united_one | 002 ♖ [Video]

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: Accumula Town

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002 ♖ [Video]

(( OoC: I know there are still lots of threads going in the event post, so consider this forward-dated to the end of it-- a day or two after the chaos died down and all the attacking Pokemon fled. Keep the other threads going by all means, or ignore this post until they're finished-- I just wanted to get this out. :'D ))

[It's midday, and N has retreated from the recovering crowd to a spot at the edge of Accumula Town, near the gate to Route 2. He is sitting cross-legged in the dirt, by what appears to be a small makeshift grave-- a flat rock placed upright in the dirt amongst a wreath of bright-colored flowers. His Xtransceiver has been seemingly abandoned and forgotten in the dirt, and records N and his Pokemon from an odd angle.

While Zorua and Zigzagoon wrestle playfully with each other in the grass, N is tending to his new friend-- the same Sigilyph that dive-bombed him and caused the now bandaged wound at his scalp. He holds his void cube in both hands, and begins to quickly rotate the sides, leaving the green and gold squares in disarray.
He then holds it out toward the Sigilyph, and the cube is promptly lifted out of his hands by a psychic power. A moment passes, and the sides begin to rotate again in midair, manipulated by the Sigilyph. N gives a slight smile and sits back, observing the Pokemon's progress as it attempts to return the squares to their original alignment.

There is a long pause, before he asks quietly:] Do you believe there is an afterlife? [The Sigilyph's third eye blinks, and the rotations stop for a moment. Soon enough, it continues, and N glances expectantly down at the Xtransceiver. Welp, looks like he did know it was on. And he's apparently been doing some thinking, addressing his question to the masses. He tries again:] That one may live again when they die.

[He lets the question sit for a moment, and suddenly shifts the subject, averting his eyes from the Xtransceiver:] I would like to leave as soon as possible. There is much more to be seen. Paprika, Dragonite, Thomas-- [He pauses awkwardly. Did that mean Sandra would come along as well? He isn't sure. He continues.] Whenever you are all prepared, we shall leave. [Yet another awkward pause.] Is that alright?

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[Honestly, she feels a little creepy for having seen this whole thing, since she can't recall anyone dying recently.]

So did we, uh, pick up a new travelling buddy or something?

Oh. Yes. [Oops. He didn't tell he, did he...? Let alone ask her if she was comfortable with it.]
That is Thomas-- Like with you and Dragonite, I wish to teach him more about this world. I do not believe he will cause any problems.

[He pauses. Thomas better not cause any problems...] Is that okay?

[She shrugs.]

Never heard of the guy, but it's cool with me.

[After a moment, she adds a bit awkwardly, complete with gesticulations around her head.]

Your head doing okay?

Alright. ["The more the merrier", as they say. Hopefully.

At her question, he gives a reassuring smile.] Mm-hm. It doesn't hurt much anymore. And the nurses at the Center say I'll be fine. [The void cube is lowered back into his hands, and he takes a moment to inspect it, smiling contentedly. The cubes have been arranged back to their rightful places.] And it seems the one who caused the injury is much calmer now. [He addresses the Sigilyph:] Well done, friend. [It makes a cheerful chiming sound, and lifts the void cube again, disorganizing the cubes.]

And you, Paprika? What happened was... disconcerting at the least. [The void cube is returned to him, and he absentmindedly begins to turn the sides.]

[In retrospect, she probably should be a bit more freaked out by the whole thing.]

I mean, yeah, it was like, really freaky and all, but Old Man and Robin had their shit together, at least. S'long as crazy-ass zombie Pokemon don't attack people all the time, I'm fine.

[He chuckles. He's not perturbed by her displayed nonchalantness at all; he actually likes this response better than what the "appropriate" one would be.]
Well... I am glad you are alright. And your Pokemon were very valiant. Be sure to tell them so. [He pauses, then gives a slight frown.] Still, it seems they were doing all the work. Your style of battling leaves much to be desired, from what I witnessed.

[He'll just have to teach her! But first, it seems he has a question. He asks it tentatively.] I did not have a chance to ask you during the attack, but... what is a "zombie"? [He had heard the word in passing on his travels, but never stopped to ask what it meant.]

Oh, uh, yeah... About that.

[The Pokemon master, it is still not her.]

What're you even, like, supposed to do? Like, I remember in the show, they used to be all like, "Pikachu, do Thunderbolt!" or whatever, and then Pikachu was all like, "Shaboom!" and he always won.

