tabularasa_rp | ( OPEN ) i wanna be the very best . . .

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( OPEN ) i wanna be the very best . . .

Who: Lance (

thunderwave) & YOU.
What: Open log for August!
Where: All over The World!
When: The month of August!
Content Warnings: None as of yet!

[ the world has changed, again. it seems to happen constantly, wherever this place is. lance still hasn't totally figured it out, by now . . . but upon finding new locations, he is going to check them out! with his big dorky looking dragon buddy. ]

(A) Lemon Cello Church

[ cake is something dragonite understands, and so while lance is exploring the church and taking in the beautiful architecture, the dragon-type pokemon is intent on the cake. his big snout snuffles the display case, and through some careful maneuvering, dragonite figures out how to get around to the back of it, ducking his head into the case itself to attempt to see if the lemon-flavored cake is . . . well, real.

it smells real. and lance looks summarily occupied, and while dragonite typically isn't one to cause a great amount of mischief, the cake is definitely the best looking thing he has seen since arriving to this chaotic nightmare. and so just when dragonite is about to take a bite -- ]

Dragonite!

[ lance's barked voice echoes throughout the church, and the dragon-type jerks his head upward, accidentally hitting his head on the case, and he lets out a disgruntled grumble as lance looks disapproving, gesturing a bit. ]

We have no idea what type of place this is, you can't just eat it.

---

(B) Mandatory Chicken Prompt

[ lance can also be found wandering around to explore the local fauna that seems to be changing every day . . . he's seen a few creatures that look an awful lot like smeargle, which is a bit odd. and lance is sitting on the shores of the lake on a nearby rock, resting his elbows on his knees as he watches the surface of the water, curious.

those magikarp have caught his attention, and lance wants to see if he can train one.

dragonite can be found lying on the sores of the lake, eyes closed. not sleeping, but . . . sunbathing? if there were such thing as sunshine. the wind is a bit bothersome, but lance doesn't seem to mind, eyes still trained on the water . . . or, at least, until a weird naked flying-type waddles by, walking on what appears to be human hands, clucking along.

lance opens his mouth, then closes it, his eyes following the weird creature. dragonite seems entirely unbothered. and the dragon master opens his mouth again before: ]

. . . what?

[ what in the actual fuck is that thing. ]

---

(C) Wildcard

This post serves as my open log for Lance for the month of August! Reach out to me if you would like something specific or if your character would like to talk to Lance. This post can serve the purpose of an "IC contact" for Lance for the month. You can truly find him (and Dragonite!!!!) everywhere. Make up your own prompt, go wild. I will roll with whatever.

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[ he's really not trying to purposefully seek out blue . . . or maybe he is. but after the conversation with oak, it's hard not to let himself be concerned or worried. particularly when he knows blue would seek out his grandfather (or whoever the hell this guy was) if he knew he was here.

so, dragonite and lance are just sort of on a lazy scouting mission. you know, if they happen to find blue, that would be fantastic. and, sure enough, they do . . . by mt. silver, of all places.

lance supposes he shouldn't be surprised, but given there's at least seven other locations which are way more entertaining and less traumatizing, he is.

at any rate, they land some distance away, and walks closer, hands in his pockets. trying to figure out how to approach the situation without sparking a fight. and as he approaches, lance still doesn't really know how to start the conversation, other than slowing to a stop near blue, and ultimately settles on: ]

How are you?

[ he doesn't offer specifics, or anything like that, leaving blue the room to say something, or nothing at all. they have just arrived in a bizarre new world, so maybe lance is asking about that.

but it's pretty clear from the expression on his face that he isn't. ]

[A very long time ago Blue had come to develop his own habits and ways to protect himself mentally, emotionally, from the feelings he'd repressed about his family dynamics. A lack of nurturing, a lack of interpersonal relation. How he saw his own place in the family, and what he felt about his grandfather, all of it was an intricate tangle that had layered over itself in the many years since.... he became alone.]

[Blue, indeed, found his grandfather. And while it didn't go as catastrophically as Lance perhaps imagined it could have, it was.....]

