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AnotherMan Person, or Idea? from a solitary place Since: Jul, 2019 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
Person, or Idea?
#35226: Oct 25th 2025 at 3:25:33 PM

Regarding Paradox Pokemon as they are portrayed in WAAPT, I'll adapt to whatever the consensus for future events. However, one thing about them I would like to get clarified is how their unique dialects of Monese, if any, are to be portrayed.

  • Should they have different brackets around their dialogue if they are Ancient or Future varieties, or a single bracket type for both kinds of Paradox Pokemon, or just use the same brackets as standard Pokemon?

  • Should they have distinctive speech patterns compared to standard Pokemon, or have their Monese depicted through second hand descriptions, or just have them speak like standard Pokemon?

  • In either or both of the above cases, should it be a hard-and-fast rule, or a guideline that can be followed or ignored at any given author's discretion?

rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#35227: Oct 25th 2025 at 3:34:22 PM

Since Scream Tail canonically goes "Jigglypuff" and Iron Bundle goes "Delibird", I figure they probably speak standard Monese.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
CorvusAtrox from the Dueling Arena Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
#35228: Oct 25th 2025 at 4:16:08 PM

Re: the Delta comparison, it admittedly is kind of down to how they have their own Pokédex number for me so while they're clearly based on an existing Pokemon, they're also their own thing, not Just a "past/future existing mon."

Though if people are more leaning in the "this feels like Deltas, so it's fine" camp, I'm not going to fight it, just want to explain why that comparison doesn't map for me personally, I guess. It's totally possible I'm being hypocritical on this and I might get more comfortable with the idea later, just not at the moment.

Edited by CorvusAtrox on Oct 25th 2025 at 6:36:50 AM

"life is just a series of increasingly canon-eluding ao3 tags" ~ everydunsparce "Keep your hellfruit away from me, tempter" ~ also Every
ThanosBoi A Marvel nerd who likes to just live his life. Since: Feb, 2022
A Marvel nerd who likes to just live his life.
#35229: Oct 25th 2025 at 6:46:29 PM

My primary focus is on other things at the moment, but yeah, I'm all for bringing Paradox mons into the rp! I was always thinking of having Stephen meet a Flutter Mane at some point after all.

Fun isn't something one considers when I watch or read stuff with people with costumes and capes, but that does bring a smile to my face.
Asterisk395 No voice to cry suffering from Hallownest Since: Dec, 2017 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
No voice to cry suffering
#35230: Oct 27th 2025 at 9:15:15 AM

Paradox Pokémon Plot Discussion

Alright! To officially address some aforementioned questions and concerns...


Regarding Paradox Pokémon reimagining, the idea of reskinning statblocks was originally meant to be a "middle ground" between these two perspectives, as these concerns were anticipated. Reducing mechanical decision points to get to the "meat" of what's desired: fantastical creatures with powerful character appeal.

Personally, I hew closer to the viewpoint espoused by Bitty, Swift, Daydre, etc.—there is little ground here not already trod by Deltas and the like, with their associated care and writing potential. From an aesthetic standpoint, Paradox design space is already similarly constrained by being wholly alterations of existing Pokémon, and statistically, there is even less divergence due to having a "standard Ability" associated with each "flavor" of Paradox.

That said, I'm not unsympathetic to the opposing viewpoint—though it would be nice if what about the similarity to fakemon was so uncomfortable was made clear. Personally, I enjoy the feeling of playing a Pokémon RP, and am put off by overt gestures toward indulging in "competitive viability" without a strong character element, but the writers we have I believe can be trusted with both.

(Crow, I hope the discomfort ebbs as well—and if it helps, the reskin concept was meant to retain existing Dex numbers, as each statblock covers every similar Paradox, regardless of outward form.)

Since it seems like more players are interested in the ability to reimagine Paradox Pokémon than opposed, might I propose a compromise? The reskin option will be "blanket" available, with issues only raised if someone's vision truly clashes with the tone of the setting—and wholly original Paradox Pokemon will undergo the same approval process we already have done with Deltas. We're already well familiar with what we need to do to introduce one, after all—we've worked with them enough.

Once the community has shown there is more to be gained by permitting this flexibility than not, we can revisit opening the field to greater creativity with less hesitation. (The consensus does seem to be that there's enough precedent with Deltas to open with this out the gate—should we agree, I would find that acceptable as well.)


