Pokemon Umbral Theatre 30: Go Get Some Snacks...
 

Perhaps a car-bo-na-ted so-da!

I guess I'll just use this one to showcase pretty girls as usual.

http://i1038.photobucket.com/albums/...ral/Poke46.jpg

Do you want her to use Spit Up or would you prefer she use Swallow?

http://i1038.photobucket.com/albums/...ral/Poke39.png

Pretty Lilligant girl, because it's much easier than trying to make Gothitelle hot.

http://i1038.photobucket.com/albums/...ral/poke50.jpg

Actually, maybe any Grass type can be easily made hot.

^^ Well, most of them can be set on fire. :3 But yes, hot. ^^

AB oked the post, so it's up. Guess he's still working on his own post though.

Good Lord. I think I'm going to puke.

And for the last time. The plural form of Pokemon is Pokemon. No 's' at the end!

Every time I saw that stupid thing in your post it made me want to take a drillbit to my temple.

Oh geez, I didn't think it was nearly that bad. At least it gave a valid reason for Renny moving out with Lola later.

What part specifically did you think was the stupid thing?

Renny's parents are retarded.

Also, it's a stupid reason.

And the stupid thing I was referring to was all the "pokemons".

Retarded how? Paranoid perhaps. Over-protective, sure! Retarded, no.

They figured that Renny was mostly going to be an officer fighting trainers and rogue pokemons in general and that PATCA was just "weird" and "unconvential". Now they find out he's effectively fighting terrorists, soldiers ready to kill and futuristic assassins (although the news report was INCORRECT about how the chief died.)

It's pretty like how Lola said the dangers they are facing are much higher than what their job description is supposed to entail.

But further more, they are also upset at Renny because he didn't tell them anything about that. Granted, it was fairly recent, since for almost the entire length of the RP, Renny had always been split up so he'd fight pokebrids and trainers in general. It was that other mission where Faynoc kidnapped Myrie where Renny found out otherwise. And instead of talking with them about it, he goes and pokebrid in secret, goes into a mission which was just bad timing (They are skeptical that Renny is THAT important that the mission would have possibly failed without him, especially since he arrived late) and after the mission is over, he effectively loses a battle against someone who merely lets him lives. They think his way of jumping into battle is going to get himself killed, as if it was some sort of game or that because he feels young, he'd feel he's invincible. (Renny is smarter than that, but he doesn't behave like a typical youth anyhow. His parents are behaving as if he was, which is RATIONAL.)

They are very much justified in feeling the way they do using information that is MOSTLY accurate (even Renny is unaware how the chief really died), for someone their only child who is underaged and is yet jumping into soldier status with some pretty questionable behaviors like leaving for a mission right after surgery. They also were part of the battles first hand in Renny's sidequest, so they know it can get pretty dangerous (blame "refuge in audicity" for why it didn't occur to them since PATCA did save their life and all while being "silly about it" like stripping in combat.)

Moving out is a bit much, but frankly, they didn't expect Honmyr to be as dangerous/violent as it turns out to be. Too bad they don't know that the circumstances in Honmyr are so dire that if it succeeds, it'll probably effect them no matter where they go.

So really, you have to explain why you feel they were being retarded. Because this is the way many parents behave. They are GOOD parents, but parents of a major protagonist (which by nature has them do unrational behaviors for the sake of love or justice or whatnot!). And from what I see, you only think they are retarded because you are using information you have access to as a player (practically everything) when I'm writing them out as if they are responding to what they actually know as actual NPCs (which isn't much!).

Basically they are RATIONAL but NOT CORRECT.

Well, you'd think they might've realized things were really dangerous when said terrorists tried to assassinate them in their home.

Also, letting their underage son take a job as what's pretty much Honmyr's SWAT is downright criminally negligent. Mostly because, trainers or no, Renny would be fighting at least cutthroat criminals.

The retarded part is how they waited until now to freak out, when, again, the terrorists came to their freaking house.

Well, more like vengeful cultists, but yeah whatever.
Anyhow, they were marginally fine with him fighting trainers, cutthroat or not. (Trainer family and they were confident that Renny was very good) But now, put in guns and such to the mix and that kinda shakes them up a bit. (Imagine if they came from a place similar to the video games where guns aren't even referenced never mind used, but is substituted with pokemon battles.)

They were on the winning side of that conflict which was predicted in advance and the battle was basically a straight forward mass pokemon battle. And without a single loss on their side.

Also keep in mind, they saw in the news Renny fighting Sexy with only his pokemons as his supporters. Not a very reassuring sight to see your child is fighting alone.

Well, like I said. Pretty rational behavior overall (despite a very generous vote of confidence before). But they ARE shaken up about the death thing. Before, it was pretty much a flawless victory. A death report in the same situation involved with their son that didn't get resolved with a victory... yeah, not so confident in PATCA anymore. They had just moved to Honmyr fairly "recently". They didn't really want to move before, but now with the vote of confidence gone... yeah.

Hey now.

Liz was totally there.

One supporter is barely much better. :3
And this supporter came after Renny did that all fighting.

