Chai stood there silently before unintentionally leaning into Serenity's side. Caught by her sister's arms, she exhaled a soft sigh and straightened back up.
Turning to the weary onlookers that remained, she bowed in apology. "I'm sorry for the scare, everyone... I'm all good now." The murmur that followed was light hearted for the most part, save for the chiding remarks she received as well.
Something something, don't let that happen again.
Lifting her head, she returned to leaning on Serenity's side.
"Hey."
"Mmmyeah?" It was weird being on eye level with Chai now, as it was habit for her to look down.
"What's on your mind?"
"Can we get somethin' to eat? I'm starving."
"Okay, how's about a nice burg-"
"Nah, I want something light but filling."
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Serenity laughed, poking Chai's side and eliciting a surprised yelp from her.
"Oh! I do know a place though, it's in Castelia. There's this cute greninja that runs a ramen-"
"Or the both of you could come with me and I'll make you something tasty." Chester casually strolled towards the two with a grin. He laughed as Serenity held a look of annoyance, bouncing right on over to Chai to pat her on the head.
"Hey shorty."
"I'm not short anymore!" Chai protested, her ears going back.
"What do you want, Ches? I already handled the situation just fine."
"Oh, I'm sorry, you did?" Chester would then hold out his arms, gesturing the different areas of the street that were damaged due to the prior fight. Both girls went blank.
"I figured we'd get a move on before the po-po arrive, but if you've got a better suggestion, I'd love to hear it-"
"Ugh, fine! Whatever! Let's just go!" The girls followed Chester to his car; Serenity taking the front passenger seat while Chai took the back seat with a quick buckle in as the engine turned on.
As Chester drove away, the three zoroark sat in silence before Chai spoke up.
"So... when are you two gonna hook up?" Serenity choked on air while Chester laughed, kicking up the speed a notch.
"Now now, Chai, we're boss and employee~" He started, glancing at his rearview mirror at Chai and the police that filled in the area they were just in.
"Besides, I've dropped all sorts of hints but Sere wasn't having it. That's okay though, I don't mind waiting."
Now Serenity was the quiet one, face flushed and looking out the window.
Chai looked down at her claws, smiling thoughtfully. Her ears drooped a bit too, but that didn't last for long.
"Good." She quietly responded, leaning into her respective window.
Serenity would have a little surprise for her later, but for now, they'd make it to their destination; some fancy, schmancy, expensive condominium complex.
This fight was going on forever. For every connection made, both parties healed just as quickly.
In a typing sense, Eve should have been on her toes. Dark is weak to Fairy. However, neither seemed to rely on these specifics; everything was physical.
Serenity and Eve had both grown tired of the nonsense and the pain of seeing their sister suffer. When Moriko came at them again, this time they shoved and held her down on the street; staring with frustration.
As Moriko kicked and spewed curses at her, she raised her arm up and slapped her hard. The shock of such a simple smack left the fae stunned, to which Eve and Serenity's combined voice spoke.
"I don't claim to understand just how...badly Reuben's death and Mesprit hurt you. But this is not the way to make up for anything. Forcing immortality on these pokemon... what would that do?"
Moriko's thrashing stopped, but her tears started up again while her claws clenched. "I was doing it so that no one would be hurt like I was-"
"That's. Not. Your. Decision. To. Make." A sigh. "You know better... and yet, here you are, taking advantage of Chai and hurting her. Ugh, but she's also just like you in some ways..."
A bitter laugh.
"Running off and doing things on your own. Never reaching out for help when you need it. You know? There are those who still love you, even when you leave them behind."
"...." Moriko fell silent. She couldn't hold her gaze to her sister anymore. "I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough-"
"Who fucking cares?! You. Are. LOVED." Eve roared, squinting hard as held Moriko down tighter. "Reuben was gone, but you still had us... You'll always have us. Some of us are still here because of you, dumbass. Think about it... Octave has been waiting for you ever since then. Do you want them to see you like this?"
Moriko's eyes widened, her vision having long gone blurry. Quiet foot steps approached as she frantically rubbed at her eyes with her palms.
"No...no... please don't come any closer-"
Octave used bunt! Pressing their head to Moriko's cheek, they let out a small, feeble laugh. "I used to be a good listener, but things change well over a thousand years. I..."
