A Dive Into Romance in Eastern Mythological Thought
Mar 20, 2019 12:14:54 GMT -8
Post by trubbishguy on Mar 20, 2019 12:14:54 GMT -8
”You’re always so interesting, y’know?”
Just past a desk filled with stacks of papers, a Timburr was swinging around a squared-log. He was spinning in circles, trying to use momentum to keep it up, however in the end he always had to drop it. There was a pad under him, and if one would lift up said pad they would discover a crack in the tiles. It would cost a couple hundred Dians, but that was a problem for later. His Sitting on the twin-sized mattress with his laptop resting on his upper thighs was Jude Rigby. He sat at the foot of the bed, which was only a few centimeters away from the desk. Jude’s neck was turned in a way that let him watch the Fighting-Type, while also ensuring he would have a neck-pain later on during the day.
That little Pokemon was still trying his hardest to lift up that wood. He was a persistent little guy. He always failed, but it was the effort that counted in this case. Speaking of effort, Jude should have probably been putting more effort into his schoolwork.
His head turned slowly, in order to ease the small cramp that was forming on his neck, back to his Mini-Leppa. It was a pretty nice machine, though a few years outdated. It had all the necessary features, and some of the non-necessary ones as well. He just couldn’t do what people with the 201 edition of the Mini-Leppa could do. His 197 worked just fine. Even with nigh instant loading speeds, he still envied his roommate, who had a 201. Just picturing what he could do with it tempted his mouth to salivation.
Stop fooling around and get to work.
Right, Mythos & Religion 202. He was supposed to write an essay on some mythology that is no longer commonly believed, and point out some of the reasons why it turned from a religion to a mythology. He chose Vivimian mythology initially out of interest for the culture, but most people chose it because it was one of the most popular. Thus, he backtracked and chose the origin story of the Tamashunme belief, which itself was a branch of Kamiichi. Kamiichi was composed of various stories mostly regarding One True Aura which was split into every living thing. The origin story followed a Gallade and a Gardevoir who were tasked to make the world, and their strange endeavors made it piece by piece. Tamashunme was a small sect that followed a different interpretation than mainstream Kamiichi believers did. They believed in what the grand Gallade and Gardevoir did, however they believed their actions were controlled by fate entirely. It followed the same ideas as some of the schools of Jagravanist thought today. The world came to be, not because powerful Pokemon divinities caused it to, but because that was the nature of the world. It was interesting stuff, but for some reason this essay just wouldn’t write itself.
He had two of six pages done. It wasn’t due tomorrow. Jude could take a break, right? After all, he had a new research opportunity right there in his room. The Philosophy Major turned his head to see that Timburr was dragging the wooden log as he was looking around at the posters in the room. On the right side of the room, where Jude’s bed was, there was a healthy variety of them, but the majority of them were informational. In fact, the only one that wasn’t was a Cage the Donphan poster. The other side of the room didn’t have posters, but rather had photographs of Jude’s roommate with friends. The collage took up a surprising amount of wallspace, with way more pictures than someone would ever need. The Pokemon kept turning his body as his gaze changed, and when he saw Jude watching over him, immediately he turned back to lifting up the log. Jude was a bit taken aback by this. It was like the poor little guy felt the need to prove himself. Before saying anything, he watched for a bit as he hoisted it up to his waist with both of his arms. He was in fact holding it, though the poor guy was strained. The Timburr grew a giant smile, and looked at Rigby with his gargantuan grin. Jude saw past the face, and saw the strain in the creature’s muscles as he started to raise it past his head. Rigby moved his laptop and hopped off of his bed, and tried getting the Pokemon to lower the wood.
Of course, W. K. Clifford wasn’t having any of it. He let out a yelp-like shout as he turned away. This turn was a bit too much, and his arms gave out as the wood dropped. The log smashed into the pad, and the sound was most definitely heard by all those on Jude’s floor and the one below. Jude slipped a cuss, and then sat down on the pad beside the log. The Timburr tried again to lift the log, but Jude shook his head, placing a hand on the wood.
