victory_road | [video / action for new bark town]

[Ford is perhaps better-equipped than most to deal with suddenly being dropped into a strange world unlike anything he's ever seen before. That was his life for thirty-odd years, and that it's begun again doesn't trouble him much. He'll adapt; he always has, with time. The woman (clearly younger than him) calling herself his mother is a little strange, but further inquiry and a cursory scan of the literature included in his new backpack answer most of his questions. In particular, they explain the neat little device that looks very much like an odd cellphone. This 'Pokégear' can be used to communicate with other people, and so that is exactly what Ford decides to do. If he's learned anything in his prior experience with this sort of thing, it's to ask questions.

The camera shakes a little, and his face is sort of awkwardly off to the side of the frame, but he managed to get it working and that's the important thing. For a first try he's not doing all that badly. Behind him, trees and a couple of quaint New Bark Town roofs are visible.]

Greetings! Is greetings the polite form of salutation in this universe? My name is Stanford Pines, and like what I assume must be the majority of you, I am not a native of this world. I only just arrived today, in fact. This is probably the warmest welcome I've seen since the universe where every day is your birthday.

[That place got old really fast, honestly (and you got old really fast if you stayed there too long).]

But, to business. [He holds up a pokéball with the hand not holding the 'gear.] How do you open--

[As if on cue, the Pokéball pops open and out of the light materializes a small green creature. It takes one look at him, lets out a surprised trill, and zips away out of frame.]

Oh! [Ford peers in the direction it went, clearly thrilled to bits.] I think it hid in those bushes, hold on --

[Those who reply by 'gear will get to follow what is essentially Ford Pines liveblogging his attempts to recapture his own starter. Or perhaps, if you're in New Bark Town as well, you'd like to help in person? An old man crashing around in the underbrush on the outskirts of town is sure to draw attention.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Pretty reasonable. A good rule of thumb is to look at the sideburns. Are they ridiculous? It's Ford.]

Mister --? Oh. No, no, you have me confused for my --

Is Stanley here?

[His voice goes a little high at the end there, as it tends to when he's particularly worked-up. If Stanley is here he needs to find him immediately.]

[Head-tilt.]

So you're not him? Then I guess he's still not here. He was here a while ago, but then he left, which was totes sad because he was so cool!

... Oh.

[It's probably obvious, the way his face falls and his entire demeanor changes. It was probably too much to hope he'd be in the same universe as the twins and Stan, but he'd hoped... ah well. Stan can take care of himself.]

I am not him, no. Stanley Pines is my twin brother, and it seems he's already made quite an impression on this world. You knew him?

Oh My Ghoul, he was sooo nice! He always had, like, this wise stuff to say, and he helped me out, and he was super nice, and he gave me totes cute Pokemon! It kinda made me wish he was my grunkle!

Stanley? Wise?

[... You know, he could believe that. Lately he's been trying this new thing where he gives his brother a lot more credit than he may have previously, and so far Stanley hasn't let him down.]

He did have an unexpected affinity for getting along with young people, I suppose. It's... unfortunate, that I missed him.

Yeah, and he got along with me too!

[because among normies, she isn't young.]

But I'm sure he'll come back! This place takes and keeps people at like, random, you know?

[Look, when you're in your mid-sixties, a teenager is practically a baby.]

At random, you say? I admit I was wondering if there was any pattern or logic to who arrives and when. It doesn't surprise me that there isn't.

[Thought it is a little frustrating. Why can't a universe just be neat and orderly for once?]

Nope, there's nothing to it! That's why you gotta live every day like it's your last, y'know?

[If Ford were a normal man maybe he'd be like yeesh, you are way too young to think like that, but as it is that just seems fairly logical. You never know when some kind of giant space squid might eat you, or the apocalypse might happen. It's just good sense.]

Oh, I do know. Tomorrow I could be in a distant universe where gravity works backward or time runs in two directions at once. There is nothing like a life set in a constant liminal state to motivate you into doing today what you could put off for tomorrow.

I have no idea what any of that means, but it sounds cool!

[Well clearly that just means he has to explain!]

Ah -- a liminal state is a state of transition, of being in-between. When you leave one place but have not yet arrived at your destination, you are in a liminal state.

[He'd thought he'd arrived, finally, at his destination. His destination was a singular universe and a family and a certain boat. And yet, here he is. He'll fall back into it easily. He already has.]

[She didn't ask for an explanation though...]

Uh. Cool. I think? Are we all liminal?

[As if Ford Pines ever needed a reason to be needlessly nerdy about something.]

I think that all depends on one's state of mind and frame of reference. It isn't a question that can be answered with a simple yes or no.

You sound like my Home Eek teacher.

[Not entirely a compliment, but she means well.]

Home... Eek?

Yeah, you know, where you learn all that complicated stuff, like how to make super sturdy coffins, and the difference between hexes and curses, and how to raise cute chimeras...

I can't say that I'm familiar, though it sounds an awful lot like what in my home dimension was called 'Home Ec'.

[Wait. Back up.]

Chimeras?

[What the hell kind of world is this girl from, because that sounds rad and he wants to visit. Maybe he can get another PhD while he's there! It would mess up the whole 'same number of doctorates as fingers' thing he's got going but maybe he could try for a round sweep and cover fingers and toes.]

Yeah, I kinda flunked that one, I may have to retake that assignment, but, no biggie!

... Oooh, right, I keep forgetting you guys are normies!

Normies. Could you elaborate?

[There is something here he's not getting, but he's right on the cusp of cracking it, he can tell.]

You know, normal human beings! Not monsters.

[Oh.

Oh!]

Do you mean to tell me that you are a monster?

[He thought she was just a teenager! He doesn't know how teenagers act nowadays, goodness.]

Well, technically, this place turns everyone into normies. But I'll always be a vampire!

A vampire, you say? I've had some run-ins with vampires. Interesting people, on the whole, though a bit too intent on removing my blood.

[She suddenly begins to pale...]

Um, could you not mention that... word?

I, ah. Didn't realize it was a sensitive subject.

(no subject)

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