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Post by Miner7365 on Jul 23, 2020 0:21:21 GMT
Various trigger warnings listed before responses that require them. If any of them require more than I put, let me know I'll go and correct the issue as soon as I can. Also, I'll give a warning some of these are fairly old and not reflective of my current writing ability. Some later ones (when I get to posting them), will be a bit more reflective of that. Also, for the most part, none of these have any connections (with a few fair exceptions, which I may or may not leave you all to discern.) Overall, hope whoever reads this enjoys it. If you want to leave any feedback, I'll take it. But without further ado. One-Shot Quick Select:
1. Marowak Storyteller
2. Oren Berries and Masochism
3. Human Flip-flop
Marowak Storyteller:“This is an old story, but I swear it happened. My memories of it are hazy, but I’ll tell you what I can recall, young ones,” Marowak, who had seen a lot in his time, said to a bunch of children circled around him. “Solis town stood still the morning we set the scene, as I watched a figure float through the town’s gates. Peering over the window, my own young deluded curiosity overwhelming common sense, I could see one definitive detail.” “The ‘mons large, glowing red eye,” Marowak said, glancing at the same road the ghost had floated along that day to his side. “He looked downwards the entire time, being stared at in all directions by towns folk, while looking like he harbored some great guilt. I still don’t know what species he was, but it had to be a ghost or something, with the way it was floating all over the place.” “Soon after, I was called over by my father, who scoffed at me for staring out the window at someone,” Marowak said, before sitting down again and looking at the kids situated around him. “And while it was fair enough, I just wish I got one last second the peculiar ‘mon to this day. It’s just a question that continues to haunt me, in these old days of mine.” “But I swear,” Marowak reminisced, glancing down the street again, trying to remember any other details of the event. “He mighty looked like he regretted something. Something I question to myself to this day, as I look out onto this street old as dirt.” “I can only wonder where the poor lad is now, and if he’s found any peace of mind.” |
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Post by Miner7365 on Jul 30, 2020 0:31:31 GMT
Oren Berries and Masochism:
Frax stumbled, forced back from a continual onslaught of ice. His Venusaur partner long since fallen, the Fraxure was alone to endure the attacks brought by a seemingly endless amount of Vanilluxe.
Panting from fatigue, Frax’s vision soon blurred from a lack of energy. Slashing an incoming chunk of ice with his mouth-chops, he opened his bag and felt around for another healing Oran berry. Rushing to find one—the attacks soon to begin anew from the floating balls of ice—a blue colored berry was enough for him in the heat of the moment.
Lackadaisically plopping it in his mouth, Frax focused his attention back on the outlaws. They had been trying to steal the delivery of Oren berries they ordered and were not going to stop and pay anytime soon.
The fight continuing onwards, one of the swindlers getting close and personal. Frax engaged them directly and slashed with his mouth-chops, leaving a deep gash in the Vanilluxe’s body. Frax continuing his onslaught of dual chops, he did not notice his growing lack of coordination. He eventually would miss; his sense of direction completely butchered by the shipment’s product.
Blinking in horror, looking at the now smiling Vanilluxe, Frax felt a spear of ice collide straight into him. The wound ringing out with pain, he was surrounded by the gleaming faces of outlaws ready to have at him as he backed up against an icy wall. Bag thrown on the ground and his hands on the air, he waved the metaphorical white flag and surrendered.
Frax’s bag collected and him and his partner taken hostage, he learned one thing while looking at the gleeful outlaws all around him. Don’t trust flying, masochistic snow cones that want Oren berries, going into the future. Also, don’t do private work away from the guild, perhaps the more applicable of the two lessons.
Still though, don’t trust any snow cones; Frax learned that from his endless days of looking out of an icy prison cell.
Especially if they float.
