titsay
AnasAbdin
Cosmic Funnies
Mike Driver
Sweet Seals For You, Always
d e v o n
★
roma★
izzy's playlists!
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
i don't do bad sauce passes
NASA
almost home
art blog(derogatory)
we're not kids anymore.
todays bird
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Kiana Khansmith
@theartofmadeline
$LAYYYTER
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@guyghoul
Are you still offering commissions currently?
I remade my commission post sooooo many times it ain’t even funny (it is). I have a link to my LINKS carrd on my page.
I’ll link the site itself, though.
Art commission information for Smellyvampirez
I know that feeling of having to remake things a lot.
Thank you! I wanted to help the way I can.
Dm if interested!
leftists: we should accept everyone regardless of religion, sexuality, race, ethnicity, or gender identity and fight for equal rights for all!
leftists when they see a jew:
They’ll post the 'follow your leader' meme when someone is being racist and then rtwt Nazi propaganda from a Hamas bot account in the same hour.
I was given the 'follow your leader' meme, myself!
Wait: where are their Instagram and Etsy pages?
https://www.instagram.com/grizandnorm/
Thank you!
I look forward to seeing how they design characters. They going quiet means that I can catch up calmly.
Just got shouted at in the street by a furious loony for peeling off an anti-Israel sticker from a lamppost. He demanded to know why I was doing that and I said "because I don't hate Jews". This made him even angrier and start swearing at me, so I called him a Jew-hating Nazi who should be ashamed of his own ignorance, and walked off.
Hello, it is my birthday today, I'll go make myself a mug cake
Happy birthday, bro!
A mug cake sounds interesting.
I Heard You Like to Play With Dragons
Hey you! Yes! You! Want to play with some dergs? Then take the time to read this.
I am moving forward with my plans to make a game. I actually have two games in mind. One is the one I had talked about previously, the one I actually want to make. The other I decided upon just a couple days ago and I'll be honest, I don't actually want to make it. While one game I do want to make and I will release it for free, this second one (or first one, depending on which I end up making, finishing and launching first) is not something I actually want to do but I need money and although it may not sell at all, it does have a very big potential to sell well-ish. Needless to say, this one in particular will be for sale (with a demo available when possible). One game is something that many may enjoy while the other, is something that I know only a few will. The "problem" with this other game is not the game itself but the main theme. Game-mechanics aside, it should be, in theory, easier to make than the first one (the one I actually want to make and that will be free). All because of its main theme is, frankly, absurdly easy to get done. I would know. Been there, done that. But I am not going to reveal what any of it is going to be about and I don't believe I will be sharing the work in progress of it when it does go into development. I will for the other one, though! All on my KoFi! What I can and will share about both of them are the proto-ideas for plot, protagonist, intended mechanics and a couple things more.
First off, everything that you are about to read is subject to change down the line, but so far, here are my plans as they stand at the time of writing this:
Both games will be 2D sidescrolling platformers and will feature a dragon as the protagonist. In both of them you will play as a dragon that has to do something. In one game the protagonist will be a female dragon, a dragoness named Amica Draccodore, and I have already started working on her design last year. In the second game the protagonist will be a male dragon, but name and design have not been started. For him I so far only have a vague idea of what his design should look like.
For Amica's game, the current working proto-idea (and I am calling it "proto" because everything about it is still way up in the air and quite vague) is for her to defeat a disgruntled kobold who has been meddling with magic he shouldn't. Amica will have no wings in the game so it is easier for me to draw all the necessary sprites and artwork, but I am considering to have her lack of wings a part of the game's plot itself. Possibly as part of the kobold's forbidden magic shenanigans and a goal for Amica to justify going after him. The kobold does not yet have a name nor have I started working on his design either. It's not a priority at the moment. What you read about him (yes, it's going to be a male kobold) here so far is all I got for the time being.
