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Status

Recent Statuses

1 yr ago
Current To those I RP with, I haven't dropped off of the face of the earth, just had a mental health crash but am recovering. Now to catch up on posting.
7 likes
1 yr ago
The worst thing about mental illness is you have to look after yourself a disgusting amount. I know it's the only way to actually be in a fit state to look out for others, but it still feels wrong.
4 likes
1 yr ago
Emeth: Then I'll be that friend who's the opposite kind of annoying, whispering "Do it, you know you want to..."
5 likes
1 yr ago
Judging by the Internet's definitions of introversion and extraversion, you'd think everyone's either an extreme hermit or a party animal with no in between.
6 likes
1 yr ago
Krystal: All part and parcel of the job.
4 likes

Bio

A frazzled British thirtysomething cat mum with something of a tea addiction.

I like a wide range of RP genres, but have two absolute favourites: Pokemon and magical girls. (If someone manages to combine the two, I'll be VERY happy!) I post fairly regularly, but sometimes shit mental health days crop up - if that causes any delays, I'll try to resume posting ASAP.

Most Recent Posts

@jujube @Crimson Flame @Ryik

The Gust, while not a harsh one, swept Netty's hat askew again. Straightening it and smoothing her hair, strands of which stood up anyway, she sighed. "I was just saying things that needed to be said," she told Mellona, before turning her attention back to Zaria. She appreciated Mel at least, but still...

Nothing to worry about. You're blowing this out of proportion. Just relax. Nothing to get upset over. Netty's face heated with irritation and shame. She'd heard that too often from well-meaning people who talked down to those they tried to help. Was Zaria that naive, or was she being deliberately patronising? "Ugh, stating an opinion is one thing, being flat out insulting about it is another," Netty huffed. In her worked up state, she didn't think over how rude her own tone could be. After all, didn't Zaria need a good talking to? "Say contests aren't your kind of thing, but don't call them lame. It takes creativity, perseverance and effort, on the part of the coordinator and Pokemon, to put on a show the crowd will enjoy."

She turned to Tim, trying to hide how much his words resonated with her. It was all very well to imagine being in the spotlight in front of a huge, cheering crowd. Actually standing there, under the scrutiny of judges and spectators alike, faced with the possibility of letting down her Pokemon, would be another matter. "Ahaha! Like that's gonna happen when it's my turn! A few rounds in, and they'll know better than to laugh. And you can always watch." For all her blustering, a tremble slipped into her voice. The sight of Tim cuddling the little puppy was what she needed, not that she'd admit it, the only hint being a slight smile.

As the spat seemed to ease, Mellona's triple frown softened into a look of concern at her trainer. She continued her conversation with Magnet, giving Antoinetta that worried glance every so often. "Beeeee." Excusing herself, she fluttered down to Netty. "Beeeee?"

Netty patted Mellona's waxy shell. "I'm ok," she reassured the Combee. "More than ok. First official day at a place like this." Grinning, she gestured at the castle and grounds - which, now she got a fresh look at them, seemed a little too grand for her to belong there.

"Anyway, yeah. Moving along," she said, facing Troy, "let's see your starter."

Bump for two more people!
@Platinum Cobra I'm sorry but since it's been six weeks now with no word, I'm going to have to take it as meaning you're not in this any more, and take your characters off of the list.

Reopening applications for two more people, since DC probably isn't coming back.
Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey


All throughout breakfast, Jess didn't want to look at the men. She ate in silence, trying to think of ways around the demand, but all too soon the time came to move along and negotiate. She stood, shuffling behind Roxy as Reginald led the group to the study, everything about which said "business" with its neutral tones and utilitarian furnishings.

At Reginald's command, Jess sat in one of the guest chairs, her posture stiff. She pressed her lips tight, mulling over the question. It seemed he was giving her an illusion of choice, trying to get her on his side. With a deep breath, she replied, "The best way... If you could, please involve Roxy as little as possible. I know she's your daughter, and matched to me, but it's an empath's help you want most, isn't it?" She fidgeted in her seat, knowing all too well Reginald would keep trying to control Roxy through her. If either was going to break free, they'd both have to.

