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it's probably got a fair bit to do with how the old uva teachers were, at least in my case. 😔😔😔 pretty much just sent us on our way with a field guide that i'm pretty sure was outta date and went 'she'll be right', essentially! least for some'a us. but i totes agree with you!!! trainers should have all'a the tools necessary before they go out, and good ones at that to make sure they can get all'a the nutrients they need! that's how ya avoid gettin' some'o them weird tinkatok challenges, or peeps who think it's okay to eat pokemon berries. and then there's berry health risks dependin' on the pokemon, but that's a convo for another post...

i have, don'tcha worry!!! amy's definitely made sure i've gotten on some better ones fer sure; they've gotten on my case about holdin' onto food for too long, so i don't do that anymore!!! heehee. he's taught me a heck of a lot, actually. and i get fresh, responsible human food for the house while i make sure to get my partners the best food i can, too!

though i gotta get some coffee next time i'm on the mainland for sure, now that i'm reminded!!! the coffee here at the academy ain't nearly as strong as the stuff dad suggested i get...and not nearly enough espresso, either.

I worry they are sending ten year olds out into the wilds to go on their trainer journey without telling them that poffins are not meant for people to eat. They don't taste all that good. It's you making treats for your pokemon by hand to be relatively food grade! It won't make you sick especially if done correctly and your berries are properly processed but you are not going to find them as tasty as a pastry made for people to eat. They're bland to us. They are not made for us. It's like walking into a pokemart and eating one of the free biscuits out of the jar at the counter. People are going to stare at you funny. Please stop doing that.

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I worry they are sending ten year olds out into the wilds to go on their trainer journey without telling them that poffins are not meant for people to eat. They don't taste all that good. It's you making treats for your pokemon by hand to be relatively food grade! It won't make you sick especially if done correctly and your berries are properly processed but you are not going to find them as tasty as a pastry made for people to eat. They're bland to us. They are not made for us. It's like walking into a pokemart and eating one of the free biscuits out of the jar at the counter. People are going to stare at you funny. Please stop doing that.

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hiatus until november

alright. i ain't even gonna mince words. this one's actually for a fairly good reason, though; i've gotten back into RP on the site i originated from and i've actually been having a very fun time with it! it's a private game my friends are running and i did not expect to have so much fun with it if i'm gonna be honest.

i've been struggling to get back into rp on that site and like...enjoying it since a dear friend of mine died, but this is perhaps the first time in a while i can say i've got a groove back. and the hyperfocus is very real ^^ but this does mean that while the game is running (should end november 2nd!!) i've been behind here, and the last thing i wanna do is half-ass ren's plot. so i am gonna take a hiatus and make sure i'm all pristine and prepared so i can make it the best experience i can.

updated dates will be coming soon for the plot's start and end dates given that i'm pushing stuff back, so keep an eye out for that! and hopefully nobody's too disappointed. but also: frankly if you are, i do not care. i'm having fun and reclaiming some joy i lost!

but yeah!!! i'll see y'all in november, ren and carmine both can be assumed back at bba now o/

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Saw all those rankings of different Pokemons of the same types and kids owning them and such, so I thought I could throw my hat into the ring fairy-style~!

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//i decided to finally take the roleplay thread we wrote out between these two posts here and here all the way back in december and format it into an actual fic people can read in case anyone wanted to see what happened between casi and amy back then!! if you want a little more bonus content for why these two are the way they are. just keep in mind this stuff would not be known in character. mind the suggestive content tag as while they dont do anything actually not safe for work here its heavily implied thats where things were going

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Chorizo Artazono with scrambled eggs, salt, pepper, red beans, lightly fried rice, pico de gallo Tamato, and sour cream. Wrap in a corn tortilla. Eat.

anon. i need you to know that i tried this with the gang today and this shit was SO. DAMN. GOOD.

thank you for this blessing!!!

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phew! just got home from a lil private celebratin' with the gang out in the minin' area! gotta say, doin' a big ol' bonfire like that feels hella nostalgic. i even got to wear one'a the new outfits miss carmine bullied me into gettin'!

(bullyin' meant with the utmost affection, of course!)

[picture: ren seems to be dressed up with a loose graphic t-shirt, along with some nice looking jeans. even some decent looking boots compliment the ensemble, along with some sunglasses that ren is wearing on their head]

it was nice to house the girls for a bit, i gotta say. i usually don't host people unless it's dad or somethin', but...it was actually kinda nice to do it for someone else. and maybe i wouldn't mind doin' it again sometime!

...but for now, i just gotta wait for jacques to make it back home, and i'll be back to blueberry pretty soon. heh. i'm real excited for that--i've been gettin' some text updates from terry an' mio about the worms, and things have been real great with 'em apparently! i'm gonna have so much work to do~

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//ALRIGHT the poll has voted and. ...i'm gonna be honest i am probably going to be setting the start date back a little further because IRL keeps eating my time up, but. i'm setting a semi-official date because some of the players in the plot have irl going on too, and i wanna give them time. but thank you all so much for your votes!

//I'm going to be setting a tentative date of October 4th for the plot to begin! If anyone needs any adjustments or anything of the sort, please feel free to let me know!

//Hope to see you all there~

TEAM NEO FLARE PLANS PT. 2 (electric mommalu)

HELLO ONCE AGAIN, this is Sable, the player behind Ren and entirely too many others! We're getting closer to the date of the real meat of this plot getting started, so I figured I'd put out some feelers again just to see who still wants to take part/who else would wanna join in! This is a plot that is open to anyone who wants to partake; as long as I don't have you blocked in one manner or another, feel free to jump on in.

