#Thanks for the heads up that she talked about this Pix!
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royalarchivist · 6 months ago
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Ironmouse: [Reading chat] "Will you be on the QSMP final event this Friday?" They asked me to be in it and I said that I'm gonna try my best to be there. That is true, oh my god, thanks for reminding me! I almost forgot. I'm very honored and happy to have been invited.
Ironmouse: I met a lot of really cool people that, to this day, we still chat. Cellbit has been such a- such a sweetheart. Everybody's been so nice to me. Everybody was always so nice and inviting and welcoming to me. [...] A lot of the QSMP members will be in the Rust server, so we will be seeing them in Rust Kingdoms, which I'm excited for! Rust Kingdom starts on Saturday, so… it's gonna be pretty fun. We're gonna have a great time.
Ironmouse talks about the upcoming QSMP event, and reiterates how grateful she is to have been invited to the project! She says she's very happy to have met everyone and specifically mentions missing Cellbit, Jaiden, Etoiles, and Bagi.
[ Full Transcript ↓ ]
Ironmouse: [Reading chat] "Will you be on the QSMP final event this Friday?" They- they asked me to be in it and I said that I'm gonna try my best to be- to be there. That is true, oh my god, thanks for reminding me! I almost forgot. There is a final QSMP event on Friday called "QSMP Expedition." As you all know... the QSMP is over. This is the final event. I'm very honored and happy to have- to have been invited.
It's the final event, that's all they said to me! That it's the final event. Yeah, I met a lot of really cool people that, to this day, we still chat. Cellbit has been such a- such a sweetheart. Everybody's been so nice to me. Everybody was always so nice and inviting and welcoming to me. JAIDENNNN! [Reading chat] "Hope you can collaborate with some of them again" Yeah, of course! We're all pretty busy people but, you know, we- we get together when we can, I think. Well, Jaiden's been especially busy.
[After reading chat] Yes, that's true! A lot of the QSMP members will be in the Rust- in the Rust server, so we will be seeing them in Rust Kingdoms, which I'm excited for! Rust Kingdom starts on Saturday, so... it's gonna be pretty fun. We're gonna have a great time.
[Reading chat] "Please collab with Bagi" Yeah, I would love to collab with Bagi! She's- oh my god, I miss Bagi, I gotta send her a message. Etoiles has been– oh my god Etoiles, I sent him a message the other day and I'm like "When are we gonna play games, Etoiles? When Etoiles, when are we playing games again, Etoiles?" I gotta send him another message 'cuz I got sick, since I got sick I haven't- haven't like messaged him and I know he's been struggling with his own stuff too, so... We gotta play games!
[Clears throat] What time? Wait, what time- what time is the QSMP event? It didn't give me a time. Oh, at 12- 12 PST?!?! Oh man. I don't know if I'm gonna be AWAKE! I'll try my best! Oof. Yeah, I wonder– wait, let me- let me ask them...
[Typing a message to the QSMP Admins] I just realized the time, it might be a bit early for me, is it ok if I show up and I'm not streaming, 'cuz I might have rolled out of bed to be there?
I'm going to try my best- I'm gonna try my best to make it guys, Jesus Christ. [The event] is supposed to be like, something scary. I'm wondering what it's going to be!
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dollfaced-erin · 1 year ago
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𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕠𝕟'𝕤 ℂ𝕣𝕒𝕕𝕝𝕖 (Blade x F!Reader x Jing Yuan)
PART 5
PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4
taglist :
@rebeccawinters , @nayukiyukihira , @pix-stuff , @fluffy-koalala , @swivy123
A/n :
sorry for the boring last chapter. this one will be more fun, i promise !
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As (Y/n) head out to find Yanqing, she had to ask several guards on her way. She was panting by now, this kid was too fast for his own good !
As she was about to leave him be, she asked one last time at the jetty of the Central Starskiff Haven, and this guard seemed to give her the right place. As she approached one of the stores, The Sleepless Earl, where there was the young lieutenant sitting, sipping a drink in his hand.
"Yanqing...?" (Y/n) softly called out from behind, slightly startling him. He looked a little shocked to see her, but then he turned back front, a little pout on his lips. He was puffing out his cheeks, a little redness on them, and (Y/n) chuckled.
"Mind if I joined you ?"
(Y/n) sat in front of him, with the same drink in her hands. She...didn't remember something like this. It was...a milk-like drink, with...black balls at the bottom. There was even whipped cream at the top, though it wasn't fine white like she remembered it to be. It was more of a...warm white.
Yanqing noticed the hesitation of the vidyadhara woman before him, before speaking up. "It's called Immortal's Delight. It's basically a brown sugar milk tea with tapioca pearls at the bottom. It's completely safe to consume, don't worry." He assured her.
(Y/n) nodded, thanking him as she held the drink in her hands. Though it seemed that many of the locals were interested in this drink, she was quite...curious of the drink. But nonetheless, she put her lips to the straw and began to drink the think liquid.
"How is it ? Do you like it ?" the blonde boy asked her.
A smile ripped itself across her lips as she looked at him, her eyes sparkling in delight. "It's really good ! It's so sweet but, it's the milky taste is just...divine !"
Yanqing smiled brightly as he watched the horned lady before him enjoy her bubble milk tea with a fascinated glimmer in her eyes. Then, he too continued to sip at his own drink.
"It's good right ?!" he exclaimed, and (Y/n) nodded her head.
"It's been so long since I last set my eyes on this place. It really has changed..." (Y/n) said, reminiscing those times. She had indeed come to terms that times were changing a little too fast, but it was also because she wasn't around to witness the change.
"Would you like me to bring you around ? I can show you the local specialties !" Yanqing said excitedly. (Y/n) couldn't find it in her to refuse such an innocent child's offer, and she nodded.
Before she knew it, he was tugging her along the streets of the Central Starskiff Haven, excited to show her around. His hand so tenderly held her own as he brought her around, explaining places in full detail to her.
Hours passed as he brought her from place to place, but she didn't mind. Soon the sun was setting, but Yanqing had yet more places to show her like an excited child.
She smiled warmly as he brought her around, like a young son bringing his mother (although she didn't even look old at all) around the plaza. It seemed that he just wanted someone to dote on him. And that's what she'll give him. Maybe she'll even try to convince him not to try hunt down Blade, it was much too dangerous for him.
"A wanted criminal lose on the Xianzhou..." the dragon woman wondered as she walked along the path the young boy lead her.
"Say, Yanqing. What does this criminal look like...?" she asked, just noticing how she didn't even know who the hell the others were talking about earlier. She just knew that he was a Stellaron Hunter, and he was wanted all over the universe.
"Oh ! There's a wanted poster signboard near the Heron Express. I'll take you there, Lady (Y/n) !" he said with a bright smile, taking her hand and pulling her a little faster.
"This is him. The poster alternates between him and a woman with a messy ponytail. Her name is Kafka. They're both wanted by the IPC." Yanqing said, bringing her to a white and red poster.
"This...this man...!" (Y/n) eyes widened, upon recognizing the photo. She's seen this man ! He was in her dreams ! But...
"Does he have a twin...? O-or an alter ego...?" she asked. She trembled. She...her heart...she felt a tingling feeling. Not just her heart...her lower back hurt a little too...
"Alter ego...? Twin...? Not that I know of." Yanqing said, shrugging. "Why ? You know him ?"
"I..." (Y/n) put her hand to her head, trying to remember. This man...it was indeed familiar to her. But he didn't have dark hair. He had...white hair...
To try remember...was like being in an empty void. There was a feeling in her heart. She felt...hollow...
"Oh ! You're wearing the glass hairpin I made for you. It looks great on you."
"I don't remember..."
Yanqing looked at her worriedly, putting a hand on her back. "Don't dwell on it. If you don't remember, let it be. You'll remember it later." Yanqing said, trying to pull her out of that trance like state.
"Don't worry. You'll be okay. Why don't you go to the Exalting Sanctum ? The plaza there has lots of shops there. Try walk around and have a feel of the air there." Yanqing tried to assure her, with a small smile on his lips.
"Y-yeah..." she whispered, her head feeling dizzy, and her mouth feeling dry.
Then Yanqing brought her away from the poster, feeling guilty. He talked to her a little, trying to get her mind off the topic as they walked to the jetty, requesting a starskiff to bring (Y/n) to the Exalting Sanctum.
"You go on first. I just remembered I had some unfinished business here." Yanqing said, as the starskiff arrived.
He helped her into the airship, and felt reluctant to release her ice cold fingers from his warm hands. And it seemed she had something to say too, from the way she tightened her hold on his fingers.
(Y/n) looked at him worriedly, concern in her (e/c) eyes as she gazed at the younger male. "Yanqing. Whatever you do, don't chase down Blade. Especially not by yourself."
Those were her final words to him, before she let go. Then...the starskiff flew off.
Yanqing sighed, feeling quite pissed off again. "Not her too... I swear. Everyone just thinks I'm a kid !"
As (Y/n) got to the Exalting Sanctum, she began roaming the area, unsure where to go. She was alone, without a guide in the mass sea of people. She felt...self-conscious, for the horns on her head was more than enough to attract attention.
She felt her heartbeat increase rapidly as heard whispers and felt stares digging into her back. The locals...were looking at her since not all Vidyadhara had horns like her. And everywhere she looked, she had no idea where to turn.
"Miss are you alright ? Are you Lady (Y/n) ?" she heard a voice behind her. She turned around, snapping herself from her thoughts, and found a young woman in a red uniform standing behind her.
"Y-Yes, I'm (Y/n)." (Y/n) nodded, affirming the questions of the lady behind her. She breathed a little sigh of relief, the lady behind her had pointed ears, a trademark she was familiar with to her own. Another Vidyadhara.
"A-ah, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is Jingyan, a Realm-keeping Commission officer. General Jing Yuan had sent us a message earlier to hand you this," the brunette woman said, handing her a rectangular device. "Are you familiar with it ?"
(Y/n) shook her head, not knowing what this...black metal was in her hand. It even had a casing on it, little cherry blossoms on the back with a white cat playing with the petals. Jingyan chuckled a little, seeing the confusion of (Y/n) and the cover in her hand.
"This is a smartphone. It's programmed by a Jade Abacus in its core. it's quite new technology right now." Jingyan said, as she pressed a button and the black screen lit up, taking (Y/n) aback a little.
"You can use this device to contact other people on the Xianzhou. Here," she said as she pressed a small chatbox icon on the 'smartphone'. "General Jing Yuan had already added his contact into your device. You can use this app to message him. Just tap on that white box down there and a small keyboard will pop out."
(Y/n) did as told, pressing the white chat box and a keyboard indeed popped out, taking her by surprise.
"Here, why don't you tell the General something ?" Jingyan suggested and (Y/n) nodded.
A light chuckle left the General's lips, who was in the middle of a meeting. His phone had buzzed in the middle of a boring presentation, waking him up a little.
"Hi :)"
He chuckled softly, making sure no one noticed that he wasn't paying attention (not that he was even giving any to begin with), and swiftly tapped on his phone.
"Oh, look ! He sent you a reply," Jingyan said, pointing to the screen as a little white chat bubble popped out.
"Hello to you too, princess~" he replied.
"Well, now you know how to send messages ! I also put my number in there as Jingyan, so you can also text me if you need anything, okay ?" Jingyan said with a small smile. And (Y/n) nodded and thanked the woman.
"Well then, I'll be having off. You should head down to the plaza, there are more things to see there." Jingyan said as she waved (Y/n) off and headed off.
(Y/n) nodded, feeling a little more relieved that there is someone she knows on the ship here. Perhaps she should go check out the stores and take her mind off of things like Yanqing said. She didn't have money to spend, but window shopping should be good for her too.
But as she walked through the streets and the alleys surrounded by people, she felt....comforted. There was so many people, the streets were bustling with chatter and hollers. It was so lively, so bustling with life.
People were glancing at her, taking in her appearance and her horns. Many admired her beauty and grace. Some admired her clothes and the way she brought herself, as she walked under the moonlight.
But as she walked...she found a path she felt particularly drawn to. Another alleyway, more deserted than the rest. A backway path. But she...she felt...someone there. Someone...she...
She had to go there.
And so she walked down the dark alleyway, alone. And suddenly she heard a voice call out from her right.
"You..." a cold voice called from her right, laced with realization and recognition.
She stood there, startled a little. But she wasn't afraid.
As she turned around to face her right side which lead another alley, was a man that appeared from the darkness. His red eyes glowed bright with Mara and revenge, keen on seeking something from the exhaustion his eyes held.
Her chest bloomed with warmth, as if she finally had her heart back. As if she finally re-learned to breathe. Her eyes watered as she stared at the person before her.
Usually people would cover and tremble at the sight of this man. this man was being sought out be the entire universe. A bounty only another could top.
But she wasn't scared. She was anything but. The Vidyadhara woman reached a hand out to him, though she was sure he wouldn't reach back.
But instead long and slender fingers reached out from the darkness the man bathed in, cold fingers gripping her hand. It felt like ice was piercing her skin, but the hand still felt the same as she remembered from all those years ago. So she gripped his hand back.
"You wont run...?" the man whispered, red eyes gazing warmly into her own (e/c) eyes.
"Why would I...? I don't fear you..." she whispered back, tears falling freely from her eyes.
She didn't know this man. But he felt so familiar to her. This tall, dark haired stranger, with piercing red eyes and bandages all around. he looked menacing, as if he could kill without even blinking.
"Then why are you crying...?" the man before her asked, raising a bandaged hand to wipe away at her falling tears.
"I...I don't know. I...don't remember." (Y/n) whispered again, trying to sort out her memories and her thoughts. But everything was so blurry, everything...was confusing.
"Out of five people...three must pay a price." the man before her said. "And you're not one of them...Dan Jia."
And with that, he pulled her into a hug, careful to mind the horns on her head. Though surprised, she wrapped her arms around his back, as she took in his familiar scent, hugging him close.
"My name...is not Dan Jia. It's...(Y/n)." she whispered apologetically.
Her tears had dried and she rested her head against his chest. He was cold, unlike a human
"Then...(Y/n)." the man said as he pulled back, a stiff and unfamiliar smile on his otherwise stern and dead face.
"With a final parting gift, I wish we do not cross paths again." he whispered. "If we do, pretend you do not know me."
He placed a hand on her chin, tilting her head up. His red eyes bore into her own, causing a blush to erupt on her cheeks. His lips parted but closed again, as if hesitating.
The man leaned in, a placed a warm kiss on her forehead.
"For I wish you do not see me for the monster I am, my beloved."
And with that, Blade disappeared into the dark alleyways, once more. (Y/n) all alone, just herself basking under the moon's light.
"But I yearn that fate meets us once again, Blade." (Y/n) whispers back, knowing he wouldn't be able to hear her anymore.
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mythosidhesdollhouse · 5 months ago
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Ok friends, at long last I'm finally--finally--getting this post together. Apologies in advance for this one being a bit of a ramble, this poor doll has a lot of backstory, and I'm going to try to keep this as brief as possible but you know how it is when ADHD brain tries to relay a linear narrative XD And when you add brain fog to that...it's a bit of a mess. Anyway. I'm trying. Feel free to skip the text and just look at my crochet pix ;p
(Overly detailed explanation of why I made things plus lots of photos)
So. Over the past several weeks I've done a LOT of work to get my girl Iona (Pullip Nomado) back to a semblance of her former glory. Io is pretty well established as my favorite doll. She was my very first Pullip--I've had her over twenty years now--and for a long time she was basically my mascot in the doll community. People used to send me gifts specifically for her (including but not limited to the necklace she's wearing and the hair currently on her head). But the years have not been especially kind to either of us, and when I brought her out of storage it was clear she's beginning to feel her age. I was dismayed to find her suffering from an advanced case of the neck melt that plagues type 2 Pullips, which required a good bit of repair and modification to ensure she got to keep her original body (for a minute there it looked like she might have to become a Rainbow High hybrid).
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Once I managed to salvage that situation, I decided Io was long overdue for a full refresh to return her to a semblance of her former glory. I gave her a brand new scalp plate with her signature hair twists still intact (thanks to a generous friend who sent me extras several years ago); replaced the hooks on her earings with new wires that put less stress on her piercings; dug her original boots out of storage; and most importantly (THE ACTUAL POINT OF THIS POST) I set to work crocheting several new pieces for her wardrobe! So far this includes a maxi skirt, hair scarf, and shawl. These are all garments I wear in my day-to-day life, so if you notice them recurring in my handmade doll clothing, that's why ;p As I get older I find myself more inclined to dress my dolls in pieces more in line with my own personal aesthetic, rather than aspirational styles that I admire, but would never wear.
