#this was supposed to be a part of my drabble collection but some things just aren't meant to be forced into 100 words

[echoingalaxies]

“I will do anything,” Caretaker pleaded from their knees. “Just – don’t hurt him. He’s not your enemy. I am.”

Whumper narrowed his eyes, considering, but did not let go of Whumpee, whom he had pinned against the wall, his hand wrapped around the throat of the defenseless boy, who didn’t have enough life in him to put up a fight anymore. “What do you have to offer?”

“What do you want?” Caretaker stared at Whumper. “My life? My freedom? Let him go and whatever it is you want from me, I will give you without a fight.”

“I want you to suffer,” Whumper spat, fingers tightening around half-conscious Whumpee’s neck. Whumpee’s breaths were becoming more shallow and raspy, and Whumper grinned toothily at the pure panic and desperation on Caretaker’s face. “And what would be a better way to make that happen than through him?”

[aritsukemo]

I don’t know if your requests are open, but I simply love your writing! May I have a Zhongli/Venti/Xiao Prompt with a reader who’s secretly a god from another world?

Finding out you're secretly a god | Genshin Impact

( @scar8o )

Summary: After your powers are revealed in a heat of the moment decision, you and your partner have a much needed conversation..

Characters: Xiao, Zhongli, and Venti

Warnings: Nothing much. Mentions of reader facing discrimination in Xiao's and slight tears towards the end of Xiao's as well.

A/N: AGHHHH this took months to finally write, but I'm glad I finally got the push I needed to finish this! I'm sorry you had to wait so long and I hope you enjoy this little collection of drabbles I put together! :D

A yellowish-orange shade was cast over Teyvat just like it would any other evening. Nothing had changed; the wind was still blowing, wildlife was as and as wild as ever, and the grass was still the same old greenish tinge.

Well, today, Xiao supposes that something has changed. For the first time in years, there was complete silence between you two. Being the chatterbox that you were, it was never like this since you're always rambling on about whatever popped into your head—whether that'd be how your day went, what you should do tommorow, or even the most trivial things like which colored cloth you should use to wipe off your weapons.

But that particular evening, you didn't utter a word. You simply sat there, knees to your chest as you gazed at the sun slowly setting upon the horizon. It felt odd for Xiao—awkward if he were to be so mundane. At the same time, he had no way of relieving this odd, awkward tension from the air. He had so many question stirring in his head that could at least fill the air with something of substance, and yet, he felt hesitant to voice any of them.

But he has to say something. If he doesn't, he fears that he'll never get his questions answered. So, without looking your way, he asks, "Who..are you really?"

You don't answer immediately and for a moment, Xiao thought you didn't hear him at all. Before he can repeat himself, however, he hears your voice, low and uncharacteristically sullen as you tell him, "Someone who doesn't belong here.."

He doesn't realize it, but upon hearing your response and looking over at you, his eyes softened—and just like the snow he used to munch down to prevent himself from starving to death, his golden hues glistened in the light of the setting sun. He didn't know what to say to that. Or rather, he couldn't think of anything to say that would be comforting to your ears.

That's one the things about you that he's fond of, but is also envious of. You always knew the right thing to say even when he thought you didn't. It's one of his favorite things about you..

"Look, I'm sorry for lying to you for so long.." You said before heaving a long, tired sigh. One that sounded as if you've been holding it for ages, "In my own world, people despised me and this power so much so that they tried everything they could to make my life miserable.."

"Adults, kids, girls, boys, women, and men.. Even when they were more different than the glaxies above, the one thing that was always the same was the way they looked at me.. That deep swirl of hatred in their eyes as they stared at me..like I was some kind of monster.. No matter what I did for them, it never changed," Xiao chooses to ignore the way your voice cracks midway through your sentence—the signal that the glass dam inside you was beginning to crack..

"When I got here, I saw this as my brethren relieving me of that pain..like a fresh start. I was so happy..and so, so scared. I was terrified of the past happening again so I swore to do everything in my power to keep that part of me hidden for as long as I was able.."

At this point, he could see those crystal tears rolling down your face, the translucent trail they left glimmering in the sun's glow. He's never seen them before. You never allowed him to and now, he's grateful that you never did because the sight of you crying made his chest feel heavy and empty, causing it to ache. The sight was painful. It felt wrong associating this feeling with something so..human, but it's the only thing to describe this black hole forming where his heart's supposed to be..

And in attempt to fill that feeling, he finally asks, "Do you think this power of yours will bring harm to the people of Liyue?" You finally glance at him, confusion written all over that tear-stricken face of yours. He merely looks at you with expectancy, so you eventually croak out a small, "No.."

"Do you ever think that you'll try to take over Liyue and force it's people under your thumb?" He threw another question at you, and this time, you answered quickly, blurting out an offended sounding, "Of course not! Do you think I would?"

"No," He answered immediately, "But as the protector of this land, I had to make sure we were on the same page before I said anything else," And he gets up. Your crystalized eyes follow after him, confusion beginning to swirl along with a headache—the result caused by your near-breakdown just now.

"Wha.." You begin, but your voice dies in your throat as he offers you a hand and looks you in the eyes like he would any other day—as if everything was normal.

"You said before that after all of this was over, you'd drag me off somewhere to 'wind down', didn't you? Well, I'm allowing you this once to do so without having any resistance on my end," He clarifies, and that's when it finally clicks in your mind; nothing has changed. The world is still spinning, the once clear, orange sky has turned blue and starry. Xiao is still willing to reach out to you, still willing to stare at you with adoration and love, and be around you. He still sees you as simply Y/n.

And you find yourself brought to tears all over again. Yet this time, it's due to sheer relief instead of anxiety and agony. It's because of the happiness you feel as you reach out your hand and let yourself be helped up like some damsel..

..And it's all becase of Xiao, who's kind enough to see you as something other than a monster. Something lesser than a divine god or goddess, but as simply another person of the land who he should protect.

"So when did you figure it out?" You asked to the man who sat across from you at the table—although to others it seemed as though you were talking to your tea from how your eyes were trained on it the entire time you spoke, pupils following every ripple it made with every slight of your hand.

The man across from you—who you've called many endearments over the years of knowing him—simply hummed at your question, taking the time to grab his own tea cup before answering just as casually, "Some time ago. I've had some theories of my own for a while now, but..outside assistance helped to point me in the right direction."

"So the traveler told you," You stated, your tone leaving no room for him to lie or say otherwise—a silent testament that it was futile to try and deny something you already seen as a fact, but he attempted anyways.

"Not exactly," He said, "It was a slip of the tongue on Paimon's part, a small one at that, I barely noticed it myself." And this time, you hum, closing your eyes as you at last take a sip of your tea—which has long since gotten cold since it arrived at your table.

You take a long, slow sip, as if you were buying time, or maybe, simply trying to collect all the thoughts swirling in your head and condense them in a coherent, civil sentence. Whatever it is, Zhongli allows you that time and patiently waits for you to finally set your cup down again..

"So? What do you plan to do with me now that you know?" The question comes off blunt—slightly threatening to the unintelligent ears, but it doesn't phase Zhongli. After all, he knows that you weren't threatening him, but more rather felt threatened. Similar to a cornered bunny who's only defense weapons are its fluffy, dull nubs.

"Nothing at all," He says, and at last your eyes cross the table to look him in the eyes. He does the same, granting you the same favor.

There's a moment of silence between you two in that moment. You silently demand an answer to his previous answer and the light thrumming of your fingers against the smooth, expensive wood gave away your impatience, your growing anxiety, and most importantly your fear. It's a discomforting sight to see of his usually calm lover, and so, he's quicker to respond to you in hopes of relieving your tension.

"You hold me in such high regard, dear. And while I'm flatter, may I remind you that I'm simply a consultant. I have no power to do anything other than grant you a comfortable resting place to lay your head when you pass," He closes his eyes, breaking eye contact with you to bless you with a small, polite smile, "A question like that would be more fit for the Tianquan, would it not?"

"In my humble opinion, though, I think it best if you didn't stir a pot that has already settled. Going to Lady Ningguang over something she knows nothing about is not needed, don't you agree?"

He opens his eyes again to look at you, only having the luxury to catch the tail end of your reaction to him deciding to sweep this under the rug before your expression smoothens out and a smile eases onto your face and your fingers move to lace around your cup once again..

"I suppose you're right. Forget I said anything then."

"Who knew my windblume could be even more extraordinary than I once thought?" He told you under that massive oak tree—The Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero—after sneaking away with you, who was just praised the entire evening for your heroic deeds.

"You flatter me," You said before letting out a chuckle. Venti chose not to comment on how it sounded drier than how the fruits up in Celestia look, "Really, I don't deserve such praise.."

"On the contrary! You were Mondstadt's savior today! Not to mention mines!" He said cheerily, "If it weren't for you, Mondstadt would've been robbed of this bard's melodious melodies!"

You found yourself huffing at the absurdity of his words before you can stop yourself. Making up for the slip-up with a half-hearted, agreeing hum.

"You're a fool.. Having a dangerous being such as myself leisurely lay on you like this.." You whisper into his thigh as you turn on your side, your voice muffling due to half of your face being smothered by the puff of his shorts. Your comment was heard nonetheless and earned a chuckle from the bard.

"Love makes one do foolish things," He simply replies, before you feel something cold and smooth against your cheek. Your eyes flutter open and out of the corner of your eyes you see the familar red hue that you would only see plastered on one of the delicious treats the Cuihua Trees so graciously gift Teyvat.

You take the apple from his grasp, once again laying flat on your back as you hold the apple above you as if to tantalize yourself.

"I'm serious. You shouldn't be this nice to me anymore, Barbatos," Another slip of the tongue—one promptly ignored and immediately pushed to back of both of your minds, "I'm nothing but a weapon of destruction."

"That you may have been in the past, but as of now, you're simply a bartender at Angel's Share who's fallen head over heels for a skillful bard; me," He replies after swallowing the chewed, sweet chunks in his mouth that came from his apple—which has already been half-eaten at this point.

And you find yourself huffing again. This time at the realization that he was right—at least the part about being hopelessly in love with him anyways..

"You had a long day, so why not you rest after you eat? I'll strum you a gentle tune that'll carry you away to pleasant dreams, ehehe~!" He suddenly suggest—an obvious attempt at deading the conversation where it stands before you say something too depressing to brush off easily. You pretend to not notice, deciding to accept your defeat for now, as you nod, finally bringing the apple down to your lips and taking a bite, being careful to chew the bite thoroughly before swallowing..

"That sounds nice.. Maybe resting my eyes wouldn't be so bad."

Dividers were made by me, pictures used are from Pinterest, post formatting is inspired by @xxsabitoxx

[loganwritesprobably]

First Meetings with.. (One Piece Edition)

Part two with Zoro, Robin and Luffy Part three with Crocodile, Mihawk and Buggy Part four with Benn, Shanks and Smoker

A tumblr exclusive collection of little reader insert drabbles - these won't be going on my AO3, these are just for the feral people of this wonderful hellscape

Requests are open for x reader things! I will write basically ANY kind of reader - male, female, non-binary, gender neutral, trans, disabled, black, white, latino, asian, neurodivergent, etc

I'll probably do more over time but here's three to start with - Ace, Law and Sanji. Readers are all gender neutral, but for Sanji reader is fem presenting (so he would be nice)

"Well hey there gorgeous." A voice said behind you, startling you to the point of hitting your hand against the counter in front of you. You were just minding your business, attempting to buy some food for the week, when some random guy had appeared behind you. You had half a mind to turn around and give him a piece of your mind, when the shopkeeper's eyes widened, and whispered his name. Fire Fist Ace. The pirate. "Who do you think you are?" You asked, turning to face him with a scowl. You wouldn't attack him outright, but you were not happy with the look on his face (now that you could see it) and wouldn't let it go. "Your future boyfriend, hopefully." Ace replied, and you scoffed. You turned back to the shopkeeper and bought your groceries, before making to leave the store. Ace followed behind you closely, making no secret of the fact that he was there.

"Are you lost?" You snarked, rolling your eyes at Ace. He was persistent, you'd give him that. "Oh no, just hoping you'll look at me like that again. You're perfect." "You're disgusting." You grumbled, although you'd certainly never been called perfect before, and in another circumstance you wouldn't be mad about it. "Hey, now that's harsh." Ace replied, but he was laughing as he said it, clearly unphased by your displeasure being directed at him. You took off walking again, not walking toward your place since you didn't exactly want to lead him straight to it.

Ace, to his credit, continued to follow you and eventually began to just talk. He seemed to be able to talk forever, uncaring whether or not you were listening - though you were. He was a pirate, pretty high bounty, almost a warlord, he had a little brother who he was stupid proud of, and an even bigger family waiting for him back on his main ship. "While this is all very nice, are you going to leave me be any time soon?" You asked eventually, back on the main street of the town once again. "Are you going to tell me your name?" That was all? You told him your name, utterly exasperate it. "Well, gorgeous, you'll be seeing more of me soon." With that, he took off in the opposite direction of your home, with a swagger in his step, happy he'd gotten what he wanted. You kind of hoped that you would be seeing him again soon - you liked him, reluctantly.

You weren't even hurt that badly. The guys were gone, and you were managing to stumble home just fine. You had a first aid kit in the kitchen that would be able to patch you up, and then you could go to the doctor when you had the time and had gotten some sleep. It was too late to go see her now.

As you stumbled down the dark street, clutching walls for stability, a man began to approach you. "Fuck off! Not in the mood." You snarled, clutching the broken shard of glass you'd gotten in the fight, a strip of your shirt wrapped around it to protect your hand. "You're injured." The guy stated flatly, and then you'd hit a stalemate. "Duh?" You said, still brandishing the shard in your hand. "I can fix it. I'm a doctor. Don't have to drop the glass, but I'd prefer if you didn't stab me." The supposed doctor drawled. He seemed.. familiar. Something about him just sparked recognition in the back of your mind, and that put you a little on edge. "You're familiar - why?" You questioned, shuffling backward to get a little further away from him while you waited on his answer. "I'm Trafalgar Law. My bounty poster is on the wall you're clutching." The pirate doctor pointed out, nodding toward it. Well, that made sense. Surgeon of death you'd heard him called - so at least that meant he was a doctor right? "Alright. But one wrong move and you'll be needing your own medical care." You threatened, and Law just half nodded. He knelt down in front of you to look at your wound, then pulled some bandages from a pocket in his coat. He wrapped your leg, doing so in complete silence and without hesitation. When he was done, he stood again and grunted as he nodded.

"Should be fine now. It'll hurt to walk still, but less risk of infection." He summarised, stepping around you to continue in the direction he'd been going. "Wait! Why did you do that?" You asked, spinning quickly on your good leg. "You're cute." He said simply, a small smirk on his face. He lifted his hand, said a word you didn't hear, and then in a flash of blue light he was gone.

You'd bumped into him entirely by chance, and gotten talking. He was a nice guy, he was sweet if a little much when it came to women he saw. You didn't mind - you could see that his intentions were good, for the most part. He offered to pay for a drink for you, since you'd narrowly avoided colliding with him outside of a bar, and you'd accepted. He let you order what you wanted, and he paid, not even blinking. It was second nature to him. He was kind, and offered endless compliments that you withstood with a smile on your face - you weren't quite used to such a bombardment of affection.

He disappeared after an hour or so, but returned the next day. You'd tried to ask where he went, but he danced around the question and asked you on an official date. You'd had a nice enough time the day before, and so you agreed.

He took you to a restaurant, it was classier than you usually allowed yourself to go to with a modest amount of money, but it didn't seem to be any object for him. He told you that he wouldn't compromise on good food, and allowed you to order anything you'd like, with no concerns about how many beri it would set him back. It felt nice not to worry about it for once. You ordered starters, then mains, with drinks flowing easily between you, and then a dessert to share to end the experience. You'd been there for hours, but with the money that you'd spent, no waiter could argue.

