#vivi sun haven

[cyberaxolotl]

MY MOD IS READY MY MOD MY MOD ITS READY

GET IT HERE

[yeomk2]

SUN HAVEN

[ihm-bread]

[lavender-sunhaven]

Also I FINALLY met Vivi in game and. God I love her. She's fantastic. I love her entire deal. Hecking adorable too. But this little musing also played out in my head after I met her so I wanted to share some of Lavender's thoughts about her.

Lavender: Man she said some pretty odd things but I guess she's a new neighbor, so I'm going to treat her like all my other neighbors and make friends with her, and maybe she'll change her mind about... whatever she's trying to accomplish.

Lavender: I wonder what she likes?? A squirrel Amari..... what can I make out of acorns to offer her?

Lavender: ... wait. Is that racist? Should I really just assume that she likes nuts and acorns because she's a squirrel?? Maybe she hates them. She'd probably hate being stereotyped-

Lavender: *remembers how both she and Kitty adore fish and Catherine grows carrots and enjoys carrot foods immensely, and Donovan loves bones and meat*

Lavender: no wait. maybe that's just how we Amari work. We're just Like That. Worth a shot.

(Later)

Lavender: *gifts Vivi some acorn milk*

Vivi: >_> *tries to surreptitiously secret it away without giving away how much she likes it*

Lavender: yeah ok

[sunshinies]

⋆✩ Nahida inspired names/pronouns/titles ! 𖦹

art is official! rq by @brazils-garden

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🌱 names: acacia , aisling , breezy , briar , chloris , cloverly , elara , elodie , euphemia , fable , fern , fiora , fleurie , flora , gracie , gwendolyn , hana , hattie , haven , hope , ivy , jade , kelly , lottie , maisie , meadow , mimi , minnie , mossie , nadia , naida , nana , nerida , nia , pandora , petal , petunia , pippa , pixie , poppy , posie , rhiannon , sage , sadie , saffron , sorrel , sprout , sunny , tamsin , thalia , verena , verity , viridian , yara

🌿 pronouns: sprout/sprouts/sproutself , dendro/dendros/dendroself , wise/wises/wiseself , god/gods/godself , joy/joys/joyself , herb/herbs/herbself , leaf/leaf/leafself , sun/suns/sunself , sage/sages/sageself , viri/viris/viriself , vivi/vivis/vividself , smile/smiles/smileself , fern/fern/fernself

any other variation pronouns of these may be used , of course !

🪴 titles: the goddess of verdant wisdom , the lesser lord of sumeru , she who was borne of irminsul , she who lies in the cradle of dreams , she who meditates on love , the goddess of insightful dreams , she who embodies nature's love , her verdant vision, her innocent insight , she who guides with grace

prns and gendered terms may be replaced.

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[vaansfarm]

sun haven smell headcanons

because i am insane

anne: she likes classic scents for her perfumes, like chanel no. 5.

catherine: a subtly floral scent, but overpowered by the smell of dirt. it’s a nice fresh scent that reminds you of laying down in the grass.

claude: he doesn’t have a strong scent, but if you get close enough, he smells faintly of clean laundry.

darius: very strong overpowering smell of cologne. walking behind him will give you a headache.

donovan: he does not smell great, unfortunately. all that time in the sewers has given him a slightly musty smell, but his charm makes up for it.

iris: she smells like a freshly brewed cup of jasmine tea.

jun: he smells like old books that have been in the library for a long time, waiting for someone to leaf through them.

kai: he smells salty, like the fresh ocean breeze. it’s a comforting smell. there’s also some kind of light musky smell, like sandalwood, that grounds you.

kitty: she smells like some kind of rose shampoo, not a particularly strong scent but very fresh and soft.

liam: fresh bread from the bakery, with a hint of sweetness. if his scent was a food, it’d be a raspberry danish.

lucia: she has a cinnamon-y, spicy smell that makes you feel awake. there’s a couple other scents mixed in there as well, such as other spices and apple.

lynn: she smells like a home-cooked meal, like mashed potatoes at a family dinner. there’s a lingering smell of metal that you can quickly get used to.

nathaniel: a heavy, meaty smell lingers around him.

vaan: it’s a misty smell, of wet moss and wildflowers. it reminds you slightly of after it rains, in a field of flowers.

wesley: the sticky sweet smell of honey follows him around. there’s also the scent of some kind of animal, presumably the griffin?

wornhardt: he smells like the clear sky and grass. when he puts on his gloves and coat, they smell a tiny bit sterile, like hand sanitizer or bleach.

xyla: she uses some kind of sweet perfume that smells like candy. it’s an addicting smell.

unfortunately i havent met vivi yet so i don’t have a hc for her :,)

[mastermatoyas]

Okay! So now that I’ve met all most of the Sun Haven romance candidates, I’m gonna make a post about my thoughts for my friends and followers so I can decide who I’m actually gonna marry in this game.

Long post under the cut!

Lucia is pretty rad! She’s got a lot of confidence, but isn’t arrogant or rude, which I really admire. So far she doesn’t seem that interested in romance, though, so it’s hard to see her as a marriage candidate. She’s still in the running!

Liam and Lynn are both the sweet and shy type, which is nice, but... not that interesting to me as a romance option. So I think I’ve eliminated them from the running.

Anne fucking rules but she is a capitalist, so it’s a no from me.

Catherine is very sweet and also is a hot bunny lady, but I haven’t gotten to know her that well yet. Still in the running!

Nathaniel is adorable. We love a true knight. For some reason I’ve been racking up heart points with him really easily, too. Definitely a contender. Look at that beard.

Jun is the town counselor, and he is overwhelmingly sweet and sincere at all times. I do dig the goth vibe, especially with the earrings. A contender.

Okay I’m still not sure if Claude is meant to actually be a vampire or just looks like one. Either way I’m into it. A contender.

I love Kitty’s design, and the fact that her hobbies include getting stuck in trees and eating raw fish. We stan. However, she ends every sentence with “nya” and I cannot deal with that. Not a contender.

Wornhardt! All I know about him so far is that he’s a doctor. Probably not a contender unless he does something interesting soon.

Darius! Rude asshole prince. He sucks. Definitely a contender.

Donovan. Lives in a sewer which is not ideal, but he is an absolute bro, so he’s a contender on that alone.

Xyla. Hot demon lady who keeps calling me a sewer rat. Definitely a contender.

Iris! I only interacted with her once. Her tattoos are cool. I know nothing else about her. Weirdly femme for someone who lives in the woods. In the “maybe” category.

Vaan! I also have only met him once so far. Also has cool tattoos, also in the maybe category.

Wesley. He is an elf and he is rude. Probably not a contender.

Kai! I found this guy washed up on the beach. He has no memories. Definitely a contender. Just look at him. Hot snake man.

Vivi! I realised partway through making this post that I actually haven’t met this character yet. Oh well! I like her design, so I’ll leave her as a maybe.

Current tally:

Definite contenders: Kai, Xyla, Donovan, Darius, Jun, Claude, Catherine, Nathaniel

Maybe: Vivi, Wesley, Vaan, Iris, Wornhardt, Lucia

No: Kitty, Anne, Liam, Lynn

Stay tuned as I try to narrow this down further!

[sdv-lostatsea]

So I have finally finished one year of sun haven and it only took me 91 hours 💀 and here are some of things that I thought/did: (spoilers??)

