Retired ask blog for Ner'lat the Ambipom, from askambipom. While the theme is different, all posts are intact and can be accessed through the links provided. It's been a good run and I thoroughly enjoyed the ask community the past three or so years, but this time for sure I'm putting this blog (and those attached) to rest. Should anybody need to contact me, please feel free to send me an ask here, as I'll still come by to check this blog occasionally. I'm sorry for the confusion and frustration after all these years, but I wish everyone well and hope you continue to enjoy the community and what it has to offer. You guys are wonderful, creative people. Please take care ♥
[ All of the spirits say their final goodbyes and thanks before slowly vanishing. They disappear in a bright flash of light and the opposite eye of the Darumaka Dolls darkens.
Click!
What’s this? There’s something inside the doll... ]
With the festival drawing to a close, it is time to say goodbye to our spirit friends. Each of them were bound to the Darumaka Dolls you wore, and if you look inside the doll you shall find one last token from them - a charm with their picture and name.
Accompanying the charm is a bag of seeds from another special gift from the Darumaka that made this particular festival possible.
[H’li] Yes! This is the Phoenix Blossom, and it is a very special flower. It grows only in ashes or charred land and only live for a short amount of time. We Darumaka use this flower for special occasions, as a symbol for new beginnings!
More superstitious people and pokemon consider this flower to be a natural remedy. Some say that by eating this flower you can recall even the oldest of memories. Others say it has exceptional healing properties, if turned into a paste. Since this swamp has questionable time properties, the blossoms should last quite a while, even after leaving the festival.
[Tuu] Now it is time to return the physical bodies of the spirits to the land! The wooden dolls may now be tossed in the bonfire, where they can be set free. In the doll’s place, you may keep your spirit’s token on your beaded necklaces as a gift from them.
Thank you for joining us for the festival!
(( The Darumaka Fire Festival has officially ended. You are now free to wrap up loose ends and return to older interactions, or return to regularly scheduled askblogging. Thank you so much for participating, and I hope you had a good time! ))
Tulio waved a small hand at the Togetic’s words, “It’s no trouble at all, dear, take your time! This meeting seems rather important to you; what kind of Foongus would I be to brush you off? Bah,” he swatted at the air, chuckling.
In all honesty, this was one of the few spirits (and guests) he’s spoken to at the festival. He didn’t realize it until it was almost too late, but he ran himself ragged trying to organize everything that - well? He barely had time to socialize either!
He supposed it was for the best though - it’s been a long time since he felt so special.
“Do tell, Aquarius... Is there a reason Poison pokemon pique your interest? I mean look at me - I’m no more than say half your size and I’m by no means stunning in a battle I assure you. What makes an old ‘shroom like me so special?”
Minnie approached the mushroom pokemon, her togetic spirit hiding shyly behind her as she got closer. "U-Um, hi!" She greeted Tulio with a small bow, with Aquarius nervously following her lead. "M-My name's Minnie, a-and this i-is Aquarius! I-It's really nice t-to meet you...!" The togetic said hello to the foongus in a soft voice, almost too soft to hear. This was way out of Minnie's comfort zone, but she was happy to be helping her friend.
Tulio smiled graciously and bowed his head as well, “My my, how nice to see such lively faces at the festival! It is very nice to meet you, Minnie and Aquarius. You may call me Tulio.”
He gestured to the Ninetales, who seemed noticeably shaken, “My dear, are you alright? Are the spirits here giving you a hard time, hm? You seem to have quite an aggressive one on your hands, I’d keep an eye on them if I were you,” he teased, though he really hoped the poor thing wouldn’t take him too seriously.
Fi @ Ner'lat: So, I heard someone around here mention you tell stories... I gotta tell my Carracosta spirit some kind of story, so she feels peaceful or something? Any tips?
“Hmm... I’ve never given advice on how to tell a story before,” Ner’lat chuckled to himself, crossing his arms and tapping the lower half of his mask in thought. “However, I can suggest different points in time a story may have taken place, hm?”
He unfolded his arms and gestured to the Meditite.
“Perhaps your spirit would enjoy a story about you and your past. Most spirits do not remember much of their own past lives, but listening to others... It may jog their memory.” The Ambipom then gestured to his head, tapping his temple gently.
“A story does not have to be a long or extravagant one either. It could simply be a fleeting moment, or an experience that stuck with you in one way or another. But stories have an odd way of connecting together and turning into something big. It all depends on what you’re willing to share.”
Ner’lat paused for a moment, after having listened to himself speak, and cleared his throat, “Er, I apologize for taking up your time... But I hope that gives you a push in the right direction.”
i’m sorry for the delay in updating the FAQ and answering questions - my wrist is in a bit of pain at the moment ;v; i’ll have info up shortly after i work on art for the event/replies and such.
