Things. And stuff

Okay. I'm going to say this now:
 
If this new Fire-Type starter evolves into a Fire/Fighting-Type, I might throw something.
 
Having said that, I'm actually really excited for--and surprised by--this. Seems like only yesterday Gen. V was being released... and added to RotR...
 
Which, to get this out of the way now:
1. Gen. VI will not be added to Rise of the Rockets until its Japanese release. As such, just like the case was supposed* to be with Gen. V, there will be no early-bird cameos.
2. I want people to try really, really hard NOT to make a ton of huge plots in whatever the new region is called as soon as it's released. I don't want a repeat of Unova.
 
Those are my thoughts. :3
 
* I say 'supposed' because, despite my decree, certain people--mainly someone--somehow thought it was okay to ignore me and introduce, for instance, Pokabu and Excadril early. It was quite annoying. :/

So, due to school-related stuff (read: tons of homework that I haven't been able to do for the past two weeks due to higher priorities and need to finish by Tuesday) I'm not going to be very active in the following RPGs for the next two and a half days (read: today, Sunday, and Monday):

• Island of Pain
• Perpetual
• BZPRPG
• RotR

I'll keep updated and post at least twice while I work on this stuff, but don't expect anything really huge.
 
Sorry for the inconvenience.

Check it out! I think it turned out pretty nicely, personally.
 
And yes, I did reuse part of a Sleight post for the Rocket portion of the introduction, but that's only because I thought it did a good job of showing what the current TR situation is. I'll probably change it at some point in the near future, though. =)

So, I've created an updated version of the Factions list for the front post of RotR. It's only a small part of the larger project, but still, it's something. Leave your thoughts/opinions/suggestions in the comments!
 
 
Factions
 
Numerous forces are at play in Rise of the Rockets. Which one you join, who you assist, is up to you--though that is not to say that the balance will not be affected regardless of your choices...
 
Team Liberty
Established a little over a decade ago to fight against Team Rocket's rule, Team Liberty's primary goal is to achieve freedom for the four Kanto regions. Nowadays, their focus has shifted to include the fight against outside forces that threaten the very fabric of human existence--the Ancient Darkrai and Ford's Hojohsin League, in particular.
 
Current Leaders: Markus Aleivy (Goldhawk,) Kane Umbra (Blackskull,) Selene Ashera (Silvermind.)
Controlled Regions: Sevii Islands.
Base of Operations:

• The Alamo: Team Liberty's main base, located on Four Island. Funded and constructed by Liberty Leader Blackskull, the Alamo is a massive facility, containing every conceivable asset required to maintain and create an army, from training and sleeping quarters to labs and Pokémon Centers. Boats and helicopters heading off from the base are a common sight, transporting agents to and from other locations. Until recently, the Alamo's location was hidden from hostile groups; however, actions by John Ford have revealed the base's position to Team Rocket and others. Nevertheless, it remains a highly-defensible position.
• Fallback Bases: Bases located on the other Sevii Islands. In operation at all times, though at a smaller scale than the Alamo, they are prepped for the possibility of a total invasion of Four Island.

Other Information: Currently allied with the Team Rocket Separatists and Team Magma.
 
Team Rocket
The governing body of Kanto and its sister regions, Team Rocket has risen above its past as a lowly criminal organization under the leadership of the four Shadow Admins. While many still view the group as scum--a justified opinion, considering their brutal method of gaining power--the Rocket regime genuinely cares for the well-being of its nation, improving many aspects of life and, in general, creating a safer, stabler environment than many people are willing to admit. They are determined to fight forces of chaos, such as Team Liberty and the Hojohsin League.
 
Current Leaders: Sleight, Joker, Max Bussle (Buzz.)
Controlled Regions: Kanto, Johto, Orange Islands.
Base of Operations:

