Now that college is settling down, I'd like to post this as an apology to those of you I was roleplaying with before my mysterious disappearance. >: Sorry guys. Here's a plot to make up for it (sorta). =D
Pokémon. Marvelous creatures that roamed the wilds, filled every habitat available to them, and generally made the world a lively place. They were mankind’s coworkers, pets, friends, enemies, and food. But most of all, they were our partners in battle, in crime, and in life. They possessed power that humans could not: mystical abilities to harness the elements, or the minds of others. It is a great irony, and a great tragedy, that mankind would be the ones to end the existence of these marvelous and mysterious beings…
Industry has spread greatly over the past few centuries, closing in on wilderness habitats. This did not destroy Pokémon, of course, but forced them to adapt or be kept by humans, which was rarely an issue. There was prosperity and peace for humankind, despite the pollution of the cities and the slow decline of the “adventurer’s lifestyle”. And until a century ago, things were relatively good.
That’s when things got out of hand. A biological agent of some sort was released into the atmosphere, quickly spreading on wind currents around the world, over all the lands. This agent demolished the Pokémon population of the world, leaving corpses everywhere. The death of all species was only prevented by two things: human technology and nature’s prowess. Pokémon lived on inside Pokeballs and the PC Storage System, and in the wild in the most secluded and harsh environments, where storms or wind tunnels, or even thin air prevented the encroaching disease. But they could no longer roam the plains, the forests… they could only live in labs, and battle in sterilized domes. Some people kept them inside their homes, which remained sterile as well, but this practice soon died out.
Why is it that this agent destroyed Pokémon, but left humankind untouched? The answer is unclear, but the accepted theory is that mankind created the agent, and therefore, it was engineered not to affect them. One way or another, pollution has since destroyed most plant life, and industry has spread further and further (though not into those harsh, protected environments, where they cannot go). Small towns have grown rarer and rarer, with big cities filling most of the lands.
It is a dark day, and nature grows more and more upset… the earth does not produce crop, and it seems that this is for more reason than just the pollution. There are earthquakes and thunderstorms, poisonous hurricanes and acid rain… disasters grow more and more frequent as they increase in magnitude.
At the highest point of Sinnoh, the peak of Mt. Coronet, the agent is scarce, and Pokémon survive on. It is for this reason that Arceus, creator of Pokémon and humankind alike, resides here, and does not leave. He watches on with sadness in his eyes, wondering why it has come to this. His closest children, the legendary Pokémon, are dying off steadily… And so he decides to start over again.
The massive number of Pokémon deaths lead to a huge influx of souls at Mt. Pyre, where Pokémon souls go to rest. And yet there was no way for them to be laid to rest… the souls of legendary Pokémon, not meant to die, especially cannot rest. With this in mind, Arceus put his plan in motion. He influenced the souls of the departed to reincarnate as humans, so that they might survive on. As the years passed, no one could have possibly known that anything was different about these children, born of souls not at all human…
However, contact with Pokémon, or others with the souls of Pokémon, causes these people to change. The changes seem only skin-deep; literally, their skin tone changes in certain areas, and eye color grows strange. Oddly enough, most of the transformations look more like the changed are wearing odd clothing than that their bodies are truly transforming, at least at first. Their hair grows into different shapes or colors or lengths, and after some time they start to change more drastically, changing the shape of their appendages or growing new ones entirely. It takes time for these changes to begin, much more for them to become noticeable.
There is one change which occurs rapidly and is impossible to miss, though… after hearing a Pokémon speak, in other words having heard the natural language spoken in any sort of quantity, these people soon become unable to distinguish the difference between the two languages, creating a social barrier between them and humans. This seems to be Arceus’s way of separating the species so that these people, the “Jinka” (a shortening of an ancient term for Humanized), must grow apart from human society and become a race in their own right.
