Sign Ups An unlikely band of travellers

[Dieter]

Hey everyone! I go by the name of Dieter and I'm a somewhat rusty roleplayer who wants to get back into the swing of things. As such, I decided to come up with a small Pokémon RP and just see how things go. As such I won't accept a lot of people either. All info below

Plot
At the foot of the Moonlit Mountains, so called due to the peculiar colour they took on during the full moon, are the Whispering Woods. They are strange and wild lands, only visited by the adventurous and the daring.

And even they don't come by very often, for many horrific story has been told about these woods. But those who do wish to traverse these lands are in luck, for at the edge of the forest lives an old man who can safely guide travellers through the forest.

Some might use his services just to still their hunger for adventure, but most travellers have a destination in mind. You see, at the other side of the Whispering Woods, at the foot of the largest mountain (called the Grim Guardian by the locals) lies a small, quiet village called Relic Town.

There are as many reasons to visit Relic Town as there are travellers, and each and everyone comes with their own story as to why they want to visit the town. And they all seek the help of the guide.

So to will heroes of this story. However, upon their arrival at the old man's home, they will discover he seems to have disappeared. No note has been left to explain his absence.

And now, our heroes find themselves with a dilemma. Each of them wants to reach Relic Town, but without the guide it is near impossible to traverse the woods

Rules & Guidelines
Well, everything ended up sounding a bit more fantasy and dramatic than I intended, but I just wanted to set the mood a bit XD And yes, it really is a pokémon RP, but I deliberately decided to leave locations a bit vague to allow everyone some extra creative freedom (for example in pokémon distribution)

Aside from that, as said before I'm not accepting a lot of people in this RP, simply because I'm rusty and want to be able to still manage this well. My max will be three other players, making a total of four. However, I don't really want to make this a first come, first serve thing either

For me, what's most important is that you'd think you'd enjoy this RP and that both our roleplaying styles would work together and we have similar expectations

As we won't be with a lot of people, you can actually sign up with two characters. If you want, of course

Also, as I'm quite busy, I don't think I can post more than once a day, possibly even less, so expect this RP to go relatively slow. If we all happened to live roughly in the same timezone, several posts a day might also be possible

Lastly, all forum rules apply and I'd like to keep things PG13-ish. I'm fine with swearing, or violence, but neither excessively. I think everyone can decide for themselves what is appropriate and whether it contributes to the story


Sign-up

Spoiler

Just tell me about your character as if describing a person you know. It doesn't have to be any kind of detailed and in-depth character analysis, three or four paragraphs are plenty. Feel free to also tell a little about their pokémon team

If this seems unclear, just take a peek at my sign-up

I don't think I've forgotten anything, but if you have any questions, please do ask them!

Ok, lastly, I just realised that I want to share a tiny pet peeve of mine and that's pokéspeak. Like, the constant repeating of their names which they do in the anime really bothers me. But please don't let that stop you from using it, I'm just mostly saying that I wont XD​

My Sign-up

Spoiler

One of the first things people notice about Graham is the camera he always has within reach. As an avid urban explorer, he often visits abandoned places and likes to snap pictures of anything interesting he comes during his adventures. And if you happen to run into him more often, you'll soon notice he is always wearing his trademark grey beanie, which is pushed back to allow his brown hair to spill out. His relatively active lifestyle has left him with a lean build, but it's not exactly impressive. Because of his hobby, he also prefers a simple and practical wardrobe, mostly consisting of t-shirts and cargo pants, with sneakers or boots, mostly in blues, greys and blacks. he wears very little accessories, the only exceptions a couple bracelets on his right arm and a piercing in his right eyebrow.

Graham's interest in old abandoned places partly stems from an interest in ghost stories and urban legends, which even in his (very) early twenties still fascinate him. He hopes to one day have visited all major haunted places in the world, but for now that's still a dream. It also makes him a great teller of ghost stories, though this is a talent he only gets to showcase around the campfire.

Having moved often during his childhood, and generally not the most sociable of people, he doesn't have a lot of friends. He is by no means unfriendly however, and the friends he does have he is close with and values them greatly.

