Obleta RP Info and Signups [NOT OPEN YET]

[IFBench]

Welcome to the world of Obleta!
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What is it?​

This is an RP campaign inspired by various other RP campaigns held on Thousand Roads, based around an original PMD setting known as Obleta.

I'm planning on it having a similar format to Keys to the Kingdom, where instead of having one short RP campaign, or a year+ RP campaign, there are several small miniature RP campaigns that are in series. There will be long breaks between each miniature RP campaign, and after each, I will provide a summary of what occurred, so that people don't have to trawl through the archives to catch up on any lore. Each RP campaign will (hopefully) be approximately 2-6 weeks long, though that may go awry. I do hope none will be longer than 2 months, though.

As there will only be, at most, one miniature RP campaign for this going on at any one time, you won't need to commit to joining several if you don't want to. If you want to just jump in one Obleta RP, and never touch the world again afterwards, that's perfectly fine! And if you want to try to join every single Obleta RP, that's also perfectly fine! Any in-between is also fine, whatever suits you. You also don't have to stick with one character for every single episode! Switching characters between episodes is perfectly fine!

While it will be episodic, there will be overarching story elements. However, I have both OOC and in-universe measures planned to make sure that catching up with the important things from previous campaigns won't be a hassle.

Each miniature RP campaign, which I'll be referring to as "episodes" from here on, will have a different main goal, along with different optional objectives. Those optional objectives may help with achieving that goal, and may even provide benefits in future episodes!

There is no one set way to achieve the main goals, or the optional objectives. It's up to you how you go about trying to complete them.

For the very first episode, Episode 0, it'll be more of a test pilot. The goal is simply to find a way to return home, though there may still be some optional objectives.

The methods of arrival in Obleta will vary with each episode. The details of how arrival will happen will be in each episode's announcement/signups post. However, as Obleta is a PMD world, arrival will always involve human and other non-Pokemon characters becoming Pokemon.

I hope you all have lots of fun with this!

Please thoroughly read each of the following sections! If anything's unclear, please let me know! And if you have any further questions, I'd be happy to answer them in the Obleta General Info Thread!

Spoiler: Who should I bring?

Who should I bring?​

Obleta is open to many types of characters. Character requirements are planned to be the same from episode to episode. Here's the guidelines:

• No self-inserts. There must be a degree of separation between yourself and and the characters you bring. There may be times where characters, either mine or other players', will be aggressive or upset at your character. To prevent hurt feelings, self-inserts are barred from entry.
• Characters must be able to handle themselves. Young children, for example, would be disallowed. Make sure your character is able to make their own decisions and act independently.
• Characters should have a reasonable amount of mental fortitude. Your characters can have flaws, but they must be able to reasonably handle themselves in a variety of potentially stressing situations without a breakdown, some kind of episode, disruptive reaction, or severe outburst. Your characters are allowed to break down (that's half the fun), but keep it in moderation. Don't have your character cry on the floor because someone put pineapple on their pizza.
• Characters must be capable of teamwork and cooperation, and shouldn't be overly antagonistic. If your character's morality is questionable, or if they're a bit prickly in nature, that's perfectly fine! However, characters who are quick to violence, prone to fleeing the group, or would otherwise be overly disruptive are not allowed. Please leave your murderhobo characters at home.
• Certain legendaries and mythicals are completely forbidden. If your character is an Arceus, Nercozma, or Volcanion, you can't bring them, no matter what.
• For other legendaries and mythicals, some may become a regular Pokemon, depending on their species, and most others will have their power reduced significantly. If you plan on bringing a legendary or mythical, include in your signup what Pokemon you'd like them to become if necessary. This also applies to future Paradox Pokemon.
• Doesn't strictly have to be from a Pokemon universe, but it's very highly encouraged. A small few characters in Obleta are also from non-Pokemon universes, so it'd be unfair for me to restrict players in that manner. However, characters from non-Pokemon universes must have Pokemon not exist as a media franchise in their home world. This is to prevent the campaign from becoming overly meta. I will also be much more strict with accepting characters from non-Pokemon universes, so as to make sure the campaign isn't oversaturated with them.
• For anthros/gijinkas/morphs/hybrids/etc, they will become whatever Pokemon they are based on.
  
