Theme/Lore

[gimmepie]

Okay, so we talked about doing something Scarlet and Violet, but we don't want to do a repeat of last year's theme. What do we think about maybe taking the past v present thing a bit more literally instead? Like a pair of mad scientists in different fields using the Area 0 time machine to flood the place with past and present mon to settle a debate. Could even call the teams Ancient Power and Future Sight.

Of course, I'm still open to alternatives. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Spoiler:

Probably travelling late July/early to mid August, but at the very least willing to help out with SWC, and if it's late enough happy to help out during. Else, I'll be willing to help now with brainstorming lore/premise/etc.

Id be down to help in the art and lore bits
Id say also mechanics but mostly the two above

I feel like dying again - count me in!

Put me down for it! My availability may be a bit limited like it is now but I'll certainly see how to get stuff done!

I'm down to help with creating lore/premise and mechanics. And I expect to run some events like every year.

 

[bobandbill]

Weirdly pinging didn't work for me here...

I'm happy with the idea in general. But is it past vs present, or past vs future? I'd say the latter personally.

 

[Kitty]

Past and future and no talks of present yeah

 

[bobandbill]

^ That said, building on this:

Like a pair of mad scientists in different fields using the Area 0 time machine to flood the place with past and present [future] mon to settle a debate.

I'd say the setting being the present being invaded by both sides could be fun. No 'present-day' team or whatnot, it's just the setting.

I wonder if we could try to brign in some existing Pokemon characters? E.g. Laventon (PL:A professor), Colress, etc could be made to fit in.

 

[Kitty]

> I wonder if we could try to brign in some existing Pokemon characters? E.g. Laventon (PL:A professor), Colress, etc could be made to fit in.

it'd be cool to add them as our "main npcs" with some hints of past/future versions (descendants? grandpas?) of existing characters too like how totally-not-professor-rowan from pla and maybe our own totally-not-future-professor-rowan. just smol thoughts

> Like a pair of mad scientists in different fields using the Area 0 time machine to flood the place with past and present [future] mon to settle a debate.

the only thing that sucks theme wise is if were following scarvio to the letter ur stuck with funky cavemen aesthetics vs just robots

 

[gimmepie]

I kind of like funky caveman v just robots lmao

I'm down to include some references to existing NPCs or to knock-up some ancestors/descendants of our own.

And yes, I definitely meant past and future. My bad.

 

[bobandbill]

I kind of like funky caveman v just robots lmao

I kinda would like to try something else, but not necessarily in place of that. I imagine we could even riff on all of the future paradox Pokemon being basically robot versions of originals...

I'm down to include some references to existing NPCs or to knock-up some ancestors/descendants of our own.

Shall we make a list of NPCs to use?

Besides Laventon (and future!Rowan), Colress... Grand Oak?

 

[Kitty]

I also would kinda like to try something else for the aesthetic lmao like……. Idk fjdkdk it just sucks that the ubs look like the better future pkmn lmao

Since theres a theory that area zero creates pokemon we imagined to be from the past/future maybe can play on that idea? (With all the books and stuff referring to it)

Grand oak should totally be there yes (torn on disco past or hipster future)

Do we want like famous npcs too like the champions? Or can we be hella subtle in our referencing like bug catcher joey xd

 

[gimmepie]

Really we only need one NPC for each side. Idk about the Area 0 thing about creating Pokemon though. We know for a fact that they came through the time machine that Sada/Turo made use of.

As for the aesthetic side... it'd be kinda weird to make use of Scarlet's fully but not use Violet's properly imo.

 

[Kitty]

> Idk about the Area 0 thing about creating Pokemon though. We know for a fact that they came through the time machine that Sada/Turo made use of.

Yeah. The time machine that gathered thoughts from the past/future ideas we had. Again no probs it was just a working theory anyway.

At minimum lets just get pla professor + grand oak(?) then since they dont get much love

Aesthetics side I stand by my statement that violets side sucks, i agree we have to use both if we do but robots are robots

 

[gimmepie]

At minimum lets just get pla professor + grand oak(?) then since they dont get much love

Works for me

 

[bobandbill]

That also works for me, happy to not make it too convoluted.

 

[gimmepie]

Snip

Snip

Slight rework of the concept that should neaten things up and give it a fun vibe: Grandoak and Laventon get yeeted into Area 0 and end up arguing over whose era/dimension/whatever is better? The competition is to settle the debate. Does that work?

We really need to finalise the premise and write the lore up soon.

