#i'm looking at you applin

[localravenclaw]

When you send a writer a request or prompt and they completely outdo themselves and come up with an absolute masterpiece then go "Oh, I'm so relieved you like it!" like, bro, you could write me one paragraph and I would absolutely be over the moon because you took the time of day to create something, and that for me, is more than enough and I will never ever stop being grateful!

[celestialholz]

Today in Gay People: Hassel.

There's something I've noticed about our resident art teacher, and that's... well, Flapple. I mean, we all know how gay the whole Applin deal is, but... well, it's where it is that's particularly interesting.

This is Steven Stone's team.

This is Cynthia's team...

This is Wallace's team...

I could go on. (And yes, I'm using champions because, like Hassel, they're important, powerful NPCs with a proper team, and let's be real here, Hassel is five minutes, that Tournament Dragonite and a fuck to give away from kicking Geeta out of his office.)

But the point here is... well, that penultimate slot. The fifth slot in a champion's team - or fourth, in Hassel's case - is reserved for the vice-captain role. It's the Pokemon hardest to take down before the ace, meant to weaken you up - the secondary signature mon. We see here with Milotic - defence for days, Marvel Scale, offensive too. And we see it with Armaldo - excellent attack, difficult type. And then we see it with Gyrados - Dragon Dance, Earthquake, power. Utility. That second-to-last slot is designed to weaken you up for the finale, the real powerhouse of the squad. Leon does it too - his fifth slot is the starter strong against yours, the one you may not have a counter to if your team-building isn't on point.

... And then we have Hassel.

... Now, there's a few things to note here.

Flapple shares the same quad weakness as Noivern, which leads. That's, er... different.

Flapple, statistically, is the weakest Pokemon here. Not by a lot - Dragalge is only ten points or so better, but it's a defensive Pokemon. It's meant to fill that role, as well as being a counter to Fairies.

Flapple isn't the utility mon most penultimate-slot mons are.

... And yet, here it is. Now, I could draw upon Hassel's six-mon Tournament team here, which adds Dragonite into this slot instead, but the Tournament is Hassel fucking about. He's been chilling in the staffroom and someone's gone "oh, that champion-rank kid's up, get out here." The Elite Test line-up is him at work. He's specifically chosen to leave a pseudo-legendary at home... for Flapple.

And why would he do that? @edgeanescence pointed out on the EphemeralArt Discord that the penultimate slot is meant to represent the trainer; the personality and the heart of them, as well as acting as vice-captain. And, well...

Cynthia's is a Milotic. Grace, beauty, the defence of Sinnoh against Cyrus.

Steven's is an Armaldo. A fossil, a Rock-type, the strongest of all fossils at the time - perfect sentiments for him.

Wallace's is a Gyrados. Power, controlled by a former eighth gym slot; ferocity in water.

... And Hassel's is a Flapple. Like him, she has power, but what she represents as a Grass/Dragon is much more important to him than raw offence or defence. She is his softness; she is his tears, and pride in his students; she is part-Brassius. Whether Brassius gave him the Flapple or not is irrelevant, though it's pretty compelling that he did - this man takes a representation of his heart and of his love into battle over the Dragonite, who has 120 more points of stats. By rights, even if he's leaving the Dragonite at home, Haxorus should be here if this is about power, not Flapple.

And you can tell me that it's about game balance as much as you like, but oh look:

Brassius's rematch team, everyone, and look at that penultimate slot.

Look at that Arboliva sculpture, with Brass's own spikiness and Dragon-type purple-tinged blue.

Brassius is not like Appletun, the obvious counterpoint here. Brassius is drama; Brassius is a man formerly weak, much like Smoliv; Brassius is not home comforts, apple pies, yet he's surprisingly kind and encouraging. Reminding you of anything?

... Ah, yes. Arboliva, depending on mood. And, if you're not already convinced...

That's Flapple, in the Violet dex. Strong, and covered in clay. Like a fucking artist, or a man who loves a sculptor.

When the chips are down, when they show up to work, when they have important, key battles, Hassel and Brassius don't just take their Pokemon to the arena.

They take themselves, and they take each other.

[spaceyaceface]

you are a wildflower garden growing in my head

Ominis Gaunt x f!MC/Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: None

Summary: When she learns that Ominis Gaunt is well versed in floriography, she insists on him giving her lessons to learn the language of flowers. Thankfully, he ins't too hard to convince. Requested by @applinsandoranges

A/N: I loved researching Floriography a bit (or maybe a lot) for this fic!!! I'm sure it's not perfect, but I tried my best to be as accurate as possible. Thank you thank you THANK YOU to applins for requesting, I loved writing this so much!!!

Normally, the courtyard was pretty quiet—it was what made it an ideal place to study in the early spring, when the snow had just finished melting and trees had started to bud. She and Ominis had made a habit of sitting out there in the late afternoons, when Sebastian was serving his various detentions. 

That day didn’t seem to qualify for normal. 

Everett Clopton was chasing after a weeping Adelaide Oakes, who had burst out into wailing tears mere moments ago. 

“Addie, what did I do wrong?” Everett shouted after her, the flowers he had given her left on the ground where he had thrown them. “I’m sorry! Come back!” 

The ruckus caused quite the stir in the courtyard, students looking up from their studies to watch the pair—she herself couldn’t help but stop her reading, observing them with a furrowed brow. 

“What was all that?” Ominis asked from beside her. 

“Everett Clopton just gave Adelaide Oakes some flowers, then she ran off crying,” she summarized quickly. “Pretty unexpected turn of events. I always thought she returned his feelings.” 

Ominis frowned. “What flowers did he give her?”

She took a closer look at the flowers laying on the ground, tilting her head a bit. “They’re petunias, I think.” 

The loud laugh from beside her caught her off guard—Ominis usually contained his amusement pretty well, especially in public, so his loss of composure made her brow furrow. “What on earth is so funny?” she asked, perplexed. 

Ominis sat himself back up, taking a deep breath. Small chuckles still escaped him, but he seemed to have control of himself now. “Petunias,” he began, “Mean anger and resentment. No wonder Adelaide was upset.” 

Her own lips turned up in the corners. “Seems like poor Everett didn’t have a clue,” she said. “But to be far, neither did I.” 

“I’m not surprised Adelaide caught on,” Ominis said. “Hufflepuffs are usually more inclined to plantlife, aren’t they?”

“I suppose,” she replied. “Hold on, how do you know the meaning of petunias?”

She didn’t miss the slightest blush that covered Ominis’s cheeks. “My sisters,” he answered. “It’s a form of sending messages that normally wouldn’t be allowed to be shared when properly courting. They’d receive bouquets from suitors and would sit and talk about their meanings for hours, speculating it from every angle. I grew a bit fascinated by it, and learned what I could about the subject flower meanings.” He gave a small smile. “I know much more than the meaning of petunias.”

She smiled, thinking of a young Ominis delving into such topics. She rarely heard him talk about things he was excited about, especially from when he was younger. There was a certain glow to his features when he did—one that fit beautifully with his handsome features. It was subtle; something people who’d spent less time observing Ominis would likely have missed. But she had become somewhat of an expert in the slight expressions on her friends face—likely due to the extended periods of time she found herself staring at him. It had only gotten worse as they grew closer—as her feelings for him became stronger. 

“How come you’ve never told me about any of it?” she asked. 

He shrugged. “You never asked.”

“Well, I’m asking now.” 

He chuckled, hands reaching for his textbook once more. “Fine then. I’ll give you a lesson in floriography. Just give me some time to prepare for it. We better finish our Potions homework in the meantime; Sebastian will need someone to copy off of later tonight.”

She sighed, but didn’t argue. She’d hold him to his lessons, she’d make sure of that. 

