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pegaace · 1 year ago

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Analysis on Witch from Mercury, Colonialism, The Tempest, and Caliba(r)n

Okay I know this is my first post ever but I was tryna find somewhere to put my thoughts after seeing a bunch of people everywhere slander Caliban and why that is not it and how my boi is innocent, good actually. For qualifications I did an undergrad lit class that covered The Tempest like 2 years ago so that's fine right (apologies to my profs if I fuck any of this up)

Okay so for starters yes by now everyone knows WfM is The Tempest, Prospera is Prospero (or Prospera actually, there was a 2010 film adaptation that had the gender switch already), Aerial is Ariel, etc etc. So therefore Caliban has to be this villainous, "monstrous" creature right?

Haha no sit down cos no that would be boring. (and also kinda racist as I'll explain) Notice how in the original Prospero isn't the villain of the story, not really, he's just getting revenge for being wronged years ago and trying to ship the kids together. But if recent gwitch is any indication, Prospera truly is the villain of this story, breaking hearts and stopping at nothing to destroy the Benerit group AND earth. Now I wonder which other adaptation of The Tempest has Prospero as the big bad HMMMM :thinking:

Enter Aime Cesaire and A Tempest. Written in 1969, it deals with a lot of the more unpleasant connotations of Shakespeares play. Let me lay it all out for you. So you're saying Prospero, a white dude, comes to this island, uses his western magic to overthrow the native witch (Sycorax), wrecks the land of its magic, and then enslaves her son to do his work for him, constantly insulting his appearance and intelligence? HMMMM seems pretty sus (racist and colonial) to me.

Cesaire, writing during a time of decolonial movements throughout the world, was rightfully really mad at colonizers for forcing their way upon natives with violence, and especially with the use of language to control said populations. Caliban has also been repeatedly dehumanised through previous adaptations of Shakespeares work slowly turning him from a man into a monster, not even human. This is similar to how non-european people have constantly been treated in the past.

Now like wait... Forcing communication through a set language? Dehumanisation? Colonisation of oppressed peoples? Where have we seen that before...? HMMMM

(its almost like... permet scores and gundam technology... Calibarn being free of permet links is like Caliban refusing language...)

And here's where I see the great potential of a Gundam Caliban. Gundam is certainly no stranger to decolonial movements (shoutout to my fave Gundam ZZ and the bois in Blue team and the African liberation front) and I think having Caliban as the Gundam to finally end Spacian oppression (perhaps in a sequel idk if Suletta is getting that far after bonking her mom by the end of the season) would be a great take.

As a side note, Aerial is kinda portrayed negatively in Cesaire's work for choosing to work for Prospero in exchange for their own freedom, as kind of a sellout who makes things worse and is ultimately tricked and trapped anyways and... hey! She's in a giant coffin now and Suletta is unhappier than ever! Oops.

Also like I qrted this on my twt but like its important to remember that Caliban is human too, and will respond to accordingly. They (and this might be where i disagree with @adracat a lil on their otherwise excellent posts) arent just a violent unthinking monster, thats just unfortunately how racism often portrays people of colour. If Suletta shows compassion and humanity towards Calibarn, like how she did to Aerial, and how Eri was able to connect with Lfrith in the prologue when Vanadis had failed, I'm sure she'll be able to bring Calibarn over to her side. And because they can connect so fully via human emotions and love (this is where I do agree with adra that love is the answer and key to open the door) (wooo yeah another love powered robot!! G Gundamming time) I dont think Quiet Zero will be able to stop them, as Suletta will have made the ultimate, unmediated connection between woman and machine, becoming one with it in the way Cardo Nabo had always truly hoped for. To don Gundam and live in space.

Okay sorry for the disorganised post but like one last thing I know I said it'd be nice for Calibarn to show up again in S2 but the other theory I have (which might or might not be true cos lets be real gwitch only rhymes, never copies, and i dont even know where schwarzette fits into all this [goatmom gundam my beloved i miss schwarzletta theory still]) is that the ending of A Tempest has Prospero send the girlies off as usual, but then still choose to stay on the island to fight with Caliban forever, till he can finally fully dominate him, cos racists are shit like that. This continues for a rlly long time cos his magics kinda prevent him from just dying of old age and he lives on, like a vampire sucking life from the island (wow capitalism huh) and its implied he and Caliban are just locked in this long struggle to the death until the day he finally croaks and the colonized can finally be free. Now what other gundam has an eternal struggle with fascism hmm?

idk just thought it might be cool for the gundam sisters to push suletta out of the way (maybe out of quiet zero?) whilst trapping prosperas grudge within it for all time, that would also be dramatic and neat lol. Come to think of it if Prospera does it itd be like ZZ again too lol with Haman pushing Judau away.

#g witch #g witch spoilers #suletta mercury #caliban #prospera mercury #the tempest #ok im so sorry for making such a trash first post rip #this is why they taught me essay skills but its okay no ones grading this one #except the opinions of the internet oh no #if this turns out to be true im gonna pop off so hard #yay obscure decolonialism and tempest lore

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the-andromeda-effect · 7 months ago

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“Well,I…I don’t know. I just know that no matter what I tried, I was never enough for Mi-” Suddenly Caliban’s hand was over her mouth, cutting her off as she felt herself fully pulled back against him. Her eyes closed, her breathing stilled, and she waited for the pain. Pain always came after the wrong things were said. Hopefully Caliban would not be as brutal as Mircea had been. She still ached from being dragged by Kondrat and the abuse in that basement.

