Apollo the Riolu

Subject: Apollo the Riolu Fri May 13, 2016 6:31 pm

» Name: Apollo
» Sex: Male
» Gender: Male
» Species: #447 – Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon
» Affiliation: Wanderer

» Level: 5
» Energy: 16
» Ability: Steadfast
» Moves:
- Bullet Punch (Egg)
- Foresight (Lv. 1)
- Quick Attack (Lv. 1)
- Endure (Lv. 1)

» Natural Feats:
- Aura Sense: Apollo has the innate ability to sense the “Aura” of any living creature. Aura is a mysterious force that a living creature gives off. It is invisible to any Pokémon without the ability sense it. Aura emanates in correlation to the owner's emotional state, changing with the emotion. However, it does not show anything specific and merely shows their general disposition and He is also able to silently communicate with other Pokémon sensitive to Auras via Aura waves.
- Steadfast: Whenever Apollo is Flinched, his fighting spirit allows his body to move more quickly, raising his Speed.

» Personality: Apollo is a hot-headed Pokemon that is quick to jump to conclusions. Naturally, this is a rather negative combination that gets him into trouble and quickly escalates itself. He will get angry at somebody merely because he thought that they were trying to do something to or for him that he did not want or ask them to do and he could end up picking a fight with them by the time the conversation is over if he isn't talked down again. If he realizes that he is in the wrong, he is not above humbling himself and apologizing for his mistakes, though.

He is normally a loner by nature. He has always wanted to be independent and to do things for himself. He hates the idea of relying on somebody else to do something that he should be able to do himself; he sees himself as weak if he feels that he needs the help of another. And he can't afford to be weak. He has a brother he has to beat, after all. As such, he wastes no time with relationships with other Pokémon, let alone any romantic interest. Perhaps, however, all he really needs is somebody to befriend to give him that push he needs to be his best.

Apollo is also somewhat slow-witted. If a situation gets complicated, he will easily begin to grow confused, which leads to agitation and frustration, which might lead to him losing his temper, which is a major problem he has. He is very temperamental, due in part to a large sense of pride and self-worth. If he feels that that is diminished in some way, he will not just let it go very easily unless he thinks it is justified.

» Likes:
- Fighting: There is nothing that Apollo loves more than a good brawl. He prefers hand to hand battles without moves, since that is more skill-based rather than having advantages or disadvantages based on types, but is understanding when some Pokémon might view that as unfair due to his Fighting type and is more than willing to fight battles with moves as well.
- Independence: Nothing gets on his nerves more than somebody trying to boss him around or tell him what to do. This reminds him of the strict rules of his old life and refuses to do anything that he doesn't choose to do himself.
- Training: Apollo spends almost all of his free time training and bettering himself. Part of this obsession comes from his desire to simply be the strongest Lucario there is and prove his skills with his Aura, but also out of spite for his family trying to turn him into what they wanted him to be. So he trains his own way, developing his own fighting style.
- Using his Aura powers: He has always found his Aura abilities fascinating. It was the only part of his harsh training regimen that he felt that he could appreciate. He practices the skill every day, hoping to one day master it like his mother had...as much as he hated idolizing her own powers. This is what he often does to try to relax himself...especially if he loses his temper.
- Quiet: While he does enjoy fighting, he also enjoys times where he is by himself in a nice, quiet environment. This allows him to focus on using and practicing with his Aura senses, which greatly relaxes him.

» Dislikes:
- Complexity: Apollo loves to keep things simple. He doesn't care about what doesn't apply to him. He prefers not over-complicating things with needless details. For example, he doesn't care how or why Oran Berries grow on trees, he just needs to know that they do so that he knows where to look
- Losing: While most Pokémon would say they do not like to lose, Apollo absolutely hates losing. He is likely one of the biggest sore losers out there. This can apply to just about anything given his competitive nature, but he hates losing to anybody in battle the most. After all, if he is losing his fights, then the whole reason he left his family in the first place is meaningless.
- His Nickname: His younger sister always called him "Polly." She did it because she thought it was a clever, easier way to address him and thought it was cute, something she thought he needed. The name always annoyed him and he hates it when anybody else comes up with this "clever" nickname.
- His brother: Ever since he found out what he had really been training for his entire life, he felt betrayed by his family...particularly his brother, who was the one who had kept his interest in the hard life in the first place. He claims to hate his brother for letting his family use him the way they did and swears to be stronger than him some day.
- His "destiny": He absolutely despises this whole "destined to be an Aura Guardian" crap that he overheard his brother and mother talking about. He lives his own life; he doesn't live according to some destiny that some old man from decades, possibly even centuries ago set forth about his family.