When he was about seventeen, latent psychic powers* started to develop, manifesting themselves in the form of telekinesis and the ability to sense ghosts. Though these powers are not exactly common, they're also not unheard of. His talents are currently still mediocre at best, and really, being able to levitate anything the size of a teapot or smaller might be cool, but you could just as well pick it up yourself.

His partner in crime is a sassy kirlia nicknamed Lotus. Just like her trainer she is highly curious, though this does tend to get her in trouble at times. Together with a duskull named Grimm, whose quirky personality and tendency to cause mischief doesn't make for the greatest combination, she accompanies their trainer in his explorations. Because the #1 rule of urban exploring is: never go anywhere alone.

---

When people meet Leslie-Ann for the first time they usually; one, quickly decide not to ever offer her coffee or other caffeine-containing beverages, and two; wonder how she can talk so fast and still manage to be so articulate (years of practise). She's a highly energetic and upbeat girl who even has an air of movement when she's standing absolutely still. She's an enthusiastic speaker and uses a lot of hand gestures to to exemplify her point.

She has a 50's fashion sense and practically lives in her furfrou skirt. Simple blouses and mary-janes finish her vintage look and most of her outfits come in pinks, whites and light shades of blue. Her parents had expected her to have outgrown the fad by the time she'd become an adult, but even now she's twenty she still adores the look. Her blond hair is worn in a ponytail (which she often accidentally slaps people in the face with while talking). If practicality calls for it, she can be persuaded to wears jeans and sneakers, albeit begrudgingly. She herself claims this is because trousers don't look good on her narrow build.

One of Leslie-Ann's most prominent traits however, is her fiercely competitive nature. Combined with the fact that she is good in nearly every challenge she takes on (or, if she isn't, she will practise until she is) makes her a formidable opponent. Oddly enough, this doesn't extend to her abilities in pokémon battles, something she has very little interest in.

She is accompanied by one of the many petilil that live around her father's farm. Though nicknamed Serenity, the bulb pokémon is a rash little thing, with an incredibly strong will.

---

* All my characters are loosely based on trainer classes, hence Graham being a Psychic, while Leslie-Ann for example is a Lass

 

[Argan]

Hi! I'm a bit rusty at roleplaying too, so I thought I'd join in!

Sign-up:

Spoiler

Upon meeting Rainier for the first time, many people feel a calming presence or reassurance. Having spent many hours diving with his pokémon, he's had much time to reflect and contemplate both human and pokémon emotions. When he's training or just exploring his surroundings, he's usually seen wearing his fingerless gloves, a dark blue wetsuit that covers his coppery skin, and a small sapphire septum piercing. He usually doesn't bother combing his dark hair, as the waves always tousle it or push it out of shape. He's got a solemn demeanor and generally doesn't enjoy rushing things- taking time with conversations or putting lots of effort into first impressions.

He's always dreamed of becoming a water-dragon master-class trainer, or perhaps even a member of the Elite Four- a dream that seems childish for someone in their early twenties. Still, he trains underwater and bides his time for the day when he can move on from diving for pearls and shards, and become a revered trainer. He often finds himself drawn to people with deep, underlying problems, though he is painfully aware of the fact that he can't save everyone, as his friends often remind him.

When he was around his late teens, he started picking up on the thoughts and emotions of others around him- later discovering he was an empath. Unlike many of the world's famous trainers with extrasensory abilities, Rainier cannot levitate objects, and the furthest he's ever been able to see into the future was about six minutes. Giving up on the more common and more powerful aspects, he's honed his empathy and telepathy. Being respectful of others' privacy, however, he never intentionally intrudes on a person's thoughts or emotional state without their permission. Instead, Rainier links his mind with his pokémon during battles, the occasional contest, and when they dive, developing a close sense of trust with his teammates. Rarely speaking during battle as he has no need to voice his commands, he takes losses very heavily. When his pokémon are hit with a particularly powerful move, faint, or are in a bad place emotionally, Rainier feels everything they feel, and often requires time after intense battles to recover.

Though he's yet to catch all six of what he calls 'The Water Dragons', Rainier maintains a solid team. His Milotic, Loveday, was his first ever pokémon and they share similar personalities, though she does grow wary and protective when she feels her trainer is under too much stress. The other member of their team, Storm, is an aloof Kingdra who often requires convincing to battle certain trainers who he finds beneath him or unworthy. Loveday's humility manages to balance out his hubris, however.