Caliban had to stop her from finishing her sentence, he hated hearing that name in her voice, but especially with how broken her voice sounded at the moment. There was such a strong undercurrent of pain and fear that was always carried along with it, but added to that now were her nerves regarding their conversation. While she had not meant to, the almost comparison with her ex was not something that Caliban felt like dealing with at the moment either.

As soon as he’d done it, he was kicking himself for his impetuous action of grabbing her as he had. He knew how Mircea had beat her, and his grabbing her had probably put the fear of such action in her once more. Caliban was fighting grinding his teeth at his own stupidity while he tried to calm himself enough to talk without making it worse. There was little doubt he’d just scared her to her core, something he never wanted to do. Adira was so different from any woman he’d previously known, and he was going to have to be more careful in many ways to keep from causing her more pain in the future. He’d never previously wanted a serious relationship, they were liabilities in his life. He had never felt that he’d missed anything by not having them; something he was reconsidering after one evening of engaging in enjoyable conversation followed by the night of having her in his arms. This was going to be the first, and he was getting a crash course in it. One thing he did know was that he was not going to allow Adira to walk around with constant fear in her head, and feeling that she was on eggshells. She’d already done that for too long.

“Adira, sweetheart, please breathe. You’re not in trouble. I’m sorry for scaring you.” His voice came out soft and reassuring, a gentle kiss placed against her temple when he realized he wasn’t feeling the rise and fall of her normal breathing; and he hated himself even more for being the cause of it. Second day as a married man and already he was screwing it up, he was going to have to learn a lot faster from here on out.

Slowly Adira nodded and began to force herself to breathe slowly. Caliban was holding her firmly, but not painfully, so she relaxed into his strength, trying to trust his word that she was not in trouble. After a few seconds, his hand came away from her mouth to gently cup the side of her face and softly guide her to look up at him over her shoulder. It took all of her will for her eyes to meet his. The look in Caliban’s eyes when she did was one of regret for his actions, and concern for her, something that warmed her to her very core. Still, she didn’t understand it.

“The past is over, and I don’t want that name to even go through your head any longer. He can’t hurt you anymore, and you are safe from that kind of life. You’re my wife now, and we’re going to work on things in this partnership together. Consider it a fresh start.” His fingers caressed the side of her face. “So erase those doubts, and I’ll erase mine that I won’t be good enough for you. Deal?”

It had never entered Adira’s mind that he would have any kind of doubts. Caliban seemed so assured about everything, whereas she was a mess at the moment, or all the time if you asked Mircea. Could it be that he had doubts? Truly? Or was he just saying that to make her feel better about her own? Would he do something like that?

Adira remained silent and still for so long that Caliba wasn’t sure that she was going to answer. He knew he had frightened her with his response, a response he was still mentally kicking himself for, but he had hoped that he had cleared up that and put her mind at ease. That it was taking her a while to answer was making him doubt that. Then, slowly she turned in his arms to look up into his eyes. The expression on her face was hard to read; all he could do was wait for her to say something.

“What doubts could you possibly have?” Adira’s brows drew together. She truly was having a hard time understanding how he couldn’t understand that he was already more than she could have ever expected or asked for. He had not only rescued her from her kidnappers and Mircea, but he had chosen not to kill her, something he had been hired and fully paid to do.

“Sweetheart, you deserve someone that is going to treat you the way that you’ve always deserved. I am not always the easiest to get along with, and have, what some would call, a bit of a problem with my temper. So, I cannot guarantee that I will be the best husband to you. That doesn’t mean I won’t try to be as supportive, understanding, and protective as I can. I just may fail on some aspects, and you have been failed enough.” His expression was soft as he cupped the side of her face with one hand, his thumb softly caressing her cheek. She truly was something special he could already tell. He had never believed in love at first sight. He wouldn’t say that he did now. However, he might say that he now believed in connection at first sight. How far that connection would take them, he couldn’t say, but he was looking forward to finding out.

“I don’t ask that you be perfect, Cal.” It was the first time she’d shortened his name, but for some reason it felt right to do at this time. “I’m not perfect either. We can be imperfect together, and still make things work, as long as we’re willing to listen and work with one another. Isn’t that what makes a strong partnership after all? So, you have your deal.” She smiled softly up at him.

Caliban lowered his forehead to hers, a much better angle to gaze into her eyes that seemed to speak as loud as her voice did at times. Many people over the years had shortened his name, but there was something about the way that it sounded rolling off of her tongue that he found he liked more than any other. Add that to the growing list of things that he found unique and pleasantly surprising about the woman before him. He could not have anticipated how the decision in the basement could have led to the conversation they were having now, or the way it was making him feel, but he was becoming more grateful as each hour passed that he had followed his gut.