This plot is going to be pretty damn high stakes, and while part one of this plot is going to be the worst of it (cws for that: mind control, abusive mother behavior (emotional), murder of an adult, kidnapping of multiple adults, attempted kidnapping of a teenager, violence against a teenager), the second part will be very player determined! Though it will have some cws by default; namely endangerment of a child/teenager, the murder of two adults, the mentioned mind control of one of the admins, and a fair bit of violence. Though if you do wanna do something to your character, ask me first and I'll see what I can do. :|b And as a fair warning: part one has to be at least partially a scripted loss for the good guys, and I'm not willing to budge on this, and I would prefer minimal legendary/overpowered stuff interacting with this plot. I'm going to try not to godmod, and I'm going to ask for the same from y'all.

But anyway! I'm going to put this poll up first, since it'll be the main thing that decides when things are gonna happen. This is for part one of the plot, so feel free to vote which timeframe would be good! Other details below~ (also sorry for the pings in advance! i will need to check with peeps to see statuses on stuff)

Anywho! Let's go into the basics.

Part 1.1 of this plot is going to kickstart with Madison and Jacques being on the blog and leaving some little ciphers that are optional elements to be solved; mostly just letters and the like that Noriko exchanged with Lysandre at one point. The real meat of this will be taking place on one of the dates to be voted on, where Mads/Jacques will be getting kidnapped by Iori, a character who's been spying in Zapapico for Noriko for a while. She'll take over Ren's blog for the day for questioning and the like, and Ren will likely be reacting on Carmine's blog (along with the girl in question) while this all goes down, which is going to prompt Ren to escape BBA to save their friends, with the help of Millie/@porygonlover2009! Carmine will also be fleeing the academy, though shortly after Ren to try and tail them. This IS going to result in Millie herself being a boss encounter to fight against for anyone who wants to tail further, and while no pushover, she will try to prevent anyone from going after them and will need to be beaten. This much can be handwaved if needed!

Part 1.2 is where shit gets SPICY, and will take place on the voted upon date. This'll be taking place at the ruins of Cinnabar Island, where Ren and Carmine are going to meet Noriko, Camille, Iori, and a bunch of Neo Flare grunts. Try as Ren and Carmine might, they're going to get beaten both figuratively and literally, and will need some backup. Keep in mind: this is a scripted loss. If solely for Ren to fall under Noriko's thrall and kick the next leg of the plot under way. Carmine's own kidnapping is influenceable, but if I recall right, this'll be taken care of by the girlfriend, so help here will be appreciated to prevent anything from happening to anyone else who partakes!

From there, part 1 comes to a close, and we enter part 2: Neo Flare tries to end the world. I've actually got a blog getting set up (@team-neo-flare), but I want to encourage people to find them, and y'all are free to bring different skills to the table to do so! While Noriko is an amazing hacker and very good at keeping her location a secret, I fully intend to let people counter hack her or find where she's currently holed up, and this is the part where everyone can go as ham as they want.

There will be a few major fights in part 2: primarily, three against the admins of Team Neo Flare (Camille, Lotus, and Iori), and one final battle against Noriko and the Yveltal that she's kidnapped to do her bidding! I do have ways to help fudge a win for the good guys, but all in all, I'm leaving it very much up to y'all on how the story ends. :3b This leg of the plot will take place anywhere from October to December, depending on how my IRL job affects my energy, and while I'm hoping to get it done before the beginning of the new year, I can extend this out as much as needed.

So anyway! That about covers it. Here, I'll be outlying what I need here, and this'll be where the pings for the previous post will happen:

Part 1.1: Purely optional engagement, but if anyone wants to fuck around and help with the ciphers explicitly! Feel free to let me know and I'll see how I can make this fun. :3b partakers: ???

Part 1.2: This one I'm going to ask to be a smaller group, but I want a small group of people to help try and get Ren/Carmine back! There will be evidence left behind that can be picked up and carried into part 2 of the plan, that can also be used to help investigate matters. partakers: afaik, @elite-amarys is handling Carmine saving, @professor-amaryllis is trying to get their kid back, maybe some others! i would love others. (i think @bee-bee-kyuu too but i've also forgotten guh)

Part 2: I want moles into Noriko's operations, and I'd love to have partakers in all of the fights. These are influenceable, and can even result in the admins defecting, but I wanna see what y'all end up doing! These'll be split up for my own sanity and probably separated out into days/battles handwaved if needed:

moles: Tatiana (npc), @electricalfire (iirc!), others? investigators: ???

vs. Iori: ??? vs. Lotus: professor amaryllis, others? vs. Camille: ???

vs. Noriko/Yveltal: ...probs going to be everyone and their mum but like. iron crown is here for npc backup as well as tatiana.

at any rate!!! that should about cover it, there's one last leg of the plot that'll happen once ren is freed and everything happens that will solely be a brief dive into drama stakes territory, but this is the primary meat of it!

and now comes the pings! i won't be pinging anyone more than once just for courtesy's sake, but! feel free to lemme know if y'all still want involvement or not!

@little-guys-pokemon-central @goindownswingn

aaaaaaand that should about cover it, i will be around to answer questions tonight and tomorrow after work but brainmeats. need a rest. @_@;;

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~ OFF-SCREEN POST ~

A good researcher knows when there’s an opportunity to further their knowledge, a great researcher knows when something is well above their level, and a researcher with a death wish wades into something way above their head. Jaycé knew this was not only a stupid idea, but one they were willing to throw caution into the wind on. Though the nerves screamed at them to turn back, they just tightly gripped the ancient looking pokeball at their hip, thumb gently rubbing over a small blue gem inlay. It did not matter to them that the pokeball was empty, instead it served as a reminder of just how stupid this plan was. 

