#(I might still include this page as a ref I just... really need to brush it up more I was really rushing making these notes including)

[koushirouizumi]

{Aut in J.P.} - "With the Light" {2000~2001} (Series originally ran until Jun. 2k10)

{My Notes + Commentary below}

[dgdraws]

My art year in review!

I learned so much this year and made a ton of cool stuff! These are my favorites from each month, but it was so hard to choose. A lot of stuff didn't even get posted--I'll be sure to at least post the ones that made it to this list!

It's amazing to see how much I've changed and learned over this year, and to see the things that are emerging as part of "my style."

Here's to another year of delight, creation, connection and fun!

Some monthly reflections beneath the cut, but here's the highlights:

I participated in 3 art challenges, Artfight, OC-tober and Huevember.

I made fanart for the first time!

I created a piece I conceived of before I started drawing

Made some big breakthroughs in techniques and skills in April, July and November

January: My first branch into full character design, Rodd is the culmination of training on Hero Forge renders to make dnd portraits! I was doing this cool thing with neon rim lighting, I should bring that back!

February: I saw a piece on here with this amazing glowing effect, so I color picked it and experimented to figure out what relationship between the colors was making it do that! The answer was saturation. This rose is meant to be glowing from within, and I think I did a good job for my knowledge level at the time! As Chuck Tingle would tell us, it's beautiful because only I could have made it in that moment on the timeline.

March: I spent a million years on every detail of this one, it has at least 5 clipping overlay/saturation layers for lighting, multiple line work groups and I want to rework that background but! I never felt more accomplished than I did when I finished this one. I learned a lot, especially about things I could skip or simplify. And the symbolism really pops off ngl

April: I read Gideon the Ninth for the first time this month and I immediately needed to draw Jeannemary Chatur, Cavalier of the Fourth House, the worst teen to do it. She's the first fanart I ever made and posted! I also discovered a new pen tool with this one, which CHANGED THE GAME.

May: This one is an idea I had written down before I ever picked up the tablet and stylus. I thought I might commission someone to make it, the image of it came to me so clearly during our VTM session I just had to make it real somehow. Well I did it! This is one I will come back to redraw in like 5 years bc I love the concept so much. Also rife with symbolism and inside nods to the Low Kings.

June: I made a bunch of ref sheets in the run-up to Artfight in July. Caleb hadn't even been in my plans to upload, but I had time and inspiration! I will be uploading this and a few more of him <3

July: This is one of my faves from Artfight! This character is Blueberry, by way of OrchidEatsBread on artfight. I have still never played... rainworld? But I love me a slug cat. In July I drew a TON of people, it really drilled anatomy basics into me and how to get clothes looking like actual clothes a bit more. Also solidified some things I would consider "my style" at the moment, like no irises, and my approach to noses and mouths and fingers!

August: Another fanart for the Locked Tomb series, I never posted this!!! Will be rectifying that soon.

September: I got really into javascript and css this month, and I made this to be a landing page image on my neocities website XD I'll get back around to that eventually...

October: At the last minute, I discovered OC-tober and the prompts from @/bweirdart, a worthy follow up to the rush of Artfight two months previous. I developed so much stuff for the Low Kings, including this drawing/character, Amayah/Girl-Z, who has been a figment of my pintrest board for 2+ years.

Huevember: Chasing that OC-tober high, I found Huevember! I did not expect to actually do every day, but it proved to be an amazing exercise! I learned so, so much about color, discovered amazing new brushes and techniques and found I really enjoy working in those one day capsules! I loved a lot of the stuff that came out of this month, including my highest note post ever!!!, but this one is still my phone background and I'm maybe developing an OC world around it. We'll see what happens in 2024.

December: I got hit HARD with the writing bug this month, so this was my only choice for this month but I WOULDA CHOSEN IT ANYWAY. I unlocked something here that I'm really excited to visit again, in fact I'm working on a companion piece rn! This is also fanart btw, prepare for me to get even weirder about this guy in the coming months.

If you've read this far, thank you so much! I have so much fun writing these little reflections and making my posts on here.

xoxo, wren

[writing-refs-junkpile]

Writer tips: custom shorthand for the win

Normally, I share grammar tips and writing resources on this blog - it is, after all, my Writing Refs Junkpile - but today, I’m stepping outside my literary box. Today, I’m sharing some of my custom shorthand and some advice for creating your own.

Put simply, I developed these symbols (and many others) to make writing notes and scheduling writing sessions faster, easier on my arthritic hands, and a little less obvious to anyone who might find my notes and snoop.

Behold, my scribbles:

Yep, it’s messy. I scanned these from sketch paper. The mess doesn’t matter. If you’ve given that a good look over, you’ll notice that these symbols have a few things in common.

All but two base symbols are written with two strokes or fewer; that’s two times you have to lift your pen from your paper as opposed to however many it takes to form the letters.

Each of these symbols is visually similar to certain mainstream letters, characters, symbols, or objects; this makes it easier to mentally associate symbol with meaning, which makes it easier to scribble them out as easily as writing.

These symbols can be written with several different writing instruments, whether you use a brush-tip, felt-tip, ballpoint, or rollerball pen, or a pencil. (Felt-tip pens, however, seem to win the race when it comes to ease and speed vs legibility.)