“I will do my best to always listen to your cares and concerns, and to make sure that I share mine with you. Hopefully then you won’t deal with my temper, and whatever it is that has the doubts swimming in that beautiful mind of yours will also be alleviated.” His nose gently ran along hers as a smile formed on his lips as well. Adira was unlike the women he had been entangled with in the past, and maybe that was what drew him to her so much now.

“Double deal.” Adira tipped her head to brush her lips over his. If he was saying and doing all of these little things to make her fall for him, he was doing it all perfectly. She could only pray that she was not making a mistake and believing in him.

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yewsoup · 2 years ago

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Out of the Corner of His Eye

Words: 4790

Warden Ingo was a strange man. To others, but also to himself. He says words he doesn't know the meaning of. He strikes poses and is habitually loud, as if he often had to yell. He does not fear pokemon. He does not smile, at least not with his mouth. And his eyes glow in the dark.

He's also followed by a chill wherever he goes.

Ever since he visited where he was found, trying to find a clue as to where he's from, he's seen a white figure lurking on the edges of his vision.

The figure likes to stand on Ingo's right side, walking alongside him, unless there's something or someone in the way. When he points, he is Ingo's mirror. Doing the same things, but opposite. When he is by his side.

-----

What if Emmet came to Hisui as well? What if he didn't make the trip?

Can also be read Here on Ao3!

Nobody knew where he came from. Not even himself. Because Warden Ingo has amnesia. He does not remember where he came from. He cannot return home.

So he made pearl clan his home. Throwing himself into helping to avoid the things he did not tell people about, uncertain how to articulate them without sounding insane.

The dull pain in his chest, as if he was missing something but running anyways. A train engine with missing parts. And... Him.

Ever since he visited where he was found (where he felt a tearing in his chest and came to a stop, staring at nothing, name he was calling dying on his lips), trying to find a clue as to where he's from, he's seen him lurking on the edges of his vision. A white figure. He thinks the figure is a man, something in his heart insists so, despite the figure being too fuzzy to make out details.

He likes to stand on Ingo's right side, walking alongside him, unless there's something or someone in the way. When he points, he is Ingo's mirror. Doing the same things, but opposite. When he is by his side.

The white figure is the opposite of his black coat and hat. (The ones his heart cries for if he doesn't wear.) And sometimes, Ingo swears he should be wearing them too. In white. But the figure isn't the right shape. Not with it's blurriness. His coat is supposed to flare, the collar, stand up and fold over properly.

He cannot tell if his coat does as well or not.

---

Later, when his coat is torn by the years, and no longer holds itself up at the bottom to flare outwards, he wonders if his coat is torn like this too.

---

Sometimes, he cannot see the figure, and worries. He doesn't know why. The figure can leave. He's seen the figure wander away from him to look at something before. (He's seen him hurry back to his side when he was leaving the area. And a coil that winds, worrying if the figure will leave, relaxes.)

Ingo isn't even certain if the figure can get hurt. No other person nor pokemon seems to see him at all. He worries if he's imagining the figure, that he is a figment of a broken mind's imagination.

...

He also worries if he is lonely. He wishes he could help. (The dull ache in his chest tends to grow when he wishes that.) Sometimes he wonders if he can even see him. Or if the figure walks on his own, unknowing of the mirror he walks with.

Ingo picks up the habit, when nobody else is around, to speak his thoughts aloud. (Only when no humans are around. Caliba gave him a funny look and asked him who he was talking to when he accidentally did it in her presence.) The figure seems to enjoy listening to him. He always lingers close when Ingo speaks, but makes no indication he should stop. (So the figure can hear him then.)

---

The ghost pokemon of the Icelands do not like him. Gaeric thinks it's because of his glowing eyes ("ghosts don't like the light, that's why they haunt at night") that show no matter how dark it is.

Ingo has other ideas.

(He's seen the way their gazes dart to his right side before they back off. Only the most determined ghosts try to fight him. Lady Sneasler takes care of those.)

He picked up the habit of waving at Ingo to alert him of pokemon that are not ghosts. Allowing him to take action. Because the figure cannot touch him. (His heart cracked when he first realized that. He does not know why.) He leaves Ingo cold when he passes through him. More than once, his hand has gone numb, and his breath puffed cold, from him trying to take it out of habit.

...

He finds he doesn't mind. Even missing it a bit, chest aching just a little more, when the figure realizes he can wave at him. (They see eachother and know it.) And uses that to grab his attention instead.

On particularly tough nights, when he wanders from lack of sleep, or lack of thought, he finds himself thanking the figure for conducting him home safely. He always tips his hat (how does he know he wears a hat) and the grin his heart swears the figure is wearing widens.

(He knows a voice should be speaking. He cannot hear him at all.)

---

With time on their night walks, he and the figure grow complacent. Lady Sneasler trusts Ingo's pokemon and his reflexes to keep the warden out of danger. (He tried to tell her about him once, pokemon are easier to talk to, but his words still grew tangled in his mouth. He thinks lady sneasler has noticed him anyways, through Ingo's movements.) She does not always come with him on the night walks. The figure does not always stick right by his side.

