Ask to Join Pokémon Ranger, Almia goes old school. Discussion thread.

[Paddler]

Welcome. This is the discussion and signup thread for an RP that can be found here.

Almia goes old school is a Pokémon Ranger story in a mild historic setting. A cross between a sheriff, a rescue worker and a horse whisperer, the rangers and their partner Pokémon work to keep both humans and Pokémon safe in a time of lumberjacks, prospectors, traders, smugglers, poachers and all sorts of shady characters. Plus of course lots and lots of wild Pokémon.

The Game:
This will be a story driven RP without a GM. After the opening infodump I myself will just be one of the players, and it's everyone's responsibility to come up with plot hooks, encounters, characters and twists that make for a good story. I would like to start with around 8 players including myself.

The story is intended as an adventure story full of danger, mystery and treasure. Other storylines such as romance are allowed, but should not be the focus of the RP.

The Setting:
The story takes place roughly a century and a half before the present day. The Almia region and the surrounding lands as they appear in this story look like this:

The locations mostly carry over their characteristics from the game Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. (And the native games of the other regions.) They can be found on Bulbapedia. The main exceptions are the Chroma Highlands, where we now find a bustling prospector town digging for ore and coal, and the postgame location on the island in the bottom left, which is now just one of a few cool islands.

Pokémon Battling is not a sport in Almia. It's the main characteristic of the Ranger games, and I'd like to keep it. Any other sport or activity in which Pokémon are used is fair game (Contests, Pokéathlon, racing, Baccer, dancing, Magikarp jumping etc) but if you go around challenging people to fights you will get some really funny looks.

Technology:
There are no electronics, no radios or telegraph lines, and no capture stylers. When the rangers need the cooperation of a wild Pokémon, they need to convince it the old fashioned way.
Poké Balls exist, but are illegal in Almia.
There are no cars or other motorized road vehicles.
There are no guns, and generally just no weapons of any kind, since those rarely appear in Pokémon media anyway.
There are steam engines, though they are large and clunky. Steam ships and trains and steam powered factories exist.
Water comes from a well, a spring or in larger towns from public drinking fountains. Those same larger towns have limited sewer systems available.

Rangers:
The player characters are all rangers, trainee rangers or some other kind of person that can easily and permanently be folded into a ranger team. While there are a few desk jobs within the ranger organization, all player characters have a role in the field. Rangers have no ranks, they work together on a basis of equality and mutual respect. The one exception being that in stressful situations where multiple conflicting plans are shouted around it's ranger policy to respect seniority and follow the most experienced ranger. There is no set age of enlistment, there is no officer track. Who your parents were and whether you learned to read and write does not matter in the field. This is a job you learn on the job.

Pokémon:
A ranger has up to two partners, the veterans often have at least one they can ride. I ask everyone to refrain from using a partner that can transport a person through the air, as it renders a lot of the challenges in a setting like this moot. Almia and the surrounding regions are all from generation 4 or earlier. Wild encounters will therefor be mostly from the first four generations, and typically from the Almia browser. Partners can be from any region (including Alola forms), provided there's a backstory. Pokémon owned by characters encountered during the game can be from anywhere as well. Keep in mind that Poké Balls are illegal in Almia. For some creatures, like Wailord, this severely limits the places you can take them.

Shadows of Almia contains large adults riding on Doduo. I intend to take Pokémon size and appearance roughly as serious as that. Feel free to customize. As per the rules of this site mega evolution (and Battle Bond) is a rare thing which a starting character does not have access to. This goes double because of the historical setting, where mega evolution is almost a thing of legend which few people have seen. Legendaries, also per the rules of this site, can only appear with the permission of a moderator when the story calls for it.

It's fine if you want to give your partner a specific moveset or ability, but in general we can just assume that most Pokémon are capable of roughly what you'd expect. Houndoom is a big fiery Hellhound, so it can burn things, scare things, bite things, smell things and run. If you want to cross a wild current, lift a huge boulder or get a pair of eyes above the three tops it may not always be the greatest pick.

Pokémon are about as smart as in the anime. They do not speak human language (exceptions possible but extremely rare and not available as partner Pokémon) and while they can interpret human commands, words and arguments are often not the most important thing when communicating with Pokémon.

Character creation:
If you're interested you can start creating a character. Important in this type of game is what skills (and tools) your ranger and their partner(s) have. What is it that sets you apart from other rangers? Any ranger character knows the basics and can question a witness, light a fire or calm a Kricketot stuck in a trap without their player having to list it, but some rangers are better at some tasks than others. I'd launch my own characters first, but this seems like a nice point to put a break in my writing.

 

[kyuukestu]

This seems very interesting but I still have a few points I'd like some clarification on.

Question 1. How will we be handling field assists?

From what I gather, our partner Pokemon will essentially be the only Pokemon we have access to, and if we don't have a Pokemon capable of accomplishing a set task, it seems like we'd be rendered helpless. In an emergency it might be quite difficult to coax a Pokemon into putting out a forest fire when it might be more occupied fleeing for its life.

Question 2. I'd assume we wouldn't start with any Pokemon? (Unless, of course, the character starts out as a somewhat experienced Ranger)

Question 3. When you say we'd need to garner assistance 'the old fashion way', bar some special circumstances, it would take several hours if not days, to convince a wild Pokemon into following a human of thier own free will. This goes double for partner Pokemon. I can assume we'd need to spend a fair deal of time and effort to acquire one, no?

 

[Paddler]

Good questions.

Question 1 and 3: I was hoping to find some middle ground. In the anime (the games are sort of hard to go on for Pokémon behavior) wild Pokémon are often kind of open to reason, eventually listening when trainers challenge them to a battle or such. Rangers are good at this, at the very least some rangers, and they have several different methods at their disposal. In the example of a forest fire for instance the rangers and their partners could try to create a clear safe spot for the wild Pokémon, that would go a long way towards showing them they can fight back. It's not straightforward, and it's but one of several approaches, but it could be a good roleplaying opportunity. The other side of the coin is that in a freeform RP challenges are more open to different solutions than in a video game. If there is a rock blocking the entrance of a cave in the ranger games you would need tackle 4, and that's the only thing that solves it. Here we could try repeatedly heating and cooling the rock, or dropping something on top of it, or tackling with multiple smaller creatures, or digging around it, or looking for another entrance, maybe there's a spring somewhere that seems to originate from the same cave system that we could widen, or a small crack in the roof some of us can squeeze through, or... So for smaller challenges there will often not be a need to look for wild Pokémon, which means more screen time for the stories we want to tell.

