#kukui nut

[fieriframes]

[Little green onion and then sweet onion, red onion, limu, mango, local avocado, roasted kukui nut, Furikake, roast seaweed, sesame seeds, sea salt, sugar, and then we're gonna spice it up with some chili oil.]

[marshmellopie]

i love how as soon as i decided to start drawing spamton again via requests i got hit with multiple trucks including art block, changing hyperfixations, and school

anyhow uhhh,,, i'm back and it's birthing day ft. something i drew quickly 👍

I CAN FINALLY DRAW SPAMTON AGAIN (+hunter. me boy)

and also more spamtons i'm hoping to render because he invades my mind like a parasite

freak

[boomburstsofalola]

I really gotta start brainstorming ways to slide Queerplatonic Eternalhoneymoon into my DarkParadise chaos

Burnet WOULD have a ton of dirt on Kukui just through him talking to her about Guzma (Molayne giving her even more dirt due to knowing Kukui longer)

But also Guzma having a bit of a sulk due to assuming that it wasn't Queerplatonic since Kukui is quite a bit more openly affectionate and spends a fair bit of his free time at Burnet's lab (it's mostly him pestering her about remembering to have lunch)

Then Kukui dealing with two white haired gremlins who enjoy using him as their personal furnace

Throw in the concept of Guzma being from Circhester and Kukui's gonna be contemplating a lot of life choices because Guzma and Burnet know what a Pidove is like (friendly, adhd as fuck and a bit of an idiot) while he has absolutely no clue

[morethansalad]

Balinese Tempeh and Potato Curry (Vegan)

[thatpunnyperson]

Last night, my sister and I got home to her apartment in New York City and she pulled a jar of macadamia nuts out of her bag that we had gotten last Saturday at a farmer's market on Kaua'i, Hawaii, and I realized that those nuts had travelled about 5 thousand miles with us on two planes. Like, yeah, we also have various other things from the trip, but the glass jar of farmer's market mac nuts really hit me in the heart with the existential implications of this "buy local" "farm to table" labor of love that I would absolutely do again if it wasnt so expensive to fly across the continental United States and then half the width of the Pacific Ocean.

If plane tickets werent so expensive, I would 100% make flying to hawaii a regular thing for the sake of the delicious fruit and nuts and handmade goods we saw at the farmers markets. Like, fresh fruit is a little dicey because of the fruit insect problem (companies that import fruit from hawaii to the continental US have a special process that ensures the fruit doesn't bring invasive insects with it), but dried fruit? Processed nuts and chocolate and stuff? Totally allowed and also delicious. Genuinely so worth it to spend forever on a plane or two.

[darklinespectra]

Say what you will about Moana 2's pacing or format or music or whatever but....!!

The manu-o-Kū birds flying alongside Moana's canoe! Matangi's bats! The kukui nut lei and cowrie shell decorations!! The chanting! The haka! The tattoos!! The yellow hibiscus (Hawaii's state flower)!!! Maui pulling an island from the sea!!!! The depiction of even more Pacific Islanders!!!!!

They really popped off with the cultural aspect and Moana means so much to the people of Oceania <3

[desertdollranch]

Kanani feels so lucky to live in Hawaii where the weather is always perfect for playing outside. Today she's running around at the farmer's market, modeling a kukui nut lei made by her elderly friend Tutu Lani. Tourists and locals see the leis and want to buy one, and then Kanani directs them toward Tutu Lani's market booth.

[imarvelatstars]

Built to Fall

Pairing: Hunter x f!Reader

Word Count: 4.5k

Content: mutual pining, angst w/ a happy ending

Prompts: “You’re always on my mind.” | “Why can’t you see that it’ll always be you?”, inspired in part by Young the Giant's “Mind Over Matter” + jewelry for for the clone bingo event by @karttaylir-darasuum

this was originally posted for the bad batch reader exchange as a gift for @/221bshrlocked

“You’re getting better. You might end up better than me one day.”

Omega’s nose crinkles playfully. “I’m not sure Tech would call that a good use of my skillset.”

“Well, Tech’s not here. Arts and crafts are way more fun than ship schematics anyway.”

“You’ve got that right,” she says, and you think she sounds just like her brothers.

She’s a smart kid, probably the smartest kid you’ve ever met, so she catches on to new things fast. Her fingers are agile and quick, and her mind is always running. How she hasn’t outsmarted the entire island by now is a mystery to you.

Today’s lesson, if you can call spending time with the sweetest and funniest soul in the galaxy a lesson, is learning how to string kukui nuts and shells into a necklace. There are plenty others who have mastered this art, who craft elegant strands of nuts and shells that look more like art than mere jewelry, and Omega is definitely better at it than you are, but it makes you smile, gives you something to do when your hands are restless and your mind is prone to wonder. And it helps that you can barter with your nicer pieces.

The waves roll gently up and down the shore, bubbling over the rocks and soaking the sand that’s crumpled up by your feet. There aren’t many seashells left, which means you’ll have to go hunting for more soon. You’re just about to suggest it when an embarrassingly loud grumble comes from deep in your belly. You freeze; Omega’s bright, attentive eyes flicker to you, and you both dissolve into a fit of giggles.

That’s how he finds you – lounging in the sand, your leggings rolled up to your knees, and cackling like a goblin.

“Having fun?”

Hunter’s shadow falls lengthwise over you. He’s placed his hands on his hips in a poor imitation of a scolding father, but his faux seriousness is entirely marred by the smile he doesn’t bother to hide.

Omega grins. “More fun than you are!”

“Now that I believe.” He steps around you so he can crouch in the space between you both and your heart very much doesn’t jump at the new proximity. Definitely not. “What’s all this?”

“We’re making necklaces. See?” Her latest creation is promptly displayed on her splayed fingers.

He takes a moment to study it. The shells are tiny already, but they’re even smaller in his hand, dwarfed by the length and breadth of his thumb and forefinger. You’re not sure why you notice that out of everything. It’s a silly thing to notice.

“You did this all on your own?” he marvels.

“Well...” Omega looks to you with a hint of shyness. “I had a little help.”

