#volo is on top because of course he is

[mossy-rock-in-a-field]

Several weeks ago, my retirement-age mother requested that I play Baldur’s Gate 3 for her because she has trouble with controllers/keyboards and wanted “to see what all the fuss is about with that cute wizard boy.” For context, my mother and I have done this sort of thing in the past with certain RPGs (dragon age, mass effect, etc.), but it’s been a few years since she’s personally requested a game like this. Basically, I control her Tav but let her make all the choices so she can determine how the story plays out without worrying about mechanics. She treats it like a choose-your-own-adventure book.

Anyway, here is a list of some of the things my mother has said and/or chosen to do throughout the course of BG3 in no particular order:

She is (obviously) romancing Gale. She is quite smitten with him and his passion for books and learning; she also thinks he’s polite and qualifies as “relationship material.” She also REALLY likes the things he’s said about his cat so far (my mom is a cat lady), so I know she’s gonna flip shit when we meet Tara in Act III.

She’s playing a normal druid Tav with a generally good alignment. Her favorite spell is Spike Growth because she thinks it’s hilarious whenever enemies walk into the AOE and die. I usually end up having to cast it at least once per battle per her request. Sometimes twice.

Contrary to her alignment, my mother tasks me with robbing every single chest, crate, barrel, and burlap sack we come across; this also includes people and their pockets. The party is always at max carrying capacity. ALWAYS. She doesn’t like selling things because “what if I need them.” The camp stash is in literal shambles. There is no hope of organizing it. She’s got like fifty seven sets of rags and a billion pieces of random silverware.

She MUST talk to every animal and corpse in the game. I think five hours of her total playtime so far (47ish) has been spent speaking to animals as many times as humanly possible. Like, I was thorough in my own playthroughs, but this is on a whole other level.

She did NOT get Volo’s lobotomy, but she did let Auntie Ethel take her eye in hopes of a cure for the tadpole. I did not understand the logic then. I still do not understand it now.

She is far more interested in fashion than equipment stats. Do you have any idea how much gold I’ve had to spend on dyes just to make things match? SO much. Same vibe as that “please someone help me balance my finances my family is starving” tweet but instead of candles it’s thirty thousand fucking bottles of black and furnace red dye.

We broke the prisoners out of Moonrise, but they got on the boat too early and bugged the fight by leaving Astarion and Karlach behind. Wulbren Bongle somehow got stuck in combat mode even after engaging the cutscene on the docks below Last Light; he he kept trying to run ALL THE WAY BACK TO MOONRISE nine fucking meters at a time while I frantically tried to finish the fight with the Warden, otherwise Wulbren would have run straight into the shadow curse. (I would’ve let him go; fuck Wulbren Bongle, all my homies hate Wulbren Bongle. But my mom didn’t know that, and she wanted to keep him safe. So.)

She had me reload a save like eighteen times to save the giant eagles on top of Rosymorn Monastery. Wouldn’t even let me do non-lethal damage just to get past things. I think getting that warhammer for the dawnmaster puzzle took us like an hour and a half alone. (Yes, I know you can use any warhammer, but SHE didn’t.)

She’s started keeping an irl notebook to keep track of her quests between play sessions. She writes down ideas and strategies when she thinks of them during the week, then brings them to her next game session at my house. I think she wrote about three pages on possible approaches to the goblin fortress alone.

She insists that I pet Scratch and the owlbear cub before every single long rest, no exceptions. Sometimes I have to do it multiple times until she is absolutely sure that the animals know exactly how much she loves and cherishes them. She has also commissioned a crocheted owlbear plush from a friend of hers and is very excited.

I’m sure there’s a bunch of stuff I’m forgetting, but those are some fun things I thought of. She’s enjoying the game and is telling all of her retired friends to get it and play it for themselves. She asked me “what is Discord” yesterday and I think my life flashed before my eyes.

anyway shout out to my mom for being neat

Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 — Part 5

[lucky-clover-gazette]

so i know the amandafiles sneasler rant went pretty viral on here, but the real highlights of her pokemon legends arceus playthrough were her unhinged volo-related rants. this one is probably my favorite but there were many and i will absolutely clip and transcribe (not by hand i'm not that insane) more of them if asked

transcript under the cut:

Yeah. So, um, I'm just kind of leaving the scene of the crime now. And hopefully Adaman is still interested. That's all I have to say. Yeah, that's my statement at this time. Thank you. Thank you! Yeah, mhm. Bye.

Like, what. Is Volo gonna fucking pop out at me from the shadows over here? Is anybody around to talk to me? Like, about what just happened?

(Sees Melli.) Not what I meant, but um, you know what? Fuck it, Melli, guess what just happened. So, you know that guy Volo? Basically, like, we were talking, right? It was actually going pretty well. You know, just like this nerd, and he was like, so cute and so, like, excited about history and stuff, and, like, I was really feeling that, you know, and I dunno, he was, like, my champion. He was there for me when no one else was. He, like, picked me up off the ground at my lowest point. He was always cheering me on. He was always, like, hyping me up to other people. Wouldn't that be awesome, Mellie, if like someone ever did that for you? Not that that would ever happen, of course, but, like, can you imagine, like, someone being out there being like, "yes, like, that's the one, like, that's my girl. She's been doing it like, she's working so hard." That was Volo for me.

Melli, imagine my surprise when I go up to the mountain there because—we did this whole thing. Basically, I'm an important person. You wouldn't really understand. I, like, collected all these artifacts. I thought we were going to, like, do this thing that was important to, like, the history of the world.

But turns out Volo was fucking insane. And, like, no, I truly mean that, like crazy and saying he was like, a totally different person. He had been cosplaying as a normie the entire time. He's really a serial killer, I think. He's like a lunatic, right? Like, a cringey one. He did his hair. So he, like, is obsessed with Arceus. Right. The god pokémon. And Arceus, like—have you ever seen a picture of him? I'll pull it up on my Arc Phone real quick. He's got these, like, horns that come back and stuff. Bitch, he did his HAIR like this. AHH! I know. I got, like, a little picture of it. Look at him! An entire bottle of American Crew.

He, like, totally thought he ate that, but, like, he didn't. It looked so bad, but, like, that was the least of it. He was—his eyes got crazy. He was wearing, like, bright green capris and gladiator sandals. AHH! Melli, I know. it was fucked up. You know, it's like how quickly they change when you find out, like, what they really were after and what they really want. It was stunning. Startling, Melli, it's really like—have you ever had, like, an experience like that before with a guy? Probably not, since you're so insufferable and, like, you probably have never had anyone show interest in you before, platonically or otherwise, but maybe, like, read a book or something where that happened. That happened to me. That happened to me today.

I really had a huge crush on this guy. Like, to the point where I thought he was the one, Melli, I really did. I was like, ready to leave this whole place with him. Travel the world, and I won't lie to you, um… if he had been like, "Hey, you want to be crazy together? You want to be crazy with me?" I might have done it. I might have also tried that lifestyle out for a minute. I would have tried, like, the villain arc thing out… but lucky for you, it didn't work out. Otherwise, you would have been right on the top of my list. But anyway, yeah, I ended up, like, totally embarrassing him. We did a pokémon battle and he just fucking violently lost.

And then he teamed up with, like, the satan pokémon? It was weird. And they tried their little thing. It was cute. It was very cute. You know, I have to give it—it was camp, It was cute, it was like rehearsed. There was some choreography. It was cute, but obviously they lost horribly. But anyway, yeah, that's, uh. That's how my Tuesday's going. And I'm going to stop you there, Melli, because I really don't care. This wasn't an open invitation for you to talk. I just wanted to let someone know what had just happened.

[bloodlust-1]

୨⎯ May I Have This Dance? ⎯୧

Astarion x fem Tav — Fluff

Summary: A celebration! A royal party is thrown for the hero’s of Baldurs Gate, and everyone is dressed for perfection. Astarion eyes Tav as she is offered many dances, waiting to get his turn.

Note: I had this thought of Astarion eyeing Tav down at a ballroom setting, jealous of the guys asking for a dance. And well, here’s this straight from my noggin’

The latest 18+ fic (Halsin)

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

In the grand ballroom, adorned with opulent chandeliers and intricately designed carvings on the ceiling, a lavish gathering was taking place for a special group. The room was filled with an air of excitement and anticipation as guests dressed in extravagant attire mingle and socialize. The men tailored in beautifully made jackets of all kinds of styles. The women wore elegant gowns that cascaded to the floor, embellished with sequins, lace, and intricate embroidery.

As the music begins to play, all eyes are drawn to one particular girl, Tav. She was definitely nervous for this event. Not because of how many people were there, but how fancy the event was. Tav was a noble before the tadpole situation, her bloodline magic descended from dragons long ago. Tav was familiar with a setting like this, but she did feel a glint of shyness because no one in her group had seen her this way. This felt a bit vulnerable for her especially in front of Astarion who was also familiar with ballroom adequate. She didn’t want to get judge for not knowing her waltz properly for sure. However, Tav exuded an aura of grace and confidence as her dress moves gracefully across the polished marble floor. Her gown was masterpiece of fashion, it huged her figure perfectly, accentuating her every curve. The dress was adorned with shimmering crystals that caught the light and created a mesmerizing sight in the eyes of the guests.

Her hair was meticulously styled into an elaborate updo, adorned with delicate jewels that glimmered in the soft glow of the ballroom lights. Of course, Tav had a great taste for style and knew what exactly fit her body. Her makeup was flawless, it enhanced her natural beauty and highlighting her striking features. Particularly her mismatched eyes, thanks to Volo.

“You look beautiful as ever, Tav.” A hand reached out to Tav, It was Gale.

Her smiled emulated warmth and she took his hand, “And as for you, good wizard.” She joked while doing a small curtsy.

“I knew you were a noble, but this is a side I’ve never seen of you before. It’s interesting to think about when I’m so used to seeing you snugged in a bedroll on the dirt floor. But of course, this is also a great view as well...” Gale cleared his throat for that last sentence, his face had gone red for a moment. He then smiled and led Tav onto the dance floor.

Tav nodded and followed Gale. But she looked around for familiar faces. She had caught glimpse of Wyll, shadowheart, and even Karlach that for surely was not wearing a dress. It was a beautifully tailored feminine jacket, and she looked fantastic. It was definitely more her style. Though, she was hoping to see someone else, Astarion. They had an intense romance while traveling together, and she was disappointed to have not spotted him out in the crowd. He was the only one who could really stir up her heart, with the history they made together. Astarion promised Tav he would be at the event, it was a matter of time of when he would pop up.

“My lady.” Gale kindly placed his hand on Tav’s waist as she placed hers on his shoulder. Hand in hand Gale began to waltz Tav on the polished floor. They danced and Gale was captivated by Tav’s beauty and grace. He thought she was like an actual princess even. He was steady and lead her around the dance floor. Tav even caught glimpses of Wyll who was smirking at the sight of the two dancing. It made her a little shy.

Across the room stood Astarion. He came fashionably late with his laced red top, it was very fitting for the dress code. He instantly smelled Tav’s sweet blood in the air. It led him to her with the sight of Gale. They danced swiftly, but Astarion instantly thought he could do better. He was too sloppy with his feet.

Astarion crossed his arms and leaned his back against a pillar. He watched Tav enjoy herself in the crowd. She was gracefully passed from partner to partner of many men Astarion was familiar with. Ones that he saw staring at her with loving eyes during camp. He knew that state all too well. But he also enjoyed seeing Tav so fluid. Engaging and captivating the crowd with her confidence and beauty. Astarion was equally mesmerized by her presence.

The atmosphere in the ballroom was electric and lively, filled with whispers of admiration and awe. The guests cannot help but be drawn to this captivating woman who stolen the spotlight. They are captivated by her elegance, poise, and undeniable charm. Tav effortlessly commanding the room's focus. Her presence was magnetic, and she effortlessly captivated the hearts and minds of all who have the privilege of witnessing her grace.

Astarion felt a mix of emotions— admiration, desire, possessiveness, and jealousy. He is unable to tear his eyes away from her as she twirled and spun with other men. Specifically Gale, who was a little more touchy than normal. He looked like a puppy following her around, tail wagging between his legs.

Tav took a break between the music and excused herself from Gale. She smiled and walked off from the dance floor. Astarion’s gazed followed her as she walked into a vacant part of the palace. He followed her moments later.

Tav’s heels clicked against the marble floor, it stretched out before her in its great emptiness. The room was lined with many mirrors of tall stature. She took small steps, heels clicking as her reflection stares back at her. Each mirror capturing every different angle of her, showing all sides of her beauty. Tav almost couldn’t recognize herself. Not after getting used to seeing bruises, blood, and war gear. This was a much more wealthy side of her. She wasn’t sure if it even represented herself anymore. She got used to living a simple life traveling.

She stared into the reflection of herself before hearing a voice, “You look absolutely beautiful, darling.”

Tav was startled at the compliment and saw no other reflection behind her, she immediately turned her head and saw Astarion in his best suit. She felt her cheeks go warm, “Astarion, You made it!”

He smiled gently, “of course, we are the guests of honor after all, hm.” He started to walk closer to Tav. The mirrors were empty with his existence. But she knew she wasn’t dreaming, this was real. Astarion was very much real and alive even if the mirror couldn’t show him how handsome he looked.

Astarion reached out for Tav’s hand, her skin was met with a warm kiss, “I admire your dancing skills, you could be holding a candle while dancing and it wouldn’t go out. I’m impressed with you. However…”Astarion held her hand and placed it over his shoulder, “I couldn’t say the same for your dance partner. Perhaps I can show you a real dance?”

Tav’s cheeks flushed, she nodded her head in a moment of shock. Sometimes she just didn’t know how to react to Astarion’s advancements. He was so charming. She looked into his ruby eyes, “A pleasure…” a soft whisper left her lips. Her heart was racing and she felt her legs go shaky. Why was dancing with him such a hard task, she just did it moments ago!

What Tav didn’t know is that Astarion felt the nervousness off her body. The little quivers from her hands and shoulders tense. He tried to ease her with a gentle squeeze from his hand around her waist, “Relax, love. I want you to enjoy this.”

She took a deep breath in and they took their first step together. What was a brief moment of tension melted away. Their bodies were perfectly aligned, as they gracefully swifted across the empty room. It amplified their foot steps and the mirrors showcased a movie of Tav’s reflection dancing as if no one was there. It was so magical. The attraction between them illuminated the atmosphere. The tension was so thick between the two. The pair became a timeless motion of synchronized passion.

Astarion’s gaze never left Tav’s face and it was nothing short of love and admiration. Every step they took was a showcase of passion in one beautiful dance. Tav let herself go in the moment and let out giggles and smiles as they waltz. Astarion brought Tav closer against his body and the show came to a sudden halt. Both their chests rose up and down from heavy breathing against each other’s bodies.

Astarion placed his hand under Tav’s chin, bringing her face up to his gaze. She clutched his shirt as he leaned in and placed a heated kiss on her lips. Tav has never seen Astarion’s face so red. And this wasn’t blood, it was his cheeks lit up like a fire.

“I’ve never seen someone so beautiful. And to see you at every angle..” Astarion looked at the mirrors around the ballroom floor. Each mirror represented a different side of Tav’s features. Her skin was unblemished aside from small scars, her lips like rose petals, but most of all those eyes. He couldn’t get enough of them. How filled of life they were. They shined like stars. Astarion was absolutely star stuck by her presence more than ever.