Mind you, this isn't a fault of hers or anyone. Renny was responding "heroically" to the call from Pierce. Which means a great deal of risk and willing to discard a bit of rationalism (they were all already exhausted from the mission.)

They don't really see the heroism from that situation, but rather the risk and seemingly rash behavior. Or rather, they don't want to hear that Renny is doing "heroic" stuff. What he's doing normally for a living is already heroic. Now it just going overboard.

Yeah, sure.

Glory hog.

Ha! That's probably what they are thinking Renny is falling into. Now you got it! :3

If they do, then that's stupid too.

:3 Well I was kinda playing around, but they are worried he's getting caught in the glory of it, as if he's trying to validate his unusual presence with his victories.


Anyhow, remember how I mentioned the parallel between them and Lola?

They both see Renny relatively frequently as of late. Lola as a co-worker and lately as an admirer, and Maria and Dominic as his parents.
They both see the same person, but see him differently.

Think of it as if both parties have said something a little like that.
Renny has not changed very much when it comes down to his kind nature despite leaving the battlefield with wounds. And even when he didn't have his pokebrid form, he tended toward a sort of idealistic optimism (more so than is actually practical perhaps, but that may be an appealing factor all the same).

Now, this is just a guess on an NPC, but Lola is a companion who has fought alongside Renny a few times and have shared similar hardships as he has. When Lola sees Renny, she sees someone who despite all this adversity and his inexperience and youth is thriving, growing stronger with each turn and who still keeps much of the kindness and idealism that often gets degraded in war-like situations. She admires this strength under pressure and continues to support it, although she still fears a situation where she might lose him or be unable to help him.

Renny's parents on the other hand, do not have that sort of experience. They had lived the generally peaceful life and sees Renny in much the same way. They know he's pretty good as a trainer. However, when they see Renny with his wounds from combat on a particular bad day (as opposed the pokemons like before), they don't see him thriving. They see him fighting a losing battle, each "harrowing experience" supposably grinding him down. And that where he is doesn't suit someone of his temperment. They would rather take him away from it, much like putting him in a greenhouse, than risk losing him. That's the only way they think they can help him, despite his wishes.

Every time you say it like this a kitten dies, you know.

Here's a question: How did Renny do the Pokebridization proceedure without parental consent? I figure that'd be required for what could at the very least be considered extensive plastic surgery.

*Shrug* I recall AB said it wasn't required in Honmyr. Is generally an easy and common place procedure with minimal risks.

I found it odd too since giving pokemon powers which could substitute as weapons would probably at least require a registration/license. Probably helps that Renny is employed by PATCA and thus is using it for authorized law enforcement purpose. I just rolled with what I recalled was said.

Renny knows a guy who knows a guy who got some things done without all the messy paperwork and clearances.

^^ Haha, that would be neat. ^^

Besides, don't forget that this is the Pokemon World. If Pokemon existed in the real world, I don't think civilian children ages ten and up would even be allowed to have one Pokemon, let alone six with well over several dozen in their PC boxes. You'd probably have to fill out assloads of applications and go take a number of tests and be given some kind of probationary license or whatever. And legendaries? Possessing something that dangerous would get you involved in some political intrigues whether you like it or not. Fortunately, the Pokemon World bypasses all that nonsense for the sake of crafting the kind of adventure you'd actually want to go on. Pokemon! Gotta catch 'em all!

...And perhaps a hot girl or five while you're out there.

http://i1038.photobucket.com/albums/...ral/Poke24.png

At least until that fucker Gary Oak cockblocks you.

I think what's driving Drac crazy is that you keep saying "Pokemons". The plural of Pokemon is Pokemon. Actually, the same could be said for all of the individual Pokemon names. For example, you have five Pikachu, not five Pikachus. I think that's how it's officially done, anyways.

So now Renny's a lot like Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Renny: "Okay, I'll take you to see Terry. I get 20% and if the police start askin' shit, you don't know me."

I literally just said this.

This fucking morning.

Exactly this.

Well, not just that. I merely answered the one that wasn't superflorous.

I'm finally working on a fucking map. The map's going to include a large number of what I consider to be optional dungeons which can be done apart from the plot. I'm not sure if I can give awards to PCs directly for taking time off to go dungeon spelunking, but maybe I can do a little something-something for NPCs and most everyone's Pokemon.

After all, what good is acquiring all this power if you only use it for the sake of Honmyr?

Hmmm. How many NPCs can one bring along for these supposed dungeon runs? It sounds like an idea for fleshing out some of the NPCs in general.

EDIT: Pokemon/s issue edited.

I am intrigued and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Pierce is going to do 'em all. It should be clear by now he's the adventuring type.

I'd prefer an "errand sort of adventure", helping others out instead of "dungeon spelunking", since Renny isn't that adventurous otherwise.

Stuff like "rescue passengers of sinking boat", "lost travelers in cave up icy mountain", "aid a festival", "stop poachers" and that sort of thing. :3

*thinks about what Menarker said*

*write write write*

"Renny, Lola has been kidnapped by ninjas! Are you a bad enough dude to go dungeon spelunking for the treasure in the dangerous dungeon that they demand as ransom?!"