Without further ado, I’ll explain each of the various symbols you just saw.

Analyze Stats. Sometimes when I’ve got writer’s block, it can help to do a word, page, and character count and dates of a chapter. If I’m struggling with an unfinished chapter, checking what I have so far can be encouraging. If I’m still staring at a blank page with nothing more than a title, checking the previous chapter can be a nice kick in the pants. As for dates, those are mostly a way of mentally shaming myself into writing.

And etc. This single-stroke symbol is less complicated than it looks – a cursive + trailing into an e. It’s a quick, convenient way of saying “and whatever [said topic or plan] entails/includes” without writing it all out, and an easy way to leave wiggle-room in my plot notes.

Build notes. Single-stroke, based on musical notes and arrows. This tells me I haven’t yet translated the plot events into notes for the next (or current) chapter, and I need to do so before I can sit down and write them out.

Edit From (____ paragraphs/pages) back. This one looks like a doozy, but the first symbol is the only one that really matters. It’s a two-stroke - one, if you bring the bottom up to cross - and it’s based around an attached cursive ef; following are a symbol for and, (optional. I tend to skip it.) a number, and symbols for paragraphs or pages. Put simply, this says go back (chosen number of paragraphs/pages) and edit to end of written portion. Editing forward can be a great way of getting into the zone when you’ve stopped in the middle of a chapter or scene.

Etc, Etc, Etc. Four-stroke, built around three connected cursive e’s with periods underneath to remind me it’s short for etc. Basically, this symbol is a way of sassing myself from my notes, a reminder to not sweat the small details until I’m in front of the computer, and sometimes, it’s a way of connecting two pieces of a scene or dialogue together without writing out all the little nitpicky stuff between.

Find grammar. Two-stroke, built with the top of a ? and a g for the bottom half. Put simply, this means find proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, or terminology for the noted sentence or phrase. Had a brainfart while writing notes? Scribble this guy with what you think is correct, then you have a reminder to look it up and (if necessary) correct it later.

Flourish / Polish. Two single-stroke symbols, one loosely based on a stylized cursive f, and the other a cursive p which trails into a tail like a piece of scrollwork; both are needlessly fancy to further hint at their meaning. The first – flourish – means the noted section is as bland as oatmeal and reads like a vacuum cleaner manual; jazz it up with details, action, and color. The second – polish – means the noted chapter is complete; read through to see if it needs anything before editing. And speaking of editing…

Check spelling, grammar, punctuation, and edit. This single-stroke stands for a lot of words, but the appearance is simple: a checkmark that trails into an s.

Go from notes. Single-stroke, based around a g which trails into an arrow; since scanning this page, I realized that I wrote these up slightly wrong, so I have provided a badly-drawn correction to the left. (MS Paint. Gotta love it.) This symbol tells me I’ve already written up an outline for the next scene or chapter, I need to start writing from that outline, and I need to stop whining about it. As for when I don’t have notes…

Maybe start with ____________. Four-stroke, and one of the simplest: an ellipsis followed by a simple arrow pointing to the right. This is for when I don’t have an outline to work from, when I don’t have a solid (or even halfway solid) plan for the next writing session, and planning research sessions. What follows this symbol is an idea of what to try starting with...for instance, the first symbol. Analyzing my previous chapter stats is a good way to bully myself into getting the rough draft started.

Paragraphs/Pages. I’ll admit, I don’t use the first one very often. The first -paragraphs - is two-stroke, built like a combination of the mainstream symbol ¶ and a capital P; pages is a single-stroke combination of capital P and lowercase s. Lastly…

Research. Single-stroke, and a combination of an arrow (like a cursor) with a wrapping tail like an @. This means I need to do some manner of research for the next bit of writing, and is often followed by the topic I need to research.

To sum all that up:

Booyah. So much said, and so little written!

This custom shorthand has helped with my note-taking already, and I’m still designing new symbols to cut even more words down to quick wrist-wiggles. Now, you have everything you need to create your own, for whatever purposes you may have. Just remember the basics -  be stingy with your strokes, choose lines, curves, and angles you find easy and comfortable to write, and use visual similarity to remind yourself of each symbol’s meaning when you see it.

Good luck, and remember to share the love with your writer and student friends!

[secret-time-is-here]

Let’s talk - The Hidden Star

What if scenario

You can skip to below the cut for the fanfic, this is just explaining changes.

TW: Dreammare

This is literally a what-if scenario for The Hidden Star, that I’ve had in mind for ages. Basically, it’s how the whole series would be affected and what would happen if Error just fucking talked to Ink in the first place. Nearly everything is the same, but other things will change a little or a lot.

One of those other things that changed a lot in this little what if, fanfic, is because of new information. Meaning PJ, who, while I was searching for their ref on @7goodangel’s page, I discovered more about them and so I’m adjusting the series slightly to fit PJ’s canon. The new information I didn’t know previously being that they are GenderFluid, Asexual (Feel you PJ, I’m Genderfluid & Ace IRL), and Demiromantic. I scrolled for ages finding information on goodangel’s take on PJ x Fresh, and surprisingly did near exactly what they would depict their relationship, so that’s gonna stay the same :D also yes, PJ can have a tail, and did in a few pictures I found by goodangel, so I included that.