"I missed you, Lady Moriko..." Much like a cat would, Octave wrapped their arms around Moriko's neck nice and snug. "Please stop beating yourself up..."
Moriko found herself hugging the umbreon, weeping over her shoulder quietly. Her want for control had finally died, and to replace it, a wave of relief washed over her. Still holding Octave, she pushed herself up and hugged Eve too.
"I am so sorry...I am so so so sorry..."
Eve huffed, but leaned in and embraced the both of them. "Okay, that's enough... haaah I'm so tired." She was the first to let go, only to carefully stand up and reach down to Moriko.
"C'mon. You know what you gotta do."
Moriko nodded, taking Eve's enormous claw into a standing position. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Octave, my dear, I'll be here... but I have to do what's right." Setting them down gently, she took a few steps away. Her antlers fell and clattered across the cement, knocking loose the beads that had implanted in them. She then began to shrink in size, back into a familiar figure.
Chai sighed, rubbing her arms. Turning around, she watched as Eve relinquished her powers and went back to being just Serenity again. Just as she was going to speak, a small voice within stole her words from her.
I have a gift for you.
"Huh?"
It was small at first, but Chai was suddenly enveloped in a warm, bubbling, light.
Congratulations! Chai finished evolving!
"...I always knew it was weird that you were so short."
Hm. A quarter chose immortality; a long lasting life. The rest, somehow, chose wrong.
Her expression was unreadable for a good minute as she mulled over the results in her head. Moriko ignored Chai's screaming in her head, simply smiling. A pink circle surrounded everyone in it with its bubblegum glow.
"I'm glad we're all on the same page." she spoke in a chipper tone and raised a claw as runes bubbled up to the surface of the circle. Archaic letters would begin to 'grow' up the group's arms and legs, grasping them in a gentle hold.
"It's not like you had any other choice."
But before any ritual could take place, a blur of scarlet came from outside the circle and punched Moriko square in the face, sending her flying.
"I think the fuck not!!" Serenity yelled, bouncing after the doe-vixen with the intent to deliver another strike.
"GIVE ME BACK MY SISTER, NOW!" Not a request, but a demand; Serenity whaled on the ancient goddess before her.
Meanwhile, the captive audience was set free from the grips of immortality as Moriko fought to protect herself from another wild punch. It only made Serenity even more furious.
"You wanna do some wild shit, you do it in your own damn body! Not Chai! She wouldn't be this fucking selfish to take someone's fate-"
"SHUT UP!" Moriko screeched, slamming her head against the vixen's, causing her to stumble back. "So what if it's her body! Our souls are connected, whether you decide to like it or not! If Chai were so bothered by what I was doing, she would've put up a fight!"
She lunged at Serenity, preparing a moon blast from the tips of her claws. She'd fire and miss thanks to the vixen's fast feet, causing her to clap.
"Impressive, impressive! Here, you wanna talk to your Chai? I'll let her speak-
aaaAA AAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"
After the screaming had stopped, she began to laugh ever so bitterly. "Look at how pathetic I've become. What would Reuben think of me now?"
The look on Serenity's face was that of someone ready to kill. Her teeth were showing, gnashed tight as she balled her fists. Her words were deep and low, to where no one could hear her.
Feeling particularly petty, she propped her claws on her hips and bent forward.
"Would you like to speak up so all could hear?"
"I said..." Serenity sharply looked up, her pupils flashing as she took a step forward.
"Reuben wouldn't be caught fucking dead with how and who you've become." Her body suddenly grew larger, as well as her claws. Her mane burst free from the restraints of her beads, and she grew horns.
"May the Yveltal, Eve, bring you back to the real world."
"I am so ashamed of you, sister." Eve lamented before wrapping her claws around Moriko's antlers, slamming her face first into the concrete.
Meanwhile as the fight had been ongoing, Lance and Samuel had been working with others to escort all types of pokemon from the area. Curiosity was going to kill the delcatty if they didn't move fast.
Lance huffed, trying to keep his frantic mind more occupied with getting folks out of there. He wanted to help them, but knew if he got caught in the middle of it? Things would get worse.
"...There's gotta be some way..."
Samuel looked over at Lance and sighed, stealing a glance at the two sisters behind them. Blood was starting to fly as their attacks grew more vicious by the second.