The conversation between you was easy and light, he was enraptured by your every word, he couldn't help it. He looked at you as if you'd hung the very stars in the sky. "All I've done is talk. I know almost nothing about you." You said to him, and Sanji laughed awkwardly. "I suppose so. But I'm afraid there's not much to tell." He said, and just as you'd been about to argue, a woman with orange hair came bursting into the restaurant calling his name. You looked at him with wide eyes and stood quickly. "No! She's not-" Sanji said hurriedly. "How much of my money was spent on this date?" Nami demanded, fire in her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realise you were-" You attempted to say to the woman, hoping she wouldn't direct her frightening anger at you. "Oh you're gorgeous. Well played cook, didn't think you had it in you." She praised, and then bewildered confusion fell over you. "Oh Nami, your praise is a balm on my heart." You rolled your eyes and folded your arms, raising an expectant eyebrow as you stared at Sanji, waiting for an explanation. "I'm a pirate. She's our navigator, and.. treasurer I suppose." He explained, and you sighed. "So you're not staying." "I can't." Sanji agreed, with a sad smile and nod. "But we're not leaving for another few days. So have fun while you can." Nami said, giving you a wink and Sanji a firm punch before turning to leave the restaurant.

Fun. You could do that.

[kakashixhatakesxwhore]

Thank You

Pairing: Uchiha Itachi x f!Reader

Summary: Going blind and coughing up blood, Itachi had to seek some kind of medical aid, if only to prolong the inevitable. It helped that some random farming village's secondary clinician was so understanding and willing to provide that aid - but now, after a year of visits and spinning a Parnassian lie, he's started to care for the clincian, against his better judgement.

W/c: 2.7k

Warnings: meh, fluff, just Itachi going blind and trying to be nice (also him negating to tell our girl that he isn't just some wayward poet)

Notes: totally totally totally inspired by this post by @weeny-mcbitch !! also, was supposed to be a drabble that I stayed up all night to write instead, so lmk if y'all want a part 2, im teeming with ideas rn (also, im working on my requests, i swear to god, this is kinda like a warm up for one of then - whoever sent in that itachi and shisui one ily youre a genius) anyway lmk if this sucks

Masterlist💿

He was such a kind man, there wasn't a thing in the world you wouldn't have done for him, for free. Just his thanks and the small, reluctant smiles he would give you were payment enough.

"I don't want your money, Itachi," you giggled as you reshelved an assortment of herbs. "When have I ever made you pay for my silly, little pills?"

"They're not silly, and you should."

Looking over to him and his holey cloak, you just asked with a grin, "When are you going to let me fix up that ratty cloak of yours, anyway?"

"I'm practically stealing from you as is," he grimaced, holding up the bottle of pills you had just pressed.

Itachi stared at the exam room wall in front of him with wide, unmoving eyes for a moment longer before letting them trail to you. Smiling at him softly, you returned a jar of Goldenseal essence to your wall. His stare made you nervous - it was as if he were looking straight through you, despite an effort. You shelved the final jar and put your hands up, one in front of the other, aimed at Itachi.

"What are you doing?"

"How many fingers am I holding up with the hand closer to you?"

"Why are you doing this?" He asked with a sigh, looking back to the wooden wall in front of him. Dropping your hands, you moved to sit beside Itachi on the bench of your family's exam room.

Your father was your village's clinician, trained by his father and his father before him. He had been training you thusly to carry on the title, which allowed you the facility to care for the wandering ninja before you, whenever he came along. It wasn't terribly often that Itachi would visit, but you always made sure to be thorough in your examination when he would.

"Last time you were here, I noticed you were having some issues with your depth perception. This time, your pupils aren't properly dilating with the light," you told him softly. Itachi just turned his head down to look at the floor instead. Sighing, you put your hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly as you said, "I'm not an optometrist by any stretch, but my cousin is. If you're still here tomorrow afternoon, I can get you an appointment."

"I won't be."

His voice was firm, but had such an feeling of regret attached to it. You frowned, letting his shoulder go. He was an adult, and a wanderer, no less. There wasn't a thing in the world you could do to force Itachi to do anything.

The air in the room had gotten much too thick for your liking. So you smiled, bumping your shoulder against his as you stood again, remarking, "I suppose the life of a travelling poet doesn't allow time for optometry then."

"No, it doesn't..." Itachi trailed off.

You just chuckled lightly, collecting your notes on the wanderer that were strewn across your father's desk. Your desk. The practitioner's desk. A life of poetry and meandering seemed so nice in comparison to your boring life. Though, Itachi never meandered. He never seemed to have the time. You'd think a man of his lifestyle would have all the time in the world.

"Will you ever share one of your poems with me?" You asked, lining your year's worth of papers up before sliding them into your bag.

"What?"

Scared out of your skin, you jumped away from Itachi, who was suddenly standing beside you. He took a step back, extending his arms to you. Itachi's face filled with worry as his cloudy, black eyes jumped around your entire body.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to frighten you, I should have made more noise. I'm so s-"

"It's alright," you murmured, taken by the slight parting of his lips and furrow of his brow. You just stared at his face, heart corralling itself, as a different Itachi stood before you. One you hadn't seen before. Inhaling deeply, you bit down on your lip, murmuring, "As an aside... you smell amazing."

Closing his mouth, Itachi blinked slowly as his expression morphed into that of confusion, then to a slight... well, you didn't know. He just seemed caught off guard, though pleasantly so. Itachi's brow relaxed slightly, and you were blessed with his small smile. The right corner of his mouth lifted just slightly higher as his eyes roamed your face, and Itachi leaned forward unconsciously. You smiled back, collecting the straps of your bag as you maintained your gaze on Itachi.

After a long while, Itachi rubbed the back of his neck, turning his eyes to the ground. "What do I smell like?"

"I dunno," you chuckled, pulling your bag over your shoulder and walking up beside Itachi. You leaned closer to him and took a long breath, deep and thoughtful. Humming, you mumbled, "Like a very foggy forest, I suppose."

"Ugh, that's terribly musky," Itachi complained with a kind of joke in his tone that was foreign to your ear. You smiled as Itachi turned his head to look at you, his minty breath washing over you as he asked hesitantly, "And you... like that?"

"I do, indeed," you confirmed with a nod. "Though, I can smell a distinct lack of mullein on you. Make sure you're steaming those pills properly."

"I do," he replied almost indignantly.

You chuckled as you asked, "With the towel over your head, and all?"

Itachi's nose twitched, nodding, "As embarrassing and time consuming as it is, yes."

"What colours come up after?"

"Black, and blood."

"Are you coughing while over the pot?"

Itachi's face scrunched up at your question. "No, ew, why would I-"

"Don't cough into the pot, take your head out for a second," you laughed, shaking your head. Walking to the exam room door, you flicked off the lights, allowing the moonlight from the window to illuminate the room. "You shouldn't suppress your coughs, that will only make you cough harder when you give in."

You opened the door and turned back to the beautiful, black haired poet. He stood by the desk, nodding silently and softly. Itachi's large eyes reflected the shine of the moon so wonderfully, it was like you could see the individual beams as they touched the different shades of his dark irises. 

Eh, what the Hell. "Care to walk me home, or does the Poet's Life not allow time for that either?"

Elegant as a dancer, Itachi swiveled on his heel and came to you with his small smile returned to his full lips. His cloak swished as he walked toward you, his footsteps no louder than those of the smallest mouse in the largest church. Voice as rich as your grandmother's chocolate cake, Itachi hummed,

"I can make the time, if only for you."

"Oh, stop, now you're just flirting with me," you grinned as the black haired man followed you out of the primary exam room.

"And if I am?"

"Well," you grinned with a blush, locking the door. "Then I would smile, kiss you, and say thank you."

"Then I'm awaiting your kiss."

"You're awfully bold this evening, Itachi," you giggled, hooking your arm into his as you began to walk down the short hallway of exam rooms.

He smiled, looking straight forward as he walked with you, putting his other hand over yours. Just his presence was so calming, but it was like contact with him put your soul in a trance. Nothing bothered your mind, nothing nagged - everything felt peaceful, or at least tentatively so. The two of you swept into the waiting room and you both turned back to lock the door to the hallway.

"Do you have a boyfriend? A husband?"

"Cripes, Itachi, how old do you think I am? A husband?" You exclaimed with a laugh.

"You said you were nineteen a few months ago," Itachi said with a gentle voice. "A young woman like you... you should have a husband... someone to love you."

"Lots of people love me," you replied, mocking his earlier indignance, pulling Itachi through the dark waiting room.

"That's not what I meant," he sighed, pursing his lips. You frowned a bit, recognizing he thought you were upset. Itachi's hand stiffened over yours, as if he was worried you would let go. Drawing a deep breath, he clarified slowly, "I meant... I'm sorry, I just- you're so... it's unbelievable that no one has... you must decline a thousand proposals a day, is what I mean."

"Awfully poetic wording," you remarked jokingly.

Opening the front door of the clinic, you and Itachi squeezed through together while you chewed on your lip. The night air was crisp, wrapping you in a ticklish blanket, which had you you tighten your grip around Itachi's bicep. The muscle rippled beneath your fingers as Itachi pulled you a step closer to him while you locked the final door.

"My dad takes care of that for me," you admitted, drawing him down the steps of your family's clinic and onto the dirt road. "He needs me at the clinic, and in the garden, and at home - one day, he'll decide we need a next generation to continue the clinic, but I've still got a few more years."

Looking over, you remarked the frown that had settled onto Itachi's lips. Still staring ahead, Itachi looked genuinely upset by your words, almost troubled.

"I wish... I'm sorry," he simply said.

"Not your fault, poet," you shrugged, rubbing small circles into his bicep. "I'm content. I've got a job, a small nation's worth of friends, and the attention of the most handsome ninja in the world."

"Who?" Itachi snapped, head swiveling so quickly you could hear a small crunch of cartilidge.

With a chuckle, you shook his arm. "Don't tell me you're losing your sharpness along with your eyesight." Itachi quirked his eyebrow at you, squinting as he did. You snickered, "You, Itachi, are the most handsome ninja- no, human - and you're gorgeous. Drop-dead gorgeous."

"Now you're just flirting with me."

"I am, but I'm also telling the honest truth," you replied, feeling like your heart was going to beat out of your chest at any second.

Looking forward, you could make out the lights of your house in the distance. You turned your head up, hearing the crickets' chirps and the soft breaths Itachi took. The stars above where abundant in the black canvas of the sky, the white and yellow specks flickered in every corner, as far as the eye could see. Right in the center of the sky, directly above the two of you, a big, bright, full moon shone, bathing your little village in silver glow. Everything seemed so perfect, so picturesque - as if the whole world was as calm as you. Perhaps it was, if only while you walked with Itachi.

"Do you know any of the constellations?" Itachi asked you gently, only a few paces from your house.

"Not a one, you?"

"I could draw you a map of the sky, if you wanted me to."

You looked over casually as Itachi raised his eyes to the sky. He began squinting and widening his eyes, pupils stagnant and his eyes dry. Despite the obvious troubles, Itachi raised his hand from yours and pointed. Your eyes followed up his arm, his index finger drawing a strange figure eight in the Northern sky as he mumbled,

"There... do you see a really bright star and a kind of fish shape?"

Matching his squint, you looked where he pointed. Itachi's finger was a ways off the brightest star in that direction, but you assumed that was the star he meant.

"I see the bright one, I think, but the fish is a bit tough."

"Well, the star is called Vega, and the constellation is Lyra," he told you, bringing his hand back to rest atop yours on his bicep. Itachi squeezed your hand to his muscle and he continued, "It's a lyre, like the one Orpheus played."

"Who's Orpheus? And who's the liar?"

"A lyre is a harp of sorts, but Orpheus' is a very long story, sweetheart," Itachi chuckled lowly as the two of you approached your house.

With a shrug, you pulled him to the stairs to your door and sat on the second step, letting go of his arm.

"I've got the time for a story."

Smiling, Itachi sat next to you and began, "Then forget Orpheus for a second while I tell you about Jason."

Over the hours of the night, Itachi divulged the epic legends of Jason and his Argonauts, shifting to Orpheus and Eurydice after. You listened with rapt attention, clinging to every word as he gesticulated wildly. Itachi painted such vivid imagery with his tongue that you had no doubt he was a poet. Of course people would pay to listen to his voice, to be taken into a world of his creation.

As he recited the tales, you asked him questions. Silly, little questions, you thought, but they derailed him greatly, sending him on tangents about different translations and different versions of the same myth.

"He has to turn around."

"But he can't, you just said that was the rule."

"What would you do, if your love refused to look at you?" Itachi asked, eyes locked with yours.

You shrugged and yawned, "I dunno, you're always staring at me."

"Okay, then think," he chuckled. "I'm in front of you, and you can only see the back of my head, as we walk out of Hell."

"Sounds alright."

"We're in Hell though, sweetheart," Itachi reminded you with a smug smile. "The ground is alive, only to trip you - demons are swarming and taunting us - we're surrounded by danger. And I don't look back... I don't check if you're still with me, or if you're alright."

"Oh, I get it, I get it," you hummed with a nod. "But still, we would be fine, as soon as we're safe on Earth."

"Eurydice didn't think so." Itachi tore his eyes away from yours, looking to the sky as it lightened. "In the one version where Orpheus doesn't turn, Eurydice turned back. She returned to Hell, not wanting to live if Orpheus didn't care enough to check on her."

"That's terribly sad, Itachi."

He looked back to you, smiling softly despite your words. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I don't mean to sadden you."

"I'm not sad." You yawned again, leaning on Itachi's shoulder. "Not sad at all."

"I should let you go in, get some sleep while you still can."

"Next time you come, you should stay with me," you suggested, almost ignoring his attempt to leave. "You could stay for a few days even, get some proper writing in. The village isn't awe-inspiring, but we've got a few nice streams and valleys."

Itachi took a deep breath, then leaned his head against yours gently. The two of you sat on your step, simply breathing together as the sky shifted from a navy blue to a darling lilac. Slowly, the stars that Itachi seemed to know so much about faded into the distance, leaving you only a twinkle in your mind to mark their presence. Birds stirred awake, the hatchlings cheeping desperately for breakfast from their diligent parents. The birds awoke the cicadas, who started their droning early, before the sun even began to rear it's stunning halo over the horizon.

The silence that you and the wandering poet had constructed began to seep away as the farmers began their morning duties. Machinery whirred to life, and farmhands slowly started stumbling from their houses, on their ways to their contracts.

No louder than a whisper, Itachi mumbled, "I need to go."

"Why? A limerick on the tip of your tongue?"

"You could say that," he smiled, lifting his head off of yours slowly. Once you raised your head from his shoulder, Itachi stood and extended his hand to you. You took it gratefully, and Itachi added, "I'll come back soon."

"I hope," you replied honestly, squeezing his hand. Itachi's Obsidian eyes flickered around your face, his pupils dilating wide. You grinned, "I'll work on some eyedrops for you - I can't restore muscle, but I can help quell the dryness."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to."

"Okay," Itachi whispered.

Carefully, he brought his free hand to your face, tracing your cheekbone with his thumb as his fingers pressed against your jaw.

When you leaned against him, Itachi let go of your hand, in favour of cupping your face on either side. You rested your palms around his thick, bare, scarred forearms, as the tattered sleeves of his cloak had fallen to his elbows. For a minute, you and Itachi stood in the quiet of the morning as his fingers gently roamed around your face. They brushed down your nose, feeling each dip in your jaw and temples, gently squeezing the flesh of your cheek. Everywhere he touched, a trail of tingling fire was left, making your heart bounce around in your chest. Itachi's small smile grew on his face, deepening from a simple smirk to a full-blown beam.

Blinking a few times, Itachi said, a decibel louder, "You are... very, very pretty, Y/n."

You smiled, leaning forward to the balls of your feet. Lingering for only a second, you pressed a kiss to Itachi's cheek. His face bloomed quite the rosy red, as you said,

"Thank you."

[jolalibrary]

untangling

frankie morales x f!reader

this little drabble is half my fault and half @laughing-in-th3-purple-rain — so blame the latter for why you’ve seen me post so much today.

WARNINGS: reader gets riled up watching frankie detangle a necklace, competency kink is on full form, a bit smutty, alludes to a blowjob, established relationship. written on my phone, so likely errors. word count: 1k

If only you were more careful. A thought so easy to have now, all in retrospect—the carnage of past actions held delicately between your fingers.

He says it sometimes, comments on it with a small smile when you’re clumsy—when you find yourself tumbling or walking into doorways. This is a little different, a little less clumsy and a little more careless.

Hunched over the bed, back aching, sweat beginning to build on your lower spine—just hoping it doesn’t ruin the fabric you’d slipped over your head only ten minutes ago. Because now you’re running late, behind on the time you told him.

