pokemon that poses as a danger to the world, usually by accident (i.e, a nest of Pikachus shorting out power plants or predatory Pokemon attacking bystanders).

 

[Foxrally]

I'm a butt-face memester that likes Nikki Minaj and draws some lame butt-face art with MS Paint. And also, my favorite Pokemon is Agumon.

Hello sir you are my kind of person

If you're looking for a fresh new RP to join which just started, go to Titans, it's got more memes than you can shake a tentacle at

As for the idea, I actually think it's really cool. From what I'm reading it's quite similar to a PMD-style RP, only a little more towards the townie side rather than the Explorer side. What would be the end goal of it though? A RP like this certainly needs a sense of direction.

Also if you want some dank memes I know a guy from the black market, prices are good and snortin is better

 

[Ech]

Hello sir you are my kind of person

If you're looking for a fresh new RP to join which just started, go to Titans, it's got more memes than you can shake a tentacle at

I'll think about it, I'm a bit discouraged from joining though since it seems like it's a direct sequel and I feel like I'd be missing out on some of the established lore.

As for the idea, I actually think it's really cool. From what I'm reading it's quite similar to a PMD-style RP, only a little more towards the townie side rather than the Explorer side. What would be the end goal of it though? A RP like this certainly needs a sense of direction.

I don't even remember if I ever specifically mentioned it, but the primary plot revolves around a group trying to meld Pokemon and people together for everlasting great peace and junk. Pokemon (and maybe humans, if I decide to include) are recruited to help tame feral Pokemon that are causing serious problems for the city and the ecosystem. The end goal is to capture every "Boss" Pokemon (probably designate them as Legendaries?), rehabilitate them along with other dangerous Pokemon so they are more docile and friendly towards humans in general, while also occasionally teaching the more jaded people to respect Pokemon and nature.

I want to keep the main plot simple and light, so I have an easier time focusing on pacing the story without making it too complicated or gritty. However, for those who don't like overly saccharine worlds that ooze disgusting heaps of sugar, this story does have a sense of danger that can invoke horror; after all, the plot involves tackling unknown threats. Thus, it can and will take a few dark turns that can even result to tragedy, though this is also without jeopardizing any levity in the story and pulling a Zack Synder.

Also if you want some dank memes I know a guy from the black market, prices are good and snortin is better

plz i am just a child, sir



So later on, I'll probably construct a template for the first draft of the story in my first post. I'll be studying on how to use CSS (maybe?) to organize some things.

 

[Junier]

This is late af but HI, ECH

Really just wanted to drop in and inquire on if you're still developing the idea and, if so, how far you've gotten. I absolutely adore the concept of a survival-style Pokemon RP or, really, any Pokemon-oriented RP that adds more context and overall depth than just "journeying" (though I'm still up for that too; i'm a bit of a journey RP junkie as of late).

 

[Jauntier]

This sounds like a plot that you could essentially work take and twist into a newer, better deformed state from something I mentioned in one of Disclosed's polled Interest Checks.

Basically, I'll just paste it here in a spoiler since I feel like it's pretty throwaway:

Spoiler:

What if we were hired by a rogue, non-profit coalition of "professors" to capture animals infected with the virus known as Pokerus, which, untreated, mutates animals into what we know as Pokemon. We're trying to capture different strains of the case to return back to base of study for a cure, but the government would prefer new cases be round up and trained for use as bioweapons of war, as a kind of arms race against another afflicted region whose government is harnessing the fact that Pokemon exhibit not only unique scientifically-explained abilities, but a violent nature against others that have become mutated--so the more they are trained, the more disparity in their advantages should a rival government try to challenge fire with fire late in the game. Government workers for the round up operation are called Trainers, and workers of professors are Aides. Due to Pokemon's violent nature towards each other, Trainers and Aides often get into battles as their interests out in the field clash.

Tell me if you can work with it if it would help to flesh out your idea and such. I admittedly didn't read the entirety of your thread so what you may have suggested in the sea of text may be entirely different, but from what I gathered in this tired state, this sounds along those lines of real-world problems with strange monsters.

 

[Ech]

I was kind of hoping this cringey thread of mine would have been buried away in some cesspool.

Basically, I'll just paste it here in a spoiler since I feel like it's pretty throwaway:

I was contemplating on assimilating some sort of "corruption" mechanic that is similar to your Pokerus virus idea, where the more a Pokemon enforces their own corruption, the more exclusive abilities they develop which give them an immediate advantage over other Pokemon. Corruption is caused when a Pokemon becomes overzealous (apathy and a lack of purpose can also induce this ailment). Excessive amounts of willpower and determination would gradually deteriorate a Pokemon's sense of morals and reason, becoming more soulless and machine-like in behavior as they obsess over their ultimate goal (regardless if it is for a good cause or not). Alternatively, corruption could cause a Pokemon to lose the ability to feel any positive emotions and they would behave as vile sociopaths; these would be the closest things the story would have for antagonists. The corruption phenomenon's origin and nature, much like the Pokemon's inception, would be left ambiguous with few cues giving some possible explanations. I feel some people may believe ambiguity to stem from laziness, but there's just something deeply intriguing when some things are just never really explained.

I did say I want to deconstruct the mechanics portrayed in Pokemon by applying real-life ramifications to them, but even though their involvement is inevitable, I want to keep the "corrupt government" cliche to a minimum. I've been thinking about it and I feel like I want to avoid putting too much focus on humans would deal with Pokemon and more on how Pokemon would deal with humans, as I believe that side of the narrative spectrum provides a much more interesting perspective to explore -- seeing our Earth through the eyes of aliens that never saw it before. Again, I want humans to remain in a very grey area in the world that's already entirely grey. As flawed as our species may be, I just find it so dull if we just categorize humans as some sort of blight upon the world. They'll be portrayed as mostly apathetic, not because they're too oblivious or heartless to take notice of something as anomalous as Pokemon, but they're just too preoccupied with their own hectic world that doesn't necessarily revolve around Pokemon.

I should have clarified this earlier, as reading through my colossal wall of text (embarrassingly, I don't even remember what I wrote and what points I've addressed here), I don't think I have made it clear that there are actually not that many Pokemon present and that they are in a minority. They all derive from a single source, which is a mountain that leads underground. Most of the Pokemon resides in that mountain and few that have boldly left quietly reside in secluded areas, away from human settlements.

The survival aspect is something I want to touch upon. As Pokemon roam the world as wild animals, they would naturally need to rely on their beastly instincts to compete with other contenders (whether its other Pokemon or real-life animals -- imagine an Usaring fighting a Grizzly Bear for territorial rights!) for resources. Some Pokemon will try to cooperate with their environments and they could even try to manipulate humans to give them food, just like how some cunning real-life animals (like crows) would too. The survival element would be done a little differently, given this is not a conventional post-apocalyptic setting, but it would be interesting to implement it.

With all this said, however, I'm afraid that I have ran into some minor blocks which is preventing me from finishing the basic layout of the RP. There are a couple of things that I just don't know how to efficiently execute and manage, especially since I literally have not participated in roleplaying since I signed up here! I also ran into a few issues with aesthetics and visuals. I want to implement a coherent map of the area this RP takes place in to give everyone an easier time to immerse into the setting, but I just can't draw buildings lol.

This doesn't mean I'm choosing to give up on the idea, but it's likely that I'll expend my efforts on a different RP first before I come back to this.