 

[sableyed]

Hi there! I'm Amanda and I'm also pretty rusty, hah. This is a lovely concept though so here we go:

Spoiler

Ruby and her trusty companion - a naughty little Sableye she calls Boo - have been on a slightly different type of journey for the past few years.

To look at this pallid 17-year-old, you would think she never saw the sun. For the most part this is true; Ruby loves ghosts, caves, and nocturnal pokémon, and has spent much of the past seven years indulging in her love of all things dark and spooky. She developed an affinity for spelunking early on in her travels and has spent countless hours mining for evolutionary stones, mega stones, fossils, and other interesting ores and artifacts. Adventurous to a fault, her interest in visiting Relic Town is almost equal to her excitement at crossing the mountains. Almost.

Determination, bravery, and focus are definitely her strongest qualities. Social skills are... well. Ruby is friendly in her own way, but often has trouble bonding with others. As her friends often find themselves saying, "You just have to get to know her. She just has a little bit of, uh, tunnel vision."

Typically dressed in denim and a rough looking pair of hiking boots, Ruby isn't exactly fashion forward. She keeps her bobbed mop of wavy red hair pushed (mostly) out of the way. Her clothing is all about practicality: tees, tanks, one very comfy bomber jacket, and an old messenger bag that keeps her essentials handy. She habitually keeps a pair of thick black flight goggles parked on top of her head (though they're only really useful when she needs a little help with night vision), and wears one of her most valuable finds - a keystone - strung together with a large claw around her neck.

Though Ruby is a skillful trainer with her fair share of badges, her interest in competitive battling is minimal. She is currently traveling with only two pokémon: her Sableye, Boo, and her Noivern, Echo. "It's not about prizes," she'll tell you, "It's about rewards."

 

[Dieter]

@Argan; Seems good to me! Looking forward to seeing him in action ^^ I also put some of my notes on how psychic powers work for my character(s) in the spoiler. You don't have to do anything with it or anything, but I figured it would be good to at least allow you some insight in my process of thought XD They're mostly for me, so I would keep some consistency in my characters and they're absolutely not hard rules

Spoiler

First of all, trainer classes which I think have or could have psychic abilities are the Psychics, Hex Maniacs, Mediums and Channellers, but from now one I’ll refer to all of them as psychics (to keep things simple). So trainer class is more of an identifier or job description than a strict way of defining their abilities

Second, the way a psychic’s powers work is not entirely incomparable the EV system and contest stats. Different categories, which each can get a certain amount of points, but you can’t maximise every category. In addition, depending on talent and skill, a psychic might not even be able to maximise one category. Points shouldn’t be taken too literal here of course

For example, Psychic A could have 10 points to spend in total, and each category is maximised at 7. So it could be they have 5 points in Telekinesis, which means they would be very good at this, 4 in Channelling, and 1 in Clairvoyance (which means they can’t really do much at all with that last ability)

Psychic abilities roughly come in 5 categories, though some might seem to overlap others slightly

Telekinesis – the ability to manipulate objects/materials without physically interacting with them. The smaller and more solid an object is, the easier to manipulate. This is also why any psychic even somewhat trained in this ability could lift a pokéball for example. But moving something like fire or water or air would be far harder, as these elements aren’t very tangible, and kinetic force should be applied everywhere to properly influence them. Unless a psychic has extremely extraordinary skills, they would not be able to do this

Channelling – the ability to perceive, communicate and interact with ghosts. How/what varies from person to person, but most channellers will be able to sense a ghost even if it has not made its presence clear yet. Possession by a ghost will often cause eyes to go white, until the entity leaves the host again. Exceptionally strong channellers are also able to banish ghosts. Channellers also might willingly let ghosts possess them, to allow interaction with mortals or help resolve unfinished business. This can be pretty risky though

Clairvoyance – the ability to see events at great (or not so great) distance, either in space or time (so a clairvoyant could see events that happen in the past, present, or future). Most clairvoyants tend to have an inclination to one of the three. Divination would be a sub-category of this, and can guide clairvoyants into visions. This ability is hard to control though, and most with this talent just have to let it happen to them, whether the visions are welcome at that moment or not. Even when using tools such as cards or crystal balls (or whatever you want) a clairvoyant can’t be certain of inducing a vision