Question 2: People in Almia have Pokémon. They befriend them in the wild or even get them from another person/a breeder. That's the best way I can explain the farm with a Miltank in Almia anyway. In olden times keeping Pokémon would if anything be more common than today, because Pokémon are the easiest way to travel, send messages, haul loads, work the land, water the crops, alert you to break ins, provide some sort of music etc. The main difference with other regions is that people have to treat them more like pets because they're always around. You can't put them in a ball until you need them. That's why rangers, always on the road types, usually are limited to two partners. Imagine a cowboy with a horse, a hound, a donkey for his luggage, a hunting falcon, a messenger pigeon, a mouse hunting cat and a dancing snake. That's not an adventuring team, that's a traveling circus. If you want to start without a partner that's fine and completely believable, could be a nice challenge, and you get to tell your partner's character arc from the beginning. But if you want a partner, even if you want to play a rookie ranger, you can already have a partner, or even two. It just needs to come from somewhere. I don't even see anything wrong with something like "I lived in Sinnoh and dad gave me a Pokémon, shortly after that we moved here and I permanently freed it from its Pokéball", if you want a partner but no experience in befriending wild creatures. Like everything else in an RP: try not to be/have the best in everything to leave some limelight for the rest, but aside from that just have fun.

 

[kyuukestu]

In that case, count me in! I'll draft up a bio in a few moments...though I first need to struggle over which partner pokemon to choose, and whether to start out with them or build up their story in the Rp itself...

Edit:

errr, a character format would help, if you don't mind?

 

[Paddler]

Right, character format:

Name
(Including nicknames and such.)

Age

Gender
(+Orientation etc, anything that matters for this character)

Occupation/role/type of ranger
(You can use this field if your character is starting as a trainee or as someone who has yet to enlist (please make this a relatively quick and easy process) or is particularly skilled as say a trainer of new rangers or a medic or any role you can think of. If you can't think of anything for here that's fine.)

Appearance
(Including clothing and such)

Skills and equipment
(Nobody is going to bat an eyelid if your character "suddenly" knows how to tie a knot or has a knife, but try to name the important things here.)

Personality and background
(As long or as short as you want to make it, the best backgrounds explain the character's abilities and Pokémon.)

Partner name and species:
(Fill this part in twice for two partners.)

Partner skills:
(Anything noteworthy.)

Partner personality, appearance and background:
(Anything not covered in the main character's background.)



(I'll also write up a character for myself sometime in the near future, I was waiting for reactions first.)

 

[AceyPie]

This has caught my eye... although I wont be online for most of it probably I'll try to be more active and try to find a way so that my inactiveness doesnt get in the way of the plot if that is acceptable

ill post a bio later today

 

[AceyPie]

Oh and before I post it are pokemon from other regions allowed?

 

[AceyPie]

Name
Celia Alorre (Pronounced A-lore if your wondering)
Her friends usually call her by her first name "Celia" not that she has any anyway and thats one of her negative traits, she is known to put work first than friends giving her less of a chance to make any at all

Age
20

Gender
Female, no preference... so... asexual?

Appearance
She has a slim figure due to farm work and a mostly fruit and veggie based diet, she also has slightly longer than shoulder length brown hair which she usually keeps tied in a ponytail, she has brown colored skin and has tan lines underneath her clothes
Starting from the bottom she usually has worn down brown boots, she wears other things too some of them being bare footed, sandals and leather shoes.

Her preferred bottom would be tight but flexible beige shorts with pockets and hooks to hold knick knacks in them, she usually keeps a sharp thing or two in them for example a pocket knife or a home made shiv made of metal, and if needed a firestarter such as flint or a match

Her top is usually an also brown tee that never stays clean for long, some may say it's too small for her leaving her belly uncovered, a black leather vest is also there just above her tee, classified as a standard explorer's vest it is surprisingly spacious, with pockets here and there

And perhaps the only constant in her outfit is her cherished beige cowgirl's hat. This worn down hat of hers is something from her childhood that ever since it was given to her she had never let it go

Skills and Equipment
Being a farm worker for as long as she can remember until now where she is a Ranger in Vientown Celia has above average stamina and slightly above average strength than the average townsperson has, she can usually run for an hour or two before getting tuckered out and calling it a day. Her body's tolerance and endurance is also something to note as she wont be knocked down so easily

Her experience with timid Pokemon in the farm has been cultivated by her frequent encounters with.... well timid pokemon, although she has a rough nature her caring side shows from time to time

As I said from the previous part she ALWAYS carries a sharp thing around whether it be a knife or just a plain old shiv just expect her to have something sharp

Another thing to note is that she has a "Reckless" mindset for almost everything except Psychic types... she's terrified of those but given that it ISNT a Psychic type Celia will usually tackle it head on without caution

Occupation/role/type of ranger

Celia used to work in a farm, she fairly new to the ranger business but has gotten a grip on it quickly because of her resourcefulness out on the field

Weaknesses

First lets get this out of the way... SHE IS HORRIFIED OF PSYCHIC TYPES, okay im good

Like I mentioned previously, Celia has a reckless mental attitude and has gotten into some trouble in situations oftenly getting herself hurt in the process

Once again, she is afraid of psychic types... its just the way these guys look and feel... as she would say, her phobia for psychic types is as huge as Kanye West's ego that should give you an idea

Celia is usually headstrong and reluctant to cooperate with other people or pokemon given as she wants to be seen as an indenpendent figure (which she already is) but she still doesnt accept the "you cant do everything by yourself" lecture

She also has the tendency to give tough love to people around her especially her younger siblings