-

It took a few days of pestering him until he finally told her he’d teach her about flowers later in the afternoon. She agreed to meet him by the Black Lake—the spring had started to warm up, and being near the water seemed like a wonderful idea. 

When she trekked down to their meeting spot, her eyes widened a bit at the scene. No wonder he had wanted to take a bit of time to prepare—he’d gone out and gathered a wide variety of flora, each of them sitting around him. She couldn’t help but think that anyone who didn’t know of their intentions would have taken the scene as a romantic one. 

He heard her approach, smiling up at her and patting the ground beside where he sat. “My student has arrived.”

“You better not assign me homework,” she said, sitting down. She enjoyed the chuckle her comment drew out of him. 

“I’m sure you’re busy enough studying for N.E.W.T.S. already,” he said. 

She groaned. “God, don’t remind me. I came to escape that for a while.” 

“Well, hopefully I won’t take up too much space in your head with this useless information.”

“Hang on,” she protested. “Don’t go calling it useless. Seemed like Everett would have benefited greatly with this knowledge. Besides, who knows when I’ll have a secret message to decode?” 

He faced away from her, busying himself by grabbing a couple of the plants beside him. Was his face a bit flushed–? Surely not. It was perfectly clear when his head tilted toward her once more. 

“As you learned not long ago, not all flowers are fit for a display of love or affection.” He smiled a bit. “In fact, a lot of them have sentiments more akin to the opposite. For example…”

He reached to his side, pulling forward a cluster of small flowers, bright pink with white on the edges of the petals. “These are China Pinks, or Indian Pinks. I’ve been told they’re quite lovely. But looks can be deceiving, as the mean the giver has an aversion for the receiver.” 

She laughed a bit. “That would be a shock to receive, I’m sure.” 

He grinned. “Precisely. If one wanted to be a little less harsh in their message, one could instead give someone everflowering candytuft—”

“Candytuft?” she interrupted, giggling.

He shook his head in mock annoyance. “Yes, candytuft. Don’t be fooled by its sweet name, it means indifference.” He placed a white flower with many layers down in front of her. 

“Are all these flowers a way of telling me how you really feel about me?” 

Ominis laughed at that. “No, I just wanted to give you a sample of some of the things you can say. Those last two are just as untrue of my sentiments for you as the message this next one conveys.” He showed her a small white flower with a yellow center and red dot on each petal. 

“What’s that one mean? I’m going to burn down your house?” 

“It means ‘I die tomorrow.’”

Her jaw dropped, and she couldn’t help but let out a surprised laugh. “Do people really tell people things like that through flowers?”

Ominis shrugged, setting the flower aside. “They must, if it’s a well-known enough meaning.” 

“I’ll never look at flowers the same way again.” 

“They’re not all bad,” he promised. He continued with his lesson, bringing forth each flower he had brought. She listened to each one very attentively, thoroughly enjoying listening to him. He was right—it was a fascinating topic. She learned magnolias represented a love for nature. Mountain laurels stood for ambition. The colors mattered greatly, too—a red columbine meant anxious and trembling, while a purple one meant the giver was resolved to win.

By the time the sun came to rest on the horizon, her head was swimming with various names and meanings. They’d gone through all of the samples Ominis had brought her, and he seemed satisfied with the lesson he’d given her. 

“There better not be a test,” she said as he gathered up the flowers around them. He grinned. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not that cruel.”

The two of them stood, ready to be on their way. “I’ve got to visit Poppy about nifflers she says she spotted,” she told him, wishing she could spend the time it took to walk back to the castle with him. 

“Ah, of course. You and your beasts,” he said with a small smile. He shifted on his feet. “Before you go, I’d like you to have this.” 

He handed her a large red flower, tall and curving with strange petals sticking up all down the length of it. She took it from him, brows furrowed. “I don’t remember what this one meant. You haven’t showed it to me yet, have you?” 

“Not yet, no,” he said, voice quiet. 

“What’s it mean?” 

He smiled at her softly. “I’ll tell you soon enough.” 

And with that, he headed off toward the castle. 

-

She really tried not to think too much about the large flower occupying the vase in her dorm room over the next several days. Tried being the key word. Every time she walked into her room and saw it, she couldn’t help the slight flip of her stomach, remembering the slight blush Ominis had sported while handing it to her. 

Surely it was something simple and lighthearted. Surely it was some sort of jab or joke, and not any sort of… confession. He had spent that whole lesson talking about what flowers meant outside of romance, hadn’t he? Why would the gift he gave her at the end be any different?

Even so, she found herself checking out a book on floriography at the library, trying to learn the secret message he’d given her. So far she’d learned nothing of it. 

It didn’t mean she didn’t learn anything, though. 

It had taken them several days to find time for another one of their little lessons, with actual studies taking the unfortunate priority. But they promised to squeeze it in on a Saturday morning just before lunch. She’d woken up early to locate one of the things she’d latched onto while reading her book—a variegated tulip. 

Beautiful eyes, the book had told her. She figured if he got to tantalize her by giving her that flower, the least she could do was try to flatter him a bit into telling her. She hoped it wasn’t too forward; she’d told him his eyes were lovely before, but to do so in a language so dear to him—well, it just felt a bit intimate. 

In any case, she found herself headed to the very same shore of the Black Lake, seeing a scene much like the first time they had met there. Ominis sat there with a group of flowers, but this time, they were all bunched together, forming a mis-match bouquet. 

She grinned as she plopped down beside him, tulip tucked away. “That looks lovely.”

Ominis chuckled. “I hope so. All I know is it smells pretty decent.” 

“Is that how you tell all of them apart?” she asked. “The scent?”

He nodded. “That and the texture of the petals. Though I’ve gotten used to using my nose first—I’ve ruined a good number of flowers by manhandling them.” 

She laughed. “It’s a bouquet this time.” 

“Very observant of you,” he teased. She gave him a gentle shove in response, making him laugh. “Don’t abuse your teacher!”

“Don’t patronize your student,” she said, grinning. 

He shook his head. “As my amazingly brilliant and very astute student pointed out, I’m holding a bouquet—” she shoved him again— “which will be the focus of our lesson today.” 

“Permission to leave class early?”

“No.”

“Fine.” 

He chuckled, his fingers beginning to gently run along the different flowers he held in the bunch. “Last time we went over some of the more specific and less used meanings. Today I’m hoping to touch on some of the more common flowers, ones you’d be more likely to come across.”

“Sounds practical.”

“Precisely. I’ve gathered them in a bouquet for you—often times you’ll receive a bouquet so the sender can express more complex feelings, allowing the combination to give a better overview of their emotions and perception of you. So let’s dive in.” 

His finger pointed out a stem holding a few small white flowers. “These are white bell flowers, an expression of gratitude.” 

She hummed. “I like those ones. They’re pretty.” 

He smiled and nodded, turning the bouquet. “Here are oak-leaved geraniums, meaning true friendship.” 

She tilted her head, scooting a bit closer to him for a better look at the pink petals. “How sweet,” she said, smiling. 

His ears went a little red. “The next one needs a bit of an explanation as to why I included it in your bouquet, but—”

“Wait, my bouquet?” she asked. 

“Yes, your bouquet,” he said, red spreading to his cheeks and across his nose. “Now let me continue.” 

“I… carry on, then.” 

His fingers ran over the flowers he’d been indicating once more. “Water willows are representative of freedom. You’re always running off to some place, despite all the rules you should follow, so… freedom.” 

She nodded beside him. “That makes sense.”

He continued on, explaining the reasoning of each flower there in her bouquet. Each one made her heart beat a little faster—he’d spent all that time, thinking of her, picking out exactly the right words to describe her and what she meant to him. It left her grinning like an idiot as she tried to remember each and every thing he said. None of the things he brought up trailed into the realm of romance, but she didn’t need it to. Not now, at least. It was perfect, just as it was. 

