The Grand Reconstruction!

[AngelicTragedy]

Firstly, SV....



Secondly, just a point that came to mind mainly directed at Lee here. You've mentioned wanting the keep the cities and region thematic, but you've got to remember that this isn't Starwars. There's not going to be a city that is swarming with creatures of the night who pray upon the citizens of the city with a population that is going to stay. Sure there can be certain segments of a city or small town that is now abandoned that could fit the role but to try to make a whole city around that theme is stretching at best. We should try to keep to maybe 5 large, diverse cities that can serve as catch-alls for plot and then if we need to we can create towns on the fly that meet our needs with the space we have. For instance, my claimed areas aren't going to be very large at all, the biggest being about 200 permanent residents, and I feel like that is about perfect.

[Beelzebibble]

I feel like the area would benefit a lot from having an actual name. Like SV, I'm cool with the idea of "the Archipelago" being used colloquially, but it's a pretty clunky, ill-sounding word and I'd rather have an alternative available as well. "Tattersall" is a great name, let's dig up the old name list and see if there are any other good ones. What's the name list? The list of nicknames I've used or wanted to use for Pokemon (in games, not RP). Anything there?

Allardice (for a Huntail, after Allardice's moray)
Arbrickers (for a Blaziken, after a breed of chicken)
Exomvourgo (for a Tyranitar, after a Greek mountain)
Heaviside (for a Wailord, after a captain and cetacean collector, and um, because Wailord's heavy)
Helmholtz (for an Exploud, after a German physicist who was big in acoustics among plenty else)
Jauderell (for a Talonflame, after a 14th-century British archer)
Kanthkot (for a Forretress, after an ancient fort in India)
Littledusk (for a Yanmega, after the little dusk-hawker)
Monmorency (for a Cherrim, after a cultivar of cherry)
Obazene (for a Crustle, after a French hermit)
Palstave (for a Haxorus, after a Bronze Age axe design)
Panganorn (for an Altaria, a corruption of panganorin, the Filipino word for "cloud")
Paymarble (for a Mantine, after a genus of ray with some phonemes rearranged)
Reyskimmer (for a Crawdaunt, after an English privateer)
Ridgeway (for a Pidgeot, after a species of osprey)
Swarbrick (for a Kingler, after an influential fiddler)
Tarrengower (for a Klefki, after an Australian prison)
Tattegrain (for a Smeargle, after a French artist, though I kind of like "Tattersall" more)
Tullegurray (for a Lanturn, after the Tullaghmurray Lass, a famously wrecked fishing boat)
Valdotriton (for a Salamence, after an extinct salamander)
Verdicolor (for a Politoed, after a species of treefrog combined with French verde)

I don't think those are all necessarily acceptable names for the Archipelago itself, but they sound like they could be place names of some kind. Personally I'm really attached to "Littledusk" (it was the name of my New Leaf town).

Oh, and point DL in terms of cutting back on the number of cities.

[Tout-Perd]

I think you're underestimating what the archipelago is, DL. I mean, how many people willingly choose to live in Siberia? Alaska? The outback of Australia? Not to mention high-risk, high-reward coastal cities that are booming with business and regularly get hammered with hurricanes (See: Florida).

I'm not saying most cities are going to be "vampire city" or the like. Threadneedle is iffy, but on the other hand, some people like the privacy of living in a small town, the fact that massive tracts of uninhabited property let them set up a home pretty much anywhere, and the fact that they can afford a huge plot of land and live like kings only a short commute from some of the biggest economic powerhouses in the Archipelago. And that's just the mundane reasons; a convergence of leylines means mages get a huge amount of bang for their buck when it comes to spellcasting there, and psychics and sensitives probably also receive a substantial power boost. Maybe even some folks choose to live there because they've lost loved ones, and it makes it easier to get in touch (...or at least communicate with something CLAIMING to be their beloved).

As a whole, the Archipelago is "Deadliest Catch" land. Things are substantially more dangerous than living stateside, but you're also situated in a hub that's directly between several of the largest economies in the world (China, United States, Japan, Russia, India). On top of that, the Archipelago has some of the most advanced technology in the world, and is an absolutely gorgeous region to boot.

This isn't even getting into how the Archipelago is a wild-west style frontier compared to much of the world, and a lot of people who end up there are doing so because it's the only place they can safely disappear to.

There are a few cities with some... dubious things going on (Threadneedle, Merc's city Empyrea that came up in the chat last night, DL's pair), but they're exceptions and not the rule. In each case, the people living there have a reason (Threadneedle mostly isn't that bad, just a little creepy, unless you go looking for trouble. Empyrea (City? Not sure on the full name yet) is fully climate controlled and has the best technology and healthcare in the entire world. And DL's pair are pretty much entirely populated by cultists, who don't really mind what's going on.)