She's far too modest. “Very little,” you correct. “I just showed her how.” One of your baskets is quickly exchanged for Omega’s necklace, much to Hunter’s surprise. It is, after all, half full of stranded shells and nuts. “She’s a natural.”

Hunter’s brows shoot so high up his face until you’re half afraid they’ll jump right off. He looks to Omega, then you, then back to her. “You made all of these?”

For a moment it seems she’s not sure how to respond. She scratches awkwardly at the back of her neck for a bit, hesitant, even flustered, before finally nodding. “I might’ve gotten a little carried away.”

“Omega,” her brother sighs, and it’s all tender and proud, the way a father should be. Something warm alights in your heart at the sight. “These are wonderful.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

He smiles, and so does she, and that secret desire you pretend not to have, the one that delights at his nearness and the gentle affection he bestows so generously to his siblings, the softness hiding beneath his battle-hardened exterior, explodes inside your chest like a blossom finally unfurling.

“I hate to pull you away,” he continues after a moment, “but it’s time to eat.”

Omega groans but doesn’t protest beyond that. She’s quick on her feet, gathering up her things and haphazardly dropping them into the basket she then perches on her hip. You, on the other hand, are a bit slower than that. Pabu works many miracles, but it doesn’t make you any younger or faster, no matter how refreshing the sea air may be. Your own basket of seashells and kukui is organized and fastened shut, then your shoes gathered in your hand, and then – and then you find Hunter’s hand extended to you.

You brush off your shock as quickly as you can, hoping it doesn’t linger, that it isn’t noticeable, and take the offer with a smile that matches his own. The contact is brief, far too short for your liking, but it quickens your pulse enough that you fear your heart will catapult from the cavity of your chest all because he looked at you, touched you, and it’s all you ever dream of.

His fingerprints still burn into your skin long after his hands have withdrawn. You almost wish they would scar if only to have a physical reminder of him when he’s gone.

“Thanks.”

He nods, and the sun shines golden on his face. There’s a wordless moment where he extends his hand to you again and you think he’ll take hold of you a second time, guide you off the beach like that, and you’re not even sure you’ll survive such a thing, but then you realize he’s asking for your basket. And you’re disappointed, but so, so relieved.

“That’s okay, I got i-”

His fingers curl around the basket handle, gentle but firm. There’s no room for discussion, not as he tugs it free and settles it under his own arm, not as he tells you in everything but words that he will carry this thing for you, he will carry anything you need, anything you want, and you never need to ask. You only wish that he would do it because he cares.

“You don’t have to do that, y’know.”

Hunter’s brow furrows, but you blink and it’s gone. “I know,” he says.

The walk from the beach to Shep’s house is relatively short, but it always flies by when you walk it with him. Perhaps because he makes you feel safe, secure, because he makes you smile when no one else can. Perhaps because you never want these moments to end. Perhaps because, if you’re really honest with yourself, you know that he fills the part of your heart that longs for more, no matter how uncertain you are if he would ever allow himself such a thing.

Dinner at Shep’s is never a simple affair, but it’s always happy. Good food, pleasant chatter, the sound of Omega, Wrecker, and Lyana’s laughter, Phee’s gently barbed remarks and Crosshair’s witty retorts, Batcher barking and huffing between gulps of food, and even the more serious conversations shared between Hunter and Shep tend to be more comforting than not. It’s home, plain and simple. It was never meant to be, not for you, but somehow… somehow that’s exactly what it’s become. He doesn’t know, at least you don’t think he does, but none of it would’ve happened without him, without that too-good heart of his beating fast and strong below his bones, that heart you wish you could call your own one day.

Funny how easy it is to be foolish, isn’t it?

“You’re quiet tonight.”

Shep’s followed you to the balcony where you’ve chosen to watch the last remnants of the sunset as the colors bleed into the clouds and the dark, stormy shroud of night begins to fall.

You tilt your head back, trying and failing to catch a glimpse of the starts through the clouds. “Sorry. Just had something on my mind, I guess.”

He nods, as if he understands, and you truly think he does. He’s a wise sort of man, kind and smart in a way that only experience can provide. “You know you can always speak your mind.” His forearms find the lip of the balcony the same way yours have. “If something’s bothering you-”

“It’s not you, Shep.” You don’t dare say what it is, but you almost wonder if he knows. “I have a little too much to think about sometimes, y’know?”

“I do,” he says, and he nods again. You think he’s about to say something else, but he’s stopped by the weight of a hand upon his elbow, the gentle intrusion of Hunter’s presence as he steps into the conversation.

“Sorry to interrupt.” He gestures to the expanse of clouds as if it were a perfectly normal thing to do. Though for him, you suppose it is. “We’ve got bad weather incoming. Probably best for everyone to head home now.”

Shep agrees, and the others are quick to hurry back to their own hovels or to the Marauder, but Hunter walks you home.

You both know he doesn’t need to. And, you think, you both know he’s only doing this because he feels duty-bound. It hurts, but you revel in his company all the same, just for these few moments.

“I should go,” he says once you’re both inside, dripping the beginnings of the storm onto the stone floor, but he seems loathe to admit it.

You both spare a glance out the window. The rain’s already coming down harder than it was just a minute ago. It’s pattering hard atop the roof and there’s enough force behind it that you’re almost afraid it’ll blow your windchimes clean off.

“Hunter, you’ll get soaked. At least stay until it’s eased up a bit.”

That’s the least you can do, isn’t it? After everything?

But rather than immediately accept the offer, Hunter grimaces. His entire body stills and starts to shift away from you, not a lot, not even in a way that might be noticeable to anyone else, but you know him, his tells, all the subtle ways his body responds to the world around him. You recognize immediately that he’s uncomfortable and that knowledge hits you right in the gut, sharper than a vibroblade.

He shakes his head, politely. “No, I, I should go. I’ll be fine.”

It’s the fact that he refuses to even look at you that does you in.

And you know you should let it pass. Really, you do. Take the blow and roll with the remaining punches the way he and his brothers do, but you’re not strong like they are, and your heart is so much more fragile than theirs.

You sigh. “Why d’you have to be like this?”