[Different. It was a very different experience than what Blue is used to with his grandfather, and he hadn't been emotionally prepared for it. In an entirely different way than he was usually guarded, when it came to interacting with him.]

[It had been very oddly peaceful. And he can't put a name to exactly why he'd sat on the lakeshore and cried afterward, but he was glad that it had all happened when he was alone, and Red wasn't with him, and no one else had found him. So, like usual, only Eevee knew, and only Eevee was there to comfort him. But he preferred it that way.]

[When Lance finds him, it's a time after that- ...if 'time' even had a meaning here; Blue had at last started to become suspicious of how much he felt had 'happened' since arriving in this strange place. He had come to generally hang around Mt. Silver, because Red generally hung around Mt. Silver, and Blue wasn't comfortable with straying too far from him for too long. Perhaps it was self-explanatory. And it wasn't like Blue had much elsewhere to run away to that felt any more comforting.]

[...It helped that the bar was there, too.]

...What's with that face? [He immediately asks, instead of greeting Lance. He's propped up on a rocky, shallow cliff on the side of the mountain path, with a blank book he'd picked out of one of the strange buildings and a pencil from the bar.]

[ a soft 'hrm' escapes before lance glances around, pushing himself up onto a nearby rock to sit. dragonite finds space somewhere behind lance, to lay down too. to wait, presumably, for what is sure to be a long conversation.

or, well. maybe not. blue could choose to just not engage.

at any rate, blue asked a question, and lance ignores it much like blue ignored his own, watching the winding path of mt. silver for a moment in thought. ]

What are you writing?

[ at least lance sounds legitimately curious, glancing toward the blank book and pencil, resting his knees on his elbows as he makes himself comfortable. ]

Or have you not started yet?

'm not.

[A stubborn reply amongst stubborn unanswered questions. The both of them were used to this tit for tat dance of a guessing game- what Blue feels like addressing, what Lance feels like letting him get away with.]

[With Lance now settled next to him, it's easier for him to lean over and see the rudimentary beginnings of a sketch of some kind- there's a flock of those strange Pidgey pecking about in the grasses not too far from them, and Blue's been picking away at an awkward, half-formed drawing as he watches them.]

[He cracks a grin- kind of wry, and self-deprecating, as he feels Lance's eyes on it.] ...It's kinda messed-up looking, huh? I've never been very good at this kind of.... artsy stuff.

[ it is a little awkward looking, but far be it for lance to judge. he’s never really bothered learning the art or drawing, and so lance has no idea if he’s personally any good. ]

It doesn’t look that bad to me.

[ as lance inclines his head toward the bizarre pidgey. ]

You, of all people, should be able to get a closer look.

[ pidgey are fairly easy to train, but blue has a powerful bond with his pidgeot. getting to know these regional types should be a piece of cake, for him. ]

I’m surprised you don’t have one following you around yet.

Hmmm.

[And no, that's not exactly high praise coming from Lance, who Blue frankly assumes doesn't have a creative bone in his body, but.... He'll take it at half-value, at least. He pauses in his drawing to engage the conversation a little more, even though he's still suspicious of Lance's intentions.]

Oh, I've got a whole flock. The ones that roost over the bar love me.

[And he grins a little pridefully at that. Because that's right, he was practically a Pidgey expert!! It was too bad Pidgeot hadn't been able to adopt all the little fellows.... Though Blue suspects he'd mostly be crotchety and annoyed with them.] All you need is some food and they're all over you.

It would appear to be some manner of chicken.

[Not quite as interesting to the Exarch as Lance’s companion is, however, which is what caught his attention as he wandered near the lake, and the reason he was close enough to overhear.

Finding it troublesome to keep his hood up in the wind, he’s let it rest around his shoulders, allowing anyone to see his furry, feline ears. When the wind catches his robe, his fluffy tail can be seen as well.]

It doesn’t seem particularly concerned by our presence, does it?

