RULES & FAQ
RULES / FAQ
Please read all of the following, as it will help you to better understand the world and the style of this RP, as it is not your normal Livejournal RP.
RULES
FAQ
What do you mean, this RP isn't like other LJ RP's?
That's exactly what I mean! Most LJ RP's is dependent on proper logs; we don't do that here. This RP is played in a first person, comment-centric style. That's why your journal is your main communication tool! Basically, when you post in your journal, it should be in character. Any comments you post in other character journals should be in character as well, and in first person. Essentially, all your roleplaying -- talking to one another, moving from place to place, having dinner with someone else -- is done in first person comments than log form.
Is there a character limit?
Nope! However, if you're going to pick up more than one (or two) characters, you are expected to keep them all active. Please do not claim a character for yourself and then do nothing with them when other people could want a chance to play them themselves.
So...who can I play?
As advertised, this RP is based on the idols from Johnny's & Associates, as well as any other Japanese acts and talent that may have close ties with those within the jimusho. Basically, anyone that's been in a drama with the J&A boys, or have frequently guested on their shows, or even if it's just common knowledge they're good friends, they're all open to play!
What is the RP rated?
Overall, the rating's R/NC-17. However, it would be wise to keep anything higher than PG-13 in the comments or under a cut, as some people just don't want to read that. The only exceptions to this is swearing and crossdressing.
Where does the RP take place?
The bulk of the roleplay takes place in the Unova region (better known as Isshu in the Japanese version of Black/White). Whether your character is just starting out or have already been here for a little bit -- more on this will be explained -- their home is in Unova. While travel to and from the other regions is permitted, we'd like to limit the scale and make everyone's homes in the Unova region.
So what about the seasons? Unova utilizes seasons a lot, don't they?
They do! Because of that, and because a lot of what goes on in Unova relies heavily on the weather, the seasons will change as they normally would in the region. However, since it would be a little dragged out to have the seasons change with the passing of time in our OOC lives, the seasons in the RP will change every two months. When they change and what season it is will be announced on the rp's twitter, as well as be mentioned in the blurb on the OOC comm's topbar. Please note that with the changing seasons, the type of Deerling you'll find in the wild will change, as well as population of Undella Town.
How do the characters start off?
There are two ways this can go down:
The characters who are just starting their journey will wake up somewhere in the Unova region with the clothes on their back and a bag containing a Pokegear (complete with cell phone/email/GPS capabilities) and three Pokemon, contained in their Pokeballs. This is all they will have. From there, it is up to you what they do -- do they find civilization? Rough it for awhile? Accidentally anger a flock of Beedrill and run for your life? The possibilites are endless!
For those who choose for their character to have an established history of sorts, you get to completely forge their story, with a few conditions. While they're allowed to have woken up anywhere in all the regions the Pokeworld has to offer, they must be citizens of the Unova region at the time of joining and playing. Also, please keep their achievements realistic; there is absolutely no way someone could land in the Pokeworld and a month later, have 5 gym badges or something. Keep in mind that many of our idols and Japanese talent have little or no knowledge of the Pokeworld at all, and even those who are avid fans of the games will be sure to fail when putting their knowledge into practice. Other than that, your character's life is in your hands!
So what Pokemon am I allowed to choose from for my team?
All except legendaries! For the characters that are starting their adventure, their Pokemon must not contain evolved forms -- for example, you cannot have a Dewgong, you must start with Seel first. For characters who have a history, you're allowed to have an evolved form, but please make it realistic -- if your guy or girl's only been here for a month and they have a Charizard and a Primeape, that's kind of pushing it. Use your judgment!
What about catching and leveling Pokemon?
For catching Pokemon, standard rules apply! You're only allowed six Pokemon with you; any more and they're deposited in your boxes at the Pokemon centers. Please remember that type advantages and levels all come in to play, so failing to catch a Pokemon on the first try is probably pretty standard for the boys, who have no practical ability in these types of things. Also, given that the RP will be Unova-centric, you may only obtain Pokemon from other regions either via gift (less likely) or physically taking a trip out to a different region and catching it there (more likely). You may still pick from all 500+ Pokemon for your starting team, though.
