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ghostmartyr · 5 years

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Pokémon FireRed Nuzlocke [Part 1]

-claps hands together- Okay, this one’s going to be a little different. My primary goal when I first started the Nuzlocke thing was to replay games with some more variety in the choices. The Nuzlocke element was more about limiting the chaos of the Randomizer than really doing a proper Nuzlocke.

This, though, is going back to the basics. It should be very fun.

Rules:

After possessing poke balls, only the first pokemon of any route is eligible for catch.

Barring duplicates. Waiting until an unregistered pokemon appears is valid.

Any pokemon that faints will be considered dead, and go into a specified box.

Each pokemon must be nicknamed.

Starter pokemon is determined by Trainer ID number.

Team wipe means the run’s over.

Plus one extra special one:

Only battling Trainers is allowed.

No grinding. The only smudge line is that if I can’t run away from a pokemon, I am allowed to defeat it. I’m not going to be locked into a situation where a wild pokemon ends everything because it’s too fast and I’m not allowed to attack it.

My expectation is that I’m going to fail at least a few times. So the part tag on these posts isn’t going to necessarily match where I’m at in the game. I’m just going to keep on until the Elite Four is beaten.

Hopefully this is as exciting as I’m wanting it to be!

Heyo prof.

Geez, the moments before you have the option to adjust the text speed are the worst.

In the spirit of having fun, I’m not going to go with my standard. For this game, I shall be... Coin. Only in caps, because I think gen three is still a gen where all of the names of stuff come in caps. Gotta make sure I fit in.

I love video games.

Rival names are always so difficult. You can be Turq. Also in screamy caps.

First thing’s first, after changing the text speed. Into my computer for a Potion. Which I never knew about until I started watching people play these games on the internet.

Second thing is...

ID number.

Bulbapedia says 4-6 is Fire. Yoooo.

Who knows if we’ll even have a chance to watch that play out. We have to make it through the rival fight first, and that’s pretty much RNG.

Charmander, your name shall be Heero.

First fight of the game.

Scratch, Tackle, Scratch, Tackle, Scratch, Tackle...

Yay, we get to continue forward!

Heero is level 6 now.

One day, this stat chart might be of interest to me.

Heero is a Calm female Charmander. She knows Scratch and Growl.

Up to Viridian, grabbing Oak’s Parcel, down to Pallet, delivering Oak’s Parcel... Pokedex get, and we have five poke balls! Plus vague instructions to visit our rival’s sister for a Town Map.

Route 1 reentered, and our first available catch appears.

What I’m dying to know is if I get exp for catching in this gen. I can’t remember.

Yay!

Nope on the exp, though.

Rattata’s name is going to be Cat.

Cat is going in the box. The experiment of this first run is going to be how far Heero can push. I have a limited amount of exp to harvest, and I want to have it go to something I’m planning on using for a while. Who knows how this will turn out.

Route 22 is going to be briefly examined for our next partner. We’ll be back later to fight Turq, but right now he would eat us alive.

First thing is Rattata. Nope.

FUCK YES.

Maybe. This is still complicated.

Caught!

Going with a theme here... Allenby.

Old dude int town teaches us how to catch stuff, he gives us the Teachy TV which I don’t think I’ve ever touched except by accident, yay, we move forward.

Into Route 2. I walk through the grass without getting anything, and you know what, for now that’s fine. Into Viridian Forest we go, and that means it’s finally time for trainers.

Allenby is going to be in front for as much as I can keep her. As much as I like the possibility of just training Heero into the invincible Charmander that laughs in the face of Brock... lol.

Bug Catcher Rick is our first fight outside Turq! He has a level 6 Weedle. ...This is already uncomfortable. Yep, Poison Sting poisons Allenby. But Allenby wins and grows to level 5.

Rick also has a Caterpie.

...I have Potions. I should have bought Antidotes, but I forget how low the HP is early on, and also that walking probably does damage. But Allenby should be able to take on a Caterpie. Maybe.

With the help of a Potion.

And when we’re running around trying to find an Antidote, a Caterpie appears.

Her name can be Rain.

Now I have the delightful project of looking at the menu every few seconds to check if it’s time to give Allenby a Potion. I... think it’s fewer steps to one of the Antidotes hidden in the forest than the Pokemon Center or Mart.

The exciting challenges of early gens.

...Fuck it, I don’t know where the Antidote is. I’m going to try out rushing to the Center.

One more Potion.

Made it.

Rain, into the box.

I’m buying ten Antidotes. Three more Poke Balls, and five Potions.

Back in Route 2, a Pidgey wants to join the box squad.

...

And I wasn’t going to use it anytime soon anyway, but I turned my brain off and didn’t nickname it. Sigh. Uh, for future reference, the Pidgey’s name is Ren. I don’t think I can change it until Lavender Town, but that’s its name.

Fight number two.

Opening with a level 7 Weedle.

Allenby makes it to 6 beating it. Allenby learns Low Kick!

Another level 7 Weedle follows.

Allenby is finally poisoned. After a lot of good luck. Needs a Potion before I can use an Antidote, because the Weedle’s probably going to use Poison Sting again, and if I use an Antidote, Allenby’s health is low enough that a Poison Sting + poison would be an issue.

Nope, it uses String Shot.

Allenby makes it to level 7.

And Doug’s last thing is Kakuna. Well, this will take forever, but that’s fine. Doug down.

I realized I didn’t do this for her. So here. Have a timely picture. And I finally found the Antidote. It was just in the middle of the path.

Missed the name. Don’t ask why. But Allenby faces a level 7 Caterpie. Allenby wins and is now level 8 (also the dude’s name is Anthony). Level 8 Caterpie comes out to pick up the slack.

Bug Catcher Charlie is next, and yay, Metapod. Allenby is level 9. A Caterpie and Metapod later, Charlie’s out.

Next up, Bug Catcher Sammy. He’s got a level 9 Weedle. Ick. But it’s gone now, even though Allenby is poisoned. Congrats on level 10, btw. Antidote time.

That’s all we have available before Brock, and that means we’re going back to Route 22 to fight Turq. If memory serves, he has two. His starter, and... I want to say Pidgey? With the Pidgey out front?

So Allenby gets to play second fiddle to Heero for a little bit. Hopefully Heero will survive long enough to get some exp before post-Brock, since she won’t have any participation points for that fight.

Happy fun times with rival.

Hey, I got it right!

He has his. level 9 Pidgey. Oh geez.

Yeah, Heero can’t handle this. Allenby? Save her?

Allenby succeeds. Heero grows to level 7. And learns Ember!

Squirtle comes out, and it’s level 9 too.

Allenby wins. Nice.

Brock time, I guess.

Iconic.

Camper Liam sends out a level 10 Geodude for Allenby to hopefully eat. Allenby does, and reaches level 11. Even better, Allenby learns Karate Chop! Liam sends out a level 11 Sandshrew. Allenby beats it and all that’s left to the gym is Brock.

Don’t worry, kid, we still love you.

Back to the Center to heal, then. Brock.

Hi. I’m Coin. I’m on a path of destruction.

Level 12 Geodude is my first opponent.

Aaaaand it’s gone. Allenby gets to live to level 12.

Level 14 Onix.

Allenby wins!

First badge get. Heero gets to go back into the first slot for switch training. Then Running Shoes for me! Yay!

Right we go, and Bug Catcher Colton is our first post-Brock opponent. He has a level 10 Caterpie. Heero handles it, and reaches level 8. Level 10 Weedle up next. Heero wins again, and level 9 she hits. Another level 10 Caterpie. That’s enough to get Heero up to 10! It costs and Antidote, but whatever.

Lass Janice is up next. She has a level 9 Pidgey. Then surprise, she has another. Heero hits 11.

This isn’t especially important I just wanted to break up the wall of text.

She has a level 10 Rattata.

She also has a level 10 female Nidoran. It poisons Allenby, who has to go in after Heero is nearly felled by two Tail Whips worth of Quick Attack. Allenby is level 13, and I’m about to be down another Antidote.

Trip to the Pokemon Center, and then it’s Bug Catcher Greg. He’s got a level 9 Weedle. Thankfully Heero can nail those in one shot, and is now level 12. Level 9 Kakuna. Level 9 Caterpie. Wait, let me guess, level 9 Metapod? Yep.

Yay Heero. Heero now knows Metal Claw. Double yay.

Next up is Bug Catcher James. He’s got a level 11 Caterpie. He’s also got a level 11 Metapod. Heero thanks them for the exp.

Lass Robin follows with her Jigglypuff. It is level 14, so I think I will let Allenby help out after Heero gets a nom in. I also think it’s time for Allenby to be up front again, if only for a little while. I’m still getting a feel for how to distribute the exp. In this case, I let Heero handle all the Bug Catchers, and intended for Allenby to get all the other trainers. Lass Robin moves, so I wasn’t sure if she was a trainer NPC or standard NPC.

Youngster Calvin! What’s on your agenda?

A level 14 Spearow.

I’m going to let Allenby stay in for a hit. Tune in to see how much I am filled with regret.

Peck is unpleasant, but Karate Chop can finish it in two, so that’s how we’re gonna do.

Same, my man.

Youngster Ben. With the level 11 Rattata. And the level 11 Ekans. With Intimidate. Ugh. And Wrap. More ugh. But Allenby makes it to level 14 through Ben’s contributions.

So there’s grass on this here route. Time to see if we’re getting another one for the box, or maybe adding someone to the team.

Box buddy. Hm. You can be... Herine.

The dude selling the Magikarp in front of Mt. Moon is technically in Route 4, so that Magikarp could conceivably count, but Magikarp needs loads of experience to level up to something usable. Efficiency demands we not add it.

The art they’ve added into these is really pretty. I like it a lot.

Mt. Moon gives us a level 7 female Zubat. Another for the box. Her name’s Dini.

Now for the long, long, long trek through a cave where I can’t attack any of the constantly spawning creatures. Yaay.

Bug Catcher Kent wants to spice it up with a battle. He has a level 11 Weedle. Allenby takes that, Heero nabs the level 11 Kakuna.

Lass Iris is also here. She has a Clefairy, and since Fairy Type doesn’t exist yet, tear it up Allenby.

I have no memory of what Type theme you have in this gen. I want to say Magnemite...? Yeah, level 11 Magnemite. Followed by a level 11 Voltorb.

Allenby grows to level 15!

There looks to be a Bug Catcher for Heero around the corner. Bug Catcher Robby. He’s got a level 10 Caterpie.

On a related note, Heero is level 15 now!

Hm. I think I want to check something really fast. Because I don’t have a ban on guides in this Nuzlocke. Eh, okay, that’s not going to work. I wondered if maybe exp needed to reach the next level changed when a pokemon evolved. It looks like no after a brief thing. Species line determines it, not present form. Moves are affected, but that’s a different...

I should look that up.

Okay, for my current team, I think I don’t want to delay evolution for anything. Risk is high, benefit is nil.

Anyway, Robby has a level 10 Metapod. Followed by a level 10 Caterpie.

I pick up a Rare Candy.

I haven’t decided how I feel about Rare Candy on this run.