V nice to not have an energy meter and that I can extend the day's length in real time

I clocked Jun and said that's the one I'm marrying

I speed ran the farms too much in the beginning and decided I needed to slow the hell down when I got to Nel'Vari (this comes back later)

I thought Vaan was a woman for way too long. Like a whole season and it was summer so his shirt is like super open and idk I really just thought "this woman is head empty, tits out"

Had a mini crisis bc I was dating Jun but wanted to date Vaan (woman)

Decided to just go for it and then started dating everyone

Realized Vaan was a man and was kinda disappointed but I still love him

Ending up going on back to back dates with everyone in sun haven literally every day for at least a week

Decided to start the quests up again and only did the 1st quest for Nivara which caused me Problems

Bc if you don't immediately start the next quest then you don't have an understanding of why Wesley suddenly won't talk to you

Tried for a week in game to get Wesley to like me with no dice and had a mini breakdown

Did the second quest and realized I'm a dumbass

Decided to wait till winter to get to Withergate

Was all excited and then realized there's like 8 steps to even get on the boat. Which, idk why I didn't think that would happen before bc the same thing happened with Nel'Vari

Finally got to Withergate and basically secluded myself to the roof to fish for rent bc I was too Anxious to go out and potentially get caught by guards and thrown out

Now I've been persuing Darius bc I like making the ones who look down on you beg for the love they think they deserve

And I just met Vivi and gdi this game need to stop throwing pretty (wo)men my way bc she's adorable and also dumb and mom, I love her.

And lastly, I have played as a demon character this whole time and only just recently figured out that I could make a mermaid character with a Naga so I will be making another character soon 😤

[seakaysunhaven]

A Trip Around the World (7/25/24)

Hello! Here's a new update for you all!

Since my last post, I have officially reached 20 hearts with every romanceable in the town of Sun Haven (except for Vivi lol.) Because of this, I started working towards getting my hearts up with Nel'vari characters and getting my character to Withergate.

Here are the last couple of wedding pictures from Sun Haven:

(Also hooray! I made it to year 2!)

Somehow, I managed to finish the entire Nel'vari questline in about two in-game days, meaning I could get Wesley's hearts up almost right away which was nice. Doing this playthrough really made me fall in love with him all over again, he'll always be my favorite character in this game.

Items I gifted to Nel'vari romanceables:

Rubies for Iris

Honey for Wesley

Water crystals for Vaan

Starfish for Lucius

Rubies probably weren't the best option (prickly pears are WAY BETTER for Iris) but I had so many of them that it was just easier for me. Also I never realized that you had to go to the temple of the moon to trigger a cutscene for Lucius because I was always able to catch him next to the pond first thing in the morning, so I had fully convinced myself that my game was bugged until I found a random comment about it on reddit. I'm glad I did, because I was considering divorcing Wesley on my year 3 playthrough just to finish up his achievements.

Here's my wedding with Iris! I ended up marrying her first.

As for Withergate, it's been a slow grind for tickets to progress the story enough to get Vivi. Once I've finished up marrying everyone but Vaan in Nel'vari, I'm going to start really honing in on Withergate progress.

Items I'm gifting to Withergate romanceables:

Withercake/Snobfish for Xyla

Steak/Withercake/Devilfins for Darius

Meat for Donovan

I've also in the meantime have been slowly working on Brinestone Deeps and finished the main storyline for that area today! I've got lemonade for Zaria and fried carp for Karish prepped and ready, so now starts the slow grind to get them to 10 and 20 hearts too.

As for the other achievements I have left besides the romanceables, I've been trying to spend time in my year 3 save to get those, just because I've got a lot more materials to work with. However... man, these other achievements have been a slog to get through. Getting every skill point for a skill tree just feels very annoying, either requiring me to hope that I've got the right amount of materials every day or grinding community tokens again, which isn't the most fun. Also I must have the worst luck on planet earth, because I have not seen the candy slime boss in the battle arena a single time since I started working on this, and its driving me a little insane.

I really don't need to go through another RNG nightmare, not after my genuinely torturous experience with completing the museum. The Nel'vari temple bundle is such a painful bundle to work on, but I won't ramble about it here. Maybe in another post soon.

I will say that fighting and beating Dynus was fun! I'm also very close to completing the Royalty achievement. After that, I should theoretically finish the Better with a Party achievement this weekend, as I've got some friends lined up to help me with that.

But yeah! That's my update for today! I'll post about my gripes with the RNG for some of the things in this game soon :)

[beloveddawn-blog]

SUN HAVEN CHARACTER SONGS

Anne: Material Girl by Madonna

Catharine: Anything Rockabye Baby has done (like Hotel California)

Claude: Hotel California by the Eagles. Which I think is basically a perfect song but I just *really* don't like. It's brilliant and technically amazing and haunting and connects people and makes people *feel*... I just disappointingly don't like it myself

Darius: Surprise Surprise by Billy Talent. I think

For those who think we don't care/

For those that think we're not aware/

Surprise surprise!

Speaks to him and how he feels like his father is a bit of a sellout when it comes to the welfare of the people, and how he has his eyes open about how Dynus doesn't *actually* care about the monsterfolk, just about his empire. Also that music video is a trip and half.

Donovan: What's My Age Again by Blink-182

Iris: Carol of the Bells the version by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jun: Circle of Life from The Lion King. Fight me.

Kai: (unknown yet)

Kitty: hmmm... this was tricky. I know she's canonically a j-pop idol, but I really think she'd like bopping out to things like Pink by Lizzo (from The Barbie Movie) in less structured settings.

Liam: In My Daughter's Eyes by Martina McBride. I know in the song it's a mother, but I feel it would really speak to him and soothe him. (And oh *fuck* was that a bad choice for today. One moment. Didn't... expect that to hit that way. I was in tears from the opening music)

Lucia: I don't actually think she would be a country fan, but I think I'm Gonna Take That Mountain by Reba McEntire suits her really well and how she handles adversity.

Lynn: Although I think her favourite song is Teardrops On My Guitar, the song I think that suits her best is Tied Together With A Smile, both by Taylor Swift

Nathaniel: Ordinary Day by Great Big Sea. I think he'd also love Sea of No Cares, but he takes his duty too seriously for it to really be his theme song.

Vaan: Storm by Vanessa Mae (who someone on YouTube commented quit playing the violin professionally to focus on her Olympic skiing career??? Tf, how talented is she???). Lindsey Stirling as well, but she's more well known nowadays so I wanted to put Storm in more.

Vivi: (uncertain)

Wes: (uncertain)

Wornhardt: Cell Block Tango from the musical Chicago. He wants drama VERY FAR AWAY from his life at this point tyvm but is also naturally a charismatic drama queen. Not in a negative way, more just a bit... larger than life, you know?

Xyla: Rage of Poseidon by Apocalyptica, though she tells people it's Unstoppable by Disturbed

[starlightcleric]

I'm falling back into Sun Haven again, so here are my farmers in this picrew as I ramble on about them a bit.

To the left is Calliope, my solo character who is a dog amari with the farmer background (I think, it's been a bit) who is married to Catherine! She's almost through winter of year 1 in Sun Haven and just got to the bottom of the mines and defeated Dizzy! Maybe now I can finally head out of town to find the hidden elf village (that's a lie I won't leave until I finish my spring crops bundle for the museum (since I went through spring in early access before the museum existed)). She's been focusing on the sword, but after I finish putting points into sword and defense I'm planning on having her pick up some combat magic, per Catherine's influence.

To the right is Clio, a demon with the baker background, who I'm playing in my multiplayer game with my brother! We're really early on, on like day 11 of spring year 1. She's been doing a lot of fighting and mining in the mines, and her fighting style is ranged and magic. I don't know who I want to romance with her yet, I'll probably wind up dating multiple people before I decide! (Except for Vivi, who my brother has claimed.)