Telepathy – the ability to send information by means other than physical communication. It’s also not one of the easiest to control powers, and people possessing this gift might just pick up on things at random. It’s also fairly hard to really go into someone’s psyche entirely unnoticed, nor is it easy to go into someone’s memories for example. The most accessible are the conscious thoughts (I might want to think things over with how dreams could be involved in this as well)

Telempathy – the ability to sense people’s emotional state (or even experience them). Seemingly similar to telepathy, telempathy is more focused on the subconscious and as afore mentioned, the emotional state. These abilities are just like telepathy not easy to control, and it’s not uncommon for telempaths to get stuck in someone else’s emotional state for a bit. They’re also rather good at detecting lies

@sableyed; Looks good! The only thing I'm a little iffy about is the Keystone, but there's a legit explanation as to why she'd have it and I trust you not to abuse that kind of power (also, I dunno if Ruby has a Sablenite?) My personal take on Mega/Key Stones, is that they're really quite rare, so pretty hard to come by, but people could definitely have them

Then I do have a question for both of you. What do you think about this type of sign-up? It's not that I think list sign-ups are stupid, or not useful, but to me personally, this felt a bit more personal and intuitive? Just wondering XD

I'll post the Start-up tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest, as I don't think anyone else will join (though if someone else still wants to, they're absolutely welcome)

 

[Serverus Snope]

I may end up joining. I still have to think about who I would want to use.

EDIT: I don't think I can make the commitment.

 

[Argan]

Psychic notes look good! I like the comparison to the EV system, that helps make sense of the abilities. I could see Sabrina with a very high telekinesis score, or Tate and Liza with a high telepathy score, for example. For the sign-up question, I think this kind is definitely better (at least in my opinion). There's nothing wrong, so to speak, with list sign-ups, but this way each of the role-players gets a little insight into each other's writing styles, and have a better idea of who their characters are initially instead of figuring out who you're journeying (I think that's a word) with as you go along.

 

[Croissant]

Hey guys, I've only done a few roleplays myself, but I did have a whole lot of fun with them as I'm sure I would with this one, if I can join.

App

Spoiler

Bio: Samrit's father had come from a quite a rich and well known, though relatively old-fashioned, family, with many generations of artists and a few musicians. When Sam was just above a year old, the grand house belonging to his ancestors burnt down, along with almost all of their possessions. Sam's mother, who to be honest, had married for the money, was quick to leave them. Now the only ones left were Sam and his dad.

They moved to a small house in a small town, a ways away from the old place. Most passersby through the town, likely trying to get to the city from where Sam had come from, were surprised it even had a school. Now, this school was quite well run for its small size. Sam's father expected him to do quite well here, especially in the arts - after all, their legacy would have to go on, wouldn't it? But Sam didn't do quite well. He had never been too interested in any of the subjects. He always did try to focus, even tried to enjoy, but his thinking was always too slow, thinking too much and forgetting to actually act. Even with all of this thinking, Sam could be said to be closed-minded in a way, focusing too much on process and outcome, never so much about theory or any thinking on a broad plane. Math and Science caught him very early on, but even in these it was more being inspired by them as opposed to learning them. As it happens, in the last year or two one would find him, even in these classes, struggling to solve math formulae he'd managed to put together himself, even ones slightly above his grade's level.

Samrit's dad was never quite able to cope with his sudden losses, and in the process of finding a new wife, he decided his son no longer needed to be his burden, forcing Sam out of his own house. As soon as the school heard what was going on, they gave Sam a Pokemon - a Torkoal, who was at one subsequent point named Wheeze for its unusual undertone to its cry. Fourteen years old was rather late to obtain one's first Pokemon partner, but Sam had to make it work somehow. He took to travelling, wandering around landmarks and such - often battling other Trainers along the way - nowhere else to go. He found and caught a Grimer on the outskirts of a large city, living in a trash dump and attacking garbagemen by wrapping itself around their faces. To this day Sam hasn't quite been sure whether he was trying to save those people or whether he'd simply wanted another Pokemon. This Grimer, Choke, has travelled with him since.