[She can't help but grin at the zombie question, her whole demanour growing visibly more excited because it's time to talk about movies, oh yes.]

It's when people die, but then they like, sorta come back to life and eat other people and stuff. If they bite you, you turn into a zombie, too.

[After a dramatic pause, she adds:]

...It's only in movies, though. It's kinda overdone, but the classics are always great!

[All this about Pikachu again... N frowns disapprovingly.]
Well... It is not always so simple. Battling requires thought, strategy... Simply sending a Pokemon out and calling attacks at random will not get you very far. [Unless your Pokemon were ridiculously strong, which... clearly was not the case for anyone here yet.

And now for something completely different. N's eyes widen.]
... I see. That sounds... very strange. And unsettling. [He had been pondering death and the possibility of reincarnation, but... that is not what he meant!] Why do they eat other people? Coming back to life shouldn't make you a cannibal...

[Ahahaha this is the girl who loses to small children at checkers.]

Mm, okay, so just, like, everything I'm not good at. That's cool.

[Oh, man, N is in for it come Halloween if he's going to be this gullible.]

Just for the shock value, I guess. It's only for horror flicks and stuff, so it's not like legit zombies are gonna pop up outta nowhere and start eating people.

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the-nth-power.livejournal.com - 2011-09-20 05:04 (UTC) - Expand

[video] fgsdhg fuck pretend this was done in a timely fashion ;;

noplaidshirt.livejournal.com - 2011-09-25 05:40 (UTC) - Expand

[video] yes sssh consider it done

the-nth-power.livejournal.com - 2011-09-26 19:05 (UTC) - Expand

[video] //sobbu

noplaidshirt.livejournal.com - 2011-09-27 01:34 (UTC) - Expand

[video] SHOOSH /touch

the-nth-power.livejournal.com - 2011-09-29 03:39 (UTC) - Expand

[video] //paps or some other Homestuck reference that probably isn't funny anymore

noplaidshirt.livejournal.com - 2011-09-29 10:25 (UTC) - Expand

[Oh, dear. How horribly... awkward. On so many levels. The grave -- Oh, he really ought to do something about that. He should...b ring flowers, or... what was the proper way to pay respects to a Pokemon you've killed? Thomas isn't sure. Maybe it'd be better if he just avoided it.

Secondly, it would seem that N caught one of those birds, those Sigilyph! Thomas watches it on the screen with narrowed eyes, disliking it immensely. It seems to be behaving itself, and once again N seems to trust it, but he can't help but feel prejudiced against it. The thing is still too bizarre, and its psychic powers are too frightening.

And that question! Is there an afterlife? It just made it clear that N was still upset about the Baltoy's death, which in turn made Thomas feel incredibly guilty. He begins to search for a way to turn off the transmission, feeling too unsettled about it, but then N mentions him directly. Sighing, his finger hesitating over the reply button for several seconds, he presses the Reply button.]

Yes, that's fine. [He's looking positively modern now, with his ruined Victorian coat replaced by one he bought at the Pokemart, and his baseball cap and backpack. He avoids looking directly at the screen, at either N or the Sigilyph.] I'm ready to depart whenever the others are.

[If N noticed Thomas' disapproval, he doesn't react to it. He only briefly glances at the Xtransceiver to give a nod, then returns to watching the void cube.] Okay. Good.

[The cube is lowered back into his hands, and he inspects it, finding all the cubes returned to their appropriate places. He smiles contentedly.] Well done, friend. [The Sigilyph chimes to voice its victory, and lifts the cube again, quickly rearranging the cubes before returning it to N. He automatically begins to rotate the sides himself. They've made a game of it.]

... Well, Thomas? My question stands. Do you believe in an afterlife? [He pries his eyes from the cube for a moment, giving a slight smile to the screen.] I do not mean it as an attack toward you. I simply... have been thinking. The cultural differences between worlds will likely to lead to a variety of answers, right?

[Thomas gives the Sigilyph a brief look when it chimes, frowning at the apparent friendship that has already formed between it and N. When N addresses the question to him he shifts uncomfortably.] I am sure you will get a good variety, yes... In my world alone you would get many different answers, depending on who you asked.

