Happy birthday, Mayday 🎉

[ateamrocket]

[I. Pippi post #1 (August 14th)]
MAYDAY (UN: proper-rocket) posted:
I think I’ve heard people who leave here and come back say it’s like no time passed at all back home.

So is there any point to tracking time here?
Does it matter?

Sorry for the lowkey existential crisis.
Just got a lot on my mind.

[II. Turnbloom City]
[August 14th. So it’s come again. Mayday sits outside in Turnbloom City, staring at the sky. She kind of already regrets posting that message but oh well. She’s not doing anything in particular, just loitering in her Rocket uniform as per usual. I figured I’d include this in case you wanted to accost her in person, lol.]

[III. Pippi post #2 (Later in the month)]
MAYDAY (UN: proper-rocket) posted:
Come by Grand Theater Hall in one hour if you want to watch an ass kicking

[There's a selfie attached, a young woman in a casual, punk-ish outfit with pinkish red hair sticking out her tongue and posing with an altogether unfamiliar looking Pokémon in front of Grand Theater Hall in Turnbloom. She’s holding up an entry slip for a Normal Rank contest.]

[IV. Wildcard]
[Want to do something else? Hit me up. I'm open for whatever and happy to brainstorm if you want to hit me up via PM or on plurk carrieface! Feel free to use prose instead of brackets - I’ll match you!]

Comments

1, un:a

[domeinion]

It's convenient from a personal standpoint to see how long things have been from your own perspective, but when it comes to interdimensional time passage and the differences between planes, it can be a little confusing. If it's been ten years for you but no time outside but also a lot of time because you're tracking something that moves back and forth sometimes hundreds of years, and then other dimensions start to add themselves to the list, at some point you just stop counting, at least if you no longer age.

[ateamrocket]

[Wow that’s sure a block of words.]

You speaking from personal experience?

[domeinion]

Essentially. At least time here in Ultern seems to be passing! You could be stuck in a void between dimensions, nothing ever progresses there until you reemerge in a world.

[ateamrocket]

… you speaking from personal experience there too?

[domeinion]

My life is a little strange. Most hosts' are.

[ateamrocket]

Oy. Getting trapped between space and time is more than just ‘a little strange’, innit?

Or are you saying that you got off easy compared to most ‘hosts’?

[domeinion]

Well, most of us did end up there, but we can leave whenever we want. Except there was the time that all the worlds and times we came from got mashed together by a particularly powerful Randomizer variant -- oh, that's right, I haven't explained that either, have I? Randomizers tamper with space and time and mix everything up. The original simply changed a few things in the past and various Pokémon species' traits and abilities. Later innovations have affected humans, items, type matchups, and even locations more and more. It's never good when someone's made a new one.

[ateamrocket]

Hahaha what the hell. I thought my world was the odd one out around here. This is next level shit.

So what did the Randomizer do to yours?

[domeinion]

The one I came from? It was the first Randomizer. The creator wanted to undo his kid's death and kill off his enemy in her place. But it caused far more changes than just the one. That's why my team is all highly nonstandard. Charmander lived in the ocean, Hoppip all had Arena Trap, that sort of thing. It took years of effort to undo before the place could fall apart from the contradictions, and even then we had to stay the way we are.

[ateamrocket]

That’s messed up. Did he succeed, or nah?

Tell me about your team. I know a thing or two about nonstandard Pokemon, myself.

[I; who let the baby on social media...]

[serperiority]

[It takes Trip a while to reply! He's very smart and he can read very well, although "existential" is a new one... but writing is still a little challenging.]

Trip (alderfan) replied:
We are still alive though. Ultern is a world too even if its a diffrent world and not the same one we were born in. Time is important! Ex: birthdays.

[ateamrocket]

Important, huh?

What’s so important about a birthday?

I [Mayday receives philosophizing back, because that's what Ai does]

[starinheaven]

["Rocket" makes her wary, but... it shouldn't be too scary if it's just in text, right? It's not like anyone can trace her location just from this... hers is a very common name, too!]