[ of course he does. and lance shifts his attention toward the weird little pidgey-like creatures, curious. he's never really trained other types of pokemon aside from dragons, which are . . . difficult, to say the least. you need a bit more than food to coax them into working alongside you.

still, that isn't to say training other types of pokemon isn't also difficult. and blue has a gyarados, so he's clearly capable of training anything if he wants to. ]

I wonder if food will work on the Magikarp.

[ thoughtfully.

behind him, dragonite snorts to himself in what suspiciously sounds like a dragon-like laugh, and lance ignores it, because fuck you, buddy!!!! ]

They aren't exactly inclined to peaceful co-existence with humans, here.

[ lance looks over at the newcomer, his eyes flickering to the ears only once before returning his gaze to the . . . chicken, was that what this young man had called it? ]

Not as such.

[ dragonite lifts his head to look at the chicken-creature, huffing to himself as he glances toward exarch, just to make sure he's safe! but sensing no anxiety or trouble from lance, the dragon-type resumes his nap. or nap-like state, anyway. ]

-- what did you call it, a chicken? It's species is familiar to you?

[If Lance looks a little closer, he'll see that this creature is carrying something in its beak: a small dish towel that drags along on the ground between its feet as it waddles quickly across its field of vision, its featherless arms spread on either side of its round body as if it's trying to run away from something.

He won't need to wait much longer to find out that... it is.

Tifa emerges from behind a tree, quiet and unaware of Lance and Dragonite even being there. She's trying to sneak up on it, and as soon as it pauses, its feet slapping against the ground as it turns to check if she's still behind it, she leaps out from her hiding spot and tries to grab it, but it manages to slip through her hands yet again. It drops an egg and runs, still clutching her dish rag.

She rolls her head back to stare frustratingly up at the sky, and it's only when she deflates that she notices Lance, and... Ah.

She waves.]

I have little experience with them, but they are commonly raised for both meat and eggs. They... don’t normally quite look like that, however.

For one thing, a chicken ordinarily has feathers... and if I am not mistaken that particular bird’s feet looked remarkably akin to human hands.

[He lifts his own hand up - the left, the one not made of crystal - to examine it. Yes, it did indeed have human hands for feet. How strange!]

[ the scene that unfolds before him causes his eyebrows to arch slightly, though he does, at least, recognize the young woman chasing after . . . whatever that thing is. ]

Ah, Tifa.

[ easily enough, as he pushes himself up onto his feet. dragonite, too, lifts his head to look at tifa, the dragon-type's expression brightening at recognizing a familiar face. ]

Do you need help?

[ because, you know, he does have a big dragon who will happily chase a weird chicken dick for a dish rag. ]

Heheh, I wonder-- what do you think they'd do if they caught you? If the answer is 'eat you', then probably!

[But if it was a matter of territory, well.... That'd be a straight battle, wouldn't it. But they couldn't do a whole lot as they were, besides maybe a Dragon Tail on Dragonite's part and a Headbutt from Eevee, so they might as well leave them be. When Blue'd been told about the weird Magikarp, he had to see for himself- but he didn't stick around too long, given the warnings.]

If you're gonna try it, don't look at me to help you recover your missing fingers!

[Cheerfully, Blue continues scribbling away, filling in the feathers of one of the Pidgeys' wings.]

I haven't lost any fingers yet, and I don't intend to lose any now.

[ dratini are way more inclined to bite your fingers off than magikarp, thank you very much, no matter how cute those little blue worms look.

but as he watches blue continue to fill in the drawing, he frowns to himself before shifting his attention back to the pidgey in the field below them. he supposes he could continue to beat around the bush and avoid the conversation, but that would do no good to either of them. ]

Have you spoken to him yet?

[ even if he hasn't, there are only so many people here. blue had to know by now, that oak is here. ]

[Blue shrugs that off casually, but with a smug little smirk like he knows he's right! So eat shit, Lance!!]

[Blue sketches along uncertainly, and the scratch of his pencil pauses for a moment as Lance's question sinks in, then starts up again. He doesn't answer for a few moments, deciding whether to play dumb or not.]

