VIDEO + ACTION.

[nippy]

( VIDEO. )

[ the background is of the woods just outside Union and— oh, look, it's the boy who was causing the huge scene at the public discussion about Sanctuary. he seems completely different in demeanour now to the way he was then; his expression and body language are open and friendly.

there is also a Phantump in his lap, with Jack's arms wound loosely around it, and a Pidgey comfortably perched on his head. ]

Suddenly thought about something and I thought I'd open to the public for an answer, since that seems to be the done thing around here. Yes? Am I right?

Okay, so I know I'm a little bit out of the loop with what "the norm" is— uh, pretty much everywhere. [ this is still an understatement. ] But does everybody seriously name the Pokémon they're hanging out with? Why? Isn't it weird? How do you even come up with all those names?

( ACTION #1. )

[ somewhere just outside of Union, Jack is... attempting to practice. it sounds like he might be sticking around for a while, between the people he's been meeting and the Sanctuary troubles. he wants to help all the Homunculi stuck there; and just as much as that, he wants the information the Mages are hiding, because maybe he'll learn something about himself. maybe he'll find out how to get back his memories - and every time he thinks about that, there's ice crackling all over him like jolts of electricity.

but staying in Union means that he's going to be near lots of people, and for long periods of time. he can't go accidentally making blizzards and causing huge explosions of ice spikes - that's fine out in the middle of nowhere, but somebody might really get hurt here.

so he's gotta get himself under control. but by the gods, training is boring.

and also not very successful at the moment, judging by the way the ice that Jack was gathering in his hands just blew up in his face. the blast radius is enough to hit anyone that might have come near to investigate the noise, too - they get front-row seats to a blast of icy wind and a faceful of frost. Jack's hair is blown back and frozen in place, and there are ice crystals all over his face. ]

Oh, come on! I had it that time! [ a Duskull is doing giddy loops around his head. Jack snatches a wooden shepherd's staff up off the ground to jab playfully at the Pokémon. ] Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Just you wait - next time you're sleeping I'm gonna freeze you to the wall.

( ACTION #2. )

[ this is less of a singular event and more of an "any time a character happens to notice it" thing, because - did you know Jack's been sleeping on the streets?

well. Jack's been sleeping on the streets. on the nights when he stays in Union rather than the surrounding woods, he tucks himself into alleyways and corners, anywhere it seems likely he'll be able to sleep shielded from the morning sun. this doesn't always mean he ends up in the most unnoticeable spot he could find, and with his Pokémon lingering around him, he could certainly be caught at night or in the morning before he wakes. feel free to question the dirty homeless teenager.

he's tried to convince his new friends to go to the Pokémon Habitat, because even if it feels too awkward for him to sleep there, it's a place meant for them. they have refused. so the boy can also be found with a Phantump cradled against his chest, a Pidgey sleeping on a rooftop overhead, and a Duskull keeping vigil over him. ]

Comments

Action 2

[my_father_is_a_tycoon]

[Lenna remembers speaking with Jack at the meeting about Sanctuary. She didn't address him directly in regards to his status as a Homunculus, but he certainly said it loud enough for anyone to hear. And unlike some nobles, she is absolutely willing and eager to literally put her money where her mouth is with regard to helping people in need.

Approaching slowly so as not to startle him, Lenna crouches down and gently places a hand on his shoulder.]

...Hello?

[nippy]

[ touch is a thing that is unfamiliar enough to Jack - something that, in his experience, usually means wild Pokémon shit shit shit move - that it wakes him up quickly with a jolt. in a move of pure instinct, part of his body goes intangible, and his arm slips through the ground; he catches himself with his other hand, still solid, before he can sink any further. ]

Uh— [ now that he's awake, his mind takes a moment to reorientate itself. sleeping in Union, right. but the reason he likes sleeping here is because he doesn't normally get woken up. ] Hi. Can I... help you?

[ he takes a moment to focus on pulling parts of himself out of the ground and trying to get them corporeal again. ]

Video;

[morituri_nolumus_mori]

[ Hey, it's the kid that Rincewind was mutually afraid of (it's not hard to be afraid of everything, really). He seems to have ... er ... cooled down. None of the political drama from earlier had been mentioned so...this was a safe post? Yes, it must be safe. Rincewind could turn the feed off anytime. Ah, good. He he goes. ]

Mine's just The Luggage. I can't imagine it ever having another name.

[ and to illustrate his point, the feed roughly turns, bumping around accompanied by a soft curse, and points at a curly-toed boot. The image wobbles sideways and loosely focuses on an ancient travel trunk. ]

[nippy]

[ that is... definitely getting some staring from both Jack and his companions. what is that? is that supposed to be a Pokémon??? ]

Nice... friend. [ he shakes his head. right, the point was - ] I just don't get it. I mean, you don't name people when you meet them, right? So what's the difference?