She has a level 11 Oddish, making me happy I got lazy with switching Heero out of first position. Allenby can tackle her level 11 Bellsprout. No I’m not assigning EV preference that would be a level of insanity beyond anything I could manage shut up.

...I took a break to talk to a friend and I think I’m lost.

Youngster Josh wants to battle! Youngster Josh bringing it with the level 11 Rattata! Youngster Josh bringing it with the level 10 Rattata! Youngster Josh bringing it with the level 10 Zubat!

Heero can eat that one.

Heero hits level 16, and I think I know what that means!

She’s a good girl.

Hiker Marcos wants to fight now. He has a level 10 Geodude. And another one. And a level 10 Onix.

Allenby is level 16 now. Yay.

Um. Okay. I’m going to try to unlost myself. I think the ladder furthest from the entrance is the one that goes forward, but even more than usual, I want to be sure I explore everywhere.

This is how the most popular game franchise in the world starts.

No, Sandshrew should never be made to do evil. A curse upon you, grunt. It’s level 11. A baby.

The Rattata’s on-brand, though.

Congrats on level 17, Allenby. Heero can take the level 11 Zubat. She even does.

Another ladder, another Grunt. Another level 11 Zubat. A new addition of a level 11 Ekans. It is not match for our fierce team.

A different grunt has a level 13 Rattata. Allenby is not impressed. Also a level 13 Sandshrew. I am not impressed. This other Grunt also has a level 13 Rattata. Allenby is level 18. Heero gets the level 13 Zubat.

You don’t need to tell me that.

Super Nerd Miguel has a Grimer. It knows Poison Gas.

I forgot how much I hate poison. Level 12 Koffing is next. I need to spend two turns on Antidote and Potion. Heero gets the level 12 Voltorb since Allenby has kind of taken a beating from the poison. Because poison is awful.

Welcome to level 17, Heero.

I take the Dome Fossil, since the plot makes you take stuff from the poor guy.

I use an Escape Rope to get back to the Pokemon Center. I think this is the last stretch of Mt. Moon and there are some trainers outside. I’d rather everyone be healed to the brim before we go through them.

We made it! To the outside world!

Stopping point!

#Pokemon #Nuzlocke Challenge #Nuzlocke

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sansvirtuosity · 6 years

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The Road to Damascus

Here it is, the moment everyone’s been waiting for: The compiled Tumblr version of The Road to Damascus! Just in time for Ultra SuMo players to get sucked into my nonsense! This fic is 8,930 words, over 5 chapters. Just a heads up.

Gladion/Moon, T for language, as always.

Moon leaves a trail of sticky notes for Gladion to follow, like something out of a romance novel.

Gladion is concerned. Not by the gesture, but by the fact that he doesn't hate it.

“The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing” - Issac Asimov

Gladion gracelessly slumped into his desk chair, finally glad to be done with work for the day. He spun from side to side casually as he loosened his tie. His whole day had nearly been swallowed by fundraising negotiations, and he was determined to spend the rest of the evening comfortable and, most importantly, alone. Silvally came to greet him from out behind the couch he had set up in his office.

His office was unconventional in that behind the initial formal appearance of the front of the room, which contained the usual work-desk and small library of legal volumes, the back of the room was entirely made up into a casual den space. The back wall was barely a wall at all, and instead just a large pane of glass that overlooked the sea. He had a pit of beanbag chairs in-between an ocean-facing couch and a loveseat, and a mini-bar along the wall with a full mixing station for both alcohol and gourmet coffee alike. He loved his work at Aether, but there was no way he could spend every waking moment being a corporate marionette. He needed someplace to relax.

Gladion swiveled his chair to meet Silvally, who upon reaching him, immediately put his front legs into Gladion’s lap and bowed his head down for scratches. He was happy to oblige. He started to rub the chimeric pokemon down enthusiastically, but froze when he saw something out of the ordinary stuck to Silvally’s horn. Without hesitation he grabbed the anomaly, which turned out to be a yellow sticky note. It was covered in a cramped, hasty scrawl that he recognized immediately.

Moon was here. In his office. She put a sticky note on his pokemon, instead of simply leaving a message with one of his aides.

He sighed, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It was so very her.

Silvally jumped off of Gladion’s lap, and returned to his spot in the den. Gladion swiveled back to the desk and turned on his reading lamp.

The note read, “Hey Gladion, I have a surprise for you~! But you’ll need to find me first!” Gladion shook his head in exasperation. As if he would ever actually get a chance to relax. He felt his day slipping away already. “Your first clue is this: Remember that book I borrowed from you a few weeks ago? Well, I returned it! Good luck!”

Gladion looked over at his bookshelves. There were four bookcases total, two on each side of the room, and each case had five shelves filled to the brim with books. He couldn’t even remember which one it was that Moon wanted to borrow, he simply agreed without hesitation when she asked.

He did remember the conversation that preceded it, though.

Gladion stood up from his desk, and walked over to the shelves. He traced his hands along the spines of some old law reference books as he paced back and forth along the bookcases. That night, Moon was saying that she wished she could understand Morse Code, because she often noticed ships signaling the Paradise from Gladion’s window. And he mentioned that he had a few books about it in his collection. They used to be his dad’s. The old man loved maritime culture.

But Gladion still didn’t know where those books were exactly.

He looked over in Silvally’s direction, and said, “Hey buddy, you could at least help me find this book. It’s been a long day.”

Silvally’s head lazily peaked out from over the back of the couch. He looked at Gladion, huffed, and flopped back down out of sight.

Thanks a lot, pal.

But it turns out he didn’t need to worry. In an act of mercy, Moon left the book slightly sticking out from the others, and it was immediately apparent when he walked by the right bookcase. He took the book out from its spot on the shelf, and opened up the front cover. It smelled like vanilla. The next clue was exactly where he expected it to be; another sticky note was stuck to the inside of the front cover. He peeled it off triumphantly, and put the book back on the shelf. He walked back over to his desk and leaned into the light to get a better look at the cramped scrawl.

“Congrats! You’ve kept your edge, Mr. President! I told Silvally not to help you, so I’m assuming you found this on your own. Here’s your next clue: It’s in the crown jewel of the Aether Paradise, and in my favorite place to read outside of your office. Good luck!”

This one was a lot less straightforward than the last. Was “crown jewel” implying an actual upper-floor location, or just somewhere really important to the Paradise? It sure as hell wasn’t outside or on the lower-floor docks, because the ocean spray was unavoidable. And she mentioned it was also her favorite place to read, other than his office. But most of the time, when she came to see him, they spent time in his office exclusively.

But what about when she came to see him, and he was busy? He decided to call Wicke. She’d know.

He picked up his desk phone and dialed her extension. If she was still in her office, she’d answer.

The phone rang twice, and then static crackled, and he heard the relieving sound of Wicke’s voice on the other end. “Gladion, you’re calling me awful late in the day. We just saw each other at the meeting, what’s the matter?”

“Do you know where Moon goes when we’re not around to let her into my office?”

“Um,” she trailed off, and Gladion leaned on his desk, impatient. “I believe she goes to the conservatory. She’s mentioned to me a few times that her pokemon love it there.”

Gladion felt like an idiot. The crown jewel of the Paradise. Duh. The reason why they call it a ‘paradise’ in the first place: the Conservatory and Rehabilitation Center.

He nodded to himself, and said, “Thanks. I’m headed there right now.”

Before he could hang up, Wicke exclaimed, “Hey wait! What’s this all about? Is Moon okay? She came in earlier, and I let her into your office as per the usual arrangement. Did something happen?”

Gladion straightened back up, ready to be done with the conversation and on his way to finding Moon so he could ask her exactly that. “She left a bunch of sticky notes here with clues… it’s really frustrating, actually. She said she has a surprise for me, but I need to find her first. I’m so tired, Wicke.”

On the other end, Wicke laughed. And Gladion drew his brows together, offended. “What’s so funny?” he demanded.

“This is a terrible cliché, Glad. I’m happy for you.”

“Happy for what? I’m so lost right now.”

“This is like that thing in romance novels, where a character leads another to a date via notes. It’s really sweet. Oh! You should get her flowers! Wait just a moment, I’m ordering them for you right now.”

Gladion stumbled closer to his desk and helplessly put his arm out, as though he could stop her through the phone. “Wicke! Don’t do that, I’m sure that’s not what’s happening here. Moon’s just being Moon.”

There was silence for a moment, and Gladion swore he could hear the faint sound of typing on the other end. Tension thickened the air around him. This was absolutely not what he was expecting today. He just wanted to unwind. This was the exact opposite of unwinding. If Moon really intended this as some long, drawn-out build-up to a confession, then he’d… well, he didn’t know what he’d do.

He’d get to that when -if, he ammended- he had to.

“Done!” Wicke said, cheerfully.

“You didn’t.”

“I did. They’ll be here within forty minutes. Make sure you greet the florist at the entrance; they’re an important contact of mine.”

Gladion sighed, but thanked Wicke nonetheless. If nothing else, he’d have a nice bouquet of flowers he could put in his office. He ended the call, and was determined to not let this get to him. He and Moon were just friends. Have been, for nearly a decade. If something were going to happen between them, it would’ve happened ages ago.

At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

Gladion whistled for Silvally, and the pokemon stood up and shook himself off before coming to Gladion’s side. The pokemon yawned widely, his tongue curling with the motion. Gladion couldn’t help it; he scratched Silvally all over and gave him an affectionate head-bump.

After he was satisfied that Silvally got the affection he deserved, he straightened back up, ready to uncover the next clue. Hopefully before the florist showed up.

Gladion grabbed his keys from off his desk and clicked his lamp off. He doubted he would be coming back here again tonight. He had no idea how many sticky notes were left for him, or where they would take him.

This was just par for the course, though. Always leave it to Moon to drag him along on an adventure.

He eyed his suit jacket dubiously. It was still too hot to wear it outside of the Paradise, and if she were sending him as far as he expected to go, he wouldn’t want to carry it around all night. He left it draped over the back of his office chair.

He took one last look at the open sea behind his office and sighed. Why couldn’t she simply leave him a voicemail like everyone else? He left the office, with Silvally following close behind. He locked up the door, and shoved his keys into his pocket.

It’s not like he was actually upset about being pulled along on another adventure. It’s been a while since he’s done something non-Aether related. This was probably some plot that Moon and Hau cooked up together to get him out of the house. And honestly, he was already enjoying the excuse to get away from his office. It just reminded him of all the work he still had to do. He was already determined to spend the rest of his night not worrying about work, so this little trail of notes was the perfect opportunity to keep him from overdoing it.

He and Silvally took the elevator to the conservatory, and Gladion tried to straighten up his outfit all the while. He re-tucked his shirt, and re-tied his hair. There was no helping his unruly bangs, but he wouldn’t have them any other way.

He didn’t want to risk letting an investor see him looking less than business-casual.

The two stepped off the elevator and immediately into the sweet-smelling artificial forest. Since becoming head of the Foundation, Gladion made sure the conservatory was given a proper yearly stipend that allowed for major improvements. It was his pride and joy, and it was the only thing that kept him invested in the beginning, when the corruption in Aether was enough to make him want to burn the whole company down and start fresh.