Personality and Background

Celia is a hard worker, usually insisting in doing everything by herself, possibly engraved by her father's should I say personality in which he always pushes his children to their limits... and a bit of a Tsundere in a way were she gives tough love to her loved ones. Always positive that everything can be done she is also what some people would say... careless and some of the more "I dont want to hurt your feelings people" say adventurous her mindset and personality usually leads her down a dangerous path where she gets more than a few scars, although she has been used to this she does still get hurt

Celia was born into a family of wheat farmers in Almia near Vientown, although she has dreams of becoming a ranger one day (which she now is) however this has been surpressed for quite a while by trying to prove herself to her father that she was ready to become one such as hints to an overprotective dad although she thinks she more than proven herself to him... in the farm she has more than a few Pokemon friends such as Bouffolant, Mightyena, Tauros, Pigeotto, and Murkrows usually assigned to feeding the farm Pokemon and cleaning the pens, only occasionally being assigned to plow and harvest. Her beloved Midday Lycanroc though would stand out from among the rest of the pokemon in their farm. Always giving Zian attention was a main priority for her as her Lycanroc was despite its appearance very timid without Celia. As a Kid she would sit on the front porch of her house all day and befriend the pokemon passing by her home, getting dirt and stains on her clothes as she played with them

Partner Name and Species
Name: Zian
Species: Midday Lycanroc

Partner Skills
Zian has a tendency to run... and by run i mean RUN boi Usain bolt better train out of his retirement and get his shin guards out and spank himself and be prepared to call Zian Daddy, That aside Zian can run faster than the average Lycanroc

Partner Personality, appearance, background

Zian is a timid natured Lycanroc, usually RUNNING away from any sight of danger (yes in going to be capitalizing RUN or any word with the root word RUN in it whenever describing Zian, prepare a second set of pants)
Zian grew up with Celia in the farm and has never really gotten into any battles since he was raised in captivity thus making him unexperienced in battles but that could change

Let me know if theres anything I need to change ^^

 

[Paddler]

Hi, and welcome. Looks good.

Her non uniform outfit:

I didn't really have a uniform in mind. I was picturing the rangers more wild west movie style than like a proper modern police force. If other players want a uniform we can have one, and I'm open to all suggestions. But assuming we don't do that any kind of daily wear or work clothes suited for the job and/or looking like you mean business are good.

Oh and before I post it are pokemon from other regions allowed?

As you figured out, yes! Although I prefer it if there is some sort of story to how they got to Almia. I don't think that's going to be a lot of trouble in your case, this being a dog Pokémon working on a farm. I can assume there's some sort of history of importing and breeding behind that. But if for instance you had said "she met him in the wild 2 years ago" I would have loved an explanation of how he got there or a hint that you were planning to uncover his history during the story.

 

[AceyPie]

Hi, and welcome. Looks good.


I didn't really have a uniform in mind. I was picturing the rangers more wild west movie style than like a proper modern police force. If other players want a uniform we can have one, and I'm open to all suggestions. But assuming we don't do that any kind of daily wear or work clothes suited for the job and/or looking like you mean business are good.

Oh in that case dont mind that ^^

As you figured out, yes! Although I prefer it if there is some sort of story to how they got to Almia. I don't think that's going to be a lot of trouble in your case, this being a dog Pokémon working on a farm. I can assume there's some sort of history of importing and breeding behind that. But if for instance you had said "she met him in the wild 2 years ago" I would have loved an explanation of how he got there or a hint that you were planning to uncover his history during the story.

Once the other characters earn Celia's trust I'll start to shed some light on Zian

 

[kyuukestu]

I'd suggest a section for their ranger occupation seeing as we might have Trainees, Rangers, and other roles.

Also; another question!

Should my character start out as a trainee, that would give them an opportunity to expand on the skills section of the bio no?

As in, could they, for example, take a class on identifying herbs at the ranger school or something along that line of thought?

 

[Paddler]

I'd suggest a section for their ranger occupation seeing as we might have Trainees, Rangers, and other roles.

Added that field. Also, feel free to just add any field you're missing in your own submission. Just because something isn't important to all characters I can possibly imagine doesn't mean it's not important to yours.

Also; another question!

Should my character start out as a trainee, that would give them an opportunity to expand on the skills section of the bio no?

As in, could they, for example, take a class on identifying herbs at the ranger school or something along that line of thought?

As for this question: I did mark the location of the school from Shadows of Almia as Bootcamp Island, so there seems to be a bootcamp at least. And there's probably a fase where you're teamed up with a more experienced ranger, maybe several of them in a row. Since you're the one interested in playing a trainee, I figure you (and potentially other people playing a trainee) can make up the procedure, as long as it fits the sort of semi-gritty "learn on the job"-"what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"-mentality-setting seen in many a dangerous historical job. That's very much for practical reasons as well, because that gives us a way to have everyone involved in the same operations and meeting each other. But overal, short answer: yes, there are ways and opportunities to learn things, and that goes double for trainees and green hires who are expected to be learning. That's the fun of playing a newbie after all, getting to grow into a role.

 

[OracleLegends]

I’ve actually played Pokémon Ranger: Shadows Of Almia, I thought that was dark and than I read this! I love it!
Name
Addison Souryu

Age
16

Gender
Non-binary, bisexual

Occupation/role/type of ranger
Wants to apply to become a Pokémon ranger and follow his fathers foot steps

Appearance
Xe is relatively mixed with xe’s outfits, one day xe is wearing a tank top and shorts the next day xe is wearing a shirt and pants. Most of xe choices is wearing a black tank top and blue shorts or black shirt and blue jeans.

Skills and equipment
Xe father taught him how to cook/ Xe carries a locket

Personality and background
Leon first lived in kanto we’re xe would play with the Pokémon there, he grew closer to the Pokémon each day. Xe’s father went to the Almia Region to become a Pokémon ranger, when he did he had barely anytime to contact and even visit his family. One day on xe’s birthday, xe’s father was heard by a ranger that her father was “gone” which caused her to go into a state of depression for a few weeks, once they were over she vowed to follow in her fathers footsteps and also find out what happened to him. One day xe’s mother told xe that they were going to move to Almia, to which made her feel like she could finally get her chance to avenge her father.

Partner name and species:
Xe doesn’t technically have a partner yet, xe befriended Pokémon but never really wanted to keep them because xe feels xe will hurt them.