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I am so happy with how these have turned out, the skirt especially. I made it using KnitPicks Curio #10 crochet thread in Comfrey, a shade which beautifully compliments several of the blouses I've collected for Io over the years. The shawl was made with Lion Brand BonBons yarn, and the hair scarf is Lizbeth #10 crochet cotton from Handy Hands (I don't remember which colorway at the moment).
The patterns for the skirt and shawl were adapted from ones for full size garments I've made for myself in the past; I can talk more about the specifics of that and what modifications I made in another post if anyone is interested. The hair scarf is just a granny stitch triangle with a very lazy border and some ties added.
(**Sigh** pining for the days when Mattel still had quality standards...)
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And at long last we've reached the end! Apologies again for the length of this one, if you can believe it I *did* edit out a significant amount, but it still ended up novella-length XD I hope you enjoy Io's new looks, as I've had a great deal of fun working on these pieces, and plan to continue making more for her and other dolls in the near future. I also have several Rainbow High dolls with complete or near-complete crochet outfits I want to share, so be on the lookout for that post sometime soon as well.
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marabelle5 · 4 months ago
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The 'Vigil' Keeper
Pix looked up from his book as the bell rang. It was Xisuma Void, the principal of the school the next street over. Pix chuckled to himself, he remembered that someone told him that the kids were calling Hermitopia for some reason. Pix smiled. The shop had few customers this time of day and at this day of the week. It had been an uneventful Tuesday.
“Good afternoon Xisuma. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing well. How are you?” 
“I’m great. Thanks for asking. So what brings you to Pixandria on this dark and gloomy afternoon?” Pix replied. 
Pix pulled down the sleeve of his dark blue sweater. It was cold even with all the candles lit. Pixandria was not a dark place, it was far from it. Between the candles lit all around to the replica of the ancient ‘Vigil’ to the four mysterious ‘conduits’ (lamps Pearl painted for him) he put around the place, it was quite bright.
“Could I pick up the 200 candles I ordered?” Xisuma asked then quickly he said. “No dyes or scents.” Pix smiled again.
“Of course. What do you need it for?” Pix said while he went under the counter to grab the order. Xisuma laughed.
“Well Tango said how it would be fun to do a lab with candles for the kids and Cleo immediately agreed saying it would be fun to experiment with the wax for an art project.”
“Ah I see. Looks like you’ve paid for everything beforehand.” Pix was about to hand the box to X when a couple kids ran in and stared at the ‘Vigil’.
“Um King Pixl Riffs? What is that?” A boy with dirty blond hair and hazel eyes pointed to the ‘Vigil’. 
“Well. It is what I call the ‘Vigil’ . Every time an emperor is ‘pranked’ by another empire I put up a candle and if they get 12 candles I make a paper lantern of the color of the empire. I have a list of who did the ‘pranks’ and we talley them up at the end of the year and then I reset the ‘Vigil’.”
   The kids who had entered with the boy now had big smiles on their faces.
“You guys prank each other?” A boy with curly brown hair asked excitedly. 
“Like we do at school sometimes?” A girl with black hair said. Pix laughed as Xisuma sighed.
“What kind of pranks do you do?” The trio shouted in unison.
“Well one time Jimmy and I changed all of fWhip salmon pictures to cod pictures but he caught on quickly and they were all changed back within a day and fWhip gave Jimmy a salmon statue saying sense he loved salmon so much he should have it. And there was another time when Pearl and I went around asking everyone weird or confusing trivia and it all bottled down to who makes the best honey which isn’t really a prank but a fond memory. We also all said hi to Gem each in a different way then we normally did it but how another emperor said hi.”
When Pix stopped talking. 
“Thank you King Mr. Vigil Keeper.” The children said and they ran out of the store no doubt going to Pearl’s to get a drink of hot cocoa that she sells in the winter. The name made a chill go up Pix’s spine.
Pix waved goodbye to Xisuma. He flipped his sign to closed and headed down the very long stairs to the basement. The wooden stairs creaked under his feet but as he got lower the stairs became stone and you could hear his sandals slap against the stone. The walls have a spot for candles to light the path but Pix usually ignores them and thinks about events that happened during the day. The basement has two layers where the stairs turn to stone. You can see Daivd and when you get to the end of those stone stairs you will step on to the ground only to find that it is sand. If you walk a bit in this sand you’ll find a very old and ancient monument called The Vigil.  
Pix looked at The Vigil every candle was burning bright. He sighed. He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He took it out and pressed the answer button.
“Hello Zloy, how are you doing?”
“Pix, Pix the Copper King might be out tonight! Can you come?” An excited Zloy said.
“No sorry I have…” Pix trailed off thinking of an excuse. 
“Oh. Are you free for recording tomorrow?”
“Let me check my schedule and I’ll get back to you.”
“Okay. Lyarrah and I are going out to record in the field tonight.”
“Alright. See yuh tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
“Good night.” Pix took off his blue sweater. He put on a brown undershirt and pants. He bore a sandy color jacket with copper shoulders and lining down. And went up to The Vigil and put on perfectly on top of his head a copper crown. He then grabbed his trident. 
The Copper King smiled as he exited his underground lair. He turned on his com and took his watch.  
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georgiapeach30513 · 1 year ago
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The One to Sacrifice, Part 2
Summary:  Johnny just had to be in your safe space.
Pairings:  Johnny Storm X Reader
Rating:  explicit
Warnings:  explicit language, explicit sexual content (past), mentions of cheating, mentions of loss of virginity, 18+ ONLY
Word Count:  3.1K
Previous
Series Masterlist
*dividers created by @firefly-graphics​
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“Hey, Ma,” Frank prances into his family home, followed by Raleigh, and his mother awkwardly gives them both a hug.  Frank smiles up at his mom, while Raleigh looks towards the stairs, “So, I’ve been told I have a sister and niece that are back home.”
“Oh,” Debbie answers softly.  She hoped to have seen her son under different circumstances.  Not to mention, have her family for dinner.  Just her family.  “Yes, well, thanks to Mr. Beckett, he made sure that they mostly made it all the way home.”
“I did offer to bring them all the way here, Mrs. Weiss.  Is she…are they here?” He is too curious about seeing her again.  Hopefully talking a bit more one on one.  Letting her see that whatever happened, he had forgiven her, and still wanted to be in her life.
“Yes, well, I think being back here is overwhelming for both of them.  Especially given…well, Johnny…I’m going to go get her.  Dinner is almost ready, and…Frank?” Her youngest son starts to push past his mom, already walking towards the stairs.  “Son?”
“I haven’t got to see her or Tanzy.  Let me go get them,” Debbie didn’t want to be left alone with Raleigh.  She could only hope that he wouldn’t bring up awkward questions of her daughter’s quick departure.  Some things just weren’t meant for her to talk about.  Because she wasn’t even supposed to know about it.
Frank gives a soft knock on your door, before pushing the almost closed door open.  You are gently fixing Tanzy’s hair, and look up at him with a smile.  “Hey, Tanz,” he starts choking up.  He wasn’t prepared for the emotions to flood in him as his niece looks at him.  Eyes as bright blue as her fathers.  “Goah, you’ve gotten bigger.”
“It’s been two years since you saw me, Frankie,” Frank walks over to your bed, sitting down beside the two of you.  His thumb traces over her features softly, and you lay a hand on his thigh.  You could feel his skin buzzing.  “I get to sleep in daddy’s room though.  There’s still some comics up in the reading attic.  Dad was such a geek.  But hey, Pix says that I could try out for hockey.  Did you know that Johnny Storm knows me?”
“Really?” Frank looks up at you, and you smack at his arm, “Pix?”
“Tanzy, go downstairs, and help Gimma with setting the table,” Tanzy shakes her head no, really wanting to hear more about Johnny, “Tanzy, go.  This isn’t a discussion.”
“Fine,” she rolls her eyes, jumping off your bed.  She decides to make it her goal to understand more about Johnny.  That was her dad’s best friend, and you and he had kept that from her.
You wait until her footsteps start to fade in the distance before you hit Frank on the shoulder, “Why is everyone so concerned with bringing up Johnny?”
“Because he was the reason you fled to Minnesota.”
“No, I went to train for the Olympics,” when Frank starts shaking his head, it just angers you even more, “Yes, I did!  I didn’t leave because Johnny…no.  I didn’t…you don’t even know.  You…you were messed up.  You have no idea what you’re even talking about.”
“I know that something happened.  I know that Mike followed you with Tanzy.  I know that you had to halt training for a couple of weeks for a reason that neither you or Mike want to talk about.  I know that you were always closer to Mike than to me.  But I also know that you left things with Raleigh so bad,” you roll your eyes, and fall back on the bed.  You’d prefer to talk about Raleigh over Johnny, but he wasn’t much better.  You were the one that screwed up in the relationship.
“You changed your number, and didn’t even give it to me.  So why don’t you tell me what happened between you and Johnny.  Or you and Raleigh.  I mean you were kinda screwing around with my best friend.”
“Why do you care?  You were off doing your own thing.  Left Raleigh behind while you were, well, you know what you were doing.  How many days have you been sober?” A great way to distract him from this line of conversation.  Whatever it took, you would do it.
“One hundred and thirty-six days.”
“Yeah?” Sitting up, you give him the biggest hug.  Everyday was a new triumph with Frank.  It wasn’t easy for him.  “Gosh, I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m proud of you, too.  It’s not easy raising a kid alone.  Especially one that isn’t yours.  And you’re young.  You should have been able to live your life.  Stay on your path, and now you’re here in bum fuck Egypt where both mine and your brother’s best friends were in love this sweet little Pixie girl,” you give him a hit to his shoulder again.  Such a cliche.  
“It’s true.  Men love forbidden fruit.  But only Johnny was the one that was told to stay away,” you stand up, leaving him behind.  You didn’t have to hear this.  “By the way, Raleigh is downstairs.”
“What?” You stop, and turn around to glare at him.  “Can I not have peace in my own home?”
“You left him without breaking up.  There’s this weird unfinished business between the two of you,” you wouldn’t have dinner.  Marching over to your closet, you dig around, until you find what you're looking for.  Old gym bag.  Stuffing your skates, and an outfit in there, you throw it over your shoulder.
“Where are you going?”
“To the rink.”
“What?  Why?”
“Both you and Raleigh know that I don’t want to talk to him right now.  I just got here, and it’s like everything is being fucking forced down my throat.  Stay out of this part of my life,” opening up your window, Frank’s eyes go large.  You have done this before.  “Yeah, it’s easy to sneak up, and out of here.  Ask Raleigh.”
You leave him to ponder the fact that Raleigh knew how to climb into your bedroom.  Let him think about the fact that your bedroom was above the rarely used bathroom upstairs.  No one would ever hear anyone sneaking into your room.  
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You tighten up your skate, and take a deep breath.  Letting your eyes close before those intrusive thoughts come back into your mind.  Refusing to let it get the best of you, and you step out onto the ice.  Making a few rounds, and going into a zone.  Trying to clear your mind of intrusive thoughts.
His hand pushes aside your leotard, ripping your tights, and those piercing blue eyes look into yours, “You sure?”
You launch yourself into the air, spinning around, and land a bit wobbly.  It had been awhile since you got to be alone, and this free.  Determined to get it right, you try again.  Getting the landing right this time.
You cling to his shoulders as he pumps into you.  His mouth right by your ear, grunting with every thrust.  It is a stinging pleasure.  Not at all what you had imagined.  His sounds were melodic, and you could already feel a new routine being shaped in your mind with how amazing this felt.  Nothing has ever felt better.  Could tell a story about sex for the first time with just your skating.
You fall down onto the ice with a growl, lifting yourself up, and start spinning around quickly.  And even that doesn’t clear your mind.  Too many memories were held in this place.  
You kiss over his sticky skin as his thrusts become harder.  Heated breath blows over him as you start to lose all control, and he lifts both your legs off the floor.  Pressing your back harder into the lockers, and you don’t even care about how uncomfortable it is.  Nails digging into his back.  Whimpering out his name.
“I know, Princess.  I feel you squeezing me.”
You stop abruptly on the ice, and look all around the rink.  Had it seriously been that long.  A pang on your side has you refusing to believe all these pesky memories you are trying to skate out of your mind.  With a huff of air, you start to skate backwards.
“Princess, my god, you’re so tight.  Fuck!  Is this your first time?” You hear his words, but can’t think to respond, and his cock pounds even harder into your core.  Starting to bite on your neck, with a smirk.  
“You feel so good.  So fucking good.”
Jumping into the air, you land perfectly, and do it again.  You would get rid of all it.  This was supposed to be relaxing.  It wasn’t supposed to be memories of losing your virginity.
He shoots his load into your core, and your eyes glaze over, pouting up at him.  “I bet nobody has ever given it to you like that, huh?” Biting at your lip, you shake your head no.  “Even good ole, Raleigh?  You gonna tell him that I fuck his girlfriend better?”
That is the last thing you wanted, and you try to speak, “Shh, princess, this can be our little secret.  He may crawl up to your bedroom window, but this locker room is ours, okay?  Say it with me.”
“O-okay.”
“Good girl,” you slide to a stop on the ice, and turn to glare at Johnny who was slowly clapping his hands.  “That’s my good fucking girl,” he skates out onto the ice, but you move further away from him, “Is that how you treat the best lay of your life.”
“Drop dead.”
“No.  No, we’re not playing that game, Pix.  You’re getting all salty, but you were the one cheating.  Did Raleigh ever get to fuck you?  Or was it just dry humping?  Imagine my surprise when I opened the door, and that’s all you were giving him.  When you gave me every part of you.  I popped that cherry, didn’t I?  You were so in love with Raleigh, and still willing to be my good girl.”
“I hate you,” swallowing bile, you skate away from him.  “I hate you.  You…you never even said goodbye to Mike.”
“Yeah, well after I got a good chewing out from him, I didn’t think he wanted me at the funeral.  What exactly was he so pissed off for, Princess?” Try as you might to skate away from him, he wraps both arms around you, and squeezes.  “Hey, please, I know I'm an asshole most of the time, but…what we had…”
“It was just fucking.  Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Just…okay.  We were just fucking, and you were still telling your dear boyfriend that you were in love with him.  Still wore that ugly ring every time that we fucked.  But you never looked at him the way you looked at me, and that’s why you can’t look at me right now.  Pix, look at me,” your eyes clench closed, and you become dead weight.  You would not.  
“What happened?  You ran, and Mike followed, and then he called to cuss me out.  Told me he never wanted to see me again.  Said that Tanzy would never know who I was because I didn’t deserve to see her anymore.  Raleigh, he thinks I’ve never met her.  You tell him that or did Mike?  I’ve got pictures holding her, Pix.  We…you and I…what the fuck happened?”
“I had a boyfriend!” His arms finally drop from your body, and you back away.  “We were — Johnny, Raleigh was my boyfriend, not you.  And…I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t lie to him, and only Mike knew the truth, and…God, I didn’t even want to come back here.  To you or him.  I wanted to forget that anything had happened, and Tanzy isn’t…she not ours — mine.  I gotta go.”
“What?” Johnny starts chasing after you, trying to decipher your broken words.  “Pix, just talk to me.”
“No!  You come here acting like that, and all I ever was to you was pussy.  Fresh, tight pussy.  Yes, Johnny, that first time in the locker room was my first time.  That should have been for Raleigh.  We should have been more careful, but just like us to be reckless.  All I do is lie, so I’ll continue to do it.”
“What is going on?” He skates in front of the door, blocking you from leaving, “Can we just talk like normal people?  I took your virginity.  I didn’t know.  But what is this other stuff you’re talking about?  We weren’t careful?  You were on birth control.”
“What gave you that idea?” He tries touching your arm, but you shrug him off again.  “Stop touching me!  You…it was just sex.  Clearly, I should have realized that.  You got your contract for the Bruins, and…I didn’t matter.  I made my choice.  And it wasn’t Raleigh, and it was a mistake.  All of it was.  Now move.”
