InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "He's so old!"

Doctor Stephen Strange (mister_doctor) wrote in thedisplaced,
@ 2018-06-03 22:09:00

Entry tags:

!network post, holland vosijk, johanna mason (au), sherlock holmes (bbc au), stephen strange (mcu)

Between the ball and the birthday parties, it's been a very social weekend.

Is anybody interested in battling their pokemon?

[Private to Charlie Weasley]

We didn't get much change to talk at the ball. How are you doing, my friend?

[Private to Sherlock Holmes (BBC)]

I haven't heard from you in a long while. Not since the cruise, actually. Is everything alright?

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	voxt 2018-06-04 03:30 am UTC (link)
	What does battling pokemon entail? I don't have one, I'm just curious. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mister_doctor 2018-06-04 04:00 am UTC (link)
	Are you familiar with pokemon at all? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-04 04:01 am UTC (link)
	Not really, no. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mister_doctor
2018-06-04 04:15 am UTC (link)

Pokemon is a mash-up between the two words pocket and monster. It's a game that originated in Japan. Essentially, they are creatures with widely different shapes, sizes, and abilities. Some of them also have this propensity to fight. A couple of months ago, before you arrived, the Displaced had been taken to an island where pokemon live, and we were able to bring one back with us, if we wished. You may have noticed my pokemon when you came to the Sanctum - a greyish black fox with red tufts of fur? He was watching you from across the room.

In any case, two trainers may engage their pokemon in battles. It's been said that the bond between pokemon and trainer are deepened in battle, because they understand one another, trust one another, and form closer attachments, which one may not achieve any other way. The two pokemon face off one another in a field that looks a little like a basketball court. The trainers stand on either side and call out what moves the pokemon ought to use against its opponent. The battle is over when one of the pokemon is knocked unconscious.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-04 04:27 am UTC (link)
	I did notice the fox, yes. And the pokemon go with their trainers... willingly? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mister_doctor
2018-06-04 03:26 pm UTC (link)

Sometimes yes - there are documented instances even among the Displaced of pokemon taking a liking to a person and wanting to be caught. Others give a little fight. It depends on the pokemon's temperament. I got my Zoura by trading with somebody - I read about that type of pokemon and was intrigued, so I found someone who'd caught one. But before I accepted him, I carefully explained that I'd be leaving his home and asked if he was okay with the idea that he'd probably never see Alola again. Pokemon are highly intelligent, and he made it known that he wanted to come with me.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-04 05:08 pm UTC (link)
	I see. I'm glad that yours, at least, went with you of his own choice. ~~Though I only have your word on it~~ (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mister_doctor 2018-06-04 06:14 pm UTC (link)
	You disapprove. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-04 06:15 pm UTC (link)
	Of enslavement? Yes. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mister_doctor 2018-06-04 06:32 pm UTC (link)
	Are all pets a form of enslavement? Are you a vegan? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-05 03:49 am UTC (link)
	I'm not overly familiar with how most pets work. There are too few animals in Makt for any to be kept commonly as pets. But it was the prospect of a kept animal used for battle that bothered me. I had never heard that word before. And no, I am not. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mister_doctor
2018-06-06 05:44 pm UTC (link)

I asked those questions because it sounded like you were an animal right's activist, and I was curious to know how strong your stance are. But now I understand that it's the battle aspect that's drawn your disapproval.

Like yourself, I had misgivings about the whole battling aspect, but the more I looked into the pokemon culture, the more I came to appreciate that there's more to it than mindless violence. First of all, not all pokemon battle, but there are some that are more predisposed to it than others. It's a competition, but it's not like bull-baiting or cock fighting. Ideally, the pokemon and trainer have formed a bond of love and friendship between one another - less of a pet and more like a familiar. That bond is strengthened through the process of battle in ways that nothing else does. There's strategy involved, as the trainer decides upon and calls out what move the pokemon should use against its opponent. This becomes important because different pokemon have different moves, some which work better under some circumstances than others. There is a lot of mutual care, and the best trainers are considered the ones who ask their pokemon if they are alright and if they are still able to continue fighting after being dealt a heavy hit.

Ultimately, the pokemon and the trainer become one.

There's a real mystical side to it all, especially in the region of the world where we visited and found our pokemon. There's a person in Tumbleweed from that world who may answer any more questions you have. She's much more qualified, and in fact, I've been going to her for training.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-07 02:32 am UTC (link)
	There are not enough animals in Makt for such things as 'animal rights activists' to exist. I actually haven't seen enslaved animals before, only humans under the control of other humans. If all that is true, then it does sound like the relationship of the trainer to their pokemon is more or less equal. Or at least equally willing. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mister_doctor
2018-06-07 05:11 pm UTC (link)

It's an interesting term you use, enslaved. Would you classify all animals that aren't wild in that category? Domesticated ones, such as horses and dogs?

Since we've returned to Tumbleweed I've been doing some research online, and there's evidence that, at least in the Pokemon Universe, that the humans are just another form of pokemon, and that they share a symbiotic relation with one another. The evidence is an entry in the pokedex (a resource that describes the different pokemon's traits), where there's a rather casual statement that a human woke up suddenly as a pokemon, as if it was no biggie.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-07 05:18 pm UTC (link)
	You're still reading far too much into what I'm saying. I told you, I am not overly familiar with how domesticated animals work. Have I insulted you by inquiring as to the nature of your relationship to your Pokemon? That's very interesting. You've done quite a lot of research. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mister_doctor 2018-06-07 06:00 pm UTC (link)
	No, I'm not insulted at the least. When we were in Alola, I had my own misgivings, until I did my research, so it's a reasonable interpretation, on the surface. It's a passion of mine. I love to learn. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-07 06:06 pm UTC (link)
	As do I. I've taken a job at the public library. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mister_doctor 2018-06-07 07:39 pm UTC (link)
	Anything interesting there? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-07 11:23 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, a great many things. I've been primarily researching this world's history and magical lore. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mister_doctor 2018-06-08 03:23 am UTC (link)
	Have you found anything of interest? I was under the distinct impression that the magic of this world is mostly myth and legend. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

voxt
2018-06-09 06:01 am UTC (link)

Myths and legends are not necessarily falsehoods. Things can become myth and legend when they are so old that everyone has forgotten the truth of them. And, in much of the lore of this world, it seems that the people who believed in the truths of them have been killed.

And I have quite a lot of freedom here, and very little purpose to fill it with, so I thought I might as well try to find some of these old, mystical, possibly magical places. I've always liked the way they feel.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mister_doctor 2018-06-11 03:10 pm UTC (link)
	While I believe there is truth to what you say, especially on the mystic side, I doubt we will ever find a native spell caster that's on the level of you or I. Come by the the Magic Box. I'm the manager there. You'll find books that won't be stocked in the library. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-12 02:47 am UTC (link)
	I'm not looking for people, I'm looking for places. But I will certainly not refuse that invitation. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mister_doctor 2018-06-13 12:47 am UTC (link)
	Places are a different story. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	voxt 2018-06-13 03:21 am UTC (link)
	In what sense? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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mister_doctor, 2018-06-13 05:10 pm UTC

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voxt, 2018-06-15 03:48 am UTC

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mister_doctor, 2018-06-15 03:59 pm UTC

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