Here’s the reference’s I used for PJ: Body, Eyes, Tail, “Glitches”, Puddle.

(Here’s to hoping less people will see PJ as the fanon innocent cute way and more the canon way- also, deffinetly going to deep dive research any character that isn’t my own from now on :_T )

The hidden star (Chapter 1)

It hurts. Near everything hurts when you feel betrayed. When you know for a fact you’ve been betrayed. He wanted to just scream and leave, but that wasn’t fair. Care and take care, even when you don’t like or care about them. As long as they’re alive, they can help another life.

He sat quietly in the armchair, his eyes staring at the wall in front of him, looking calmly between the front window and the front door to the house he shared. Centuries of trained coolness and emptiness paying off for once, but it did nothing to stop the storm in his soul. The raging want to pack and leave. The anger at whom was supposed to be his lover. The heartbreak caused by the stab wounds of his lover’s betrayal. The sadness at every word he said.

“He’s still a blind as he is literally, it’s honestly hilarious. I have to teach him everything like he’s a kid, it’s pathetic.”

Their fights were bad, but he never thought bad enough that he’d want to throw out insults.

“Oh, please. It’s not like I like the piece of shit-”

A tear threatened to fall. He breathed in deeply, fingers twitching but not moving, and the tear fell.

“He’ll believe anything I say, he’s a stupid toy, Dream. He might as well be a kid. I got him back on a normal sleep schedule so it’s too late for him to hear anything, he’s a heavier sleeper than classic anyhow.”

He breathed out, ribs shaking slightly.

The door opened, and Ink came walking in. Looking worried as he dropped his brush and paints hurriedly, running over to the shaking skeleton.

“Hun? Glitchy? Are you okay? What am I saying, of course, you’re not-” The guardian started to ramble, before remembering himself, “Sorry… Do you want space? Or need to talk?”

Ink fussed over the other, careful to not touch him too much in case it was overwhelming. He really is a great boyfriend, it just hurts to know that he cheats. At least it could be worse. He only cheated with one other.

“I...” He breathed in shakily, and let out smooth air. “wE nEEd tO talk.”

“But we’re talking right now-” Ink caught himself before he continued, “Sorry, bad joke.” The artist cleared his throat, and sat on the armrest of the other’s chair.“...Alright, I’m here for anything, what do you need to talk about?” He tried to be as sincere as he could, and it meant the world to the other… except, it doesn’t anymore. It used to mean the world. That the soulless being chose to love him out of all others.

Now it just hurts… He’d rather lie about choosing to love him and support him and help him than just break things off and go to that perfect little lover-

It took a moment before he realized Ink was wiping away his tears.

“It’s okay, Error. Take all the time you need. I’m always here.”

“I knOw.” Ink looked at him confused.

“Sorry… but can you refresh my memory? Did I eat from your chocolate stash again? Or forget to clean up the hobby room after another large painting? Or-”

“nO… it wasn’t any of that...” Error sighed, before leaning away from Ink, carefully pushing away the arms he did realize had enveloped him. He looked up and into the guardian’s eyes, “I knOw abOut yOu and dREam.”

“O-oh...” His voice trailed.

“Why? All thE things yOu said… thE things yOu did. I can undERstand if I can’t satisfy yOu but at lEast talk tO mE fiRst...” Ink let his eyes fall to the ground, trying to gather words, but only getting armfuls of stammered Uh’s.

“...Can you give me just a moment to explain myself? Once I get the words...” Error gave a nod, and respectfully, Ink sat down in the armchair near the ex-destroyer, giving him space while he thought. “I… I don’t know what the word is. He drives me crazy… but in a good way. Like you do. We get along well… in all ways.”

“LOvE.” Ink looked up, “YOu lOvE him.” Error’s voice started to tremble

“But I love you too!” Ink’s voice broke into his thoughts, “I love both of you and I don’t know how to describe it!” The guardian looked to him desperately.

“YOu cOuld bE pOlyamOROus...”

“Poly-what now?” Ink’s emotions changed quickly, the symbols in his expressive eyes going from ones of desperation to quiet neutral confusion.

“POlyamOROus. SOmEOnE whO fEEls lOvE and attRactiOn fOR multiplE partnERs.”

“That… explains SO MUCH!” Ink jumped up, “Geez, I’ve been feeling so guilty about how I felt for Dream… and N...re...” Ink mumbled the last part.

“Wait thERE’s anOthER?!” Error shouted, losing his cool.

“I haven’t made any moves on Nightmare! YET! It’s a crush!” Ink defended, flustered black blush spread across his skull like dripping ink.

“Wait… what abOut all thE things yOu said?” Error started to become calm again.

“I… I may have some anger leftover from our last argument. It’s… It’s tough having to teach you everything. I can’t always be here when you need help...” Ink trailed

“bREakup?”

“What?!”

“It may bE the bEst OptiOn...” Error trailed, looking away. “YOu likE OthER pEOplE… I… I kinda likE sOmEOnE ElsE.” The glitch shyly admitted, “WE REally dO nOthing but fight and lEt it all build up. wE Only Really cuddlE in OuR slEEp and squEEzE in a latE mOviE.”

