I've decided, after some pondering, to post my text-based Let's Play of Moemon Leafgreen both here and on the Giant in the Playground Forums, where it can be found
here. Moemon, for those who do not know, is a hack of Pokemon (in this case, Leafgreen) in which the pokemon appear as cute little anime people (mostly girls) in costume.
Now, to spice things up, I'd be playing with a few variations of "Hard Mode" rules. Enough to make it challenging without it being annoying.
#1: When a pokemon faints, It will be released -- that's it. Even my starter. If the pokemon faints, it's game over, stick a fork in them, they're done.
#2: I will only catch one pokemon per area (in normal Hard Mode rules, this would be the first pokemon, but I want what I want. Unlike normal hard mode, gift pokemon do not count.) This pokemon will be decided by votes both here and on the Giant in the Playground forums.
#3: Oh, and no legendaries. Because I agree that seems fair.
Chapter 1: The Psyche of a Pokemon Trainer
"Uh....Yeah, Professor, we already met. I've lived next door to you for my entire life."
Oak:
Welcome to the world of Pokemon!
"...Oh. I must be dreaming. Who says anything like that, anyway?"
Oak:
My name is Oak! People affectionately refer to me as the Pokemon Professor!
"And? This is my dream! I want a half-naked russian ballroom dancer glistening with oil...I guess I have to go find him."
Oak:
Wait a second! Don't you think this dream will have significance in your life, given you'll be starting your own pokemon journey tomorow? Don't you want to see what your psyche holds?
"...My psyche holds my elderly neighbor giving me a lecture?"
Oak:
Let me continue. This world...
"Is corrupt?"
I blinked.
"Professor, that's not a pokemon. That is a little girl in a Nidoran costume."
"Professor! Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Oak:
As for myself... I study pokemon as a profession.
"OK, we're doing a 'let's see what I reveal about my own heart blah-blah junk?"
Oak:
Now tell me. Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?
*cue facepalm*
"Seed."
Oak:
Right, so your name is Seed.
"Yes! I just said that!"
Oak:
He's been your rival since you were both babies.
"How could you tell?"
Oak:
Erm...What was his name again?
OK, so it looks like Dream-Oak has alzheimers. "Is this meant to be a prophetic dream?"
Oak:
Seed!
"Yes?"
Oak:
A world of dreams and adventures with pokemon awaits! Let's go!
It was at this point that a squad of Russian Ballroom dancers, tragically missing their partners due to a freak panther accident, showed up.
"Let's get this dream started!"
It was about then that I woke up.
I went over to my computer to check my email. There was a potion in it -- I considered not getting the potion, because viruses are always a threat these days, but hey, it's a free potion.
Then I went downstairs to see my mom.
"Hey, Mom."
Mom:
Right.
My mother, ladies and germs. Don't even get me started on my dad.
"Thanks, Mom. I'm off for adventure."
He wasn't at the lab, though. It was just Beau.
"I can see that, Beau. I'm not nearly as blind as you are stupid."
Beau:
You must be blind, to walk outside with that ugly mask on -- oh, wait, that's your face.
I rolled my eyes and walked off. I could feel him looking at me as I went. Well,let him look -- he just thinks I'm ugly anyways, right?
Lala, going on an adventure, walking in the tall grass...
Oak:
You need your own pokemon for your protection.
"Well, sir, you weren't at your lab, so I thought I'd just go." Because all the adults I know are irresponsible like that.
Oak:
I know! Here, come with me!
And so he led me back to his lab.
...Whoah, is that deja vu?
Oak:
Here, Seed. There are three pokemon here. Haha! The Pokemon are held inside these these Pokeballs.
Beau:
(Run now. Gramps' stories last forever.)
After about 30 minutes of him telling us about his youth as a pokemon trainer, and how when he was a boy you had to walk 15 miles through the snow -- uphill, both ways! -- to reach a Pokemon Center, he remembered his point.
Oak:
But now, in my old age, I have only these three left.
"...What happened to the other ones?"
Oak:
...We don't talk about those.
"O-oookay...."
Oak:
You can have one! Go on, choose!
"Dude, there are three of them. He said I could have
one."
"There, see?"
Wooh! I get a pokemon! I admit, I'm pretty excited. I've always wanted a good one, I mean...
...a girl...in a costume? That...makes no sense. I look over at the other two, but Oak's still just blathering on.
"Is this...right?"
Oak:
Bulbasaur is a rare pokemon, I know, but I think I can trust you.
I go to check the other two.
...Either I'm crazy...Or the world is.
They're standing around, waiting for me to choose.
Even if I'm crazy, it's still my first pokemon...sort of... Which should I pick?
((It's time to pick a pokemon! Which one and its nickname will be decided by vote, as is the standard in LPs. I'm doing a mostly blind-ish run (of the hack and of leafgreen, though I played the original games), but in my experience, it's safe to assume anything not specifically male will be female.))
there's a special name for
For what, a Let's Play? For
no no, the 'hard mode'
Yes, there is. I forget what
You could always do a
It's a good suggestion, but
That sounds hard. o_o Do it!
Do it!
OK, then. I may as well --
I'll watch! ^^ As for the
As for the name.. uhh.. I think it was called nuzllock? I forgot too. x-x
Anytime And for the
And for the record, I'll watch it as well. I'm always up for a good LP. As for your rival's name... I always name him something that's really flambouyant... how about something like Beau? Or maybe Sultan? Or possibly something dominating like Tyrant?
I have updated with the first
"half-naked russian ballroom
omg... xDD That just made my day...
Thanks ^^ Do you have a vote
And there's, of course, the question of nickames as well.