[yeomk2]

Trick or Trout

[the-headbop-wraith]

3 _ 47  A Goodbye Letter

 Kingsman Mechanics didn’t usually pick out supplies with smaller distributors, but occasionally Arthur would roll around to collect some of the less essential equipment which had a habit of wearing out. Sometimes it was worth it to spurge a buck if the use was versatile enough, while other equipment had components that wore out regularly and it required periodic maintenance. Other assets he did like to snag spur of the moment, typically for his personal work such as on his arm, or when he needed inspiration for new gear that was hitting the market.

 It was always such an outlet to head out of town and browse the techno shop, supplied with quality parts and computer components for modest prices. One division of the shop displayed aisles of industrial shelving, with test gadgets up top for casual shoppers. Other portions of the store dedicated inventory to domestic living, or industrial distribution. It was likewise one of the nearest shops that carried valued craft supplies for largescale modeling, such as welding and do-it-yourself engineering. For Arthur’s needs, he was aiming for some new soldering parts to boost the efficiency in a refurbished arm.

 There were advantages to a custom made mechanical arm. Dealing with corroded bolts and nuts or working with a stubborn, over twisted bolt was not the issue it used to be. However, it wasn’t a real arm, some of the angles he used to twist into for reaching sections of a car was now troublesome, and his false arm had limits different to a limb of flesh and blood. The circuits and servos didn’t mend on their own over time, if something inside the arm ceased altogether the whole arm crapped out. He couldn’t call for ten and give the arm a chance to heal, anything that needed fixing Arthur did so in his spare time. To avoid those complications, rotors and gears required maintenance; the harder the work, the more frequent the checkups. Circuits burnt out due to overuse – sometimes it overheated – wiring frayed of came loose from the excessive movement and prolonged abuse.

 And dear gods, did he abuse his arm.

 He moved down the large lane, checking his phone and comparing the listing to the names and brands of spooled wires in bins. A metal with a higher heat tolerance was more expensive, but it would endure more hours. However, he needed to construct a better housing for the circuit line to prevent the insulation getting snagged. One of the first arms he built, he totally forgot to factor in gravity and momentum; the wires were not secured like they should’ve been and the model was short lived. He didn’t even make it through the first (return to) paranormal case, they didn’t even arrive to the destination before the thing died.

 With a shudder, he tossed the elected spool into his basket. Within, some large crates of craft metal for repairing cosmetic areas of the shop. Some lowkey cheapy materials he bought offhand, rather order wholesale. Some test gear to burn through before reaching out to large distributors for orders.

 Next, he ventured to the aisle for hosing and insulation components. A new building line for storing energy for the battery would extend the functionality of his arm. The only thing he could do while resting was recharge the internal battery, big whoop.

 On his way to the aisle, Arthur dithered and gave his space a brief examination. The creeping sensation that someone was watching, or someone followed him. It was no mistake, he knew that sensation better than a burn. No way this was paranoia. Never would he attribute his instincts to paranoia.

 For now, he played it cool. It was more to the hope that being out in public would deter something malicious, but he wouldn’t let on about his suspicions. Once he reached the parking zone, he’d have to be on his—

 In his ruminations, Arthur almost didn’t react in time to avoid the basket that eased out into his path. However, his reflexes remained uncontested, and he managed to swerve despite his gimp arm.

 “Holy crepes! I’m so sorry, excuse—” He shut up, and mayhap his face drained of what little color it had. In his path stood….

 MAMMA PEPPER!

 The stern face, the tight shoulders, the imposing aura. Arthur purposefully avoided the Pepper Paradiso, the whole Pepper Bushel – save one vengeful spook – nononononononononononononononononononoNO! Why is she here? He avoided all the grocery stores in all their small town, save for the few times he had to go out and pick up foodstuffs because his Uncle was too sick or swamped with work, whatever – he couldn’t let Uncle Lance go out, even if he insisted he was fine – she couldn’t be here, not in the sacred mechanics haven. The last frontier of casual shopping, and freedom from the accusing eye. This was inconceivable!

 Arthur opened his mouth, but words abandoned him. His throat generated an eerie whine. “Ack.”

 “Arthur,” Mamma Pepper spoke, voice icy, but somehow heated and thick. “I haven’t seen you in some time. You and Vivi, don’t come by anymore. Do you?”

 Any shape or form of human vocalization was beyond Arthur. He clenched his jaw, choked back a swallow, and tried for a syllable. “Uh.”

 “Are you all right? Should I leave you?” She pulled the basket backwards, though there was plenty of room for Arthur to move onward.

 “No,” squeaked Arthur. “Uh… it’s all right. I mean, I’m fine. It’s okay.” He took a breath. Without a word, Mamma Pepper stood, rigid and impassive. “Yeah. It’s fine. Um, Vivi… she uh, she—” He stalled when Mamma Pepper raised a hand.

 “I see. I didn’t mean to intrude.” She tightened her grip on the basket. “I try not to push, but I also don’t want you both believing you are not welcome. You are always… welcomed at the Pepper Paradiso. Does it help when I remind you?” She peaked one critical eye at Arthur.

 He nodded. “It… yes. I appreciate the offer.” He glanced aside, then, checked the supplies in the basket. Industrial Gas Connectors, among other parts and pieces from gauges to replacement dials. “How’s the restaurant doing?” Mamma Pepper seemed to frown. Seemed to. And sighed.

 “Business as usual.”

 “I didn’t mean the business,” Arthur interjected. “I was talking about your equipment. I meant to call and ask, if you… needed some maintenance work? I could come by sometime. I can bring, eh… Vivi. She’d like to come by too, I think. I’d have to ask. She’s been, um…” reflexively, he reached over to grip at his metal wrist, “been doing, erm… well. Yeah. I wanted to ask….” He stalled.

 Mamma Pepper’s stare became harder, more critical. But there was an underlying softness he could scarcely discern.

  __

 For the past month Lewis spent the bulk of his time at Vivi’s apartment, while she was out at work or checking in with Arthur during days off. Though she recognized Lewis wouldn’t remain the whole time locked away or secluded from the world, he left notes when he was jamming off and for how long he intended to be. Where he went remained a mystery, which she was not super eager to inquire about but she did remain curious. She was more apt in reading his nonverbal cues and perhaps a little underestimated in her abilities, given her experience with paranormal creatures.

 Today was one of the first times she hauled Lewis out, though he was foremost invited to change up his ‘routine’, whatever that consisted of. For a bit, he pretended to give the offer some thought – while he hovered midair looking pretty relaxed. It wasn’t a huge surprise that he went along, not that he had a schedule or anything to keep on task with. Aside from shopping runs, a task reserved for the evening, with funds set out for his personal use, and having no real needs of his own. He spent the money on making sure Vivi was well stocked, so poor-poor Mystery wouldn’t have to watch his partner drink those awful canned teas.

 This day was not one to be in any particular place, with an established time to return on. It was a rare day to get out there and go nowhere, spend time in each other’s company.

 And Vivi felt like she was getting to know a Lewis better. She wasn’t certain which Lewis she was becoming more aware of, since there was a difference between Lewis Pepper when he was living, and the Lewis postmortem – if she was to put it indelicately. There were not enough notebooks and folders in the Box which gave her insight into Lewis Pepper, not enough pictures to rekindle memories stolen from the pools of reflection. It didn’t matter so much that she remembered who he was, but that she knew who he is. It bothered her that she lost what once was, and might never be able to take it back.

 A braided crown of stems and flowers alit on Vivi’s head. She took it down and gave the hoop shape a brief scrutiny.

 “Not my best flower crown,” Lewis admitted. “But not a lot of flowers ‘round here.” He held a short stem between his teeth, and gave a comical southern draw.

 “Is it imbued with special, mystical properties?” She turned the crown over and over. Lewis’ voice hitched, as he cackled.

 “No, Vii. Not everything needs special secret magic to make it special.” He grinned. “It’s an old fashioned, unremarkable, flower crown.”