He and Silvally casually walked the paths, both old and new. Employees waved his way, and he awkwardly waved back. He still felt self-conscious about his appearance. His tie was still a disaster, and he had no real energy to put any more effort into straightening up than he already had.

When did he start caring so much about what other people thought about him? ‘It’s good for the company image’ was never enough of a personal motivator. So when did it start?

He thought back to when he first left home, and was finally allowed to wear whatever the hell he wanted, and not just what his mother dictated. That’s when he met Moon, and learned that there were things more important to him than getting petty vengeance on Lusamine. As he spent more time alongside Moon and Hau, he began to want to fix his family, not just escape from it. Over the years, he started feeling that for Aether, too. And while he wouldn’t entirely conform to business standards, his office being a chief example of that, he definitely wanted to do best by Aether and the Paradise.

Was that it? Pride in his work? Pride in all of the progress he’s made over the years?

Lost in thought, he and Silvally stopped in a little wooden gazebo on the outskirts of the conservatory. These quiet little places were added only a few years into Gladion’s takeover. He wanted more areas where people could observe the pokemon from a comfortable location, and the upper paths just weren’t cutting it.

The gazebo was just feet away from the large glass windows that overlooked the ocean. It was stunning. He could feel his stress melting away. There were white-painted benches clustered together underneath each of the few scattered gazebos around the conservatory, and all of them were amazing break spots, but these offered the most relaxing view by far. Lanterns hung from the rafters, offering a soft light that would be just perfect for reading.

And with that, he remembered why he was here.

Moon’s clue.

He crossed his arms sharply and walked over to the benches, annoyed and vaguely embarrassed that he’d gotten so sidetracked. As luck would have it, there was indeed another yellow sticky note stuck to the back panel of the bench, and he ripped it off with little fanfare.

The note read, “It’s a lovely spot, isn’t it? I always come down here when you’re busy. The pokemon love it, too. You did good, Mr.President. On another note (Hee hee! Get it?), do you remember when you used to come over to my place when we were kids, and we’d always find something stupid to do? It’s been a while, right? So here’s your chance to relive it! Good luck!��

Another note. This one was a pretty far trip. He’d need to take a boat. And he’d have to explain to Moon’s mother why he needed to search her house.

Gladion chuckled, and Silvally looked up at him with questioning eyes. He flashed Silvally the note, and said, “I really can’t even be mad.”

But then he remembered Wicke’s interference, and sighed.

“Wait. Yes I can. The florist.”

He looked at his watch, and shoved the note into his pocket. There was still enough time to get to the entrance in time to intercept them. Maybe he could convince the florist to just send the flowers to Wicke’s office, and bypass him entirely. Let’s see how she likes being meddled with.

Gladion and Silvally left the conservatory, and took the elevator down to the entrance. The receptionists greeted him with a smile, but he barely noticed. He hoped more than anything that the florist wouldn’t come, and he wouldn’t have to give those flowers to Moon when he finally caught up to her. Not only because Wicke went out of her way to try and do something nice for them, but because he realized… he kind of wanted to.

He actually wanted to.

And that was a dangerous, unfamiliar feeling.

But fate was never kind to him. The florist stood just within the lobby, wearing an unmistakable green apron and carrying a delivery crate. He was talking with someone on the phone, but hung up immediately when Gladion met his eyes across the lobby.

Gladion sighed and steeled himself for the coming interaction that he just felt would be obnoxious.

The florist reached Gladion in a few swift strides, and instead of holding out his hand in greeting like Gladion expected, he reached into the crate and thrust a bouquet into Gladion’s arms before he could say a word. The florist noticed Silvally sitting back on his haunches next to Gladion, and gave the pokemon a wide-eyed look for only a moment before checking his watch and clapping Gladion on the shoulder.

“President Gladion, I presume?” he said, warily keeping Silvally within his sight at all times. Before Gladion could respond in the affirmative, the florist continued, “The situation was explained fully; the daffodils are for ‘new beginnings’, and the little arbutus… well.” He gave Gladion a knowing look. Gladion did absolutely not know. “The rest is filler. Good luck, sir. Now go to your woman, because these beauties need water, and I need to leave.”

The man saluted him, spun on his heel, and began walking away.

Gladion wanted to say something like, ‘She’s not my woman’, or ‘I don’t even know where she is’, but what he yelled after him was, “I don’t even know where my woman is!”

Obnoxious. Mortifying.

Exactly what he expected.

The florist turned to him for a moment and winked, before the elevator dipped out of view. The receptionists giggled, and Gladion prayed for another wormhole to just open up underneath him and swallow him whole.

Silvally looked over at him, his head cocked, obviously confused.

He was too, honestly. Today was just a mess.

But even though he just embarrassed himself in front of his own employees, and one of Wicke’s friends, he felt oddly… vindicated.

It was terrifying. And Liberating.

The more he thought about it, the more he wished things were happening the way Wicke speculated. It was no secret that Moon meant the world to him. And has, for so many years. Once he realized that he didn’t simply want to surpass her, but wanted to grow alongside her, she became irreplaceable to him. But he'd never even considered...

A bubbly feeling was beginning to build up deep within his chest, threatening to escape. It was unfamiliar to him, but he wasn’t so sheltered that he couldn’t recognize it.

He felt like he actually was in a cheesy romance novel.

And even if it turned out that this wasn’t a romance novel situation, and Moon never intended to confess to him, he was already too far in to have any kind of plausible deniability.

He’d bring her the flowers, even if it wasn’t originally his idea to begin with.

And if she took that as a romantic gesture, well, he wasn’t going to correct her.

The primly wrapped bouquet of flowers now in hand, Gladion headed down to the docks to arrange his ride to Melemele Island. It wasn’t difficult, he just had to let one of his captains know he’d be getting on the next outbound boat headed that way.

Gladion prided himself on the frequency of the ships that came and went through the Paradise. He had so many researchers and activists coming through his facilities every day that he completely overhauled the scheduling, and bought several new ferry liners for the express purpose of delivering Aether employees. Every year he made little changes to the schedules as needed, keeping up with storm seasons and Pokemon migration patterns.

He wasn’t just a decorative figurehead of the company. He really did put a lot of time and love into Aether. Was it any wonder that he’d never really spent much time working on his personal life?

But that was what worried him. Maybe it was too late. He and Moon had so much history, and not all of it good. Even if she really wanted to start a relationship with him, what if he wasn’t capable?

He wasn’t even positive that he was capable of being a good friend and brother, if he was being honest.

And he wasn’t even sure that romance was Moon’s intention to begin with.

It was a good thing that Moon had him stopping by her mother’s house. Gladion needed to talk to someone desperately. His newfound realization that he might not hate the idea of being with Moon left his nerves frayed.

He tried to play it cool like he usually did in unfamiliar situations, but his brain just wasn't having it today. Once the initial annoyance at changing his plans for the night wore off, he was left with actual emotions to deal with. It was starting to get to him.

When the ship to Hau’oli City finally arrived, Gladion recalled Silvally into his pokeball and boarded with little fanfare, though it was obvious that many of the passengers who were disembarking recognized him and wanted to say something to him. Mercifully, they always stopped themselves when they saw the flowers.

The ship took off for Melemele, and he made it to the island without any disruptions. When he left the port, he detoured to the shopping district before heading to Moon’s house. If he were going to have a serious conversation with Moon’s mother, the least he could do is bring her a gift for her trouble. But what?

You could always dump the flowers on her and be done with it, a traitorous voice whispered in his head. Then you wouldn’t have to deal with Moon rejecting you.

He reassured himself that it was Moon herself who set up this potentially romantic adventure. But the anxiety was still there.

Ignoring it, he thought back to his time at Moon’s house when they were younger, hoping for gift inspiration.

And he found it.

Whenever he came over, at least once every visit, Moon’s mother made them all iced milk tea. She adored it, and hoped to instill the taste in them. She always put thick coffee jellies at the bottom, and like she planned, Gladion ended up falling in love with it. Moon never caught on to it, more’s the pity.

So he stopped by a small grocery store, coffee jelly on his mind. His flowers were attracting the attention of shoppers, who waited to see if he was there to give them to one of the employees. They disappointedly went on with their shopping when they realized he was just legitimately there for jelly.

The walk to Moon’s house was blessedly quiet, the only sounds being the ocean waves beyond Route 1, and the wind blowing through the trees. It had been a while since Gladion experienced the earthy outdoors without the accompanying smell of sanitized linoleum.

How long had it been since he walked these roads? A few years, presumably. Since Moon moved out of her mother’s house when she turned twenty they stopped meeting here, and instead met at Moon’s new apartment on Ula’ula. Gladion kind of missed it. He really missed being able to ask Moon’s mother for advice. She was the only non-Aether affiliated adult in his life for many years, and he deeply appreciated everything she had to say.

That’s why he wanted to get her opinion on his current predicament.

He came up to Moon’s house with renewed purpose, and knocked on the door with the hand carrying the bag of jellies. He fought the urge not to shuffle awkwardly, or knock again. When Moon’s mother finally answered the door, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

“Gladion, honey! How are you?” she moved to pull him into a hug, but stopped halfway when she noticed the flowers in his arms. She smiled knowingly, and ushered him inside. “Ah, Moon told me you’d be coming when she stopped by earlier. Whatever she left for you is in her room.”

“Thanks. These are for you,” He held out the bag from the grocery store, and she accepted her gift, visibly excited. “I don’t know if you still make tea the way you used to, but I thought you might like these.”

She opened the bag, and when she saw what was inside, she pressed her hand into her chest, touched. “Oh, this is great. Thank you so much, darling!”

She walked into the kitchen and put the jellies down on the counter. Gladion followed, amused. She was already filling a tea kettle and getting out all the necessary ingredients for her milk tea.

“It’s been a while since I’ve made any. You’ll have some, won’t you, dear?”

Gladion nodded, eyes distractedly shifting to the door of Moon’s room.

Moon’s mother caught him looking. “You need me to take those?” she pointed at the flowers. “I can put them in water for you while you go look.”

“Thanks.”

He gratefully handed the flowers over and made his way to Moon’s room, both arms finally free for the first time in nearly an hour. He shook out his hands, and took the opportunity to stretch his arms upwards as far as his tailored shirt would allow.

The room was exactly as Moon left it. The same furniture, the same bedsheets, the same stuffed pokemon and game consoles. A nostalgic ache gripped him the second he walked in, and he was tempted to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere. But it was getting late, and he still wanted to talk to Moon’s mother about his situation.

Luckily, Moon left the next note where he could see it, stuck directly to her TV screen. He peeled it off with a slow reverence.

The note read, in the most cramped scrawl yet, “Remember when we’d stay up all night playing video games?” He did, and he also remembered getting frustrated when she’d beat him nearly every single time they played anything competitive. It always made him feel inadequate, and helped to fuel their rivalry outside the game. He was an idiot. Those were some of the best times of his life. “I’m always up for a rematch, and I know you know it. Your next note I left in a place you might rather forget; a place I know you have mixed feelings about. Sorry. The first time we fought there, you and Null looked spectacular in the ring. Even The Royal couldn’t hold a candle to the feeling you put into the fight that day.” At the bottom of the note was the usual sign-off; “Good luck!”.