It hurt to watch, but it was just so mesmerizing that-
Lance suddenly pressed his head to Samuel's with a concerned grunt. He was the one who warned him about a fairy's allure-he could only imagine what it meant coming from a Xerneas.
"Let's keep moving."
Samuel shook his body, pressing his head back to Lance's in reassurance.
Moriko found a spot at a large fountain; soft sprays of water brushed against her back from the occasional breeze. Her smile was almost as bright as the sun looming above the crowd that had drawn close to hear her better.
"Are you tired of having a fear of the unknown? I'm sure it's weighed on your mind as you grow older..." Her voice dripped with honey as she backed up, taking a seat on the fountain's bowl. There were mixed reactions; some having acknowledged their fears and others having not given it thought. But for some strange reason, they all stayed.
"I was surprised when I noticed the humans were gone. I'm sure some of you shared wonderful bonds with them...." She sighed, leaning forward to rest her chin on her palm. "It must have been scary for some of you. Their absence was probably abrupt, too."
Varying pokemon began to chatter amongst themselves; some feeling guilty for having moved on from the situation. Yes, the humans disappeared. There had been searches for them, to no avail. But.... they had no choice but to move on.
"I'm not here to make you feel bad, nor sad. I'm just stating the facts."
"With that said... I may not know the fates of the humans, but I can certainly protect yours."
A murmur ran through the crowd, full of confusion and curiosity. She straightened back up, flashing that sweet smile of hers.
"If you so wish, I can extend your life. A gift from this Xerneas to you; an everlasting change to partake. Come join me in this reverie, and we can make it a reality."
Moriko found a spot at a large fountain; soft sprays of water brushed against her back from the occasional breeze. Her smile was almost as bright as the sun looming above the crowd that had drawn close to hear her better.
"Are you tired of having a fear of the unknown? I'm sure it's weighed on your mind as you grow older..." Her voice dripped with honey as she backed up, taking a seat on the fountain's bowl. There were mixed reactions; some having acknowledged their fears and others having not given it thought. But for some strange reason, they all stayed.
"I was surprised when I noticed the humans were gone. I'm sure some of you shared wonderful bonds with them...." She sighed, leaning forward to rest her chin on her palm. "It must have been scary for some of you. Their absence was probably abrupt, too."
Varying pokemon began to chatter amongst themselves; some feeling guilty for having moved on from the situation. Yes, the humans disappeared. There had been searches for them, to no avail. But.... they had no choice but to move on.
"I'm not here to make you feel bad, nor sad. I'm just stating the facts."
"With that said... I may not know the fates of the humans, but I can certainly protect yours."
A murmur ran through the crowd, full of confusion and curiosity. She straightened back up, flashing that sweet smile of hers.
"If you so wish, I can extend your life. A gift from this Xerneas to you; an everlasting change to partake. Come join me in this reverie, and we can make it a reality."
Moriko braced herself as she took her first step into the nearest city. It was morning now, but the soft buzz of electricity gave the place its own sense of life.
It was quiet. Seemingly few were awake at this time, until she traveled further in; earning the stares of onlookers. She didn't care about the curious looks she received, but one thing certainly bothered her.
Where were the humans? Although some pokemon would consider it some sort of utopia without humans around, it just didn't settle well with her.
They've been gone for years now, a small voice responded. Chai's voice. It startled Moriko, forcing her to retreat into a quiet alleyway.
"You can hear my thoughts...?" Moriko sighed, tapping her foot. Now that Chai was awake, she'd reasonably want her body back. But Moriko had something she must do before that were to happen.
I don't care what you do, as long as no one gets hurt.
A brow raised as her tapping stopped.
"Even if you were to take the blame?"
It's my fault for not being strong enough, anyway.
"..." Moriko's breath caught in her throat. Those were words that she herself had spoken many moons ago. If she had just gotten there in time, had been stronger and more skillful? Reuben would have still been...
Without realizing it, Moriko's vision had gone blurry. She began to panic and quickly rubbed at her eyes, staring awkwardly at the tears having made her arms wet.
"...I'm crying?" Now she was the one with the quiet voice. "I... I haven't cried since that mesprit..."
Chai remained quiet as the legendary seemed to soften; her guard drawn down a little.