A step forwards, a tug on a rope tightly wrapped around a large boulder, and the unwilling descent into the unknown darkness. A theory had to be proven, or even just entertained, as Jaycé rappelled themselves down into the untouched ruins of Geosenge. Beneath them in the dark, the low groan of support beams not yet collapsed echoed throughout the crater. Chills raced down their spine as they lowered themselves further and further down into the dark. Lower and lower they sank, eventually making contact with the ground and firmly planting themselves on the lowest level. A deep sigh escapes their shaking body as they quickly knelt down to the ground to calm themselves. They sat there for a bit until their nerves screamed at them to move.

In a quick motion, Jaycé stands and  flicks on the lamp hanging at their hip, illuminating the desolate ruins before them. Overhead, a loud rushing sound could be heard amongst the groaning metal and soft drip drip drop of water further off in the dark. Jaycé tugged at the rope hanging beside them before unhooking themselves and stepping out further. The lamp at their hip swayed with their steps, casting long shadows on the forgotten technology shattered before them. Jaycé knew this room well, with two broken pedestals and large industrial tubing draping the floor. A shudder ran down their spine, hand back at the ancient pokeball nervously. 

Further steps, echoing loudly. The only sound this place hasn’t heard in years. A soft crunch echoed in the dark, looking down, the plastic of a keyboard key shattered underneath Jaycé’s boots. More walking and soon before them, a doorway stood, the heavy metal door just barely ajar as they squeezed through into a control-room of sorts. Large panels of knobs and buttons scattered the floor, with some consoles crushed under large chunks of concrete and quickly rusting steel beams. Further along in the room, there’s a raised platform, a single console barely intact, with a small framed photo resting face down on the surface. Jaycé inhales sharply as they get closer, hand shaking slightly as they reach a gloved hand towards the frame. The broken glass from the frame falls to the floor with a soft clink. The photo, albeit folded and damaged from water around the edges, shows an absol wearing a pair of Flare uniform sunglasses. A small whimper escapes Jaycé’s lips as they hold the photo, hands now trembling. 

“Oh, Gelato. Did he have to turn you away?” Their words echo through the emptiness. They sigh and carefully pluck the photo out of the crumbling frame, tucking it away into a small pocket on their bag. Their curiosity gets the better of them as they push a chair away from the desk and kneel down to sort through the drawers. The bottom one is heavy and filled with water and molding paperwork, Jaycé holds their breath as they quickly close it. The second one is drier, but full of nothing interesting. The third, uppermost one, is mostly full of silly personal items. Jaycé bites their lower lip as they carefully sort through everything. Pulling out a few items to tuck away, until they freeze, hand hovering over a small familiar box. They shake their head and look away as they reach down and carefully pull the box out of the drawer. With a shaky breath, they look over at the item in hand. It’s a set of dice, a deep maroon color with black numbering and small white sakura blossoms with branches etched into the metal. Their thumb loosely wipes at the clear plastic encasing them, a deep sadness overwhelming them, before quietly tucking the box away.

They don’t linger any longer after unearthing the dice, instead they exit the room and dart around for any space with exposed earth. They came here for one reason, and by dist, were they going to quickly do it. It takes a while, with the light from above just barely reaching the depths, and the light at their hip only going so far. Eventually, they do stumble upon a wall with large claw marks, exposing the earth to them. Immediately they take note of this and the scattered and shattered stones on the ground below. All of them have an eerie red tint to them that shines in the dim light. They swallow nervously, throat suddenly dry as they reach out to touch the soft earth. It crumbles beneath their touch, almost dissolving, causing them to jerk their hand back in shock. They shake their head to dissipate the anxious thoughts swelling inside, then carefully unclip the light from their hip to hold it up to the earth. There’s no moisture in the exposed earth, so any glimmer shows proof of stones. 

“Oh thank dist, this wasn’t for nothing,” They sigh, interrupting the eerie ambiance of the emptiness around them. They clip the light back at their hip and carefully brush away the dirt surrounding the stones. They all have an aggressive red tint to them, with the ones closer to the surface having large cracks running along their surface. Horror sweeps over Jaycé, causing them to accidentally drop a cracked stone. They watch as it shatters on the ground, small sparks of red bursting out. They stand there, frozen as a realization overtakes them. Their body trembles as they manage to take a step back. They glance at the two tiny stones as they sit in their palm. Carefully, they bring their other hand over to cup the two, then gently shake their hands, causing the two stones to clink together. Small sparks and cracks erupt from the stones, with a spark shooting out towards their exposed arm. When it lands, it stings, causing them to jerk their hand back, dropping the stones again into a shattered mess of sparks. 

They shakily exhale, bringing them back into the moment at hand. They take a small mental note and go back to digging around for stones. Deeper into the earth is where they find stones more akin to the standard marble size. They have a lesser red tint to them and don’t spark when jostled about. They sigh in relief and pocket the stones. They work quickly, pulling only one small handful of “stable” stones. They have carefully inlaid the “unstable” stones back into the dirt and debate about bringing a few back. It’s risky, but they pocket a few, keeping them separate from each other and the usable stones. They look at the rest inlaid in the dirt and shiver, before grabbing them all and tossing them out into the depths. These stones should not be found, should not be mentioned, and should stay buried under the cold and unforgiving ruins of Geosenge. They watch the sparks illuminate the further darkness and stand there until an awful, whooshing groan echoes above. They’ve had enough of this place, the adrenaline now running thin, as they start towards the rope. They come across it again and quickly work to secure themselves and pull themself up. It’s a lot harder to ascend than descend, occasionally having to pause and catch their breath. They eventually reach a point where they can reach a flat surface to steady themselves on and make quicker work ascending. By the time they are above the ruins, their arms shake and go numb as they collapse onto the ground below. The world spins as they catch their breath, all fear and adrenaline gone as their body struggles to function. 

