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trashlie · 10 months

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[‼️fp 237 spoilers] ahhh ashlie we're always on the same wavelength <3 sorry for going off a bit in the last asks, i can get a little fiery ehe 😅 and right it's absolutely understandable why nol is the way he is, why he acts the way he does why he's walking in circles and if anything i'm frustrated FOR him because he is in such an unfortunate situation and you can tell he's absolutely terrified ;; the stronger his feelings are, the bigger the fear that something terrible is gonna happen to her, the stronger the urge to keep his distance to avoid that. because how could he live with himself if/when that happens? especially after what happened at the formal? like... i get it, i really do ;A; but you are also correct, nothing can be done about yui for now, but he at least can change the way he treats her! and, if shinae is willing to deal with the risks and danger that he brings, then it's her choice! and she is responsible for her own actions and choices!!

and i've been thinking the same thing! if they were supposed to part on bad terms, it could've happened after the dance. but instead we have the 3 day extension leading up to christmas (there *are* medical facilities in prisons so they could've taken him in but no), the "convince me", shin's bandana that she *still* has to get back, and also why are we moving so fast with nol barely able to hold back and the focus on her lips and shin being so feral? why these realizations and desires *now*, when they could've begun after jailtime?? it's obviously leading to *something*. otherwise it would be too anticlimactic. ILY has never been about quick reward so i'm not mad the buildup is taking its time. nol had the talk with dieter next is kousuke and then mayyyybe (big maybe) alyssa? since he's gonna get his phone back? and we might also have the shinae-dieter talk and then shinae-nol will probably be last. i would not be surprised if she shows up on the last day and that will be the climax. and quim is dangling it right in front of us so let's just hope she eventually gives us what we want, what the story needs, instead of yanking it away because then what were all these episodes even for? we'd be taking 10 steps back and for what? a gotcha moment?? sdghdgh GRHHH YELLS. 💥

and 1000% agreed shin is gonna have to do the heavy lifting and if she convinces him with a kiss then so be it. if she has to be a lil morally gray and break her own rules and kiss a taken man (no matter the nature of his relationship with alyssa, it's still a relationship), so that *he* can break his own rules, then fine. and look we know the effect of resting on her shoulder had on him, a kiss would completely undo him. convince me this is not what you want convince me you can throw me away now. HE CAN'T. GAME OVER. there is no way he'd be able to argue. seriously if the "convince me" comes back this time from shin i'll explode. 🤸🏾 and i KNOW she has it in her girl you can't keep letting him push you around you can't keep getting flustered under his gaze forever stand up and give back the energy go get what you want!! and ALSO "i don't have time for this" "it's not going to happen" yadda yadda that's FINE nothing has to happen mutual feelings and even a kiss don't mean you gotta start a relationship just talk and come to an agreement. be on the same page. GOD.

-slightly more optimistic lil anon 😼

ah sorry to add on to my prev ask: to clarify, IF we're heading into a kiss as a means to convince nol, to change his mind, then it will really depend on how quim executes it, how the conversation goes what the circumstances are... and i want shinae to give her best effort and not back down but i really wouldn't want her to force anything physical on him. consent is important! again, just to clarify, because i realized what i said could be potentially controversial. no forced kisses, that's not how i meant it! my apologies! -lil anon 😼

PLSSSS you are right we ARE always on the wavelength so no need to apologize for getting fiery because SAME! You should have seen me going through the stages of grief and denial after that episode lmao It was.... intense I have so many feelings alkfjakfjkafkajfjafj

also don't worry I know what you mean, huhuhu! Maybe someone out there might have misunderstood but I think we're both on the same page when we talk about that and, frankly, given that this is fiction and it's a controlled environment.... a kiss in this scenario would yeah be something that is welcome! I'm trying to think of how to explain this lmao but I'm sure you understand what I mean! Because it's like.... it IS something he wants, but he's trying so hard to deny himself that.

Like yes this is basically where my shred of hope remains: there HAS been too much build up, our guy keeps focusing on her mouth, he received that 3-day extension and that ABSOLUTELY provides narrative purpose, he still has her bandana, "convince me", etc. etc. It absolutely would be incredibly anti-climatic to send him away without them talking. Like you said, I'm not even here urging them to get into a relationship! That's fine, the circumstances are *not great* and if he's that afraid maybe that could be a compromise. That "This isn't going to happen" at this time because he's so afraid of the consequences, but that it CAN eventually happen. To me, the important thing is that they TALK about it. Acknowledge their mutual feelings, don't deny them. Acknowledge that they want each other!!!!! Okay!!!!!

