denki-boy

[denki-boy]

“C’mon, Maruko, it’s time for bed!”

Sophocles, eleven at the time, calls for his newest companion from underneath his magnemite-themed sheets (they’re a little childish for his age, but he doesn’t want to let them go). He peeks over the edge just in time to watch his tiny togedemaru toddle across the room to the bottom of his bed and grab at the sheets hanging off. She looks up at him and whines when she can’t seem to find a way up to him, and Sophocles just laughs and scoops her up in his palm.

As he sets Maruko down and watches her curl up and roll across the bed, he can’t help but feel a little bit of pride in learning just enough Japanese- from a combination of anime and google translate -to pick out the perfect name for her.

When He’s tucked in comfortably underneath his sheets, he reaches over and grabs at the cord of the lamp on his nightstand; the only source of light in the room, currently. He hesitates, his phobia of the dark keeping him from turning the lamp off, before shutting his eyes tightly and yanking it down with a click.

He knows he shouldn’t open his eyes. He’ll see monsters made out of clothes and the shadows of his furniture and be unable to sleep for the rest of the night, but he does anyways.

The room isn’t dark, but instead lit softly by a yellow glow. He can make out the shapes in his closet and there are no weird, bookshelf-shaped shadows to bother him in the night. Sophocles is confused (and a little worried) before his eyes trail down to the source of the light: Maruko.

He cocks an eyebrow at her. “Are you afraid of the dark, too?”

The pokemon squeaks at him and wiggles her paws. Sophocles has no idea what that means.

“Well, I guess this is alright.” He says, rolling back over casually. “You make a pretty good nightlight.”

Inside, he’s ecstatic. Maruko was the best birthday gift he could’ve asked for.

[denki-boy]

Decided to post the one without the speech bubble here. uwu

Edit: apparently I have a bad habit of typing words or segments of words a second time when excited :‘Y

[denki-boy]

“Sophocles” (electric-captain) wrote:

Hey, guys, I decided to join a 90′s-style boyband. Had to change my hair a bit to fit in.

What do you think?

[denki-boy]

[denki-boy]

denki-boy:

rivaltrainerwally:

The bag that was previously dangling from his hand drops numbly from his now nerveless fingers. It crunches ominously on impact, and somewhere it registers that he may have just broken a few of his new hyper potions, but he’s not paying attention to that at all. Instead his focus has narrowed down to his phone, nothing else in the world matters so much as the message he just received.

“Something’s going down, Magma HQ just got squashed. There’s a giant fucking hole in Mt. Chimney!”

It’s from one of his Aqua contacts, not Archie, but a person high enough up on the “food chain” that they’re his main contact for information. Team Aqua has never been formal in their communications, but there’s a distinctly shaken tone to the message that Wally hadn’t yet encountered from anyone on the Team. There’s more information, something about Team Rocket and Galactic HQs but he doesn’t care.

There are pictures, oh gods there are pictures! His breathing hiccups; someone bumps into his shoulder, and as is typical of very friendly Alola, apologizes instead of yelling at him for standing dead still in the middle of the street, but he hears it from far away.

There’s a hole in Mt. Chimney.

The volcano-! It’s active! What if it erupts? And all the damage just from whatever caused the hole- His family.

Maybe it doesn’t make much sense to worry about them so much. Petelburg is far away from Mt. Chimney and Verdanterf Town is nestled in the mountains, about as safe from the volcano as you can get and still be on the main island. Just because he knows that though, doesn’t stop him from reacting with fear and panic. Just because they should be safe doesn’t mean they are! More than that, Hoenn is his home, and it’s in danger and he’s not there!

He tries to breath and his lungs stutter, choking him. 

Working at an observatory sucked, Sophocles decided.

While he was a trial captain, he was still technically a researcher there, so when anything “got weird” or started behaving abnormally in general, he was dragged into the ordeal. Scientists, disorganized and far more stressed out than they needed to be, were simply shouting over each other.