Impossibly dark eyes flicker in the muted lighting, landing somewhere near yours. “What?”

“If you don’t like me, Hunter, just say it. You don’t have to pretend, okay? That just makes it worse.”

His tattoo crinkles as his face shifts, each line of inkwork rippling until he’s frowning at you so intently that the weight of it feels enough to crush you. Then his head tilts and the coils of his hair fall over his eyes, and he’s so beautiful that you think you might cry.

“What are you talking about?”

Maker, is he really gonna make you say it?

A brief turn of your shoulder gives you the spare moments you need to compose yourself, and as you survey the tiny hovel you’ve turned into a home, you find yourself thinking again of that last night on Ord Mantell. The night you realized Tech was dead and Omega was gone, and you knew your life would never be the same again…

It’s a goddamn Imperial fleet. You’ve never seen so many ships at once before. They crowd the sky, faintly and briefly illuminated by streaks of lightning and the few pricks of light coming from the city as they descend. You don’t know why they’re here, but you don’t really need to. You know there’s only one thing on Ord Mantell precious enough to draw the Empire out here and it’s not any one of the petty criminals or their shady deals passed under the table and off the books.

If you had any of their comm channels, you’d be satisfied with asking if everything’s alright, if they need a place to stay. But you don’t. Instead, you run. It was a boring night off anyway.

The bar is trashed when you get there. Tables overturned, blaster marks scorched into the walls. Cid’s nowhere to be found and neither are the clones, and it leaves a terrible, sinking feeling in your gut. None of this is right.

Stumbling back outside, you see a handful of Imperial ships lifting off, one already shooting for the outer reaches of the atmosphere. Whatever they’d come for, they’d clearly found it, and Maker, you prayed it wasn’t any of them. Anyone, anything but them.

You come stumbling into the landing zone just as the boys come through the far end, already approaching their ship. Your throat is raw and your entire body hurts from being pushed far beyond its usual limit.

“What, what happened?” you gasp between desperate mouthfuls of air, hands clutching your knees as you double over. “The Empire-”

It’s then that Hunter comes swooping into your personal space, so close that he takes up every inch of it, totally filling your vision until the shadow of his tattoo and the dark glinting of his eyes is all you can see. There’s no time for your stomach to flip or your face to flush hot. There’s only time enough for him to grab you and push until your back hits solid durasteel. It’s cold, sharp, violent where it digs into your back, but no colder than the quiet rage you see carved into Hunter’s face now.

“You sold us out.”

You’re too confused to be offended. “What?”

His forearm finds your throat and presses until you’re properly pinned between him and whatever unyielding thing he’s backed you into, and when you look up at him, you find that you’re afraid of him for the first time in your life. He looks murderous.

“Hunt- Hunter! What are you talking abo-?”

“They took her.” He's clearly furious, but there’s a deceptive calm about him that rattles you to your bones. It’s not the calm and quiet demeanor of a battle-hardened soldier, but the cool and distant resolve of a man on the edge of desperation. “Because of your boss. Care t’ tell me why?”

You struggle to look over his shoulder to the others behind him. None of them have come to your aid, though Echo looks like he’s about to. And Wrecker... What the hell happened to put him in a neck brace? You look back to Hunter, seeking his face for something you’re not even sure you know how to name, only to find his body wrapped in bandages and his face bruised. Something’s not right, something more than just the Empire.

They took her. Took… who?

You glance at the others again. Wait. Where’s Tech? Where’s Omega?

His words pierce through your heart when they cycle round your head again.

They took her.

No.

Your boss.

She wouldn’t. She... she couldn’t. To them, maybe, but to Omega?

“Hunter,” you croak with a voice that cracks under the weight of your horror, “where’s Omega?”

Nostrils flaring, he presses harder into you until you actually choke, his teeth bared and gritted, flashing white against his skin. It’s the most monstrous you’ve ever seen him. “You tell me.”

You’ll kill her. If he lets you live, you’ll march yourself down to the parlor and kill Cid yourself. Doesn’t matter that you’ve never flared beyond the supernova of a rookie punch, you’ll level a blaster at her head. That is, if Hunter permits you to live past the next few minutes. You’re honestly not sure if he will. But then, if you’d kill for Omega, you don’t think you want to know what kinds of atrocities her brother would commit. Perhaps you’ll learn firsthand.

Echo stops him, but he cuts it concerningly close. Air rushes through your lungs so quickly that it hurts, and you find yourself wilting until your legs give out.

His voice wrapping around the syllables of your name is enough to bring you back to the present, to the cold, dismal reality of the disaster of a relationship your friendship has become. You look to the hand at your wrist, the long, calloused fingers and the scars that crisscross his knuckles, the swirling tattoos atop his bones that disappear beneath the cuff of his sleeve, then up to his shoulder, his chin, the flared base of his nose, and then to his eyes. You swear you dream of them every night.

“What is it?” he asks in that deep, rumbling timbre of his.

You’re so heartbroken that all you can do is smile. “What do you think?” Flashes of an offered hand, the lifting of a basket, the quirk of a smile when you crack a joke or the lifting of a brow when you manage to surprise him, the lingering of his gaze when the nights draw dark and your mind is dulled with sleep – they all filter through your thoughts in a single instant. “You don’t have to keep making it up to me. What happened on Ord Mantell is done, Hunter. I just…” You shouldn’t say it, you should keep it buried deep inside your heart and let the wound fester until you burst, but now that you’ve started you find you can’t stop. “I just wish you’d stop killing yourself trying to earn my forgiveness when I gave it to you a long time ago. Especially when I know you hate me.”

The storm rages on while you fall into silence. The wind whips and whistles against the windows, the rain pummels the ground, and all the while you wait for Hunter to finally admit what you’ve known to be true for the past year.

Instead, he loosens his grip until his hand falls away and you hear, rather than see, the dropping of his shoulders in the way he sounds utterly wrecked when he mutters, “Is that what you think?”

Your breath stalls in your chest. “Isn’t it true?”

“No,” he says too quickly. Like he’s lying, like he’s trying to cover his tracks.

“Hunter-”

“You really think that?”