”Come on, buddy. Give it a rest. You need one.”
The Timburr puffed out its little chest for a moment before looking to go back to it. Jude put his hand on the Timburr’s shoulder, but the Pokemon swatted it away.
”Hey now! I’ve kept you out of your Pokeball, and I want to leave you out of it. But you have to listen to me.”
The Pokemon huffed and puffed, and crossed its arms. Clifford leaned on the wood to keep it by him.
”Trust me, though. I’m not going to put you in that thing. I can’t even imagine it. Even if it feels fine, I just can’t reason doing it ethically. It puts me in a little nightmare when you act up, you know?”
The Timburr was looking in the general direction of his trainer, but his attention was anywhere but as Jude went on a long rant.
”Like, I don’t even know where I stand on the Pokemon-Trainer dynamic. Technically you’re my pet? But I have complete control over you. But having complete control over you means that I am dominating you, which then allows for the logic of domination to have proper grounds. So, logically I should not have complete control over you, right?”
Jude’s gaze was fixed on his Pokemon, who then realized that his trainer ended in a question. Timburr, a confused little Fighting-Type who wasn’t paying attention, just let out a whimpering noise.
”Right. Unless of course, we can find a way for me having control over you making sense. Because if I can’t have control over you, that means that we really can’t participate in battling. I mean, is that ethical? Do you ever want to battle? I feel like forcing you to fight against your will is one of the least ethical things we could do…”
“Battle” and “Fight” caught Timburr’s attention. He tuned in enough to know that Jude was talking about battling, and immediately the little Pokemon put out his arm and flexed. Rigby had to laugh a bit, and it slowed the train of thought down for a moment, but it was already in motion; it wasn’t stopping anytime soon.
”So, you want to battle. But why should I be the one calling out the orders and telling you what to do? But that’s how battling works… You listen to me. Unless you think maybe we should split the responsibility? But then… Where’s my part of the responsibility even coming from? I don’t participate, and I don’t know any better than you do about what you can and cannot do… It only makes sense for you to be the one fighting and leading the fighting… But that doesn’t seem right. Then I’m pointless, and we really have no reason for me to be your owner.”
Jude cringed at that last statement, even though the Timburr didn’t react. To be fair, Clifford probably wasn’t even listening.
”Okay, from now on, we’re equals. But you listen to me… That… doesn’t sound right. Let me figure this out.”
Timburr watched as his trainer sat there, deep in thought. The Pokemon crawled on top of the wooden log, and sat legs crossed on it. Clifford was a happy, carefree soul. He couldn’t really contribute much to whatever Jude was going on about. He didn’t get most of it, really, but that was okay. He was his trainer, and Clifford could tell that he was a good one. After all, the Timburr understood the gist of why he was so puzzled; he wanted to make sure he treated Clifford right.
”Okay, so, breaking it down. You’re a Pokemon. I am a human. I am your trainer. That means, technically, I am in charge of you… Responsible for you. So, being a trainer means that I take responsibility over your wellbeing, which is partially where my orders can come from. That doesn’t explain battling yet, but I’m working through the trainer part, I’ll get there.”
Timburr didn’t really care if he did get there or not.
”So. At the end of the day, you should listen to me, but I should only give you orders which are for your wellbeing. Other than that, I will be a companion to you. You and I are going to be pretty much equals, I’m just going to look out for you, alright? So when I tell you something, it’s for the best. Like, you can’t really be loud in here, because then I’ll get a complaint and then you’re going to have to go in your ball. And I refuse to do that, okay? You’re going to be with me as much as you want to. Remember, we’re pretty much equals. Except it’s my job to keep you safe… Which would then mean my control over you comes from knowing what’s best for you more than you do… Okay, that’s a lot. Because right now, I… don’t know all that much about you. So I really don’t know what’s best for you. But I know ethics, if that can suffice until I learn more about you. Sound good? I think through things using ethical theory until I know what is best for you. I’ll check out a book from the GSUC Library and learn, though. Alright?”