With a rebellious streak suddenly running through him, Sophocles threw on a hoodie, quietly snuck out of the observatory and caught a bus down to the bottom of the mountain. It wasn’t like they’d miss him, he was just the robotics guy slash...engineer? Guy-who-made-machines. He didn’t know much about legendary pokemon or astrology, whatever his title was.

After stepping off the bus, Sophocles figured he had about an hour or two before Molayne noticed he was missing, if he was lucky. There was always the off-chance that they needed him for something. But what could he do with his newfound free time?  He’d just wanted to escape the chaos of the lab- he didn’t really think about what he’d do once he was away.

Malie City was just down the road, but there wasn’t enough time to go and visit his parents or walk all the way to the mall and actually do something...There was ice cream and malasadas, though. They were a simple trip into town and back, and they were out of ice cream at the observatory, anyways! With a newfound purpose in his step, Sophocles set off for Malie City.

...And immediately bumped into someone.

Sophocles let out a “Sorry!” half out of reflex, half because he was too caught up in the idea of sweets to actually pay attention to where he was walking. The poor boy he’d walked into didn’t respond, so he intended to keep going, but he hears a wheeze and stops.

It’s a little clearer after Sophocles turns around to look at the stranger that something is wrong. He’s standing in the middle of the road, focused almost entirely on his phone and he sounds like he’s about to die. 

“H-hey, are you alright? Do you need an ambulance or something?”

In The Wake of It

[denki-boy]

//Starters, anyone?

//Hey, pals, I need some activity for the upcoming check. If anyone would like anything, just hmu here or on discord!

[denki-boy]

send a symbol - get the following from my muse ;

Send ✆ for a morning text

Send ♔ for an angry text

Send  ♠ for a drunk text

Send ☏ for a vague text

Send ⁇ for a worried text

Send ♣ for a text not meant for you

Send ✘ for a text that should never have been sent

Send ✺for a saucy text

Send √ for a long-winded confession text 

Send ☠ for a misguided advice text

Send ☢ for a desperate text

Send ☼ for a congratulatory text

[denki-boy]

torngalaxy:

“You’re asking my opinion?”

It comes out… surprised. Still monotone for the most part, but taken aback. When he lets Sophocles’s question rest, amusement creeps in too. He’s always tried to play mentor to his commanders and scientists, guiding them this way or that. Manipulation might be a better descriptor. Still, for as much as he plays the role, there’s a novelty in being asked for his opinion directly.

There’s a novelty in having this conversation, with Sophocles who he shares an interesting amount in common with.

“I don’t know if that’s wise, considering you know who, what I am.” He cocks his head to the side, makes eye contact for the few seconds it takes to speak. “Asking advice from Galactic’s Boss. Exactly what answer are you hoping for?”

Cyrus knows what answer he could give. I have a job opportunity, for someone like you. Plant the metaphorical bug in his ear. It would be a lie to say he isn’t considering it, after even just an hour of knowing Sophocles. He wouldn’t be the first fellow kid genius Cyrus had recruited. It’s natural, to gravitate towards those who are like you.

Cyrus knows what he could do, but goes for a slightly more subtle approach instead. “You find something you want, and you achieve it. Something as simple as knowledge, or, as complex as… saving the world.” A pause. Barely discernible tension in his voice. “Or destroying it.”

Maybe he became a little too absorbed in the moment. He’d never found someone he related to so much, and could also look up to. He forgot, for a second, that he was talking to Team Galactic’s boss. Whoops.

That’s not a bad thing, though. As sense finally creeps its way back into Sophocles’ mind, he casually rubs the back of his head, trying to play the moment off. “Well...Galactic wasn’t here seven years ago. I guess what you guys did in the past doesn’t bother me that much.”

That’s a lie. He can’t really remember what they did in Sinnoh. He didn’t care at the time; he was probably preoccupied with other things. Eight year olds don’t care much about the news unless it affects them.

Sophocles reclines a little bit in his chair, looks up at the ceiling. “I don’t...don’t think I know what I want from the world just yet. I’m still trying to find something and...I dunno, I wanted some advice that wasn’t just “follow your dreams,” or “be yourself.”

He decides to leave off the additional thought of it never did me any good.