“Friends?”

“WEll-” Error shrugged dramatically, “YOu cOuld’vE tOld mE all this fROm thE staRt. So my trust in yOu is huRt.” Ink frowned but looked ready to earn the trust again. “But, Only a littlE. I mEan, Owning up tO yOuR paRtnER that you likE twO OthER mEn, OnE Of which is thE EnEmy, wOuld bE pREtty scaRy On its Own. COnfEssing things tO a pREviOus dEstRoyER of thE wORld’s pRObably makEs that a lOt mORE tERRifying.”

“So….” Ink drew out, a big smile on his face “-Who’s the person you like?” The artist smiled mischievously, the glitch letting out a soft chuckle in return.

“SamE Old, samE Old?”

“Well, honestly, I do know I’m in pain, just… hiding it like usual… Are you going to move out?”

“NOt yEt… WhilE living with yOu is nicE, it’d bE pREtty awkwaRd if yOu and bOth of yOuR cRushEs gOt togEthER- as in, you bRinging thEm homE and such, and I was still hERE. Plus, I think this is thE lEap yOu nEEd.” Error smiled gently, shining like the star Ink always called him, “Finding mORE pEOplE tO tRust shOuld hElp yOu a lOt, and, yOu will havE tO EntiREly lEaRn to tRust and livE with NightmaRE if yOu dO dEcidE gO aftER him.”

“If he doesn’t kill me first.” Ink sorely spoke, the ex-destroyer laughed more. “What??”

“TRust mE, OutsidE Of battlEs and wORk, hE’s an EntiREly diffEREnt pERsOn. That’s thE mOst I’ll say thOugh.” He gave a playful wink, making Ink confused further.

“Wait- another thing. Are you going to go back over to the dark side?”

“WEll, nOt Exactly. ThE balancE has bEEn slOwly tipping fOR agEs, sO I’m gOing back tO pROtecting that. It’s why I askEd yOu tO stOp pROtEcting thEm, bEcauseE, bEliEvE it Or nOt. LOsing a fEw AUs is bEttER fOR thE multivERsE.” Ink looked at him with a confused expression, “ThERe aRE two balancEs, stRuctuRal and EmOtiOnal. NightmaRE figuREd Out hOw tO hElp bOth agEs agO.”

Error continued to explain the concept to Ink, who was slowly understanding more and more.

When Nightmare slowly purges AUs, he boosts the negative side of the balance and helps a small bit to the structural. That’s where Error came in. Officially destroying the rest of the AU after Nightmare went through it. Fewer people in it being easier to kill off.

In actuality, Error destroyed probably thousands more AUs than Ink every knew, a lot of the AUs he used to kill off being abandoned and empty. Forgotten. Some cringe-worthy and others are beautiful but small and unnoticed, not seen in the ocean of others. At the bottom of the water and overshadowed by everything at the surface.

“I’m nOt suRE hOw I am, Or thE multivERsE is gOing tO adjust back tO mE dEstROying… sincE I’vE hElpEd sO many pERsOnally nOw, sO I’m gOing tO tRy and wORk with thE-” Error did air quotes, “ ‘Bad guys’ ” He rolled his eyes for a long minute before continuing, “tO figuRE Out a dEal Or sOme way wE cOuld wORk Out things.”

Ink just looked down at the ground humming in agreement, “...I knOw pRotEcting the AUs and hElping thE cREatORs was youR lifE’s puRpOsE fOR cEntuRiEs… but, maybE sOmE changE wOuld bE gOOd?” Error smiled, and Ink tried his best to return it, but the glitch saw right through it, “YOu still havE BluE, DREam and mE, and I’m suRE if yOu talk tO DREam and Explain things that hE’ll pRObably jOin in yOuR fEElings. NOt EntiREly suRE abOut alsO liking NightmaRE, but, hE’ll mORE than highly likEly rEtuRn yOuR lOvE.”

“Thanks, Star.” Ink smiled more gently, nearly true emotions shinning through, genuine.

-----

“How did you get this number? Who are you?” A thick gurgling voice rang through the phone.

“Dad, it’s mE. I’m litERally OnE Of thE fivE pEOplE whO knOw yOuR numbER- wEll, cORE pRObably knOws it tOO...” Error talked simply, letting his glitching voice tell who he was.

“...Why did you call? That perfect squid dump you?” The sarcastic voice echoed through the phone.

“Actually, wE pEacEfully bRokE up. AftER talking thROugh sOmE things, I’m staying with him fOR nOw until I gEt my Own hOusE, but, tO kEEp thE balancE, I’m REtuRning to dEstROying.” The other line was quiet, “EvEn if wE can’t bE fRiEnds, Or bE as clOsE as wE wERe bEfORE, I dO want tO makE a dEal, sincE… killing again is gOing tO bE haRd.”

Suddenly, he was dropped through a portal, and he found himself back in the hideout, falling into Nightmare’s study and right in front of the King of negativity himself. “hEy Old man.”

“Pfft,” Nightmare smirked, Hello to you too.”

-----

“Finally moving out?” Outer joked, getting a playful smile and fairly soft punch to the shoulder in return, “Pfft, just a joke, just a joke… So, got everything from Ink’s to here, just picking up somethings left in the AntiVoid?”

