[video / action for new bark town]

[meteorman]

[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.]

Comments

[journalname]

I see.

[Asgore gathers his cape around himself, then sits down in the grass and gestures for Ford to join him.] Perhaps you ought to stop trying for a little while? This is quite an odd situation; I understand why it would be uncomfortable. We can speak of something else.

[meteorman]

[His eyes flick toward the green shape hovering just out of sight, as though he's weighing the wisdom in this. Ford Pines is bad at being patient, whatever he might like to think to the contrary about his self-control. Still. There's logic to what this very large man with a living sunflower seed in his beard is saying. Ford sets his bag down on the ground and follows suit.]

Perhaps you're right. Perhaps it just needs time to calm down.

[Another glance at the bush. It rustles. Hm.]

[journalname]

This is an alarming experience for us all, is it not? To wake up in a strange place with unfamiliar people. It does not sound to me as if they were even raised in this area, the poor things.

[He tilts his head slightly at the sound - then frowns a little and touches his own ear. Strange, not to be able to move it.]

Though at least the Pokemon have remained in their own forms.

[meteorman]

I wouldn't say it's alarming for me so much as --

[Wait. Wait. He can talk about his Tragic Backstory later, his new conversational companion just said something very interesting.]

Their own forms? Are you implying you weren't human prior to arrival?

[journalname]

Why, no. I am a monster.

[he said totally casually like that's a thing]

[meteorman]

[Funny enough, Ford nods as though it is a thing. He's already spoken to Draculaura, after all, he just didn't realize this phenomena was so widespread.]

Really? Of what species?

[Maybe it's impolite to ask, but he's real interested. Draculaura was a vampire -- this man by contrast doesn't strike him as one. A werewolf, perhaps?]

[journalname]

[He doesn't seem put off by the question, at least.]

My type is known as a boss monster. But all monsters are generally the same species, regardless of our shape. It's more about our magic, you see, and our souls.

[meteorman]

[A... boss monster. Putting that together with what he was told about videogame universes by Roxy, that is extra-intriguing.]

I see. Makes sense enough, though if you could elaborate on what you mean by soul...?

[If this species has scientifically proven the soul exists and can cite a similar soul-structure as a reason for calling themselves one unified group, that is... wow.]

[journalname]

A soul is the core of one's being. Its true nature is still not quite understood even by our scientists, but it is the source of a monster's magic. Humans possess them as well, of course, but their composition is entirely different, so most have no magic at all.

[He tilts his head at Ford for a moment.]

I cannot quite see them any longer. But I suppose that is natural without magic.

[meteorman]

[He absolutely cannot call bullshit on any of that, not after everything he's seen. Really that's more logical than most of the things he's encountered in his travels.]

I suppose it is. If you've been made human, then your soul must have -- may have -- been altered as well.

[journalname]

That may be the case. [He lifts a hand to his chest, looking perturbed.] Theoretically, a boss monster soul could exist within a human body. But that has never happened, and I...suspect it is not the case here.

[meteorman]

I'm lucky that humans appear to be native to this universe just as they are to mine. I suspect if the dominant species were monsters our situations would be reversed.

[This isn't the only universe that regulates the forms of people coming in to keep its internal logic consistent.]

[journalname]

[Asgore hadn't thought about it that way...]

That could be very dangerous, to give a human the magical abilities of an adult monster without the knowledge of how to use them. And you are more durable than we are in many ways. You would probably hurt yourselves, or each other.

[meteorman]

[He can't exactly argue with that. Humans are... well, having seen the sheer amount of different sentient lifeforms that he has, he can safely say that humans are pretty weird as a collective when viewed from the perspective of an outsider.]

I won't argue that. Humanity as a species can be very... foolhardy.

[journalname]

[Asgore chuckles deeply.]

Monsters can be as well, of course, but humans are...well, they are often quite brave. [they're insanely foolhardy but he won't use that phrasing.]