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Entry tags:
- a3!: itaru chigasaki,
- baten kaitos: sagi,
- blue lock: yoichi isagi,
- buried stars: kyuhyuk lee,
- danganronpa: chiaki nanami,
- final fantasy: hythlodaeus,
- final fantasy: joscelaint grimpevers,
- kill la kill: satsuki kiryuin,
- lieat: efina,
- love live!: nozomi toujou,
- omniscient reader: dokja kim,
- omniscient reader: joonghyuk yoo,
- omniscient reader: sooyoung han,
- original: hien callias,
- persona: minato arisato,
- tsubasa reservoir chronicle: fai d. flou
DECEMBER LOG PT1
DECEMBER LOG PT1
premise ⬥ taken ⬥ faq ⬥ navigation
→ OH THANK GOD
(click to expand - the boba shop survived!!)
Sandstorms quietly continue to blow across Melona's desert, tinged black with ash carried over from the west where the volcano still intermittently sputters and spits, its hiccups and coughs darkening the sky to the west. Occasionally, a clap of thunder can be heard even as far as Melona's dome, and a shadow can be seen within the ash clouds looming above the mountains. Whispered rumors travel throughout the region, carrying warnings that "The storm is alive," remembering the destruction wrought upon Toran and the volcanic eruption two months ago that had devastated Hami, the town to the northwest. For two months, the heat and the ash had choked the skies over the mountains of Hami, but eventually, the lava stops flowing. Eventually, the skies begin to clear. Eventually, the people of Melona become curious enough— concerned enough— aware enough that their life inside their bubble that blinded them to the plights of the world at large— to start sending small groups out to Hami to see what aid, if any, they might require. The gym leader himself wanted to head the expedition, worried about his friend and fellow gym leader in the neighboring town, but he got yelled at enough for leaving his post during the last month that he reluctantly agrees to remain at the gym. Because, apparently, challenging gyms is very very important to some people, never mind the world being in a crisis and the safety of both people and Pokemon being at stake.Instead, the desert guides are the ones who lead the way to Hami, knowing the desert and the mountains and are able to carve the most direct path towards the town. Self-sufficient as the townspeople of Melona tend to be, they do not ask for volunteers to join them, but they do not turn down help either, whether from bleeding hearts who want to do everything they can to assist people in need, or those who just want to get to the next town for their badges and ribbons. Like the trek from Mango to Melona, travel to Hami also takes several days of camping, of riding upon Numel through the sand, of climbing mountains and scaling unstable cliffs because there is no well-worn path from the ground to the peak. And nestled in the middle of the mountains, where Hami is supposed to be...
Ash and cinders. A field of rubble. Skeletons of buildings jutting up out of the ground where they are half collapsed and half buried in the ground, flames licking what little wood and scraps of cloth remain and hungering to devoid the new souls that have stepped within their domain. Aside from the rescue team from Melona, there is not another soul in sight, no sound of everyday chatter in the distance nor husks of bodies left charred on the ground. In this town laid to ruin, a single building has been left relatively untouched by the flow of lava that had run through its streets and washed away all its people. The sign hanging above the front door, blackened at the edges, reads: "Hami Boba." Inside, a single worker in uniform can be seen slumped over the counter, who is startled so badly when the door opens that she falls off her stool and blanches as if she'd seen a ghost— which is exactly what she thought, because who else would be here in Hami after everything that had happened? The volcano had erupted two months ago, she explains, all of the sudden without warning and most of the townspeople were forced to leave. Others stayed behind, those with rock and ground Pokemon who weren't bothered by the heat, or those with water and ice Pokemon who were willing to tough it out to battle the lava and the flames in an effort to save their town. This war against nature lasted over a month, and nobody ever came to their aid... But eventually, it became clear that their greatest threat came from the sky, from the ash that fell upon the land like a woolen blanket and smothered all the air, driving the last of the resistance fighters out.
In the end, the only person left in the entire town was her. The boba shop was constructed with the nearby volcano in mind, and there is no lack of things to eat inside the shop when there was only herself to ration for, but the funny thing is... even though she was stuck indoors and was horrifyingly lonely, she could feel a cool breeze pass through the shop every once in a while, and the air remained fresh. It felt as if there were something watching over her, she explains shyly, and there must have been, because she held onto that hope all this time and her patience finally paid off. Her first customers in two months!! Would they like some boba? The store's specialty is Shuckle berry juice boba! The stamps are a little dried out, but you get a cute red Slugma stamp for visiting this shop.