Amica's game should feature, if I can learn how to make them, a title screen, cutscenes, levels intro (like in the levels of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, for the SNES), possibly in-level dialogues and maybe some blood. And of course, if I can do a good job with the writing/development of the characters and plot, jokes! I'll be damned if I don't add at least some! I love jokes! If I can make it work, her game should also feature power-ups, but since Amica is a dragoness, she should be able to breathe fire as her main/basic attack right at the start of the very first level, with no need to pick up a power-up to do that, like in the Super Mario games. Amica can breathe fire naturally and the power-ups should only add to her natural mass destruction capabilities. She's a dragon after all! Oh, and also progress saving, if I can learn how to do it (this is valid for both games, by the way. If I can make it, both will be able to save the player's progress). I have not yet decided about the world in which Amica inhabits, however. Part of me wants to have the game take place in Delphinea, which is the land in which the characters you already know from my artworks inhabit, particularly a certain big green dragon called Michael Braveheart. Although I hardly ever drew any of that land or even wrote about it in story form or similar, I have a lot of it very fleshed out in my mind. This is one point of the plot for Amica's game that I do not have established yet. I could have the game take place in Delphinea, on some other land in the same world or just have both worlds be completely separate from one another. Regardless, the game should take place across different levels with different visuals, with places like forests, plains, indoors, etc. making up the game's world.
As for the game with the yet-to-be-named-and-designed-dragon, as I just mentioned earlier, I will not give any details on what it will really be about. What I will tell you about it is that it should share some of the mechanics I want to introduce in Amica's game, but as of now, it is unlikely that it will contain power-ups. If so, surely not like Amica's. Though it should have the dragon's body have alterations based on interactions with the enemies and also potentially friendly characters, if I add any. Which I might. I know the target audience for this one all far too well, after all. Anyway… Said interactions should affect how the dragon move and where he can and cannot go at times.
As of the writing of this Journal (I frankly wasn't planing on writing a Journal. This was supposed to be a quick status update), unlike in Amica's game, I don't have plans for a villain for this dragon to face, only enemies as the game progresses. Also important to note is the fact that I have decided from the first moment the idea for this game crossed my mind, that both these games, their worlds/universes will be COMPLETELY separate from one another. From the point of view of one game, the other does not exist.
Plot-wise… Well, considering the theme for this game (again, I'm not telling until I have something to show for it), I can hardly say it has a plot at all. But for the sake of making sense, let's go with the term "plot"… Plot-wise, this dragon is supposed to be an underpaid, borderline bankrupt, night-shift security guard at some extremely important facility, one that is far too often target of break-ins, victim of intruders constantly trying to steal their highly classified experiments and research. The enemies you should "fight" in this game are meant to be the intruders that are always breaking in. Despite whatever it is that the company that owns the facility does, they are cheap and underpay the protagonist, cheap out on security systems and equipment and only have one guard for the night shift: The dragon you play as. Still as part of the "plot", they pay little, but demand a lot from their newly hired night guard, so this dragon night guard, being at the verge of complete bankrupcy, finds himself having no choice but to do what he can to keep the intruders out, or make sure they never leave, all the while he's hardly paid enough to afford his own food. No time to find a better job and failure to succeed at his task is not an option for him.
Similarly to Amica's game, this second game might also feature some cutscenes and in-level dialog, but unlike with the first game, I want to keep it all to a bare minimum. I also will probably not add level intros and actually the whole game might only have one single level, but divided into areas which you can access by acquiring higher clearance levels. Though I guess that in itself is having a bunch of levels, after all. Regardless, the whole game should take place in said facility, unlike with the first game with Amica. Just different areas of the facility. Maybe some occasional break at the dragon's house too. To be decided. I also don't really have plans for jokes with this one, but I know myself. I am likely to end up adding a few anyway.