All because you’d haphazardly thrown your necklace into your jewellery box the last time you’d worn it. Giddy, excitement building in your muscles as you stripped and rid yourself of everything that could stand in the way of feeling him. The necklace’s removal had been cautionary, not wanting it to be ruined.

The irony.

Each attempt at untangling the knot comes with a fresh, heavier exhale from your flared nostrils. Irritation weaves itself into your muscles with each minute that ticks on by, as another blow of hot breath dances down the V of your dress.

Tears begin to prick, distantly hearing him moving around just below. Waiting, likely checking his watch out of fear of being late—because he loathes being late, a thing from his army days, a part of his character.

The only thing soothing you is the lingering scent of his aftershave. It floats in the air of the bedroom the two of you share, even if he left it over half an hour ago for you to get dressed.

Which, technically you are—just not completely.

Because you can’t go to dinner with him without this.

The gift from your first few months of dating. A present, a thing picked, chosen and given by him. All hopeful almond-brown eyes, relief flooding through him when you told him you loved it as fingers on your neck—all warm, calloused—helped fasten it.

It’s why you have to detangle it. Fix it.

“Fuck,” you mumble. “Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck—“

“Querida?”

It’s soft, laced with concern. A tone you don’t deserve when you look over your shoulder and find him in the doorway—looking even more handsome than the day you first met him.

It’s a rush, a collection of words that make an amalgamated sentence he’s somehow able to decipher. But then, Frankie speaks you; he knows you. Can read your body as though it talks directly to him, spills secrets to him your brain is not yet willing to provide.

You suppose it’s why your body relaxes at his touch, fingers on the back of your arm, knuckles up and down in soft lines.

“Let me try, baby.”

All calm and collected, his hand gesturing out—nothing but soft brown eyes that meet yours as you slide the chain and the pendant into his palm.

It’s like watching magic happen. His fingers—all thick, worn, weathered—somehow able to begin to loosen the crime you committed. The metal listening, doing as he commands as he begins to undo the work from you hurrying all those months ago.

Some part of you is in disbelief, because it shouldn’t be a thing. Those fingers compared to your thinner ones, and yet, you’re watching it happen—seeing in real-time as once again he does the impossible. As the chain begins to sit flat, no ball of shambles, just a beautiful necklace in his finger.

And it makes heat bloom in your stomach, a knot forming and tightening that makes it hard to think of anything but how good his hands are in other places too. Your thighs pressing together, teeth biting down on your lip, all desperate to alleviate, unsure how watching him do such a mundane task is making you so wet between your legs. So much so, you struggle to swallow when he flicks his eyes up to you and smiles.

Because how can you be so impressed, dumbfounded and utterly turned on that he did that so easily, so competently—as though it was the easiest thing of all?

“Stand up and turn around for me,” Frankie says, voice low.

And you do. Better that than question the swirling thoughts of dragging his mouth to yours, to sliding fingers into his hair and having his competent fucking hands slide your dress up your thighs—have him ball it up, show you what else he can do (for the billionth time) with limited time.

The bed squeaks as you stand, almost wobbling, heels clicking on the floor as you move and stand before him, turning, as you see his hands in your peripheral and feel cold metal on your skin.

“Have I told you how good you look?”

Smiling, heat warms your cheeks—it fizzing in your ears. “Not yet, Morales.”

Fingers pressing the pendant to your chest, hearing him fastening—imagining the tip of his tongue poking through his lips, face full of concentration and focus.

“You look beautiful, querida,” he whispers as his breath dances over your neck, necklace fastened, perfectly in place as his fingers slide down over your shoulders, resting on your arms as he

Taking in a measured breath, you turn your head, catching his gaze—seeing it flick from your face to the deep V of your dress.

“How long have we got, Morales?”

It leaves your tongue calm, plain. But you suspect he knows what you’re getting at, likely already knows you’re soaked—seemingly caught on to the competency kink you have going on.

Licking his lips, he smirks, all-knowing as a snort half escapes, “Querida…”

But you’re already turning, mouth suddenly desperate to have something inside of it that doesn’t come on a plate. Hands finding refuge on his shoulders, using them to slip from your heels, before dropping to the waist of your dress.

“How long, Frankie?”

He swallows, visibly. Curses under his breath as more of your thighs are unveiled, cool air kissing over your already-soaked panties. And he mumbles a number, a frame of time to work in.

“Perfect,” you whisper, fingers working his belt, it clanging, loosening before you find his zipper. “Want to still feel you in the back of my throat every time I try and eat tonight, Morales. You got that?”

Whatever comment he’d been about to say is taken, stolen, by your mouth wrapping around his half-hardened cock.

You’re not sure you regret your necklace tangling now.

[quokkareactions]

Stray Kids as angst tropes:

Hey, guys! Okay, so I was in the mood for writing some angst, so here you go four angsty Stray Kids drabbles. I still have to work on Seungmin's, which means I'll probably post the other four tomorrow. Until then I hope you enjoy these ones.

Kisses😘

Chan:

You and Chan were walking down the street holding hands and laughing when a girl stopped in her tracks next to you.

"Chan? Is it really you?" she said with a surprised laugh.

The confusion on Chan's face quickly changed into pure happiness when he recognised the girl.

You've never met the girl before but you know exactly who she is. You know that she's the owner of the box of women's clothes on the highest shelf in Chan's closet. You know that she's the reason why Chan's watching Attack on Titan every Tuesday night. You know that he can't say he loves you because of her. And it hurts even if you told him a thousand times that it's okay. He looks at you like you're the prettiest girl in the world, but her... He looks at her like she's his whole world.

"Chan, stop apologising"

"But I didn't know this will happen, we were only supposed to meet to catch up a bit, not to find our unresolved feelings for each other"

"I did"

"What?" he looks at you in confusion.

"I knew this was coming, she was always who you'd choose"

"I'm so sorry, y/n"

"I guess it was my mistake" you let out a bitter laugh.

"No, don't you dare say you're at fault"

"I should've left sooner" now both of your eyes were glossy from tears. "Goodbye, Chan"

You hugged.

"I wish you all the best, y/n"

Minho:

Ringing. Not even remotely unusual sound for Minho. Especially because his best friend since high school was calling him nonstop for the last few days. He just ignored it for the most parts. He didn't want to talk to her. He had no idea what to say to her after what happened at Friday night. But then the ringing stopped and did not start again like Minho anticipated it to, like it did oh so many times already this weekend. What happened? Did you give up?

He almost felt relieved but then he realized... He knows you too well to believe you gave up. You're too persistent. And boy was he right. The next thing he hears is banging on his door.

"Open the fucking door, Minho, or I swear to god I'm gonna kick it in your face"

With a sigh he opens the door and you storm in.

"Y/n, seeing you is always a delight"

"Cut the crap, Min, I deserve at least an explanation"

"I'm not sure I can give you the explanation you wanna hear"

"Please, what happened? I thought you wanted it too" you whispered.

"We ruined our friendship"

"No, we didn't. Our friendship doesn't have to be ruined just because we start dating, it's not..."

"I don't want to date you! I never have and never will" he cuts in bitterly.

"But... I watched you go out with numerous girls waiting for the day you realize that the right girl was right in front of you the whole time" you trail off, tears now freely falling from your eyes.

"Sleeping with you was the worst mistake of my life" he answers without any emotion what so ever.

"And knowing you was mine. Fuck you, Lee Minho!"

With that you walk out of his apartment and his life. You never wanted to see him again not as a friend, not as a lover and not even as a stranger on the street. You wanted to forget him and the piece of your heart that he took for forever.

Changbin:

It was collecting up in you for long by now. Ever since Changbin and you became official you're getting hate from his fans. And we are talking about regular death threats level of hate. But when your sister got involved too you had enough. You decided to break up with Changbin. It was a hard decision but you had to do it, you couldn't take it anymore. Even though he had a really hard time dealing with the fact.

"Please tell me at least part of it was real" he pleaded

"All of it was real but I can't do this anymore. I'm not strong enough to bear it"

"Don't say it. Don't say goodbye"

"I'm so sorry, Changbin" you choked out, lips trembling, voice cracking and tears collecting on your lashes. "But we were never meant to last"

You left the room and was about to open the front door when he shouted after you.

"If you knew that from the start you should have told me before I fell in love with you"

For him the only indication of you hearing it was the sound of the front door closing right after. That was the last time you saw each other.

Hyunjin:

You and Hyunjin were madly in love at the start of your relationship and you made sure that everyone knew that. You were probably the cringiest couple alive. You did everything together and you were all over each other all the time. So everything was perfect until your third year anniversary. You had a huge fight and Hyunjin left and spent the night at his friend's. A girl he suddenly started to spend an awful lot of time with. Since then you felt further and further away from each other. You stopped going out together.

You were slipping away from each other and what is better evidence to that than the situation you're in right now. You are standing exhausted and completely soaked by the rain in front of the Café you work in. The Café your boss closed at 19:00. Exactly when he does everyday, exactly when your shift ended and exactly when you asked Hyunjin this morning to pick you up from there. That was an hour ago. Since then the rain is getting more and more intense. You are not  sure anymore whether it's the rain or your tears that's running down your cheek constantly.

At the start of the hour you thought it's him every time a car passed by. You are not hoping anymore. Not even sure why are you still waiting for him, you could've gotten on a bus and you'd already be home.

[euphoricfilter]

For the drabble game could you write fluff with youtuber bf jk ? I am not creative so I couldn’t think of a sentence sorry😭 but maybe he does one of those 24hr streams, I love your writing!

youtuber boyfriend! kook headcanons:

tags/ warnings: none. just a lot of fluff and feelings <3

notes: when i got sent this idea ages ago i got so excited. and i wrote three fics for it but hated them all and then made sure they were to never see the light of day. so my solution is to write some cute boyfriend headcanons instead to make up for it!! simply because i absolutely love this idea and i need to write anything for it to sate the need within me.

notes 2: this got slightly longer than i’d intended LMAO sorry 🕺

𓇻 i feel like jungkook’s channel has a plethora of videos, though he specializes in gaming.

𓇻 its probably one of his biggest passions. though i do see him dabbling in commentary, or even review type videos. maybe he’s a bit of a collector as well and goes on hour long rants about rare items or hauls of what he purchased over the years.

𓇻 i see the both of you probably meeting at one of those second-hand game and film stores.

𓇻 maybe you’re just milling around. more content to browse the movies than the games because you only own an old console (something cute like a nintendo DS) but they don’t really sell the game cards commercially anymore

𓇻 and jungkook loses track of why he was even there in the first place when he spots you. slowly scooting towards the corner you’re in.

𓇻 jungkook might not exactly believe in love at first sight, finds it a little hard to imagine loving someone so soon. but he definitely believes in destiny, even fate. and some small part of his mind had convinced him that surely this was just that.

𓇻 he’d be a bit shy about trying to approach you, mouth opening only for nothing to come out because what was he supposed to say? and maybe he accidentally startles you, offering to pay for the few dvds you had hugged to your chest as a lame sort of compensation

𓇻 he’d be the one to ask for your number, he’d be the first to text. you’d tell him later on it’s because you didn’t want to come off too head-strong. worried you’d scare him off messaging only hours after meeting. and then he’d tell you he had worried about the same thing

𓇻 jungkook wouldn’t straight out tell his audience he’d gotten into a relationship. it’s not that he was embarrassed about you, quite the opposite; he’d love to flaunt you to the world. it’s just he’d worry about the reaction from fans.

𓇻 he’d have a pretty hefty audience, a well established one even. and he wasn’t blind to the mean comments that would occasionally show up beneath videos or social media posts. he, himself, never found much issue in dealing with them, on occasion he’d get a little down but he knew that really he put himself up for this. he chose to show his face online, and with that would come some backlash. however, that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about you or how shitty comments would effect your well being.

𓇻 definitely the “in a relationship but it’s private” sort of photos would slowly creep their way onto his IG posts. maybe of little date nights— candles on the table with a dinner you’d cooked together (2 glasses, 2 plates and 2 sets of cutlery), or your favorite cake he’d tried to bake himself with the lego flowers he’d spent the previous evening trying to make (because at least you could look at the lego ones forever and they wouldn’t die). or maybe even your hand snuck in a photo or simply your silhouette beneath a sunset.

𓇻 maybe a few of your own collectible items had made their way onto the shelf in his studio. an obvious beanbag in the corner (you’d often sit there and read as he went through emails or scripted videos). valentines cards that he’d never thought to take down, or posters of yours that never exactly fit in the bedroom

𓇻 it would become apparent that he was in a long-term relationship when he’d film a moving video. so much of your stuff mingled with his own, split seconds of the shared rooms he’d add to the video before showing his audience his new office space. the extra shoes and cute little additions to his home; soft cushions on the couch, ceramics you’d begged him to buy. your hoard of plushies that took up half the bed or the stupid amount of skin care products stacked up in the bathroom. all a sure way of telling his fans that he was serious about you, even if they had no idea of your name or face

𓇻 maybe with enough comments he’d make a little announcement at the end of a video.

𓇻 “i know you’ve all probably guessed by now, but i am in fact, in a relationship”

𓇻 and then proceeded to talk about you for 7 minutes because really he wanted everyone to know how much he loved you. and truthfully he never knew when to shut up when it came to you, not when you were what’s on his mind most of the time. he’d tell them how you’d met, and how he had been absolutely enamored by you almost instantly. he’d show everyone the matching bracelets you’d made. grinning as he showed off the receipt he’d kept in his wallet from your first date together at a small cafe in town, mentioning how he kept a baby photo of you in the back of his phone too.

𓇻 the first time you’d show up in a video, he’d plan for the both of you to do some crafts together one afternoon. a hobby you’d been trying over the last couple of weeks, and jungkook liked to indulge you. loved to watch you sprawled across the floor of an evening with glue coating your fingers and way too much glitter imbedded in the carpet.

𓇻 he’d have been worried at first. asking you over and over if it was truly okay for you to be on camera, and after your reassured him with a kiss, he’d settle down slightly. though his anxiety had still clung to him, eyes flitting your way throughout the afternoon

𓇻 he could tell how shy you’d been, and had reassured you that really you didn’t even need to address the audience. he’d do all the silly little things you giggled at him for. and all you had to do was sit there and be pretty for him. you’d been a lot quieter than usual; itching to give him a kiss each time he was just so awfully jungkook. eyes like those of galaxies when he got something right, or the happiest smile on his face when you asked him for help

𓇻 the day he did a 24 hour charity stream would be when his audience sees you the most. milling around the house, making sure your boyfriend was fed and watered. maybe even sitting down and reading the chat when he wanted to shower. or answering questions while perched on his lap. he’d want to smother you with even more love when you’d catch his eye— a silent question if you were doing okay, that you answered all the questions correct. and he’d squeeze your thigh in reassurance, head resting over your shoulder as he listened to your voice, humming to let you know he was still listening

𓇻 you’d startle him at 4am, a little pouty that you’d had to fall asleep alone. dragging a chair from the kitchen to sit on as you watch him play a game you’d never seen before.

𓇻 “go back to bed, baby” he’d coo, “you’ll fall asleep sitting up and get a bad back”

𓇻 and maybe after that he’s a lot more open to showing you on camera. filming you on beaches, eating cakes and ice creams from a million different restaurants or dancing around hotel rooms or sitting on the balcony with the sun warming your skin when he takes you on holiday. short films dedicated to you with your favorite songs playing in the background

𓇻 maybe he even makes a playlist on his youtube channel, titled “my love” for every video that he includes you in

𓇻 idk just very much in love boyfriend kook who wants the world to love you almost as much as he does (because in all honesty, no one would ever love you more than he does)

[desiresloki]

soft!billy hargrove because I got nothing better to do and I know we all need some fluffy, yucky stuff. ( I'm a sucker for those. zzz ) This is also for mi plus size girlies out there ( if you squint), me being one <3 slight enemies to lovers because WHY NOT. This is heavily inspired by robbers by the 1975. English is not my native language but I'm willing to learn, so give it to me. give me criticism and a lil mental stability. Thank you for reading !! ( Am I the only one that thinks the 1975 suits soft!billy so well? ) THIS IS A DRABBLE BTW <333 ( part two )

trigger warnings : uhh... mentioned Neil. I think that's all. Also!! this wasn't proof read, I just trust google docs.