A soft smile tugged at Moriko's lips as she began to exit the alleyway. Her expression brightened as she wiped her eyes one more time.
"I cannot bring back Reuben, but... I can make sure that no one else goes through what I have. The pain of losing the one you love, whether immortal or mortal? I will fix that. I will grant them, my beloved pokemon, with immortality."
You can't do that! Chai's voice rang out, only to be silenced.
Moriko laughed. For the first time in ages, she laughed happily. "I have a second chance now..." She continued to laugh as tears streamed down her face; the gems embedded in her antlers glowing fiercely.
Once Chai, or rather Moriko left, Serenity reached into her mane and pulled out her cell. She took a look back and forth from her phone to where she saw her...sister escape into the nearby forest. Her hesitation came from the pain of being thrown so violently into that one tree.
She would have to follow her, just in case. But for now, she looked up Chester's contact and let it ring, placing it to her ear. Once he picked up, she didn't waste any time with greetings.
"Right now, it's not too much of an emergency... but there is need for caution. Chai has.. she's the xerneas."
Everything looked familiar. Yet everything was not the same. The company she regularly kept; gone. Just the forest remained as it was, save for a few forgotten paths here and there.
It was painful.
After a lengthy bout of running, the creature gave in to the aching of her heart and feet, taking to lean against a tree.
"I'm supposed to be dead... what is this... what point is there being here if Reuben is not here with me?" The sound of steps drew her ears up, causing her momentary silence.
When the perpetrator showed themselves to her, she scowled deeply.
"It's you."
Andromeda quietly stepped closer as another surge of energy began to swell at Moriko's feet, threatening to envelop her completely.
"Moriko-"
"Ṡ̷̥͚̪̞͉̂̈́̈̀̌̍̓̉̍̂̀̊̋͠͝͝H̸̛͓̦̞̭͕͇͖̜̞͍̺̘̺̖̮́̀́̄͗̏͂̔̎̉̆̕͝͠͝Ù̴̼͕̳̦͔̝̭̬͗͒̅͛͒̈́́̈́̅̈́͘͘͠ͅȚ̸͎̾̈́͆̋̌́͂̌̈͑̏́̓̚͝ ̴̧̱̜͖̣̺̯̦̺̰̯̅̓̊̒͆͜ͅU̸͔̻̺̼̅̊̆̽̌͜P̷̧̣̤̞͙̜̖̳̑́!̸͈͓̮̖̙̦͔̝̦̰͕̦̬̐͜ͅ!̶̧̨̛̹̮̗̮͎͚͚̪̲͕̲̰̾̐̉̉̽͆͠!̷̨̢̪̲̻̲̼͖͕̜̭͓̘͈̦̰̌̈́̍̈́́" She screamed, launching herself at the arceus before her, raising her arms high before swinging downward with an enormous mallet made of dark energy:
Night Daze!
Moriko was unfamiliar with the attack she produced, but it didn't phase her. Unfortunately for her, Andromeda braced for the attack with her arms above her head-which did nothing but piss her off even more.
Even in her human form, she held a good amount of power herself. "Moriko, please, just listen to me!" What she received in response was another Night Daze, aimed directly at her side this time; swung like a baseball bat. She too, like Serenity, was sent flying across the forest floor. The pain was immense, but she didn't have time to give up.
"Moriko!"
"How dare you say my name!!! HOW DARE YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO, AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO ME?!"
She bellowed, dropping her stance slightly to serve a sharp kick to the woman's already injured side. The hooves were so sharp that they stripped the material of Andromeda's clothing; slicing through skin and causing blood to spray.
"I'm sorry, Moriko.... I'm so sorry!" The god fell to her knees, clutching her side in apology. This threw Moriko off guard, causing her to stagger backwards slightly. "If...If I had known that Mesprit would do that to you, I would have never expressed my concerns to her!"
Moriko watched as the god before her crumpled on herself in tears; genuine. The old her, the one before Reuben had been killed, would have been swayed by this emotion.
Numb. Confusion. ".... You didn't send Mesprit to take away my emotions? To stop me from grieving?" She asked quietly.
"No! I only lamented that I could do nothing for you... You had been crying for so long, and I was concerned! And what did that get me?? I lost my daughters, one after the other!"