 Vivi set the crown back upon her head. “Plants always have a charm about them, through the winter they endure. I don’t know what it is. The dormancy, the anticipation of reawakening post a harsh and relentless season, something previously viewed as unsightly, reviving, blooming. Hmm… I hope we can have a snowfall before the cold ends.”

 Lewis shrugged. He leaned back against the tree they sat beneath, shaded from the sun by the thin branches brimming with miniscule buds. “One more snow fall wouldn’t be too bad, though I always love the colors of spring. I’m eager for the return of some color.”

 Across the open field of the park, Mystery darted by like a bullet. As if a vengeful spirit was snapping at his tail. Like he was racing his own shadow.

 Vivi reclined back and rested her head on his thigh. “Hey.”

 “Hmm?”

 “When you leave your notes? Do you actually go out somewhere, or… do you sometimes rest too?” she pondered. “I get this feeling you’re not gone completely. Like you’re still there, but unresponsive. Resting?”

 Lewis reached a hand up and scratched at his cheek. “Uh, perceptive much? Sometimes I am a little weary and can’t fully manifest, like the way you… know. Since I can’t just be, I don’t want you to worry. Other times, I’ll find my way to the van. It… is a place where I feel at peace. Dunno why that is.”

 Vivi pulled her hands up and folded them over her middle. “Hanging around with the living still overwhelming?”

 “It’s a lot of energy to deal with. I can’t really escape it.” Vivi smirked.

 “And how’s the van coming along?”

 Lewis wheezed, “Slowly.”

 Vivi tilted her head back further and gazed into the rich azure sky. “What about you? Not that it matters right now, but you’re not casting a shadow. That only happens when somethings on your mind, or you’ve pushed yourself a little too much.”

 Lewis reached over and tucked back a loose hair under the woven crown. “That’s nothing to worry about, I’ve been more active than usual. I guess it’s not so noticeable when we’re doing the travel gig, and you’re focused not on me.” He offered a sly waggle of his brow above the sunglasses, and Vivi responded by squinting back suspiciously. “Mi queria, don’t worry so much. If I thought something was off, you’d be the first person I’d go to.”

 Vivi scoffed. “You better, buster.”

 Mystery sprinted over and gave pause, long enough to tumble down beside Vivi and roll in the scraggily grass. “Mystery!” The wily hound snatched the crown from her head and took off, his yapping suspiciously rebounding like cackling laughter. “You give that back!” Vivi flew up, scrambling to get on her feet. Lewis was up immediately, skiing forward.

 “Oh! I absolutely will catch you! Don’t you doubt it!”

 The ears and hair on Mystery shot up, and he was off faster than a beam of light. Lewis dove after the dog, zigzagging in wild patterns and grabbing at thin air upon every duck and slide Mystery pulled. The grass beneath Lewis’ heels scorched upon every twist; try as he might though, the pup was unattainable.

 Before Vivi could fully devote herself to the chase, the muffled hum of her phone went off. She almost went ahead and left the phone beneath the tree, tucked away safely in the backpack, but decided better and picked it up. “Arthur?”

 “Hey,” replied through the phone.

 “Didn’t expect a call from you. Is everything okay?” She spun around and watched as Mystery made a wide turn, with Lewis hot on his tail. Literally. When Lewis spied Vivi on the phone, he abruptly broke out of his glide and jogged over. “Hmm?”

 “What was that? Is Lew there?”

 “Yeaahhh… Lew’s here.” She grinned up at the aforementioned specter. Lewis’ appearance flashed and shimmered, he set his hands on his vest and tugged. “Arthur says hi.”

 “Tell him… hey, back for me?”

 “Lew says Hay.” Arthur laughed. That was a good sound.

 “I was callin’ to see if you were busy tonight, I have something I wanna ask.”

 Vivi stepped back into the shade and leaned on the tree. “You can’t ask right now, over the phone?” Mystery padded around the side of the tree, lil crown looped over one ear.

 “It’s ahh… a lil complicated, to talk about. Actually, you and Lew both.” Arthur didn’t sound super fortified himself, but his words came through. “Would Lew be willing to come by? If not, that’s okay too. It’s up to him. But he can come by too, I could talk to him.”

 Vivi looked over to Lewis and hit the mute button on her phone. “He wants to see you.”

 “I got that.” Lewis’ appearance dimmed, the burning eye behind the sunglasses glistened in the shifting fractures of his projected appearance. For a moment, Vivi thought he would vanish or lose his grip.

 “You can say no,” she affirmed. “You don’t have to give a reason. He’ll understand.”

 Lewis snatched her hand before she could work at the phone screen. “No, espera. I’d like to see Artie.”

 “You sure?” You and he… you think you’re up for it?”

 “Yeah.” Lewis took the little stalk of grass from his mouth and tossed it. “If he’s cool, I’d be down for a visit.”

 Vivi unmuted her phone. “Hey Art, you still there?” Arthur replied with a hum. Some background noise came through his side, it sounded like traffic or machinery. “What would be a good time for us to swing by?”

 “Around seven, a little after,” he offered. “I’m running some errands, so no rush. You don’t sleep, do you?”

 “Mmm,” Vivi mocked contemplated. “It’s not in my schedule.” A sound akin to static emitted, and she took it as Lewis best attempt at clearing his throat. “Sounds good.” She wondered briefly, but dismissed the thoughts. “We’ll see you then.” She clicked off the phone and made certain it was closed out.

 To Lewis, “He sounded tense and anxious. I didn’t want to ask.”

 Lewis went over and took the crown off Mystery’s head, and set it back on Vivi’s blue hair. “If there’s a problem, I can duck out. Not that I mind a meet, some nonbusiness would be a nice change.”

 Vivi peered at him quizzically. “I don’t think there should be. He’s put a lot of work at the shop, and that helps. But we’ll see.” She began walking, with Mystery picking up the pace by her side and Lewis at her shoulder. “Anywhere else you wanna roll by and check out?” She fitted her hand into Lewis’ and gripped his fingers.

 In a flash of embers, Lewis lost his very convincing living appearance and stood frozen mid stride. At least the park for the time sat empty.

 Vivi stiffened. “Fuck!”

 __

 Another crate of supplies went into the back of the work truck on loan. The parts and materials sat on high value, even the copper was an easy swipe if some lowlife happened by and recognized the glossy hull. With all the valuables packed into the front seats, Arthur shut and locked up.

 Paths of sidewalk wound around the patches of desert xeriscape and clumps of cactus, cutting the sidewalk and parking zone into jagged portions. An expansive patio rolled out from the building entrance, fitted with a wide awning and short fence to divide the patio from the walkway. A few tables sat, awaiting company on the chilly day.

 Arthur moved through the opening of the fence, his gaze taking in faces, his apprehension spiked higher. He didn’t see any familiar faces, but that didn’t reassure him. It was chilly, and his metal arm shifted in the sling; the only arm covered at this time. It would be best to leave, this wasn’t a good idea. He’d call, apologize. She’d understand. He hoped she’d understand. He took a step back. On the thoroughfare traffic picked up, though none of the vehicles cruising by slowed or pulled into the parking lane. Not yet. But soon….

 The entrance to the café swept open and a familiar face glided out. Arthur grimaced, but hadn’t given his legs the memo to relocate. That would’ve been hella rude.

 “I’m glad you could make it.”

 Arthur put a hand to the low top of the fence at his side, but reframed from leaning. He was certain if he did anything but stand, he’d collapse.

 “Yeah. I had a,” he stammered, struggling to collect his words, “a last pickup. Have you been waiting long?”

 Mamma Pepper stood stock still, statuesque. “Not long at all. It’s chilly outside, I have a table waiting.” It sounded almost like she was inviting him into her own restaurant, though Arthur wasn’t sure why this out of the way café.