Error nodded, setting down the last of the few boxes of his stuff down in the living room.

“Still suRE you want tO cOmE with? ThE AntiVOid isn’t thE mOst plEasant placE.”

“Yeah, I promised I’d help out. Besides, I got you.” Outer smiled, easily making the glitch smile.

“aREn’t yOu chEEsy?”

“No, I’m Outer.” the reinstated destroyer laughed aloud, resting his skull on his partner’s shoulder, “Come on, let’s get going. The faster we finish moving, the faster we can take a break.”

“AgREEd,” Error sighed, taking a moment to bonk his teeth against Outer’s cheek before opening a portal.

Walking in, the vast Void was cold, but for once, not soundless. Soft snores drifting over from Error’s old hammock.

Investigating further, there’s what looks to be a child, resting in the hammock. Their body was entirely made of ink, dripping into the strands of his string hammock and dying it black. Pieces of ink drifted upward, almost like glitching, large paint stains on each cheek and almost freckle like paint splatters across their face. The didn’t even really have feet either, legs going down until they ended as stubs, ink pooling and spreading like tree roots.

A stained scarf was wrapped around their neck as well, a half blue half black hoodie wrapped around their body, mostly covering their pink t-shirt. They also wore shorts over what looked to be tights and a fanny pack around their waist.

All and all, the skelinkton looked like a fusion or combo of himself and Ink.

“What do we do?” Outer asked quietly, taking the destroyer’s hand and giving a reassuring squeeze, silently saying that he’ll support whatever Error chooses.

“I… I dOn’t knOw.”

“And that’s okay,” Outer pecked his boyfriend’s cheek, and switched out his hands to give the other a half hug, “we can wait until they wake up-” the sans started to speak, but then the two of them heard grumbling, and the unidentified skeleton eased themself up, slowly waking up.

“Uh… hi.” They spoke, voice not glitching, but not entirely smooth. Similar to Nightmare’s, but the gurgle of liquid much quieter. “Who the hell are you?”

“WEll, I’m ErRoR, and this is my paRtnER, OutER.” The glitch spoke simply, the child reminding him a lot of what he used to be like before he settled with Ink and started to calm. “WhO aRE yOu, kid? GOt any paREnts?”

“Teen, PJ, or Paperjam, whichever.” PJ answered partly, before thinking for a moment, “And, I don’t think I have parents… I woke up in a battlefield full of ink, paint, strings and bones.” His left eye changed to an hourglass, which Error hadn’t even been paying attention to before.

The backgrounds were pink, his right eye an oval and the left a shape with a smaller oval in it. Seeming to change like Ink’s did, but only in limited shapes and not color. Looking closer, the glitching paint seemed to move on its own as well, slowly swaying, and so did the large paint stains on his cheeks “Some of the attacks seemed to be taken though, like small puddles of ink and marks where bones were but gone. I think I might be made from those attacks, but I’m not sure.”

“YOu wanna sEE?” PJ cocked his head, “I gOt a fRiEnd Of minE that’s intO sciEncE stuff. hE cOuld pRObably figuRE it Out.” Slowly, the skelinkton nodded his head, and shockingly, became a puddle of ink and reformed on the floor, picking up the scarf that was left behind after reforming.

Outer gave another reassuring squeeze to Error’s hand, and they walked through a portal to a new place. PJ looking everywhere at all the new things. Through many doors, they finally arrived at a very chaotic and messy lab.

As they walked into an attached room, Error knocked on the open doorway and a sans turned in his chair to look at the three of them.

“Error! Took you long enough to visit!” the skeleton jumped up, hugging the glitch, “Heya Outer, long time no see to you too!” He smiled, before directing his gaze to PJ, “Oh? Not every day you bring a kid with you, Star.”

“Teen.” PJ corrected glaring with a diamond in his eye, throwing a middle finger.

“Hiya tO yOu tOO Sci. wE fOund thEm in thE AntiVOid whilE mOving, dOEsn’t havE any paREnts, and wOkE up On thE REmains Of a battlE scEnE. ThEy think thEy might bE madE fROm sOmE Of thE REmaining attacks, and by thE way thEy dEscRibEd it, thOsE attacks wERE minE and Ink’s.”

Sci jumped up hearing this, walking circles around PJ. Poking and finding out more and muttering to himself different theories. While Sci poked around, Error noticed a new, rather odd thing about PJ, the scientist pulling a tail made of ink into view, which PJ was quick to get out of the scientist’s hands.

“Okay, I’m just going to take some samples and see if I can get anywhere with that. Any form of your magic will do.” Sci explained, grabbing two flasks from his chaotic mess. Paperjam let some of his ink drip into the flask, and Error broke off a piece of string from his eye. Sci quickly left to another room.

“Should we call Ink?” Outer asked, Error nodded pulling out his phone and dialing.

“Who’s Ink?” PJ asked, curiously, the diamond changing to an hourglass.

Error gave a soft smile before looking over to the front doorway, holding up a single finger. Simply saying “Wait.”

Not a moment later, Ink came running into the room, Dream Blue and Honey trailing not far behind him.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I MIGHT HAVE A KID??!” Ink shouted, looking extremely distressed.

