Heavenly Blanc Void Party

[starshower]

🥂 HEAVENLY BLANC VOID PARTY 🥂 Who: Everyone! What: Heavenly Blanc mingle and info exchange Where: The Heavenly Blanc Bar and Café When: "August 1"; but really, what is time Content Warnings: N/A Maybe you heard through word of mouth, or got an invite from the barista and barkeep directly, or spotted the handwritten paper invites hung up around the area, but there is a gathering happening at the Heavenly Blanc Bar and Café TODAY! So feel free to stop by, hang out, have some drinks, and share some stories. 🍺 DRINKS: Coffee will be served by Ren, and Tifa will be handling the other drinks. There's a wide variety behind the bar, ranging from alcoholic to the non-alcoholic, with delicious cocktails (yes, including virgin ones for the minors) to pick from. And before you ask - no, if you are underage, you may not have alcohol. Tifa will be very strict about it, and anyone who tries to bypass her imposed law will be subject to room temperature tapwater for the rest of the party. 🎲 GAMES: Various boardgames that came along with Le Blanc will be made available for all to play, including a Shogi board for the strategically inclined (and whoever knows how the heck to play it). Along the side wall are two pinball machines, and while they don't light up and make sounds, the mechanisms inside them still work, so they aren't completely out of the picture! Next to them, between the jukebox and the door is a dart board. Please do be mindful when throwing darts, as the light filtering into the bar through the front windows is very minimal. 🤔 INFORMATION EXCHANGE: The important part! When all are gathered inside the bar, Tifa and Ren will make a small announcement for everyone: "Now that we've all had the chance to take a look around and get our bearings, I wanna encourage everyone to exchange what you know, or what you've found. Even share it with the rest of us! Locations, ideas, theories - anything that could be useful in helping us all figure this out. We all come from different worlds, but we're stuck here, so we're in this together until we're not, yeah? Let's make friends and play nice, and most importantly, have fun today! Oh, and if you're coming and going, make sure to close the door nice and tight behind you." "It's nice to see everyone. Since we're stuck here together, let's cooperate well." ☕ OOC NOTES ☕ This is the open mingle post for the Heavenly Blanc void party! Please feel free to top-level and tag around. There is a top-level included here for you to post OOC notes of what their characters have discussed on the log, as well as their own thoughts about the world. If there is anything important that people should know, please reply to the top-level with the information, so that it's easy to find for everyone. General info posts about what your character will be talking about are fine as well. Just please try to avoid multiple edits if you can as you thread if you are going that route! for the sake of my dw inbox... Because this is an info exchange/mingle post, we encourage thread-jacking. However, we know that not everyone is into that kind of thing, so if you are okay with others hopping into your threads, please be sure to indicate it in your top-level. Questions about the log can be directed to the ooc post. Have fun!

Comments

[rotomphone]

It should be! The great Raihan never lies, you know.

[ you can't be awesome without being honest, and Raihan will always stand by that. how can you brag about your achievements and strengths if you can't actually back them up? there's no merit in that.

he smiles when he sees Ren getting closer, urging him again. come on, no reason to be shy! ]

I could just say "because I'm his Trainer", but that's not exactly true. Just because you've caught a Pokémon, that doesn't mean they'll obey you. Right? [ he looks to Duraludon with a smile, as if the Pokémon will know what he's talking about. he apparently does, with the way his eyes close and the low, understanding growl he lets out. clearly, there's a story there. ]

Duraludon and I have been through a lot together. So in short... he obeys me because we're friends!

[forethinking]

... He understands you?

(He had his suspicions, with how both Eevee and Pikachu responded to comments, but he never quite understood how much did they comprehend from human speech. While he has Raihan, who apparently never lies, might as well ask all the questions on these creatures as he can!

Also, funny... Ren has a friend who has been through a lot together and doesn't obey him... Must be nice...)

Sounds like an interesting friendship. Do you understand him as well?