Like, I guess at this point the conflict is this: Nol and Shinae have incredibly strong feelings for each other, but Nol feels both like an asshole because Dieter likes her too, but also afraid because he is very convinced that terrible things will come to those he cares about. He can't turn off those feelings, though, so he can only feign apathy, but at this point, it doesn't matter. Shinae is in Yui's clutches. He doesn't know this though - yet. But this is our conflict. Shinae is afraid that Nol is throwing her away and she absolutely refuses to let him do this. This has happened before and this time she will not stand for it! This time she will prevent it.

Now she knows that she has feelings for him. Maybe when she wakes up, we'll get to see her dwelling more, because Maya already told her "maybe he likes you and he's being mean so you don't find out". Shinae, bless her little heart, thinks that Nol can't possibly like her because he has a girlfriend - a hot, gorgeous, famous, talented girlfriend - but she NEEDS to sit down and think about everything that lead up to that argument. His insistence that he cannot be alone with her. The intense way he asked her to dance. His fingers in her hair leaning so close to listen to her music, the finger dancing, his finger hooking around hers, the way he looked at her, his head on her shoulder so calm he could sleep! She doesn't even know he wasn't on the morphine drip!

Shinae's whole goal is that she doesn't want to lose him, and now that she knows what she feels about him, why she can't lose him, that perhaps Maya is right, I think she'll be very determined to talk to him, to fight back. Something we've seen so far is that Nol tends to have the advantage. He was the one who figured out his feelings and began to suspect hers first. There's so many things he's never let her in on, leaving her in the dark. But likewise, there are things he doesn't know about her, too. I feel like her pure determination and fear of losing him will be a worthy adversary of his own fear, that even as he tries to put those walls up and push her away she isn't backing down. We saw her try to break down his door!!!!!!!!!!

So yeah, I feel like a convince me kiss is a really good option, because much like when Nol held Shinae in place at the Parks' place when she tried to run away and avoid her feelings of vulnerability, I think she needs to hold him in place, too. Stop running away, stop lying, stop trying to deny what he can't. Does all of this really mean nothing? Can you really throw all of this away? It feels like that would come before actually talking, because yes they kind of need to get those walls down, she has to make him contend with what he's pushing away. I love the idea of the turn tables, where he was the one trying to make her realize, now it's her turn to do the same, especially because he was trying to make her realize. Like.... "Why didn't you deny it then?! Why are you still trying to push me away when you know how much that hurts?! Why won't you let me have a choice?!"

JUST YELLS

I just... yeah I feel like they gotta argue a little, she's got to plant a kiss - that I absolutely imagine him reciprocating because like you said, even the head on her shoulder thing was making him crumble. In my head I see it like her asking if he can really ignore this and kissing him, and as she starts to pull away he leans in, following her, pulling her back in and just.... mauling her. lakjfkafjkafjkafjk I feel like the moment she makes contact it's game over his brain is switching off and it's pure want and instinct and a touch-starved man falling apart at the seams, hands on face in hair pulling her impossibly closer, so hungry, so needy for something he's denied himself at every opportunity. Every time he thinks about her he keeps focusing on her mouth LMAO he wants SO BADLY and I need her to use that against him and force him to contend with what he's trying to deny. He insists that maybe this can pass but CAN IT? DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT?!

And THEN they can talk, THEN she can reiterate what she's been telling him, what Rand has told her, what Yui has done what Yui has said. I WANT HIM TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS TRANSCENDS HIM. I WANT HIM TO UNDERSTAND THAT HE IS NOT PROTECTING HER BY LEAVING HER BE, THAT HE IS, IN FACT, LEAVING HER MORE VULNERABLE. I WANT HIM TO UNDERSTAND THAT HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO IS HURTING HER ;A;

There's something about the way that like.... he wants her so much and he's so scared of losing her that he can't have her, because of how much he cannot lose her. Like, no matter what HE LOSES HER ;A; And no matter what SHE IS GETTING HURT. SCREAMS