But still they persist. They pull themselves up slowly, trembling violently, and untie the rope securing them. From there they begin the trek towards the fence blocking off the ruins to the world. It’s a long trek to the fence, the sun now high in the sky by the time they arrive. They worm themselves out by crawling through a hole in the fence and stagger to their car. They climb in and sit at the wheel, barely alive as they slump and try to collect themself. 

“Fuck.” Is all they can whine as they gently bonk their head on the wheel. “Fuck.”

[eartheats]

[pictures: There seems to be several pictures of a few places around Paldea. The first of which, perhaps surprisingly, being the flower field near the former Ruchbah Base, where several of Carmine's Pokemon are playing in the fields. Amarys can be seen in the background, training at the center, and there's a few pictures taken of her battles there. She commands her Pokemon easily even against the onslaught of Fairy types, and if the images are anything to go by, she seems to have secured a victory against Ortega. Though it seems like Linux has learned a new move...?

Anyway, the second set of photos seem to be in Uva Academy; there's at least one picture of Ren checking in with Director Clavell, seeming to speak excitedly about recent times while the older man listens. There's a picture of Amarys speaking with him and another teacher, Jacq, and they appear to be discussing intriguing topics, given the interest on each party's face. There is one where they all stare at the camera, though!

The next to last set of photos appears to be taken in a restaurant in Medali; all three of them have ordered delicious food, and the images all range from general chatter to beautiful food shots. It's clearly a lovely time shared by all.

...And then there's a couple back at Ren's house; Amarys holding what appears to be a photo album in her hands, and she looks through each photograph dutifully. There even seems to be a blank album next to her; something to fill with her own memories. And...there's a picture of Carmine looking through her own photo album with Ren, and no, she's definitely not tearing up a bit--]

Paldea's even more beautiful than I could have imagined. I'll admit it! My expectations were met and then some, and Ren took us to some of the most delightful places. I really can't thank them enough for showing us around!

I'm taking Ren clothing shopping tomorrow morning, and tomorrow evening, our flight back to BBA goes out. It's almost surreal, but I can't wait to get back to learning; there's a lot of things I want to do now, and I've got all of the time and energy in the world now to tackle them head-on.

...

Though, I am going to kick Ren's rear end in for managing to surprise me! We'd been working on a surprise for my darling since we first went off to Kitakami, and I wanted to do something nice for our six month anniversary--see those photo albums? One of Ren's friend's grandma, she makes these beautiful handmade photo albums with the help of her Spidops, and they're a sight to behold! Along with the memories inside. But this brat! They went and made one for us and our adventures! There were photos I never expected to see ever again in there, and...ugh! My heart can't take it! So I demanded to be able to take them clothes shopping; no second hand, and absolutely no school uniforms!

You should have seen my beloved's reaction, though. I felt a little bad keeping it a secret for so long, but seeing her face...well, it was worth it. ♥

Ren's gone out for a little bit with her, and I'm staying behind and watching the house, and playing with this...video game system they have, for the moment. I can't read any of the text to this game I'm playing, but I'll ask them about it later; it's a rather cute game, though, if nothing else.

[eartheats]

♬

(cw: underage drinking)

Lauren's always been thankful that Emi's good at setting bonfires. They're comforting, even in the middle of Tagtree; her parents were rangers and it shows in their daughter, ever careful and attentive to making sure that it never grows out of control. It's a strange comfort, but one she welcomes readily.

The warmth is nice as Lauren pulls out her flask, taking a long swig off of it. It burns going down, but there's a warmth to that too--one that sees her leaning into Tatiana, who's chattering animatedly at Emi about everything going on. Keeping her ear ever to the ground for news, always on the lookout in case anyone starts shit. But Lauren hears her laugh a bit as she leans in, and both Emi and Tati look at her.

"Don't tell me you're, like, getting sleepy already? The night's totally just begun!"

Lauren shoves Tati a bit, the gesture noncommital and barely even managing to lift her off of the other girl. "Man, fuck you. Here I am getting cozy, and yer trying to start shit?"

"...You started first."

"Oh, fuck you, who's side are ya even on, Emi?"

Tati laughs, bright as ever as she closes her one working eye and wraps an arm around Lauren. Despite the blue haired girl's pouting, she leans into it. "Well, if you wanna, like, lean on me a bit, I guess that's okay. Ohh, we should take a selfie!"

"...Here?" Emi ventures; she's not very wordy even on a good day, and unless the teachers force her into being more verbose, but as Tati brings her phone out, Emi's expression softens a bit. Lauren's a little too out of it to see the screen, but Emi can already see that Tati's mom is blowing up her phone again and comes closer.

"...Just tell me how presentable I have to be."

"Oh, don't worry! With the filters I've got, everything's gonna be just picture perfect~" Tati grins brightly as she brings both girls together, mugging it up for the camera as Lauren gives the camera a tired thumbs up. Emi, stoic as ever, at least tries to smile for the camera.

Tati only needs a bit to edit it, and her phone stops at least for the night.