[rotomphone]

Pretty much. It depends on the Pokémon, but pretty much all of them can understand humans to some extent. [ and to his follow-up, ] Yeah! It's the same the other way around.

[ never mind people like Psychics, who are literal mind readers and telepaths! they don't count for this explanation, and would definitely make things more complicated. ]

It's got less to do with language and more with... empathy, I guess? We just kind of know what the other is trying to get across.

[ and as if he's understanding Ren's reservations, Duraludon looks at him, pauses for a moment... and moves one of his arms up from its resting position. it almost looks like an offer for a handshake, or at least to urge Ren that he's not as vicious as he looks. it gets a big grin from Raihan, looking at the younger man expectantly. come on, he's trying to be friendly! ]

See what I mean?

[forethinking]

(... Pokémon really are amazing creatures, aren't they? Being able to be this in-sync with their trainers seem like a lot of work and dedication, he can admire that! He also can't imagine how an entire world populated by those creatures seem like, but from what Blue shared, it seemed like they live in harmony and understanding.

Sounds nice, Raihan's comments only further his endearment of the relationship between them. He gives the Pokémon a large smile, taking its... Hand? With his own for a handshake, along with a bow.)

Let's get along well.

(He hopes now he won't stare at Ren as much. He releases the Pokémon to refocus his attention on Raihan.)

I'm glad you have many people from your own world here. Did you all know each other before?

(Or is it a coincidence?)

[rotomphone]

[ it sure is a lot of hard work! Raihan didn't get to be one of the strongest Trainers in Galar by slacking off, and his team relies on him to keep them in peak condition. their world isn't perfect by any means, but he certainly can't picture a world without Pokémon.

finally! he's all smiles when Ren finally gives Duraludon the pet that he's been looking for. even if it's not on the head, a victory is a victory - he shakes his claw with Ren's hand, giving him a solemn nod. he'll never stop staring, though. never. ]

Nope. I mean, all of them seem like they know each other, but I'm from a totally different part of the world. I'm almost starting to feel left out!

[ he sounds like he's joking, but... is he? it's hard to tell with that nonchalant attitude of his, along with the way that he grins. ] But I guess that just makes me stand out more, right?

[forethinking]

(Ren perks up, just a little. The words can have their playful tone, but Raihan doesn't deny them - instead, he brings a positive point out of it.

He gives a decided nod in encouragement, along with a gentle smile. He doesn't know about that part yet, but only because of his lack of knowledge on their world altogether. There's a very simple way to solve this, though!)

How is your part of the world compared to theirs?

(Ren can't go around the counter to sit next to his new friendS, at least not for now. So he just pours himself some of the coffee he had just made, forearms on the counter with the cup resting between his hands, ready to listen.)

[rotomphone]

It's pretty different in terms of culture. Regions like Kanto and Johto in the east have completely separate traditions and beliefs than Galar does in the west. I can't really think of anything that's similar... even our Pokémon Leagues work on completely different systems.

[ and Raihan would argue that the Galarian system is better and cooler, but Ren wouldn't know enough to give the argument any weight. ]

But that one thing that links us together is being Pokémon Trainers. That kind of thing transcends borders - kind of like a universal language!

[forethinking]

(That brought a certain question to Ren's mind... He had been under the assumption that Raihan was from a similar system as Red and Blue, but apparently, not?

He does smile at the passionate speech, though! Raihan is a joy to listen to.)

I have a question.

Blue told me you could become a trainer at age 11. Was that the same for you?

[rotomphone]

That part is the same, yeah. The gym challenge doesn't have any maximum restrictions on age, but 11 is the minimum - that's when I set out!

[ he says it as if it's the most normal thing in the world. sure, some people wait longer, but parents are always encouraged to let their children see the world by that age. ]

Normally kids that start that early don't get too far in the big leagues until they're older, but there are always exceptions. Those are the really interesting challengers.

[forethinking]

What's the youngest you've met?

