Character Retirement

[indigo_league]

At the end of a character's arc in Victory Road, some players may feel that their characters are best off remaining a part of the setting itself, effectively putting a cap on their story. Instead of being dropped traditionally, these characters will become background NPCs in the game, becoming a permanent part of the game.

Characters can be eligible for retirement after they have spent at least one year in the game. We encourage players to consider their character's arc, their impact on the game as a whole, and why it would be meaningful for the character to remain in the Pokémon world as opposed to being dropped traditionally.

Did your character start a business that changed the tourism industry in a town? Did they start their own gym? Did they become an important freelance reporter for EV news? Let us know! Your character doesn't need to have solved world hunger--we just want to know what sort of impact they've had, even if it's as small as settling down in a home in New Bark Town and telling new trainers to buzz off.

Note that retiring a character does NOT bar future players from also applying that character. If a player decides that Clark Kent is going to become an NPC EV News reporter, another player can then later apply as Clark Kent. Multiverse shenanigans are afoot, after all.

After your retirement submission has been accepted, your character will be removed from the taken page (if applicable) and a small blurb will be added to the location your character is associated with, with a link to information about that character's retirement.

Additionally, any characters dropped between August 2023 and November 2024 that meets the above requirements can be retroactively submitted for retirement.

Because there are countless ways that a player may decide that a character is ready to be retired, the mod team will be reviewing these submissions on a case-by-case basis. More information can be found on the form itself!

Submissions are checked every Wednesday.

Player: Your name.
Character: The character you plan on retiring.
Time Spent In-Game: Characters can be eligible for retirement after they have spent at least one year in the game.
Retroactive Retirement?: If your character is being retroactively retired, please link us your drop comment OR an AC comment from when you were in the game.

How did your character change in Victory Road?: How did they grow or develop as a result of being in the Pokémon world? This doesn't have to be exhaustive--we just want to know about the highlights!

What did your character do to impact the setting?: What sort of accomplishments did they have? Do they have a legacy/reputation among trainers? These things don't need to be wildly ambitious or remarkable, but should at least matter to the character.

Why do YOU feel your character should be retired?: What it says on the tin! Just tell us why you feel retirement is right for this character.

NPC Info: What will your character be like as an NPC? How can future players expect to handwave interactions with them? Is there any business/organization info you need to provide for future players to understand what your character will be doing?

<b>Player:</b> Your name. <b>Character:</b> The character you plan on retiring. <b>Time Spent In-Game:</b> Characters can be eligible for retirement after they have spent at least one year in the game. <b>Retroactive Retirement?:</b> If your character is being retroactively retired, please link us your drop comment OR an AC comment from when you were in the game. <b>How did your character change in Victory Road?:</b> How did they grow or develop as a result of being in the Pokémon world? This doesn't have to be exhaustive--we just want to know about the highlights! <b>What did your character do to impact the setting?:</b> What sort of accomplishments did they have? Do they have a legacy/reputation among trainers? These things don't need to be wildly ambitious or remarkable, but should at least matter to the character. <B>Why do YOU feel your character should be retired?:</b> What it says on the tin! Just tell us why you feel retirement is right for this character. <b>NPC Info:</b> What will your character be like as an NPC? How can future players expect to handwave interactions with them? Is there any business/organization info you need to provide for future players to understand what your character will be doing?

Comments

QUESTIONS

[indigo_league]

SUBMISSIONS

[indigo_league]

[insidescoop]

Player: Usagi
Character: Carly Nagisa
Time Spent In-Game: 4, nearly 5 years
Retroactive Retirement?: N/A

How did your character change in Victory Road?: Carly very much came into her own while in Victory Road- she found confidence in her career and skills! She found love! And honestly she found herself in a very mentoring role to boot, becoming someone who can be relied upon, looked up to even. ...For crime. These things are largely for crime,

What did your character do to impact the setting?: You could argue Carly has a split legacy, because she was very careful to keep her identity as a Rocket Agent hidden right from the get go. To the greater public, Carly became someone known for planning her trip ahead- trailer sleepers, camping, maps, etc. She got all her badges and made it through the Aurora League with a girlfriend, and ultimately her Gym at Two Island emphasizes that relationship- with a clever Gym puzzle that in itself challenges what so many associate pokemon training with. Instead of battle, you beat Carly's gym with love after all.

On the Rocket end, she arguably became the ideal icon for 'import Rockets'; Carly soared through the ranks with a fantastic show of criminal initiative, and often took it upon herself to mentor newer imports within the ranks. Even if she was mostly teaching them how to cheat the system behind the scenes, shush. She also successfully mapped out Whirlpool Islands top to bottom for them, and when she finally became a Rocket Alpha ended up with something of a strange 'honor'-

Specifically, Carly now trains new grunts regularly, teaching them the same tricks of theft and disguise that she knows, and doing it Very well. Carly's grunts blend in with society flawlessly, as she picks out their strengths and weaknesses and shows them the benefits of blending in. So, while no one outside of Team Rocket knows about Carly's legacy there...well, she sure Does have a legacy as being an incredibly effective agent.

Why do YOU feel your character should be retired?: Ultimately, Carly's been here a while, and she's settled into a pattern of activity. She maintains her Gym, trains up rockets, smooches her wife...She's got it good, and her story is pretty much wrapped up in terms of extremes. She does better in the background, and realistically has been in the background for a while now.

NPC Info: As an NPC, Carly will primarily be available as a feature of Two Island- her shared gym with Joylne is there of course (And I will process challenges to it as an NPC if that's acceptable), and business wise she still has her associated photography studio and ice cream stands there to contribute to Two Island's market.

As well, it can probably be assumed that new Rockets have the option of being compared to her, or being told to follow her example. She's a pretty solid one after all, and still trains rocket grunts behind the scenes. As far as NPC Rocketeering goes on that note, my only request on that end is that she's not outted to the public as being a Rocket.

LOL I THOUGHT I DID THIS BUT I GUESS NOT

[strings_theory]

Player: Star
Character: Jolyne Cujoh
Time Spent In-Game: Aaaaalmost five years?
Retroactive Retirement?: N/A

How did your character change in Victory Road?: Jolyne came into the game from after her death in canon, annoyed and frustrated since she was here mostly alone at the time. Over the time she dove headfirst into the gym challenge and making sure to prove her strength and her own resolve to be able to do something in her own power and on her own terms.

Hilariously this ended up in her dating and eventually marrying Carly, running a gym after beating up on the Elite Four, trolling the hell out of Lance with her very popular and classy pictures of dragon butts that she eventually started doing seriously, and overall just being a force to be reckoned with.

Oh and her dad also showed up and she got to have an emotional connection with him after everything was said and done.

What did your character do to impact the setting?: Please let the legacy of trolling Lance and artistic pictures of dragon butts continue, it deserves it. She also runs the other half of the Two Island gym while going about her daily life of mostly training with her dingus pokemon, doing gym shenanigans, or smooching her wife and being gross about it.

Why do YOU feel your character should be retired?: Guuuuuurl she's done everything she set out to do and then some. Let her live her weird afterlife in peace being a menace and being grossly domestic with her wife.

NPC Info: /vague gestures at photography and trolling Lance

But no, seriously, she'll continue taking gym challenges and being an absolute annoying menace while doing so. Feel free to process those as my brain is absolute mush, y'all.