[He looks up at the sky briefly, as if trying to channel some kind of divine assistance for his own answer. He had never been particularly religious, finding himself at odds with the Church's strict view on magic. He tended to avoid the matter as much as possible, not being quite progressive enough to err on the side of atheism.] The, ah... the Church says there is an afterlife in Heaven. But I spent some time with Hindu people in India, and they say that we are reincarnated after we die. Personally, I'm not sure... I suppose there is some kind of afterlife, I just don't know what it is. [He shrugs, glancing at the Baltoy's grave for a moment.] What do you believe?

Hindu... [He says it carefully, considering it and the other new terms. Absentmindedly, he continues the void cube puzzle.] I am not so sure either... I have never really thought about it before. [His focus on his ideals made him invincible; no time to waste pondering his own mortality.]

However, reincarnation is common in the myths and legends of this world. My caretakers used to tell me them when I was a child... [Of course, that was to strengthen his bias, make him strive to prove the myths true, but...] It seems there is some truth in them. There is a Pokemon I encountered once-- a Yamask. Supposedly, Yamasks used to be human. The masks they carry depict the faces they had when they were still human, lost when they died.

I've been told that I am more Pokemon than human anyway... [He completes the void cube and stops to admire it for a moment.] ... so perhaps I shouldn't fear that sort of concept. But... the Yamask was very sad. [He disorganizes the cubes again, and offers it back to the Sigilyph. The game starts over.]

Perhaps that is what becomes of some humans. But if that were what became of all of us, there would be many more Yamasks in the world. However, they are only native to this region. [He tilts his head back too, squinting his eyes in the dwindling sunlight.] Perhaps our fate is determined by a higher power. My caretakers suggested that to me as well. Still, I don't know. And while that may be what becomes of us, is it the same with Pokemon? Do they become human? [He halts abruptly. That was a lot of talking, and likely quite a bit to process. He draws his knees to his chest and rests his chin atop them.]

[That certainly was a lot to process. The Yamask issue -- very odd. Thomas can't decide how he feels about it. It did seem to be like reincarnation, but from what he understood of the process the reincarnated spirit didn't remember their previous form. So carrying a mask of their human face around... It almost sounds more like a ghost. But how could something be a ghost and a Pokemon?

Fortunately, N moves on from that subject.] The Church would say our fate after death is determined by God... [A slight pause; a more pious man would find the fact that N didn't mention God specifically to be disconcerting.] ... who... sends our soul to Heaven or Hell. [Now that he thinks about it, neither of the towns he's been to so far have had churches. What does that mean? Was this world outside the influence of God? Hmm.]

But, really, I am no theologian. I don't know who is right, and I'm beginning to see that my previous instruction on the matter might be useless here. Is there no Church here -- no Christianity? ...I suppose there can't be, can there? With all these other sentient beings -- why, if fairies are heretical, sentient animals would force the whole dogma to be rewritten. [He looks off into the distance, smiling vaguely. That is a very exciting notion, apparently. Blinking, he glances back to the screen.] Sorry; this is all a bit confusing. I do not usually think about these sorts of things.

It's okay. I don't think about them much either. [What became of Pokemon when they died, maybe... But nothing further than that.]

Ah... There are churches here. [At least... he was pretty sure there were. He knew the word at least.] I've never been to one before though. And I don't know what... [He furrows his brow, struggling to sound out the foreign word correctly.] Chris-tree-anity is. [Nailed it.]

It's strange, thinking of worlds that exist without Pokemon. I don't know what I'd be like without them. [Very lonely, he supposes. And purposeless.

He pauses, considering all that Thomas has said. Sigilyph chimes, and the void cube is returned to him. Compulsively, he starts the puzzle again.] Something that my caretakers told me... is that this world was created by Arceus-- a Pokemon with a thousand arms. Supposedly, it lives on a higher plane, constantly watching over us. I suppose... if anything were to judge us in the way you describe, it would be Arceus. [When he was a child, he believed very strongly in all the myths-- including Arceus'. But why would a Pokemon of that power stand idly by as its creations were abused, as he had seen?]

Edited 2011-09-14 04:05 (UTC)

[Thomas absorbs that information silently, trying to make sense of it. A divine Pokemon? It was absurd, but... not that absurd, really. Other than the thousand arms bit -- that part reminded him of some of the Hindu gods he'd seen -- the description was very God-like. And if there were churches... he supposes there must be some kind of religion, at least. He finds himself not particularly upset about it not being Christianity. Although there were interesting theological implications stemming from the idea of a Pokemon creating humans, since humans were clearly the dominant species in this world...

Thomas shakes his head slightly. He isn't very interested in trying to interpret local dogma.] Yes, that sounds similar to the God I was taught about. The omnipotent creator.

