enjoymyatelier | 010 [ACTION FOR ILEX FOREST/AUDIO] [BACKDATED TO THE 11TH]

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010 [ACTION FOR ILEX FOREST/AUDIO] [BACKDATED TO THE 11TH]

[It was about halfway through the day before both realizations hit Kayneth. He found himself sitting down in the clearing next to the Ilex Shrine with his Pokemon for a lunch break after spending most of the morning training and trying to check the area out, and after starting to eat he began internally lamenting that he wouldn't have settled for these cheap excuses for ingredient a year ago before realizing that it had been exactly a year ago that he'd arrived in Johto.

This was followed up by the realization that he was also officially another year older, though that... probably actually happened a few months ago. He hadn't really bothered to work out the math, because he thought he wouldn't care that much.

...he actually kind of did, though, and he couldn't really figure out why. He'd always somewhat dreaded birthdays since it had always involved dealing with irritating distant relatives and ensuring that he didn't end up on the wrong end of family and Association politics-it was never dangerous for him and he was practically untouchable, but it was annoying all the same. Here, though... he didn't have to worry about any of it.

...now that he didn't, though, it just felt kind of empty and meaningless. Particularly given that... really, what had he accomplished since he'd gotten to Johto? Getting a starter that was positively useless, only getting the easy first badge in a year, losing to a teenage girl in the first round of a tournament, effectively having his engagement broken off by the woman he loves twice, meeting some acquaintances that he could possibly have called friends and having most of them disappear from this world within several weeks of this date...

...well, very little of that could be considered his fault, even though it was pretty distressing. He'd just run into a patch of bad luck, and it had continued for his entire stay here for whatever reason. That thought didn't make things any better for him, though.

After some time spent staring into nowhere as he ate his sandwich, he considered going for his PokeGear, but... no!! Venting to the network would be totally undignified!!

...but it wasn't like he could talk to his Pokemon about this. He had kind of weird opinions about them to begin with, and they were natives so it wasn't like they'd have any idea what he was going through...

...bluuuuh]

I suppose I'm feeling a bit philosophical on my one-year anniversary of arriving in this world, so I may as well attempt to ask one of those popular open questions to the network that are intended to be thought-provoking or... something.

[Kayneth sounds a bit tired and his tone has a hint of "I can't even believe I'm doing this I should be asking about something I care about," and... well, yes, that is precisely how he feels, but at the same time he needs to talk about something...]

What was your impression of this place shortly after arrival, and how has that changed-

[He stops suddenly after saying that, then lets out a curt, frustrated sigh.]

No, that's an awful question, and I wouldn't blame anyone for not being able to come up with a coherent answer to it. Honestly, I can't for the life of me form a consistent opinion of this place-some days I'm enjoying myself-or at least I may have managed to trick myself into thinking I'm enjoying myself-and other days I have nothing but hatred for this place. It's certainly an interesting puzzle to try and piece together how this world works and what's behind our presence here, yet there are so many things about it that are an absolute nightmare to deal with. Our inability to go home, random disappearances, the lack of infrastructure, the constant music...

[...as he trails off he realizes that yeah he just kind of ended up venting to the network anyway didn't he

how

inelegant he should be more controlled than this what has this place even done to him

ugh, he just

he just]

...anyway, is there anywhere in Azalea that has good alcohol? Or cake, I suppose. If I have to settle for just cake, I will. I rather like the place otherwise, but one bar in town is positively atrocious and I wouldn't be seen dead in there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I can answer that question if you did want!

Sadly I'm not sure about the cake or alcohol, though. Maybe you can grab a travel guide?

If you have an answer for it, then by all means, go ahead. I simply wasn't expecting one.

I suppose I could, but I was hoping for something a little more personal.

I thought it seemed like fun! But then, the first people to reply to me were among my friends. And the situation back home was rather more tense than it is here! And...I suppose it hasn't changed too much. I wasn't sure this place would be as permanent as it has ended up being. It hasn't changed, or sent me away, I mean. And I'm glad for that. I rather like it here - and the people!