The other cities do have odd things going on, but they're a side-dish, not the main event. Sure, Winstone's got organized crime, but we're mostly playing it up because that's what writers will focus on. I highly doubt their problems with the Mafia are even as bad as say, what Chicago or NYC needs to deal with in real life. Hopedale's aggressive agriculture has led to the city being surrounded by an unnaturally robust forest and a slightly higher rate of cancer, but that's not things that the general population is going to fret all that much about.

(I don't think I'm really... debating with anybody? I'm just kinda gushing about the general cultural mood in the setting. : 3 )

[Tout-Perd]

As for actual formalized name for the Archipelago, considering that the region was formally settled in the wake of WW2 (though it seems some small populations preceded this), I'd almost be inclined to go with the name of some big-deal Pacific Theater commander, like MacArthur, Nimitz, or Halsey. That said, I'm not seeing many names that really have the "right" ring to them, so I'm still kinda ambivalent. If we do come up with a name we all like, it could be handwaved with that being the name of some fictional commander who encouraged the United States to formally take control of it.

Monmorency sounds nice. Not sure if it'd be the Archipelago, or one of the cities. I could see it being a good name for Celadon 2.0, which is basically Archipelago Vegas. (Of course, then again, out of that list, Monmorency is probably the closest thing to what I could see being a real name for the Archipelago.) Paymarble feels like a spot on name too, though I'm not sure what city would best adopt that name.

[Tout-Perd]

Brief update, Cendra has called dibs on Mahogany (up by the lake).

[Tout-Perd]

So the updated list:
"Kanto" (10)
Pallet (reserved for BB)
Viridian (reserved for BB)
Pewter (COULD BE CUT)
Cerulean (reserved for Swingblade or Silumas or Boom)
Vermillion (Thinking this is where the primary APCARP/Military bases in the Archipelago might be, maybe some other factions too?)
Celadon (No idea who is rebuilding it, but Archipelago Vegas is a solid idea)
Saffron (COULD BE CUT.)
Fuchsia (COULD BE CUT.)
Lavender-Threadneedle (Lady V)
Cinnabar-(No idea?)

"Johto" (10)
New Bark (COULD BE CUT.)
Cherrygrove-Foehncove (Lee)
Violet (Reserved for Lee, unless Choobs or BB wants to do a take on post-alien invasion city)
Azalea-Hopedale (Lee)
Goldenrod (Reserved for El)
Ecruteak-Winstone City (Pohatu)
Olivine (Reserved for Lee)
Cianwood (No idea; considering making it an uninhabited island? Or maybe Cinnabar will be)
Mahogany-(Reserved for Cendra)
Blackthorn-Gulo (Lee)

"Hoenn" (15)
Littleroot-COULD BE CUT
Oldale-COULD BE CUT
Petalburg-COULD BE CUT
Rustboro-COULD BE CUT
Dewford-New Ellis (Lee)
Slateport-Salcester (Lee)
Mauville-COULD BE CUT, MAYBE
Verdanturf-COULD BE CUT
Fallarbor-Greyrock (DL)
Lavaridge-Lincliff (DL)
Fortree (Reserved for Shoni)
Lilycove-Mudbloom (Lee)
Mossdeep-Empyrea City (Merc)
Pacifidlog-Ha'dozen Isles (Lee)
Sootopolis (Really want to do something with this atoll)

So yeah, if we buckle down on what we got, then we've got twenty four cities, give or take. Granted, I'm planning on making one or two of the islands uninhabited, too, so that'll cut things way down, and I'm kinda considering having the Ha'dozen each be privately owned islands by the rich and powerful, which would make them a more minor detail but a potential plot hook.

[Cendra]

Introducing the town of Garden’s Well!

It's a quaint town of about 7000 residents. Some come to live there to get away from the corruption of the neighboring towns of Gulo and Winstone. On frequent occasion this causes waves of criminal activity to leak in, but it is usually temporary.

The town is mostly known for it’s beautiful views and wildlife. Their most popular time of year is during the butterfly migration which sets in all around the town twice a year the months of May and August. Because allot of their prosperity depends on their surroundings, the town is very environmentally conscious. Their efforts range from using and developing natural forms of energy to simple recycling. Some of the more well to do townsfolk even have the outer walls of their homes covered in dirt and plant life.

People who are fleeing controversy seem to find themselves in the town. Not everyone is friendly towards these people however, and some wouldn’t mind selling them out should anyone come looking for them.

You should come visit!

