paladinlost | 7th moon [video/action]

Entry tags:

7th moon [video/action]

[The feed shows a potion being put on a Pokémart shelf. And another. And one more. And then no more.]

Lunch break. Finally.

[The camera turns toward Cecil, who seems in a cheerful mood.]

Have all the new arrivals reached Cherrygrove safely? Do not forget to buy supplies before you leave for Violet.

[But his promising career in advertising does not last long.]

Light, Firion, Squall, Tidus, Bartz, Zidane, Aerith, would you like me to get you anything? I can bring it to you after my shift, or whenever you arrive. If anyone else needs anything... [He looks to the side.] Oh, is that the new pokéball shipment? Don't worry, I can take care of it.

[The feed ends.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

This city is very small.

Ah, you've arrived here safely. That is good.

It is indeed small, for a city. I was assured that Violet and Goldenrod are much bigger. At least it has restaurants and a Pokémon Center, unlike New Bark Town.

It was an interesting journey.

Violet and Goldenrod... Yes, that would seem reasonable. There has to be some sort of economical infrastructure...

Were the wild Pokémon troublesome?

...It's strange, actually. They offer us communication devices and supplies, they allow us to work... and yet, we do not have to pay taxes. That sounds unfair for the locals.

There was a problem with rats.

And the locals always say the same things. It is as if...

Oh, but where are my manners? How are you?

Ah, the rats. Always so eager to meet us all. And some locals are stranger than the others. On route 30, at the very end of the left path, there is an old man who keeps rambling about Professor Oak.

I'm doing quite well. I managed to get longer shifts this week, and two of my friends are coming back to Cherrygrove.

So, Hell is truly made in madness.

You are the sort of man who likes to keep himself busy, I'm guessing? Is work stimulating for you?

To be honest, stocking shelves isn't the type of work I'm used to, not is it what I see myself doing in the long term. I always prefered hunting monsters, or even dealing with nobles and advisors. But if I earn enough money in this city, I'll be able to spend the next part of the journey training, without worrying about supplies. That sort of peace of mind is important to me.

Mm, so you are a noble man with a thirst for adventure, I presume?

I remember how much I despised court as a child. Certainly, the galas and the dances were all very fun, but more often it was an entire day of being subjected to my king and his men arguing on and on about the correct path for a horse to trot to and from Rome.

Is it a thirst for adventure when it is part of the job? I am soldier before I am a noble. It is my duty to keep my people- no, to keep the whole world safe from those that would destroy it.

[Oh boy can he sympathize with that.] Or complaining about 'inappropriate uses of the royal treasury'. As if saving a poor village from starvation was ever inappropriate.

A man of honor then.

I spent more time on the battlefield or on the way to or from a battlefield than in court, and that was probably for the better. I... tended to aggravate most of my kings.

Oh, the royal treasury. Always such an important topic. Should the silk be light red or dark pink? Should the ladies-in-waiting be given four mirrors or jeweled hairpieces? Or should they see fit to feed the men off to fight and die? Such a difficult decision.

The battlefield is certainly less complicated. But at the same time, at court there is always the possibility of using your influence to obtain more funds for war orphans. Unless of course the king is murdered and secretly replaced by a disguised monster, which luckily doesn't happen too often.

Ah, the ever-important silk. Seventeen years of reforms, politicking and strenghtening international relations, and still some of the court ladies believe that buying silk curtains should be one of the kingdoms's priorities.

One of my queens was convinced the new fashion would be massive wigs with boat models mounted upon them. She was adamant about it for a while, but she was always such a flighty thing.

I personally always enjoyed running off and going to the salons. No one really approved of it, except the people I met at the salons. But they were the real people, my citizens at arms.

...Wigs with boat models? Here I was, wondering if the layered sleeves were a bit too much. Did they look good on her, at least?

Salons? Where did they take place, and what did they involve? Personally, when I go into town, I make sure to visit the local shop owners often. Also, that nice street entertainer who always knows if the citizens like the latest laws. ...And my mother-in-law.

No. The boats were a massive mistake.

Salons are a bit like a tavern and a club, normally known for their meals, wine, and stimulating and often politically-oriented conversation. Depending on who runs the salon and where it is, the type of people who frequent it vary.

Your mother-in-law? You are married?

How long did the boat phase last?

They sound quite interesting. And I bet the people there discussed opinions that were never heard at court. Did you have any favorite?

I am, and I've been for the last seventeen years. Sadly, neither my wife nor my son were brought here. I suppose they're still at home, wondering where I've gone. What about you? Do you have a family waiting for you?

Oh, I don't know. A week?

Well, I had many interests in the salons, but the Jacobins were the most unforgettable in the end.

Not so much family as citizens. I am the Republic of France, the Nation of Love, Light, and Beauty. My absence from my land and people is a cause of great concern

At least it was short. We had a Chocobo feather craze that lasted six whole months.

[Nope, not kind at all.]

There are many types of 'unforgettable' people, and a few of those would be better off forgotten.

[Straight, married, and faithful. Sorry. But he has many single handsome friends around town?]

Your absence could cause a war? In that case, this world shouldn't have forced you from your home. If it makes your people worry that much...

...This might seem a strange question, but what is a Republic? I am not familiar with the term.

They aren't really my people; it's more like I'm theirs. If they one day decided they didn't want me anymore...

You... fight for a king or a ruler of sorts, don't you? And there are nobles who are sworn to your ruler, correct?

Is that not how every ruler should be? Kings, elders, epopts, all are nothing without their people.

[His idealistic side is showing again. He doesn't care.]

I fight for the sake of the whole world. [The last (fake) king who sent him on a pillaging mission received a few thunderbolts and a sword to the face.] But yes, the nobles are indeed sworn to the crown.

No, no, I'm not a ruler of any sort. I am... a manifestation of sorts of what the citizen of France consider French. Thus, I am France.

A republic is rather the opposite of having a king or a ruler that the people and nobles swear themselves to and who controls the land completely. In a republic, the citizens of a nation elect their heads of state and also others to represent them in government. In its perfect form, the republic should serve the people and be controlled by the people for their benefit.

Of course, it doesn't completely work out that way. Just because I've escaped the trappings of court life doesn't mean I've escaped bureaucracy.

So you're... the spirit of the country itself? Were you born like that, or did you become it?

The people choose their ruler? None of my world's countries work like that. Can they choose anyone they want? Well, I suppose they probably cannot vote for a child or a dead person, but other than that?

Bureaucracy is inescapable, unless you live somewhere very deep within a forest.

I don't know. I don't remember.

Technically, citizens should be able to vote for whoever they want. The salons I mentioned earlier eventually became political parties, which organize who will run for government positions. It is a bit like a number of lords vying for the same position by trying to be the most popular.

Oh, even the forest would have paperwork, I'm sure. The birds have to pay taxes to the trees, and the foxes have to get land ordinances to build their holes.

[Well, that's not reassuring.]

How long has it been?

Except your citizens don't have to choose between the same few families every time. Some new blood at court could do much good.

The imps would probably ask for a protection fee from travellers, if they thought they could get away with it.

I have been France ever since I can remember. Since Gaul, maybe before, maybe a little after. A thousand or so years ago.

The people who end up in charge are only so different as their outside ideology. In the end, state-making and maintaining remains the same. Humans are predictable in the end.

7th moon [video/action]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]