Johnny slowly moves out of the way, letting you move past him, “By the way, your goddaughter wants to play hockey.  I heard that you’re teaching.  Do us a favor, and pay for her lessons.  It’s the least you can do.  You never paid for anything else.  Even if it concerned you.  You never paid..”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“God, just shut up!  I’m not having this fucking conversation with you or anyone.  It doesn’t matter anymore.  Don’t try to insert yourself now.  Just be there for Tanzy.  It’s the least you could do.  I didn’t come back here for any other reason than her.  Not for you, I didn’t even know about this.  And not for Raleigh, but for her.”
Johnny watches you walk down the hall.  He didn’t want to chase after you.  Didn’t want to object.  But there was pain that was more than your brother’s death.  More than leaving your dreams behind.  He isn’t sure if it’s just the fact that you felt forced into raising Tanzy on your own when nobody asked you to.
And maybe that was the problem.  Johnny never stepped up when he agreed to be her godfather.  But Mike was pissed off when he called.  Told Johnny he never wanted to see him again.  And kept asking, ‘How could you do this?’
This meeting left him with more questions than answers.  But you were willing to bring Tanzy to be on his team, so you would have to face him.  Although talking in front of children was never going to happen.  He could ease his way back into your life, just like he had done before.  
For a short moment, you were his kryptonite, and he was your everything.  Living your double life with your actual boyfriend, while you were also having sex with Johnny.  Stirring feelings inside him that he didn’t even think existed.  Using the fact that you had a boyfriend as a way to keep it as casual sex, but it wasn’t.  For either of you.  During that time both of you only slept with each other.  He never stopped going on dates, and you had a boyfriend.  One that climbed up your window, and was patient with you.  
A boyfriend that thought you were a virgin when you quite literally had sex with Johnny any chance you got.  You had made a sacrifice, that didn’t include him, and he isn’t even sure of what happened.  Why or even how it happened.  But you wanted to bring Tanzy for practice.  So Johnny was going to have to be on his best behavior, because Raleigh still had feelings for you.  Raleigh still wanted what you never gave to him.
“I’m fucked,” Johnny grunts, dropping down onto the ice.  He didn’t want to be here.  He didn’t want to coach girls hockey.  But there you were.  Looking more beautiful than ever, even with your haunting sadness.  A sadness that was deep inside of you and was ready to pop out at any moment.  
“The universe and Mike Weiss still hates me,” sitting up, the banner of the championship team that he and Mike had been a part of mocks him.  “Yeah, yeah, I know you hate me.  But she and your daughter were brought back into my life for some reason.  Man, I don’t know what happened, but I loved her.  Our paths were going in two different ways, but…she was it.  She was the one, and then she left, and I became more of an asshole.”
He gets up to his feet to stare at that stupid banner, “Say you want, Michael, but I loved your sister.  She was the one that stayed with Raleigh.”
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“Raleigh,” you whine, climbing back into your room.  You couldn’t escape them.  This town was too small, but there was no reprieve from either him nor Johnny, “What are you doing?”
“You left the light on, so I climbed up.  Wasn’t that the code?  You didn’t want to talk to me before, and now you can’t scream.  I just want the past in the past.  No hard feelings.  Can we start again?”
“I cheated on you,” Raleigh gulps, looking at your bed.  “There, now we can move on.”
“Who was it?”
He never looks at your face.  And his jaw pulses with anger, “You know who.”
“Define cheated.  I mean, we never even had sex.”
“Everything.”
“You know, you really enjoy pushing people out of your life.  You really like twisting the knife.  You were telling me you loved me, and that you wanted to wait, and the whole time you were fucking Johnny Storm?  I fucking knew it, too.  He started coming to your meets.  He started watching you from the back, and never fucking sat down.  I was always there in the front for my girlfriend.  But you want to know the kicker was for me?  He got injured, and you were watching him, so worried.  I told myself then it was because he was Mike’s friend, but no, it was because you were fucking him.”
“Yep,” you let your arms slap at your thighs.  There was nothing more to say.  “I let him fuck me.  The only man who ever has gotten to.  And…I have nothing more to say.  There it is.  All of it.  I was fucking Johnny Storm.  Now we can move on,” Raleigh’s fists pump for a second before he walks over to your window.  
Throwing his legs out before looking at you, “I loved you.”
“I know you did.”
“Did you ever love me?”
“It’s complicated,” with a nod of his head, Raleigh starts climbing down the trellis on the side of the house.  And you rub on your stomach when you fall back on your bed.  It was complicated.  It was always going to be complicated.  And no one would ever know just how complicated it was.  
Next
Masterlist
Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @sstan-hoe @softsatnin @missusbarnes-rogers @peaches1958 @seitmai @smile1318 @andydrysdalerogers @charmed-asylum @cjand10 @rosemirrors
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theconstellationprincess · 6 months ago
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Look what I have!
House and Home
Chapter 7: Hiccups
Thank you all for waiting so patiently!
Tws: panic attack, anxiety (lmk if I should add any!)
Summary: Pix sat next to Fwhip, content to just listen and watch the ongoings of the activity of the room.
There had been a lot of noise when they had first come down stairs, Pix being carried by Fwhip because he’d almost fallen down the stairs. People were talking to him and being loud, which had been awful and far too overstimulating, but it was okay because Fwhip was there and telling everyone to quiet down.
( @froggymarsh )
Pix sat next to Fwhip, content to just listen and watch the ongoings of the activity of the room. He yawned, pacifier falling against his chest and he didn’t bother putting it back in. It was attached to his shirt via a clip and a piece of fabric, patterned similar to the bandage Fwhip had put on his cut hand. Fwhips hand was running through his hair, scratching his scalp gently as he chatted with the rest of the group.
There had been a lot of noise when they had first come down stairs, Pix being carried by Fwhip because he’d almost fallen down the stairs. People were talking to him and being loud, which had been awful and far too overstimulating, but it was okay because Fwhip was there and telling everyone to quiet down. It was quieter now, and Pix was slowly drifting to sleep, eyes closing for a few seconds before he would jerk back up, wanting to be included.
Gem was sitting on Fwhip’s other side, and had reached out to hold the sleeve of his jacket. Pix blinked at her, she blinked back. Pix reached across Fwhip, landing sort of in his lap, and grabbed her sleeve. The fabric was pleasantly textured and he giggled, twisting it clumsily in his fingers. “Gem,” He cooed, grinning brightly at her. He was sort of aware that the room had quieted to a near silence, but he wasn’t paying attention to that.
“Pi’” Gem cheered through her pacifier. It was really cute, decorated with charms and beads of animals and plants. Fwhip made to stand up and Pix whimpered, reaching out for him as Fwhip leant forward. He didn’t want to be alone, that was scary. He never wanted to be alone again, everything was too much, and Fwhip made it nicer.
Fwhip sat back down, making a shushing noise. “Oh Pixlriffs, what am I going to do with you?” He mumbled, sighing playfully as Pix flopped down in his lap, head burying into Fwhip’s shirt. Pix heard some other words being spoken, but he was too busy enjoying Fwhip’s body heat. He still felt very small, but maybe a bit less so? Fwhip trying to leave made him upset, but he’s being clingy isn’t he? Fwhip is allowed to get up if he wants to, he’s a grown up, and Pix must be making him upset, forcing him to stay and cuddle.
Pix quickly pushed himself out of Fwhip’s lap and leant against the arm of the couch, touching the least amount of Fwhip possible. “Sorry,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. He’s stuck between very small and very big, which is no fun at all. He doesn’t want to cause a fuss, but here he is, drawing attention to himself. He can feel eyes on him, and gives a quick glance to the rest of the room, which are, unfortunately, quite preoccupied staring at him and Fwhip.
He’s definitely not small, and absolutely horrified. Everyone- Everyone knew. This was… very much not ideal, but he’d embarrassed himself enough without causing a scene, so instead he sat up straight. He took a few measured breaths and unclipped the pacifier from his shirt, slipping it into his pocket. Everyone was looking between him and Fwhip, so he turned to face the other emperor. Fwhip looked confused, and a little bit hurt.
“I’m not regressed anymore,” Pix told him softly with a sheepish smile, prompting Fwhip to look even more confused. He refused to make a big deal out of this in front of everyone, he’d talk to Fwhip about it later in a more private space, and when he’s less angry. Because he is angry, very very angry, and scared too. If even one of the other emperors told anyone else in their kingdoms, there was a possibility of it making it back to his advisors in Pixandria, and he will be well and truly screwed if that happens.
He could feel Fwhip’s eyes on him as the conversation slowly resumed. They were discussing secrets, of course. What an aptly timed event.
“I’d like to discuss a secret,” Fwhip said loudly, sitting up and staring at Pix. Pix took a deep breath and turned to face Fwhip, having an idea as to where this was going. “Me and Pix broke of your mugs, sorry Katherine.” Katherine laughed and waved it off, assuring them that it was fine and there was no reason to apologize. The tension in the room seemed to recede, thinning out until there was joyful chatter once again. No one seemed to be taking this particularly serious, so Pix allowed himself to relax.
“Anything you want to share, Pix?” Shubble asked him quietly, smiling brightly. She seems to feed off of positive energy, which Pix can appreciate. He relaxed his posture a bit and shares in her smile. He opens his mouth to reply, but then Katherine is shouting his name and he turns to her, wide eyed.
“Pix don’t-!” She bolts out of her seat, sprinting across the room, tripping over her lovely skirt as she makes her way over to him and slaps a hand over his mouth. He freezes, unsure of what to do as Katherine drags in exaggerated breaths. She inhales sharply and then slowly removes her hand, “I didn’t get to tell you, but for this activity the room has been enchanted, you can’t lie in here.”
Pix blinked, surprised at the casual use of magic, which since all the… everything with Xornoth going on has become much more feared and restricted in most kingdoms. “O-Kay?” Now far more hesitant about his answer, he turned back to Shubble. Of course, he wants to test how strong the magic is so he tries to go with a simple lie, that there’s nothing he wants to talk about. He’s expecting for nothing to come out of his mouth, or for the sentence to contain a double negative, simple speech magic, instead he tells her, “If anyone in here tells anyone else I’m a regressor, I will be dethroned.”
Well then. Shubble stares at him, blinking a few times and laughing nervously. Katherine, still standing nearby, pauses in her conversation with the still small Gem to turn to him, but it’s Fwhip who speaks first.
“What?” The engineer spoke flatly, face contorted in a confused frown. “But I thought you were making progress with your advisors?” Pix cleared his throat, feeling the attention swarming him yet again. An uncomfortable blush rose to cover his face as he fiddled with his sleeves.
“I have…” He began slowly, choosing his words carefully. He avoids looking at the other members of the Cod Father Alliance, who he had, perhaps, led to be under the impression that Pixandria was more on board with what Pix had been proposing than his empire was. Their kingdoms were all so modern and future forward, Pixandria was a small kingdom and it was very set in its ways. “But it’s slow going.”
He hadn’t expected to say that, but at least he knew how the magic worked now. He couldn’t lie, which meant only truths could fall from his lips, but which truths, he couldn’t choose.
“Slow going?” Lizzie asked, sitting up straighter. She looked over everyone else, and Pix shrank in on himself a bit. He hadn’t lied, not really, but he had stretched the truth during their alliance meetings, wanting to fit in a bit more. He always felt a bit odd in their group, with Jimmy and Lizzie being siblings, and Joel and Lizzie courting. He didn’t want yet another thing to be separating him from them.
“You said that you were almost finished getting rid of all those laws.” Jimmy piped in from where he was leaning against the wall, having been (playfully) arguing with Joel. Swallowing, Pix tugged at the collar of his jacket and avoided eye contact with everyone.
“Well… I-“
“Lied.” Scott interrupted, looking at him with squinted eyes. “You lied.”
Fingers anxiously twisted the fabric of his sleeves as he pressed himself against the corner of the couch. “Yes.” He croaked, fists clenching, fingers digging into the skin of his hand. The cut from earlier harshly protested the treatment, but Pix ignored it. “I lied. I- I apologize.”
The room felt very small, and he felt small too, but in the bad way, the panicking way. He needed- he needed to be alone, now, but he felt frozen, pinned to the couch by the hurt glares directed at him by his friends.
“I’m sorry,” He repeated, running a hand through his hair. It was raining outside, the windows fogging up, like his head was. “I’m sorry- please don’t be mad, I don’t like it when people are mad.” The apologies continued to slip from his lips, as he involuntarily slipped back into headspace. “I’m sorry- I didn’t-“ Tears flooded his vision and he clumsily reached up to wipe them away. “Don’t hurt me please, I’m scared.” He admitted tearfully, squeezing his eyes shut and tucking his head into his knees. “I’m scared.”
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frootloopscos · 7 months ago
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Chapter 1) Runaway
CONTENT WARNING: THERE WILL BE MENTIONS AND DETAILS DESCRIBING CHILD ABUSE, PLEAEE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Panting was heard as a nine year old Yuu ran through the snow, holding their Vulpix close to them. It was dark outside as they ran down the mountain of Lanakila. "I-I'm sorry Vulpix. Don't worry though we'll find help!" They said quietly to the ice type in their arms. "Vul!" She yelled pointing behind them with her paw. Yuu quickly looked behind them and felt their body freeze as their father stood meters away with his Palossand beside him using Physic to hold them in place. Yuu felt hot tears fall down their cheeks, quickly freezing to their face from the frigid air.
"You really thought you could get away from me?" Their father asked as he slowly approached the child with a menacing look on his face. "You will never be able to leave. You worthless piece of s-" he was cut off as he was tackled into the snow by a silver colored fox looking pokemon. "An Eevee?" They asked quietly before turning around and continuing to run, "thank you Eevee!" They yelled fighting the urge to look behind them.
Unfortunately, Yuu didn't get very far before they tripped over their own two feet and plummeted face first into the cold snow falling unconscious.
.
.
.
Yuu groaned feeling as if their head was going to explode from the aching they had. It wasn't cold anymore but warm. They reached a hand up to their head only to hear a shuffling noise and their eyes widened. "What was that?" They asked aloud only to feel pawing at their legs, "Vulpix?" They asked nervously "pix!" Yuu heard in response making them sigh. "Eevee," they heard another creature say and their brows furrowed. "I don't have an Eevee....are you the Eevee who helped us?" They asked while beginning to try and feel around themself. "A box?"
They froze hearing shuffling outside of the box they were in, "what was that?" They asked backing up as much as they could. "I better hurry up and find that uniform before someone spots me. Urgh this kid weighs a ton!" Yuu's heart rate began to increase rapidly as they were unable to see anything, only hearing this mysterious voice from outside. "Try this on for size! Mya-ha!" The voice yelled and suddenly there was a flash of blue flames making Yuu scream in fright.
The door to the box they were inside of opened making Yuu shield their eyes not used to the sudden lighting. "Now to grab the goods," the voice said again making yuu look to where it came from and their eyes widened in shock. "A talking Meowth?" They asked as they slowly got out of the box and looking around nervously as Vulpix jumped into their arms and the Eevee onto their shoulder. "What?! You ain't supposed to be awake!" The meowth yelled in shock seeing the child awake.
Yuu noticed all the coffins in the room and held Vulpix close, "why are there so many coffins?" They asked quietly. "You got a lotta nerve ignoring me, human! The name's Grim! Believe me, you won't forget it! Now gimme your uniform, and be quick about it! Cause if you don't...you're gonna regret it!" The Meowth yelled. Yuu looked around nervously "S-Someone help me!" They yelled making Grim angrier, "hey, come on! I'm on a tight schedule here!" He yelled shooting flames at them again.
Yuu whimpered and quickly bolted from the room, running though several areas that reminded them of a school. Though they had never been inside of one it was very fancy, they came to a dead end inside a library of sorts with floating books all around. "Where am I? Did I loose him?" They asked nervously and quickly hid behind a bookshelf only for Grim to catch up and corner them with a smug look. "Foolish human! Did you really think you could slip away from me? Now, unless you wanna get burned to a crisp, take off that— Me-YEOW!" He yelped, "That hurt! What gives?" He yelled looking to where he was tied up from.
Yuu held Vulpix close to their chest as her and the Eevee growled at the male. "Consider it tough love. Ah, I've found you at last. Splendid, I trust you're one of this year's new students?" He asked the child, "my, were you ever eager to make your debut. And bringing several familiars with you, one of which being poorly trained? That is a clear violation of the school's rules." He said crossing his arms, "as if I'd serve some lowly human! Now lemme go!" Grim retorted as he struggled in the males whip of sorts.
