...Okay I'm late getting this done but oh well. ^^
Haah... I haven't updated my personal journal in two months now. Plurk is just that much more convenient for smaller things, really, and it's not like there's been anything really big to write about. Class has been going as decently as can be expected, really, and nothing else of any real note. (Also LJ needs to stop logging me out constantly please. It's really, really annoying.)
But today, I actually have something to write about! Because as of today, I have been playing Ryner Lute at Route 29 for an entire year!
I know! This hasn't happened in forever! The last time it happened was Ling, back at Econtra. (Who I dropped shortly afterwards and who... I played horribly, not going to lie.) ...I mean, unless you want to count Manjoume in Crucible/Gauntlet, but that's technically two different games, even if one was the sequel to the other, and there was a six month hiatus in the middle, so...
I think I'm going to do things a little different than I used to. I used to just write up a summary of what's happened so far and then one of those Year In Review meme things, but right now... well, I think I'd rather go a little more into analysis than just restatement of fact.
On Ryner
So, I... kind of made Ryner's account about a week after I learned he existed. Was good and didn't actually app him until two months later, but I kind of fell in love with him as a character at first sight. Ryner is just... well, he's Ryner. Book-smart, heart of gold, dry sense of humor, mage in a medieval fantasy setting, has been more or less possessed multiple times and has to deal with the fallout of it every day of his life, wears a long cloak~... He just hit all of my pings, somehow. And it's really, really rare for me to like the Main Protagonist of a particular work the most, but somehow I just adore Ryner.
And really, the main reason for his initial pull point was because I was getting tired of waiting. ^^; I still wanted to play him two months later, so the muse wasn't going away any time soon, so I was just looking for a good pull spot, and just before he meets Lucile was the last place I could go with before a massive upheaval in his life that would be difficult to pull him from the middle of without knowing how things get back to being stable. And since I'm not the most patient person in the world... yeah that's why he came in then. But I did eventually canon update him! ...to just before the next massive upheaval in his life, but whatever.
As things stand, I'm pretty content with how he's grown as a character so far. And really, it's all been because of his Pokémon. Like, he's naturally a lazybutt, but he's actually settled into a rhythm of doing simple part-time jobs, if only because Rose and the others have to eat. (Paperwork at the local Pokémon Center for four hours a day. It isn't anywhere near as painful as paperwork for Sion because he gets to actually sleep for more than an hour a week, he doesn't have to do any hard labor aside from maybe fetching a book or two for an NPC, and he gets to learn a little bit about the Pokémon by reading their records, too.) And, while he still doesn't really care for Pokémon battles, since Rose and the others are just going to sneak out anyway if he doesn't take them out to train, he started taking them out daily so that if nothing else he could keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't get too hurt.
He's gotten used to the fact that he's surrounded by magical animals with special powers. (Helps that hey, he's from a fantasy world, he's faced dragons (sort of) and golems before, and he can cast lightning back home, so it's not like it's that jarring.) Still hasn't gotten used to the specific idea of horses on fire (ie. Ponyta), but what can you do. He's also gotten fairly used to technology, after figuring out what the stuff he usually encounters does. A few things do still manage to surprise him, though. Most recently, thumb wars (which Wikipedia says were first invented in the 1930s or 1940s :Db). They seem incredibly useful and peaceful and he might just try showing Sion what they are the next time he sees him (if, you know, he happens to see him before going home again and having Certain Things happen, um).
He does miss being able to use magic. He deals with it, but it's, like, one of his only main interests in life, so not being able to use it at all is kind of a bummer. The fact that Rose can learn so many elemental TMs helps, because he can sort of live vicariously through her that way? It's really the main reason why he bought her Thunderbolt.
He does not, however, particularly miss his Alpha Stigma. Actually, he's still having a bit of trouble accepting that it really is sealed and can't do any harm. You live with that fear your entire life, it's hard to shake it in just one year. But he's started to accept that yes, he is harmless in Johto and can actually make a positive difference. (Also helps that Ferris is now around and therefore if it somehow does get unsealed and he berserks he knows she'll fulfill her promise and kill him so he can't hurt anyone else.)
In terms of main CR... well, first off, Ferris is Ferris, and he is so very glad that she's around now you have no idea. She's one of his two best friends from home, one of the two people who understands him the best, and one of the few people he trusts completely with everything. Even if she beats him up constantly. Also he's decided she'll be the one to someday kill him, which actually helps him to cope with living, but.