"...what do you mean-no. I already know just by looking at you." Crossing her arms, she made no effort in trying to heal Andromeda; instead she went back to leaning against a tree. For once in her life, she looked down on her mother. Literally.
Her gaze was icy and unsure, but she had already indulged the arceus this much. "It must be nice to cry." She mused coldly. "To have someone important to you come back from the dead... I'm sure you at least planned that, didn't you? You begged a ho-oh, didn't you? Must be nice to have that type of authority."
Waiting a few minutes in silence, Moriko sighed. "Here, I'll do you a little favor since you've got nothing else to say." Suddenly the branches of a tree would weave around the arceus' body, binding her to it's trunk.
"I'll make it so that the need for ho-oh becomes non-existent."
Andromeda could only watch in anguish as Moriko left her there; her destination now being the city.
Gasping as she gripped the sides of the tree, Serenity pushed herself forward from the mini crevice she left behind from the attack.
"Shit... that was fairy energy..." She muttered as she stretched and tidied herself up. Apparently, Hokulani hadn't left, as she felt a soft nudge on her right arm.
"...I'm fine. But you need to tell me, why you two were gone."
"..." Hokulani looked down, feeling a manner of guilt. She wasn't sure why she felt this way, but it wouldn't stop her from speaking up.
"Chai was... or is?? The reincarnation of my mom, Celeste. She wanted to meet up with Reynard; who turned out to be the reincarnation of my dad, Endymion. Their souls passed on, and both Chai and Reynard fell asleep after but.."
"Hmm." Having been given the luxury to hear all of that, Serenity looked wistfully off to the side. "I guess that protection is gone, then..." Seeing the look of confusion on Hokulani's face, she slowly turned to face her while keeping an eye on Chai.
"Apparently, it's possible to be reborn more than once..." A bitter chuckle. "Chai and I... are examples of that."
After her outburst, Chai had remained oddly still. She no longer ached, but long lost memories flooded her mind rapidly. Memories of her own and of another, that she shouldn't know.
Just as she was about to speak, a strange sensation took over her. It felt like she was thrown into the back of her consciousness; a far more powerful entity taking over.
Serenity bit her lip, sharply inhaling. Despite the noise surrounding her voice, she understood her perfectly. She began moving towards 'Chai' out of some sort of instinct, wanting to comfort her. However, Hokulani held her back, just as more pokemon began showing up.
"Is everyone alright???" Lance quickly asked, having heard the scream and cracking of the tree. His fur was completely disheveled, seeing as he had run into a few things while making his way outside. By scent alone, he could tell that Serenity, Chai, and Hokulani were there.... but Chai was closest and currently of most concern.
So he turned and approached her, with caution, as he felt some strange energy flowing from her. "You okay, Chai??"
Turning wordlessly to the new figure approaching, it looked as if she'd let out another attack. Her steely gaze studied Lance's movements, and she would close the distance between them. Serenity broke free from Hokulani's hold, ready to jump in!... but hearing her speak once more stopped her movement.
"...L a n c e?"
Lance slowed his steps, craning his neck slightly upwards to the voice. He knew this voice. But no, that was impossible. How could... how was it possible, with Chai right there? It began to dawn on him that the figure before him was much taller than him, which didn't add up because Chai was short. But she smelled just like Chai. But that voice...
"Lady Moriko??" He asked quietly.
"....Y e s..." Carefully reaching out, she gave the dragon a gentle pat on the head. Tears began to pour from her eyes, but she made not a sound or sob.
"I am... a xerneas." She looked at her claws with a heavy sigh. "But... I am not one anymore... But." She drew back; claws going up to feel her antlers. "Here, I am... of course, I wouldn't be allowed to die."
Without much warning, she turned and walked past Serenity and Hokulani, going right into the forest.
Though she didn't have to, Celeste led the way to the Dapper estate; the home of Reynard and his family. It was rather late, but a soft light shone from a familiar window. Hopping the gate with Hokulani tailing behind her, she took a look around before advancing toward the window.
"Don't you think it might be better to call firs-"
"We're already here, little princess. Why call?" Concentrating her powers, she'd lift upwards to the window to...see a rather shocked Reynard sitting nearby-obviously awake. He'd be there to open the window before she could wave, and so she'd descend upon him like a fairy in the night.