"Yes, yes. Rebellious familiars always say that. Do be quiet for a bit, won't you?" He asked as Grim's mouth was covered in the bindings. "Dear me. Of all the students I've felt with, you're the first with temerity enough to open their own gate and step out of it. Does the very notion of patience elude you? No matter. Your orientation has already begun. Let us return to the mirror chamber." He said with a smile to Yuu, in return they slowly stepped towards him and asked timidly, "school? I get to go to school?"
"You awakened in a room full of gates did you not? All of the students here at the campus arrived by passing through such gates. Although typically the students have restraint enough to wait until I open them before waking up." Yuu nodded slowly taking in the information, "so the coffins are like, portals?" They asked to which the male nodded, "the design is intended to symbolize a parting with your former world, and a rebirth into a new one. But now is not the time for such prattle. You've a student orientation to attend! Go on now, make haste."
"Mister, who are you?" Yuu asked tookign up at the masked male, "have you not fully regained consciousness? I am Dire Crowley, the Headmage of this prestigious academy." He informed and began to explain what Night Raven College was all about to them as they walked back to the Mirror Chamber together. As they approached Yuu heard several voices from beyond the door.
"We're done with orientation and dorm assignments? All right, new students — let me be clear. In the House of  Heartslabyul, I am the law. Break the rules, and it's off with your head!" "Well, that ceremony was as boring as ever. I'm going back to the dorm. If you're in the House of Savannaclaw, follow me." "New students! Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your achievement. As dorm leader of the House of Octavinelle, I am honored to have the opportunity to support you in what I hope will be a fulfilling campus experience."
A voice then spoke up, "hey, does anyone know where the Headmage went? He disappeared midway through the ceremony. . ." "Some Headmage he is." "Maybe he had a tummy ache?" At this Crowley burst through the door with Yuu hiding behind him, "I most certainly did not!" "Ah, speak of the devil and he will appear." Yuu matched the first voice they heard to a boy with red hair and grey eyes. Crowley put his hands on his hips with a stern look on his face, "if you must know I was searching for the new student who failed to show up for orientation. Now then, you are the only one who has yet to be assigned a dorm. Step up to the Dark Mirror and be quick about it. I will watch your weasel."
Yuu tried to quietly explain that Grim wasn't theirs but Crowley wasn't hearing any of it. They slowly stepped up to the floating mirror and it glowed showing a face inside before beginning to speak, "state thy name." "It's Yuu, I am Yuu." They said to the mirror, "Yuu. . ." It echoed the name, "the nature of your soul is. . . Unclear to me." Yuu felt their eyes fill with tears, they had escaped their awful life and had been given a chance at a new one and they didn't belong here either.
"What did you just say?" Crowley asked the mirror, "I sense no magical power from this one, yet their soul is a mixed combination of every dorm. Therefore, no dorm would be appropriate." The students in the chamber began to whisper among eachother as Yuu began to cry. "I-I'm sorry." They said to the mirror as Vulpix pawed at their face to attempt to get them to stop crying. Grim had finally gotten the restrains off of his mouth and gasped for air before yelling, "ME! Let ME have this student's seat! Unlike that human, I can actually use magic! So let me be a student here! Look I'll show you! My spells are the cat's meow!"
The red head from before seemed to get what the cat was saying and yelled out, "everyone, get down!" Grim unleashed his blue flames all over the Mirror Chamber causing the students to all panic and for Yuu to get hit on their back sending them to the floor as they yelled out. Vulpix and Eevee pawed at them worriedly trying to make sure they were okay. "Someone catch that blasted animal before it sets the entire school ablaze!" Crowley commanded and two students accepted the responsibility beginning to chase after Grim. The two managed to back the cat into a corner and the red head cast a spell on him causing a collar to attach around his neck. Unable to use his magic anymore due to the collar.
"Yuu! Was I not clear that you are expected to take responsibility for your familiar?! Now discipline your—" "He's not mine!" Yuu cried now sitting up as the hood fell from their head, revealing their bruised and scuffed up face.
TO BE CONTINUED
——————
Woooo! First chapter of a new story! And I gotta say, I went hard on this one!
Word count: 1651
Published: April 27th, 2024
Edited: n/a
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rose-lizzzy · 1 year ago
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[Previous Part]
There was a knock in the door, and Pearl went to open.
"Pix?! What are you doing here?" She looks at how he is grabbing his sides. "Are you okay? What happened?"
He smiled. "I read that Fwhip needed some help, and well, since I had a bit of an encounter with Gem and Shrub." He groans in pain. "I thought I could be of help."
Sausage was getting out of the room when Pix mentioned them. Joining in the conversation.
"How is she?" They both asked.
"Well, she is as corrupted as you have mentioned in chats, she is deeply wounded, not physically, but in here." He points at his head.
Sausage hits a wall.
"I was able to get through her, but she then started hallucinating about the previous Grand Wizard, and she almost killed me..."
Pearl and Sausage gasp.
"Before Shrub incapacitated her, and took her away..." He sighs after finishing. "Now... is there a place in which I can sit to rest a bit." He says a bit nervous.
"Oh, yeah, Pix, just follow us." Pearl says.
They led him to an open living room, and Pearl helped him onto the couch while Sausage hurried to the other room, returning with healing potions.
"They aren't as good as Gem makes," he admits, handing them to the Copper King, "But it is her recipe."
Pix accepts it gratefully, drinking them swiftly. "Thank you."
After a moment, he looks at them. "So, what's up with Fwhip?"
Pearl sighs, plopping down in the chair next to him. "Well, we told him about Shrub, and he didn't believe us. And then I found him shaking at the Undergrove pointing a sword at Shrub. He won't tell us what happened, he's just....not...doing okay. We've been trying to give him space and let him come out when he's ready but...." She shrugs.
"Would you like me to see if I can talk to him?" Pix asks, feeling better due to the healing potions.
Pearls eyes soften, pleading. "Would you?"
He nods "of course."
Pix stands, and turns to Sausage, still standing, leaning against the wall. "I'll show you to his room."
The two men leave, and Pearl starts making some tea in hopes of giving it to them while they (hopefully) talked.
In the middle of brewing the tea, while humming a soft tune, she gets whirled around, held up by her neck. She stares into deep, glowing magenta eyes, although they were much closer to a deep red.
Before she could even protest, the spell Gem was casting was taking effect.
"Give me the egg." She demands of her servant
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ali-annals · 7 months ago
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you put me on and said i was your favourite
Cardigan AU Masterlist | Ao3 | Part One | CW: smut, first times (both 18+) | WC: 3k
Pairing: Jason Todd x Marinette Dupainn-Cheng | M | A/N: Set between when Jason and Marinette left the school and showed up for brunch at Wayne Manor.
“I want to sleep with you.”
Jason turned from the movie to stare at her. “What?”
“I mean, I don’t want to pressure you, of course! But, when you’re ready…I will be.”
“You mean it?”
“Of course, cheri .”
Jason searched her face for several moments, studying her open, sincere expression. “Thank you, Pix.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We should set some boundaries first, huh?”
“That’s a good idea. Start simple?”
Jason nodded. “Yeah, tell me what you definitely do and do not want, Pix.”
“Uh, it’s our first times, let’s just take it as it goes. I want to talk and check that both of us are okay with everything. No super kinky stuff yet.”
“Of course, Pix. And if there’s something you want to try, ever, just tell me, hey?”
She coloured a little. “I will. You too?”
“Yeah, I’ll talk to you, Pix. I agree we should take things slow. Do we need to…get anything?”
Marinette shook her head, the colour in her cheeks darkening. “I got them…just in case.”
“You could be a Bat with your preparedness, Pix,” he grinned.
She smiled brightly at him. “If I had to, I’d rather be a Bat by a different way.”
Dropping that bomb on him, she abruptly changed the subject. “Now that the ground rules are out of the way, I want you to kiss me.”
“With pleasure.” Jason’s hand slid behind her neck to cup her head as their lips met. It started off sweet and romantic, a soft press of their lips. 
Then Marinette swung her leg over his and straddled his thighs, nipping at his lip. The mood changed, the kiss becoming rough and the air heating up. 
Marinette hadn’t realized she’d started rolling her hips until she brushed up against him and he let out a choked groan. Curious, she tried rolling her hips, on purpose this time. 
“I see your smirk, Pixie.” Jason’s voice had gotten deeper, and his hand moved to her waist and yanked .
She faceplanted in his neck, plastered to his front in a most pleasant way. Jason’s surprisingly soft lips brushed down her neck as he searched for spots that made her react the most. She shivered when he hit that spot and ground down onto him in pleasure. 
Jason nipped her lightly and she repeated her actions, searching for friction.
Realizing she was face deep in his neck, she decided to return the favour and began a line of wet kisses up and down his neck and jaw. She nipped his earlobe and backed away to pull his her hoodie off and free her hair, leaving her only in a thin black camisole and her jeans.
Jason groaned again. “You’re killing me, Pix.” He stood and hoisted her in his arms as she wrapped her legs around his waist. 
The easy way he lifted and carried her made her insides warm and her heart skip a beat. She eagerly pressed her mouth to his, prodding his lips with the tip of her tongue. 
Her back hit the wall but Jason kept moving, his sturdy form pinning her between the two. The pressure only made her squirm more, letting out a needy whine as he nibbled on her sweet spot.
“You’re still sure about this, Pixie?”
She nodded emphatically.
“Do you want me to leave your shirt on?” he met her eyes seriously.
“No,” she whispered.
His eyes softened and he kissed her sweetly. “Thank you for trusting me, Pix. I promise to do my best not to let you down again.”
“I know, mon amour.” She kissed him back, harder, reminding him why they were in her bedroom.
Her back met her bed and she realized belatedly that they'd switched positions. He pulled his lips off her and she tried to draw him back with pressure on his neck from her arm.
“Pix, can I at least take my shirt off?”
He smirked and winked at her speed to release him so he could pull his shirt over his head, revealing his toned, muscular torso, littered with various scars but even more beautiful in her eyes. 
“Why are you so hot, it’s unfair,” she groused, unbuttoning her jeans and kicking them onto the floor.
Jason sat propped against her headboard, only in his boxers. She crawled slowly up the bed to him, dropping kisses on various scars as she inched her way up. Eventually, she was straddling him again, cupping his face in her hands and dropping gentle kisses on his cheeks, nose, eyes, chin, and finally lips.
“Don’t freak out when I take my shirt off, okay?” she asked lowly. 
Jason leaned forward, pressing a surprise kiss to her swollen lips. “I’ll love you no matter what you look like, Marinette. I promise I won’t freak out.”
Smiling shyly, she slowly drew the hem up, then yanked it over her head in one smooth motion, squeezing her eyes shut.
It was the first time he had seen anything more than her arms, which were already plenty scratched and scarred. 
Slowly, he trailed a finger over the worst of them.
“Mari…I’m so sorry you had to go through that, alone.” He softly kissed each scar, as she had done to his. 
He glanced up and saw her gazing down at him, a tear in her eye. “Thank you, Jay.”
He smiled up at her and softly ran his hand through her hair. “I think you are beautiful inside and out, Pixie. The scars do nothing but show me how strong you are and how much you fought, and that’s just one of the things I love about you.”
Marinette brushed the lost tear off her face and kissed Jason thoroughly. “I love you so much.”
She made a half-hearted effort to return the mood to the eager sensuality it had been before, but they were too emotional, and it remained more soft and loving, less active horniness.
Many kisses were exchanged on each other’s bodies, scars covered in love.
Eventually, the two fell asleep, curled into each other’s arms.
Jason woke up to Marinette twitching in his embrace.
“Pixie?”
Realizing she was in the middle of a nightmare, he gently shook her. When she still didn’t wake up, he propped them up against a pillow and began carding his hands through her hair, whispering reassurances in her ear, hoping they’d reach her subconscious. 
After a few minutes, she settled, staying still and appearing more peaceful. 
A couple minutes later, her eyes cracked open and she stared at him sleepily.
“Hey, you feeling okay?”
“It was okay…as far as nightmares go.”
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Jason continuing his finger-combing and Marinette tracing patterns on his hand draped over her shoulder.
“Do you want to go back to sleep, or do something else?”
In response, she turned and kissed his jaw. “I have a couple ideas,” she smiled flirtily.
They hopped off the bed and headed for the bathroom, in a rush to brush their teeth before continuing where they’d left off last night.
The feeling of Jason’s calloused fingers rubbing over her rough skin sent shivers of the most pleasant kind through Marinette. His incredibly soft hair brushed against her as he kissed his way down her chest, all of the sensations overwhelming her and making her more and more aroused.
Jason licked a stripe across her belly button, the cool air brushing across the trail of saliva and making her stomach muscles clench.
Hints of his stubble tickled her thighs as he kissed up her knee, and Marinette was one string of sanity away from demanding he stop his teasing and pushing his face where she wanted it, but this was an unspoken competition and she was not going to-
A cool wave of air hit her dripping slit and the last string snapped.
“Jason!” she growled.
Sensing the imminent danger, he gave her a cheeky wink and settled between her legs, her thighs closing around him to keep him where she finally had him.
A burst of pleasure hit her a second after she felt his tongue lick up her slit, and her hand flew to tangle in his bicoloured locks, a loud moan escaping her. “Do it again,” she said breathlessly.
He bent his head in earnest and, guided by her grip on his curls, licked in swirling patterns around her swollen clit and down to her soaked hole, sending strange new sensations through her body that sent the most pleasant sparks to her brain.
His tongue experimentally entered her hole, and he brought his hand up to rub her clit in loose, lazy circles.
Marinette gasped and tugged harder on his hair, her thighs tightening even more around him. “Don’t stop.”
Jason pulled off her enough to slide his finger in his mouth, then slid it into her hole as he returned to his previous efforts of tonguing her clit.
The strange feeling of his finger in her, stroking the rough patch of skin that made her clench around him, and his tongue circling her clit in tighter spirals soon sent her to the edge. “I'm close!” she gasped, rolling her hips into his face and feeling like she was in the middle of a firecracker.
His free hand came up to play with her nipples, sending a stream of stimuli sparks throughout her body and making her burn even more.
A couple more licks sent her to the top and she fell over the edge in a glorious explosion, chanting Jason’s name.
Jason rubbed his sore jaw and watched in awe as his incredibly sexy girlfriend came down from the first orgasm he’d ever given her. A pretty flush had spread over her skin, her breasts were heaving, and her hole was dripping, all because of him.
She opened her slightly dazed eyes and waved a hand loosely at him. “I’ll return the favour in a minute.” She huffed, currently a little lacking in oxygen. “That was amazing.”
He smirked in pride and leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead and run his hand through her hair and down her face and neck. 
Once her breathing had steadied, she propped herself up on her elbows. "Can I try giving you a blow job?"
"Uh…absolutely."
He shuffled his boxers down his legs and leaned against the headboard, curiously watching Marinette kiss her way down his chest. 
She took him in her hand and slowly moved it up and down, then bent her head lower to curiously lick at the head.
Wet warmth surrounded him as she took the first couple of inches in her mouth. 
He groaned and bunched her loose hair in a fist, fighting the urge to buck his hips and tighten his grip.
She set a steady rhythm, bobbing her head up and down slowly as she grew accustomed to the experience; one of her hands moved to play with his balls.
Surprised, he tugged on her hair a little rougher than he'd intended, and she let out a little moan, which didn't help his situation.
"Pix, stop; I'm close."
She glanced up at him, nearly making him come right then. "Don't think I can handle it?" She challenged. 
"U...uh…no, I just didn't want…"
She giggled at having rendered him incomprehensible.
"I want to try it–if you're comfortable with it."
"Yeah, go for it."
She doubled down on her movements, hollowing her cheeks, sucking, and humming and moaning gently, the vibrations tickling him most pleasantly.
He tapped her head, keeping his hips still through sheer force of will. "Gon' come, Pix."
She hummed louder to let him know she heard and bravely swallowed his load, a hint of white escaping her lips as she coughed.
Jason hauled her up and kissed her, uncaring of the taste; he was an assassin, dealing with any and all types of bodily fluids came with the job. This was certainly the most pleasant encounter in a while.