Or, we can travel to the deepest depths of the Cave of Assrape hidden below Metal Hell to find the legendary sword Sexcalibur which will enable Elizabeth to defeat the evil Sex Demon Kfnpquaw, rescue Princess Aria, and obtain the legendary Night Thread which is the primary ingredient to forge the Black Inches which will allow Leprihare to use the ability Red Miles to raze both the land and her unfortunate victims.

...So, about Mission 5...

My first rough draft sketch of Honmyr actually came out pretty damn well. I wish I had a scanner or something to post it instead of a sprite-based version of it. Oh, well.

Oh snap, did I spoil the mission?

The main problem with that mission would be that Elizabeth would probably never leave the Cave of Assrape.

Elizabeth: "You mean I can be violated in the ass all the time? Score!"

To be fair, she'd either take all of it home or turn it into her own, decidedly hotter and slightly less deadly dominion.

|Renny's POV|

Quest Added: The Most dangerous Game

-Stop poachers in the Viridian Forest

|Charlotte's POV|

Quest Added: Gone Hunting

-Go poaching in Viridian Forest

I think I'm pretty much done with this Honmyr map. So far, these're the dungeons I've created:

White Wastelands: Located north of the village of Wintervale, the White Wastelands are considered by many to be the ultimate survival experience. Biting winds, a lack of food or warm shelter, and the mighty Ruin General Syndell would make you wonder why people bother putting mercury in thermometers used there, 'cause it ain't goin' up no how.

Tri-Scar Canyon: Created by Gaea when it fought Chroma, these canyons were torn right out of the region's northern edge like some kind of giant claw reached up from the depths of the sea and pulled the land apart. In the southern tip of the central canyon lies the entrance into the Fahngrest Imperial Ruins, currently sealed off by the Ruin Generals.

Miasma Mountain Range: The home of Balor, the Dragon/Poison type that Irene currently possesses. The toxic atmosphere is so deadly in some places that scientists consider it more inhospitable than if it was irradiated. The toxin has not only squelched the land of any possible flora or clean water, but has caused mutant vegetation and other strange occurances (poisonous crystals) instead. Bring your hazmat suits.

Abandoned Quarry: A tunnel system that was used to mine ore in the Miasma Mountain Range. Now it's used as the safest possible land passage to the Recycled City from anywhere else. Most of the quarry is closed off as it is not a part of the new passage, but some people still take the scenic route regardless...and end up regreting it.

Mystery Manor: Mission Two gave you a very linear tour of the place, and it's generally a forboding manor that is not even on the market since no one would think of buying it. Obviously, it's a home to numerous Pokemon that don't really care to be visited by humans.

Wingswept Desert: Nope, that ain't a typo. The Prideguard HQ is located here, and it is where many flying Pokemon go to get away from cold places and to build strength in their wings. The raging sandstorms here provide lots of good training.

Clenched Forest: In this forest, all of the trees arc towards some kind of epicenter. Nobody knows why they're all bent, most likely some kind of super gravity distortion, but otherwise it's home to a great many Grass, Poison, Flying, Bug, and other Pokemon types.

Bandit Jungle: In the days of the Fahngrest Empire, barbarians inhabited and assailed the empire from this sprawling jungle. Nowadays, the Crimson Amazons pretty much do the same, but their focus is actually more on peaceful communion with Pokemon and nature. They've been known to attack the various farmlands north of the jungle in an attempt to free the Pokemon there, particularly those that are being raised just to be eaten.

Corpsemire: Nosferatu the legendary Pokemon of the Shadow type and all other Shadow Pokemon reside here. It is also where the gate to the Kimono's netherworld exists. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of soldier and Pokemon corpses are buried in the murky, cold waters.

Old Pirate Fortress: An ancient and uninhabited pirate fortress from the days of Fahngrest, only archaeologists and Pokemon live here now. Judging from some of the structures, something else existed here that the fortress was actually built upon.

Shipwreck Graveyard: Submerged and mysterious during the day, exposed and creepy during the night. Supposedly, it was during the Ruin Pokemon invasion of long ago that these pirate ships were first sunk beneath the waves.

Colonized Beach: Not really a pretty place, but definitely a happenin' one. Happenin' with Pokemon, that is. From jungle to beach to shallow water to deep sea, this area offers a huge selection of Pokemon to catch, much more than any Safari Zone for sure.

Liviglyph Temple: You know that you can get the pseudo-legendary Psychic type Unownaut here, but the method for doing so is beyond complicated. Other than that, this is also the only place in Honmyr to catch Unown for every letter and the two punctuation marks.

The "Offlands": "Something is off about this place," one would say, and they'd discover how this strange place got its name. There are numerous disturbances here that completely change the rules around every so often, such as making the move Rain Dance cause a sandstorm or instantly killing something that healed during the previous turn. The tables can be turned and turned again in any encounter in this place.

Weapons Graveyard: After the two Wars of Succession, both sides wound up with a lot of crap that they could neither fix or do anything else with, so they just chunked it all into big above-ground landfill. It's a labyrinth of metal junk decorated with spent munitions. Beward as there are some dud explosives that could possibly still detonate.