Tav’s heart melted under his grasp. But there was something also lingering in her head. Tav was still unsure where her and Astarion stood with each other. The thought of maybe just a fling hurt her heart. She knew her heart was trying to tell her more. The way her chest tightens with him, the heat of her cheeks flushing up, but the most of all…how the thought of him kept her up long nights. How unfair it was to not have him alongside her bed. It did hurt.

“I need to know…” Tav cleared her throat but it still cracked anyway. “If we are just to find each other in times of loneliness o-or, are we something that could blossom into something more meaningful?” Tav passionately stared at Astarion. She went completely shakey, yet there was a tone of authority in her voice. She knew she wanted more with Astarion, but he was too unpredictable. She feared she was just company when he wanted affection.

Astarion gave her sad eyes, his expression instantly went somber. There was a long pause. A once lively ballroom moment turned into an intense one. “Tav…”

She started to pull away from him. This wasn’t the way she expected him to respond. In a way she hoped for more. Maybe it was her own expectations of him that’ll be the cause of her heart break. “Every night I laid in my bed, thinking of how I would finally tell you how I truly feel. B-but I can’t feel like this a-anymo—“

Astarion cut her off and grabbed her body into his in an embrace. He held her tight. He did not say anything nor did he lose his grip. Just a long gap of hugging her body, smelling her scent. As he finally pulled away he saw streams of tears flow down her cheeks. How long has she been hiding her feelings for him? He couldn’t tell for sure, but it was driving him crazy that she didn’t tell him this earlier.

he swiped his knuckles against the tears to dry her cheeks, “please don’t cry. Tell me how you feel then. I need to know the truth.”

She bit her inner lip. Her nerves started to take over again. Her eyes started to feel hot, Tav was never a public cryer by any means. She almost felt embarrassed for Astarion to see her like this, “I’ve loved you for a long time now..I thought maybe you only saw me to pass time. I thought maybe it was just your trauma instincts kicking in, to charm me. In a way, I was delusional enough to hope so badly that your affection wasn’t that. But in reality..” she took a deep breath before shutting her eyes tightly, tears flowed down harder. She sobbed quietly, “…B-Be someone who was special to you. It hurts too much. Not seeing you for long periods of time. I thought I could be special to you. I just don’t know. B-but— I beg you please just be honest with me so I can heal.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you often after everything ended. I didnt want to overstep my welcome…I did not know how much that would hurt you. I had suspicion that maybe you saw me differently after Cazador’s death. The way you found out how I’d lure victims to him. I never meant to be the reason you’re tossing and turning at night. I’m truly, utterly sorry…” he reached out to clasp her hands in his own, “But if there was one thing I was certain about, it was that you were going to be mine. I haven’t felt differently since.”

Astarion clutched her hands tighter, “You don’t even know how much I love you. You’re the first person I truly cared for in over 200 years.”

It was an instant relief. The mental load was excruciatingly heavy on her heart. Finally could she enjoy her moment with Astarion that didn’t have the uncertainty of their relationship poking her head.

“You know, I could prove it to you how serious I am.” Astarion cupped her cheeks and swipe away any tears. “Let’s get you cleaned up, I want to show everyone something.”

He cleaned up her wet face and grabbed her hand. Astarion led her back into the party. The music was still playing but everyone seemingly turned their heads back on Tav, who was the star of the party. People of all races saw the vampire and hero hand-in-hand. The rumors of Tav’s romanced did circle around the city, but those were just rumors?! Right? The community had no real evidence of their rumored romance until now. Small gasps, whipsers, and even wide eyed stares pierced the couple.

Astarion walked to the center of the room, making sure to grab a glass of wine on a servers tray. The room fell silent, as all eyes were fixed on him as he lifted his cup. He still held Tav’s hand in the other, “Our city stands tall, it embodies strength as we continue to defeat any threat that comes to us, Buldarians! We were prayed on, stripped of our hope. But still, we persevered. We couldn’t have done it without each other, my friends…and, of course our heads held up high with Tav’s bravery.” He held her hand up high and the crowd began to cheer and clap. She was hero after all.

“She is all of our hero’s. I am lucky to call her my lover. My reason why I can stand here and give this speech to you all. Tonight, we dance, drink, and celebrate our freedom! As I will enjoy mine…Cheers!”Everyone cheered, and clank their wine glasses with each other. Both Tav and Astarion could see familiar faces. Wyll cheered, Shadowheart smirked and clapped her hands, Gale looked bittersweet, and Karlach yelled and pointed her finger, “I KNEW IT! Ahaha!”

Astarion kissed Tav’s forehead. So this is what he meant by proving it. He wanted everyone to know what she meant to him. An equal and a lover.

“Everyone saw how special you are to me…and tonight..” he glared red eyes at her, “they’ll hear how special you are to me.” He smirked and laughed devilishly.

“But for now— May I have this dance, my sweet?”

[wilddreamer98]

My love why are you out here terrorising the Paldeans. You're one "Boo!" Short of making me combust.

HAND IT TO HIM ARVEN AND PENNY. NONE OF THAT!

I feel very strongly about this. You're showing me two fallers in the same event as Volo and highlighting the fact that Ayo Miss Salon Maiden Anabel doesn't remember who she is. On top of that, we're talking about what's done is done and we must focus on the now.

Volo, darling. What are you doing talking to my bestie. Just because I'd bend over for you in a heartbeat doesn't mean I don't see you as a threat.

I didn't add screenshots of their conversation, but it was quite insightful. He is so intelligent, I wish he could speak to me like that 😔

And of course the beautiful blonde merchant ominously thinks about his life's goal.

I have so many thoughts and feelings about this event but I don't have the energy to articulate them.

[leggerefiore]

A silly idea for MerMay:

You get gifted a bottle of perfume that contains ambergris (a substance that comes from sperm whales) and decide to try it. How would it affect merfolk?

It would be funny if different species had different reactions from smelling it. For one species, they might think this means you’ve been marked/scented by another merfolk already, but another smell it and think it’s like a distress signal.

And (of course) one species immediately assumes it’s a pheromone signaling fertility, because of course it does.

cw: sexual mentions in Grimsley's section, pokehybrid au, mermen,

characters: Emmet, Volo, Grimsley, Ingo

▽Eelektross Emmet△

○ As Eelektross would likely have to produce a similar substance due to how they can eat many indigestible things, his first thought is that a pokemon has eaten you and, hopefully, vomited you back up. There's likely been horror stories about Wailords accidentally doing so.

○ Expect him to awkwardly sniff you over before pulling you tightly into a hug and looking around as if something were coming to attack you. After he manages to calm down from his momentary panic slightly, Emmet asks if you experienced something life changing with a cetacean recently, obvious distressed still. You turn to him with a confused expression and reply you have not.

○ “Darling, you smell like a digestive fluid,” he whispers like whatever supposedly ate you and somehow erased your memory lingered nearby. You pull away from him with bold laughter, staring at the worried Eelektross hybrid with a hysterical expression. His yellow patches of flesh glowed with light electricity, obviously ready to protect you.

○ “I think that's the best yet worst way someone has ever said my perfume stinks,” you told him. Emmet gasped. He was now pondering why humans would spray digestive fluid on themselves. A defence mechanism? He could not be sure. “... Ah, it's the ambergris in it, isn't it? That's why you think I got swallowed by a Wailord,” you realised.

○ Emmet really wasn't a fan of the perfume, alas. He is still not completely certain it was not some human defence mechanism against marine life.

💫Milotic Volo📜

⭐️ Milotic hybrids also recognise it as a digestive fluid scent, not as they contain it themselves, but as when Wailord drops happen in the deeper parts of the ocean, the scent mixes in with the stench of death. That is why he hops onto a similar concern that you were eaten by a Wailord (or, much to an improbable horror, an Eelektross). Well, until he recalls how the scent would cling to Mistress Cogita, too.

⭐️ He likely tugs you into the water and pulls you under with him, whether you are in swimming attire or not, to wash off the heavy scent from you. The ambergris overpowered whatever scent the perfume was actually meant to be in his senses. You likely are confused by the sudden embrace and dip into the ocean, but let it happen, as Volo wasn't exactly know to be easily evaded.

⭐️ He places you back on the shore and gives you an icy glare, a reminder that he preferred to take the siren route rather than be a beautiful, helpful water visage. “That perfume you wore,” he explained, “Smelled like someone vomited on you.” You gasped. His harsh words stung, and he obviously took note as he reached out to grab you. “It was the ambergris in it, not whatever sugar sweet delicacy or floral and herby notes it claimed it had,” he corrected himself, feeling admittedly a bit guilty about upsetting you.

⭐️ “... You still manage to be the evil fish I first met,” you sighed and leaned against him. Water dripped from you. You pressed your face into his nape as he took to floating in the water with you on top of him, golden hair floating behind him beautifully. “You don't like that scent?” you asked him, unsure as to why he had strong opinions. His face scrunched up as he had to explain his preferred krill had been coated in it for a while due to a picky Eelektross. You laughed.

⭐️ You have to take a bath in the ocean if you wear it around him. He claims it gives him a headache and bad memories associated with a certain bite mark on the upper part of his tail.

♠️Sharpedo Grimsley❤️

♤ Sharpedo hybrids, unfortunately, are the ones who take it as a horny thing. Grimsley approaches the shore where you sat to greet him with an odd smile on his lips. You thought little of it until he grabbed your wrist and pulled you into the water, swimming away from the shore as fast as he could. It was mostly deserted, but there were one or two people who took notice of the “Shark Attack” and freaked out over you being whisked away, assumably to be eaten.

♡ This was not so uncommon for Grimsley, as there were times he grew tired of humans asking him endless questions about his species. That and he enjoyed a good thrill, and there was nothing like having someone try to “rescue” you from a terrifying man-eating hybrid. When you end up far away from the shore, he slows down and leans over you.

◇ “Oh, man, I didn't think normal humans had a mating season,” his voice was teasing, “You must have wanted to gamble whether I would take you on the beach or not.” You gazed at him with a confused expression, causing him to also grow a bit confused. You obviously had come to him reeking of pheromones to mate, right? He didn't understand why you looked so confused. “You are emitting pheromones,” Grimsley told you boldly.

♧ “... My perfume makes Sharpedos horny, got it,” you said to yourself and him, causing him to nearly lose his grasp on you. His mouth fell open, exposing his sharpened teeth for a moment before it closed. You sighed, “Uh, I think unless flowers have this effect on you, it was probably the ambergris, right?” Grimsley felt even more horrified at your words. Had he been aroused by the scent of Wailord digestive fluids? It… It was honestly not the worst thing that had got him hard.

♤ Grimsley demands you wear it whenever you meet for a night together. In fact, he requests the bottle itself for unknown reasons.

bonus joke:

▲Incomplete Eelektross Ingo▼

● You had entered his office to bring the humanoid fish man a surprise lunch. It was admittedly all run-of-the-mill for you two. A kiss and light conversation were expected, but not him suddenly pulling you into his chest while breathing heavily. You could feel even his gills pulsing on his chest. What had brought out this sudden behavioural shift in him?

● You tried to pull away, but he only held you tighter. The scent that came from you was familiar to Ingo. Something that he knew from his time in the water. His brain rushed with terrifying scenarios of a visit to a beach turning into you getting claimed by some horrifying fish hybrid. What if you loved them more than him, as they were proper hybrids unlike him?

● “D-dearest,” he stuttered out, gazing deeply into your eyes, “Did another hybrid claim you?” Your heart had clenched at his pathetic tone before bleeding into complete confusion. Claimed? By another hybrid? You certainly did not recall anything like that, and you told him just that. “You smell of another hybrid!” he cried, burying his face into your shirt. You realised then.

● “Ingo, that's my perfume,” you corrected him, “I think it had ambergris in it.” He turned his head up to you before going back to take another sniff of your shirt. His face was stiffer than it even usually was as the gears turned in his head. Soon, he politely released you and walked back to his desk, where he hung his head in shame. As much as you wanted to giggle at his overreaction, you felt a bit bad seeing him in such a state.

● Ingo politely requests you not wear it around him, too embarrassed about the reaction he had to it. He will never forgive himself for mistaking a digestive fluid for a mating smell.

[goldensunset]

as with any thing i’m obsessed with i often daydream about what i personally would do if i got the chance to remake pla and make any changes i wanted

some things include:

•better graphics of course and like just bigger areas obv

•*gestures to both of volo’s designs* Something ahout those! lol

•also i’d remove his evil laughter at the celestica ruins lol. don’t give it away boy!!!!!! or at least turn it into a simple, moderately off putting chuckle

•make a Bad Ending cutscene for if you lose to volo. or at the very least a cut to black and a concerning sound effect of some sort and a game over

•otherwise i really can’t think of how i’d top his fight lol it was soooo good

•i would. change his dialogue right beforehand to make it a little more natural and logical. maybe even have him intimidatingly approach you as if he were trying to grab the plates from you until your lead pokémon jumps out to protect you. ik it would never happen like that in this series but like please it would be so good

•this is a big one- i’d make it so you really aren’t allowed to access any base camps in the wilds during the red sky exile sequence. giving you access to most things you had in jubilife anyway, plus you being allowed underneath the banner of the galaxy team, kinda cheapened it. me personally i will always choose not to use those during that part and only do things at cogita’s place. it would be suuuuper cool if like the guys at the camps like threatened you if you tried to approach!

•i think all wild pokémon should’ve taken on an aggressive nature during the red sky part. or more alphas. or like in my fantasy if you make one of them angry you start getting Chased all the way across the map, baby!!! like you’ve got a horde going after you! like it’s actively terrifying. either that or everyone gets a timid disposition because Nature is being Abnormal and they’re scared. k but like imagine the strange lightning suddenly coming down around you at random and striking random pokémon around you and they go insane. you never know when it’s gonna happen. watch out for that level 3 bidoof man!!!

•would’ve made the frenzied nobles a lil more Frenzied outside their battles. i’d love to be just wandering around the map and see them in the distance, visibly aggressively stomping around, and oh no is that thing coming this way? oh it better not be— like i want that thang to be Violent

•i know voice acting is never going to happen bc of being able to name your character etc and i get it but also like they could do it persona style right??? change the spoken dialogue ever so slightly from the text to be more generic and just use pronouns and such. listen we deserve to hear volo go insane

•find a way to fit the distortion world into the plot. no listen i don’t care how but just do it

•also make the stone portal a whole cave system like in the original gen 4! we deserve a dramatic ascent up the mountain. with!!! the mount coronet theme playing the whole time!!!!!