» History: Apollo grew up in a very special location: A mostly-unknown temple located surprisingly close to the Sacred Lands known as the Aura Temple. At this temple lives a single family, along with a couple of students who followed up on rumors of the temple's existence. A long standing belief of this family is that their ancestors were ancient "Aura Guardians." They were Pokémon who supposedly worked to keep the peace of the world, working somewhat closely with ancient and powerful Pokémon. As the world grew more autonomous, their role in the world was diminished, they were distanced from their leader, and their clan name faded into obscurity. This is what they believe, at least. And this was the kind of environment that Apollo found himself raised in.

Apollo was raised in a simple family of five: His parents, a Lucario mother and a Hitmonchan father, himself, a younger sister and an older brother. Occasionally, students would come by to learn from his parents, but most would stay only a few days before heading back home, deciding that this wasn't what they had had in mind. As a child, he got to watch his older brother training with his mother and father. He grew bored during lectures and lessons, of course, but always loved watching his brother train his physical body. He also thought it was amazing how skilled his brother was at controlling his Aura. He was a natural. He couldn't wait for the day he was old enough to begin training as well. He wanted to be just like his older brother.

However, when he finally became old enough to train, he quickly realized that it was not what he thought it was going to be. Day in and day out, nothing but hard, physical labor from his father and boring history and religious banter from his mother. The only part of his training that he grew attached to was when his mother began to teach him about his Aura capability. The one thing he paid complete attention to was her lessons in the Aura and their family's proficiency for reading and manipulating them. She always told him that it was their Aura abilities that made Lucario closer to the god-like figures of the world than most other Pokémon out there, and that their family tree supposedly had these great ties to them. He didn't particularly care for these "history" lessons, but learning how to control his Aura powers really fascinated him....

The only thing that kept Apollo engaged in the rest of his training was his older brother, the one that he wanted to train like and with. He constantly promised him that the training would get better as his body adapted to the labor. He promised that he, too, had to go through the same thing he was going through. After all, this was the regimen that his ancestors had gone through, passed down through the generations. If he continued, he was bound to become just as strong as them, if not stronger due to advances in technique since the old days. So, he stuck with it.

One day, however, after one of those talks with his brother the previous night, Apollo was making his way to the usual training hall earlier than usual to get prepared. He overheard his brother and his mother talking, discussing their training the previous day...and the conversation eventually turned to something Apollo didn't expect to hear. They were not being trained to be fighters. They were not being trained for self-defense or to better themselves. They were not even being trained to be protectors of something. They were both being trained and raised to be Aura Guardians, which was a custom that his family had apparently been following for generations. Supposedly, the children of the eldest daughter in the clan take the mantle of the Guardian and live their lives out here in the temple. And that was when it struck him: He was being shaped over time by his entire family; molded into this so-called Aura Guardian, whose supposed role in the world had long-since been over. And they didn't even have a guarantee that it was the truth in the first place! He was merely being used to keep some stupid, archaic tradition alive.

He confronted his mother and his brother, who quickly tried to talk him down. However, his temper was lost. His anger at this apparent betrayal of his trust was so intense that the sheer aura coming off of him was enough to throw the pair of Aura-sensitive Pokémon off just long enough for him to tell them that they didn't need him when they had his brother and sister, and that he was leaving to be on his own.and live his life the way he wanted to live it; not to live for some ridiculous, meaningless tradition. Before he walked out of that door, however, he made sure to tell them that he intended to prove that this archaic way of life was nothing compared to the outside world these days. He would train in the real world and become stronger than his brother, the next heir to the Aura Guardians.

His father, however, did leave him one last gift: safe passage from his homeland to Grassveil, where his mother and father had met while his mother had been out looking for a husband away from home. He knew his son well and knew that, in his anger and frustration, he would not be focused on the aura signatures surrounding him, and as such overlook the dangers of this area on his own. So, his father shadowed him as he travelled, unbeknownst to the Riolu until he was safe from these powerful lands and in more manageable territory for one of his strength...and his father left. Apollo only then realized that something felt...different. Like something had been there that no longer was. However, he shrugged it off and finally continued his travels. Soon, he found himself ready to begin his new life.