• Chapel: Team Rocket's main base in Kanto, headed by Sleight, Chapel is located somewhere in the Indigo Plateau. Dwarfing even the Alamo in defensive capabilities, Chapel is not hidden from the world--its defenses are so great that it is able to stand tall where it is built, calling for opposition from any who think they can breach its walls. The local geography assists in these defensive abilities.
• Abyss: Team Rocket's main base in Johto, located underneath the Lake of Rage and headed by Joker. Abyss is the greatest hub of psychic influence and technology in the world, with many of its assets incorporating the use of psychic abilities into their inner workings.
• Paradise: Team Rocket's main base in Hoenn, located underground on Southern Island, was originally supervised by Ace, and then Buzz following her demotion and execution. While remaining a powerful and essential part of Team Rocket's power, Paradise has suffered two attacks in the recent past, both at the hands of Team Liberty, rendering it the weakest of the remaining main bases.
• Purgatory: Team Rocket's main base in Oreburgh City, Sinnoh up until it was self-destructed by its overseer, Bounty. Purgatory was a powerful facility that had withstood many attacks in its time. The arrival of the Ancient Darkrai, however, necessitated its destruction as a precautionary measure to prevent the Ancients from gaining information that could be exploited in their war on humanity.
• Requiem: Team Rocket's main base in the Orange Islands, located on Mandarin Island, Requiem is controlled by Admin Viper. A massive underground complex, little is known about it at this point, though cloning experiments are known to take place there, under Viper's careful supervision.

Other Information: Thus far, Team Rocket has endured both the largest loss of territory and power, and yet sustained the least amount of damage to its integrity as an organization. While it has experienced the losses of Ace, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, the group has yet to lose any of its primary firepower in the ongoing conflicts.
 
TR Separatists
The Sinnoh-branch of Team Rocket, the Separatists broke off from the main government when tensions between Sleight and Bounty reached a breaking point, tensions that rose due to the latter's belief that the war with Team Liberty would continue to go nowhere. Having formed his own faction, Bounty has allied himself with Team Liberty, assisting them in their war against Sleight's forces and helping them to combat other threats as they arise.
 
Current Leaders: Bounty.
Controlled Regions: Sinnoh.
Base of Operations:

• The Separatists do not currently operate out of a large-scale facility, instead using a Team Rocket fall-back base on the outskirts of Johto. They are currently awaiting the defeat of the Darkrai, in the hopes that they will be able to retake Sinnoh once the Ancients are gone.

Other Information: Currently allied with Team Liberty and Team Magma.
 
Hojohsin League
A coalition between his own forces and three other, smaller organizations, the Hojohsin League was created by John Ford to be used as a vehicle for his own plans to roll out. Encompassing the likes of Team Energon, Team Galactic, and formerly the Searchers, the Hojohsin League's plans and methods range from the relatively simple--such as quietly taking over the vacuum of power in Hoenn--to the extreme, such as their bombing of Castelia City in Unova. The Hojohsin League is also assisted by a weapons company called Déoza, though little is known of their actual relationship to the organization.
 
Current Leaders: John Ford (overall head,) Michael Travis (Team Energon,) Saturn (Team Galactic)
Controlled Regions: Hoenn; active in all other regions.
Base of Operations:

• Hoenn Presidential Office: The main governmental building in Hoenn, located in Lilycove City. President James Pierce, one of Ford's agents, assumed operation of the Hoenn government from here during the silent takeover of the region several months ago; however, the place was vacated following the Darkrai invasion. Even so, the place is well-equipped in terms of defenses, especially after the numerous additions that Ford and Pierce have made.
• Titan: Team Energon's main base. Headed by Michael Travis, though no other information is known about it.
• Nova: Team Galactic's main headquarters; controlled by Saturn. It is located somewhere in Sinnoh, though recent events involving the Darkrai have made it inaccessible by all but the strongest of trainers.
• Ford's Hideout: Hidden away in some unknown part of the world lies Ford's main base of operations. A dark place, no one but his closest agents have ever gone there, and as such nothing is known about it.

Other Information: While the Hojohsin League initially formed under a single, large-scale plan, Ford has placed all action regarding that operation on hold for the moment, due to recent developments--such as the loss of the Searchers and Maddison Hayes, one of his top-ranked agents. This is not to say that they are completely inactive--quite the contrary.
 
Team Magma
A reformed extremist group that once sought to use the Legendary Pokémon Groudon to achieve world domination, Team Magma has performed a complete reversal of their previous philosophies. Having reconsidered his priorities, Maxie has opted to assist in the take down of Team Rocket, a goal he hopes to achieve with help from Team Liberty.
 
Current Leaders: Maxie.
Base of Operations:

• Havoc: Team Magma's main base, located within Mt. Ember on One Island. Specially designed to withstand the intense heat from the magma within the volcano, Havoc is an incredibly well-fortified facility, bearing powerful natural defenses and artificial constructs designed to protect itself from them--something that attackers, in general, do not boast. Access to Havoc is mediated by TM teleporter Pokémon, which are constantly on stand-by.