The figure is not by his side to warn him when Ingo stumbles upon an alpha, tripping over the sleeping pokemon. It woke with a growl. Lashing out. Ingo could not react quickly enough. (He swears he heard someone screaming his name. But he has no idea who.) He does not remember anything after that, before he wakes up in his tent.

His body aches. His skin is clammy. His breath frosts in the air briefly. He hovers over him, worried. (Ingo mutters an apology for scaring him. And the figure relaxes, stepping back.) Slowly, warmth returns to his body, and he goes to attempt to sit up, only to be silently scolded by the figure. (Another apology escapes his lips.) He worried him. He just knows it.

Ingo checks over his side while laying down Instead. Pulling back the blankets to reveal his bandaged side.

He vaguely recalls the alpha. He does not know what happened afterwards.

---

Lady sneasler pokes her head into his tent, and cheers up, before looking back out and calling for someone.

A few seconds pass. A distant voice speaks.

She climbs into the tent, settling by his side to look him over, churring her scoldings at him for worrying her.

Melli pokes into the tent not long after. Shooing lady sneasler so he can check Ingo's bandages while he gripes at Ingo for scaring the living daylights out of him, turning up injured like he did. (Ingo did what?)

Later, when he finds out Ingo doesn't remember what happened, he recounts how he awoke from a pained scream in the night, and found Ingo stumbling through the dark. Eyes glowing bright enough to see by, and pale as death, blood dripping down his side.

He touches on how Ingo's breath was frosty in the night. And when Melli called out, Ingo turned, eyes wide like he was terrified, but a smile bared on his face, and whispered a simple "help." Before his eyes rolled back in his skull and he fainted dead on the spot.

Melli didn't know his fellow warden could whisper. (Ingo didn't know either.) And he doesn't admit it, but hearing Ingo whisper was unnerving.

He goes on about how Ingo was freezing to the touch. Like he had been out all night without proper gear for warmth. (He hadn't been.) And how he was lucky Lady Sneasler answered Melli's calls so she could carry him back to his tent.

(Ingo thanks both Melli and Lady Sneasler profusely that day. And he knows he thanks them too. Despite the lack of words.)

---

He sticks closer to Ingo's side after that. Watching to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Even on small tasks. (He prevents Ingo's mind from wandering, stopping his grip from slipping and cutting himself. Melli has watched him startle at 'nothing' a few times after that.)

Lady Sneasler and Melli watch Ingo more closely too. Melli checks in with him each day for the following week after the accident. Lady Sneasler refuses to let him leave her sight. She also no longer allows him to walk at night. Ingo thanks them both more. (They rebuke his insistences that they don't need to do this. Both have a soft spot he inadvertently wormed his way into.)

He is grateful for them all. Even if it can be a little overwhelming at times.

(He suspects Melli was quite scared when he found Ingo injured. Melli denies it. But does, let it slip one night, that he'd miss Ingo if he was gone.)

(Ingo also suspects he's the only one who sits and listens to Melli often. He likes to think they're friends.)

---

Ingo often finds it harder to warm up, with him looming over his shoulder. An icy presence that chills him to the bone. But he finds he doesn't mind it. It's as comforting as it is chilly to have him so close, the dull ache in his chest abating slightly. Even if sometimes, he needs to put a little more effort into warming up.

Irida asks him, one hot summer day in the coastlands, (they were visiting Palina to check in, and help with a nearby alpha that was getting uppity,) how he's managing in the heat despite wearing his coat AND his pearl clan tunic.

He does not have an answer for her. She just assumes he's used to it, like Palina, and leans into the cool fabric of his coat.

---

Warden Ingo sometimes faces nightmares.

He never used to remember them. Forgotten worries and traumas. Even if they wracked him with worry and terror. But since the incident, one he can remember joined them. Of getting attacked by a massive alpha pokemon.

Sometimes, it is not the one that attacked him, but instead a massive golden beast. (he never remembers it past the sensation of pain and falling, someone slipping out of his grasp.) And he wakes up sweating, tears welling in his eyes as he cries for someone he does not remember, the loss of a place he no longer knows.

...

His chest is always particularly empty feeling waking up those nights.

---

He is always there those nights too. Rushing over to his side. (His heart pangs every time, he should be the one fretting over him and easing his nightmares. But he cannot do anything but talk to the figure to ease his loneliness.) He dulls the ache in Ingo's chest. Making it easier, even with the haunting, indistinct whispers, that ring in his ears.

The figure never seems to fully know how to help Ingo those nights. He does not know his presence is enough. Or maybe simply does not accept it.

His hugs are ice cold, and leave Ingo frigid, but he loves them anyways.

---

Irida, more than once, has walked in on him shivering in a perfectly warm tent, when Ingo stays in the pearl clan village. He excuses it as feeling cold from nightmares. She does not fully believe him, but he is not lying, he always hugs him after a nightmare now, leaving him ashiver.

She stops asking after a while. Only making sure he warms up after.

(Nobody in pearl clan brings up the cold that seems to follow the stoic man no matter what nowadays. Neither side realizes the other knows about it. They appreciate Ingo's presence shooing off other ghosts.)