And as for leveling them, given the fact that the journey to become a Pokemon Master isn't taken on by the majority of the universe, for all its intents and purposes, Pokemon level up and gain experience whenever their skills are being used in applicable ways or battles. Say you own a moving company and have a few Machop to move things for you -- the process of lifting and moving boxes and furniture would allow Machop to gain experience. Of course, the overall process will be quite slower than the constant battling route, but Pokemon should evolve and level accordingly all the same.
Is the universe going to be as happy and jolly as it is in the anime?
No. The Pokemon world is, like any other place in the world, a civilized society, and with that comes the good and the bad. Pokemon at its core is a children's show, so things like sex, extreme violence, and drugs are all swept under the rug, but here, feel free to play with those themes and whatever else you can think of. Just keep it moderately limited to 'normal life', meaning, being mugged in one of the more populated cities is plausible -- being mugged then beaten then plotting a masterful revenge is probably a little melodramatic.
And what about food? Is it the same?
The answer is both yes and no. From the anime, things like onigiri and curry and hamburgers all exist, so that means that the general foodstuffs of the world don't differ from the real world that much, however, things like herbs and spices are drastically different, as these are found in berry form. Also, no alcohol exists, until someone finally creates it. Other than that, most everything is as is.
Are they really expected to walk everywhere?
Are you kidding me? Unova is chock full of transportation, such as boats, airplanes, cars and trains, and all of that is completely available to you to use to get around! In addition to that, remember that your Pokemon can Fly and Surf and Dig, given that you obtain the HMs and have the appropriate Pokemon that may do so. If all else fails, there's always a bike!
If everything's in comments, how do we know what's private and what's not?
Because the roleplay is completely dependent on comments that are first person and conversation-based, sometimes it's kind of hard to tell what is public knowledge and what isn't. A lot of the situations call for you to infer whether your character would know what's being said or not, but here are some guidelines to help you out to distinguish the difference between messages and conversations, and whether they're private or not.
Generally speaking, take a good look at the context clues the comments and the post you're commenting on have. If two or more characters are clearly physically together and going somewhere together, then their comments back and forth would be considered a conversation between the characters involved only. For the most part, all other comments on that post are public and may be seen by all the characters unless it is specified that the sequence of comments are private or a phone call, usually by noting this in the subject bar.
Of course, there are other ways to denote a conversation is private, even if the comments fall under the 'open for all characters to view' category, such as small text and if the thread starts to venture into personal territory, but I wouldn't expect a lot of that to happen, since who likes having their personal business put on blast like that? ;)
What do I do if I need to go on hiatus or drop?
For hiatus', PMing me or leaving a note in the OOC comm is good enough! For drops, please PM me only and you're good to go!
I have another question!
And I'd love to help you out! You can either leave a comment here, PM me, or even toss up a post in the OOC comm and see if one of your fellow players want to weigh in! I'll do my best to answer you as soon as I can!
Any questions that you may have may be asked in this post, or left in a post over at the OOC comm, masterballs_ooc! Thank you for reading!
updated: 08.31.2011
Please read all of the following, as it will help you to better understand the world and the style of this RP, as it is not your normal Livejournal RP.
RULES
- Standard RP rules apply: no god-moding, no powerplay, etc. Generally speaking, if you need to stop and wonder if the other character would do what it is you're going to be saying they're doing, it's best to either (A) ask their mun, or (B) just don't do it.
- All characters are expected to post in their journals at least once a month in order to stay in the RP. Failure to do so without notifying the mod or leaving a note in the OOC comm will result in your character being removed from the RP. If you'd like to reapply after, you must wait a minimum of two weeks to give others a fair shot at your character first.
- Proper grammar is to be expected. While we respect that English may not be everyone's native language (hell, it's not mine, either!) as long as an effort is made to not type 'you' as 'u', everything is fine.