[denki-boy]

of-depravity:

“Grimsley~<3” (unovas_bitch) wrote:

dat boi got me suspended from work.

“Sophocles” (electric-captain) wrote:

Noooooooo why does Iris hate memes

[denki-boy]

“Sophocles” (electric-captain) wrote:

I was in the middle of a challenge when the rend hit. Then everyone outside started panicking and the observatory was a mess for like two hours. Thanks for that, Palkia.

[denki-boy]

of-depravity:

“Grimsley~<3” (unovas_bitch) wrote:

My boss does not enjoy quality memes.

“Sophocles” (electric-captain) wrote:

What

No

“Sophocles” (electric-captain) wrote:

Not even the ones with the politoeds in them?

[denki-boy]

“Sophocles” (electric-captain) wrote:

You could say that again. What happened?

“Grimsley~<3” (unovas_bitch) wrote:

Some people just can’t appreciate fine art. 

[denki-boy]

torngalaxy:

Cyrus spins around in his computer chair to fully face him, while several months of images of the night sky are downloading to a memory stick. Arms crossed over the back of the chair, a pose too casual, out of place. Thin fingers drumming on the fabric, heavily shadowed eyes drawn up to the ceiling as he talks.

“We are a product of how others view us. Unfortunately.” Painted lips twitch upwards into the barest hint of a bitter smile. He speaks with Sophocles like an equal (or as much like an equal as he can speak with anyone but Maxie or Cynthia), doesn’t talk down to him, tone as dry as it always is.

“Which is a direct result of our actions. If nothing changes, a kid genius is who you will be for quite some time.” He’s making assumptions. Whether they are correct or not is not important. The reaction will be telling, either way.

“Gifted, is what they called me. So. You have this gift, and what will you do with it? Is there a purpose you have, or are you still searching for one?”

Cyrus’ posture doesn’t match his tone, and Sophocles isn’t sure what to think of it. He’s slightly intimidated. He knows who he is; he’s seen how Cyrus talks to the others. And yet, Cyrus is here talking to him like they’re equal, sitting casually in one of the lab’s spinning chairs like they’re hanging out.

Sohpocles ponders those last words. Really thinks them over. Being a trial captain wasn’t his end goal...he enjoyed it, but he couldn’t see himself keeping the position for the rest of his life (not like he could, anyways). He wanted to move on but...to what?

“I, um...I guess I’m still searching for a purpose. I know I won’t be here forever.” He avoids eye contact, choosing to fiddle with one of the keychains he has attached to his belt. “I’ve tried challenging the champion for the title, but I lost. It was an impulse thing, and I don’t really know what I would’ve done if I had won.”

He pauses. What...what was he going to do after he left his position? He still had five years left, but where would he go after that?

“...What do you think I should do?” Sophocles asks, finally looking up.

[denki-boy]

wiltedguzmania:

“Means you ain’t quite as pathetic as the rest of the losers running around here. You got guts, yeah?” It’s said like a question, but he barely expects an answer. Even though Team Skull’s been old news for a while–or they had been anyway–people still don’t talk back to him. They know better. He hadn’t given out a good asskicking in a while, but people were still hesitant to cross him.

“Ooh, sick burn, kiddo, felt the flames on that one,” he said, one hand fanning his face, mocking smirk spreading wide. Definitely naive. Not that that was much of a surprise. He had started thinking lately that was half the reason trial captains were so young. Keep them young so they don’t question things.

“I know plenty. Cause let me tell you, being a trial captain don’t mean a damn thing if you can’t back it up. Heard a little about you, sitting up on that mountain of yours. Bet it’s nice seeing the world from up there where you don’t hafta do shit.”

Sophocles can’t help the flustered blush that spreads across his cheeks as he watches Guzma mock him. It feels like he’s dealing with one of the kids at his old middle school- only, this is an adult who’s got twice the life experience he has. 

He shouldn’t be letting Guzma get to his head, but damn if that last remark about sitting on the mountain didn’t sting. Sophocles can feel his fists clenching so tightly his nails dig into his palms. What did Guzma want from him?

“Shut up! You’re doing the exact same thing in Po Town!” he shouts. “And you don’t know anything about what goes on here!”