---

Irida thinks Ingo looks haunted in general. His thousand yard stare and lightless glowing eyes sometimes make him appear a ghost himself.

But he always looks particularly haunted after nightmares. Or when he tries to remember things about his previous life. (She does not know of the white figure that always eagerly leans in, cheering Ingo on, when he tries to actively remember. She does not know his despair of not knowing who he is.)

She worries about him. But there is nothing she can do, other than offer a gentle touch to wake him from his chilled thoughts. Though she offers a listening ear to him as well, he never takes it. (He has a listening ear in him. He does not need to burden Irida more.)

---

Sometimes, Ingo finds himself wandering the tunnels of wayward cave. The figure of white joins him at his side, and with time, they memorize the tunnels. Walking side by side with him through tunnels having an aching familiarity to it, just as battling does. Yet all he ever gets for trying to remember is a headache. He does not gain understanding into the meanings of the words he says, or the pointing he does, or why he is so comfortable with pokemon and in the belly of caves.

Whisps of memory slip through his fingers like sand in an hourglass, even as unheard whispers dog his steps. Hints of meaning gleaned when he doesn't think too hard about it.

Maybe if he showed someone through. Maybe if he could find someone like him. Maybe if he could just remember -------!

---

When the space-time rift first opens, lady sneasler bundles Ingo into her den, holding him tightly. It is only when he keeps watch from the cave entrance that Ingo finds himself relaxing in lady sneasler's grip enough to fall asleep.

News does not come up to Ingo's area of the highlands quickly. Even when he can sit and listen to Melli. (He gets a little annoyed when Melli says the frenzies are a gift from almighty Sinnoh. This annoyance later grows. They remain friends anyways, much to the figure in White's bemusement.)

Ingo vows to do his best to help the skyfaller that has been quelling the frenzies through wayward cave, should it be asked of him. (It is, he does, and he does it well. He does not realize he will remember things.)

(He does not realize he will finally hold onto glimpses.)

---

The man in white hovers close when they walk in Jubilife. The skyfaller does not see the figure of same height leaning over Ingo's shoulder. But they do note the slight misting of his breath.

They meet him again outside the training grounds.

The air by him is colder. He is warm in voice, polite in words, but his presence holds the chill of death.

Irida doesn't seem concerned.

She always preferred the cold anyways.

Does she care her warden is a ghost?

(She assures them, when they ask, that he isn't a ghost. But she's pretty sure he's haunted by one.)

---

When Ingo leaves Jubilife, the white spectre lingers slightly. Staring at the skyfaller.

That child knows something.

He hears Ingo speaking to the guard duty, and hurries to catch up. (Can't lose him.)

There will be more time to observe the child later.

After all.

They'll be guiding them through the highlands.

---

Ingo watches the child approach. Their hesitance. The figure in white stands by his side, rocking on his feet as they wait. He greets them as cheerfully as he can, even as his hands are shoved in his pockets to keep warm.

They must not like dark caves. He thinks.

They have to travel with the ghost warden the whole time? They think.

How does a ghost even become a warden?

Nonetheless they listen as he gives them advice to aid against lord electrode, and muses the Pokemon's woes.

Melli, despite it all, is a nuisance. Showing up to challenge them and their resolve to quell his Lord once more. Testing their patience with his annoying personality.

They see the way he sidesteps around Ingo and his chill. Commenting that it's a bit cold out as if it were the weather, and not the unholy entity lurking beside him in a guise of friendliness.

Wait.

That's rude.

But he is a ghost or something.

Melli shivers slightly as he passes the chill of the ghostly warden. Neither one mentions it. Then he prattles on about the frenzies being a gift from Almighty sinnoh and other such nonsense. Challenging them to a battle.

They refuse. He already saw them battle Adaman. They proved their worth. They will not give him the satisfaction of a battle.

Ingo laments the man's selfish outlook when he leaves, but asks them what they want to do.

Nobody's asked if they WANT to quell the frenzies. At least, not in the way the ghost seems to. But they nod anyways.

This condemns them to walking through wayward cave with the man. For Melli has removed the torches from the path and left the cave unlit, therefore unsafe to travel.

Ingo would have guided them through anyways. But there goes their chance to debate it.

---

The skyfaller follows him into the the cave. Gaze flitting about with tense shoulders- do they not like the dark? That's fair.

He sends the white spectre a meaningful look. He moves forwards to scout. Keeping an eye out for danger.

The comforting chill follows, leaving him to warm up, and Ingo offers his hand to the child. Offering them reassurance. Though also a warning that his hands might be a little cold.

They're surprised anyways. He can see it in the way their eyes widen when they take his hand. (He has no way of knowing they didn't expect to be able to touch him, that they thought him a ghost.) And he gently curls his fingers around their little hand so as to not lose them moving forwards.

But still, they glance around warily. Their hand trembles ever so slightly. Why is a child the one quelling the frenzies? Why are they allowed to go alone?

They're fifteen, supposedly.

They look much smaller than that.

Ingo starts talking to ease their fears. Picking the first subject that comes to mind. Irida told them of his memory loss. So that ends up the subject he discusses. Despite normally coming up with dead ends discussing his memories.