The steady disappearance of humans young and old alike has created a startling situation for the race of mankind, as they do not often see the transformed Jinka. Only recently has their presence been discovered, though it is not known to the public. The researchers who study Pokémon and the government officials of the world are the only ones who know that such a thing has been spotted. But the Jinka know that they are on their own, and they live in the wilds, often with the remaining Pokémon of the world… a rare few are gifted with the ability to distinguish between their natural language and that of humans, and so they may choose to remain around humanity a little while longer. One way or another, they will inherit Arceus’s new world…
And so, this is the world you live in. You may not have changed yet, but the seed was planted the moment you were born. You likely cannot escape your fate, but will you try regardless? Do you wish to save humanity from the wrath of God, or will you leave them to their fate as you resign yourself to yours? Are you tempted by the wilds, the power of this ancient race you are becoming, or are you afraid of yourself and the world which calls to you? Can you bring yourself to destroy humanity as they destroyed Pokémon?
Now that you are one of them, what will you do?
So, here you are, a normal person born into a world on the verge of apocalypse. However, you were born with a soul that was not ever human, but belonged to a Pokémon. This is why you may have always felt drawn to them, whether in study or in battle; or maybe you were always deathly afraid of them for some reason. Your contact with the other race was always limited, but by some twist of fate, you have had further contact with other pre-Jinka or true Pokémon or (more rarely, perhaps) a Jinka, which catalyzed your transformation. You may be at any state in your change, but you might want to start small (between 1 and 3).
This is a relatively freeform story, but of course, there will be an overarching metaplot. You will participate in it to some extent, but you can choose what that extent is, exactly. I’m also going to provide mission-style miniplots and side plots, though you should try to provide those as well - that makes it much more fun for everyone (plus it makes your character feel more included)! I’m not going to be insanely strict on content due to the unlimited number of spots I have, but do try your best; I do not like half-baked ideas and shoddy work.
We’re all grown-ups here. This RPG is not rated (translation: should probably be rated PG-15 or R), which doesn’t mean be stupid, but it does mean feel free to use your creativity in whatever direction it may take you. Language is allowable as is in-character; nudity that isn’t described intimately is fine. “Fade to black” censorship of sexual activity is also allowable, but don’t describe more than is necessary. We’re dealing with real-life people. Sometimes they do things that aren’t exactly kid-friendly. Just use your head and censor wisely.
Now, you can play a character who is becoming a legendary, but be forewarned: you will be intrinsically roped into the metaplot. Additionally, you must start the game at an extremely low level of transformation, which I will explain shortly (i.e. I’d like you to be between stages 1 and 2). You will also be held to a somewhat higher standard than someone playing a mundane Pokémon. If you’re alright with all of that, then go for it by all means.
YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE JINKA. I can’t stress this enough. Unless you’re a fairly changed character who’s been living in the wilds for quite some time, you will not know what they are, and you certainly won’t know how they come to be or the fact that Arceus is even related to this matter. In fact, you probably don’t think that legendary Pokémon have any significance other than being rare; i.e. they are not in any way forces of nature, though by my schematics they are. This sort of pantheism is rather frowned upon in today’s highly scientific society. You’d have to have been in the wild for years to understand the full extent of the situation here.
Also, humans don't know about them at all. Most people haven't seen a Pokemon before, or haven't seen one in a very long time at least. Very few people will be able to accept what is happening around them, or to them. The state of mind of humanity is just like that.
Important information: I will allow fifth-generation Pokémon! But for now, if you intend to play one, then be very careful. The games are coming out soon enough where you can get the data you need by the time that the story gets rolling, so just play a low-level Jinka and be smart.
Now then, let’s explain levels of change. You can be as changed or unchanged as you like, though I’d prefer you start small. I’m going to use a scale of five to describe the levels, with 1 being barely touched and 5 being the complete transformation into a Jinka. Feel free to use decimals to describe accurate points in the Becoming. That’s probably better for you.
Stages of Becoming:
1 – At level 1, you might be speaking a little bit of the natural language, but you don’t really look different. Maybe a few localized spots of skin discoloration, or a change in eye color, or hair growing into an interesting fashion.
2 – At level 2, you probably have some difficulty communicating with human beings, and changes are starting to happen. These look something more like clothing (called the Dress or Shell) than like real changes to your anatomy, though it makes it a bit hard to wear normal clothes.
3 – At level 3, you can’t communicate with humans anymore. Your Dress isn’t the only feature of your Becoming; you may have the beginnings of new appendages (including different ears) or limbs, and your eyes, hair, and skin are changing in their own ways. Additionally, you can now pick up Pokémon moves in weak form.