Resonance Ruins: Strange ruins with a "sonic boom" theme to them, using tubes and emitters to solve puzzles by destroying solid rock doors with powerful sonic blasts. Nobody knows what these ruins hide, but Jeanette has a theory about a certain as-of-yet unseen legendary Pokemon.

Submerged Maw: A very, very deep hole. Glowing crystals line the massive opening, making it look like a big, toothy maw. There is also underwater fungus that also give off light, but unfortunately no warmth, which will be one's biggest concern...well, that and the large predators.

Devouring Catacombs: An old Hiroshiho Empire facility long abandoned. Used to imprison and torture those who would dare defy the emperor, but few of them actually used it. There's a good number of Pokemon here, but there are also some unsprung traps within designed to prevent escapees.

Now all I need to do is add some towns 'n' shit. Anybody wanna make requests?

I'm thinking Pierce has been to these places. It's just things he would've done while he was traveling.

Aside from Impact's hometown?

I dunno. Milsha's hometown? Really, you could come up with any number of towns to serve as hometowns for so many PATCA members.

Anyway, I'd like to add two locations. Not really dungeons, just scenic places:

Gaea's Navel: Unknown if it has any relation to the Gaea. Could be that they guy that named it was just trying to say it was the planet's belly button. Anyway, it's a gigantic, deep basin in the land. Several rivers meet and empty into it. The waterfalls that cover almost all the edges create a beautiful view of many dancing rainbows for anyone staring at the bottom.

Name-not-yet-decided: Originally discovered by Tim and Iridia Granger, this secluded area contains the largest concentration of unevolved Pokemon in Honmyr. Turns out, it's because a large Everstone lies at the bottom of the river that supplies water to this place, and it's constantly being eroded. Tiny little Everstone bits end up in the water, plants and rocks that the Pokemon consume. No big mystery here.

These are just a couple of locations that I wanted Pierce to show off later on. Maybe take someone on a date to one of them. I might just combine the second one with the first, too.

Jeremy has totally been to The Offlands or will go there

AB, how are we going to do the optional dungeons? Like, are they going to be extra missions or do we do them during the intermissions?

I'd only like to request "Moonlight Cove" as a place that Renny has found/visited. (In particular, this spot was where Renny's Eevee evolved to Umbreon.)

Moonlight Cove: A series of tiny islands submerged underwater curved in a semi-circular fashion leading to a pristine beach with a very noticable earthen cliff layered at the top with fresh grass with a magnificent view of the horizon that can be access through a dense but pleasant park (or by flying). Curiously, there is always at least light rain at night in the entire location except during the full moon where it seems to appear 3 sizes bigger and all the clouds glimmer and flicker with silver linings and suspended rainbow drops as if the clouds are glass prisms refracting the moonlight. A potentially romantic spot although this location is also generally inhabited by water pokemon and ground pokemon on the beach, grass pokemon in the forest and dark pokemon during the full moon although never on the cliff which is oddly always deserted by wild pokemon. However, the beaches are frequently empty especially during the day because the chaotic and powerful tides and currents make swimming unsafe for the average citizen.

You're still using that word!

And yes, I'm definitely going to start nagging every time you use it.

Sorry, force of habit.

We totally need a place for fire pokemon like a volcano... or even better... I got an idea for another "dungeon".

Eternal Engine: An effectively abandoned (BUT OPERATIONAL!) industrial city that includes a power plant, a smelting station and several other "vital services" that are so ill maintained they utterly violates OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations. A great place for electric, fire, steel and poison pokemon (mainly the man-made acid goo variety) among others that prefer to live in industrialized locations such as fighting pokemon.

I checked out High School of the Dead. It's an incredible zombie survival anime. Hell, some of the time I even forgot about the rampant bouncing and panty shots. Those wacky Japanese and their silly ideas about what japanese high school girls look like.

I'll make sure to add those places. And of course I forgot one of my favorite ideas...

Metal Hell: An old, though not ancient, subterranean tunnel system located beneath Fainas Metropolis. Overrun with Pokemon and abnormal people, Pokegeddon is believed to hide out in this sprawling labyrinth of abandoned subway tunnels and unused sewer pipes.

Fossil Cliffs: A series of vertical climbs from the edge of the westernmost part of Honmyr, the Fossil Cliffs feature numerous fossils that are very dangerous to get to. Lotsa sharp rocks await you if you fall, but there are some small caverns in the massive rock walls should you need a place to take a breather or sleep for the night.

And the current cities in Honmyr...

Fainas Metropolis: the largest and most popular city in the region, Fainas Metropolis has many alluring features including all kinds of cuisine, the President's house, most of the region's most popular celebrities like Alphonsine and a good number of Pokemon to catch all throughout the streets. The PATCA Headquarters is here, as is Ricewood Masterworks and numerous other big industries. The city is so large that it features not one but two Pokemon Gyms. The current president is Matthew Andricksen.

