Is it me or is your family in RSE a bit..Dysfunctional?

S

Somari

....
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Messages
2,410
Reaction score
2
They're the only games where you have two parents or a dad and yet they seem so dysfunctional.
I never noticed it until a fanfiction pointed it out but..They do act odd. It's an odd mixture of parental protectiveness and..I honestly don't know.

Especially Norman. He's rarely at home and whenever he's at home he just runs away quickly or is only their for a while.
Even when his child became a champion he just gives you stuff, such as the Eon Ticket (if I recall correctly) and leaves.

There's some odd tension between you and your parents, and your parents.

I get the "Father who doesn't want their child to grow up", or maybe a father who can't imagine their child being so strong and a prodigy (probably part of both), vibe from Norman but..I still don't get what's with you and your mom.
I can understand your parents tension; They're relationship seems a bit stiff and they're never together.
 
Last edited:
Someone should read either Pokemon X or the Special and then talk about dysfunctional.
 
Like Disney films, the Pokemon games always seem to feature "broken" homes, or dysfunctional families. At this point, it's just another staple of the series. :lol:

Barry's dad in Platinum is no better... perhaps even worse, as the position he holds is even higher than a Gym Leader. How his wife puts up with him (those brief times he's probably around), I'll never know.

I suppose we're expected to believe that the fathers in Gen I, II, and IV are still travelling trainers of some kind?
 
They always ask me what time it is.
Can they not tell time?

I mean for srs.
 
Think that the game starts with you and your mother going to Littleroot to be closer with your father.
Which means they might have even been in entirely different regions, and probably in a similar situation to the parents of the other games.

Of course, the fact that even after moving Norman isn't home for most of the day anyways and that just then you aren't living with your mother anymore would cause more tension than if they didn't see each other altogether.
 
I dunno, I suppose I never really thought about it all that much. But it's funny how, within the Pokemon world, it's considered weird for the game protagonist not to be the only child of a single mother.

Being part of what is sometimes called the "Nuclear family" (mom, dad, two kids and a dog), myself (plus my grandma), I suppose I'm viewing it from a strange angle...formerly considered normal, but now unusual.

So...who knows? *shrug*

But family has never played a large part in the Pokemon games, really...except in third gen, but even then, only a little bit. Probably something to do with the theme of...independence that keeps cropping up.
 
There is such a thing as game play and story segregation. You don't see Norman go home much, why? Because its not relevant to the story and it just takes up unnecessary time to program in a nice healthy family where Norman goes home on certain hours of the day.

There are buildings with no doors, but that doesn't mean the Pokemon world they are trying to convey is full of doorless buildings. Those buildings just aren't relevant and instead of pissing players off with doors you can't go through, they just neglect to program them in. Same case here
Sanae Kotiya said:
Think that the game starts with you and your mother going to Littleroot to be closer with your father.
Which means they might have even been in entirely different regions, and probably in a similar situation to the parents of the other games.
Click to expand...

Except its established that they moved because Norman got a position as a gym leader there recently and Norman had gone ahead earlier for preparations.

Really, some dysfunctional family when Norman has them move into the town where his best friend (Prof. Birch) lives to make sure his family has someone to turn to while he's doing his Leader duties.

Also I think in a match call conversation or something, he states he walks from his house to his gym and back as part of his training.

@Somari
I honestly wouldn't trust fanfiction since most of them just flanderize the one trait that the author decides to zoom in on.

And what fucking tension? The mother hardly had any characterization.

And to the point of Norman not being able to accept a child that surpasses them, here's the quote after their battle: ""<name>... What is your dream? My dream... Hahaha... It has already come true, actually.""

Again, people only add in what is relevant. He says this after you beat him, and he refuses to let you battle him until he feels you can beat him.

Also for a Leader whose badge is called Balance and takes that symbol literally within his gym and his Pokemon (Slaking being powerful, yet can only attack once a turn). His signiture move, Facade, trades in status damage for power. You honestly don't think he'd have a nice balance between family life and his Leader life?