"Anyway, I'll sit across from the business team," she offered, "and try to pick up on anything off."
@jujube @Crimson Flame @Ryik

At Zaria's remark, Antoinetta's mouth fell open. "Hey! What's gross or freaky about them?" People said that about bugs all too often. Of course, everyone had a right to like or dislike certain Pokemon, but sometimes it was at their expense, or the expense of those who appreciated them. A memory flashed into Netty's mind, of playing with a Burmy as a child, only for a bunch of kids to spot her and laugh, one of them spraying a stinking Repel all over her and the little grub. "Most people like fuzzy, big-eyed Pokemon," she continued with a scowl, "so why are bugs any different?"

At least Tim had the right idea. "Finally, someone gets it," Netty started, but the ever-pragmatic Troy cut in, weighing Butterfree's battle capabilities against those of other Pokemon. "You know, overlooked Pokemon have their strengths. Which aren't always purely battle strengths," Netty replied. "And it's not just about usefulness to the trainer, however you define that, isn't it about helping the Pokemon grow too? So many people dismiss bugs as useless, without even bothering to train them."

Zaria spoke up again, trying to be helpful by the sound of it, only to go and blurt out how ugly she thought some Pokemon were. Netty cringed, thinking of contest standards, and how the general public's views of Pokemon affected the results. Was there any way around that? Yes, surely there was, as a certain famous Sinnoh coordinator proved. "Ahem, I think you'll find there's more to 'weird' Pokemon than you think," Netty said, making air quotations. "I'll have you know, there's a coordinator in Sinnoh who proves Ghost types are anything but weird and ugly like people usually think. They can be just as stylish as any other Pokemon. And believe me, so can bugs." She put her hands on her hips. "Care to tell me, Miss Badass, what exactly makes a Pokemon cool enough for top ranger standards?"

Mellona, despite her trainer's defense of Bug types, turned and gave the entire group a six-eyed glare. What was with all the bickering? She got it to an extent, her heads sometimes bickered among themselves over types of nectar, but it was always quickly resolved, whereas this argument threatened to escalate. Couldn't these trainers just get along already?

"Beeeee!" She whipped up another mild Gust, this time at the four of them.

@Luminosity @Platinum Cobra @geminironin @Ryona Zako @alexfangtalon @Typical


Brenton Ackerley


Through the panic, Brenton was vaguely aware of a hand on his shoulder, and a voice. He tried to breathe slowly as Freya advised, but each stab of pain made his breath rush back out. As Marcus took charge of the situation and spoke up, Brenton nodded, forcing himself forward on his hands and knees. Not an easy thing to do while still gripping the knife, knuckles scraping against rock. Dammit, he was already putting Freya in danger like this. If he went to pieces, he'd be even more of a liability.

"Heh... Surfing in Australia sounds nice," he panted, focusing on Freya's back. "And after this, I'll be able to deal with the snakes and spiders there no problem." Picturing a clear blue sea, he mentally repeated Freya's words. We've got a lot of space still. It didn't feel like it, but at least the crowding meant everyone else was safe, or as close to safe as they could be.

The tunnel led to a thankfully larger chamber, that blue light casting an odd glow on the rocks and on a shallow stream. Gripping a stony outcropping, Brenton pulled himself up with a wince and steadied his breathing the best he could. "Well that's not your average cave torch." The light source was clear now, some kind of hewn stone pedestal, a glow like a wispy flame emanating from its centre.

Even if they'd managed to escape their attackers, they weren't alone. This cave was clearly inhabited. Glancing around for further danger, Brenton yelped and staggered back at the sight of a figure. A figure with a bow and arrow, pointed right at them.



Aubrey Hughes


With difficulty, Aubrey helped Hannei haul Aina onto Marcus' back. "It's ok, this is no problem," she reassured them through clenched teeth, even though the patch of torn flesh burned. How deep was the wound? Trying not to think about it, she hurried after Freya, pulling Victor towards that odd glimmer. "Aina, Brenton, listen to me, we're going to get out, we're going to get the fuck out of here..."

The tunnel widened into a chamber, large enough for her to stand at full height. Foot splashing into a trickle of water, Aubrey stepped back, frowning at the glowing structure that looked like it belonged in a video game. "Whoever set that up, I sure hope they're friendlier than those three..."

She whirled round, nearly falling into the stream. Judging by the gnarled makeshift arrow pointed in their direction, the nearby crouching figure was NOT friendly. "Can't we get a fucking break already?" Pulling back, Aubrey raised the belt chain. That was when she fully registered the figure - a child, no older than ten. A human child, if a wild-looking one.

Aubrey mentally scolded herself for swearing at a kid, but kept her guard up. After the trick the kelpie had pulled, how could they be sure this girl truly was human? "Who are you?" Aubrey asked, with a tentative step closer.