→ WELCOME TO THE NEW HAMA
(click to expand - it's free to live out here)
So, there's that. There is no town, not really. No gym, no contest hall. But the Melona guides aren't satisfied with leaving it at that, so they stock up on all the Shuckle berry juice boba they can carry and continue their search for the town's residents. They offer up Abras to teleport anybody who doesn't want to continue back to Melona, and then split into small groups to spread out across the mountainside, winding around smoldering lava lakes and trudging through paths knee high in ash. Here and there, all across the mountain range, small campsites can be seen. Up on a ledge on the cliffside, a group of people can be seen foraging berries alongside some wild Mankey. Out in the open in a valley, another group of people are seen roasting meat and nuts over several wild Torkoals' backs. At the base of one of the mountains, another group of people and Machop are hard at work breaking large boulders into smaller pieces to build shelter. Rather than having relocated to a single area, the people of Hami seem to have scattered to live in the mountains, welcome enough to the Melona guides and those who accompany them but denying that they need any help or expressing any real desire to reform a central town. There is no need, after all. Everything they need to live on is provided by the land and the wild Pokemon who share not only their habitat, but where to find food and water, and keep them warm and safe through the night. The volcano still grumbles from time to time, the seas around them continue to churn with relentless whirlpools, and sandstorms rage in the east towards Melona. But right now, they're just trying to live day by day.While there is no main town any longer, the people do come together from time to time in the valley to share resources and spread news, and once a week, they sit together under the stars and hold Pokemon Contests on a stage that is nothing more than a large, wide slab of rock. The gym leader, Tsubomi, specializes in both fire and fighting type Pokemon and honors battles wherever she is challenged. Because of the lack of a gym building, she might need to be tracked down, though she is easier to find than Konoha, often making set rounds from group to group, checking up on the townspeople spread across the mountains. Central to all the campsites are natural hot springs, and both people and wild Pokemon come here to submerge themselves in the steaming waters and rejuvenate after a long, hard day. When the first of the rescue team arrives at the hot springs, two familiar faces are seen: a girl with pink hair and a boy with blue hair. Nanami opens her eyes blearily and pats Minato on the face. He looks up at the group and goes, "Hey. What's up?"
→ AW NUTS...
(click to expand - you really should have done something about that volcano)
A couple nights into the month, a shooting star is spotted streaming across the sky and disappearing into the waters to the southwest.The ground shakes.
In the dead of night, the sky is lit up with a spew of fire that bursts out of the volcano hundreds of meters in the air, black smoke billowing up into the air in thick clouds, the mountains hacking up ash and molten rock. Screams can be heard throughout the mountain range as lava rushes down the slopes, people trying to grab what little they have left for a second time— though many already have nothing left but their lives. Wild Pokemon flee from the mountains in herds, heading for the desert to face the sandstorms rather than being consumed by flame.
The ground shakes. It cracks.
Desert becomes beach as the sand spills into the water, the cusp between mountain and desert becoming a chasm driven deep into the water as the Hami mountains break away and start sinking into the sea.
→ MOD NOTES
⬥ For the sake of timelines, the Melona guides first head for Hami on December 3, the volcano erupts on December 5, and Hami subsequently becomes its own island on December 6. Destruction and evacuation can be played out however you want, but the boba shop remains standing in the end. The building is in impeccable condition. Not even the ash sticks to it.
⬥ Please make note of the new investigation form in the toplevel below, involving investigation style.
⬥ The second event log will go up on December 15.
⬥ Please make note of the new investigation form in the toplevel below, involving investigation style.
⬥ The second event log will go up on December 15.
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[ Though, yeah. He'll try to explain now. ]
These are physical manifestations of memories. It can be any kind... event recollections, learned skills, unconscious know-how... if someone or something has to know how to do it, I can make it into a film reel like this.
[ Hien raises a hand to the side of his own head and pulls another another reel. Fai will see himself in it, doing things he did when Hien had turned into an actual kid. He won't hear the audio so he won't have to suffer through the model husband shtick again, but it's there.
Hien has this reel out of Fai's reach though. ]
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[ He knows how it feels, and he doesn't want to put that pressure on anyone else.