Then there's Fuji. Feelings about Fuji are... complicated. Fuji's a great guy. Ryner considers him a friend, definitely, and he's the one non-canon person who Ryner's let the closest. But he's still holding back, because a) as far as he knows (not that he asks much about it), Fuji comes from a world that's a million times better to live in, and so he doesn't really want to burden this kid with horror tales of war and death and stuff; and b) he's been burned too many times by people who liked him until they found out that he was an Alpha Stigma bearer, and he's honestly kind of frightened that Fuji would do the same if he ever found out. That Fuji told him that he trusts him... well, he wants to believe it, and he wants to live up to that trust, but he's honestly got this nagging feeling that it probably can't last. Because nothing lasts, in his life.
(Seriously, he comments in episode 24 that he always knew that the next Massive Upheaval in his life would come eventually. He was just wrong about the reason and the exact details. Even that can't last, and he knows it.)
And his other Main CR is Cobra Commander... who he pesters because Cobra is a bothersome guy who is weird and will provide good dinner stories someday. As long as Cobra doesn't do anything that would start actually hurting people, Ryner's just going to stare at him, tell him he's being bothersome, and not do anything about it.
(Mammon would count as Main CR, being the first person who helped him out in Johto and stuff, but she was dropped.)
On His Pokémon
When I was deciding to apply for Ryner, the topic of his starter was a question I mulled over for a while, to be honest. First choice would have been Absol, had they been available at the time - Absols are thought to bring disaster, Ryner's a walking disaster, they'd be a great pair. But they weren't available yet at the time... and honestly, a Cleffa was probably the better choice, all things considered. Rose just brings so much happiness and cheer and cuteness while still providing a reason for Ryner to get off his lazy butt and do stuff. (Namely, the fact that she'll Pound him if he doesn't.)
My initial concept for Rose basically boiled down to "Ferris except with more obvious emotions and without the pervert accusations". I... think she's grown to become more of her own character than that original concept? I mean, if nothing else, she's got a looooot of Iris mixed in there somehow. And she's also interested in learning all the elemental abilities because she's noticed that when she uses them (and it isn't on him), Ryner smiles, and she likes when Ryner's happy, or at least not obviously sad.
But I still wanted him to have an Absol at the first opportunity, which is exactly why one was his Christmas egg, and why Jehra never wants to leave Ryner's side ever - he would have been Ryner's starter, probably, if it had been possible at the time.
...To be honest, Jehra is mostly based off of Chauncey. For those who don't know, he was my family's dog while I was growing up, who had to be put down because of bladder cancer. He was like a little brother to me, but he was always closest to Mom. The day we first met him, at his breeder's place, he came straight to Mom on seeing her, which was special, because he usually wouldn't do that. One of his nicknames was "Velcro Dog" - he always stuck close to Mom, and could often be seen laying at her feet while she was sitting at her computer. Also, he tried to herd cars by barking at them, it used to be difficult getting into the house because he'd always be at the door to greet you and block the way, he protected a litter of baby bunnies that was in our back yard the one time, and whenever he was scared of anything, he always used to hide behind Mom's legs and growl at it. And he used to love laying under the trees, too. And when we took him down to the beach when we went to my grandmother's beach house, he'd always be uncomfortable when the sand got between his toes.
I... like to hope that I'm honoring his memory properly by incorporating my memories of him into Jehra. Even if Absols are apparently supposed to be panthers? They've always looked more canine to me... but then, I suppose the same question can be asked of Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, so.
Ryner's team has a few themes going on. Like, about half of his Pokémon are at least partially Normal type, for one thing, haha. But he tends toward nocturnal things, and things that have to do with the moon. Also things with special eyes. Really the main exceptions are Ren (who Rose kind of pushed Ryner into buying because she was cold) and Rey (who Ryner caught because... well... I like Yanmas. Don't know why, I just do.), but they all have their niches.
Even if I have to do more with most of them. Elfy's finally getting some screen time, finally, which I'm glad about. (He's loosely based on a prince from a play I wrote once, one who had an obsession with cloth. ...It was a play I wrote in one night for an instant theater festival and that was incredibly random, okay?)
On Future Plans
In terms of the future... well, I have some overall possibilities in mind, but very few specific goals.
Near-future-ly, Ryner is going to be challenging Falkner for his badge finally (because Rose wants to). Got mod permission, so I can do that any time. Also, Aran is set to hit level 24 soon, which is going to set the plot he was written for into motion finally. (He really, really doesn't want to evolve.) So hopefully both of those will happen in the next couple weeks or so, though I don't know what order.