Jason kissed down her neck, alternating nibbling and soothing with his tongue. He made his way to her chest and began gently stimulating her nipple with his lips, sending tingles throughout her body. His hand moved to her free breast and he plucked her nipple between two of his knuckles while he ran his thumb around her areola, the contrasting sensations making her feel as if she was unravelling.
His other hand traced delicately over her skin finding bundles of nerves, the airy pressure urging her to beg for more.
"Jay," she mumbled.
He looked at her, starry-eyed and rosy-flushed, the early morning sun casting a glow over her lips, red and swollen, her skin dotted with marks, her hair a gorgeous mess. She was otherworldly.
"Yes, Pixie?" He replied huskily.
"More."
"Where?" He teased her. "You're the one who wants to communicate everything clearly."
She flicked his forehead and rolled over to the nightstand.
He couldn't resist. Smack !
She turned and stared at him. "Did you just slap my butt?"
He gave her his best, most innocent grin.
Marinette frowned and held up the bottle of lube. "Oh, so you want me to put this back?"
He decided to call her bluff and shrugged. "Do what you want, Pix."
She tossed the lube to the mostly-untouched part of the bed and lunged, straddling his thighs and pinning his arms above his head.
"I have an idea," she purred. " Anything I want?"
"Okay, I'm sorry! I was calling your bluff!" He yelped.
Her lips twisted in satisfaction. "Good boy."
She freed his hands, which was a major mistake on her part.
He settled them on her waist and yanked her naked core firmly against his thigh.
"I can feel you dripping for me, Pixie." His voice was rough and she stared at him, wide-eyed. 
He pulled her towards him, dragging her swollen clit along the muscles, sending overwhelming signals to her brain.
She braced her hands on his shoulders and started rocking back and forth, creating a rhythmic friction.
He looked so pretty beneath her, her nails digging into his shoulders, his eyes half-lidded in pleasure as he watched her move, his curls all tousled and his lips kiss-reddened.
She noticed he was fully hard again and wrapped her hand around him, causing him to throw his head back in pleasure and a groan to escape, though he bit his lip.
Jason lifted her off and quickly yanked a condom out of the nightstand drawer.
She handed him the lube and he squirted a small amount onto his fingers.
Marinette was sure she was wet enough but figured better safe than sorry. The first two fingers slipped in easily, though the lube was unpleasantly cold compared to the heat of his thigh.
Jason hissed as he felt her squeeze around him, carefully moving his fingers in and out until she was loose enough for a third.
When he could fit three in comfortably, he rolled the condom on and lubed up.
The first couple inches were slow and easy to take, as she was used to the stretch from his fingers, but the next few she consciously relaxed and breathed purposefully.
It definitely felt…different…but as he slowly moved, finding the best angle and amount of force to use, the pleasurable feeling grew as she edged closer to the peak. Jason shifted so his weight was on one arm, freeing the other to rub her clit and provide more stimulation.
The sheer closeness of their bodies, coupled with the love and trust they had for each other, made Marinette feel overwhelmed with all the good emotions, turning her into a soft gooey mess.
Jason's soft lips met her own, swallowing her cries as she fell over the edge. 
A few thrusts later he joined her, collapsing bonelessly over her. His body gleamed with their combined sweat in the early morning light, damp curls falling into his eyes and giving him the appearance of a statue.
She reached up, tenderly brushing his hair back, one hand resting on his neck.
His large hand cupped her cheek, his thumb wiping a tear from her eye. "Why are you crying, Pix?" 
"I just…you make me so happy. I just love you so much and I got really emotional. I'm okay, Jay. That was amazing."
His face softened as a smile stretched across it. "It was– you are amazing. I love you so much."
He pressed soft kisses against her face for several minutes, exchanging tender words as they cuddled. 
Eventually, they got up and Marinette headed to the bathroom to clean up. She emerged a few minutes later, dressed and hair braided, to find Jason sprawled in her bed on his phone, the sheet draped dramatically across his legs, leaving his torso bare.
She admired the view, noting how right he seemed there, her heart full.
He glanced up, his eyes filled with love. "Hey, it's family brunch at the Manor today. D'ya want to go?"
"What?"
"Do you want to come with me, as my girlfriend, to meet my family over brunch in…an hour and a half, give or take?"
Jason wanted her to meet the Bats? A smile crept over her face. "Absolutely, cheri ."
Then reality crept in on her love bubble. "Should I bring something? What should I wear?"
"Alfred will have plenty of food, but he has one failing: he can never make palatable waffles. Steph will love you forever if you bring some," he suggested. "And you can wear whatever you want, you'll look gorgeous in anything. None of them will care anyways; they'll show up in sweats and gym clothes and bathrobes. In those jeans and turtleneck, you'll be the best-dressed there, aside from Alfred in his suit, of course."
Marinette pulled out her favourite waffle recipe and prepared the ingredients. Jason started on the wet ingredients, while she whisked the dry together after strictly warning him against making any jokes about it.
Soon a lovely stack of golden-brown waffles filled the warm oven. Marinette put them in the insulated bag and grabbed her jacket and boots-it was spring, but still cool in the early morning, and the wind increased the chill when they were on Jason's bike.
Jason locked up after her, double-checking it for security, and followed her down to the garage to his motorcycle. 
Marinette put the bag of waffles into the backpack she'd brought along and sat behind Jason, wrapping her arms around his waist.
He revved the motor and sped towards the Manor.
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kiwibirdlafayette · 1 year ago
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Aitheaca: About Flash’s clothes, are they reflective? Is it made to look like gold (with gold embellishments) or is his jacket like actually gold (assuming it’s something similar to gold leaf but for fabric and lightweight)?
If his clothes are reflective, I think combat with him could be really fun, because he just causes blindness on the battlefield on sunny days. It’d also be fun with someone on the crew didn’t realize who they were talking to upon first meeting him because looking directly at him is hard. So, they don’t know the danger they’re in until it’s too late.
Also! What’s crew dynamic looking like? I saw you mentioned Spark was on the crew a while back, but just to confirm, who’s officially on the crew?
Out of all the Aitheaca designs, who’s your favorite?
Thank you so much for the questions!! I appreciate it a ton, it means an absolute lot that you're interested in my sillies :D
With Flash's jacket, hell yeah! I wasn't specifically going for a reflective surface, but I did want his jacket to appear as if it was weaved out of fibered gold (that Im assumin would be like gold leaf in texture), that is yes lightweight man's gotta be able to move fast... like a flash of light haHA-
When light reflects off it in certain ways it could absolutely be used like a flashbang to blind enemies during battle, I'm imagining AND YESSS the crew would have zero idea, like in the plot I have in my head so far, Tom, Sonja and Spark are the first ones to encounter Flash, they just see a shape of a man in the sunbeam ahead, too bright to tell who exactly it was. Initially they think it could be Jordan, but its actually Flash, who was tipped off to their location based on Tom's Mecha-Dianite quintessence (that still puts off a pretty strong signature despite the cloaking sigils Wag had given him). Like you mentioned, he's really hard to look at, because while he's standing in the sun he's not creating a shadow, he's reflecting it. And its in this time they don't notice him pull out his weapons and BANG
Mer and co. end up having to come in to come in to help them out-because they don't exactly have experience fighting someone who is wearing basically a mirror for a jacket in direct sunlight- wearing wearing some kine specialized obsidian sunglasses because yknow this is isn't their first rodeo with this yellow dipshit (Merina's not as affected as Will and Cass but she's gonna wear em anyway for the bit)
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I think of the designs, probably either Merina, Cass and Ianite are my favorite! Ia because I just had a lot of fun designing her armor and coming up with a darker color palette costume design that wasn't just dark purple, and working with different armor styles to get the specific celestial warlord look I wanted her to have :D Cass was just a fun design to do overall because his aesthetics have been something I dont get to work with much, a very patchwork vintage kind of thing, which is supposed to be a callback to Inter Amorem et Timorem , a short screenplay I wrote for school where- aside from it being a Tom reference- he was named Cassell because his emotions were spoken through cassette tapes C: But Merina's design might just be my favorite, I am a sucker for nautical designs and trying to figure out what a coraldragon hybrid might look like compared to a typical merling was a ton of fun :D Also trying to work in the color palettes of the Watchers was how I landed on the blueish purple scheme, because initially she was going to be teal and orange to call back a little to Sonja across the multiverse
(I promise I also love William equally but too much of his design was me making jokes about Joel/Pix/Bdubs)
And the crew! Currently as I have it, the peeps that end up in Aitheaca are Jordan, Tom, Capsize, Sonja, Martha, Spark (Tucker I was thinking about including, but I'm not sure how to work him back in, but basically they would find him in a different SMP prior to this; where the reconciliation between him and Sonja starts) Its very interesting to have 3 different Sparklez variants in the same timeline, surely nothing could go wrong /hj, but the dynamic can best be defined as "a group of people who desperately just need to figure their shit out because damn they have not really had a proper chance to rest and feel safe doing so"
While Tom and Jordan had their reconciliation arc during Isles (source: just trust me m8), Capsize, while having gotten a hang on being undead is carrying a lot of resentment and unresolved issues she's not sure about because she can't clearly remember the entirety of (specifically towards Jordan) and Sonja kind of holding a little resentment towards Tom, but more importantly her decision to choose to stay Mianite's champion despite her post-S2 not being sure and owning that choice. no longer even after Tucker he drifts away (and then how that comes into play when Tucker rejoins them, basically the stuff I allude to in the mini animatic) its essentially Embersduo and Zombiecaptains but they have trouble getting along, not because they're sick of each other, but more like damn We all Went Through a Ton of Shit and we're not good at talking about it or working through it together,but goddammit we're still gonna try to get along. That being said I do think they have moments where they can be their silly shenanigan selves :D
Martha's her own ballgame, in the sense that she's very endgoal oriented in trying to problem solve, and her reaction to Aitheaca!Ianite is very drastic as well, it just must be really weird to see a basically evil version of your mother. She and Sonj aren't great friends, but her and Capsize have caught on pretty well, and she doesn't mind Jordan (Tom's iffy, but at least they can connect over being new gods in a way) Spark's just along for the ride, he was supposed to get back home to help out Dia, Mot and the Wizards but the portal fucked up lowkey :] He's not exactly overjoyed to be parading about the multiverse but he's fine with Martha, Sonj and Capsize so he mostly hangs around them. It'll be interesting that's for sure, but this is the main chunk of the post-series stuff I want to do so yeeeee
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insomniaruler · 2 years ago
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~The poppy bound lovers~
“Mr Scott! Mr Scott!” Looking around scott, king of the colour kingdom saw cindy. A young child of a painter. “Yes Cindy, what can I do for you today?” He asked slowing to the child’s speed. “Can you tell me a story? My sister said you have the best stories!” Cindy said, leading Scott into the town square. “Well I wouldn’t say I’m the best, you should hear professor Riffs once you get him ranting.” Scott laughed and shook his head at the thought of the last Empires meeting when Pix started ranting about ancient Mezealian architecture.
“We’ll my mom won’t let me go past Stratos alone so you’re my best option.” Cindy huffed. “Okay okay, go grab your friends because they’ll be along soon and want me to restart.” Scott said taking a seat by the fountain. “Okay!” She was missing both front teeth.
“Okay mr Scott what’s the story?” Cindy asked. She sat in a semi circle with at least a quarter of the kids in Chromia. “Yeah!” Another kid piped up. “Alrighty. Have any of you heard the story of the poppy bound lovers?” “No! Tell us! Tell us!”
“Well this is a story my aunt told me when I was your age.”
“There once were two men, they met twice in two lives. The first was a game, a game of death. The two men found each other the first day And swore to stick together. the careful one fell in love first, He loved the other’s kindness and clumsiness. But the brash one fell deep, he adored the other’s skill and cunning. Together they had many adventures and eventually they got married by the pond in their sanctuary and the bold one gave the other a poppy.” Scott said. The kids were so engrossed in the story they didn’t notice when a person drifted into Chromia and then hid behind a wall. “But sadly it was a game of life and death, so when they got threatened by a mad king they fled to their allies in the desert. There the brash one faught to his last arrow before he was killed. The careful one driven by sheer grief hunted down and almost killed the mad king himself for the murder of his husband.” Scott said.
“The second life was a better one but they got off to a rough start. The careful one had been born an elf.” All the kid’s ooo’d, the elves had been declared extinct 100 years back. “The bold one was ocean folk” again the kids ooo’d, it made sense the ocean empire had been said to have sunk into the ocean when the rapture came knocking. “who decided to settle a salt water marsh. They were on opposite sides of many wars having chosen differing allies. The brash one had many friends but not many allies, but the ones he did have were strong. The queen of the ocean, the construct king of the mesa, and the prophet of death who was king of the desert. The careful one chose many allies, a great wizard, a count blessed by the dragons, a slightly madder king and the warrior queen.” The kids ooo’d again.
“But the careful one still needed resources so he sent a trade to the brash one. A order of wool and string for slime but the special thing was the careful one sent a poppy with the wool. But they kept fighting against each other. The madder king broke his alliances and allied with a demon to rule the world. So he kidnapped the careful one and the wizard. The brash one was enemies with the other king so he came to gloat but found the two as prisoners instead. He released them and the careful one asked him out on a date.” The kids awe’d. “They kept talking and seeing each other, until the brash one sparked a world ending cataclysm. The careful one died fighting the demon who took control of the madder kings mind. The brash one is said to be still alive or at least be wandering this plane searching for his lost lover.” Scott said waving his hands.
“Now it’s unknown if they got married in that life but what is known that in every universe they fell in love in that a great death will strike down the one who gave the other poppies first.” Scott finished the story and sat his hat back on his head. The kids got up and thanked him and then went back to doing what ever they were doing, except for Cindy. Scott saw her dash towards an alley that definitely wasn’t in the direction of her father’s shop. On a whim (and totally not avoiding doing the work he should be doing) he followed her.
“Are you okay?” She was talking to someone. “‘m okay lil’ lady just a bad elytra crash.” Scott’s stomach dropped, it was the sheriff. He could never explain it but when he saw the sheriff he got butterflies in his stomach. And by all means Scott could appreciate a nice looking man, and the sheriff was a really good looking guy. But it wasn’t just his looks something about him made Scott feel topsy turvey. He zoned back into the conversation between the sheriff and Cindy.
“Your missing a tooth too!” Cindy exclaimed. “Tha’s right, but your’s will be back I lost this one in a fist figh’ with some bandits in town. It was me and one bandit left I had gotten rid of his bow he had gotten rid of my sword so it was a fis’ fight to the last.” He explained chuckling as she stared in awe at him. “I want your job!” She said finally. “Well you’ll have to ask y’ mom and pops.” The sheriff said and ruffled her hair. Scott ducked behind the wall, blushing a deep crimson.
Pt. 2:
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thecandywrites · 8 months ago
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Monster March 2024- Day 27- Giant
Big Mama
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Another continuation from last year. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Thank you so much to the amazing @borealwrites for their Monster March 2024 Prompt List!
Monster March 2024- Day 27- Giant
Hemi and Pix- Big Mama
Hemi watched as his pups- now practically fully grown dire wolves seemed to greet Pix differently and if anything, treat her with more care and were even more defensive about her and would not leave her side for anything. They had met back up in Clayton and Kisska was still at the manor, checking on Duchess McClayton and her little Duke as well as her new pregnancy she had come down with since. Embry was practically tickled to be cooking for two crews. And Yasa was too as the two were happy to build one huge fire, surrounded by bricks to make something of a proper oven while Embry was happy to place sheets of metal over the bricks so that they could put pots on the metal as he was happy to keep feeding the flames coals from a separate fire. They all would be eating great tonight because they had chipped in on buying a steer. 
Pix, seemed pleased to be reunited with them, and after setting up camp was content to sit by the fire in her camp chair, her falcons in a nearby tree, the dogs’ heads in her lap, receiving pets. 
“What’s wrong?” Pix asked Hemi as she noted he was simply standing, and staring his own camp chair in his hands, but otherwise hadn’t moved as he watched his wolves behave with her.
“Nothing is wrong Pixie, just happy to be back with you.” He deflected before he set his chair down to sit down right next to her and rest as he mentally worked out what to say and how to say it before her falcons flew back, although they were happy to hop to his own shoulders. 