“And there you have it,” he said finally. “Your bouquet.” He held it out to her, tilting his head away from her a bit. 

“I… I don’t know what to say, Ominis,” she said, taking it from him and holding it gently. “This is… you’re too kind.” 

“You don’t need to say anything,” he said quickly. “I thought a… demonstration would be best, to help you learn about it. Sorry if I overstepped—”

“You didn’t overstep anything,” she said. “I’m just glad I at least have something to give you in return. I’m sorry it’s not a full bouquet, but it’ll have to do.”

She pulled out her tulip, which looked a little pitiful next to his varied display. But she pressed it into his hand. He felt up the stem gently, and then froze.

“Is… is this a tulip?” he asked quietly. “What color is it?”

She furrowed her brows at his reaction. “It is. It’s a variegated tulip.” 

He let out a breath he must have been holding, a small smile coming to his face. “Beautiful eyes,” he said softly. “Thank you.” 

She couldn’t help but think his smile had a strange tainted emotion behind it—one she couldn’t quite grasp. “You’re welcome. Sorry it isn’t much.”

He tilted his head in her direction. “It’s perfect.” 

-

She couldn’t help thinking about Ominis’s reaction to her tulip the rest of the day. Something about it bothered her—the way he froze up at first, the strange tension in his voice. 

It wasn’t until she looked back at her book on floriography she thought she understood why. 

She’d looked back at the page on the variegated tulip, trying to see if there was something she missed, when her eyes drifted up to the entry just above it. 

Tulip; Red - Declaration of Love. 

Her stomach churned. That had to be it. Ominis had no way of knowing what color tulip she had handed him. For all he knew, she’d been about to confess her feelings to him. 

But had he been full of dread or excitement?

She racked her brain, trying to recall every last detail of his words, he tones, his movements. But to no avail. She was just as clueless of his feelings for her as before

The coming days didn’t help, either. As much as she tried to observe the way he interacted with her, all she learned was… well, that she loved him. She already knew that, of course. But she kept being reminded of all the little reasons why. 

Like the way he whispered snarky jokes to her in class. The way he smiled so slightly when he was amused. The way he walked her to class, even it made him late to his own. Everything about him, really. 

She loved that he made the time to have one final lesson, right before N.E.W.T.S., too. 

Being so sure of her feelings now, she decided to take a risk. Which was why, before she left for the Black Lake, she tucked a red tulip into the pocket of her robes. 

Maybe she’d use it. It was still up for debate—but she’d have it ready if there was even a chance he might feel the same. 

When she arrived at their meeting spot, Ominis was fiddling with the flowers around him. Much like the first time, they laid sprawled out, ready to be dealt with one by one. She came and sat across from him, smiling. “Well, here I am, at my final lesson,” she said. 

He chuckled. “I hope I’ve been a sufficient teacher.”

“We’ll see if I pass the test.” 

He let the smile linger on his face for a moment before moving to one of the first flowers beside him. “I feel like I’ve done a proper job of informing you the uses of flora outside of romance—however, it doesn’t mean it’s still not a large part of it.” 

The flower he held twirled in his fingers. She felt her cheeks heat up a bit—no, she couldn’t get too excited about this. Just because they were talking about love and affection didn’t mean…

“I feel like it’s an important section to cover,” she said, still eyeing the flower he held—pink with drooping petals. 

He nodded. “Extremely. This one I’m holding is a bit… well, dramatic, I suppose. But it conveys the giver’s message pretty clearly. Justicia—the perfection of female loveliness.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Very clearly. I assume you only give it if you really mean to court someone?” 

“Precisely. Would you mind holding it for me?” 

Before she could reply, he pressed the stem into her hand, all but forcing her to take it. She grasped without much thought, as Ominis was already reaching for the next flower. He held up the cluster of small flowers, smiling. “Here we have Peruvian heliotrope. It signifies unwavering devotion.”

He held it out to her, and she took it without a word. He continued on, not missing a beat. The next thing he held was not a flower at all—but he was quick to explain. “Cedar leaf,” he said. “Perhaps not a flower like the others, but it expresses the proper messages. I… I live for thee.” 

There was a tone in his voice that had changed dramatically from when he was simply giving her explanations. A distinct shift that made it hard for her to breathe. One that made her hand feel like it was burning where his fingers brushed against his as he handed her the leaf. 

“Everlasting,” he named, holding a bright burst of yellow and orange petals, “Never-ceasing remembrance.” 

It was added to her growing bouquet. 

He picked up the final flower she saw, a lovely little pink thing, taking the shape of a ball. “Globe amaranth. It has two meanings. Immortality, for the first. But the one I’d like to emphasis is unfading love.”

She sucked in a breath. The petals shook a bit, resulting from his trembling hand. Before he handed it to her, he reached behind him, pulling out a flower that he had let lay concealed there. 

“You’ll recognize this one,” he said softly. She did. The flower he had given her on that very first lesson—the one he told her she’d learn about in due time. It seemed that the time had come. “Honey flower. Love sweet and secret.” 

He felt the same. He had this entire time. He’d sat with her, day after day of studying and laughing, all the while letting his heart beat for her. It filled with with a joy she had never known—one she was determined to never let go off. 

She looked up at his face, jaw tense, and she realized her silence at his confession must be excruciating. She reached forward, taking the flowers from his hands and adding it to her perfect collection before setting it aside. “You mean it, Ominis?” she asked, hoping she had not taken this all ridiculously out of turn. It was relief when he answered in a quiet voice. 

“Every word.” 

She grinned, taking one of his hands in her own before reaching for the pocket of her robe. The flower was still intact—a small miracle she was glad had occurred. “You’ve been an absolutely amazing teacher,” she said, guiding his hand to take the tulip. He wrapped his fingers around it, brows furrowing. “For one, I now know how important colors are when it comes to deciphering meanings.”  She leaned closer, voice coming out as almost a whisper. “I’ve brought another tulip for you. But this one is red.” 

His face lit up in an instant, lips reaching up to spread into the most beautiful smile. The flower was set aside, for his hands found something much more important to do. He placed them on either side of her face, fingers tracing over her cheeks. She held his wrists, letting him lead her closer and closer, until there was no distance left at all. 

The breeze blew softly over them, carrying the floral scent with it. She’d love that smell for the rest of her life, she was sure—because it would always remind her of the way his lips felt on hers. 

[d3adbr3inc3lls]

could you do a post-dlc kiean x GN reader? the reader has a deadpanned expression most of the time, causing others to avoid them in belief they're mad or upset, but in reality they're pretty friendly and humurous to those they choose to interact with. 

i love your writing btw, keep it up!! ^_^

Post DLC!Kieran x Deadpanned!Reader

You often had a deadpanned expression on your face which lead people to make assumptions about you, causing them to avoid you.

Were you actually as intimidating and as threatening as your deadpanned expression made people think,? Nope. You were a really friendly person, you just didn't have the energy to keep up a friendlier face (or your genes made it hard for you).

Enter Kieran.

You never really met him face-to-face, (you were too busy having your nose stuck in your notes, climbing the ranks, or you were out doing other things, constany missing him).

You've heard that he became rather humble after everything that has happened to him.

But in all honesty, you weren't too sure. You haven't seen him around since he got defeated and apparently he's taking a break from school becuase of his mental health.

The two of you met whilst you were going to Paldea with your family, you literally bumped into him in a store.

You could immediately tell that he was intimidated by you, your constant deadpanned expression doesn't do you justice, it just makes things worse.

"I'm so sorry-" you quickly say as you lift your face in an attempt to make yourself look less intimidating to the poor person you knocked over.