“For the last time, I’m a TEEN!” Paper joined in the shouting, infuriated.

“Oh, uh hi. Don’t think I’ve seen you around before.” Ink immediately calmed, eye lights sporadically changing. PJ just looked over to Error like he was questioning ever wanting to follow Error out of the AntiVoid.

“Ink, this is PJ. PJ, this is Ink.” The glitch sighed, “ThERe’s a chancE hE’s a fusiOn Of us, but, if thEy want, wE cOuld cOnsidER thEm OuR kid.”

“...better than nothing,” PJ mumbled. “Sure.”

“Welcome to the large family, Paper.” Outer smiled.

“Wait, what?”

“Okay, sO. Ink and I aREn’t togEthER. Ink’s with DREam, sO if yOu want tO, yOu cOuld cOnsidER DREam a Dad tOO-” Dream gave a warm small smile, waving at PJ when mentioned, “ThEn, as yOu knOw, I’m with OutER,” Outer also gave a soft smile, “sO yOu cOuld also considER him a Dad- and BluE and HOnEy-” The swap Sans and Papyrus smiled and waved, Blue more ecstatic and Honey more relaxed, “ArE basically my bROthERs sO, yOu gOt a paiR Of unclEs tOO.” Error explained.

“The hell??” Paper’s eye turned into a rhombus, just seeming to be questioning life.

-----

“NightmaRE, yOu’RE acting wORsE than PJ with FREsh. It’s nOt that bad.” Error rolled his eyes.

“How the FUCK am I supposed to confess to both of them?! They’re both still my enemies! What in the multiverse can I do?!” Nightmare shouted, clearly not used to feeling much emotion.

“Suck it up and talk tO thEm.” Error spoke smoothly, scrolling through his phone, Nightmare was quick to dismiss it, however, “WOuld yOu RathER I play matchmakER?”

It wasn’t a week later that Nightmare confessed to Ink and Dream.

Error and Fresh belong to @loverofpiggies​

Ink belongs to @comyet

Paperjam belongs to again, @7goodangel

Outer belongs to @outertale

Sci, Dream, Nightmare, Blue, and Honey all belong to the undertale community

[mischiefandspirits]

Spirit Sword (2/?)

Reid Alma grew up in the Region of Pacal. After defeating their own league and trying their hand at Alola, they’ve set their sights on Galar.

AO3 ~ More

———————-———————-———————-———————

2. Fated

On the south edge of Postwick was hilltop farmland. Wooloo rolled about in fields as butterfree and bird Pokémon field the skies. At the southeastern tip sat a small manor, outside of which a pair of trainers prepared to battle.

“Believe in your Pokémon! And care for them, too, with all your heart. Do those two things, and I’m certain you’ll learn to choose the moves that suit your Pokémon. And more importantly… to have a champion time battling with them!” Leon led Hop and Reid over to the battle court and took the refs position. “Looks like everyone’s on board, Pokémon and Trainers alike? Then let’s do this!”

“I’ve watched every match that Lee’s ever had!” Hop announced, taking on a fierce stance. “I’ve read every book and magazine he left behind at home, too! I know exactly what to do in order to win!”

“I’m sure you do,” Reid said, pulling out a Poké Ball. “Río, love, let’s do this.”

“A Pokémon battle it is, then!” her opponent said as she tossed the ball. He took out his own and threw it. “I’ve got two partners with me! Let’s go, wooloo!”

Reid slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone, hitting the battle app.

“Wooloo. Male. Level three. Type: Updating,” Luce, the Rotom inside, read off for her.

At such low levels, there’s not much strategy to go with, so… “Alright Río, Pound.”

“Wooloo, Tackle!” Hop called out.

Both Pokemon ran forwards, but Río was faster, bashing the wooloo with his tail before the white Pokémon barreled into him.

Reid checked the damage and frowned at how little damage the wooloo had taken. Darn, that thing’s bulky. I wish I had something to lower defense. At least it’s attacks are even weaker.

With no other options, Reid had Río continue to Pound as Hop matched the hits with wooloo’s Tackles. Two more Pounds brought the wooloo to red and another finished the match with Río still in the green.

“Experience gained. Level increase: Sobble - level six. New move obtained,” Luce announced and Reid glanced over to see that Río had learned Water Gun. That could come in handy.

“It’s not over yet! I’ve added another trusty ally to my team!”

“I… I was there,” Reid whispered to herself as Hop sent out his scorbunny.

“Scorbunny. Male. Level five. Type: Updating.”

Thankfully, Leon already clued us in on each other's types. “Río, Water Gun!”

The blast of water hit the scorbunny just as Hop called for it to use Tackle.

“Did you already know about type advantages!?” Hop asked as scorbunny managed to hit Río before it could dodge.

Nope, in all my time as a Trainer, I never picked up on such a concept, Reid thought with a snort as she checked the damage. Yellow, good, though it could be better. And Sobble was in the yellow now too.

“Río, pound!”

He shot forwards before the two could react, slamming his tail into the scorbunny and knocking it out.

“Experience gained. Level increase: Sobble - level seven.”

“And that’s the battle!” Leon called it as Hop recalled his scorbunny.