“Well hello there parakeets.” He offered as he turned his head and then offered them scritches and pets as the falcons practically did become big parakeets to him as Pix snorted a laugh. 
“I can hear your wheels turning from here.” Pix offered once they fell into a companionable silence after that.
“I don’t want to embarrass you by saying anything now in front of others. It’s nothing bad, it’s nothing terribly urgent. Everything is ok.” He murmured in a surprisingly soft and soothing tone. 
“We can talk about it tonight before we go to bed.” He suggested.  
“Is your mom ok? Your dad? Your sisters and your other brothers?” Pix asked. 
“Yup, they’re all fine. I’m sure they’d love to meet you if you wanted to meet them.” Hemi reassured her. 
“Actually I would like to meet them when we get closer to them.” Pix offered. 
“We will definitely do that then.” He grinned happily. 
“How is your family doing?” He felt compelled to ask. 
“They’re fine. They were really impressed with you.” She offered with a pleased grin. 
“I’m happy that they like me and won’t be giving you any trouble, at least over me.” He offered as Pix' expression grew a bit worried over how pleasant he was.
“Hey, I want to show you a new tattoo I got.” Pix urged as she reached out to hold his hand before she tugged on it to get him up to follow her before she pulled them into his cart that he had turned into a little home away from home where both of them could be together and be alone. 
“Ok, what’s going on?” Pix asked. 
“The only times you’re this soft and sweet is when I’m hurt and injured.” Pix urged as Hemi took a deep breath and knew it was best to be plain, honest and to the point.
“Hemtar and Sador indicated that you’re pregnant.” Hemi informed her. 
“Oh. Oh! Ok, this makes more sense.” Pix practically giggled as her worry instantly dissipated as her whole body relaxed.
“Well, that would explain…everything.” Pix nodded as she steadied herself on his arm.
“So what do you want and need from me?” Hemi asked as he took her hand into his own.
“Other than introducing me to your family? Keep doing what you’ve been doing. You already take care of me and mine. And Kisska was hoping that with us staying together for the next several weeks would hopefully turn into several months and our two crews become one. Especially if the others are banging and hooking up, I can’t imagine that I’m the only one that either is or will be expecting. Is there anything you want or need from me?” Pix asked him. 
“I just didn’t know if you wanted the pregnancy or not. And I was just trying to prepare myself for if you didn’t want it.” Hemi confessed. 
“Oh, Babe, I do. I’ve been hoping for this actually. Why do you think I was so adamant that you’d meet my family?” She grinned as she scooted closer to him. 
“Well, in that case, come here Big Mama.” He rumbled as he pulled her flush with himself and kissed her like he had missed her something awful.
"Ooh, Big Mama, I like that." She cooed as she fell into the bed with him, eager to get themselves undressed and rejoined as soon as possible.
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alecsalamander · 1 year ago
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19 and 25 for the writer asks, please (:
oh gosh 🫠 hi hello you’re too cool for me and the forsaken and the forsworn is SO GOOD 🫡thank you so much
19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?
i started telling stories in 1993. my mother bought me a puppet set for christmas and i used the puppets to act out my favorite movies (the neverending story, but the book version rather than the movie. i was a bleak child) and then later i told my own stories with those same puppets (i still have them).
after that i learned to write them down. i used kid pix and storybook weaver (my beloved!!) to place pictures where i didn’t yet have the language capabilities. i wrote down every single part of the magical world in my head because the real world was so fucking lonely (my brother and i were latchkey kids raised in the sort of neighborhood where you couldn’t play outside or you might get shot. we didn’t go to friends’ houses because they were ALSO latchkey kids. we didn’t have anyone over. for the first ten years of my life it was me and my brother and the make believe worlds we invented).
i started posting fanfiction online in 1999 after my online rp friends told me about it. in high school i tried to invite friends to enjoy my writing too, and my best friend told me i was amazing. a week later she ‘accidentally’ forgot to hang up when leaving me a voicemail and i heard all of my friends discussing how i was terrible and awful and wouldn’t know a good story if someone wrote it for me and put my name on it. i stopped sharing with people who could look into my eyes after that.
(except my brother. he’s never counted.)
i kept sharing online though. i liked the safety that came from not having to tell when people were lying.
as for where i am now? i have an entire complete urban fantasy series i’m terrified to publish because it’s been around since high school and i can’t help but believe what those assholes said about me back then. in my head i’m going to be a real published author one day because these worlds are too vast to be only inhabited by me, but in actuality??? bro idk i’m neurotic and i have a god complex and also a lot of trauma.
i guess my therapist and i can talk about this on wednesday 🤪
WOW sorry for writing you a whole entire novel here…
25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?
despite the color i use to represent him/associate him with being yellow, wednesday only wears muted earth tones. it has no bearing on the story, it’s never mentioned, there’s literally no point to it, but i’ve known this fact for 17 years now.
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kaitopedestrian · 4 months ago
Text
Chapter 4: Redemption
Trainer: Pearl
Pokemon: Rockruff (Tilly, level 24, Adamant Nature), Blitzle (Billy, level 24, Quiet Nature), Growlithe (Millie, level 24, Impisu Nature), Riolu (Riley, level 25, Hardy Nature)
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Pearl was now resting the Cherry Blossom Inn once she introduced herself to False. Apparently, she’s the sensei’s younger sister and it’s been a bit rough with her brother for the past few days. They were in her room on the upper floor where Pearl looked around at all her trinkets and unfinished inventions scattered across the floor and table. Pearl was inspecting some little clay statues of Pokemon she found on the window sill as False sat at her desk, goggles over her eyes.
“These are really nice.” Pearl didn’t dare touch the little things as she got as close as possible to look at them. From what she gathered, they were little figurines of an Ampharos, Tinkaton, Steelix, and Eelektross. Maybe they were False’s own Pokemon? She didn’t know.
“Thanks.” False didn’t look up from her desk as sparks started to fly through the air. Pearl only caught glances of what she was working on but it looked like a photo frame. False clicked her tongue, frustrated as she dropped the frame on her desk. “Pearl, right?” Pearl whipped her head around as False addressed her. She nodded.
“Yeah? Do you need something, mate?” False pursed her lips, taking the goggles off her eyes and resting them on the top of her head. She spun her chair to look at Pearl, her gloved hands clamped together.
“I might need a bit of help.” Pearl listened, sitting down on the floor criss-cross applesauce style. Tilly was resting on False’s bed but she perked up when Pearl moved closer.
“Does it have to do with your brother?” False nodded, her blue eyes wandering somewhere else as she spoke.
“I need help getting him out of the house. He’s been ignoring me for some time.’ Her eyes were stormy as she paused. She sighed and continued, ‘A newcomer might get him to talk to us. He can’t ignore that. The people have already been whispering things about him, losing faith in him.” Pearl listened intently, trying to piece together what she was hearing in her head.
“So, do you want both of us to go? We can probably convince him together!” False twiddled her thumbs and she nodded.
“Yeah. Our house is at the top of the hill. I’ve been staying here to help out at the inn. I can show you there.” Pearl nodded and the two left Tilly in False’s room and left the inn. They went to the top of the village. When they entered through the trees, Pearl spotted a battlefield and a house at the top of the hill. They ascended the stairs and when they got to the door, False rapped her knuckles against the door.
“Hey. I brought someone for you.”
“False, you know I don’t-”
“A gym challenger, bro. From what I remember, you can’t turn that down.” False interjected, a small smile on her face as she heard the person inside sigh. She got him in a corner.
“Fine. Only they can come in.” False shrugged, moving away from the door for Pearl to unlock. She turned the knob and the door opened. Pearl entered the house and she closed the door behind her. The interior was very nice and organized for someone who hasn’t left it in days. She spotted a tall man near a backdoor and slowly stepped up to him. He had short brown hair with a thin beard which reminded her of Pix. When he turned around, she was surprised to see one of his eyes was cyborg esc with a glowing green iris. His eyes were obviously tired and he gave Pearl a leveled gaze. “Oh. It’s you.” Pearl was confused by the comment.
“Huh? Do you know me?” The man sighed, grabbing the bridge of his nose as he spoke.
“Back in Amethyst Cave. I was the one at the bridge.” Pearl’s eyes widened as she recognized his voice. She felt a sudden flash of anger as she remembered his words.
“That was you?! Why did you-?”
“Before there are any misunderstandings, I only said those things to drive you lot away. It wasn’t safe in that cave. I wasn’t going to force you, but I had to try.” He explained, his glowing teen eye whirring. Pearl decided to take his word but she didn’t shake off her annoyance. The man clicked his tongue, scratching his head. “My name’s Iskall. You’re Pearl, yes? And you came here for a badge?” Pearl slowly nodded as Iskall sighed. “Sorry, I haven’t been myself. How about this, go down to Amethyst Cave and find a special rock with a pink gem tied to it. When you find what’s behind it, I’ll challenge you. Can you do that?” Pearl thought it sounded easy.
“Sure? Is it on the lower floor?” Iskall nodded. They got to an agreement and Pearl exited the house. She found False playing patty cake with her Ampharos outside which was to say the least a strange sight to see. When False spotted her, she quickly returned her Ampharos to its ball.
“So did he accept?” Pearl nodded, much to False’s surprise.
“He told me to find a rock in Amethyst Cave. If I found out what was behind it, he’d accept my challenge.” False seemed to be intrigued by the sudden request.
“Huh, really? Iskall’s usually more direct. He sounds very ominous right now. Maybe it’s the dust he’s collecting…” False muttered, cracking a grin. Pearl chuckled at the comment and she went back to the inn to pick up Tilly and went back into Amethyst Cave. She navigated the dimly lit cave and when she turned right at the first bridge, she found a strange stone with a bright pink gem on a thin piece of string tied around it. When Pearl pushed it, a secret entrance opened up in front of her, making her jump back. Tilly went in nose first and Pearl followed shortly. The two of them found a very long ladder that led to another chamber down below. Till leaped into Pearl’s hoodie as she started the climb down. She saw a field of flowers beneath her with a strange sigil on the ground. When her feet landed on the grass, she stepped up to a strange pedestal holding a purple stone in the center. Suddenly, an apparition appeared in front of Pearl. He looked uncannily like Iskall except he had both of his eyes. His smile was soft as he looked at Pearl.
“Oh? Someone else found this grotto? That’s good to know.” Pearl didn’t really know how to feel as ‘Iskall’ spoke to her. Tilly leaped from Pearl’s hoodie and went straight through the apparition, barking in shock.
“Um… Who are you exactly?” Pearl awkwardly asked. ‘Iskall’ chuckled, bending down to pet Tilly, who was surprised by the touch of the apparition.
“It’s a bit complicated. I am Iskall, at least half of him. He cut me off from himself years ago after we suffered a tragedy. He didn’t want to feel pain anymore, and I was the source of it. In return, his humanity’s been gone ever since…” ‘Iskall’ sighed, a frown on his face. He stood up and went to the strange pedestal and took out the stone. He walked over to Pearl and gestured for her to put her hands out. She did and he rested the stone on her palms. It felt heavy in her hands even with its small size.
“Pretty. What is it?” Pearl asked, inspecting the stone. Light swirled around inside of it as ‘Iskall’ explained,
“That’s a soul stone. It gives you the ability to see souls and check if there are any around. It’s a very important item that you should keep on your travels. Stay safe, Pearl.” ‘Iskall’ bid farewell as Pearl exited the grotto, finding the normal Iskall at the front near the stone. He seemed to be surprised to see Pearl and the stone in her hands.
“So you have found the grotto. And the soul stone…” He paused, walking over and putting his hand out. Pearl gently handed him the stone and he beckoned her to follow him. By the time they finished walking, they found themselves at the bridge where they confronted Scar. Iskall put out the soul stone over the bridge. They waited for a couple seconds and he sighed, handing the stone back to Pearl. “Seems like Gem really is gone. I couldn’t even find her spirit here…” He stood there spacing out for a few moments and turned back to Pearl. “You wanted a battle, yes?” Pearl nodded.
“I heard you’ve been dealing with something mentally. If you don’t want to-.” Pearl’s voice faltered as Iskall raised a hand.
“It’s alright. Let’s go back to Sheridan. Meet me at the battlefield in front of my house.” Iskall’s eyes shined ever so slightly. Maybe he was even a bit excited. Pearl cracked a small smile and nodded. The two of them traveled to Sheridan together and Pearl returned to the inn where she found False at the front. The blonde woman noticed Pearl and she walked over to her with her Ampharos helping out moving boxes behind her.
“So did you find it? I saw Iskall leaving and heading towards Amethyst Cave.” Pearl nodded, smiling as she saw a grin form on False’s face. “Alright, good. I’m gonna guess your battle will be soon? I’ll meet you at the field, I need to do something. Come on Lightbulb!” She called for her Ampharos who followed her outside of the inn. Pearl exited shortly after her and got to the hillside of the village. She spotted Iskall on the other side of the field, crossing his arms with his eyes closed. Pearl leapt over the river cutting the battlefield with Tilly quickly following behind her. Iskall opened his eyes, the bionic green one was whirring as it bored through Pearl.
“Well, this battle should be nice. Thank you, for finding that grotto, Pearl. Now, are you ready?” Pearl nodded. She was surprised to see Iskall send out two Pokemon onto the field, which were a Combusken and Galarian Farfetch’d. Pearl let out Millie and Riley as they readied for battle. Before they could start, Pearl suddenly heard many footsteps coming their way. Iskall heard it as well, his brow furrowed. Then, to their surprise, the entire village seemed to stream into the area and surround the field, cheering and excited for battle. False walked up to the field and stood to the side, a grin across her face.
“False? Did you bring them all here?” Iskall asked, perplexed. False laughed at her brother’s confused look.
“Hell yeah I did. They couldn't miss this. They’re excited to see you fight, bro. Break a leg.” False gave him a wink and a thumbs up as she took her place in the middle of the battlefield to act as the referee. “A battle between Sensei Iskall and Challenger Pearl will commence! Remember to have fun, and no cheating! Let the battle begin!”
~ (<>) ~
By the end of the fight, Pearl was victorious as Iskall’s Lucario went down. Suddenly, Tilly started to glow a bright blue. Pearl's eyes widened as she saw Tilly’s body morph before her eyes. Once the light faded, Tilly evolved into a Lycanroc. Pearl’s eyes shined brightly and she leaped over the river and hugged the dog Pokemon tightly, surprising the entire audience.
“Oh, Tilly baby! Good job sweetheart!” Pearl cooed, letting Tilly lick her face as she knocked Pearl to the dirt, the young woman only laughing. False noticed Iskall crack the tiniest smile, making her grin. But, he slowly frowned.
“Well, I lost. Sorry for letting everyone down.” False furrowed her brow and looked around at the audience. Suddenly, they all started to cheer for Pearl and Iskall, their voices reaching Iskall in particular.
“You did great sensei!”
“Yeah! You did amazing!”
“Felt like the fights from way back when…”
Iskall’s eyes widened as their voices filled his ears. They did care. Pearl stood up, smiling at him, her blue eyes bright as she looked at Iskall. “Thanks for the battle, Iskall. It was fun, really!” Pearl laughed again, the sweet sound filling the air. False was less tensed up as her mouth formed another smile. Iskall stood there, looking at his Lucario’s Pokeball in his hand. Suddenly, he went towards the waterfall flowing from the rivers. False was confused, following him.
“Iskall? What are you-?” He raised his hand, his eyes conflicted.
“Sorry, False. I need to deal with something I should have dealt with a long time ago.” He leaped down and went behind the waterfall. Before False could follow him, the Eldest came to stop her.
“Let your brother continue on. He can take care of himself.” False glared with annoyance and she clenched her fist.
“I’m going to follow him, whether you like it or not.” False pushed past the Eldest and leaped down to the next layer to go behind the waterfall. The Eldest frantically looked at Pearl, who was already tempted to follow the siblings.
“Pearl, please follow False for me. She might get in trouble.”
“Already on it, Eldest!” Pearl said, giving the woman a reassuring grin. That seemed to calm her down a bit as Pearl leaped down to the waterfall with Tilly as they entered the cave behind it. Suddenly, hot air blew straight in Pearl’s face, shocking her after the splashing cold water on her back. She spotted False at the entrance, horribly confused as she looked around.
“That’s weird… Mount Caratos isn’t a volcano. It’s usually cool and has a lot of water… Pearl?” False whipped her head around to see Pearl, who gave her a sheepish wave.