Hiroshiho Empire: the third largest city in the region after the Recycled City, the Hiroshiho Empire was created by the descendants of the Ruin Pokemon invasion survivors. The current empress is Sakuya Kazetsubaki. Most people here choose to be a Slayer class before considering Pokemon training, and obviously you'll see the region's wealth of samurai and ninja here. There's a Pokemon Gym here as well. The Vorpal Frenzy mercenaries (where Lucian and Discord work) have their primary guild branch here, though few Hiroshiho people actually do mercenary work or rely on the guild itself. PATCA doesn't have a large base set up here, mainly due to Sakuya's hatred of them.

Recycled City: Not every great invention is discovered by the scientists in Fainas. The Recycled City is famous for creating the popular constructs known as Evoliths. There's still a lot of untouched Evolite and evolution stones in the mountains, which brings a lotta profit to the city but you'll usually never see the money at work. The city looks to be of poor construction, but that's mostly due to the people who care more about practicality than style and presentation. There's a gym here as well. Their current leader, called the City Chief, is Iris Waynard.

Wintervale: Sandwiched between the White Wastelands to the north and the Miasma Mountain Range to the rear, Wintervale is home to some really tough people. You'd pretty much have to be tough to live in this village for an extended period of time. It's popular for its snow-based activities, but most of the natives prefer to continue doing their jobs from hunting to mining to logging. A Pokemon Gym can be found here, one of the more dangerous ones to get to. Natalya Baskinova serves as both the village's chief as well as the branch chief of the PATCA branch there. Right there they're a little alert because the Fear Vanguard has been seen around there.

Farmlands: Located generally south of Fainas, this is a collection of several small villages connected to massive farmsteads featuring tens of thousands of arable acres. The people out here are highly disciplined and hard working and grateful for all that they get, and they all work just as hard as their Pokemon and machines do. There's actually a gym out here as well.

Sunken Commonwealth: A small nation in its own right, this place was founded and is inhabited by Water type Pokebrids. It's not an advanced underwater city like Rapture from Bioshock, more like some kind of mermaid kingdom where everyone works for the betterment of the commonwealth because it works hard for them. They have a gym here, but it's entirely optional. It's not like every trainer in the world would want to put Water Pokemon DNA in them just to go down there.

And really that's all I got. So obviously I'm gonna look at some stuff and get some ideas.

EDIT: Oh, yeah, Drac asked a question, didn't he?

I wanna say that you can explore dungeons during intermissions, but I have a feeling that not all five of you will agree to that. I have an idea where these "free adventures" can be done while you're also doing your missions using a separate thread which is during the same timeline, just at a different time.

For example, suppose Mission 4 starts and then...oh, Dracorion comes along and goes "I wanna take these chicks to this dungeon and I want it to happen during the previous intermission". Even though that intermission has already passed, we can still have sort of a "this happened in the past, if case y'all give a shit" thing goin' on where Pierce has his adventure in a separate RP thread while all five of you PCs are still doing your mission. Obviously, because this is a lot of work, I'd like to keep the teams really small unless you're all generally agreed on holding off on the main segment to do some adventurin'/saving Lola from ninja/finding the Sexcalibur thing together.

The more I think about this random adventure idea Dracorion came up with, the more I think there should be a dungeon called the Cave of Assrape.

I haven't "watched" High School of the Dead, but I read its manga which hasn't updated in a long time. It's pretty neat although fan service is aplenty, which isn't suprising since the author in question used or is still making hentai.

I'm kinda curious about the pokemon gyms. Are they going to have any relevance to the story or are they just there for flavor? There's 7 instead of the traditional 8, 1 is optional, and 2 of them are in the same city. Are they based on elements like before? Or will they be organized differently similar to how the anime did the Orange Island League which customized their gyms with their "unique philosophy" like team battle, survival training and the such like that?

Also, are the dungeons more or less free form so as not to take up your time crunching up numbers and ideas for any battles that occur? Especially if there are multiple people doing their own exploration?

Right, AB, what about incentive? Like, are these dungeons just there or are we supposed to be provided with a reason to go there?

Like, maybe there's rumors of a new pokemon at Metal Hell, or a super-awesome TM at the Weapons Graveyard. That kind of stuff.

And new town idea:

Lake Blue: An oasis town in the Wingswept Desert. Probably a gym there, and other stuff. I'm just pitching this to AB.

In regards to rewards, though, it can't be something that benefits you alone. Cause these dungeons are supposed to be optional, that is, non-mandatory. But if you're getting power-ups for yourself when you (for example) do them, that changes balance in your favor, and our detriment. As such, we're getting punished if we don't do them and you do, and that's not something that should happen.

So, rewards by all means, but something that rewards the whole team.

A dungeon I'd suggest would be
No-Man's Land:
Miles of grim trenchlines, a relic from a past war between Homnyr and Hiroshiho empire, dotted with bunkers, craters, derelict war machinery and the remains of the dead. The grim stench of death still lingers, even years after the conflict, and the no man's land still holds danger. Mines and unstable munitions still claim victims among those foolish enough to venture forth, malfunctioning battle droids patrol the trenches and scan the wastes for targets, gangs on the run from the law, taking advantage of either country's reluctance to claim the land as its own. There's even tales of insane soldiers, scavenging the wastes for provisions as they wait for battles that will never come, shooting on sight, or the ghosts of the dead, stalking those that dare defile their last resting place.

