GojiBean
Your resident irradiated Kaiju King
Hi everyone!
Welcome to the Interest Check for Pokémon: Ties That Bind!!
So I made the horrible mistake of watching TeamFourStar's "Vegeta Plays Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu," and I got bitten by the Pokémon bug again.
Anywhoosle (yes, I did just say anywhoosle), I've always been fascinated by the idea of "what if Pokémon were real instead of video game creatures?" So I'm here to see if anyone else wants to try a 1x1, and more realistic Pokémon adventure!
Oh, and it's going to start in the Kanto region because it has a special place in my heart as an old school Pokémon fan who got Red and Blue the day they came out.
So here are what I feel are the "pro's" and "cons" of the RP for your reading pleasure!
- 1) You can pick (almost) any Pokémon as your starter.
- Mythical, Legendary, Pseudo-Legendaries, and Fossil Pokémon are all off limits, obviously. But I've never much believed in "you have to pick one of these three that I'VE CHOSEN FOR YOU." That's not a true choice. It's some ol' bullshit is what it is!
- If you think your Pokémon of choice might be contentious, please bring it to my attention and we can discuss it. I promise I won't use Bite.
2) You will be spending A LOT MORE TIME bonding with and earning relationships with your Pokémon!
- With the exception of your Starter (who was raised by humans), the wild Pokémon you capture will have no idea how to be a "partner" Pokémon. They won't immediately be loyal or friendly to you after capturing them. They won't know how to follow orders in battle because they've only ever taken care of themselves in the wild. They won't understand attack names because they've never heard them before. They won't follow you around if you let them out of the ball. Etc. You have to earn that kind of trust and respect from them. Not demand or expect it right out of the gate because "I captured you!"
- While this may sound like a negative, this RP is all about the bonding stages of you and your Pokémon. Hence the title, "Ties That Bind." So the more time you get to spend acclimating your new Pokémon to your presence, teach them to hear your voice and not be frightened or feel threatened, teach them to understand commands and fight alongside you in battles, and in general give them love and attention as living creatures that truly will become your family in ways the manga/anime never showed.
3) There are no TM's or HM's.
- This RP does away with TM's and HM's and instead adopts the concept that any Pokémon can learn any attack that is feasible for both their physical anatomy and their typing.
- For example, Bulbasaur, as a quadrupedal plant/poison type Pokémon, can learn all of the following techniques because its typing and/or physical anatomy realistically allow for it: Bide, Bind (using its vines), Body Slam, Constrict (basically the same as Bind), Cut, Double Edge, Fake-Out, Fury Swipes, Growl, Growth, Head Charge, Headbutt, Leer, Morning Sun, Pound, Rage, Scary Face, Scratch, Screech, Skull Bash, Slam, Stomp, Strength, Sweet Scent, Swift, Tackle, Take-Down, Yawn, Bite, Crunch, Taunt, Counter, Double Kick, Lick, Absorb, Aromatherapy, Bullet Seed, Energy Ball, Frenzy Plant, Giga Drain, Grass Knot, Grass Whistle, Ingrain, Leaf Blade, Leaf Storm, Leaf Tornado, Leafage, Leech Seed, Magical Leaf, Mega Drain, Petal Blizzard, Petal Dance, Power Whip, Razor Leaf, Sappy Seed, Seed Bomb, Seed Flare, Sleep Powder, Solar Beam, Solar Blade, Spore, Stun Spore, Synthesis, Vine Whip, Worry Seed, Sand Attack, Acid, Acid Armor, Acid Downpour, Acid Spray, Baneful Bunker, Poison Powder.
- For moves that are not inherently physical like Growl and Leer and Acid Armor, these moves will be treated in a "literal" sense. Growl and Leer are both intimidation moves to distract and disorient an opponent and open them up to a follow up strike. Acid Armor can be thought of as Bulbasaur spouting acid up from its bulb and coating itself in the substance which will cause minor harm to Pokémon that make contact with it because acid is acid and will burn (though not in any kind of lethal way).
4) There is no four-move limit.
If your Pokémon is capable of learning and remembering the move, they can use it. The anime/manga never stuck to only four moves, so why should we? Eventually your Pokémon will start learning "too much" and you'll need to focus on a set number of moves because your Pokémon can only remember so much as it grows. But by the time Bulbasaur from the previous example is a Venusaur, he'll be able to remember more moves.
5) There is no "immunity" with respect to Pokémon Type Advantage (with one exception)
- The exception to this is that Ground attacks which rely on the ground itself, like Earthquake, will have no effect on any Pokémon that can fly or is levitating like Magnemite or Ghastly.
- Other than that, there's no such thing as "immunity." All Pokémon attacks that make physical contact in some way, even if they're special moves, are going to impact and cause some level of damage to the target if they get caught in it. A Clefairy, for example, cannot take a Dragon Pulse from a Dragonite and then stand there at the end like Frieza brushing himself off going, "So, was that it monkey?" There's nothing realistic about that.