[Tout-Perd]

Whelkshore (Sounds a lot better than Foehncove, IMO)
Region: Johto
Replacing: Cherrygrove
Steward: LeeTupper
An idyllic coastal city with cobbled streets and slate roofs, where Powers and the general populace coexist in peaceful symbiosis. Powers have taken an active hand in sculpting life in this city, from public works and improving infrastructure, to shaping the land itself at the town's famous glass shore to the far south of their beaches.

Brightmeadow
Region: Johto
Replacing: Olivine
Steward: LeeTupper
A rural coast town that raises prizewinning livestock on their rolling hills, the farmers have a tradition of lighting their silos to serve as makeshift lighthouses. In spite of the town's beauty and innocence however, there have been rumors that South Pole Summoner holdouts have been lurking in the area.

Brisance Bay
Region: Kanto
Replacing: Vermillion
Steward: LeeTupper
A seaside city that serves as the primary military hub of the entire Archipelago. In addition to mundane forces, both APCARP (the American Power Control and Registration Program) and the Saeptum Foundation have some of their most prominent bases here.

Reyskimmer Atoll (Or maybe Stipe Atoll, whichever you guys would prefer)
Region: Hoenn
Replacing: Sootopolis
Steward: LeeTupper
An underwater city within an atoll, specializing in aquaculture. Most businesses and other establishments use permanent underwater buildings with entryways on the surface, whereas the general populace lives in houseboats. Instead of cars, people here commute via boats and jet skis. Many varieties of fish and shellfish are raised here, as well as a wide variety of aquatic plants.

Oh, and Lilycove is Mudbloom, though I haven't done the writeup for it yet.


I think that's pretty close to the whole thing, aye? We just need El's take on Goldenrod, somebody's take on Cerulean, and somebody's take on the Viridian/Pallet region.

[Lady Kara]

Reyskimmer has such a nice sound to it, at least to me. I'd say def stick with that. Not sure how to feel about Brightmeadow... technically I lean more towards naming it with something that has an interesting green color sound to it (if you want ideas, I've got tons; being a fan of RWBY, I have a lot of info on odd color names).

Now it's my turn to finally unload revamp details... and give the Archipelago-verse version of Todoroki =

~~~~~~~ The Todoroki Isles ~~~~~~~

Overview: A trio of islands steeped in ancient history full of tales of epic battles, adventures, and tragedies; currently possesses many relics of both buildings and other amazing artifacts from the past, some valuable enough to attract thieves and other unwanted visitors. This gave rise to the government hiring well-paid "Treasure Acquisitors" to hunt for relics to preserve them for museums and historical research facilities, while taking a strong stand against any thieving creeps they might come across on their travels. And as deeply connected to history as most inhabitants of the islands are, they also greatly love the newest technologies and try decorating or altering the appearance of many devices with inspiration from the past. Additional, the islands are known for magical creatures that inhabit all 3 isles that go by the collective name of "Spirikin". Each of these beings has the power to transform themselves into a spirit-like form that can reside in precious stones referred to as "Spirithysts", and can remain inside of them in a stasis unaffected by the ravages of time itself (so literally if you find a Spirithyst that is like hundreds of years old, and somehow release the Spirikin inside, they'll be the same age and vitality as when they first entered it - almost like being immortal). Spirikin lead normal lives in the various environments they call home on the islands and often are both beneficial or trouble to the islanders. However... if they come to trust and befriend someone strongly enough, and if that person has a Spirithyst of the color according to whatever dominant power the Spirikin has, their bond allows the Spirkin to transfer themselves into the Spirithyst and let their comrade summon them from it whenever they're needed (like Pokemon from a pokeball). A bond that isn't even broken by death, in some cases (it's been learned in recent years that an ancient Spirikin will be fiercely loyal to the descendant of a former ally).

Largest Isle/Most Populated: Kamineko

Info About Its Name: Inspired from the collective nickname that was given in ancient times to the most valiant and well-known of Spirikin on the island, the powerful catlike creatures called Dynalion, Boltiger, Seaval, Auraguar, Poisanther, Shadynx, and Crysleofledge.

2nd Largest Isle/Hub of Trade & Commerce: Solvista

Third Isle/Least Populated & Best-preserved Ruins: Lunarjade

~~~ I will give more details on the islands themselves at a later date... this is all I can post for now... *sweatdrop*

[Tout-Perd]

Talked some with El: Goldenrod is now Selvage City, and its big plot hook is that something about it makes it a huge point of dimensional overlaps (thus the Crescent Mage Library and the various incursions its faced over the years).

Saffron will tentatively be named as the capital of the region, and we just need a name for Mauville. Then we're good to start fleshing out.