“You beat my two Pokémon with your one!? You and that sobble are too much!” Hop moaned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few Pokédollar notes. He passed them over with a smile. “If I’m going to be a real Trainer, then I pay my fares like a real Trainer.”

Reid smiled and took the money before recalling Río. “You did good.”

Hop sighed, drooping over. “Well, that was a shock! Guess I know now why Lee thought he should give you a Pokémon too…”

“You and your Pokémon all fought hard,” Leon said, patting him on the back. “Made me almost want to let out charizard and join in on all the fun!” Leon stepped up to Reid as Hop ran inside to get his Pokémon taken care of and pulled a device out of his pocket. “Good effort out there, Río! Why don’t I get you all sorted?”

Reid glared at the device as it healed her Pokémon. “One of these days I’m going to get one of those stupid things.”

“It certainly makes things a lot easier,” Leon chuckled.

“And yet far less exciting,” she muttered and took her Pokémon back.

He chuckled and stepped back. “I’ve got a favor to ask you. Be a real rival to Hop, would you? Push him, and make the both of you stronger!”

She didn’t get a chance to answer as Hop appeared. “I already want to get stronger and stronger! You’ve seen me battle now, Lee, so come on, you’ve gotta let me take on the Pokémon Gyms!”

“You? Join the Gym Challenge?” Leon asked, turning to his brother. “You think you’re ready for the single greatest competition in the Galar region? Not putting the cart before the rapidash there, little brother?” At Hop’s glare, he raised an eyebrow and continued, “If that’s really what you want to do, you two have a whole lot you need to learn. Especially your friend Reid. Barely in the region and already getting dragged into the fight.”

She smiled and shrugged. “You get used to it.”

Laughing, he shook his head. “Before you think about getting Gym Badges, best to think about getting a Pokédex. A Trainer’s Pokédex helps them learn lots of things about…”

Reid started to tune Leon out, glancing over his shoulder as she spotted a pair of butterfree chasing each other. Yeah, she’d definitely need to upgrade her Pokédex app. She hadn’t gotten an upgrade since moving so it only included Pokémon native to Pacal and Alola.

“Right, right, we get it… Pokédexes, then!” Hop cut in and she refocused. “We’re on it! Looks like it’s off to the Pokémon Research Lab for you and me, Reid!”

“That’s the kind of enthusiasm a Trainer needs!” Leon said, walking away. “I’ll let the professor know to expect you.”

“I’m going to be the next champion, so completing a simple Pokédex will be nothing! Just another page in the tale of my legend!” Hop said, pumped. “You’d probably better go tell your mum that we’re heading out, though.”

Reid nodded. “See you on Route One.”

“Su-”

Crash!

The two turned towards the road. “Reid! Did you hear that just now?” Hop said as he started to run.

Reid followed and they soon found themselves back at the gate near her house, which was smashed open.

“The gate’s open! And the wooloo that was there…” Hop said, checking the gate. “It was tackling the fence pretty hard earlier. You don’t think it actually broke through there, do you?”

“The shepherd I talked to said he runs off a lot,” Reid said, looking around for any sign of the Pokémon.

“But it’s off limits! Nobody’s supposed to go in there!” Hop explained, looking worried. “I remember the professor's granddaughter went in once, and she came back in a real state. And that was nothing compared to the earful she got from the professor afterward!” He turned towards the weald. “We have to go help it, Reid! What do you say?”

“I don’t know… Maybe we should get your brother. Our Pokémon are still untrained.”

“Right, no one wants to get in trouble, least of all me.”

Why do I not believe you?

“But deep down you want to save that Pokémon, too, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but -”

“Hope you’re ready for anything because we’re going in, Reid!”

“Hop, wait!” Reid shouted after him, but he was already running up the path. She growled and followed after him.

The further they got into the trees, the more the fog rolled in making it hard to see. Thankfully Hop slowed down as the world became nothing more than trees, grass, and fog.

“That wooloo… Where do you think it got to?” he asked, glancing around. “The fog is really coming on thick now. If we don’t find that Pokémon soon, this might be trouble.”

“Maybe we should head back for help.”

“Be serious, would you? We’ve got to go look for that Pokémon!”

Suddenly a shadow jumped out at them from the tall grass and Hop jumped back with a yelp before relaxing when he saw it was just a brown rodent Pokémon. Reid grabbed his arm and they both ran for it instead of getting into a fight. They dodged another Pokémon, this one a blue bird, before an odd cry sounded through the weald.

“Did you hear that? Was that a Pokémon crying out, you think?”

“Either that or a banshee,” Reid joked. When Hop went pale she said, “Kidding.”

Another of the rodent Pokémon ran by and Hop grabbed her arm.

“You sure you don’t want to head back.”

That seemed to reignite his fire and he stepped back from her, looking determined. “Come on, Reid! That wooloo might be in real trouble!” Then he was booking it down the path.

“Woah, hold on! Wait for me!” Reid shouted, running after him. The fog was getting thicker though, and she lost sight of him. “Hop? Hop! Hop where are you?”

The fog grew so thick, it became hard to see the trees around her.

“Hop! Stop, we need to head back! Hop! Ho-umph!” Reid groaned as she slammed into the boy and they both fell to the ground.

“This is mad,” Hop huffed as they helped each other back to their feet. “I can’t see my own hand in front of my face! I think I get now why this place is off-limits.”