I’ve decided to extend the event to June 15th, by the way, to allow people time to catch up. The day or two after will be make up days for wrapping up loose ends before the event “officially” ends.
Piano @Ner'lat: Piano was carelessly walking around the Azalea garden when she bumped into the Ambipom. She got so startled thanks to the mask, she let out a bit of electricity. After looking closely she realized that he meant no harm and that she had been really rude! "Ah! Please pardon me, your mask kinda scared me. Which is kinda absurd since now I can see it's a really cute mask haha;; How embarrasing. Hmm,, but are you perhaps the one organizing this event? It's a Darumaka mask after all"
Before Ner’lat could answer for himself, the Darumaka twins jumped out in front of him.
“Ner’lat organized most of the event, but us Darumaka did most of the work!” Tuu exclaimed, bouncing circles around Piano excitedly.
“Yeah yeah! As far as we know, the Darumaka Fire Festival is not celebrated outside of Unova, our home region, so Ner’lat summoned us to arrange one here!” H’li chimed in and followed her brother in dancing circles around Piano.
Ner’lat sighed, picking the hyper Darumaka up with his tails, separating the two from the poor Pikachu. “My sincerest apologies... These two never know when to quiet down. But yes, I am the one primarily in charge of this event. The mask...”
...
“Is merely to fit in with the theme of the festivities. Can’t have a Darumaka-centric festival with just any ol’ mask, now can I?”
Apple&Cinnamon approached Ner'lat and the Darumaka to bring them a gift! Cinnamon revealed a medium sized bottle full of honey, even with a little hive inside. "Hello!! It's nice to see you again- you even got a different mask! But uh.. Thank you for inviting us to your festivities!" Apple said as she waved then booped her own nose.
Shocked, the Ambipom took the jar of honey and examined it closely. Many visitors of the swamp often brought offerings, but never were they out of gratitude... Not to mention, most visitors never dared step foot back in the swamp.
This is a first.
H’li jumped up and down excitedly, waving her tiny arms as the Dedenne and Whimsicott took their leave, “Hey, hey! No problem at all, rodent friend! We should be thanking you for stopping by to play!”
Ner’lat chuckled and waved them goodbye as well. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but part of him hoped this wouldn’t be the last time they’d come back.
Speckled’s fur stood on edge at the booming voice that echoed through the garden. She looked at the source and stared up the pokemon that clearly towered over her.
“!!!” Speckled opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, she was frozen in fear. Buddy, her spirit, started to wail. It’s shrieking voice soon breaking her from her state and causing her to stumble in the sand, messing it up more. “I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!!” Hurrying Buddy along she ran through the sand to get away from the Groundskeeper Trevenant. “DON’T PLAY IN THE SAND! DON’T PLAY IN THE FLIPPIN SAND!!” The Glameow screeched as she ran away for all the pokemon in the Garden to hear. If they didn’t listen, pretty sure the angry tree rumbling after her would make them change their minds.
As Ner’lat watched the poor Glameow scramble out of the gardens, he carefully climbed up the side of the abandoned temple. He wasn’t sure how well he could trust the support beams of the roof, but he had no other choice. There was no way he’d have made it in time to stop the Groundskeeper’s underlings.
With a quick swing, Ner’lat launched a Shadow Ball at the Trevenant, smacking it square in the eye. It let out a huge roar and fumbled backwards, stopping its advance towards the rock gardens. The webs hanging from the pokemon’s branches soon dissipated, and the Trevenant slowly shriveled in size.
Soon enough, it retreated back into its original, dormant form in the shape of a bonsai tree.
Ner’lat sighed and swiftly made his way to the disheveled patterns in the sand. He picked up a stick nearby and carefully redrew what patterns were missing.
[ You’re running out of time, Swamp Teller... ]
The Ambipom hesitated for a moment, glancing around. Strange... He could have sworn he heard a voice just now--
[ You will have to make a decision soon. ]
“Hm...” Ner’lat sighed. So he wasn’t just hearing things. “The festival is nearing its end. I will speak with the Groundskeeper once things settle down...”
For the moment, he continued retracing the lines in the sand.
[ Your spirit seems much livelier than before. A bright light engulfs them, and the Darumaka Doll on your necklace reacts to it. Slowly, one of the eyes darkens, as if burned by the light... ]
[Tuu] Congratulations, hey hey! The spirits seem so happy; they must really like you, huh?
Indeed! You might notice them change form now, and they will now be able to interact more freely. In fact, some spirits might have a favor to ask of you, now that they know you can be trusted, hmhm!
Many of the spirits here had ambitions, wishes, or goals they wanted to meet when they were alive. It is why they linger here in the swamp. Helping them fulfill such tasks would surely mean a lot to them, don’t you think?
[H’li] Also also! Great news! We have officially finished stocking the booths, so now’s your chance to collect all the PokeDolls and Totems you want! Hurry hurry!
