I’m Studying For Finals Right Now And I Got Jumpscared By A Doodle I Forgot I Made

I have my last final tomorrow and I’m so thankful because I need to finally start playing the games in my backlog. It’s actually so bad. Here’s the situation I’ve gotten myself into over the past 6 months:

I’m currently playing PMD EOS. I’m at chapter 19, and I intend to play through the postgame and special episodes still.

And here’s my current backlog:

Persona 3 Reload

Persona 4 Golden

Hades II

Baldur’s Gate III

Deadcells

Moonstone Island

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (when it releases on Switch)

And on top of all of this I will need to be playing Mario Kart regularly for my team. I’ve dug myself into a hole that seems almost impossible to get out of, and if I can even get through half of these this summer I’ll be happy.

In the dark future.

Imagine being a child, probably orphaned and alone in a post-apocalyptic world, there is no day or night, no seasons and the earth does not provide for itself, and on top of that, there are endless aggressive and wild Pokemon lurking in every corner, fortunately, you got a little friend who you can count on to have your back, yet, you are just children, forced to grow and mature in this world of perpetual darkness without knowing which day could be your last.

Plenty of people talk about PMD Heroes who can't use their powers, but what about those who can't STOP their powers?

Picture, a Riolu hero who can't control their aura sensing so they're just constantly bombarded by people's feelings, overwhelmed by all the auras. So, they become a hermit, avoiding crowds and living a peaceful life, and if they ever get really overstimulated Partner just knocks them out and drags them somewhere quiet (more than once, Partner has been stopped by the police for this suspicious behaviour)

Eventually, Riolu learns to shut-off their aura-reading, and refuses to use it again. It's too personal, and they're too scared about going back to being a walking receiver for people's emotions. Until, Partner helps them come to the warming realisation that this power is not a bad thing, it can be used to help so many people.

Chapter 28 of The Present is a Gift has entered the building!

We get a Kip POV chapter in this one, and he is VERY CONCERNED about Twig. Read it on Ao3, PMD Fanfiction, or Tumblr here!

MAGMAR WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??? WHY WOULD YOU TAKE YOUR CHILDREN THERE?? AND HOW DID YOU LOSE THEM IN SUCH DIFFERENT LOCATIONS?? I'M SORRY BUT THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO FOR YOU

MINE CAME IN LAST WEEK I LOVE IT SO MUCH

WANT ONE ? SURE YOU DO BUDDY ! or maybe not... no hard feelings... BUT IF SO CLICK HERE

Hey look another ask game I stole from Sofie!! This one sounds super fun :D

PUT A “∞” IN MY ASK BOX AND I’LL SHUFFLE MY MUSIC PLAYER AND GIVE YOU MY FAVORITE LYRIC FROM THE SONG THAT COMES UP.

Empathy

A fic about the Riolu post from yesterday. Had a lot of fun with this one, so thinking about a part 2. Let me know if you want it! (Fic under the cut!)

The final light of day was leeching from the sky, taking it's warmth with it, and Charizard savoured that last feeling of heat on her scales. Reaching for the sky, she flew higher and higher, chasing the sun, but it slipped from her grasp, and with a peaceful smile, she stopped flapping her mighty wings, and fell.

The wind rushed by her, the flame on her tail flaring, and slowly, she twisted, opened her wings and caught the breeze, gliding down towards their log cabin, high in the mountains.

The garden was coming along nicely, but the weeds kept creeping in. She'd have to flambe the soil and strip away all the excess moisture. It was a good thing she'd picked up those new seeds today.

The seeds! Oh, Sarah, you-

Her eyes growing wide, she breezed in to land, quickly rifling through the satchel slung over her shoulder. Thankfully, it was all still there, though his present was a little smooshed after her stunt. Muttering under her breath, Sarah tried to mould it back into shape, but with limited success.

Deciding it was good enough, she stomped up the front steps and threw the door open. "I'm home!" Met with only resounding silence, she peered down the hall, and wandered into the kitchen. "Blue, you here?"

"Hello."

Sarah jumped, smacking her head on the roof and stumbling into the countertop as she landed awkwardly. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry, are you alright?" Blue's expression was carefully neutral and she knew he was only asking to be polite.

She snorted, if only he'd laughed at her fright, that would've been better than this apparent indifference. That said, one of these day he was going to give her a heart attack, then he really wouldn't be laughing.

"'M fine,' she grumbled, rubbing her head and glaring at the rafters. "We need to raise the roof. It was fine when I was a Charmeleon but this is just getting ridiculous."

"I'll get started on it tomorrow."

Raising her brows, she looked the Riolu up and down. "I'm not sure you're really equipped for the job."

"Okay, you can do it, and I'll get to work on some bigger furniture." He jumped onto a stool, and the extra height meant his eyeline was level with the base of her neck, as if accentuating his point.

"Please, I'm really sick of the chairs giving way under me." She poked at her round belly, her wings drooping.

His head tilting, Blue pointed at satchel still hanging from her shoulder. "Did you get the blankets?"

"The blankets?" Her face clearing, she dropped her head into her hands. "The blankets!"

Blue nodded patiently, as if completely unsurprised. "You know, the sole thing you went to town for."

"Hey, that wasn't the only reason!"

Blue merely rose his brows in an unspoken question.

Her face flushing, Sarah dug into the satchel, pulling out his gift and sliding it across the countertop. "I also went to get this."

Slowly, Blue took it, turning it over in his hands. "It's a Glaceon plushie?"

The tail was a different colour from the rest of it, the crystal on it's head was lopsided and one of the ears was missing. The stuffing had been pushed forwards, so it had a massive head and spindly legs, but it was indeed a Glaceon plushie.

She crossed her arms, puffed her chest and, raising her head, tried, and failed, to keep the smile from her face. "Yep! Just like the one you had as a kid, remember, you told me?"

