67 - video;

[islandshore]

[It's late at night when Riku turns on the feed. Judging by the starlight surrounding him he's outdoors. Lights from the surrounding cityscape shimmer from afar. The camera hovers behind him as he rests along the edge of a roof.

It hovers closer, and he finally turns around, gaze distant despite the camera's close proximity.]

You ever stop to wonder about our place in this world?

[Why, yes, it's one of those messages.]

I mean, think about it. We're dragged from our homes, dropped here and expected to play by their rules. And sure, some of us are successful. We've had businesses sprout up from nothing, helped fight off giant monsters, been invited to proms...

Still, we're outsiders, and sooner or later, we might disappear, and all the work we do here gets left behind.

[He looks up, sighing softly.]

It just got me thinking... What do the locals think about us? Do we count as citizens, even though we aren't part of the world? And how much do they really know about us in the first place?

[Heh.]

But maybe I'm over thinking it. I mean, this is a world that somehow manages to sustain itself even without an obvious education, limited career paths, and a surprising amount of pacifism in the face of crime. Community service as catchall punishment's kinda light, after all...

[Leaning back, Riku shrugs.]

I don't know. What are your guys' thoughts? I've got time to kill.

Comments

[VIDEO]

[invigorating]

Hmm... Those are all pretty good questions. I don't really have any answers for you, but I don't think we need to worry about it either. If we were brought here for a reason, I'm pretty sure we'll figure that out eventually! And the people who were born in this world have been pretty nice! I don't think they dislike us or anything.

[She tips her head a bit as she thinks and the Dratini she's wearing as a scarf looks up sleepily.]

The people I've met here are some of the nicest anywhere! Even if you say stuff that they think's pretty weird like "I'm a dragon" or "I was fighting in a volcano before I got here" they just sort of shrug it off. I like them!

[VIDEO]

[islandshore]

Yeah, they're not bad people. The locals have a strange sort of... I don't know if innocence is the right word, but they're definitely idealistic as a whole, I'd say. They don't seem to care that there's a criminal organization under their noses, or that anyone with a sadistic steak could turn Pokémon into weapons.

[He laughs dryly, his smile crooked.]

Not that I'm trying to get pessimistic. It's kind of refreshing how positive this place is, and I know it could be much worse.

[Video]

[grapeeater]

... I think... it doesn't really matter much what the locals think of us. What matters is that this place is really kind of an open canvas. I mean... even if when we return home, what we did here disappears... I'd like to think that at least some things get taken with us.

I know I've changed from the person I was when I got here, and the fact that I had the space to do it here... means a lot. No end of the world, no people I knew from home, just... enough time to figure things out at the pace I needed. So I'd like to think that at least that kind of growth gets taken with us in some way. Maybe our place is just... to use this time to our advantage.

[Video]

[islandshore]

You're right; it is an open canvas, and I'd say I've changed for the better during my time here. I'm just surprised at how... simple things get. It's gotten me wondering where all the professors come from. Heck, where all the nurses come from. The engineers, the cops, all the people whose talents don't relate to battling and breeding.

[There's a short pause as he gazes up at the moon.]

It'd be nice to hold onto those memories, though. It's just a tough call. Some people come back remembering their previous stays, but others don't. Plus, there's those weird weekends where people come pouring in like a tidal wave...

Glad to hear that you're having a good time, though. The end of the world sounds... well, rough's kind of an understatement, isn't it?

[video]

[diosmio]

I can honestly say I haven't given much thought to what they think of us. After all, unless you come from some sort of severely underpopulated world, can't most people say the same of their homes? Who knows what complete strangers think of them or if they even care?

[He shrugs, not out of habit, but merely to demonstrate how little interest he has in this topic.]

I don't mean to offend, but it honestly seems rather pointless. When you visit a shop, do you stop to wonder what the shopkeep thinks of you, or how he gets through his day? For most people, things like that simply aren't worth the time it takes to dwell on them.