I'm working on slowly getting Rey to finally come out from constantly hiding, though she has to be taken slowly. Eventually, I hope she can evolve in a grand character-developing moment where she gets over her fear of her own strength and works to protect someone from some kind of peril (though it'd probably have to be a fresh egg, since she's... currently the lowest level, haha).
Also, I hear there are contests that'll be starting up soon-ish? Hopefully Ryner will be in the area when one of them happens, but he's not going to go searching them out (unless, of course, Rose pushes him, which could theoretically happen).
Ultra-long-term, depending on other things that happen, I can see him maybe eventually settling down somewhere between Violet and Ecruteak and starting an inn for travelers there, where people can also leave their Pokémon for extended periods of time so they don't have to stay in the PC. Not sure how it'd work or even if it'll ever end up happening, but I can see it as one possibility, if nothing else.
Also, it's kind of selfish, but... I kind of want to see how Fuji (specifically) would react to berserk!Ryner. Obviously this can't happen for obvious reasons (Arceus ate powers, Ryner wouldn't let himself berserk even if his Alpha Stigma wasn't sealed now that he knows that he can stop it, Ferris would kill him immediately if he couldn't stop it himself...), but if the opportunity was to somehow ever arise, I... kind of want to see this.
Finally, in terms of future additions to his team. IC'ly, Ryner is completely fine with his eleven and not seeking out new members, though he's not going to turn any down. (Not... that he was seeking to add a second, even, but. Details.) OOCly, however, I would love for him to get:
- Staryu: it would probably be named Mimi, after Misumi, Roland's water spell. Why? Because it's a star, and stars aren't just a pretty border for an entry numbering theme when it comes to Ryner.
- Litwick: one possibility for a name would be Rin, based off of Kuuri, a Roland laser beam spell, but that's only one possibility. LITWICKS ARE THE MOST ADORABLE 5TH GEN ONES PERIOD END OF DISCUSSION.
- Zorua: ...well, this would only happen if I ever canon update him again, because I want to give this one a certain spoilerific name that would only work if I canon update him past a certain point that hasn't come up in the anime yet, but. Zorua is adorable~ and I like its Illusion ability and think it could be used in interesting ways.
...So... yeah. Now that I've TL;DRed for a few hours... Questions? Comments? Katie you wrote this way too late at night so you're making errors and/or you're thinking about things the wrong way?
But today, I actually have something to write about! Because as of today, I have been playing Ryner Lute at Route 29 for an entire year!
I know! This hasn't happened in forever! The last time it happened was Ling, back at Econtra. (Who I dropped shortly afterwards and who... I played horribly, not going to lie.) ...I mean, unless you want to count Manjoume in Crucible/Gauntlet, but that's technically two different games, even if one was the sequel to the other, and there was a six month hiatus in the middle, so...
I think I'm going to do things a little different than I used to. I used to just write up a summary of what's happened so far and then one of those Year In Review meme things, but right now... well, I think I'd rather go a little more into analysis than just restatement of fact.
On Ryner
So, I... kind of made Ryner's account about a week after I learned he existed. Was good and didn't actually app him until two months later, but I kind of fell in love with him as a character at first sight. Ryner is just... well, he's Ryner. Book-smart, heart of gold, dry sense of humor, mage in a medieval fantasy setting, has been more or less possessed multiple times and has to deal with the fallout of it every day of his life, wears a long cloak~... He just hit all of my pings, somehow. And it's really, really rare for me to like the Main Protagonist of a particular work the most, but somehow I just adore Ryner.
And really, the main reason for his initial pull point was because I was getting tired of waiting. ^^; I still wanted to play him two months later, so the muse wasn't going away any time soon, so I was just looking for a good pull spot, and just before he meets Lucile was the last place I could go with before a massive upheaval in his life that would be difficult to pull him from the middle of without knowing how things get back to being stable. And since I'm not the most patient person in the world... yeah that's why he came in then. But I did eventually canon update him! ...to just before the next massive upheaval in his life, but whatever.
As things stand, I'm pretty content with how he's grown as a character so far. And really, it's all been because of his Pokémon. Like, he's naturally a lazybutt, but he's actually settled into a rhythm of doing simple part-time jobs, if only because Rose and the others have to eat. (Paperwork at the local Pokémon Center for four hours a day. It isn't anywhere near as painful as paperwork for Sion because he gets to actually sleep for more than an hour a week, he doesn't have to do any hard labor aside from maybe fetching a book or two for an NPC, and he gets to learn a little bit about the Pokémon by reading their records, too.) And, while he still doesn't really care for Pokémon battles, since Rose and the others are just going to sneak out anyway if he doesn't take them out to train, he started taking them out daily so that if nothing else he could keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't get too hurt.
