- Species: Type Null
- Nickname: Khan
- Gender: 'Male'
- Ability: Battle Armor
- Bio/Personaltiy: Khan is a self assured and somewhat overconfident individual, believing himself to be genetically engineered to be a near perfect lifeform, he will speak in terse sentences and boast about his abilities. this however is all an act as he is very much aware of his patched together nature, and feels that he is a freak, his attitude a way to avoid getting close to anyone. His name is self picked as he feels it will give him confidence.
Khan will be appearing in a set of drabble posts detailing the Grant Family finding a research lab not owned by any of the usual suspects, and descending into it, finding him at the bottom and freeing him.
The story should hopefully be short and self contained and will have some fun action planned.
However there is a caveat at the bottom of the lab that I also wish to get approved.
Two guards will be at the bottom of the Lab, and will attempt to prevent Khan's breakout. The two don't seem to carry any pokémon on hand and actively boast that they will be fine.
The reason is because the two carry artificial burst hearts.
Apollo has an infernape named Blaise within his, and will use a large variety of fire moves.
Hercules carries a Heracross named Griffin, he will fight with heavy hitting moves meant to carry maximum hurt.
The two are mercenaries hired out by the Lab and have their own stories going on, the intention being to show how bad the Artificial Burst Hearts can get if these two have their hands on them.
Anything anyone feels that needs major changing?
No issue on my end.
New Proposal
For when we reopen signups, the other mods and I had some changes to propose regarding getting new members more properly acquainted:
- While our FAQ
isn't required reading pre-Signup test, post-signup test it will become required reading.
- Since we tend to go fast, before making their first post, apart from what's immediately apparent, a new person should read at least the last 50 pages of the main thread. Once they've done that we can ask them what's the most recent thing they can remember, and once that's answered satisfactorily, they can move on.
- Said first post should be part of an interaction with a (preferably experienced and established) member of the community akin to the Signup tests but with canon relevance.
- Since doing the above would make the Signup tests a bit redundant, on top of us not having the time we used to in order to have Signup tests done in a timely manner, we'd replace the Signup tests with people just posting their bios in the Signup thread, and once they're approved (Which would still include the Content Essay and Tone Essay passphrases), allowing them into Spectra to have their characters workshopped further and get better acquainted with the community.
Part of me is going yikes at having to read 50 pages, but I also understand that that mean like the last week of content.
Otherwise I agree on people just being able to slap things into the thread without having to practice an interaction when they can just have their first interaction be with a current (and presumably senior) player
I am Personally fine with the last 50 myself as someone who did so though it does sound daunting. Possibly noting that doing so by reading along with the thread for a week would probably get you there could help.
Edited by CorvusAtrox on Jul 30th 2021 at 5:24:28 AM
"life is just a series of increasingly canon-eluding ao3 tags" ~ everydunsparce "Keep your hellfruit away from me, tempter" ~ also EveryPart of me feels like 50 pages is awfully much for someone to read, but I definitely agree that reading at least some of the thread prior is an excellent idea, for the aforementioned reasons. My suggestion would be somewhere around 15-25 pages, and probably a note that they don't have to, like... study it, just have a general idea of what's going on. The Current Events page would be a good resource to point out specifically for the sake of signing up.
Everything else, though, sounds good!
On an unrelated note (and it's just bad luck that I'm posting this D!Post right after that lmao) this is kind of an out-of-nowhere idea but today I got to thinking about the possibility of coming up with a lower-magnitude version of Annoski's Twilight, in the spirit of making it a bit less Forbidden Lore now that it's been almost nine and a half years since then (and additionally, making it a thing that Pokemon can do in this Pokemon-universe RP :P). After spitballing a bit in the chat, I came up with:
Twilight Haze — Dark-type — Status
Using a mysterious dark power, the user fills the air with a haze of twilight, which lasts for five turns.
Twilight Haze is considered a weather condition. While the weather is Twilight Haze, the power of Fighting, Psychic, Ghost, and Dark-type attacks remain normal, but all other types are halved.
Morning Sun, Moonlight, and Synthesis all restore 1/4 of the user's HP. Solar Beam and Solar Blade have their power halved again, dealing 1/4 of the damage they normally would.
Weather Ball becomes Dark-type. Focus Blast ignores accuracy and evasion checks, similarly to Thunder, Blizzard, and Hurricane with other weather conditions.
Harvest's chance of activating is reduced to 25%. Cloud Nine and Air Lock suppress these effects like with any other weather, and using another weather move will clear it as usual.
Additionally, the time of day is treated as both day and night for the purposes of time-based evolutions of Pokemon that level up during Twilight Haze, as well as dusk for the purposes of Dusk Form Lycanroc* . Eevee's evolution into either Espeon or Umbreon ignores this and uses the actual time of day.