“Fuck, of course I do!” You turn on him and gesture to the awkward, uncertain tilt of his body as if it were the most offensive sight you’d ever seen. “Look at you, you don’t even want to be near me! You act like I burn you half the time we touch. What the hell else am I supposed to think?”

If ever you’ve seen Hunter wish he could crawl into his skin and die, now would be it. All it does is further affirm what you’ve long suspected, and it kills you, the same way it’s been killing him to re-earn your favor. You can’t do this anymore. You can’t pretend like you’re not head over heels in love with him, despite how much he hates you, despite knowing he might have killed you once not so long ago. Despite everything, you love him. And he will never love you back.

You storm to the door and slap your hand against the controls. It hisses open as the sharp winds of the storm come bursting in. Half the house seems ready to blow away, but you don’t care.

“Get out.” Even though it’s the exact opposite of what you want. “Now.”

And because he hates you, he acquiesces. Head bowed low and his eyes cast to the floor, Hunter steps outside without so much as a farewell, and he takes your heart with him.

You’re not sure how much time passes between then and now. It could be a whole hour, or a few seconds of your heartbeat thundering inside your ears. Does it matter?

“I wish I’d never met you.” He’s almost certainly gone by now, but you find yourself wishing that he could hear you. You want him to hurt as much as you do now. “I wish I’d never fallen for your stupid face.” You rub the back of your hand over your eyes and nose, and it comes back wet with your grief. “Wish I’d never gone to Ord Mantell, and I wish I’d never fucking met you, and I wish, I wish…”

Say it, says the little voice in the back of your head. No reason to hide it now.

It’s to the empty room and the cold, tragic rain, you finally admit the secret that’s been eating you alive: “I wish I could’ve loved anyone but you.”

No one responds. There are no frantic confessions of mutual feelings, no gentle knocking at your door. Not that you’d expected there to be, but a part of you had hoped. No, Hunter’s gone and you’ve made a fool of yourself for no reason at all. You dread to think what tomorrow will bring in this storm’s wake, how the chaos will have torn your new home into tatters, how Hunter will watch you with the same distant, burning eyes that break your heart and stitch it back together all at once, how the island will feel as foreign as it did the night you first arrived. You’ve already started mourning the daily gathering’s at Shep’s, the way Wrecker makes you laugh and Phee tells her stories, and Hunter loves Omega like the daughter she almost is, and now it’s all gone, forever, and maybe, just maybe, you were lost to the depths of your heart that very first day that the Marauder touched down on Ord Mantell and the squad came into Cid’s. Maybe you were never meant for finer things like requited love and a place to belong to.

It’s this endless spiral of illogical conclusions and shattered dreams that Hunter returns to. You never hear the door open, nor the worsening of the storm, but you do hear the soft squeak of his boots on stone, the gently trembling exhale of his breath as he squats beside you. You turn as he comes to you, your face damp and snotty, and it’s embarrassing, but he doesn’t care. How could he when he takes your face in his hand like he was made to do it? His headband is soaked and his hair is dripping wet, the tight coils of his bangs now plastered to his skin.

“Don’t cry.”

You only cry harder, but this time Hunter pulls you to him. You let him. He’s soaked, just like you said he would be.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers with your head tucked beneath his chin and your shoulders shaking under his fingers. “I’m sorry.”

 “You left,” you sniffle.

One of his hands finds your neck. It’s cold, but the touch sparks tendrils of warmth down to your toes. This way, your head is tilted back and his is inclined toward you, almost as if…

“You asked me to.” His breath fans across your face, down your throat, dipping low like the path his eyes take as he assesses you. “I don’t hate you. I never have.”

You could fight him on it. You could, but you can’t find the words. You can’t find any words. You don’t know what to say. Kriff, you can barely think right now with the way he’s holding you, watching you, how completely he fills every one of your senses.

“I don’t… know how to do this. I’ve already hurt you before, I don’t- I can’t do that again.”

There’s a hesitancy there, though. You see it in his eyes, in the set of his bones, somehow managing to pull away from you while still staying so deeply entwined with you. He’s unsure all over again, perhaps even as unsure as you are.

“Hunter…” Your hand finds his face, unbidden but perfect all the same, and he leans into you. “I already forgave you. You don’t have to-”

“I heard you.”

He… Huh?

Frowning, you start to pull away as you blink through the confusion and the watery film along the bottom of your eyes. “What?”

He tightens his arms about you to draw you closer and while your pulse skyrockets, you’re not sure if it’s because you’re terrified that he’s so close or panicking because he’s just close enough. You can smell him, now – the faint tones of sweat and sea salt and the wine from dinner – and you swear it’s enough to capsize you. Hunter lowers his gaze, then his face, so, so close to yours that he’s the only thing you see. And you think, you hope, he’ll kiss you, but you’re afraid of what might happen if he does.

“I heard you,” he says again, softer this time. His brows have pressed together above his nose as he focuses upon the spot just below your own. “Cyare… All this time, I thought I didn’t deserve you. I didn’t know.” His nose bumps yours. “Cyare,” and you hope one day he tells you what it means, “can I?”

You don’t need to ask what he means. You only have to nod. “Yes,” you murmur, and that’s when he kisses you.

It’s a cautious thing, so hesitant and timid, but Maker it’s beautiful. Even if this is all he ever gives you, it would be enough to know that he tried, that you learned his taste and his touch when it felt like the world was crashing down around you.

“I’m sorry,” he says before trying again, more frantic, more eager as his mouth presses into yours.

“I forgive you,” you promise before burying your hands in his hair.

The next few moments are a flurry of adrenaline and kisses peppered on skin, the rustling of fabric and the creaking of the sofa when it takes your combined weight. Hunter seems to have found his confidence along the way, and you’ve found your courage, and it ends with his teeth at your lips, and your tongue at his throat, and confessions pouring from you the more he gives and the longer he takes.

“I couldn’t, couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He nips at your jaw. “It’s always been you, Hunter. Always.” He kisses your cheek, then your brow, then the corner of your mouth, hands trailing across your hips and arms as he goes. “I love you. I’m sorry for everything, I just love you so mu-”

His kisses steal the tail end of your confession, drawing into his mouth to mingle with his own until you swear the two of you become one.