Despite you trying to have a friendlier face, he felt a bit intimidated by you. He always knew you as someone he should probably not mess with.

Extending your hand, you recognise the familiar deep purple hues of the stranger's hair as he took your hand to help himself stand up before immediately letting go.

You two exchanged some words before he had to leave because his sister was calling him.

The next time you two meet, was at school, you had just ranked up enough to fight the elite 4,

He was amazed by your skills, you were a powerful trainer, and he admired the work you put into training your pokémon.

The two of you hit it off a bit better this time, he challenged you to a battle in which he obviously won, but it was a fun one neithertheless.

The more he got to know you, the less he felt "afraid" of you (intimidated might be a better word),

He got to see the side that only the people who are brave enough to talk to you see,

Over time, the two of you grew closer, and became good friends,

I can imagine him having 'scary dog privileges' due to your deadpanned face.

No-one even dared to bully or poke fun at him because you were there.

You guys were inseperable. You were really close friends, so it felt natural when he gave you an Applin to confess his crush on you.

A/N: Tysm,,, btw sorry if it sucks, I'm writing this at midnight and/or whilst I'm sick... (It's been a week and I'm still sick chat...)

Whether you're familiar of the Galarian culture or not, he verbally confessed aswell.

I can't imagine Carmine being too happy to hear the news. She's probably afraid that you'd hurt Kieran,

But both you and Kieran know that you'd never hurt him.

[real-team-luster]

Dragon-type ask game

It's been a while since my last ask game, I'm sure you were all just as eager for the next one as I am. As always, please feel free to ask me any of these questions.

Dratini/Dragonair/Dragonite - What's the rarest Pokemon you've ever seen?

Kingdra - In what ways do you feel you are superior to others? (Be honest!)

Vibrava/Flygon - Do you consider yourself to have a good singing voice? Or at least a decent one?

Altaria - Do you enjoy cloud-gazing?

Bagon/Shelgon/Salamence - Name one key event in your life that helped you "come out of your shell", so to speak, and shaped you as a person.

Latias/Latios - Do you ever wish you could move somewhere where you could be well and truly alone, or does the very idea unsettle you?

Rayquaza - How often do you go flying?

Gible/Gabite/Garchomp - If people find you intimidating, how warranted is that? If people find you otherwise, are they right to?

Dialga/Palkia/Giratina - Any myths/legends that particularly captivate you?

Axew/Fraxure/Haxorus - Are you naturally an irritable sort of person?

Druddigon - What is your worst bad habit?

Deino/Zweilous/Hydreigon - Do you ever get mistaken to be another person's sibling? If so, who is it?

Reshiram/Zekrom/Kyurem - What are your thoughts on the idea of Pokemon fusion? Is it ethical or not?

Dragalge - Do you like the ocean?

Tyrunt/Tyrantrum - Would anyone ever dare refer to you as "spoiled?"

Goomy/Sliggoo/Goodra - Are you more of a lover than a fighter?

Noibat/Noivern - How interested are you in music?

Zygarde - How far would you go for the sake of protecting the planet?

Turtonator/Drampa - When you get angry, are you prone to destroying/damaging things?

Jangmo-o/Hakamo-o/Kommo-o - Do you consider honor to be a major factor in your life?

Guzzlord - Are you a big eater?

Poipole/Naganedel - Have you ever considered medicine as a career choice?

Applin/Flapple/Appletun - What's your favorite dessert?

Dracozolt/Dracovish - Worst mistake you've ever mad? (As bad as you're comfortable sharing.)

Dreepy/Drakloak/Dragapult - Are you at all interested in archaeology?

Eternatus - What does the idea of "eternity" mean to you?

Regidrago - One project, idea, goal, or other passion you left unfinished, for whatever reason.

Cyclizar - Favorite mode of transporation?

Tatsugiri - Would your friends call you a sneaky sort of person?

Frigibax/Arctibax/Baxcalibur - When were you the most underwhelmed?

Roaring Moon - Most violent wild Pokemon you've ever encountered?

Koraidon/Miraidon - What's something in your past you look back on fondly/something coming up in your future that you anticipate?

Walking Wake - If you had the ability to walk on water, what would you do with it?

Archaludon - Ever helped to build something with your own two hands? How did it make you feel?

Dipplin/Hydrapple - Are you good at working within a team?

Gouging Fire - Is defense or offense more important to you?

Raging Bolt - Have you ever been made fun of your height, or lack thereof?

[pure-incense]

I'm leaving the shelter for the day soon and I don't know what it is, but today there sure were. People that came in. Here's a list of things that happened today in no particular order.

Someone came in asking to look through the dark types. We told them that many dark types are harder to raise pokemon, and have higher danger class ratings. Asked to see their trainer id. They refused, and tried to steal an employee's Purrloin. They were not successful.

Spent 20 minutes explaining to someone that water types do not just make water out of literally nothing, instead having large stores of water they can use to attack on top of supporting themselves. I should note, they did not think they were just combining the hydrogen and oxygen around them to make the water. No. They thought the pokemon just summoned water from wherever and argued with me for the full 20 minutes. They were a water type specialist with high placement battle records proving at least 15 years of experience with the type.

Visitor was looking for a fairy type. Decided to spend some time with a Ralts. Ralts decides it's had enough interaction for the day, and teleports away. Visitor then gets upset at us and tells us that we should "punish [the Ralts] for being a coward." Ma'am it is a Ralts.

Someone let a Mandibuzz out and I had to get it back into the aviary.

Three seperate people dropped Applin off. We are in Unova. Applin are not native. Please do not impulsively get people a whole pokemon as a gift, especially if you are having it transported from another region.

Got hit by an amoongus' spore. Twice.

A whole grown woman threw what I can only call a tantrum because she was told that her child could not pet a zweilous for his own safety. The kid was not even close to being as upset.

An Absol we've had for a while now named Timothy finally got adopted to a good home. Being a very stigmatized against dark type and an amputee, it was assumed Timothy would likely never be adopted but today nice family came in and decided to bring the Absol home with them! I thought you'd need a good thing that happened today as a a little cleanser.

[quillpokebiology]

GUYS GUYS LOOK

My mom lives in the Wild Area and has a large garden, which attracts a lot of Pokemon. Most of the time it's Skwovet or Applin or Blipbug, but sometimes, she gets something really interesting, like this Espeon! As you've probably guessed right now, it's not a standard Espeon. But, I'm not going to tell you what it's mixed with, you'll have to guess yourself 👀 (I'm making a post explaining the breed, dw!).

//Og image from Pinterest

[mrclairdycat]

HUMAN THINGS THAT WOULD SHOCK/CONFUSE WALLY DARLING: A THREAD.

Slight gore warning, I think?

People waxing and plucking their hair.

Nail art. He would love it.

Tumblr. If you gave him tumblr he would end up scrolling all day to see art, and spam post his own. I'm sure he would also feel obliged to comment under every post to compliment the art, he's such a nice little fella

Organs. He would find them silly and interesting. You would show him pictures of organs and he would ask things like:"do you have different colored organs? Can I see yours?"

The fact that we have to go to the bathroom? Imagine being like: "Yeah whenever we consume things we need to make it go out of our bodies aswell." He would be like: "... Neat." He would then play by flushing the toilet numerous times, he would find it fun. He probably would end up clogging it up because he tries to see how many things it can flush.

Human teeth.

Iphones. He would like it since the logo is an apple. He wouldn't play with the phone he would just add it to his collection of apple things.

Videogames? He thinks that the character in the screen is real and he's controlling them. You explain how they don't exist. "How can you be sure about that?" he asks, "cause we make them, they're just codes." "But how can you be sure they just dont know they're alive since they can't tell you?" he asks again: you start rethinking the many times you tortured characters in The Sims.