6) There are no "levels" to worry about, nor are there EV's or IV's
- Real living things don't "level up." They grow, like everything does. And as they grow and age, they will naturally reach a stage in their life cycle where their evolution kicks in. For most Pokémon with 3-stage evolutionary trees, it will be around age 2 where they evolve to their 2nd stage, and around age 4-6 that they evolve into their 3rd stage.
- The above "years" are presuming that they're wild. In human care, they can evolve much faster. The combination of the Trainer's physical care, mental and emotional support, and their experience battling in competitive environments expedite the process of evolution. Providing your Pokémon is caught in its 1st year of life, you can expect it to evolve to its 2nd stage within 6-8 months (if you're a good Trainer). And from stage 2 to stage 3 will probably take between 10-14 months.
- Pokémon, as individuals, will all have their own personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. Their genetics will play a role in how they stack up to others of the same species. And before you ask, no. You may not have a "best genetics" Pokémon to start your adventure. As with earning a Pokémon's trust and respect, you'll have to become or visit a Breeder whose hard work has earned such a genetic distinction. And if you want to do this, you'll have to get my permission and plan the event with me. You may not do this for yourself.
7) "Money" is handled through "Credits" which you earn through both battling other Pokémon Trainers and working basic jobs in cities and towns.
- This is a way to both get involved in the world, and to enjoy a host of different kinds of activities.
- It's also a way to foster other hobbies and passions your Trainer character has. Obviously being a Trainer isn't the only thing your character wants to do, right? Maybe they want to be a singer, a musician, a Pokémon Doctor or Breeder, etc? Well, there are places in this world to practice and enjoy these passions alongside the Pokémon you capture on your adventure.
8) Badges are optional.
- This RP does not force you into the "Gym Challenge." That is 100% optional when you choose to register as a Pokémon Trainer. If you choose to simply be a Trainer for no other reason than Pokémon Training, that's perfectly legitimate and you can enjoy a life with Pokémon out in the world!
9) Pokémon are featured in all manner of "sports" and "entertainment" venues and situations you can imagine.
- The Pokémon League Championship (to decide the greatest Trainer in the world)
- Pokémon Olympics (best Pokémon in specific categories)
- Pokémon Circus
- Pokémon Air Shows (flying Pokémon only, obviously)
- Pokémon Sea Shows
- Pokémon Theme Parks and Amusement Parks
- Pokémon Fashion Shows
- Pokémon Races
- Pokémon Wrestling (basically Pokémon WWE)
- Pokémon Gym Leader's Challenge (the classic experience)
And much, MUCH more! Basically if you can imagine a competition that can feature Pokémon at its core, it exists in this RP world.
10) Pokémon in Poké Balls.
- In short, this is optional.
- Pokémon, as living creatures, have a right to live and a right to live comfortably. So you can imagine that there is something akin to a Pokémon PETA involved in this world questioning the ethics of keeping Pokémon in Poké Balls. It presents a clear topic of discussion for those interested in this.
- Despite the above point, the use of Poké Balls is not in any way under threat. So you'll always be able to use them as normal and do as you please. Again, Poké Balls are optional. If you choose to only stick with your Starter from beginning to end never once putting it in a Poké Ball, you can do that. If you want to keep your Pokémon in Poké Balls, go for it. If you bounce back and forth between Poké Balls and letting Pokémon roam free and follow you (provided they are loyal and loving enough to stay with you), go for it.
So! Providing these pro's and cons don't turn you away, let me know if you want to hop aboard!
Obviously since this is in the 1x1 interest check if there are multiple people asking to join me I will be giving everyone a fair chance to do so.
I'll ask everyone who's interested to create a character and send it to me in a private message so I can give them a fair and thorough examination and see who I think complements my own role-playing style the best. I won't tell you what my style is because I want you to be honest and present a character that shows what your style is. If we complement each other naturally, then hallelujah!
I would like to make it clear, however, that characters with strong levels of depth and subtlety are the most likely to catch my attention. If the character may as well be copy-pasted from a "role-playing 101" template with paper thin motivation, non-existent or unrealistic goals, or a boring and overly generic background like "I'm an introvert and have attachment issues because of an abusive upbringing"... Then please don't contact me about joining.
I know that seems a bit harsh. But I'm an honest guy and I want it to be 100% clear that even though my goal is to have fun with this RP, I'm not interested in role-playing with characters like the one outlined above. Characters like those are incredibly boring and uninspiring. And at the risk of sounding a bit elitist, as a 20+ year role-playing vet I can say from experience that there's nothing worse for old timers like me than forcing ourselves to engage characters which can't inspire or excite us. Does that make sense? I'm sure you know what it's like from past role-playing experiences to have that one character in the RP who is just boring, annoying, or otherwise a character you don't care if your own ever interacts with. I don't want either of us to have to endure that.
Anyway, hopefully you're still interested! If so, please put together a character profile and send it my way! I have no guidelines as to how you put it together because I want to see your honest work. But again the more depth and subtlety you can give your character, the more likely I'll be to choose you as my role-playing partner!
Thank you!!
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