Even now, the movement was still ingrained in him to open the window to his room. A habit that should have ended the moment...things happened, but alas, it was done now.
He watched as the vixen gracefully made her way in, followed by the swan. Giving 'Chai' a good look, he held back a bitter smile to himself. The veil at her back was very telling.
"You're not Miss Chai, are you?" He asked calmly, gesturing over to a more open space.
Following the fox's paw, she moved there and nodded with a light shock. "I'm sure the jirachi, Chance, has already made you aware of who I am." Celeste chuckled softly, having happened to spy said jirachi knocked out asleep on Reynard's bed.
"It's Celeste, darling."
As soon as she mentioned her name, a strange and sleepy feeling overtook him in waves that submerged his consciousness. The girls were left with silence before being met again with dreamy, sleepy, eyes.
"Celeste...?" He processed it in his mind, looking down at his own body before getting up and getting closer to the vixen. When his eyes met hers, his tails began wagging excitedly. Pressing his forehead to hers, he sniffled and shed tears.
"My dear, Celeste!" He gestured for Hokulani to come closer, and he drew all of them into a big hug. "And my dearest, sweetest, little girl... my Hokulani!"
"Endymion, it's been way too long..." She could only giggle softly as Hokulani and Endymion got overly emotional again; having to hush them down a bit so as not to disturb the other residents of estate.
All three would resume chatting for most of the night, but as always... good times would come to an end. The veil on Celeste's back began to shimmer before dissolving into light particles just as the sun peaked out from its rest.
"I guess it's time." Standing up and heading towards the window, Endymion would follow and be at her side.
A golden light shimmered from his own body as he exchanged a knowing look to Celeste.
"It is... though I think the sun could have waited a tad longer to rise." He chuckled, his expression a mix of happy and sad.
Joining the two, Hokulani presses her head to theirs in one last hug.
".... I love you, momma. I love you, papa..."
"We love you too..."
"Our little princess of the stars..."
With nothing else to say, Celeste and Endymion's souls lifted from their bodies in spheres of light. Reynard quietly slumped on the floor in pure exhaustion, falling asleep immediately.
Hokulani would carefully and quietly pick up Chai, for she had almost fallen out of the window. Deciding to bring her back to her home, she exits the residence with a sigh.
No.
This wasn't the time for her selfish thoughts of wanting more time with them. She got her wish to just see them again... and that, she would be content with.
After some time they would reach their destination. Chai, still sound asleep in her arms, would groan quietly. She ignored this, because she figured it came with the territory of sharing her body with an old soul... or something like that. It made sense to her.
However as she got closer to the house, she noticed Chai beginning to heave and huff; groaning becoming louder as the seconds fled by. Hokulani set her down in the yard, now worried.
"Chai??? Chai, are you okay??" What if Reynard was having the same reaction as she was? But he... he seemed alright when they left. But that thought alone left her abruptly as Chai let out a deafening scream.
Hokulani watched in horror as Chai furiously raked at her head, blood spurting forth from two spots. She flinched as the vixen's bones seemed to crack and grow; her feet becoming pointed and sharp.
"Oh no...oh shit...!" Serenity had woken from the scream, knowing her sister's voice so well. She hauled ass outside, just to see Hokulani fretting fearfully over Chai.
"What the hell happened?!"
"I don't know!! She was fine until we got back here-"
"Wh-" Shaking her head, she threw down her arms in disbelief. No use in arguing with the bird while her sister was in pain. Dropping down to Chai's side, she tried to pull her claws away from her face.
"Chai, you've gotta stop this, you-" Her eyes widened as she felt a sudden surge of energy welling up within Chai, making her feel anxious.
"Hokulani, get outta here, NOW-" Was the last thing she got out before being blasted back into a tree.
Sitting up suddenly, claws slowly drawing down her face, two pale antlers jutted forth from her forehead in a splatter of scarlet. The beads that held her mane back would pop and settle into the antlers, giving off the occasional eerie glow.
The screaming and bleeding had stopped. In fact, it looked as if she had never bled at all.
As she stood up, taller than she had been before, she gave a weary look to the cresselia and zoroark. Her pupils, now in the shape of an 'X', gave hint to the creature she had partially become.
". . ."
Ask Chai if she's alright?
Yes!