"You remembered?"

"Of course! So, what do you think?"

Glancing at the monstrosity in his hands, Blue nodded and placed it aside. "It's very sweet, thank you. Getting back on topic, did you purposely forget the blankets so I'd have to sleep next to you to keep warm?"

Her face fell and her arms dropped limply to her sides. "Seriously?"

Blue shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past you."

Muttering under her breath, Sarah stormed from the house, slamming the door shut behind her. Blue's head tilted as he watched her through the window, disappearing amongst the trees. Eventually, he shrugged and began working on dinner, occasionally glancing at the deformed Glaceon, smiling at him from where it sat abandoned.

As the night dragged on, and stars appeared in the sky, Blue waited, sitting at the table with a steaming bowl of stew before him. By the time Sarah returned, the meal was cold and she silently reheated it. They ate together, only exchanging a few words, before promptly going to bed.

Once upon a time, they'd had two small nests, now she barely fit in the one large one. So, after she'd climbed onto the bed of moss and soft grass, Blue jumped in, curling against her side. She laid her tail over his chest and partially covered him with a wing. There, his eyes closed and mind quiet, head resting against her side, he could hear her heartbeat; it was his favourite sound.

It was his own little cocoon, and he'd never felt so safe. Well, apart from when they'd first met. Even now he remembered it clearly, despite, or perhaps because of, how miserable it had been.

He'd woken up in this strange world, in a new body, with nothing but amnesia, and an aching sense of loss. Cautiously, he'd wandered into town, scared and amazed by everything around him. Then, as someone bumped into him, it all came crashing down.

With that first contact he'd felt something strange, a flash of colour and a trickle of emotions that weren't his. Curiously, he reached for the light, and grabbed it, but it slipped through his fingers and poured outwards. In an instant, he'd been able to feel it all, the townsfolk's every emotion. Happiness, love, excitement, loneliness, anxiety, grief.

He'd dropped to his knees, clutching at his head and screaming brokenly. It was as if he'd been dropped into the ocean's depths, endless black on every side, the pressure was crushing him. Please, please, make it stop.

That was when she appeared, a little Charmander, swinging her tail with reckless abandon, she slammed him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

When he came to, they were in the forest, and it was quiet. Sarah was sitting nearby, a mix of concern and guilt clear on her face. She went to apologise, but he felt it before she could get the words out.

He started sobbing, and she hovered just out of reach, her arms waving frantically. Eventually, she settled for sitting beside him, rubbing his back. Feeling her concern and warmth, Blue had cried until he had nothing left, until he was empty. She became the only person he could touch, and they retreated to the mountains. After that, he never reached for the light again, but at night, curled against her side, he thought he could feel just a piece of it. In the rough edge of her scales, in the warmth of her tail, in the beat of her heart, he could know a fragment of everything he was missing out on.

So, he couldn't help but frown when Sarah groaned and pulled herself from the nest.

"Follow me, now," she demanded, voice thick with sleep.

Blue whined, but did as he was told, following her out into the cold night. The mountain air raced through his fur, sending shivers down his spine, and the stars sparkled radiantly in the heavens above.

She lowered herself and gestured with her head. "Climb on."

Fiddling with his hands, Blue took a half-step back. "Why?"

"If I drop you I'll never hear the end of it. This way, it's not totally my fault."

"Yeah, that's a really poor reason to-ugh!"

Rolling her eyes, Sarah snatched his shoulders, pulled him close and launched into the air. Beating her mighty wings, she climbed higher into the air, catching a gale and riding it upwards. Blue wanted to scream but settled for latching onto her arms, eyes shut tight.

Sarah yelled over the roar of the wind, "do you trust me?"

"Absolutely not!"

She smirked. "Wrong answer."

Gripping him tighter, she spun, dove, and rose, her tail tracing their path through the sky.

His ears pinned back, Blue screamed, "thank you for nothing, you useless reptile!"

Laughing to herself, Sarah pulled him away from her chest and flew a loop-de-loop, dropping him in the roll and catching him on her back when she was right way up again.

Blue yelped and wrapped his arms around her neck, his quiet whimpers torn away by the wind.

Sarah levelled out and glided above the mountain range, unable to keep the smile from her face."I'm not landing till you open your eyes."

"This is cruel and unusual punishment!"

"And it will continue until you open your eyes!"

Gripping her neck tighter, Blue slowly opened his eyes and immediately shut them again. The mountains raced by far below, their tree covered slopes bathed in moonlight.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Look up, dummy."

Turning his gaze to the heavens, Blue opened his eyes once more, and it took his breath away. Above them, countless stars shimmered, an ocean of jewels against a sea of black.

"It's... beautiful."

"Duh," Sarah said, chuckling. "I could stay up here forever, but I could never reach the stars. Though, if they reached out their hand, I would take it in an instant."

Leaning over, Blue glanced around, and couldn't help but notice the starlight glinting off her amber eyes, and she smiled back at him.

"If they could hear me, I would tell them, that they don't have to be afraid. That they don't have to keep hiding. They could come down from the sky, and I would hold them close, and listen to it all. Even if their spark faded, I would still love them."

There, amidst that sprawling sky, with all those glittering stars, there was only one piece of light Blue cared about. Closing his eyes, he reached out, and grabbed it. In that instant, it was like seeing her for the first time, all over again. She was filled with laughter, and worry, but there was something new as well, something that hadn't been there before.

Instantly, tears sprung to his eyes and Blue began to bawl, his cries seeping out into the night like ghostly howls. He could never have imagined he was so loved.

Some pins, charms, and prints I got from Artist Ally at Momocon today!! It’s so cool to see all the art these creators make, I’ll definitely be buying some more stuff the next two days while I’m there!