Action #1

[platinumlucifer]

Wow!

[ Talk about a shocking surprise! Thankfully for Excellen, her lightning-fast reflexes kick in fast enough that she avoids becoming a blond sniper-sicle, if only just. Jumping away from the immediate blast, she launches the Goomy clinging to her shoulder. He bounces a few times before finally scuttling behind the woman's legs.

The draft was nice, at least. ]

Yikes, that's brisk! Are you all right there?

[ The Goomy peeks out from behind before tentatively popping out again. NO ICE PLEASE. ]

[nippy]

[ Jack startles at the voice and takes his staff in both hands, something he does to keep his ice under control; the wood starts to freeze over immediately, an outlet to burn off some of the excess cold rather than letting it get to an innocent bystander. ]

Oh, shoot— Yeah, I'm fine! Cold isn't really a problem for me. [ he pries one hand off his staff and starts brushing the ice from his hair. ] Uh - sorry, I didn't realise anyone was around.

Action 2 i hope this prompt is ok!

[punchesyu]

[He's taking a walk around the city, trying to get out and see more of the sights. He's been busy with his own work, and he doesn't even see Jack as he rounds a corner and...walks right into the guy while he's sleeping against a wall.]

Yaaaaah!!!!! [He yells as he goes face first down into the concrete, butt right up in the air, looking kinda pathetic.]

of course!

[nippy]

[ usually, Duskull would be on alert to wake Jack if anyone was coming near, but he tends to join the others in napping once the sun is up - so Jack's awakening is having someone trip over him with an impressive shout, and he scrambles upright, almost falling through the wall behind him when his body loses its corporeality. his companions all startle awake with sounds of alarm, too, so the whole thing is a loud disaster. ]

What the he— [ he finally notices the poor guy who fell over him and gets a good look. ] ... Yosuke?

Video

[windyflower]

[As Fuuka stared at the screen, she pondered a little before responding to him. Although, after a few seconds later...]

I don't see why they couldn't! I think it's kind of nice to have one for them, don't you think? I don't have one for my Espurr but I might come up with something soon!

[nippy]

I don't know, I feel like it's weird. I wouldn't name a person that I just met, so why would I name any of these guys?

[ there's very little distinction between humans and Pokémon to Jack, and he treats them pretty much the same. after being alone for so long, company is just... company. ]

2

[a_gentle_boy]

[It had been a late shift at the Medical Center - one deadly poison case, one out of control Dragon caught in an Outrage, and he had found himself volunteering to man the front desk while the real doctors and nurses worked to save lives.

It's past midnight when he leaves, and he looks about as tired as he feels.]

Late dinner tonight... Sorry, Bandit.

[The Purrloin curled up in his arms yawns loudly and hisses its displeasure; Lucas gives it an ameliorating pat on the head.]

Tomorrow, I'll make you something nice.

[As they travel down the dark and silent streets, Lucas is hardly in a state of mind to notice anything out of the unusual. Purrloin, though, is a different matter. As they walk past a dark alleyway, its ears perk up and it swivels its head towards the entrance.

Hopping out of Lucas's arms, it slinks its way down quickly towards the sleeping group of Pokemon.]

Bandit...! Get out of ther -- ...Oh?

[In the darkness, he can faintly make something out sprawled across the ground. Bandit meows out a question while he prods at the group of strangers.]

No, we're not going to take their things!

[nippy]

[ touch wakes Jack up like a fire alarm, but noise? he can sleep through noise. knowing this, Duskull takes the initiative and goes to nudge Jack awake when he notices the Purrloin approaching. between the skull butting against his shoulder and something pawing at him, Jack snaps awake with a yelp. ]

Whoa! [ there is a small flash of light and a crackling noise - frost lightning bursting over Jack's skin. Jack responds with a hiss of pain, but he is outdone by Phantump's shrill, warbling cry. ] Ahh— No, sorry, sorry, it's okay! Calm down, hey, we're all good...

[ as that brief moment of chaos winds down, Duskull rattles at Jack, who is suddenly reminded that he woke up for a reason. he peers out of the alleyway, eyes luminescent in the darkness. ]

Uh. Hi.

2!

[sparkofgenius]

[What?! What's this?! A guy sleeping in the street? Ignoring the ghosts entirely, Lucca and a Houndour walk up, and Interceptor just...starts licking Jack's face.]

Hey, Jack, what did I say before about sleeping on the street.