With great danger comes great reward, though, and much rare equipment is hidden among the corpses, for whomever is brave enough to retrieve it, and skilled enough to survive the trip.

Well, AB said he didn't want to give power-ups to the PCs. So the rewards would be for NPCs, obviously.

Also, I think the Corpsemire is No-Man's land.

The Pokemon Gyms don't have any relevance to the story, and anyone who had Pokemon at the start of the game could claim to have conquered them all. The only reason there's seven is because I just haven't created enough towns or cities for more.

But they're ultimately there just for flavor. Pretty much anybody who had Pokemon at the start of Umbral can truthfully claim that they've challenged and beaten all of the gyms. In fact, having done that is a great way to get your foot in the door if seeking employment in PATCA.

Whether a dungeon is stat-based or freeform may as well be left up to your personal preferences. Stat-based creates neat, organized battles while freeform allows for creativity and a lot more action.

I'll work on providing rewards for each and every dungeon as well as requirements. Since the rewards will affect some of your Pokemon and some of the NPCs, obviously you'll need to plot that NPC into your party if you explore that dungeon, or maybe not. I dunno yet. I just created the dungeon, after all.

And there will be a Cave of Assrape which Elizabeth will need to participate in to upgrade Leprihare if that's what you really want, Drac. Otherwise, you have some rather absurd moments to look forward to...

Violet: "These stalagmites sure look phallic."
Elizabeth: "Geez, Violet. Are dicks all you think about? You need to get your head out of the gutter."
Violet: "Says the one who has three of them in her labcoat, and one currently where I can't see it and won't mention further."
Elizabeth: "You should always be doing research into new discoveries. Oh, hey, did you know that they vibrate when their temperature increases past a certain point?"
Violet: "..."
*Violet breaks off two nearby stalagmites and stores them away.*
Elizabeth: "That's my bitch."
Pierce: "Life is hard in Honmyr where a giggolo like me has feelings of inferiority to a fucking cave."

I think there could be some rewards for PCs now that I think about it. But I don't wanna make the rewards so great that we put off the RP until every dungeon is explored.

*thinks*

An idea might be to have many of the dungeons off limits until certain missions are done.

Most of the rewards I have in mind will be stuff like better Slayer equipment (like a more powerful Dragon Slave), better hold items, unique signature moves for certain Pokemon, and the like.

Rapturous Depths (AKA the Cave of Assrape), Gaea's Navel, Everstone Lake, Moonlight Cove, Eternal Engine, Lakeblue Town, No-Man's Land have been added to the map.

Okay, y'know what?

Let's do it. Why the fucking hell not? It'll be entirely horrible, but goddamn now we've said it and we really can't not to do Rapturous Depths now. I couldn't live with myself if we didn't do it.

Anyway, Lakeblue Town? Really?

Okay, just Lakeblue, then. I was thinking about giving it kind of an arabian-sounding name like Mariabah or whatever. It's in the desert, after all. I'm giving it a gym, too.

Anyway, I'd suggest a limit one one, maybe two optional dungeons per story mission.

Also, I'm still not sure how we're going to do the lead-in to finding out about these places and finding a reason to go there.

One last place I might suggest, but it's up to you... But I felt we needed something for the psychic types. :3

Grandeur's Crevice: A large crack in the earth leading a large cavern. In the first level are underwater hot springs which makes a wonderful and suprisingly safe tourist attraction. However, people easily wander off from them and head to the lower levels where the earth is hotter supporting the hotsprings above and aplenty with vicious fire and rock pokemon. The level below is unnaturally cooler and littered with crystal walls and stalagmites. However this level also seeps a gas which causes delusions and visions, although a select few who have gone there claim to have temporaily gained an oracle's vision, making this a place that psychic types and some ghost types would want to visit. Even more persistant is what happens if you fall asleep while you're in this region... Once or twice someone have reported having a vivid dream and waking up finding they had something of tremedous value in their possession... or having lost a limb... as a result of a dream that happened to be much more than mere fiction.


As for why we would want to go to these locations, I'd imagine the ruin generals probably know some of these locations due to centuries of hiding and they might know some reason (resources) as to why we might want to go there. (Marionetta might suggest the above location oddly enough. Or maybe she always hidden there because if the rumors are true, then submersing intruders into the mind's depth makes them more vulnerable to mental malipulation like she could.)

Otherwise, we could be searching "random locations" for a rumor of the last Progenitor or something like that.

I'll figure out how to introduce them. Gawd, can you imagine how the Rapturous Depths will be introduced?

Newspaper Heading: FALLING INTO CLIMAX

Female archaeologist Kelsie Burnaby (24) was discovered by police after reported to have gone missing for two months. Her boyfriend of two years was worried that she hadn't made her regular calls and then notified the police of her disappearance.

