With Love From Us To You!

[these_balls]

Hey, Route! With Valentine's Day looming on the horizon and coming up fast, and a few weeks of rather unusual weather heading your way, we've accordingly got a little event for you!

As some of our oldbies may remember, about this time last year we had Operation: Lovebug, complete with a blackout designed to help foster the dwindling populations of Volbeat and Illumise around the regions. Well, the good news is, the populations are back up to optimal levels this year, so a repeat performance won't be necessary!

The more interesting news is, this year there's going to be a swarm of a slightly different variety...





HELLO, FRIENDS.

Beginning on February 13, these strange gooblob creatures will be appearing sporadically all over Johto and Kanto! The swarm will continue through February 14 and eventually dwindle to a close early on February 15, so spot them while you can! After all, this is a rare and unusual treat — nobody in either region has ever seen something like this before, and it looks like they'll be around for a limited time only!

...Well, at this point, anyway.



☆ PLEASE MAKE SURE TO READ ☆
☆ THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THIS EVENT! ☆

• Yes, this is in fact a GOOMY SWARM.

• Yes, your characters can use this event to add Goomies to their roster.

• There is no cap on how many Goomies a character can catch during this event.

• However, THERE IS NO POKEDEX INFORMATION WHATSOEVER on your Goomies! This means that characters who capture or encounter one will not know anything about it — there is no information available on type, moveset, egg cycles, evolutions, nothing.

• Yes, this includes species name. In the true spirit of Pikablu and other entertaining fan speculation on sneak previews of Pokemon, we are highly encouraging characters to ICly come up with their own theories about what these mysterious blobcreatures are! The NPCs will be referring to them as Bloobers until the Gen VI Pokedex officially comes out in-game later this year, but you're welcome to contribute your own ideas ICly!

• This lack of information will be mod-enforced. If your character is the kind of person to sit there and rattle off every single move in known existence just to try and figure out the thing's moveset through pure trial and error, please talk to us so we can work something out with you!



OTHER IC INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT!

• Because Goomies need to stay damp in order to survive, the dry and sunny weather will understandably not be very good for them! Fortunately, they will also be having some Pokemon friends coming to their rescue — so in places where there are Goomies, characters may also spot roving swarms of Bronzong, who will be opening portals to another dimension in order to steal rainclouds and bring some localized downpours to their Goomy friends!

• On February 14, the Pokemon Professors and several other experts in the region will be making a news broadcast recommending that trainers try to keep the mysterious gooblobs damp whenever possible, to try not to hinder them in wherever they're going, and please do not throw them into the oceans and lakes. Invasive species, guys.

• Trainers in Johto may notice that the Goomy swarms appear to be drifting generally eastward; trainers in Kanto will likewise observe them moving westward.

• Local NPC groups may be holding demonstrations, fundraisers, and other volunteer drives encouraging people to Respect The Bloobers! These are mysterious and beautiful creatures (probably) and Pokemon PETA will be quite annoyed if they discover people have been hassling them.

• Again, attempts to register or identify the Goomies with the Pokedex will only return an "Error: No Information!" message.

• ETA: YES, THE GOOMIES CAN BE TAUGHT TMs/HMs, provided your character would ICly think to attempt it!


IN SUMMATION:

• February 13 — Goomies Bloobers appear around noon, at levels comparable to whatever route or town they're spotted in!
• February 14 — Goomies Bloobers begin migration toward Tohjo Falls eastward if in Johto, and westward if in Kanto!
• February 14 — Bronzong also begin to swarm to help out their Goomy Bloober buddies.
• February 14 — The Pokemon Professors make a televised announcement that they have no idea WTF is going on here, either, but it's probably science.
• February 14 — Nationwide grassroots efforts among the NPCs to help, defend, champion, or celebrate the Goomies Bloobers.
• February 15 — The Goomy Bloober swarm ends around noon!




Also, please feel free to use the comments of this post for plotting, screaming, and other general arranging of Bloober-filled Valentine's Day shenanigans!