Pokemon. He would think the creatures are real too. He would lose his shit to Applin. He would ask: "Can I have him?" and you'll buy him the plushie and say they don't live here cause you don't have the heart to tell him it doesn't exist.

Certain animals?? He would be confused on why don't they speak. He sees them as people, he would be like "Why did you lick me? That's weird," to a dog... and then lick him back cause he thinks its a human world thing. You say:"thats just how he communicates affection, " and he would start licking people too to show his affection in this language.

Emojis. If he started messaging he would spam emojis. Probably thinks audio messages are like calls, and you're left with a spam of audio messages that are like: "Hello? Hellooo? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Digital art. He would look in awe. "I have unlimited colors? That's fun."

Sensory videos. He would be like an ipad kid. His face is on the screen watching the videos all day. ShApeS anD CoLoRs.

Sensory toys. He would love them aswell.

Deodorant. "We spray this on our armpits," you say. "Why?" he asks. "Because we sweat and produce smelly liquids," you reply. "... Ew."

Showers. He would be like a cat, he would hate showers at first. He doesn't understand why you would want to be wet. You would then randomly find him standing in the shower with an intense fixiated look on his face as the warm/hot water pours down on him. He likes the feeling.

Speaking about warmness, he would absolutely love how warm humans are. He would just randomly hug you cause he likes how warm and comforting it feels. Probably would like sleeping with you aswell and cuddle.

Human movies and tv shows. He would think those are things happening for real. You explain that it's like theatre. "... Wow, your theatre is very realistic," he says.

Wars. He would be so confused. "Why would you hurt your neighbours? That's bad, just discuss things pacifically." Probably would make him sad. He wants everyone to be friends and an happy community.

Meat. I'm pretty sure in Welcome Home they only eat fruits and vegetables? Idk. He would ask:"Since humans are also animals, do you eat eachoth-" "No. That's illegal," you reply. "... What's an illegal?" he asks. "It's a rule: humans are prohibited from eating each other," you respond. "... Since I'm not a human can I eat one-" "NO."

People making out. He would stare at them. He finds it gross but interesting, he doesn't view it as a intimate sexual thing just a weird thing human do.

Certain social rules. Why can't you just say hi to someone and speak to them as if they're your friend? Why is it rude to stare?

An apple factory. Like the fruit. So... many... apples. He would be sad some apples get thrown away and tries to 'save' them.

Blood. You would try to explain it, he understands it as just red water circuling inside your body. He would play with blood or finger paint with it and won't understand why that is an horrifying image.

Spotify. Unlimited music?? You can save your favourites to listen to them whenever you want? Wow.

Pollution. He would go crazy and blow up. WHY WOULD YOU HARM AND LITTER YOUR HOME?? AAAARGH!!

Homeless people. You're telling me there are people who don't have a home? Everyone needs a home! Why don't they give them a home?!

Preschool. A place where you spend your entire day fingerpainting, reading books, making stuff and dancing? All of the things he loves the most. He would infiltrate into one, the teacher would probably call the police, he would get asked questions. He just wanted to have fun too....

Discovering that in grammar saying "the most" without anything else is just incorrect and doesn't make sense. He doesn't like being corrected about it. It's his thing. Don't correct him.

Cuss words. He would be shocked at how many cuss words he hears daily: watch your profanity.

Space?? People being on planets?? His mind would blow up.

Birth. You... make humans?? You create yourself? What do you mean they grow inside of you? How? Does it just randomly happen? You would rather die than teach him about sex. You say that you were kidding and a stork brings the babies for those who want one, it's their job. "Ohhh, that makes more sense," he says. Then he sees a cat or dog giving birth and just implodes.

Therapists. He would like them cause they would be the closest thing to his neighbours. He doesn't understand, however, why they demand to get paid for being friendly.

History. You're telling me there was a time when your kind didn't exist? And you know that because of just... history? How? What??

Earrings. To him it just looks like you're stabbing yourself.

[pokemonshelterstories]

Hey, a fellow humane society worker here! (Not Paldean though, I work at a smaller one over at Flocessy Town, Unova) And apologies for using your ask box to get this out to more people, but this needs to be said.

With Easter coming up in like a month over here in Unova (I doubt you guys in Paldea celebrate it), PLEASE for the love of Arc and everything that is holy, DO NOT ADOPT A POKEMON LIKE SCORBUNNY, BUNNELBY, AND ESPECIALLY BUNEARY IF YOU ARE NOT OR CAN NOT TAKE CARE OF IT!!!

We already are swamped enough coming off our yearly Applin intake from Valentines, but having so many Buneary, Bunnelby, and the occasional Scorbunny dumped on us because people adopt them as an "Easter Pokémon" and then quickly find out that they aren't able to properly take care of them.

I kid you not, I have at least two or three broken ribs per year because of Bunearys alone. And small side tangent about Buneary, do not go and adopt them just because they're cute. Contrary to what you think, they will not love you almost immediately. Just because they evolve via friendship, doesn't mean that they will make it easy for you. In reality they are highly territorial, easily angered, and tremendously stubborn Pokémon. So please DO YOUR ARC DAMN RESEARCH! No matter what time of year it is you're looking to adopt. Sincerely, every single humane society and shelter worker in existence. (Apologies again, Charlie!)

oh, dude, i totally get it. we've gotten our share of easter bunnelby and scorbunny, since kalos and galar aren't too far and easter is a huge holiday in paldea. thankfully we don't see many buneary, since they're definitely the hardest to care for in a shelter. i would never let a volunteer handle one- and i'd DEFINITELY never give one to a child to take care of.

this also extends to easter ducklett and torchic. i'm so thankful for our local farmers who help us foster the inevitable influx of the poor little guys after easter.

[choccy-milky]

I just wanted to say that your art and your fic are divine, and I'm obsessed every time you post. 😭🫶 Huge, adoring fan. Thank you for sharing Clora and all your work with us.

AA TY APPLIN💖💖😭😭i love your posts too and your top quality memes BAHHA also the amount of stuff you write for the fandom?? i am on my knees you have done us all a SERVICE🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️i unfortunately havent read anything yet bc i wanna be done with my fic before i do, but im looking forward to the backlog of stuff ill be able to read from so many ppl in the fandom once i am💕🙏 THANK U AGAIN💖

@limonnitsa LMFAOO THIS IS SO TRUE DAMN, IT WASNT EVEN INTENTIONAL, EVEN MY USERNAME HAS LIGHT/DARK THEMES...OMG

CHOCOLATE MILK THE GOAT💯💯💯ey gurl can i be the choccy to ur milky😏😏😏👉👉👉

is 4 me...?😳👉👈 AND AW TYY🥺 IM GLAD U THINK SO💖💖 i am always happy to serve and keep fuelling the delulu seb train, for as long as my hyperfixation fuels me💪✏️ ngl this entire month of april has honestly been pretty meh and ive been in kinda a rough place mentally BUT im going to my moms at the beginning of may so hopefully bein around family and stuff will help🙏ty for asking tho and i hope ur doin good as well!! IM ALSO GLAD U THINK SO/LIKE CLORA💖😭it makes me die a little inside whenever i see someone say shes my self insert bc we could NOT be any more different in both looks/personality and i rly tried to make her her own person...but damn i wish i was gentle and demure like her but NAH BITCH IM LOUD AND GREEK AND ANNOYING AF bAHAHA🤪 and i also think shes the perfect match for seb and for me SO THANK YOU AGAIN LMAO😇💖 @cloudnessvi

[dipplinduo]

Dang it!! I just read chapter 6, and while my heart broke at the end, I loved that Kieran was fighting that thing's hold over him! And the part that said he'd love and protect Juliana until the end of his days, it got me so hard that I'm still reeling in from it!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME!!!!