And regarding personal plots...

Daydre said much of what I would have quite well, honestly, and I greatly appreciate that.

I've stated as much in chat, but the broad outline I have for this "arc" is that much actual capture of Paradox Pokémon will be scooping up "strays" outside the Zero Crater? With exploration within occurring in a more limited, professional context. Rather than carte blanche for all and sundry to descend—since the Academy would like to keep this both safe and discreet—small groups of experienced, qualified adventurers will set out on expeditions to plumb the Crater's depths. The vibe I'm looking for isn't "settling" Area Zero, but letting the potential dozen-or-so entrants experience that loneliness—of being dwarfed by something vast and alien. (Area Zero, after all, is roughly one-ninth the size of Spain.)

I would rather not hold everyone back until RP!Tagg's personal arc is complete, especially since excitement is building now—momentum is difficult to build and sustain, these days. That said, I similarly wouldn't want to undercut his journey, either—and to my eye, what I've laid out still isn't?

As long as what's desired is anything short of "the loneliness of being the only person allowed in Area Zero", the area remains vast—mysterious—near-depthless in the fantasy it contains. All the more so for RP!Tagg, who famously delves areas more distant and dangerous than near anyone in the search for fulfillment. He could easily outpace the other researchers, or hare off in directions apart from them. It's far larger than the tiny sliver we're permitted to walk ingame.

Please let me know if any points could benefit from being reframed—and I'm glad everyone seems so enthusiastic! I hope this settles the potential interferences brought up, or provides hopes that they won't be issues after all. Thank you all for your input.

No mind to think. No will to break.
CorvusAtrox from the Dueling Arena Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
#35231: Oct 27th 2025 at 10:15:40 AM

Oh, yeah to be clear, I'm not under the impression that if it became a thing that it wouldn't be handled well. Personally I'm also of the opinion that if someone argued for an outright new Pokemon with no other Pokemon based on it would be handled well, just might limit my engagement with it.

And yeah, I figured that there wasn't any desire to make this less of a Pokemon RP on your part and historically people arguing the minutiae of what Doesn't feel Pokemon-y to them has usually been unproductive at best and annoying to other players at worst so sorry if I was going down that track.

Regardless, I do think at this point, with some time and discussion having passed, I'm still going to hopefully enjoy doing some of the Paradox stuff regardless of whether my personal feelings on that change any so still hoping we all have fun and enjoy it and stuff. That does help Some with the reskin idea at least, I figured that's where that bit was leaning after the idea of outright original Paradoxes came up.

Edited by CorvusAtrox on Oct 27th 2025 at 12:27:58 PM

"life is just a series of increasingly canon-eluding ao3 tags" ~ everydunsparce "Keep your hellfruit away from me, tempter" ~ also Every
memyselfandI2 Dunsparce Cloud from The Biosphere Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hooked on a feeling
Dunsparce Cloud
#35232: Oct 27th 2025 at 11:33:57 AM

brothers paradox

Weighing in to maybe give a bit more voice to Crow's side (do tell me if I'm speaking over you, but this is my own read and it's sort of my perception of other people's reads)- the fakemon feeling for me comes from the fact that the restrictions formed by type and ability and stat spread and movepool and even appearance are the borders of how i write WAAPT.

Yes, there are restrictions, but it's still sort of a blank check of "make up a pokemon here" and it feels, in my opinion, weird. I was never totally on board with Deltas, I'm universally skeptical of new moves and new abilities and such- I think the gaps that exist in the game mechanics are part of what makes it interesting to play around in the universe.

I'm more or less fine with reskins I suppose.

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.
BittersweetNSour I'm The Bit (It's Me) from the one place uncorrupted by capitalism (space) (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
I'm The Bit (It's Me)
#35233: Oct 27th 2025 at 12:28:28 PM

If I might offer a compromise within the compromise — one of the things I remember from circa Holon was that Deltas tended not to be permanent fixtures of the story. Occasionally, a few stick around, because it turns out characters that are fun to write tend to offer more than just their debut permitted, but often times they're there to serve as an Unusual Creature Of The Day, in a setting where a lot of characters know the Pokedex like the back of their hand.