He tells them he remembers a man in white. Not that he is haunted by him.

He tells them of the fragments of memory his mind can drag up. A smile that mirrors his frown. Flickering purple flames leading him onwards. (A common memory for him to get, wandering the tunnels. Not that he ever remembers it afterwards.)

The words "I like winning more than anything else" flash through his mind, and when he repeats them, the man in white shoots him a large grin.

The child seems more at ease when he speaks.

Unfortunately, fate holds no mercy for them. The tension comes right back when Ingo stops them from proceeding. Because the white spectre alerted him of a threat up ahead.

(Not that he says what or who alerted him to the alpha crobat. The skyfaller merely thinks he spotted it himself.)

Ingo resigns himself to the fifteen year old being stressed until they exit the cave.

(The man in white's features are a little more distinct in his mind.)

---

Torches set up once more, he shows them through the quarry. Only a minor stop when the ginko guild's least effective merchant stops them for a chat delaying their commute.

Volo distracts Ingo from offering the child help- If they can convince Melli- in quelling electrode.

The moment is not right again, before they reach electrode's station.

He has a feeling they would have denied him anyways. With how proud of their feats they are- at least, once he gets them talking about them.

The child can talk quite a lot about the battles and pokemon. Insisting they're strong enough to handle it when he questions how much they're doing by themselves.

No, the skyfaller wouldn't have accepted his help at all, he thinks.

(He sees the way they're relieved when he admits his departure after they beat him in battle and they have gained Sneasler's favour.)

---

He sees them again after the battle. Using the excuse of memory to check up on them. (Their hair is sticking up on end, singed, but other than that, they seem relatively unharmed by the ordeal.)

(He sees now, why they are the one quelling the frenzies.)

Ingo tells the folk present of a world he remembers. Of tall buildings and people and pokemon living, working, playing together in harmony.

He's completely spit-balling. But the words leaving his mouth pull the train whistle of truth in his brain. Images of these strange sounding things and places surfacing in the fog of his mind to fuel his recollection.

The man in white stands close. Ingo's breath fogging as a shiver runs through his body. For a moment, he thinks he can make out details. A face just as his. The same symbol adorning the hat. The large coat cuffs his coat had before they were destroyed. Large smile egging him on.

But still, the recollections end. He falls short of recalling anything detailed. And the face of his brother his face slips from Ingo's mind.

And so he takes his leave. Assured that everyone present is alright. Retreating to his station to ruminate on it all in safety.

---

The man in white sits across from Ingo outside his tent. Elbows perched atop his knees and chin resting upon the butt of his hands as he listens to the warden in black talk.

People have asked him why he has two seats always at his campfire. If he's that eager to have company. If he's that lonely out here that he always has a seat for visitors rather than making them sit on the nearby rock.

He tells them Sneasler likes to sit on the extra log. When she visits.

This is only half true.

The white spectre is alright with giving up his seat when people visit though. Instead sitting next to Ingo, warding him from the heat of the flames, or wandering the clearing, poking at the various plants and logs and leaving no trace of his presence.

People always sit a little closer to the fire when he does that.

---

Ingo catches the skyfaller once, while patrolling the highlands. They challenge him to a battle- well, once they get over the fright he accidentally gave them, calling out as he did. And the thrill of battle runs through his veins again. The ghost in white by his side. Mirroring his pose.

They tell him nobody battles like him. Nobody battles like them, either.

The suggestion of teaching comes up.

It sounds right.

And that is why Ingo ends up approaching Commander Kamado- after getting his leader's permission of course (she was thrilled to put a warden inside Jubilife to keep an eye on things like Arezu does for Adaman- and asks if he could teach people to battle in the training grounds in the village.

(Nobody in his clan, at least within the Icelands, enjoyed spending much time near him. Irida and Gaeric being the best at withstanding the chill he causes. So he has not taught much battling.)

---

The sky goes red and Ingo does not remember a single thing that happens during that time.

Melli tells him he had shown up to help with the frenzied gods. Smile stretched across his face and body trembling with how cold he was.

He was so cold his lips were blue. His breath puffed into fog as it left his mouth. His hands shook like nobody's business as he switched between rubbing them together and stuffing them in his pockets.

He was so cold he mixed up languages again.

He was so cold he had started out with the nonsense he was speaking when he first arrived in Hisui until he saw their blank looks.

He was so cold he- well. He was cold.

He was so cold his hands felt like Ice when he handed over some potions in an attempt to help when he wasn't allowed to come with.

People had thought, for a second, that he was a zoroark.

The skyfaller threw a pokeball at him.

He was not a Zoroark.

It is safe to say they made him go back down the mountain. Out of the snow and cold.

When the blue sky finally broke through the black, he had fallen over. Exhausted and shivering.

Melli scolded him for not taking care of himself in his worry when he found out.

He didn't want to stick around the mountain as much after that.

---

A new stop is added to his schedule.

Twice a week, he goes down to Jubilife village and teaches anyone who wishes to learn about battling.

Sneasler approves of him having a hobby that means he he interacts with humans other than Melli regularly.

She approves him having a hobby in general.

