victory_road | Video; self-captioned

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Video; self-captioned

[There's a chance people might recognise the sallow-skinned, overweight young man who hangs around Goldenrod City; the Rockets certainly will, given that he's one as well. But currently he's wearing a collared shirt, under a light knit sweater, under a thick blue peacoat, and is very obviously sitting in a cafe. There's a Natu sitting on his shoulder, staring intently and directly at the camera; which twitches back and forth occasionally, evidently being held by a Pokemon since both of Tyler's hands are visible.

And the reason for that is quickly evident: Tyler is quickly speaking in sign language, with translations to English coming up as captions beneath. He looks a bit nervous, actually, but his face is schooled to have an expression of polite interest.]

I'm stuck in Goldenrod for the time being - I didn't realise my job wouldn't allow travel for a while. Would anyone be able to help me find a specific Pokemon? As far as I'm aware it's not a particularly rare one. It's called CROAGUNK [the observant might note that he fingerspells the name with one hand] but I can hunt down something of a similar level in Goldenrod or the routes nearby.

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I don't have a Croagunk either--I'm as stuck here as you are, having taken the same devil's bargain for a stable paycheck--but I can add a mystery egg in to sweeten the pot for whoever takes you up.

Edited 2020-03-19 06:41 (UTC)

Mystery a la Squee or mystery like you don't know who the parents are?

I mean, I've got some good working theories?

And those are?

Edited 2020-03-19 07:55 (UTC)

Considering where I found them, it's either got to be a ghost or possibly Milli Vanilli.

[who is milli vanilli]

That's not one of your Pokemon, is it?

Nope. She just lives with the ghosts anyway. She's a Munna, I think. Little floating pink dream-eater.

Where are they at? Might be able to swing by wherever they're at and figure somethin' out. Since I'm not really doing much else atm.

I've seen ads for the Safari Zone with Croagunk on them, so I'd assume there is a good first bet. There's a few in other places, according to the internet, but that's probably the easiest - I know some places say they have a Pokemon but actually they're ridiculously hard to find.

Safari Zone, huh...

No promises, but I'll see what I can do? Since I'm over into Kanto right now, but if no one else bites, I'll try and make it a priority.

Christ, you don't need to bother if you're over there. It's a three-week trip from Goldenrod, I'm not gonna ask you to go cross-country for a single Pokemon. It looks like they're available in Fuschia, if you can get there no stress.

Never know, might end up there if some other shit pops up like that festival and the race and all that.

But Fuschia might be a better bet, yeah. I don't... think that's too far outta my way, gotta head there at some point anyway.

What city are you even in right now? It seems like most of them are at least a full day's trip apart, if not several.

UHHHH.

Lavender, I believe. That fuckin' place with the ghosts or some shit.

...let me check a map.

[It takes a minute or so for his next reply to come.]

Yeah, so Fuschia is either a two and a half week walk from Lavender. Or you could use the warps, but that'd be going from Lavender to Saffron to Celadon to Fuschia.

But again, this is like. You are under literally no obligation to do this.

[In the end, Armin ends up watching the video twice before he can even respond. The first time he watches it, the realisation that this man seems to be speaking through gesture (and it is one that takes a while to actually click) is one that distracts him enough that he doesn't even notice what he is asking for. It's just that -- he comes from a world where you were either able-bodied and contributed or you were kicked to the wayside, left to become a beggar on the streets or try and make it in one of the underground cities or freakshows. In rare cases, a prosperous enough family might be able to continue to shelter and care for someone who couldn't contribute themselves but when most could barely feed themselves these days, such acts of kindness were few and far between.

So basically, bright as he might be, sign language is not something Armin has any experience with.

His first instinct is to respond as he always does, through speech, but he pauses before actually starting the recording. The man obviously couldn't speak or he would have. But does that mean he also can't hear? Or was it just that this was the way everybody spoke wherever he was from (in which place, this person might not even be human). He could switch to text, of course, but this man had chosen to use video, right? There is a certain politeness in responding in kind. Plus, maybe he wants the visual aspect for some reason?

In the end, Armin settles for an odd combination of both. When he responds, it is in video. But he is also holding a notepad with written text.]