Overall, the idea is that Twilight Haze is more effective for defense than for offense. It's specifically based on the type of move that a given Pokemon uses, similarly to Rain Dance and Sunny Day for Water and Fire types, rather than any given species' type, so that there isn't a completely unfair advantage, and the types that thrive in it are mostly balanced by the web of type effectiveness they already have; a Staraptor could still punch out a Krookodile as easily as normal.
Since it's not a Soul-exclusive power in this form, it might not be especially affected by Attributes as a result (and nobody's turning into wisps because of it anyway), though it's possible that a Soul of Silver might have an easier time figuring it out than a non-Soul.
Of course, Twilight Haze would have to be tutored, and I'm still not 100% certain what the constraints for said tutoring would be, so I'd suggest probably handling it on a case-by-case basis — not super strictly, but at least with a feasible reason a given Pokemon could figure it out.
To introduce the idea in canon, though, I was thinking it might be one of the moves among that big shipment of Pokefutures T Ms that Rogue and Gale stole, and then it can make its way out into broader knowledge as we go along.
(Also it will absolutely show up in the Orre Arc game and Mason's gonna cameo as the move tutor for it~)
But, thoughts?
Edited by BittersweetNSour on Jul 30th 2021 at 6:57:03 AM
I'm on board with the new signup procedures but casting my vote for around 25 pages, yeah. Also Twilight Haze seems interesting - I presume it's still cleared by other weather effects, and that the initial TM is non-replicable if it has to be tutored from then on?
Edited by Herbert40k on Jul 30th 2021 at 12:33:20 PM
Herb: Yeah, it's just like any other weather move; now that you've pointed it out, though, I edited the description to account for that :P
And the TM might be replicable! It is in the PEFE library now, after all. Though that might be the only place that has a Gen 5 reusable copy :P
Edited by BittersweetNSour on Jul 30th 2021 at 7:01:44 AM
oooooh I love that new weather condition and it seems like it'll be fun! ^_^
signups-wise, I really do see the benefit of being familiar with both recent events and the community for the sake of easing integration; it'd probably make things a lot smoother for newcomers than just dumping them in the deep end all by themselves, lmao
not quite sure on the specific page requirement, but that probably could be adjusted as we go
No mind to think. No will to break.New Signup Procedure
Since people seem to be leery about doing 50 we can lower it to be 25 pages supplemented by Current Events, whether that's through going back 25 pages or waiting until the RP has made about that many pages.
(25 pages is roughly a month's worth of posts at our current rate)
Alternatively or in tandem with the post reading they can follow along with the thread for at least a week or so before posting.
Twilight Haze
While it may be almost a decade since the IK Arc (Which combined with the fact that we've got upcoming 4makes and a prequel convinces me that Sinnoh-2 [Or 3 or 4 if you include IK and Re: Glitch] ought to be our next arc after Galar finally finishes), there's a part of me that's still a little leery about a mass proliferation of Twilight, even a much weaker variant than the OG version.
Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.Having given it some thought I would like to retcon the Pokémon I gave my Schoolchildren and make them into Deltas.
Freshman #80 - Mercury
Species: Riolu-Δ (Fighting/Ice)
Nickname: Kallinikos (goes by Kalli)
Gender: Female
Ability: Defiant
Personality/Bio: A fierce fighter and hunter, who hasn't lost a fight yet. She's devoted to Mercury, and sees him as her charge. Kalli was assigned to Mercury to compliment his ablilities, particularly with her Aura Sight.
Move List-Δ
- Aurora Veil
- Ice Beam
- Ice Punch
- Icicle Spear
- Triple Axel
Freshman #81 - Thallium
Species: Gabite-Δ (Psychic/Dragon)
Nickname: Kyra
Gender: Female
Ability: Telepathy
Personality/Bio: Kyra prefers to be cunning in battle, and that extends to her personality out of it. Her wit is as sharp as her blades, and her deviousness is unmatched.
Move List-Δ
- Amnesia
- Barrier
- Hypnosis
- Psycho Cut
- Psychic Fangs
Deltas
Sounds fine to me.
Twilight Haze
We can go with it being a difficult tutor move.
Signups
Since it would appear no one has an issue with the amended suggestion for page reading, does anyone have any comments or concerns on the other points, or are we free to continue?
Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.Signups
I think it's good to continue, yeah! Following along for a week or so among the community can definitely help get people acclimated.
Twilight Haze
Unless there are any other concerns about it, I'll assume that's a general thumbs-up then! Further commentary is always encouraged, though.