 He checked the area over before stepping forward. One foot, then the other, steady. “This place. It’s new.”

 “I assisted the owner’s in getting set up,” Mamma Pepper supplied. She held the door for Arthur, until he ventured in of his own pace. “Sometimes my family offers taste testing, and vice versa.”

 Arthur concealed the little twinge that ran through his spine. “Awesome.” The interior was not splendid or over done, but simplistic with a homey charm. At the furthest side of the room, logs crackled and churned within a brick fireplace. From the ceiling, rustic lanterns hung. The dim light competed with the sparse interior tables, and the little candles flickering. One table at the furthest wall harbored a mug of steaming liquid.

 “Take your time, if you choose to order,” Mamma Pepper spoke. “There’s no rush.” She left him and weaved around the tables, until she reached her target. She pulled a chair out, and then took her seat at the table across from the vacant chair. A blatant invitation, if he ever saw one.

 Despite a line, Arthur went ahead and made an order. After the barista took his name, he ventured over to the location Mamma Pepper claimed. She was sipping at the beverage. “I never gave that sorta theme much thought,” he admitted. “They offer some interesting… mixes.” Concoctions sounded rude.

 Mamma Pepper nodded and hummed. “Coffee and tea blends, with traditional staples. I wanted to tell you about it sooner, but I didn’t want to intrude.”

 “Ah.”

 “How have you been?” She squinted one eye at Arthur. “I expect well.”

 “Y-yeah. We… uh, Vii and I, we’re still at it.” He rubbed the back of his head with the heel of his palm. “Doing investigations. Y’know that.”

 “Nothing stops that girl.” A hint of a smile graced Mamma Pepper’s face. “I’m glad to hear.”

 The barista brought by Arthur’s beverage, exchanged conversation on how the two were doing, and left. It was a joy to focus on something else, if even briefly.

 “What did you get?”

 Arthur gave the warm liquid a try. “One of the trademark Hy-blends.” He wasn’t a stranger to abominable tea and coffee concoctions, or anything to spark his brain and keep his eyes open on the longest of long roads between towns. But this was really good, the appropriate balance of strength to mellow, with perhaps too much cream making it thick like ice-cream. But good nonetheless. It wouldn’t keep his heart beating, but it was flavorful.

 His mind worked to bring forth the questions, to inquire about how a family went on in the absence of a loved one. How did one approach the topic, and when was it an appropriate time? There was no reason to approach that at all, no reason to drag it forward if he could avoid it. He sipped his beverage, trying his darndest not to quake.

 “You have a way with the machinery,” Mamma Pepper went on, through the absence of substance. “The equipment gets fixed – mind you – everything works without hitch, but it’s not the same. I can’t put my finger on what’s different. Your help was appreciated.”

 Arthur slunk down in his seat a bit. “Yeah. Mn, sorry ‘bout that. Not, uh….”

 “Arthur,” she stated, firmly. “I’m not disappointed. I’m trying to explain that we missed you. We missed Arthur, not Arthur the mechanic. Just… Arthur.” She sipped at her drink.

 “Oh, right.” He looked around at the dimly lit space, the steady stream of customers. “Have you helped other restaurants get opened up? It’s pretty sweet, nothing like the Pepper Paradiso. Er, it’s more… rustic, I guess?”

 Their exchange seemed to fall into place after that, with Mamma Pepper going lightly over a few changes at the Pepper Paradiso. The two caught up on how they were getting along, while skittering aside from the topic involving Vivi. Arthur wasn’t certain how to approach that grape vine, but Mamma Pepper’s questions were careful. It almost felt normal, like he wasn’t cowering under some terrible weight and suffocating. He could breath a little easier, his replies coming with minimal hitch – when he didn’t think about the now. She did admit her family kept up to date with Uncle Lance, which surprised him. Lance never let on he stayed in touch with the Peppers, though given his Uncle’s pokey (though prying) it was a little obvious.

 As the minutes ticked by, Arthur did become comfortable with a topic delving into how Vivi was keeping. He didn’t want to elaborate a whole lot, but he wanted to assure Mamma Pepper that in the least, the blue-headed investigator sleuth had asked about the family. He wasn’t sure where to go from there, but Mamma Pepper filled in the blanks. She offered cheerful accounts of how the girls were growing so fast, what grade they were in now, and the mischief. It was all good conversation, pleasant and cathartic about the little things. Mostly mundane, and some entertaining and exciting. And when Arthur talked about the hamster he adopted, and built prosthetic wheels for, Mamma Pepper even smiled.

 __

  It was a little after six and the sun was in full set, when Vivi biked her way up the sidewalk beside Kingsman Mechanics. With her trotted the Mystery, prancing like a gazelle and very undog-like, but who was paying attention? Staff hadn’t cleared out completely, though the garages had long been shuttered and locked; barring the entitled customer from trying to get a simple (two hour) fix done on their car at the last minute. Vivi coasted up the empty carport and set her bike beside one of the sign poles for reserved parking, and latched the chain. Then, went over to the entry door and knocked. While she waited, Mystery turned his nose down and gave the area a brief scout.

 “I know you can open the door, but I’m not keen on sneaking in.” As per usual, she wore one of the work backpacks, and in the side pocket sat a snug flashlight.

 To Mystery, “You can run off for a bit, if you need. I think we’ll be fine.” This time, she gave the doorbell a buzz.

 Mystery raised his head and gave Vivi one of his, “give me a break,” looks. He trotted back over.

 In due time a wobbly, hazy form swelled beyond the dim barrier of the door. The door unlatched and opened; Uncle Lance stood there, somewhat surprised. “Aye, hey Vivi. Mystery.” He nodded to the dog as he padded by, welcoming himself in without prompt. “Arthur expectin’ yu?”

 “Yeah,” she gasped. Upon entry, Uncle Lance secured the door behind them and pocketed the keys. “We’re a bit early… I had a few stops to make. Is he not in?” She fell in step behind Lance as he led the way, through the dark passage. Most the lights through the main workshop remained off, only the soft lamps offering radiance, enough to keep people from stumbling into each other or getting lost.

 “Naw, been out all day.” Lance rolled his shoulders and stretched up one arm, gripping at the socket. “I should replace both arms,” he muttered. When he lowered that arm, he checked his watch. He didn’t wear a watch. “Not too worried. Ceptin’, I don’t have a ride out of ‘ere.”

 Vivi couldn’t help but set a hand over her face and stifle the snicker. It was usually her or Arthur winding up stranded due to shared vehicles, if her bike was not available (though Arthur would first eat a healthbar than ride her bike). Now, it was Uncle Lance’s turn.

 “I’m so sorry about that.”

 Mystery yapped. It was a distant reply, given that he was now patrolling the work garage.

 “Can’t be helped. I’m just glad whatever nonsense yu get involved with, you came out safe.”

 Vivi grimaced and bit her lip. “Yes, very glad. It could’ve been bad.” Unbeknownst to Vivi, the flashlight flickered sporadically, until it sputtered and went out entirely. Crackling webs of fuchsia detached and dispersed off through the murky air.

 Lance swung away from heading toward the office and gestured. “Something up with that flashlight?”

 “Huh?” Vivi twisted herself in order to view the aforementioned electric torch. “Uhh?”

 “I seein’ you haul that there thing around.” He tugged on his beard, in thought. “Well, not lately…. You’re not planning on doin’ no spook snoopin with Arthur? Ya’ll are on break from that job-work, eh? A vacation, ain’t it called?” He fixed Vivi with a ferocious, accusing glare – the shadow around his eyes intensifying to the tenth power. “Ain’t it, girl?”