Okay, so those are the ideas, but what about anything concrete? Neither game exists outside of my mind yet, but Amica's design on-going development is currently available for viewing on my KoFi (supporters only) and everything about her game will be posted there as it gets made, including the development of the game itself. I will be uploading previews over at my KoFi and when I have a playable build, I will make it available for download over at my Itch.io. Though the second game won't benefit from the same grace. At least not until I change my mind. Amica's game will be free but the other game will not. I will charge for it, but there will be a free demo.
While the ideas brew in my mind and I slowly work on Amica's design, I have started toying with GDevelop 5. Based on my research, it should be the best editor/game maker someone with the huge lack of experience with game development can use for their first steps into that world. I have already learned a few of the most basic things and will continue to "study" how to use this program. I maybe MIGHT release some test prototypes for Amica's game, if/when any get made. Maybe for the other game too, but without any of the stuff I want to keep secret for now.
I honestly do not expect either of these games to be good. I have zero experience with game development and level design and I sure as hell am no writer. What I can assure you of is that I will be working to the best of my abilities to make the best first two games as I possibly can. Even if I say one of them is a game I don't want to make. Why will I make it anyway? I got rent, bills and food to pay. I need money, as much as I can earn.
I wish to stress that although I have no plans to ask for any donation to help with these two projects, but it could be very helpful. My free time is now limited, but if I had some occasional bucks dropping in here and there, I wouldn't need to work as hard/for as long at the job I currently have (I'm currently working as an Uber driver on 12 hours long shifts all days of the week, except Sunday morning and afternoon and half of Monday), meaning that I could get a bit more free time that I can use on these projects. The more free time I can dedicate to learning the tools and working with them, the sooner these and MORE games will come out. Because yes! Of course I'll want to make more games after these two! There is a severe lack of dragon games out there, especially ones where you play as the dragon. I want to be one of the few that works towards bringing more dergs to the gamers. Also no humans. In either game and maybe never. Screw humans! It's dragon time!
Oh, and before I forget… I may occasionally livestream myself working on my games (just not that one with the night shift dragon guard. That one will remain secret until I see fit), so you might want to follow me up on Twitch and subscribe to my YouTube channel also, if you haven't already. Links below.
As I mentioned earlier, KoFi and Itch.io are where you'll be able to see the progress of my games, download them and support me through this journey. Here's the links for them:
KoFi: https://ko-fi.com/mikedragon Itch.io: https://mike-dragon.itch.io Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mike_dragon/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MikeDragon
P.S: Forgive me for any typos or if some sentence doesn't make much sense. I did not proof read this Journal and as a matter of fact, I wrote it while being awake for over 24 hours and after I took my meds that cause heavy sleep, so my brain was not at all firing on all cylinders when I wrote any of this. lol
In the 'Ghost of Old Chateau' of you Random Doom comic, you twice mentioned a ghost butler that did not make the cut. I wish to know more abou the butler and how the butler would have been designed.
You are right. Aside of the ghost girl, you can encounter a ghost butler in the old chateau and I was planning to feature him too in the comic.
He was supposed to appear in the kitchen scene, where Rupert finds the eaten food and soda. I think he was supposed to serve Rupert the soda. I cut him out cos that didn't make sense with all the ghosts getting mad at our heroes for eating the food. (why would the ghost serve food and then get mad?) I never designed him, but I imagine he would have looked similar to the in game old man sprite, with some typical butler outfit and mannerism.
THANK YOU!! /relieved/
I discovered Random Doom (back when you were still doing the webcomic) and your art in general through the 'Ghost of Old Chateau' chapter. This may sound exceptional, bu the identity of that ghost butler you mentioned twice but did not draw once was one of my 'unsolved mysteries' from back then.
I don't normally stay up this late and I will regret it later, but made some extra collars and a sign for the table. My printer is down or I would have done something nicer on the computer. At least I had some stickers already with my logo.
Yay or nay to displaying them off this little cart? We do have a table, but I believe we are sharing a single table.
I am worried that all of the collars are going to fall off the cart.
In health care, vile hatred and threats against Israelis and Jews are patently ignored and even celebrated.