[nippy]

[ okay, that's a bewildering wake-up call. Jack makes a strangled noise of surprise in the back of his throat, and then loses his legs through the ground as his body decides it's going to attempt to give up its corporeality to escape whatever has distressed him. he shoves at Interceptor with his free hand, his other holding onto Phantump - those are still solid, thankfully - and looks up at Lucca. well, this is... overwhelming. ]

Augh, wait, no licking— N-nothing? You said I could stay with you, but I've still been trying to figure out if I'm staying in Union— Uh, d'you think you could just... pull me up here?

[ it is really hard to pull your own legs out of the ground. ]

[thewindything]

[John just to happened to have been out trying to train Sprite, his really obnoxious Murkrow that literally never leaves him alone, when he heard some kind of noise. It sounded kind of like a pokemon attack? So he's concerned as he makes his way over.]

[Being the ghost type that he is, he covers his foot steps by floating just above the ground to keep from making noise. It was a good thing, too, because his intangible form is what kept him from getting mauled by ice shards.]

Whoa!

[So much for stealth, there Egbert.]

[nippy]

[ Jack whirls around at the shout, feeling a pit open up in his gut, please tell me I didn't hurt anyone - and someone is standing there, blissfully unharmed. he's so relieved that his own form loses tangibility too, staff falling straight through his hands to the grass. that... can definitely wait until the horrible sick feeling from a second ago leaves and he can calm down enough to actually be solid again. ]

You're not dead! Okay, that's a good thing. Uh, sorry about that, I... didn't realise I had an audience. [ Duskull makes his odd rattling sound again, and Jack turns to blow frost at him. ] Y'know, I'm pretty sure you were supposed to be on look-out instead of floating here mocking me.

Video

[celebrity_commentator]

[This guy seems a lot different when he's not talking politics...he also asks a very good question.]

Not everyone does, but it helps tell our Pokémon apart. If I yelled for "Gardevoir", I might get a lot of my friends' Pokémons' attention instead of my own, if that's who I was calling.

As for where the names come from, I kept trying to name mine after mythology characters, then I kinda gave up and just started using names from books and radio shows.

[nippy]

Aaaand there's the problem. Y'see, I've never read any books, or listened to radio shows or anything. I don't know mythology, or any other languages - to be honest, the only names I know are the ones of people I've met. Which isn't a lot!

[ he doesn't seem to be upset or annoyed about this in any way, he's just stating it as a fact. ]

It'd be kind of awkward to name a friend after someone I've met in Union in the last week. Right?

[video]

[hallacious]

Giving your Pokémon its name is a reminder of the bond you have built together. Many of them seem to like it!

[As it so happens, he holds a Pineco close to his chest, and a Lucario stands over his shoulder, so it's clear that his Pokémon are far from feeling mistreated.]

[nippy]

Huh... I didn't think about it like that. Kinda like nicknames for people, right?

[ he looks down at Phantump in his lap, who gives him a trilling whistle. ] Then again, I've never done that either! So unless you want the most boring, uninspired name ever, you're out of luck, buddy.

video

[child_of_luv]

What's so weird about naming them? It helps tell them apart, I guess. Instead of just saying... "Hey you."

[nippy]

I dunno, we never seem to have any trouble with that. It's pretty obvious when someone's talking to you, don't you think?

Action 1

[divine_braid]

[Pffft... Duo reached up and cracked some of the frost from his bangs, watching it fall in tiny sparkly ice bits. His Houndour, Solo, took the easy way out. Poof! He used Ember to heat up the ice around him.]

You had it, huh?

[Duo chuckled a little as his own Duskull circled about almost blindly, trying to get the ice off its skull face.]

[nippy]

[ he's startled to hear a voice, which results in him coughing up snowflakes for a moment. he turns to complain about being mocked by someone else too - but the iced Duskull distracts him, and he laughs in delight. ]

Okay, that's not what I meant to do, but I'll take it. You okay there, man?

[video]

[heartandsoul]

Well...I've asked them what their names are before, but they always reply back "oh I'm just Espurr, I don't have a name" or something. But it's weird for your friends to not have their own names, so I promised each of my Pokemon that I'd think of names just for them.

They've seemed to be all right with it so far, but I still ask anyway.

As for my naming theme...I don't really have one? I guess I gravitate to a lot of names from the old languages for some, but others are kinda random, like with Aria I named her that because she likes singing sometimes. I don't really get it, but I like listening to it.

[nippy]

Yeah... See, I don't have a lot of exposure to other languages, or... Names. In general. To learn names, you have to meet people, and it's kinda hard to meet a lot of people when you live in the woods.