Split Thread - OOC/SU

[KaraC]

Split Thread - OOC/SU - Sign Ups Open!

This is the Sign Up and OOC for the RP 'Split Thread'. It's open again, hoping to draw more RP'ers and keep it alive. Anyone applying has to be able to mesh themselves smoothly into RP.

 

[blablub]

My SU for easy reference:

Spoiler:

Name: Jay Bondsman
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Description: Jay is a fairly tall man, black-haired and brown eyed. He has the kind of face that blends in well in a crowd. His face is still a bit pudgy and he seems younger than he is. He eyes the world around him with wonder and interest. It is clear he is fairly naive and has not yet seen a lot of the world. He usually sports comfortable clothing, preferring to wear his run down jeans and his favourite black and blue coloured sweater. Both are ripped in places from the many pokemon bites they have endured over the years.

For the expedition, Jay has dressed himself in an orange hiking outfit, suited to the rough weather. The many pockets of his bulging clothing are filled with various items needed in the harsh environment, from heat packs to power snacks. His zippered right pocket holds three pokeballs, which the young man keeps in close reach. He carries an oversized backpack, which holds the rest of his gear.

Personality: Jay has never had much interaction with other people, preferring to work in his uncle's lab. As such he can be considered naive, shy and impressionable. Whether it is because of his sheltered life or his willingness to believe Jay has always had a difficult time convincing others of his viewpoints.
He has a tendency to think too much, which turns most of his good arguments into doubtful ones.

Background: Jay has led a sheltered life, growing up in the peaceful and beautiful Ecruteak City, Johto. From a young age he was fascinated with pokemon. One of the main reasons of this fixation came from his uncle, Marty.

Marty runs a science centre dedicated to studying behavioral patterns of pokemon in sheltered conditions. To make sure the pokemon are 'untainted' by events that have taken place in the wild the sience centre has its own breeding grounds and daycare centre. In order to keep the center running, the breeders started selling eggs and pokemon to the general public. A number of these pokemon are monitored in their new environment as well, providing the researchers with further data.

Jay spent most of his youth helping out his uncle and while he showed great promise as a scientist, his interests lay mostly in the care taking and breeding of pokemon. Jay is responsible for two of the many habitats in the centre: the Water's Edge and Forest Ridge 3.

His journey to the Sinnoh arctic was unplanned. His uncle had set up an expedition to gather new pokemon specimens for the science center. When the expedition had not returned three months after the planned date Jay had decided to join the party in search for them.

RP Sample: "Okay Jorja, one more time." As the green-coloured Politoed gathered her strength to shoot another blast of water, the dark-haired boy adjusted his glasses and held the recording device close to Jorja's target. The stream of water hit the mock-pokemon target with the force of a tsunami while Jay was knocked back slightly by the force of the water. He looked at his equipment and exclaimed. "Wonderful, you've made a lot of progress. Your pulse is even stronger than before, good job!"
The Politoed looked excited and pleased with itself.

Jay walked back to his pokemon and picked her up, cuddling her. "Now, Firla I want you to try and do the same, okay?" He bent down to the small Poliwhirl looking slightly confused at him. "Did you see what Jorja did, honey?" Jay talked in a soft, calm voice to the young pokemon, it nodded its head and turned around to the target. "Let's see you try it. Concentrate on the target and let the water flow through you. Try not to close your eyes as you shoot."

The Poliwhirl took a deep breath and gathered its strength. With all its might, it produced a stream of water intended to hit the target. It was slightly disappointed the water pulse did not go further than twenty centimeter. "Good job Firla, keep trying. You'll get there!"

Pokemon:
Jorja the Politoed (f)
Jorja is the de-facto leader of the Poliwhirl family living the the Water's Edge habitat. Despite their differences at first, Jorja and Jay became fast friends and she remains one of Jay's favourite subjects to run experiments with.

Ability: Damp (prevents Selfdestruct and Explode)
Moves:
Water Pulse
Hypnosis
Perish Song
Rain Dance

Kandor the Poliwrath (m)
Jorja's sibling, Kandor was not as open and receiving of Jay. For a long time, Kandor did everything possible to disrupt Jay's work. His overzealous protection of his family and the other pokemon in the habitat meant Jay had a difficult time getting close to them without being hit by one of Kandor's strong punches.
Eventually, Kandor learned his new caretaker meant no harm and he has since accepted the scrawny human. He is still wary though.

