grapecape | 009; ANONYMOUS text

What are you, magic animal PETA?

Does it matter?

You're the one who started asking about magic pony rights. Play all the sad songs you want, I'm not donating.

Have you seen some of these things? There was a kid brushing a dog the size of a Clydesdale that breathed fire. If these things didn't want to play along, we'd know it, because we'd be fucking dead.

Do you believe Pokemon are inherently dangerous?

As dangerous as anybody else with a built-in blowtorch. I wouldn't worry about them being able to take care of themselves.

Not everyone who holds a weapon has the strength of heart to raise it against another person.

Step one, you look at somebody pointing a gun at you and think "nah, they don't have the guts." Step two, you get fucking shot.

That's for people. Animals, it's pretty simple. When they're mad you know it. Mine damn well doesn't have any second thoughts about chewing on me when I'm pissing her off.

[Blake respects that in a pink dog.]

[...Reaver has been told not to say anything by Logan in regards to this sort of subject. He's been told. If this sort of topic comes up in discussion, avoid it or change the subject or...pray that the other person gets tackled by a wild Pokémon mid-discussion or something because this is not a subject that Reaver should speak on, under any circumstances.]

Really, the things I do to these creatures are no worse than I would do to a human being; if anything, I think they're horribly spoiled - they're weapons, my dear, not pets. Do you think people pamper their guns half this well?

And besides, you're clearly not from a world where human lives are likewise possessions, to be bought and sold and bartered with; it's downright adorable, how naive you're being.

[JUST LOOK AT HOW WELL THIS "NOT SAYING ANYTHING ON THIS TOPIC" THING IS GOING.]

It's clear you've formed your opinion already.

[Sigh. Add one to the "do not engage" list.]

What did you expect? If you post something that you seem to think is progressive and controversial, you're going to receive replies that don't immediately agree with you.

I know. That was the idea.

pokémon arent 2tupiid.
iif theyre iin the wiild and they want 2omethiing, they get iit them2elve2.
iif they want 2omethiing and theyre wiith a traiiner, they can work out a way two tell the traiiner what they want, iif he2 wiilliing two lii2ten.
and iif he2 not wiilliing two lii2ten then he2 kiind of an a22hole.

What ensures that a trainer will listen?

nothiing.
2ome people are ju2t goiing two be diick2 forever untiil they eiither a. realiize what they diid wrong or b. get forciibly 2eparated from theiir pokémon.
we have a poliice force for that, though ii cant attest two how good they are.
but let2 be hone2t, thii2 world ii2 full two bur2tiing wiith paragon2 of viirtue. there2 much more of tho2e than there are actual bad people.
iit2 freaky two me two.

The police can stop instances of cruelty. They cannot change the fact that Pokemon are treated as tokens of a trainer's power.

Most trainers are not cruel. It is still unfair that they can freely control Pokemon.

a2 ii 2aiid. pokémon are not 2tupiid. theyre at lea2t a2 2mart a2 the average human, iif not 2marter.
they are ju2t a2 capable of calliing bull2hiit a2 the average human.
2o iif a pokémon doe2nt want two be owned, and theiir per2onaliity permit2, they are goiing two let you know.
and iif theiir per2onaliity doe2nt permiit then that2 theiir problem and you 2houldnt be 2hoviing your equaliity bull2hiit on them iin the fiir2t place.

trust the fuckiing pokémon, dude. you dont have two 2peak for the tree2.

[No more replies from anon.]

I think the person above me had a good point. I've also asked my pokemon how they feel about battling and they all wanted to do it. If they ever want to stop, then I would never make them keep fighting.

Edited 2013-02-24 16:57 (UTC)

Thank you.

Is it really that different from owning a pet? Where I'm from, people purchase animals and care for them all the time. The big difference in this world is the emphasis on battles and breeding.

Yeah, maybe it's harsh to let humans dictate how they'll live their lives, but I can't say I've ever encountered a Pokémon that's complained. Some don't like battles as much as the others, but they go for it anyway, and I usually let them call the shots in battle since they're the ones in the middle of the action. Drilling them on strategies and trusting them enough to handle the rest is a fair compromise, I'd say.

As for buying and selling them, the eggs trainers breed will never be like the ones raised in the wild. It's not as simple as letting them lose and having them fend for themselves; even if you did, some other trainer could catch them anyway. Isn't it better to let them go to trainers you can trust, who will (hopefully) raise them right?

Granted, I select Pokémon based on my battling preferences and having a broad selection of types to work with, so maybe I'm not the best guy to ask.

You sound like a good person.

[There's a brief moment of video featuring an Alakazam staring sternly at the gear. He seems rather displeased.

Then it shifts to text.]

You are arrogant, and you are a fool. We Pokemon are not slaves, not helpless and in need of your oh-so-wise-and-benevolent assistance. Do you even understand the arrangement you have seen between humans and Pokemon? Do you even know how the current state of affairs came to be? Do you truly believe that we bond ourselves to humans with nothing to gain in return?

Do you understand this world at all?

Edited (html why) 2013-02-24 21:05 (UTC)

I'm sorry. I want to understand.

Then perhaps you should rethink who you are asking. The ones you get responses from with a message like this will be those not of this world, most of whom understand as little as you do. How will you gain meaningful responses from them?

When my trainer, Twilight Sparkle, first evolved me into a Kadabra and began to speak with me, there was a question she asked me very early on. "Why?" She asked. "Why do you serve humans when you're the ones who have such amazing powers?" She asked this not as though she was judging, or offended, or thought us taken advantage of. No, she asked simply because of a desire to understand. To know.

I will tell you what I told her, but first, answer me this. Have you ever asked your own Pokemon that question?