It is dull. At times. When there are no skilled opponents, or people willing to learn. But Zisu, the captain of the security corps, is happy enough to see him.

They have many fun discussions.

He likes the battles just as much. Standing right by the battlers, or cheering from the side. Egging them on with his silent actions.

A couple battles, he doesn't remember. He isn't sure the man in white does either.

They were fun anyways.

The best battles are against Zisu, or the skyfaller. The strongest members of the galaxy team.

People sometimes stop and watch those, and Zisu always joins in his dramatics.

---

Zisu asks him once, during a heat wave.

About how he manages to stand there with his black coat. Black hat. Black underlayer. And his pearl clan tunic.

She was wearing as few layers as possible and he was wearing at least three.

He has trouble staying warm you see. He tells her. Completely truthful as he shivers despite the warm weather. Ghost of white leaning over his shoulder as he listens in on the conversation.

That is the day she learns the best place to stand during a heat wave is next to Warden Ingo. The Icelands chilliest warden.

Which really explains why Irida immediately seeks him out if he's at Jubilife at the same time as her. That girl has the heat tolerance of an icecube in the middle of summer.

She doesn't talk about the ghost either. Beyond a couple jokes about Ingo being loud enough to wake the dead, or looking like he's seen a ghost.

Though she does ask, if he tends to be so cold, why he's partnered with a gliscor, and a tangela. Creatures weak to the ice and snow.

It's because he tends to keep his tent quite warm to counteract the chill. That it's quite warm enough for them.

---

When gods fight on mount coronet for the second time. Ingo is not in the highlands.

He is helping Irida with a project in the Icelands. Teaching the people of the pearl clan more about battling alongside Gaeric, and, because she decided to come and wouldn't leave, warden Sabi. A previous student of Ingo's.

The clan is not completely enthused by the lesson. But they learn a lot.

Ingo only hears of what happens afterwards.

He spends more time in the highlands again after that. Moving it down to one day a week he tromps all the way down to Jubilife.

He couldn't have changed the results if he was there.

After all...

The skyfaller won.

---

Slowly, since they met, the skyfaller warmed up to him. Vaguely becoming friends, perhaps.

He apologizes for not helping them with the frenzies. The gods on the mountain. The red sky.

They insist it's fine.

(They've gotten more comfortable with him since he figured out to keep a bit of distance from Ingo when they're around.)

Which means the eventuality of them sharing the theory that he's from another time. The eventuality of them discussing memories. Of places. Of people. Of pokemon.

Of homes long gone that they don't know how to reach once again.

The skyfaller still doesn't like Ingo, or being around him very much, but they recognize a kindred spirit of sorts. It draws them to him.

They would be alright to never see the ghost man again.

But they have to offer him the chance.

The chance to go home.

---

Ingo looks directly at a figure that only he can see. Staring at the ghost of his past haunting him in the form of his twin brother- the man in white. The clearest he's been in a long time.

"I don't think I can go home. I'd leave him behind."

#writing #pokemon #pokemon legends arceus #ingo #emmet #ingo and emmet #submas #au #Implied/Referenced Character Death #Character Turned Into a Ghost #PLA spoilers #freezing #no dialogue #ghosts #Out of the Corner of His Eye #long post

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kiruliom · 4 months ago

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uhm

after some thinking (and polling with other members), we have decided that we would like to take up the mantle for hosting CF24 if that is still an option

-caliba(not using quirk)

that is great! Ill send you the invite link to @coinfight we can discuss it from there? (asking u for confirmation first)

#kirus asks #ds-anon

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serfuzzypushover · 6 months ago

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;33 < fun fact ;33 < i believe that the design 0f the dammeu fankid is similar t0 my appurrance in s0urce befur i died ;33 < like alme0wst scarily s0 ;33 < i believe the 0nly real change was that the h0rns were m0re feline fur me but thats ab0ut it

-ds an0n(caliba)

wwoa hey thats neat!!!

#ask tag #ds anon

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honeyedfem · 6 months ago

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;33 < weird d0g

#from: caliba #re: pokemon go

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tenebristhequeen · 1 year ago

Text

VALACCHIA'S BACKSTORY (DnD OC)

/ There may be some errors since English is not my first language, please let me know if I made mistakes, it helps me improve! /

Born and raised in the dense vegetation of the Scarlet Forest, so called for the scarlet color of the tree trunks, Valacchia has never had contact with the human world, on the contrary, she had always been told by her parents that it was a horrible, dangerous and lethal, especially for centaurs, in the past enslaved to be used as "workers" in the fields.

Her mother, Caliba, was a centaur who blindly followed the traditions, putting them even before family itself, in fact, she almost seemed to dislike her own daughter, both because she has always had a very rebellious personality, and because she was born strangely larger than the other female centaurs, making her appear more "masculine" and therefore "strong".

His father, Belihan, was not so different, because the village had been following, until that moment, the rules of the Ancient Scarlet, a sort of religion essentially based on control, imparted by the old pack leader, who called himself Douglas, The Crimson Hoof.

While Valacchia was still very young, Crimson Hoof suddenly disappeared, the same day a new centaur arrived, called Mirage, who claimed to have defeated Douglas in combat.