Kelsie was found inside a deep hole that lead to a sprawling underground tunnel system. She was rescued and believed to be disoriented from malnourishment and overexertion. "Boyfriend? Oh, I forgot all about him. It's pretty easy to do that when you really get into your career like I do, or in this case when I let my career come inside me. I'll make sure to let him know I'm alright and that I don't really need a boyfriend anymore."

Grandeur's Crevice added to the map.

Why do I get the feeling that Rapturous Depth might end up being an actual PATCA mission with potentially party wide results?

I mean, I might as well list in order the people who might end up intending to stay! Elizabeth, Muon (from what AB tells me) for starters...

EDIT: As for rewards, may I suggest for slayers new accessories that are unlocked for all other slayers? Basically, instead of finding just one new item for that PC or so, the adventurer finds something which the scientists back at Ricewood can innovate to create a new invention. It also works better than just improving a single weapon (as suggested above with the "improved dragon slave") because then it would limit the uses of other elements which become lower in power and thus less desirable to bring along.

Am uncertain what could be offered for Trainers/Snaggers or Pokebrids that would not have to be decided on case by case basis. It might be easier to see what rewards are appropriate after some more missions have been completed and we see what the difficulty is like after the new rules.

Additionally, for all the classes, once a certain number of later missions have been completed, access to carry one Wonder Launcher exclusive item per PC per mission. Great to use for a really tight spot! I dunno though. They are pretty powerful, but it's a one-shot thing.

... Just what is Muon going to tell Whitney about her feelings for Renny?

you guys are terrible people. I'll work on a location later.

edit: Me and Gem took the time to make this collab post, but then when I copied/pasted from the edupad it for some reason obliterated the paragraph and dialogue structure and I had to fix it all manually. Might be hard to read.

Yeah, I so missed Gem's bullshit posts.

I'm surprised Charlotte didn't ask what Impact even wants. I thought even she would know better.

Anyway, I do enjoy how Impact's pretending this is a big commitment thing, even though he didn't give Charlotte anything that actually matters and they didn't agree to anything real.

No agreement of any sort really means anything to Charlotte if she decides it doesn't mean anything anymore. So its Impact's risk for whatever it is he wants to accomplish with this.

Should have a post up this afternoon. I'm exhausted from sifting through sprites and backgrounds. But you do get to see a lot of interesting sprites that way. Romancing Saga 3 has got some pretty good ones that I think I'll switch the Final Fantasy VI sprites out for should I ever get off my fat ass and start spriting again after the map is finally done.

I mean, it cracks me up that Impact's being so melodramatic about lunch. One could think it was because it was lunch with Charlotte. Otherwise he's getting excited about nothing.

Maybe we should start considering CharlottexImpact as an actual pairing. Dante, Menarker, thoughts about this?

Anyway, their whole conversation boils down to:

Impact: "So, I'll give you leadership if you'll work for me."
Charlotte: "Cool. So what're we doing?"
Impact: "Um... well, y'see... I'll get back to you on that."

But the part that really cracks me up is that Gem is trying to play it up as Impact laying the foundation for his world conquering.

Except, y'know, the way that's really going to happen is that Eldys is going to choose to back him up because he's a Chosen One, not through any of his own machinations. And Eldys backing him up means Irene, Rayleen and Sakuya back him up. And Irene and Rayleen backing him up means the President of Honmyr backs him up.

Eldys is connected, yo.

While I don't doubt that Impact is going to do a lot of work in the future, the fact is he's got these powerful, well-connected people to lift him up there in the first place. That's the only reason he's going to get to the top in the first place.

That's the bullshit part, by the way. And in the end he's just another Faynoc and Burkmont, only a slightly different kind of sick.

Maybe I would've liked it better if it happened after Impact met Eldys, I guess?

I do enjoy that Impact admits to his own lousy performance in bed in his own thoughts, though.

Gem actually was worried that it seemed too dramatic, and I was admittedly a bit too preoccupied to give enough thought to say "Yo change it"

Nope, screw that. It's done. Those are Impact's thoughts and dialogue and I will accept no others.

If it helps, Bard, you can have Charlotte throw all those things in his face at a later point, if you want.

CharlottexImpact OTP.

Don't hold your breath for it. Or on second thought, do hold your breath for it, see what happens.

I'm more holding my breath for the possibility of sprite comics again. I played Romancing Saga 3 before, and those sprites are pretty interesting too.

Ah well. Between the posts, the maps, and sprite comics, there are is a lot to look forward to.

Would be nice if we could get a response from Matthias. It's almost as if he's trying to sneak under our radar for something... interesting. =P

Or it's just, y'know, Dante doing his mysterious Dante thing.

Eldys ain't that connected. Rayleen doesn't even know who she is. Neither does the president. And they're not going to get a chance to get acquainted with her during this RP.

And how Impact gains power is pretty much how most people do it. Not everyone is born talented. Just like Dinner, Impact is going to happen across power.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's not how one gains power, it's how one uses it. And that's what we really should be judging. Geminex says that Impact isn't an evil character, and even though Impact will control the region, this isn't a straight up evil thing to do, for which the sequel will point out why. Although it could and shall be interpreted as such by those who will end up opposing him, but there's no really helping that.