Other Information: Currently allied with the Team Rocket Separatists and Team Liberty.
 
Team Plasma
In another world, Team Plasma's rise to power could be seen as a more peaceful parallel to that of Team Rocket. While Sleight and the other Shadow Admins forced their way into positions of power, Team Plasma sought rule over Unova through legitimate political campaigns, using their reformed philosophies on the treatment of Pokémon as a means to gather support from the public. Since then, they have worked tirelessly to improve Unova's state of affairs, enacting both beloved and questionable laws in the process.

Current Leaders: Gorm, Bronius, Rood, Zinzolin, Giallo, Ryoku.
Controlled Regions: Unova.
Base of Operations:

• Plasma Castle: Located in Black City, Unova, Plasma Castle is just as its name suggests: a large castle from which the Unovan government operates. Possessing highly futuristic technology, it is a primary hub of scientific development in the world, and is where some of the highest-ranked threats to Unova's security are held captive. From their council chamber at the top of the castle, the Six Sages govern Unova with a democratic debate-and-vote system.

Other Information: While they are not actively antagonistic toward Team Liberty or Team Rocket, Team Plasma does not have high opinions of either organization, viewing the former as terrorists and the latter as tyrants. Nevertheless, the Sages consider the need to keep the news of war subdued in their region to be more important than getting involved in foreign conflict, and as such are entirely complacent with leaving the two enemy organizations to their own devices.
 
The Ancient Darkrai
In ancient times, there lived ten powerful Darkrai, who were granted powers over time and space so as to serve as keepers of the world in the event that Palkia and Dialga became too injured to continue their own service. The Darkrai betrayed Arceus's trust, and were sealed away--until now. Having been imprisoned for thousands of years, the Darkrai have returned to seek vengeance upon the world, casting darkness as they slowly consume the world in their conquest. Led by Sombra, the Darkrai will stop for nothing until their plans are seen through.
 
Current Leaders: Sombra/Ten.
Controlled Regions: Sinnoh, Hoenn.
Base of Operations:

• Sinjoh Ruins: Their place of gathering, the Sinjoh Ruins are located in Johto. While it is not exactly a true headquarters--for the Darkrai do not actually possess one--it is known to be the location where Sombra remains imprisoned, and thus serves as an important landmark for the remaining Nightmare Pokémon.

Other Information: While there are officially ten Darkrai, their second strongest member, Ilios (Nine), no longer serves Sombra, seeing his plans as corrupt and based in folly--nothing good can come of them. As such, he is currently allied with John Ford, assisting him in his own affairs while the pair find a way to combat Sombra's growing abilities. Additionally, each of the Ten are nicknamed in descending order for their power level.

So, I've decided to make a blog entry for the purposes of collecting the numerous unresolved plot threads in RotR, which I am planning on going into and personally finishing off in the future as the story moves away from Unova and back into its rightful place of Kanto/Johto/etc.
 
Yeah. It should be fun. So let's get started. Essentially, if you remember/think of any plots that never really ended or got anywhere--specifically as they relate to side-things, like personal character arcs/important items--simply post them here and I will add them to the list. Add any notes that you think are important/would be helpful.
 
Unresolved Plots

• The Red/Blue Orb situation with TR (TR possesses both due to the efforts of an earlier TR PC)
• Ho-Oh's current situation (was last seen post-regeneration after fighting against Feral)
• The seven corrupted trainers and Nine (which is going to be dealt with, but I'm still listing for reminder's sake)
• What Joker has been building around the Lake of Rage
• Ford's plan; Hojohsin League, Team Galactic's situation
• Ariadne and the Hoenn Legends who fought against Sombra and the other eight Darkrai (last said to have teleported out of Lilycove and, in Ariadne's case, brought to Bounty's base to heal)
• The TL leader/Bounty/Maxie meeting at Four Island (which is where Blackskull disappeared to when he left the Unova group; nothing about this has been elaborated on)
• James Pierce's activities/situation post-Darkrai invasion of Hoenn
• Quincy Adams/Déoza situation post-side-dimensional battle
• Remaining Dex Holders
• TL Moltres egg (yet to hatch)
• Lavaridge City's destruction at the hands of the possessed jogger--current situation there
• The fates of Pryce/the Other (left in other dimension by Team Rocket group; purposefully left ambiguous)
•  

 
Adopted Plots
These are plots taken from the above list that are currently being resolved by a player. In general, these can be taken without question; however, italicized plots in the list above are planned to be dealt with later, and should be left alone.