He's gotten used to the fact that he's surrounded by magical animals with special powers. (Helps that hey, he's from a fantasy world, he's faced dragons (sort of) and golems before, and he can cast lightning back home, so it's not like it's that jarring.) Still hasn't gotten used to the specific idea of horses on fire (ie. Ponyta), but what can you do. He's also gotten fairly used to technology, after figuring out what the stuff he usually encounters does. A few things do still manage to surprise him, though. Most recently, thumb wars (which Wikipedia says were first invented in the 1930s or 1940s :Db). They seem incredibly useful and peaceful and he might just try showing Sion what they are the next time he sees him (if, you know, he happens to see him before going home again and having Certain Things happen, um).
He does miss being able to use magic. He deals with it, but it's, like, one of his only main interests in life, so not being able to use it at all is kind of a bummer. The fact that Rose can learn so many elemental TMs helps, because he can sort of live vicariously through her that way? It's really the main reason why he bought her Thunderbolt.
He does not, however, particularly miss his Alpha Stigma. Actually, he's still having a bit of trouble accepting that it really is sealed and can't do any harm. You live with that fear your entire life, it's hard to shake it in just one year. But he's started to accept that yes, he is harmless in Johto and can actually make a positive difference. (Also helps that Ferris is now around and therefore if it somehow does get unsealed and he berserks he knows she'll fulfill her promise and kill him so he can't hurt anyone else.)
In terms of main CR... well, first off, Ferris is Ferris, and he is so very glad that she's around now you have no idea. She's one of his two best friends from home, one of the two people who understands him the best, and one of the few people he trusts completely with everything. Even if she beats him up constantly. Also he's decided she'll be the one to someday kill him, which actually helps him to cope with living, but.
Then there's Fuji. Feelings about Fuji are... complicated. Fuji's a great guy. Ryner considers him a friend, definitely, and he's the one non-canon person who Ryner's let the closest. But he's still holding back, because a) as far as he knows (not that he asks much about it), Fuji comes from a world that's a million times better to live in, and so he doesn't really want to burden this kid with horror tales of war and death and stuff; and b) he's been burned too many times by people who liked him until they found out that he was an Alpha Stigma bearer, and he's honestly kind of frightened that Fuji would do the same if he ever found out. That Fuji told him that he trusts him... well, he wants to believe it, and he wants to live up to that trust, but he's honestly got this nagging feeling that it probably can't last. Because nothing lasts, in his life.
(Seriously, he comments in episode 24 that he always knew that the next Massive Upheaval in his life would come eventually. He was just wrong about the reason and the exact details. Even that can't last, and he knows it.)
And his other Main CR is Cobra Commander... who he pesters because Cobra is a bothersome guy who is weird and will provide good dinner stories someday. As long as Cobra doesn't do anything that would start actually hurting people, Ryner's just going to stare at him, tell him he's being bothersome, and not do anything about it.
(Mammon would count as Main CR, being the first person who helped him out in Johto and stuff, but she was dropped.)
On His Pokémon
When I was deciding to apply for Ryner, the topic of his starter was a question I mulled over for a while, to be honest. First choice would have been Absol, had they been available at the time - Absols are thought to bring disaster, Ryner's a walking disaster, they'd be a great pair. But they weren't available yet at the time... and honestly, a Cleffa was probably the better choice, all things considered. Rose just brings so much happiness and cheer and cuteness while still providing a reason for Ryner to get off his lazy butt and do stuff. (Namely, the fact that she'll Pound him if he doesn't.)
My initial concept for Rose basically boiled down to "Ferris except with more obvious emotions and without the pervert accusations". I... think she's grown to become more of her own character than that original concept? I mean, if nothing else, she's got a looooot of Iris mixed in there somehow. And she's also interested in learning all the elemental abilities because she's noticed that when she uses them (and it isn't on him), Ryner smiles, and she likes when Ryner's happy, or at least not obviously sad.
But I still wanted him to have an Absol at the first opportunity, which is exactly why one was his Christmas egg, and why Jehra never wants to leave Ryner's side ever - he would have been Ryner's starter, probably, if it had been possible at the time.