Besides, the other side of the game board isn't going to be all halos and togas, either. I gots plans, yo.

EDIT: Nevermind, I finally just read that post. Impact is starting to scare me.

Hah!

EDIT: AB, did all the Kimonos (minus Fujiko, I guess) arrive with Shizuka?

And are they at the funeral?

And, is there any way we can just assume that the story of why Pierce went alone to Millenium House got out through rumors and hearsay, so that everyone on the Watchmen knows? I originally intended for Pierce to come clean publicly, but the way everything turned out means he's too torn up to bother.

Just to prevent anymore questions on it, Matt is going to look into Pierce's background.

Well, I don't think there's anything left that I don't want made public knowledge.

Except for that one thing, but that's more about Elizabeth.

Oh, and AB, that's Enmakki doing the Pierce-dream thing on Irene and Chizuru. Definitely the last time.

Alright then that's all he'd find. I had a feeling that was all of it but my paranoid character there doesn't like to let things go.

Which should be interesting since Pierce is trying to desseminate a good deal of that information to all of PATCA. Will Dante be looking into all the members for the sake of being through or just into the ones he has reasons to be suscpious of? (Just asking in case you want me to provide some side-information on my character and his family)

@Drac: To which I might suggest a distributed memo or a message from Irene (or Pierce if he still has the will/strength) forwarded to all the relevant scouters (using Irene to get all the contact numbers)?

I'm getting a Velma vibe (from Scooby Doo) from Sophia btw. :3 With a helping of "Shrinking Violet".

That'd be an awkward as hell conversation. Or maybe not.

Pierce: "Hey boss, can you send all the details of my shady past to everyone on the team as a corporate memo? kthx"
Irene: "Fo' shizzle dizzle, broheim."

Sophia's glasses aren't quite as nerdy as Velma's. They're just small wire-framed ones and she can see fairly decently without them.

AB, should we assume that the other Kimonos went with Shizuka (who went with Irene) during the messhall scene? You said they left Renny and Lola alone, as opposed to everyone else but Shizuka staying (Irene only called for Shannon, Jeanette and Shizuka although Mika probably would have went since it was her revealing that she figured out Shannon's situation that kinda prompted the latter conversation.)

I'm curious to whether Kirie would have any insight in Shannon's recent situation, also possessing angel wings and a sword. It might not be the same thing, but it did strike me as interesting considering the rather unexplained nature of angels in the first place when demons and shadow spirits have been more fleshed out on. (Then again, Kirie isn't exactly gifted in the mental side... she might not be of much help.)

Might get a little crowded in Irene's office with all the Kimonos.

Seriously there's like ten of 'em.

Hehe, yeah.

I could understand if some of the newer ones who have not been introduced yet went though, like Takano.

AB: BTW, color in the post's text has never been a problem with me. If anything, it made the character's speaking stick out. It's pretty much up to you though. :3

Yeah, I don't have any trouble figuring out who's talking, but it might help others to have characters speaking color-coded for convenience.

Menarker if Matt goes into a huge searching spree on all the characters, Renny is the last one on that list.

Darcy literally has no background and she's still higher on the list than Renny.

More likely she might not even be on his list, seeing as Matthias saw the moment of her "birth". There is really nothing to suspect unless he is suspcious of how Jeanette is rearing her development.

Of course, maybe Matthias would be interested in how Faynoc built her or so. *Shrug*

Thats not enough info for Matt's state of mind.

edit: also cloning totally doesn't work like that and she had to be born like everyone else i dont care if its fiction

This. A hundred times this.

Okay, everybody officially knows about Pierce's past now. As for my part of it, I'm not going to have any of the NPCs talk to him about it (not even Natalya, who is available to talk to at this point) unless Pierce wants to discuss it first.

Shizuka is the only Kimono busy with Irene. Fujiko is around, but isn't exactly present for obvious reasons, and of course Dinner isn't available. Plop a Kimono wherever and whenever y'want to for some dialogue if y'feel like it.

Next post I'll probably go back to colors. Despite the fact that many characters share colors with someone else, or several people, it does kind of help in determining who is saying what.

Next post will most likely involve Renny and Lola meeting with Milsha. Then the classified meeting. Then Irene, Kurika and a few others giving Renny a little sparring lesson while Chizuru gives Pierce his sparring lesson. And of course I won't forget the wacky dreams. Maybe even do the whole Whitney X Muon Muon helps Whitney understand her feelings bit. Time to have a little fun with fantasy.

I don't see an edit. Or are you putting it in the next post or just want us to assume somewhere down the line we all got the memo?

Making small-ish post.

Was thinking of having Renny talk to Pierce about the battle with Sexy (since he was responding to Pierce's call.) He'd also mention about this woman he didn't know who helped him out (Liz). If Pierce tells Renny about that, Renny would probably ask Pierce to thank her on his behalf or something.
So I'll leave it up to you if Pierce wants to talk to Renny to open that up. Otherwise, I guess Renny can just meet and thank her at Pierce's party.