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girl-like-substance
the seal will bite you if you give him half a chance
Posts: 527
Pronouns: xe/xem
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Post by girl-like-substance on Jul 31, 2020 22:01:45 GMT
This is shaping up to be a neat little series! I guess that first one is … something between the events of Time/Darkness and Super, maybe? I know that Dusknoir appears in Super with a little mission, but I have to admit, I don’t know what it was. Regardless! The point here is the not knowing, isn’t it? We don’t know what Dusknoir did in the time between the two games, and we don’t know what he’s doing here; we just know that he passed through this town, seemingly only for a very brief time, and that even in that brief instant Marowak could sense his guilt.
It’s all very Melmoth the Wanderer. Or that guy out of medieval legend who was supposed to have taunted Christ on the way to the crucifixion and was cursed to wander the world till the day of judgement. Someone travelling endlessly, restlessly, the only constant in their engagements with others a kind of obvious, brutal guilt. It’s very evocative, is what I mean, and while I can see what you mean about it being a bit rough around the edges here and there, I do still like it anyway!
Moving right along: that second one’s a bit of a change of pace. A deal gone south, a berry shipment stolen. Freelancing always seems so attractive until you realise no one’s got your back, huh. I wonder what the vanilluxe wanted with him? If he was non-guild, who was gonna come pay for his release? Again, questions we can’t answer, I suppose; it’s really all about the impressions. Regardless, it’s very cool – pun absolutely intended – to see vanilluxe made use of! Especially in a PMD setting. I feel like it’s a species that often gets overlooked, but I quite enjoy it. They seem spooky to me – presumably silent, without feet or wings or whatever, and probably horrible ambush predators. As seems to be the case here!
Anyway, putting my vanilluxe enthusiasm aside, these were two very enjoyable drabbles! I’ll have to check back on this when you add more. :>
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Post by Miner7365 on Aug 4, 2020 19:29:55 GMT
Thank you for the comments Girl-Like-Substance! I'll try my best to make some sort of commentary back on them here, but I'm not exactly the best at doing so, so we'll see how that goes.
Glad to hear the wanderer piece left a lasting impression. That Marowak does pop up once again later, for... something fun, but for now, this is all you get to see of him. Him and his reminiscing comments on things in the past.
As for the other piece, I mainly choose Vanilluxe for the concept of this guy being taunted and stolen from something that is usually sweet and helpful. Same goes for the Oren berry he accidentally pops in his mouth: it turns sour for him and he gets ruined as a result, being a bad version of something sweet. Not a whole lot more I can say beyond that.
Anyway, thanks again for the comments. I'll go ahead and post the third one of these, since I don't see a reason to hold off.
Human Flip-Flop:
This was it. The day I would get the answers I had sought for so long. Hearing the door of the ruins slam behind both Teko and I, the finality of all this started to set in. Hallways lit up by my tail-light, a ball of emotions bounded up inside of me. Fear, anxiety, happiness, just name it.
All of it, formed simply by the knowledge that this search for answers finally could be ending.It was enough that I almost missed Teko speaking. Pushing my hand at the edges of the hall, feeling for any sign of an indentation, he said, “So... I guess this is it, huh? Our journey is finally over.”
Looking up at the Treecko, I said, “Huh? Well, I guess... nothing is saying we can’t still stick together after this, though.”
The room went silent as I started to realize what he was implying. Focusing less and less on finding the indentation, the earlier optimism drained from my face. “Remember what I said about why I wished to help you? Because you reminded me of back when I was alone?” Teko said, as I turned around and looked at him with creeping trepidation. “All that, seemingly endless time ago?”
“Well... yeah. Of course I remember that day. Why wouldn’t I? I had been wandering around without memories before I met you, and I... you’re not saying what I think you’re saying, right?”
The desolate ruins going deathly silent, Teko crossed his arms at the Chimchar in front of him. “I’m just saying... there’s probably a family back at your home that wants you back more than I ever could. And I can’t just deprive them of that.”
“But that’s down the road,” Teko said, trying to diverge from the topic. “Let’s just find the set of runes so you can read them and figure out what exactly we need to do to defeat Ida,” Teko added, leading the way in front. “Faster we’re out of this place, and out of the chance of being caught, the better.”