At ‘in the ring’, Gladion knew immediately where he needed to be. The Battle Royal Dome. Now he knew why she said he’d probably rather forget: he was in a pretty dark place most of the times he went to battle there. It was his go-to for serious stress relief. The habit continued into his adult life, and he ended up somewhat of a minor celebrity in the Royal circuit. So was Moon, whenever she joined. And whenever they fought in the same match, the crowd lost their minds. The Champion of Alola and the Aether Foundation President at once? Amazing. A Clash for the Ages, the announcers would say. Every single time. It was sort of a running joke between him and Moon now.

He added the new note to the collection building in his pocket, and left the room. Moon’s mother was placing two glasses of iced milk tea on the dining table, and Gladion gratefully sat down in one of the chairs. Moon’s mother sat across from him, arms crossed in front of her while she waited for her tea to chill.

He needed to talk to her about this whole ridiculous day. But the more he thought about it, the less confident he felt about bringing up a potential romance with Moon directly to her own mother. He could feel all the words he wanted to say build up in the back of his throat, but he washed them down with a sip of cold tea.

Could she feel his nervousness? The longer he sat there, the worse it got. He could practically hear his blood rushing through his head.

“Are you doing okay, dear?”

He took a steadying breath. It’s been a while since anyone’s asked him that.

He swirled his tea around in the glass, and looked anywhere but up at her. He knew he’d see motherly concern there, and he knew if he saw it directed at him, he’d probably cry. Even after 26 years of life, he still had no idea how to respond to other people's concern for him. It frustrated him more than he cared to admit. He took another sip of his tea. It was exactly like he’d remembered.

He finally broke through his own tension and asked, “Do you happen to know why Moon’s been leading me around like this?”

“I have no idea. She was just in and out earlier, and told me you’d be coming by. I didn’t ask what she was up to.”

“Ah.” Disappointment. He tried not to let it show on his face. “That’s alright. Well, the deal is, she’s been leading me from place to place via sticky notes.” He took his collection out of his pocket and put them on the table between them. “I don’t know why exactly, but she’s definitely leading me somewhere for some unknown purpose. I… might have an idea or two.”

He trailed off. He looked over at his flowers, which were now sitting in a pitcher of water, wrapping and all. They really were lovely. Moon’s mother casually glanced at the notes, then noticed him looking at the flowers. She laughed.

Startled, his eyes snapped to her.

“What are you so worried about?” she asked, taking a sip of her tea. “You look like you’re about to walk into a funeral.”

Gladion sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his bangs. He was just going to come out and say it. What was the worst that could happen? Even if she made fun of him, what did he have to lose?

“When we were younger, did you ever think that Moon and I would get together?”

Without hesitation she said, “Oh definitely.”

“But-” Gladion sputtered, entirely not expecting that answer, “But I’m - I fought her as a rival. I’ve taken advantage of her position as Champion in order to train myself, just because I wanted to be stronger. I used her to save my mother when we were just kids, and I had no idea how dangerous it would be. When I took over Aether, I used her status to gain publicity at charity events. I was selfish. I was awful to her.”

“But you’re not that man now, are you?” she calmly asked, sipping her tea.

“Of course not,” he said, his voice raw with emotion, “She’s my best friend.”

“I don’t think you were ever that awful person you think you were, dear. You care about people too strongly, and don’t try to deny it, it’s obvious. Why do you want to come off as a villain?”

“Because,” he swallowed thickly, and looked over at the flowers again. An unattainable goal in a game he didn’t know he was playing until just this afternoon. “It has to be too late, right? There has to be a reason. If we were going to… pursue a relationship, it would’ve happened when we were teenagers. Right? It’s been so many years. She’s probably never even considered it.”

“You were both very unusually busy teenagers. Did you consider that?”

“What?”

“Moon used to tell me all the time that she was too busy with the League for romance. At least, that’s what she told me when I tried to set her up with Ilima.”

“You tried to set her up with Ilima?”

“I figured she had to have some kind of outside intervention, since somebody was too busy with his multi-million dollar corporation to notice she was lonely.”

He did feel kind of guilty about that. But he knew that he wouldn’t change a thing if offered the chance. Throwing himself into his work was the only way to get Aether back on its feet. And he was sure that Moon would understand why he put so much of himself into the Foundation. But he did wish that he’d paid more attention to how Moon was feeling, instead of always assuming she had things under control.

When was the last time anyone asked if she was okay?

The idea that maybe they were both too busy to consider a relationship in the past appealed to him. Maybe this was new for Moon, too. Maybe this was an opportunity to do better.

“Well, I’m noticing now.”

She smiled, but her eyes were serious. “I always worry about you, Gladion. And Moon too, of course. I really want you both to be happy. I had nothing to do with this sticky note situation, but I’m really glad it’s happening.”

“Then,” he carefully asks, “you have no objections? If Moon and I-”

“Of course not.” She laughs. “You’re always so serious. Just live your life, dear. No matter how things turn out, I’m rooting for both of you.”

He had to look away. He was starting to tear up, and he was sure she would notice. He wasn’t used to this kind of wholehearted emotional support from someone who wasn’t on his payroll. It tugged at a sore spot he didn’t know was wounded.

He was discovering a lot of things today, it seems.

Moon’s mother got up and handed Gladion his flowers after drying them off with a paper towel. He finished his tea, still too emotional for words. After some time, he got up, re-pocketed his sticky notes, and let Moon’s mother show him to the door.

“Thank you. For everything.” He said, finally breaking the silence.

“And thank you for the jelly.” She laughed, pulling him into a side-hug, careful of the flowers. “Let me know how this all turns out.”

He nodded. “I will. And I’ll tell Moon to come by again soon. For real this time.”

His purpose renewed, he turned back to the road. Soon he’d know why Moon was sending him on this inadvertently soul-searching adventure.

He was getting close. He could feel it.

The journey to Akala was uneventful, to Gladion’s delight. For most of the boat ride to the island, and even on the taxi ride to Royal Avenue, he was lost in thought. He ran every possible scenario of the meeting with Moon through his mind, working through any imagined problems that arose. He always felt better when he had some kind of game plan. People called him a perfectionist, or a control freak, but he preferred the term “prepared”.

When he arrived to Royal Avenue, he tipped his taxi driver generously. Not entirely for his driving skills, but mostly for not asking about the flowers.

The Avenue was just as busy as always, even as the setting sun began to paint the sky orange. Gladion hurried through the streets, not making eye contact with anyone. Especially here in these parts, where he was known for his Battle Royal matches, he was in danger of becoming a spectacle. The last thing he wanted was a picture of him clutching a bouquet of flowers to be featured in the local gossip tabloids.

Hopefully Moon would be someplace at least remotely away from people. He couldn’t imagine trying to have a serious conversation with her in front of drama-seeking onlookers.

He entered the Battle Royal Dome, and was greeted by the familiar high-ceilinged lobby that he’d come to both love and hate. He loved battling and watching matches here, but since he only came here when he was feeling down or stressed out, there was a sort of oppressive aura he associated with it, and he tried not to let it get to him.

He was here for one thing: the note.

The receptionists noticed him from behind their counter, and waved him over. Of the two girls, one of them looked terribly straight-laced, and the other one looked like she was having the time of her life.

“Ah, it’s President Gladion. Good evening.” Said the straight-laced one.

The other girl chimed in, “Are you here to compete?”

“Absolutely not. I’m actually-” The girls noticed the flowers in his arms, and gave each other conspiratorial looks. Gladion cleared his throat and continued, “Did either of you happen to see Champion Moon here earlier today? I’m on a mission, apparently.”

Before he finished speaking, the straight-laced receptionist had already gotten the note out from behind her counter, and held it out to him.

“Here you go, sir. She left this note with us. She wanted to hide it in the back room, but the owner caught her before she went through with it.”

Gladion took the note, noticing that there wasn’t as much text covering this one as the others. Moon’s handwriting flowed a lot neater when she was given enough space to work with.

The other girl giggled. “She seems like a lot of fun; I love her.”

You and me both, The thought came to him unbidden. He looked up at the receptionists, afraid that he’d said it out loud. Ugh, wait. What am I saying? Where has the old Gladion gone? When did I become so shameless?

The receptionists didn’t seem to react, though. They were now turned to each other, talking about Moon’s feats in the Dome.

He turned his attention to the note, determined to ignore his intrusive thoughts. The note read,

'Glad, I know you don’t really do Battle Royals for fun, but the fights I’ve had here with you have been some of my favorite.' He felt the corner of his lips pull up into a smirk. He coughed awkwardly, trying to hide it. 'You’ll be happy to know you don’t have to stick around here much longer, because I’m right down the street. Hope you’re in the mood for malasada.'

This was it. She was right down the road. He was so close. He’d finally know why she sent him off on this little adventure. Romance novel ending or no, he would finally have closure. His nerves were killing him.

“Are the flowers for Moon?” the bubbly receptionist asked, breaking him out of his shocked stupor.

“Um, yeah. Something like that.”

The receptionists both smiled widely and simultaneously said, “Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Gladion said, really meaning it. “I’ll need it.”

Finally.

Finally he was at the end of this trail.

He wondered if she even knew he was still following it. Maybe she’d given up, and already left? Maybe she thought he’d ignored the note entirely. It wouldn’t be unlike him.

He couldn’t really blame her if she realized he wasn’t worth it, and went home. He should’ve called her, texted her, anything. Let her know he was coming for her.

The anxiety followed him all the way to the malasada shop, and even as he stepped through the door, he was sure he would see nothing but empty tables waiting for him.

But then their eyes met across the room, and nothing else in the world mattered. She stood up from her seat immediately, and waved ‘Alola’ at him from behind her table. He lifted a hand up in return.

She looked stunning. She was wearing a light blue sun dress that he’d seen on her a thousand times, but this time felt different. She still wore the thick leather belt that she kept her pokeballs on, but it was cinched around her waist. It was both intimidating and fashionable. Definitely impressive. The sun was setting outside, and the orange light that poured into the shop set her dark hair ablaze. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. He’d been waiting to see her all day, and finally she was right in front of him.

“Wow, brother. Can’t even be troubled to say hi.”

That voice. Laughter rang around the room, and Gladion’s mind went blank. Moon wasn’t alone. Lillie was at Moon’s booth, twisted around in her seat to look at him.

Hau was there too, beside Moon. He noticed the flowers and gave Gladion a knowing wink. He’d never wanted to strangle someone more.

This was the surprise.

Lillie was back in town.

Lillie had been traveling from region to region over the years, challenging every League she could. In-between each win, she’d come home to celebrate with her friends, and spend a few months in Alola. She hadn’t told him she’d be coming back so soon. This was an amazing surprise, and he was really excited to see her again, but…

The notes. All day. It wasn’t like a romance novel at all. It was just Moon being Moon.

Shame and embarrassment creeped up his neck, and he suddenly felt desperately self-conscious.

What do I do with the flowers?