 Vivi sweated. How was it possible for someone so opposite of tall, to be so imposing. “N-no, Uncle. We… I swear….”

 “I pay Arthur to do one of two things.” Uncle Lance counted them off on his fingers. “Work. An’ Rest. Ya got that!”

 Vivi grabbed at her scarf. Oh sweet mother of gods, Lance looked set to unite with his rifle. “No! Absolutely NOT! Er, I… it needs to be looked over. I forgot to hand it over to Arthur, it was my fault! I was careless!” Lance’s features became more relaxed, and she risked a breathy exhale. Crisis averted.

 “Ah. Groovy.” He pivoted and began walking, saying over his shoulder, “Call me when he gets in. And if you need somethin’, there’s chicken wings in the fridge.”

 Vivi waved after him. “Kay! Thank you!” And then raced off, shooting into the corridor and charging up the stairs. Down the hall, the door to Arthur’s work room awaited ajar, and she barreled in.

 A flash of embers all but blinded her. The rose-tinted blaze faded out leaving a hard, burnt fragrance throughout the room. “Lewis! Again?” She wobbled aside when Mystery shoved his way in through the doorway. “How does this keep happening?!”

 “I thought you were Uncle Lance!” came the disembodied retort, somewhat crackly.

 Vivi shut the door and checked the corkboard with the pinned schematics. “Why didn’t you wait then?” None of them were burnt, which was good.

 “I got bored.” In a fuchsia surge of flames, Lewis shape reappeared. A skull and death suit, and then a fizzing surge of embers swirled about the skull and fitted the spirit with cheeks and a jaw, a living memory. “And… I kind of wanted to check the place out.”

 Vivi studied Lewis for a moment, but said nothing. That was fast, though he hadn’t shed the death suit yet. “Okay. I’ll send Art a text, let him know we’re here. Make sure we don’t surprise him.” She set the backpack on the couch and rummaged through it. Mystery hopped up onto the cushions and curled up, his eyes tracking Vivi’s work. Up until she pulled up the laptop and her phone. “Aw. No power.”

 She and Mystery turned their eyes to Lewis.

 The spirit glanced aside and tugged at his tie. “You did ask earlier, didn’t you?”

 Vivi pointed to her little phone. “There is a battery in here. It has only so much power.” Mystery growled and yipped.

 “Be thankful your apartment covers utility costs.”

 Vivi grumbled under her breath as she rooted around her backpack for the charger. “I forgot it. I know better.” Mystery bounced off the couch, within seconds he was back with Arthur’s charger clamped in his teeth. “Thank you. I probably have to hook up my laptop too.” She tsked, this was cumbersome and she knew better.

 “I’m sorry!” Lewis swiped off the embers crackling at his vest and shirt sleeves, the same way someone would straighten out wrinkles.

 “No you’re not,” Vivi snapped. “You shouldn’t be. It’s not your fault.” Thankfully, she never took the laptops charger out of the backpack; let alone disconnected it. She hooked it up to a surge bar and plopped down on the couch once more. Lewis sat down beside her.

 “Watcha lookin’ up?”

 “Emails. There better not be emails in my damn emails.” She went through the mail icon and sighed. “Of course, it’s from Duet.”

 “Joy o joys.”

 “A list of assets for review.” She closed out the email. “I’ll look at those later.” She pulled up a new tab, and began researching how to stop spirits from syphoning battery life on the Paranormal Corner site.

 “Maybe… I should go for a bit.” Lewis glided out of his seat, up until Vivi caught the tail end of his vest and hauled him back down. “Or not….”

 “Atta boy.”

[littlepanduh-writes-365]

Day 46

Title: “Sand”

Description: So as you may or may not know, I got laid off due to COVID. I used to be a coastal/geotechnical engineer. One day, I sat by the beach and just thought about life. I was reading milf smackdown and there was a scene where Haseul and Vivi were sitting by the ocean and thinking about life. I used to do that with my friends in college so it really just brought back a lot of memories. Anyways, I was thinking about this phrase I always read how “life falls apart as quickly as you pick it up, similar to the sands at the beach” or something like that. I wanted to empathize with that, but I actually wasn’t experiencing it and it made me think. This is just a bunch of my thoughts and it kinda pertains to engineering. It’s okay if you don’t fully understand it or disagree with it. tbh, don’t bother reading it unless you have nothing to do and have time for a diary entry about life. 

Features: Jinsoul (Loona)

Word Count: 1,598

Tags: Angst

Jinsoul sits at the beach, contemplating her life. 

It’s been three months since she’s been laid off and she’s trying to find a sense of direction. Suddenly, the world is full of options and she doesn’t know which ones she wants to take and how to even go about those options. 

It drives her nearly insane, which is why she sits by the water. It’s an open and endless void where she can spill her thoughts, even the crazier ones. It’s the deep blue that engulfs her with loneliness. It’s her safe haven.

The sounds of the waves crashing and the seagulls crying keep her grounded, yet her mind is still scrambled with all the problems in her life. 

She has an endless list and she doesn’t know what to tackle first. It’s impossible to organize her thoughts.

Happiness. Work. Housing. Family. Friends. Hobbies. 

Work. That’s what Jinsoul decides to focus on today. It’s the heaviest topic and the one that’s been affecting her the most. If she can figure out what to do about her career, she’ll be able to fix the other problems. 

Again, she starts listing what her frustrations are. Why can’t I get a job? Where did my motivation go? What was the point of this degree? Did I choose the wrong path?

Her mind drags to darker thoughts. If she was sitting at home, she’d probably backpedal everything and start at square one.

You’ve already earned your degree. You can’t turn back time. 

She’s beyond annoyed. She had always thought that after she got her degree, her life would come together. It was the exact opposite. 

This is where she gets stuck.

The wind blows at her hair and the sun makes it slightly unbearable to see, but Jinsoul refuses to leave, not without an answer.

Like the openness of the ocean, she decides to let her messy frustrations out. 

Okay. What do you regret about your degree? Let’s just let it out.

I regret not taking my time with my classes. I regret having horrible time management. I regret taking specialized classes because I can’t use them anywhere. 

Jinsoul comes into terms that she can’t do anything about her regrets and decides to throw them away into the unknown of the ocean. 

Do you… really want to change career paths?

It was a thought she was scared of. The idea of starting over wasn’t new, but was terrifying. 

Ever since she was a little kid, Jinsoul had dreamed of being an engineer. She enjoyed building Gundam models and excelled in her math and science classes, so counselors encouraged her to take this course. Of course, in university, she explored other options, but didn’t dare to dig deeper.

Maybe she should have.

Jinsoul hugs her knees as she thinks about those what ifs. 

What if she pursued music? She loved choir so much. She loved her composition classes. Jinsoul never chased that dream because she knew it was going to come with a lot of emotional baggage, competition, and potential failure.

She bitterly laughs thinking that she was going through all of that right now. 

Jinsoul sulks over the “dream”, but not for long. 

The young adult remembers where she came from. 

She studied at a prestigious polytechnic school for four years. She had won many design awards and scholarships. There were many times that she wanted to give up, but she never did. This all had to count for something. 

What was that something? 

JInsoul remembers late nights at the labs. She would yell at her computer when errors popped out on her screen or when her modeling program crashes. Her colleagues would share coffee and tears together. 

She remembers the catharsis after she finished a proof, the relief of submitting a final design at 11:58PM, the drinks she had with her group mates after finals’ season. 

It was painful. It was pleasure.

“Have you been eating well?” Her mom would say during a phone call.

“Yes,” Jinsoul lied.  

It was her motivation: to stop lying about her wellbeing, to grow up. 

It was 12-year-old Jung Jinsol building a little Gundam and then 22-year-old Jung Jinsol drafting the blueprints of a biomechanical arm. 