Who? The Pidgey? They don't really seem to get us like the ones back home. You're welcome to try, though. [He forces himself to crack a teasing grin.]

[ well, if that's not a resounding yes, he doesn't know what is. and for half a moment, lance almost lets it go. if they were home, he probably would have.

but they aren't home. and, pragmatically, they need to be on the same page. and while lance does return the grin with a faint smile of his own, he soon refocuses on the point.

prying is clearly not going to work. bluntly asking is also not going to work. and beating around the bush is also not going to work.

so lance simply waits, silent, patiently watching the pidgey. ]

[Why is he so quiet..... Blue frowns to himself internally at first, and resolves to just keep sketching away at his drawing, overfocusing on a particular bunch of feathers so that he has more to do, more to pick at, busying himself so there isn't an opening to seem like he's waiting for a response.]

[But Lance is, of course, the more patient one between them, and as the minutes pass in silence, Blue's agitation becomes more and more apparent with the frown that turns his mouth, and the pinch of his brow, until he starts stealing sneaky glances towards Lance to check what he's actually doing. Is he really just sitting there!?]

....Um, so? [He finally cracks, irritably, eyes narrowed.]

[ ah, there he is. but as the silence stretches on, lance decides that prying is not the move, here. blue will talk about it, if he wants to talk about it. the most important thing is that blue knows people are available to support him, if he needs it.

whether or not he'll take it is another matter. ]

Nothing.

[ easily enough, as he shifts to stand, but not before he rests a hand on blue's shoulder, squeezing once before letting go, rising to his feet as he dusts off his pants. ]

I just want you to know that you are enough, as you are. And that I am on your side, regardless of whatever happens in this place.

[ that's a good start, anyway. ]

Are you going to be here for some time? Dragonite can give you a lift, if you want it.

[ not need it, because blue can totally just walk. ]

Interesting.

[ a chicken . . . ]

It seems quite a few beings from our worlds have been taken here and mashed together with something else. Perhaps that's the explanation for the Pidgey . . .

[ not a regional variant, but a . . . mish-mash? at any rate: ]

Calling them a "chicken" versus "nameless Bird-type Pokemon" sounds better, so I think I'll settle on that, for now.

[ warmly enough, as he turns his full attention back to exarch. ]

I am Lance, by the way -- do you have a name?

Nobody asked you.

[He says it with an aggressive edge, the sort of tone he might have used as a teenager who couldn't control his emotions when pressed and could only snap back, sullen, with immediacy. He wants to shrug off the squeeze, but he only does so half-heartedly and a beat too late.]

[How did he always know exactly what had been eating away at Blue, every time? ...Not that there wasn't a general theme, but the things he had learned from Oak when they'd spoken had formed a solid lump of anxiety in the pit of his chest ever since, turning and tumbling as if he was right back where he started ten years ago.]

I'm not going anywhere, [He dismisses the offer, less aggressively so that he doesn't hurt Dragonite's feelings (because he is appreciated!!!!), but ignoring it nonetheless.] I'm still drawing.

[And besides, where would he go?]

[There's another moment that passes, but he seems reluctant to let it end and for Lance to to vanish again. There was no way to contact others in this place; and he still didn't have quite a solid idea of where to find anyone, and he lacked Pokémon to scout with. What a huge pain in the Feebas.]

I..... can't remember the last time I just sat with him like that.

[Mumbled quietly enough, as Lance is swishing away, that it could be missed, too cowardly to be called deliberate.]

[ he pauses, at blue's mumble, a hand resting against dragonite, as lance had been prepared to leave blue to his thoughts . . . but he turns slightly to look back at blue, his brow furrowed.

truthfully, lance had been concerned that the conversation between blue and oak had gone poorly. but it seems that it . . . didn't. which poses it's own set of difficulties. and it doesn't take a genius to connect the dots, that the positive experience in this place doesn't reflect the reality of their home. ]

I know.

[ finally. not in the fact that he knew blue sat with oak, but that he understood what was bothering him. and lance considers asking another question, ask for details about what they talked about, but he decides if blue wants to say something about the details, he will.

instead: ]

What do you want to do?