[eartheats]

:{ A Video file is embedded. Valencia Island, Orange Archipelago. 8/29/24 1:03 am. }:

There's a stillness, a weight that sits as heavy as the thick fog that creeps over the gentle waves of the moonlit sea. Even through the recording the tense atmosphere is hard to ignore, the two figures sitting on the low brick wall watch as the local lapras and lapup doze in the warm waters as if desperate to look anywhere but at each other. The smaller figure, Casi, risks a glance over, but if the gardevoir notices she does not react.

“Rose, I-” Casi falters, the sound of his own voice so loud in the silence seems to startle even himself. He shakes his head trying to focus but something seems to interrupt his train of thought, and he looks over more attentively at the pokemon beside him.

Rose makes no move to look at Casi.

“I'm here because we have to talk about this sometime and I'd prefer it to be now before you come home with us.” It’s hard to tell from where we watch whether he is trying to convince Rose or himself. “Once I have a talk with Ivy we're leaving Valencia.”

“What do you mean no?” There’s a slight incredulousness to Casi’s voice, and he turns to look at the taller pokemon that seems to be paying him no real attention. “You want to come home don't you?”

Casi flinches, something in the unheard response striking a nerve. “I'm not leaving without you. If I had any intention of doing that I would've left months ago when you wouldn't even stay in the same room as me.”

It seems whatever response that the pokemon wanted to hear, this simply wasn’t good enough. She sighs, the statue stillness broken as she turns away from him. There's a quiet moment, as if Casi is waiting on something.

“I was... scared before.” Casi doesn't seem proud of his own answer, hesitating and scratching wrist with his opposite hand. “I got in too deep and by the time I realized that much it didn't feel like there was any time left. So I panicked and left. Thought maybe leaving a note would make up for it but…”

Rose tenses, an angry tremor in her shoulders and what we can see of her expression narrows.

“It was a mistake. Leaving you like that without an explanation... And it was a mistake not going back on it once I realized that too. Then life got in the way and…” Casi’s hands ball up in his lap and his body tenses as his words shift from trying to convince to a more uncomfortable tone, every word careful, like it has to be forced from him. “Did you ever see the newspapers that came out? All the ones saying Melody died..?”

This question seems to catch Rose off guard, perhaps a nerve touched, and she blinks as she looks back at him, some small guard lowering as she finally seems interested in what he may say.

“...I thought it was too late to go back. Which was still cowardly of me. I mean that was... Three years in between that? At least. Maybe less honestly. And all the things I thought I was going back to went up in smoke the moment I got home... I lost my job. One boss had disappeared, the other suffered from some sort of..” He makes some vague gesture with his hand, as if the rolling of his wrist would conjure the Unovan word he's looking for. Eventually he seems to find it, or something close enough. “Mental breakdown I guess. Fired everybody pretty much on a whim. Left Aracelis to care for his son while he worked in Area Zero alone and then when Aracelis left it... Fell to me. For a while.”

It seemed for a short moment like perhaps Casi had broken through Rose’s defenses, but as the words tumbled from his mouth, whatever small opening that he had made slammed shut once again. As hard as it may be to read her body language, the way she shrank back into herself, arms in front of her left little to be questioned.

“I... Yeah... He's um.. The point is I didn't make the best choices and I can't take them back. I can't pretend that I did right by you or Melody or anyone and when I found out that you were still around I insisted I come along.. Because I can't fix what I did before but the least I could do was make sure you get to come home to A.. Amy. To Amy.”

Casi’s voice quiets as he stumbles over the words, and there's a sincerity as he continues.“You don't have to forgive me, but I wanted to at least see you again.”

Rose won’t look at him, but there's something sad in the way she holds herself that seems to resonate with Casi, his expression becoming more determined and his words more forceful and genuine.

“You can leave, I'm going to make sure of it. Ivy can argue all she wants but there's no justifiable reason to continue to keep you here. You and Miairu aren't dangerous and I find it hard to believe your needs are being met on Valencia if she believes that you somehow are. I'm not giving up on that even if you decide you never want to speak to me again.”

There’s a long pause, Rose staring out over the water as her hand brushes up and down her opposite arm, as if thinking.

Casi Visibly chokes up at whatever response he hears, and he has to swallow back the tears that threaten to fall. They both stare out at the fog rolling across the water for a long while before Casi manages “...I’m sorry.”

Casi looks over at Rose, reacting to some unheard statement. His words feel carefully picked, deliberate as if sorting out his own thoughts in real time. “It's hard watching someone deteriorate like that... Not knowing what to do. Not knowing if there's anything you can do... And you were just a Kirlia back then. At least for part of it.”

Rose looks down at her hands, focusing so intently on them that it almost looks as if she’s ignoring Casi, if not for his responses.

“...I really hurt her. Didn't I? I hurt you.” There's a settling tinge of disbelief in his words, and Casi seems to make no attempt to conceal from Rose that fact.”After spending so much time trying to be a part of her life I sort of assumed she'd get over me. That all the sweet talking aside she didn't... Care.”

Now it's Rose's hands that shake, her eyes that water. What walls she has been keeping up seem to crumble down as she tries desperately to hold them together. Casi takes her hand and through his own tears runs a thumb over her hand in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. His voice is weak now, a tremble running through them as he forces out the words. “I'm here now. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry Rose.”

Rose makes a real audible sound for the first time since Casi joined her here, and it's almost startling how the quiet sob can sound so extremely loud in the openness of this space. She leans into Casi, folding down into the smaller figures arms as he hugs her close, gentle despite his own obvious pain. She seems so much smaller as her tears fall. It takes a few moments for their shaking breaths to settle enough to speak at all.

“I won't.” Casimir's voice is soft and broken, the words a promise of the most serious kind. “I'm not going to leave you here. No matter what it takes, we're going to bring you home.”