Those four years in university meant a lot to Jinsoul. It was tiring and rewarding. Why did working for six months and getting laid off for three put that to waste. 

Everyone says that working is different from school. Was it going to be this different?

Let’s take another step. What was wrong at work?

This list was much more constructed, but also longer. 

First of all, her boss was aloof all the time. Sure, she could have been more independent, but her boss didn’t check on her work, even in the beginning. She had a hard time adjusting to her coworkers since they never really did any sort of team bonding and just kept to themselves.  

Jinsoul. It’s not your fault. No one knew COVID was going to happen. 

You can’t control the economy crashing. You can’t control the fact that you’re the newest hire and you were first in the chopping block. 

Yes, it sucks. It sucks you moved away from home to pursue your job. It sucks that your peers still have their jobs. It sucks that all the hobbies you started had no chance of developing. It sucks that you’re going to have to move back with your suffocating parents and starting from square one again. 

It’s still not your fault. You knew there were going to be risks in joining a small company. That doesn’t replace the fact that something as crazy as COVID-19 was going to turn your world upside down.

Why did it happen to me though?

Jinsoul grips at the sand at her feet. 

She’s reminded of people comparing their downfalls to the sands at the beach. How their life is like the sand falls in your fingertips despite grabbing onto it so tightly. How it falls apart as quickly as you pick it up. 

That… wasn’t the case for Jinsoul.

Sure, the finer pieces of sand fell, but there were tiny clumps that stuck to her hand and had to break apart on her own.

Jinsoul stared at the clumps in her hand. She ponders as to why she wasn’t experiencing the universal metaphor that many people used.

Is it because she’s closer to the water? Is it because it’s not too hot outside?

She remembers the foundations classes she had to take. She remembers how permeable sand is and wonders how much water she needs to achieve a relative capacity in order for it to be used as a solid foundation.

Then it hits her. 

Maybe that’s where she is in life. 

She hasn’t strayed too far away from the ocean. There was enough saltwater and maybe even some algae that could bind the pieces of sand so it wouldn’t fall apart immediately. 

Even though she’s a few feet from the tip of the waves, she must’ve been sitting where high tide may have been a few hours ago. She’s so close to the water, and who knows, maybe the tide will come back again soon. 

She can’t be too close, or her foundation will be unstable, similar to her drowning in work. She just needs a little more moisture. She needs more compaction—motivation to get her back on her feet. 

Jinsoul still had a chance. She just needed to take it. 

She closes her eyes again, listening to the calmness of the waves. 

She wants this, but how does she go back to it again? Where does she find her motivation?

It’s a new realm, but she’s creating another list. Maybe she can ask her friends about their research. She’ll try applying for a new job. She’ll reread her textbooks and solidify her knowledge. 

Her train of thought is interrupted by a vibration in her pocket. She pulls out her phone to see a text message from her best friend. 

“Are you still at the beach? Do you want me to pick you up?”

Jinsoul smiles, thankful that in these hard times, she still had friends she could rely on. Before replying, she checks the time, only to realize that she’s been pondering at the beach for nearly an hour and a half. 

She stands up and collects her flip flops. Deciding that was enough thinking for the day, she makes her way back and asks her friend to pick her up. 

Maybe Jinsoul didn’t get all the answers she wanted, but she found some clarity and that was better than nothing. 

Life is like the sand at her feet. It may fall quickly in between her fingertips, but when compacted together, it could hold her entire weight and much more. 

She was feeling hopeful. 

People make castles out of sand. You just needed water, maybe some molds, and a little creativity and motivation.

Maybe when Jinsoul comes back, she’ll be able to build her sandcastle. Sure, there are many things that could break down a sandcastle, like the wind, the waves, or an unaware passerby, but maybe at least she knows she could always build it again. It’ll be frustrating, but all she needs to do is clear her mind of negative emotions and fill them with innovation again. 

Who knows? Maybe she’ll add a mote or just build a completely different sculpture. She’ll use different materials (sand isn’t really the best thing to work with anyways) and maybe she’ll build it with someone else. 

It wasn’t the end for Jinsoul. 

Part of her thinks she’s such a nerd for comparing her life to the structural stability of sand at the beach, but maybe that’s exactly what she needed. The connection was comforting. She hadn’t lost herself under the tide just yet.

--

Socials: Twitter | Curious Cat

[lavender-sunhaven]

SO it's spring in my game and I looked at the calendar and realized Wesley's birthday is in like, two days. Unfortunately I haven't talked much to Wesley since he became romanceable because I've been... busy. I have a lot to do. But so I can't get into his house

So I decided to check the wiki and see what kinds of things he actually likes so I can at least give him a birthday gift in my busy schedule to realize... He loves honey. ALL the honeys. Including the fancy honeys. So now I can just plan to give him some of my Special Lavender's Lavender Honey and give him my homemade honey until he gets absolutely sick of it. Fast track to making Wesley love me here I come

[pjnuzlockes]

EHED: Chapter 1

Remember when I said I was gonna update on Wednesdays? Me neither

They’d cover more ground if they split up. After asking pokemon along Route 1, Brinley reported that the Rockets had been last seen along Route 22, and Gary decided to push on ahead. 

Anything to distract him from the pain.

Route 1 was a very long path, a meadowy area that separated Pallet Town and Viridian City. It was dotted with tall trees that the Pidgey line nested in. Along the dirt path worn down by years of travel were holes dug out by Rattata. A few insects buzzed along and Pidgey swooped down to catch them. 

No clouds blocked the sun. Light breeze. Perfect weather for Finley to sunbathe. 

Oscar, on the other hand, was already sweating. About an hour into the walk, he needed a moment to rest. “Oh, Arceus, why does it have to be so hot?” he complained, sliding down the tree he leaned against.

“Oh, come on!” Finley said. He laughed. “It’s not that bad! Just get yourself an enormous plant on your back and you’ll feel great!”

“No!”

Finley pulled a vineful of grass and tossed it in Oscar’s general direction. It drifted uselessly in the opposite direction. “Hey, we should look for a teammate. Quit your griping and go catch something.”

“Can’t. Don’t have any pokeballs.”

As though summoned, several pokeballs materialized just above Oscar and bounced off his head. Mew appeared a second later, snickering.

Oscar tried to catch the balls as they rolled away.

Finley stopped one and laughed again. “So, were you just waiting for an opportunity to do that?”

“Yep,” Mew said. “Got these from Viridian. Figured you guys might want to expand your team a little. Also, here’s some potions.” She tossed them to Oscar, who actually managed to catch this time. “Don’t worry about how I got these.”

Finley and Oscar exchanged glances.

“I wasn’t worried until you said that,” Oscar said. “Did you do this to Gary too?”

Mew furrowed her brow. Then she gasped. “Oh, crap, I forgot! Go catch some pokemon, I should probably help Gary out.” And with that, she was gone.

“... ‘Kay.”

Getting bonked on the head by a pokegod that then vanished to go harass his best friend should have bothered Oscar more. Something about it should have, at some point, stopped him and told him “Hey, this whole situation is kind of messed up.” But, whatever Bullshit Alarm Oscar had ever been equipped with had long since been stamped out. Instead, he shoved all the items but one pokeball, did a series of dramatic poses holding it with Finley, and collected himself. 

“Okay,” Finley said. He cleared his throat. “Since you have the active researcher license, you can really catch whatever you want, but you’ll still only get one shot for each line. How do we wanna do this? Planning has never really been our strong suit.” And on top of that, they’d only really be able to catch one pokemon per area because of wildlife conservation laws. There were some exceptions, but Finley doubted they’d ever encounter them.

Like they’d ever run into a shiny with their luck.