Historically, antisemitism was endemic in American medicine in the early to mid-20th century, with quotas on Jewish students and residency trainees until the 1960s.
But in 2023, antisemitic incidents dramatically increased, with a 140% increase from 2022 and the highest since data collection began in 1979.
A short sampling of antisemitic acts include:
Antisemitic slogans at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine,
Antisemitic graffiti at the UCSF Cancer Center,
Jewish medical students’ exposure to demonization of Israel diatribes and rationalizing terrorism;
Faculty, including a professor of medicine at UCSF, posting antisemitic tropes and derogatory comments about Jewish health-care professionals.
In Combating the Shocking Rise of Antisemitism in Health Care, the Hadassah organization notes that “[i]nstead of the support they expected from peers, Jewish practitioners in hospitals, clinics and health care facilities have found themselves marginalized for perceived Zionist sympathies, attacked on social media and shunned in professional forums.”
In fact, the AJMA (American Jewish Medical Association) was formed in 2023 to address “…rising incidents of antisemitism and anti-Zionism that impact the workplace and patient care,” i.e., American medical school graduation ceremonies depicting antisemitic themes (keffiyehs, a Palestinian flag, and a blank map of Israel).
At Canary Mission one can peruse the list of medical practitioners who have made antisemitic remarks on social media while they were in pre-med and during medical school. It is truly frightening that they hold the well-being of Jews in their hands, e.g., there are women undergoing fertility treatment who are worried about putting their Jewish names on test tubes lest antisemitic staff interfere.
In 2019, Lara Kollab, a Cleveland Clinic residency doctor, was apparently fired after posting antisemitic remarks on social media. In 2012, Kollab said she would “purposely give the wrong medication to Jewish people.”
Walid Khass is a physician who physically attacked an Israeli and called for the death of Jews and Israelis. He has also shown support for Hamas and is registered with the American Board of Pediatrics.
Lest you think these are aberrations, scroll through page after page of these medical professionals who promote incitement and spread hatred of Israel, glorify terrorists, and call for the death of Jewish people.
In fact, antisemitism is now “ubiquitous in the medical field, “according to the American Jewish cardiologist Dr. Jacob Agronin, who recently testified that his union, the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), publicly supports terror sympathizers and formally endorses the exclusion of Israeli colleagues based on national origin.”
Agronin did not choose this union. It was voted in at his institution in May 2024. Yet, he will soon be compelled by law to fund it.
He explains that when
“a union representing 37,000 physicians openly supports figures associated with Hamas and Hezbollah, formally recommends that hospitals exclude Israeli workers, and uses compelled dues from federally-funded trainees [emphasis mine] to advance that agenda -- that is a problem for every American who cares about the integrity of our medical institutions and our national security.
Agronin urged legislative action to protect medical trainees from being compelled to financially support such an organization.
But the explosion of antisemitism is to be expected since the Red/Green alliance has been busy at work for more than a decade pursuing “woke” policies wherein social justice is merely code for social injustice and diversity and inclusion result in bias, racism, and antisemitism. And lying is acceptable, too.
Consequently, the antisemitism continues and is ramped up. Since the October 7, 2023 barbarism foisted on Israel, Jews continue to be marginalized and intimidated in medical institutions. A 2025 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Religion and Health found that 75% of Jewish-identifying medical students and professionals reported exposure to antisemitism. That would be about 250,000 Jewish healthcare professionals in the United States.
Moreover, this is not limited to the U.S. In Canada, “antisemitism has been a problem within Ontario faculties of medicine for several years [but] …since October 7th the experience of their Jewish medical faculty members and students has deteriorated significantly.”