Hm, I just never spent much time there, sadly, or I could try to give you a more personal recommendation!

...So it's overall been positive for you at all times, aside from a brief period of time when you were worried at things happening back in your world? I can't help but feel like you're lucky in that regard.

Given how little I tend to hear about Azalea, I have to wonder if that's how people usually approach the town. It's a shame, though; aside from certain aspects, I'm already finding it preferable to Goldenrod.

I think I am. But then again - I think I'm used to changes! The best thing to do is just find ways to accept them, or make them work for you, I think.

It may be the case! I ended up staying in Goldenrod longer than the other places just because a bunch of stuff happened all at once so we got stuck for a but, but otherwise we tend to move around fairly often...

I've been attempting to do that for quite some time, but it simply hasn't been working out the way I've wanted it to.

[read: the world hasn't been handing me everything on a silver platter weh]

I found myself in roughly the same situation, though it had more to do with not wanting to travel in cold weather than anything else. Hopefully, I'll get to moving around more often now that it's spring, but it's admittedly going to be somewhat difficult now that I no longer have traveling companions.

What are you trying to get to work out? I can try to help!

Ah, your companions went home...? You can always try to find a new group! I'm travelling with Jake, Sollux, Kanaya and Dirk, myself. [ At least, at the time of this thread Dirk was still in game. ] Jake's the only one who was from my original travel group, at this point.

You already have been helping, actually, and I thank you for it. Mostly it's been trying to figure out this world, though I've also been attempting to challenge all the gyms-which, given that I've been here a year and have only beaten one, is going quite well. It's no fault of mine given that I keep hitting roadblocks, but it's still irritating.

Perhaps I'll do that once I return to Goldenrod, since that's where everyone congregates. I have no intention of staying there longer than necessary if I don't find anyone, though.

Oh! Well, I'm happy to help with that. I want to figure out this world too, after all. What roadblocks do you keep hitting, if you don't mind my asking?

Hm. I would invite you along with us, but I'd have to ask if anyone minded, and we're on a set course - Olivine's next, then all the cities in order to Kanto. So we're already fairly far in through Johto.

[ Also "us" is a bunch of teenagers, so uh, yeah.

But she does recall Sollux saying he liked Kayneth (or at least that they were on decent terms, or something), and he's the least sociable of any of them. ]

Bad weather, having to routinely return to Violet to meet with people I know from my world when they arrive here, having region-wide events interrupt my progress... at least last week's party gave me the opportunity to finally make it to Azalea. That, and I've been stopping to research the local legends, but that's actually a pleasant distraction.

Yes... that wouldn't work out very well, given that I'm trying to do the gyms in order. That seems to be tradition here, and I don't see any reason to break it. Also, is everyone you're traveling with roughly the same age as you and Captor? That would probably be somewhat awkward.

...That really is a lot of roadblocks! And I like the local legend research - that I wouldn't consider at all a detriment. Find anything new as of late?

That's pretty much the case! Maybe one year older or younger in either direction, but we're from the same age group, yes. And the same place, generally speaking. [ She's...not sure how old you are, actually. Human age judging: HARD. ]

Sollux seems to like you, though! That's pretty rare.

Well, since I'm in Azalea at the moment, I decided it would be a good idea to observe the shrine in Ilex Forest. Have you read anything about it?

...you're all younger than most of my students, so I'd feel a bit too much like a chaperone. Thank you for the offer, though.

I'm a bit surprised that I've been getting on as well with him as I do, given that we're complete opposites in practically every way, so far as I can tell.

I have! More than that, I've been to see it. Apparently it wards off evil spirits, and some sort of guardian is said to live in it.

Students? I didn't realize you were a teacher!

Hm, I'd agree. You're pretty much exact opposites! But sometimes that makes it easier to get along, if it doesn't immediately set you at odds.

My chief interest has been the guardian itself. Apparently, it's a Pokemon known as Celebi that has the ability to travel through time-though I rather doubt that it has the ability to control time outside of that.

Professor, to be more precise.