Hm... Charmander is a bit
As for the nickname... I vote Vladimir. It just seems to fit for me 0-o. Speaking of nicknames, you picked Beau! I'm so happy! That's what I named my rival in Soulsilver
gotta say Charmander. love
love 'dem fire types
I still vote for squirtle!
I have chapter 2 up on the
I glance back over that the Charmander. Well, the theoretical Charmander -- the one that lookslike she's in adorable footy pajamas.
"Ok, then, Charmander -- I choose you!" Oh, sweet raptor messiah, I did not just say that.
The image feed showed a destructive glow in her eyes. I decided to call her Azula, that she may rain creepy, firey death upon my foes.
Beau: My Pokemon looks a lot tougher than yours.
Beau, your pokemon looks like it has an oversize turtleshell backpack. "It looks like something out of Franklin."
I thought I heard an amused chuckle from within the pokeball. I tried not to let that freak me out.
Well, I figured it was time to get going -- maybe I can figure out what's what somewhere else. Who knows? I could be dreaming. Or this could be some lousy sci-fi junk about clones or mind-control. Or magic. I mean, I already live in a world with monsters that can be fit in tiny balls and sent as data across the internet.
Beau: Come on, I'll take you on!
"Beau, I'm really not in the mood."
It didn't matter.
Ah -- a battle already. Azula smiled brightly. I think the new mistress and I will get along.
I stared. No one acted like they heard anything, so I didn't ask anything stupid like 'did anyone else here that?' I had a plan.
But before I could go fetal under the lab table like I was planning, Oak started talking.
Oak: Seed.
"Yes, P-professor?"
"No, but I've watched..."
Oak: A pokemon battle is when trainers pit their pokemon against each other.
"Wow, I really needed to be informed of that."
My goodness, does he blather. I wish to see her mettle, old man!" Azula stomped her feet in frustration. I kind of thought it was cute.
Oak:...their HP to "0," wins.
Oak:Try Battling and see for yourself.
"What I was intending to do." So please stop, Oak. If Azula can talk (or I think she can talk), then maybe she can give me some answers (or I'll project some answers through her talking. Whatever.) Whatever keeps me from having a panic attack, right?
After Azula got in only a single scratch, Oak started talking again. I elected to ignore him.
For the fight, Azula went on the offensive, while Beau's squirtle(thing) went to try and lower Azula's defense. It wasn't a bad technique -- if he had started actually fighting a round sooner, he would have probably won. But, crazy or not, I'm apparently just the superior life form.
Hm. Not bad. That fight made me stronger...and my new mistress at least won't just order me to waste my time with tail whip. She sounded like she was talking to herself.
Beau: Unbelievable! I picked the wrong pokemon!
"In your hands, every pokemon is the wrong one."
Oak: Hm! Excellent! If you win, you earn prize money, and your pokemon will grow!
An excellent and totally useless summary of what just happened, Professor.
...OK, that was even worse than the mask one, Beau. "Hey, maybe when I see you again, maybe you'll have stopped by a second-grade class to get some better taunts." I watched him as he went -- I hope he'll be OK out there.
I immediately snatched up Azula and carried her back up to my room.
"OK, what in the name of every diety ever is going on here? How are you talking?"
Azula looked surprised.
You hear my words?
"Yes! They're freaking me out!"
...And, do I appear to you, to be a lizard-thing?
"Like a normal Charmander? No! You look like a little girl in pJs with your hair on fire!"
I see. I was expecting the old man to gift me to an ordinary human...instead... She smiled. You have a rare gift, Mistress. I swear upon my honor that what you see is true.
"That's not as consoling as you'd like to think. If your speaking and looking like a person were a hallucination, of course you'd say it's all real to assure myself and not break whatever comforting illusion I've set up."
Mistress, I think you're thinking about this too hard. I cannot explain my nature to you yet -- but if you beat the champions of stone and water, and earn their crests...then I will tell you the secret your world hides from most humans.
"The champions of...you mean the gym leaders?"
Is that what they're called openly? Very well. Yes, the gym leaders of rock and water, then.
Part of me remembered what my grandmother once said -- if you think you're hallucinating, stay right where you are, since you don't know for sure if you aren't about to walk into the path of a bus or something. Operating pokemon probably has simmilar rules... But I can either sit here and think I'm crazy, without ever getting any more real evidence yay or nay... Or...
"I guess I'll do it...but the moment you start trying to convince me everyone's out to get me, I'm out."
I mean, I always wanted my own pokemon adventure, right? Here I go.
But not before stopping to get Azula a little rest with Mom. She was watching TV, staring at it like it was the only thing in the world. Or at least the only thing keeping her in the world.
Mom: Oh, what a cute little charmander! She's darling, dear!
I agreed, put Azula back in her pokeball (it's kind of bizzare, putting a little person in a ball like that. Maybe I should talk to her about it.)
...but as I was leaving town, I saw something I had never noticed before. A door, hidden in the trees.
"...Your 'I'm not crazy' idea isn't looking so good there, Zu-Zu."
Let me see. Well, apparently she can still talk inside her pokeball. Good (or very bad) to know. Hm. That is perplexing. Well, Mistress...dare you to enter?
You know, I really wish that Alice in Wonderland comparisons weren't so cliche. Because this feels like a really good place for a metaphor regarding the rabbit hole.
((So...do we go through the door (s -- there's one on the other side of town) or not? These are apparently not a standard part of Leafgreen, so much as...I dunno. a cheat area pre-enabled for this ROM, I think. I was as suprised as the protagonist when I first saw them.))
Charmander, any day. XD