STILL GOT QUESTIONS? ASK US!

Comments

ASK QUESTIONS HERE!

[these_balls]

[paladinlost]

Firstly, EEEEEEEE MODS I LOVE YOU.

Secondly, can the Mysterious Bloobers be trained and gain levels and moves like normal roster members? Or are they so mysterious that people can't even tell they're getting stronger/evolving/sentient? Would we need to check the calendar for appropriate days for evolution number 2?

Thirdly, are there cleaning products in the PokéMarts that are strong enough to remove all that slime on wooden floors? Because ewwwwwww.

[these_balls]

Firstly, we love you too. ♥

Secondly, they can be trained, but with no information on them whatsoever, it's understandably going to be really slow going. It'd take a while to "trial and error" a moveset out of them to begin with, and there'd be no data on when they're likely to evolve and whatnot, either, so basically trying to train them is an uphill battle up a Rather Steep Hill™. Players aren't barred from training and leveling them by any means, but it'll be a lot slower than it would be with other Pokemon and we'd like to see some IC legwork towards it, if that makes sense.

Thirdly, we anticipate NPC Billy Mays will start running commercials ASAP once the goo invasion hits, making the NPC who developed the Wonder Clean cleaning agent a very, very rich person. c:

[paladinlost]

Oooh, sounds like a fun project. Would TMs and HMs work as usual? Since Cecil has his reusable Return and it's worked on everything except Ditto up until now, he'd definitely try it along with his reusable Earthquake and all his HMs. He miiiight also go for Toxic since he's long realized it works on many, many things.

...Congratulations, NPC, your wealth will be well-deserved.

[these_balls]

If your character would genuinely think to do it, then they can try smacking the Bloobers with TMs/HMs, sure! Just know that it might come with its own perils, including but not limited to the disc getting absolutely coated in goo; here's hoping that stuff isn't absorbent...

And to answer your earlier question about the calendar: in order to get the second evolution into Goodra, for the time being we're going to say that yes, that would have to happen on a day in which rain is scheduled to hit the region. However, since we have yet to set in stone how several Gen VI mechanics (evolutionary and otherwise, Inkay I am looking at you) will work in Route, this is subject to change at the mods' discretion.

[paladinlost]

Let's hope Wonder Clean works on discs, too. And since the most glorious Goodra evolution will probably happen in a very long time, I guess there'll be plenty of time for method changes. Thanks for the answers!

(Oh man, Inkay. Good luck figuring that one out!)

Re: ASK QUESTIONS HERE!

[tearsofademon]

This is adorable oh my gosh~

Question though: What happens if a character happens to have a pokemon who, having not seen this species before, would go out of her way to find out its type through trial and error hitting it with all the types of moves to match the type chart based on strengths and weaknesses? Because Rose totally would. >_>;;

...Also can these Goomies Bloobers be taught TMs?

[these_balls]

As to your first question - we're going to have to respectfully ask that she not, sorry! We're not out to dissuade people from trying to learn about their mysterious Goomies, but we feel the scenario with Rose as you've described it is toeing the line of metagaming and we'll have to ask that you refrain.

As to the second, they can be taught TMs, if your character would think to attempt it and be willing to spend the money trying!

[tearsofademon]

I don't think it would be metagaming per se, myself? Considering that it's totally in her character to try (because she thrives on making her dear partner proud of her, and what better way than to know something he doesn't), and she's done such brute force methods before with Hidden Power... But thank you for the answer, and I will come up with a reason for her not to do so. (When in doubt, Ryner can dissuade her from pointless violence.)

[superordinary]

...So Naegi has a reusable Return TM and he knows a lot (if not all) Pokémon can learn that move so he would definitely try to teach it to a Bloober.

Would this be doable. :|a The move would be weak as hell but it's... something, at least.

[these_balls]

We've been getting a lot of TM questions thus far so I think I'm just going to go add it to the infopost proper - yes, he's welcome to try, if Naegi would ICly think to attempt it!

