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heyyy spengs

just got out of that cave ive been going through for the last 3 days

its so bright otuside i feel like im gonna die

[What follows is a couple pictures from Route 11, mostly of the ocean visible in the distance, a couple of nearby Blitzle and Ponyta grooming each other, and a blurrier photo of Venkman's Doduo from his position on their back. Both heads glare into the camera, and one appears to be rearing its head back in preparation to lunge at Venkman.]

Ah. Venkman. Good to hear from you again. Maybe it would help if you purchased a pair of sunglasses.

[He...doesn't seem to be terribly concerned about the fact that Venkman's ride is attacking him. Either that, or he forgot.]

I have gained two new companions. One seems to be some sort of psychic egg embryo that I have been attempting to communicate with. Another is a crab that has a parasitic relationship with a fungus, though this crab appears to only have six legs as opposed to my dimension's eight legged crabs.

[Attached is an unfocused picture of a Solosis and a Paras playing together. A thumb is partially covering the lens.]

of course you immediately got a fungus creature

does it look like any of your collection back home?

[He doesn't really care one way or another but he knows it makes Egon happy to talk about them, so.]

you're trying to talk to an embryo? is it talking back??

If I had to compare physical appearance, I would say that it looks most like the genus of Amanita--specifically Amanita muscaria. However, the fungus is not at all toxic to human beings, and can actually be consumed by human beings as an herbal remedy to extend life. From what I've learned, the fungus functions almost like the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which is highly unusual if these creatures are born with the fungus attached to their backs. This leads me to believe that the fungus also can be catagorized as a Pokémon by itself.

[thanks for letting him infodump]

I believe it is engaging in a form of psychic communication development. It appears to be experimenting with creating articulate emotions and "forms", but does not yet produce any recognizable thoughts or words. Additionally, it will occasionally try to mimic whatever I say out loud but in the form of abstract thought, though it has yet to produce any sort of coherent thought.

[So, baby babble.]

wow

i understood like

none of that

does that mean the fungus is its own, separate Pokemon, or that its physically a part of the Pokemon?

also, way more importantly- do you know its nontoxic to humans because you tried to eat them already

also, good. i genuinely wasnt sure if you were just trying to talk with a non-vocal embryo because im pretty sure you WOULD do that

[A pause.]

I have learned that they are nontoxic by reading the PokéDex entries, but I fully intend on trying a small sample later. I will let you know the results.

Of course. It is important to have a child develop language skills, whether or not they are able to communicate vocally. I have taken to calling her Kölliker. For the past few days, I have been trying to teach her the basics of quantum physics and microbiology. Ray has also been helping quite a lot, and she seems to be very curious about us.

of course you do. make it a video call when you do it i want to see

you really gave that poor baby a name like that how in the hell is she gonna even pronounce it

oh my god

egon how old is this baby. are you really trying to teach an infant quantum physics

... awww. she loves her weird science-y dads. its so cute its sickening

She does not need to pronounce it because she does not speak out loud. She is perfectly capable of learning it.

...That being said, I have also taken to calling her Kö.

She is nine days old.

SPENGLER THATS THE SAME AGE AS MY CAT

ITS NOT EVEN DOUBLE DIGIT DAYS OLD YET AND YOU'RE TRYING TO TEACH IT MICROBIO

I CAN'T EVEN LEARN MICROBIO

Your experiences as a flawed human being do not necessarily reflect the experiences of a psychic embryo.

Have you tried teaching Garfield microbiology yet? How do you know what it understands and what it doesn't understand?

you know

somehow

i feel like i've just been insulted

and im not teaching the kitten microbiology even if you do think it'll be better at it than me

If you won't teach it, I will.

[He's joking, right?]

Anyways, I look forward to having Kölliker interact with you firsthand. I believe she will be the key to understanding Faraday and her experiences as a living human.

is that a threat

are you threatening to make my cat learn advanced biology

i still dont know how i feel about you having a literal human baby in the form of a weird tree spirit

at least ray is there to be the nurturing parent figure while you stand there and run her through experiment trials

[He chooses not to respond to Venkman's question.]