Ability: Water Absorb (heals from water attacks)
Moves:
Brick Break
Surf
Protect
Earthquake

Lindo the Teddiursa (m)
The small and cute Lindo is one of Jay's newest pokemon. It had only hatched recently and spends most of its time taking in its surroundings and trying to put stuff into its mouth. Despite Jay's fondness of the little pokemon, he sometimes grows weary of the constant attention Lindo requires.

Ability: Pickup
Moves:
Slash
Yawn
Metronome
Lick

Looking forward to playing with you guys!
While I have quite a bit of (online) roleplaying experience, I've never played a pokemon one, so consider me a newbie. I'm grateful for any suggestions you guys might have in regards to my posts.

 

[Rabbit]

Yaaaaay OOC thread. Moving my SU here:

Spoiler:

Name: Sam Peterson
Age: 35
Gender: Male

Appearance: Sam is of medium height, solidly built, with black hair and a short Van Dyke beard. His eyes are a steely grey. There is nothing conspicuous in his appearance. Most often, he wears checkered shirts in a variety of tasteless colours, jeans, and jean jackets. Going out into the blizzard, he wears hiking boots, waterproof pants and jacket with reflective stripes, a boring black skullcap, and ski goggles. He also carries a hiking backpack stuffed with necessities and emergency items. There is always a holster with a standard handgun strapped to his belt - he wouldn't leave home without it.

Personality: Sam comes off as confident and reliable. He is quite a competent police officer and can take charge in a variety of situations. In his own sphere of influence (his region), he expects to be deferred to as an authority figure, but in this situation, surrounded by 'outsiders', he will prefer to step back and leave the task of finding the lost trainers to the professionals. He is warm and funny at times, yet rarely lets his private side show, and never talks about his past. The role of policeman has become so much of his identity that, when the improbable happens, he will find it difficult to act otherwise.

History: Born and raised in a small frontier town in northern Sinnoh, Sam is stereotypically provincial. He is well-educated and has traveled the world, but his values remain that of a small town where everyone knows each other and their parents. After graduating from the police academy, he has always served in his home town and the surrounding region, and felt no compulsion to go anywhere else.

Somewhere in his history there is probably something tragic - maybe a failed relationship? I don't know.

Roleplay sample:

Spoiler:

Amber beamed. "Great! I'll show you the way. It's not far - " She took a step back and nearly tripped over the little Eevee behind her. Trying hard not to step on him, she flailed her arms and fell to one knee as her Murkrow cawed but kept her claws firmly in her shoulder, then quickly recovered by scooping up the Eevee and pulling him up with her. " - THERE you are, you little dumpling!" The Eevee's bottom half dangled helplessly from her arms, but all he could reply was a high-pitched "Vee." "Thought you were going to wander off, hm?" Amber muttered, conveniently forgetting that she was at fault. She stood up, her face flushed, and gave her dark hair a toss to get it out of her eyes. Now she was with both of her Pokemon, the two of them - the dark, brooding Murkrow, the disgustingly adorable Eevee - practically overshadowing her presence. "Well. No harm done. Are we waiting for anyone else?" She wasn't really expecting an answer, but it came to her right away. "TOM. Poor Tom, he's gone for groceries and I've forgotten all about him! Oh well, he'll just have to catch up," she decided. "He's all the way across town. He can manage without us."

Amber pulled Getsumei alongside her and motioned to the rest to follow. "YOU get to walk in front, Mr. Big-shot trainer! If any Ursaring attack, you'll scare 'em off for us. Anyway," she continued, "the base is just 20 minutes away, not too far off the main route. We have a great view of the ocean. It's just like camping out, really, except we get actual beds! And electricity! To some extent. No internet connection, though. That's what really gets me."

Pokemon: a pair of Arcanine named Jackie (male) and Beth (female). They aren't his, but borrowed from a police buddy whose leg injury prevents him from being in this search party. (Aside from making excellent police dogs, Arcanine are very useful in this climate.) Sam has never worked with them before and only hopes they will respond well to his command. (Am assuming Pokemon understand English better than dogs do.) They are always out of their Pokeballs and carry their own backpacks, like pack horses.

Jackie -
Roar
Crunch
Extremespeed
Flare Blitz

Beth -
Roar
Double-Edge
Iron Tail
Fire Fang

Other: As far as looking for lost explorers goes, Sam's role is to act as a guide through the horrible weather and to make sure all of the regulations are followed. To him, this is a standard search. He feels sympathy for the lost explorers, but doesn't hope to find them alive.

