rpanons | [D] Oo la la

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You've gotten some solid stuff here already, but I like tl;dring about Pokemon protagonists, so I hope you don't mind some extra (unorganized) textwall. Some of which will probably be redundant but welp...

-Don't fret about common fanon interpretations because they're not always that good, nor do they always circumvent the issue of blandness (I'm looking at you, Pixiv Red).

-The anon who mentioned NPCs knows what's up. Some Pokemon games have the script online, others don't, but replaying the game as a detective scoping out clues about your protagonist should provide some enlightening stuff. Talk to NPCs. Talk to the people in houses, and Rocket grunts, and everyone else, and take notes on the traits they ascribe to the protagonist as well as what their dialogue reveals about the Pokemon world and how it works. Some of them just kind of talk at you, but sometimes NPCs will tell you how you approached them, how you carry yourself, and what you're saying to them. Even when you have to extrapolate a lot, it can present ideas that are good jumping-off points, and to me, all this is where a lot of the fun of playing Pokemon protagonists is.

Example: In RSE, you have to get into a museum because Team Aqua/Magma are there stirring shit. If you don't have enough money to get in, the receptionist says something like, "Oh, you're with them? You better go catch up!" Which, obviously, you could intepret as the PC pretending to be an Aqua/Magma member in order to stop them. That's pretty wily! And what does this, along with the similar situation in HGSS where you masquerade as a Rocket grunt, say about the PC's approach to Doing The Right Thing?

Speaking of which, think about how the PC might be reacting to the things they have to do, even when you aren't given a choice. We know that she cares deeply about Pokemon, because everyone who is an authority on the subject tells us so, and so her motivation for things like stopping Team Rocket can be safely assumed -- but how she feels about doing random strangers' chores and such is a bit more open to interpretation. We know that she does it, but why? Is she a fierce altruist who really does find joy in helping anyone and everyone with everything imaginable? Does she like being relied on and taken seriously? Does she have trouble saying no to people in need, even when it's just some guy who's too lazy to send a letter or buy a thing, even when she'd rather be battling or thwarting evil?

-The target audience that mandates that Pokemon be kid-friendly, but the fact remains that the Pokemon world is one where there are no dangers, criminals, or magical murderbeasts a child cannot overcome. How would growing up learning this have affected her? How might it clash with wherever you put her, which is almost sure to totally not be like that?

-Avoiding blandness is tricky, but I suggest filling out some of those OC surveys that are floating around. Getting as much about her personality, history, and voice down before you start playing will help keep her consistent, which I think is key.

Good luck! I hope this was of some use!

Also, just wanted to clarify that as general as all that was, I mention reactions to sidequests and fetchquests because stopping at "is nice and helps people" is probably the biggest possible pitfall of blandness with these characters.

[D] Oo la la

Re: POKEMON PROTAGONISTS

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