THANK YOU THIS IS HOW I WRITE KIERAN!!! I SNEAK HIS BIG REALIZATIONS IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS THOUGHT PROCESSES BECAUSE HES USUALLY TOO STUPID/STRAINED/STUBBORN TO FULLY FEEL HIS FEELINGS BUT THEY'VE BEEN THERE AND THEY'VE BEEN FELT ALL ALONG

No seriously though, this was legit a deliberate approach from the beginning. These are just some of my favorite moments I've written that communicate his feelings in this way:

[Cafeteria re-encounter scene, after temporarily breaking his gaze on Juliana & snapping at Drayton]: His eyes moved back to where they should be.

[When grabbing Juliana in his room per Drayton]: "He was as swift as his temper, pulling what he wanted toward him with the claw of his dominant grip."

[Yearning for Juliana after hugging her]: She felt like glass, so easy to shatter and in need of protection.

[When Juliana's crying after finding him in the cavern]: He had endured so much anger, so much burning fire and so much pain. But nothing hurt more than making her cry...He was holding a breaking girl, and he didn’t know how to fix her. 

[When overhearing students gossip about him & Juliana]: He heard them whispering about Juliana, wondering who she was. He also heard them debating if they were an item. It unnerved him, but in another sense, he felt pride.

[When Kieran is threatened by Sour Applin gaurding Juliana LMAO]: The pathetically hued, rusty-looking thing didn’t intimidate him. He’s had all sorts of pokemon and people test his patience - test to see if he deserves to have what truly belongs to him -

YOUR HONOR,,, THEY BOTH HAVE FEELINGS FOR THE OTHER AND THEY BOTH FINALLY FUCKIN' KNOW IT (NOW IMAGINE IF THEY KNEW THE FEELINGS WERE RECIPROCATED-) ALSO: I WILL PLAY WITH YOUR FEELS WITH THIS FIC BUT YOU WILL GET A HAPPY ENDING I PROMISE TYSM <3 <3 <3 LOL

[celestialholz]

The apple of my eye (or 'oh good, there's ANOTHER one')

*yeets into the conversation a week late with Starbucks*

Sorry, sorry. Been trying to save a dukedom from a giant brain and live my best happily ever with a vampire twink. Very distracting.

But anyway, I haven't even gotten the boys in my clubroom yet, so more analysis incoming, but I have finished Indigo Disk's main story, and I couldn't help but notice something deeply awful when fighting our little buddy Kieran.

... Oh god THEY'RE MULTIPLYING. How many apples do we need? How much more homosexuality does this game need? (Yes. The answer is 'yes.')

Meet Hydrapple everyone, the latest gay marriage mascot. Truly wish you all could've seen my face when. And it evolves from the last gay marriage mascot! I have quickly become homophobic again, how do they keep managing this?!

So, naturally, we need to break this loveable bastard and its symbolism down, or I might have to start passing the meta queen crown off to someone else. (I vote @prince-kallisto. Friend spare me. 🤣)

Well, we'll begin with the obvious: this thing is a hydra, a multiple-headed dragon in Greek myth. This one in particular has seven, so says the all-knowing dex:

But we'll do the seven part in a minute. The one major thing you should all know is that in most tales, removing one of this thing's heads respawns two in its place - and killing one of these creatures was the second labour of Hercules, the God of Strength. There's that fucking number two again in connection with our boys...

And now, let's take the Greek and easternize it to our lovely Japanese creators with the number seven.

Seven in Japanese culture, like in the western, is seen as a lucky number, and also the number symbolising the cycle of life and death.

... Which, if you recall, is a running theme with our silly men.

Get your life saved, idiot. Be lucky. 🥰

There are also Seven Gods of Fortune in Buddhism, Japan's primary religion. And there's one that rings more than a few ceremonial bells - Fukurokokuju. Bit of a Buddhist lore deepcut here for you:

> He is the god of wisdom, luck, longevity, wealth and happiness. Moreover, he is the only god who was said to have the ability to resurrect the dead. Fukurokuju is characterized by the size of his head, being almost as large as the size of his whole body.

... Hmm. Wisdom, happiness. Luck. 'Resurrecting.' The one that has a large head, like our good pal Hydrapple here... it's all very interesting, isn't it, how it ties together?

And all this goes a long way to explaining the evolution method of this fun little apple-y bastard. Because in order to be lucky, to be brought back to life, to heal and to love and to find yourself... one must have support. A cheerleader, if you will. Not one with pom-poms (although slay Hass babes, you'd look great in that drip), but one cheering you on. Always being in your corner.

... And here we find Dragon Cheer, Hydrapple's evolution move. Brassius can pursue his dreams as passionately as he likes, because there's always a husband at his side to be on his side.

It's a whole narrative, my friends. We have the romantic gift of the Applin; we have the adorableness of the Flapple, and its dusk portrait; we have the total harmony of Dipplin...

... And now we have the result of that harmony. Look, it's even running away from the Ice of the Polar Biome, a type both Grass and Dragon can't stand. The emotional cold.

Y'know, I'm sure someone would have DM'd me by now if Hass and Brass' clubroom banter confirmed their marriage, so I'm going to assume that isn't a thing.

... But at the same time, it's definitely a thing. All you have to do is read the narrative, darlings.

[spaceyaceface]

Helloooooo!

I'm absolutely swooning over those confession prompts.

If you're accepting requests and you feel so inclined to write this one, may I please request number 6 for Sebastian?

I would love to see your take on it.

Thanks so so much applins!!! I hope you enjoy it, lovely <3 I had too much fun writing this one haha

6 - "are you really so oblivious?"

Warnings: None!

Link to prompt list

She was driving him mad.

Everything about her perfect. Well, except maybe how bloody thick her skull was.

Sebastian was a natural flirt. He had girls fawning for him left and right, and was used to the whispers and giggles hidden behind hands as he walked by. He had thought for a long while that charm had ensnared the one girl he was actually interested in. However, it was becoming more and more unclear with each passing day.

He'd stopped flirting with other girls. She didn't seem to notice that he only had eyes for her, no matter how he complimented her hair or her eyes or even her lovely lips, she didn't take a hint. (He had to stop himself from thinking that maybe she just didn't want to take a hint.)

With the Yule Ball coming up, he decided to give one last try before just spitting it out bluntly.

He plopped down in his seat beside her in the library---the one he always sat in, the one that was just a bit closer than where a mere friend would sit. "You excited for the ball?" he asked, drawing her attention away from the textbook in front of her.

"Oh, right. The ball." She frowned a bit. "I am looking forward to it, but I haven't been asked yet."

Sebastian gave a small smile. "Really? A girl pretty as you can't go without a date."

She blushed a bit, looking back down at her textbook.

Sebastian sighed. He was already losing her. "I haven't asked anyone yet."

"Yet? Is there someone you're planning to ask?"

"That's actually what I came here to do."

She looked around the library, and Sebastian realized she was trying to scout out who he had come to ask. "Do you like her? Is she nearby?"

Oh my god he had fallen in love with an idiot.

"Are you really..." He trailed off, letting out a sigh and rubbing his hands over his face. "Yes, I like her. A lot. Though she can't seem to get that into her head. Are you really so oblivious?"

She shifted in her seat. What was that look on her face? Disappointment? Because she still thought he was going on about someone else. "I mean, you've never mentioned liking some girl before, so--"

Sebastian couldn't help himself. It was all so ridiculous. He burst out in a loud laugh, making Scribner glare at the pair of them. He quieted down to a chuckle. "Would you please just say yes to going to the ball with me?"