“Hey Glad, are you all right?” Lillie said, worry creasing her brows. Gladion was still too stunned to say a word. Lillie looked between him and Moon, and then to Hau, and a look of realization crossed her face. She turned back to Gladion. “You and Moon need to have a conversation, I think.”

Mortifying.

There was no doubt in his mind that Lillie noticed his mistake. There would be no playing it off like the flowers were for her.

“Yeah,” Gladion said, annoyance accidentally slipping into his tone. “I think.”

Moon looked like she realized something important, and she tripped slightly getting out of the booth in her haste. She laughed it off, and Hau gave her a serious look. Moon cleared her throat and came up to Gladion with purpose, and took him by the elbow to lead him out of the shop.

As they left, Gladion heard Lillie and Hau stage-whispering behind them.

“What are the odds that they won’t do something incredibly stupid?” Hau said, his words sounding slightly muffled.

Lillie sighed and said, “Knowing my brother, incredibly low.”

The streetlights flickered on above them as they made their way to the park in awkward silence. The people who walked the streets earlier were gone, and he was thankful for it. The temperature was falling, and Gladion absently wondered if Moon was cold in that dress. He should’ve kept his suit jacket.

Eventually, they stopped in front of the flower garden. They overlooked the gardens in silence, and Gladion was hard-pressed to think of a way to talk his way out of this one. He’d considered this possibility, of course, but he wasn’t ready for how disappointed he felt that Moon didn’t intend to confess to him.

Hopefully she didn’t realize that he thought the notes meant more than they had. Hopefully, she was just upset that he didn’t seem to be surprised by the plan she put together. Maybe nothing had to change between them, and they could go back to the easy friendship they’ve had for years.

“Were those for me?” She pointed to the flowers, finally breaking the silence.

Shit. Shit shit shit. She absolutely knew.

“Yeah,” he said, faking nonchalance. “I didn’t know what the surprise could’ve been, so I thought to cover my bases with a-” he cleared his throat, the lie heavy on his tongue, “-a thank-you gift.” He hastily added, “Wicke recommended it.”

“Oh good,” she let out a heavy sigh, “I thought that maybe-” she looked away nervously, and fidgeted with the pokeballs around her waist.

“That what?” Frustration was beginning to prickle on his scalp, and he tried his best to ignore it. “That I’d gotten the wrong idea?”

Moon opened her mouth to say something, but Gladion waved her away, all pretense of nonchalance gone. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m very aware of where I stand here.”

He was sure he was saying too much, but emotions of all sorts were mixing together and bubbling up out of him without his consent.

When he woke up this morning, he wasn’t feeling like this. Like he had such complicated, unresolved feelings for someone he’d been friends with for over a decade. But throughout the day, visiting all these places that were important to the both of them made him realize: He couldn’t imagine his life without her. He wanted to believe that he could be content with just having her beside him as a friend, like always. But his emotions were just not on board with his brain tonight.

“Gladion, you’re obviously very upset. What happened?” Moon asked gently. “You can tell me anything, you know. Is this about me not telling you about Lillie?”

Guilt washed over him, and he ran a hand through his hair, tearing out his hair band in the process. He let it fall.

“It’s not like that. I do appreciate what you tried to do here. I just thought this was something el-”

“So you did get the wrong idea!”

“And so what if I did?” he snapped, stepping away from her. The flowers were heavy in his arms, and he threw them to the ground between them. He was tired of seeing them. “It’s your fault for doing this the way you did. What was I supposed to think?”

Moon’s eyebrow quirked up, and she took in the flowers between them impassively. She looked infinitely more calm than he felt, and it pissed him off.

“So I’m taking it that those weren’t just a thank-you gift, then?” She prodded, searching his face for a reaction.

Gladion just pulled Silvally’s pokeball from his belt and raised it up in challenge. He couldn’t trust himself to speak right now. He would let out his frustration the easiest way he knew how: a pokemon battle.

Moon jumped back, to put more space between them, and Gladion swore he saw a smirk tug at her lips. He untied his tie completely, and let it hang loose over his shoulders. He’d wipe that look off her face soon enough.

“Your face is easy to read, you know.” She called out to him, raising her own pokeball in the air to signal that she was ready.

They both sent out their pokemon in perfect unison. Silvally leaped out of his pokeball, ready to fight. Moon’s Decidueye fluttered down to land on the ground with no small degree of grace for a pokemon so large.

When Silvally saw who he was fighting, he turned back to Gladion, confused. Decidueye took that opportunity to lunge at the chimera, and Moon barked out orders without missing a beat. Decidueye grabbed onto Silvally’s back with his talons, and threw him aside.

“Explain the flowers.” Moon shouted at Gladion. “Stop being so conservative and tell me what’s going on.”

Silvally skid on his side across the hard brick, and he dug his claws hard into the concrete mortar in order to right himself. Immediately upon standing up, Silvally lunged at Decidueye, too quickly for Decidueye to dodge.

“Wicke told me to bring them, I wasn’t lying about that. I thought it was a bad idea. And I was right.”

Silvally dug his claws into Decidueye’s soft feathers, causing the owlish pokemon to stagger backwards.

“But why flowers in the first place?”

Decidueye lost his balance, and was successfully knocked backwards, taking Silvally with him.

“Because,” Gladion snapped, “This was supposed to be a date!”

Silvally pinned Decidueye to the ground, his horn pressing gently into the pokemon’s neck, waiting for Decidueye to tap out.

All was silent, save for the heavy breathing from the two pokemon locked in combat. Eventually, Moon recalled Decidueye into his pokeball, and Silvally shook himself off and struck Gladion a proud pose.

Gladion couldn’t share Silvally’s enthusiasm, as much as he wanted to. He didn’t feel like he won at all. Moon walked Gladion’s way, stopping to give Silvally a congratulatory pat before continuing on.

“You really thought I called you here on a date?” She asked incredulously, not looking him in the eyes. “And you actually brought me flowers?”

“Well sorry I got the wrong idea.” He sighed, the heat finally leaving him. “You have to admit, your method was really romance novel-y.”

“And you were just going to go along with it?”

Gladion inhaled sharply, caught in his own excuse.

“I think I was the one with the wrong idea, then.” She said, fixing Decidueye’s pokeball back onto her belt. “I thought we were rivals.”

“Hell no.” She raised an eyebrow up at him, and he caught and held her gaze, ready to explain. There wasn’t much left to lose now. “We might have started out that way, but you’ve become so much more to me over these past few years. And don’t take that the wrong way. I mean, unless you want to.”

Moon laughed, and the stress and worry that had been building up in him over the course of the day was slowly draining away.

“I really messed up today,” he admitted, all his hesitance at talking this through like adults finally gone. “I seriously thought this was a romance novel situation. That you were sending me around to lead me to someplace special to, and this sounds stupid when I say it out loud, to finally tell me that you always loved me. Or something.”

Moon laughed again, and Gladion huffed. “This isn’t funny! I’ve been thinking this all day.”

“I didn’t mean to lead you on.” Moon said quietly, a soft smile pulling at her lips. Gladion sighed, fully accepting that she didn’t feel the same way. “I just wanted Lillie to be a surprise, I didn’t think I’d be getting a confession from you today.”

Gladion held up his hands in defense, “Wait, I didn’t say-”

“I’m not opposed, you know,” she rambled on, again avoiding his eyes, “to this being a romance novel situation. I mean, the pokemon battle is a little unconventional, but we’re not exactly conventional people to begin with.”

“Wait, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” she cleared her throat. “That I had no idea that you’d be on board. With dating. Like, at all. So it never even crossed my mind that you’d even consider the sticky notes something romantic.”

He didn’t, at first. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. If she was on board, too, then-

She continued, “So yeah, I’m going to take what you said the wrong way. Because you’ve become really important to me too, Glad. You always have been, honestly. I’d actually given up on you once already. You didn’t seem interested.”

Guilt and relief both coursed through his body. This was absolutely not what he expected out of tonight. “I’m sorry. I never realized. I was so preoccupied with the Foundation, I didn’t even consider… but I’m considering now. So hey,” he took a deep breath, and gathered up all his courage. “Do you want to do this the right way?”

“The right way?” she asked, sarcastically. “You mean, without all the anger and accusation?”

“Yeah,” he rolled his eyes. Something bumped him hard in the back of the thigh, and he turned around. Silvally was there, with the bouquet of flowers in his mouth. Gladion had to suppress a bark of laughter. He took the damaged bouquet with reverence, and turned back to Moon. He held out the bouquet to her. “I want to try dating you, if you’ll give me a chance. No one knows me the way you do, Moon. No one’s been there for me the way you have, and I want to be that for you, too. I want to be better.”

Moon took the bouquet, and her fingers brushed his. He couldn’t suppress the smile that overtook his face.

“Alright, that was the sappiest thing I’ve ever witnessed.” She laughed and held the flowers tightly to her chest.

“Sappier than a trail of sticky notes?”

“Definitely.”

“So, your answer? You can’t leave me hanging like this, as much as I know you’re enjoying it.”

“You already know my answer.” Moon opened her free arm to him, inviting him over. He closed the space in-between them and wrapped his arms around her, mindful of the flowers. “Of course I’ll date you. Idiot.”

She was incredibly warm, and Gladion realized this might be the first time he’s held her this close. It was a crime. He’d just have to do it more often from now on.

“Today was a mess.” He mumbled into her hair, “I really wasn’t expecting this when I woke up this morning.”

“Neither was I. Surprises all around.”

“I really am an idiot, aren’t I?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Laughed a voice from behind them. Hau.

Moon and Gladion stepped apart, embarrassed.

Lillie was standing next to Hau, her face pink. She nodded sagely and agreed, “An idiot.”

“How long have you been watching, you voyeur?” Gladion accused Hau. “And to get my own sister involved. Disgusting.”

Hau raised his hands defensively. “Hey, she was the one that wanted to check on you guys!”

“Lillie!” Moon flung herself at Lillie, and put her arms around her. “I’m so sorry your own brother wasn’t excited to see you.” Lillie laughed, and gave Moon a squeeze.

“That’s not true.” Gladion sighed, “I was just… preoccupied.”

“Oh we know you were.” Said Hau, suggestively waggling his eyebrows. Gladion threw some rude gestures Hau’s way in response.

“Well, you can make it up to me over malasada?” Lillie asked, softly.

“Seconded! You owe us all one, Glad.” Hau clapped Gladion on the shoulder, and Gladion sighed with extra emphasis.

“I’m not complaining.” Moon chimed in, grinning.

Gladion couldn’t say no to that.

They all returned to the shop together, and Gladion was grilled all night about his misunderstanding, and his sudden relationship upgrade. Under any other circumstance, he would’ve been annoyed. But tonight, he got his romance novel ending.

It didn’t go quite the way he expected, but then again, when did anything when Moon was involved?

This was just one adventure of many.

And he was sure it wouldn’t be their last.

#lonashipping #mahinashipping #Gladion x Moon #Gladion #pokemon fanfiction #my fic #long post #VERY long post #looking back on this fic is rough #I keep seeing all the mistakes I made along the way #and I'm itching to fix them #anyways here's Damascus!#it's pre-Ultra SuMo worldstate change obviously #not like my fics ever stuck to canon anyways #Enjoy!