I'm just talking in circles because yeah we all know this we all know what we need LMAO we all know what it happening but AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH JUST FEELINGS FEELINGS FEELINGS ;_____________;

and quim is dangling it right in front of us so let's just hope she eventually gives us what we want, what the story needs, instead of yanking it away because then what were all these episodes even for? we'd be taking 10 steps back and for what? a gotcha moment?? sdghdgh GRHHH YELLS. 💥

This is really what it comes down to, though, yes, and I keep repeating this, too. From a narrative writing standpoint, doesn't it feel like we'd just be taking 10 steps back? If he was going to leave and all of this would be unresolved, we wouldn't be hashing into it now, he wouldn't have an extra 3 days, he wouldn't be stuck at the hospital, Shinae and Nana wouldn't be interacting like this, the talk with Dieter wouldn't be happening, he wouldn't have "convince me"'d her. If they weren't going to approach this, to talk about this, to hash out their feelings without some kind of resolution, he WOULD have left. He wouldn't have gotten injured, he never would have been there. We just... gotta go down a bumpy road to get there. Like you, I think it could be that she doesn't go til the last day, too. Or.... idk. I have played with the idea that maybe she'd wake up and go immediately to the hospital having to sneak in, but again, narratively, it feels like we have a LOT happening with Kousuke there right now.

Also I just can't shake the fact that 3 days brings us SO CLOSE to Christmas and it feels SO VERY POINTED, right?

We absolutely could have had Shinae realizing her feelings while Nol is gone, after "losing him" but.

I'M CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC. SHINAE IS SO DETERMINED and she's so FERAL about her feelings and she's SO INTENSE!!!!!!!! She WANTS HIM SO BAD and she is SO SCARED OF LOSING HIM I JUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONVINCE HIM. SHOW HIM WHAT A FOOL HE IS. REMIND HIM THAT TWO CAN PLAY THIS GAME, THAT HE DOESN'T GET TO MAKE ALL THE CHOICES THAT SHE, TOO, HAS FEELINGS INVESTED

RAKAFLJKAFKJAFKJAFKAJF GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRR RJRRGJ GRRRRR GGR FKAFJJF GRERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ;A;

#I Love Yoo #ILY Brainrot #ILY FP #ILY Spoilers #ILY Anon #Lil Anon #Shinae Yoo #Nolan Oliver T. Lochlainn #i've been writing Lochlainn wrong this whole time #and i'm now stressed #i gotta.... fix that later #heck #Stalkyoo #Aegi

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iswateredible · 12 days

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can't properly scan my sketchbook rn cause I'm traveling, but that also means I'll hopefully have more time to sketch!!

I wanna try and color this one and add dialogue, but can we appreciate the bicon siblings dressing alt even in summer, they're probably baking under the sun wearing all this black but ✨ it's about the commitment ✨

#wip #sketch #Heather #heather the unhinged #Dagur #dagur the deranged #httyd #rtte #traditional art #sketchbook #fanart #fan art #race to the edge #how to train your dragon #dob #rob #modern au #punk/goth au #I don't remember my own tags I gotta fix this later

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verysmallcyborg · 14 days

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4am posting of pirate au fornax's handsome face before i scramble off to bed

#fornax #au roe #pirate au #chefs kiss to the shaders that make her eyes/markings pop and don't wash out their skin #i didn't see her all day/night until like 3 hours ago and i was wailing for my butch fix. my daily serotonin #i have 2 poses in an ask scheduled for later and then i gotta do another (it's the size difference stuff tehe)#fun fact she's VERY mean and nasty in this au. rude mf. do not look at them. perceive at your own risk. they maim and bite on sight

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ghosted-jazz · 2 years

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First Reds Ren’s enderman eyes idea by @dailyrendog

#double life smp #rendog #bigbst4tz2 #more like BigB stacked! Look he said he was the muscle so im making him buff. Ren can be buff too. They arm wrestle to settle arguements #I like to think after couples therapy Ren starts smothering BigB with affection. Cookie socks and spending hours fixing his sweater after #the creeper explosion. Alas I enjoy secret soulmates too much so I still wanna see the break up #the colours are wack but i'll change them at a later date. now i gotta watch the latest session :DD #my art

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majachee · 7 months

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Raphael. Stop shoving your brother outta the way.