4 – At level 4, your Dress has begun to fuse to your body, rather than looking strictly like clothing. You have a very exotic and inhuman look and might have some full appendages. You can use Pokémon moves with some amount of efficiency.
5 – At level 5, your Dress is non-existent; your body now fully resembles the Pokémon you are becoming, standing in a completely anthropomorphic position. You have full appendages, claws, fur, scales—whatever might belong on your form. You still have a human-shaped face and form, but the rest of you is far from it. This is the final stage of transformation due to the limitations of the human body. You can, however, use Pokémon moves just like the real thing, though it may not come to you quite so naturally.
Some weird terminology for well-changed Jinka:
Dress (or Shell): The Dress, called the Shell by some (particularly males), is the phenomenon of transformations that look like clothing, which occur in the earlier stages of Becoming.
Becoming: A colloquialism for the process of changing into a Jinka.
False Dress: Some older Jinka call normal clothing a False Dress, particularly if it imitates their Dress. Some Jinka just feel uncomfortable being mostly nude, so they wear a False Dress.
Natural Language: The language of Pokémon is called the natural language; the language of humans is usually referred to as just that.
Linguist: A Jinka who can differentiate between the natural language and human tongue, thereby speaking both, is called a Linguist. They are extremely rare and sometimes looked down upon. However, I can take two Linguists, but they will be held to extremely high standards. Playing a Linguist kind of ruins part of the experience for you, which is why I’m not allowing many at all.
Evolution: Jinka don’t evolve like Pokémon, per say. They may never evolve, or take a long time to do so, or they could evolve quickly. Others start off as evolved Pokémon. Some evolve suddenly, like Pokémon, while others gradually grow into their evolved forms. The methods of evolution among Jinka are inconsistent.
And yes, I know the word is “gijinka”. The "misspelling" is fully intentional I assure you.
Sign-Up Form: (please bold your headings)
Name: (Simple enough, right?)
Age: (any age will do if you can play it)
Gender: (also should be simple)
Species: (the species of Pokémon you are Becoming)
Stage: (the stage of your Becoming, from 1 to 5 using decimals as necessary, though you should stay on the lower end)
Description: (be thorough, but don't bore me with detail either.)
Personality: (ditto for description. Try to analyze your character’s reaction to the situation and their encroaching change.)
History: (send me any questions you might have about this. Shouldn’t be hard.)
Moves: (if you are stage 3, you can have two moves, preferably weaker ones. If you are stage 4, you can have five moves of normal strength. If you are stage 5, you can have ten moves of varying strengths, but no more than two extremely strong moves. Learning moves is not easy. If you haven’t had much contact with the wild itself, then you won’t really know anything interesting. Scratch, Tackle, etc. do not count against you, as those are perfectly normal abilities to have.)
Ability: (you can develop an Ability at stage 4. If you’re not there yet, leave this field blank for now.)
Other: (whatever information might be especially relevant here, such as special talents, fears, etc.)
If you feel like you absolutely must reserve, or you want to play a legendary, then do so. But reservations are neither required nor recommended for those of you playing mundane Jinka.
For a quick clarification of policy: Accepted means you are absolutely in, good job. Pending means you're accepted, but there is some sort of minor issue you need to fix first. You have three chances to make changes under Pending status. Denied means you are free to try again, but you need major overhauling or a lot of edits to your character in order to do so. You have three chances to get from a Denied status to either Accepted or Pending (from which you have three more chances to fix up your minor issues to get to Accepted). I think this is fair enough. So, to avoid confusion, there's my policy plain and simple.
Any questions, comments, complaints, quips, or qualms should be sent to me, preferably in PM form. I'm old-fashioned so I'm not a big fan of VMs, and posting in this thread would quickly fill it with unnecessary questions. If your question is not character-specific and I feel like everyone needs to know the answer, then I will post it here myself.
I'm not going to kill you if you post questions or anything, but c'mon, let's keep the thread tidy, shall we? Don't be afraid to directly ask whatever questions may come to you! I swear I'm really nice when I want to be! :>
Sorry for the repost. I was having server issues. Since I doubt I can edit this post, I’ll be posting the current player roster in each new post, so keep an eye on my posting!