Timburr, growing smart enough to know that the open spaces call for a response, smiled and spoke, letting out a whimper-like noise.
”Alright, and then battling… Well… Let me think.”
The two sat some more. Timburr’s gaze left his trainer and returned to the posters on the wall. Of course, just as he started to think about what they were and began to dive into them, his trainer continued.
”So, we agreed my position to give you commands comes from responsibility. I can give you the orders that are the best for you, therefore I have the permission to. The only reason I would be able to give you orders when battling is if I am capable of making the best orders when you’re fighting. So I can give you orders, if and only if I’m the best at making them! Aha! We figured it out!”
Jude finally had a smirk. He found out how he could morally engage in Pokemon battles! There were a million pieces that went into it, but that’s how the real world worked. Nothing was simple, and really this answer that Jude came up with was probably filled with holes he just didn’t discover yet. He’d find them later on, for sure, and in those situations have to come up with the answer on the fly. It was a thrill! Impromptu problem-solving to fix an answer to a moral dilemma?! What could be more exciting?!
”So. You want to battle?”
The Pokemon violently nodded his head with a smile. That was when it hit Jude.
”So. There’s one problem with that. I have absolutely zero idea how to battle.”
Just before the impact of that statement could hit the room, the human popped up, with a finger pointing up to the light bulb floating above his head.
”So you and me W. K. Clifford? We’re going to learn everything there is to know about battling. We’re going to study that tactics, the techniques, the history, everything! It’s going to be a lot, but we’re going to do it! How does that sound?!”
The Pokemon hopped off of the log and raised an arm up high as he shouted. Clifford was excited about getting out and battling and fighting and becoming stronger. His trainer seemed to catch the emotion like a disease, and was ready to completely forget about his homework assignment.
”And there’s no use in waiting! The best way to learn about battling is to watch it! I know just the place to go, too! C’mon!”
Jude was packing a backpack. It was worn-down, with one of the arm straps practically ripped off. His backpack for coursework had a very specific order. What he was preparing now, a possession left over from Secondary School, was getting filled for what should have been an eventful night.
The essay could wait.
Just past a desk filled with stacks of papers, a Timburr was swinging around a squared-log. He was spinning in circles, trying to use momentum to keep it up, however in the end he always had to drop it. There was a pad under him, and if one would lift up said pad they would discover a crack in the tiles. It would cost a couple hundred Dians, but that was a problem for later. His Sitting on the twin-sized mattress with his laptop resting on his upper thighs was Jude Rigby. He sat at the foot of the bed, which was only a few centimeters away from the desk. Jude’s neck was turned in a way that let him watch the Fighting-Type, while also ensuring he would have a neck-pain later on during the day.
That little Pokemon was still trying his hardest to lift up that wood. He was a persistent little guy. He always failed, but it was the effort that counted in this case. Speaking of effort, Jude should have probably been putting more effort into his schoolwork.
His head turned slowly, in order to ease the small cramp that was forming on his neck, back to his Mini-Leppa. It was a pretty nice machine, though a few years outdated. It had all the necessary features, and some of the non-necessary ones as well. He just couldn’t do what people with the 201 edition of the Mini-Leppa could do. His 197 worked just fine. Even with nigh instant loading speeds, he still envied his roommate, who had a 201. Just picturing what he could do with it tempted his mouth to salivation.
Stop fooling around and get to work.
Right, Mythos & Religion 202. He was supposed to write an essay on some mythology that is no longer commonly believed, and point out some of the reasons why it turned from a religion to a mythology. He chose Vivimian mythology initially out of interest for the culture, but most people chose it because it was one of the most popular. Thus, he backtracked and chose the origin story of the Tamashunme belief, which itself was a branch of Kamiichi. Kamiichi was composed of various stories mostly regarding One True Aura which was split into every living thing. The origin story followed a Gallade and a Gardevoir who were tasked to make the world, and their strange endeavors made it piece by piece. Tamashunme was a small sect that followed a different interpretation than mainstream Kamiichi believers did. They believed in what the grand Gallade and Gardevoir did, however they believed their actions were controlled by fate entirely. It followed the same ideas as some of the schools of Jagravanist thought today. The world came to be, not because powerful Pokemon divinities caused it to, but because that was the nature of the world. It was interesting stuff, but for some reason this essay just wouldn’t write itself.