[Beelzebibble]

Something I've noticed in replacing Cherrygrove with Whelkshore is that the latter needs a good demonym. Cherrygrove had a catchy one in "Cherrygrovers", but "Whelkshorers" (which I've been tentatively using as a placeholder) doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. "Whelkers" sounds better but also a bit silly, while I take it that no one wants to be called "Whelks" (since it literally means a family of sea snails). Should we go for something else?

I'm not a big fan of "-ian" demonyms (although "Winstonians" sounds good), and I don't like "Whelkshorians". "-ite" is cool so "Whelkshorites" is one option, but it still sounds a little strange. Past "-er", "-ian", and "-ite", we might have to get more creative - any ideas?

Relatedly, I love that Brightmeadow's demonym is "Brightfeldians". It's really fun when a demonym changes up the source language while keeping the equivalent word roots, like how Newcastle's demonym is "Novocastrians".

[SHADOWMASTER89]

What really bothers me is that I have lots of ideas and I want to do so much more RP wise, but lately I just don't feel like I have the time or the constitution to do as much as I'd like to.

[Tout-Perd]

Jan 2, 2016 12:09:58 GMT -5 Beelzebibble said:

Something I've noticed in replacing Cherrygrove with Whelkshore is that the latter needs a good demonym. Cherrygrove had a catchy one in "Cherrygrovers", but "Whelkshorers" (which I've been tentatively using as a placeholder) doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. "Whelkers" sounds better but also a bit silly, while I take it that no one wants to be called "Whelks" (since it literally means a family of sea snails). Should we go for something else?

I'm not a big fan of "-ian" demonyms (although "Winstonians" sounds good), and I don't like "Whelkshorians". "-ite" is cool so "Whelkshorites" is one option, but it still sounds a little strange. Past "-er", "-ian", and "-ite", we might have to get more creative - any ideas?

Relatedly, I love that Brightmeadow's demonym is "Brightfeldians". It's really fun when a demonym changes up the source language while keeping the equivalent word roots, like how Newcastle's demonym is "Novocastrians".

Tough call on that one; I think Whelkite would be the most NATURAL evolution of that city name, but it also sounds kinda scifi. 'shorers feels very New Englandy (which is the feel I'm aiming for), but on the other hand, feels a bit non-descript (literally calling them "'shorers'", not "Whelkshorers")

[Tout-Perd]

Also worth noting: Celadon is Monmorency (IIRC). It has two boroughs, Northmanse and Southmanse that hate eachother with a passion, with one being old-money capitalists that set up shop in the Archipelago, and the other being a bunch of newcomers who want to break into the scene with their fortunes they raised. Basically, they wanted to break into the circles of the powerful and influential in Northmanse, were told "no", and now seek the ruin of the old fat cats. Monmorency itself is bascially Archipelago Vegas, and probably is where Helen lives these days. : 3

[Tout-Perd]

Loogs has noted that we seem a little TOO whitebread in a lot of the names, and I'm inclined to agree, since almost everything is English. I mean, it makes sense to have a high percentage, but we could probably use a few more foreign names; some Japanese, for sure, maybe a little French (think more Carribean French than European French), some Spanish, you know. The Exodus is likely the most diverse place on the planet, after all. : 3

Names I'm most willing/able to change: Paymarble (Violet), Hopedale (Azalea), Reyskimmer Atoll (Sootopolis).

I know Shoni's city has a japanese name, but I can't recall it.

[Loogs]

I'm gonna be real here, y'all need to drastically de-Anglify this name list.

If what I understand is correct, there's some significant Japanese influence that hangs around the Archipelago? So that needs to be reflected in at least a few place names. Also, think about the US and think of the non-Anglo influences in the place names, maybe throw some of that in here. Think about the Spanish and French influences on the place names, hell, think of some of the stuff we got from smaller groups that came to the US (we have a ton of Scandinavian influence in Minnesota here) and Native American (the name 'Minnesota' itself is from Dakota)

I think that the flavor of this place could be improved a lot if we reflected a little more of the US's ethnic diversity here. I'll actually go ahead and take care of New Bark and turn it into a quaint little coastal town named Bryn Tawel, because Welsh is a hell of a language

ETA: shit, he beat me to it

[Tout-Perd]

I'm renaming Reyskimmer to Waniguchi Atoll, because it's got about twenty different layers of meaning. Since it literally means "Crocodile's Mouth", but also refers to a circular and jagged kind of shrine bell, which likely VERY much corresponds to the island's topography. There may also be actual saltwater crocodiles around; with that much aquaculture going on, they might even be one of the dedicated pest animals that people have to deal with! :3

[Shoni]

Konasuma. I believe that is that name you are thinking of Lee.