•i would’ve liked to battle volo more often throughout the story! but in a casual way such as not to build up suspicion for him or anything

•just uhhh. have the overworld music play more often and get interrupted by less stuff lol. also if at all possible do it sv style and have different battle tracks for each area that don’t break the immersion. no but like i know they’ve gotta be loyal to the sinnoh wild encounter theme ik…

might think of more later. but like this is what the inside of my brain looks like. no hate to the game as it is of course the entire reason i have so many thoughts like this is because i love it way too much. these are my fantasies

[onestepbackwards]

been thinking about how different a self aware!volo would be with a player who has already played PLA before who isn't gonna fall for the ginkgo merchant's little trick. at first, volo first confronts you in jubilife, that big ol grin plastered on his face. at first, he greets rei/akari. but he can't help but notice the OTHER person thats next to them, who's just looking at him with narrowed eyes and a disapproving expression. you. obviously, volo just ignores that and shrugs it off as something that he saw because he ate something bad. but his vision of you is still very present in his mind. what did he do to get such a cold shoulder from you? the skyfaller seemed to be totally fine with him, but you looked at him like he just insulted your entire bloodline. of course, the same cycle of "greet, sneer, ignore, repeat" continues for some time, volo's curiousity and desperation to what he (probably) did only reaching more and more heights as he tries to make it up to you on each attempt. of course, the whole "banishment from jubilife" thing happens. with volo being the first to try and give you closure after being tossed out like that, he sees it as an attempt to make up for what he thinks he did. unfortunately for him, you decided to stop the cycle and just tell him out front about his little clever plan. the plates. giratina. mountain coronet. you already knew about it from first glance. and every single gear in volo's mind comes to a complete stop. at first, he is dismissive to your claims. him? betray YOU? not in a million years! but deep down in his mind, he is screaming. how did you know? how COULD you have known? did he make it seem to obvious? are you a psychic? he is frustrated. angered. yet at the same time, he is scared. scared of you. obviously, no ordinary skyfaller would've known about his little deal with giratina. you're something else. after the whole ordeal, volo walks away. with nowhere else to go, you decide to do the same thing you did on your previous playthrough and fight volo once your team is strong enough to counter his AND to ward off giratina. but once you reach mountain coronet's top, you find him in that (rather ridiculous) arceus wardrobe, bowing down once he saw you arrived. he referred to you as an all-knowing deity, powerful enough to even see through HIM in order to figure out his scheme. and that to think that he was capable enough of tricking YOU.. what a fool he was. he was at your mercy. while the option of "killing" him popped in your mind, you simply shrugged it off. he wasn't worth the effort. he thanks you for showing him mercy and forgiveness, but not without you telling him that if he ever pulls that stuff again, you won't be so forigivng next time. he bows yet again, and heads off to wherever the wind will take him.

Volo, surprised: “How did you know about my plan?”

You, not on your first playthrough: “Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy.”

Honestly its something that would bother the hell out of him. How you seem just… suspicious of him, or annoyed. What did he do!?

Then when you reveal his plan, it haunts him for days. How. How the hell did you know.

Judging by how you reacted to him since you met, you’ve known this whole time.

So it occurs to him.

Maybe, just maybe, you were the real thing. The real god. He’s seen how you interact with the world, watching from a distance.

Hopefully, you’d accept his apology. Accept he wanted to worship you now.

No wonder Arceus ignored him. If you were the true god, then he didn’t want the attention of a false idol anyway

[johaerys-writes]

Hi! A Snippet Sunday if you don't mind? Thank you, and have a pleasant weekend!

Hello anon! I've been working on a Disasters AU one-shot, about that time when tiny baby Achilles and Patroclus tried to build a boat and go on an epic, grand adventure (and everything went swimmingly 🙃)

The overlook close to St. Andrew's chapel is unusually quiet for the time of day. Ajax's pick up truck takes up most of the space in the small churchyard, and sitting on the truck bed they all get a sweeping view of the valley below, with the Spercheios river flowing lazily through it. Fat bees buzz nearby as Achilles takes a big bite out of his watermelon slice; the first of the summer, picked by Ajax himself from their vegetable garden; ripe and full and bursting with sweetness. 

"Where does the river go?" he asks idly, juice dripping down his chin, for the first time wondering where the river he has known all his life leads.

"To the sea," Ajax replies, and spits his watermelon seed half an inch further than Achilles did.

"Duh, I know that. I mean, where exactly does it end?"

“Far from here."

"Like where?" Achilles presses. "Volos?"

"Nope."

"Atalanti? St. Constantine? St. Nicolas? St.—"

"Are you going to name every damned town and village in Greece?" Ajax snaps. 

"Just tell me where it ends!" 

Ajax huffs. "Athens, runt. It ends in Athens."

Achilles narrows his eyes at him. "Bullshit."

"You don't believe me? Fine, check any geography book you want and it'll prove me right." 

“What do you think?” Achilles turns to Patroclus. "Does the river end in Athens?" 

“I… don’t know,” Patroclus says shyly. "I'm not sure." His bottom lip is shiny and tinted pink from the watermelon when he absently chews on it, and his usually guileless eyes are somewhat wary now. He gazes out over the river following its quiet, stolid course in the distance. “I always thought … it flows into the sea a little off the coast of Thermopylae. But— but I might be wrong."

“That’s not too far from here," Achilles perks up. "That’s like, an hour by car, tops.” 

“Nah." Ajax says, shaking his head. “I'm telling you, it goes all the way down to Athens. Flows out at Piraeus port. I know what I'm talking about, runt.” 

Achilles and Patroclus glance at each other. Patroclus is one of the smartest people Achilles knows, but even he doesn't seem to know for sure whether Ajax is pulling their leg or not. He often does that, Ajax does: tell him something with a completely straight face, so earnest that Achilles believes him, until he relays Ajax’s information to someone else and they look at him like he has gone insane. 

“We should ask Father,” Achilles tells Patroclus after Ajax drops them off at the house. “He will know.”  

But Father doesn’t come back home that night, nor the next, and their search for a reliable map in his extensive library is fruitless. They sift through dusty books and papers for hours until they give up; Achilles throws himself on the couch with a frustrated huff.

"It doesn’t matter," Achilles tells Patroclus when he sits next to him. "No matter where the river goes, we should see it.” 

“See what?”

“Where it ends.” At Patroclus’ blank stare, Achilles adds, “If it ends in Athens, then we go to Athens.” 

“Why would we do that?" 

"Because it's boring as all hell here." Patroclus gives him an incredulous look, and Achilles grins enthusiastically. “It’s time we went somewhere new, right? Go on an adventure.” 

"How would we even go about doing that?" Patroclus mutters, his eyes so big and owl-like behind his glasses. "That's… so far away." 

"Where there's a will, there's a way, my friend." Achilles throws his arm over Patroclus' shoulders and gives him an encouraging shake. "So what do you say, huh? Would you go on an adventure with me?"

"Yeah," Patroclus chuckles. His reply comes swift and without any hesitation, his cheeks flushed a warm pink. 

[blackjackkent]

OK, took a long rest before resuming Hector's adventures; a couple of interesting camp developments:

First of all, there was no cutscene, but when we woke up, Jaheira announced, apropos of nothing that I could discern, "Turned to mist. The spawn share in some portion of their master's power."

I'm not sure what to make of this. Was there a cutscene that got bugged out? Or am I supposed to interpret this to mean that Cazador's people were hanging around our camp and got spooked by the sun rising? Perplexing.

Second, I just noticed that Volo hasn't been around since Act 3 started, and apparently he left a note!

LOL. I'm not surprised he finally bailed. All he ever wanted to talk to me about whenever I tried to interact with him was his ocular surgery plan, which Hector was never going to go for. I guess this means we'll run into him again somewhere in the city though.

Third, a brief dialogue option with Jaheira. Hector said, "You mentioned there might be another way to find Minsc," and she answered, "There might be, but... it is not a path I'd tread until we must. Let it wait until the city proper. Perhaps I'll have had a better idea by then."

Apparently my assumption that we were in the city once we got past that first watcher at the gate was incorrect. Sadly this also seems to mean we can't immediately boot finding Minsc to the top of the priority pile since I don't yet know where the entrance to the "city proper" even is yet.

Fourth, a VERY interesting conversation with Astarion:

Hector: "I want to discuss the Astral-Touched Tadpole."

Astarion: "We both know what it is capable of. But I'm not touching it."

Hector, more than a little surprised by this: "Unlike you to be so unwilling to receive a new power..."

Astarion: "That was before I knew the cost. Before I knew it meant transforming into some grotesque beast. I remember how it hurt when I turned into a vampire. My body writhed and warped while I was utterly helpless, the grip of death owned my heart as it beat its last. I-- I don't want to turn into anything else. I can't do that again. I can't watch my body be taken over."

He looked, and sounded, SO incredibly upset, the poor guy. :(

Hector, to be honest, was more than a little relieved because he has considered Astarion the most likely to want to indulge in the illithid powers (and control the elder brain, later) no matter the cost. But he also feels terrible for having gotten him so upset, and of course quickly backed off. "All right, I will speak no more on the matter."

"I had nothing for so long. Nothing. Not even my own body. I will *not* give it up, now it's mine again."

Poor guy. :(

Also had a quick chat with Wyll about Stelmane. He doesn't believe that she was actually willing partners with the Emperor, just that it must have made her an offer she couldn't refuse. He also mentioned having met Stelmane twice; that she was lively and beautiful when he first met her as a boy, but weaker and struggling when he met her later. He said his father explained it as her having suffered a stroke. Hector had enough insight to gauge that Wyll questioned this story somewhat, but not enough persuasion to pursue the discussion any further right now. So we'll tuck that away for later.

Finally, Gale had an exclamation mark over his head. According to the dialogue history screen, he had a whole speech here: "So the devil himself is pursuing the Crown. As for whether it's truly the Crown Karsus forged? Well, I think it's safe to assume we shouldn't take anything Raphael utters at face value. We *must* claim the Crown of Karsus for ourselves, before anyone else does."

Which is a perfectly reasonable bit of dialogue, but the speech glitched out and so all that happened when I clicked on him was that he stared directly at Hector and snapped, "We *must* claim the Crown of Karsus for ourselves, before anyone else does!" without any other context. Which was pretty funny. XD

Anyway, back to city explorations!

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders Viewers' Choice #21: Deviljho

today on Grailfinders, we’re making more a grail eater. that’s right, it’s the Deviljho! one of these suckers can eat an entire ecosystem, so hopefully the grail can keep him full long enough to finish this build. he’s a Rune Knight Fighter to get to proper Deviljho size, as well as a Barbarian to put some extra power into his attacks. we have to make this guy able to beat a motherfucker with another motherfucker, so advantage on his strength checks really helps there.

check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Ancestry & Background

in order to pick a race for our big lizard, we first have to ask ourselves; what the fuck is “dragon” elemental damage? in Monster Hunter, this appears as a cloud of nasty looking black energy that hangs around the Deviljho and weakens your offensive power, which would likely be either necrotic or poison damage in D&D. this means that depending on your view, either the spell Spirit Shroud or the invocation Cloak of Flies would be the perfect addition to a Deviljho, but unfortunately the rest of the build only leaves us with two levels free, and both of those options require five to work. thankfully, there is a second-best option we can pick up as easily as a feat, so we’ll be calling dragon energy Necrotic in this build.

Now that that’s settled, there’s two options for the race. a gem dragonborn is nice, especially if you want a really impressive breath weapon, but wotc’s already provided us with a lizard that bites its enemies, eats them, and even uses them as weaponry, and I’d be a fool not to go with the Lizardfolk with all they have going for them. specifically we’re going with the Volo’s Guide to Monster’s version since that’s the only one with Cunning Artisan, which allows you to turn a dead beast, contruct, dragon, monstrosity, or plant creature into one of various kinds of weapons.

you also gain a Swim Speed and the ability to Hold Breath for fifteen minutes at a time. you ended up in the New World somehow, right?

and of course, the reason we’re all here, your Bite attack. instead of the normal 1 damage per hit, you deal 1d6 piercing damage. on top of that, once per short rest you can use your Hungry Jaws to tear into somebody as a bonus action, dealing regular biting damage on a hit and giving yourself temporary HP equal to your constitution modifier.

you also have Hunter’s Lore, giving you proficiency with Nature and Stealth because a) you are natural, and b) you have that kaiju-tier stealth- nobody notices you until you’re already eating them.

and you have Natural Armor giving you a minimum of 13+your dex and you can use a shield if you want- that fat bastard the great jagras can really take hits for you.

my god is the lizardfolk statblock a doorstopper. don’t worry, this is all balanced out by the levels themselves going by super quick, not using spells saves so much time.

finally, your background. like all monsters you are an Outlander, mostly because you literally could not fit into society if you tried. also people keep killing you for parts, which makes holidays awkward.

that means you have proficiency with Athletics and Survival, the latter because you’re a giant monster, the former because you’re a giant monster that throws other giant monsters around like ragdolls.

Ability Scores

we’re going with point buy on this build. sorry, but if you want to play a mindless boss monster you have to be willing to minmax a bit. set Strength to 15, I feel I’ve made why apparent by now, but it’s how you bite stuff and how you lift up your enemies to break their friends backs like a socialist Bane. Dexterity and Constitution are set to 14 apiece- you’ve got the bulk of a mid- to end-game boss and despite that bulk you can move pretty damn fast. sure, you fall into pit traps and get poisoned frequently, but it’s usually never more than once a fight. Wisdom is down at 12. I’m sure a literal animal is well attuned to nature- especially once all that nature is digesting- but you’re also kind of just rampaging all over the place. and all that means we’re dumping Intelligence and Charisma down at 8. once again, you are literally an animal. if we could knock intelligence below three I’d do it in a heartbeat. also, not a conversationalist. wild, I know.

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: as a first level fighter you have proficiency with Strength and Constitution saves, as well as Animal Handling (in the style of Nero) and Intimidation.

you also get a Fighting Style, and strange as it sounds, we’re picking up the Throwing style so you can pick up a lot more crap. with this, you can draw and throw a weapon at the same time, dealing extra damage in the process. I’m not entirely sure if picking up a cool rock you found qualifies as “drawing”, but it’s close enough to make an argument. if your DM isn’t cool with it, the unarmed style is a good option for tail attacks, and sorry you can’t throw people at people.

you also get a Second Wind to eat your own tail as a bonus action to restore health. it doesn’t make the tail grow back though, as funny as that would be.

2. Fighter 2: second level fighters can make an Action Surge once a day for an extra action to do as they please. mostly biting people. it’s almost definitely going to be used to bite people more, Deviljho are a menace.

3. Fighter 3: by level three all Deviljho have become so scarred they’re now Rune Knights, making them Rune Carvers of their own bodys. flavor-wise. mechanically you still need actual objects to put runes in. each rune comes with two powers- one is always active as long as you are wearing or holding the object; while the other requires you to choose to activate it, usually as a reaction, once per short rest. to start off, you can carve a Frost Rune, which passively gives you advantage on animal handling and intimidation checks, and actively gives you ten minutes of +2s to all strength and constitution checks and saves. meanwhile, the Stone Rune gives you darkvision and advantage on insight checks, and you can react to charm a creature that ends its turn near you for one minute if they fail a wisdom save. have you ever gotten trapped in a stun animation in Monster Hunter? those things take forever to finish.

you also gain some Giant Might, letting you spend a bonus action to grow large, gain advantage on strength checks and saves, and you deal extra damage with your attacks once a turn. you can grow this way proficiency times a day, and each use lasts a minute. you can now reach ten feet in length, while even the smallest Deviljho you can hunt is… 60’. we’re working on it, don’t worry.

4. Fighter 4: use your first ASI for more Strength. bite harder. this is my final message.

5. Fighter 5: fifth level fighters get an Extra Attack each attack action to combo your enemies into the ground. or more likely into a little cart driven by a bunch of cats. the cats are unionized though, you can’t eat them.

6. Fighter 6: sixth level fighters get another ASI, but this time we’re going to get funky with it. grab the Strike of the Giants feat- now, once per turn, proficiency times a day, you can turn any attack you make into a Hill Strike, adding an extra d6 of damage and forcing what you hit to make a strength save or fall prone. basically every attack you make can knock a hunter on their ass, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  hillberg. whatever.

7. Fighter 7: speaking of hill giants, at level seven you can make a Hill Rune, giving you advantage on saves against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage. you can also invoke the run to gain resistance to physical damage for one minute. Deviljhos aren’t actually that thick-skinned, this is more just a way to make your HP total look even bigger than it is.