[bertall]

SO ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10 how hard would it be to get Bloober Goo out of clothing? Since Bertl sweats way too much plus the Goomybloobers liking damp spots, the poor kid might wake up with a few new 'friends' taking advantage of that.

[these_balls]

ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10 how likely is he to buy a mail-order case of Wonder Clean™ off an As Seen On TV ad if Pokemon Billy Mays is aggressively selling it to him. :|a

(In seriousness, he'll probably have a fairly difficult time of it, but it can be done with effort — we encourage you to play around with it!)

[islandshore]

I know that some folks have telepathic Pokémon, Porygons, and Pokémon that can otherwise communicate with their trainers, so I thought I'd ask juuust to be safe: if a Pokémon asked what type a Goomy is, would they even disclose it? I really want to avoid metagaming when the mystery element is so fun and lends itself to wackiness. I just know that ICly, Riku might try and ask one of his 'mons to see if they could chat with a 'Bloober.'

Basically wondering if there's a logical way to keep the typing a mystery even to other Pokémon.

[these_balls]

There is a way to keep the typing a mystery! That being, the Goomies don't actually have a comprehension of what "type" means, so if they're asked what type they are, they will respond with their current mood, I.E. —

"What type are you?"
"HAPPY. C8"

Or other such misunderstandings.

(They will also have a vaguely French accent, not that the Pokemon will actually understand what a French accent sounds like because lulz, Pokemon.)

[islandshore]

Excellent. That's exactly what I was hoping for, and I love the idea of them having French accents. Now I want to see Goomies with fake mustaches taped on.

[lightningbearer]

A couple of questions!

1. What level(s) will the Goomies be? Will they default to the area they're found in, be higher/lower, all level 1, or so on?

2. I saw the bit about attempting to ask them what their type is, would there be similarly nonhelpful responses if they're asked their names?

3. Once captured, will it be possible to breed them? assuming one can find another pokemon on their team who's both compatible and doesn't mind touching the slimy thing.... If so, can they have/pass on egg moves? Though obviously a newly hatched Goomy would be impossible to find out what any egg moves are without trial and error...

4. On the type issue, would it theoretically be possible to ICly figure out type--or at least narrow it down--by taking lots and LOTS of notes of how effective various known attacks are? e.g. "KO'd after two Ice Beams" "took five Water Pulses without fainting" "affected by Poison Fang" and so on. PRESUMABLY doing so would take a LOT of time and meticulous note-taking (and then reviewing notes in confusion due to inconsistencies thanks to Sap Sipper), but would it be possible to make a start? Particularly ruling out the types with immunities (e.g. steel is immune to poison, so if poison hits it can't be steel) and such...

[these_balls]

1. As we stated in the post, they'll be at levels comparable to the area they're found in!

2. Well, if you ask their names you might get responses like "Cedric" or "Jeanne" or "Archibald McBlobberson III" - but it will all be unhelpful as far as figuring out what they are, that's correct.

3. Considering these are weird little goo-things that randomly appeared out of the middle of nowhere with no warning whatsoever, you will not be able to cross-breed them at this time; current Route 'mons won't do it because of how unknown the Bloobers are as a species, and the frankly the Goomies won't really be interested in breeding as it is when they've got more pressing concerns like not drying out and dying at the moment.

That said, if you can manage to find a male Goomy and a female Goomy (good luck, having no Dex information on them) and get them in the room together, you can breed those together to produce more Goomies! But cross-breeding's not going to be possible at this time, no.

4. It would take a lot of time for a fair amount of inconclusive data - to say nothing of the fact that local NPC groups will probably not take well to the thought of PCs sitting around hammering the resident adorable gooblobs with attack after attack, even for the purposes of science! So while it's not out of the question to try, you might have to accept IC ramifications for it if you do.

[cobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

So how mad, in theory, would these NPC groups be if someone, I don't know who, caught a bunch of Bloobers (What is the appropriate term for a group of them anyway?), maybe under the impression that they might be special or something, and after the swarm ends, decided to just ditch them or sell them to the highest bidder?