#majart #wip #tmnt 1987 #i'll fix the goggles later. i hate drawing goggles lol. but i gotta for improvement.

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zebratimw · 1 year

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Spirit animal SQH

#svsss #shang qinghua #but mainly I'm just here to vague post LMAO I don't like to vague post its not very effective in terms of venting but #but basically I guess I'm becoming hyperaware of my like... cognitive dissonance codependency and derealization ee #also my general laziness ig and where it overlaps into executive dysfunction or whatever like I may genuinely have some issues but #I am also a lazy son of a bitch jfjfkgkg and i need to figure out how to figure it out so I can work on both in more effective ways hhggg #oh yeah but basically the thing to remember for later is the silence in the call and the immediate unmute and chat activity once I left #I should remember this and stop interacting I think? I should try to give em space I think I'm being too clingy or something #or maybe my own silence is too awkward and dampens the call? I was kinda just spacing out and not doing anything so I get its kinda weird #LMAO so I should just like try not to be in call for those times mm #I just like being in call with my friends jdhfkg but I suppose its not very good either #I overindulge I suppose another friend pointed it out to me before too haha but fjfjjt its just easier than facing bouts of dread by myself #eehh and that's why I gotta do something about my Metnal Ailneses hfjfj but ngl I don't really know how to go about it...#I get embarrassed looking stuff up djfnfkg and half the time I don't even know what to look up I just draw ?s and I give up #I suppose I also have commitment issues too but that ones not new which is an issue of itself aaaaaaaa #man idk idk I just don't really get it I guess djdjfjf and I've got existential dreads and think maybe it doesn't really matter whats wrong #cause there's no point to fixing them because ultimately I'm gonna die alone and a failure anyways? so like ehfjgkg idk #its depressing and I know its like sabotage cause my brain is being a little silly a little goofy and its not a shared sentiment #with the better half of me and the entirety of my friends but yknow its just ee harder sometimes to believe in the optimism ig #and i can talk about it somewhat normally and without like having a ✨️break down #but yknow djfjgkg I'm very emotional a person ya? I think sqh is relatable for gods sake 💀#irrationality sentimentality nihilism and existential dreads... wanting to die because living is too hard despite all my hopes for living...#just the ol regulars yknow?#and another thing... do I talk to my friends about these things? I vent them out here a lot but what do I really want?#I'm not strong enough to keep it to myself clearly but I'm also too proud to share these thoughts? I dump them out in the open and for what?#whenever someone reaches out with concern and care I don't respond in kind and refuse to elaborate?#so like what do I want with this? I guess I want someone to know I'm going insane half the time I'm awake? but not do anything about it?#that's pretty unfair I guess... and stupid I think I do want to share my thoughts with someone but I'm too scared of the ramifications #and that my pride can't stand the fact I might be looked differently by my friends even tho the image they have of me is already quite silly #man.... idk.... I'll come to conclusions myself and do nothing about them so I guess that'll happen again aah idk idk idk

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terrainofheartfelt · 1 month

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Liz's definitive track assignment list that nobody asked for (but I know I'm right)

"Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone) -- DAIRFAIR DAIRFAIR DAIRFAIR

"The Tortured Poets Department" -- derena breakup track. derena divorce track. take your pick. serena pov <3

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" -- 🪑

"Down Bad" -- changing course because this is rwrb firstprince alex post lake house I'M RIGHT

"So Long, London" -- same for above. acd-coded

"But Daddy I Love Him" -- blair waldorfian. i'm having his baby jk lmao. unhinged.

"Fresh Out the Slammer" -- calling it another post derena divorce. pov both of them. dan floats to blair, serena gravitates to carter. and. fuck it. 🪑divorce. "I served my time" and all that shit

"Florida!!!" -- ivy/charlie. florida woman. fuck this city i'm getting fucked up in the gulf. yeah. she could have been so much more.

"Guilty as Sin?" -- BLAIRRRRRRRRRR s5ep4 if you want to get specific. reading steamy book scenes. gurl.

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" -- JENNY GIRL. "I am what you trained me to be." I MEANNNNN.

