friendyousohard | 26th Spell [Video]

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26th Spell [Video]

So, we're in the first week of the new month and we'll probably be getting new people for a while... and it's occurred to me that there's something about that I've been thinking about for some time now, but have never really addressed.

[Twilight folds her arms a bit, frowning in consideration at the screen.]

Most of us ought to know by now about the helpful guide that Riku, the owner of the training center and the new breeding center, wrote about this world some time ago. It's still a useful resource despite needing some updating, and it's where I got the seed of my idea, but it's a bit... oversized for a newcomer, no offense Riku.

Is there a way to maybe... [She pauses a moment to grope for words.] Create some sort of collective document where we all put in our thoughts on what a new arrival should know about this world right away? Something simple and straightforward, that gives them a grounding point for their first few days. I always worry I've forgotten to mention something important when I talk to someone new, and I think that's a problem we all share. This could fix that, and give them a bit of a leg up in adapting to this world. And as long as we all know about it we can be sure someone's going to show it to them when they arrive.

It might not seem like much, but if you think back on how we all felt when we first arrived, I think most of us would have really liked something like that to at least be available.

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Now that's something they probably wouldn't hear normally. I'm used to eating grass but I know you humans usually aren't.

It's far from the most filling meal, and frankly I don't find the taste particularly pleasant. But it's still a great step up from the side effects that come with eating a Persim berry.

Eating bark would be preferable to that.

Ah, bark. I've not eaten that since survival training, but I'd still choose it over any local fruit I do not recognize.

You'd think that would be common knowledge... still, since it isn't, I'll have to mention it. I imagine most people won't make it to Cherrygrove on the food they arrive with.

Especially not if they share their lunches with their Pokémon. You'd think 'Mother' would care enough to ensure we are well-fed for a few days.

Well, given how the rest of her mind operates, maybe she thinks the trip can be made in a single day. It's not like she ever leaves New Bark herself.

...Her state of mind already greatly worried me, but if your theory is true... That poor woman. Our repeated arrivals cannot possibly be good for her.

One really wishes there were psychologists in this world.

Or at least someone living with her, to ensure that she has a constant, stable presence in her life.

... Now that you mention that, I have to wonder what happened to "Father".

...If there ever was one. Then again, losing both a spouse and a child would certainly explain her... delusions.

Well that's a horrifying thought. Let's not bring that up to the newcomers right away.

The older ones will not need a single word from us. The children... will hopefully be distracted by their new Pokémon, and not think much of it.

You know, I don't remember thinking too much about "Mom" after I arrived. I'm starting to wonder if that was my brain attempting to suppress the horrible trains of thought her situation brings up in my mind.

It could also simply be that this world is filled with new experiences, and that they distracted you. Though I must admit that thinking about her situation for too long leads nowhere good, as far as my imagination is concerned.

I'd consider adding that in to the document, but basic psychology tells us it would have the opposite of the intended effect.

...If you treat her as a perfectly normal aspect of our arrival, worth little more than a token mention, perhaps they'll not think too much about her situation? Though it feels unfair, somehow...

Unfair, maybe, but from a practical perspective their attention is best focused elsewhere. There's simply nothing we can do for her... She's like an actor trapped in one role.

...I have to wonder how she came to play that 'role' in the first place. Was her confusion a convenient reason to use her? Or was it inflicted upon her when we first arrived?

If we're going to ask that, we might as well wonder if she even existed before any of us arrived.

...Let's not. The mere thought is alarming at best, even if we've seen this world deal with multiple large-scale changes before. The existence of a single woman is little compared to hundreds of new species, but still.

And that is precisely why we don't speculate too much on things we lack the necessary information to understand.

Anyway, we've gotten rather off topic. I know it's been a very long time for you, but are there any other things you wish someone would have been around to explain to you in your first few hours?

Let's see...

[He tries to remember what he thought at the time, but- No. Remembering those days is a terrible idea.]

...That my world was not in any danger during my absence. That the progression of time is fluid here, and that friends seen the day before can be ten years too young when they arrive. Everything else was secondary in my mind.

[Well, that's something she already had, but she nods anyway. His sincerity is appreciated.]

I'll make sure that's listed under the first part. It's the sort of thing everyone worries about.

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