[Beelzebibble]

Jan 2, 2016 22:42:24 GMT -5 Loogs said:

If what I understand is correct, there's some significant Japanese influence that hangs around the Archipelago?

Only because I failed to convince anyone else that the proper final step in de-Pokemoning the setting would be to translocate the Archipelago somewhere other than "a stone's throw from Japan".

Curse you meddling kidssssss

[Tout-Perd]

Well, we are now more than a stone's throw from Japan- The current real world location I've been giving for the Archipelago is Midway island, roughly. The backstory I've been going with is it seemingly appeared out of nowhere either during (or shortly before) WW2 and was claimed by Japan at the time, until the United States won the war (well, won the war in the Pacific Theater, pedants) and claimed it as a territory of theirs. Perplexingly, there was quite a few people found in the area who insisted their family's been in the region for decades, even though there's no record of the Archipelago existing before the 1930's (Popular opinion states that these people were lying just to stake claim on the territory, but it's possible they're telling the truth). (I want to leave the Archipelago's backstory open to all sorts of possibilities; it could have been created by a Power, which is what the cult in Lincliff believes, or could have arisen from volcanic activity, or more exotically, could possibly have bled over from a timeline/universe where it DID exist into the current universe, considering how frequently bleed-over from other universes happens in ORP.)

This means the closest real world location with actual clout would be Hawaii, though I'm not sure how much people would want to Hawaiify it. (This does create a slight plothole of how in Triannual, when the group stepped through the card, the time was significantly different in Hawaii, but I digress)

If you look at the demographics of Hawaii, roughly 25% considers themselves to be of Japanese origins, and the Archipelago is likely quite close to that.

(I've been debating on the demographic makeup of the archipelago- Just spitballing, I came up with 20% Japanese, 25% American Caucasians, 10% white people from other destinations (mostly Europe), 10% other Asian populations (Chinese, Filipino, Korean), 15% Black (maybe a bit higher; it honestly seems like the Archipelago has quite a substantial black population from what we've seen on screen), 10% Hispanic/Latino, and 10% various other groups (Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander, etc.)) Of course, this isn't accounting for the non-human population, where we'd dip into Raiixians, Elves, and so forth. (I still don't know if non-humans are accorded citizenship and rights like humans are?)

[Tout-Perd]

Of course, this also gets into how the Archipelago is something of the ultimate economic and strategic holding; after all, it's directly between China and the US, and close to several other major world powers (Japan, the Koreas, Canada, so forth) That largely explains all the strife over it; control the Archipelago, and you've got an island full of Powers under your control, the best shipping location in possibly the entire world, AND a huge strategic edge (This is why the Summoners sent Miko- Their plan was to take control of the Archipelago. Once Miko obtained Bagan, their plan was to raze the Archipelago (or at least a lot of the seats of power in the region), convince the Powers to rebel, and then basically use the Archipelago as a base for the Summoners to take the whole world hostage (or at least China, Russia, and the United States) until they'd amassed enough power to become uncontested dictators.

Unfortunately for the Summoners, Guile beat up Miko as America's vengeance for the Slateport Incident, so he had to go home and become a family man. (Citation needed.)

[Beelzebibble]

Jan 3, 2016 7:47:48 GMT -5 Tout-Perd said:

Well, we are now more than a stone's throw from Japan- The current real world location I've been giving for the Archipelago is Midway island, roughly.

Oct 7, 2015 16:05:11 GMT -5 Tout-Perd said:

That said, we could move it a bit. I could see maybe moving to around where Midway island is or so, without it being an issue. (Farther east, and we'd be running into "why wasn't it a state already?")

Okay. I didn't realize it was finalized based on this post. I'm glad to hear it, though.

[Loogs]

Couldn't find anything else for questions re: the Archipelago, but I just had a thought: So is the currency of the Archipelago just USD then? or a new currency that's pegged to the dollar? or something else entirely? Bartering?

[Tout-Perd]

Yah in Ishkabibble, it was a plot point that the Archipelago uses US Dollars as their currency.

Many political questions about the Archipelago can be answered via just asking "What does Puerto Rico do?"

Money: USD
Military: Relies on the US for most military functions.
Government: Does its own thing, but largely follows the US's lead. May have its own constitution.

[Tout-Perd]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City
I kinda want a city like this. Your call on where it is and all, but I love the idea of a self-contained chaotic city that kinda does its own thing, separate from the government. The outlaw's outlaws, in a way. Any ideas to tack onto this?

[Loogs]

I love when I get to do something RP-related that counts for class points