  Lastly...

Bring someone who you know you'll have fun writing! You'll be using this character for a couple weeks, so don't bring someone who you'll burn out on quickly. We're all here to have fun, so make sure you bring someone who'll be fun for you!

Spoiler: FAQ

• Is this [human/Pokemon] only? While your characters will end up as Pokemon, they don't have to start as Pokemon, or as humans either! In fact, a mix of characters who start as human and characters who start as Pokemon is preferable! So don't fret much whether you want to bring a naturally human character or a naturally Pokemon character.
• Can I bring a non-canon evolution/regional variant? Yes, if it's any of the following:
  • It's within reason (so Typhlosion can’t get a 4th stage, but if you had a regional variant that's fine).
  • A rare/one-of-a-kind variant, such as Red's Eevee from the manga.
  • Locked gender fan evos or forms, like a male Salandit or Kangaskhan.
  • It's not OP/immersion breaking (Eternally gigantamaxed Meowth, for example).
  • You’re comfortable with some alterations to powers/abilities.
• Can I have appearance changes or non-canon appearances? Yes:
  • Minor cosmetic changes are fine, such as reasonable color differences or fur patterns.
  • As above, some kind of region variant is permitted as well.
  • Other minor changes may be alright, such as giving Sky-Form Shaymins foxlike tails, though they should be run by me first.
  • Reasonable size differences are okay, like a bit bigger than canon Nidoking's 4ft.
• Can I bring a hybrid of two Pokemon? Yes! As long as neither hybrid half is a legendary/mythical/future Paradox Pokemon, then they're perfectly fine! The two Pokemon don't even need to share an egg group. Have fun!
• Can I bring a fakemon? I guess? But they'd have to follow all of the following guidelines:
  • Non-canon powers/moves may be converted to canon moves and abilities,
  • The fakemon must be a Pokemon, not a digimon/nexomon/cassette beast/ect.
  • They must have started as that fakemon. You can't have your human character become a fakemon.
  • You are okay with their powers and capabilities looking a little different
  • If it's for flavorful purposes, since even a fakemon legendary will be depowered.

In general, most thoughtful and flavorful cosmetic stuff is fine.