Before she could get an answer, a scuttling sound caught her attention. Something small and long-fingered leapt through the tunnel, right at them. "Ah!" This time, Aubrey did topple as she dodged, water soaking her jeans. "You again?" She made a clumsy, pained swing with the chain, the lake goblin giggling as it danced out of the way.

The group really couldn't get a break.
Amber Pine

Mesalon Gym

@Typical @Zanavy @OtomostheCrazy

"Yeah, we should make a move," Amber replied, pulling up the straps of her backpack. "Both of you got everything?" Knowing the group wasn't likely to hang around in Mesalon much longer, she'd already packed up everything she needed. She started towards the doors, hesistating when she spotted Alexis waiting there. Alexis, who for all her apparent confidence, wasn't immune to pre-battle nerves by the look of it.

Amber hoped her smile would reassure the other girl. "Hey, good luck with your match." If she was going to take on the challenge, that was. Stepping aside to let her past, Amber wondered what to do. If they waited any longer, it'd be difficult to catch up with the people out and about. Yet hadn't she just said it was best to stick together as a group? Alexis would be able to quickly catch up, but even so... And if they headed out now instead of watching the match, would she take it the wrong way?

@jujube

With an inward wince, Antoinetta folded her arms. Antenna - That had been one of her many embarrassing nicknames back in Sinnoh, often said in a far less friendly way. "Excuse me, I'm pretty sure my name badge reads Antoinetta," she countered. Besides, she'd only fallen because a certain somebody had crashed into her, and then Val had gotten in the way. Now she'd have a reputation as a klutz, all because of others' carelessness.

Walking on tiptoes so she wouldn't stagger, or fall again, she headed outside with the group and let out Mellona. "Hey Mel, let's explore this place properly later." The Combee hovered this way and that, as if making a mental note of the vast range of flowers. As she did, the Magnemite flew up to her, his eye flicking over each of her three heads before he let out several beeps.

"Beee-combeee-beeeee." Mellona responded with cheery cries, buzzes and twirls. She didn't know if Pokemon of other species would understand her body language, an important part of communication for a Combee, but it would help emphasise the message - all three heads worked as one unit. She couldn't help but wonder, were there any other Pokemon like that?

Netty, looking up at Mellona and Magnet, gave a twitch of a smile. Even though she had no idea what they were saying, they seemed to get along great already. If only humans could be more like that... She tried not to think about the less than warm welcome in the main hall just now, focusing on Zaria's excited chatting instead. "Crazy? That's putting it mildly," she replied.

Her eyes widened a little at the mention of the pink Butterfree. Zaria had been lucky enough to see one? In the flesh? Quickly, she put that air of self-possession back up. No way was she letting jealousy show. "Oh yeah, I once saw a Roselia with black and purple flowers in a contest," she answered. Which she had - on TV. Pretending she'd watched the show in the contest hall, though, sounded so much more impressive.

She paused. It wasn't just Zaria's mention of a shiny that had intrigued her, but the way she seemed to appreciate an undervalued Pokemon. Most serious trainers overlooked butterfly Pokemon because of how common they were and their supposed weakness, even though from what Netty knew, they had some pretty decent status moves and were perfect for contests.

"You like Butterfrees?"

There, now she'd said something else that might get her laughed at - but if people did laugh, wasn't that their problem? She'd show them, anyway. She'd show them bugs weren't to be underestimated.



Rose would have yelled at Fluke again for his insensitive comment, but right now, the voice occupied her focus. Was this a trick? Or some kind of dark magic? Her insides squirmed as she thought back to the healer's corpse, the ring she'd glimpsed on his finger. She hadn't gotten a good look at it, but if it was what she thought it was...

"Jay! Please tell me that's you!" she called, watching for a face at the window.

She didn't notice Archer's approach until Ruskali's weight eased from her arm. Cringing as the Ze leader laid him down, Rose hoped she hadn't made his injuries worse by helping him stay upright. Part of her - a significant part - wanted to believe that in even the furthest gone of former hosts, a spark of who they were remained, a spark that could grow. Ruskali's incoherent whimpers, however, were a world apart from his usual zeal.

There wasn't much even Archer could do, besides comfort him. Rose watched her leave Ruskali's side and set about treating Listener, who didn't seem too worried - well, except about possible addiction. If this was what it meant to be Ze, Rose thought, they'd need Listener's peppy attitude to lift them up. It beat Fluke's any day.