 

[AceyPie]

Just updated my bio with the new section ^^ and anything that needed updating

 

[kyuukestu]

Just updated my bio with the new section ^^ and anything that needed updating

Sigh, and I'm still struggling to start my Bio. I'm honestly not sure what type of character to create ~w~ Her backstory is set, since it happens to fit very nicely into the backstory of another OC of mine, but besides that... everything else is a blank ~w~

 

[AceyPie]

I know how that feelsXD that happens very rarely to me but still happens XD


I done with Celia's backstory and now working on Zian's 0w0

 

[Paddler]

I was kind of planning to do a twentysomething female character for this one, but somehow I ended up liking this. The backstory is a little involved maybe... (Yes, in this case that's just another word for "like a wall of text".)

I'm going to see about finding some more identifiable weaknesses. He's just a little too main charactery at the moment probably. (Update: changed up the skill section, the end of personality and his partner a little. This feels pretty good.) But overall I like the contrast with the other entries so far that I'm getting out of this guy.

Name
Jake Southwoods

Previously known as Jack the Monk (see background).

Age
49

Gender
Male. (Orientation: not really bothering with that these days, but mostly straight.)

Occupation/role/type of ranger
Jake is a ranger, and wants to be nothing else. He is one of the regions specialists in search and rescue.

Appearance
Jake Southwoods is a man of the land. He always wears clothing that looks like it was well worn, but can still take easily twice that abuse before it needs to be mended or replaced. Jake looks like he wins about 2/3 of his arm wrestling matches, if he wisely avoids the younger rangers, and spends a little too much time out in the sun and the rain, with the worn face of a man several years his senior, but still a certain fire in his eyes. He wears a simple dark brown hat with a broad rim.

Skills and equipment
Jake is not as fast as he ones was, and never quite sure whether he has just his age to blame, or "the accident" as well. Slow and steady tends to win the race with him, he'll keep up a brisk walking pace all day. Jake these days knows a lot about navigation and environmental hazards, and serves as one of the rangers' search and rescue specialists. Jake's least favorite part of the job are the criminal cases, on which he keeps pretty quiet unless he has reason to be actively worried. Jake has studied physical first aid, pressure bandages and splints and such, but he's not a herbs and potions man. Jake carries around a small climbing pick, a hatchet and about five meters of rope, which he usually drapes around his partner in some way. He's no knotting wonder, but he knows his basic rescue techniques. Jake is not the greatest at handling people or Pokémon that don't know him yet. It takes a little time to start trusting him. He probably just has one of those faces? Because of this he tends to be the worst with small pokémon that are scared of humans, while he has a bit of an easier time gaining the respect of those creatures that look pretty threatening themselves.

Personality and background
Jake Southwoods grew up in Azalea Town in Johto. It's not that Jake really didn't like it there, but it was one of those places where nothing ever happens. He spent his free time hanging around the local caves, and slowly started dreaming up plans to go elsewhere. As a young man he found a job in offshore shipping, on a sailing vessel doing runs between nearby regions. It was hard work for little pay, but because of the short runs there was relatively little risk and relatively much time on shore. During this period of his life Jake still kept in touch as much as was practical with his parents and a few friends at home. Now, there happen to be two types of sailors, those who never want to stop, and those who are looking to get out before they sink. Jake was part of the second group. He found himself living and working in Veilstone City in Sinnoh, and that's where he started running with the wrong people. Jake started calling himself Jack, because it sounded more slick, and after a few smaller stints in gambling and less than legal trade, Jack got an in to the smuggling business. As a small town kid he knew at least a little about the outdoors, in contrast to most people in the Veilstone network. Looking back Jake thinks he was a total amateur and terribly inefficient, but "Jack the Monk" (a smuggler spends a lot of time alone, but mostly it just sounds sort of mysterious) build a name for himself anyway, and found himself finding jobs for the longer runs to Almia and Fiore. And Jack learned, he got good at this. He got his hands on a young Numel for cheap, someone had an an unexpected nest. Her name was Emily. The well patrolled bits of their routes they did on foot, hiding Emily's Pokéball whenever in Almia or Fiore, and in between on the normal intraregional routes there was usually some coach or boat going the right way Jack could hitch a ride on. It wasn't a full time job, but it kept him fed and busy enough.

Jack's life changed during an unexpected storm one early winter. He was running a big load. Varying less legal substances, but most notable were the Poké balls he was running for a new client: a group of poachers going to Hia Valley to score some furs, out of season and over quotum. Coming from Canalave City it almost seemed to make sense to take the less patrolled inland route to the Chroma Highlands, over the pass. The half snow half rain continuously falling from the skies caused a rock slide. When a ranger called Morris Foot and his partner Lefty, a Rhyhorn whose horn was bent slightly to the left, found Jack his leg was trapped by a rock. But his Numel had gotten hit a lot worse. When after a long and slow trek down the pass Emily was let out of her Poké Ball at the ranger base she stayed alive for maybe a minute and a half. Jack was arrested.

It took some time, from both sides, but eventually Jake Southwoods found himself working with the rangers to patrol dangerous routes and help travelers in need. He had lost touch with his more shady contacts and even resumed contact with his parents, who despite the distance he still managed to visit before they both passed away. Jake learned a lot from the rangers, enough even that he probably could have seen that storm coming, had he known what he knows now. And while it took even more time, he eventually made full ranger. When Morris eventually retired, Lefty stayed on the force with Jake. Words cannot describe how honored Jake was by this. He takes good care of Lefty and still drops by Morris' place semi-regularly when the job allows it.

Not a lot of people who know Jake know he's Jack, mostly the rangers that have been around since that time and those he's worked enough with since. But there's still quite a network of people who know Jack, and know he's Jake, even if many of them are retired by now. Crime is a young men's business after all, as those folks put it.

Jake is not as bitter a man as you might expect by this point. He's made mistakes, but he's had adventures as well. He has a fulfilling job, a great partner, fine colleagues, and a region he now thinks of as home. He respects the younger rangers for their ability to get to a conclusion that took him so much longer to reach, and he sees some very good potential in the Almia team. He's overall quite a pleasant character to be around. He does have a mild tendency to go overboard on the cryptic warnings, with shadows from his past making things seem more dangerous then they are. He's working on it...