In the absence of Douglas' corpse, many were skeptical, but BECAUSE of the absence of Douglas himself, Mirage became the new pack leader.

Because of his very tolerant, kind, yet thoughtful and fair leadership, the sanctimonious village gave him the name of Mirage, The Weak Blood.

Many tried to take Mirage's place, discovering to their detriment that he was not weak at all, despite his kindness.

Valacchia grew up with him, seeing much more of a father in Mirage than in Beliahn, as he fed her curiosity and taught her to appreciate herself exactly as she was, as well as to assert her own opinions, boundaries, etc.

It was Mirage who gave her *two* heart-shaped marks made with magic, as a way to always remember their bond, like a tattoo.

Unfortunately, on what should have been a beautiful spring day, a challenger arrived, his name was Azoth, and he claimed to be the son of the defeated Douglas.

Apparently Douglas had indeed been defeated in battle, but his life was spared by Mirage's good heart.

The battle was brutal and bloody, with the village clearly taking the side of the challenger.

Valacchia wanted to help, to do something! But she was too afraid, and she saw her mentor and "father" perish under the hooves of an Azoth who knew no mercy.

As tradition wants, the new pack leader is allowed to choose a bride to start the new generation.

While Mirage didn't want to choose anyone, knowing that this would have been an imposition and not a genuine love, Azoth pointed his finger at Valacchia, seeing her as a good genetic match to create future warriors... no love, not even mere physical attraction.

No one gave her support, on the contrary, she was physically dragged by her father to the new home where she was supposed to stay with her "husband".

Desperate, she summoned all of her strength to free herself from her father's grip, kicking directly at Azoth's face, slashing his eye.

In the frenzy of the moment, Valacchia ran like the wind, deep into the Scarlet Forest, towards its borders, and to the one place where, presumably, she would be most difficult to search for, even though she knew well that Azoth would never give up claiming his new bride, as it is seen as "weak" behavior to give up a "rebellious" bride and choose a more "well behaved" one.

Valacchia ran as fast as she could, until it was almost impossible for her to stand on her hooves, she didn't eat or drink for days, too scared of being dragged back.

She fell unconscious on a distant plain, where she was found by humans.

Eda, a human woman, married to Alan the Smith, also a human.

The two managed, with some difficulty, to load Valacchia onto their cart, taking her to their farm on the edge of the city of Odwir but not to enslave her, but to save her.

It took a while for the poor centaur to fully recover and trust these humans, but she soon realized that they were nothing like what had been described to her, and ended up bonding very much with them, especially with the couple's daughter, Krita, becoming almost like a big sister.

Almost ten years passed and Valacchia grew up happy and strong, also learning how to be a blacksmith, while never forgetting Mirage and his teachings.

When the day came when a nobleman, named Avelia, arrived to try to take Odwir by force, Valacchia found himself once again seeing how a tyrant tried to take over, only this time, the entire Odwir was in the situation of impotence in which Wallachia was years before.

Poor Krita was targeted by the tyrant, who tried to take her away with the threat of having her parents arrested.

Valacchia's anger grew out of all proportion, feeling a desire for justice that could not be contained! This time, she wasn't going to stand by while those she loved were hurt!

She forcefully charged towards the group of guards, causing Avelia to flee to his "palace" (A mansion from which he had evicted the owners, throwing them out), after kidnapping Krita.

She took as many tools as possible: hammers, sickles, hoes and whatnot, everything was fine.

She incited the people to rebellion, led them into battle and faced Avelia bravely, also managing to win the battle and recover Krita, also thanks to her size and strength.

With Avelia on the ground, bleeding and now defeated, Valacchia Followed Mirage's example, leaving him alive to lick his wounds.

Avelia, cowardly, waited for Valacchia to turn with Krita in her arms, before grabbing a crossbow from the corpse of one of his soldiers, and shoot Valacchia.

She was lucky, her bolt passed through without seriously injuring her, but it hit Krita in the process right through her chest, while she was held in the arms of her now older sister.

Krita smiled weakly, clinging to Valacchia.

< Sister...I'm so tired...I'll rest a while..Ok? Then I'll bride your hair...just like when we were little..I love you >

She managed, not having the courage to say goodbye even though she knew she was dying.

Valacchia SCREAMED with all her strength, and, there, her nature definitively took a different turn from Mirage's...She turned, angry, galloping on Avelia's body, trampled it with her powerful hooves, again and again while tears blurred her vision.

That gruesome sight was enough to frighten the few remaining soldiers.

When Valacchia recovered, a shapeless pulp of blood, bones and shreds of clothing was all that was left of the tyrant.

She brought Krita's lifeless body home, cried with her family, and had a third heart branded where she already had two, so both Krita and Mirage will always be with her, even if only in the heart.

After that day, Valacchia made the decision to leave Odwir to travel and help the weak, defending them from tyrants.

Using any means necessary.

Valacchia is 10 feet tall (from her hooves to her head)

#cikkibrì (ooc)#tw long post #picture of Valacchia at the end #I'll try to add her to the muses as a Selective muse

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