"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" -- 🪑

"Loml" -- dan. sad dan. sad lonely boy

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" -- serena. always. constantly. (though cherry & I also agree it's firstprince coded)

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" -- louis divorce yeehaw

"The Alchemy" -- serenate reconciliation

"Clara Bow" -- blair & jenny and the girls that are destined to replace them.

#*** please be advised that op barely knows who these songs are written about AND SHE LIKES IT THAT WAY #i don't care about d-list celebrity men i care about my BLORBOS #checking wikipedia and lol you can tell dessner produced most of the b-side #the way 'daddy i love him' and 'slammer' want to be country tracks SO BAD but the production won't LET THEM #same for 'i can fix him'#one drink in so i feel JUST bold enough to post #but the b sides have gotta be later #album's so fucking long i've only listened to it once entirely #gossip girl #rwrb #this is terrainofheartfelt canon now

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atimefordragons · 2 years

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GENSHIN WEEK 2022 DAY THREE: STRONGEST FIVE STAR

Since the dawn of life, humankind has always borne an intense yearning for and curiosity about the world. This is the anchor point of their cognition and is the foundation of all reason. The world of the people of Inazuma is also thus. There, thunder, lightning, wind, and rain were primordial facts of life, as well as light, and the sea... and the RAIDEN SHOGUN. Babes nestling in their mothers' arms hear tales of the Shogun's slaying of many gods and conquering of other races. When young men and women roam the islands, they see the gorge split asunder by a blade of lightning and the pale, still-standing bones of the giant snake. Soldiers take to the battlefield with "GLORY TO THE SHOGUN AND HER EVERLASTING REIGN!" upon their lips. The people work in contentment and peace, knowing that the Shogun and her loyal Tri-Commission are there. The great name of the RAIDEN SHOGUN has long shaken off the shackles of mere life, becoming the eternal traditional belief of Inazuma. People trust in this great name and its might, believing that their descendants shall witness the same sights, that the same faith will form the foundations of their inner worlds, and that this will pass on from generation to generation. This is the eternal paradise that the Almighty Shogun promised her people.

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dungeons-and-dragon-age · 5 months

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first and last rendered background this year o7

#my art #my ocs #oc: liam hawke #skippy the mabari #id in alt #actually looking at it now i forgot to finish the path fsdjfldjs #w/e though cant be bothered to fix it rn #maybe later #trees are fun! i love drawing trees <3 #gotta learn a better way to draw them in a way that makes sense lol but they are v relaxing to draw

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scaleshadow · 3 months

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Desperately need to give Reign a hair redesign but …!!! the homos w their pseudo kids

#lego monkie kid #six-eared macaque #reign the white lipped pit viper #lmk fanart #self ship #oc x canon #reign uses he/him #i feel like i gotta specify that everytime LOL #rumble #savage #ill check their actual tags later LOL #shadowscale #so upset that tag has stuff already on it #ILL FIX IT I SWEAR #lmk oc art #monkie kid #text is cringe but its ok🥲#IM CRINGE BUT MF FREE !!!!#oc x macaque

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babacontainsmultitudes · 5 months

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Okay I gave myself the brainrot for demon Sparrow so I've been sketching him lol I am cringe but I am free here's an unfinished sketch + my normal Sparrow for reference (who I posted at some point but I don't have it in me to track that post down rn)

Also I'm probably deleting this later you know the drill secret untagged late-night post for whoever happens to see it lol

#I'll look at this later and be like “BLEGH” but for now he's fine ig lol #def gotta fix up the bod like there's much left to do but I wanted to show my vision for the horns and eyes lol #I wanna give him a body chain- equivalent exchange for losing the necklace(s) lol #I have a love-hate relationship with his hair #OKAY going to bed gn!

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risingsunresistance · 2 years

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shader pictures :]

#someone's gotta do it jkfhdkg #i like getting pictures around hypixel for you guys bc i know a lot of you dont log in #guiding ppl around during the memorial writing stuff was really important to me #sharing the pictures of the build when ppl couldnt see it and reading tags everyone left for him n stuff #idk #tw death #technoblade #hypixel #mine #shadertag #im GONNA make a separate tag for all my scenic pics n stuff. i'll fix it later but that's what it is for now #gotta go back through the crunchies tag and remove all the scenic stuff and stick it in that tag #maybe i'll do that tonight

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evermorethecrow · 9 months

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Draft 1 (with chuuya and murase)

stormbringer spoilers!! CW: It's got lots of mentions of underage sex specifically with adults so there's a pedophillia warning there even though you don't see any of it

"Chuuya can I talk to you"

Murase had taken Chuuya in almost a month ago, the teen adjusted surprisingly quickly from his old mafia lifestyle to a new domestic one. Aside from finding it dull sometimes.