• Silver's situation/The Ketchum family (Adopted by Parugi. Silver has informed freelancer Jackson Sang that Team Rocket has captured Darren/Ash/Misty and is attempted to utilize mind control technology on them. Sang has been hired by Team Liberty to free them, and Silver has been revealed as a double-agent within TR, his earlier defection merely an act to gain the faction's trust.)
• Soil Colossus/Buzz/Paradise/TR Gym Leader Strike Team situations (Adopted by Parugi. Soil Colossus has been utilizing tactical strikes against smaller TR facilities, which Sabrina, Koga, and Surge have been attempting to stop. As a result, Sleight has decided to organize an organized attack at Soil Colossus's main base, using a team comprised of the three TR GLs, Lafoyae Belrose, Buzz (due to his shaky position in TR after his failures against TL and SCI during the Manaphy plot; this is a mission to redeem him) and Sleight himself.)
•  

 
In addition, I'm also going to include a brief description/list of the current plots that are going on, which will hopefully make it easier for people to keep up with current events.
 
Current Plots

• Dimensional instability in Unova (includes extradimensional Entei/Raikou/Suicune (original Suicune KIA, 'offspring/clone' in egg in Kyle Eston's possession), as well as things involving the rest of Blade's plot)
• Pokémon Nation Tournament Finals (Unovan tournament; final battle is between Richard and Zac Flash)
• Currently on hold: Zac Flash's search for the various Meloetta.
• Orange Island base break-in (James Arthur and Roderick Krane are attempting to get into the TR mainframe in the Orange Islands mainbase, where they hope to get information on TR's cloning project for use in TL Executive Meghan Vert's Pokémon Battle Suit project, which requires the absorption--and subsequent deaths--of Pokémon test subjects)
• The search for Palmer and his Cresselia
•  

 
Aaand, unfortunately, I can think of summaries for the rest of the stuff going on at the time of writing this, so any help would be appreciated.

 
 
Also, notice the new, handy-dandy RotR Maintenance Content Block to the left side of this entry. Expect it to grow in the future.
 
 

All right. So, for those who volunteered to help out with fixing/updating RotR's opening, I've given the front post some thought about what needs to be done. Just to begin with, here's what I think needs to be updated:
 
-The Introduction
It's really old. While it's fine for nostalgia's sake, all it does at this point is show the events leading up to the RPG, and does not really reflect anything that has happened recently--one might be led to assume that Operation RALLY is still the main starting point, when it's really not. So, we need something new.
 
What I need from you guys is ideas of what the new opening should be. I'm going to write it up in the same style as it is now--as if it's a post of its own--but I'm not sure what to showcase. Should I show a meeting between Buzz, Sleight, and Joker, discussing the loss of Bounty's portion of TR? Something with Ford and one or two of his agents, hinting at future plans? Throw some ideas out there.
 
-Misc. sections need to be removed/updated
Rereading several of the mechanics sections, I'm finding that a few of them are totally unneeded, partly because they are never used and partly because they don't apply anymore. Things like the Move Tutor section, the spot detailing "typeless" moves, stuff like that that no one pays attention to anymore--it needs to go. Possibly the familial relationship section, as I don't think it's an issue at this point.
 
Others need to simply be rewritten or updated, like the factions section and the achievement section.
 
-Story Summary
Tying into a reaaaallllly earlier post that I can't seem to locate, I think the RPG would benefit quite a bit from a large-scale summary of everything that has happened so far--from now to the beginning of the RPG, possibly starting from the most recent events and back-filling from there. Obviously, this is going to be a big project that will require a lot of help from RotR veterans.
 
Even so, it shouldn't be horribly difficult--I think we can get it done.
 
 
Branching off of this...
-Story in a Nutshell Section
What we remove from the introduction could probably be relocated here--giving back-story on the RPG while leaving room for new stuff. Just need to figure out how to go about that.
 
 
So yeah. Anyone who wishes to share their thoughts or opinions or questions, I would appreciate it. =)

It's soooo outdated.

Who wants to help me revise/update it?

Alternatively, give me ideas of what needs to happen with it here and I will work from that.

Surprise! I posted in RotR!

Also, in light of the Ballom MOC on the front page--I really do look forward to that undetermined point in the future where I'll have time to pick up MOC-buiilding again...

Oh god finally.

A'ight. Posting in RotR now brb,,,

This may be the most epic post I have made in a while.