Her jaw dropped. All of the flirting, the back and forth, was so worth it to see the stunned expression on her face. "Me?" she said softly, recovering from her shock.

"Of course you. It never was anyone else."

Her expression morphed into a grin. "I'd love to go, Sebastian."

Finally.

[moonxpalace]

While travelling in Galar, Ash learned that giving someone an Applin means you confess your feelings and ensures a happy future together. Ash didn't ponder much about this information through the years, well, until the first Valenine's day with his girlfriend was drawing closer.

Ash and Iris have been going out secretly for a couple of months. We all know Ash isn't super romantic, so Iris wasn't expecting anything. She simply looked forward to spend her day off with her boyfriend. So, imagine her surprise when Ash showed up with not one, but three Applins to express his love for her (because of Applin's three different evolution lines!) There really was no need for words (Iris was speechless, anyways). I'm pretty sure Iris' heart burst that day 😭💕

Ever since then, the Dragon-type trio had a special place in Iris' team!

Thank you @satoaiandsonaze and @zeldriszezinho for letting me borrow your brilliant ideas!

Happy Valentine's day to all 💕

[arvensimp]

Ohhhhhhh mommy god, I love him. I want more shy arven dialogue. How about he ask you on a date or cooking together at his dorm?

Thank you and sure!! So this kinda turned into something way longer than that lolol but I hope you like it anyway! Also fwiw I'm not going to be writing any content w arven at school as a student just because I want it explicitly stated that he's a graduate. That said we do have him cooking at home!

2 + 1

As in, two times Arven tries and fails to ask you out and one time he cooks for you and it seems to go pretty well?

Arven x reader (no gendered pronouns used) cw for some jealous arven

--

He keeps hyping himself up for nothing, and it's starting to get frustrating at this point.

Arven is determined to ask you out. On a date. Properly.

It's not his fault you're, like, one of the most well-liked people in the country or whatever. Geez.

First he'd caught up with you in Cortondo, purely by coincidence. He thought, hey, it'd be nice to grab some pastries together, then maybe you could sit together and watch the sunset over the fields...maybe hold hands? In reality, it went a bit more like this.

"H-hey! Little buddy!" Arven called as he jogged to catch up with you. The sound of his voice stopped you in your tracks.

"Hey, big buddy!" You replied, pulling him into a hug that Arven did his best not to melt into.

"Funny bumping into you here. Say, would you, uh... Maybe? Well, have you tried... There's this place I heard about here..." As he's fumbling over his words, which isn't entirely caused by the fact that you're smiling up at him so sweetly and wonderfully, and just, ugh, did you have to look at him like he was so...so...worthy?

"Well, hello, champion!" A voice startles Arven from continuing on. Some woman dressed in a patisserie get-up was approaching the two of you.

"Katy!" You greet her with a hug too, and he knows it's dumb, but Arven laments a little internally when it seems like there's no difference between the hug you give her and the one you gave him.

"What brings you to Cortondo today?" She asks you, smiling kindly. Her eyes flit with some strange sense of...something. Knowing? To Arven, then back to you. "A date?"

You both blush applin red immediately, but Arven is too lost in his own thoughts and the sound of the ocean suddenly flooding his ears to pick up on how you reply.

He thinks he sees Katy giggle, and he then he's being led by the arm to the same patisserie he'd been hoping to ask you to.

A few minutes later, the two of you are walking away from Katy's establishment with an assorted box of treats, provided on the house to Katy's favorite little champion, and Arven's fairly certain the both of you are still in a daze.

He doesn't even get to hold your hand like he'd want to ask.

Ugh! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

The next time is a week or so later in Medali. He's ready to try to ask you out again, and he has a location set. This time he KNOWS. This restaurant isn't owned by a gym leader. So it should be safe. He checked.

"Howdy!" He calls out, drawing your attention away from the pokemon egg you were currently polishing. Howdy? Ugh. What was he? Some backwoods Unovan?

"Arven!" You greet him with that same beaming smile, and he feels his knees go a little wobbly under the weight of his massive backpack.

"Whatcha got there?" He asks you, gesturing to the egg. It looks like it's wiggling a tiny bit. Surely that thing is going to hatch soon.

"Oh!" You look back to the egg in your hands and stroke it softly, and the sweetness in your eyes as you look at the unborn thing just about kills Arven. He has to clench and unclench his fists to prevent himself from reaching out to touch you. "So, Jacq has me doing some kinda, like...genetics? Fieldwork? Thing? I promised I'd do a check-in with its dad though."

"O-Oh... Its dad?" Somehow, Arven felt his heart break in two. He has no claim on you. Of course. He knows that. Heck. This pokemon isn't even YOURS, biologically speaking. Obviously. But like. Still? Are you, like with the owner of the egg's stud or something?

"Yeah..." You trail off. "I'm supposed to meet up with him, but... I dunno about you. I'm getting kinda hungry. Do you wanna--?"

Arven jumps. "Grab food? Yes! W-with you? Yes! I-! I know a place. It's near here. I can take you. Let's go!" In his haste, he takes your forearm and pulls without thinking, making you stumble and lose your grip on the egg.

It's out of your grasp and tumbling before you can think, and Arven's stomach sinks while his heart lurches into his throat.

He's the one who takes the dive.

Well. It's not a dive, really, just a bit of a lean. He catches himself on his knee, but most importantly, he catches the pokemon egg safely in his hands.

He kneels there with it a moment, mouth agape, not unlike a Goldeen, before slowly looking over to you.

"I'm...so...sorry...!"

To your credit, you're trying not to make a scene. Rather than yell, you get up close and gently remove the egg from Arven's arms. "What were you thinking?!" You hiss under your breath.

Arven deflates and genuinely feels like a kicked puppy. "I wasn't..."

"C'mon," You corral him, still speaking in soft, angry tones, helping him to his feet with one hand while carrying the egg gently with your other arm. "Let's find food."

You end up leading him to the same place he'd actually meant to take you. Small goddamn world that it is.

You both step inside the Treasure Eatery and take a seat at a booth.

"The grilled rice balls are a real favorite here," You offer, still somewhat miffed, but otherwise trying to make pleasant conversation. You then take out your rotom phone and start typing.

"O-Oh...okay. I'll give those a try then." Arven sits in silence for a bit, not quite feeling comfortable enough to dawdle on his phone.

A few minutes after the waiter takes your orders, Arven senses someone approach your table from behind.

"Pardon me."

You perk up immediately, standing and once again hugging the newcomer, who turns out to be a tall, rather plainly dressed man clad in a stiff black suit, a blue tie just barely loosened around his neck.

"Larry!" You greet, thoroughly enthused by his presence.

"Hush," he chides you softly but not unkindly. "If you get loud people might start bugging either of us for a battle, and I've done enough work for the week already."

"Larry, it's Tuesday."

"I know." He says, disentangling himself from you before taking a seat inside the booth, next to your bag. You sit on the other side of him.

"Oh! So, there's the--"

"The egg," Larry says, softly and simply, and this is the closest Arven has seen to a smile from him. His massive bushy eyebrows seem to unknit just a bit and his mouth relaxes as Larry removes the egg from the cradle you made for it from your bag.

"It's making noises in there. Can you hear?" He asks you, holding it up gently for you to press your ear against.

"Oh my gosh! You're right!" You excitedly wiggle in your seat.

Larry finally seems to acknowledge Arven and holds the egg over to him with a gesture giving him permission to have a listen, too.

Arven flushes furiously and shakes his head. "A-aah...n-no thanks..." God. This Larry guy was at least twice your age, why was he so jealous of how happy you were with him? That hug? And the egg? Were you seriously breeding with this guy? Like, pokemon breeding? Clearly not. Right? Yeah. Right. ....right?

Arven took a long sip of his water to distract himself from fuming green thoughts of envy.

