Another AU that has been knocking around my mind for a while XD
I call it Moonlit AU
It can be summed as such:
Pop Trolls are pretty wild bunch when it comes to looks, varying in colours, flocking/fur patterns, glitter, freckles, hair, you name it
It got me thinking, what sort of thing would they find attractive in prospective partner? While singing/harmonizing could be a part of it (and ngl, that did made me think of the Happy Feet movies, as silly as those were), my mind turned towards more physical attributes
Thus, this AU was born- where one of the reasons why Pop trolls like to be most active at night (to party) is that a Moon's Light also allows them to appreciate fur/flocking patterns otherwise hidden, where the complexity and style varies from troll to troll, as is thought to show one's inner self
Contrary to what one would expect from the Princess (and future Queen) of Pop, Poppy's patterns are rather simple- but striking nonetheless, firm and bold stripes, like taking a wide brush to a canvas- straightforward but chaotic in their hardly orderly fashion
Poppy struts her patterns; they are unique and dominant among the general showing of swirls, polka dots and flower like spottings
She is aware her stripes are not considered the most attractive of features- too similar to that of a predatory critter, too sharp for who is supposed to be cheerful queen of equally cheerful people- but she is a romantic at heart and believes that when it will be time to choose a consort, those physical features are surface-level importance at best, and this is the mentality she has going forward, looking at the glowing marks of her friends and considering them equally beautiful no matter what.
Until she manages to spot Branch one night outside under the full moon light that is.
Branch's pattern, in high contrast to Poppy, is far more complex. Symetrical but delicate in its filigree, and far more detailed than anything the Princess has ever seen before. Usually, Branch ventures out only on moonless nights, as he feels the glow of his marks are too visible, too dangerous to just show out and about, for every dangerous predator to see- and it is purely bad luck when bad weather caughts him outside longer than he would have liked, and Poppy manages to catch the sight of him while he is completely unaware he had been seen.
All her conviction flies right out of the window, as she looks at his delicate patterning and her mind just goes blank and - Oh
Usually she would have called out to him, ask him to come to a party- but she feels mesmerized, hypnotized by the elegance of the filigree, and her mind longs for a way to memorate it forever- with a photo, or a painting- and she stares at the entrance of his bunker long after he vanished inside, completely stupefied and wrong footed.
Before, Poppy hardly ever gave Branch a thought, when it came to this part of Pop Troll culture; as part of her, guiltily, sort of assumed that with his lack of colour, his patterning would be rather bland as well- and besides, it's not like he ever shown a desire to participate in courting dances.
But now she is left with sudden new, and unexpected feeling- her heart and breath going now a bit faster everytime she catches a glimpse of him from now on, her cheeks flushing and her tail wagging in excitement
(Her desk's drawer is filled with failed cut out scrapbook pieces of leaves and tiny detailed filigree, as she attempts to journal her sudden and new discover and cant get it quite right)
Tldr; Pop Trolls have fur/flocking patterns that appear only under the moon's light, and Poppy finds Branch's so irresistibly attractive she hardly knows what to do with herself
This pushes her to try and spend more time with him- just spend time with him, no trying to push him to go to parties with her or trying to get him to sing or hug
For his part, Branch is both secretly pleased his own crush is now paying more attention to him than to Creek (who is not happy with this development) but also holy shit Poppy is paying more attention to him, so it is kind of unnerving for him, freaking him out
486 notes
·
View notes
→ ❛One Way Train❜
→ Pairing ; Warden Ingo x Reader
→ Quote ; ❛❛It was perhaps that moment that caused a shift in Ingo, something telling him to seek further, to seek much more than what meets the eye, and he was determined, even if it was a one way train towards victory.❜❜
→ Genre ; Romance , hurt/comfort if you squint
→ A/N ; Phew, one hefty fic out of the way, i admit i was initially gonna make it Ingo and not Warden Ingo but, it just seemed to fit better to have it done with the latter. Hope ya'll like it!
Reality, to most people, was nothing but a mere curse, something people werent fond of, something people escaped from on the daily, be it through games or through fantasy. It was something everyone, one way or another, wanted to run away from, at least to some extent.
Some wished to escape for the sake of finding a new world, some wanted to escape for the sake of leaving situations that werent favorable for them, be it physically, mentally, or both, and then there were some who simply chose to escape from reality as is, no exact meaning about it. Be whichever it be, it is the truth for most people, perhaps, including you.
But for Ingo, this couldnt be farther from the truth. For him, the world as he knew, the “reality” that he knew grew to be a cold spectacle for tired eyes. Everyone he knew, everyone he had met and had exchanged words with. It was all nothing but code and strings of binary. At first, it all felt like a sick twisted game, something not meant for him to find out, something that went against everything that he once knew, but he knew that it was true, especially when he put every single little thing into consideration.