(( Part Two: Spirit Scavenging, is now a-go! Your spirits will now change form, but with a new form comes new responsibilities. Each spirit has a specific request they would like fulfilled during the festival, and they need your help to complete it!
To get your task, generate it [HERE]
You get three tasks, so use three ‘names’: Mod Name, URL, and Character Name (if more than one character is attending, you obviously can draw more times)
You can only use the tasks given to you, but you can mix and match different parts to suit your needs.
This means you cannot substitute the pokemon for one not available from your draws!
However, if you get the one task that does not specify the species, you can pick your spirit’s species!
To complete the task, you can trade, sell, find, or win items at the booths in the festival area. This is what the bags are for, so make use of them!
You are allowed to complete more than one task.
If you want more than three or have troubles with the generator, please message me and I will generate more for you.
And last but not least, while the second half starts now, you’re more than welcome to go back and continue interactions from the first half.))
(@Ner'lat) Emi: Oooo mister monkey man! You look so cooool! But, you don't have a tiny spirit friend with you! Do you not have one? Or are they somewhere else? *giggles* I'd love to meet them if you have one! I have one and they're really sweet!
Ner’lat almost didn’t even notice the tiny candle speaking to him. If it weren’t for her spirit circling around her flame, he probably would’ve tripped over her.
He hesitated, listening to her comments. Cool? Really? That’s a first… He crouched down and examined her for a quick moment - no more than a couple seconds - before responding.
“It’s true, I do not have my own small spirit. However, I believe it’s for the best,” he began, picking his words carefully. He could see a Dusknoir heading in their direction; they were probably this child’s guardian…
Let’s trying staying on their good side.
“After all, I am in charge of this entire swamp - er, forest… The spirits here already know of me and are rather fond of me already. It’d be unfair to claim a spirit when I have many I could choose from, no?”
As an example, Ner’lat waved his hands, summoning strands of light. Quickly they weaved and knotted into each other before appearing as a proud Jolteon and settling next to Ner’lat.
“This here is the Lightning spirit known as Venati. She’s quiet, and sometimes even a little cold, but… she’s nice.” Almost as if proving his point, Venati stepped forward and nuzzled Emi gently and greeted her spirit with a small bow of her head.
[ ft. Kaylei from ask-the-runner-meowstics, Varun from eeveelutionbrothers, and Marx of ask-marx-the-mew ]
“They wouldn’t put sand here if it weren’t to play in!” Speckled placed another paw in the sand and proceeded to make a sandcastle. “Haha! This is great!” Her spirit buddy didn’t think so however and hid in her lap, cowering.
A sudden chill sifted through the leaves of the trees outlining the gardens. It was almost like they sprang to life - and they now bear witness to the Glameow’s ‘harmless’ shenanigans.
Slowly, the hillside in which the sacred gardens and temple sat on trembled.
Something was coming, and Ner’lat could feel it.
“This... doesn’t sound good,” he muttered to himself before weaving through the crowds of pokemon to make it up to the top of the hill. “I hope I make it on time!”
Sadly, the Ambipom was a few minutes too late. One of the Groundskeepers had awoken.
Dia floated blindly, to focused in their own thoughts when they rammed into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry," the Carbink said, putting out the strange mutation of an arm to help the Ambipom before quickly reeling it back, "I wasn't paying attention."
Hmm… you seem a bit peculiar, I must say. You remind me much of the Diamond Princess herself, in fact. I’ve never met a Carbink who has exhibited the rare mutation - much less any Carbink outside of the caves they call home…
Ah, I do apologize for staring! But may I ask: would you happen to be a Diamond Princess in training?
[ ft. Pastel of askthepastelpokemon and Etwar of ask-megagardevoir ]
" Basil searchs for some kebabs and more food, as he stumbled a strange masking wearing Ambipon" -Why hello there!!! Awesome weather we are having for a festival, right?- " The Delphox asked with an smile"
[gulps] Ah, my sincerest apologies - how rude of me. These kebabs though, they’re just… too delicious for their own good.
I am incredibly thankful for the pleasant weather though; I feared a storm would wash out the festival.
Ah! That reminds me, I must return to the Azalea Gardens… Tulio told me to check up on the gardens, but I was much too hungry to go immediately… Please don’t tell him you found me here.
Oh right, almost forgot. Green for Toothless, Blur for Evan, purple for Naomi. The other i'll just keep to myself for now, but if you're overwhelmed with drawings I'll just doodle em myself later. :P
[ You peer into the bag and find... ]
Toothless: TinyMushroom, Rare Candy, Blue Shard, Babiri Berry, Mystic Water
Evan: Sun Stone, Prism Scale, Pearl, Gold Leaf, Comet Shard
vaporwave
blakekathryn
stormborns