8. Fighter 8: some people (especially those on the wrong end of an angry pickle) would probably call a Deviljho proof of a vengeful god, and I’d believe them. that’s why we’re using this ASI to make this Deviljho Divinely Favored. now you can cast Thaumaturgy as a cantrip to make your screams so loud people need HG earplugs to drown them out, and you can cast Augury and Hex once a day each.

augury’s whatever, but Hex is our breath weapon for this build. I know it’s not an Aoe attack, but it lets you deal extra damage over time like a rage mode, and besides that I usually play MH singleplayer anyway. don’t lie to me, we all know most MHs have weird online setups. that aside, when you Hex someone, they take extra necrotic damage every time you hit them, and they have disadvantage on one kind of check for up to an hour. on top of that, if you drop them to 0 HP you can move the hex over to another creature. that means you can also more easily pin and grapple someone while enraged, and once they’re carted away you can turn on their friends!

9. Fighter 9: ninth level fighters are Indomitable, letting you re-roll a failed save once per short rest. I’d make sure your concentration saves go well, you’re pretty good at them already, and dropping your one spell of the day would really suck. maybe that’s why they fall into pit traps so often, they’re just saving their rerolls for their rages…

10. Fighter 10: tenth level rune knights have a Great Stature, which makes you a little taller even while “normal” sized, and lets you deal even more damage with Giant’s Might. you can also carve a Storm Rune now, so you can’t be surprised and have advantage on arcana checks passively. Yes, Deviljho are quite practiced occultists. you’d know if you sat one down and asked it. and survived. you can also activate the run to enter a special state for one minute, allowing you to react to any check, attack, or save made nearby, giving it advantage or disadvantage. dragonblight weakens your offensive power in MH, and now you can do that in D&D too.

11. Barbarian 1: now that we have most of the deviljho kit down, let’s get a little wild. as a barbarian you can Rage whenever you’re not wearing heavy armor. you technically can as a fighter, but you’re supposed to be a giant lizard, so you shouldn’t be wearing any. while raging, you have advantage on strength checks and saves, deal bonus damage with strength-based melee attacks, and have resistance to physical damage. this lasts for a minute or until you stop fighting stuff, and you can’t concentrate on spells for the duration either. your runes only work once a short rest, so having a few rages to burn through each day can help keep your playstyle more consistent.

you also gain Unarmored Defense, which scales with constitution. right now, it’s the same as your usual lizardy skin, but that will change as we go. it’s a shame they changed your natural defense from the original flavor, a flat +3 on top of this would’ve been amazing for a Deviljho.

12. Barbarian 2: second level barbarians can make Reckless Attacks, gaining advantage on your melee attacks at the cost of giving your enemies advantage to hit you as well.

you also have a Danger Sense, giving you advantage on dexterity saves from things you can see. yes, you’ll still fall into pit traps, but when you’re angry enough you just kind of pop back out.

13. Fighter 11: another Extra Attack! the wombo combo is real. that’s three attacks per action, up to six with Action Surge, and possibly even a seventh with Hungry Jaws. with a turn like that, you could chew through anything.

14. Fighter 12: use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for more health and a better AC at long last.

15. Fighter 13: thirteenth level fighters are Indomitable again, so now you can re-roll two failed saves! it’s not complicated, but neither is a Deviljho.

16. Fighter 14: we’ve got enough flat buffs under our belt, let’s get real funky. nobody really knows where Deviljho come from, so technically making you a Scion of the Outer Planes isn’t the most out-there option for a wyvern we’ve seen so far. thanks to your connection to Chaos, you have resistance to Necrotic damage and access to the spell Minor Illusion. admittedly the spell isn’t that in-character, but you can use it to make your loud roars while raging or any other cool effects you want. this is mostly a stepping stone to our real goal. honestly, even the resistance to necrotic isn’t in character- you’re supposed to be weak to dragon elemental damage, and now you resist it. I guess this makes up for this build capping out at ¼ the size of even the smallest true Deviljho.

17. Fighter 15: at level fifteen you’re scarred enough to become a Master of Runes, letting you invoke your runes twice per short rest instead of once. you also get one last rune, and we’re running out of good ones. Cloud is the least egregious, you get advantage on sleight of hand and deception checks, and you can force another creature to take a hit you were supposed to as a reaction. longswords- not even once.

18. Fighter 16: with our final ASI, we get our true reason for the last feat- as a Cohort of Chaos you can finally even out your Strength score, and every time you roll a 1 or 20 on an attack or save you fire up a Chaotic Flare, which lasts until the end of your next turn. it’s like wild magic, but good! there’s four possibilities for a flare- either your Dragon Aura flares up and everyone within 10’ of you takes force damage when they move or start their turn in it, you can give a battle fury to a creature for advantage on their attack rolls and disadvantage on their checks, you can leap unbound to travel to any space within 30’ of you, or you can roar, giving all creatures within 60’ of you disadvantage on all wisdom saves for a round. you can even use this feature without waiting for luck proficiency times a day as a bonus action!

19. Fighter 17: the seventeenth level of fighter is simple, but powerful- an additional use of both Action Surge and Indomitable. being a Deviljho really is about the fundamentals. and also screaming so loud everyone goes deaf.

20. Fighter 18: at level 18 we get the reason we couldn’t dip into anything else- the final ability of your subclass, the Runic Juggernaut. now when you use Giant’s Might you deal 1d10 extra damage, and your size is bumped up to huge, and your reach increases by 5’! again, we’re still at 15’ to the real Deviljho’s 60’, but this is a good enough size to pick up the larger animals in a Monster Hunter world and start chucking them like footballs, even while they’re alive.

Pros & Cons:

Pros:

you can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time thanks to your multitude of bite attacks mixed with both the once per turn boosts of the Hill Strike/Giant Might, as well as consistent damage from either Hex or Rage. all in all, you can deal 1d10+8d6+28 piercing damage, plus 7d6 necrotic damage in a single turn for an average of around 86 damage, or even a little more depending on how big the creatures you fling around are.

you also take a lot of damage to bring down, with multiple forms of resistance to attack, a good health pool, and even ways to gain health by eating your own foes, all adds up to you being one tough pickle to crack.

your runes and chaos effects both give you access to magic-like effects that you can use even while raging, circumventing one of the biggest weaknesses barbarians have- restricted access to magical nonsense. with these you can teleport, stun people, and force disadvantage on their attacks, all without having to give up the damage and protection of rages.

Cons:

as far as damage goes, you mostly only have nonmagical sources. sure, you have Hex, but that only works once a day- if you have a second fight or drop concentration, you’re completely out of options, unless your DM rules hitting people with magic items counts for something. maybe that’s why you don’t qualify as an elder dragon.

Cohort of Chaos gives your build some much-needed variety, but it’s. y’know. chaotic. keeping the enemy from knowing your next move is a grand idea, but it would help if you knew what your next move was. still, at least you can use it yourself, unlike wild mages.

your wisdom saves aren’t great, and they aren’t helped by one of your own chaos effects making them weaker. that means it’s really easy for a smart enemy to trick you into attacking someone who’s on your side. hey, we fit turf battles in here!

[lucky-clover-gazette]

Arceus, I Wish That Were Me

(Part 2 of The Outsider, 3390 words)

Volo is touch-starved. The outsider doesn't know how to accept praise. They figure it out.

Read on Ao3 or under the cut:

The first time he noticed, they were in the midst of battle.

“Good girl, Togekiss!” Volo praised, as his partner Pokémon landed a critical hit on the outsider’s espeon. Seconds passed, and Volo tried to guess which of her team she would send out next. But the Pokémon—he’d anticipated her umbreon, she was training the pair together—never came.

At first Volo assumed her inaction was due to annoyance, specifically with the fainted state of her espeon. But that reaction, from the outsider, made no sense. She’d sent the Pokémon out herself, fully understanding the might of Volo’s team.

No, something else had frozen the outsider in place. It only took a cursory glance for Volo to make an educated guess.

“Something bothering you?” he asked, unable to hide his amusement.

The outsider placed a hand over her own cheek. Scowled at the warmth she must have found there. Muttered something under her breath.

“Come again?” Volo teased, because he simply could not help himself.

“Shut up,” she said, and sent out her umbreon.

─────────────────

The first time she failed to notice, the temperature was far too warm.

“I’m glad you have this stuff here,” the outsider told Volo, as she spread the protective salve over her bare skin. She was showing much more of it than usual, thanks to an atypical heat wave for the time of year. Volo had grown accustomed to seeing her in her typical attire—black pants, Survey Corps sandals, and a red plaid kimono she occasionally called her ‘flannel’—but could vaguely remember the alternate clothing she wore in the warm weather. Perhaps it was because of their recently-admitted mutual attraction that he now viewed her in a different light.

The clothing was, of course, far from scandalous. Cropped black pants, black sandals, and a white festival top. The ensemble revealed her legs and forearms, and slightly more of her collarbone than usual. It would have been absurd for him to feel any sort of way about it, besides appreciation for the comfort it brought her in the heat.

“You can use it when I’m done,” the outsider told Volo, nodding towards his own exposed skin.

He was technically breaking Ginkgo code, with the slight adjustments he’d made to his uniform. Nothing irreversible, of course—he’d simply removed his apron, unbuttoned the top half of his heavy jumpsuit, and tied its arms around his waist. Beneath it he wore a simple white undershirt, which exposed his arms and shoulders to the midday sun.

For a moment he had considered forgoing his uniform and donning his self-made deific attire instead, which would have allowed for much more comfort in the heat. But that would have created many more problems than solutions.

Also, he was having second thoughts about the green pants.

Volo found himself transfixed by the outsider as she spread the salve onto her arms, then leaned down to do the same to her legs. She reached all the way to her bare ankles, running over the various small scars she’d acquired during her time in the field. Then she returned to full height, lifted up her long hair, and began to rub the solution onto her neck and exposed chest.

Volo felt his fingers twitch. Despite their occasional romantic dalliances, the outsider still had an odd way about her when it came to casual touch. And for his part, Volo was determined to ensure that she was comfortable. It was the least he could do, truly, after a year of taking advantage of her trust.

He watched her complete the application in silence, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

Seconds or hours later, the outsider finished spreading the salve. “You should use it too,” she told Volo, corking the bottle. She barely even looked at him as she tossed it in his direction. “Let me know if you need help with your back.”

Volo caught the bottle like his life depended on it.

He got to work immediately, spreading the salve on the skin he easily could reach. But the back of his neck and shoulders were so very far away, and she had offered—

“Care to assist?” Volo asked, in a voice that suggested he would rather burn than beg.

“That’s what I said,” the outsider told him, reclaiming the bottle. After a pause, she added: “Now, come.”

Volo felt as if he’d been hit by a truck, something he knew would not be invented for at least fifteen years.

“You’re too tall,” the outsider clarified. “I can’t reach.”

“Oh.” Volo leaned down.

She was quick and clinical in her application, spreading the cool salve over his shoulders and the exposed part of his back. He felt her fingers pause, though, when she reached the edge of his shirt.

“The fabric is pretty thin,” she informed him. “Want me to get under there?”

Arceus, yes.

“If you are so inclined.”

The outsider obliged. The feeling of her hand beneath his shirt sent a chill down Volo’s back.

It ended as quickly as it began.

“There,” the outsider said, tucking the bottle into her satchel. “That should keep us cool.”

Respectfully, Volo disagreed.

─────────────────

The second time he noticed, he was simply doing his job.

“Ah, but you see,” Volo told Arezu, “an accomplished stylist such as yourself should use only the finest of materials!”

The red-haired woman raised an eyebrow, unamused. “My materials are fine.”

“But they could be finer!” he said, wagging his finger. “You must browse my wares—”

“Volo?” asked the outsider, bewildered as she entered Jubilife Village’s very necessary and period-appropriate hair salon. “What are you doing here?”

“You know this guy?” asked Arezu, peering beyond Volo’s tall frame.

“I am naught but a traveling merchant,” he said, waving the outsider away. He needed this sale to meet his quota for the month, having spent the majority of time surveying the wilds of Hisui in her company. “And Arezu here is my very favorite customer!”

“I’ve never bought anything from you in my life.”

“You truly are skilled with your craft,” Volo complimented the stylist, his eyes drilling into hers. “In fact, I think I would trust you to style my own hair. And that’s saying something!”

Arezu eyed him thoughtfully. “It does have a rather unique color. Shame that the Ginkgo Guild hides it beneath such hideous headgear.”

The outsider scoffed again, behind him. I like your hair, she’d told him at the Temple of Sinnoh. It had sounded so difficult for her to utter praise. In his particular line of work, Volo could not relate.

“For you, my friend, I would happily oblige.” He removed his hat and pulled his hair from its usual bun, allowing the golden strands to fall over his shoulders. “I will admit, I take much pride in my appearance. But with a masterful stylist such as yourself, I am certain I would be in good hands.”

Arezu used the aforementioned hands to hold a section of his hair. “Interesting texture,” she hummed. “I would not recommend using gel or bleach.”

Not his desired response, but useful all the same. Volo wondered if he could sell her the gel and bleach he’d intended for his deific transformation, prior to his decision to delay the inevitable.

The outsider had fully entered the room at this point, having stalked over to stand beside Arezu. Volo suppressed a laugh at her sour expression.

“Excuse me for delaying your appointment,” he told her, “but I must insist that your stylist examine my wares.”

The outsider crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe you should examine hers,” she challenged, nodding towards a shelf by the styling chair. “Since you seem so keen.”

Volo hummed, shrugging his hair out of Arezu’s grasp. “What was your name again?” he asked the outsider.

Her scowl deepened. She answered the question.

“That’s right,” Volo smiled, repeating it aloud. “And are you a customer here?”

“Obviously.”

The outsider’s eyes widened slightly as he stepped closer, towering over her and making no effort to minimize himself.

“Beautiful,” Volo praised, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He matched her gaze before abruptly tearing himself away, glancing lazily over at Arezu. “Your workmanship deserves a caliber of supplies to match.”

The outsider cleared her throat.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” Volo asked, using her name again.

Her cheeks burned as she admitted, “He has a point.”

“That’s a smart girl.”

Arezu sighed and motioned towards Volo’s backpack. “Come on, then. Show me your wares.”

“Excellent!” Volo exclaimed, replacing his Ginkgo cap. “Firstly, I would recommend the King’s Leaf…”

He could sense the outsider’s continued presence by his side. While Volo had once studied the woman as an opponent, he now found himself cataloguing her responses and instincts for distinctly different reasons. His very favorite customer, it seemed, took rather well to praise.

She had hidden her reactions well enough during their initial time together, in the midst of Volo’s deceptions. Or perhaps he simply had been too fixated on loathing her to notice. Regardless, Volo was very aware of her inclinations now.

“How delightful,” Volo told Arezu as he made the sale. Then, on his way to the door, he allowed himself a passing glance at the outsider. She was redder than he’d ever seen her before, seemingly stunned into silence by his words.

How delightful, indeed.

─────────────────

The second time she failed to notice, they were trying to relax.

It had been a long day of documenting Pokémon in the Crimson Mirelands, and they’d set up camp just as the sun set. Now, enveloped in the starry void of Hisui’s night sky, Volo and the outsider sat across from each other in contented silence. A campfire crackled between them, releasing its pleasant and familiar scent into the air.

Her alpha bibarel, Crinkle Cut, was also present.

The thing was massive, and Volo knew that the outsider adored it. It was soft and dumb, its tiny pupils betraying no thoughts inside of its absurdly large head. And while the bibarel held up well enough in battle, thanks to the outsider’s inexplicable dedication to its training, it was far from a Legendary Pokémon.

At times like this, Volo liked to remind himself of the creature’s inferiority.