NO did you see what she did to Serenity??? MY GURL
How about we ask Serenity if she's alright instead, damn
Celeste found herself quite comfortable in the bush she had fallen in from the window, but she had a destination in mind to reach before the sun came up. With a somber sigh she hoisted herself up, quietly making her escape so as not to disturb anyone or be disturbed.
However, the veil behind her back caught the curious eyes of a familiar cresselia.
"...Chai?" Hokulani asked quietly with a simple smile on her face. "I haven't seen you sneak out in years! Whatcha up to?" Drawing closer to the vixen, she held a friendly expression.
Celeste decided to correct this 'young' lady, swiftly turning around while wagging her finger. Instead she found herself shocked into silence. Her eyes widened at the cresselia's soft gaze, a tear quietly pooling in her left eye. Before Hokulani could ask her what was wrong, the vixen had taken the bird's face into her claws.
"My eyes..." She just barely whispered as she stroked her cheek. "You have my eyes... Are you my little princess of the stars?"
Hokulani began to tremble, her breaths becoming heavy. She didn't know where to look. These were words she hadn't heard in a lifetime. She laughed to keep herself from crying; to keep herself from having her hopes strung too high again. It was strange, after all. To hear the voice she missed the most, coming from a friend.
Still, the word came out.
"M-momma...?" She fearfully asked, only to be rewarded with the biggest hug the vixen could muster. This broke her, and so she wrapped her neck around Celeste's neck; a mixture of emotions overtaking her.
"I'm so glad you made it out alive, my darling little Hokulani...!" She laughed, a little bitter, rubbing her tear soaked eyes. "Look at how you've grown...! Don't let it get to your head though, you're still my little one."
Consoling her little one wouldn't take much time, for as many tears that fell, the longer their smiles had stayed.
"I... we don't have much time. Why don't you come with me? To see your father?"
"!" Dad too?? Hokulani's head spun a little. Could she handle all of this excitement?
"W-wait, how, but? First..." Craning her neck back and giving them some space, Hokulani tilts her head to the side.
"Why are you in Chai's body?"
"Right right, I am rushing aren't I?" Celeste held her warm smile, resting her head in the palm of her claws.
"What's it called... reincarnation. I was reborn as Chai... but I am not possessing her or anything sinister. She just needs some time to rest and think things over so, I figure I might as well go for a stroll. A storm will be rolling in soon, and." A sigh.
"I, and your father, who was also reborn, don't have much time left. So... how about we see him too, before we officially pass on?"
It was a lot to take in, but the cresselia nodded, now rubbing her eyes too.
"It'd be too much to ask for more time, I guess..." Celeste could only give her a sad smile in response. ".... I still appreciate this. Thank you, momma. But um.. who did papa..er who was he reborn as?"
"The one Chai's heart forgot because of her wish... I believe his name is Reynard."
You have probably heard the news, especially if you are in the US, about Lani the Hawaiian monk seal and the idiot that tried to kill her (thankfully she is fine).
Hawaiian monk seals are endangered and are one of the last living species of tropical/warm water seals left.
They are an important symbol of Hawaiian culture and need all the help they can get!
I found some places you can donate to to help in the efforts to save these important animals:
obviously all these links are easily found by Googling and there are other places out there but I have put some in a list here for easy link grabbing. Don't congratulate me or anything cause anyone could have made this post... I just think this is important.
So I've been spending a lot already in the *checks calendar* 2 weeks I've been out of classes LOL
Have you ever wanted art from yours truly? Ever wanted to see something on blog that didn't get to happen for one reason or another? Now's your chance! (use the read more to see the rest of this, it gets long lol)
In an attempt to recoup some of the spending I've had to do and will be doing in the near future, I'm opening a handful of commission options! Depending on the popularity of certain options, I might open those options specifically once I get through all the slots
What to expect:
An idea sketch (unless it's a skeb) to make sure things look good and the energy is right
Payment through kofi
Progress wips upon request (Sketch, lines, flat color, backgrounds if applicable)
Turnaround between 1 day to a week depending on complexity upon initial idea sketch, with communication if things are taking a bit for me to get to
Some examples of what I'd be offering!
Pay What You Want: What is says-baseline price is 15 USD and the more you give, the more you get out of it!