- Your journals will be at the center of your interaction with everyone. Please make sure to keep it updated with all characters friended and accessible. Don't worry, it won't be hard, I give you a handy code to input into the admin console to make it as painless as possible! Also, please turn IP logging off once you've got your journal handle figured out.
- If something is confusing, please don't hesitate to ask about it! Either PM me or throw up a post in the OOC comm and we can figure things out together!
- Once you've been accepted, feel free to join both communities (masterballs and masterballs_ooc) and start making yourself at home! Feel free to utilize the OOC comm to its fullest potential -- meet the other players, plot with people, the sky's the limit!
- Last and this should go without saying, but respect. Respect your fellow players and their characters. If there is any drama, it should be in the RP and not in the OOC, and any sign of niceties turning not-so-nice will result in an automatic ban and removal from the RP.
FAQ
What do you mean, this RP isn't like other LJ RP's?
That's exactly what I mean! Most LJ RP's is dependent on proper logs; we don't do that here. This RP is played in a first person, comment-centric style. That's why your journal is your main communication tool! Basically, when you post in your journal, it should be in character. Any comments you post in other character journals should be in character as well, and in first person. Essentially, all your roleplaying -- talking to one another, moving from place to place, having dinner with someone else -- is done in first person comments than log form.
Is there a character limit?
Nope! However, if you're going to pick up more than one (or two) characters, you are expected to keep them all active. Please do not claim a character for yourself and then do nothing with them when other people could want a chance to play them themselves.
So...who can I play?
As advertised, this RP is based on the idols from Johnny's & Associates, as well as any other Japanese acts and talent that may have close ties with those within the jimusho. Basically, anyone that's been in a drama with the J&A boys, or have frequently guested on their shows, or even if it's just common knowledge they're good friends, they're all open to play!
What is the RP rated?
Overall, the rating's R/NC-17. However, it would be wise to keep anything higher than PG-13 in the comments or under a cut, as some people just don't want to read that. The only exceptions to this is swearing and crossdressing.
Where does the RP take place?
The bulk of the roleplay takes place in the Unova region (better known as Isshu in the Japanese version of Black/White). Whether your character is just starting out or have already been here for a little bit -- more on this will be explained -- their home is in Unova. While travel to and from the other regions is permitted, we'd like to limit the scale and make everyone's homes in the Unova region.
So what about the seasons? Unova utilizes seasons a lot, don't they?
They do! Because of that, and because a lot of what goes on in Unova relies heavily on the weather, the seasons will change as they normally would in the region. However, since it would be a little dragged out to have the seasons change with the passing of time in our OOC lives, the seasons in the RP will change every two months. When they change and what season it is will be announced on the rp's twitter, as well as be mentioned in the blurb on the OOC comm's topbar. Please note that with the changing seasons, the type of Deerling you'll find in the wild will change, as well as population of Undella Town.
How do the characters start off?
There are two ways this can go down:
The characters who are just starting their journey will wake up somewhere in the Unova region with the clothes on their back and a bag containing a Pokegear (complete with cell phone/email/GPS capabilities) and three Pokemon, contained in their Pokeballs. This is all they will have. From there, it is up to you what they do -- do they find civilization? Rough it for awhile? Accidentally anger a flock of Beedrill and run for your life? The possibilites are endless!
For those who choose for their character to have an established history of sorts, you get to completely forge their story, with a few conditions. While they're allowed to have woken up anywhere in all the regions the Pokeworld has to offer, they must be citizens of the Unova region at the time of joining and playing. Also, please keep their achievements realistic; there is absolutely no way someone could land in the Pokeworld and a month later, have 5 gym badges or something. Keep in mind that many of our idols and Japanese talent have little or no knowledge of the Pokeworld at all, and even those who are avid fans of the games will be sure to fail when putting their knowledge into practice. Other than that, your character's life is in your hands!
So what Pokemon am I allowed to choose from for my team?
