victory_road | 3rd Castoff

[It's an actual video with his face this time. It's clearly snowing and Kira looks cold. His cheeks and nose are flushed red but other than that he's pretty pale. This boy isn't exactly dressed for the weather. (He's not really dressed for real life in general) His Butterfree is though! And occasionally the eager butterfly pushes his way into the camera, showing off it's white and blue scarf that matches Kira's outfit.]

Let's see... It's been four months or so. And I definitely don't hate it here. It's actually pretty great. But-- [He's too proud to say it.]

Anyway, I used to be a doctor back home. A marine surgeon actually. I'm from Japan and had a roommate and friend. The only friend I've ever had and he was pretty cool. I have one sister and my mom is sick currently. I was looking for a cure for her. But I'm sure my friend is looking after her for me.

I was just curious, I guess, about all your stories from home. I don't think anyone can complain too much about where we are but it's not home, you know?

I'm also freezing my ass off and I want to read some cozy stories about your lives. Some of you are more interesting than the creatures here.

Where're you from? What's your story?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What's Japan like?

[Jean is not going to talk about his own world, because his own world sucks. He's more interested in hearing about this guy's.]

Sort of depends on where you go. It's a small island with some big cities and really thrilling technology. Tokyo is neon lights and skyscrapers. And then there are some places that are really traditional. Old shrines and homes. I'm from a smaller city called Morioh. Not a lot of big buildings but it's still busy. Very lush and green and by the sea so on really windy days you can smell the ocean from the other side of town.

I don't get to hang out in Morioh too long cause I have to work and be out on the ship but it's always the same no matter how many months or years pass.

Are you a man of the sea as well?

Your hometown sounds nice. Peaceful and quiet, you know?

[Certain recent events from back home have made Jean appreciate the allure of living somewhere ordinary and boring.]

We don't have seas in my world. Or if we do, they aren't anywhere I can get to them.

I am for a quiet peaceful life at all times

[It's kind of his motto.]

I'm sorry. Did I hear that correctly...? You don't have the ocean where you come from? [Kira knows nothing else about Jean's world but he can firmly declare it sucks serious ass.]

Edited 2017-01-26 00:48 (UTC)

[It sucks serious ass for a lot of reasons. The ocean thing is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.]

No, we don't. At least none that I know about. There could be some beyond the walls, but we don't go outside the walls.

[He almost asks if he heard that correctly again. Because seriously...]

You don't go beyond the walls? What kind of dystopian hellscape did you live in? This sounds insanely shitty.

You have no idea.

[Although insanely shitty definitely covers it.]

We don't go outside the walls because of the titans. They're these giants who live out there and like to eat people. So the walls are safe, but not really, because sometimes the titans get inside them, and then humanity loses huge chunks of its population. So yeah, hellscape is a pretty accurate description.

[Sigh.]

Tell me more about Japan. Or the ocean. We don't have either one in my world.

You live in a really gross fetish world is what you live in. Giant people eating human beings.

I've seen a lot of shit. I've heard a lot of shit. I'm actually one hundred percent pretty repulsed.

Shit, I'll tell you everything about the ocean.

Super big. Super wet. And really salty. There are several in the world that I come from. They all technically connect but we call them different names. Atlantic Ocean. Pacific Ocean. Japan is a small slew of islands in the Pacific Ocean, the largest ocean in the world. Bigger Oceans are kind of dark and murky looking but if you go to a smaller one like, the Gulf, it's a really bright crystal blue. Really pretty. And the surface is awesome and all but it's all the stuff in the ocean that's great. Giant water mammals bigger than your titans I guarantee it. There are Blue Whales that get over thirty meters long.

And it's insanely colorful and beautiful. Coral reefs with all kinds of fish. Big and small. And the ocean is deep and the depths haven't even come close to being fully explored. We're learning new stuff all the time.

There are oceans here though. You've seen those right? I bet it's pretty close to what I have at home. If you ever get a chance you should go snorkling at least and take a peek at what's out there. It'll take you breath away every time.

[Jean could bring up that the biggest titan is fifty meters tall, which makes it bigger than one of these blue whale things, but he keeps his mouth shut. Everything the man is describing sounds like something impossible, like there would be no way any of these things could exist, and it makes Jean's chest hurt in a way he hadn't expected. Why is every single world out there so much better than his?]

We haven't been to the ocean here yet. We're making our way there, but then the weather got cold and we just kind of crashed out for awhile.

What's snorkeling?

[Is this some way to see what's in the ocean?]

Makes sense. Wait till late spring or summer when the sun is heating up the ocean and it's more comfortable to swim in. Find a nice gulf in this world where the ocean is a crystal blue and it's not too cold. It's the best.

Snorkeling is where you wear a mask over your eyes and nose. And this tube goes into your mouth and it sticks out of the water. You wear this thing and you can look at the seafloor and breath so you don't miss seeing anything. You can take that a step further by just straight up scuba diving. And that is kind of similar but you carry a tank of oxygen on your back and you can go really deep without needing air for hours. You need training to do that though since the depths and pressure is something you have to be careful with.

It's really cool. I'm on the sea all the time and it's still breathtaking. It's going to blow your mind, dude.

When you get there tell me how you liked it, okay? I've never talked to anyone who has never seen the sea before. I kind of want to hear your first impression of it. That might be weird to ask though.

There's something where you can actually go under the water?

[Well, then. That sounds both terrifying and amazing at the same time, and Jean isn't sure whether he should tell Armin about it or not. It sounds like something Armin would be into, but that he'd try and drag Jean along with, and Jean isn't sure if he's into the idea of going down under the water. Snorkeling sounds good though.]

No, that's fine. When we get there, I'll let you know what I think.

[Jean laughs a little.]

I'm pretty sure, if nothing else, my Gyarados is going to love it. Maybe he'll let me ride on his head when he goes swimming.

Yeah. It's incredibly awesome. The ocean is an amazing place. It's vast and still mostly unknown because of how deep it is but it's rewarding and amazing too.

And yeah, give all your water buddies a dip in the ocean. I can't wait to get over to the sea myself and let Lapras swim around in it.

And since you've never been to the sea I'll give you the best advice I can. Don't drink it. You're not going to like it and it'll make you sick.

Because it has salt in it, right?

[That thought alone is still mind-boggling. A huge body of water filled with salt? Salt is such a rare commodity on their world that Jean and his friends can't help indulging in it heavily here, where it's both available and cheap.]

You can probably get the salt out of the water, right? And then use it for cooking or preserving meat if you wanted to? Salt is really valuable where I'm from.

Yes. Like a lot of salt.

Yeah. You can do that. It's considered an expensive endeavor if you try to do it in mass quantity. Reverse osmosis is the best way to do it but that's a bit beyond my comprehension. I'm a doctor not a scientist, ya know?

But I remember doing a thing in school once where we had like little dishes of salt water and we set them by the window. And the next day there was only salt left. So I'm like really sure you can just do it that way. Probably.

3rd Castoff

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