She stared back up at the window. "Jay, it's me!" She gave a hoarse laugh. "As you can tell, I went through with it." If only she'd done so sooner, she berated herself, thinking back to the joke she'd started making several years ago.

...

Through the bustling marketplace, Laverna squinted at two figures heading down a distant street. Masks - one shaped like the head of a wolf, the other like elaborate butterfly wings - obscured their features. "They some kind of carnival act?" Vern asked, pointing them out.

"Nah," Jay chuckled, looking up from his coconut square. "They'll be the Ze. The Zephyr Extinct. The guys who go round hunting down horrors." At her look of shock, he added, "Oh, no need to worry. There haven't been many of those around lately, thanks to the Ze. Those two are probably just on patrol."

So much still to learn about the outside world... Reminders like this frustrated and fascinated Vern in equal measures. She kept her eyes fixed on the two. "What's with the masks? Besides looking awesome."

Jay shrugged. "Who knows? Nobody really knows much about them, except they have this tendency to start over. Leave home, take on a new face, a new name, the whole deal. A little extreme, but they've got to have their reasons."

A grin spread over Vern's face. "You know," she joked, "some day I might just run away and join them."


...

She'd even considered it seriously at times, but it had seemed beyond her capabilities. If that really was Jay in the building, Rose wondered, would he forgive her, or blame her?

As Archer addressed her, she turned. "A friend's in there, it's him, it has to be him!" she explained. "Even though he's..." Her glance at Ruskali told Archer the rest. Just then, two hoverbikes zoomed into view, their whirring growing louder as they neared, until it drowned out the song. Two medics landed in a flurry of sand and tended to Ruskali right away, but Rose's relief was short lived.

The singing had given way to silence.

"Jay?" No response. "Please, answer me, make a joke, even yell at me because I wasn't there, just please say something!" Stepping forward, she clenched her fists. This was probably a dumb move, especially in her current state. Still, if something sinister was going on, she had a duty to investigate. Both as a Ze, and as a friend.

She wouldn't hesitate again. Flinging open the weathered old door, Steel Rose rushed into the building.
@Ogobrogo @jujube

Antoinetta wasn't sure what to make of Valerie's grin. On the one hand, it meant at least one person here was unfazed. On the other, could someone who clearly had zero regard for public image be trusted to redeem the situation?

That squirming feeling intensified - and eased as a teacher stepped in, a long-necked Grass type trotting at his side, wafting a sweet, soothing aroma through the room with its ruff of orange petals. From the way Netty's shoulders relaxed, her fears melted away, and the chaos all around calmed, the scent's comforting properties were clear. For her, though, what added to the effect were the memories it brought back of Floaroma's meadows, her former refuge. The place where she'd first met her closest friend, Mellona, who currently hovered around the petals as the sight and smell intrigued her.

Not even Herb's scolding particularly worried her. The five transfers, after all, weren't the ones in trouble - well, Val might be, judging by the teacher's double take at the sight of her. Val, of course, kept that laid-back air that had to be typical of her with or without the soothing scent, eyes flicking around the group and settling on Netty.

“If they’re gonna talk about you, give ‘em somethin’ to talk about. She gets it.”

Netty returned a wavering grin, trepidation trickling through the calm. Now she'd gone and issued the challenge, there was no backing out of it. "Yep! Our accomplishments will be the talk of the school some day. Mine will for su-" She fell silent at Val's, ahem, gesture at the entire room. Ok, that wasn't going to do their reputation any good. Or make the other students any less confrontational. Not that she was in any position to judge, after her own little blunder.

It wasn't long until Principal Poplar made his appearance. Netty hoped the ceremony would be something to focus on, but the droning speech failed to keep her attention. Her thoughts kept drifting to what the school year would be like, and how on Arceus' green earth she and the others would live up to the standards she'd just set.

Once thankful applause marked the ceremony's end, Antoinetta stood and stretched, trying to walk as evenly as possible. She considered heading back to the dorm to change her shoes, but being late to class would get her laughed at all over again. Class 2-A... It dawned on her that she could have become more familiar with the layout of the school. Well, all she had to do was follow everyone else west, and she'd spot the room with no problem, right?

Zaria's suggestion brought a mix of relief and awkwardness. Maybe she knew the way, or one of the other transfers did? "I guess we might as well," Netty replied. "Just, uh, try not to crash into anyone this time."

She might have been stuck with a bunch of misfits, but better to walk with them than with the other students. Even if this made her a misfit all over again.

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