“’s alright, mesh’la, ‘s alright. I know.” The bump in his nose is a caress against your cheek as he nuzzles into you. “I feel the same.”

It’s not perfect, this thing between you, and it isn’t easy, but it was always worth fighting for. You were always meant to fall for Hunter, and he was always meant to fall for you. You hope you never stop falling. And he swears never to stop catching you.

[ask-directorsada-and-friends]

Professor Lucina Sada was used to giving presentations. She was used to seeing her fellow professors. Sada was even used to being called nuts.

She was not good with surprises. Especially when she was running on 48 hours of coffee and little sleep.

So, as she prepared her notes for her presentation at the conference, walking through the Great Hall of the academy, the last thing she needed was for someone to tap her on the shoulder. So, when someone did, she swatted away their hand, not looking up. Whoever it was didn't seem to get the hint, as they did so again. "Go. away. I'm busy." She growled through gritted teeth. Hopefully this wasn't a poor student she just scared again- Jacq and Salvatore refused to let her live that down.

"You know, it's considered rude to not look up at the person talking to you, mi corazón."

She froze. That voice...

Whipping around, she was face to face with Professor Andres Turo, fellow Pokemon professor, co-creator of the Tera Orb, and... her estranged spouse.

Who was now out cold on the ground following her fist connecting with his face.

Whoops.

Ms. Tyme was NOT happy with her reaction, stating she couldn't have waited until she was in private to punch him?

Hassel, Saguero, Salvatore, and Dendra had to pay Raifort after she won the bet over how long it would take for them to be in the same region before she punched Turo. Miriam is amazed at how fast she moved, while Jacq... he missed the whole thing, having instead chosen to catch up with his brother and cousins over lunch in town.

Kukui, who witnessed the entire thing, was laughing his ass off.

A few hours before the conference began, she went to apologize to Turo. After all, he didn't deserve to be punched (well, he did, just not like that). The moment he opened his door, she ended up punching him again.

Augustine ended up having to sit between the two once the conference began. He'd managed to get them to agree to speak in private later, just for now to please stop punching the man when children are around. Jacq was sat besides Sonia and her assistant Hop- his baby cousin, as it turned out- while Juniper sat with Elm and Birch. Rowan, Oak, and Kukui had found themselves at the other end of the oval conference table, Oak's grandson Blue nearby with Bianca of Unova discussing their friends and their habit of "vanishing without warning anyone". Lucas and Brendan were discussing regional variants and the mysterious 'Hisuian forms' that once called Sinnoh home. She knew Champion Leon of Galar had accompanied his brother here, but he had opted to explore the academy instead, stating he probably wouldn't understand much of what was to be discussed.

Sada figured that as they were all here, she might as well take the chance to explain the strange multiverse she had experienced. Kukui had already been filled in, having dealt with something similar a few years back, so at least he wouldn't think she was crazy... at least regarding this.

"Fellow Professors and researchers, I welcome you to Paldea's esteemed Naranja Academy. As you all know, it is here where Professor Laventon studied and is said to be inspired to create what we now know as the very first Pokedex." The director began, gesturing to a framed photo hanging up on the wall between Rowan and Oak. A man with tan skin, a bowtie, and curly hair smiled back from the image, a plaque beneath it reading Professor Laventon, shortly before his trip to document the Pokemon of the Hisui region. "Since then, advancements in not only what he first documented but beyond in the area of Pokemon research have soared far past what we can expect he ever dreamed of. A computerized Pokedex, studies into baby Pokemon, the rediscovery of the Fairy Type- thought to have been lost since he first documented it- and Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Terestalization are only scratching the surface of what we have done here. Why, our academy's own Jacq Sycamore created the very first Pokedex app to document and study the Pokemon of Paldea and the regional forms that live here." She paused to take a breath. Alright. Time to drop the bombshell she knew.

"And during this time, we have witnessed strange disturbances in space-time. Laventon documented what he called 'Space-Time Distortions' in Hisui, rifts in the fabric of time and space that dragged Pokemon from different places and eras to the location they formed in. We have seen in Sinnoh and Alola that such things are possible- that multiple universes can exist. What I have discovered recently is-"

That was when the door to the conference room opened and someone tumbled inside. Wearing a labcoat (a rather outdated one at that) and a purple hat, the person seemed to be confused and surprised, hugging a bundle of papers to his chest as he groaned from where he landed by Sada's feet.

Sycamore was already helping the man up, but upon seeing his face he scrambled back, letting go and accidentally dropping him. The room was in a stunned silence before Rowan, the most senior professor (or second most senior professor now) spoke.

"If I am not mistaken... Is that Professor Laventon?"

(Hehehehehehe Sada sees Turo- OHKO.

Sees him again- OHKO

so @askprofessorlaventon and I have been planning this for a bit now. If you follow my other Pokemon ask blog, @silentzoroark, you no doubt saw the beginning of this.

[iamamazingmason]

REALLY down to the wire with this one. But (as of posting) it’s not midnight in Hawaii yet!

Prompt was “Golem” (so my mind went GOLEM> STATUE> TIKI> WOOD CARVINGS >WOODEN CARVED MASKS > OGREPON)

Which is perfect because this is an Ogrepon Divergent Evo.

OGREPOM (like palm) is only currently found in Alola. Her mask bares markings on the forehead, which match the colors of the 4 Tapus. Perhaps they are linked somehow? 🤔

(TBH this one was really special for me, having grown up on Oahu for 13 yrs. I love the Alola region games, since they remind me so much of home. And I can’t wait until Gamefreak revisits them one day)

Keen eyes will spot a lot of the things that went into this design. From striking a hula dance pose, to her hair/arms being the leaves of a taro plant. In her hair is a flower from Comfey’s lei. She has orbs resembling a kukui nut lei. She not only has grass skirt, but even has Kupe’e (ankle leis) incorporated into her design.

Her guardian mask is based around tiki statues. With a Mahiole (Hawaiian feather helmet) and Ikaika warrior helmet, inspired looks towards the upper half.