Ai (windsong)
Do you think living is less important if it happens out of time or if it affects nothing else?

An experience is precious, even if only you remember it, isn't it?

[serperiority]

Trip (alderfan):
Presents!!! Cake!!! Parties!

[A moment later, after some thought, another reply:]

Having friends over I guess. But mostly cake and presents.

[If you have any?
Trip's parents aren't usually around, so it's either a bunch of relatives he only sees a few times a year or a small, private party with maids, especially as he's not the best at socializing... he's too shy, so, maybe smaller parties are a little better and quieter.]

II [1/2; he's an overgrown child sometimes, sorry]

[buson]

[Heeeey, there's his buddy!
Looking awfully distracted...

He'll take off his straw hat (it's still a great choice for sunny days and great to hide his face where he might be recognized!) and whistle! Think fast, Mayday, because it's flying towards you!]

II [2/2]

[buson]

[Ah. But it's a bit too heavy and drops, anti-climactically, mid-flight. What a short flight it was...]

... che.

III

[lovelycharming]

[James would wince at the language, but! Become absolutely overjoyed at the "rocket" in that username!!! Oh, he'd absolutely have to ask...! The pinkish-red hair also has him hopeful... no, it's not the exact same shade as Jessie's and he did hear of another red-headed Rocket, oh, but he wouldn't want to expose her if she's trying to be low-key...

He'll have to direct message her if she allows it!

But also...]

𝓙. (capcollector) replied:
Who's that Pokemon?!

Are you perhaps a Pokemon Coordinator?

[Is that Pokemon rare and valuable?! He might find Jessie if there's Pokemon Contests here, but also, is that valuable?!]

[ateamrocket]

What are you, six?

[Seriously, getting so excited about that sort of thing…]

I guess those are alright. I never had much in the way of parties and presents as a kid. Not many friends either.

But maybe I should do something…

[serperiority]

[Rude, he's eight!

He was about to correct her, then, remembered his profile said 10.

What would Gold do?]

Trip (alderfan) replied:
Who are you? Officer Jenny?

[Oh... that's sad...]

We could throw you a party. Ultern people are nice. You could invite people... to a public place if its the first time meeting them.

[He knows some internet safety! But, also, should he add with an adult if Mayday's probably an adult??? How old is the person he's talking to...]

[domeinion]

Well, here's my ace, DJ.

[She sends a video of a Slaking... well, it looks like a Slaking, but he's wearing a winter hat and a jetpack, lugging some piece of equipment into the lab. Actually, is that jetpack part of him?]

It's not just his appearance and behaviour that fall outside the standard. His moves and abilities are different as well. The jetpack actually helps him to fly -- actually, most of my team knows Fly, the Voices seemed very insistent on that.

Turnbloom

[radleyslittleevie]

[Evie the Eevee comes walking along and tilts her head curiously.]

Are you lonely? You look lonely.

[ateamrocket]

Why don’t you stop by and find out for yourself?

[Which question is that in answer to? Yes.]

[ateamrocket]

Ha! Alright, for that I’ll upgrade you to at least eight, you little smartass.

That’s nice of you to offer, kid, but you shouldn’t hang out with people like me. I’m bad news.

[She says that but the local Turnbloom children would probably love getting a chance to shower their favorite resident stray cat with attention.]

It’s great never be sorry

[ateamrocket]

[Mayday reflexively looks down from the sky in the direction of the whistle, just in time to see the unfortunately anticlimactic flight. She stares at the hat on the ground for a moment, then snorts a laugh.]

What was that?

[ateamrocket]

[Mayday looks down from the sky, about eye level, lingers there for a moment expecting a person, then drops her gaze lower to Evie when she realizes.]

Oh, it’s the talking one. Hey. That’s still really weird.

[She faintly chuckles.]

Do I? … Maybe so.