[denki-boy]

torngalaxy:

Pale eyes slide over to the child’s face. Child might not be the right word. Cyrus certainly hadn’t been one, at that age. How old is he? Fourteen, fifteen? Other teenagers had been muddling through relationships and public school; Cyrus had been barely pulling through a masters degree in physics, through a haze of alcohol and molly; Sophocles is holding down a position as Trial Captain, minding an observatory with his cousin.

Kid geniuses. The both of them. More alike than they are different. Maybe he’s projecting.

Cyrus means what he said.

“Hm.” He looks away. A simple visit to obtain data from an out of region observatory had just gotten a lot more interesting. “They called you that too, didn’t they?” He’s struck a nerve, but though his quiet voice is cold and sharp, there’s no trace of malice in his words. “Special. Gifted.”

Cyrus’s parents had certainly thrown around the words enough. Praise that cut like a knife. It seems so far away, now.

“Give it time, and you’ll be wishing they hadn’t.”

Sophocles and Cyrus are similar, but so very different at the same time. Cyrus is cold and monotonous. His eyes are heavy, like he doesn’t get enough sleep, and he speaks like a man who’s seen far more than he should have for his age. Sophocles is certain that, as the commander of Team Galactic, he has.

He’s not sure how to take the statement. It feels like it came from a conversation he wasn’t part of.

“Yeah, they...they do say that.” He mumbled, turning his attention back toward the computer he was currently sitting at. Whatever pictures he’d pulled up were of the night sky over the observatory two months ago.

Sophocles could build complex machines, could make programs that analyzed all sorts of data for the scientists he worked with- something very few other kids his age could do. He wasn’t satisfied with it, though. His intellect was what set him apart from the rest of his family and made it hard to connect. Even years after he moved in with Molayne, he still caught himself wishing he’d been born with the athleticism his cousins all displayed.

“I dunno about that. I don’t feel one way or another about what they call me.”

[denki-boy]

 torngalaxy said:"You're not special."

From the Rude Starters meme

@torngalaxy

They’d only known each other for about an hour when Cyrus blurted that out. Sophocles’ initial reaction was stiffened shoulders and a heart that felt like it dropped so far into his stomach it could fall through the floor- but then he thought about it.  Cyrus didn’t mean it like that, he told himself.

 Yes, of course he wasn’t special. Nobody was, if you thought of the world from Cyrus’ nihilistic point of view. If you really looked at it, Sophocles and Cyrus were just smarter than average. It gave them a unique advantage in some things, but there were probably people who were stronger, physically. People who were more charismatic, too. These people could do things they couldn’t- or at least things Sophocles couldn’t.

At the end of the day, they were all human. They were all born, they would all perish. Time would go on without them.

“Well, yeah. Nobody is, right?” he looked at Cyrus, hopeful he was right about his assumptions.

[denki-boy]

wiltedguzmania:

“Pretty damn sure, kid.” Guzma smirked, head cocked to one side. There was a bitterness, as there always would be when it came to the precious trial captains and their antiquated system, but he hadn’t quite meant the words as an insult. He only knew of Sophocles through rumors and gossip. The kid seemed alright, though naive.

All the trial captains were. They didn’t understand what they were playing into. But it wasn’t exactly their fault. They were just playing along with the rules they’d been given and happened to rise to the top in a system built to beat everyone else down. It was hard to hold it against a bunch of kids when they didn’t know any better.

“You got moxie,” he noted, the slightest hint of approval creeping into his tone. “You’re gonna need that.”

“Moxie? What’s that supposed to mean?” Confusion briefly masked the fear racking through his mind. Guzma hadn’t ever been a trial captain, as far as he knew. In fact, he hadn’t been anything other than Team Skull’s boss for as long as Sophocles had cared to notice.

“You were never a trial captain. What do you know?” Sophocles huffed, feeling...slightly better than before. Guzma hadn’t given him one of his infamous “beat downs” after he retorted, so maybe he was on the right track. It wasn’t too hard to finally manage to look Guzma in the eye. He was about his height, anyways.