“Well, since that is the case. I was thinking, I’ll really only aim for a Pikachu in Viridian Forest, other than that, I’ll just see what happens.”

“Okay, so we’re going to face the Rockets with whoever we happen to run into along the way. Great.”

Oscar shrugged. “You did say we suck at planning.”

“I did.”

“Not as bad as you suck at throwing grass. You’re literally a grass type!” Oscar grabbed some grass and tossed it at Finley. Just like before, it floated away on the wind.

“Oh god, you’re worse than I am.”

Oscar snorted. Some movement above them caught his attention.

A couple Pidgeys. They landed in the grass and pecked at the ground. One stopped, cocked his head at Oscar, then returned to pecking.

“Psst, Finley, go talk to them,” Oscar whispered. There was no telling if they were able to speak Kantonian- though that was relatively common on routes closer to towns. Best to have someone else do the talking, just in case.

Finley crept forward. “Uh, excuse me? Do either of you wanna join our team?” He asked, in perfect Kantonian and completely misunderstanding Oscar’s intentions.

One Pidgey flew away, but the one that had looked at Oscar stayed. He studied Finley for a moment. He looked tired. “What’s the team for?”

“Well, it’s, it’s pretty dangerous. We’re, uh. Going to take on the League and fight the Rockets.” That probably didn’t sound particularly inviting.

“Just the two of you?” The Pidgey gestured back to Oscar, who was watching while rubbing one arm.

“Uh. Hopefully not,” Finley admitted. “We haven’t really thought that hard about it.”

The Pidgey just stared back. He looked even more tired than before.

“We don’t really know what we’re going to do. But that’s why we’re asking. Better to ask then just lob a pokeball at you, right?”

The Pidgey took a deep breath. “I see.” He flew over to Oscar and landed on his shoulder. “Name’s Charlie. I’m joining the team. Someone’s gotta make sure y’all don’t get yourselves killed.”

Oscar tapped the pokeball on his forehead. Charlie didn’t resist.

“Welcome to the team, Charlie!” Oscar smiled. He sent the little bird back out. No use keeping him cooped up in the ball all day. Plus, it was more fun with a crowd. It made it feel less like Brinley and Gary were off somewhere far away.

The rest of the walk to Viridian went by quicker. Keeping up with Finley and Charlie’s well being in battle distracted Oscar enough from the heat that he almost celebrated when what had to have been the twentieth Rattata launched itself at them.

At least the team was getting good experience. Bit by bit.

Viridian City was a small haven before the twisting, winding roads of Viridian Forest. Named for the shade of the flora, the area was absolutely bursting with greenery. Every house had a garden and community buildings were packed with potted and hanging plants inside. Oscar couldn’t help but smile at a particularly vibrant pecha plant as he walked to the Pokemon Center counter.

After a quick rest (and restock at the Mart), Charlie spoke up. “We should head north to Route 2 first. Then come back for scoping out Route 22. We won’t be able to go far, but we should try to recruit as much as possible.”

Oscar nodded, done playing with a fern planted next to the road. “We may be able to meet up with Gary and Brinley soon, too.”

“Let’s not get too far into Route 2. Don’t really wanna run into any Weedles just yet,” Finley added. “We’re not quite ready for that. Even if I’m part poison type, I’m still not resistant to Weedle poison. And you and I both remember what happened last time we had a run in with a Kakuna nest.” He looked pointedly at Oscar.

Oscar laughed. “We were fine.”

“No Weedles for Oscar,” Charlie said. He had the feeling he would have to make a lot of rules like this.

“What about a Rattata?” Oscar pointed ahead where one sat, grooming herself. “Hey! Wanna join our team and help us beat up Team Rocket?” he called.

“Shh! Not so loud! What if a Rocket was nearby?” Charlie hissed, exasperated.

The Rattata ran to them. “You’re fighting Team Rocket?” Hopeful. Eager. “They took my friends. The whole nest hasn’t seen them since. We don’t even know if they’re okay.” She looked Oscar right in the eye. “Catch me. I wanna join your team.”

Oscar obliged, and let her back out. “Well that was easy. What’s your name?”

“Vivi.”

“Vivi, do you wanna help me destroy our best friends in battle?” 

“Absolutely.”

---

Route 22 was rather different than the previous areas. It was more rocky, the grasses scraggly where they once were lush. Not to say that the route was devoid of life, it was simply where the terrain became more mountainous. Plenty of pokemon made the area their home, mostly the more rugged lines that didn’t rely on grasses as much for cover. 

A lake had formed toward the center of the route, making what would have otherwise been a short walk to Victory Road more difficult. Old paved roads were cracked and in need of repair, but hadn’t been made a priority over the repairs needed in cities and towns. It was generally assumed that trainers that went out to Route 22 could handle themselves.

“We’ll go no further than this first patch of grass,” Oscar said. He ducked as a troop of Mankeys jumped from the tall rocks overhead. 

Charlie returned from his quick scouting. “Doesn’t look like Team Rocket’s here. Your friend must’ve chased them off.”

One of the Mankeys stopped. She watched for a moment, then grabbed a rock and launched it at Oscar, nailing him in the head. “HEY TRAINER!!”

Oscar yelped and Finley jumped into a defensive position.

“Leave him alone!” Finley growled.

“DO YOU GUYS NEED A MANKEY?” she shouted.

“Oh my god, we can hear you just fine,” Vivi muttered.

“If I catch you, will you agree not to throw another rock at my face?” Oscar rubbed his forehead. He made a face at the small smear of blood on his hand. 

“YEAH SURE.”

Oscar chucked a pokeball at her, which she promptly burst out of. “Hey!” 

The Mankey laughed. “OKAY, TRY AGAIN.” Another pokeball, which she burst out of again, laughing. “OKAY, OKAY, I’LL STOP. FOR REAL THIS TIME.” To her credit, she actually stayed put and allowed herself to be caught.

“Stop shouting,” Oscar said as he ignored the voice inside him saying to keep her in the ball.

“I do what I want,” she said, quieter now. “The name’s Reggie. What I want is- I wanna tag along.”

“Um, okay.”

“Hey, Oscar. I like the new style!” a familiar voice said.

“Gary!” Finley cheered.

Brinley smiled brightly. “I see you guys are getting quite the team. Did Mew give you supplies too?”

“Yeah, seriously, how’d you catch so many pokemon already?” Gary added. He pointed to the Pidgey on his shoulder. “I was only just able to catch Melody here like an hour ago.”

“She stopped by earlier this afternoon,” Oscar said. “Guess she got sidetracked.”

Vivi, Charlie, and Reggie exchanged confused looks.

“Maybe we just had bad luck. Wanna battle?” Gary asked. “We wanna see how well we’re doing with our training.”

“You’re on!”

The first round was bird versus bird. Charlie was faster and just a smidge stronger. Several well timed gusts later and Melody was defeated. 

Next up was Brinley. Reggie jumped at the opportunity to fight someone who didn’t have the advantage.

“Be careful Reggie. No throwing rocks,” Oscar chided. 

“You got it, boss!” she agreed, kicking Brinley in the legs and knocking her over. 

Brinley retaliated with a scratch across Reggie’s face. It hardly left a mark.

“Sorry, kiddo. We Mankeys have pretty tough skin,” Reggie said, kicking again.

This time, Brinley fell onto her back and held up one hand. “Alright, I give. You kick hard.” No need putting herself and Gary in danger when the outcome was clear.

“Well,” Gary said, tossing some coins to Oscar as though he’d been expecting this. “That was anticlimactic. Looks like you got yourself some pretty tough teammates!” He bent down and helped Brinley up. “We’ll totally get you later.”

“We look forward to it,” Oscar said. He and Gary fist bumped. “Next loser buys lunch?”

“Next loser buys lunch.”