Robbers

She had a pretty face. Billy thought when he rolled his hips into her, thrusting with such vigour. He studied her face at that moment, he listened to her gasps, he saw how glossy her eyes had gotten. At times like this, Billy would chase his own pleasure, but he didn’t. He caressed her body, the curves she hated, he touched with love seeping from his fingertips that made her look up at him with the same gentleness. The kisses he gave upon her face and lips, fierce with need and an unspoken confession, leaving her breathless. She understood them, from his eyes, from the way he held her as his thrusts were painfully slow, suffocating, yet deeply nectarous. She looked pretty like this, beneath him with her hair splayed out messily on the pillow. Her nails dug into his forearm, and her melodic moans filled his ears. He wanted - needed more, thus he re-positioned his hip to hit her sweet spot. The gasp she let out made him groan, burying his face into her neck.

“Is this how much you hate me, doll?” he sighed delightfully, kissing her neck softly which was the opposite of his brutal thrusts. His thrust, rough and deep. It was agonisingly pleasurable. She begged him, unsure for what. He filled her perfectly, up to the point that his tip was bruising her cervix deliciously. She couldn't speak. She was a mess, the strong headed girl he first met was gone. Replaced by a teary - eyed girl that had a light in her eyes, one he has never seen before nor understood. “So much, bee. You ruin me,” She cried, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pulling him impossibly closer. He did, he did ruin her. A selfish part of him wants to keep it that way, to keep her. He was too damaged to be loved by a pretty thing like her, but he wanted it. He wanted all of it. 

“But you don’t want me to stop,” He grunted, nearing his climax and so was she. She shut her eyes, shaking her head. Before she could say anything, he pressed his lips against her with brutal passion then he felt all of it. The hatred from the first day they met at the canteen and to the day he found her crying at her porch in the early morning. “No… don’t want you to stop,” she mumbled against his tears stained lips, her toes curled and her back arch, pressing her body against his and her eyes shut tight as her orgasm washed over her. He groaned and rested his forehead against her, his necklace dangling above her neck, it took him two more thrust before spilling his seed into her. 

A whimper escaped her mouth when she felt full of him, sweats collected on their forehead and his hair was a mess of blond curls that fell to her temple. This felt ordinary, like two people who disliked each other were supposed to be in this mess. Tangled in motel sheets, covered in sweat and breathless. It was complete silence at first, they were kissing each other as though it was their last. It might be their last. That's what she thought.

He didn't leave. He spent the night listening to her god awful snoring, he wished to silence them but at the same time he basked in them for he didn't know how long he has before she puts up that frustrating wall again. Where she hides behind a façade. He sees her now, and she's got a face that was rare to see. Peaceful, pretty and terrifying. Terrified because of how it made him feel deep down. She was like the beach back in California, warm, bright, and ataractic. Surprisingly, she smelt like the ocean. Salty, soft and a tinge of sweetness, but that was from her hair. The more he admired her, the more he knew he should leave. Go back to Neil, and leave her be. 

He didn't listen to his head. He had always been a stubborn fella after all. So he pulled her closer, legs tangled, and slumber took over him, unbeknownst to him that she was woken up the moment his cold hand pulled her waist. Her breath shuddered, but she didn't retaliate against him this time. She let it be. Perhaps, things would be different.

[husbandograveyard]

This drabble is part of my summer celebration collection! Prompt: watermelon Characters featured: Killer (One Piece), 2nd person GN Reader Requested by: @kerokerogecko [a/n]: This one is a tiny bit suggestive. If you squint. Enjoy!

“Can I do what?” 

Killer sounded surprised by your question, although you couldn’t be sure. His expression was hidden behind his mask, so you had no way of knowing that he was looking at you with eyebrows raised, a hint of confused amusement in his eyes. 

“You know.. crush a watermelon with those thighs?” You shrugged, trying your best to sound casual, trying to hide the fact that the thought had been on your mind ever since the crew brought some fruits onboard at the last island, a great way to battle both scurvy and the summer heat. 

“Y/n, with all due respect… why the fuck would I do that? Feels like a waste” 

You pouted a little bit in response. It felt pointless to point out that it was a hot thing to do, but you didn’t want to explain, that seemed a little too embarrassing, even if you and Killer had been dating for a while, and it was by far not the most embarrassing thing that had happened between the two of you. 

“You know what, nevermind, it was a silly idea anyway” 

Your sudden dismissiveness only fueled his curiosity more though, and within minutes he had walked away and returned with a fresh watermelon from storage, holding it up in front of you, immediately grabbing all your attention. 

“I was just gonna offer you a piece; but now I am curious as to where this’ll lead if I do crush ‘em. I suppose you wanna watch?” He cocked his head to the side, a clear indication of curiosity, even though his tone had made it plenty clear for you. You were already smiling widely. 

“You bet.”

[azertyrobaz]

Ever since I finished playing The Last of Us Part II four years ago I started working on a silly fix-it fic in my head. Because honestly I had to cope some way. And I've started writing it for real this summer, so it might actually see the light of day at one point. I guess this drabble is part of it! Don't read if you want to avoid spoilers for the show.

As always, prompts are here if you want to have a look. And the ao3 collections is located there.

Enjoy!

************

Ellie didn’t dream. Well, almost never. And especially lately. Which was for the best all things considered – she didn’t think her dreams would be very pretty. They would also definitely ruin the few precious hours of sleep she got here and there.

She must have been thinking about Joel before falling asleep, that was all. Hopefully one day the memory of him wouldn’t hurt so much. And her regrets wouldn’t weigh so heavy. But until then – until she got her revenge – she would avoid the subject.

You don’t bring up Tess. Ever.

Ellie understood what he’d meant, now. All those years ago. It just hurt too much. And it was completely fucking useless and counterproductive. She had a job to do.

But what about that dream, then? Why now? She wished Dina was there so they could talk about it. She’d have plenty of theories and explanations and all in all just know how to make her feel better about it.  But Dina was someone else she wasn’t supposed to think about.

Ellie sighed and turned around on the hard floor – she knew this was pointless and that there would be no more sleep for her.

The dream, then.

Joel was there. Obviously. His hair was shorter and he looked younger. But he couldn’t be that much younger, because Sarah was there and she looked older than on the picture she’d seen at Tommy and Maria’s place. She was all grown up. About the age she would be if she’d survived. There was a young kid there as well. Older than JJ. He looked like Sarah. Seemed like Joel was a grandpa, then. It suited him. He looked happy. They all looked happy. In a house filled with sunshine and pretty colors.

Was that his old house back in Texas? Ellie had no idea. It didn’t matter, it was a dream. And it filled her with warmth and longing. Not sadness, really. Not exactly. She knew this wasn’t reality and that they were all gone and that she wasn’t supposed to join them just yet because it wasn’t her time. Because first she had a job to do. But… She wouldn’t mind going there one day. To that happy house.

[amarylliasky]

Number 9!

Huiss Academy: Where History is Repeated

Welcome to Huiss Academy, student! I’m the Vice Headmaster and I’ll be taking you on a tour of our school grounds! On the way, you’ll meet all sorts of students and faculty, so make sure to be taking notes of all the major happenings and familiarize yourself with the environment.

As we walk around the courtyard, you’ll notice quite a few students keeping a distance from that fountain in the middle. Would you like to know why? …..No, they’re not afriad of getting wet, if it were that useless of a reason then all the students would throw coins into it like a normal fountain. The real reason they stay clear of the fountain in the courtyard is because there is said to be a legend about the water in this fountain. Would you like to hear it?��.

The legend goes “You have tried to trap my child just as you had done in the ancient times. Very well, I shall take aim at he who tries to tame the water that eats the sky. Do not think yourselves great because you can shape the water in whatever way you choose, for the water cannot be contained. The moment of freedom is at hand. For he who touches the sea that strikes the sky, your life is one that is filled with pain and hardships.” …..Kind of eerie isn’t it? And that’s not all.. For those who get closer to the fountain…. ….! As you can see, the water here is grey, not clear. It definitely does the job of scaring students away, am I right? Let’s move on. We’ve go a lot of ground to cover before the school day ends!

Our next stop is the Library! Make sure to keep your voice down as some students are studying. ……What? You didn’t expect there to be so many? Well, believe it or not, there are quite a few students who come to the library each day! Many come here to study history and the ancient times!…The Ancient Times? Oh, that’s a story for another day! Let us carry on. Anyway, there are a great deal of students who come to study history, especially those attending Professor Eruhaben’s class. The Roan History Professor expects all of his students to be well versed in our continent’s past. Other interesting topics to read would be the many books detailing Chemistry and ancient Alchemy, along with the philosophy of matter and mana. I could go on about our vast collection here in the Huiss Academy library, but you probably have better things to is to do than hang around with these dusty old books!

As we continue along the hallway, do make sure to avoid the students with blond hair. Hmm? Which ones? Why all of them of course! Especially those broom- Oh! My apologies, student! I nearly said something disrespectful! Let’s be on our way now! (…)

A little while later……

And that’s all the time we’ve been allotted today! …..It was my pleasure, student! Here at Roan’s finest academy, we strive to make all of our students feel welcomed and included! So if you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to reach out! Headmaster Sherrit and myself would be glad to help you adjust in any way we can!

I’ve taken the liberty of calling a cab for you. … Oh no, it was my pleasure. Have a safe trip home, student! I’m sure we will see each other at orientation!

////////

So while writing this, I kinda imagined a sorta otome game style narrative. That’s why there aren’t really any quotations and stuff to differentiate between narration and dialogue. The dots are supposed to be the student(you, or whoever I’ll decide on later). While I don’t intend to add any actual romance in it if I do continue this story, the whole otome game genre is what this was inspired by the most.

Anyway, this is kind of a silly little drabble set in a modern au. I won’t go into specifics, but the idea is that pretty much every major character (including villains) go to this academy or are part of the faculty.

Until tomorrow, everyone!

[damistrolls]

Goodbyes

helo ive been sitting on this noboru write for a little while

its gone thru a lot of revisions but i think im finally happy, so!!! here it is!

now read my silly self-indulgent drabble, boy

(google doc link)

—

“I loved you once, you know.”

The statement hung in the crisp air for a few moments. Noboru took his eyes off of the grave, glancing over his shoulder, as though he feared someone was listening to him speaking to a plot of disturbed ground. After he confirmed he truly was alone, he rolled his shoulders casually, and looked back at the hunk of white marble sticking out of the soil. 

“I don’t know when that changed, if it ever did. We were distant towards the end, and we disagreed on more things than we agreed on, but…”

He trailed off, words failing him. Noboru sighed and glanced over his shoulder once more, before carefully kneeling down on the damp grass with a grunt. He always felt his age most when he sat or stood. He remembers a younger Magpie telling him he made old man noises when he moved, and now he can’t help but notice every time he makes said ‘old man noises’. 

“… You’ll have to forgive me. I don’t have anything written and practiced. I didn’t want to come here with some kind of speech. I just wanted to talk, I suppose, since I refrained from saying anything during the funeral. Everyone there already wanted me dead, the last thing I wanted to do was rock the boat more.” 

The stone in the ground was silent and still, if a bit wet from the rain that had come down the previous day. Noboru nodded in the direction of the grave.

“Magpie insisted on the marble. I thought granite would be more practical, since it lasts longer, but he said you would want it to be beautiful.” 

Noboru goes quiet for a few moments, waiting. It was as if he was expecting a response, though he knew none would come. This was probably the most personal death he’s experienced. Every troll loses a friend or two when they’re young, but losing a long-term matesprit, even if an estranged one, was different. His lips press together in a thin line as he tiredly looks down at his lap.

“He asked me not to touch your hive. There isn’t much I can do if the Empire chooses to reclaim the land, but for now, it’s as it was. Though, it may be collecting some dust now. I think the only one who’s been in and out of there is Magpie. He still keeps things in that room of his, even if he doesn’t ever sleep there anymore. Apparently, he’s staying with this teal. And Lupo, of course.” 

The violet plucked a blade of grass from the ground, toying with it in his fingers idly as his eyes stayed trained downwards. 

“I’d like to say he’s happy, but frankly, I wouldn’t be able to tell. I don’t know how to talk with him. I feel as though I lost my opportunity to ever meaningfully be a part of his life. Yahiro was more of a father to him than I was. I wish I could blame you for that, like I blame you for everything else, but I can’t.”

Noboru’s chest ached and his throat felt tight, but he simply rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger and straightened his back.

“… There’s too much I could say to you, Fansia... I could fill a novel with all of the things I’d like to say. But I don’t have that kind of time, and I’m sure you have some kind of afterlife to get on with. You never wanted to hear me whine about this-or-that while you were alive, gods know you give even less of a damn now. So I think now’s a good time for me to… say goodbye. Officially. To stop… dragging what happened around with me. It’s a weight I’m tired of holding.” 

He hesitated, before patting the pocket on his chest, making sure something was still in there. Noboru then retrieved a small, shiny object from the pocket, holding it out as if the marble grave could see it. 

“They buried you with yours, but I won’t let them bury me with mine, no matter how much I loved you. It’s been a few perigees already, and I need to stop carrying this piece of you around with me if I ever want to move forwards.” 

The grass near the stone was still loose enough that he could dig at it with his nails and pull back just enough to drop a gold ring into the dirt. It was a waste, but Noboru would have felt worse selling it. He pressed the grass back down over the ring. 

“… I’m not going to visit after this. You had a tight grip on my life these past thirty or so sweeps. More, if you count the time we spent when we were younger, with me trailing after you like a lost pup. I’m done centering my life around you, Fansia.” 

Noboru carefully got off of his knees, standing with some effort. He brushed the grass off of his shins and sighed. 

“Despite everything, I hope you’re happy, wherever you are. You take care.” 

And after a moment of hesitation, Noboru turned and left. 

[cilil]

🌿 for ask game. thank you!

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

Now I may be both a good and bad person to ask about that because I've been inspired and writing almost every day for 2 1/2 years straight now and, while there certainly were unproductive episodes in terms of output or low motivation or stress and anxiety keeping me away from writing itself, I always had inspiration in my head at least; I suppose you could say I've been somewhat "blessed" with keeping this up without putting in real conscious effort. I don't think there's a secret recipe either, but I'll try to give some helpful (?) ideas :)

So a good chunk of this is sadly, or at least I suspect it might be so, dependent on how prone to hyperfixation and how attached to an individual thing you are on a personal level. Speaking for myself, I'm the kind of person who always has their "one main thing" and sticks with it for several years at least (I was tenacious enough to spend 5 years doing my own thing in a dead fandom) and slowly digs deeper and deeper as time goes on. Others may change interests more frequently, be in several fandoms at once or experience greater fluctuations with high and low creativity. That leads us to my first point: Know who you are and work with that, don't try to be anyone else.

The second thing I think is important is to find a good balance between trying to be reliable and finish your stuff and give yourself some space to do whatever you feel like and fuck around. You may have heard creativity being compared to a river before and it's true: Too much human interference - for example straightening a river - can impact the environment around it negatively, and too much scheduling and deadlines and forcing yourself to be creative will impact your creativity negatively. Make sure you have the space to at least occasionally do what comes to mind. You should be working on project A, but you're feeling project B? Work on B for a while. The muses are moody.

Another thing that may seem a little contradictory at first, but I think is helpful: Keep at it. If you do whatever is your creative thing regularly, it's less of a "big deal" and threshold to cross every time, it becomes natural and a comforting part of your routine. For writers, drabble challenges and prompt events are examples for good tools to ensure you write at least semi-regularly. But again, please don't feel like you have to force yourself to create every single day, especially if you're someone who experiences periods of little to no creative energy. That's fine. Let yourself recharge. We're all different (in general what works for me doesn't have to work for everyone else).

Now if you do find yourself in a bit of a creative slump or lose passion for a project you used to enjoy a lot, here are some things you can try:

Take a break and do something else. Scratch a different itch. Have fun!