I suppose that's true, yes. Furthermore, we're all in a situation where we're being forced outside our comfort zones to begin with, so it's only natural we'd interact with people who we wouldn't have reason to know otherwise.

Time travel... [ Well, she's always interested in that. ] Hm. I wonder if it's a pokemon who draws us all here?

Well, I'm impressed!

That's true enough! In the usual way of things, I think many of us wouldn't speak, even if we were from the same worlds to start with.

I doubt it, given that there seem to be Pokemon that are far more powerful in that particular area.

I never said it wasn't impressive.

That's very likely. It's not like entire worlds are particularly small, and there are always other sorts of factors.

I only wonder because everything else that happens seems to be connected to some sort of special pokemon. ...Which is funny, in a way.

So you find yourself impressive? [ She is quite possibly teasing him. ]

Definitely lots of factors. Age among them.

It really is, though I can't help but find it somewhat interesting. There seems to be a pantheon of sorts, but most legendary Pokemon seem to be regional deities even if they're supposedly responsible for things that should, in theory, affect the whole world.

...well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't... [...maybe he suspects it, but he's totally shameless in some respects.]

Oh, yes, certainly-as well as class, employment... those sorts of things.

You're right. The regional stories...they're all about different creation myths, or natural phenomena, aren't they? And they work better together, but they're more regional than anything else...

[ There's a soft laugh. ] Well, that's better than not thinking well of your skills, I expect.

Basically everything! I suppose I would not have spoken to my friends had it not been required by fate. We're all of us different classes.

Well, if the myths are true, it's entirely possible that after the different movers within the creation myths completed their functions, they settled in specific regions and that caused them to become important within those regions' mythologies while being less important in others'. After all, it's not like my world's mythology, where you have a different god of thunder for each culture-regional mythologies in this world don't include substitutes, they just... don't emphasize that aspect of creation, I suppose.

Oh, of course-if I just sat around and pitied myself for not being as talented as I could be, I wouldn't get anything done.

Fate can be a bit strange like that, I suppose.

[i was tempted to make some sort of /stay night pun there but it was late and i was tired.]

That could be, although it's strange that there's not more overlap, still. Or that it's hard to get books on the other regions' mythology, might be what I want to say...though I suppose that could be part of this world's insistence on keeping information from us, which is really a mechanic of most games I've played or lived through.

Well, you'd look suitably broody, which I suppose counts as something?

It can! But I think that keeps things interesting!

[ it will live forever in our memories of could have been ]

That could be it. It doesn't seem as though natives have quite the same restrictions on travel and information that we do, anyway, given that the gym leader in Vermillion City doesn't seem to be a native of Kanto or Johto... unless they were put into place after he arrived here, of course.

I really can't say I fancy myself the protagonist of some sort of 19th century romantic novel, so I don't think it would.

"Interesting" doesn't always mean "good," of course...

The natives seem to know a lot more than they often share, yes! It's slightly annoying, but mostly mysterious. And I can't tell if it's a good or bad mysterious!

But you'd be so good at it!

Well, of course not. But do you really think it's bad here?

I can't tell either, which is somewhat worrying. At the very least, they don't seem openly malicious, but that's hardly comforting when we don't know their true intentions.

Please. Do I really seem like the sort of person who would make a contract with the devil just to get a woman to notice me? I'm more than capable of that on my own.

[...why does saying that feel so hollow... at least the conversation has been pleasant enough thus far that he can easily pass it off as a joke.]

Well, it's as I said in my opening-some days I loathe this place, and some days I find it absolutely fascinating. I suppose today is just one of the former, I'm afraid.

That's true! I mean, about them not seeming openly malicious. Which, honestly, I will take! It would be more of a chore if they were.

Well...I'd have to say no! Haha, I'm teasing, though.

[ Little does she know about his romantic problems. ]

I hope tomorrow is one of the latter, then! As long as we're here, I think it's better to be cheerful about it. Less confining, that way.

010 [ACTION FOR ILEX FOREST/AUDIO] [BACKDATED TO THE 11TH]

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