Hope y’all like her. Mahalo. Back tomorrow with another one.

[sonicasura]

Little Owl, Big World

Kikoru: Sooooo, what pokemon is gonna hatch from this egg?

It was that oh so special time of waiting for a pokemon egg to hatch this time with Kikoru joining in on the wait.

Trainer: Well this egg is gonna hatch into a Rowlet, though I only know this due too recieving it as a gift form Professor Kukui.

Reno: A Rowlet? What does the pokemon look like?

Kafka: Don't ruin the surprise Reno, where gonna be finding out in a bit anyway.

Trainer: Ya, you will see with your own two eyes in a bit.

Kikoru: I still feel like this is all a dream, Kafka being a kaiju, a fairytale like world existing, and all these amazing creatures, it's quite exiciting.

The trio nodded in agreement at those words and before any more words could be exchanged a cracking sound got all there attention. Soon the room began to be flooded in a brilliant light and when the light died down, a little owl white and tan owls met there eyes.

After a squeal from Kikoru, who afterwards threatend to break Kafka's and Reno's kneecaps if they told anyone, everyone began to gush over the cute little grass owl.

Reno: So this is Rowlet huh, I gotta say these pokemon countinue to surprise me.

Kafka: Aw what a little fella, oh Rotomdex you have any information on Rowlet you could tell us.

Rotomdex immediately perking up, began to pull up the data files on Rowlet.

Rotomdex: Of courzzzzze, there's no pokemon I don't got info on, Bzzzzttt!!! - Rowlet: The Grass Quill Pokemon: A Grass-Flying type, Rowlets like to sleep during the day and soak up the sun using photosynthesis. At night is when a Rowlet is at there most active and they usually like spending this time honing there feather shooting skills, as there feathers are sharp and combined with there strong legs which lets there kick be strong they a quite strong. Though despite all that they are very docile and like to to lounge the day away, and many Rowlet like to sleep inside there Trainer's coat pocket or backpack. A very friendly yet lazy pokemon, Bzzzzttt!!!

Kikoru: Wow they sound pretty strong for such a tiny ball of feathers, and very lazy pokemon.

Trainer: Ya, but that's just part of the species charm and *looks over Melmetal who was currently eating there lunch* it seems that Rowlet already found a place they like to nap.

Everyone looked over and immediately squealed and started taking pictures, as Rowlet had taken to roosting withing the hex nut in Melmetal's abdomen.

Why I do see Kikoru carrying around a special bag for Rowlet to sleep in? The Grass/Flying type definitely rubbed off on her within seconds. Also Rowlet just sleeping on top of Kafka's shoulders and later Soshiro's head. Lol

[fieriframes]

[WHAT NUT? KUKUI NUT.]

[basingstokemercury]

Sam Hill:

Well that was an odd one. In several ways. Been a while since we got a Dortort writing credit though!

Claude Akins turning up as a sweet good guy this time was possibly the strangest part, I spent the whole time waiting for him to be revealed as a demon again.

Ah, "candlenut" is the kukui nut, I was right. Those did not look like kukui nuts at all though.

All that weirdness and quasi-supernatural climax was worth it for that one scene where Adam just got to laugh hysterically and not be worried about anything...

הדרן עלך Bonanza season 2!

[violetjedisylveon]

The Flower Wakes

Mer Moonlily chapter 2

Summary: Lillie wakes up in professor Kukui's house and tries to not have a mental breakdown.

Word count: 2.6k

Warnings: bad parent Lusamine, references to child and animal abuse and neglect.

A/N: I was gonna be done with my drawing of Moon, but then ibis paint crashed >:(

Moon/Selene isn't in this chapter much sorry. She will next chapter :)

Mer Moonlily Masterpost

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Everything was blurry, her head throbbed painfully.

She could tell she was in water… floating on the surface? no… she was being held by something… someone was holding her like a Dewott holds its baby.

Lillie looked up, she was laying on someone. Their features were blurred but she could identify dark hair and pink eyes.

Pink eyes that widened in alarm and shifted to the color of stormy gray clouds.

Those storm colored eyes were the last thing Lillie saw before the world went dark again.

XXX

Lillie woke up slowly, not really registering she was awake until the sounds of wood creaking broke her out of her sleep hazed state.

Her head pounded with pain, her brain felt like it was trying to smash out of her skull, and there was a lingering taste of salt water in her mouth.

Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She was sitting on a squishy yet springy mattress, she could hear the springs squeak slightly with each movement.

Lillie opened her eyes to an unfamiliar place.

She was in a house that felt infinitely cozier than her bedroom. Her room was full of harsh white with blinding gold accents, this house had walls of a nice light brown wood, with dark brown wood paneling,. She was in a loft with railing around the two exposed edges sitting on a blue sofa bed, a white quilt with a red and green flower pattern had been placed over her.

She ran her fingers along the embroidered stitching, it looked handmade by an expert craftsman.

The loft had a skylight, and there was a much larger one in the center of the ceiling letting more warm light into the house. 

Almost directly across from her was a large, more vertically oriented aquarium with Luvdisc and Corsola swimming in it.

She could hear someone walking around doing something, there was a low buzzing and a sizzling sound. She could also hear someone talking, though they spoke too quietly for her to make out the words.

The sound of footsteps came in her direction. Lillie stiffened, hearing the sharp clack of heels instead of the soft foot falls of someone not wearing any shoes.

A woman with white hair popped up over the ledge of the loft, her gaze fell on Lillie, and she smiled.

It was a warm smile, soft and easy, not the cruel, harsh one of Mother and her scientists. It reminded her of Wicke but without the stress the kind woman hide under the surface.

“Oh. You're awake.” She said, climbing into the loft.

She had two plates of food in her hands, she walked over to her, holding one of the plates out for her.

Lillie hesitantly took it from her, it had scrambled eggs, and a small bowl of some berry puree with chopped berries and nuts on top.

“We tried to play it safe with something basic in case you have any food allergies.” The woman who delivered her food said.

She was sitting on a squishy chair set against the edge of the loft, next to a bunch of boxes and miscellaneous items. The woman caught her staring and smiled.