Jake is not the best at handling humans or Pokémon. He's sworn off manipulation, and he hasn't quite learned how to sell honesty yet, except to people he has known for a while. While he's not uncomfortable in social settings he's rarely the shining center of a party, and kind of prefers life on the road with a small crew.

Partner name and species:
Lefty the Rhyhorn

Partner skills:
Lefty has years of experience and is easy to command. Whatever needs done, Lefty will charge fearlessly at it. He has always lacked a little own initiative though, he's not very effective without a ranger. He's also not the greatest around anything that can break if you're not careful. Lefty has been struck by lightning at least twice over the course of his long career, but seemed just fine both times.

Partner personality, appearance and background:
Lefty is a loyal and dependable Rhyhorn, who looks like he's almost as old as Jake is. That's like a bajillion in Rhyhorn years, as any kid will tell you. Lefty's not easily scared, but doesn't carry a hint of aggression in his entire being. He got swiped at by plenty of wild Pokémon over the years, but he mostly seems to just not get why they're doing that. Lefty's name comes from the way his horn is bent slightly to the left. In rough terrain Jake and Lefty move around together on foot, although on a decent road they're faster if Jake swallows his pride and lets the Rhyhorn carry him.

 

[AceyPie]

I am loving this character the only thing the needs to be fixed are his weaknesss but otherwise, Well thought out ^^

 

[OracleLegends]

Am I not accepted?

 

[AceyPie]

oof I guess Paddler didnt seee your post.. lets wait until hes online then Ill tell him

 

[Paddler]

Am I not accepted?

Oh, no, you totally are. I just forgot for a moment that's a thing I do in this thread.

I like the character. Classic motivation, a hint of self doubt but a bigger will to overcome. Maybe clarify the name a bit more? Is Leon a nickname, a birthname or an alternative for Addison, or was that just an earlier draft name? I'm guessing the latter.

I just hope you'll forgive me and my character for mixing up our hims, hers and xes (xers?), because that's a pretty ingrained/automatic part of language use, so I'm bound to miss the mark every now and then, similar to if you'd have picked a name of which different spellings are common. (Example: you seem to be mixing some hers and a his in with the xes yourself, which as I said I totally understand. (Edit: although now that I think about it those are probably traces of two rewrites where previous crafts actually were male and female respectively.))

 

[AceyPie]

its okay man, it takes a while to get used to new things... Im sure youll get the hang of it

 

[OracleLegends]

Oh, no, you totally are. I just forgot for a moment that's a thing I do in this thread.

I like the character. Classic motivation, a hint of self doubt but a bigger will to overcome. Maybe clarify the name a bit more? Is Leon a nickname, a birthname or an alternative for Addison, or was that just an earlier draft name? I'm guessing the latter.

I just hope you'll forgive my and my character for mixing up our hims, hers and xes (xers?), because that's a pretty ingrained/automatic part of language use, so I'm bound to miss the mark every now and then, similar to if you'd have picked a name of which different spellings are common. (Example: you seem to be mixing some hers and a his in with the xes yourself, which as I said I totally understand.)

Leon was the name Addison was called because of xe looking like a girl and a boy at different times (hint non-binary) because people were confused if xe was.
Most of the he’s I use to reference xe father and the her or she to reference xe mother

 

[Paddler]

Most of the he’s I use to reference xe father and the her or she to reference xe mother

Yeah, I noticed those, but these seemed to specifically be referring to Addison:

Wants to apply to become a Pokémon ranger and follow his fathers foot steps

One day xe’s mother told xe that they were going to move to Almia, to which made her feel like she could finally get her chance to avenge her father.

That's why I already started speculating I might be seeing the result of some rewriting and editing, as many good characters go through. I meant the whole thing merely as "I know this is a big deal to some people, and I understand why, I'm just a little dumber than I sound sometimes."

Either way, welcome.

 

[OracleLegends]

Yeah, I noticed those, but these seemed to specifically be referring to Addison:



That's why I already started speculating I might be seeing the result of some rewriting and editing, as many good characters go through. Either way, welcome.

there’s a hint to Addison’s real gender in that sentence, xe mother is telling xe can get “xe” revenge. I’m happy to be here! Thanks for having me!

 

[AceyPie]

so thats 4 now right? Yusss

 

[kyuukestu]

Name
Wynter Angraecum (Wyn)

Age
16

Gender
Female
(Errr, heteroflexible I guess?)

Appearance
True to her namesake, Wynter has Icy white hair, the shade of the purest of snows. Following along with her wintry theme, she styles her hair in a Christmas snowflake bun, often changing up the patterns arranged with the bun whenever she feels like a change of hairstyle would do her good.

She isn’t particularly tall, and is in fact, the shortest of her three siblings. Her dress style follows the more Arabic style of flowing veils and shawls, favoring thinner fabrics to both blocks the sand billowing off the dunes, and protect herself from the, at times, blistering heat. She wears a -research required to get names of clothing articles-

Skills and equipment

Years of messing around with her own hair, and sometimes being forced to cut it, using complex hairstyles and patterns have given Wyn deft fingers and a working expertise tying and untying various knots. She could definitely tie a noose, a weave a small net of rope with practiced skill. Summed up in a few words, she's a knotter and rope weaver. Her initial skill with this came from her mother, who's craft involved weaving baskets, rugs, decorative mats, and other items for sale. It wasn't much but did provide some extra income for their family, and Wyn had worked alongside her as soon as she could weave items of quality.