He had two of six pages done. It wasn’t due tomorrow. Jude could take a break, right? After all, he had a new research opportunity right there in his room. The Philosophy Major turned his head to see that Timburr was dragging the wooden log as he was looking around at the posters in the room. On the right side of the room, where Jude’s bed was, there was a healthy variety of them, but the majority of them were informational. In fact, the only one that wasn’t was a Cage the Donphan poster. The other side of the room didn’t have posters, but rather had photographs of Jude’s roommate with friends. The collage took up a surprising amount of wallspace, with way more pictures than someone would ever need. The Pokemon kept turning his body as his gaze changed, and when he saw Jude watching over him, immediately he turned back to lifting up the log. Jude was a bit taken aback by this. It was like the poor little guy felt the need to prove himself. Before saying anything, he watched for a bit as he hoisted it up to his waist with both of his arms. He was in fact holding it, though the poor guy was strained. The Timburr grew a giant smile, and looked at Rigby with his gargantuan grin. Jude saw past the face, and saw the strain in the creature’s muscles as he started to raise it past his head. Rigby moved his laptop and hopped off of his bed, and tried getting the Pokemon to lower the wood.
Of course, W. K. Clifford wasn’t having any of it. He let out a yelp-like shout as he turned away. This turn was a bit too much, and his arms gave out as the wood dropped. The log smashed into the pad, and the sound was most definitely heard by all those on Jude’s floor and the one below. Jude slipped a cuss, and then sat down on the pad beside the log. The Timburr tried again to lift the log, but Jude shook his head, placing a hand on the wood.
”Come on, buddy. Give it a rest. You need one.”
The Timburr puffed out its little chest for a moment before looking to go back to it. Jude put his hand on the Timburr’s shoulder, but the Pokemon swatted it away.
”Hey now! I’ve kept you out of your Pokeball, and I want to leave you out of it. But you have to listen to me.”
The Pokemon huffed and puffed, and crossed its arms. Clifford leaned on the wood to keep it by him.
”Trust me, though. I’m not going to put you in that thing. I can’t even imagine it. Even if it feels fine, I just can’t reason doing it ethically. It puts me in a little nightmare when you act up, you know?”
The Timburr was looking in the general direction of his trainer, but his attention was anywhere but as Jude went on a long rant.
”Like, I don’t even know where I stand on the Pokemon-Trainer dynamic. Technically you’re my pet? But I have complete control over you. But having complete control over you means that I am dominating you, which then allows for the logic of domination to have proper grounds. So, logically I should not have complete control over you, right?”
Jude’s gaze was fixed on his Pokemon, who then realized that his trainer ended in a question. Timburr, a confused little Fighting-Type who wasn’t paying attention, just let out a whimpering noise.
”Right. Unless of course, we can find a way for me having control over you making sense. Because if I can’t have control over you, that means that we really can’t participate in battling. I mean, is that ethical? Do you ever want to battle? I feel like forcing you to fight against your will is one of the least ethical things we could do…”
“Battle” and “Fight” caught Timburr’s attention. He tuned in enough to know that Jude was talking about battling, and immediately the little Pokemon put out his arm and flexed. Rigby had to laugh a bit, and it slowed the train of thought down for a moment, but it was already in motion; it wasn’t stopping anytime soon.
”So, you want to battle. But why should I be the one calling out the orders and telling you what to do? But that’s how battling works… You listen to me. Unless you think maybe we should split the responsibility? But then… Where’s my part of the responsibility even coming from? I don’t participate, and I don’t know any better than you do about what you can and cannot do… It only makes sense for you to be the one fighting and leading the fighting… But that doesn’t seem right. Then I’m pointless, and we really have no reason for me to be your owner.”