(Out of curiosity - the Pokéworld is wild...)

May I ask you another question?

(Sorry, he's just very curious...)

[rotomphone]

Dunno! It's not really something you ask. [ a Trainer is a Trainer, no matter how old they are! and besides... ] And it's not really important, anyhow. If they're strong enough to have made it to me, I'll let their battling speak for them!

[ he's crushed a lot of dreams in his tenure as Gym Leader, but it's just a part of the challenge. if you want to make it to Wyndon, you have to earn it, just as anyone else would. kids don't get special treatment. ]

Go for it.

[forethinking]

(Checks out. Age is really not that big of a component if someone's skills prove worthy.)

Do each of you only have one Pokémon?

(Nobody introduced him on the concept of pokéballs yet, but considering how Pokémon was basically the base of everything in their world, he expected there to be more with them.)

[rotomphone]

I guess it looks like that, doesn't it? [ he smirks. ] I can't speak for the other guys, but I have a feeling they're in the same boat as me. We all have other Pokémon, but for some reason we can't call on them right now.

[ to confirm that, he reaches into the pocket of his uniform shorts and takes out five round objects with a black and yellow design that fit into the palm of his hand. ]

Trainers can carry up to six Pokémon with them at any given time. When they're not out and about, we keep them in their Poké Balls, like these.

[forethinking]

(Did Raihan just grow a second head or is Ren just very confused?

He looks at the Pokéballs, fighting the will to take them in his hands. Wouldn't be polite to! They're someone's house... Apparently...?

This raised more questions than answered them.)

... But Raihan-san. How...?

(How are they fed? Do they have a little house? Do they become tiny? What...?)

[rotomphone]

[ it's a little weird to see someone so confused at seeing a regular ol' Ultra Ball, but it's just another exercise in trying to understand what it might look like to someone unfamiliar with Pokémon as a whole. it's starting to make him realize how much he takes technology for granted! ]

I dunno the deep science of how it works, but essentially the Ball converts the Pokémon into data that can be stored and moved around. It replicates a comfortable environment for them, so they're nice and cozy while we travel around! Convenient, right?

[ essentially, they don't need to be fed. it's like a dormant state that still maintains their consciousness... or something. it's complicated! ]

[forethinking]

(... He tries to follow, but again, the cultural shock gets to him for a second. Technology seems very advanced for them, and there goes a whole new string of questions forming in his head... That he might not ask for now! Raihan must be tired from explaining all this, specially if there are other more curious people around who would also take an interest.

He does have a last question for the time being.)

Sounds like it. Why is Duraludon not in one?

(Just so he knows!)

[rotomphone]

Great question! It's probably the same reason why the other guys have their Pokémon out, too.

[ he turns his back to the bar to face the crowd, pointing them out for Ren. obviously Dragonite sticks out, but he also gestures at the two smaller Pokemon that Red and Blue have on their shoulders. ]

You've seen them, right? Pikachu, Eevee, and Dragonite. All of us showed up here with one Pokemon out each, but the rest of them are stuck in their Poké Balls... there's no safer place for them to be, but it's still kind of a bummer.

[ he wants to see his friends, damn it! even just having Flygon out would make things easier; at least he could get a bird's eye view of things... he sighs, but it quickly turns back into a neutral smile. ] I'll be sure to introduce you to my team once they're all out and about! They're a great bunch!

[forethinking]

You must miss them.

(As of now, Ren hadn't spoken to Lance, but he should pretty soon! But of course he sees the seemingly harmless, however huge dragon lurking around. It looks like a plushie...)

I'd love to meet them.

(Obviously, Pokémon are very foreign to him still, but so far, he seems to get along with them and they spark a child-like curiosity within Ren... He can't even imagine how they'd look like.)

Thank you for telling me all this.

(He absolutely means it and there's a smile on his lips when he says it. It must be dragging having to explain this to everyone, so he truly appreciates that Raihan and the other Pokétrainers took the time to do so for him.)