Headshot/Icon: A good ol square at least 1000x1000px of a character-perfect for toyhouse or artfight profiles!
Skeb Style: Throw me a ref and some vibes, and I'll get to work and send it back to you right away! Only edits on these are for major details that are wrong/missing from the character. (Only one character for these)
Blog Style: Very fast turnaround (within the day, no more than 2), the type of art and quality you'd see on this here blog! The images are no bigger than 1000px in any dimension, and up to 3 characters.
Full Piece: A full body of any one character! Shading and background included.
Comic Page: A fully realized scene in a couple of panels. As this is more involved there would have to be discussion on character count and text etc.
Now of course, the slots and prices:
*prices are baseline, they can be more or less depending on complexity and additions
PWYW-$15 USD
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
HEADSHOT/ICON-$ 20 USD
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
SKEB-$ 35 USD
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
BLOG STYLE-$ 25 USD
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
FULL PIECE-$ 50 USD
[TAKEN]
[OPEN]
COMIC PAGE-$ 120 USD
[OPEN]
[OPEN]
Contact me through this blog right here or through discord if you have me there to get a slot! DMing me also opens you to the opportunity to ask about anything you don't see here, what I will and won't draw etc.
Don't feel like getting any art but want to support anyway? Here you go!
Hello Pokéask community. today, we are gathered here to talk about a rather pervasive issue within the community.
That's right, we are going to talk about:
TRANSMISOGYNY
I don't really need a preamble or anything. Yes, it's true, this community has historically been quite hostile to trans women. I've had a friend targeted with false accusations of being a creepy pervert for the crime of being trans and female. As if that is a crime, somehow.
We had a predator and known drama-monger some couple years ago who was able to get away with it for so long because most of their victims were trans fem, whom no one believed, because they were trans fem.
And of course we have had various incidents of people using any number of gross terms to refer to trans women, gleefully and casually.
So by now you are probably beginning to see the pattern.
Maybe you need some help. In that case I shall enlighten you...
So what is transmisogyny? It is exactly what it says on the tin: the discrimination and mistreatment of trans women. It is an intersection of transphobia and misogyny. As such it is both of those as well.
Why is it bad? Well, the better question to ask would be why *isn't* it bad? It serves no purpose beyond the spread of hatred as well as perpetuating the belief that women are like property that must look and act a certain way.
Who does it affect? Obviously the primary target is trans women, and you should care about the fact that it harms trans women. But in fact, transmisogyny affects everyone.
You might think "I don't hate trans women, so I'm not transmisogynistic!" and you may not be. But, you must also keep in mind that it is so deeply entrenched in society that you might say and do transmisogynistic things without knowing it.
For example:
Do you expect women or female characters to look a certain way? This could be plain old misogyny, but it could also be transmisogyny. If you've ever complained that a female character looks too much like a guy because her boobs are too small or her shoulders are too wide, etc., well yeah ... you are probably suffering from transmisogyny disease. And also general misogyny disease too, seeing as transmisogyny is a subtype of it.
Do you get grossed out by women with certain types of genitalia, insisting they censor themselves as some sort of fetish or otherwise sequester themselves away for the sake of others? It is transmisogyny. Regardless of what you are attracted to, a woman should not be forced to hide herself away as some kind of freak commodity simply because she is not what you personally consider desirable. Also, people are likely forced to interact with you on the regular, so it just makes you a hypocrite.
Do you refer to women by what is between their legs*? It is transmisogyny. It's a way to other women that do not fit the "norm".
Obviously, assuming any given trans woman is a secret pervert is transmisogyny. This may seem obvious but so many people do this! In LGBT focused spaces perhaps most of all!
there are many other examples but most tie back into the ones mentioned here. Please do a little introspection from time to time.
Trans women deserve to feel as safe and as welcome as anyone else here in this community.
Lastly: this post is about trans WOMEN (/trans fems). I am aware that other trans people exist, but there are certain pervasive attitudes that are near exclusively shown towards trans WOMEN, and so that is what this post is about.
*some trans women do refer themselves with such terms. There is a lot of debate about this matter, so try not to overstep if it is a trans woman herself using the term. She may be a victim of internalised transmisogyny but what people are comfortable with varies. But, never use terms like futanari or trap if you are not a transfem individual. Read the room.