“Their experiences of discrimination have largely been ignored by their non-Jewish colleagues and leaders. Moreover, when Jewish medical faculty members and students have attempted to speak out against the discrimination that they have experienced, this has been weaponized against them. Their efforts to call out antisemitism have routinely been dismissed by a number of vocal individuals (physicians and others) using classic gaslighting techniques such as inversion (‘you are racist and are making up antisemitism to cover it up’) and... (‘there is a Jew I know who doesn’t think this is antisemitic so all the rest of you who are offended by this are wrong’). “[Jews] have also been harassed and threatened into silence through concerns about a combination of personal safety (up to and including death threats) and professional risk.
As Christine Douglass-Williams points out
“Society looks for ‘Islamophobia’ where it doesn’t even exist.
But vile hatred and threats against Israelis and Jews are patently ignored and even celebrated.
“The ‘ubiquitous’ antisemitism that Dr. Jacob Agronin describes is directly connected to Islamic terrorism in the Middle East, which incorporates sophisticated propaganda against the State of Israel. “Islamic supremacists and their Sharia agenda have now so infiltrated the West that no one can escape the aggressive Palestinian cause in virtually any setting. It is the central cause of the Muslim ummah, as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has declared.
The December 2024 report from StandWithUs reported direct exposure to antisemitism.
“This study represents the experiences of healthcare professionals from 32 states, offering critical insights into the pervasiveness of antisemitism in our profession,” said Dr. Kelly Michelson.
The report recommends “incorporating education about antisemitism into existing anti-bias training and/or into diversity, equity, and inclusion paradigms... to potentially mitigate existing and emerging discriminatory and hateful conduct.”
While clearly important, it would seem that a much more robust approach is required. Certainly, cutting off funds is one way to impede the hatred, but far too many people are being accepted into medical schools who view the Hippocratic oath with disdain and who harbor deeply antisemitic beliefs.
This short video highlights jihadist thinking. It has no place in our country and certainly not within the field of medicine.
The book titled The Doctors from Hell was published in 2005 and highlighted the monstrous behaviors of Nazi physicians. It should be required reading for all medical, dental, nursing, and public health students and faculty. The author
“Vivien Spitz was a 22-year-old court reporter during the doctors’ trials at Nuremberg following World War II. In Doctors from hell: the horrific account of Nazi experiments on humans, she recounts in vivid, objective detail the horrific human experiments conducted by 20 so-called physicians and medical assistants in Germany under the direction of the Nazis. The human experiments included ‘high-altitude’ experiments in which concentration camp inmates were forced, without oxygen, into high-altitude chambers that duplicated conditions at up to 68,000 feet; removal of sections of bone, muscle, and nerves, including whole legs removed at the hips to transplant to other victims; artificial wounding and exposure to mustard gas; wounding of two limbs and treatment of one but not the other with sulfonamide antibiotics; intramuscular injection with fresh typhus; and collection of skeletons from 112 live Jewish inmates who were killed and defleshed.”
Since the jihadists are the lineal descendants of the Nazis, can we expect compassion and concern from them? How do we ensure that they are prohibited from the medical arena when they hold such odious ideas with intent to inflict harm.
“One of the tenets of Judaism is to bear witness, not to forget, but rather to remember and learn from the past, to never let it happen again.
All decent people must speak out “to ensure that there is no sequel to Doctors from Hell.”
Are you still planning on selling or giving away Gullteeth? You did later talk about others commissioning these types of creatures.
I'm keeping gullteeth!! I'm also doing a few custom designs for people in a similar style + with the same brush and canvas size [:
…did NOT expect to get so attached so quickly but they’re all I can think about right now. My whatever…
I understand that feeling of being very attached to your own creations, no matter how inconsequential they appear at first glance.
Honestly, I am interested in a custom design myself.
anyway i have suddenly lost the ability to draw. does that ever happen to anyone else? like you're motivated, you have ideas, you have time and energy, but suddenly you just...suck
(and if this does happen to you, any advice? just push through it, or take a break?)
I feel something similar which I have appropriated the name 'art round', since that is the inverse of 'art block': I have an abundance of ideas, but a lack of drive or even something invisible blocking my attempts at drawings.