“Hey mate. I wanted to make sure you didn’t get into trouble.” False rolled her eyes but she grinned at the sight of her new friend. “So, where did Iskall run off to?” False’s brow furrowed as she clicked her tongue.
“Don’t know. He ran in here but I got confused by the heat. We should continue going in.” The two of them entered the mountain and we're surprised by the lava as they navigated through the mountain. Suddenly, strange eyes sprouted from the ground, shocking Pearl so much she yelped, making False giggle. The eyes started to sway, uncomfortably staring at the two of them.
“This is… Weird.” Pearl looked at them with disgust as False poked one, backing away quickly. They decided to ignore them as more of them sprouted from the ground the deeper they went through the mountain. They got to a strange door and before Pearl could open it, a robot sprouted from the ground, making her yelp again. “For the love of-” The robot had a green face on it with a smile as it spoke.
“Hey there! I’m SEC! Are you members of Team Xen? If you are, give me your ID for verification!” Pearl took a double take as False glared at the robot.
“Team Xen? What are they doing under Sheridan Village?” SEC beep booped as he went back down to the ground, possibly to check Pearl and False’s verification. Before the two of them could react, he came back to the surface, yelling at them.
“WHAT THE HECK?! You’re not Team Xen! You’re trespassers! Welp, time for utter annihilation!” Pearl reacted first. She slammed her fists against the top of the robot, making him splutter and spark.
“Holy shit did you actually break it.” False said, both confused and shocked. Pearl looked back at her and shrugged as the robot was malfunctioning and making strange noises.
“I really don't know.” Before the robot could sink back into the ground, he said one last message.
“Y-Y-You’ll R-R-R-REGRET THAT!!! M-M-My wife is around here somewhere! And s-she’s scary mad!” Pearl and False didn’t know how to interpret that message. They only looked at each other as SEC sank into the ground.
“Why does the robot have a wife?” Pearl asked, to which False shrugged. Before they could say anything else, something came from the air and landed in front of them. It was a large computer screen with a deadpan face on the screen. Pearl assumed this was SEC’s wife.
“Hello, intruders. I am Clara. And one of you looks a bit familiar… Oh yeah. You murdered my husband in cold blood. Not only did you break him, you broke my heart. Hah, hah. I’m evil.” This is the most perplexed Pearl has felt in a while. False wasn’t any better. She blinked a few times at Clara and spoke,
“... Right.” The computer turned to her in an eerie manner. Pearl swore her dead pixel blue eyes were staring straight through False at the moment. Before any of them could react, Clara grew retractable arms and grabbed False by her waist, taking her right in front of Pearl.
“False!!” Before Pearl could attempt to even reach for her friend, they were gone. At that moment in time, Pearl had only one thought in her mind: oh shit. She quickly entered the base, finding Iskall at the front with Lucario, looking around waringly. He spotted Pearl and his green bionic eye fixated on her.
“Why are you here? This isn’t a safe place to be-.” Pearl was about to tell him about what happened until Clara came back. Iskall looked at her waringly as she brought someone on screen. Pearl recognized the person as the man Jenner was talking to the first day she met him. He was a young looking man with white hair and a red bandana tied around his forehead. His dark gay eyes beamed, matching his smile. Iskall scowled at the face. “Bdubs.”
“Hey there Iskall! I saw you enter the building and thought you finally remembered us! But, it seems like you only want to betray us. Aww…” Bdubs sighed, genuinely sad as he spoke. Iskall didn’t budge, only listening as the man continued. “Buuuut, I do have someone you might want to change your mind on! Unless you want to go back on our deal.” Now Iskall was confused. Pearl quickly interjected.
“The robot… Thing took False at the front. She must be with Bdubs.” Iskall's eyes widened at the news, suddenly snapping at Pearl.
“Why’d you let her come here? It isn’t safe here, especially for her-”
“Sorry to interrupt the conversation, but Miss Pearl’s right! And Iskall, you miiight want to think a bit before planning on betraying our deal!” Bdubs interrupted, giving them a toothy grin which revealed that he was missing a tooth. Suddenly, False’s voice came from the background.
“Don’t listen to him, Iskall! I can-” Before she could finish, the recording cut out and Clara flew off. Pearl twiddled her fingers as Iskall stood silent. He looked at Pearl, his bionic eye boring into her.
“Pearl. Now that you’re here, I can’t force you to go back. Not without False. Would you-?”
“Already on it. I’m not going anywhere.” Iskall cracked a tiny smile as the two of them marched on through the base, plowing any grunt that came their way. They had to solve a few puzzles with buttons but Pearl helped figure it out quickly enough. They ran around the base looking for the main room until they finally came across it. Iskall entered first as Pearl quickly healed up her party and followed him in. They saw Bdubs in the flesh with False standing next to him. Clara was right behind her uncomfortably close.
“Yay you got here! Now, you're not gonna turn back on the deal, right Iskall?” Bdubs jeered. Iskall glared at the short man as False exclaimed,
“What deal is he talking about? Iskall, did you-?” Bdubs looked at her with surprise. Then slight amusement filled his dark eyes.
“Ohhhh, you never told her! Dang, this is a bit awkward. Well, to keep it short, your brother here traded ALLL the lives of Sheridan Village to save his own skin! Except, he did take you out of the equation at the last minute. But, we didn’t mind!” False was already ignoring Bdubs as he finished. Her eyes and attention were only on Iskall, who turned away. Pearl was equally shocked at the sudden reveal. Iskall didn’t seem like a bad dude. But… Why?
“You… You did what?” False said, her blue eyes meeting with Iskall’s one brown and bionic green eye. He pursed his lips, not being able to find the words in his throat. False only got more angry. “At least TRY to deny that you did it!” Her yelling made him flinch. Pearl stepped up to him, resting a hand on his arm.
“Iskall? Did you…?” He let out a deep sigh, his eyes more tired than before. Bdubs seemed to feel a bit bad about the situation but it quickly faded away as he looked at Clara.
“Now that that’s out, you can have her back! I’m just gonna be up there as you guys settle that.” Bdubs and Clara left as the awkward air filled the room. False didn’t move from where she was. Neither did Iskall. Pearl was the one to break the silence.
“Iskall, why? We only want answers.” Pearl said, trying to sound reasonable with it. Tilly had a low growl in her throat as Iskall gritted his teeth. False glared at him, her blue eyes stormy as she spoke,
“You can explain yourself later. We need to save Sheridan from this mess.” Iskall was about to speak until False walked off, another sigh escaping his throat.
“I wish I could explain. It’s… It’s a really long story, False. Xen, they threatened to hurt both of us unless I let them start operations underneath Caratos. The village… I still regret that decision. Please, after this, we can talk, False.” The young woman stopped as she took in everything he said. She didn’t turn as she responded,
“Fine. But I don’t really forgive you at the moment.” She continued to the room Bdubs and Clara went to as Pearl followed, looking back at Iskall as he followed them both. Once they entered, they saw Bdubs chatting with Clara until he noticed them enter.
“Looks like you settled that! Or… Not really? Eh, whatever. I know you guys want to shut down operations here but that can’t happen! Not now! Sooo, time to introduce a new experiment!” At that moment, a powerful force landed on the ground, forcing all three of them back. Pearl saw a heavily armored humanoid Pokemon with glaring pink eyes as it roared. She saw the shadow aura surrounding it and she quickly took out the snag machine that was stashed away in her bag.
“Mewtwo? What’s that doing here with you?” False said, sending out her Ampharos. Bdubs giggled like a child playing with a toy.
“It’s a new shadow Pokemon experiment! Oh yeah, before things get a bit complicated, there!” Bdubs pressed a button on a remote and Pearl felt the snag machine on her arm spaz out and spark. It suddenly shut down much to her dismay. Iskall spat,
“Damn it. I was hoping we could take it from them. False, can you help Pearl deal with the Mewtwo? I can deal with Bdub’s other Pokemon.” False nodded, not taking her eyes off of the armored Mewtwo. Tilly leaped into battle, growling as the legendary Pokemon rushed towards them, ready for battle.
~ (<>) ~
Somehow, False and Pearl were able to knock the Mewtwo down and Iskall defeated the rest of Bdub’s Pokemon. The short man didn’t seem to be worried as suddenly, the Mewtwo stood right back up, fully healed. “Huh? Why isn’t it down?” Pearl was horribly confused as Tilly barked at the legendary.
“There must be something connected to the armor. Must be supplying it with power.” False muttered to herself as her Ampharos launched another Thunderbolt at the Mewtwo. Iskall looked at Pearl and False, gritting his teeth.
“You two need to go.” Pearl whipped her head towards him, her blue eyes looking at him with confusion. False was more angry at the statement than confused.
“What? We’re not gonna just leave!” Iskall snapped with annoyance,
“Listen to me for a second False-!”
“Why don’t you just listen for once?” The voice cut through the conversation. Pearl recognized it as Xisuma’s voice as his Alakazam appeared in front of Pearl and False. Before they could say anything, it teleported the two away. Iskall was perplexed as well as Bdubs.
“Huh? Where’d they go? Let’s go find them-”
“Not a chance. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” Iskall hissed, his Lucario staring daggers at the Mewtwo. Bdubs rolled his eyes.
“Fine then. Clara, could you find them for me?” Bdubs asked, to which the screen nodded as she flew off.
~ (<>) ~
Pearl didn’t know what happened for a second. She couldn't see anything but she heard False from a few feet away.
“Hey! You need to wake up mate! You can’t lie down here!” Pearl groggily woke up as she found herself laying on the floor right next to a puddle of green radioactive sludge. She quickly shot up at the sight of it and saw False standing at the side away from the leaking canisters. “Good, you didn’t disintegrate in all that junk."
“Where… Are we exactly?” Pearl said, noticing Tilly was also with False as she went up to Pearl and licked her hand. False shrugged, touching a bit of the waste with her gloved hand as it slid off onto the floor, eating away at the leather.
“Dunno. Looks like a basement. From what I remember, an Alakazam came in and there was a bright light. After it faded away, we just ended up here with you a foot away from getting your head into that stuff.” Pearl pocketed her hands as she looked around, a weird smell coming from the waste. She thought it kind of smelled like chlorine and moldy bread mixed together. Don’t ask her why.
“We should probably look around for a way back, right? Iskall’s probably still fighting Bdubs.” False nodded as the two started to walk around the area, upturning boxes as they searched for a way out of the basement. As they looked around, False suddenly started to chat.
“Hey, Pearl, I want your opinion on something.” Pearl perked her ears as she turned to False who just finished looking through a bunch of crates.
“What do you have in mind?” False sighed, taking her goggles off her head as she spoke,
“This is maybe not the best time but, do you see Iskall any different after learning about what he did?” It was a loaded question to come out of the woman’s mouth but Pearl thought about it for a bit. She didn’t really know. But, she gave False a truthful answer.
“Honestly, I don't really know. But, I think he’s trying his best.” False pursed her lips, looking down at her goggles in her palm as her grip tightened around it.
“I know he is. But, this is a lot. But also, there’s something in the back of my mind telling me he’s doing this for everyone. That he’s rebelling against the deal to keep everyone safe. He did seem like he regretted it…’ False paused, a sigh leaving her nose. ‘Sorry for the sudden question. Let's continue trying to find a way out.” Pearl didn’t object and the two continued the search. Tilly sniffed out a lock pad next to a door titled ‘Generator Room’. Pearl called False over and the two of them opened the door after False tinkered with the lock pad for a bit. They found a steaming hot room with a very strange sight. A large Pokemon was behind a pane of glass standing in lava. It had multiple pipes coming out of it and it seemed to be resting. Pearl was the first one to say something.
“What in the world is THAT.” False stepped up closer to the glass until a strange eye came from the ground, making her jump back. More of them surrounded the two as Clara came from the ceiling.
“Well, I found you. You did great making it this far. That party trick was fun while it lasted.” False glared at the robot, pointing a gloved finger at it.
“Where are we Clara?” Strangely, the robot answered.
“This is the V.G.C.R room. Also known as the Volcanion Generator Control Room. This is the generator of the facility. It’s currently powering Mewtwo and because of it, Mewtwo can never faint.” Pearl could practically see False’s blood turning ice cold.
“So that means Iskall’s in a never ending battle with it.” False muttered. Clara nodded in whatever way a screen could nod.
“Correct. Well, unless you break the glass and dismantle Volcanion from the connection. Here, I’ll give you a chance.” Clara pointed at a blank spot in the glass where they could reach. False was about to say something until Pearl went straight for it. She kicked the glass much to Clara and False’s surprise and actually made a dent in it. But not without an electrical fire running up her leg as she swore, gingerly lowering it.
“Owww, shit!” Pearl exclaimed, not expecting the glass to fight back. Clara obnoxiously said,
“BRO I CAN’T BELIEVE SHE DID THAT.” Pearl almost went up to punch it herself but suddenly, SEC came from the ground, this time with a stick of dynamite on his head. False jumped back as Pearl was not even phased by the explosive.
“Hey there bitches! SEC is back! And he’s here to eliminate some intruders for Clara!” He sent out a shadow Quagsire as False quickly sent out her Tinkaton and Pearl let Tilly loose.
~ (<>) ~
Once the Quagsire was defeated, the fuse on the explosive started to go off. SEC didn’t seem to mind his impending doom as the fuse burned. “Welp! Looks like SEC lost! Bye bye Clara! Bye bye SEC!” Clara, for a computer screen, seemed very agitated by this.
“Wait! Don’t do this SEC!” Pearl and False did not know how to react anymore as they let the two robots talk to each other.
“It’s alright Clara! There’s many SECs but only one Clara! Clara's one of a kind! Clara will find another SEC and fall in love again! But now it’s time for SEC to continue the SEC tradition!” Before he exploded, Clara went right in front of him.
“I won’t let you!” As SEC exploded, it sent Clara flying towards the glass, cracking it and making her collapse on the ground, sparking and buzzing out. The eyes surrounding Pearl and False fell lifeless on the floor as the two of them stood there for a few seconds having no idea what happened just now.
“... Well that was anticlimactic.” Pearl said, breaking the silence. False snorted with amusement and kicked Clara to make sure she was really dead. Pearl was surprised by how strong the inventor’s kick was as she made the large computer screen move just a bit.
“Huh, looks like she is dead. Well, now that we dealt with that, we should look around to see if we can move this Volcanion somewhere. Iskall’s in trouble.” Pearl nodded as the two of them took different sides of the room looking for anything that could move the Volcanion. Pearl found a strange contraption which had three different options. Feed, transfer, and release. The release one needed a password so that wasn’t an option and feed wouldn’t do anything except make the Volcanion a bit less sad looking. But, Pearl clicked on transfer and saw more options. They were the main room and Caratis Mountain.
“Hey False, I think I found something!” False made her way over to Pearl and she showed her the options. Her gloved fingers grazed the screen as she muttered to herself,
“Teleporting it to the main room would put Iskall in danger. But Caratos Mountain… That probably means just teleporting it somewhere randomly in the mountain itself. That could work. We just need to find the exit and defeat it.” Pearl frowned at the idea of having to hurt the large Pokemon. It didn’t do anything. All it did was Team Xen forcing it to hurt others. “We both don’t want to hurt it. We just need to hope that we don’t have to… You know what, let’s not think about that. It’ll be alright, Pearl.” False answered as if she could read Pearl’s mind, which shocked the brown haired woman. But, she gave False a small smile. Pocketed her hands as she spoke,
“Thanks False. Welp, this exit ain’t going to look for itself!” The two of them left the generator and quickly found a way out of the basement by climbing a ladder and finding themselves back in the blazing hot mountain. When they climb back up, they spot the Volcanion in the lava, looking around confused. “There it is. False, you should go and check on Iskall. He definitely needs help.” False gave Pearl a perplexed look.
“Huh? But-?” Pearl grinned, giving False a big thumbs up. The yellow haired woman seemed to realize and nodded, heading for the lab on the right as Pearl took the left. She got in front of the Volcanion, who stared her down. Pearl first returned Tilly to her ball just temporarily. She took in a deep breath and before she could begin a battle, a flash of white light engulfed them, temporarily blinding her. When it faded, Pearl found herself in a quaint, peaceful field of flowers, the sound of running water filling her ears. Tall, green trees surrounded the area as the vast blue sky was clear as can be.