Of course, Apollo is also completely in the right. Unknown to his family, the vague history of the family is a false one, created by one Lucario generations in the past who believed that Lucario, as the species with the most mastery of Aura, were superior to others and wanted to have another reason to say that they were. As such, he created the myth, claiming that it was a secret he had been told by his father and had accidentally "let it slip" once when talking with an outsider. Any individuals may have vague knowledge of the temple as a result of this "slip of the tongue," but again, it has fallen into obscurity. It is commonly dismissed as rumor.

» Other: Due to his specialized training, Apollo has heightened senses. His hearing is particularly sensitive.

Subject: Re: Apollo the Riolu Tue May 17, 2016 10:52 pm

Sorry, your Character Bio cannot be approved due to the following reasons:

1.) AURA

No respectable source says anything about how an aura "intensifying" looks. As far as I can see, it isn't mentioned anywhere that a more intense aura looks darker, or different in any way. The only thing that's stated is that it "feels" different. Considering how many characters are affected by this, taking artistic liberties is not appropriate here. Also, riolu and lucario can communicate with each other to an extent through auras, which seems worth noting.

2.) SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE

So, your character and his family are abnormally proficient in aura sensing and manipulation. They are descendants of the "Aura Guardians," which have never even been implied to exist in PMD. These Aura Guardians supposedly worked with "ancient and powerful Pokemon." To top it all off, Apollo is The Chosen One. I could go on and on, but I'll just get to the point: Apollo is suffering from a severe case of Special Snowflake Syndrome. If all of this is just supposed to be baseless myths with no truth to them, then clarify that in the history. It doesn't matter whether or not Apollo knows about it; if it's remotely important, it needs to be stated. The history is supposed to be told ABOUT the character, not from their own perspective.

-If Apollo's family is made up of a buncha Looney Toons, explain that.

-If you DID intend for even a considerable portion of this to be remotely true, I'm going to have to ask that you change it. No special snowflakes.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to message any of the Secretaries. May it be through the Chatbox or through Private Messaging, we will tend to your concerns as soon as we can. Please fix your bio accordingly so that we may be able to approve it. Once you have completed your edits, either bump this thread or message us.

Subject: Re: Apollo the Riolu Fri May 20, 2016 9:20 am

1. The thing is, the bio template tells me to "describe how it works in detail so that mods can approve it and both you and the mod are sure that it won't be used in a way that would be classed as god modding." As such, I described how I interpret the Aura capabilities in specific. However, for the sake of speeding this along, I have removed it. Though I strongly feel that this should be standardized. The fact that it's so vague leaves it quite open to "artistic liberties" and it doesn't really make sense for aura to be viewed in different ways by the same species. That's why I submitted it the way I did, so that people could look it over and determine whether or not that was an appropriate interpretation. It's also worth noting that I interpreted it the way I did because in my way, a Pokémon able to control their emotions can hide their Aura (basically, make it less intense, and thus lighter and harder to detect), thus making the ability weaker and allowing some Pokémon to remove this advantage for balance purposes.

Also, I did note that Riolu and Lucario can communicate with each other via their Auras. However, it is worth noting that the only Pokédex entry that stated that this is limited to Riolu and Lucario was the HGSS entry. However, that was when Riolu and Lucario were the only Pokémon able to communicate using Auras. Now, Aura is much more in the air. As modern Dex entries merely vaguely state that it can "communicate with others." But, again, for the sake of speeding things up, I'll change it to that to make sure that it's okay.

2. Haha. I left it vague and open to interpretation because I don't know what's real and what isn't on this site, and I don't know the history. I figured that, if it did turn out to work, then cool. But if it didn't, then no biggie, it was all made up. I figured that it would be better for people to read it for themselves and come up with what /they/ believe to be true rather than just be given an answer. But since you want the truth right out of the gate, then there it is. Added that paragraph at the end for clarification's sake.

Also, no, Apollo is /not/ proficient at Aura manipulation. At least, no more than any other more or less untrained Riolu out there. His family is because they've devoted their lives to it, but he never received full training. His "brother" is currently undergoing that training. Also, he is no "Chosen One" by any means. It's not like he was actually chosen by destiny or anything ridiculous like that. It's more like a tribal custom. He's the first-born of the eldest female Lucario in the family, so he is meant to take the mantle that his ancestors supposedly did of "Aura Guardian." It's like the beginning of Zelda: Wind Waker. It is more or less just a tradition at this point. Yes, in that game, Link turned out to be an actual hero, but it was a custom for years before him to dress young men in green when they came of age. But in this case, Apollo's mother believes strongly that there is real meaning behind it. I have now specified this in the fifth paragraph of his History. He's certainly no "special snowflake" and he likely wouldn't be, even if their beliefs were true.