Casually dropping that soul-crushing realization, Teko lackidasically continued the search. After looking ahead with hesitation, sullened by the possibility of departure being soon, I soon joined him.
Staying close to each other, in fears of a Mystery Dungeon having formed in the dungeon, they turned out to be entirely unfounded once I felt a weight shift under me.
Looking down to a floor-plate having sank, a door leading into a staircase opened itself up to us. Teko giving me a distinctive look screaming this-is-it, he walked down. Looking down the ominous haze composing the pathway down to the ruins hall, I soon followed suite.
The hallways dark damp corridor all around me, I was left to think a few last things before whatever destiny I had was revealed. I hadn’t considered whether I would be separated from Teko, nor the status of my family in general. And I could only wonder why I never thought about any of these questions.
It felt odd. Peculiar, even. Something that gnawed against my being. I had believed I was human ever since Teko told me I wasn’t the first amnesiac to appear, but the thought left me feeling uneasy.
I wouldn’t have time to answer this, as I made the final last steps. Looking up from my thoughts, the famed room both Teko and I heard about made its grandeur clear. The walls enamored with ancient art, untouched for years upon years, it was absolutely stunning to the eyes.
But Teko was not concerned about this. Marching forward, he went straight towards the book in the center. A book that both Teko and I were told contained information about how I, the human, was supposed to defeat Ida. Approaching Teko’s side, both of us standing in front of the Lectern, a true sort of finality set in. Slowly picking up the book, reading it off to illiterate Teko, I read up the mythical text’s words.
“Welcome, dear human. Or human and partner, if you made this journey not alone,” I read out, Teko giving me a small smile.
Refocusing on the text in front of me, I read aloud, “None of us know about how the world will look when you see this, but we know something is coming. An entity created off the collective disconnection between all pokémon slowly fermenting in the population, now taking a physical form and attempting to cement itself for eternity. Comparable to Dark Matter in scope, if you still remember that entity when reading this.”
Looking up at the page to Teko, we both collectively blinked at each other with incredulity. Shaking my head, wondering what ‘Dark Matter’ could've been, I continued reading.
“Further in these ruins is the one thing that can possibly combat the creature. Only you, the human, can save us all, as only one with a human soul can bridge the pushing disconnection. You’ll find a pathway to this in this very room, hidden from prying eyes.”
Stopping for a moment, I noticed the incoming line. Repeating my name in mantra, I hoped, turned the page, and read, “For all of our sakes, we all collectively hope you succeed, Teko.”
I stopped reading, blinking at the page. Getting it in a better angle of lighting from my tail, I internally read it again. When nothing changed, I rubbed my eyes, trying again. Again, again, and again. My eyes had to be deceiving me. This... this couldn’t be true. Sure, Teko had no parents, but he... was an illiterate who couldn’t remember anything past five years ago.
He acted different from everyone, being one of the most distant pokémon I had seen. I mysteriously could read runes, while he never knew how. He associated more with outcasts and seemed oddly familiar with human things I... honestly didn’t feel that reminded of.
He was a human thinking he was a pokémon, and I was a pokémon thinking they were human. We both had lived false lives, and I was now presented with a dilemma as to whether to tell him.
“Uh, is something the manner?” Teko quizzically asked, forcing me to make a choice. Taking my attention off the pages, he continued, “You stopped reading, and you know how I can’t make sense of those footprints, so... what does the last sentence.”
“I... I...” I stuttered out, before just asking him. “Teko, do you really want to know?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Even if you aren’t the human listed, surely you can still clear the...”
“Teko, you are the human. Not me. We’ve both been living lies, for our entire time together. I’m... truly sorry for accidentally lying to you about my identity.”
Teko staring at me, and then his hands with bafflement, I only had one thing to say before the ruins went silent once more.
“I’m so, so sorry, Teko.”
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