 

[KaraC]

Name: Jo

Age: 40

Gender: Female

Personality:
She doesn't speak much, but when she does her words are often blunt to the point of rude. Upon first glance, she seems unintelligent; and she is in some aspects. Because of her solitary lifestyle on the road she is considered socially inept in big cities and most large towns. She has almost no tact, she scratches inappropriately in public, belches and emits exceedingly noxious flatus without apology. These things don't matter on the road when it's just her and the pokemon.
However her intelligence lies in knowing how to survive. Which berries with different properties grow where, edible mushrooms, roots and nuts. Food preservation, various healing herbs and techniques. How to repair every part of the wagon holding all her worldly possessions.
Large crowds make her uncomfortable, surly and unlikely to speak at all. In such a situation she begins chain smoking and drinking the liquor in her flask. She's good with pokemon, as they can sense that beneath the vulgar exterior is someone who genuinely cares about their well-being.
Jo doesn't care much for people who don't see past the surface. She's disgusted by people who primp and preen for hours in front of a mirror. It makes them false and gives them a sense of being above everyone else, that is one of her biggest pet peeves. It's these people she actively goes out of her way to avoid and since they're a species almost never seen outside of big cities it's not a difficult task.
Jo is capable of warmth to other people. But only if they, like pokemon, look past the exterior. Or at the very least treat her like a fellow human. Because on some deep, subconscious level she's aware of how unpleasant she is. On a deeper level still, she does actually care. It's why she does occasionally wash her clothes and jump naked into nearby bodies of water. Why she will give those insightful people ride in a passenger wagon to the next city, or simply haul a load of supplies (for a small fee of course).
No human but herself is allowed in her wagon, she's fiercely protective of the few things she owns. While she may like someone, she certainly wouldn't trust them any further that she could throw them. So underneath her wagon she keeps a collapsable spare. It's little more than a box with wheels and a tarp for bad weather, but it holds eight comfortably and twelve uncomfortably.

Description:
Standing at an unremarkable 5' 7", Jo is trim and has hard-earned muscles. They're not huge and bulgy, but they're there.
Her eyes are green and usually bloodshot from alcohol. Their sparkle has long since dulled into a drab shade of olive bordering on hazel. The lines around them are many and the bags under them are dark and heavy. Her hair is dark brown and held in an ill-kempt braid that drapes limply to the middle of her back. The skin under and exposed from thin, threadbare and heavily patched clothes is weather-worn and leathery. Her hands and forearms are hosts to dozens of old, small burn scars. Between the fading patches holding it together, her shirt is a pale blue. Her pants, though not as patched yet, are dark denim. Should you be around to hear her speak, you'd find that any sweetness that might have been there in her younger years has been stolen by the wind and her vices, leaving it a raspy, sometimes croaking tenor that's unpleasant to the ear.
Standing at an unremarkable 5' 7", Jo is trim and has hard-earned muscles. They're not huge and bulgy, but they're there.

RP Sample:
Jo leaned back in her seat and blew a puff of smoke into the air, contemplating. Two nicotine stained fingers unscrewed the cap of her flask and she took a swig of the throat searing liquid, leaving the flask empty. She wistfully thought of the barrel behind her in the wagon briefly before looking at the trainers, or so they called themselves and pulled another lungful from her cigarette.
"That's the biggest load of tauros crap I think I've ever heard. The lot of you don't have a pokemon between you, not so far as Pidgeot can see." Her head nodded upward to the Pidgeot on top of her wagon canvas eyeing them like he would his lunch. "And those things," She waved her hand in the general area of the Pokégear and Pokédexes. "all I see are useless bits of plastic and metal. Go home before you get yourselves killed." She waved her hand in a dismissive way and picked up the reins. "Hup hup." Pidgeot took to the air and her two Tauros began plodding away.

Pokémon:
Tauros - Tail Whip, Horn Attack, Take Down, Thrash
Tauros - Rage, Horn Attack, Scary Face, Pursuit
Pidgeot - Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Twister, Wing Attack

 

[Groc]

Here ya go:

Name: Vince Mays
Age: 40
Gender: Male

Appearance: Vince is short and stout, with wide shoulders. His head is bald, and his goatee is light grey. His eyes are blue. He wears a dark jeans, a white shirt, and a black tie. His cold weather gear includes heavy boots, waterproof pants, and a heavy orange jacket. He wears an orange ski cap with ear flaps and a pom-pom, a gift from his mother. He carries a backpack full of necessities and emergency items, and has a bottle of his favorite stiff drink tucked safely inside. He wears a sword on his back and a holstered sidearm on his belt.