The next step, of course, is introducing it. I was thinking Kai would likely contact a few people who were in the J-Team during IK, and have still stuck around since then, to consult about What To Do With The TM (and point out that it's probably a bad sign that it was found in a Pokefutures shipment). That means RP!Tagg, RP!Pent, and Ever, to their knowledge. Mason will be their suggestion as the first to learn how to teach it, but I'm still pondering who would be the first Pokemon to learn it. None of Mason's team feels proficient enough to use it, but Kai would certainly want to learn how to strategize around it, so possibly one of their Pokemon. And, of course, I encourage any of the others in the scene to potentially volunteer their Pokemon as well.
(And any parallels to the flashbacks of Annoski's life with the Aura Guardians are actively encouraged, of course~)
EDIT: If the above plan is fine, I'm thinking the most likely candidate out of all of Kai's Pokemon would be Avada; his purification move was Hex, and in general his theming is around dark magic, so it stands to reason he's more Obscura-proficient than the average Alakazam and feels the most thematically fitting for the move. If it's a stretch, though, I might just stick with Mason himself knowing it, since the only other Pokemon of Kai's that I can think of that might be viable is specifically associated with the Rogue persona. :P
Edited by BittersweetNSour on Aug 3rd 2021 at 9:48:25 AM
A Best Berry Reputation Mismanagement Extravaganza Proposal
In light of the Best Berry big reveal, I've considered bringing up one of the opening plot threads I had for some of my P Cs as a corollary to ORAN OS' big reveal.
Long story short, Priscilla and Tommy have an axe to grind and they're taking it out now while #Berry Blowout is trending. Basically, the idea I have is Priscilla, either acting on her own accord or with the tacit (or, if allowed, overt) blessing of the higher ups, sponsors an episode of Learner Lab (or Hank Harvey's talk show) to have Tommy openly talk about how he rescued Tobi from a Best Berry lab and how villains, probably on Best Berry's payroll, tried to take him back. Priscilla could also counter the Best Berry astroturf with a dedicated PR campaign of her own.
In essence, the two (who have a vendetta against the company) are on board with at least trying to hit the company where it hurts while there's a mob to drown out the corporate astroturf. While this certainly won't be the end of Best Berry, it will certainly pit two organizations (PEFE and the Geographic Society) openly against them if they push through with it.
Ramifications:
(a) This is a big gamble on Geo Soc's part, in no small part due to Sam Laughlin likely having tentacles in other companies that can call for a boycott of Geo Soc's programming. Or it can trigger a coordinated troll campaign on the social media feeds of Geo Soc. This is based on my own experiences browsing the real world Nat Geo Facebook Page, which is full of anti-science people.
(b) On PEFE's end, open conflict would be a bit much for PEFE unless the higher ups decided that the heinousness of the act means that this specific enemy is fair game to treat as a full-on villain group. While this may seem dangerous, PEFE does have the same assets as a megacorporation and is capable of taking them on. This may indicate that, at last, Priscilla made room for the budget in the past few years specifically to take on the bad guys on their own turf.
(c) If PEFE's involvement was more tacit than overt, Geo Soc agreeing with it may be on the understanding that, much like their IRL counterpart, dealing with anti-science astroturf was something that they've already done before. It's nothing they haven't handled.
If this is a bit much, then I could proceed to the two characters just sitting by and watch Best Berry burn, if only for a little while.
On Avadas And Corporate Blowback
I am fine with both of these
Edited by Umbramatic on Aug 3rd 2021 at 8:05:42 AM
Contact Me!Twilight Stuff
Fine with me.
Best Berry Stuff
Still mulling that one over but I'll give it a tentative okay.
Signups and Post-Signup Procedure
Since there appears to be no objections, this is how signups will go from now on once we reopen them:
- No more Signup tests, once we feel a Signup application has no glaring issues and they have the passphrases, the player is free to get an invite to Spectra Castle in order to have their characters workshopped further and get better acquainted with the community.
- The FAQ and Background Lore Index are now required reading post-Signups. (Though if someone wants to add that they've read it pre-Signups they're perfectly okay to and they don't need to do it again)
- Before making their first post a person needs to:
1) Have read at least 25 pages, either by going 25 pages back from the current page of arrival or waiting until 25 pages have been made, supplemented by last month's Current events page and what's currently on Current Events. Alternatively or in tandem with the former they can follow along with the thread for a week before posting. Once they've done so,
2) They should be able to name the most recent thing they can remember, and once they've done that we can move on to
3) An interaction akin to the old Signup tests involving an experienced player, but with actual canon relevance.
After that's all done and over with, they can post freely as a full-fledged WAAPTer.
Edited by rmctagg09 on Aug 3rd 2021 at 11:58:38 AM
Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.

The scene I want to write is a small one where Arceus, taking a break from having finished his 23,000th page of paperwork, looks down on the scene at Vali Hospital where Salem takes his name in vain, and sarcastically comments to the fourth wall, <Ain't I a stinker?>*
What do you lot think?
♪Show me the wisdom of the world... Tell me the secrets of the heart... and the sweet~ mysteries~ of love~...