[ in terms of handling oak, or how he wants lance to deal with it. he'll do whatever blue wants, when it comes to the professor. or not-professor, as it were. ]

[Blue's furrowed stare is glued to the page in front of him, but he's not actually looking at what he's doing; his hand continues its rhythmic, back and forth sketching motions despite not actually applying any lead.]

[Looking inward instead, at his thoughts, he's only mulling over again everything that he'd been stuck on since he'd reunited with his grandfather. Well. His "grandfather", with the technicality that the man he'd met was apparently not the same man as his own....]

[That man's grandson, despite similarities to Blue, seemingly had it all. He didn't even have to be as successful; his grandfather's pride and praise had been easily won, even without proving himself- and for what...? Was it because he'd chosen to follow in his footsteps, rather than bitterly carving out his own path, refusing to be forced any further into a fate that'd been seemingly expected for him since birth?]

[Oak was a stubborn man. Blue had taken after that much, at least.]

Hell if I know. [He answers, and this time he doesn't hide the bitterness, flicking his pencil against the page.] Does it matter? He doesn't even know who I am.

[ lance pauses, at that, before he returns to where he had been sitting previously. ]

No, he doesn't know who you are. [ in quiet agreement; there's little point in pretending otherwise, as he watches the pidgey pick through the grass, likely searching for bug-types to snack on. assuming they have the same diet, anyway. ] But I think it matters, because he is here. His presence is something that is going to affect you.

[ part of lance, honestly, is grateful that their version of oak isn't here. they have never really gotten along, after the scene at the indigo plateau, with red and blue. and subsequent attempts at conversation had always ended . . . not poorly, really, but brusquely. lance can only imagine how that would play out here.

he sits in silence for a moment or two before he continues, his eyes still focused on the pidgey. ]

I think he would be lucky and fortunate, to get to know you. His version of you sounded a little boring, if I'm honest.

[ what a dunk on gary oak by lance, the nicest guy that ever was. ]

Snrk--

[Blue can't help the little crack of a snicker at the dunk. Boy, he wishes his phone was working so he could pull up an airhorn.]

[But it at least does a little bit to lift his mood, so the job is done. Even if it's sort of meaningless, in the scheme of things....]

Not that studying fossil Pokémon is super boring, but the actual revival part of it? No thanks, I'll stick to the live ones! [Blue sets his drawing down finally, and hugs his knees to himself.] ...I just wonder-- [He hesitates, and chews on his lip, because he was going to say something entirely too vulnerable, but...] ...what I could have done....

[To have that.]

Edited 2020-08-09 19:23 (UTC)

[ there is a silence, as lance digests that. because the truth, really, is that there isn't anything blue could have done. saying that, though, isn't necessarily helpful or will make blue feel better.

instead: ]

We always strive to make the people around us happy, particularly family. But some expectations are too great to really shoulder, and you have to settle for what personally makes you happy. Which isn't an easy thing to do.

[ with a slight shrug of his shoulders, still watching the pidgey nosing through the grass. ]

My grandfather was horrified, when I decided to leave Blackthorn. And once I traveled Johto, I decided to go home, because I felt that I needed to. When I did, I was told I needed to become Leader. [ and he hums to himself in thought; it was honestly not a pleasant period in his life, but he's old enough now to look back on it and not be too bothered. ] I think I lasted two weeks before I quit and decided to challenge the Elite Four, instead.

[ which had been . . . a disaster. and lance is fairly certain that didn't exactly endear him to the league, in the beginning. but they obviously got over it. and clair is better suited for that position, anyway, though she certainly hasn't really gotten over his decision in career, either. but, finally, he looks over at blue, with a warm smile. ]

You are the youngest Champion in the history of the Indigo Plateau, a decorated success, and still are not finished achieving the peak of what you are capable of. You are enough, Blue. Regardless of whatever expectations anyone places upon you. Including his.

Edited 2020-08-09 19:47 (UTC)

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( OPEN ) i wanna be the very best . . .

(CLOSED TO: Blue)

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