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buzzmemes · 4 years

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Best Memes of February 2020: Get ready for fun

Best Memes of February 2020

We have compiled for you the best memes made in February 2020 It's 2020 and there's no deficiency of memes clearing the web. It doesn't take well before the most up to date memes are moving image sweethearts to make their own amusing adaptations and flooding internet based life nourishes wherever with them.

I feel this

Where the Newest Memes Come From

You can depend on a significant number of the most up to date memes to originate from huge occasions or patterns in amusement, sports, style, governmental issues, news and other general subjects of intrigue. For example, you ought to have the option to detect a ton of the accompanying memes from well known TV appears, Hollywood tattle, unscripted television, broadcast sports games and even mechanical advancements. An ancient format

Wtf how could I even forget Ben Swolo was a thing

How Are the Newest Memes Being Used in February 2020?

The most up to date memes are being utilized similarly as they generally have — via web-based networking media as tweets, pictures, GIFs, and short recordings. Whether you're reblogging an image on Tumblr or utilizing an image as an amusing response picture to a hypothetical circumstance portrayed in a Twitter tweet, there's basically no incorrect method to utilize an image in fubruary 2020 as long as you will probably be clever (and not offensive). To speed you up, we've compiled the best and funniest memes we've seen in 2020. These memes are the most liked memes from reddit, instagram, facebook and twitter. languages in a nutshell : Memes

Chinese Writing: We're talking about THIS Chinese Speaking: Squidward playing the clarinet Poor yoda : Memes

Kill myself I must,annoying luke is Advertising done right : Memes

it’s antibacterial itachi Americans when they wake up: angry noises : Memes

You underestimate the power of people with really bad sleep schedules. Big brain : Memes

The bridge contains metal. I don't want me or my kids any part of it! Water is H2O and much healthier! Ayy sexy lady : Memes

and then, just like a storm, it passed It's honest work : Memes

In Assassin's Creed II I restarted a whole sequence in Venice because I didn't press shift to hug Leonardo. He looked so dissapointed and sad. :( How companies think we see prices : Memes

$15 + $5 shipping? No thanks! $20 and free shipping? Hell yes! We are always watching : Memes

And we are mostly lurkers. Truly the superior studio : Memes

Kronk would like to have a word. I’m proud of that dude : Memes

I wish i could work for him. Maybe he wouldn't be a dick head boss when i fuck up. A pro gamer move : Memes

Whether we wanted it or not.... Like postman, like son : Memes

Who know maybe his mom is a fucking Amazon warrior princess Porn is a curse : Memes

An old friend of mine is a porn star. She started getting ‘milf’ roles in her mid-20s. Then again, maybe that’s a british thing? That really hurts : Memes

I don't care what universe your from,thats gotta hurt. I mean, she’s just kind of roasting herself by saying attractive people aren’t attracted to her, right? Like what does that say about her? Victory screech : Memes

My parents were so confused by that lmao. They whipped their heads around to look at me and were like, ", why did she do that???" It really do be that way : Memes

Damn Rowan Atkinson is hot Not just hot, he's burning All Ya had to do was follow the damn train mr bean "im gonna save you 20 minutes of ranting" : Memes

Me: The grades in American high school include 9th, 11th, 12th, et cetera Always gotta leave one out in case people ask for more examples Then you go, "well there are certainly too many more for a comprehensive list, but one major example is 10th grade" and then introduce some kind of non sequitur: "but in reality, undergraduate college grades are what we should be talking about" in the hopes they won't press you any further about high school grades. Most of the jobs I land have this problem : Memes

Anyone else rather have 2? It seems to come with a Doge! Less maintenance on #2. Guaranteed. More sedimental value on #2 Hmmm lots of rock value Just keeps getting better : Memes

Sounds like you got yourself a sugar mamma Sally Mae? Me too brother Good job 👍 : Memes

YES, I was playing Pokemon whilst browsing reddit, and a shiny Sobble came out the egg as soon as I went onto your post, ironic lol congrats on your shiny :) Thank you:) Did you capture it? Yep Show me a better hero : Memes

man, imagine the pressure for her to not do shitty in school now At least she gets to go there Going to college, but not being able to finish can sometimes make someone worse off than if they'd never gone to college at all. Paying for education is the deadliest trap card.............. Only in certain countries... nostalgic : Memes

I do that too. I just have 300 or so songs I hunted down from 2014 to now, and just cycle them. Hey, I've seen you on brawlstars Exposed Why tf did I get downvoted???? At this point, Reddit is just Russian roulette. It's actually called karma roulette I think. There’s a sub for that called karmaroulette And what is happening there? People get their posts upvoted or downvoted Any post because it seems there are only memes. If I post a picture of the floor for example could I get upvoted? Gym Leader : Memes

Nah man. That’s the human version of a Minecraft grass block. is your name a starcraft reference? Yes Because that's what hero's do. That's the untoxic clean supportive community of reddit “I wasn’t even trying to win dude, here’s your gym badge tho” that's not a gym leader that's zygarde in human form "Zygarde used Bad Guy! Super effective!" That’s gotta hurt : Memes

That's what happens when you fish for compliments in shark infested waters Exactly. Dude had it coming for that obvious shit. When a chick be complaining about her looks in my presence and I can tell she wants me to be like,"no you look great" 😒 That's when you respond with "oh, sucks to suck I guess" Definitely wont get you laid, but she'll stop telling you how ugly she finds herself If a girl asks you If she looks fat say ‘you’re not fat. You’re just easy to see’. I mean, say it from the other side of the room, preferably with an obstacle to duck behind for when she starts throwing things at you. i require haha and coom : Memes

Wait so people actually use this as a social media platform? No means no : Memes

"Here wear this jacket. Go hug that soldier" "Lets burn some books!" “I’m massively into swastikas” "You mean you're hindu" "No, just into swastikas" Reading between the lines : Memes

It’s funny cause when I saw diplo, he did in fact throw down hard but he wouldn’t shut up through out the set and I just wanted to headbang without a dry cracky voice booming “How we feelin tonight?” Over and over Read the full article

#Memes #Funnymemes #dankmemes #animememes #historymemes

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gengarfamily · 7 years

Text

I still get reviews and messages sometimes about Don’t Take Forever, and whenever I’m sad I read through them and it makes me SO happy so I thought I’d share My Top DTF Moments and their origins.

Part One: Johto (slowburnhell)

so when I started writing this it was going to be a little cute oneshot collection of nice moments at various points in their journey (but then plot happened so) and all the plot fell together because I was obsessively listening to Lucy Rose at the time, specifically her song Little Brave (which actually gave the title, bc don’t take forever is like the chorus riff).

FAVE part of this chapter is the cafe scene in Olivine, where the foghorn jokes begin and May was crying but subtly doesn’t feel AS sad when she’s around him. The foghorn jokes that I get so much shit for now are from an irl conversation between me and a friend, when we used to give each other shit for our own bouts of seasickness, and he lived in a place where we needed boat transportation to see each other.

Other fave part is probably the hug in Blackthorn, because it makes me all squirmy and warm to think about, and it’s also my fave bit of the piano arrangement I did for this. anyway.

Big belief that Drew associates every single sunset he sees with May so obviously that’s why I kept writing her has wearing burnt orange I’m not sorry. AND OBVIOUSLY THEY KNOW EACH OTHERS BREAKFAST ORDERS THIS ISN’T EVEN A QUESTION.

Top Quote:

“Well you know, foghorns,” he shrugged, and she laughed harder. “They just call out to me.”

Part Two: Sinnoh (angst city)

I love lonely Drew. I LIVE for lonely Drew. Drew brooding and sulking and quietly repressing his emotions because he has more important things to focus on than just his girlfriend being far away; this is my aesthetic. I think my 100% top moment in this was probably catching Driftloom? I love Floroma Town and the windworks as an area in Sinnoh from way back when I first played D/P, I thought it was such a pretty place and if I lived anywhere in the Pokemon Universe it would DEFINITELY be there.

Originally, I was going to write Drew’s mother as promising lots, and then ditching all the time. Sort of, she really wishes she could be a good mother but she’s just terrible at follow through and she can’t be counted on, so she was going to miss the final match and let him down or s o m e t h i n g, and I was going to have a bit of a stand off between Brendan and Drew, not over May, but over Marina and Drew’s dislike of her making Brendan super angry or SOMETHING. (I had a lot of vague ideas). In the end, I realized Marina was best left alone to be developed properly another time, because I always wanted to let her fall back into place with Jimmy. I also knew I wanted Karen to have some horrible bitterness to her, and some kind of “once mine, always mine,” mentality, so this idea of desperately clinging to her last chance of a good reputation seemed appealing.

Dawn and May in the coffee shop and Dawn yelling loudly about May’s feelings to embarrass her in front of Drew’s Dad is everything that matters to me. Also, I gave May an astigmatism because if you tell me that’s a girl who can see 100% you’re telling me a lie. ALSO DREW AND MAX SHOULD BE BEST FRIENDS that’s all.

Top Quote:

“Drew likes to make you think he’s cool,” Max informed them dutifully, pushing his glasses up his nose a little, “but it’s a lie. It’s a well thought out, calculated lie. This is part of the lie. Never forget, he is in fact a weenie.”

Part Three: Hoenn (1)

I live for the Christmas section here. I wanted to set them up as companions, that even though they traveled separately they were a unit and they were a partnership and what better environment than navigating a family christmas? Caroline and Drew as a friendship means EVERYTHING to me. And anyone who has spoken to me for more than three seconds knows that I have a LOT of feelings about Norman and May, but I’ll talk about that in the next section.

#letpaulappreciatecontests2k17

Shout out to this section for Max, who introduces Drew as top coordinator and full time weenie when he battles Norman. This is the most frequently commented upon moment when I get messages and reviews, and it means so much to me that you seem to share my terrible sense of humor.

the bit where May does Drew’s tie because she’s used to league functions with her family and Drew is just a sarcastic mess was completely improvised because I had just realised that I would have to cut Hoenn into two parts, and I was naive and thought I’d need padding. I thought I might take it out when I realised HOW LONG Hoenn p2 ended up being but it’s now my fave bit of fluff in the whole thing, so. you know. have at it. and it also kind of hints at the whole sexual tension part of their relationship that gets addressed in part four so here just take it you sinners

The whole phone cliffhanger at the end was originally going to go somewhere SO MUCH MORE DEEP and have this horrible plotline where Drew’s parents had a huge thing and Matthew tried to reach May to talk to Drew before Karen could but I decided it was best to Leave Drew Alone for a while.

Top Quote

“Gross,” Marina commented sagely. “You’re that couple. The ‘oh we just... you know, spent a few weeks drifting around Sinnoh, on a whim. No big deal. We’re so in love, look how gross and happy we are’.”