Put yourself in the right mood/mindset by looking for media that evokes the feelings/vibes needed for your project (note that this will work better for people who are highly sensitive or otherwise react/connect to media on an emotional level more strongly). Examples: A playlist, a specific song you associate with your work, a movie/book/game/etc that inspired you, artwork of a character

Talk about it with someone else. Be excited together. Ask for advice if needed. Or just talk through whatever block you have; you may not even consciously realize it, but just to have someone listening will help with explaining the situation to both them and yourself and clearing it up

Write a project list (I recommend either a spreadsheet or a handwritten one). Sometimes the crux with a project is simply all the disorganized noise around it and you begin to feel anxious which causes writer's block and/or kills your creativity. Writing a list can clear that up, make you feel more calm and collected and show you a clear way forward. Note: This applies to other situations in life too. Try it and I promise things will become easier to handle

That's all I can think of right now. Again I can't promise any of this is "the secret sauce, but maybe some of it can help someone :)

[stephaniebrownslover]

So I have an Azula centric oneshot idea which is very weird and absurd, even awful but i want to share with you guys for learning what you think about it. İt's a plot i choose for the Azula Drabbles and Oneshots collection but if you're interested you can s use it.(which everybody gonna hate this plot I'm sure since it's really awkward)

So I'm thinking of a game specialized for firebenders but azula would change that rule to no bending. İ haven't decided all the rules since i hate all the ideas came up to my mind but I'm still working on it and trying to not doing it very childish or mature. Like a game for 13+ audience. İt's a team game and all the teams consist of two players. Teams would be Azula-Zuko, Katara-Aang and Sokka-Toph

Gaang tried to fight against Azula but she won because she was waiting for them and used some traps to catch them. İt's a bending special traps, for example katara can't use water because Azula blocked her bending ability with an wolfbat poison she added Katara's bending water while fighting with her. Which makes Katara's aura unbalanced and she can't can't use her bending until using an antidote, she don't have to use antidote but that way she can't bend water 72-80 hours. But of course they don't know this because it's a fact Azula learned from a royal poison expert(ozai requested it and he even let the expert use non-lethal poisons on her for immunity) and it's not a common fact. Like it's actually normal to not know it. And Azula refuse to give them antidote if one of them leaves.

Azula threatened the gaang while she fight with them, she said Tohoku-one of the Earth Kingdom citys i made up- is under an invasion and it started now. She acts like they're the reason of this occupation and wouldn't let them go until she take what she wants.

The deal is if Azula wins, she gains a trip to the sprit world which she has some future plans for it, but if gaang wins, she will say stop to Tohoku occupation. So with this antidote thing and stopping occupation things make deal seem more acceptable.

Either way Azula wins or lose, she will gain something that can be useful for her future plans. Even if she not wins something because she lost the deal, at least she had chance to using and improving her poison making skill which she's not using since a little kid.

İt's not actually in a season but i guess i can use early episodes of season 3, Mai and Ty Lee won't be around since Azula wanted it to be a sister-brother bonding activity and she needs them for taking information about one of her future plans. So Mai and Ty Lee is in city and they try to reach secret archive.(it includes all fire lord's yearly summary's and Azula thinks she can use it to finishing this war) She don't want to spend time with searching some secret archive that doesn't know is it real or not and she also wants to spend time with his brother. She really cares about him but she can't admit it.

Zuko will be a part of Azula's team, not gaang. Azula actually cares about him because he defended her against Ozai after coming back and Azula start to think maybe Zu-Zu is not so bad as she thought. And she won't admit but she miss teasing with Zuko like the time when they're kids. And of course she also thinks he would be an important ally because enemy Zuko really annoys him. Also she has a little regret for not helping him while banishing thing. She is not a heartless monster and she knows it's her mom's fault, not his. And burning his face in all their people is even crossed Azula's line.

And of course Zuko don't know her plans, he just think she's trying to catch the Avatar but surely he suspect Azula's planning something. Just Azula is so good at covering her secrets.

İt's supposed to be an easy with little plot oneshot but it turned into some short story.

İ hope i can explain it what I'm thinking about and thanks for all of your ideas! İ normally don't ask too many questions about plot because I'm always think it's more easy and fun to write what you think at moment. But since I'm trying to be a better writer, i started planning and editing stuff.

Please if you have any questions about this oneshot's AU ask it and I'll answer all of it. I'm having a really important exam on 17-18 June-i'm preparing this exam since last year- and i may not be able to write a lot, it's been 4.100 words but it's waits for writing. İf any of you guys have any ideas to improve this plot or fixing plot holes, please let me know.

Also if anyone's interested with writing this weird thing then i would love to read it!

This is the part where i stopped writing.

"I really just want to talk. And I'm here with only good intentions. The best option you have is listening to me."

Azula slightly waves her hand in the air, then she speaks one last time.

"Or I'll make sure they know this situation happens because of the Avatar. İt's all your choice."

The waterbender pauses for a while to consider her options, knowing if she doesn't make a quick decision, the entire team will be captured because of her. Without the bending and weakened by the poison, she'll only becomes a burden to her team. She sighs deeply before speaking in an exasperated tone, it must make her feel helpless to think about the possibility of not being able to waterbend again.

[labyrinthofsphinx]

Statistical Outliers

Part 9 ish of drabble. I had to cut this part from the other because it was just too long. I think. It seemed long. Some hints into my headcanons for Vox's backstory too.

“Velvette, the kid is going to stay with me today.”

She gave him a look in the reflection of her mirror. He caught her in the middle of putting on what she would call ‘her face’. To be honest, he always thought she looked just fine without the makeup. She was a natural beauty, not an artificial one. But, she insisted, and he was never going to tell her that her efforts were a waste. It was an artform, he’d suppose. Back when he was alive, he’d only ever used the barest amount of makeup right before filming, enough to make his face look, universally, one color. It was a bit of a pain to work around when TV switched to color, but you got to keep moving forward, as they say.

As she lined her lips, a shadow of suspicious snuck into her eyes.

“Why?”

His chest hurt from the breath he was holding. When he let it go, it shook his body down to his shoes.

“You know why.”

He knows that Vel had probably also been trying to get the kid to sign the dotted line. Her methods usually involved some bullying, some sarcastic remarks, then switching it up to something that sounded sweet. She played both good cop and bad cop in her negotiations. ‘Oh, look how terrible you are, see how people dislike you’ and ‘But I like you. Here, let me help make other people see what I see. Let’s show them the real you’ are common phrases of hers. Clearly, it hasn’t been effective in this particular case. Not that anything Vox has done has been any better, but, well, he’s glad someone else tried at least.

“What do you plan to do?” She asked, pressing her lips together and making a pop sound.

“Feed him to the wolves, I suppose. Threats didn’t do much. I tried the honey after.”

“We could always make him to watch Val break your screen until he agrees.” She joked.

The worst part was, he had a sneaking suspicion that that might’ve actually worked if Vox wasn’t completely against the idea of Val beating the crap out of him. Besides, Val was indisposed today. His moth girls kept fluttering about the lounge tending to him. He’s pretty sure one of them already got her wings pulled this morning.

“Already filled my quota for broken screens this week, but thanks for the advice.” He said a little bitterly.

“Got it fixed in record time though.” She mentioned as she moved on to double checking her eyelashes. “He’s quite the little handyman.”

Ah, well, then she knows.

“He fix something of yours?”

“Yeah, my stupid co-worker.” She teased. Then, she ran a quick finger through her hair and turned around. “Look good?”

“Always.” He acknowledged.

Had she not just finished fixing her lipstick, he might’ve just got another kiss on the side of his face.

“Vee?”

“Yeah, Vel?”

“Don’t hurt yourself, yeah? With this whole…thing. I know you and Val are kinda stuck on getting it in writing, but there’s always something else we could do.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. An electrical collar or something. Just don’t beat yourself up too, ‘kay?”

First Val was being introspective, now Velvette. Was Hell freezing over?

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She turned about, the waves in her skirt shifting when she moved. She readjusted her leather vest, then blew him a kiss as she stepped out.

“Kisses, darling.”

He pretended to catch it and put it in his coat pocket.

He took a moment to collect himself, then stepped back out. He was not prepared, at all, for the kid to leap over the furniture towards him.

“Velvette said we were hanging out today. Is that for real?”

Okay, Vox. You can do this. You’re on air! Smile for the camera!

“Yeah, you’re my problem today.” The kid’s tail swished behind him, just barley containing joy. “I’ve got some work to do this morning, and a conference around noon. I want you to come with me.”

“What’s the conference about?” He asked.

“A company concern that needs to be addressed. With any hope it will be a short meeting.”

“Are there going to be a lot of others there? I don’t need to get dressed up do I?” He says, as if he wasn’t already in top of the line fashion via Vel. Everything from the cut of his pants to the lining of his shirt was custom. It wouldn’t be good enough for her feed otherwise.

“You’re fine as is.” He answered, using his phone to distract himself from those peering, curious eyes.

“Do you want me to get coffee for you and, uh, your presenters?” He said, obviously not sure what Vox had in mind. He can only imagine that he was thinking of every other conference meeting from every movie about a dad who doesn’t spend enough time with their kids around the holidays. It was always a bunch of old men discussing numbers, profits, and something that sounded too greedy for the message of the movie.

“That won’t necessary. Either way, we…have some time. I’ve got some broadcasts to do. It’s not something you can really help with so-”

“You mean when you plug yourself into your chair setup?” He asked.

“…yes?”

“Do you mind if I tag along? It gets boring sitting down all by myself.”

He had planned on just keeping him here, or maybe even his room, until the time came for the…conference. Problem was, he really didn’t need the kid catching on. And he didn’t have an excuse for why he couldn’t be in the monitor room that didn’t sound like an excuse, not after having him by his side all morning just the day before.

“Alright, but same rules as last time. No bothering me when I’m in the middle of something. Got it?”

“Yes!” The kid clasped his hand in a silent fist pump.

He took only a few steps forward, just enough to enter the lift, when a hand reached up and grabbed his own. The kid backed up away from the outer circle. He knew where the line ends now and where the actual lift began. That didn’t seem to make him any more confident that he wouldn’t trip and go falling down the chute.

Come on, Vox. You’re not his friend, remember?

He pulled his hand away, bringing it instead to cross across his chest. Crossed arms were not a good look. It always seemed defensive, and Vox has made a point of avoiding that particular posture for a long time now. If he was going front of media, he’d never allow himself to be filmed like that. As they were just going to the monitor room, it didn’t matter. Still, the kid knew something was up. Nervous as he was about the lift though, he didn’t fight Vox for his hand back. Instead, he grabbed onto his coattails. He better not rip them, he thought.

The lift dropped them off right where they needed to be. His sharks swam over a little eagerly. Vox’s presence in the morning always signaled breakfast, and today was no different. A quick wave and the electronic dispenser dropped down their usual chum. No special, living treats today…at least for now. Anyone could piss him off and end up as a side snack. His patience was already trying on himself.

“Hi, Anchor! Hi, Barge!” The kid greeted them as he walked by where they swam. Weirdly enough, Vox could swear they responded to the names, turning for a moment to focus their beady eyes on the kid. They were probably sizing him up, to see if Vox would finally be tossing him their way but…for a second, it almost looked like…whatever the shark equivalent was for tolerance.

“What did I say about touching the tank?” He made himself groan.

“But I didn’t touch the tank.”

“Yeah, well, don’t stand so close either. Your spit fogs up the view.” He was trying to pick an argument. Give him something to be mad at the kid for until noon, anything to make the time more tolerable. Instead of giving him a fight though, the kid sighed, shrugged, then joined Vox by the monitors.

Fine then! He can just drown himself in his work, a proven method of distraction. The cables snapped in, sparks dancing around his head, before he was suddenly pulled across the city. Millions upon millions of smaller consciousness ripped apart from the main stem and sent spiraling down wires, across phones, and popping up in TV sets across the ring.

So far so good. He kept his gaze out, to his empire and his enslaved viewership. ‘Trust us’ echoed back to him like a never-ending tunnel of voices. He could just stay here if he wanted, where physical things mattered little and his kingdom of stolen time lasted forever. He could get himself lost down winding threads of random topics: what new places popped up, what’s the latest trend, what’s the biggest gossip. The internet was a clusterfuck of thoughts all screaming into the void a bunch of nonsense with the hope that someone else out there would respond with something intelligent. It was a bunch of questions asked that have been asked before and by millions of others. It was a collection of knowledge; it was a dumpster fire of idiocy.

It was a great, mind-numbing distraction.

But his physical body felt something tapping against his chair. A series of taps, a code he’d memorized so long ago in the past that he remembered more from the muscle memory of writing it a hundred times than recognizing it from a glance.

It was a transmission. At least it would be, if hooked up to a transmitter.

Loxley to Foulfellow. Airways open. Ready to receive transmission.

That was just the kind of thing that would snap Vox from any distraction. The wires plugged into his head popped from the surge. His claws dug into his seat, creating a series of scars from the drag. Hot, seething rage forced his fans to overwork. All around, monitors sparked, accidentally catching them in the after current of his shock and anger. A piercing eye bore down on the little fox sitting next to him.

“Who are you contacting?” His voice filtered in from every single speaker about, making an odd feedback that contorted the message. It hardly sounded like a voice at all.

The kid seemed surprised by the sudden outburst. His head tilted to the side, innocent act already showing its face.

Oh, but he wasn’t going to fall for that again. And to think! He might’ve actually felt bad for what had to be done later. But it was always a trick. It was always a lie.

“Huh?”

He slammed his fist down, putting a dent in the metal armrest. The kid actually fell backwards from the impact and his own alarm.

“You think because you tapped in Morse that I didn’t understand? You think you could trick me? ME? That code is my mother tongue. I spent four fucking years of my life speaking only that code, and you thought you could slip that by me? Really?”

It was Alastor. He knew it in the pit of his heart, it was Alastor. Who else would he be contacting if not the fucking Radio demon himself.

“I wasn’t contacting anybody-”

“Don’t. You. Dare. Lie. To. Me.” He snapped, teeth ripping from the digital plane into the physical as he snarled.

“I’m not.” He said in a small voice. “Foulfellow is my grandpa.”

Vox pulled back, only slightly.

“…Explain.”

“My grandpa taught me morse when I was little, ‘cause I was too scared to talk when I was really young. I kinda tap things out of habit sometimes now when things are too quiet. His callsign was Foulfellow and my is Loxley.”

“Callsign?”

“Yeah, he was a pilot, you know? Back in World War II. His squad called him Foulfellow.”

His fans overcame the last of the heat, now just comfortably sitting at a cold, neutral temperature. Foulfellow? He felt like he’d heard the name before.

“Foulfellow…as in the ‘Flying Fox’ Foulfellow?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Why? Heard it before?”

Heard it? He watched it.

“He was one of the best, kid. Maybe the best. I don’t think they ever tracked his kills right.” He remembers it, clear as day. Assigned to get new footage to send home for the broadcasters. Show us something amazing, they said, something that was going to sell bonds. Well, he found it, filmed it, and set it home. Years later, he even played a role inspired by the man who terrorized the sky that day.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean he was one of the meanest cats in the sky. I saw him scalp six in one day, then kept strafing the ground troops. Had them pinned until he finally had to go back for fuel. Did…did you not know your grandpa’s a war hero?”

“I mean, sort of. He didn’t talk about it too much. He always said killing people didn’t make you a hero, saving people did.” A glint caught in the kid’s eye. “Wait, did you know him?”

No, but he wishes he had. After the war, people made heroes into stars, real or imaginary. If you served, which nearly everyone did whether they wanted to or not, you had a much better shot of being America’s new headliner. He knows. It did wonders for his career. Before he’d been offered the role, he heard that the directors went to the man himself to play the character inspired by him. He was told he refused, said Hollywood wasn’t for him. Last he heard, the Flying Fox planted his feet in the ground someplace, started a family with that little army nurse he married.

And here was proof. Huh.

“Don’t ever tell anyone what you just told me.”

“But-”

“Listen. There’s a reason most everyone here doesn’t use their real names.” Unless you were a nobody in real life, like a certain red freak, then it didn’t matter as much. “Everyone’s got enemies. Scores to settle. If you’ve got a famous name, you’ve got a big target on your head.”

“…is that why you don’t see like…really famous evil people from history down here? They’re all hiding?”

“Trust me, kid. If they aren’t hiding, they’re dead and never coming back.” Hell didn’t tolerate rivals. If someone died and their large movement died with them, they are immediately targeted by overlords. Most didn’t last the week. Hell also had its own weird code. Similar to a prison, perhaps, where inmates decided that certain people were just not worth the breaths they were taking. That’s one of the reasons that Vox almost never saw anybody from the opposite side of the war. That, and he might kill them himself. There was never a bad time to burn one of them from the inside out.