In any case, updated with the requested changes made.

Posts : 2129 Poké : 1760 Join date : 2012-08-04

Sorry, your Character Bio cannot be approved due to the following reasons:

1.) HISTORY

You have a bit of a problem with consistency. You mention how Apollo becomes enraged at the thought of becoming an Aura Guardian when he he had just overheard that the first-born son was to become one. From how you've written this, Apollo had no idea that his elder brother was adopted, and as such should have assumed that it was his brother who was being trained for this specific task. Due to this, his outburst of anger about being trained to be an Aura Guardian makes no sense. You should edit it appropriately: Either make Apollo know his brother wouldn't count, or make him specifically not want the position thrust onto his brother and events from that somehow leading him to leaving.

Secondly, for someone who can sense aura, Apollo for some reason never sensed his father following him, nor any Pokemon his father may have headed off to be sure Apollo's journey was safe. Surely he would have sensed something? He's been trained to sense it after all by that point.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to message any of the Secretaries. May it be through the Chatbox or through Private Messaging, we will tend to your concerns as soon as we can. Please fix your bio accordingly so that we may be able to approve it. Once you have completed your edits, either bump this thread or message us.

Subject: Re: Apollo the Riolu Sat May 28, 2016 6:12 pm

1. Oh wow, that is a very good point that I hadn't even realized. I fixed this by taking out the first-born part and simply saying that the children of the eldest daughter takes the mantle.

2. The way I have set up the aura power (at least for him), he can only sense Auras when he's specifically looking for them. Otherwise, he has the senses of a normal Pokémon. In his rush to leave and inexperience at traversing the outside world, he simply didn't even think to use his Aura sense abilities for the whole trip. I decided to specify this as well, in both the Aura feat and in that second-to-last paragraph.

Posts : 2129 Poké : 1760 Join date : 2012-08-04

Sorry, your Character Bio cannot be approved due to the following reasons:

1.) NATURAL FEAT

Kinda wish you didn't do that. There's no mention anywhere saying that all Riolu must concentrate to sense aura. Especially given the fact that Apollo himself is trained to sense it. Remember that natural feats are supposed to represent all of a character's given species. Not just him/herself. I would suggest finding another way for him to have not sensed his father and the other Pokemon and only make it noted in his history.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to message any of the Secretaries. May it be through the Chatbox or through Private Messaging, we will tend to your concerns as soon as we can. Please fix your bio accordingly so that we may be able to approve it. Once you have completed your edits, either bump this thread or message us.

Subject: Re: Apollo the Riolu Sun Jul 24, 2016 5:51 pm

Fair point. I turned it back into what I originally had and edited it so that, in his anger, he merely didn't realize it. That's not to say he didn't notice aura signatures, but it just never registered in his mind, and he just never really bothered to check any individual or familiar characteristics about the signatures that he could detect.

Hopefully that's enough to wrap this up? xD

Subject: Re: Apollo the Riolu Tue Jul 26, 2016 1:06 am

Sorry, your Character Bio cannot be approved due to the following reasons:

1.) NATURAL FEAT

1.1) ^{(Optional for now)} Feat is labeled as aura sense, meaning they have the ability to sense aura. Descriptions on aura manipulation shouldn't technically be put here.

1.2) Communication through aura is not limited to inter species communication. You could have them say things to others, but others may or may not be able to respond back through aura unless they have access to manipulate aura.

1.3) Aura is not exclusive to Riolu and lucario.

1.4ish) It should be noted that aura cannot be used to directly know what emotion a pokemon is currently experiencing. Only it's general disposition such as if they have negative intentions or not. Although this part of aura is very mysterious, it would take far too much practice for any one of the species to actually know all the emotions a pokemon has if emotions could be mapped through aura.

Alright!, So you read what needs to be fixed. Go ahead and make those changes. When finished, please post a reply stating you have made those changes so we can recheck your application.

Enjoy your stay

Subject: Re: Apollo the Riolu Thu Aug 04, 2016 8:10 am

I'm glad that you got so specific, so I was able to change everything that you pointed out.

Hopefully it's good now. xD

Subject: Re: Apollo the Riolu Sat Aug 06, 2016 10:51 pm

Approved, Your character has been approved for use on the site!

Note: Although you have the feat approved for use about aura usage. Please remember to ask about its usage when in doubt about its allowance.

» Apollo's Characters
» Viktoria the Riolu
» Raul the Riolu
» Lance the riolu
» Noel the Riolu