“Is this… A rift?” Pearl thought out loud, looking around for the Volcanion. As she started to walk, she heard a small, scared voice coming from the other side of the river.
“M-Momma? Are you there?” Pearl could feel her heart splitting in two as she heard the poor voice’s cries. She trekked on and continued to hear this voice’s cries for help. “Momma? Please don’t leave…” Pearl pushed past the branches of the tall trees, her shoes crunching against the leaves. One hand held her beanie to stabilize it as she got through the forest and found herself in another field of flowers. Across the river from her location was the Volcanion. Now, it looked scared, lonely. It was quivering as its voice rang in Pearl’s ears. “Momma… Momma left. I can’t hear momma anymore…” She stepped through the flowers and found a little bridge connecting to a piece of land in the lake, two waterfalls on its side. The Volcanion stood there, its pleas reaching Pearl as it stared at her.
“Will you… Will you bring me back to momma?” Pearl didn’t know how to respond. The two of them stared into eachothers eyes as the wind blew by, whispering in Pearl’s ears. She could hear the Volcanion’s cries wisp by and be blown away into the wind. She choked out a few words, her throat dry.
“Do you want to go back to her?” Pearl saw a change in the Volcanion’s eyes. Hope.
“Yes… I want to see momma, momma’s gone, but I can see her again! I can hear her voice…” Pearl clenched her fist, stepping up to the Volcanion until she was so close their heads could touch. Its bright, gleaming red eyes stared back at her. She could see what it wanted. It just wanted its momma.
“I can bring you back to momma. She would be delighted to see you.” Pearl said, sobs choking her. She gently rubbed her palm against the large Pokemon’s cheek. The Volcanion, surprised by the sudden touch, leaned in and rubbed her palm back. Pearl smiled, her heart aching as she took a few steps back. The Volcanion didn’t leave, didn’t run, it only looked at Pearl.
“Take me to momma… Please…”
~ (<>) ~
Pearl didn’t even realize it was over until she saw the Volcanion stumble to the ground. She saw its red eyes looking up at her, warmth filling its gaze. It let out one last sentence,
“Thank you… I’m coming, momma…” Pearl could feel tears running down her cheeks as the Volcanion faded away, leaving a blank spot of grass in front of her. The white light from before blinded Pearl once again and she found herself back in Caratos Mountain. Tilly let herself out of the ball, giving Pearl a worried whine as she wiped her tears.
“I’m alright, Tilly. It’s alright sweetheart.” Pearl said, cracking a small, mildly forced smile at the dog Pokemon. Pearl quickly composed herself and she raced for the lab. She quickly navigated her way through it and when she entered the main room, she saw False standing in front of a half conscious Iskall who was collapsed on the floor. False didn’t look much better herself as Pearl saw a trickle of blood running down the side of her face. Bdubs with his armored shadow Mewtwo faced False’s Steelix, which attacked the large Pokemon and took it down. “False!” The young woman whipped her head around to see Pearl, revealing small cuts across her face.
“Pearl? Did you defeat it?” Bdubs raised an eyebrow as Pearl nodded, earning a grin from False.
“Huh? Do you mean the Volcanion? Eh, too bad! We have other generators around the lab as backup-”
“Too bad those were dealt with.” Xisuma suddenly appeared with his Alakazam behind Bdubs, shocking the shorter man.
“Huh?! Oh, it’s you.” Bdubs said, giving Xisuma a glare. The man wasn’t phased as he continued to speak.
“At least the sensei isn’t as incompetent as I thought he was. He battled long enough for me to destroy the rest of the backups. Now, let’s just get rid of all of that.” His Alakazam directed a psychic towards the Mewtwo and it blew the armor off of it, revealing a normal Mewtwo beneath it.
“Hey! Mewtwo doesn’t need the armor! I can take everyone down with this lab if you’d like that!” Pearl’s eyes widened at the statement as the Mewtwo started to prepare a large attack. The door behind her closed as False sent out her Ampharos to try attacking the Mewtwo as she tried to wake up Iskall. Xisuma for some reason, didn’t interfere as the Mewtwo charged up a Psyshock with the intent of bringing the roof down on everyone.
Before anyone could attempt to try interfering, Iskall suddenly sprang up to his feet and charged the Mewtwo as False yelled in shock. To their surprise, the sensei held the Mewtwo back with his bare hands around its wrist, even confusing the Pokemon itself. “Iskall?! What are you doing?!” False exclaimed, trying to step up to her brother until the psychic energy around Mewtwo pushed her away. Iskall grunted as he held back the legendary Pokemon as he spoke,
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. Way too many. I need to do this, False. For you and Pearl to leave and get out of here-”
“Don't be stupid! We can all leave together, we can help-”
“False, please forgive me, I’ve been a terrible leader and brother. Let me help you two escape.” False was about to retort until Iskall turned his head towards Xisuma, who blankly stared back. “You… Could you?” The tall man clicked his tongue with annoyance.
“Alakazam.” Pearl saw False react quickly, trying to reach Islall.
“NO!” Then, they were both gone. Xisuma didn't turn to Iskall as he heard the older man let out a sigh of relief. His Alakazam seemed to find something very amusing, which confused him.
“What’s so funny?” The Alakazam didn’t say a word as he let out a small giggle. Iskall turned his head towards him.
“Thank you.” Xisuma didn’t say a word for a few moments. He crossed his arms, turning away from Iskall.
“I didn't do it for you. And, we’re going to be on our way. We have a lab to trash.” Xisuma and his Alakazam teleported away as Iskall felt the world caving in. He didn’t mind. The Mewtwo let out an enraged roar, and it was all over.
~ (<>) ~
Somewhere else a week later…
At the Xen headquarters, Cleo casually sat on the couch working on a computer as another admin stared out the window. He was short with fluffy brown hair, avian wings above his ears, and dark eyes as he scowled. “Cleo, can you explain to me what’s going on?” He rudely asked, making his way over to the couch. Cleo ignored him as he continued to speak. “Ever since your idiotic attack on the S.S. Oceana, everything’s been going wrong! Gem's gone, Scar was taken by Xisuma of all people, and you’re STILL sitting here typing away like nothing’s happened!” Cleo stopped to look up at him, clicking her tongue in annoyance.
“Pipe down, Grian. You’re making my brain melt as you continue to speak.” Grian was horrible offended by this as his avian wings flared out as he retorted,
“You’re in no position to scold me after all this happened! And I heard Bdubs failed his mission too. I don't get how everyone in this facility can be so calm about this!” Grian was interrupted as the door opened behind him. He chuckled lightly, his dark eyes malicious. “Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Bdubs entered the room with very low spirits as he sat on the couch next to Cleo, who closed her laptop and turned her attention to him.
“Is Grian giving everyone a migraine again?” Bdubs complained, to which Cleo nodded, rolling her eyes. The brown haired admin laughed as he scowled at Bdubs.
“If a migraine is what it takes to make you morons take anything seriously then yes, I am giving everyone a migraine.” Bdubs huffed with annoyance as he scooted closer to Cleo, who offered him his little moss hamster.
“You alright Bdubs? We all heard about the lab collapsing.” The white haired man sighed, playing around with the moss hamster as he spoke.
“It went horribly! I don’t know what happened, but Iskall suddenly turned on us! Then someone named Pearl came in with his sister and ruined everything!” Cleo patted the shorter man on the back as Grian rolled his eyes. On the other side of the room in the corner at the bar, another voice entered the conversation.
“Sounds like the girl from the cruise ship found her way to Sheridan.” The source of the voice was a tall, lanky man who wore a black bandana tied around his forehead, stationing his spiky white hair. A black mask covered half of his face as he gave everyone an annoyed glance.
“What wonderful insight, Etho. You guys never even mentioned her until she took part in chasing after Gem as well! And now she just continues to cause problems for all of us. What a wonderful day we’re having.” Grian sarcastically said, his avian wings flared out as he sat on the couch. Suddenly, a strange black hole appeared on the floor, surprising Cleo and Bdubs.
“... Etho, get over here.” The man walked over and looked over the couch, seeing the black hole. Grian was the first one to get close to it and lean down, barely touching it.
“What’s this, looks like a portal-” Before he could finish, someone popped right out of it and disappeared as the individual landed on the floor. Cleo and Bdub’s eyes widened as they saw Pearl right in front of them. As she registered what was in front of her, Pearl reacted first.
“What the? What are you lot doing here?” Then, Pearl noticed Etho and Grian, who she didn’t recognize. It started to make more sense as everyone stared at her. Before she could even start making a run for it, Grian sent out his Charizard and Grimmsnarl to block the other exits.
“Well, looks like we got lucky for once. You’re the one who escaped the S.S. Oceana, right?” Grian said, his dark brown eyes having a hint of malice behind them at every waking moment. Pearl did not know what to do at the moment. Tilly was nowhere to be found and even then she was horribly outnumbered.
“How is she even here? Didn’t Bdubs say she was in Sheridan?” Cleo said, looking at Bdubs with confusion as the short man shrugged.
“I did! She teleported right out of the lab? I don't know why she’s here but she is now!” Etho sent out his Glaceon who hissed at Pearl as it rested on the armrest of the couch.
“Well, would Madame X want to see her? She haaaas been causing a lot of problems for us~.” Grian offered, a smirk across his face. Pearl didn’t know who Madame whatsit was but it didn’t sound good. Before anything else could happen, the black hole appeared once again and Pearl fell right through it, only seeing darkness. When a few moments passed, the world was still dark but she heard someone’s voice.
“Pearl!” She opened her eyes and found herself standing in the middle of the gym battlefield on the hill towards the sensei’s house. She saw False running over with Tilly ahead of her. The dog Pokemon slammed into Pearl, showering her with licks across her face as the young woman laughed, petting Tilly’s face.
“Hey Tilly baby! I missed you!” The Lycanroc barked as she smiled, her tongue hanging out. False helped Pearl up, her blue eyes tired and slight eye bags were visible. She looked like she went through hell and back through Pearl’s eyes.
“Do you know how long you’ve been gone?” Pearl shrugged, shaking her head. “A week, Pearl. You were gone for a week!” False said, her hands shaking slightly. Pearl scratched the back of her head, giving False an apologetic smile.
“Sorry about that mate, haha… I must have gotten lost!” Pearl said, laughing. False snapped out of her exhaustion for a moment as she cracked a small smile.
“You’re unbelievable.” She said, lightly punching Pearl’s shoulder. The young woman only grinned as she gave False a fake bow.
“Why thank you~.” When they finished talking, False and Pearl walked towards the Inn as they settled outside. False looked around, making sure no one was listening as she whispered to Pearl.
“There’s something else we need to figure out. The Eldest wants to show us something, and it sounds ancient.”
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parttimepuff · 5 months ago
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Oh I get it, pixie is tiny like a grain of salt
Is that why they’re so salty? What’s your deal little guy, what’s eating you?
What a question. Countless things went through their mind, but very few they felt they could voice. Or that they wanted to share. "This is just... a lot of new things. It's normal that someone would be overwhelmed in such a situation." Pixie decided. Their friend nodded before speaking up. "Y." Gremlin said. "Why..? That's, Pixie simply doesn't, talk much. Or, um, visit people's homes. Or talk about, themself. It's new, to them." They tried to explain.
"What? Oh, shit, sorry, I meant Y. For the game." Gremlin elaborated, pointing down at their ongoing hangman game. Pixie's expression soured. A joke that would have been obvious through text, text they weren't seeing anymore. It seemed like it was on purpose. Dutifully, Luna added a Y to the end of her word, but her attention was elsewhere. Their answer to a question that wasn't asked was concerning.
"You, um..." She started, trying to find the right words without being insulting. "...I guess that you're, pretty solitary?" Luna thought. Pixie glanced at her, wondering how obvious that was. "...yes, you're right. Pixie doesn't get out much." They attempted to joke. It fell flat along with the awkward atmosphere. "...H." The little thing muttered, the puffball adding an arm on silently. "Ah, not theory then." They mumbled.
Clearing his throat, Gremlin tried to ease the tension. "I am seriously glad that you're 'out' now, Pix. It's nice getting to talk to you again." He expressed, prompting a small smile from them. "It's nice to talk to you, too. Both of you." Pixie replied, wholly genuine despite their anxiety. "Awww, thank you, Pixie. And seconded." Luna agreed, feeling more at ease as well. "I apologize if this is pressing too hard, but.." She continued.
"What convinced you to try meeting new people?" Luna finally asked. Pixie froze. Another rush of thoughts. This had not been a choice, not their choice. If they could have made a choice, they wouldn't be here. And that... was still how they felt. They stared at the table, formulating a response. It was best to just tell her what she wanted to hear. "Pixie just... thought it was time for a change." They responded.
Their inability to meet her eye now, in fact, what seemed to be their attempt to hide their expression altogether was abundantly clear. Luna shifted, not sure if she should say anything or not. "R." Gremlin cut in, catching her gaze. The look on his face showed he was of the opinion of the latter option. After a moment, she nodded, adding the R to the second position. "I'm glad you did. I'm having a good time playing with you." The puffball grinned.
Pixie lifted their head slightly. This was enough for now.
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toughgirlchallenges · 6 months ago
Text
Carol Devine: Researcher, writer, artist, climate activist and humanitarian professional. From Antarctica's Ice to Scotland's Seas, A Journey of Activism and Adventure.
Carol Devine embodies a diverse array of roles, seamlessly intertwining her work as a researcher, writer, artist, climate activist, humanitarian professional, and explorer. Her pursuits range from spearheading groundbreaking ecological expeditions to championing causes such as combating plastic pollution and empowering women in adventure sports.
She spearheaded the first civilian volunteer ecological expedition in Antarctica, collaborating with the Russian Antarctic Expedition. Additionally, Carol has actively participated in and documented environmental initiatives, such as Clean Up Svalbard, near the North Pole.
Despite limited sailing experience, Carol eagerly embraced the opportunity to learn alongside seasoned sailors and fellow advocates combating plastic pollution. She recently embarked on an all-female expedition with eXXpedition, circumnavigating Scotland to conduct research and raise awareness about the global plastic crisis while championing women's presence in adventure sports.
Carol's dedication to environmental and social causes is further evidenced by her membership in prestigious organizations such as The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Humanities and Social Sciences Expert Group and The Explorer's Club.
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 Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.
 By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast to be a part of this important movement. 
Thank you for your invaluable support!
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Show notes
Who is Carol 
Her early years
Growing up in Canada 
Going to university to study English Literature 
Wanting to visit Antarctica, but going with a purpose
Being inspired by people around her 
Taking the opportunity when it came available
Wanting to help clean up Antarctica 
The Antarctic Treaty
Collaboration and working with others
Working with Wendy Trusler https://www.wendytrusler.ca/
Book: Ode To Antarctica - Antarctic cultural history book based on a civilian ecological cleanup expedition 42 recipes, pix, journals. HarperDesign. 
Crossing the Drake Passage
How the experience changed her 
Applying to Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) 
How art fits into the work 
Telling the story of their Antarctica expedition through food and imagery while discussing serious issues
Heading to Svalbard, to do a clean up operation 
Using art to talk about serious stories 
Getting involved with eXXpedition (a non-profit organisation that runs pioneering all-female sailing research expeditions at sea and virtual voyages on land to investigate the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution) 
Emily Penn - Tough Girl Podcast (Jul 12, 2016) 
Emily Penn - Tough Girl Podcast EXTRA (Jan 9, 2020) 
Wanting to learn how to sail 
The challenges of sailing and dealing with sea sickness
The lessons learned and the takeaways from the experience 
Having an international scope but working locally 
Presenting their finding to the Scottish Parliament 
TEDxMontrealWomen: Ocean Love: Cleaning Up Our Plastic Mess 
Advice for people regarding plastic pollution 
#OceanOptimism
The little things/small actions you can do to make a difference
Project: Hello/Goodbye Glaciers 
Learning about glaciers in Iceland, Canada, Switzerland, Alaska and Argentina
Code Red for Humanity 
The impacts of the glaciers receding 
Future projects
See Change Initiative 
How to connect with Carol
Final words of advice for other women and girls 
Taking the opportunities when they come
Making a commitment and seeing it through 
Risk, discomfort and challenge 
LEAP!!! 
  Social Media
Website: www.caroldevine.info 
Instagram: @antarcticcookandclean
  Check out this episode!
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