All except legendaries! For the characters that are starting their adventure, their Pokemon must not contain evolved forms -- for example, you cannot have a Dewgong, you must start with Seel first. For characters who have a history, you're allowed to have an evolved form, but please make it realistic -- if your guy or girl's only been here for a month and they have a Charizard and a Primeape, that's kind of pushing it. Use your judgment!
What about catching and leveling Pokemon?
For catching Pokemon, standard rules apply! You're only allowed six Pokemon with you; any more and they're deposited in your boxes at the Pokemon centers. Please remember that type advantages and levels all come in to play, so failing to catch a Pokemon on the first try is probably pretty standard for the boys, who have no practical ability in these types of things. Also, given that the RP will be Unova-centric, you may only obtain Pokemon from other regions either via gift (less likely) or physically taking a trip out to a different region and catching it there (more likely). You may still pick from all 500+ Pokemon for your starting team, though.
And as for leveling them, given the fact that the journey to become a Pokemon Master isn't taken on by the majority of the universe, for all its intents and purposes, Pokemon level up and gain experience whenever their skills are being used in applicable ways or battles. Say you own a moving company and have a few Machop to move things for you -- the process of lifting and moving boxes and furniture would allow Machop to gain experience. Of course, the overall process will be quite slower than the constant battling route, but Pokemon should evolve and level accordingly all the same.
Is the universe going to be as happy and jolly as it is in the anime?
No. The Pokemon world is, like any other place in the world, a civilized society, and with that comes the good and the bad. Pokemon at its core is a children's show, so things like sex, extreme violence, and drugs are all swept under the rug, but here, feel free to play with those themes and whatever else you can think of. Just keep it moderately limited to 'normal life', meaning, being mugged in one of the more populated cities is plausible -- being mugged then beaten then plotting a masterful revenge is probably a little melodramatic.
And what about food? Is it the same?
The answer is both yes and no. From the anime, things like onigiri and curry and hamburgers all exist, so that means that the general foodstuffs of the world don't differ from the real world that much, however, things like herbs and spices are drastically different, as these are found in berry form. Also, no alcohol exists, until someone finally creates it. Other than that, most everything is as is.
Are they really expected to walk everywhere?
Are you kidding me? Unova is chock full of transportation, such as boats, airplanes, cars and trains, and all of that is completely available to you to use to get around! In addition to that, remember that your Pokemon can Fly and Surf and Dig, given that you obtain the HMs and have the appropriate Pokemon that may do so. If all else fails, there's always a bike!
If everything's in comments, how do we know what's private and what's not?
Because the roleplay is completely dependent on comments that are first person and conversation-based, sometimes it's kind of hard to tell what is public knowledge and what isn't. A lot of the situations call for you to infer whether your character would know what's being said or not, but here are some guidelines to help you out to distinguish the difference between messages and conversations, and whether they're private or not.
Generally speaking, take a good look at the context clues the comments and the post you're commenting on have. If two or more characters are clearly physically together and going somewhere together, then their comments back and forth would be considered a conversation between the characters involved only. For the most part, all other comments on that post are public and may be seen by all the characters unless it is specified that the sequence of comments are private or a phone call, usually by noting this in the subject bar.
Of course, there are other ways to denote a conversation is private, even if the comments fall under the 'open for all characters to view' category, such as small text and if the thread starts to venture into personal territory, but I wouldn't expect a lot of that to happen, since who likes having their personal business put on blast like that? ;)
What do I do if I need to go on hiatus or drop?
For hiatus', PMing me or leaving a note in the OOC comm is good enough! For drops, please PM me only and you're good to go!
I have another question!
And I'd love to help you out! You can either leave a comment here, PM me, or even toss up a post in the OOC comm and see if one of your fellow players want to weigh in! I'll do my best to answer you as soon as I can!
Any questions that you may have may be asked in this post, or left in a post over at the OOC comm, masterballs_ooc! Thank you for reading!
updated: 08.31.2011