“I always thought it was because of the deals, ‘cause you have to sign your real name for it to mean something.” He added.

That was another part of it. People have drawn the similarities between deals in Hell with deals in fairytales. As far as Vox knew, which was considerable judging from how many employees he had, dealmaking didn’t strip a person of their name entirely. Though, maybe it could, in a warped sense of the meaning. And, it was a road that seemed to go both ways. Say what you will, ‘Vox’ was a completely different person when he was above ground and still going by the name his father picked out.

On the subject of family members, he wondered what dear old dad was doing. It’s strange that he hasn’t come across him down here. Then again, maybe he has. He could’ve barbequed him a long time ago and just never known. Aside from personal experience, he wasn’t exactly memorable.

“Names have power here.” He conceded. “And so does knowledge. Keep yours close to your chest, got it?”

“Got it.” He nodded back. “So…you said you were speaking Morse for four years-”

He rolled his eyes.

“Kid, I am not going into my past.”

“Um, okay, but I just wanted to know what your callsign was.”

Oh. Um.

“…Bogie. They…the boys called me Bogie as a joke, after the actor.”

“Bogie? Like Humphrey Bogart?” He chirped.

He fought tooth and nail with his face to keep it the fuck together. Don’t you dare smile at that.

“How do you even know who that is?”

“How could I not?” He almost sounded offended, before winking. “‘Here’s looking at you, kid’.”

Okay, whoever it was that forced this child to watch the classics…well done. Bravo, truly. There was one of them left in the world with taste…until they killed him. See, this is why they can’t have nice things.

For just a moment, in the back of his head, he wondered if he could start up movie nights again. He tried so hard with Vel and Val, but he had to let them pick the films sometimes. Either it ended up with Val putting on something to seduce Vox, or Vel put on some recent flick she learned about through the grapevine, things hardly ever worth the hours wasted watching them. Then, she’d jump on her phone the whole time it was playing. Both of their attention spans were exactly zero for any movie with drama, charm, and dialogue that required there not to be explosions every two seconds. Look, he enjoyed a CGI action flick like anyone else, but if he ever wanted to watch a movie that was actually good, not just entertaining, then he had to watch it in his own time. And when did he ever have that?

“You know, for a kid that died in the 90s, you sure do watch a lot of old crap.”

“It’s not crap.” He defended immediately. “And ask Velvette. Certain things never go out of style.”

Oh great. He was quoting them now. The last thing he needed was for the kid to start sounding like any of them. If he ever quotes Val, he’d seriously consider a muzzle.

“Right, well, I’ve got to get back to work, so keep quiet and out of the way.”

“’Kay.” He proceeded to do exactly not that, walking up close to the tank again and encouraging his sharks over. His fingers played against the floor like piano keys. Vox’s eyes from every corner of the room caught the pattern, even if he couldn’t hear from softness of the taps.

Loxley hailing Bogie. Message received. Ending transmission until all clear. Over and out.

A series of blips peppered out from one of his speakers. It was so inconvenient how convenient it was to transfer his thoughts across the mainframe sometimes.

Bogie transmitting to Loxley. Read you loud and clear. Directions to be given shortly. Over and out.

The kid’s ears flicked back, and he lit up as Vox turned his attention back to work.

Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 7/ Part 8/ Part 9/ Part 10

[umbrahighpriestofgiratina]

Hello! This is the latest installment in my Snippets series (collections of drabbles from my playthroughs of mainline Pokemon games). Some things you should know: 

-This one is a direct sequel to a previous installment, Violet Snippets: The Sorceror's New School, so reading that first is probably ideal if you want a bit more context. 

-You can also see the original run here , here and here. (Tumblr link is in reverse chronological order, Twitter link is in chronological order)

-Obviously having played or watched a playthrough of either Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Violet's DLC would be ideal too.

-Also! This stars one of my non-Pokemon OCs, Vaespar, who you can read about here and here.

-As for feedback preferences:

--These are not full-blown journey fics, and were never meant to be. Don't review them like they're supposed to be or need to be.

--Don't complain when things are disconnected or don't have much context because I was literally writing these things on the fly as I was playing. If you want more context I linked to the original run.

--Overall just be nice. I'm not looking for super academic feedback on these, I just want people to have fun reading them.

-These will either be posted all in one go or in multiple installments, depending on the place. For places where I'm doing the former, just enjoy the fic; for places where I'm doing the latter expect updates every week or so until it's done (if things don't veer wildly off course).

Anyway here we go into: Area Zero Snippets: The Tyrant's Tera Treasure

Vaespar was sitting in his lair. Slouching. Where was Lovelan d anyway he was supposed to get-

Suddenly. A voice. "Vaespar! I need your help!"

A strange individual suddenly teleported before Vaespar. They had white and gold clothes, dark hair, and odd green and red irises. But what waa strangest was that they seemed to be human. Ridiculous. Vaespar was the only human left. Partially anyway. There was only one explanation. 

"No soliciting, even from other universes," he said with a dismissive hand wave.

"No, Vaespar! I know you! I'm from the Pokemon world! Or, the one you just got isekaied to. You need to go back!"

"That one? Pah. That one burned me. I got taught the power of friendship only to get kicked right back out!" "That was... An administrative mistake," the person said, wincing. "But there's something going on with Area Zero! Paldea knows you! You can help!"

"And what's in it for me?"

"There's a great hidden treasure in Area Zero... A great power. Surely you want that for yourself?"

Vaespar thought to himself. He had seen Area Zero while he was there and could sense phenomenal power there. If he could use it for himself..."

"...You know what? Deal. Let's see how it goes."

"Excellent! I'll put you right where you left off. Good luck!"

A glow formed around Varespar...

-------

...And he ended up in a child's body again, in the same part of Paldea he was before he snapped back.

Suddenly his Rotom Phone rang. He picked it up. "Vaespar The All-Devouring Darkness speaking?"

"Hello, hello, Varespar. This is Jacq."

Oh. Him.

"What do you want?"

"Sorry to bother you while you're probably out there searching for some nice treasure...You see, we have a school trip every year around this time. It's a splendid collaboration between our academy and another school. And would you believe it Vaespar? Your name was one of the ones chosen to attend!" Convenient.

"You'll get to go study and experience the great outdoors off to the east - in the Land Of Kitikami! It's a long trip to get to this year's destination, so we can't send too many students this time. You really are a lucky one, getting selected as one of the participants!"

Vaespar doubted it. The mysterious human probably arranged this.

"Come to the school's entrance hall when you're ready to hear all the details, " said Jacq. "Of course, you don't HAVE to take part. Hut this kind of chance isn't likely to come again, so you should really give it a shot if you're interested!"

"I'll be on my way." said Vaespar.

"Great! Hope to see you soon!" said Jacq. He hung up. Vaespar immediately started ringing up a Flying Taxi...

------------------

Vaespar As soon as Vaespar was summoned back to the Pokemon world, Vaespar was invited to every school child's dream:a field trip. To facilitate this, he met up with Briar, a cheerful woman who was related to Heath, the author of the Violet Book, and wants to prove the Legendary Terapagos is real. Vaespar had no doubt this "Terapagos" was real. And he was determined to acquire its power before Briar did. 

Regardless Vaespar and several other students were transported to the land of Kitikami, which Vaespar brought Denny Jr. Jr.the shiny Flamigo along for, and later caught several other Pokemon, including a Flygon he named Anis. Then he battled a strange girl named Carmine who talked about making him her "grunt" (was she trying to form an Evil Team, Vaespar wondered) before finally escorting his companions to the community center, where they prepared for a long rest...

Denny Jr. Jr. 

This was it. Denny Jr. Jr's big moment. His father, veteran of the initial run, had raised him for this moment. This new land was strange and dangerous, but he knew he could make it! ...Could he? That Carmine girl WAS tough...

Anis

Well this was great. Anis was just chilling with the other Yanma in the rice paddies when suddenly some kid from Paldea comes and catches him. Ah well, he;'d heard traveling with Trainers builds character, and he'd manage to best that Cartmine Girl. ...With the help of a Revive from Vaespar. Okay maybe he did need the Trainer's assistance a little bit...

------------------------

Vaespar

Vaespar was sent on a quest to find signboards... but acquired an annoying tagalong, a boy named Kieran. Nevertheless he managed to trek across the land and find two of the needed signs, Kieran battling and expositing him all the while. According to the signs this land was once occupied by a fearsome ogre wielding four powerful masks, who was driven off by three heroic Pokemon at the cost of their lives. Despite the ogre's antagonistic nature Kieran was fascinated by it and wanted to be its friend. Vaespar doubted his ability to do so. But if he could harness the power of the masks...

This would have to wait. After beating up Carmine again he had to go to The Festival Of Masks. In the meantime he had picked up and evolved some new team members..

Smoothie

Wow! This Vaeespar was taking Smoothie the Sinistcha all over the place, and evolved them super quick too! They never knew having a Trainer could be so enriching! They'd have to prove themself to Vaespar - an awful lot! Ben

Well this was a pickle. Ben the Sandslash had run smack dab intro a Trainer minding his own  business. Ah well. This Trainer seemed tough. A lot of experience under his belt. And Ben had gotten to do some good clobberin' under his wing. Tamamo

Ohohoho, did thisVaespar really think he could best the Fey Fox Tamamo the Ninetales? This was only a temporary alliance. With her Tera Fairy power and cunning wits she would get the best of him!

...Eventually. Eventually...

-----------------------

Vaespar

Things had taken some turns. 

During the Festival Of Masks, Vaespar encountered the ogre, and sought to gain its power, but the ogre fled, leaving only its mask, and Carmine forced him to keep it a secret. In the morning, Carmine and Vaespar learned more secrets - the myth was in reverse, the ogre was actually the hero and the so-called Loyal Three the villains. 

This knowledge in hand, Vaespar went to the final signboard. Along the way obtaining a Chewtle he named April and evolved into a Drednaw) with Kieran, only to notice the boy was acting odd. Vaespar  was almost concerned, but had other things to attend to. Like fixing the power of that mask. 

To do so he traveled to Oni Mountan's crystal pool with Carmine, where he found suspiciously familiar and enticing crystals of power. Despite the interference of a Milotic and Briar they obtained some for themselves 

Unfortunately it turns out Kieran had overheard the secrets and ran off with the mask. Vaespar needed that mask. 

He managed to wrest it from Kieran but somehow The "Loyal" Three had returned and made off with the other three masks. Vaespar was going to have to teach them a lesson...

April

April the Dradnaw knew something was going on with her home region. She knew the strange crystal spires, the ogre who lurked in the night, and glittering forms some Pokemon took weren't natural. She wanted a scoop. A scoop on what was really going on. And maybe this Vaespar could get her it...

-------------------

Vaespar

Vaespar found the "Loyal" Three basically curbstomping Ogerpon. He attempted to claim the masks from the lot of them by beating Munkidori, but after Carmine and Kieran interfered the trio ran away, leaving only Ogerpon. Vaeespar reluctantly teamed up with the two humans and one Ogerpon to track down the "Loyal" three and their masks of power, and after gathering intel in the village managed to nail down their locations. Carmine and Vaespar managed to trounce the Lousy Three oner by one and get each mask, and Kieran managed to convince the villagers of the truth of the matter so Ogerpon was no longer treated as an outcast. A seeming victory for Vaespar - he had gained easy access to Ogerpon and all its powerful masks...

...Except Kieran wanted to battle him to see who was truly worthy of being Ogerpon's companion. Ugh. This was going to be a headache...

---------------

Tamamo thought this was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Couldn't they just share Ogerpon or something? Why was Vaespar so desperate for those masks anyways? Oh well. She could most definitely take his Shiftry. She flinched at it slapping her in the face with a Fake Out (the audacity!) but burnt away att its Focus Sash with a Flamethrower before cutting past its Leaf Blade and  finishing it off with another. 

----------

One down, five to go. But next was Gliscor, one of the troublesome ones... He'd need to think carefully. He sent out April.

-----------

April knew this Gliscor was tough. But she needed to do this for the squad. The team. 

Vaespar Terastalize her, dampening an incoming Earthquake, before she slammed the Gliscor with a Liquidation. A second slam knocked it out of the air, onto the ground.

-----------------

Okay, one troublemaker out of the way. Now for Ben Vs, Probopass...

------------

Ben didn't like the look of this thing's nose hairs. Heknew what'd wipe them right off. 

He slammed the ground with an Earthquake. The Probopass retaliated with a Flash Cannon, which stung, but another Earthquake straight to the shnoz did the trick. 

-----

Come on, come on...

--------------

Anis was getting sick of this stupid sticky apple. Oh well. He could take it. 

He cut into its rind with a Slash of Air only for it to spray him with sticky goop. Rude. A very loud Bug Buzz took care of the rest. 

----------------

Now for Kieran's Yanmega. Another troublesome one. Vaespar would have to think carefully...

-----------------

He has his own Yanmega? Ridiculous, thought Tamamo. Oh well. She could try to beat it...

She breathed a Flamethrower onto it, burning it to a crisp. 

Excellent! She did more than try! Ohohoho!

----------

Yes, a troublemaker out of the way! But Vaespar knew his work wasn't done. Poliwrath was next. He knew only one Pokemon could handle this...

--------------

Oh hey it's Poliwrath again! Thought Smoothie. Time to serve it up a order of Matcha Gotcha!

They whipped and stirred and yaaaed matcha all over the Poliwrath, The Poliwrath tried an ineffectual Belly Drum in response, to no avail. A further torrent of matcha caused it to faceplant onto the floor. 

------------

Vaespar cheered. He did it! THe power of Ogerpon and its masks was his!

...He almost pitied the kneeling, defeated Kieran on the ground. Almost. 

---------------

Well this was a delicate matter, thought Tamamo. We were aiming to catch, not defeat.. This would get messy. 

And what was this? Its fire mask was full of Terastal power!

--------------

So this was the power of Ogerpons masks, thought Vaespar. Excellent...

----------

Tamamo started peppering the oni with Shadow Balls, but its Grassy Terrain healed much of her blows. She did, however, absorb a fiery cudgel with her Flash Fire. 

Finally, a Slam took her out.

------------

This thing was clearly a Fire type,:Vaespar thought. So he had a few options...

One came to mind in particular. 

--------

This was it! April's scoop! Part of the secret she was looking for! She HAD to know more about this Ogerpon!

She took it out with a Liquidation. But what was this? It switched masks! April tried for a Stone Edge but a cudgel to the head took her out. ---------

Shit. Vaespar would have to adapt to the situation... 

-------

Whee! Thought Smoothie. Look at that mask! So pretty! 

They started showering it in Matcha Gotcha. All the Matcha Gotcha in the woooooooorld. But uh-oh, it switched masks! But that didn't mean Smoothie had to switch tactics! Matchaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

But rude, it switched masks AGAIN! NOW Smoothie needed to switch things up. Shadow Ball time! Shadow Ball Shadow Ball Shadow Baaaaaal!

Yay! It kept hitting them with a cudgel but that did it!

--------------

Now was Vaespar's chance!

He hurled a Dre4am Ball. 

It sucked Ogerpon in. Wobbled three times. And clicked. The power of Ogerpon and its masks was now his...

------------------

Anis was annoyed at this Mightyena Howling in his face. He could make more noise thanTHAT. And he did, with a Bug Buzz, wiping it out. ------

Vaespar wasn't as worried about Carmine as Kieran. But she was still formidable. Next was her Morpeko, which was a problem...

-------

Ben wondered what was up with the lil' rodent before him. It seemed on edge. He guessed he'd make it more so. 

A critical hit from a sudden Seed Bomb didn't stop his Earthquake. But the Morpeko was still standing and hit him with an Aura Wheel, only for Ben to clobber it with a second Earthquake square to the jaw. 

---------------

Leavanny next?? Vaespar knew he'd have to bring Anis back out...

-------

Uhggh, this again? At least this Leavanny didn't look tough. And indeed one Air Slash did the trick. 

----------

Getting there, getting there...

----------

Fiona wasn't sure about this. 

This Ninetales was demure and graceful and cool. Nothing like her. But she felt Terrestrial energy welling from Vaespar and felt a surge of determination. Her rocky cudgel in hand, she brought it crashing down, past a Flamethrower, straight onto its head. It didn't last long after that. 