Though the memories that come up have him freeze for a second. Even though he can't hear it, Fai is definitely suffering. If he doesn't say anything about it, he can pretend he doesn't see it, right? ]
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[ Happiness. Sadness. Anger. It's all part of the life package in its infamous slogan of "sometimes it do be like that". He's a firm believer of "if there are no ups and downs in your life, you're dead". In actuality, Hien usually doesn't have anyone to talk to about things like this despite being open about it, because of the other person's concern for him (like Fai right now), so he just ends up not talking about it. Funny how that works...
Anyway, Hien will leave out his kid memories with Fai right here out in the open for Fai to see. He can pretend he doesn't see, just like ignoring the huge, blue elephant in the room. Let's see how long that lasts. ]
no subject
Hien's answer is enough to make him feel better about asking about it. Life has plenty of sadness, may as well talk about some of it. ]
Tell me a little more about the kid.
cw suicidal ideation mention
[ The film reel with the child Hien and Fai disappear, though not in the same way as the reel did when Hien pinched the end of the other one. It just simply disappears. ]
He was a bright one... shy, because he accidentally burned his house down due to a stove malfunction and was ostracized by the neighbors and lived with survivor's guilt. That's usually the setting for this anyway. I find and pull him out of the snow because he wants to die, and try to give him a better life.
[ He eyes the crumpled reel again, eyes glazing over each individual film. ]
I gave him food, water, shelter, companionship, and security. He's the sort of kid who loved to read all sorts of books. I felt like he had such a bright future to look forward to...
[ His voice trails off. ]
I thought that by tampering with the foundation of the worlds where he was miserable every single time, it would change his future and no longer be an Overseer anymore.
[ That's why there's no fondness in his voice. ]
no subject
He scoots over so his shoulder is touching Hien's. He'd give him a hug, but he doesn't want to accidentally move Hien and therefore the kids sleeping on his other side. ]
But it didn't work out that way.
[ He's sad for Hien, that he tried to make life better for that kid and it didn't work out. But that's not something he's going to voice out loud. Hien probably knows anyway. ]
Did you enjoy the time you spent with him?
no subject
[ He looks over to the midsection of the reel, where the bulk of bonding time was. The memory is right here, but he doesn't remember what he felt during that time. ]
I didn't hate it, I guess. The Overseer broke the rule to kill his child self every time I try... probably, so it resets the world. He's not allowed to be in the same world as I am.
no subject
...I see.
[ He lets out a small sigh. ]
Since you're no longer allowed in the same world, is that why you saw fit to try and erase these memories?
no subject
[ He's lost count of that too. ]
I erase them to make room for hope, so that I can try again. And again. And again--though it's not even supposed to be my main objective. It's just something I do on the side.
[ "Just something that he does on the side" has the capability to break minds as people know it, with repeating things, never seeing a different outcome, but it's not even something he's forced to continue. He chooses to. This is the kind of person Hien is. ]
no subject
[ Fai encircles his knees again, resting his head on top of them. ]
You're a good man.
[ Even if he does play one of Fai's most disastrous lies right in front of them. ]
no subject
... I'm not that good of a person. I just want him to stop being an Overseer so he stops bullying me every time.
no subject
Like you bullied me just a few minutes ago?
no subject
[ Compared to last time he said that, his tone sounds playful. Definitely a lie. ]
no subject
[ He draws out that word, knowing it's a lie but playing along anyway. ]
Then ignore me! I have no idea what I'm talking about either.
no subject
[ He raises his hand to the side of his own head again as if to pull out the reel from it. It's that same memory, out of Fai's reach. ]
Really don't know what you're talking about.
[ :) ]
no subject
I must have been remembering one of the several times you've tried to pick a fight with me.
[ Even if he did say Hien was bullying him a few minutes ago, and those times were a while ago... ]
no subject
Well, I might be trying to pick a fight with you right now.
[ The kids are here........... you two.... please.... ]
no subject
Wow, I didn't know Hien was fine with setting a bad example for his children!
no subject
It's fine, because they're not mine. I'm a free man.
[ Hien laughs a little. Try harder, Fai... ]
no subject
You're willing to cause their parents a lot of trouble when the kids start picking fights with people? You're such a bad influence.
no subject
[ lmao
Hien reaches over to ruffle Fai's hair. ]
Can't sleep yet? Or do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?
no subject
That depends. What's the story?
no subject
[ No model husbands. Maybe. The film reel disappears, no longer haunting Fai with its very existence. ]
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I haven't heard that one. Go ahead and tell me.
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[ If stories are not somewhat anecdotal, Hien is an absolutely terrible storyteller. ]
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