Murase knew Chuuya was a child raised in bloodshed, he'd always crave it But this wasn't about that. (im adding more here)

"What is it?" Is the response he gets.

Snappy and blunt, Chuuya always was with adults. It was rude of course but his sentences got straight to the point and held a respectable honesty.

They could work on it together later, not now though. This was much more important.

For a moment Chuuya stares at him.

Tired eyes and red hair, freckles and scars.

A child who needed to grow to survive.

God, and Chuuya was a child.

He's sixteen and Murase has to sit him down and explain to him why he shouldn't sleep with people twice his age.

Its nauseating to say the least.

Murase stands up and moves past chuuya leading him into the living room. His hands are trembling as he sits opposite to the boy.

"Chuuya-" He starts. "I'm sure.. you know what this is about."

The boy in front of him isn't the one he dragged from the mafia, nor is it the starved desperate boy he saw in a photo a year ago at his station.

Chuuya isn't an up-and-coming Mafioso any more and he's certainly not a kid trying to keep the only form of identity he has close with desperate famished hands, he's a child plucked from a war and placed in a warm home trying his hardest to adapt like he always had. Except for once he's not adapting to some new threat or danger.

So of course Chuuya doesn't know how to act right yet.

Of course Chuuya would have looked for any affection he could on those streets. Any validation he could in the mafia.

Of course those habits wouldn't just vanish.

Of course just like Chuuya still holds his body like a gun ready to fire he'd still hold his tenderness like a cheap reward.

Murase puts his hands on his lap.

Where Chuuya can see them, they have to be in his sight because if not they could be wrapped around the grip of a gun, or the hilt of a knife or any other weapon he could win against but hopefully doesn't want to.

For if Chuuya doesn't want to fight it could mean maybe the smallest part of him has become attached to the detective and maybe a smaller part of him doesn't want to let that go.

There's light in the living room. Covering every object, every inch of the room.

Engraved like patterns into wood or sprayed like graffiti on a train station, either way it glitters through and does little to calm nerves or ease clotted tension, but its okay. He can talk to Chuuya. he couldn't in the past but he can now and he can hope that will be enough.

#Okay guys i know this is shit but #YOU GOTTA FORGIVE ME #I DONT WRITE MUCH #ITS THE BRAINWORMS #THE VOICES #anyway dw about spelling i'll fix it later #and change a lot anyway #uhhhh i can tag this #Evermore writes #drafts #wips #fic wip #current wip #chuuya au #chuuya bsd #scared to tag more than that

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roxannarambles · 9 months

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teal mask fixit-fic on the fly part 4

(Current story so far: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3)

The festival had been great fun so far, once you'd all managed to ditch Carmine. It was like any good festival should be; lots of bad fried food; lots of games that were rigged against the player but were cheap enough to try again and again and eventually earn silly prizes; and plenty of opportunity to just generally horse around and not worry about classes or other, weightier matters in life, at least for the evening. Arven was absolutely affronted by the fair food, clamining it to be a culinary crime, so you and Nemona made a point of buying the greasiest and worst snacks and treats so you could to eat them in front of him. Penny had worked out how they'd rigged one of the games--a basketball toss that Arven was annoyed he couldn't win-- and helped him win the next round. (Turns out the ball was intentionally over-inflated and the hoop was higher than regulation). Even Kieran seemed to eventually warm up to everyone and enjoy himself, showing you all one of his favorites of the festival, an informal contest that festival-goers had acting out the heoric feats of the Loyal Three while wearing their masks. After all that messing about, you all just wandered for a bit, enjoying the atmosphere and all the costumes.

Then Carmine caught up to the group again.

She was pretty annoyed, claiming you'd all ditched her; Kieran was quick to tell her that you'd all simply lost her in the crowds, and everyone backed him up on that point. She seemed unconvinced but dropped it, in favor of issuing a challenge to the Paldean students: She claimed none could beat her score at some game called Ogre Ousting and dared one of you to try.