I have.

I see. Then compare my answer to theirs, and let us see if together they can explain us better to you.

The life of a wild Pokemon is not one of freedom. It is one of fear. I spent every day I lived as an Abra either asleep, or desperately trying to hone my psychic skills so as to be able to survive during my long sleeps. Nearly all wild Pokemon have predators. Most of those that do not are the predators, and they struggle every day to find food. Imagine this life, for a moment. Imagine living every day not knowing if it will be your last. And remember that in order to grow in strength, so that you might fight off or escape our predators, our only option is to battle other Pokemon and win. What if we lose? Or what if we win, but are left too weak to fight again?

Think on this. Why is it that you find the weakest Pokemon clustered around the towns where the trainers start? Why do low-level Pidgey, Rattata, and their ilk flock there? It is because those places house their only hope for a better life. You say the trainers use their Pokemon to fulfill their wishes? Then surely to us, the trainers must be wish-granters themselves.

It is as I've heard.

What ensures that a trainer will hold to this arrangement? Surely not all Pokemon have the disposition to lash out at those who cannot better them.

You miss one very important thing in asking that question. Let me be very clear here. Even if the trainer is weak. Even if the trainer is cruel. Even if the trainer is the worst one you could ever imagine... It is still the better option to be bonded to such a trainer than to be without one.

There exists only one sort of Pokemon that do not wish a trainer. And that is those who are so powerful, so unchallengeable, that they can already do as they wish. The Legendaries are among this number, of course, but they are not the only ones. Have you ever heard of a wild Dragonite being captured? Or another Pokemon at the pinnacle of its strength showing itself before a trainer? I doubt it. For they are the rare few who do not need one.

Yet... even for some of those, gaining a trainer might be a better option, not for them, but for those around them. Many of the ones who become that strong also become dangerous, and their rampages may be the source of nightmares in all the Pokemon around them. Trainers are sometimes the only things holding back what could be a threat to humans and Pokemon alike for miles around.

[long, long delay before the next reply. something like twenty minutes.]

Thank you.

You are welcome. Just remember. What you see when you look at a Pokemon and trainer is not an exploitation. It is not slavery. It is symbiosis. We need humans.

And have no doubt on this. Humans need us.

I apologize for the brevity of my responses. I don't want to attract attention from people who might recognize my style of speech.

Pokemon training itself does not distress me at all. That kind of symbiosis is something which should exist in my world but does not, for many petty reasons, and I am glad that both humans and Pokemon here have the chance to intermingle and depend on each other.

But it terrifies me to think that I could vanish at any moment, and my Pokemon, who are young and unique and who I care about very much, could end up in the hands of someone who could easily leave them in the PC once they no longer need their skills.

Or, they could be abducted by Team Rocket for no reason but a show of power, and be made to attack others like in the assault on Goldenrod.

The way this world is allows those things to happen. Even otherwise innocuous people, with no direct intentions of wrongdoing, can deny their Pokemon the future they desire if they forget that they are any more than tools.

It's irrational of me to air these worries the way I did, and cowardly of me to hide behind an anonymous face, but I need to know firsthand what the rest of Johto thinks, so that I can make some kind of plan. If I promise them that I will be the trainer that they need, I will be lying. If I act without knowing what I'm doing, I'm putting them in danger.

I'm sorry. That outburst was entirely inappropriate.

[There's a long pause before Starswirl's next reply.]

It would seem I have misjudged you, and I should apologize for that. I took you to be some sort of activist against the practice of training, blind to the reality of things and the nature of this world. Clearly, this is not the case.

However, as you yourself have noted, your true problems seem to stem from a disagreement with the natural order of our world. Yes, abusive trainers and groups like Team Rocket exist... but that cannot be altered through some global movement. It can only be responded to on an individual basis.

i understand the concern if they're being mistreated, or if they don't want to be with their human partners, but mst of the Pokemon i've seen are happy with their trainesr

a lot of them seem happy to have trainers

They do. It's wonderful to see.

How much do you know about this world's mythology? Granted, I suppose the question should how serious about looking into this world's mythology you are. That's more relevant.

the pokemon decided on the current state of things
according to relevant mythology and lore

and i have to say im curious about the nature of this post
if this is a thing you believe
why arent you signing your name to it
and opening the topic up to academic debate?

yeah no shit

guess what, you're the one calling pokemon "possessions" here

dunno about yours, but mine are my friends and that's it

it's not like I keep them here by force, either, if they ever wanted to leave I wouldn't stop them

if they have a desire, they do what they want

Pokémon and humans are the same. The only difference is that they have different bodies.

When one of the Pokémon with me wants something, I usually don't try and stop them. [Except when they want him to buy them TMs, because those are way too expensive for him to buy regularly. And he's still kind of leery about the whole battling thing and tries to dissuade them from that, but aside from that...] It seems like not everyone else does the same thing though.

I don't like how people ask for money for Pokémon eggs. If they're sending them to people who aren't near a Pokémon Center I guess it's okay, since it might be a lot of work for whoever delivers them, but most people seem to treat the eggs like they're Potions in the stores and not living things. You can't own living things. They belong to themselves. I haven't hear anyone trying to sell Pokémon who have already hatched though, so maybe people just don't realize that they're alive even when they're in eggs. [He'll try and be generous and give people the benefit of the doubt there.]

Pokémon can disobey and make their will known. I think if they aren't fighting against you, or trying to subvert your orders, then they want to stay with you. I mean, I treat my pokémon like they're my friends but even then I sometimes get into disagreements with one. I think it's entirely possible to communicate beyond words so it's not like they all secretly hate you or something.

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