Pok?mon Umbral Discussion 11: Silence! I Keel You!

[Bard The 5th LW]

She wasn't paying attention. She was preoccupied with watching the blazing child-pyre. Renny simply rolls along with Charlotte's interpretations to. Charlotte Beaufort is an unreliable narrator.

When Charlotte goes off on a mission, she doesn't think, 'Lets go defeat them as a team' she thinks, 'Woo hoo time for some blood. Whats that? Yeah you guys can come to, I guess.'

[Geminex]

I love how quick everyone is to jump at Impact's first mistake. Ah well, response in a second. Water-tight.

[Dracorion]

Niiiiiiice.

Of course, from Pierce's point of view, if Impact's telling the truth then Pierce is a pretty unicorn princess.

He's still staying out of the conversation, but if he were butting in he'd ask how Impact changed his mind.

Yes, I'm sending Bard a subtle hint.

[Geminex]

"Changed his mind"? How? All the said was that, in Raindale, people called Pokemon "Monsters". Never said that he hated pokemon. Never touched on his own feelings about pokemon at all!

[Dracorion]

If he didn't hate or resent pokemon, why would he call them monsters, regardless if it was the norm in his home town?

[Geminex]

Dialect. If calling them "monsters" is the norm in the community, then anyone growing up there will do so as well.

[Dracorion]

Well, I respectfully disagree.

Unless he didn't know until the word "monsters" was forever imprinted in his mind that they were actually called Pokemon or Pocket Monsters.

[Menarker]

Raindiale is a town that calls the creatures we call pokemon as "monsters"
Said town lived in fear of pokemon terrorism
Impact said that the town viewed pokemon as monsters.
Term "Monster" is used as a sort of rebellion or resistance as Impact said, a slur as it is. A sort of "FUCK YOU" and discriminatory name to pokemons.
Dialect is hardly an accurate term given how it came as a direct long term instillation of negative responses from pokemon. While it's believable that it may have been habitual, the statement of it being just a randomly selected abbreviation... not so believable.

Very similar to that anime Pokemon episode featuring the Yas Gym and the Kas gym. They fought using the town as a battleground, pokemons becoming rampant and violent in gangs. End result being that pokemon trainers from outside are octraized and mistreated by ordinary citizens in fear that they would be recruited by one of the gyms and cause problems. Wild pokemons similarly may have been treated this way too out of fear of pokemon and for worries that a trainer from said gyms might catch and use it.

[Geminex]

You're treating names as something absolute. The only reason anything is called anything is if the general consensus is to call it that. "Bread" is only called "Bread" instead of, say, "Branchwobbles" because everyone calls it bread. If the majority of people that Impact had contact with call pokemon "Monsters", then he'll adopt that. Oh, sure, he'll be aware of the fact that people in other towns call them "Pokemon", but that wouldn't mean that he'd call them that as well. Language changes. Language evolves. That's the entire reason for the existence of dialect or slang.

Edit:
And, regarding Menarker, I'm not saying it doesn't have negative connotations. What I am saying is that his accidental use of the phrase says less about his general inclination towards pokemon, and more about his history of living in a society that had a fully justified negative opinion of pokemon. And besides, they are called monsters. Pocket monsters, but monsters nonetheless. As far as slurs go, that's a weak-ass slur.

[Menarker]

Well, there are terms that are recognized that are not acceptable, even when used as slangs such as real life terms used toward negros. (I won't go any further into it lest it becomes a political flame war).
The populance use them as a sort of measuring stick. If you're one of those "monsters", then you're not one of us. If you're not one of us, you're better off dead or somewhere else. That seems to be the gist of what Impact's experience was like.

But yes, your edited in statement was more or less what I was reaching at. Although that doesn't mean that it isn't ingrained in some way. :3

And as a slur, it's actually pretty powerful. To be called a monster is similar to being called a beast. And typically, if you're called a beast, it's similar to being called sub-human, a brute, suitable as a beast of burden. A savage of the wild without the notion of civilization. That sort of thing.

Just opinion though, and none which impact Renny directly at this point since he doesn't know a thing about it. :3