Part Four: Hoenn (2)

Dawn as main rival is best main rival; obviously. I wanted a differing ~main~ person for M&D to come up against as a collective in every section at first, so it would start with Marina and then Brendan and then Dawn, but all with very differing kinds of rivalries. But then when Brendan stopped being an antagonist, and Karen and Matthew became the bulk of the issue in Sinnoh, much reevaluation happened and I wanted to talk about Drew’s relationship with Harley, so once M&D were together I wanted them to have their own conflicts as individuals and seperate battles to fight, and not lose them to some unified being that lost both of their personalities. I always wanted to have conflict between May and Norman, and definitely May and Solidad as well (again, p4) but once I figured out the Anti-Ikarishipping subplot and the difficulties I wanted Drew to have in that contest season, it made sense to pit him against Paul and Harley in different ways. Harley was a very aggressive rivalry and full of a lot of hurt on both sides, but with Paul I wanted it to be very passive. He was like a figure head for everything Drew had struggled with, and Dawn’s issue with Paul was supposed to mirror what could have happened with May and Drew if it had all gone Wrong.

cookieshipping was OBVIOUSLY going to be a part of this.

I desperately wanted some kind of conflict between Soledad and May, and originally it was going to be more around Soledad’s battling lul and her blaming May for that, and then also blaming her for Drew’s lul, and then all these negative feelings just sort of consuming her and snapping her, and while that doesn’t happen there’s an undercurrent of frustration that May caught her up and makes her a little dismissive but not to the point where she won’t prioritise her and Drew being happy? I guess. I like that their conflict ends up being nothing about coordinating, and nothing about their actual friendship, because they’re two very non-confrontational people, but two very emotionally intelligent people also, so their conflict all stems from an inability to agree with how Drew should process and how much they each individually care about him. Soledad dismissing May as overreacting felt natural because I felt May DID overreact while I was writing it, and with all the grand festival pressure I wanted that. Sometimes I wish I could rewrite it and make the underlying tensions a little clearer, because a lot of that is lost in the actual writing and it doesn’t come through the way I wanted it to, and it makes them all a little petty, but it can’t be helped now. (AKA: my biggest regret.)

I got a lot of people calling me out on the fact May and Drew had sex. in general, I feel like this chapter was both the weakest and the strongest in different ways, depending on what you’re looking for. I knew from the MOMENT I knew the plot that they needed to have that part of their relationship aired, because it’s such a natural and caring part of a lot of relationships and it didn’t seem right that they were becoming so emotionally firm and absolute with each other but were completely limited to little pecks on the cheek - it felt wrong with their characters when they’ve always been - even in the canon - so drawn to one another in a way that would so easily build to that, in the most respectful and caring of ways. anyway I wanted it to parallel their communication, so the more openly they talked with each other, the more physical they would be, in both mannerisms and in eventual actions. (I kept the scene PG so it’s all fine, I guess.)

I’ve gotten a few messages I’ve never publicly responded to about May and Norman and their relationship and where it comes from so here’s my official answer. : no. you’re wrong. it’s not me and my dad. congrats sherlock. I based it off moments in the ruby/sapphire game and the way May responds to him in the anime. Now, the relationship between them in An Adventurer is quite different, and I’ll cop to a part of that being my exploring my relationship with my dad. But it’s mostly manga references and a little bit of lingering tension from an unresolved relationship in DTF.

May and Dawn’s fight was the MOST FUN to write, and when I got to the last of Dawn’s pokemon I was legitimately like “okay so how many pokemon has she got left” and I was STUNNED because there were none, so I wrote that reaction into May’s numb-post-win feel.

The Elite Four part? mmmmmmmm. can’t possibly comment. maybe i’ll explain in the sequel. (COMING THIS SUMMER) *maybe* ((((oh god let me graduate)))))

#my writing #don't take forever #throwback #backstory #analysis #long post

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fablefan · 7 years

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Quick rundown of everything that happened so far in my lets play:

Skull Grunts more like Skull Gruntzzzzzzz because I swept them easy

Grinding session

Bentley evolved!!! He's a Dartrix now!!!!!!!

Went to the spooky cemetaRY GRUNKLE 'GENTLEMAN' STANLEY WH A T

Another grinding session

HELLO DELIBIRD shouldn't you be with Santa??

'I got self esteem issues man!' - Every teenager in the US

REVIVES BABY IM NEVER DYING NOW AHAHAHAHAHA

"It's our honeymoon!" Aww, congrats! I wish you two happiness

TRIAL TIIIIME oh it's you two again

"this kid straight up dangerous homie!" YOU BET YOUR BUCKET I AM

Finally, the Z Crystal! Should I have a bag of sand at the ready? Just in case this is a trap and a boulder rolls out...

Nice! first Trial and Z Crystal!

WAIT HOLD ON ILIMAS A GUY?!

Oh hey Kukui hi - OH MY GOD YOU FLATTENED THE GROWLITHE WTF

WHAT?! The bae is lost?! first of all how dare you lose her what kind of professor are you

DONT WORRY LILLIE DARLING, YOUR POKEMON KNIGHT IS COMING FOR YOUUU~

Lillie your in a field of bright flowers, am I in an anime????

DONT MIND ME I'm just getting my girlf Pokemon... Even though I'm allergic to pollen......... *sniff*.........

MY GRUBBIN EVOLVED!! He's a Charjabug now! Patience pays off!

I saved Nebby! Do I get a good job smooch now?

"At least let me do this" IM GETTING A SMOOCH!!

aaaaand she just healed my Pokemon

TIME TO FACE THE KAHUNA BOIII

Well that was easy. YA PROUD OF ME LILLIE

Oh sweet another Crystal!

OH SHOOT I get to ride around a Tauros???

Illima did you literally just show up to brag

"I actually wanted to ask a favor of you first." Anything you want Lillie

YEAAAH BUDDY NEW ISLAND TIME HELlo beautiful lady Olivia

Aww Mallow's so cute!

Off to the resooooook who're you two

So now I have to collect cores and crystals. There's a reference in there somewhere.....

I HAVE A PUPPO!!! ROCKRUFF!!!!!!

Hey Hauuuuuuu the heck are you

WOAH WOAH hold up you're with Team Skull?

I don't know who you are but I feel bad for you... Gladion

[Insert generic grinding session here]

I can ride a Stoutland now!!

[Insert generic grinding session here (Part 2: This Again!)]

also HELLO LANA

I CAN RIDE!!!! A LAPRAS!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH

Aw Wishiwashi are adorable

[Fighting the Totem Pokemon] I TAKE IT BACK WISHIWASHI ARE TERRIFYING AHHHHHHHHHHH

In other news the theme for Davy Jones or the Kraken from PotC makes great mood music when fighting them

MY ROCKRUFF AND WINGULL EVOLVED!!! THEY'RE A LYCANROC AND PELIPPER NOW AHHHH

Sweet! New Crystal!

#NatPlays #Can I just say I love this game so far #Pokémon Sun and Moon #Pokémon Spoilers #NatflashPosts

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sh-lan · 6 years

Text

i’m always late for these now but oh well

i can’t believe i’m making an ebay account happy new year LOL

Third day of the new year!

Went to hangout with ryan and leighton. They wanted to try marugame udon so!!! Also i saw adam but didnt say hi, oops. In any case. We were like hey let’s do something like walk around! But it rained a little so we bought some cuties from trader joe’s and ended up at ryan’s house and basically sat in his kotatsu for 4 hours then i came home. I also finally know how it feels like when the manga says that your legs get tangled inside the kotatsu. And when you literally cannot get out of it. Plus the feeling of losing the ability to walk because ya gurl tried to stand up after crawling out of the kotatsu and just fell back down What a day LOL

my brain in general has forgotten how it feels like to study …oh dear

Mommy helped me dye my hair yesterday! It’s lighter than i thought but it was the gray ochre color from palty! And it smells like grape hichews Facetimed vania & yuri today and they noticed the color! And then facetiming with dad and he also noticed LIKE WOW I DIDNT REALIZE PEOPLE COULD TELL? <3

I want a lot of cute phone case but idk what and where to get EDIT: i am still having this problem

I just saw the golden year of the dog items from starbucks korea AND I WANT EDIT: also want the starbucks x pantone planner fml EDIT EDIT: did not end up buying anything good job deborah lan

i was right muster merch colors ARE BEAUTIFUL

The muster merch fmu EDIT: clearly i was overwhelmed with the colors because there were two separate drafts in a row lol

The company insists on having two references….

And now they said they chillin with a peer reference SO I PHONED A FRIEND (aka vania) bless her soul

jan 10th l i f e u p d a t e got the first job offer of my life!! (well official full time offer lol) and so it looks like i’m going to portland? :O

Wow i joined a GO for muster merch New year new me and goodbye money 탕진잼 탕진잼 탕진잼

Wow im glad i submitted the form to get muster merch because THEY ARE SO CUTE AND PRETTY. Okay but i really want PCs so i sincerely hope bighit has some sense and ship PC sets abroad when you order multiple other items Also didnt realize the lenticular key rings would be a hot item but seriously they are so much more adorable than i thought?? Jk’s key ring is so cute i cri EDIT: just found out about no acrylic stand )))): EDIT EDIT: didn’t get squat because ARMYs jump all over everything any time anything is released...

finding housing is hard and i can’t believe that i actually see an appeal to living in downtown…

fmu because bt21 getting released online BUT I REALLY SHOULDN’T BUY but also i finally got my package from jen! ugh omg the bag charms are so cute i don’t know whether to actually use them or keep them in their boxes ;__; and she included some mediheal masks! finally also sent vania her tata as a thank you gift~

deokrim stickers are too cute ima buy two sets

And ugh wow i cant believe i chanced upon cornpeu shop reopening im ded Vania and i didnt catch the timing for bt21 and now i’m still dumping money on bts things HAHA EDIT: not even 15 min after writing this, i bought the stuff from cornpeu lel (which couldve been used to buy the cushion so idk man) time to go preorder for deokrim maybe?

Wow my left hand hurts like shit did i really break it playing superstar bts like mom said? No way right

Ahhhh got my muster merch in the mail today and it’s so niceeee *^* Ima stick that washi tape like everywhere LOL

I hurt myself four different times today smh

In portland for the weekend! I deadass ate two packets of honey roasted peanuts on the plane ride over because i didnt realize i was so hungry and now i’m just waiting for the pimples to cOME ;__;

I walked into a stationery store in portland and just. FOUND MY PEACE. jk but i bought some stickers i been looking at online blesssss

No. Tax. Anywhere. (So far)

I had coke last night after my flight and i legit didnt feel tired until 3:30am oops

Omfg i cant believe someone was selling the trust issues photobook by snowpeach in the luce in altis project for $15 last night WOW LIKE THE FEW DAYS I DONT CHECK SHIT, THERE’S ALL KINDS OF SHIT I WANT. $15 is so cheap ;___;

went to portland with alice to check out apartments!!! woot. lots of fun going around/looking at the city. landed on thursday night and waited at the airport for alice and ate mcdonalds/watched the office haha friday: alice had work all day ): so i went out to meet up with yuri and leslie who happened to be out in portland too! walked to the alberta arts district to eat with them at pok pok noi. just walked around afterwards exploring in the rain before getting back home to eat dinner with alice at like 8…lol we went to bamboo sushi in sw and alice treated me to omakase as a congrats on getting my new yob!! woot also did some walking around in the neighborhood - will likely spend quite a bit of time in the powell city of books! saturday: the day we actually went out to see properties! grabbed some blue star donuts and headed into nw district - looked at some apartments and then grabbed lunch at this cute italian place that i will most likely frequent. started talking to alice about stuff and being weak, i cried and then we got free hazelnut ice cream…LOL. it was really good sunday: since we toured places that i actually liked yesterday, we basically just decided to walk around different areas. waterfront park, pioneer square…we spent a while in nordstrom rack and sephora looking for stuff for alice! lol. then dinner again at bamboo sushi and dessert at salt & straw :> monday morning: waking up early to get to the airport for alice’s flight. bought more donuts at the airport for mom! then i sat at the airport watching the office and eating until the airplane ride where i got a whole row to myself~

and that was my portland trip shortened LOL. but~ excited about the new city, definitely excited about the donuts!