So, for "custom" Paradox mons — I imagine they'd generally serve the same sort of purpose? The standard-fare canonical Paradox Pokemon can obviously stick around with player characters without necessarily requiring a show of hands every time, but the noncanon sorts are more likely to just be relegated to one-off challenges or minor recurring roles. I personally don't know if I see myself messing around with custom Paradox mons much, but it's exactly the sort of thing I enjoy having the option for, and enjoy seeing other people explore.

I'm generally the sort of person that likes taking the canon border and poking little holes in it to let new things filter in — new moves and abilities and techniques, an eighth Hoenn Frontier Brain, and even messing around with canon characters (with the caveat of "no injuries they can't recover from"). I've always thought the coolest moments in this RP (and in recent years, in actual canon Pokemon) are when those boundaries are tested.

Edited by BittersweetNSour on Oct 27th 2025 at 3:30:31 PM

Asterisk395 No voice to cry suffering from Hallownest Since: Dec, 2017 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
No voice to cry suffering
#35234: Oct 27th 2025 at 2:32:54 PM

Paradox Pokémon Plot Discussion

EDIT: Post delayed as I gather/reword my thoughts a little

Edited by Asterisk395 on Oct 27th 2025 at 3:39:46 AM

No mind to think. No will to break.
ThunderKitty86 Since: Jan, 2022 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
#35235: Oct 28th 2025 at 4:58:29 AM

Sorta irrelevant to the conversation at hand, but once Poppy's current situation is wrapped up (which won't be for a few weeks at least. I have final exams) I've been thinking of perhaps bringing her closer to the J-Team in some way. Not sure how, but I suppose I can focus on it harder once I finish her current arc

CorvusAtrox from the Dueling Arena Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
#35236: Oct 30th 2025 at 12:49:40 PM

If you need any help brainstorming once exams are done, let us know, but in the meantime, luck with school!

"life is just a series of increasingly canon-eluding ao3 tags" ~ everydunsparce "Keep your hellfruit away from me, tempter" ~ also Every
Xabbynip09 Local idiot who is a sucker for cute 2d boys from America Since: Jul, 2021 Relationship Status: I know
Local idiot who is a sucker for cute 2d boys
#35237: Oct 30th 2025 at 2:00:28 PM

Same here! I also love having my characters interact with someone's characters, so feel free to dm me at any time!

“You bowl with 3 middle fingers” Oh hey, a troper wall
CorvusAtrox from the Dueling Arena Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
#35238: Nov 5th 2025 at 12:07:01 PM

Re: Paradox Reskins, I'd be cool with that as a compromise and letting people who want to make more divergent things for a specific NPC purpose, I'll probably rely on letting others balance them/say what's cool.

I can respect that the goal of it is to try to keep the arc having steam/excitement and it sounds like others like the idea and as is I don't think it'll dampen my desire to participate any myself and don't have alternative suggestions atm anyway So works for me.

Edited by CorvusAtrox on Nov 5th 2025 at 2:07:56 PM

"life is just a series of increasingly canon-eluding ao3 tags" ~ everydunsparce "Keep your hellfruit away from me, tempter" ~ also Every
SwiftSeraph Howling Hyena from Your House! (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Whoa, they're bisexual! I didn't know that!
Howling Hyena
#35239: Nov 5th 2025 at 6:19:45 PM

Paradox Mons

I think that saving any unique Paradoxes for intentional encounters, with one, maybe two maximum peer-reviewed Pokémon per player sticking around for teams would be a good balance among all the perspectives. Of course, I'm also amenable to them being "enemy-only" if people feel that's too Fakemon-y.


Other Stuff

First! Purified Silvally-EX Reina. Necrozma-styled markings, Acrobatics for the purification move. Is that all good?

Second! I have more Schoolkids to present - the latter posthumous.

    Phantom Class Escapee 

Name: Phantom #47 - Silver, last known alias "Eve"

Age: 29 - Decanted at 10, in 2006.

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: Mixed, prominently Sinn

Sexuality: idk probably a lesbian

Appearance: Pale skin and a thin build, coupled with the usual black hair and purple eyes. Distinctive beauty mark. Computer-generated projection suggests angular facial features, curved cheekbones, and most likely tall and slender, assuming average nutrition.