I asked someone abou that problem and go this advise: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/59922271/#cid:184326458
While startled by the sudden voice, Marcus was fine with others have the call. The Slowpoke put the phone on the carpet... the drier areas, anyways.
While staring at the reunion, the Slowpoke quietly repeated the names mentioned... though that island diction turned 'Valkea' into 'Balkea' while that eclectic mix of dictions put a short, decisive pause between the syllables of Kappa's name, sounding that Marcus was holding back the second syllable... even if Marcus still did not know who 'Kappa' was.
Seeing Morelet suddenly hang up at Kappa, Marcus stared at the phone, then at the two.
'Wait...'
The Slowpoke more directly stared at then pointed a paw towards the Yamask.
'You... were... the one... who... died...'
...back to the awkward pauses.
'...when...'
Marcus' nervousness and confusion lengthened the pauses between the words.
'...because ...Morelet's ...co ...cohabitator ...went ...crazy ...after ...Gigantimax ...correct? ...is... Morelet's cohabitator... the... reason... why... you... are... a... ghost, now?'
[Valkea] "Okay, hang on, let's get this straight."
"I was not... killed, by Kappa. I died in an unrelated explosion in Sinnoh."
"The one who..."
Valkea tries to lower their voice.
"The one who Kappa killed on accident was Nema. A Pikachu. She passed away in the Giant Chasm."
Valkea allowed their voice to return to a normal volume. They felt squeamish. Airing out someone else's dirty laundry to a stranger was not fun.
"She is the one who Morelet talked to you about, not me. I'm Valkea."
They fidgeted with their mask.
"...I think about her all the time. I didn't think anything insane would happen to my Pokemon while I was gone, but..."
(Be careful what you wish for…)
'Oops sorry!' Marcus yelped before cowering some. However, since the Slowpoke realised that was inappropriate behaviour, the Slowpoke slowly went back to a normal position, looked at the Yamask directly, and said a calmer 'Thank you.'
The Slowpoke looked aside then muttered pieces of Valkea's explanation.
'..."unrelated explosion"... "in Sinnoh"... "not"... "by"... "Kap"... "pa"...'
The Slowpoke looked back and held a paw towards the Yamask again, repeating '"Val... Val... kea"...'.
The Slowpoke then looked and put down the paw to the floor before practising '..."Nema".'
Surprisingly, the islander diction that Marcus applied to Nema's name effected no significant changes.
The Slowpoke looked at Valkea's direction, then noticed that Mustela and some Sealeo with rather fabulous-looking hair covering one eye and an equally fabulous moustache were also listening on the whole conversation. Slowly turning, Marcus found no other eavesdroppers... but did find the Samurott back on the carpet, desperately trying to get Marcus' smartphone. After some feeling around the area, the Samurott managed to take the smartphone, accidentally turning on the phone. The screen revealed the To Do application with Marcus' hasty jots of Morelet's questions. Thankfully, this only brought a muttered 'All right.' from the normally relaxed yet curious Marcus. However, because the sighted Slowpoke had obviously no need of blindness assistance, the Samurott was stuck trying to touch and swipe randomly, risking scratching the screen. Marcus suddenly looked alert, even coming off Galarian in that moment…
...then looked at Valkea again.
Several questions came into being, but, this time, the most important one became the most urgent.
(Wait...
If Baldea became a Yamask ghost after dying in an unrelated explosion in Sinnoh...
...then what happened to Nena, who died because of Kappa's Gigantimax bender?)
Unintentionally, Marcus' response to Morelet's offer partially clarified what the Slowpoke meant.
'Oh... Alolan! ...that feels right at home. Thank you! I look forward to that!'