• Can I bring a canon character?Yep! Canon characters are completely welcome! Some may be recognized by citizens of Obleta in some way, though the odds of them having fully correct info about your character are slim.
  • Canon characters possessing abnormal powers may find those powers altered here (such as Sabrina the psychic or Aaron and his aura powers). Please ask me first in such cases!
• Can I bring a villain/morally questionable character? Only under the following conditions:
  • Capable of working within a team in a non-narrative disruptive manner (even if they believe its for their own goals).
    • This means they cannot attempt to command control of the narrative, attempt to kidnap, world domination, steal power, etc.
  • If you're comfortable playing your villain in a way where they are a "team player".
• But my character is just naturally argumentative/stubborn/harsh/violent because of [insert reason here]! Then sorry, but your character's probably not allowed. If you want to try to work it through with me, message me and I'll see what I can do, but those types of characters aren't very good for these types of campaigns, so don't count on anything.
• I don’t want to change my character's body/species etc! Sorry, but unless your character's already a Pokemon, they'll become a Pokemon. It's a PMD world, having humans running around still being human would kinda ruin the vibes. And the worldbuilding.
• Can I bring [insert number here] of extra characters?Tentative "no". There are exceptions to this, though, such as:
  • They're plural/multiple people in one body (such as the Hydrapple from elyvorg's recent fic).
    • Characters like this must be like this before they are brought to Obleta. You can't throw two formerly seperate characters into one body upon arrival in Obleta. This is to allow plural characters, while not letting them become a loophole.
  • If the episode allows for more than one character. I don't yet know if any episodes will allow this, but I'm putting this here just in case, so don't bank on this happening.
• Am I allowed to bring items?Yes, though there's a few stipulations.
  • For human characters, clothing will disappear for them upon arrival, though it'll reappear once they return home.
    • Exceptions to this include stuff that a Pokemon could reasonably wear, such as hoods, bracelets, necklaces, and capes.
  • Other than basic non-powered clothing, your characters are allowed to bring one item with them. This item must be included in your signup (unless your character isn't bringing any items, which is also valid), and should be primarily for flavor. It's fine if it has some mechanical uses, but please don't try to bring an Empowerment Seed as your character's item, for example. Focus on the item's potential flavor uses first and foremost.
• What if I can’t be available for the entire length of an episode? This is up to your best judgment, but as long as you don't have to disappear for a week+ at a time, it should be fine. Though if your activity might be extremely sporadic throughout the episode duration, I'd recommend waiting for a later episode.
• Is there a minimum post amount? Not exactly (I won’t kick anyone) but two per day minimum is a good recommendation. The idea is that these will be shorter and lower long term commitment, but with a bit more happening each day. If you go several days without a post you will miss events and chances to participate, as I may have to move things along for the sake of other players and time constraints, so you may get left behind.
• Can I bring non-pokemon characters/legendaries? Refer to the "Who Should I Bring?" section for this.
• Do I need experience in roleplays to participate? Nope! While it'd be helpful to have some experience, it's not required. I hope to have this be open to all sorts of roleplayers.
• How does combat work? Is there a system and math? It doesn't. There will be no mechanical combat as far as I have planned. There may be times where characters are in danger/under attack, though there will be no special mechanics to it. It will simply be a flavor situation.
• What if my character has a special non-canon power? Depending on the nature of the power, it will either be blocked, or I may allow a flavorful variant. For example, if your character had a power to teleport through shadows, they might have a slightly dampened version of that. Please be sure to specify up front and discuss with me about powers.
• Will my character retain their memories of their home world? Yes! They will retain all memories they had prior to arrival in Obleta.
• Will my character retain memories of Obleta after returning to their home world? That's up to your discretion. If you want to have them remember, then sure! If you want them to forget, that's also fine! Though characters who forget about Obleta will have their memories of it return if they return to Obleta.
• Can my character die? Technically yes, but please try to avoid doing that. I don't have any plans for mechanics to revive dead characters, so if a character dies, that's it for them. It'd also commandeer whatever scene a character death happens in, along with possibly a good chunk of the rest of the episode, so please try your best to keep your characters alive.
• How should I format my posts? They should be third person limited in past tense. Try to also keep OOC in RP posts to a minimum. If you have something OOC to say, you can put it in the Obleta General Info Thread on the forums, or in the Obleta RP OOC thread on the TR discord. In addition, while these aren't absolute requirements, try to aim for at least two sentences in your post, and try not to go overboard with your post length either. Give the other players something to work with, but don't commandeer the scene.
• What are the content warnings? There will be specific content warnings on each mission. In general, though, the following are likely to be recurring throughout most, if not all episodes:
  • Police.
  • Kidnapping.
  • Robots.
  • Religion.
  • Threats.
  • Violence.
  • Pollution.

Spoiler: Rules

All TR and Discord rules apply

The following rules are to be obeyed within reason, and remember the spirit of RP is to have fun! Please be flexible, open, resilient and thoughtful. Be empathetic towards fellow players, act in good faith and be willing to make compromises, and see how things play out.

Thank you to Tetra for letting me adjust the Keys to the Kingdom rules for this!