A year and a half later Samrit came to hear of some amazing things in Relic Town, past the Whispering Woods. They had some interesting history there, more than a few places to visit, and Sam might even be able to find a job or something there.

Personality: Much like his father, Sam has an odd way of prioritizing things. He also sometimes finds himself ordering people around quite bossily, as his dad had done, though this never lasts long as he has learned from experience with him that that's not quite the way to go if you want people to like you at all.

His only real development of friendship happened in these recent years away from home, especially with his Pokemon. Talking to other people, Samrit is pretty awkward but makes an honest effort. He sometimes gets lost in thought wondering how to phrase things, or in what to say at all.

Sam generally gives off a feeling of shy sincerity in whatever he does, though some might say he has himself pushed too far back inside, not showing his personality clearly enough on the outside. They might wonder if he has something to hide.

Pokemon-wise: During battles, Sam takes a while to consider the potential outcomes of moves. However, when he finally does make decisions, they are as a result always well thought-out and usually play out whatever strategies he was planning. On the flip side of this, however, he sometimes completely zones himself out of his surroundings, and so misses full turns of the opponents' attacks. Sam's Torkoal, whom he has known since he had to leave home, has gotten quite used to this and is a master at predicting Sam's thoughts. This can't be perfect either, however, and there has been times during which Wheeze completely took the wrong approach.

Sam tried to battle with his newly caught Grimer a couple of times, as well, in which he found he relied too much on his bond between his Torkoal, having been trusting the little, inexperienced Choke to make its own decisions.

 

[Dieter]

@Serverus Snope; Pity you can't join, but thanks for the heads up

@Croissant; I'm sorry, but in your current form your sign-up still falls a bit flat. It isn't that there's no potential, but I don't feel like I've gotten a feel for your character by reading it. I'd advise you to reconsider your character and really think about what you want to say about them (and maybe take a look at Argan and sableyed's sign ups as well, who both manage to capture the feel of their character well)
@Argan; Yeah, that's actually a good one, also tying it to canon characters (they provide good examples) And I mean, it's still only a way to visualise it, it's not like you could literally walk up to a someone and say 'yo, i see you got a score of ten in telepathy' or something XD And glad you like this kind of sign up ^^

I'll post the start-up thread somewhere tomorrow, got the build-up for the introduction, but still wanna tweak some stuff

 

[sableyed]

The only thing I'm a little iffy about is the Keystone, but there's a legit explanation as to why she'd have it and I trust you not to abuse that kind of power (also, I dunno if Ruby has a Sablenite?) My personal take on Mega/Key Stones, is that they're really quite rare, so pretty hard to come by, but people could definitely have them

Oh yeah, she for sure does not have a sablenite, that would just be too easy. x3 We're on the same page with keystones.

And I like this kind of sign up! Like @agran said, it gives us an opportunity to sort of preview the other character's, and to scope out the different writing styles. Since I had seen other characters that were involved I had a chance to really think about how mine could fit into the social dynamics of the group; it's a little easier than jumping in head first.

 

[Croissant]

@Croissant; I'm sorry, but in your current form your sign-up still falls a bit flat. It isn't that there's no potential, but I don't feel like I've gotten a feel for your character by reading it. I'd advise you to reconsider your character and really think about what you want to say about them (and maybe take a look at Argan and sableyed's sign ups as well, who both manage to capture the feel of their character well)

Sure. To be honest I edited it shorter because I had a whole thing about his family lineage and then cut some other things about him. I thought it was too long compared to the other two, plus you said you didn't want too much in-depth. But, yeah, I can see what you mean.

EDIT: Added some. Not sure if they're quite the areas I need yet, I'll keep looking at the personality bit. It still feels like I have too much, in the wrong areas.

 

[Dieter]

@Croissant; I fear this might just not work out, as this wasn't what I meant either. It's more of a list sign-up now, rather than some introductory paragraphs. Sorry


Guys, I'm sorry I'm taking so long, but some unexpected stuff got in the way today, so I'll have to post the start-up and intro tomorrow (my intro is generally the thing I spend the most time on, as it tends to do a lot for the tone of the RP in my experience)

But, just so you can think about your own intros already, I figured we could start somewhere around the point where the different travellers arive at the cottage of the guide, meet each other and discover the guide is gone

 

[sableyed]

HEY Y'ALL I was thinking since we had said we could use this board as an OOC chat that I would introduce myself and you would mebbe do the same?