The eyes of the trainer were hollow, empty, cold, a mere vessel for who was truly playing the cards of the reality he laid in—Not to mention, days and nights seemed to pass by rather quickly the more he focused on it, lasting only a few hours, it was intriguing in some sense, but in another, it was creepy. Trying to talk to other members about these findings would bring about one of two things: Either they were completely oblivious to these happenings, or they ignored him, as if he didnt exist.
But they never ignored you.
In fact, it was as if at times, their speech was mostly triggered by your presence alone, you being in the limelight caused them to be able to speak about certain topics, but Ingo knew better than to cause a disturbance on the reality he was set in. Was it a joke from Arceus? Was it a gift? A curse? To be aware of how hollow and empty things were once he realized something wasnt right? something wasnt adding up? He wanted to know so desperately, just as much as he wanted his memories to come back.
But they were just whispers, fleeting and ephemeral in the darkness of his mind.
At one point an idea would pop into his mind, simple enough for it to be a flame of curiosity sparking into his head, he’d try and focus on the moments he had experimented before, before looking ahead from his position to where you’d be. Usually, and another thing he had taken notice of, was the fact that everytime you seemed to “leave”, Akari would stop full on her tracks before disappearing, just like that, in thin air. It was an odd spectacle, sometimes it happened right beside him, other times it happened a few steps away from him, either way, it was… creepy, to say the least.
Thats why, when he saw you come in again, he didnt waste any time on trying to get to talk to you, even if it put at risk his own existence. He already had been at a standstill between doing what he had been doing up until now, and breaking free from those orders, in the end, he had nothing to lose.
“Excuse me” He’d begin, noticing as you turned around to face him, this was his chance. “Do you, know whats happening lately?”
“What… What’s happening…?”
And for the first time in what seemed to have felt days on end, perhaps months wondering what was happening around, he heard a voice, resonating across the plane he stood in like the wind, the sun, and the rain. He looked around for a moment, just to make sure he wasnt the only one who heard it, yet, it seemed like that was the case, the only one to be graced by such a miracle, he felt… eager to hear more.
“Excuse me, I know this might be very sudden” He continued, explaining carefully what was happening before saying. “Please, I just want to know whats happening lately”
“Whats… happening lately…?” Your voice resonated yet again, in clear confusion as you tried to also make sense of the situation “Are-Are you talking to me?”
“Yes, I am speaking to you Akari… Unless that is not your name… How shall I refer to you then?”
That was the beginning of an unlikely conversation, where you tried to make amends with the world in which you were called, and Ingo tried to make amends with the world he was in. Ingo then learned that you were (y/n), a player for a game about Pokemon, and one where you had been the main player all along. Ingo wondered for long moments about it all, then, after all, he really had been living a lie all this time, had he not? A place that only exists in the palm of the hand of another, that only exists and is only alive when said another is playing it, it all felt hollow, but Ingo did his best to stay grounded, lest he wish to falter and screw this one chance up.
He felt comfortable, though, hearing your voice, hearing you speak about all the things that conformed this world in the palm of your hand. You spoke to him about Pokemon not in Hisui, about pokemon he “used”, about chandeliers and moles, You also spoke to him about yourself, about what you did in your spare time, about what you did when you were bored, and how you managed to get through to this moment. You spoke to him about your history, and in return, he listened through the screen in a darkened room. He didnt know what you looked like, he didnt know what you were truly like, but time would bring afloat strings of love and of cherishment. It was slow, a slow burn candle that took days, weeks and perhaps even months before he started falling for someone he had met through unlikely means.
“Work was so boring… did I tell you about the problems my friends had?” You said once, standing right by Ingo in game as he listened intently, his silver eyes right over the figure of Akari. She didnt answer, she didnt look at him, but he could hear your voice nonetheless, and that was enough for him as is.
“I dont think so” Was his reply, with a warm smile. It was a rare occurrence, but lately he had been smiling more often, casually. “Do you wish to talk about it?”
“Hm…” You stopped in your tracks for a moment, focusing on his smile, his face, everything.
Feelings werent one sided, by no means were they one sided. Truth to be told, you had been pinning on Ingo for a while now, emotions washing over you as you gazed over the man with a close watch, he was… perfect. To you he was perfection, a mirage in the darkness of your room. a mirage in the sadness of your world, you’d sigh before looking away for a few moments.
“Nah, its not that interesting” You’d say, not noticing the head tilt Ingo gave you as you focused on the elements of your room.
It was quaint, simple, just enough for you as you enjoyed life on a small flat in your city, and while it wasnt much, you were proud of yourself for leaving your parents home rather early, rather quickly, spreading your wings and flying off into the horizon. If only things were easier once in flight.
The only thing illuminating your room was your tv, playing Pokemon Arceus non stop ever since you got to know Ingo was self aware, ever since he asked you what was happening. At first you were skeptical, but you grew to accept it. After all, did it hurt to believe in fairytales just for a moment?