Personality: Vince is stern and sour, having seen too much in his life. He rarely talks to others, but once he sets his mind on something, it gets done and done right. He is much more personable once he's had a few drinks, willing to complain or yell at anyone within arm's reach. He cares deeply for Pokemon, and takes everything he does seriously. He is quiet most of the time, but will take charge if things aren't going well. He is a natural leader and works well with others, even if he doesn't like it.

History: Vince was born in Southern Sinnoh, near the ocean. He was a moody child, and would have to deal with the happy beach-loving children who tormented him. He would avoid them, always going straight home. He was quick and obeyed orders, never taking time to play.

After graduating from the police academy, he moved up north, where people had good reason to be grouchy. He fit in well, and helped keep the population safe.

He never found love, being unappealing physically and with a lousy attitude. The closest he has ever felt to a real connection was the kitten he had as a teenager.

Roleplay sample:

It was raining again. Vince hated the rain. "I hate rain." he says, not caring that he's alone. Beside him, Gem meows her agreement. Vince had pulled night duty again, and the one time he goes outside the city, it rains. "Why tonight? Why couldn't it be yestersday, or tommorow? I think the new guy gets night shift tommorrow. I probably have to be there to train him."

They stood under a tree, trying to stay dry. He was wearing his new hat, the orange one his mother made him. It was getting wet, Gem was getting wet, and no crimes ever occurred when it was wet. Gem crouched beside him, her powerful eyes seeing into the dark.

Near the end of his shift, he saw a young boy running towards the town. Behind him, a Staravia was trying to get at his backpack. The boy held an unconscious Piplup in his arms. Vince sighed, pointing Gem towards the bird. "I hate rain."

Pokemon: Vince always travels with his Persian, who he raised from an egg. She is his partner, and invaluable on his night rounds. He also has a Pelipper, who carries an emergency backpack in his beak. To ward off the cold, he brought along a Torchic his cousin gave him.

Gem - Persian (Female)
Hypnosis
Faint Attack
Slash
Night Slash

Pelipper (Male)
Stockpile
Swallow
Spit Up
Fly

Torchic (Female)
Ember
Aerial Ace
Rock Smash
Flamethrower

 

[KaraC]

Kiva, if you're monitoring this thread please fix those things in your profile we've talked about in PM's.

 

[blablub]

So... are we gonna get started with this, guys?

Seeing as my character is pretty much the youngest and socially the most inexperienced I will refrain from taking the lead for now.

KaraC, should we list the items and gear we have brought along for the journey? Jay, being the breeder that he is has probably brought along plenty of berries and pokeblocks. These might come in handy to win Jo's trust (and give her pokes a decent meal for once).

 

[Rabbit]

*stalks page* I am dying to be the first to post. But Vince will probably be the leader in any action, since he is the leader type. ;)

It skipped my mind till now, but suddenly I'm wondering - how are we getting to the cave, what with the blizzard raging all over the route? The snow must be pretty deep. What about snowshoes? Skis? Or...maybe a dog sled pulled by Arcanine? :0

 

[blablub]

Well, we can assume our Fire types have warded off the worst of the cold. Also, given that people have used the cave in ages past, it had to be accessable then too without any fancy equipment. The cave would probably not have been in an 'unreachable' location.

 

[KaraC]

The blizzards do have quiet periods, they can't be going all the time. The cave itself is ground-level, entrance semi-concealed by a sort of folded rock. In the frequent and savage storms, it's a pretty tempting place to take shelter. The wild pokemon won't go near it, they can sense something nasty in there.

Well, we can assume our Fire types have warded off the worst of the cold. Also, given that people have used the cave in ages past, it had to be accessable then too without any fancy equipment. The cave would probably not have been in an 'unreachable' location.

Not a bad idea, but don't over do it. Unlike the games, the bags and the people can't carry 99 of everything.
Preserved food, bedrolls and the specialized equipment was left at the camp site. You guys were just looking around and expected to be gone no more than an hour or two. If you have any food, it's mostly snacks and maybe a canteen.