Personality and background

Wynter is a resident of Haruba Village in Almia. Being the eldest of three children she’d always been the leader of the group while following behind her were two younger brothers. She’d never really been a fan of the desert temperatures and sandy terrain of the town, but it was a home she’d grown to love. She’s quite familiar with ground and rock type Pokemon; them being the most plentiful, but Wyn’s true passion lays in a different desert, a tundra of Ice and snow, filled with frosty ice types and cool water types. Her interest in Ice types had first started when, during the middle of a particularly severe heatwave, a Ranger from Almia castle was dispatched to help the town, bringing with them their ice type partner pokemon. The scene of the Ranger and their partner, a Mamoswine, calling upon the elements and changing the very weather with Hail, had cemented the young girl’s interest in Ice type. To the puerile Wyn, that scene, her first encounter with fresh snowfall, was the most magnificent in her life, and it had also simultaneously lit her desire to become a Pokemon Ranger. So, as soon as she was of age, she packed up and took the long journey to the ranger’s boot camp to begin her training as a Pokemon Ranger. Her two younger brothers, Summer, and Autumn had instead decided to become a coordinator and a breeder respectively.

Wynter tries to keep herself, icy, elegant and aloof, much like how she imagines an ice type would act, but in truth, she’s a rather excitable kid beneath her facade. While she prefers to stay silent, she has quite the presence as she’s used to bossing around her younger brothers.

Occupation
Trainee Ranger

Partner name and species:
N/A.

Partner skills:
N/A

Partner personality, appearance, and background:
N/A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’m trying to be slick with these Partner choices and either hit as many bases as possible or specialize is something useful, so I want to know if I can get away with Garchomp as a Water and Land mount, by virtue of it being able to learn surf :v

Or for that matter Rhydon, who also has surf in its move pool.

With regards to her clothing, I don't actually know the names to them, but what I have in mind is the classic clothing style of an Arabic dancer, though she'll wear a bit more than just that. Can't be an Ice-type trainer then freeze to death, it'd be a disgrace.

and with regards to her skill with knots being trained by styling her own hair, this is a Christmas snowflake Bun

I think I'll have her learn other skills on the job, so advanced knot-making and weaving are the starter pack.

 

[Paddler]

As a bit of a rope ninja in real life, I approve of this skill.

Garchomp, poeh, uhmmm...

I don't see anything in the Pokémon roleplay rules about pseudolegends on starting characters, so it's probably okay. I would ask that:
1 You avoid using it as a flying mount, at least for now (Garchomp doesn't learn Fly but you wouldn't guess that by its appearance.)
2 You avoid playing it as a super powered Pokémon that can solve pretty much anything alone, also at least for now. (I have never RP'd with you before, I have no idea how you handle Pokémon like that.)
3 There is a background story to how you ended up with a Garchomp. (Because this is a story, and in good stories the coolest details often get the best explanations.)

Ah, I just got it. You're looking at the list of Pokémon from Haruba Desert/Hippowdon Temple. Clever use of the world, I don't think I can say no to clever use of the world. So that story at least has a beginning.

Rhydon as an alternative would be fine (Yes, I know I picked a Rhyhorn, this RP is big enough for both of them), or I'd even happily believe you taught a Hippowdon to swim. It's a Hippo, it can't be that impossible.

(EDIT: With a good enough story I'll believe you found a Beartic on an incoming ship, but that probably clashes with your buildup about where the character comes from and where she's going.)

 

[kyuukestu]

Ah, I wasn't actually set on using Garchomp as a starter Pokemon. (I'd at least start out with a Gibble) I was just wondering how flexible we'd be with these traveling mounts.

I haven't decided which Pokemon I want, I'm struggling between favorites and practicality. Choosing 6 out of around 700 was already hard enough, cut it down to 2? You're killing me here x.x

For Land Mounts, I'm thinking Ninetails (Alolan), Arcanine, or Luxray, they'd start out in their base forms and hopefully evolve at some point. With little to no electrical appliances, Luxray isn't really getting me past any electric locks, but a mini-taser is good for arrests, and its whole X-ray vision thing is just a massive boon no matter how I look at it. Ninetails because it fits while Wynter's character and I can probably freeze myself an Ice float to do any river traveling, and Arcanine because it's a classic partner pokemon for the Police force.

I was thinking Garchomp, but that's a big and powerful pokemon, and as you rightfully put it would require some restraint.

Needless to say, I'm still struggling over my options.

 

[DarkHydraT]

This sounds incredibly fun and well thought-out, I'd love to join.

Name

Frank Freeman
Nickname: Poison Dude

Age

18

Gender

Male, bisexual

Occupation/role/type of ranger

Trainee to become medic

Appearance

Frank is a tall and tanned guy and wears a green handkerchief with a tree on it around his left arm, a heavily worn white shirt and a pair of brown pants. His short brown hair is usually a big mess and his brown eyes are usually shining with hope. He always has a medkit on his waist filled with a surprising amount of antidotes against most types of poisoning along with a medical handbook.
Skills and equipment


Frank knows a lot about nature, this knowledge allows him to quickly find out what is wrong with people and Pokémon and help them recover with relative ease. He is also quite smart, allowing him to think up a plan if the situation calls for it.

Personality and background

Frank grew up in Chicole Village, spending most of his days outside observing and befriending Pokémon. He was known to get attacked by Poison type Pokémon and getting poisoned by poisonous plants and his friends gave the nickname Poison Dude because of it, he didn't mind this nickname and used it to inform others how to treat poisoning and to respect Pokémon so that both man and Pokémon can coexist in peace. Frank is someone who goes through life with incredible positivity and tries to see the best in everyone. He is very hard to anger,very kind and usually not one to fight unless he sees someone destroying nature or bullying either a person or a Pokémon, this makes him incredibly angry and he starts to attack the offender. He appears to be fearless but he is incredibly afraid of the dark, he refuses to move if left alone in the dark as he was lost in the Vien Forest when he was young after it became dark and he bumped into a Wartortle which was agitated and sent him home with a lot of cuts and bruises. He firmly believes that there are monsters in the dark to this day.

Partner name and species:

N/A

Partner skills:

N/A

Partner personality, appearance and background:

N/A

 

[Paddler]

(I'd at least start out with a Gibble)

Okay. That would be fine, sure.

Needless to say, I'm still struggling over my options.

Struggle away, just watch out for the recoil damage.

This sounds incredibly fun and well thought-out, I'd love to join.

Thanks. Good to have you, I like the character.

Looks like we might be doing some sort of recruitment/bootcamp arc to start out. I'll go polish off my drill instructor voice. "GIVE ME TWENTY, YOU CRAWLING MAGGOTS!" (Yes, I have seen too many movies, why do you ask? Also yes, I do plan on having the game be fun rather than abuse.)