...To be honest, Jehra is mostly based off of Chauncey. For those who don't know, he was my family's dog while I was growing up, who had to be put down because of bladder cancer. He was like a little brother to me, but he was always closest to Mom. The day we first met him, at his breeder's place, he came straight to Mom on seeing her, which was special, because he usually wouldn't do that. One of his nicknames was "Velcro Dog" - he always stuck close to Mom, and could often be seen laying at her feet while she was sitting at her computer. Also, he tried to herd cars by barking at them, it used to be difficult getting into the house because he'd always be at the door to greet you and block the way, he protected a litter of baby bunnies that was in our back yard the one time, and whenever he was scared of anything, he always used to hide behind Mom's legs and growl at it. And he used to love laying under the trees, too. And when we took him down to the beach when we went to my grandmother's beach house, he'd always be uncomfortable when the sand got between his toes.
I... like to hope that I'm honoring his memory properly by incorporating my memories of him into Jehra. Even if Absols are apparently supposed to be panthers? They've always looked more canine to me... but then, I suppose the same question can be asked of Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, so.
Ryner's team has a few themes going on. Like, about half of his Pokémon are at least partially Normal type, for one thing, haha. But he tends toward nocturnal things, and things that have to do with the moon. Also things with special eyes. Really the main exceptions are Ren (who Rose kind of pushed Ryner into buying because she was cold) and Rey (who Ryner caught because... well... I like Yanmas. Don't know why, I just do.), but they all have their niches.
Even if I have to do more with most of them. Elfy's finally getting some screen time, finally, which I'm glad about. (He's loosely based on a prince from a play I wrote once, one who had an obsession with cloth. ...It was a play I wrote in one night for an instant theater festival and that was incredibly random, okay?)
On Future Plans
In terms of the future... well, I have some overall possibilities in mind, but very few specific goals.
Near-future-ly, Ryner is going to be challenging Falkner for his badge finally (because Rose wants to). Got mod permission, so I can do that any time. Also, Aran is set to hit level 24 soon, which is going to set the plot he was written for into motion finally. (He really, really doesn't want to evolve.) So hopefully both of those will happen in the next couple weeks or so, though I don't know what order.
I'm working on slowly getting Rey to finally come out from constantly hiding, though she has to be taken slowly. Eventually, I hope she can evolve in a grand character-developing moment where she gets over her fear of her own strength and works to protect someone from some kind of peril (though it'd probably have to be a fresh egg, since she's... currently the lowest level, haha).
Also, I hear there are contests that'll be starting up soon-ish? Hopefully Ryner will be in the area when one of them happens, but he's not going to go searching them out (unless, of course, Rose pushes him, which could theoretically happen).
Ultra-long-term, depending on other things that happen, I can see him maybe eventually settling down somewhere between Violet and Ecruteak and starting an inn for travelers there, where people can also leave their Pokémon for extended periods of time so they don't have to stay in the PC. Not sure how it'd work or even if it'll ever end up happening, but I can see it as one possibility, if nothing else.
Also, it's kind of selfish, but... I kind of want to see how Fuji (specifically) would react to berserk!Ryner. Obviously this can't happen for obvious reasons (Arceus ate powers, Ryner wouldn't let himself berserk even if his Alpha Stigma wasn't sealed now that he knows that he can stop it, Ferris would kill him immediately if he couldn't stop it himself...), but if the opportunity was to somehow ever arise, I... kind of want to see this.
Finally, in terms of future additions to his team. IC'ly, Ryner is completely fine with his eleven and not seeking out new members, though he's not going to turn any down. (Not... that he was seeking to add a second, even, but. Details.) OOCly, however, I would love for him to get:
- Staryu: it would probably be named Mimi, after Misumi, Roland's water spell. Why? Because it's a star, and stars aren't just a pretty border for an entry numbering theme when it comes to Ryner.
- Litwick: one possibility for a name would be Rin, based off of Kuuri, a Roland laser beam spell, but that's only one possibility. LITWICKS ARE THE MOST ADORABLE 5TH GEN ONES PERIOD END OF DISCUSSION.
- Zorua: ...well, this would only happen if I ever canon update him again, because I want to give this one a certain spoilerific name that would only work if I canon update him past a certain point that hasn't come up in the anime yet, but. Zorua is adorable~ and I like its Illusion ability and think it could be used in interesting ways.
...So... yeah. Now that I've TL;DRed for a few hours... Questions? Comments? Katie you wrote this way too late at night so you're making errors and/or you're thinking about things the wrong way?