#and so the cycle begins anew

[feroluce]

Of A Cyclical Nature

I have Awoken and am Choosing Violence, so I’m putting this blankshipping writing under a read more because of past offscreen major character death with no happy ending, my favorite type of submas angst, and anyway:

Ingo working hard, like really really hard, in pursuit of his lost memories. He chases down leads, he explores every distortion bubble he can get to, he battles Akari every moment she's available to try and knock loose a few more recollections. And it works! It takes time, and effort, and nearly running himself into the ground, but it works! Ingo can finally put a name to his Man in White! He finally knows who Emmet is!

Ingo feels so horrible that he ever forgot him, because they were partners, in every sense and meaning of the word, how on earth did he live alone for so long without Emmet?

Dialga and Palkia prove to be useless, so Ingo borrows the Azure Flute from Akari to speak with Arceus. Akari gives him a strange look, then sighs and tells him not to misplace it this time. Ingo has no idea why Akari would think he's the one doing anything with her Flute, she's the one who keeps accidentally leaving it in his hut, but he's too eager to stop and bicker about it. Maybe Arceus can send him back to his first home, and even unlock the rest of his memories!

So Ingo hauls ass to the wrecked Temple of Sinnoh, and plays the Azure Flute, and is granted audience. And he politely kneels and bows his head before the towering form before him and asks that Arceus might let him go back where he came from, to Unova and Nimbasa City and Gear Station with all of the depot agents and Elesa and with Emmet. And Arceus refuses.

Ingo isn't sure if something was lost in communication somewhere, so he asks again. Arceus refuses again.

And Ingo starts to get pissed, because why not? This is a god we're talking about. If Arceus is really as almighty as the people of Hisui say, and as gracious and kind, then this should be something easy for It to do, so why the hell not?

Ingo raises up off his knees, back to his full height, grits his teeth and pulls out Gliscor's pokeball. Arceus looks down Its nose at him like a bug.

"Do you truly want to remember?"

"I do."

Arceus makes a sound almost like a sigh. Ingo bristles. And then-

and then his head is so full, he sees Emmet next to him with their hands joined between them, he sees Nimbasa City lit up in the night, he sees Lostlorn Forest and a wild Zoroark that looks so so different from the ones he knows here, Chandelure and Eelektross guarding their eggs together in their nest, Cloud corralling the depot agents, Elesa laughing at him over a drink, Emmet and Elesa telling him to hurry up, Emmet bright and excited after a battle, Emmet whistling at the stove while he cooks breakfast, Emmet telling him that he loves him, Emmet Emmet Emmet-

Memorial. Gravestone. Offered flowers he doesn't want to see. Offered food he doesn't want to eat.

Ingo feels like he might be sick.

He opens his eyes without realizing he'd screwed them shut. His forehead is on the ground. His throat is raw. He feels like he can barely breathe.

"Do you remember now?" 

He does. An accident. Emmet had taken his shift.

It should have been him.

"Your place now is here, to help guide the people toward a united future- that was our agreement, so long as I took your memories." 

Ingo curls into himself. It was a waste, all of it. All of his efforts had been for nothing. He can't go home, because home is gone, home went before its time and left him behind, alone. Ingo sees himself in a graveyard, hollow shell, empty husk, stepping through the offered rift next to two plots, only one of them empty as a broken promise. Sees himself at the Temple of Sinnoh with the Azure Flute, but it's wrong, this is autumn now, his memories speak of springtime.

"I've...I've done this before, haven't I?" Every word drags like sandpaper through his throat.

Arceus sighs again. It doesn't sound as rude or dismissive as the first time. 

"You have, yes; many times."

He doesn't want to get up. Ingo doesn't want to move ever again. He wants to lay here until the world ends.

"Have you reached the same decision this time as well?"

Ingo can only nod. He's a coward. He'll take the emptiness. He'll take anything but this.

Some invisible force wrenches his head up, Ingo blinking spots and stars and dampness out of his eyes to see again. There's a bright spot right in front of him, the Halo of Arceus fanned out around it. It’s aimed like a bullet right between his eyes.

"Very well then. Until next time."

Ingo wakes up in his bed, jolted out of a dead sleep by someone knocking at his door. Gods, his hip is killing him, the hell did he do, sleep on a damn rock? Ingo roots around in his pockets- he must have really worn himself out doing...something, to have fallen asleep in all his clothes- and pulls out some weird blue wooden instrument that he recognizes as Akari's. Ingo is going to start making her check all her pockets before she departs, if she keeps leaving this thing here with him.

Ingo yells to the door that he'll be there in just a moment, and fumbles around until he finds his hat. It's too bright out and he's barely awake, he wants to hide his eyes under the shade of it for a while longer.

Ingo drags himself to the door and opens it, and Irida is on the other side, all but bouncing in place, eyes and smile bright. Ingo is instantly in a better mood and happy for her- whatever just happened must have been really good. He hasn't seen her quite so excited since Palina and Iscan's daughter had been born. Irida happily tells him that she got his message yesterday- she got here as soon as she could, and she's so happy for him! She wants to hear about everything he remembers! She especially wants to hear about Emmet!!

And Ingo looks at Irida for a long moment. Scrunches his brow. Cocks his head.

"Who is Emmet?"