“Sorry about the mess, we mostly use the loft for storage. My name's Burnet by the way.” She said.

Lillie nodded, slightly embarrassed she'd been staring so obviously. She pulled the quilt off her legs, she didn't want to make a mess of such a wonderful piece of artwork.

Her thighs had bandages wrapped around them, there were smaller, already healing bruises on her lower legs.

Lillie crossed her legs neatly, making sure to cover them with her skirt. Seeing as there was no table, she carefully set the plate on her lap and started eating.

It was very good food, though very different from anything she was used to.

Mother didn't cook, she never let her near the kitchen either. All her meals were made by people she never got to see, she had to eat every meal in the large, empty dining room sitting right next to Mother’s side.

Mother used to let her sit further away, but since he left, she had become more controlling with her.

The atmosphere of the dining room was always stiflingly cold and silent.

This was so different, she could smell the food being cooked, she was sitting on a bed and eating without a table. Mother would burst a blood vessel if she was caught eating outside of the dining room, she wasn't allowed to eat outside of meals with Mother anyway.

Snacking was improper according to her.

The food somehow tasted better than anything she'd ever had before and it was gone before she knew it.

Mother would be so disappointed in you. Eating like a Spoink. She flinched at the harsh thought.

“Well you were hungry.” Miss Burnet commented.

Lillie glanced up at her, her plate was empty as well.

“Would you like more?” She asked.

Lillie shook her head, she shouldn't be greedy and abuse this woman's kindness. Her stomach grumbled loudly, betraying her. Miss Burnet smiled, she blushed, looking away.

“i-If you don't mind…” Lillie said quietly.

“Course not.”

Miss Burnet took her plate and left the loft, returning quickly with more food on the plate this time. Lillie gratefully took the food from her and tried to eat a bit less like a starved Pokémon.

She heard paper crinkling nearing the end of her meal, she glanced in the direction of the sound to see Miss Burnet leaning over the edge to grab something from whoever else was in the house.

It was a paper bag, she pulled some round thing out of it with a napkin and held it out for her.

“We get fresh made malasadas from a friend of ours daily, would you like one?” She asked.

“What is a malasada?” Lillie asked.

“If Hau was here he'd have a heart attack.” Miss Burnet chuckled to herself.

“It's a deep fried pastry, like a doughnut. She made them with a sweet filling today.” She explained.

Lillie took the steaming ball of dough from her and examined it curiously. It certainly smelled good, very good, better than anything.

She took a small experimental bite, sweetness exploded in her mouth. She took a much bigger bite, relishing the sweetness washing over her tongue.

“They're good huh?” Miss Burnet prompted.

“T's the besft fing ever!” Lillie accidentally blurted with her mouth full.

She covered her mouth, her cheeks burning in embarrassment.

“I'm terribly sorry, that's not very good of me.” she apologized once she swallowed.

“Oh don't be, it's fine.” Miss Burnet said.

Lillie fought the surprise from appearing on her face. She decided to keep eating the sugary treat given to her to avoid any further awkwardness.

“So, what's your name?” Miss Burnet asked.

She was sitting in that chair again, eating a malasada of her own.

“I'm Lillie… it's nice to meet you.” She introduced herself.

“It's very nice to finally meet you Lillie, you had us worried for a bit.” Miss Burnet said.

“You were out cold for over a day, I was starting to think something was seriously wrong.” She added.

“o-Oh…”

Lillie suspected Nebby’s teleportation was the reason she was out for so long- wait Nebby!

Her head shot up, she looked around wildly for her bag.

“Whoa, take it easy, your buddy is in the basement, we've got them on some medicine and we've been monitoring them. They're fine, just exhausted.” Miss Burnet told her.

Lillie nodded, taking deeper breaths than necessary to calm herself down.

“Are you alright?” Miss Burnet asked her gently.

“I-i'm fine… thank you for your concern.” Lillie said politely.

Miss Burnet gave her a relaxed smile. It was so different from everyone on the island, all their smiles were forced, at least when they were directed towards her.

Everything was different from the small bubble she'd spent her entire life living in.

“Lillie?”

“Yes?” She looked up at the woman.

“You zoned out for a second there, I was asking if you would like to check on your buddy.” Miss Burnet explained.

“Oh, yes, I would like that very much.” She nodded eagerly.

She stood up and immediately regretted it, her wobbly legs throbbed with an aching pain. She should have expected that, in freeing Nebby she over exerted herself, Mother didn't like it when she exerted herself, it made her sticky and smelly and that was certainly not something Mother would tolerate.

She unsteadily made her way towards the ladder Miss Burnet was waiting for her at, the older woman gave her a concerned glance.

“Will you be able to get down the ladder?” She asked.

“I think so…” Lillie said, gripping onto the railing for dear life.

“I'll go down first.” Miss Burnet said.

She nodded. Miss Burnet went down the ladder. She peered over the edge, it wasn't that high of a drop, about ten feet, and Miss Burnet was waiting for her at the bottom.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

She stepped onto the first rung, her leg protested so much weight being on it all at once. She started quickly descending the ladder, maybe she was going too fast since her arms gave out and she ended up falling.

Luckily, Miss Burnet caught her before she could hit the floor.

“Are you alright, Lillie?” She asked as she helped her regain her balance on the floor.

“Y-yes, just a- a little unsteady…” Lillie told her.

Miss Burnet didn't ask any more questions, she led her to a staircase going down.

“My husband has been monitoring your friend, they're quite an interesting Pokémon.” she said.

They descended into what looked like a gym, and… library…? The far wall was covered in bookshelves, there was a tank between that wall and the stairs, across from it was a desk, where a man was sitting.

Lillie didn't care about any of that once she saw Nebby in a healing machine.

“Nebby!” She rushed to her friend's side.

Nebby stirred at her voice, their eyes opened slightly and they inched towards her, pressing their little face up against the glass. Lillie scanned Nebby for injuries, only relaxing when she saw they weren't terribly hurt.

“The little guy is making a steady recovery." Miss Burnet told her, startling her.

“You're jumpy.” The man commented.