Rose nods weakly into his shoulder, her shuddering breaths slowly coming back under control. She makes no effort to pull away, and for a few peaceful moments all that can be heard are the quiet waves below and a soft, hummed melody.

[Transcript ends.]

// here's the full story with rose's side of the argument! Telepathy isn't recorded on video.

There's a stillness, a weight that sits as heavy as the thick fog that creeps over the gentle waves of the moonlit sea. Even through the recording the tense atmosphere is hard to ignore, the two figures sitting on the low brick wall watch as the local lapras and lapup doze in the warm waters as if desperate to look anywhere but at each other. The smaller figure, Casi, risks a glance over, but if the gardevoir notices she does not react. 

“Rose, I-” Casi falters, the sound of his own voice so loud in the silence seems to startle even himself. He shakes his head trying to focus but something seems to interrupt his train of thought, and he looks over more attentively at the pokemon beside him. 

[Why are you here?] There’s not much emotion in her ‘voice’.

Rose makes no move to look at Casi.

“I'm here because we have to talk about this sometime and I'd prefer it to be now before you come home with us.” It’s hard to tell from where we watch whether he is trying to convince Rose or himself. “Once I have a talk with Ivy we're leaving Valencia.”

[No.] Rose doesn’t move or react, but she sounds harsher, just barely.

“What do you mean no?” There’s a slight incredulousness to Casi’s voice, and he turns to look at the taller pokemon that seems to be paying him no real attention. “You want to come home don't you?” 

[Why are you here? Why bother now. You should have left again.]

Casi flinches, something in the unheard response striking a nerve. “I'm not leaving without you. If I had any intention of doing that I would've left months ago when you wouldn't even stay in the same room as me.”

[That’s not an answer.]

It seems whatever response that the pokemon wanted to hear, this simply wasn’t good enough. She sighs, the statue stillness broken as she turns away from him. There's a quiet moment, as if Casi is waiting on something.

[... Why did you leave? Why not now.]

“I was... scared before.” Casi doesn't seem proud of his own answer, hesitating and scratching wrist with his opposite hand. “I got in too deep and by the time I realized that much it didn't feel like there was any time left. So I panicked and left. Thought maybe leaving a note would make up for it but…”

[How could it?] 

Rose tenses, an angry tremor in her shoulders and what we can see of her expression narrows.

“It was a mistake. Leaving you like that without an explanation... And it was a mistake not going back on it once I realized that too. Then life got in the way and…” Casi’s hands ball up in his lap and his body tenses as his words shift from trying to convince to a more uncomfortable tone, every word careful, like it has to be forced from him. “Did you ever see the newspapers that came out? All the ones saying Melody died..?”

This question seems to catch Rose off guard, perhaps a nerve touched, and she blinks as she looks back at him, some small guard lowering as she finally seems interested in what he may say.

[Not then. Later. I didn't mean to.]

“...I thought it was too late to go back. Which was still cowardly of me. I mean that was... Three years in between that? At least. Maybe less honestly. And all the things I thought I was going back to went up in smoke the moment I got home... I lost my job. One boss had disappeared, the other suffered from some sort of..” He makes some vague gesture with his hand, as if the rolling of his wrist would conjure the Unovan word he's looking for. Eventually he seems to find it, or something close enough. “Mental breakdown I guess. Fired everybody pretty much on a whim. Left Aracelis to care for his son while he worked in Area Zero alone and then when Aracelis left it... Fell to me. For a while.”

[A…son.]

It seemed for a short moment like perhaps Casi had broken through Rose’s defenses, but as the words tumbled from his mouth, whatever small opening that he had made slammed shut once again. As hard as it may be to read her body language, the way she shrank back into herself, arms in front of her left little to be questioned. 

“I... Yeah... He's um.. The point is I didn't make the best choices and I can't take them back. I can't pretend that I did right by you or Melody or anyone and when I found out that you were still around I insisted I come along.. Because I can't fix what I did before but the least I could do was make sure you get to come home to A.. Amy. To Amy.”

Casi’s voice quiets as he stumbles over the words, and there's a sincerity as he continues.“You don't have to forgive me, but I wanted to at least see you again.”

[I can't leave. You should go back to your family.] It's not really possible for telepathy to have a volume, exactly, but if it could Casi would swear that this was quieter.

Rose won’t look at him, but there's something sad in the way she holds herself that seems to resonate with Casi, his expression becoming more determined and his words more forceful and genuine.

“You can leave, I'm going to make sure of it. Ivy can argue all she wants but there's no justifiable reason to continue to keep you here. You and Miairu aren't dangerous and I find it hard to believe your needs are being met on Valencia if she believes that you somehow are. I'm not giving up on that even if you decide you never want to speak to me again.”

There’s a long pause, Rose staring out over the water as her hand brushes up and down her opposite arm, as if thinking.

[I wish we had left too.]

Casi Visibly chokes up at whatever response he hears, and he has to swallow back the tears that threaten to fall. They both stare out at the fog rolling across the water for a long while before Casi manages “...I’m sorry.”

[She got bad, after. Quiet. She wouldn't say, but I knew. Can't hide them from me.]

Casi looks over at Rose, reacting to some unheard statement. His words feel carefully picked, deliberate as if sorting out his own thoughts in real time. “It's hard watching someone deteriorate like that... Not knowing what to do. Not knowing if there's anything you can do... And you were just a Kirlia back then. At least for part of it.” 

He was never good at hiding his surface level emotions, and he was making absolutely no attempt to conceal them right now. There was grief resting there. Older than a lot of the emotions he's been letting bubble up to the surface.