So... are we gonna get started with this, guys?

Seeing as my character is pretty much the youngest and socially the most inexperienced I will refrain from taking the lead for now.

KaraC, should we list the items and gear we have brought along for the journey? Jay, being the breeder that he is has probably brought along plenty of berries and pokeblocks. These might come in handy to win Jo's trust (and give her pokes a decent meal for once).

 

[Rabbit]

"Summoners"? Ho ho ho. I like where this is going. xD I hope I'll have a chance to reply today.

 

[KaraC]

*grin* Remember, this world's never seen the like of elemental pokemon save for those that come through the portal with lost trainers. I've got a couple of interesting plot twists ready to go to liven up the thread if it slows down ...

 

[Rabbit]

Okay, so, that'll be my last post until Friday. I hope you guys don't get tooo far without me!

Is Kiva still in this roleplay? So far we've been acting like she isn't, which is great, but it would be nice to know for sure.

 

[KaraC]

*blink* I'd almost forgotten about Kiva ... well, if/when she decides to post she'll have to catch up with the rest of us. If she doesn't, we'll continue without her.

On another note. The comma button on my keyboard only works some of the time and until I replace the board don't be surprised if there's no comma where there should be.

 

[blablub]

Nice start guys, I'm looking forward to see how this turns out.

I know offering your food and supplies to a heavily armed barbaric woman who'd as soon gut you as help you isn't the best idea in the world, but hey, our characters are coming from the anime world, they have never experienced the harshness of the 'real' world before.

 

[KaraC]

And you guys kind of are in the middle of a searing desert dressed for sub-zero temperatures ... I would in those circumstances.

Blablub - you're kind of taking liberties about the Tauros brothers. Sure they're lean and hard but Jo would never mistreat them, they're too valuable as beasts of burden. They're all muscle - not an ounce of fat on either of them.

 

[blablub]

Yeah, I think I might have been a bit liberal with my description. However, know that I only post from Jay's point of view. He thinks the Tauros are malnourished, but in actuality it might be a difference of diet and lifestyle.

I kind of assume the anime world has everything to make sure pokemon lead a happy and comfy life. The stuff they eat is good for them and grown specifically to make sure they have a balanced diet.

In the other world, you can't really choose what you get to eat, indicated from the description you gave of the place and the fact that Jo can't even get decent food for herself. She has also been on the road a while and is forcing her Pidgeot to hunt, instead of carrying around a handy bag of pokeblocks which contains everything the creature would need.

See my drift? But I'll happily change the post if you want me to and I will be sure to communicate a bit better on matters as this beforehand.

 

[KaraC]

Thank you blablub, I'd appreciate it. I know you're writing as seen through the eyes of Jay, but the Tauros-brothers are mine and I haven't written anything about their appearance. But I do get your drift. Just be a little more .... erm .... 'general' about describing them perhaps?
The way you describe Pidgeot is a good example!

The Pidgeot looked horribly powerful, even from the height it was at, there was a harsher tone to the creature than he was used to. It was as if the pokemon had been bred for war, not sport.

These however looked as if they had never had a soft touch caress them. They looked malnourished and vicious.

'Malnourished', while a good word, brings to mind an image of skin stretched taut over ribs, protruding hip bones, a face sunken into a skull and being able to count vertebrae over ten feet away.

Maybe I should add a quick description of them and Pidgeot to Jo's profile ...

 

[blablub]

Changes made. I must honestly admit that I usually have many more words and ideas in my head than written down. So often that I sometimes forget if I have written something or not.

I'll make sure to be a bit more observant with my own posts.

By the way, regarding this:

And you guys kind of are in the middle of a searing desert dressed for sub-zero temperatures ... I would in those circumstances.

I actually haven't made any reference to the winter clothing yet. I like to think Jay (and the others) are in such a shock they don't even realise the heat. Somewhere along the line he might open the zipper of his jacket without thinking, before eventually taking off the clothes all together.

 

[Rabbit]

Looks like I haven't missed anything. Thank goodness. XD

I agree with you, blablub, that our characters might notice the heat without being consciously aware of it. Sam's already taken off his hat and unzipped his jacket, but without really thinking about it. And they do have other things on their minds.

I justed started reading some articles on K9s, and whoah, I should have done this earlier. Sam is at a real disadvantage because his Arcanine are borrowed. I have no idea how they're going to react to his commands.