islandshore | 67

Entry tags:

67 - video;

[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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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!

... 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.

Edited 2016-03-16 16:07 (UTC)

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.

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.

[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?

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.]

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.

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?

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.)

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.

...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.

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.]

Once again, forgive my ignorance, but isn't that rather common when it comes to immigration? The method itself is certainly bizarre, I'll give you that, but how people cope with these things is well documented. Or at least in my world it is.

[Though seeing as he's from the 1890s, the accounts he knows might be a little out of date and rather...biased.]

I must admit I don't particularly find their legal code interesting either. Seeing as I was raised to obey the law [that was somehow said with a straight face], unless some sort of misfortune should occur, then I see no real reason to concern myself with these seemingly lax penalties. Though really, how often does anything other than petty theft or heaven forbid, wandering away from the drudgery of menial labor occur?

[...someone please take the thesaurus away from the twelve year old.]

Honestly, I don't know. Maybe there's training academies we just don't know about.

[He sighs and glances over at some of his Pokemon off screen, smiling slightly.]

Yeah. It's... well. I made some bad choices. I didn't help things. Then I got shoved into a... bad situation here.

[The Pokemon he was staring at - a Vulpix - wanders over and plonks herself on his lap. He pets her as he looks back at Riku.]

But I think now I've settled into something that's a little... easier. And I can have kind of a normal life. I grew up pretty rich and separated from other people, but here... no one cares how rich I was, or who my family was. I've had to learn a lot of things, but I think I'm better for it.

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.

You're starting to sound like a philosopher.

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

It's been a long time since I added any new members to my repertoire as well... I don't know that I'm all that interested in expanding, though. Honestly these days I'm not really sure what I'm trying to do.

Ordinarily I'd be searching for more scientific secrets behind how this world works, but that hasn't been working out very well.

...Yeah. I can think of some people who'd do stuff like that if they were here.

[SIGH...]

But in some ways it's kind of nice that they're so laid-back! They're so friendly and kind and I still don't know what's up with that lady who called herself my mom, but I hope she's doing okay!

Perhaps ignoring everything that does not fit their own world or routine is the only way they can accept our presence. As far as I know, there were no such events before that one November, which might mean that it is related to us. If they were to acknowledge that madness, they'd have to hold us responsible.

[And force them to wash dishes and clean sidewalks twice a year. The horror.]

I'm hardly one to talk about allowing children to participate in dangerous situations, I'll admit. But there's a difference between letting trained and well-equiped mages battle monsters alongside adults, and forcing a single child who has never travelled to walk three days in the middle of a snowstorm.

...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.

[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.

She's... interesting. You gotta wonder what goes through her head if she thinks every newbie's her kid. She's gotta have some kinda psychological issues.

[Heh.]

Honestly, I'm surprised she's still at it after all these years. Heck, I wonder how she can afford to feed all the newbies in the first place.

Yeah... I've been kinda worried about that since I showed up... Is she super rich or something? How can she afford to give money out to everyone who shows up?

Even if she was rich, you'd think she'd run out of cash eventually. Her house looks pretty modest, and unless she's got a secret job, I can't even imagine how she keeps the money flowing...

Or how anyone does, come to think of it. I mean, those trainers who hang by the roads are living money dispensers, and I've never seen them leave their posts...

Heh. Think I might know what kinda situation you're talking about, but I won't press it.

[There's one bad situation that always comes to mind: Team Rocket. He's seen innocent people shoved onto the team before, and while most broke away, it was far from a pleasant experience.

Still, that's none of his business, so rather than pry, he opts to fidget with one of his Pokéballs.]

Guess a normal life's kinda refreshing after what you went through before. I'm kinda the opposite; always wanted more than what I had. Still kind of do, even now. Is that weird?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 8

67 - video;

[VIDEO]

[Video]

[video]

[video]

video;

[Video]

[VIDEO]

[Video]

[video]

[video]

video;

[Video]

[video]

[Video]

video;

video;

no subject

no subject

[video]

video;

[video]

no subject

no subject

no subject

[Video]