 

[kyuukestu]

Struggle away, just watch out for the recoil damage.

This, just made my night lmao.

and a little abuse makes for a lot of grit and character building...maybe.

 

[AceyPie]

Just revamped most of my bioprobably do it again since Im not entirely satisfied with the result Ill do a bit of brain storming till then


Name
Celia Alorre (Pronounced A-lore if your wondering)
Her friends usually call her by her first name "Celia" not that she has any anyway and thats one of her negative traits, she is known to put work first than friends giving her less of a chance to make any at all

Age
20

Gender
Female, no preference... so... asexual?

Appearance

Celia stands at a surprisingly tall height 5 foot 2 for her family's history of dwarfism on her mother's side, has a slim figure due to farm work and a mostly fruit and veggie based diet, she also has slightly longer than shoulder length black hair which she usually keeps tied in a ponytail, being out in the sun all day has her skin color in a darker color than most, she has tan lines underneath her clothes

Starting from the bottom she usually has worn down brown boots, she wears other things too some of them being bare footed, sandals and leather shoes.

Her preferred bottom would be tight but flexible beige shorts with pockets and hooks to hold knick knacks in them, she usually keeps a sharp thing or two in them for example a pocket knife or a home made shiv made of metal, and if needed a firestarter such as flint or a match

Her top is usually an also brown tee that never stays clean for long, some may say it's too small for her leaving her belly uncovered, a black leather vest is also there just above her tee, classified as a standard explorer's vest it is surprisingly spacious, with pockets here and there

And perhaps the only constant in her outfit is her cherished beige cowgirl's hat. This worn down hat of hers is something from her childhood that ever since it was given to her she had never let it go

Ranger Role
Being fairly new to this Ranger routine and business she has yet to get a grasp on this and is often misses her rounds or anything she is assigned to passively, her Eagerness although makes up for some of it actively rushing to anything she's been told to do.

Celia has yet to find a particular assignment in this myriad of roles, she is confident however she will find one soon

Skills and Equipment
Being a farm worker for as long as she can remember Celia has above average stamina and slightly above average strength than the average townsperson has, she can usually run for an hour or two before getting tuckered out and calling it a day

Her experience with all kinds of pokemon and their personalities can really be useful and thats what got her in the ranger business in the first place, understanding of Pokemon is key to a ranger, if they want cooperation from a pokemon they must know how to approach it and then soothe it... and thats what Celia is perfectly capable at, her overall experience

As I said from the previous part she ALWAYS carries a sharp thing around whether it be a knife or just a plain old shiv just expect her to have something sharp, Celia just finds it useful to carry at least one around

Weaknesses
Celia seldomly thinks ahead, this adventerous personality of hers is which is why she needs Zian and other people's help to stop her from trying to kill herself every 5 minutes and to get her out of this habit respectively

Once again, she is afraid of psychic types... this phobia of hers started back when she almost got taken by a hypno, luckily she was saved by a ranger, which further strengthened her desire to become one

She is the average outgoing and friendly stereotype when out of work, all chat and talk but when work comes in she is usually... reluctant to ask for help, as she doesnt want to be seen as a person with a 'soft side'

She also has the tendency to give tough love to people around her especially her younger siblings but that wont matter... right? I mean unless someone here has a personality that could be shaped for the better with it I dont think it would matter, itsjust another detail to toss out

Personality and Background

Celia is a hard worker, usually insisting in doing everything by herself, possibly engraved by her father's should I say personality in which he always pushes his children to their limits... and a bit of a Tsundere in a way were she gives tough love to her loved ones. Always positive that everything can be done she is also what some people would say... careless and some of the more "I dont want to hurt your feelings people" say adventurous her mindset and personality usually leads her down a dangerous path where she gets more than a few scars, although she has been used to this she does still get hurt

In her freetime she usually walks down to the beach and wade in the water, meet a water type every now and again. Or rarely even, go out in the nearby forest and pretend Play with some of the Pokemon there

Celia was born into a family of wheat farmers in Almia near Vientown, although she has dreams of becoming a ranger one day, reinforced by many events in her life involving rangers, albeit this has been surpressed by trying to prove herself to her father that she is ready to become one such as hints to an overprotective dad although she thinks she more than proven herself to him... in the farm she has more than a few Pokemon friends such as Bouffolant, Mightyena, Tauros, Pigeotto, and Murkrows usually assigned to feeding the farm Pokemon and cleaning the pens, only occasionally being assigned to plow and harvest. Her beloved Midday Lycanroc though would stand out from among the rest of the pokemon in their farm. Always giving Zian attention was a main priority for her as her Lycanroc was despite its appearance very timid without Celia. As a Kid she would sit on the front porch of her house all day and befriend the pokemon passing by her home, getting dirt and stains on her clothes as she played with them, and this habit is what sparked her interest in being a ranger in the first place, the idea of being able to travel and meet so many new Pokemon and getting to befriend them is what she aimed to do back then, of course that isnt the case now, her motive now comprises of helping Almia and it's Residence and its Pokemon in any way she can

Partner Name and Species
Name: Zian
Species: Midday Lycanroc

Partner Skills
Zian has a tendency to run... and by run i mean RUN boi Usain bolt better train out of his retirement and get his shin guards out and spank himself and be prepared to call Zian Daddy, That aside Zian can run faster than the average Lycanroc

Partner Personality, appearance, background

Zian is a timid natured Lycanroc, usually RUNNING away from any sight of danger (yes in going to be capitalizing RUN or any word with the root word RUN in it whenever describing Zian, prepare a second set of pants)
Zian grew up with Celia in the farm and has never really gotten into any battles since he was raised in captivity thus making him unexperienced in battles but that could change, Celia has no clue where Zian came from, her father just came home with the Rockruff one day, she does not question this but has been curious to know since a child

 

[AceyPie]

It doesnt seem like any more people are going to be joining tbh :/ just want to point that out then again I could be wrong

 

[malcolm debourg]

may i try this please?

 

[Paddler]

Yes, sure, you may. Welcome.