[video]

[islandshore]

Heh. It's a fair point. I mean, technically, their opinions don't matter, but at the same time, this is their world. We're the ones who technically don't belong. Guess what really gets me is that there's all these new people to take into account. Mouths to feed, workers to pay, strangers who don't fully understand their customs.

Like I said, it's pretty telling that they treat even serious crimes with kiddy gloves; it's like they just don't know how else to handle it, and that might extend to other things, too. So... less about what they think, more about the logistics of it all. How we affect them.

[Still, it's a sound argument. He's getting nothing out of toying with what-ifs, but it's just the way he is, always fussing on possibilities over the concrete.)

[video]

[paladinlost]

Why would we be considered citizens? In fact, why would they bother learning more about us? You said it yourself: sooner or later, we'll all leave this world, and everything we've built will fade away. I can hardly blame them for not wanting to get attached.

[He cannot imagine personally not getting attached, but he can certainly understand why others wouldn't.]

It's been five years and a half, yet this world's society still makes no sense to me. Children and teenagers obviously do not have quite the same rights as adults, yet there appears to be no support system for those who have no families here.

[video]

[islandshore]

Yeah, and half the stuff we might say probably sounds crazy to them. I mean, if someone walked up to them and said they used to be a pony or an alien, they'd probably be the laughing stock of the day.

[So are they small minded? Tough call. Actually...]

They seem to like brushing off things they don't get, like whenever all those other outsiders come pouring in, everyone gets their powers and forms back, and the whole place goes off its rocker.

But as far as rights and support goes, I still can't believe they let kids wander off on their own. It's a tried and true custom, and nobody questions it.

video;

[paopuprincess]

[Oh Riku, you're getting awfully existential. Do you need your buddy to bring you back down to earth?]

Are you really listing "Prom" as a major milestone?

video;

[islandshore]

...To be fair, that's one of the only big events that happens on a regular basis.

[It's said with a rather flat look.]

Seriously, it's like a holiday.

[Video]

[friendyousohard]

Still thinking about that, huh? Maybe I should apologize for bringing it up if it's stuck in your mind for this long.

[She jests, of course. She knows full well Riku would probably be pondering it regardless.]

[Video]

[islandshore]

Heh, no need to apologize. I've already been stuck on all these minor details for a while; it's what happens when you don't have any huge goals to pursue besides training people and selling eggs.

Speaking of which, I guess I should go out hunting for some more breeding stock...

[But still, it's routine, and routine leads to a wandering mind.]

video;

[pipers_son]

My thoughts are that I ain't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.

[Enlightening words from Joker, everyone. Still, he leans back, on a curb somewhere in Goldenrod, and seems perfectly at ease.]

I mean, how much do all the fine details matter for us right now? Locals don't hassle us much, which is kinder than a lotta other places. Bein' a citizen don't seem ta matter much, so long as ya got the money ta buy yer home or set up a business. Fair enough ta that, I say.

And if we disappear all of a sudden, leavin' things, well, how different is that from life normally? S'what I say.

video;

[islandshore]

Heh, that's fair.

[Some people are more easygoing. Riku's always envied people who can go with the flow; for as laid back as he presents himself at times, his mind wanders far too easily. He worries. He questions. He grows restless.

After six years, that still hasn't changed.]

I mean, I guess it technically doesn't matter, but there's stuff about this world that's just so frustrating. Lack of weapons, lack of a serious legal system... I'm twenty-one now, and I never graduated high school, and there aren't any real alternatives here.

Heh. It's weird that I'd miss something so mundane in a place like this, especially since High School sucks.

video;

[bylight]

You're starting to sound like a philosopher.

[Which may come with an existential crisis there, Riku.]

video;

[islandshore]

Maybe an armchair philosopher, but I doubt I've got the credentials to be the real deal.