"S-so...You're the dad?" He asks.

Larry looks up from the egg which he'd taken back to cradle comfortingly in his arms and gives a half smile, half snort.

"Grandpa, more-like. Jacq wanted to do research on dudunsparce, and the boss offered mine up as stud. I'll probably let my kid raise this one," He gestures to the egg, "once the scientists are all done with it. I just wanted to give my Pokemon a chance to see and be near it. Scents and nurturing and all that."

"I'm just involved for the warmth, step count, and ferrying service to the lab and back." You chime in happily. "But since it's so close to hatching, we figure it should be with its parents now and for the first bit of its life, ya know?"

"Oh..." Arven isn't quite sure what else to say. He doesn't exactly feel better, but maybe he does? Or maybe he's frustrated that he felt jealous? Or still feels kinda jealous?

His gaze falls into his lap and he sits quietly while you talk animatedly with Larry until the food arrives, and you get distracted with stuffing your face (adorably, he has to admit, dammit).

Without you to distract him, Larry looks back to Arven.

"Sorry. I didn't get the chance to ask your name." He offers his hand over the table.

"O-oh!" That jostles him a bit out of his funk. Arven sets down his silverware and shakes Larry's hand. "I'm Arven, sir."

"Mm." Larry nods his assent, taking back his hand and going back to eating. He jerks his head toward you. "This one's mentioned you before."

You splutter, silverware clattering against your plate. "Larry!" If Arven didn't know better, he'd say you were turning red.

"Yup. Pretty crazy about you. Talks about you aaaaaall the time." He says in a complete deadpan.

"He's lying! I talk about all my friends. A normal amount!" You insist, and Arven's certain now that you're definitely a cherubi red from your nose to your ears.

If Arven has also started going red, he wouldn't entirely know. He's currently focused on the sound of rushing water in his ears.

"I, uh... I-I think I'm gonna head out..." He takes out some cash from his wallet, puts it on the table, and leaves, weaving through the other customers as quickly as his bulky backpack allows.

He misses you crying at Larry for scaring Arven away. Larry can only laugh at your pain until someone recognizes you both and goads you into a battle.

Before you leave Medali that night, Larry claps your shoulder and tells you that you should check in with Arven, give him his money back too. He's a good guy.

You nod.

After that whole fiasco, the two of you lay low for several weeks, only sending the occasional meme or laugh reacting to something the other said in the group chat. It still sends a thrill down to Arven's toes to see a notification from you though.

/ayy im near the lighthouse. u around?/

His response is almost instant. Is that bad?

/not far. Why?/

/i like seeing ur face/ you drop a pin with your location.

He's on his way almost immediately, and it's almost sad how into you he is. He wants to scold himself. Like, he feels like he's being strung along, but he just can't help it.

When he finds you about a half hour or so later, you're perched in front of a caved-in cave? There are massive chains strewn on the ground, and your hair is mussed, but you seem otherwise fine.

"You, uh..." He swallows. "You good?"

"...yeah..." You're laying outstretched in front of the former-cave, eyes closed, an ultraball held loosely in your hand. "Just finished up a thing."

He slowly approaches you. "...Are you hungry?"

You exhale slowly through the nose and a smile dawns on your face. "Famished."

Your dragon actually ends up having to haul your sorry ass back to the lighthouse, but it's happy to bother Arven the entire way. Once you're there, you're able to shower and get yourself and your team nice and refreshed. When you come back out to the main living space, Arven's filled it with the smell of cooking food.

He certainly doesn't miss the way you moan as you enter the room.

"Oh my God, Arven!" He feels his ears heat up. "What are you making?"

"It's just some paella. Nothing crazy... I gathered some of the ingredients myself from nearby sources..."

"It smells so good!" You tell him, truthfully. "Can I help at all?" You start searching for an extra apron but don't find one.

"O-oh... Uh... Yeah. Sure? I guess? Um." He glances around the kitchen looking for a task for you. "Could you chop some of these herbs for me?" He gestures with his elbow to a small bowl he'd prepared earlier. "There's a knife in the drawer there, too, just be careful."

You hum a bit as you get to chopping. Some tuneless thing that Arven doesn't recognize, but he's never had much of an ear for music anyway.

"Uh..." He interrupts when he looks over to you. "C-could I actually...?" He gestures to the knife.

You look down confusedly. "Something wrong?"

"You're gonna cut yourself if you're not careful. See," Arven comes up behind you, and he's suddenly reminded of why he's always called you his little buddy. You're so much smaller than him. "If you're holding the--the herbs..." He swallows, and his mind goes a little blank, trying to remember what he was going to say. "Uh...your hands..."

"My hands?" You ask, holding them up, along with the herbs and the knife. That seems to snap him back a bit.

"Yeah. You want to be careful of your fingers... See, if you press the herbs down with a maschiff paw, rather than flat fingers..." He demonstrates, his arms encasing you. "You're less likely to cut yourself. Make sense?"

You copy his gesture. "It's not really intuitive, but I guess?" You give it a few test chops before Arven corrects your technique.

"No, see if you can do it more like a finizen jump rather than just straight up and down. 'Kay?"

"Hmm... Like this."

"You got it," He says, and you can hear the smile form on his lips before you look up to see it yourself.

You lock eyes, and Arven can already feel himself getting overwhelmed. He backs off immediately.

"G-great! You keep at that. We'll use the herbs as garnish for the paella. It'll be done in just a bit."

"W-wait!" You reply, probably a bit louder than strictly needed. You give him a bit of a funny look. "Did you already try some?"

Arven knits his brows together. "Of the paella? I mean, I tried a bit of the rice a few minutes ago to check the seasoning. Why?"

You approach him again, one hand goes to his upper arm to still him and the other reaches up. You sweep your thumb past the corner of his mouth, and when its within his sight again, Arven can see a yellow grain of rice that had clearly been stuck to his face.

You give a snort of a laugh, and before he can say anything, you pop the grain into your mouth. Arven pouts at you.

"Really?" He says, momentarily exasperated more than he is embarrassed, but it's a very close race. "C'mon, you're not gonna get any flavor like that."

"Yeah. You're right, I don't think I got any taste from that." You agree with a chuckle.

Arven's heart thuds hard in his chest as he has an idea.

It's now or never.

"L-...Let me fix that..?" He asks, leaning down a bit to get more on your level. He places his palm on your cheek and thinks he can feel it warm to his touch. His other hand is behind his back, granting you an easy exit; you can absolutely leave if you want. Arven tilts his head just slightly to the side, and his gaze is fixed firmly on your mouth. He's nearly there, but he won't push it.

You're the one who closes the distance between you.

He tastes delightful.

[asktheoger]

(@masked-vee) Grey Kid shifted in to their human illusion and sat next to Momo, and allowed Mouse to jump into his lap. "There's nothing wrong with being nerdy. I'm really good friends with this tiny nerd right here!" Grey smiles as he fluffs Mouse's hair, making the tiny Eevee hold on to his hand as a response. "You're a nerd too, Princess! You love astrology and fencing." Elizabeth laughed. "No denying that!" Grey smiles as he whispers something to the hilt that made her look regretful.

Momo blinked, gawking as he looked at Grey, then at Mouse, then at Grey again. “W-weren’t you like t-them a m-m-moment ago….W-wait!” His eyes seemed to somehow grow even wider. “Y-you’re from the festival! I…I….augh….” The Applin gripped his temples as he tried to process. “O-oh…” he mumbled, sitting up. “Um….you were trying to cheer me up, right…? I…I’m sorry, I…I got caught up on….whatever it is you did….that was….that was rude of me. But, um, thank you….that was really, really nice…”

- - -

Featuring Grey and Mouse from @masked-vee!