[His eyes wander to the Sigilyph and he rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably.] Um. I can't help but notice you've caught one of those... bird things... What was it? Sigil something? [The name didn't help his feelings toward it much; 'sigil' being a magical term and all.] Is that safe? I mean -- It's not still angry?

I see. [It's all very intriguing to him. He would try delving into the subject more, but when Thomas brings up Sigilyph, he's quickly distracted. He grins.]

Ah, yes. This is Sigilyph! [At its name, the Pokemon's three eyes blink, and it chimes questioningly, moving a bit closer to N. He places a hand demonstratively on its side.] She is perfectly safe, I assure you. She seems to understand now that I mean her and this world no harm. [He lowers his hand back to the void cube.] I intended to release her so she could return home as the others did... But she stayed.

Another Sigilyph fought alongside me not too long ago... She reminds me of him. However long she chooses to stay, I'm sure she'll make a powerful ally.

[Death... of course Pokemon still died. It was the way things went. Her expression grim, Iris turned on her video feed - her Woobat shaking a little, as Iris spoke.] Of... of course there's an afterlife. [...And then she's shouting, clearly determined to prove her point.] Because... all those poor Pokemon deserve somewhere nice when they lose! They deserve an afterlife... [Oh dear, N. Now you're talking to somebody who's used to the Nuzlocke rules. What have you done.]

[Both N and Sigilyph recoil a little from the Xtransceiver, startled by Iris' shouting. The void cube drops to the ground, but N quickly reclaims it, carefully brushing dirt off of it.]

I... I agree, Iris. All Pokemon deserve to be happy, even in death. [He pauses, retracing her words. He offers the cube back to Sigilyph, and it gets lifted into the air again. The Sigilyph resumes the puzzle.]

But... What is it that you just said? "When they lose"...? [He narrows his eyes suspiciously.] What do you mean?

You... don't know? But all trainers should know!
[A sigh, and a condesending tone of voice. It's time for a lecture!]
Pokemon Battles are to the death - most of the time. There are some trainers who only battle to the faint, but they're rarities. Sure, they're more common in Unova then other places, but... still, that's how it is! [...Only in your universe, Iris.] So, Skyla always used to tell me that all Pokemon got to go to an afterlife - and I believe her!

Wh... What? [His eyes are wide and full of horror. He sits back a little, stunned by the idea, then shakes his head. His voice begins to rise in volume and anger.]

N-no! That's not how battles are at all! I've never battled to the death, nor have I seen anyone else do that... [Not directly at least; the deaths he'd seen were caused by abuse, not simple battling.] That's... That's absolutely barbaric! Preposterous! Unova does not participate in such a sport!

[...This. This is just going to be a shouting match, isn't it. Because Iris isn't wavering.]
Are you calling me a liar?! That's what happened all the time back home!
[And then, Iris closes her eyes, and whimpers a little.]
That's one of the reasons I'm so worried about Salamence...
[And back to the shouting.]
It's just how it is! [Yeah, she hasn't figured out this man is from another universe.]

[He bares his teeth.]
If it is so common, why have I never experienced it?! I would not allow my Pokemon to... to be killed in battle, nor would I even consider harming an opponent's Pokemon!

[LOUD NOISES. But his voice does quiet a little suddenly. His looks very disturbed.]
What you are talking about is unspeakable... I cannot imagine such a thing being commonplace... [He glances at Sigilyph, who is now staring curiously between the two trainers. What a commotion...

N seems to discover something, and turns back to the Xtransceiver, eyes wide.] ... Your Unova. Is it different from mine?

[A different Unova? Well, Iris had heard of the idea from Drayden, but... at the same time, would there be a world so different from hers? With a glance to her Woobat, Iris let out a bit of a sigh.]
Well, if you don't follow the Challenge, I guess it must be... but that sounds unreal, if you ask me!

[N leans back a little, taken aback by this information. Even considering such a world makes him feel sick. He sighs shakily.]
... None of your Pokemon have died here yet, correct?

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[video] ssh let's pretend I'm not slow as balls because screw you, Trifecta

[video] OH SAME sob and i still owe you tags elsewhere too

[video] I think it's just that one other thread? //so helpful

[video] i am totally on top of things ssssh

[video] mmm yes so am I orz

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[video] just getting out a quick reply - still sick, replies will be uber delayed

[video] That's fine! Get well soon, bro! D':

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