[these_balls]

WHEE, GRAMMAR QUESTIONS!

The plural is Bloobers! The singular is Bloober, and the term for a group of Bloobers is...I dunno, probably "Gloob". So Cobra is attempting to capture a Gloob of Bloobers here.

we answer srs questions on this modteam

These NPC groups can be as irate as you would like, but they would probably take pretty fair offense to someone treating the Bloobers with such disregard, yes!

[cobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

A Gloob of Bloobers. Fantastic.

And thanks! Figured he ticked them off last year by refusing to participate in the blackout, so why not make a tradition out of angering the conversation groups!

[these_balls]

Watch out for their Smeargles, man, they're armed with red paint and not afraid to use it. :|b

[forthevillage]

Given that pokemon seem to be able to at least understand humans even if they can't be understood back, couldn't someone just say "Hey can you show me what you can do?" and have the pokemon display its moves? Or ask one of the pokemon they already have to ask. If they couldn't categorize all of them, they might be able to place some and make guesses at the others. They could probably still have them use a move even if they don't know the appropriate name for it. Like "use that one with the toxic spit".

[these_balls]

Trainers are welcome to ask! However, that doesn't mean the Goomies will necessarily understand what "show me what you can do" means; trying that will probably just get them to do something adorable like roll over or flatten into a puddle or some other gooblob-esque trick. Likewise, asking one of the Pokemon they already have to ask will result in adorable yet generally unhelpful answers — the Goomies will generally just misunderstand the questions, or not really comprehend what the trainer or Pokemon is getting at.

We want to stress that, with time and an IC demonstration of effort, trainers are absolutely welcome to gradually learn about their Goomies; we're not demanding blanket ignorance here. It's just a process that we'd like to have happen over time, so we're asking players to take that into consideration as they make their own plans for their Goomies.

[forthevillage]

Gotcha! I totally understand.

[pipers_son]

So, in XY, Mime Jr. is considered a Psychic/Fairy type. Considering Route's stance on XY things for now, however, the Pokedex would obviously not recognize it as such and simply classify it as pure Psychic.

Would it still be acceptable however for a Mime Jr. to react with angry huffs at a Bloober (plus vice versa because hiss hiss fairy) and for the corresponding trainer (this loser) make a completely wrong diagnosis on Bloober type??

Just want to know for sure before before I go making any silly posts.

[these_balls]

Unfortunately, no; the Mime Jr. won't have any inherent aversion to the Bloobers on the basis of type (or potential type), largely because the resident Pokemon know as little about the Bloobers as the trainers do. It's hardly a Seviper-and-Zangoose situation, so if there is angry huffing, it's not likely to be on the basis of type advantage or disadvantage.

(Plus, can you imagine a loveable little Bloober hissing at anything? They are friendly dorky little gooblobs, man, they love everybody. NOTHING BUT HUGS NOW THO :c )

[pipers_son]

(listen I have seen some weird shit in the edgy dark side of fandom, I can imagine a lot of weird things now)

(don't tempt the fandom)

[soundmind]

Does this mean halloween event will be

(IGNORE ME I'M KIDDING)

[pipers_son]

So do Bloobers float

or swim

Basically what happens when you toss them into water

Joker needs to know now because... reasons...

[these_balls]

I like how I actually know the context of those reasons because I am not-so-secretly the other person in the thread where the topic arose.

The Dex says they live in swamps so they can probably...at least somewhat hold their own as far as water is concerned? They don't learn Surf but they are supposedly based on sea slugs so it's not like large bodies of water are outright anathema to them or anything.

Let's go with, it'll manage to float but it'll kind of spread out into a big floating...pancake of sorts atop the water, which will reconstitute and slorp back into Goomy shape once you fish it out. :|b

[pipers_son]

That just means all the more incentive to answer it! Whooo~

But excellent, thank you. I figured it could float just because it seems like a floaty kind of creature, and now I have a hilarious mental image to go along with it.

Thank you for the quick response especially since I'm two seconds away from bed.