“(y/n)?” He’d call out to you, your head turning quickly to the tv as you held you switch in your hands. “Is everything ok?”
“Y-Yes… Just, thinking”
“Oh?”
“...Just… You’re, real, right? Everything, all of this is, really happening, right?”
Silence covered the world for a long moment, only the sound of passing cars and crickets could be heard, the sound of the wind in game, of the pokemon. Ingo would think for a long moment before nodding, with a reassuring smile.
“Yes, I am really here.”
“... I just-”
“I’ll prove it to you, just you wait”
It was perhaps that moment that caused a shift in Ingo, something telling him to seek further, to seek much more than what meets the eye, and he was determined, even if it was a one way train towards victory. Albeit this time something was different, the sensation that filled him was far too different than what he did when he first talked to you, when he first explored the reality of his situation with you, things were simply different now, because he now had something to lose. Yet, he persisted. In the few moments you turned the switch off he’d spend the time exploring the world he was set in, with a completely different lense than when he wasnt aware of his reality as a person stuck in a videogame. At least that was a way to see it, wasnt it? You made him feel alive, young, everything a person should feel, then why, oh why wouldnt he try to get what he started to ache for?
It started with little things, crossing boundaries in the landscape, exploring past points where, naturally, there’d be nothing for him to see. He’d explore past the limits, and in between those limits would he find the complexities of the world he was in, the coding, the binary that he loathed previously was now at the palm of his hand, and, with ab objective at mind, the characteristic determination of the Subway Boss would kick in his mind, and thus, he’d play god within his own realm. What once was a comfortable routine, a comfortable space, had become claustrophobic, to be locked inside the confines of the place he was in, and he wanted out. He wanted to show you how much, that he was real, lest his morale falter, he didnt want to disappoint you after all.
So he’d work, day and night, anytime you werent home or you werent awake, he’d do his best to bring his dream to fruition with the very few knowledge of the mechanics of the world, but he was a fast learner, and he knew very well how to play the cards of any situation to his favor. It wouldnt be until one fateful night he’d find the answer to it all, exploring the code while you were at work, he’d stumble upon a void he hadnt seen before, like the strange outbreaks that sometimes occurred in the plains, he’d take a step forward, wanting to explore this new continent that could be what he had been waiting all these weeks.
Carefully and slowly would he step out, one foot, second foot, then the body and the arms, and he’d find himself in a place that was reminiscent of what he had always heard. ‘My room isnt that much’ You had told him once, ‘Just a bed, some shelves with a bit of old merch, a few posters and, uhm… furniture…’. Everything was just like how you told him, perfectly still, perfectly set, everything was just, perfect.
He’d explore around your room for a few moments, his fingers grazing over the bed, the shelves, stopping on the figures of what seemed to be him only that, much younger, and someone else, a man dressed in white with an everlasting smile. His fingers would hoover above your desk, the little trinkets you had in your room, before he’d step outside of that small world into the rest of the apartment.
You’d be dispatched early from work when it happened, though, when you realized you had left your switch on and only you knew how much you’d have to pay for the electricity bills in the upcoming weeks. Usually you allowed your switch to stay off the television when it didnt need to charge, but most of the time you left it charging, just to ensure you wouldnt lose Ingo, just to ensure you wouldnt lose him. Afraid of loss (and your electricity bill, which had been quite hefty these past months), you’d run to your apartment, backpack on your shoulder and keys in your hand once you’ve reached it. Your apartment wouldnt have changed exponentially, if anything, it’d be just the same, only that a certain scent of the wild would come around. Reaching the living room though, you’d drop your backpack and your keys, seeing a scene unfold within your small world.
“Ingo?” You’d ask, watching the man who, once facing his back to you, now turned with a surprised expression before calm washed over him. “Is, Is that you?”
A myriad of emotions would cover your body, you’d be filled with surprise, anxiety, fear, confusion, and an inexplicable sense of longing. One that had followed you for a long, long time now. Ingo on the other side would sigh, as if he had been holding his breath ever since he had gotten there, he’d sigh and focus on the moment currently happening, walking towards you with care, carefully, as if wanting to say.
“Yes, it is me, darling”
You’d break down instantly, then, you knew to recognize the shape of those eyes, the color of them that was unique to him. Falling into the floor he’d hurry to catch you, holding you into your arms with love and care, he’d hold you close and run his fingers through your hair. You were here, he was here, it was a perfect miracle in your eyes, a beautiful moment in his, and even if he couldnt go back, he didnt care, just being here by your side was enough for him.
You cried in his arms, you laughed, you sobbed and you giggled, a heavenly mixture of emotions as they all crashed down on your body as you tried to make sense of it, but he hushed you down with sweet nothings, his calloused hands wiping away your tears. You could feel him, feel his scent, feel all of him, and it was serendipitous.
“Im here” He’d say, clashing your foreheads together softly. “Im finally here, my love.”
29 notes
·
View notes