Jude cringed at that last statement, even though the Timburr didn’t react. To be fair, Clifford probably wasn’t even listening.
”Okay, from now on, we’re equals. But you listen to me… That… doesn’t sound right. Let me figure this out.”
Timburr watched as his trainer sat there, deep in thought. The Pokemon crawled on top of the wooden log, and sat legs crossed on it. Clifford was a happy, carefree soul. He couldn’t really contribute much to whatever Jude was going on about. He didn’t get most of it, really, but that was okay. He was his trainer, and Clifford could tell that he was a good one. After all, the Timburr understood the gist of why he was so puzzled; he wanted to make sure he treated Clifford right.
”Okay, so, breaking it down. You’re a Pokemon. I am a human. I am your trainer. That means, technically, I am in charge of you… Responsible for you. So, being a trainer means that I take responsibility over your wellbeing, which is partially where my orders can come from. That doesn’t explain battling yet, but I’m working through the trainer part, I’ll get there.”
Timburr didn’t really care if he did get there or not.
”So. At the end of the day, you should listen to me, but I should only give you orders which are for your wellbeing. Other than that, I will be a companion to you. You and I are going to be pretty much equals, I’m just going to look out for you, alright? So when I tell you something, it’s for the best. Like, you can’t really be loud in here, because then I’ll get a complaint and then you’re going to have to go in your ball. And I refuse to do that, okay? You’re going to be with me as much as you want to. Remember, we’re pretty much equals. Except it’s my job to keep you safe… Which would then mean my control over you comes from knowing what’s best for you more than you do… Okay, that’s a lot. Because right now, I… don’t know all that much about you. So I really don’t know what’s best for you. But I know ethics, if that can suffice until I learn more about you. Sound good? I think through things using ethical theory until I know what is best for you. I’ll check out a book from the GSUC Library and learn, though. Alright?”
Timburr, growing smart enough to know that the open spaces call for a response, smiled and spoke, letting out a whimper-like noise.
”Alright, and then battling… Well… Let me think.”
The two sat some more. Timburr’s gaze left his trainer and returned to the posters on the wall. Of course, just as he started to think about what they were and began to dive into them, his trainer continued.
”So, we agreed my position to give you commands comes from responsibility. I can give you the orders that are the best for you, therefore I have the permission to. The only reason I would be able to give you orders when battling is if I am capable of making the best orders when you’re fighting. So I can give you orders, if and only if I’m the best at making them! Aha! We figured it out!”
Jude finally had a smirk. He found out how he could morally engage in Pokemon battles! There were a million pieces that went into it, but that’s how the real world worked. Nothing was simple, and really this answer that Jude came up with was probably filled with holes he just didn’t discover yet. He’d find them later on, for sure, and in those situations have to come up with the answer on the fly. It was a thrill! Impromptu problem-solving to fix an answer to a moral dilemma?! What could be more exciting?!
”So. You want to battle?”
The Pokemon violently nodded his head with a smile. That was when it hit Jude.
”So. There’s one problem with that. I have absolutely zero idea how to battle.”
Just before the impact of that statement could hit the room, the human popped up, with a finger pointing up to the light bulb floating above his head.
”So you and me W. K. Clifford? We’re going to learn everything there is to know about battling. We’re going to study that tactics, the techniques, the history, everything! It’s going to be a lot, but we’re going to do it! How does that sound?!”
The Pokemon hopped off of the log and raised an arm up high as he shouted. Clifford was excited about getting out and battling and fighting and becoming stronger. His trainer seemed to catch the emotion like a disease, and was ready to completely forget about his homework assignment.
”And there’s no use in waiting! The best way to learn about battling is to watch it! I know just the place to go, too! C’mon!”
Jude was packing a backpack. It was worn-down, with one of the arm straps practically ripped off. His backpack for coursework had a very specific order. What he was preparing now, a possession left over from Secondary School, was getting filled for what should have been an eventful night.
The essay could wait.
1000 • Location: Cadence, Central Godai