The outsider hummed as she rested her full weight against the plush abomination, scratching indulgently beneath its chin. Rising flames and smoke obscured Volo’s view of them both, cutting him off entirely from the disturbing display. He shifted slightly on the tree stump where he sat. His arms had been crossed for the past ten minutes.

The outsider bonked her forehead against the bibarel’s empty skull.

(Volo imagined the way she would rest her head against his, after sharing a tender kiss.)

She cooed and ran a hand through its fur.

(Volo felt the ghosts of her fingers carding through his hair.)

She allowed the bibarel to engulf her in its stubby arms, Miss ‘Sorry I’m Kind of Weird About Hugs, They Startle Me Most of the Time,’ and had the audacity to smile.

Arceus, I wish that were me, Volo thought, as the smoke continued to rise.

─────────────────

The third time, he knew exactly what he was doing.

“It is very admirable,” Volo told the outsider, “that you dedicate yourself so thoroughly to your research.”

It was evening in Jubilife Village, and the pair had quietly retired to the outsider’s Galaxy Team-issued dorm. It was one of the few places where they could truly be alone, and Volo had grown to take comfort in the small but lived-in space. He’d even freed his partner Pokémon, who currently napped in a nest of blankets with the outsider’s matching togekiss.

“I have to work hard,” the outsider replied. “They’ll kick me out if I don’t.”

Volo shook his head with a smile. “That is only half the truth, as you are well aware.”

“Oh, yeah? And what’s the other half?”

His lips curled into a grin. This was the opportunity he’d been waiting for, ever since observing the outsider’s inclinations in the hair salon. He knew it was a risk—but if there was a place to try, it would be here. This environment put her at ease, and gave them both the privacy to let down their defenses. It was ironic, how the very same manner of thinking Volo had once used to manipulate the hero was equally effective in genuinely ensuring her comfort.

If she took offense, he would stop. It was as simple as that.

“You love what you do,” Volo told the outsider, placing a firm hand on her slumped shoulder. “It amazes me to watch you work.”

The outsider’s eyes did not wander from the Pokédex. “It does,” she said—a statement, not a question.

Volo hummed indulgently. “Of course it does. You are doing so very well, such a good—”

“You don’t have to do the whole praise thing with me,” the outsider snapped. “I know you only say those things to people you’re trying to use.”

“I—what?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she told him, now meeting his eyes. “You do it with customers all the time. And you did the same to me, before I knew what you really wanted. But we understand each other now, and there’s nothing of value that I can give you, so there’s no reason for you to lie.”

Volo accepted that this was not going to be the playful interaction he had intended. “I told the truth when I sung your praises, even if my intentions were impure.”

“What about Arezu? And all of your other very favorite customers?”

“I care for their coin. Simple as that.”

The outsider fidgeted with her brush. Volo frowned.

“I will admit that my earliest interactions with you were predicated on jealousy and resentment. At that point, I thought you were my enemy, and I treated you as such.” The outsider held her breath as he gently removed the brush from her hand. “But the things I said were still very true. You are a brave, competent, and unique individual, and despite my resentment I looked forward to the time we spent together.”

“Sure,” said the outsider, unconvinced.

“Do you really not believe that you deserve to be praised?”

She was normally so talkative, even when she was upset. But something seemed to be stopping her now, causing her to shut her eyes and lean back against her trunk of many items.

“I don’t remember much about my life before the rift,” the outsider slowly said. “But sometimes, there are still… instincts. It’s like emotional muscle memory, warning me when I get too close to past experiences.”

“I’m sorry,” said Volo, because he was.

“Don’t be. From what I can remember, a lot of my past experiences sucked.” The outsider opened her eyes and met his directly. “I don’t think you were the first person to manipulate me using positive reinforcement.”

She said it so clinically, as if she were a subject in the professor’s lab. As if her very human existence was nothing more than a twisted social experiment.

“I don’t know what happened before you arrived in Hisui,” Volo said. “But we both know what I’ve done to you, myself.”

The outsider nodded. He took it as a sign to continue.

“It sounds as if the people from your past did not consider themselves your enemies, but your allies. They were supposed to treat you well—just as well as you undoubtedly treated them.”

The outsider shook her head. “You don’t have to say that. I was probably just as bad as they were.”

“Even if that were true,” Volo said with a small smile, “I imagine that you would have made for an exceptionally thoughtful and caring bad person.”

Volo’s Togekiss pulled hers closer, allowing it to nestle underneath her downy wing.

“For the record,” sighed the outsider, “I don’t think you’re the same as people from my past.”

“Thank y—”

“But I still don’t trust you, Volo. And I don’t want to be made a fool again.”

It was true, that Volo was not entirely being honest. He still possessed the eighteenth plate, tucked into a hidden compartment of his traveling pack. He still wished to recreate this world alongside Arceus’s chosen hero, the likely outcome of their combined efforts to complete the Pokédex.

Volo did not expect his god to treat him well. Its repeated and unrepentant rejections had long since eliminated the possibility in his mind. He had no faith whatsoever that Arceus would choose to accept him, even after helping the outsider with her holy mission.

As a man destined to be a god, Volo strove to be better than the Almighty Arceus—but by no means did that imply he was good. Still, despite his many secrets, he was determined to honor the promise he’d made in the Temple of Sinnoh:

I wish to treat you well. That is the truth.

“What do you want from me, Volo?” the outsider asked.

The seventeen plates, he thought. Arceus’s subjugation. Assistance in creating a better world.

But those things had very little to do with the outsider herself. At least, not the parts that mattered here.

“That,” Volo said, pointing at their Pokémon. “I want that.”

The outsider tilted her head at the pair. “You mean Frittata? You already have Togekiss, and you love her more than anything.”

Volo held his palm to his forehead. “No, I don’t want your—what I mean is, I would like to do that. With you.” He felt his cheeks grow warm. Damn it.

The outsider turned back to him, her expression entirely earnest. “Volo, are you touch-starved?”

“It is often difficult to determine your interest.”

She furrowed her brow. “You know I think you’re attractive.”

“Latently, perhaps. But I wish to take only what is enthusiastically given.”

The outsider sighed and took Volo’s hands into her own.

“It’s new for me,” she told him, “being wanted.”

“I find that very hard to believe,” Volo said.

“Okay, fine: it’s new being wanted by a person I actually want back.”

“Then I suppose that makes two of us.”

Her frown deepened. “But I haven’t made you feel very wanted at all.”

“In many ways you have,” Volo reassured her. “But I will admit to a particular… starvation.”

She studied him carefully. “I think I might have an idea that would satisfy us both.”

“I’m listening.”

“If you want to touch me, or you want me to touch you... don’t wait for me to notice.” She rubbed her thumb against the side of his hand. “I have the desire, really, but it’s also hard to let myself feel it. That’s why, at least for now, I think it would be good if you just asked.”

Volo considered.

“I know it’s a weird request,” the outsider said. “But I think it would help me a lot, actually, to hear you say it.”

“Say what?”

She gave him a sad smile. “That you want me.” More quietly, she added: “That I’m good.”

Volo swallowed.

“Can I trust you to do that, and mean it?”

His response came in the form of a kiss. Volo hummed softly as he pressed his lips to the outsider’s hand.

“You can trust me,” he said between gentle pecks, “when I say that you are good.” He continued to kiss her wrist, her palm, and—fuck it.

He took the outsider’s pointer finger into his mouth. Sucked once, and then released.

The outsider inhaled sharply.

“There are many ways I can prove,” Volo said, “how desperately I want you.”

He allowed the outsider a moment to recover.

“I see,” she eventually replied. “Are there ways I could return the favor?”

Volo shrugged. “I’m sure I could think of a few.”

“And for how long have you been thinking, Volo?”

He straightened his posture, pausing their banter so he could thoughtfully respond. “Consciously, I’m not sure I could say.”

She raised an eyebrow. “But subconsciously?”

“Since the very first day I met you, of course. The beautiful and indomitable hero, sent to me by the Almighty Creator itself. My enemy, my friend, and now…”

“Yours,” the outsider agreed, entirely earnest.

“That’s right,” Volo said. “My very favorite customer.”

She rolled her eyes, grabbed him by the hair, and stole the words right from his mouth.

[wurstigdurstig]

How do the others interact with your tav's kid? Also what's his name? He's so cute!!

ah! thank you very much!

His name is Valery! The best with Valery are Wyll and Karlach, since they're just very good with children. When Karlach is not too hot to touch anymore, he will sit a top of her shoulders a lot, while they are hiking through the world. In act 3 Valery will mostly stay in the room of the tavern with whomever is gonna stay in there, since Taras does not want every enemy to find out where his house is.

Valery is still at an age where everything Gale tells is very interesting to him and Gale also humors every 'Why' question for him. Tho his explanations are not always satisfying or understandable for a four year old. Lae'Zel pre-softened is not very good with children because of just Githyanki upbringing 😂 but as time goes on she does agree to abide by Taras' parenting methods and she will probably agree more that a four year old will not be able to fend for their own survival. Shadowheart is secretly always very excited when she has to do babysitting duties (in my head). Epilogue I think she is also the default babysitter for Taras, for my game choices at least. Halsin of course is also generally very great with children and humors his 'Why' questions as well. He is better at giving satisfying answers to a four year old than Gale. Jaheira I think is a better aunt than parent anyways, so she makes she baby laugh a lot. Minsk is also a good uncle and has of course a vicious beast that Valery loves.

As Mizora hangs out in the camp she is like the Aunt that doesn't like young children. Withers is proven to be pretty good with children and is another "why" person for Valery. Volo is good at entertaining a child but not at watching one of course. I cannot think of many more that hang out with the gang for a long amount of time, but generally everyone likes the baby. Minthara I have zero thoughts about. I probably will never do an evil playthrough because I cannot be mean in videogames and after doing a neutral to good playthrough, the Tieflings are my friends now haha.

[cryptids-lobelia-garden]

Lol sorry this is a day late I was honoring the April 1 strike for Palestine and then yesterday my internet was really slow and Tumblr draft edit wouldn’t work

Anyway.

Warnings: idk how these work please lemme know if I need to tag anything else but uh. Manipulative/kinda creepy whumper, a conditioned whumpee and his self destructive/self sacrificial tendencies, caretaker was hurt by whumpee in the past (not in a whump way just in a whumpee tried to destroy the world and caretaker had to stop him way) but he’s grown over the time they’ve been apart and come to understand the whumpee’s actions, uh. This is Pokémon and I’m going with a nuanced take of some of them are sapient and some aren’t and caretaker is very much a Pokémon, also whumpee is a canon character and might act OOC for. Reasons that will hopefully be revealed over the course of this month if I can get this challenge done :D oh also I follow canon VERY loosely bc there’s like three different canons and I’m here to have fun not to police my story writing so uh. Ye

Anyway, there’s also some mind control in there, some frostbite, some.. It’s like a chemical burn sort of, some dissociative panic attack flavored stuff, uh. Animal attack? Oh yeah and dismemberment lol- this one is. A little. Uh. Yeah

Oh and if you see these characters on another account ask that account if it’s me before getting upset bc uh. I have posted abt them on my main before

Anyway. Yeah. Enjoy this, uh. Please don’t judge me I can’t get these freaks out of my head hsjdjdjd