Speaking of nurturing, Faraday has been steadily increasing control over her fine motor skills. She has taken to drawing on my notebook. I am extremely proud of her growth.

Here is a drawing.

[He sends a blurry picture of what looks to be a childish drawing on looseleaf paper.]

[Venkman takes a few minutes to reply. That's because he literally needs to walk away from his Doduo(who is resting up after the long walk out of the cave) and just. Regain control of himself, because hoooooly shit is that the cutest thing he's ever seen.

Spengler trying to be a good parent for a weird ghost baby is cute enough once Venkman gets past his concerns of Egon being an absolutely terrible influence on a child. Spengler admitting to being proud of this ghost baby is cute. Spengler showing off his weird baby's drawing of him?

Yeah, he needs a minute.]

your kid is going places spengs

that'll be in the Louvre one day

or whatever art museums are in this universe

Edited 2019-01-06 06:52 (UTC)

[Venkman can't see right now, but there's a single tear running down Spengler's stoic face. He'll admit that he's proud of how far Faraday has come!]

Yes. I am excited to see what other ways she is able to develop, especially since spirits are not expected to grow in the same way living children do.

I am hoping that when Kölliker is able to form coherent thought, she will be able to act as a translator for other Pokémon, and I will further be able to understand Faraday's intentions.

[If only Venkman could see it. He's genuinely not sure if Egon is capable of crying in the first place. His running theory is that Egon's tear ducts stopped working in early childhood.]

i heard that someone here- Botan- is able to speak with Pokemon, too. so if ur baby doesnt master communication within weeks of being born, there's another option for ya

Yes, I have heard that from her, as well. Though, as it will take some time to make our way to Goldenrod City, I thought it would be wise to have a back-up plan. This back-up plan also happens to be the plan to finally make psychic contact with another organism.

Speaking of Botan, I have asked her for another egg for a Pokémon called a Lapras. It looks like a sort of plesiosaur with a shell. I am interested in seeing how it develops, and I will give you whatever updates necessary.

how long will it probably take you to get to goldenrod anyway?

oh my god you're gonna have another baby already

not even inviting me to the baby shower i see how it is

Well, Ray and I are currently staying in Violet City for a few weeks and working at the Pokémon center to gain some spending money before we set off. I am also taking the opportunity to learn more about Pokémon biology. We also plan on exploring the Ruins of Alph extensively.

So...very likely a month or more.

Maybe if you capture a flying Pokémon, you can be here to say hello to the baby when it hatches.

ughhhh

you're both such nerds. here i am busting my ass to get to saffron faster so i can meet up with you two and you're off getting jobs

fine then

i'll do some exploring myself :-/

i dont need a flying pokemon, i just need the money for a ticket to Goldenrod. i do technically have two birds though? but one is a two-headed ostrich and the other is way too small

Not only does this job allow us more money to not freeze to death in the cold, but it allows us an invaluable opportunity to see how healthcare operates in this world. I would think that you would appreciate one of those two things.

You should look into getting a job, yourself, or at least some source of reliable income. It would be unfortunate if you were to arrive without any money to actually buy a ticket.

:-/

egon

you're killing me here

[He doesn't want to get a job he just wants money handed to him on a silver platter, like a caricature of what capitalists think millennials are like]

i'll figure out money somehow. you know i always do

[Even if it's sometimes using illegal or stupid methods.]

Glad to see that's one thing that has remained consistent between Venkmans.

Venkmen?

Hm.

Venkmans, I think

[And that was probably meant to be the end of the messages, because Venkman doesn't say anything else for about 15 minutes. Then:]

uhh spengs

Help

[After a minute, he sends an extremely blurry picture of a sickly-looking winter Deerling curled up on the ground. Due to the image quality, it's hard to tell for certain, but its fur appears singed.]

Dated Forward to 1/9/19

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