[I tried. Turned it down, made it quiet. I don't know if it helped.]

Rose looks down at her hands, focusing so intently on them that it almost looks as if she’s ignoring Casi, if not for his responses.

There's what seems like a memory here, Shared through her telepathy. The vantage point is much lower than one might expect. Aiko sits on the bare bed of an absolutely ruined room, holding something in her hands, nearly shaking with anger. Images flash here and there of the rampage that led to this, torn cloth and books scattered from desks. A kirlia's hand settles on Aiko's arm and the shaking starts to settle

“...I really hurt her. Didn't I? I hurt you.” There's a settling tinge of disbelief in his words, and Casi seems to make no attempt to conceal from Rose that fact.”After spending so much time trying to be a part of her life I sort of assumed she'd get over me. That all the sweet talking aside she didn't... Care.” 

He isn't sure what Rose can see, if anything, in his memory. It's not strictly visual to begin with. It's more focused on feelings. Snippets of things. Little interactions between Casi and the shiny Kirlia. The two of them making blackout poetry, doing puzzles, buying food, getting kicked out of the library. There was care there. Patience. Understanding.

[She didn't want... I didn't want... you to go.]

Her voice can't break, thought alone is immune to the weaknesses of the body and yet she struggles to put her sentences together, to translate her thoughts into what is not the most natural way for her to speak. Instead there is pain, loneliness, worry, anger, all spilling out all at once and nearly overwhelming to Casi's senses. Nights of empty rooms flashing by, any company never staying more than needed. Never paying them any real care. It becomes clearer that Aiko never let anyone else close enough to.

Now it's Rose's hands that shake, her eyes that water. What walls she has been keeping up seem to crumble down as she tries desperately to hold them together. Casi takes her hand and through his own tears runs a thumb over her hand in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. His voice is weak now, a tremble running through them as he forces out the words. “I'm here now. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry Rose.”

Rose makes a real audible sound for the first time since Casi joined her here, and it's almost startling how the quiet sob can sound so extremely loud in the openness of this space. She leans into Casi, folding down into the smaller figures arms as he hugs her close, gentle despite his own obvious pain. She seems so much smaller as her tears fall. It takes a few moments for their shaking breaths to settle enough to speak at all.

It's a flood of both their thoughts, their pain, their grief, their memories of the closeness they had and the longing to have it back. It seems like more is being communicated non verbally than there is verbally, but Casi still makes the effort to speak those feelings out loud.

[Don't... leave. me. Don't leave. Don't leave me. Here.

Please.]

“I won't.” Casimir's voice is soft and broken, the words a promise of the most serious kind. “I'm not going to leave you here. No matter what it takes, we're going to bring you home.” 

Rose nods weakly into his shoulder, her shuddering breaths slowly coming back under control. She makes no effort to pull away, and for a few peaceful moments all that can be heard are the quiet waves below and a soft, hummed melody. 

Casi can feel the smallest doubt in the fear that already grips her that Rose seems unable or unwilling to hide in this state of openness that she so rarely allows anymore. But that pales in comparison to the longing that she feels for the comfort that Casi offers. Something she couldn't believe she would ever have again. A thank you doesn't need to be spoken when it is felt so deeply.

[eartheats]

♚ - a memory of something paranormal

Lauren rarely exits her room anymore. It's okay, though; she knows she has enough money to last a while. She knows she can provide for Lulu, even if she knows he misses the world. She does too, but...she can't do it. She can't do it again, not after the memory of everything that happened. Not even with her online friend's help--not yet. Maybe someday.

But Lulu needs to get a good dig in, and Lauren opens the door to let him out. He'll be back soon--she knows it. But she sees something while she opens the door that startles her, and...

"...?"

Long, purple hair in a uniform that looks like it had to be modified several times over to account for the girl's massive height. Lauren's not sure, but she feels...familiar, somehow. Lauren doesn't know why she does, but she doesn't take her eyes off of her for a moment as she tries to take a step outside, her own ratty and dirty clothes likely a stark contrast, but...

The girl turns toward her for a moment, and Lauren startles, blinking. By the time her eyes open again, she's gone.

...

She's losing it. She has to be.

[eartheats]

♚ - a memory of something paranormal

Ren's used to travel through Montenevera being weird most nights. One doesn't expect a city steeped in the tradition of honoring the dead and the mysterious not to have a few weird bumps in the road, and traveling down Glaseado in general is a surefire way to see things you can't explain. Ren knows this, and knows it well.

Even so, when they see a girl that seems lost on the mountains...well, all of that goes out the window out of a need to help. They raise their hand in greeting, using another hand to echo their voice a bit.

"Heeeeey! You could catch a cold out here, y'know! Do you want some help getting home?"

The girl pauses a bit, turning to face Ren. Perhaps a little surprised, but... "...Will you help me down the mountain, stranger?"

"Yeah! I'd be happy to."

They talk while they walk, Ren helping her down gently and calmly--she feels real, but she also feels really cold. Poor girl must've been up there for a while, but the trip down the mountain is surprisingly peaceful. No Pokemon come near them, and no people come near them either. They make it down to the base of the mountain, and Ren spares a few seconds to brush off their gloves of snow.

"There ya are! I can help ya get the rest of the way, if ya...want...?"

...The girl is long gone, and Ren can't help but sigh a bit. Well, if they just helped a lost spirit find a way out, then they suppose it's okay...

[eartheats]

✍ - a memory of their mother

The memory feels faint. Like something that comes in broken, in pieces. Something that one tried so desperately to hide.

>Continue?