Without further ado, let the sign-ups begin!
Red Genesis
the phoenix will rise pure from smog and blood
the phoenix will rise pure from smog and blood
Pokémon. Marvelous creatures that roamed the wilds, filled every habitat available to them, and generally made the world a lively place. They were mankind’s coworkers, pets, friends, enemies, and food. But most of all, they were our partners in battle, in crime, and in life. They possessed power that humans could not: mystical abilities to harness the elements, or the minds of others. It is a great irony, and a great tragedy, that mankind would be the ones to end the existence of these marvelous and mysterious beings…
Industry has spread greatly over the past few centuries, closing in on wilderness habitats. This did not destroy Pokémon, of course, but forced them to adapt or be kept by humans, which was rarely an issue. There was prosperity and peace for humankind, despite the pollution of the cities and the slow decline of the “adventurer’s lifestyle”. And until a century ago, things were relatively good.
That’s when things got out of hand. A biological agent of some sort was released into the atmosphere, quickly spreading on wind currents around the world, over all the lands. This agent demolished the Pokémon population of the world, leaving corpses everywhere. The death of all species was only prevented by two things: human technology and nature’s prowess. Pokémon lived on inside Pokeballs and the PC Storage System, and in the wild in the most secluded and harsh environments, where storms or wind tunnels, or even thin air prevented the encroaching disease. But they could no longer roam the plains, the forests… they could only live in labs, and battle in sterilized domes. Some people kept them inside their homes, which remained sterile as well, but this practice soon died out.
Why is it that this agent destroyed Pokémon, but left humankind untouched? The answer is unclear, but the accepted theory is that mankind created the agent, and therefore, it was engineered not to affect them. One way or another, pollution has since destroyed most plant life, and industry has spread further and further (though not into those harsh, protected environments, where they cannot go). Small towns have grown rarer and rarer, with big cities filling most of the lands.
It is a dark day, and nature grows more and more upset… the earth does not produce crop, and it seems that this is for more reason than just the pollution. There are earthquakes and thunderstorms, poisonous hurricanes and acid rain… disasters grow more and more frequent as they increase in magnitude.
At the highest point of Sinnoh, the peak of Mt. Coronet, the agent is scarce, and Pokémon survive on. It is for this reason that Arceus, creator of Pokémon and humankind alike, resides here, and does not leave. He watches on with sadness in his eyes, wondering why it has come to this. His closest children, the legendary Pokémon, are dying off steadily… And so he decides to start over again.
The massive number of Pokémon deaths lead to a huge influx of souls at Mt. Pyre, where Pokémon souls go to rest. And yet there was no way for them to be laid to rest… the souls of legendary Pokémon, not meant to die, especially cannot rest. With this in mind, Arceus put his plan in motion. He influenced the souls of the departed to reincarnate as humans, so that they might survive on. As the years passed, no one could have possibly known that anything was different about these children, born of souls not at all human…
However, contact with Pokémon, or others with the souls of Pokémon, causes these people to change. The changes seem only skin-deep; literally, their skin tone changes in certain areas, and eye color grows strange. Oddly enough, most of the transformations look more like the changed are wearing odd clothing than that their bodies are truly transforming, at least at first. Their hair grows into different shapes or colors or lengths, and after some time they start to change more drastically, changing the shape of their appendages or growing new ones entirely. It takes time for these changes to begin, much more for them to become noticeable.
There is one change which occurs rapidly and is impossible to miss, though… after hearing a Pokémon speak, in other words having heard the natural language spoken in any sort of quantity, these people soon become unable to distinguish the difference between the two languages, creating a social barrier between them and humans. This seems to be Arceus’s way of separating the species so that these people, the “Jinka” (a shortening of an ancient term for Humanized), must grow apart from human society and become a race in their own right.