Not to mention his child recalls his dad's advice instead of the regional professor's when you are about to use a Key item in a place its not usable.

And really, how is this anymore dysfunctional than any other family in the Pokemon world? If anything its a bit less because at least Daddy is around. In all the other games you have an absentee father and you yourself are never home. Why is RSE being singled out for this?

Why is Palmer never around when he's a Frontier brain and should get even less challenges? He's gone so much Barry's mother doesn't even know who her son takes after! She has to be either blind and deaf to not notice or Palmer is really gone that much. At least Norman paid to get his family to live closer, and even went ahead of time to make sure everything was ready for them. Your father in DPPt is actually acknowledged as a powerful trainer rivaling a frontier brain, yet he's never around? Did he pull a Red and is hiding in a mountain somewhere?

Now Red's family is even more dysfunctional. He never calls his mom, even his childhood rival does not know his whereabouts and his mother is in denial. "No news is good news"? Yeah, not hearing from your son could also mean he's dead. He doesn't care enough to call mommy or any of his friends and Red's mom has an absentee husband who we know exists but is never once seen.

I just like to pretend that the HgSs mommy is having an affair with Childhood best friend's daddy.
 
Last edited:
Besides, it's only a half hours walk to Petalburg city anyways, so he could easily just stop off at home for lunch.
 
I think it is even more dysfunctional, or just weird, that the main character in RSE rides in the back of a moving truck to his or her new home. Uh...what was with that?
 
Shikyo said:
I think it is even more dysfunctional, or just weird, that the main character in RSE rides in the back of a moving truck to his or her new home. Uh...what was with that?
Click to expand...

You're allowed to ride in the luggage but not go into the tall grass? That's an inconsistent mother.
 
Ryuutakesh! said:
Besides, it's only a half hours walk to Petalburg city anyways, so he could easily just stop off at home for lunch.
Click to expand...

Not even half hours walk. He could probably sprint the ditance from his gym to the house in littleroot without stopping for a break.
 
What do you mean that's not awesome? I thought that was a cool beginning.

Iur_tae_mont said:
Not even half hours walk. He could probably sprint the ditance from his gym to the house in littleroot without stopping for a break.
Click to expand...

The games clearly spell it out as a half hour walk.
 
I played RSE about 5 times in the last year or two, and I never noticed anything weird about the family of the main character in them. Of course, it is the only game of the series where you see your dad occasionally, so maybe that's why people are focusing on it, but from the dialogue in the games, it seemed like Mom and Dad were a perfectly loving couple, and his Gym wasn't far away.

All in all, I think Outrage summed it up quite nicely.
 
Hey at least there is a family and your not some bastard child.
 
Ryuutakesh! said:
The games clearly spell it out as a half hour walk.
Click to expand...

Ok, but if he's sprinting, he could get there earlier. If he's not exerting himself it'll take 30 minutes, but if he's training or in a hurry, I'm sure he could get there in half that time.
 
Outrage said:
How exactly is Norman crazy in the games? He seems perfectly normal (no pun intended).
Click to expand...

Dads in Pokemon do often seem kinda crazy, though. They're either obsessed with Pokemon and pay little attention to their wives, or are just completely gone, off on some lifelong Pokemon quest.

What about Brock's dad? The man was selling rocks just outside the city where his family lived... WTF?
 
Ryuutakesh! said:
Someone should read either Pokemon X or the Special and then talk about dysfunctional.
Click to expand...

Agreed. cause may dosent spit, she swallows. it is quite the trip if your not used to all the crazy stuff that could happen. i need to start reading pokemon X Again.

I suggest pokemon special though. less immature XD
 
TM2-Megatron said:
Dads in Pokemon do often seem kinda crazy, though. They're either obsessed with Pokemon and pay little attention to their wives, or are just completely gone, off on some lifelong Pokemon quest.

What about Brock's dad? The man was selling rocks just outside the city where his family lived... WTF?
Click to expand...
Should I rephrase it as "How is he insane relative to the other dads?"
 
Please note: The thread is from 16 years ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
Back
Top Bottom