victory_road | Video - slightly backdated

Entry tags:

Video - slightly backdated

[ooc: this is probably back-dated about a day or three.]

[The video turns on the show a rather mountainous hill-side. For people who have visited the place before, they might recognize it as Cinnabar Island.

Armin is holding the gear in his hands, aiming it at himself. He looks… a bit drawn, a bit tired, and a bit pale. He’s probably not the only one who looks like that right now though. And he’s not here to talk about that. He’s got something else in mind.

It is not just him in the camera’s view either. He’s got two odd… stalk-like, hand-like barnacles with him, one on each shoulder. The right is taller and skinny, while the left is a bit squatter, but they are very definitely a pair of Binacle minus their normal rock home.]

Hello. [As always there is just a hint of awkwardness to his voice. Addressing the network is like addressing a crowd of people and he is not exactly good at that.] I wanted to show— I caught this Pokemon. These two were hatching a ride on one of my Wailord’s flippers and I discovered them when we got to Cinnabar Island. It looks like they’ve lost their rock, so we’re trying to replace that. I’ll admit, it got me—

[A trumpeting sound cuts in, and Armin pauses, adjusting the camera a bit so it can focus on a cheery looking Phanpy who is trotting up. He’s carrying a large volcanic boulder in his trunk, depositing it at Armin’s feet, where several other (rejected) boulders already lie. Immediately the two barnacle stalks hop down from his shoulders and start examining the rock like two guys trying to purchase a car off poke Craig's list. There might be some kicking of the proverbial tires while they bicker about it.

Armin makes himself more comfortable on the rock he’s sitting one. He’s seen them do this before and he knows they’ll be a while. At this rate, they’ll be here all afternoon trying to find the perfect rock, but ah, that’s not so bad either. The view here is spectacular. He wishes he could climb all the way to the top and see the whole volcano, but that might not be the wisest thing to do.]

What I wanted to talk about is… how do we draw the line on what constitutes a singular Pokemon?

According to the Pokedex, this is one Pokemon. But it seems to me that they are both individuals with their own bodies. They can even split up and find another binacle to live with, so there is no guarantee these two are even related.

[Though they act enough like brothers that they probably are.]

I guess it is probably not really important, it just makes me wonder. There are lots of other Pokemon that live close together and depend on each other, but those aren’t collectively referred to as one Pokemon. It just keeps me thinking about how the line is drawn.

[And hey, thinking about stuff like that sure as heck keeps you from thinking about your nightmares!

Before Armin can shut off the device, one of the binacle (the short, stouter one) hops back up onto his shoulder, shaking his head.]

Ah, no good?

[The binacle sticks out his tongue very empathically letting the whole world know that, yeah, that rock just ain’t any good. A very bad rock. 0/10. Would not recommend.]

I see. [Why did he end up with the world's pickiest binacle?] I guess we'll be here for a little while longer. I would appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts on this matter. If they have any. Thank you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ah, a distraction. He really appreciates distractions, these days.]

They have their own bodies, and they can split up... But can a single Binacle evolve by itself, or survive for an extended period of time?

[That's a potential explanation, right?]

Huh, that is a good point. I hadn't considered the evolution angle.

I wonder if anyone did any studies about that. The Pokedex doesn't really have a lot of information available...

[He wishes he could just grab a book on this stuff, but there are days away from the nearest library.]

Surely the matter has caught the attention of a professor out there. If only to explain how a single Magnemite can triple itself upon evolving.

[Which is a somewhat different yet related matter, now that he thinks about it.]

Binacles have only recently migrated to Johto and Kanto, though. Any existing studies would have been done in Kalos.

It feels like there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to Pokemon evolution.

[Because yes, how do Pokemon like Magnemite triple themselves upon evolution? The Pokedex sure doesn't answer that particular question.]

I wonder if you could find books with those kinds of studies in libraries here. Though we'd need to get off Cinnabar Island and onto the next town with a library to check that.

Ah, yes, you're... unlikely to find useful information on Cinnabar.

[He's unlikely to find anything useful on Cinnabar, but that's Cecil painful experiences speaking.]

Viridian might have what you seek, between its library and its proximity to Pallet's lab. It's certainly a better bet than the Seafoam Islands.

[There is a lot of cool rocks on Cinnabar.]

Oh, that's right. Viridian City is supposed to have that impressive library. I'll have to check there.

[He pauses and glances first at the binacle on his shoulder, then the one on the ground.]

Assuming these two will ever find what they are looking for.