It didn't surprise you at all that Nemona's eyes took on a competitive gleam and she stepped up to the plate to defend Naranja's honor.

"Sure, I'll give it a go!"

Carmine laughed in her face, saying,

"You? Oh, perfect. This should be fun to watch."

There was a heavy tone of sarcasm underlying her words, but Nemona just smiled at her, saying,

"Thanks! So, what are the rules?"

You listened as Carmine explained the game to her in as condescending a way as possible. It was starting to really grind your gears. This girl being snotty to you, you could handle that, but watching her treating Nemona that way was too much. When they'd finished talking and everyone started to walk to the seating that was meant for people observing the games, you reached out and grabbed Nemona's arm.

"Hold on a sec."

She looked at you curiously. You pulled a pokeball from your pocket and handed it to her.

"Here. Why don't you use Koraidon? Give that girl a taste of Paldean pride. I bet they've never had to contend with a pokemon like this before with their little berry game, would be fun to see their reactions."

Nemona's eyes widened a little, but then she shook her head, handing you the ball back.

"No, Koraidon is way faster than any Stantler. I don't want to have any unfair advantages!"

You frowned.

"I heard her explain the rules. Players are allowed to use any ride pokemon they want. It's not cheating."

"I know it's not cheating. But it still wouldn't be very sporting of me."

You sighed, frustrated. You adored Nemona's purehearted respect for competition, but for once it was making things difficult.

"Nemona, that girl isn't as nice as she seems. She was totally disrespecting you and, and . . . she doesn't deserve to be treated that nice, she deserves to be taken down a peg! Plus, she already has an unfair advantage over you. She's played this silly game her whole life, she knows it way better then you do."

Nemona smiled at you softly.

"I know. Thank you for looking out for me, Jules. But I did get the idea she doesn't like me all that much. I'm getting a lot better at noticing that kinda stuff. And I know she already has an advantage over me. But you don't have to worry. Win or lose, I'm gonna do my best and I'll make Paldea proud!"

You gazed at Nemona a moment, her eyes bright and determined.

Then you smiled and let out a sigh.

". . . okay, okay. You know I have complete faith in you, I know you'll do amazing regardless."

Nemona grinned.

"Damn right I will."

You laughed and the two of you went to join the others.

However, once Nemona was set up with the rental Stantler, she realized Carmine wasn't getting ready for the game.

"No, no, I'm not playing. I'm just watching. You have to beat my record, remember? I've already set the record." Carmine told her. Nemona considered that a moment.

"Well, that's boring!" she said.

"Why don't we make it a little more exciting for our friends to watch? We should both play the game at the same time. You have to defend your title right here, right now. Sound good?"

Carmine glared at her, protesting,

"That isn't fair! I shouldn't have to meet my record again, that's not how records work!"

Nemona cast her a curious look.

"You don't want to? I think it could be fun. Or are you worried you can't beat me?"

You smirked as Carmine's face flushed in anger and she growled,

"I could beat some clueless Paldean bug-catcher any time, day or night, with my hands tied behind my back!"

Nemona beamed at her.

"Great! So we're on?"

"Oh we're ON all right. Get your Stantler, I'll set up the second course."

It didn't take too long for them to prepare, and soon both girls were atop their Stantlers, in their respective positions, ready to roll. You and the others were seated in the bleachers, watching expectantly.

The referee called,

"On your marks . . . get set . . . GO!"

The two players were off like rockets, blasting through rows and rows of balloons.

"You can do it, Carmine!" Kieran called out tentatively to his sister.

"KICK HER ASS, NEMONA!" you shouted through cupped hands, startling Kieran. He seemed to think a moment and then stammered,

"Oh, I-I'm-- I'm sorry, I'm rooting for Carmine, but you know, I still like you all too, I just, um . . ."

You laughed and reassured him,

"It's fine. I don't mind, I get it."

"I'm rooting for Carmine too," Arven told Kieran. You shot Arven a glare.

"What? Kieran can but I can't?"

"Carmine's his sister, that just makes him a good brother. You however are being a traitor."

Arven huffed an annoyed noise.

"I am completely impartial," Penny declared, leaning back in her seat. Arven said,

"That just means you don't want to tick anyone off."

"Yeah? And how is that bad?"