“You think?” she muttered, brushing herself off. “Come on, we can’t help anyone if we get lost in this fog.”

Hop started to nod, but just then something moved in the fog and they turned to see a Pokémon standing before them.

It reminded Reid of Shunwar or a houndoom, but more colorful. It was scarred and missing part of its ear while the long pink fur hanging from its head was braided and seemed to defy gravity, floating back as if caught in the wind.

“What in the -” Hop yelped jumping back as the Pokémon got into a battle stance, staring them down.

“Lrrroooaaarrrd!”

Reid called out Río as she brought up the battle app.

“Unknown. Unknown. Level unknown. Type: Unknown.”

“Well, that’s helpful,” Reid muttered sarcastically.

“Zzzory,” Luce said, unrepentant.

Reid tried to take a step back, thinking about simply recalling Río and running, but found she couldn’t move.

“Great, okay, uh, Growl!” Reid said, hoping to weaken whatever it was before it could attack.

Her sobble obeyed, but the soundwaves from the attack seemed to pass right through the mystery Pokémon.

In fact, the Pokémon didn’t even seem to realize her’s was there, focused completely on her face with a stare that, when their eyes met, sent a shiver down her spine.

“Wha- The move had no effect on it!?” Hop exclaimed, snapping her out of the trance.

“I… Maybe it’s Ghost-type. Normal moves wouldn’t work on it. Río, Water Gun.”

Unfortunately, that had the same effect, the water passing right through it.

Is it an illusion? Like what the zorua and zormaii back home do for fun?

The Pokémon howled and the fog started to thicken up even more. So Reid could barely see her Pokémon and opponent.

“Reid! I can’t see anything! You okay!?”

Reid turned, but Hop was nowhere to be seen. “I’m okay.” She turned back to the battle and her eyes met the mystery Pokémon’s once more. I think. “Río, use Pound,” she called.

Her sobble jumped at the Pokémon, but it’s tail passed right through it like everything else.

“Río!” she yelled as it disappeared into the fog.

The Pokémon howled again, and all she could see was fog.

“I can’t see anything!” Hop yelled before letting out a scream.

“Hop!” she shouted turning towards where she’d last seen him.

Something brushed past her.

It felt soft and…

Soft…

And… and w…

Warm a…

And War…

W…

…

…

…

…

Reid opened her eyes with a groan. “What happened?”

She grabbed the Poké Ball in front of her and reassured herself that Río was safely inside. She climbed to her feet and looked over her shoulder to see Hop doing the same. She glanced back towards where she’d seen the mysterious Pokémon -- thought she’d seen it? -- with a frown. Had that really just happened? Or was it just a dream?

“Hop! Reid!”

The two turned to see Leon running up.

“Wha- Lee? How’d you manage to find your way here?” Hop asked. “You’re pants with directions. You always get lost.”

“Oh, that’s nice to hear from the little brother who had me worried sick!” Leon scolded. “I’d been waiting ages for you two, and you never showed! Of course I came looking for the both of you!”

“A wooloo got loose into the weald,” Reid explained.

“Wait, where’s the wooloo!?” Hop said. “We were trying to rescue that wooloo!”

Leon smiled and stepped to the side to reveal charizard standing with the missing Pokémon.

“Meh!”

“The little chap’s just fine,” Leon reassured. “You know this place is out of bounds… But it took courage to come in here all the same. And I can understand well enough why you did it. You did good, Hop!”

“And at least the wooloo’s all right, yeah, Reid?”

“Yeah,” she agreed distractedly, her eyes darting back over to the spot the mysterious Pokémon had stood.

“I thought we’d had it when that weird fog started rolling in and that mad Pokémon attacked, but at least it wasn’t all for nothing!”

“Attacked by some mad Pokémon?” Leon asked, looking worried. “What are you talking about, Hop?”

“It seemed loads stronger than any Pokémon I’ve ever seen. And it just had this sort of presence… Our moves didn’t even touch it. I mean, really, they seemed to pass right through it!”

“Your moves passed right through it?” Leon looked contemplative as he looked around. “So, the fearsome Pokémon they say live in the Slumbering Weald… Are they actually illusions or something?” Leon shook it off and set one hand on Hop’s shoulder and the other on Reid’s.

She blinked and focused back on the brothers.

“Get strong enough and maybe the two of you could be the ones to reveal the truth someday. For now, let’s simply get out of this place. You’ll be all right now that I’m here with you!”

Reid tuned out Hop’s excited ramblings as they made their way out of the weald.

The last time she’d felt a presence like that, it was when she was returning Nebby to the newly capable Lillie.

Could that have been… a legendary Pokémon?

——————————————–———————-———————

Pokémon Explanations

Shunwar: A legendary Pokémon from Pacal based on the Shunka Warakin. A Fairy and Ghost-type, it's said to steal away Pokémon from careless Trainers.

Pacal zorua: A Fairy-type based on the trickster coyote legends. They are nocturnal and use illusions to play tricks on any who dare to cross their hunting grounds.

Zormaii: The Pacalin evolution of zorua. A Fairy and Ground-type based on the trickster coyote legends. They use a combination of clay dolls and illusions to trick wondering Trainers.