At Peachy: I don't think we're all done with our characters and such anyway, so I'm not in a hurry to start. But I will start thinking about a good way/point to launch the story, so that we can get going when the moment is right. The total number of players isn't that important as long as it stays between "nobody's posting" and "help I can't follow everything".

(EDIT: this post originally automatically made a link with a board member called Peachy. If you're Peachy and you're reading this because you got a notification: Oops... I just have a habit of shortening forum names and don't know the system yet.)

 

[malcolm debourg]

Name:Andy Richter
Age:20
Gender: male
Appearance:
Long Khaki pants that have quite a few pockets, with the leg sections going down to the sneakers, a light blue polo long sleeve shirt black sneakers with a Pikachu tail thunderbolt design. Andy also packed a pair of blue jeans, a thick sweater that's mainly gray with red sleeves and tan leather boots for Tundra-like areas. As long as the clothes are clean, Andy isn't one for fashion though he could resemble a walking kaleidoscope to some. Aside from that, he will always strive to look presentable. His hair is black of medium length done in a buzz cut.

Personality:
Andy is eager to observe the world around him and somewhat inquisitive. That inquisitiveness has made him very bright in terms of knowledge of nature but has also led to an unhealthy sense of danger because of it. Due to still being young, he is still a little naive, which results in him falling for pranks, such as April Fools pranks. However when this does happen, he will see it as a learning experience and, in fact occasionally going along with it knowing full well that it’s a prank for the sake of humor. One example of this comes from Ratattas or other prankster pokémon hiding his items all over Mahogany Town, the pokémon themselves belonging to other trainers. The scavenger hunts don't bother him as he sees the pokémon as being playful or silly. Andy has high morals and won't allow anything to happen to his friends, going out of his way to try and settle disputes between other locals, even though it's clearly none of his business, telling the truth whenever he does something wrong, or just being around for people that have had bad days. This does lead to him getting into some sticky situations however, such as people ignoring Andy during a dispute, at which point he will leave them alone.

Andy will start out shy to any person or pokèmon but will gradually warm up to them as time goes on and strive above most things to keep his friends happy, beware he will run away from anyone that lashes out at him. Battle wise Andy favors being more on the defensive side, envisioning pokémon battles to be more like chess matches rather than matches of power preferring to pick his opponents apart with strategy instead.

Background: Born into a quaint, moderately sized house in Mahogany Town Andy was an introvert at the start of his childhood, clinging mainly to his parents, Bob and Martha Richter for protection due to extreme shyness. This led to him being homeschooled and learning basic reading, writing, and math from them. The parents wanted him to make some friends with any other kids at their favorite spot, which also happens to be where the parents met, , Corsola Cove, around Mt Mortar, dubbed that due to the abundance of Corsola present. However if they tried to help him he would run away without saying a word with a very scared expression on his face, thus leading the local kids in Mahogany to label him an oddball.

This continued until age 6 during one routine day at Andy's now favorite area. He was busy making little designs in the sand, with his parents watching him while they were lounging around. That is until a Water Ball pokémon popped its head out of the water. The Azurill, as identified by Mr. and Mrs. Richter who still carried pokèdexes just in case, merrily bounced up to the trio with a squeak. This was Andy's first encounter with a pokémon so initially he recoiled away from it. The Aqua Mouse Pokémon just waved its bouncy tail at him, smiled and squeaked once more which made Andy more cautious now more than afraid as he reached out to pet the Marill of which it took full comfort in. Bob and Martha saw this occur and became overjoyed that their bundle of nerves seemed to have taken a shine to a pokémon and potential new friend. After a whole day of play by Andy and his new found poké-friend, Azurill, the Richters got ready to return to Mahogany Town. Before they left, she squeaked again, waved using that tail of hers and walked back into the lake.

From then on, Andy slowly became more outgoing. By age 10 thanks to repeated visits to see Azurill, he was at least being more vocal with the Mahogany Town locals, unless it was the first time meeting a person, in that case, he would start out timid but warm up to him or her after a few minutes of conversation. Andy's homeschooling was going well too , he was learning Middle School levels of reading, writing, and math. Though he was homeschooling well, he wasn't as interested as much. His love of nature though never really diminished still wanting to go to places along Johto such as Corsola Cove, Ecruteak City ,and Olivine City, as well as keeping an eye on his neighbors potted plants.

During those trips he also would also be out for herbs and studying which ones can be used for medical reasons like the making of salves.


Occupation/role/type of ranger He is a newbie at this time but looking to be a medic eventually


Skills and equipment Andy is actually competent breeder. How that relates here is that he is quite adept with little pokemon or childlike ones . He also is a fairly okay chef for human for humans and pokemon, it helps knowing how to turn berries into soups, cakes poffins and such, he would be carrying a knife, and a pot for cooking. (think like portable hot plate type things

Weaknesses: Thanks to being a breeder, his main association with pokemon were small, base forms. The larger ones, as a result give him a bit of a scare, going near them is a a bit hard due to Andy not wanting to risk provoking the beast to attack him. His medical tranining, in terms of actually healing pokemon, is nonexsistent due to never having to do it. The interest comes from not wanting Aqua to be harmed too badly

Partner name and species:
Aquamarine the Marill

Partner skills:
Due to huge power, she could fell a tree after a few aqua tails and ferry people over fair bodies of water (not ocean size, more like large lakes)

Partner personality, appearance and background:
Aqua is quite the docile mouse willing to chat up most pokemon provided they aren't instantly after her, most of the time she will be close to Andy till he gets used to the humans around him, it does take a bit of time.

hope that works

 

[Paddler]

Looks fun, good amount of detail. I notice there's half a sentence missing at the end of skills and equipment.

Good call to name an ability on this particular partner, it impacts what kind of mon Marill is quite a bit.

 

[malcolm debourg]

whoops derpy me. Fixed now @Paddler

 

[Paddler]

It's Wednesday now. I think it would be good to start up around next Sunday. I'll open a thread by that time and drop a few opening lines on the when and where of how the story picks up. Would everybody be able to work out the details still open before then? I'm looking forward to it!

For new people reading this: you can still join in now or even after we started. So if you're interested drop in.