I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if I should speak or write things down for you.

If-- if you don't mind me asking. Are you speaking through your hands?

[And on the notepad:

Hello. I wasn't certain if you wanted me to respond by speaking or by writing things down. Please let me know which one works best for you. And if I can ask -- are you talking with your hands?]

[Oh no, he's cute. Like, little brother cute not dateable cute. His reply video has a faint smile, patient more than warm, and he continues signing with his reply - a bit more slowly this time, pausing a little between each sign, so that Armin can see the individual words, even if he can't understand them.]

All of those answers link together, actually. I'm profoundly deaf: a medical term meaning that I can't hear anything, at all. [or not anything quieter than an airhorn right next to his face, which has been tested in the past by An Asshole] I don't like using my voice, so instead I grew up learning how to speak with my hands. In my world there are multiple official languages; I know two sign languages, and can read English and Mandarin Chinese.

Mostly I was trying video out to see how well my team goes with captioning it, but you're welcome to text it. It's faster, if nothing else.

[Armin listens with rapt attention, his eyes watching the movements of Tyler's hands as if he had never seen hands before. He's drinking in this new subject, trying to assimilate as much as he can at once. And once he's read Tyler's words, he quickly starts writing again. His handwriting is a little more sloppy now, but still pretty readable.]

That is incredible. I didn't know such a thing was possible. We don't have anything like this back in my world. Do a lot of people know how to speak like this where you are from? And how did you learn? When you say your team -- do you mean your pokemon are creating the text for you?

Edited 2020-03-21 21:38 (UTC)

It's not actually all that common, as far as I'm aware. I grew up in a deaf community, but the majority of the world is hearing. My friends all learned bits of sign for my sake, and my boyfriend was fluent in one of the languages. My parents taught me, for the most part, and I learned more formally when I was old enough to enter school.

I do mean that. I've been teaching my Natu to read my mind, with help from a friend, so she can direct my words at other people without needing sign. I caught a Rotom recently to help with some engineering work I've been assisting on, and it turns out when it possesses my phone it can use he text feature. So, I get my Natu to relay to my Rotom what I want to say.

So everybody where you lived was deaf? Did they move there from other regions?

[Armin is interpreting community as a physical location and group of people. Something like a village or town of deaf people.]

That is incredible. I never thought that pokemon could be used in that manner. Did you come up with that idea yourself?

[Armin never had cause to wonder about this sort of subject, though if this leads to him reading up on pokemon service animals, then hey, a new subject to learn about.]

[That's an interesting way to phrase that.]

Not... everyone. I grew up knowing a few other deaf families, and there were people from a lot of different Asian countries in my suburb, but the majority of people I know are hearing, I'm the outlier. The city I live in has a few million people in it.

I didn't come up with the idea, but service animals are pretty common in my world, everyone knows about seeing-eye dogs or therapy pets. And devices like hearing aids, but I'm too deaf for them to work without hurting me.

A few million? In one city?

[The whole human population within the walls had numbered roughly a million. The idea that there could be cities large enough to contain a few million people is something that goes beyond what Armin can imagine. How big would those cities be? Would they be the size of a country and just stretch as far as the eye could see? Could you travel through them for days and not get to the end of them? All of these thoughts and more flit through Armin's brain and his shock is quite plain on his face.]

How does that work exactly? Does the dog fetch things for you? Like, if you told it you wanted your shirt, it would bring it to you?

There's like, twenty-something million in the COUNTRY I was born in. But to be fair, that's a big city.

[He's not shaken by it at all, of course - but it's curious to him that this kid doesn't apparently have that in his world, evidently.]

I mean, that's one application of assistance dogs, but it's not one I'd need. I'm fully mobile. For me it'd be more like... [His hands hesitate for a moment as he thinks, before he continues enthusiastically.] If someone was knocking on my apartment door, my dog could come and get my attention and lead me to the source of the noise.

Is that sign language? I've never seen it employed so quickly! That's incredible!

Though it is good that your pokemon appears capable of interpretation, as I can't properly make out what is being said at all... (Though I suspect that may be a matter of my era in respect to others here)

Regardless, you asked of 'Croagunk'; I actually have one! Though I must ask if you are preferential to one of your own capture...