1. Respect your fellow roleplayers:This is the first and golden rule of RP. Respect their time and effort, and treat them how you’d like to be treated. This means no attention hogging, no OOC drama, no passive aggressive behavior, and think before you speak (obviously that doesn’t apply to in-character drama, heh). This also means you should also give others a chance to be the focus of a scene the way they would show the same courtesy to you.
   1. This also includes making a reasonable effort to be timely on replies or at the very least communicate if there's a delay. We all have personal lives and that takes priority, but it's important to let folks know so they're not left hanging!
2. No overly disruptive antagonistic behavior or in-universe harassment. This goes for behavior of a sexual or violent nature especially. Arguments and disagreements are fine and welcomed, but acts of violence or forcing negative interactions with another character is not permitted. Within reason, none of the player characters should be ultimately antagonistic to the group as a whole. (E.g. provoking a fight, hysterical breakdowns, or unwelcome flirting is forbidden, but two characters naturally having a heated disagreement would be fine, as is two adults flirting if the players don’t mind). This applies as well to any high emotional outbursts to an excessive degree.
3. No godmodding. This means no controlling another character, or writing actions/reactions for them or the GMs' characters. The only exception is if you have discussed beforehand OOC with another roleplayer how a scene will go. This also means that you should not do anything extreme to another character without specific consent.
4. No powerplaying. This means no trying to bring characters who are OP and expecting to solve everything. It is also forbidden to play in such a way where your character has OP powers and perfect knowledge of a situation and never makes mistakes. Nor should you play a character who never gets hit, never takes damage, and/or is never wrong. This includes behavior such as “But Xanadu could perfectly foresee X’s attack and dodged because of his expert training,” and ”Xanadu used his super soul reading abilities and immediately saw through Z’s disguise," and "Xanadu could just tell everything about [character] and knew them so well." Remember, RP is about exploring a character, and a character being all knowing isn’t very fun for GMs or other players to interact with!
5. No dominating the narrative.Try to be mindful of waiting to give others a chance to post or checking in to see if someone who hasn’t had a chance to participate wants to be involved, and support people when they have a chance in the spotlight! Constantly playing backseat isn't fun for anyone.
   1. This also includes extremely lengthy posts and writing in long stretches of conversation between only your own characters.
      In the same way, if you have an idea for something you’d like to have happen to your character, feel free to ask me. I'll do my best to accomodate, though I can't fully guarentee it'll work.
6. Keep the rating PG-13. TR is a PG-13 forum, meaning forumwide rules apply. This means excessive gore and explicit material of a sexual or violent nature should be avoided. Some swearing and such things is fine, or mild flirting/romantic things, as long as both players are fine with it.
7. Keep OOC to a minimum in the RP threads. This was mentioned in the FAQ, but please keep forum posts in the RP threads primarily IC. If you have OOC comments or reactions, feel free to use either the Obleta General Info Thread on the forums, or the Obleta RP OOC thread on the TR discord.
8. No OOC drama. This means that IC posts should not be taken personally, as well as speaking to either me or a mod if you have a problem or feel uncomfortable with someone. Keep in mind IC responses =/= reality, and try to not take offense if a reaction is different than you hoped. You can always chat with the player if there’s a particular goal you seek from an interaction. Also applies in reverse, do not use your character as a way to bully someone IC. If you feel someone’s behavior is inappropriate, please contact a mod. Speaking of...
9. If someone is bothering you OOC please inform a mod. For smaller requests feel free to reach out over discord or forum messages to the player themselves. Stuff like "Do you mind if I hug your character/hit them," and "Can you clarify what your character meant here," and so on.
10. Practice etiquette for scenes. This means being mindful of ongoing conversations between characters and not interrupting or forcing your character into another character's conversation, unless you check in with the players of those characters.
11. Be sensible. This is not a chaos or haphazard RP, either in or out of universe. Chaotic, antagonistic or reckless actions can affect the narrative outcome, so be prepared for this. If someone is about to do something ill-advised, I'll try to warn you as clearly as I can (in-narration hints, "are you sure"s, and chances to back down). Remember this is a group effort, so sabotage and disruption for laughter's sake (or most other sakes) is not permitted.
12. Don't use AI for your RP responses. I'm not going to go into the harmful effects of AI or how it steals from creators, since I'm sure you've all heard it a hundred times already. But we're all here to write with each other. If you're not going to put the effort into writing your own character, then you're not welcome here.
13. When possible, ask the GM about unknown or ambiguous aspects of the lore and setting that are relevant to the scene. Don’t make your own calls on how the world works or how a species functions, or a character's story. (Your character is free to assume of course, just don’t expect them to always be right). Obleta is a large, complex world, and there are many aspects of it that I plan on revealing through RP. Please don't assume you know more about Obleta than I do. You don't.
    (Note: This obviously does not apply to your own characters or their stories.)
14. GM's word is final. This just means that due to the fluctuating nature of RP, if aspects of the game change that conflict with what's established, my word will be the final say. I will try my best not to have wild unexpected changes to the game or mechanics, but since this is my first time doing a RP campaign quite like this, I don't know for certain how things will go. Please be patient, and I will do the same!