Organizational Ties: The School, Phantom Class

Region of Origin: Sinnoh, technically

Personality: A loner amongst the Phantoms, never growing particularly close to any of them during therenote . Rebellious, crude, and aggressive, though serious when it came to honing her power.

Backstory: A Ghost Obscuric of the Phantom Class, derived from the genetic template of the Spectran mercenary Sakura Kunaimi (the "Witch of Ransei") in an attempt to recreate her full repertoire of Lunar Arts. The project was a success in that regard, but Silver's personality was not. Though she often disobeyed commands, she always performed to exemplary levels in testing. During the liquidation of the Phantom Class, she escaped into the wilds of the Sinnoh North, tearing through anything in her way and not stopping to help a single other person.

Has only been occasionally sighted after her escape, and retrieval attempts always ends with dead Templars - when it's not a false positive. The most recent reports of individuals matching Silver's abilities - a former J-Team member and a Froslass-themed vigilante active between 2019 and 2021 - have been determined to be unrelated descendants of Sakura Kunaimi (possibly even the same individual?).

Known Powers:

  • Aura Infusion

    • Witch Walking

  • Auric Constructs

  • The Lunar Arts, techniques developed in ancient Spectra by Sakura.

    • Pokémon Within - A set of techniques aimed at replicating Pokémon moves and abilities with Obscura. For example (incomplete list, names adjusted to her variants):

      • Moth Within (org. Cicada Within) - Spectral dodge, which leaves a lingering "illusion" of Dustox and Frostmoths floating in a human-shaped silhouette. Based on Wonder Guard.

      • Luxray Within (org. Liepard Within) - Speed-and-stealth focused concentration of Infusion (muscles for speed, Witch Walking for muffled footsteps). Manifests Liepard ears and tail, claws.

    • Zenith - Unleashes the full power of the user's Obscura, but drains it at an exponential rate. Overuse risks Aura Depletion.

    Deceased Escapee Dossier 

Name: #81 - Thallium, alias "Kaede Araki"

Age: ~30s - Decanted in late 80s around 15 years, died in 2000

Gender: Trans female

Ethnicity: Mixed, prominently [Afro]-Sinn

Sexuality: Lesbian

Appearance: Tall, athletic build, with a medium-brown skintone, black hair, and amethyst-colored eyes. Hair would sprout flowers.

Organizational Ties: The School

Region of Origin: Sinnoh(?)

Personality: A cheerful, if troubled woman. An eager Ranger, both in training and in the field, and by all accounts loved every aspect of life.

Backstory: A School experiment into harnessing Shaymin DNA to clean up waste and pollution and turn it into raw power. Kaede was deemed a partial success, as her ability to absorb toxins only worked within the presence of a still-planted Gracidea flower or when linked to an appropriate Psychic partner (human or Pokemon). At some point she escaped - having stored as much power in herself as she could. In the outside world, she was eventually found by a young Ranger-in-training, who took her in and helped provide her with life necessities. They bonded, and she eventually entered Ranger School. At some point, she and the Ranger would marry and later become pregnant. On a trip to Ferrum to celebrate the pregnancy and Kaede's promotion to Top Ranger, the School struck - Kaede was killed in an arranged "accident", and her partner would die shortly after in the hospital, the stress of the attack having sent her into labor. For one reason or another, no record was kept of these children after their adoption - the trail runs cold after that hospital.

Known Powers:

  • Telepathy

  • Natural Cure

  • Partial access to Shaymin's movepool

  • Ability to absorb toxins and convert them to Infinity Energy, refined into stored Aura. Certain more dangerous "toxins" (like radioactive materials) would have detrimental effects long-term.

Edited by SwiftSeraph on Nov 5th 2025 at 8:20:55 AM

"Burnin' bright...Burnin' black. Burnin' up everything."
ThunderKitty86 Since: Jan, 2022 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
#35240: Nov 7th 2025 at 6:20:21 PM

Okay, and now that I have finished my exams and have only a week to go before graduation, it's time to start brainstorming about how I can bring Poppy closer to the J-Team! I think it'd be interesting especially considering the current arc of "no one knows whether to trust the J-Team or not" and Poppy's trust issues (towards only adults by the time her current situation is wrapped up).

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