The steady disappearance of humans young and old alike has created a startling situation for the race of mankind, as they do not often see the transformed Jinka. Only recently has their presence been discovered, though it is not known to the public. The researchers who study Pokémon and the government officials of the world are the only ones who know that such a thing has been spotted. But the Jinka know that they are on their own, and they live in the wilds, often with the remaining Pokémon of the world… a rare few are gifted with the ability to distinguish between their natural language and that of humans, and so they may choose to remain around humanity a little while longer. One way or another, they will inherit Arceus’s new world…
And so, this is the world you live in. You may not have changed yet, but the seed was planted the moment you were born. You likely cannot escape your fate, but will you try regardless? Do you wish to save humanity from the wrath of God, or will you leave them to their fate as you resign yourself to yours? Are you tempted by the wilds, the power of this ancient race you are becoming, or are you afraid of yourself and the world which calls to you? Can you bring yourself to destroy humanity as they destroyed Pokémon?
Now that you are one of them, what will you do?
---
So, here you are, a normal person born into a world on the verge of apocalypse. However, you were born with a soul that was not ever human, but belonged to a Pokémon. This is why you may have always felt drawn to them, whether in study or in battle; or maybe you were always deathly afraid of them for some reason. Your contact with the other race was always limited, but by some twist of fate, you have had further contact with other pre-Jinka or true Pokémon or (more rarely, perhaps) a Jinka, which catalyzed your transformation. You may be at any state in your change, but you might want to start small (between 1 and 3).
This is a relatively freeform story, but of course, there will be an overarching metaplot. You will participate in it to some extent, but you can choose what that extent is, exactly. I’m also going to provide mission-style miniplots and side plots, though you should try to provide those as well - that makes it much more fun for everyone (plus it makes your character feel more included)! I’m not going to be insanely strict on content due to the unlimited number of spots I have, but do try your best; I do not like half-baked ideas and shoddy work.
We’re all grown-ups here. This RPG is not rated (translation: should probably be rated PG-15 or R), which doesn’t mean be stupid, but it does mean feel free to use your creativity in whatever direction it may take you. Language is allowable as is in-character; nudity that isn’t described intimately is fine. “Fade to black” censorship of sexual activity is also allowable, but don’t describe more than is necessary. We’re dealing with real-life people. Sometimes they do things that aren’t exactly kid-friendly. Just use your head and censor wisely.
Now, you can play a character who is becoming a legendary, but be forewarned: you will be intrinsically roped into the metaplot. Additionally, you must start the game at an extremely low level of transformation, which I will explain shortly (i.e. I’d like you to be between stages 1 and 2). You will also be held to a somewhat higher standard than someone playing a mundane Pokémon. If you’re alright with all of that, then go for it by all means.
YOU DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE JINKA. I can’t stress this enough. Unless you’re a fairly changed character who’s been living in the wilds for quite some time, you will not know what they are, and you certainly won’t know how they come to be or the fact that Arceus is even related to this matter. In fact, you probably don’t think that legendary Pokémon have any significance other than being rare; i.e. they are not in any way forces of nature, though by my schematics they are. This sort of pantheism is rather frowned upon in today’s highly scientific society. You’d have to have been in the wild for years to understand the full extent of the situation here.
Also, humans don't know about them at all. Most people haven't seen a Pokemon before, or haven't seen one in a very long time at least. Very few people will be able to accept what is happening around them, or to them. The state of mind of humanity is just like that.
Important information: I will allow fifth-generation Pokémon! But for now, if you intend to play one, then be very careful. The games are coming out soon enough where you can get the data you need by the time that the story gets rolling, so just play a low-level Jinka and be smart.
Now then, let’s explain levels of change. You can be as changed or unchanged as you like, though I’d prefer you start small. I’m going to use a scale of five to describe the levels, with 1 being barely touched and 5 being the complete transformation into a Jinka. Feel free to use decimals to describe accurate points in the Becoming. That’s probably better for you.
Stages of Becoming:
1 – At level 1, you might be speaking a little bit of the natural language, but you don’t really look different. Maybe a few localized spots of skin discoloration, or a change in eye color, or hair growing into an interesting fashion.
2 – At level 2, you probably have some difficulty communicating with human beings, and changes are starting to happen. These look something more like clothing (called the Dress or Shell) than like real changes to your anatomy, though it makes it a bit hard to wear normal clothes.
3 – At level 3, you can’t communicate with humans anymore. Your Dress isn’t the only feature of your Becoming; you may have the beginnings of new appendages (including different ears) or limbs, and your eyes, hair, and skin are changing in their own ways. Additionally, you can now pick up Pokémon moves in weak form.