Oh, or for that matter, its evolution! I suspect Douglass is quite close...

Edited 2020-03-25 16:08 (UTC)

It's my first language, technically. Hence I'm a bit faster at it than most people who learn later on. [But he's a bit proud of himself now.]

I wouldn't mind catching one myself, but it's not particularly feasible for me given my location. I can't really afford to disappear for a week chasing a rare Pokemon.

I already have a fully evolved Pokemon that I got in a trade, but he doesn't listen to me. I dont have any badges yet. I think it might be better if I had a younger one, just in case.

I see!

I've heard at that obtaining 'badges' might help in proving one's strength to such pokemon, but this is the first I've heard of the true consequences...

Hmm. I suspect that I could perhaps procure an egg with some dedication, but I need to make certain I can find someone who can actually produce eggs with croagunk first in that case. I don't believe I have any pokemon compatible at the moment...

I am under no time constraints in regards to WHEN I get it, I would just like one. I think they're pretty cool.

I'm at a computer right now, I could help you look up what could probably breed with it? That'll be a fun thing for people to find in my browser history. I could trade you an egg for an egg, too, my coworker has way too many sitting in his basement.

An egg for an egg? That would be wonderful!

According to croagunk's information, they're compatible only with 'human-like' pokemon...I fear that my only other 'human-like' is also male, however...

But Ditto are compatible with everything, right? They're pretty common just outside Goldenrod, too, I can get one on my lunch break and just give it to you. We could call that payment in advance.

What!?

Everything?! Just what sort of pokemon is this 'Ditto'!?

I would want to be certain they're comfortable with that sort of set up first, but if both pokemon are willing to create eggs together...

[It really helps that someone explained the 'mystery' of the mystery of egg creation, because otherwise this would be far more touchy for Jonathan to even consider. But apparently they just kind of Happen, so.]

That would truly be wonderful however- you said you are in Goldenrod?

[Tyler sends a photo of a pink blob.]

It's a Pokemon that can transform into literally anything on a DNA level. Other Pokemon, inanimate objects, all kinds of things. It's genderless in and of itself, so I suppose it just grows a gender when it transforms for breeding's sake. Apparently it's pretty common for the task.

I am, but I've seen flyers around for some event happening on Moomoo Farms - you wouldn't happen to be going to that, would you?

Ah!

Hence the name 'ditto', of course.

I am indeed; it seems like a wonderful experience, and after the previous event, I certainly cannot turn down such an opportunity!

I take it you will also be going? Considering the date, that makes the initial part of this transaction quite simple indeed...though from there we will of course need to wait for the pokemon to cooperate at such a level that there can be eggs to deliver.

I honestly wasn't at first, but I've been thinking about getting out more. It's just a bit tricky knowing that no-one can understand me.

I mean, not many strangers could at home, either, but at least then I had my boyfriend to translate for me most of the time. No one here speaks sign languages, or at least not ones compatible with mine.

And again, I'm fine with waiting for eggs. This is a very relaxed venture.

Compatible?

Ah, of course! If there are numerous spoken languages, then surely that would be the same for gestural ones...this certainly does shed some light on the motions I thought I could recognize- they didn't appear to match at all with what was captioned.

In any case, I look forward to this meeting! I do hope an easier method of interpretation arises however- travelling here appears to be incredibly easy to do, and it's simply terrible to not have the choice because of a matter as vital as language.

(If there is a method with which one could learn your specific form of it, please share however- I would like to at least be able to try by the time we meet, and particularly in future meetings!!)

Yeah, the grammar is different to English. And a lot of the words are easily related to actual actions involving the words, so it can confuse people. I know that Taiwan Sign Language shares some similarities to Japanese (which I suppose would be the local variant), but I don't know anyone who speaks it fluently to test if we can understand each other.

Which, unfortunately, means that there's not really anything here that I can use to teach anyone sign language without it just being, like. Me personally teaching people. And I do not have the patience for that. For now, text is as good as anything.

Oh dear.

Indeed, given the alternative I can see very quickly why text is the better option for now.

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