Day 1: Limp

Reunited Arc Part 1

~~~~~

It was supposed to just be a normal day off.

Cheri was headed to Celestic City to meet with a historian, to answer questions about Dialga and the Diamond Clan.

He’s taking the train, since he didn’t feel like walking all that way or making any of his Pokémon carry him.

It was supposed to be a normal day, but he sees a familiar face, and he has to do a double take.

Long blond hair, one eye covered, tied in its usual messy bun in the back. A shining silver eye, which is currently focused on a watch on their own wrist. Cheri would’ve guessed that was Cynthia, but he’s a guy, and he’s wearing a form-fitting black turtleneck tank top, a denim jacket over it.

The modern clothes on him are such a foreign sight.

But there’s no mistaking it.

Volo.

Cheri feels his blood freeze near instantly. A few people step away as the space around him begins to grow cold, a breeze of malice brushing through the air.

Volo hasn’t noticed him yet, and Cheri’s debating between just leaving and confronting the man.

Celestic Town is pretty close to Mount Coronet, but Cheri has prior arrangements. If he decides to go after Volo, he might not make it to the city on time, if at all. And someone guards the mountain now after Cyrus, right? So it’s not like Volo will be able to actually get there.

Unless he takes a path that isn’t through the caves. But even then, Arceus will be fine, they’re a god, it’s fine.

Maybe Cheri should just avoid all this and ride a bike to town. He left himself enough time to, after all.

But the train doors close, making Cheri’s choice for him. He can’t just say nothing.

So he steps forward.

“Hey.”

Volo looks up from his watch, eyes wide. “Hello- I’m sorry, am I in your way?” Who is this? He looks familiar..

Cheri shakes no. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Volo stops, staring at the stranger(?) for a moment. He knows me. Who is this? Usually, when people are angry at me in this time, it’s because they’ve mistaken me for Cynthia. But it seems like this one’s here for ME, not her-

His eyes widen. He goes pale. Takes a step back, his voice quiet enough that only the man in front of him hears it. “Cheri.” The one of the siblings I ESPECIALLY did NOT want to run into.

I don’t have time for this! Not now- of all the times I could have run into him, it had to be this last mission?

He pushes his thoughts aside, putting on a grin and trying to act like everything’s fine.

“Haha, it’s fancy seeing you here! What a coincidence!” I can’t do this right now! I’m on a time limit- this is THE WORST possible timing for this to happen, so of course it does.

“What a coincidence indeed,” Cheri says, voice low, taking another step forward as Volo takes a step back.

Volo’s smiling, that same pleasant grin Cheri remembers from all those years ago. But Cheri knows it’s a lie, can sense the fear coming off the man.

“Why are you headed to Mount Coronet? You and I both know you shouldn’t be there.”

“Listen, I can explain, but I don’t have much time- but I am not here for Arceus.” Cheri doesn’t seem convinced, so he keeps talking. “I’m here to protect Arceus, actually, from someone much worse than I am.”

“Hm. A likely story.” Cheri starts reading his emotions a little more.

“I swear on my life, that’s behind me.” Please, please, please please PLEASE believe me. I know you have every reason not to, after what I’ve done, but please just listen.

Cheri hums, thinking this over for a moment.

He doesn’t sense any lies from the man, strangely enough. He lets his magic push forward a little further, sensing for Volo’s intentions.

He doesn’t sense anything to do with Arceus at all, actually. No lies, no deceit.

Interesting..

Volo shivers as he feels a cold chill brushing through him, though the pleasant mask of a smile stays firmly in place. They reach their stop. I need to get away. He turns on his heel. “Well, I’ll be seeing you around-” Cheri’s hand is on his shoulder, and he tenses, breath catching in his throat. Please have mercy. Whatever you’re about to do, just don’t hurt me too badly.

Cheri’s voice is quiet, his expression grim. “You’re on a suicide mission, aren’t you.”

Shock, surprise. He shakes his head, smile growing strained. “Wh- how did you-” Volo clears his throat, turning back to smile at Cheri. “It doesn’t matter. No matter what happens, whether it’s him who dies or me, the problem will be over. And I’m probably not going to die anyway. Why?”

Cheri frowns, thinking that over for a few moments. Him? I’m assuming that’s who he’s saying he’s protecting Arceus from? If Volo dies, doesn’t that mean the problem isn’t technically over? Because we still have someone out there who’s willing to attack Arceus to further a goal. And if Volo, of all people, thinks this guy could KILL him, with Pokémon as powerful as his.. “..I’m coming with you.”

Why? What does he want out of this? “He is dangerous. You shouldn’t come with, he could kill you, and I am not worth it.” How much does he know? How did he know?

“Well, that’s all the more reason for me to come with.” If this guy really is as much of a threat as Volo says he is, I need to make sure this guy doesn’t get anywhere near the creation quartet. The two step off the train, and Cheri crosses his arms, head tilting to the side. “If you’re telling the truth, it sounds like this guy needs to be taken out.”

Volo looks up at Cheri for a second, opening his mouth to argue, and Cheri ignores his own annoyance, interrupting before Volo starts.

“I’ve fought gods. I’ve fought you. I’m sure I can take this guy out just fine.”

Volo frowns. “You should want me dead, you know-”

“No. Nope.” Cheri pinches the bridge of his nose. “Shut up with that, I’m not gonna listen to you talk about yourself like that.” Because as angry as I am at him for everything..

I can’t bring myself to hate him. Can’t bring myself to hate anyone, really, but ESPECIALLY not him.

We’re the same, after all.

Volo shuts his mouth, keeping the surprise off his face. I betrayed him and his siblings. Am I not just speaking truth? “..okay. ..I’ll explain while we walk, but we need to hurry.” I really am not worth it. But.. I doubt I’ll be able to talk him out of this. He always was stubborn, even more so than his sister at times..

What does he want, coming with me on this? Perhaps he’s just making sure I’m telling the truth about not being after Arceus, but then if he knows how dangerous this mission is..

..What should I tell him? What should I leave out? He needs to know at least some of the situation. Maybe if he knows it’s no real threat to anyone except me, he’ll leave the situation be? He knows I deserve this, after all, was on the receiving end of my worst mistake..

Cheri follows the man, who seems to be lost in thought, and he soon gets lost in his own. Who is “he”..? I could look into his fears and see.. no, that’s too invasive. Even for Volo.

..I really don't know much about him, Hisui was so long ago.. And even back then, he tried to avoid being around me as much as he could. He could tell I didn’t trust him. He hung out with Ana and Keyo much more often. But..

He looks up at Volo. Volo looks back, smiling that pleasant smile again. But it’s tense. Almost strained. Cheri gives as reassuring of a smile as he can, but it only seems to make the guy more tense, so Cheri looks away.

I’m pretty sure that this isn’t like him. He manipulated my siblings and I into helping him collect the Plates, avoiding the dangerous work for himself; it isn’t like him to do something so dangerous like this.

Cheri carefully looks at Volo out of the corner of his eye, studying Volo’s face for a moment. His eyes glow as he looks into Volo’s emotions, grimacing when he feels a wave of anxiety and self hatred and quickly stopping, pulling his magic away.

Whoa..

..He doesn’t feel the same. I don’t feel the sense of untrustworthiness I did back then.

I wish I had a hold on my powers then, because I don’t have any idea how different he truly is, I have no clue if that self hatred was there before, but I know for a FACT the anxiety wasn’t. I can see it even without my abilities.

Volo’s looking around at every face as they walk. It’s hard to notice the nerves behind the pleasant smile, but Cheri can tell from how tense he’s holding his shoulders, a tenseness that didn’t exist back in Hisui.

And his eyes are.. darker, somehow, and his breath hitches every so often as people look at him.

And he looks sick. He has eyebags dark enough they almost look like bruises. He’s pale- even more so than he was back then.

He’s still smiling, but something about the smile is even more fake than it used to be; at least in Hisui, the confidence was real.

What happened to take his confidence?

They’re around less people now, and Volo takes a breath, turning to look at the trail. “So!” Volo claps his hands together with a fake chipper attitude. “The man we’re going after.. His name is Eclipse.”

With the name, Cheri notices fear.

Memories.

He doesn’t look into them, that’s invasive, but he can tell they’re there. That’s not good.

“He’s..” Volo thinks for a moment. “..Not a good man.” Then he points into the air, finger wagging as he talks. “And he’s leading me straight into a trap! And he likely knows that I know that it’s a trap. And he also knows that I’m going to come anyway, whether I know it’s a trap or not. But!” Volo turns to Cheri suddenly, pointing at him with a smile. “If I walk into the trap, he’ll stop everything he’s doing. He only wants me. I mean, he also wants to take revenge on- well, that doesn’t matter, but he’ll stop if I give myself to him.”

“If you what?” Cheri’s staring to get genuinely worried, eyebrows furrowing. “Volo, who is this guy?”

“Someone who gave me what I deserve,” Volo says quickly, then he shakes his head. “It really doesn’t matter. Go home, this doesn’t concern you.”

“Arceus is part of it, and you are too, so uh. Yeah. It does concern me, actually.” Damnit, that wasn’t supposed to sound so pointed. I’m WORRIED, about HIM, not about Arceus.

Volo shakes his head. “Really, it’s fine. I’m not here to do anything to Arceus. No plates, no flute, you can check my bag if you want. I’m just here for Eclipse. I’m here to try to take him down, and if that doesn’t work, well.. The problem will be gone either way!”

There’s a sour taste in Cheri’s mouth. Something’s very, very wrong here. “So, what, you’re just gonna let this guy take you and do Arceus knows what?”

“It’s deserved.” Volo smiles at him again, though it’s more strained and looks much more like he’s pleading. “Please, just leave, this is not worth your safety.”

“Nope. No, not happening. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not, you’re not gonna talk me out of it now.” This whole situation.. Whatever’s going on, it really seems like it’s MUCH worse than he deserved. Prison maybe, I could see that. Maybe getting grabbed by a time traveler who could teach him about exactly why what he did was dangerous.

But something tells me someone went way too far.

Volo’s smile grows more strained. “..I was afraid of that,” he murmurs, then he shakes his head. “Well. Hm. ..okay. I.. suppose this might be a good thing. He probably thinks that I’m not coming with backup- I wasn’t planning to, so.” Volo shakes his head, smile fading entirely as he turns back to the trail up Mount Coronet. “Anyway.. He has been collecting legendary and mythical Pokémon from different times and places. We’re not sure what all he has- we know for sure he has Regiice, Azelf, and possibly the other two lake spirits, as well as the Red Chain.”

Who is “we”?? Wait. SHIT. Cheri’s neck snaps he turns to Volo so fast. “He has the red chain?”

Volo, fairly used to ghost-type shenanigans, barely bats an eye. He just nods, a grim look on his face. “And he’s going after Arceus with it.”

“That’s.. not good.” Cheri turns back to the trail, frowning down at it and kicking a few pebbles forward. “But if he takes you, the problem’s over? Why?”

Volo thinks for a moment. “He’s.. very angry with me, and it’s me specifically that he’s after, despite the situation,” he says. Cheri can tell Volo’s verbally stepping around details, so he stays quiet, waiting for Volo to explain. “..I caused him to lose everything he had.”

“..with the rift, or..?”

“Oh, no, not like that.” Volo quickly shakes his head, hands waving. “No, he just..” Volo grimaces, looking away, what Cheri would have been able to see of his face hidden behind his hair. “He.. Well. He did some pretty bad things to me. Which! That was deserved, really, you know I deserved them.” Cheri grimaces. He keeps saying that it’s deserved.. it’s putting a bad taste in my mouth. Before Cheri can say anything, Volo keeps talking. “But when Management saw what he did, they kicked him from-” He shakes his head. “You know, I actually don’t think I’m supposed to talk about that. Forget I said anything about Management.”

“Okay.” So, he was in some secret club or something, and this Eclipse guy hurt him and got kicked out over it. “..the hell you mean ‘it’s deserved’? What did he do?”

Volo’s lips press into a thin line for a moment, then he glances at his watch. “Oh, look at the time!” Volo grimaces as he looks at the cave through the mountain. “We should hurry, let’s leave the path and just climb it, this cave system must be new; I am unfamiliar with it.”

Okay, he’s avoiding the question. Cheri frowns, ignoring the annoyance stewing in his gut and following Volo off the path. Then Eclipse must have done something pretty bad.

Or maybe he’s just a very private person. He avoided questions a lot back in Hisui.

Then again, in Hisui, he had a lot of things to hide.

..What is this club he was in? Some sort of evil team? But if it is, why would they have sent him to PROTECT Arceus from this Eclipse guy?

Given our past, I’d think he was lying if I couldn’t tell. He is so incredibly lucky I have the ability to tell.

“..so. He’s got a bunch of legendaries. Why are they with him?”

“They’re not with him willingly,” Volo explains, finding a good spot on a cliffside to start climbing. “He has this device, it’s from the future- Ah! Did I mention he’s from the future? Anyway, he has this device, which is controlling them through technologically created psychic power. They don’t want this, so we need to try to avoid hurting them, so the hoppers can bring them home- they’re from different times, he’s been jumping through time to take them.”

Cheri blinks a few times, head tilting to the side in confusion. “Hoppers?? Jumping through time???” Holy shit, wait, was I accidentally right about a time traveler grabbing him?

I guess it makes sense how he’s here then.

“It’s a very long story.” One I am probably not allowed to tell you. Well.. I might be able to, considering the fact that technically, you’re a time traveler. One chosen by Arceus, no less. But.. I don’t want to drag you into this mess. Not any more than I already have, anyway. Volo shakes his head. “Anyway, we’re not sure what exactly he’s controlling them through, but we believe it’s his bracelet.”

“Gotcha.” Cheri frowns. “So, don’t hurt the legendaries, break his bracelet.”

“Exactly.” Getting to the top of the cliffside, Volo turns around to pull Cheri up, though Cheri waves him off, he doesn’t need the help. “And try not to get hurt yourself.”

Cheri nods, smirking. “Thanks, Sherlock.”

Volo blinks a few times in confusion. “..Sherlock..?”

“It’s a reference- there’s this book-” Cheri shakes his head. “Nevermind.” Noticing a sneasel sneaking up on him, he snarls at it, letting an illusion lash towards it. It squeaks in fear, running off. “Sorry, can’t risk it with dark types.”

“No, that’s fine.” I already knew he wasn’t human anyway, though it’s interesting to see him actually use his abilities.

However, it IS a little frightening.

Was that meant to be a show of power, or was he genuinely just scaring it off?

What exactly does he want with me?

Volo turns, and they keep walking, an uncomfortable silence falling between the two.

“..you know.. I have time.”

Volo looks over at him in confusion.

“For a long story I mean.”

“This isn’t one you want to hear,” Volo quickly says. Please don’t ask again.

Luckily for Volo, Cheri just looks at him for a moment, almost seeming to study him. Volo shudders at the way Cheri seems to be staring straight into his soul.

Then Cheri nods, turning to the next cliffside to climb in silence.

Volo watches him for a moment longer before turning back to climb. ..He doesn’t trust me. I can tell. He might never trust me again, and honestly, that would be warranted.

It’s really unfortunate timing, that this has happened now, of all times. Right now, when I’m doing something important. One last thing before there’s nothing left for me to do, nothing left that I can fix.

..I suppose if I survive this, I can let him and his siblings decide my fate afterwards. Those three were the ones most directly affected by my actions.. Then they’ll get the final decision, if it isn’t made here.

..for now, though.. I can, at the very least, try to give him closure.

“..I.. want to apologize,” Volo mutters.

Cheri turns to look at him, subconsciously checking his intentions, and oh, this is a genuine apology. “Hm?”

“For.. Not only the rift, and pulling you and your siblings from your home, but also for betraying the three of you. ..I hope you know it wasn’t just.. It wasn’t all just manipulation. You three were some of the few people I could genuinely consider friends, had I not been holding you all at arms length.” I might as well be genuine. Maybe in return, he’ll do the same..

No. I shouldn’t hope, I don’t get to hope, but..

It would be nice, if it was something I deserved.

Cheri blinks a few times as he feels the sincerity. Interesting.. “..They’re going to want apologies too, you know. ..thanks, by the way, that.. actually means a lot.” He looks up the mountain, thinking for a moment. “..You really have changed, haven’t you.”

Volo hums, making a so-so gesture. “I’d like to think so.”

“..I forgive you, you know.” Cheri shakes his head. “Honestly, I did a long time ago. What you did was fucked up, don’t get me wrong, and a LOT of people got hurt that shouldn’t have. But.. I dunno.” He shakes his head. “..I can understand your reasoning.” What I learned about him, about his people..

Volo stops, looking over at Cheri with confusion. He forgives me..? Why? It doesn’t make sense to me. What does he have to gain? I don’t know if I should trust this, that might be exactly what he’s aiming for. “Really?” Volo looks up to meet Cheri’s eyes.

Confusion, a hint of fear, and Cheri realizes he should explain. “I wouldn’t ever do the same thing you did, don’t get me wrong. But the world really is full of unnecessary suffering.” Cheri shakes his head. “And.. if I’m right about where you came from, you’ve dealt with a lot of it, right?”

How much does he know about me? And how does he know it? Why does he know it?