If you've read all of these rules, please include somewhere in your signup post any of the following words: "artifact," "machine," "metal," "steam," or "world". If you have concerns or questions specifically about the game or how it is run, or if you are confused or uncertain about any aspect of it, feel free to ask me either in DMs, forum messages, or either of the OOC threads. I'd be happy to discuss anything you want to know about this RP campaign, and I'll do my best to hear out whatever you want to say.

Spoiler: RP Etiquette

These are not rules so much as soft suggestions that will help you and others have a good time!
Also this section was almost entirely copied from Tetra and HelloYellow's RP etiquette guides. Tetra also provided the general formatting that this entire post has, as well as a good chunk of the info in some of the other sections. Thank you to both of them!

Tetra's Advice:

1. Save the long posts for big moments! This RP in particular is meant to be pretty short. Not everyone has time to read a mini novel :P so try to save those big epic posts for a special moment. If all your posts are extra long it risks your special moments being overlooked. You don't have to react to everything that happened since you were away, pick one or two important things instead. Also a couple paragraphs does more than you think! Try to emphasize key details instead of filler or summarizing reactions to everything.
2. Communicate with your fellow players! If you might be delayed for awhile, just let folks know.
3. Lighthearted jokes and communication OOC help break up tense interactions in-universe. Friendly dunking on your own character can help avoid any badfeels, though be sure to not overdo it.
4. Keep reaction images to a minimum of about three a post, if at all. They can take up quite a bit of space so use them tastefully!
5. Engage with others/the plot when possible. The core of fun RP is collaborating with others! Even if you play a loner, try to find ways to get them into situations, don’t be afraid to be flexible
6. Cooperate! In RP it is normal and expected to have characters grow in unexpected ways, or even shift their character in small ways to make the RP aspect more accommodating, like softening an aggressive character slightly, etc.
7. Compromise: Be willing to concede ground on small things to make the experience better. Accept that maybe your character isn’t the strongest, smartest, coolest, etc. Maybe there’s a fight and you decide to write your super cool OC losing. Or maybe you let someone get the proverbial drop on your character. Don’t think of these as losses! These are just fun adventures.
8. Collaborate: Roleplaying is ultimately collaborative storytelling. Work together with others and discuss desires so you can have a fun experience together.

Yellow's Advice:

1. Give your partner something to work with. One sentence responses, or only ever talking about yourself, puts the onus on your partner to keep the interaction going. Ask questions about the other person! Engage with them! It’s a two way street, do your part.,
2. Please have your character be flexible. There’s a difference between being in-character and being one-dimensional. Even grumpy characters will (and should, especially in RP) lighten up sometimes. Silly characters should get serious when it calls for it. Happy characters should be capable of showing negative emotion when appropriate. Be flexible and willing to alter your character’s responses as appropriate to the tone of a scene. What’s the point of RP if your character is going to respond the same way to every scenario?,
3. Outbursts, emotional breakdowns, and very big flashy moments should be used very sparingly and should be run past the other RPers involved in the scene first. Doing this repeatedly forces your partners to cater to your character, and it can be spotlight stealing behavior. Be very very conscientious of when, how, or if you should RP such moments and reactions from your character. (In the same vein, please make your character capable of coexisting with others without things always escalating into a fight or a breakdown. They really need to be able to function for RP to work long term.),
4. Never ever ever commandeer scenes or tell another player how to do their RP. Sometimes planing and a lot of communication might be required for an intense scene; do so respectfully and NEVER demand a specific response from your partner. You can drop hints if you want a character to inquire about your character’s backstory, but in that case, please also be willing to reciprocate and show an interest in them. Don’t make it all about you. You are not entitled to a specific outcome of any scene.,
5. Likewise, your character is not entitled to be instant buddies with every other character. This depends entirely on other players and how they choose to pilot theirs. Your character is also not entitled to behave however they want without consequences, either from other players or the characters they pilot. Please take other characters’ personalities into account when you RP, and again, don’t make it all about you!
6. Character reactions and personalities =/= player reactions and personalities. If you’re RPing a gruff or grumpy character, it’s always good to periodically clarify this distinction. And on the other side, don’t take offense every time a character doesn’t take a shining to yours, or if they’re occasionally rude. If you feel someone is being excessive, talk to them and/or a GM!,
7. Self-Inserts are a horrible freaking idea for all of the reasons stated above and it’s very rare that a player can bring a Self-Insert that they’re very closely associated with and not somehow get offended when a character isn’t their best friend. Strongly recommend to not allow Self-Inserts in most long form campaigns for this reason.,
8. Please be conscientious of your post length, too. If your character is going to do a lengthy monologue ramble in their head that takes several paragraphs, please consider: don’t. Don’t do that. Your partner can’t do anything with that. Again, the scene should be more about your characters interacting with each other, not trauma dumping or info dumping or internally monologuing.
9. Last but not least: Your character may be the MC of their story/fic/wherever they come from, but in an RP, they are no longer the MC. Nobody is. Adjust your writing and expectations accordingly!

Spoiler: Basic Setting Lore

If something isn’t listed here, feel free to ask! This is to cover broad basics. Feel free to have anything here as being found out/inferred by the character.

For more specific worldbuilding, feel free to check out the threadmarked posts in the Obleta General Info Thread. That's where the majority of the worldbuilding will be, as well as worldbuilding things characters find out during each episode.

• Spoken language is autotranslated into a universal tongue. Accents are preserved, but how they are interpreted may vary from player to player. For example, someone might not recognize a British accent as being Galarian, depending on their home world.
• Written language is a bit more complicated. Upon arrival in Obleta, characters will gain knowledge on how to read and write footprint runes. However, they will still be able to read and write any written languages they knew prior to arrival in Obleta. Their newfound knowledge of footprint runes is also dependent on how fluent they are in their most fluent language. If a character is mostly illiterate prior to arrival, for example, they'll have much less knowledge about footprint runes than someone who studies dictionaries every weekend.
  • If they do not have it already, characters will also gain basic knowledge of what Pokemon are.
• "Obleta" refers to both the planet and universe that this RP will take place on.
• Characters brought to Obleta are canonically coming in the body from their own world. In cases where a change in species happens, that body is changed into the new species during the duration of their stay in Obleta, and changed back upon exiting Obleta.
• A character's memories will refresh upon being brought back to Obleta, if they were in a previous episode.
  • Players may optionally have characters remember other RP things, such as mafia, Adventure Quest, Blacklight, and Keys to the Kingdom.
• Humans and Pokemon obtaining new bodies will receive instincts on how to use it. Uncomfortableness is to be expected, but they will still be reasonably able to move about.
• In Obleta, Pokemon can have up to four Moves they can call upon in a flash, with other learned Moves taking several seconds to call to use.
• A ‘Move’ is anything that is a Move in the canon games universe. A Move involves channeling inner energy into a consistent outward form, and while it can be painful, is not lethal (Sludge Bomb will not dissolve someone, Flamethrower will not turn a Bulbasaur to ashes).
  • In Obleta, Moves are special attacks that are not quite the same as the act of biting, flying, digging, and so on. Thus, a Fearow can still fly without using the move Fly.
  • Thus, a Pokemon's natural abilities are not the same as a Move.
• Pokemon in Obleta, both native and those brought there, have a natural sturdiness. Accidental death and maiming during regular combat is not possible here, unless maiming a downed foe or if other extraneous conditions apply.
  • This doesn’t mean Pokemon can’t be injured or experience pain or even be targeted on purpose to be injured, just simply that regular combat won't maim.

 

[IFBench]

The main info post is complete! Feel free to look through it now!