(cws: GEOSENGE TRAUMA TIME BABYYYYYYYYYYY)

"Dad...Dad, I'm scared. What the fuck is Mother trying to do?!"

For once in his life, Mateo doesn't chide his daughter on her awful mouth. One he's no doubt influenced, along with the miners of the town. One, he's sorely reminded, won't survive this. "I--I don't know, Gusanita, I don't. I really, really don't."

"...I believe you." Lauren hugs her father tightly, sniffling from the room they're both locked into. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"...I'm sorry too. I don't know what's gotten into her--"

the memory fades, blackens, before it re-emerges

"--leaving this place, now. That blasted man, he's useless, utterly useless--"

Her mother's tone sounds insane. Raving and ranting like a lunatic, and she's grabbing Lauren's arm to the point that it hurts, she's getting clawed into, it hurts, it--

"Mom, stop it! Why can't you explain anything?!"

"It doesn't matter, hush already, we need to leave!"

"NO! You dragged us out to who the fuck knows where, locked us in a fucking basement, I WANT A FUCKING EXPLANATION!"

"YOU WATCH YOUR FUCKING MOUTH RIGHT NOW, YOUNG LADY--"

the memory fades again

It comes back, and Lauren's still in her mother's face and shouting, but they're moving now. Or at least attempting it, but something starts to break and Noriko stops cold, just as rubble begins to come down behind them.

"No. No, nonono, he can't be doing this, he--"

"Mi amor, what's wrong? Why are you--?"

All three of them look up, seeing two massive creatures in the distance. Bright, shining horns. Deep, ebon wings. Powers that should not be, a light coming down from on high, it's--

Lulu's Poke Ball breaks open, and she feels him, her mother, and her father tackle her to the ground. Shielding her, protecting her, and everything hurts so badly and it's so bright, it's--

the memory fades once more

Lauren awakens back in her house, in her futon, and with a solid week in time she can't remember, because all of that must have been a bad dream. Her mother...she said something about traveling for her fourteenth birthday, but...

Why is it passed that, now?

...And why is her mother's face so fucked up and scarred?

[eartheats]

✌ - a memory of a relative

Lauren doesn't talk a lot to the members of the extended family. It's just kind of a rule; most of them don't have children of their own, and Lauren's been fairly used to having to find her own fun with Lulu, or to make some by watching Mr. Blaine fight trainers. It's fine by her! She's a big girl, and she can do a lot for herself now, even as she wanders the island's edge and watches the Pokemon below.

It's when one of the delivery Fearow arrives that Lauren pauses a bit, when one of her Mother's relatives steps toward her--she can't quite understand what he's saying, but it's her uncle Hideki, so it's fine. He's got a book in his hand, too! She doesn't recognize the cover, but her Mother comes out shortly after, surprised by it and speaking to him. They talk for a bit in words she can't understand, but...

"Lauren, sweetheart. Uncle Hideki got this little book for you!" Noriko's expression is lit up in a gentle, genuine joy, and Hideki seems to chuckle a bit, brightly. "He wants to read some of it to you, if you'd like to come inside for a bit."

"Really?! That sounds so much fun--count me in! Thank you so so so much!"

Lauren gets read her first book about Magnemites, and Hideki uses it to teach her some Kantonnian.

[eartheats]

grand festival: finale

[recording date: 08-28-2024]

The crowd that the recording opens up to see is a surprisingly large one; it seems like everyone in this small town has come and gathered around, all in various states while sitting and watching the projector. Ren, Lydia, and Kevin can be seen in the crowd, huddled together at the edge of their seats; Carmine and Amarys are fairly close by, but leaned into each other while Linux is at the couple's side, watching intently.

On the screen itself, a very intense but beautiful battle plays--at one side, Jacques in his beautiful suit commands his Florges and Delcatty with grace and poise. At the other, a young woman in a bright, yellow and green dress commands a green Espeon and a Mienshao; both of them battle with determination and poise, while also keeping the battle beautiful and appealing. It seems that the battle is nearing it's climax; both parties are down to limited appeal health, and one way or another, someone's going to be victorious.

"Fair Lady Maybelle, First of her Name--bring forth the most shining of stars, with Swift! Fair Lord Marvel, take to the skies with Bounce!"

The Espeon focuses power into her gem as the Mienshao takes to the air, and the latter intends to fly on down with the stars itself--looking gallant and dazzling as it uses some of the stars to jump down, the stars bursting with beautiful energy as it does.

The crowd whispers among itself--some of them going closer together to talk, some worry among the masses along with cheering for either side or even both trainers. Quick as a whistle, however, Jacques thinks on his feet.

"Minerva, bring forth a Petal Blizzard! Minuet, contrast spring's beautiful warmth and dazzle them with a Blizzard!"

The two nod their heads, Minerva the Florges summoning a cyclone of petals and leaves and sending it toward their attackers--and Minuet, calmly focusing before letting out a howling Blizzard that shimmers in the light, one that Fair Lord Marvel winds up diving face first into. Though the few stars left that strike their target hit, further dazzling the stage in bright and sparkling colors...

It's the young woman's points that end up reaching zero, and the crowd goes positively wild. Many of the Zapapico natives are absolutely ecstatic, though none are more exhilarated than Ren, Kevin, and Lydia, who all practically jump out of their chairs and scream their cheers into the night.

On the screen, one can see Jacques and the young woman rushing to the center of the stage while the Grand Festival crowd roars, and the two of them embrace each other fondly and happily--the young woman even manages to lift Jacques from the floor, spinning him around in delight, and while their dialogue is muted, lip readers can read them both saying fond things to one another and praising their rival's skills.

The recording ends soon after.