Volo doesn’t let his uneasiness show on his face, humming noncommittally. “It doesn’t excuse my actions. I ended up bringing harm to a lot of people.” I don’t deserve forgiveness. “..Thank you, though,” he murmurs.

Cheri studies him for a moment. So, the self loathing is probably from the rift and everything surrounding it, at least partially.. Not sure what the uneasiness is about, but he doesn’t like something about me. It might just be the whole zoroark thing, but it’s been growing, so maybe it’s something I’ve been saying or something? “Don’t mention it.” He looks up, getting to the top of the cliff they’re climbing and offering a hand to pull Volo up, which Volo takes.

They’re about halfway up the mountain now. The air’s growing colder- though Cheri can’t really feel the cold himself, Volo’s pulling his clothes a little tighter around himself.

..conversation topic.. Oh, the plan. “So.. About this Eclipse guy..”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Volo says quickly.

“No, I wasn’t asking what he did, don’t worry.” I don’t want to push him too much, he’s wary. “I just want to know, he’s trying to kill you, right? Do you want him alive, or? If you’re, uh.. taking him out, what’re we doing with him after? What’s the plan?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, he’ll be taken care of either way, and.. alive would be preferred, but if he dies, I.. don’t really care.” Maybe that’s a little harsh.. Well. Maybe I’m allowed to be a little harsh. Volo shakes his head. “However, I would like to be able to capture him and bring him in. I.. have some questions that I want to ask him, with prison bars separating him from me, of course.”

Cheri hums, studying Volo’s expression for a moment, sensing the emotions behind it. Is that.. Pain? Exhaustion?

Concern? ..Overthinking, maybe..?

“..What sorts of questions?”

Volo shakes his head. “..I just.. hm.”

I don’t know how to word this. I want to know why he did it. I want to know why, out of EVERYONE he could have chosen, every timespace criminal he had access to, he chose ME to hurt.

“..I want closure.”

Cheri hums, looking away. “..He might not give you that. Talking to him might make it worse, you know.”

Volo turns to Cheri with a glare, hissing “You know nothing about him, or my situation.”

Cheri’s a little surprised by the sudden anger in the air, though it’s understandable, he doesn’t blame Volo for it. After a moment of thought, trying to figure out what to say, he shrugs. “I might know next to nothing about the situation, but I know trauma when I see it.” He glances over at Volo, letting his eyes flash, a subtle reminder of his abilities. “He hurt you, yeah? On purpose, I’m guessing.”

..Just how much does he know..? And what is he trying to get out of knowing this about me?

He’s right, and it scares me. Does he know because of an ability? Did he look into my fears? Or did he figure it out on his own?

Volo turns away, the silence giving Cheri all the answer he needs.

Shit. It seems like trying to bridge the gap is just making things worse.. Honestly, I should’ve expected this, got too personal too fast.

Well. There’s no point in dropping the conversation at this point. He can try to make me leave, but it’s not gonna work, I need to make sure this Eclipse guy doesn’t fuck with Arceus. And besides..

I’m worried. About Volo, of all people. That’s saying something. “..And he’s trying to kill you even now.. I doubt he’ll give you closure.” Cheri turns away, frowning. “If anything, talking to him might make things worse.” It made it worse when I talked to Keyo’s bio parents, after all. Dickheads will be dickheads, it’ll always hurt to talk to em.

“Perhaps.” Volo shakes his head. My pain shouldn’t matter to you. You can’t actually care, especially not with everything I’ve done to you, so..

It must matter to you because you want me hurt.

“..Let’s talk about something else, shall we?” And if you do somehow care, you shouldn’t get attached to me anyway, you shouldn’t get attached to someone who deserves a bad fate. It’ll only hurt you.

“Hm.” ..yeah. He’s probably done talking now. Cheri looks up the mountain, squinting as the sun hits his eyes. “..Not much further now.”

Volo nods, checking his watch. “The readings said he will appear in the cave that leads to Cloudcap Pass.”

“Alright. So we get to the pass, then go to the cave from there?”

Volo nods. “And then we’ll wait until he arrives.”

“Right.”

They climb in silence until they reach the top, coming out near the destroyed temple. Cheri takes a deep breath, taking in the air.

This place feels as holy as it always did, the presence of the gods closer here than it is anywhere else in the region, and he feels the power of Arceus’s blessing within him shift.

They’re watching.

Volo glances over at the spear pillar, an unreadable expression on his face, and Cheri senses a spike of guilt. Then he turns away from it, wordlessly heading to the cave, a grim determination filling his gut as he lets his Pokémon out.

Cheri lets his own Pokémon out too. He hadn’t been expecting a battle today, but most of his Pokémon are pretty strong anyway, so it should be fine. He’s got Sprigs with him, and Sprigs doesn’t fight, so he was left in his ball. But Cheri has a few with him that do fight, some of the ones that he hasn’t spent much time with recently. Hydra, Eelectra, Zigzag, Tiktok, and Sylvie- his hydreigon, eelektross, linoone, galvantula, and sylveon, respectively- all can fight. And in the worst case scenario, he can fight too.

Recognition. Feeling a pulse of emotional energy towards him, he turns to look at Volo’s Lucario, who’s staring at him with confusion and a little bit of fear. Cheri takes a breath, summoning up feelings of forgiveness, knowing the other Pokémon can read them. After a moment, the Lucario nods, pushing another feeling towards him. Friendliness, a gesture of goodwill. That is SO much better than what I got from his trainer. Cheri smiles, letting the feeling rise in his chest and sending it back, then he looks over at Volo.

Volo looks normal on the outside, but Cheri can tell he’s terrified, can feel the feeling seeping off him even without reaching towards him with his abilities.

“Hey,” Cheri says, resting a hand on Volo’s shoulder.

He nearly pulls away when Volo flinches, but then Volo leans slightly into the kind touch, looking up at him with wide eyes.

He’s touching me. Why is he touching me. I..

Why am I.. not all that scared of it..?

“I’ve got your back. You’re gonna be okay,” Cheri mutters. If you’re gonna die, he’s gotta get through me first.

Volo stares at him for a moment, then nods, his smile becoming a bit more genuine, though there’s sadness in his eyes. Oh. This is genuine kindness?

I should have expected it from Arceus’s chosen.

..I really don’t deserve this. You shouldn’t get attached to me. He opens his mouth to speak, but then his watch starts to blare, an alarm that he quickly moves to silence, expression hardening. “He’s coming,” Volo says, pressing a button on his watch. A hologram pops up, indicating a specific location, and Volo turns it off and takes a step away from there, staring at it, getting low to the ground, ready to dodge at a moment’s notice. Okay. I can do this. All I need is to last long enough to break that bracelet. His Pokémon quickly surround him, protective. Cheri motions for his own to do the same, and they quickly get into battle-ready stances.

The group stands in silence, staring at the spot, waiting with bated breath.

And then a portal opens, and Volo’s garchomp snarls, dashing forward.

“Ah- Shark, wait-!”

But it’s too late. Shark is thrown into the nearest wall, a Mewtwo holding him there. He snarls, kicking at the walls, the ground, trying to escape the psychic grasp, but it’s no use. Should I recall him and let him back out? I don’t know if that would work, don’t know if I could move quickly enough-

“Well, hello there,” someone says.

The voice is unfamiliar to Cheri.

But Volo stiffens even further.

Goosebumps rise on his arms.

Cheri can feel the fear seeping off him as he turns to stare into the portal.

The strange man steps forwards, grinning. “That’s not the friendliest welcome.”

“Eclipse,” Volo mutters, shrinking back. Shrinking back.

What the hell did he do, to make Volo react like that? Cheri looks over to Eclipse, taking in the high-tech bracelets on his arms, the look in his eyes.

He’s immediately hit with the man’s aura as he reaches his powers out, a sense of complete malice washing over him, and his eyes narrow as he braces himself against it, subconsciously baring his teeth.

“I can’t let you near Arceus,” Volo says, taking a step forward despite his fear, his Pokémon moving with him.

Eclipse waves his right hand, and a few more legendaries appear.

Volo stops moving forward. The whole cave is at a standstill.

Cheri notices strange yellow wires around the legendaries’ forms, feels psychic energy coming off of them, and then his eyes narrow as he notices a small yellow bracelet on Eclipse’s wrist. It’s barely noticeable, but it matches the wires. That must be the one.

“You know what I want,” Eclipse says. Volo’s Pokémon growl, protectively moving between the two. “All you need to do is come quietly, and all this can end. You know you deserve what’ll happen to you. It’ll save the world, even; it’ll finally redeem you, to prevent the same thing you did from happening again.”

And his grin widens, the malice surrounding im grows stronger.

“Don’t you want that?”

The manipulation leaves a bad taste in Cheri’s mouth, but he looks over at Volo, waiting to see how the interaction plays out.

“..I..” I do deserve it, but I still have my Pokémon to take care of. I don’t want to leave them behind, but if this doesn’t work, if I attack him and it ends up being for nothing, will he hurt them as retaliation for my actions?

..If I just go with, I won’t have to worry. They will be at least a little safer. The land may be different in this time, but it’s still their home region, and I trust they’ll be able to take care of themselves if needed, but..

“Are you going to return the legendaries to where you got them if I do?”

Volo’s pokemon make sounds of protests, but he holds up a hand to keep them quiet.

“Of course. I only needed them for this, after all.”

Okay. Fuck this. Cheri steps forward suddenly. “He isn’t going anywhere with you,” Cheri spits, moving between the two himself.

“And who are you? His new toy?” Eclipse sneers. “He’ll only betray you, you know; he’s betrayed everyone he’s ever gotten close to. He’ll manipulate you and then throw you aside, like he always has.”

Cheri feels the way Volo shrinks back, feels the guilt pooling off the man, and he snarls. Gods. Why does every powerful man I meet have to be SUCH a DICK? “Shut the fuck up. You think I don’t know the risks? I’m one of the guys he betrayed, and you’re still wrong for treating him like this.”

Eclipse raises an eyebrow, a spark of curiosity in his eye. “Oh really?” He tilts his head to the side. “Haven’t you noticed he’s better now? Haven’t you noticed he’s not going to try anything anymore? That change is because of me. Really, the world is better off with him in my hands-”

Cheri rushes forward. He’s reaching for the bracelet on Eclipse’s wrist, aiming to break it, and the other Pokémon in the cave rush forwards with him.

Within seconds, Mewtwo flings a bunch of their Pokémon out of the cave. Zigzag, Hydra, and Volo’s Spiritomb are frozen in a huge block of ice that Cheri narrowly avoids himself. Galarian Moltres flies past him as he dodges another blast of ice. There’s something glowing electric blue over there, but Cherry doesn’t see what it is before another ice blast blocks his vision.

Cheri can’t see Volo, but he knows Volo has Sylvie and his lucario with him, so he focuses on dodging Regiice’s attacks. With an angry scream, fire blasts from his throat, knocking Regiice out cold. One last blast of ice manages to catch his arm, and Cheri yelps as frostbite sets in-

Volo screams, a sound that reeks of agony, a bloodcurdling sound that makes Cheri’s heart drop, and he turns to Eclipse, letting his true form show, ten feet of pure protective rage aiming for Eclipse’s wrist-

Mesprit. Blast of emotion. Panic.

Frenzy.

Magic rushing in his ears. Time blurring together. Screaming, sounds so far away.

Blood flying through the air. An arm, mangled human arm, on the ground, blood pooling, blood in his mouth, between his teeth, on his hands, broken bracelet, mutilated flesh.

He tries to breathe. Everything sounds underwater, the world spinning, spinning, out of his control.

Out of control.

Out of control.

Out of control, he’s out of control-

Ribbon around his arm. A sense of calm pushes the panic away. He’s left on the ground, gasping, catching his breath, residual shakes leaving him exhausted, shifting back to his human form on instinct.

He looks up after a few moments, looking up at Sylvie, who’s staring at him with wide, terrified eyes.

“h.. Hey, buddy,” Cheri murmurs, gently scratching the top of Sylvie’s head. “You okay?”

Sylvie makes a sound, butting his head against Cheri’s chest before pulling away and dashing around the chunk of ice.

Cheri recalls the Pokémon who are still stuck in the ice, then stands on shaky legs, hurrying after Sylvie- Oh no.

Volo’s on the ground.

Cheri can’t tell if he’s conscious or not.

He rushes to Volo’s side, his uninjured hand hovering over the man, trying to figure out what’s wrong-

“Cheri,” a weak voice, and Cheri looks up at Volo’s face.

Contorted with agony. He reaches out with his magic to see where the pain is, burning blasts through his side. He pulls back.

“Is- is he gone?” Volo asks.

“Yeah, I- I think I got him, I think he’s gone,” Cheri mutters, rolling Volo over despite Volo’s cry of pain.

His shirt’s stained black in a large spot on his side. Cherry pulls it up to see a huge burn. It’s.. odd, though, it’s not a normal burn. The area around is stained black, but it isn’t charred, nothing is charred. It almost looks more like a poison than anything.

Cheri can feel the dark-type energy coming off it, sapping his own energy, and he takes a shaking breath through his mouth, trying to will away the feeling as he scoops Volo up. Volo lets out a pained sound at being moved. “Sorry,” Cheri mutters with a grimace, trying to ignore how hard it is to move his hand, how numb his arm is. Once he’s sure Volo is securely in his arms despite that, he gets Volo’s Spiritomb in its ball, then runs out of the cave.

“‘S fine, deserved,” Volo mutters, eyes slipping shut as he leans into Cheri. Cheri takes Volo’s pokeballs and recalls the injured Pokémon he finds scattered around the outside of the cave. “Can.. can you take care of them for me..?”

It’s all Cheri can do to not scream, shakes running through his entire body. “Shut up. Don’t do this shit, you’re not dying on me.” I came here to protect you, and by Arceus, I’m gonna do it.

Volo laughs, an exhausted, mirthless sound, even as a tear slips down his cheek. “It’s okay,” he whispers. “It’s okay. I deserve this. It’s okay.”

“Shut up!” Shit, I’m being a little harsh. Gods. Fuck. “Sorry, actually, don’t shut up. But stop that. You don’t deserve it.” As he talks, Cheri quickly recalls the rest of their pokemon, then he gets back to running down the mountain, not even bothering going through the caves, he knows where he’s going. He shifts back to his true form so he can jump down cliffs and land it, jumping over tree roots and fallen logs, trying his best not to jostle Volo too much.

Volo’s taking shuddering breaths, silent tears slipping down his cheeks, but he doesn’t complain at all. Self hatred, agony, and a sense of utter hopelessness is coming off of him, all of it is mixed with acceptance.

He genuinely believes he deserves this, Cheri realizes, a sick feeling building in his gut. Fucking hell.

“Why’re you doing this?” Volo murmurs, looking up into Cheri’s eyes. “You can’t seriously want to help me. What’s your motive? ”

“Is it so hard to believe I could genuinely like helping people?” Cheri spits.

He was aware of the way his voice echoes in this form, but Volo flinches at the sound.

And it reminds him that, yes, it is.

He isn’t human, after all. He isn’t even living.

He’s a vengeful spirit.

And sure, he chooses not to indulge that side of himself.

But how is Volo supposed to know that?

“Sorry, sorry,” Volo murmurs, breath hitching slightly as Cheri jumps down a cliff. Blood starts to drip down his side, and Cheri internally curses.

“It’s fine,” Cheri says, setting Volo down and tearing off pieces of his own shirt to start packing the wound and make a quick makeshift bandage. “Talk about something, anything, just.. Just keep talking.”

Volo winces in pain. “..You know the Pokémon that got me? Galarian Moltres?” He looks away, eyes unfocused. “Some say it burns your very spirit away.” He laughs, though the laugh turns into coughs. “I must be very lucky that mine’s still intact, ahaha- Ow!”

“Sorry.” Having tied the makeshift bandage tight, he quickly scoops Volo back up. “What else about galarian Moltres do you know? Any interesting legends? Anything?”

“G-galar was never really my focus,” he mutters, taking a few steadying breaths- they’re shallow, it hurts him to breathe. “I’m just..” He lets out a quiet wheeze, resting his head against Cheri’s shoulder.

There’s exhaustion radiating off him, Cheri realizes, and Cheri gets running again.

“Don’t go to sleep, I don’t know what happens if you do,” he mutters.

“Mmh..” Volo shakes his head. “Trying..”

“Good. Keep talking.” Cheri takes a shaky breath. “What about normal Moltres? Any cool legends?”

“..they’ll dive into volcanoes to heal themselves,” Volo mumbles. “And they.. bring an early spring, to cold places..” His eyes slip closed.

Cheri nods. “You know the Indigo League Flame is said to have been lit with their flames?”

“Oh yeah.. I.. I remember that.. s.. Sorry, I can’t..” Volo goes limp in his arms.

“Hey, Volo, keep talking! Volo!!” Not sensing anything from the guy at all, Cheri grimaces. “SHIT!!!” Cheri moves faster, shifting back as they get to the bottom of the mountain, not wanting to be seen by anyone who doesn’t already know in any form outside of a human one.

shit shit Shit SHIT SHIT!!! Cheri bursts out of the trees, running into Eterna City, dodging around people as he heads to the nearest hospital.

He rushes into the emergency room. “We need a doctor, now!” It comes out louder than he meant it, almost echoing, though for some reason, it’s hard to hear himself anyway.

Everything feels so far away as the emergency room suddenly turns into a rush, a stretcher coming out to take Volo away. People ask what happened, and he explains as best as he can, telling them Volo got hit with a powerful dark-type attack that sapped his energy, leaving out the legendaries and the reason for the blood staining his hands and teeth.