 

[bobandbill]

I like that idea - let's go with that.

Brainstorming off it - they could have been thrown in by Arceus (who already has had fun with the PLA protag and Inco and now brings Laventon forward), while perhaps Grand Oak is brought about by a HOME glitch (explaining why TPC had to push back the initial date for the HOME update with SV).

While they are stuck in Area Zero they have their disagreement and Arceus decides that to make their discussion interesting they can have two teams have a competition.

 

[gimmepie]

I like that idea - let's go with that.

Brainstorming off it - they could have been thrown in by Arceus (who already has had fun with the PLA protag and Inco and now brings Laventon forward), while perhaps Grand Oak is brought about by a HOME glitch (explaining why TPC had to push back the initial date for the HOME update with SV).

While they are stuck in Area Zero they have their disagreement and Arceus decides that to make their discussion interesting they can have two teams have a competition.

That works! I'll write it up properly soon.

 

[gimmepie]

Spoiler:

I like that idea - let's go with that.

Brainstorming off it - they could have been thrown in by Arceus (who already has had fun with the PLA protag and Inco and now brings Laventon forward), while perhaps Grand Oak is brought about by a HOME glitch (explaining why TPC had to push back the initial date for the HOME update with SV).

While they are stuck in Area Zero they have their disagreement and Arceus decides that to make their discussion interesting they can have two teams have a competition.

> Idk about the Area 0 thing about creating Pokemon though. We know for a fact that they came through the time machine that Sada/Turo made use of.

Yeah. The time machine that gathered thoughts from the past/future ideas we had. Again no probs it was just a working theory anyway.

At minimum lets just get pla professor + grand oak(?) then since they dont get much love

Aesthetics side I stand by my statement that violets side sucks, i agree we have to use both if we do but robots are robots

Okay so, here's an attempt at actually writing this out. How's this?

Arceus, having thoroughly enjoyed its misadventures tossing Lucas and Dawn into the past of Hisui, started wondering what might come of doing the same thing in reverse. It set its eyes on the quirkiest and most intriguing individual it could find in the past, one Professor Laventon, grabbing the researcher away from his studies and depositing him not only in a different timeline, but a geographical location. Thus, Professor Laventon of Hisui found himself in Paldea's Area 0.

Meanwhile, in a future timeline the rarely remembered scientist, Grand Oak, was hard at work on the extra spatial Pokemon Home system that would allow for unprecedented interregional and interdimensional trading of Pokemon. Unfortunately, he was a little too ambitious and a malfunction in his experiment launched him back in time. Grand Oak awoke in Area 0, having caused great delays in his progress with no way to get back home and fix the problem.

It was shortly after that these two professors from different timelines met each other for the first time... and very quickly fell into a dispute about whose fault everything was and whose timeline was superior. Arceus could have intervened and explained or decided to help the confused and frightened scientists. Instead, Arceus decided to turn this into a competition. The professors would gather teams in the time-bending Area 0 and compete for the chance to return to their own timelines.

What could go wrong?

 

[bobandbill]

Nice!

Maybe famed scientist Grand Oak -> rarely remembered scientist Grand Oak? He's not exactly well known or regarded imo.
Pokemon Home -> Pokemon HOME?
A challenge was declared, the professors would gather teams in the time-bending Area 0 and compete for the chance to return to their own timelines. - maybe turn into two sentences.

 

[Kitty]

> Maybe famed scientist Grand Oak -> rarely remembered scientist Grand Oak? He's not exactly well known or regarded imo.
true, it's mostly just Oak, Grand Oak's only appearance was in.. home...... probably lmao

> A challenge was declared, the professors would gather teams in the time-bending Area 0 and compete for the chance to return to their own timelines.
lmao is it really the chance to return to their own timeline though or just a huge roundabout way of a bragging rights contest B)

 

[gimmepie]

> Maybe famed scientist Grand Oak -> rarely remembered scientist Grand Oak? He's not exactly well known or regarded imo.
true, it's mostly just Oak, Grand Oak's only appearance was in.. home...... probably lmao

> A challenge was declared, the professors would gather teams in the time-bending Area 0 and compete for the chance to return to their own timelines.
lmao is it really the chance to return to their own timeline though or just a huge roundabout way of a bragging rights contest B)

I imagine the bragging rights come from not being left stranded in Area 0 by a god who sees you as entertainment. Will make tweaks to Grand Oak description and punctuation and then set up a thread for the GT announcement/EO recruitment post.