Lillie turned to him. Miss Burnet said her husband was watching Nebby, this must be him.

“I apologize, I think I am still a little disoriented.” She apologized, trying to hide her twitching fingers behind her skirt.

She could never stop her twitches. Mother said she'd had it since she was a young girl, she should have grown out of it by now. It irritated Mother. It got worse after he left too.

Thankfully, neither of them commented on it.

“No worries, I think I'd feel the same in your situation.” The man told her with a big smile.

It was big and goofy and sincere and warm. It was so real.

She was as unused to it as she was unused to Miss Burnet’s smiles and kindness.

Is everyone like this? They weren't, she knew that some people were just bad, some people were just acting, like the foundation’s employees, they were very different off the clock. Most of them were just there for the paycheck, or experience until they could get a better job. Some of them were like Mother, those employees didn't move on to anything better.

She suppressed a flinch at the thought of Faba, things had taken a turn when that man started to work for Mother.

She didn't like the way he looked at her, it made her skin crawl. She only realized how bad it was when her brother wasn't there to protect her anymore.

Mother protected her from Faba then, because she did love her.

She still left you with him. She ignored the bitter voice that had been making rounds in her thoughts recently.

Shut up. Everything Mother did was because she loved her.

It was getting harder to believe that.

“Lillie, are you alright?” Miss Burnet was looking at her with concern.

“Hmm? Oh! Yes I'm fine.” Lillie said.

Miss Burnet didn't look convinced.

“You're looking pale, do you need to drink or eat something?” Miss Burnet asked.

Lillie wasn't hungry, she was quite full from the breakfast Miss Burnet had so kindly given her, though she was a bit thirsty.”

“A drink would be nice.” She said meekly.

Miss Burnet gave her another warm, wonderful smile.

“Kukui, can you make some drinks?” Miss Burnet addressed her husband.

The man nodded with his big, silly grin and headed upstairs.

“My husband makes the best drinks, he was a mixologist on the side during his internships.” Miss Burnet told her.

Lillie didn't know what a mixologist was but nodded anyway, it would be rude to refuse their hospitality.

She went back upstairs and took a seat on the green couch, she folded her hands in her lap and tried to ignore the way her legs were yelling at her for all the movement she put them through.

A Rockruff jumped onto the couch once Miss Burnet sat down, Lillie expected the puppy Pokémon to get tossed off or scolded. Miss Burnet just cooed and patted its head, Rockruff rolled over onto its belly, allowing her to pet it.

Pokémon were never allowed outside of their Pokéballs in her house, much less allowed to climb the furniture.

These people really are different from Mother.

Mr. Kukui quickly finished making drinks and set them, as well as a plate of unorganized snacks on the coffee table.

“Here, this one's for you.” He told her, passing a glass with green and blue liquids bleeding into each other.

“And normal water.” He set a cup of plain water with ice on the table next to her.

“Thank you.” She nodded to him gratefully.

Miss Burnet and Mr. Kukui took their own drinks, and Mr. Kukui started to eat some of the snacks, Lillie assumed he hadn't eaten in a while.

“Lillie, are you comfortable with telling us where you came from?” Miss Burnet asked gently.

She wasn't. She really wasn't. They had been kind to her, but they could turn on her the second she revealed she stole and ran away from a mother who had given her everything.

“We can help you get back home, if you want.” Mr. Kukui added.

That was the last thing she wanted.

She didn't think, she just spoke.

“idontwanttogohome… motherisntthesame… shesaysshelovesme, shedoesntloveme, shedoesntloveanyone… onlyherself… idontwannagoback…”.

She bunched her skirt in her hands, waiting for them to scold her for being so selfish.

“That's okay, you don't have to.”

That wasn't what she expected.

That was the last thing she expected.

She looked up at the couple, the tears she didn't even notice fell from her eyes.

They looked worried for her, but why?

She was a horrible selfish daughter who ran away from her mother after stealing her life's work from her.

“You don't need to say anything if you don't want to, you don't need to tell us what happened, but it doesn't look good, kiddo.” Mr. Kukui told her softly.

“How old are you Lillie?” He asked, handing her a box of tissues.

“Fourteen…” she answered shakily.

“How long has your mother been different?”

“ten years… since father died…”

“Do you have any other family?” Miss Burnet asked.

She immediately thought of Gladion, and more immediately pushed him out of her mind, he wanted nothing to do with either of them. She shook her head.

She was really alone, wasn't she?

“Would you like to stay here?”

She looked up at the pair in shock. Mr. Kukui nodded eagerly in agreement with Miss Burnet.

“You can stay here, as long as you need.” He said.

Lillie was truly in a whole other world.

“I… thank you… I would like that…” she mumbled, a small smile on her face as she accepted.

[alolanrain]

Headcanon:

As soon as he gets his hands on the Wiffleball Bat, TA!Ash makes use of every opportunity he gets to beat Kukui up with it.

He genuinely would. Kukui wouldn’t be safe at 2AM because Ash is also a horrible insomniac and his attitude and rational sense goes out the window, which finds him hitting Kukui in the perfect nut shot in record history before bolting out of the shack. Cackling like a mad men as Kukui lays on the floor, laughing his poor lungs out while curled in a ball.

[themothsnest]

Most part of 2 and a half years of a daily "man im gay for this fucker" and i FINALLY actually have an "ohgodohfuckohgodohfuck THAT WAS AUDIBLE AND MY DOOR WAS NOT CLOSED FULLY" moment

And it was because of Professor Sex Appeal.

Aka The Fucker That Caused My Gay Realisation

You would THINK i would be immune to this shit by now especially considering the fact that i have had TWO other very gay hyperfixations that lasted 3-8 consecutive years without this situation occurring

BUT NO IT JUST HAD TO BE PROF NUT

This is not helped by the fact that I'm (finally) completing the Alola collection by getting Sun & Moon soon (i have both Ultras already)

Yknow... The version of alola where kukui is even more of an unavoidable menace because hes the fucking champion boss fight & the cutscene with hau after lillie leaves.

At least i get more material to further traumatise guzma in order to make shit gayer