4 – At level 4, your Dress has begun to fuse to your body, rather than looking strictly like clothing. You have a very exotic and inhuman look and might have some full appendages. You can use Pokémon moves with some amount of efficiency.
5 – At level 5, your Dress is non-existent; your body now fully resembles the Pokémon you are becoming, standing in a completely anthropomorphic position. You have full appendages, claws, fur, scales—whatever might belong on your form. You still have a human-shaped face and form, but the rest of you is far from it. This is the final stage of transformation due to the limitations of the human body. You can, however, use Pokémon moves just like the real thing, though it may not come to you quite so naturally.
Some weird terminology for well-changed Jinka:
Dress (or Shell): The Dress, called the Shell by some (particularly males), is the phenomenon of transformations that look like clothing, which occur in the earlier stages of Becoming.
Becoming: A colloquialism for the process of changing into a Jinka.
False Dress: Some older Jinka call normal clothing a False Dress, particularly if it imitates their Dress. Some Jinka just feel uncomfortable being mostly nude, so they wear a False Dress.
Natural Language: The language of Pokémon is called the natural language; the language of humans is usually referred to as just that.
Linguist: A Jinka who can differentiate between the natural language and human tongue, thereby speaking both, is called a Linguist. They are extremely rare and sometimes looked down upon. However, I can take two Linguists, but they will be held to extremely high standards. Playing a Linguist kind of ruins part of the experience for you, which is why I’m not allowing many at all.
Evolution: Jinka don’t evolve like Pokémon, per say. They may never evolve, or take a long time to do so, or they could evolve quickly. Others start off as evolved Pokémon. Some evolve suddenly, like Pokémon, while others gradually grow into their evolved forms. The methods of evolution among Jinka are inconsistent.
And yes, I know the word is “gijinka”. The "misspelling" is fully intentional I assure you.
Sign-Up Form: (please bold your headings)
Name: (Simple enough, right?)
Age: (any age will do if you can play it)
Gender: (also should be simple)
Species: (the species of Pokémon you are Becoming)
Stage: (the stage of your Becoming, from 1 to 5 using decimals as necessary, though you should stay on the lower end)
Description: (be thorough, but don't bore me with detail either.)
Personality: (ditto for description. Try to analyze your character’s reaction to the situation and their encroaching change.)
History: (send me any questions you might have about this. Shouldn’t be hard.)
Moves: (if you are stage 3, you can have two moves, preferably weaker ones. If you are stage 4, you can have five moves of normal strength. If you are stage 5, you can have ten moves of varying strengths, but no more than two extremely strong moves. Learning moves is not easy. If you haven’t had much contact with the wild itself, then you won’t really know anything interesting. Scratch, Tackle, etc. do not count against you, as those are perfectly normal abilities to have.)
Ability: (you can develop an Ability at stage 4. If you’re not there yet, leave this field blank for now.)
Other: (whatever information might be especially relevant here, such as special talents, fears, etc.)
If you feel like you absolutely must reserve, or you want to play a legendary, then do so. But reservations are neither required nor recommended for those of you playing mundane Jinka.
For a quick clarification of policy: Accepted means you are absolutely in, good job. Pending means you're accepted, but there is some sort of minor issue you need to fix first. You have three chances to make changes under Pending status. Denied means you are free to try again, but you need major overhauling or a lot of edits to your character in order to do so. You have three chances to get from a Denied status to either Accepted or Pending (from which you have three more chances to fix up your minor issues to get to Accepted). I think this is fair enough. So, to avoid confusion, there's my policy plain and simple.
Any questions, comments, complaints, quips, or qualms should be sent to me, preferably in PM form. I'm old-fashioned so I'm not a big fan of VMs, and posting in this thread would quickly fill it with unnecessary questions. If your question is not character-specific and I feel like everyone needs to know the answer, then I will post it here myself.
I'm not going to kill you if you post questions or anything, but c'mon, let's keep the thread tidy, shall we? Don't be afraid to directly ask whatever questions may come to you! I swear I'm really nice when I want to be! :>
Sorry for the repost. I was having server issues. Since I doubt I can edit this post, I’ll be posting the current player roster in each new post, so keep an eye on my posting!
Without further ado, let the sign-ups begin!