[duskargentum]

Are people really your friends if they take the side of someone that they know makes you uncomfortable through their actions and how they treat you when you confront them about it? No? I didn't think so

[deoidesign]

hi. I just read your entire comic in one go and I’ve gotta say I am in love with it. as a trans guy with hair that looks so much like Steve’s and who loves werewolves, I had to physically restrain myself from squealing out loud upon realizing he was trans, because I am currently living in a room with five other people in a small community in rural Alaska and didn’t want to explain to them the joys of seeing yourself in a character and then realizing “oh shit they’re trans like me”. I hope you are doing well, and may the gods of creativity and carpal tunnel bless you with much fruit in your artistic endeavors.

how could I ever show how deeply messages like this touch me... I never know what to say, I want so badly to have the proper words to show you how grateful I am

This is why I write. so that people get to feel like this, and I could never reflect that properly with just my words... But I want you to know that.

I hope to make something that is worthy of your love, and I hope every day that my work is sufficient to show I love you. so I'm relieved that it's succeeding and you feel seen.

Thank you for sharing this with me, I love you

[artist-issues]

absolute worst thing it could've been was "and it cycles back to the beginning."

no clear answers. no clear questions. no definitive statements. just more "guess I'll always be insecure, and we're not even sure that's a bad thing, the only bad thing is killing yourself."

I hope this isn't the conclusion they've been claiming it is. Because that was no conclusion at all.

[eepersjeepers]

Guys horrible news I finished Leverage again I fear I will not survive the winter

*starts watching Redemption from the beginning, again*

[concha-de-mar]

not me spontaneously crying to a tiktok with the half return audio because all i could think about was how the lawn is fucking dead since roran is mortal but eragon will endure

[bmpmp3]

blockprint of the four armed miku from utsu-p's "an alien's i love you" printed on scraps from old broken pajamas~

[mantisclass]

2024 self shipping community is just 2017 kin community but for your comfort characters instead

[transingthoseformers]

Okay it been a hot minute because all I can think about are Twitchs parallels with Megatron and how Megatron unwilling fulfills Terminus role in creating a second him and its making me so emotional. Like she didn't know just he didn't and it's just getting to me okay

Next yes Cyclonus and Slipstream have different rules than Mirage and Blades and that's because Twitch didn't want Hashtag or Starscream to convince them betray her where as Skywarp was curious to see how Starscream would respond to Slipstream, it's easy to say she was throughly disappointed when Starscream just doesn't respond

Once Brainstorm is discovered to be a spy for both sides he runs off and he manages to find Tara and eventually when Prowl finds Tara there is this very awkward "how did you end up with a kid" and Tara being like "He's not my kid" . It's a very funny mental image. Just prowls shock at what does Tara mean that that's not his kid? Is he kidnapping sparklings?? What?? Prowl is thoroughly confused

Exactly yep yep yep yep

Hmm interesting no yeah makes sense considering how Twitch is in a much different mindset at that point in time

Of course of course, exactly what Brainstorm needs! Another science based mentor! Aww yes.

And nope Prowl I'd argue that Brainstorm has surprise adopted Tarantulas instead, kid will not leave. Fuckkkkk imagine how fun of a scene it'll be when Brainstorm interacts with Nightshade for the first time!

[blocksforbrains]

me when I don’t experience symptoms of a problem for one singular day: waow…. Can’t believe I was lying and faking it the whole time…. I should tell my doctor there’s actually nothing wrong with me and it was all in my head…..

[iamthekarmapolice]

where i'm mentally at most days by 4:30 pm:

[forgotten-daydreamer]

Took twice the max dose of melatonin before the final revision for tomorrow’s exam, I’m shitting my pants and I genuinely don’t know anything as thoroughly as I should but if I sleep less than 4 hrs before it I just know I’m gonna do even worse somehow

[bittertomato]

My hyperfixations have led to, well, extreme fixations that last for long periods of time. As expected. To the point where it's clearly an obsession that becomes the only thing I talk about for awhile. It happened with Diana and LWA. It happened with certain girls in Revue Starlight. Hippolyta, Psyche, Mikoto too. But at least these were happy interesting fixations. Then, once the series or whatever ends—or if I'm waiting awhile for the next canon update—the only thing keeping my interest afloat are fan content.

Can't say the same about Morgan and LB6. I'm so completely unwell after crawling out of the sludge of tragedy known as LB6. The chapter may have come to a close but boy am I still clawing at my heart—with or without fan content to fuel my insanity.

[deoidesign]

apologies for kinda spam-liking your ttawebcomic posts, I've just discovered tta and binged the whole thing in two-to-three hours

I am going to EAT YOUR ART STYLE IT GENUINELY MAKES ME WANT TO CRY FROM HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS. I HAVEN'T BEEN INSPIRED TO MAKE ILLUSTRATIVE ART IN SO LONG BUT YOUR WORK HAS INSPIRED ME

never apologize for spam liking, the posts are there and tagged for you to be able to find them easily! I want you to like them haha

I'm only sorry that I am. very sure I have forgotten to tag many pieces... I should go through my archive and address that soon probably.

And thank you so much, this is the highest honor I think an artist can have, inspiring someone else. I genuinely hope you have an incredible time drawing and you get to learn more about yourself through it

[froggysoup]

the way it takes me hours to make even a sketch because i get distracted every five minutes...... help

[cordelias-toucan-husband]

les mis no longer trending. nice going team, pack it in i'll see you next year