[There is a lot of fire and pain on Cinnabar, too.]

Have they managed to communicate what type of rock they prefer? Perhaps what they seek would be more easily found on a mountain, or within a cave...

[When you've got water Pokemon spilling out of your pockets, fire is not so bad.]

I think that is part of the issue. Both of them seem to be looking for something slightly different. [He frowns a bit.] And they aren't psychic Pokemon so they cannot tell me exactly what it is they are looking for.

I mean, it seems like Perses wants a big and heavy rock. And Pallas seems to be interested in a rock of a certain shape. But I haven't been able to figure out more details than that.

[When you only have a underleveled Nidoking/Nidoqueen pair with Surf, fire is veeeery bad.]

...Which means you'd need a big, heavy rock of a specific shape. Can those claws bend enough to hold a pencil and draw, or must you look for eye-catching stones until one fits those criteria?

[Armin makes a soft, thoughtful sound at that suggestion, already digging through his bag.]

I hadn't considered that. Wait--

[Ah, there they are. He holds up his journals --always gotta have those with him-- and very carefully he tears two sheets of paper loose from one of them. Another cursory glance through his bag nets him two pens, and he lays out the entire scene for the two binacle: a pen for each and a piece of paper for each (and a journal to serve as a writing surface).]

Lets see. [And then, to the pair.] Could you draw me the kind of rock you would like?

[For a moment they both seem to consider the request before they jump into action. The taller of the two actually wraps his hand like top around the pen to hold it properly; his bro just sort of... grabs that pen in his mouth and goes to town. Unorthodox, but maybe it'll work just as well?]

Edited 2017-10-18 19:11 (UTC)

[That... is going better than he imagined, he'll admit. Perhaps art is an universal concept?]

With any luck, their visions of the perfect rock will be compatible... and clear enough to unexpert human eyes.

It's certainly worth a shot.

[Armin is certainly interested in seeing what the fruits of their artistic labour will be.]

None of my other pokemon show any interest in drawing, so I hadn't thought about trying something like this.

It's the sort of option you'd not normally expect from monster-like creatures, yes. I only thought about it because my dear Rosie paints in her free time.

[Sadly, she specializes in portaits rather than interpretations of other Pokémon's favorite rocks.]

Are their wishes starting to become clearer?

My friend has an Incineroar that likes to draw. He's pretty good at it too. [If not... uncomfortably focused on drawing muscles. Big bulging muscles.] I think it is interesting that some Pokemon have these very human interests.

[He cranes his head to look at their drawings, though in response, Pallas half turns at him, chittering and blowing a raspberry. No looking until it is done!]

Ah, sorry.

[Man. Artists.]

The results of those interests are suprisingly impressive, too. Poems, programs for the Pokégear, elegant paintings...

[Those big beautiful bulging muscles...]

It's fine. Some artists enjoy having others comment on their work at every step of the way, while others prefer to keep their art secret until it is finalized. It matters little, barring commissioned royal portraits.

[Pallas nods enthusiastically, using the top of his head to point several times at Armin's gear. Yes, listen to that man. He speaks the truth, for sure. He understands an artist's soul.]

One of my pokemon can read, though he hasn't really shown an interest in poetry.

Do many pokemon of yours have these sort of interests?

Those who do are outnumbered by their less interested comrades, but they are far from rare. Rosie not only paints, she also writes. Coeurl shows some talent for budgeting and economics. Mortblossom and Mindflayer enjoys wildly different musical styles, yet find ways to share their space together. Blizzaga is a fan of proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

[Some of those interests are not nearly as positive as he makes them sound like.]

They've also all shown interest in cooking once, but I've had to bar all save Noelle from the kitchen.

[That is an amazing list of interests right there. There are things, Armin would never even have thought of introducing his pokemon too.]

How did you figure out they enjoyed those things? Or did they make sure to let you know somehow?

They're very open about it. Why, Rosie even painted her sweetheart's portrait, years and years ago.

[She also tried to repaint a Pokémart, but that's a different story.]

Some of these interests existed long before I met them, certainly, but I believe a few were born from their time observing humans.

Whenever people talk about their pokemon having unusual interests like this, I always wonder if I should be exposing mine to more things to make certain they aren't interested in things like that.

[He just doesn't want them to have unfulfilled dreams or anything!]

But I never really know how to accomplish that.

You could always bring them along while you shop and see what catches their attention. If they can be trusted to behave in a store, that it.

[That is not the case with every Pokémon, he knows all too well.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Video - slightly backdated

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]