[It's said with a light tone and a forced chuckle. He knows this is probably worrisome, but some habits are tough to break.]

video;

[usedglaciate]

...that really is light, as a catchall punishment.

[Enough so that it makes Weiss raise an eyebrow.]

I think we're as much a part of the world here as we are anywhere. Yes, we might go home and completely forget, but the things we do still make some kind of impact while we're here.

video;

[islandshore]

Yep. It's more like a slap on the wrist, so it's no wonder Team Rocket's still going strong.

[Presumably. If they were truly disbanded, he's sure they would've known by now.]

And that's true. Even if we go, the locals probably remember, and us outsiders have brought new stuff to the table, like the circus and the Breeding Center.

[video]

[lieutenantantichrist]

[Blake's on the couch, lit by a lamp. There's an Emolga softly snoring on his lap.]

Hey. You're too young to be having a midlife crisis, Rick.

[Seems like he's in that kind of mood too, though.]

You know, I never thought about it that way around. I was always trying to figure out if they're real to begin with. They handle us pretty well.

[video]

[islandshore]

Probably. I mean, twenty-one's barely an adult.

[And he sure doesn't feel as old as he is, making this whole predicament a bit odd. Still, he manages a soft little laugh.]

Part of it might be that they're used to it, but it still makes me wonder about the impacts we've made. We've got our fair share of breeders, but I haven't bumped into many local breeders. Competition's pretty fierce, and I've met people who go out of their way to repeatedly beat down the weaker trainers on the routes for cash...

Honestly, I'm probably putting way too much thought into this, but that comes from having way too much time on my hands and no real goals beyond running my business.

[heartdive]

What do you think about us?

[islandshore]

I don't know.

[Sighing, he leans back, expression distant.]

There's this part of me that thinks we're better-- at least, that we've got more common sense than the locals. They seem so... content, even with Team Rocket still hanging in the shadows. And I mean, some of the locals aren't total pacifists, but there's still this huge disconnect between us and them.

[video]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Ashley's in a hotel room, upright in her bed. A Munna drifts in and out of view behind her.]

We're kind of isolated from them, aren't we? Only...connected via this system, easily at least. The locals are all around us, and yet...it doesn't feel like it. Even when I see them every day. Could they get fed up with us? Maybe...

[She bites her lip and lets that thought trail off.]

It's a little reassuring to hear someone else asking things I've been wondering...but REALLY unsettling to know someone who's been here much longer still doesn't have an answer to any of that.

[video]

[islandshore]

Man, the locals don't even use this network. That's the part that always gets me. Do they have a private channel? Do they just not care?

[The most he's ever gotten were phone calls. It's... strange. Strange enough that he casts a glance down at the people far below, humming thoughtfully.]

Sorry if I stressed you out, though. Wasn't trying to make people worry; just figured I'd let it all out.

[Video]

[foolishwren]

Honestly, as simple as things are here, the people in this place adapt to things hella quickly.

And when you think about it, it kinda makes sense.

Like, sure, my out-of-town-ness comes up in conversation sometimes when I'm out and about, and people are interested, but like. In the background there'll be a rogue Tentacruel chasing people off the beach on the news. Or someone's Kadabra accidentally teleporting halfway through a brick wall and needing a whole team of Machokes to delicately chip it back out.

The people here are used to weird shit and I think by this point, people like us popping up is just... par for the course. A weird thing amongst five billion other weird things that everyone is just used to now.

[Video] sorry about the delay-- was at a con this past week

[islandshore]

[Hmm. That's... an interesting outlook. In hindsight, he should've taken it into account. This world is weird, and after a certain amount of time, that weirdness ends up losing its novelty.

Plus, it's always been a part of the place.]

And I guess after so many years of random strangers popping up, they've just come to accept it. It seems to happen in intervals, too. At least a few times a month. Then there's those crazy weekends that happen twice of year, like clockwork...

Makes you wonder what it'd take to really shake them. Not that I want to.