-----------

A Sinistcha huh? Anis time again Vaespar supposed. 

---------

Anis was doing all the work here huh...

He hit the Sinistcha with a blade of air. Its porcelain body hung on, but it spiraled, unable to hit back. A Shadow Ball did the rest. 

----------

Phew. That was one Carmine dealt with. Though oddly she didn't seem to hate Vaespar for losing.... Damn. He liked making his foes squirm. 

----------------------

Vaespar

After a long struggle, Vaespar succeeded in defeating Kieran. He then went on to fell Ogerpon and her four powerful masks and secure their power for himself. Kieran was devastated and ran off, but Vaespar had a bad feeling about him...

The next day, he met up with Carmine, who confirmed Kieran was still shut up in his room, and battled her. He trounced her soundly, but she wasn't as much of a sore loser as Kieran, and she almost let something slip to Vaespar before they were suddenly summoned back to the village. Vaespar would not be forgetting that slip of the tongue. 

At the village, Vaespar learned from Briar that Kieran and Carmine were returning to Blueberry Academy, and said something about Area Zero that ALSO didn't escape Vaespar's attention. Kieran was still in his room, but Carmine vowed they would meet again. Normally Vaespar wouldn't really care about such pithy promises. But there was that thing Carmine almost said to him. And the thing Briar said about Area Zero. And that bad feeling about Kieran. Something was afoot. But he couldn't worry about it right this second. They were gone for now. His more immediate goal: track down the so-called Loyal Three and secure THEIR power for himself as well. After some backtracking he managed to find Okidogi, and prepared for battle...

----------------------

Anis knew what he had to do. Stuff this nasty dog in a ball. 

He summoned blades of air that cut into the beast's fur, causing it to flinch. It was weak. 

"Vaespar, now!"

------------

Vaespar grinned and loaded up the Pokeballl Cannon. 

Dusk Balls to stat. It burst free. Too light out. Ultra balls then. He started blasting them out of the Pokeball Cannon as hard as he could. Meanwhile Anis kept enduring anything the Okidogi could throw at him - Crunches, Superpowers, the like. Until - oh no. Anis was poisoned. He'd have to work fast. 

He quickly sprayed Anis with a Full Restore. "Thanks!"

"Hey that's not fair-" Okidogi started to protest, only to be sucked into another Ultra Ball. It broke free quickly, but Vaespar kept up the assault. 

Finally, one ball shook once. Shook twice. Shook a third time. And clicked. Vaespar let out a "Yes!". Okidogi was his. Now for the others...

-------------

Really? Tamamo had to be the one to fight this disgusting monkey? Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Let's get this over with. 

She hit Miunkidori with a Flamethrower, her breath burning hot.It did not like that and started Plotting Nastily, but she continued to bring on the flames. "A little help here, Vaespar?"

------------

"No problem."

Vaespar brought out the Pokeball Cannon and started firing. 

First couple of times, the balls did nothing, and Munkidori managed to wear down Tamamo with its powerful attacks. But Vaespar knew this would happen. Which is why he brought an ace to this one.

He sent out a Kingambit. A Shiny Kingambit. 

---------

Susanoo knew well the way of the warrior. But he also knew today he was on the line of defense. He steeled himself. This Munkidori thought it was tough. But Susano was ready for anything it threw at him. 

------------

Munkidori cried out in frustration as its attacks did nothing to Susano. Vaespar kept firing balls. 

Finally, after going through many, many balls, one clicked. Vaespar sighed in relief. One to go...

---------------

Susanoo knew many ways of the blade. But he knew one would be useful against this Fezandipiti if Vaespar wished to catch it - the False Swipe. He performed a Dance of Swords, then struck true. 

------

Vaespar loaded up the Pokeball Cannon and started firing Ultra Balls. 

Ball after ball after ball this bird would not budge. But its efforts did nothing to Susano. Thenn, finally, one clicked. Vaespar grinned. The "Loyal" Three were now all his... 

----------------------

Vaespar

Vaespar managed to capture and control Okidogi with relative ease (helps Okidogi could easily be bribed with mochi). Munkidori and Fezandipiti were noticeably more difficult (with the latter being hard to find again) but Vaespar broke out Susano the Shiny Kingambit, who allowed them to be captured (and also bribed with mochi) eventually.

Next Vaespar was curious as to what that Perrin woman wanted with him.. He collected 150 Pokemon for his Kitakami dex (helps he had most of them for completing his Paldea dex) and came to her. She said she had a big scoop she wanted Vaespar's help with (April was thrilled)...

...But she wanted to battle him first.

Great. Utterly typical of people in this universe.

So Vaespar prepared for a throwdown...

--------------------------

This Bloodmoon Beast was uncouth! Unrefined! Unthinkable! Attacking Tamamo in the woods like that! While she was POISONED!

She Plotted Nastily for the beast's demise even as it slammed her with an Earth Power, then breathed a torrent of flame onto its body. 

It barely made a dent. AnotherEarth Power took her out. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. 

------------

Shit. Vaespar would need the big guns here. Especially with Perrin standing by and snapping photos. He sent out Smoothie. 

-----------

Oooh, big bear friend! Smoothie wondered what to do with this one... Their Plotrting a;lso got a bit Nasty...

Oh no! They got hist with a blood moon beam! Time to act! They started spraying the beast with matcha. Lots of matcha. The Ursaluna was clearly in great pain, but steeled itself, Calm ed its Mind. It swiped its matcha away and continued to do so. Another matcha assault from Smoothie! But oh no, a blood moon bla-

-------------- Shit. Smoothie was down. But Vaespar still had one team member that could deliver a super-effective hit. He sent out April. 

--------------

This Perrin was a kindred spirit to April... The truth mattered. Her scoop mattered. Her creative drive mattered. No way was April failing her. Her body welled with Terastal energy as she slammed into the Ursaluna with the mightiest Liquidation she could. It was weak. Vulnerable. "Vaespar NOW!"

--------------

Vaespar brought out the Pokeball cannon. Loaded a Moon Ball. And fired. 

The ball shook thrice. And clicked. Perrin's mission was complete. As was Vaespar's. 

---------------------

Vaespar

Vaespar successfully trounced Perrin, at which point she gave him a proposition: Help her find the legendary Bloodmoon Beast. Seeing it as another being of great power he could control, Vaespar accepted. 

Theory went off into the woods in the dim of night to find it, with Vaespar and Perrin photographing the local wildlife to filter out the beast's signals.Afterwards Perrin vented to Vaespar about her creative struggles, to which Vaespae replied "that's rough buddy.". 

Eventually they narrowed things down until they could locate the beast - a frenzied, bizarre-looking Ursaluna. 

After a notedly rough battle Vaespar managed to capture and secure the Bloodmoon Ursaluna. Perrin was not able to get good photos, but she left with newfound confidence anyway, giving Vaespar a free puppy before she went. Enough of a percentage of Vaespar felt bad he tried to take his own pictures of Ganondorf the Blodmoon Ursaluna for her... only for him to not cooperate.

Bah. Fine, Whatever. In the meantime he still had one more goal for this region.. Find a Shiny Pokemon. And then the others' talks about a Blueberry Academy intrigued him...

------------------

Vaespar

In searching for an elusive Shiny Pokemon, Vaespar found a ~mystery outbreak~ on his map and headed there. 

It turned out to be a bunch of Gurdurr Vaespar shrugged and went "sure, why not", then started mowing through them with Anis. After several minutes of this Vaespar noticed something odd about one of the remaining Gurdurr. It was orange. 

...It was orange!

Vaespar quickly lobbed a Quick Ball at it. It wobbled three times and clicked, and the Shiny Gurdurr was his. Vaespar was  victorious. He named the new recruit Cheeto. After this, he felt he'd explore Kitakami a bit longer. But he had to wonder what was next...

------------

Vaespar was going after raids. Powerful raids. Legendary raids. When suddenly his Rotom Phone rang. He sighed and answered it. "This is Clavell. Do I have the pleasure of speaking with Master Vaespar?"

Vaespar did like how he called him "master." "Yes."

"My my. It certainly does this old heart good to be greeted with such a... Lively response. Now if I could take a moment of your time, there is something we must discuss."

Vaespar raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Master Vaespar, you're about to be presented with an exceptional opportunity. You already know of the Unova region's Blueberry Academy I presume?"

Right, wasn't that where those Carmine and Kieran brats went to? "I've heard of it."

"Indeed. Tales of your school trip to Kitakami with the Blueberry cohort reached even my office! In any case, the director of Blueberry Academy happened to be an old friend of mine. And he told me he would be delighted to host you as an exchange student at his school."

Wait, so he was going all the way across the world again?

"I believe it would be a fine chance for you to learn even more about this world."

Well there you have it.

"One should always take advantage of new challenges like this, don't you think? Though I must confess, I was a bit surprised that Blueberry's director would specify you by name..."

...This was Carmine's fault wasn't it?

"Still I think it best that you meet the man at least once to find out what he might be thinking. He is admittedly a bit of a character, but not to worry - I'll be there when you meet him.

From what Vaespar knew from knowing Clavell that wasn't reassuring.

"Once you feel ready to respond to his offer I ask that you come by my office so we can discuss the specifics together. "...Very well," said Vaespar.

"Now I won't take up any more of your time. Do take care until we speak again."

Clavell hung up. 

Vaespar sighed. Hopefully THIS trip would unveil the secret Arceus spoke uf he was still seeking...

--------

Vaespar Vaespar was introduced to the very blue Blueberry Academy by the ditzy Cyrano and the more straight-laced Lacey. The latter was a surprisingly powerful foe in battle and Vaespar knew he had to build up his team beyond just Sticky. 

The good news is the school had its own giant Terarium powered by its own mysterious-green-goio-fueled Tera Orb, and it was filled with wild Pokemon. Vaespar met Perrin again and added her Growlithe Oatchi to his tea at her request, but after much searching he found the Ground type he needed to hopefully counter Lacey's Electric types: an Alolan Diglett he names Bon Jovi. Now, didn't Lacey want him for a class on the beach...?

--------------

Sticky

Sticky had been a gift to Vaespar from a traveling Trainer.As such, he was honored to be used on Vaespar's team, especially as he was evolved right away. 

...However he preformed poorly against Lacey, even with assistance. He knew he'd have to get stronger to please Vaespar. ------------

Oatchi

Oatchi was a good pupper! He knew this because Perrin said so. Perrin said Vaespar would take care of him so he trusted Vaespar too. He just needed to prove his worth - he was itching for a battle...

----------

Bon Jovi

Aw yeah! Bon Jovi had only just joined the team, but he was ready to take the Terarium on! This Vaespar Trainer seemed shifty but to be honest, he didn't care - it was his life!

----------

Vaespar

Vaespar continued exploring the Terarium, acquiring a fourth team member in the form of Amonduul the Galarian Slowpoke (and later painstakingly gathering enough twigs to evolve him into a Galarian Slowking), but was ultimately forced to confront the supposed reason he was here - education. Thankfully the lesson was "catch an Alolan variant" and he already had Bon Jovi, so the lesson was aced, to Lacey's pleasure. But then Carmine came knocking. Or perhaps ringing, on his phone. Shewanted to meet up with him and Vaespar begrudgingly obliged - 

After a couple battles with her - the first Vaespar refused to admit he lost and the second Vaespar refused to admit he used Vergil and a Palkia from a raid as as "backup" - Vaespar found out she was worried because Kieran had lost his marbles, taken over the League Club, and was ruling over it with an iron fist - which Vaespar had to admit was incredible chutzpah. 

Then however, he was interrupted by the ditzy Drayton, who was determined to add Vaespar to the league club. Vaespar went along with it - if that was the fastest way to powe4r here, so be it.

---------

Amonduul

Amonduul could tell he and Vaespar were kindred spirits. The lust for power, the h u n g e r, the cold, calculated way they did things... Yes, it'd be a beautiful partnership. At least until Amonduul made sure he was the one in charge. 

--------------

Vaespar

After being told by Carmine that something was up with Kieran (highly obvious) and not to trust Drayton (Vaespar trusts no one), then gaining two new team members in Milkshake the Milcery (later Alcremie) and Lae'zel the Scraggy (later Scrafty), Vaespar ignored Carmine's advice and went on a "lunch date" with Drayton. There, he encountered the rest of the local Elite 4, including Kieran, who Drayton used Vaespar as a psychological weapon against. Despite several people's protests Vaespar was inducted into Blueberry Academy's school Pokemon League, and told to take on the Elite 4 across the Terarium. Vaespar felt he'd be cheeky and challenge Drayton first - but ran into a snag when Sticky and Oatchi were barred from the League Trial. Still, the rest of his team prevailed, and Vaespar prepared his FULL team for the showdown against Drayton...

------------- Milkshake

Milkshake was here to help! When she saw this exchange student needed a helping hand she jumped at the call. But she saw inklings both the exchange student and the help were questionable... Oh well! She'd give it her best!

---------------- Lae'zel

Lae'zel was done with this. Paired with inferior warriors, sent on a pointless mission to defeat some elite four, and for who? Some slimy human named Vaespar. Oh well. At least there would be many opponents to cut down gloriously along the way. Fruitful conquests to be had. Yes... If it was not worth it at first, she would make it worth it by force.

-----------

This Drayton guy clearly thought he was all that. 

Vaespar would show him he was mistaken. 

As soon as Drayton sent out a Flygon and Dragonite, Vaespar sent out Masamune the Hisuian Samurott and... Mewtwo. 

"Woah dude, I thought Mewtwo wasn't even real!" said Drayton. "Did you really think I'd adhere to your stupid little Terarium Only challenge the ,moment you let it up?"

Ice Beams and Ceaseless Edges dug into Drayton's Pokemon

"...No?" Drayton said. "That was just for the-"

"Listen here you little bitch," said Vaespar. A Sceptile fell to Masamune's X-Scissor. A Haxorus to Mewtwo's Ice Beam. Drayton desperately sent out a Kingdra in its place, which started Rain dancing

"You may think you're the one in control here. False. It's me who's in control. And I will not hesitate to crush you into dust."

:"We'll see about that!" said Drayton."Go Archaludon!"

He sent out a very strange bridge-like Pokemon. It Terastalized and sent a massive blast of electricity at Masamune. "Ugh... I have failed..."

Masamune collapsed.

Shit. Vaespar had to actually strategize now. "Go Boudicia!"

He sent out a Clodsire. "Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo", said Boudicia. 

The Kingdra attempted to Hydro Pump Her, but Boudicia soaked it up like a sponge, knocking the Kingdra out with a retaliatory Poison Jab. Mewtwo meanwhile took out the Archaludon. "That's what I'm talkin' about." Drayton seemed oddly pleased at his defeat. People of this world could be Like That but Vaespar had his eye on him...

-------------------

Vaespar Vaespar attempted to fight Drayton once. Then again. And then a third time before finally relenting and siccing various mons he had gotten from or used in raids on him. Just to teach him a lesson. 

Vaespar knew his team wasn't strong enough, and he didn't feel like relying on backups more than he had to. So first, according to Drayton's advice, he used the TM Drayton gave him on Sticky, causing him to evolve into a Hydrapple. Then he went on a quest around the Terarium, challenging Raids and racking up Rare and EXP Candies and LP for his team. Hopefully soon they could challenge the Fire Elite 4...

-------------

Crispin was serving up a Talonflame and Heat Rotom, huh? Well Vaespar had a plan, hopefully. 

"Oatchi, Rock Slide! Milkshake, Decorate Oatchi!"

"Rock Slide! Rock Slide!!!!" said Oatchi!

"Here to help!" said Milkshake.

Milkshake flinched as she ate a Will-O-Wisp but gave Oatchi a boost with her sweet energy, allowing him to take the Rotom out. The Talonflame was still standing thanks to a Focus Sash, but started Roosting it off as Oatchi decimated an incoming Exeggutor with a Flare Blitz. The Talonflame countered with a Flare Blitz of its own to Milkshake, but she hung on and kept decorating.

"Sugar rush! Sugar ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuush!" yelled Oatchi as his onslaught of rocks took out the Talonflame and an incoming Camerupt. 

All that was left was a Blaziken and a Magmortar. Vaespar knew the former was dangerous to Oartchi, but if he was fast enough...

"Oatchi! Keep going!"