I'm Amanda (nature: impish), and I live in North Carolina, US. That puts me on EST (-5:00). I've been on a pokémon journey for most of my life now that I think about it... I was 10 when Yellow blew up in the US. This makes me 26.

I have a very boring job and a relatively boring 'burbs lifestyle. I live with my lovely boyfriend (nature: careful) and our furry childrens - our cat, Marlow (nature: naughty) and our dog, Gyorgy (nature: jolly). We like to take weekend road trips, cook up a storm, and watch Bob's Burgers. In other words we are awesome. Since we are travelin' types my activity has potential for spottiness on the weekends, but I will always let you know in advance if I'll be inactive for more than 24 hours.

 

[Dieter]

Yeah sure! sounds good

So, I'm Daniël, but because my username is Dieter it's just easier to introduce myself like that and avoid confusion XD It's also a legit nickname I picked up years ago, so in that regard it's just as much my name as Daniël is. Either works for me

I'm a 22 year old student of Comperative Literature, which means I spend a lot of time reading. As I'm currently also taking an extra course, it means I don't have a lot of time , but I should be able to check here once a day. I also have a part-time job on Sunday, which means I'm generally just not available then (cause I'm mostly to tired afterwards to really do anything useful)

My own pokémon journey started about 10, maybe 12 years ago or so? Probably longer, as I watched the anime before I ever got the chance to play the games (sapphire was my first game)

If I'm not available for an extended period of time, I will most certainly notify you, as I know how frustrating it can be to be kept in the dark

 

[Dieter]

Sorry, I've been ill for the past couple days, mostly keeping me bed-bound (just a fly, but horribly inconvenient)

Working on my reply now

 

[sableyed]

Glad you're feeling better!

 

[Dieter]

@Argan; if Amanda hasn't posted a reply by tomorrow, I'll reply, so the RP hasn't died or anything. Just wanted to wait a couple days

 

[sableyed]

Sorry guys... it's been a rough week to say the least. I've been SUPER sick but I'm back in action.

Thanks for waiting by the way, I feel terrible about leaving y'all hanging. :/

 

[Argan]

Sorry you felt so sick! I had a serious head cold about a month ago and it was the worst :/

Well, since everyone else has introduced themselves, I might as well! I'm Emil, and I'm still in high school (or secondary school, as it's called outside of the States). I've been looking at colleges, and I haven't settled on any one particular choice, but an Ivy League school would be the ideal outcome so I could pursue a career in Drama + Voice Acting. I'd have to say my nature is somewhere between Jolly and Modest, depending on who I'm around XD

My pokémon journey started later than I had hoped (other kids were trading with Tyranitar and Butterfree playing cards when the most I had was a Donphan) and I didn't really get into the video games for a while. I had started playing Ruby and FireRed about the same time B/W came out, and I just started on Platinum, Black, and White 2 when Kalos had been out for about a year. I do have Alpha Sapphire now, though, so I'm relatively up to date, though I've yet to complete a game in Johto or Kalos.

I'll probably be able to check in at least twice a day, though I am taking an A.P. history class that requires a lot of heavy reading and note-taking, so there could be swaths of time where I'm focusing on keeping my head above water as opposed to rping (though I'll let you guys know whenever I'll be gone for extended periods of time).

 

[sableyed]

Nice to meet you Emil! My AP history class was the hardest class I ever took - high school, college, whatever - so I definitely feel for you.

I thought I'd let y'all know that my work is extremely weather dependent so it will be a long day of sitting alone in my office tomorrow... I'm able to check in during the day quite a bit if either of you will be active. I don't know how the hurricane is affecting your weather but I will definitely be in the house this weekend. Totally down to make up for some lost time!

 

[Dieter]

Glad you're feeling better again Amanda ^^

And nice to meet you Emil Drama and voice acting sounds like a great direction!

As for the weather here, nice, sunny, though a bit chilly. And entirely on a different continent XD