Furniture shopping is hard Moving is hard Everythinf comes down to money S M H

Got approved for my apartment today!! #excited

legit on phone calls for an hour getting stuff down and ready. now to wait on emails so i can get to the next step to sign my lease!

It’s been hot in sf like ??? In other news, i put coconut oil in ma hair - let’s see how it feels tomorrow! :O EDIT: idk, it didn’t feel different?

Omg feb 5th: suddenly a day where i can play hard mode on ssbts wow what a day

I just saw the new bts game where you get to “live chat” the boys as the user becomes the manager and takes care of the bois I am literally gonna die All armys gonna die Why do they do this to us …BECAUSE THEY KNOW WE’LL NEVER BE THEIR MANAGERS

Today i threw away my first lip tint because it looked funky funks and was like dying Good bye you were good to me - onto more an new lip tints! On another note. The balenciaga cap is $350??!?!

Being fat today and ordered three desserts with han at creations. And then went to the beach because pokemon but ended up star-gazing and it was niceee

Just came across its it ice creams on IG and since it’s been so hot (cause like spring came early or something??) i want it!! Also, it’s like the only time i ever consume oatmeal raisin cookies (unless they just oatmeal - in which case, delicious) But omg i didnt know strawberry is an OG flavor? Althought mint reigns supreme. But. GREEN TEA??

A BUMBLEBEE FLEW INTO MY HOUSE THE OTHER DAY AND I WAS ALONE AND COULDNT HELP also raided mewtwo yesterday!! Woot. Surprisingly got the gym bonus after much hardwork but dayum caught with only one ball LOL

Ever since that one time on the airplane with the weird ass headache/tension above my left eyebrow….i got like two headaches in a week that were like that. Also in between those, my right ear hurts and honestly…am i broken somewhere cause lel Body please get better

Lmao so last time i put on a screen protector, i cracked it in two days cause i dropped it. And i just put on a new one last week and lo and behold, it hath cracked again but this time, in my purse. I’m so ????? Smh

Landed in portland once again with han for move in!! Woke up super early…. Just went to target/tj maxx to buy stuff. Smh should’ve bought a swiffer and gotten it sent here ): Got a shower rug! THE SOFT SQUISHY ONE. But failed in the shower curtain department cause it’s too short… Makeshift bed with blankets and bed sheets lol…we shall await the mattress coming in tomorrow~ Do have quite a bit of stuff to buy in general…): Anyways. Had a burrito for dinner and like ?!! Aluminum foil gave me an aluminum cut so…ow No internets yet - good thing han downloaded some movies!

My cuticles are dying because my hands are dry and wow this is terribad

Went and bought a shitton of strawberry chocolates for 50% off at cvs MUAHAHA

Went to macy’s (or we’ve been going often since it’s going out of business so things are going on sale) and got the seiko watch i was kinda eyeing last time. ONLY TO FIND OUT (forgot to check on amazon) that it was 38 dollahs cheaper ;__; but. EHHH it’s all good. Seems like the one on amazon has strap problems being too smol so…like, it’s totally chill

February 19th

My first day of work!! Went in earlies and had onboarding for about two hours with amother new hire. Then i returned to my room where i met my coworker and my manager! Both of whom are in the same room and we each have a desk. (Ima have to request a standing desk :O) anywayss. Got a company laptop - thank god it’s not bulky. And then i’ve got two monitors on my desk too! #bless

Then jlw went through more ux stuff with me and i also went to a stand up meeting. Like. Those are real man. Then went to company lunch! Where new hires introduce themselves and i realize that i have never used a dishwasher before and everyone was shookt lol.

Afterwards, i went to a sprint meeting AND BOIIIII PLANNING POKER DOE??? Lololol. I have to say i did not understand a single thing that was going on. Took about an hour and a half…

Anyways. went back in where jlw continued where she left off and then finally let me read some onboarding stuff on my own before she headed out at 4 and then me, leaving swiftly at 4 as well LOL

SO that was my first day! Trying to get everything in order - i hope that everything goes great and that i learn lots and lots! :> although…windows computer already killing me, no wonder people use mouses instead of the trackpad. Also…gotta learn Axure + in depth photoshop so…WOOT WOOT

Oh and we also have a huge snack cabinet i might just become a potato

Light snowfall is so pleasant :>

Bucketlist checklist:

Eat alone - check! First lunch break :> (exciting!)

Watch a movie by myself - check! Love, Simon

Second day - drank too much coffee while i’m still weak against caffeine. It’s 1:26am. HNNNGH

i got really bored at work today because even though it’s week 2 now, i was done with my shit at like 2pm so i just started looking at axure tutorials for another however long until 4:30 LOL side note: might actually do my post-its idea thing then i realize that i didn’t bring any post-its over to portland… also i cracked my screen again today because i slammed it on the counter while trying to save it from falling so did i really save it….

bought rice and shin ramen on amazon lel

Gonna try out my post it idea in the office tomorrow. Hope it goes well 🤞

2/28/17 First ever happy hour but also goodbye party for kyle - also like the first time i talked to him since the one and a half week i been there (minus when we introduced ourselves) but sads cause he was kinda a squish and everyone seemed to have a chill time working with him :/ oh well

ALSO THE FIRST DAY THAT YA GURL GOT PAID $$$ (which is just directly going to rent - oh the woe of getting paid bi-monthly LOL)

Wow i did a great job sticking on my phone screen protector! #yes EDIT: no i didnt. It’s blocking the camera slightly on top smh

Ya gurl cut her finger on a tape measure lmfaooo

Alice came two weekends in a row to help me buy and build stuff and daymn. That was some hard work and tbh i only built a shelf and a bed LOOOOL I think ima go for the sofa + table rather than the desk. I think it might work! Also went to ashun market. Good weekend :>

I went bowling today!! It was an engineering celebration so i thought - why not, let’s be social for a little bit. And it turned out to be fun~ we had some fuds and i played two rounds. And I got a strike in one of the rounds! Woot woot. Anyways. It was enjoyable, not as awkward as i had envisioned. Also i was able to successfully catch the bus home so that was great :>

I think i’m reverting back to my eating habits because there are ENDLESS SNACKS IN THE OFFICE. Oh dear

Really actually thinking about that dicon photobook because the pictures are so nice :<

ALSO FINALLY FCKIN DISCOVERED ELECTRICITY CHARGE ON KWH DIFFERS ON A MONTH TO MONTH BASIS in addition to usage. Wow the things you discover and uncover as you adult

Also city of portland why do you have a base charge of $11???????

Ahhh xfinity wifi was too good to be true Apparently only 5 devices could connect to it at one time. So i guess i gotta shop for internets now…LOL EDIT: NAWP. ALL GOOD. THAT WAS FOR HOME HOTSPOT. WOOT

Lmao my manager went to ucsd when marshall was still called third im

In other news. It looks like my one on one anxiety wont dissipate soon. Esp since last week, the vp of engineering just sent me a calendar invite for a one on one and i literally got stressed out for a straight 30 min before i said yes to the invite and could slowly go back to focusing on work lol…. EDIT: it ended up being around 15 minutes and i did not really enjoy it at all

We are bulletproof pt 2 came on today while i was walking and i still cannot believe that the first lines still got me smiling like a fckin idiot

Ok so i finally talked to this girl at work (who i think is really pretty omfg) the other day and she’d been curling her hair recently and as we were walking out of the bathroom i was like I REALLY LIKE YOUR HAIR And then she said my hair is so straight and healthy - “do you straighten it? It’s really pretty” and i’m just over here crying on the inside because it looks like hay and only happened to be really straight that day for god knows what reason. SO BASICALLY THE STARS ALIGNED JUST SO WE COULD HAVE THIS CONVERSATION Also she said she recently bought a curler that just “does it for you” and gurl i need that because idk how to DO ANYTHING TO MY HAIR UGH

I woke up with the blankets already nicely proportioned off the sides of my bed - so i just crawled out without making my bed today lool

Thought i could handle watching burn the stage but i saw the screenshot of jungkook lying down and it already broke my heart Need to be secluded with some tissues ;__;

A two day trip to see The Rose in seattle or a five day trip in san diego… 🤔🤔🤔

last day of march went to lunch with my coworkers for the first time and i actually enjoyed it! it was fun :> glad that my coworker actually dropped by the office to invite us to lunch~

good friday today because:

lunch was good

really honestly did nothing because we were troubleshooting visual studio

also basically did nothing because double sprint planning and retro LOL

HEADING HOME FOR THE WEEKEND UNTIL WEDNESDAY

#gotpaid

but no joke, on the ride to the airport, i got carsick and i honestly didn’t even know that was possible but if you think about it, i basically haven’t been on any kind of transportation for at least a month… also my uber driver is like some viet gangsta or something that gets pulled into the room every time he tries to go to canada O_O LOL

Deadass trying to save money but The rose concert in seattle, want to make an sd trip, want the 2k18 asia trip But also bts comeback sometime during the first half of the year and SUDDENLY WANNA ONE IS GOING TO HAVE A WORLD TOUR??? Dammit dude DAMMIT

My heart dies a little every time my coworker comes by and invites me to lunch with everyone *ugly sobs* Dies a little in a good way - just for clarification LOL

Mom dyed my hair for me! And it was darker than i thought BUT GREAT. Curiously enough, after two washes…it’s already lightening?? NO PLEASE STAY DARK. PLEASE. EDIT: lol i realized there was another “mother dyed my hair” somewhere on top lel. just for clarification - nobody else dyes my hair including myself cause i am incapable lOL

omfg i just saw the we bare bears x spao collab AND THEN FOUND THE ADVENTURE TIME X SPAO CLOTHES, SO CUTE!!! the jake and bmo hoodie )):

didn’t realize that i missed them so much ;__; we thought we would all die with the black hair but actually they just killed us with softness good thing they didn’t come out with foreheads lOL

okay lol basically that’s it because nothing happens in my life although i realze that i video recorded a lot of experiences and they’re all just video files sitting on my phone and that’s why maybe i haven’t been writing any everyday things down :O will i ever edit them? unclear

in any case - planning lots of fun things for the months to come hopefully!

#mumble mumble #does this count as #spring mumbles #debs in portland #adulting debs

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