And his gambit paid off. Crispin immediately Terastalized his Blaziken in a burst of shining crystal... leaving it more vulnerable to the incoming avalanche of rocks. It and the Magmortar were taken out in one fell swoop 

Vaespar rubbed his hands against each other. Things were finally coming together...

---------

Vaespar

Vaespar went to challenge the Fire Elite 4 and was promptly forced to make the world's spiciest sandwich beforehand. After way too much time battling and bartering for ingredients Vaespar managed to create a catastrophic capsaicin calamity to Crispin's satisfaction. The battle with Crispin afterwards was ironically much easier due to the dream team of Oatchi on offense and Milkshake on support. 

However Kieran and Drayton showed up afterwards, applauding his progress and Kieran telling Vaespar to never surrender until he got to him. Psh. Like Vaerspar ever surrendered to anyone. Much less the jealous brat who went insane over him and Ogerpon.

Anyway Vaespar quickly made his way over to the Steel Elite 4, where the stern steely girl in question fed Dante a strange plant - a new Herba Mystica?- that enhanced his flight capabilities for a flight-based time trial. However, the test run was... a little dicey, and even Vaespar admitted they needed some practice...

-------------

Vaespar couldn't believe he was doing this again. But multiple attempts left him little choice. 

Mewtwo and Chi-Yu took the field against Dugtrio and Skarmory. Mewtwo scoffed at being forced to do this, but Chi-Yu...

"Yay, happy! Burny burny!"

The revelry did not last long as an Earthquake rocked Chi-yu's world and Stealth Rocks (accursed  Stealth Rocks, Vaespar thought) were scattered by the Skarmory. Chi Yu was taken out by a Stone Edge,but its flames had already weakened the others, and Mewtwo took out the two rapidly with Aura Spheres. An Empoleon met a similar fate as Vaespar swapped in Masamune the Then came the Scizor and Reunclius. Mewtwo did not take note of them at first. But then the Reunclus cast a Trick Room. And the Scizor lunged and dug into him with a Pounce. Then again. "Ugh... How could I possibly..."

He fell.

Shit, Vaespar thought. There goes his ace. But he brought a backup. He sent out Zakuro the Delphox. "Hmph. We've got cleanup work to do," she said. 

"Let's make it quick," said Masamune. She downed the Scizor with a Flamethrower (despite its Coba Berry) and Masamune cut down the Reuniclus with a Ceaseless Edge. 

Then came the Metagross, which immediately Terastalized. But Masamune and Zakuro knew what to do. Zakuro fired another Flamethrower, its flames cascading across the Metagross. Masamune cut into its crystalline hide with a Sacred Sword. 

The Metagross quickly fell. Vaespar breathed a sigh of relief. This Amarys, he admitted, was tough even when he went all out...

--------

Vaespar

Vaespar and Dante, after some practice, finally managed to conquer the flying time trial. Vaespar was feeling pretty good about himself. Then Amarys was tough. Very tough. Vaespar was forced to bring out the big guns again and STILL had trouble. He won in the end, but. 

This wasn't right. Vaespar shouldn't have to use his maximum power just to deal with these Blueberry fools. He should be able to swat them aside without a care in the world. What was going on?

He did a few tasks to earn his way into challenging Lacey, and passed her test with flying colors. But as he geared up to challenge her Vaespar considered a possibility he hadn't in millenia.

Was he... weak?

-----------------

A Whimsicott and a Granbull. Right, both of these needed to be taken out fast for what Vaespar had planned. "Milkshake, Decorate! Amonduul, Sludge Bomb!"

"One serving of sweetness coming up!" said Milkshake

"Pitiful pup. You're no match for me!" said Amonduul. A Light Screen from the Whimsicott and a Stomping Tantrum from the Granbull did not stop the defending pair's combo from decimating the Granbull. The Primarina that entered was not so kind, taking out Amonduul, but a Dazzling Gleam from Milkshake wore it and the Whimsicott down. He sent out Bon Jovi. 

:"Iron head that Whimsicott!"

"Oh yeah! Livin' on a prayer!"

Bon Jovi slammed all three of his finely haired heads into the Whimsicott, taking it out. However, the Primarina immediately sung a Sparkling Araia at Bon Jovi. "Oog... I guess you may be the better singer..."

He fainted. But the Whimsicott was out of the picture. Vaespar knew what he had to do. "Sticky, go! Terastalize!"

A crystal aura surrounded Sticky as he became... a Water type?

"Heehee! Bet you didn't expect that, did you?" said Sticky. His Energy Ball took out the rimarina, as Lacey sent out a Slowbrto and her own Alcremie. The Slowbro smacked Milkshake with a side arm only for her to hold on and Decorate Sticky. Sticky hit the Slowbro with a Tera Blast, knocking it out.

An Excadrill was sent out in its place, KOing Milkshake with an Iron Head, but Sticky Water Tera Blasted that into oblivion too. But then the Alcremie hit Sticky with a Giga Drain. Shit. He needed to act fast. And he knew just who could. :"Oatchi! Extremespeed!"

"Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarge!" yelled Oatchi.

IHe slammed into and  left a dent in the Alcremie, but not enough to stop it from sapping more of Sticky's health. Sticky perservered, however, and blasted it away with Water Tera Blast. 

Vaespar did it. He had beaten all of the elite four. He should be celebrating. ...But he had a suspicion what was next...

----------------

"Heh. Heh heh heh heh," said Vaespar. 

Mewtwo was on the field again. As was... Milkshake?

"Oh... I'm not really sure I can compete with the Big Guns team..."

~Hey.~ said Mewtwo. "Huh?" said Milkshake. ~Trust me. You'll be fine. Just keep supporting us.~

"Right! I'll do my best!"

Mewtwo fired a couple Ice Beams at Kieran's Dragonite, ignoring the Politod's Weather BallBlasts. The Dragonite was knocked out,but an Incineroar came out in its place and Faked Mewtwo out. 

"Fool!" Vaespar yelled. "You think you're the only one who can break out a ridiculous hyper- optimized team?"

The Incineroar fell to an Aura Sphere to the face, but a weather Ball finally took out Mewtwo. Not too worry. Vaespar had Vergil. 

The Miraidon was sent out just as Milkshake's Dazzling Gleam cut into the Politoed and took it out. 

"This kid my inferior sibling mentioned?" said Vergil. Pathetic," said Vergil.

"You need to face the facts. You will never truly best me. I will always be one step ahead," said Vaespar.

A Porygon Z was sent ou- Nope, Vergil was deleting that. A Hudrapple and Grimsnarrl were sent out, the former Terastalizing into a Fighting type - odd choice - and the latter being decimated by the Electro Drift.

"So STOP BASING YOUR ENTIRE SELF AROUND BEATING ME!"

An Electro Drift from Vergil slammed into the Hydrapple. Its crystal armor exploded as it fell. 

"Hmph. Good riddance."" said Vergil. 

"I... I did it. I did it!" said Milkshajke. 

At first Vaespar was enjoying the look of shock etched into Kieran's face. Then a voice cut into his brain. You're just as pathetic as he is.

-----------------------

Vaespar couldn't believe this. He had been invited to an expedition to the very darkest depths of Area Zero, to find the true Hidden Treasure, Terapagos, the being he'd been seeing all this time...

...And Kieran just snatches it from him! The audacity! Vaespar would not let this stand. "Go Milkshake! Dazzling Gleam!

"I'll dazzle it up!"

She blasted Terapagos with sparkling light, but its hide seemed to change, adapt, almost to better take the hits. There was a further back and forth of this until Milkshake was finally forced to Recover. She flinched to one Zen Headbutt but dodged another. 

"I.... I want to help Vaespar!"

She dodged another. Filled the whole room with sparkling light. And Terapagos was down. 

...Or was it?

Briarr had made a discovery. A revelation that would turn the tables. 

Vaespar did not approve of this. 

But Terapagos Terastalized anyway. And that's when things went wrong. "Hang on!"

It was Dante. He shielded the party from Terapagos' out of control energy. 

Kieran tried to recall Terapagos but his Master Ball shattered. Even Briar was starting to panic. 

But Vaespar and Carmine stepped up. 

Carmine's Sinistcha healed Milkshake with a dose of her matcha. "Thank you kindly!" said Milkshake as she let loose a Dazzling Gleam. 

Briar pointed our a barrier... Maybe...

"Milkshake, come back! Sticky, come on!"

Sticky entered the battlefield being barraged by a Tera Starstorm. He hissed at the impact. 

"Now that's not very pleasant of you. "

The starstorm continued, but Sticky held on and spat a Fickle Beam at Terapagos' core. 

"Now Sticky! Terastalize!"

Sticky glowed with watery power as he became Water Tera, firing a matching Tera Blast. The blast made a dent in the barrier as Vaespar quickly sprayed a Max Potion on Sticky. 

But then a powerful Starstorm obliterated Sticky. 

"...Milkshake, you're back in!"

"Oh, okay!"

Milkshake and Terapagos started hammering away at each other, Chipping away bit by bit at one another. But Milkshake fell first.

Vaespar was nervous. But as he sent out Amonduul,he realized his Tera Orb was still charged. "Amondull, Terastalize! Psychic!"

"Foolish being of power, I will crush you!" said Amondull. 

Amoonduul shone with Terastal energy and shattered the barrier... only for Terapagos to absorb the Terastal energy and make another.

"Urk..."

Amonduul recoiled at repeated Earth Powers but still whittled down the barrier with a few Psychics before falling. Meanwhile Vaespar snuck a Revive to a team member...

Lae'zel came to face Terapagos next. "You will di-"

She was taken out quickly. But then Sticky took the field. 

"I'm back! Hehehe," he said, lobbing Syrupy Bombs to slow Terapagos down. 

Knowing it would make him a bit vulnerable, Vaespar Terastalized Sticky to break the barrier. And that he did, only for his own Tera energy to be stolen. Vaespar was on the ropes. 

Then Kieran entered the fray, with his own Hydrapple. 

"Excellent!"

Sticky was taken out again, but Vaespar had a plan - sneaking a Elexir and Max Revive to one particular team member...

"Milkshake, you're back in!"

"We... we won't lose!"

She began firing off Dazzling Gleams again. The Hydrapple supported with Syrup Bombs and Dragon Cheers before being taken out and replaced with a Dragonite. Then Vaespar saw a familiar gleam from his Tera Orb. "NOW!"

Cream turned to crystal as Milkshake Terastalized. Her sparkling light hammered even harder as the Terapagos shook and trembled from her and Dragonite's attacks. It hung on with one more HP, attempted to attack...

Then Kieran's Dragonite cracked it wide open with an Extremespeed. 

Vaespar saw the opportunity, heard Kieran cheering him on, and tossed a Luxury ball. It shook once and clicked. Vaespar did it. The Hidden Treasure Of Area Zero was his. 

He was NOT weak. 

------------------------

Vaespar did trounce Lacey - it took some finagling, but Sticky and his Water Tera won out in the end. 

Then came Kieran. And. after the first attempt... nope, he was going to have to bring out the big guns. And also Milkshake. 

With Kieran fully humiliated, as both Drayton and Vaespar had planned, they and Carmine werre suddenly invited to a expedition to Area Zero with Briar, on Geeta and Rika's behest. Drayton decl;ined, but the other three accepted, With Vaespar eagerly taking the Indigo Disk Geeta offered him. Finally, what he was seeking all along was ahead...

Once they were in Area Zero, the group used the Indigo Disk to delve into the Underdepths, solving puzzles along the way until they found the core - Terapagos. Vaespar had barely any time to contemplate how small such a powerful, reality-warping being was when Kieran immediately snatched it from him with a Master Ball, and Vaespar had to fight for it back. 

But then things got worse. Kieran's attempt to Terastalize Terapagos sent it out of control, and he, Carmine and Vaespar had to team up to take it down. This time Vaespar caught it - finally, the Hidden Treasure Of Area Zero was his. 

The quartet returned home triumphant, Kieran being determined to repair things with Vaespar, to Vaespar's chagrin. Briar started writing a book, and gave Vaespar an early copy. But on a whim Vaespar took Terapagos to the Crystal Pool, sensing a connection. 

And that's when Professor Turo showed up. After a conversation where both parties were very confused (and Dante was overjoyed) the two exchanged books, then Turo vanished. Vaespar was left wondering if he had altered this timeline or another. 

What was clear is he needed to look into harnessing Terapagos' power. But he had other things he needed to take care of too. He started collecting Pokemon for Perrin's new quest, including a strange musical one he found through an odd ritual...

----------------------

Vaespar

Vaespar had finally collected 200 Pokemon. He presented his Pokedex to Perrin, who was impressed and in turn presented him two photos - one of a beast called Iron Boulder and one of a creature called Iron Crown. 

Vaespar delved into Area Zero to find them. He looked over and over and over and over. Until he found both Pokemon and caught them. He returned to Perrin, who snapped a few photos of his catches and rewarded him with... a rare but otherwise unremarkable Pokeball called a Sports Ball. 

Oh well. At least she was happy now. 

----------------

Vaespar Vaespar was beginning to give up hope. 

He wanted to find a Shiny Pokemon in Blueberry Academy, just as he had in Paldea and Kitikami. But he had been surging through countless Duraldons with no hope. But then finally Susanoo refused to fight one. 

Finally one was a slightly different shade than the others. Finally one sparkled. He caught her in a Moon Ball. Named her Kaikyo. Made sure to evolve her as soon as possible. 

She was beautiful. And she was his. 

----------------------

This creature certainly had given Vaespar all sorts of annoyance. Turning his "friends" and all of Kitikami into mochi-obsessed dancing zombies just to get in his way... awfully rude, wasn't it? BUt if Vaespar could capture it and use its powers for himself.... "Susanoo, Iron Head."

"It shall be done."

The creature spat a Shadow Ball, but the Shiny Kingambit shrugged it off with his Defiance  and slammed the blade on his head into it. "Ramp it up! Kowtow Cleave!"

This time the blade was cloaked in inky dark energy as it sliced through another Shadow Ball - and straight into the creature's body. 

Vaespar heard Kieran shouting he had an opportunity. He knew what he had to do. He grabbed the Sport Ball Perrin gave him and hurled. 

The ball sucked it in, shook three times, and clicked. Vaespar grinned wickedly. Another powerful being for his collection...

-----------------

Vaespar Zombies. Really. Here of all places?

But they happened. His "friends" had forced themselves along to Kitikami to meet his other "friends" while he was in the middle of IMPORTANT preparations! But then Carmine fell to the mysterious conjunctivitis zombie curse, then everyone else started falling to it, leaving Vaespar and Kieran to fight the source - a mysterious Pokemon named Pecharunt and its intoxicating mochi. Eventually Kieran held the zombie hordes off as Vaespar took down both the zombified Nemona and Petcharunt itself, catching it in the Sport Ball Nemona provided him. His "friends" had a good rest of their time together and said their heartfelt goodbyes, but Vaespar was more focused on this Pecharunt - with it,   Ogerpon,  and Terapagos' powers combined....

-------------

Vaespar had all the right ingredients for success. Before him stood two Pokemon - Terapagos and Pecharunt, as well as Ogerpon's msks..He was using his power and their power to create... something while the mysterious stranger watched worriedly nearby. Finally, it congealed. Settled into clumps. Until Vaespar lifted up a platter of it in triumph. "Yes! My own patented stellar mochi! This will turn anyone who eats it into my superpowered servants!"

"That sounds awfully sinister," said the person. "I'm not sure I can let you do that." Vaespar raised an eyebrow. "You let me run all around your world to do this."

"You helped me solve several problems along the way! I assumed the best!"

"Well too bad. I know better than to beat you in a fight, but I'm taking these back to my home universe whether you like it or no-"

There was a blip. Vaespar disappeared, and the mochi clattered to the floor,

"Phew!" said the person. "Good thing I can in fact put him right back where he came from."

"Oh! Those are the snacks we made!" said Terapagos. "I wanna try some..."

He moved toward the crystal mochi. The person hurriedly scooped him up and cradled him close to his chest. 

"No, those are bad for you!"

"Damn," said Peecharunt. "I coulda controlled Terapagos... I coulda made it love me..."

"Don't you start!" said the person

Pecharunt sighed. With a glow, the person transformed into none other than Arceus. 

"Now," said Arceus, "I'll have to think on who I pick as the trainer hero for next time... Maybe someone less risky."

"...Maybe."