"Shhhh, quiet guys, they're coming by to drop the berries off!"

Both girls had returned to the tables to drop off the berries they already had, their buckets laden heavy with the fruits. Then they were off again to gather more. You all spent the time trying to count the berries and estimate who was in the lead, as well as argue over tactics of blasting through the balloons and protecting the tables from Skwovets. The time limit was rapidly drawing to a close, and both girls seemed to be progressing at a very even pace. It was honestly imposible to tell who had the lead.

When the game was called, you all rushed down to the field to watch the referee tally the berry totals. It would come down to the final counts. Nemona stood there, stained in berry juice and beaming, looking tired but proud. You gave her a hug, not minding the berry juice and gushing,

"You did awesome, Nemona! It was your first time but you were running that course like you'd done it dozens of times already!"

She laughed,

"Thanks, Jules. It was really fun! A real adrenaline rush."

When you began to pull away from the hug, she paused to whisper to you,

"Y'wanna know my secret?"

You nodded eagerly. She murmured,

"While they were setting the second course up, I mighta spent the extra time wandering the course and studying it a bit. Thought it wouldn't hurt to be a bit prepared." She winked.

You gave her a proud smile.

"That's mi tesoro, always usin' her head."

"Y-you looked great out there, Carmine. I think you might have even beaten your old record," Kieran told his sister. She didn't acknowledge him, instead just standing there with a tense expression, watching like a hawk as the referee counted the berries one by one.

"He's right, you looked really in the zone out there, I was impressed!" Nemona told her sincerely. Carmine waved a hand and hissed,

"Quiet, I'm counting!"

Everyone fell into an awkward sort of silence as Carmine watched the referee finish tallying the berries. When he'd finally got through them all, he announced in a loud voice;

"Aaaaaand the winner of the Ogre Ousting for tonight . . . at a whopping 20,000 berries . . . isssss . . . ."

The dramatic pause apparently went on for too long, as Carmine snapped,

"Gah! Just tell us already!"

The man gestured to both girls.

"It's a dead tie! You both win!"

"WHAT?! That can't be right! Count it again!"

"I already counted it three times," the man said sternly,

"I take my job very seriously."

"Ugh, this is-- this is ridiculous," Carmine spat, clearly disgusted. Carefully, Nemona said,

"Don't feel bad, Carmine. I mean, we both won, you don't have to feel bad--"

Carmine snapped,

"We didn't both win! Two people winning means nobody won! We still have no clue who's better!"

Nemona frowned.

"Well, we know we're both really amazing at it? I think a tie is kinda neat--"

"Wait, I've got it!" Carmine interrupted, pulling some pokeballs from her fanny pack.

"If we can't settle this with Ogre Ousting, we'll just settle this with a pokemon battle!"

She looked at Nemona expectantly, full of confidance and defiance, as if incredibly pleased with her idea and eager to see Nemona's response.

Nemona was quiet a moment, and then a smile settled onto her pretty features. It was not one of her usual smiles; it was something much more subtle, something almost dangerous.

"A pokemon battle, huh?"

Nemona tossed you a glance and you could hardly hold back your grin and bite back your words, but decided it would be more fun to keep quiet. Nemona's eyes sparkled with mirth. Carmine glanced between you and Nemona, looking faintly confused. Nemona answered her lightly,

"I guess I could try it out! Promise you won't go easy on me, though. I don't wanna feel like I'm getting an undeserved victory or anything."

Carmine snorted.

"I can definitely promise you I won't go easy."

"Good."

You looked to Arven and Penny, smirking. Arven said hesitantly,

"Carmine, you miiiight wanna reconsi--"

"Hush, Arven, let them fight," you say to him mildly, putting a hand on his mouth to silence him. He swatted you away.

"Yeah, this could be fun to watch," Penny said, grinning.

Penny was right, the battle was incredibly fun to watch, but not in the way Carmine had been hoping.

#pokemon #pokemon s/v #pokemon scarlet/violet #the teal mask #pokemon dlc #spoilers #pokemon spoilers #the teal mask fix it fic #I am posting without proofing sorry guys it's almost midnight #and I gotta skedaddle and sleep #see u tomorrow #p.s. I do NOT remember what carmine's actual record was for this mini game so I'll fix the actual number later haha

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