He.. doesn’t entirely know why that’s there. He has a faint idea, but he blocks that out on purpose.

He can process that later, he can process that he probably killed a man another day.

The doctors are concerned about it, though, so he tells them it’s from the one who attacked the two of them, and they accept that answer, bringing him back soon after for his frostbitten arm.

Time seems to stretch to forever as his injury is treated, but when he’s finally left alone, allowed to leave, it feels like no time’s passed at all. He leaves the hospital, heading straight for the Pokémon center to drop off his and Volo’s Pokémon.

Relax. Just breathe, Cheri. Just relax.

Breathe.

He takes deep breaths as he walks, wrapping his arms around himself and closing his eyes, sensing people’s feelings to determine where they are so he can avoid them.

Thankfully, he makes it to the Pokémon center without an issue, setting down the pokeballs on the nurse’s desk.

“Those six are unregistered, he- he made their balls himself,” he explains, trying to ignore the shake in his voice.

The nurse scans the pokeballs. “They look registered to me..”

Sure enough, they are registered, under a Volo Discere.

“Huh.. interesting,” Cheri mutters. Did he always have a last name? I know Volo means to want. What’s Discere..? “Okay, nevermind, then. Um- I’ve gotta go, he’s hurt. Can you take care of them while I’m gone?”

“Of course, but- Wait-!” She looks up in worry as he leaves, but he doesn’t have time to chat, making his way back to the hospital.

I need to see if he’s okay.

He heads to the nearest waiting room. Someone passes by in the hall, he recognizes her as the nurse who treated him.

“Hey!” He rushes over, catching her attention. “Volo, uh, Discere- is he okay?”

“Huh? Are.. you asking about the one you came in with?” She gives a weirdly strained smile. “They’re still fixing him up, but it’s looking like he’ll pull through.”

“Okay.. okay.” Cheri lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

She nods, rushing off, and he finally lets himself relax.

Okay.

Okay, we’re okay.

Not sure what she was freaking out about, but it should be fine..

..they’ll come to me if anything happens with him, right..? I’m probably not on his emergency contacts- he probably doesn’t have those, actually- but I AM the one who brought him here..

WOULD he have emergency contacts?? His Pokémon are registered, so maybe???

Cheri sighs, sitting in one of the chairs, leaning back with his hands clasped together behind his head. He lets his eyes slip closed, taking a few deep breaths.

Whatever the case, if he needs me, if he asks for me, I’ll be here.

After a few moments, the exhaustion of the day catches up to him.

And finally, he slips into sleep, all his day’s plans forgotten.

[leggerefiore]

Le project is finished!

I explained it to you in chat, but for everyone else here, let me explain. To find everyone else's estimated height when we only have a canon height for Volo, (6ft3 or 75 inches) I needed to know how many pixels tall he was. Hair has volume and isn't completely flat (esp anime hair) nor do hats fit completely snug on the dome of the skull. So I allocated space for that on each model. To find where the top of the head actually was, I reverse constructed the heads like I was drawing something, veeerrrrry fancy way of saying I drew two circles.

Once as I did Volo's, I zoomed in super close in Clip Studio with a guide, noting where the floor hit on the ruler, as well as where the top of the upper circle representing his skull hit. I then subtracted the floor number from the skull number to get his height in pixels. Then I had to do a lil math because I needed to know how many pixel would proportionally read as 1 inch. To do so, I divided Volo's height in pixels by 75, and it gave me a number just above 6.1; this is the ratio I used to figure everyone else out.

We decided to try to get Cyrus's height as well, and I bumped into my first issue, I couldn't just shrink Cy down and use the same ratio because the camera angle was different. Also, I couldn't just stitch the images together because without knowing down to the pixel, where Cyrus's head hit on Volo, the previous ratio would give an inaccurate result. I found this out the hard way and got this funny shit:

Alas, I requested another image, this time with Volo standing beside Cyrus, for the sake of me being able to create a new ratio. We went ahead and added a few more characters for fun. That's when I realized I had made a massive mistake in the first set of calculations: the modeler already shows me where the floor is and everyone was already lined up on that axis. A redo of the first set of calculations was in order.

I got it fixed and here's the images:

I did go ahead and round everyone to the nearest whole inch. The results are: Volo 6'3, Cyrus 6'0, Ingo 5'10 (slightly rounded down), Cynthia 5'10 with heels (slightly rounded up), Grimsley 5'8, Nanu 5'7, Rika and Saturn at 5'5, Mars 5'2 with heels (thanks to the camera angle I was able to calculate the height of her heels - just over 2 inches, meaning she's roughly 5ft even without them).

Enjoy!

Alpha Cyrus standing lordly over Volo, who has yet to meet someone taller than him and is bewildered. Also, alpha encounter music playing the in background and giving him flashbacks.

My joke about Cyrus standing just under 6' feet is defrated, but I am happy I got the number so close at a random guess. Ingo's height is nerfed... My train man never stood above the line 😭... Emmet, of course, is the same height. Assuming Cynthia's heels are around the same height as Mars, she's at 5'8" (Grim territory), but I think they're actually a little shorter than Mars's own, so probably 5'9".

Grimsley isn't the shortest king, but his height does suit him. I'm going to blame Nanu's height on his bad posture. The true short king is Saturn... He deserves a crown. Rika's height wasn't so unexpected after seeing her around the taller characters. I'm a little sad she's a bit shorter than I thought, but she's still taller than me lol. Tiny Mars being an entire foot shorter than Cyrus. She's looking up to him in more than one way.

Thanks for doing all this madness to satiate my curiosity!

[goldensunset]

i’m not about to draw a minimum of twelve entire pictures but i wanna do this anyway (i guess i could just edit the images in there but that’s lame lol)

•my favorite gym leader is probably either tulip or clay! something about tulip i just always found very endearing and respectable and i love clay’s no-nonsense attitude and sheer strength. plus he gets bonus points for his daughter being lacey

•fav champion is clearly volo. like how could you not classify that as a champion fight. that was so freaking hard man. runner up goes to kieran though bc he was also really hard for me. but of course if we’re talking official true pokémon league champions then cynthia

•fav elite four member has gotta be lacey. i adore her. first time i’ve ever lost to the same opponent multiple times in a fair fight (aka being prepared and on-level). she’s sooo cute and fun! she also terrifies me severely

•favorite protagonist is akari no surprise there. la does such a good job of making it clearly important why the protag is the protag. it offers a legitimate in-universe explanation as to why this one child in particular is so much more powerful than all the others. out of place in time and space, literally chosen by a god… the way certain characters question her humanity, both in a good and evil way… it’s so good

•favorite rival… well pokémon fans use the term rival really loosely. it can mean any friend character that you battle for funsies even once. it can mean literal arch nemesis. idk. arven stole my heart with his story but i don’t consider him a rival like most people do so that goes to cheren. i love his story and he has also mopped the floor with me several times

•favorite antagonist is also volo next question. i’m sick in the head about him. n is a strong and clear second place obviously though. i’ve done enough rambling on here about them

•professor laventon is the guy ever he feels like he actually personally cares about akari so much. that’s her dad. the way he’s actively involved in plot stuff, he accompanies the team on field missions even when he really doesn’t need to… he’s always there. you see him a lot. and he’s clearly writing the pokédex entries himself and they’re absolute gold. but seeing as professor is also a broad term because they’ve been really breaking up the older tradition in recent games, i nominate director clavell as second place bc i respect the guy a lot. that old man (tm) enjoyer here

•fav battle facility leader… well. i don’t really have one bc i’ve done very little with the battle facilities in the two games i’ve played that had them lol. so i guess throwaway answer is ingo but mostly for pla reasons. actually i think he counts as a battle facility leader in pla with the daybreak update and i’ve done some of his stuff so he does in fact count for me

•for fav clan member i’m gonna say arezu i like her a lot. she tried doing the right thing in a very chaotic way and i respect her for her efforts. plus her design is cute and she gives great haircuts and her noble is adorable

•character from other media… well i’m obsessed with the way n is portrayed in pokespe. perfect blend between sad prettyboy and freak behavior. they just made everything so intense. and i love oshawott from poképark 2 with the way he’s trying so hard to be serious and cool but snivy keeps getting on his nerves lol. that’s the reason i chose oshawott in pla bc that was the only of those pokémon i recognized

•i’m classifying arven as miscellaneous bc like i said i don’t consider him a rival but MAN!! man… this guy just got shortchanged so many times but i’m glad he was able to get closure for his parents’ disappearance and death and that he can move on and just live his own life. also certified dog lover moment

•top fav character… yeah you all know it’s volo LOL. completely shrimp fried my brain. the absolute hyperactive high i was on when he revealed himself. made even more insane bc i had literally been spoiled that he was a twist villain but i had no other context so i was just waiting the whole game for him to be evil. imagine the sinking in my gut when the credits rolled and it didn’t happen i thought i’d been embarrassing myself the whole time but then the postgame punched me in the gut HARD. i thought he’d end up being like the sad sympathetic frenemy guy where you don’t really want to fight him but NOPE full on evil full on he was just using you. made even better by the context that he had been your biggest fan throughout the whole game while everyone else had been suspicious of you. i lost my entire mind. once again second place to n though

[pikatalia]

I am posting Chapter 1 of More Than Just A Hero again because I cannot find it anymore!!!🐶

Chapter One: Alpha Glalie

The scream that echoes across the Icelands is enough to freeze you. You straighten up, the wind clawing at your clothes, and glance around for the source of the scream. It sounded like a Pokémon, probably an alpha one from that volume. You’re closer to the Pearl Clan village than you would prefer to be with an alpha nearby, so you adjust your course and try to follow the cry.

It comes again, ringing in your ears with its intensity. But it’s what follows the scream that worries you. A shout, that of a person, one fraught with pain and fear. You pick up the pace, running through the snow now, desperate to save the poor soul that got caught up in an alpha’s wrath.

You skid to a stop at the top of a jagged hill edge, peering down at the valley below to see a Glalie building up power for an ice move. Its glowing red eyes are focused at the base of another hill, and there you spot a familiar blue and yellow uniform. Your heart stalls in your chest as you recognize the face of the Ginko Guild merchant, a man you haven’t seen since the fateful day at the Temple of Sinnoh.

Without much thought, you fling yourself down the hill, into the valley, rushing towards the two. Your shout of anger draws the attention of the alpha Glalie, who swings around with a furious cry that its attack has been interrupted by a feeble distraction. Your anger spikes – you’ve wanted to see Volo again for so long, and now here he is, about to die to this wild Pokémon.

Your hands are hot as you dodge ice shards flying at you from all around. You dart between the Glalie and Volo, ignoring whatever he’s shouting in favor of the rapid approach of the Glalie. The wind is picking up, thick slush carried with it, but you ignore the snow splattering into your face. With grit teeth, you act one instinct, throwing your fist forward in a punch-

Fiery orange sparkles alight around your fist, consuming the image of the Glalie as your fist makes contact with where the Pokémon’s nose would be, if it had one. You’re swallowed in the warmth of the flames, jerking back from your own punch with a gasp. Smoke billows from your fist, perfectly uninjured despite the fire punch move you just performed. You pant, surprised, at the reeling alpha.

The Glalie, startled by your sudden attack, flees before you can work up the rage to fire punch it again. As it disappears into the foggy distance, you remember yourself, and whip around to face the man you just saved.

Volo is pale as a ghost, clutching his janked leg as he stares up at you in utter awe. You fall to your knees beside him, frantic, and check his leg over. His pants are torn, and you can see the bad bruising of what could be a break beneath the blue fabric. If his leg is broken, you’ll probably have to carry him to camp.

“You-” Volo can’t say much more before you have his cheeks between your palms. His lips are soft against yours, but cold. Not good.

“You’re okay.” You say in relief once you pull back. Volo is slack-jawed, and doesn’t fight as you slide your arms beneath him. Surveying has paid off, for the lanky man weighs hardly anything in your arms. “I’ve got you! Let’s get you somewhere safe so you can get patched up.”

Volo is silent as you begin your trek towards the Pearl Clan village. His gray eyes bore into the side of your head, but you ignore it for now, focused on moving through the snow with delicate cargo. As the village appears on the horizon, Volo finally speaks.

“Fire came out of your fist.” He says.

“It sure did.” You respond, hiking him up further into your arms.

“How?”

“I wish I knew. Would’ve helped with surveying and quelling the nobles.”

Silence once again envelopes you both. People at the edge of the village have taken notice of you, and shout further into the village, calling for Irida. Not wanting to jostle Volo when you inevitably get crowded, you set him down on a nearby rock, careful of his leg.

To keep him warm (and safe) while you’re gone, you release your Typhlosion, Dango, and instruct him to keep watch over Volo. The merchant scoffs, but doesn’t say anything as Dango turns his attention onto him. The large Pokémon is intimidating enough to forgo any ideas of rebellion in Volo’s mind.

You rush into the village once that’s settled, nearly slamming into Irida on her way out. She grabs you by the shoulders to steady the both of you, then shakes you some.

“Where did you find Volo?!” She demands, eyes wide and bright with panic. “And why did you bring him here!?”

“There was an alpha Glalie nearby.” You explain, breathless. “It had Volo cornered, I think it broke his leg! I couldn’t just leave him to die, Irida!”

The wrinkled expression Irida’s face takes on shows that she thinks you could’ve, but she doesn’t say anything about. “Alright, alright. You’re lucky Warden Calaba is still here, helping with some illnesses that swept the clan earlier this month.”

“Do you think she can help Volo?” You ask, hands clasped before you.

“For you?” Irida asks. “Yes. For him? Not so much. I think she’ll help, but she won’t be happy about it.”

You wince. None of the clans nor the Galaxy Team are fond of Volo after his betrayal. You can understand their anger, but you’re glad Irida is willing to look past his wrongdoings to help you ensure he doesn’t die out here.

You wait at the village entrance for Warden Calaba, who sighs heavily once she’s at your side. You show her to where Dango is watching over Volo, tensing at the glare she sends the merchant.

“Broke your leg?” Calaba asks, setting down her basket of herbs to properly look over the limb.

“Possibly.” Volo responds, muted. He glares at Calaba, then at you, his cheeks rosy from the cold. You admire the color on him, then snap back to attention when Calaba starts to speak again.

“Does it hurt when I touch here?” She asks, pressing on Volo’s leg. He winces and nods. “And here?” A muffled yelp. More nodding. “And what about here?”

“Are you done!?” Volo snaps.

“That’s not even a morsel of what you deserve after all you’ve done.” Calaba snaps back. Volo wilts, growling at his lap. “You’re lucky the hero didn’t leave you to die to that Glalie. It’s what most everyone else would’ve done.”

“W-Warden Calaba.” You say, before the two can well and truly start fighting. As funny as it would probably be, watching a man with a broken leg trying to fight a ninety-nine year-old-woman, you don’t want it to come to that. Besides, Calaba would probably win, and Volo doesn’t need a bruised pride on top of his other injuries. “Is his leg broken?”

“It is.” Calaba says, clipped. She turns her nose up to Volo, then regards you with a scowl. “I don’t understand your kindness towards the betrayer, but I respect you. There’s a cabin near the Snowfall Hot Springs. Take him there, and you’ll both be safe while you rest. I’ll bring herbs that should help with his pain, and for if he happens to develop an illness or infection.”

You sigh in relief. “Thank you so much.”

“Anything for our hero.” Calaba says with a nod. “Take him to the cabin, and splint his leg. Keep him off of it if you can.”

“I will.”

Calaba gives another nod before she starts back towards the village. “Good luck. With him, you’re going to need it.”

Silence envelops you once more. Dango huffs steam into the cold hair, lowering his head so you can pet him. The heat of his fur against your hands reminds you of the fire punch you performed. What was that, and why could you do it? Can you do it again? It’s certainly something to try, now that you’re about to have a lot of free time.

You retrieve your flute, and play on it to summon Wyrdeer. The steed comes barreling over the mountains not long after, snorting a thick steam from his nostrils once he stops before you. You coo up at the noble, and show him Volo, carefully explaining the plan. Wyrdeer doesn’t seem pleased, but he lowers himself to allow you to ease Volo onto his back. The merchant says nothing, nose wrinkled the entire time.

It’s a quiet journey through the Icelands.