After that response, there was a long silence. While the Slowpoke's words gave the Krookodile a therapy no rock or tree could give, Marcus simply wondered if Morelet was either in the process of speech or no longer had anything to say. The only thing Marcus noticed was the remains of that unintentional Water Gun getting on the carpet. In a small panic (and a hushed 'Sorry!'), Marcus sharply sniffed what remained from the nose... not knowing that the sharp sniff broke Morelet out of a trauma-induced trance.
At Morelet's admission, Marcus pondered quietly, then related, a pause after each sentence.
'Let things happen. ...sometimes, you... need... to... let your feelings happen. ...what is important... are your actions. ...deliberate actions.'
Getting out of the To-Do app and back to the Phone app, Marcus waited a bit more before initiating any conclusion.
'Thank you! Good bye!'
Morelet felt strangely... refreshed, after talking to Marcus. Dang. He really had been by himself for too long.
Just as he was about to hang up, though...
A loud, strange voice squeaked through the speaker, startling Morelet. Who was that?
Valkea hastily floated over to Marcus and leaned in close to his phone.
[Valkea] "Morelet, is that you over there?"
Some neuron, buried deep in Morelet's brain began to fire rapidly. He knew this voice, but from where? And why did he feel so... jittery, hearing it?
"My Krookodile... my Morelet... It's me, your trainer. It's Valkea."
"Do you remember me?"
Morelet's heart nearly flew out of his throat.
[Morelet] "OH MY GOD! Oh my god oh my god! ...Oh my god!!"
Morelet seemed to be unable to say anything else, amusing Valkea.
[Valkea] "Hi! Hi, I'm here! I'm ali- well. I'm here, Morelet."
Adrenaline shot like lightning through Morelet's body. He could believe what he was hearing! His trainer was alive! (As far as he knew.) And they had returned to the house! Oh, joyous day!
"Hehe. You sound much different than you did in my head. It's so strange, suddenly being able to hear my Pokemon talk."
Morelet paused.
[Morelet] "Wait! You can understand what I'm saying?"
[Valkea] "I can! I can hear you, Morelet! Just now you were talking about Alolan food and how you got your scar! I can understand you!"
Valkea felt like they were floating. Well, they were. But, in a blissful sense.
"You have no idea how shattered I was to hear that most of you left because you thought I was gone forever! I'm so sorry to put you through so much grief, Morelet."
[Morelet] "How are you able to understand me??? And why do you sound like..?"
[Valkea] "It is... an exeptionally long story, buddy. Right now, I'm just so happy to hear you!"
Morelet was bouncing on his toes, he didn't know what to say.
[Morelet] "Oh my God. Oh my god, I have so many things I want to ask you and tell you and show you- Aaaagh!! I can't believe you're really back!"
[Valkea] "I am! I am! And I'll never leave again, okay? I'll be right here in our house! I'll be here when- if, you decided to come home. A-and you can always talk to me! Just call Kappa's phone and I'll be there!"
Morelet's phone picked up a shuffling noise from the background, but he didn't notice.
[Morelet] "Oh, my god... Keh heh. Kehahaha!"
Morelet's body felt like it was overflowing with glee. Like he had just seen the sun again after being underground for years. He didn't know what to do with himself.
[Valkea] "Oh! Can you hang on a second?"
Morelet heard some shuffling on the other end. Valkea was talking indistinctly to someone else.
There was more shuffling, and then...
[Kappa] "...Morelet?"
CLICK. Durrt. Durrt.
"..."
[Valkea] "Oh."
---
Morelet was a torrent of emotions.
Uncontrollable glee mixed with irrational fear and anger were a bizarre combination, and suddenly he wanted off this ride.
He felt very guilty for hanging up like that, but he...
Still wasn't ready.
Poor Marcus. He was probably so confused.
Morelet trudged onward. he had reached Laverre a bit ago. With the Pokemon Center in sight, he tried to keep himself positive. It was almost as if, even in a city with a tree over as thick as this, the sun was shining down on him once again.
Marcus, despite any intentions, could not wait.
'Wait... if they are fatal, then why are they called "One-Hit Knock Out moves?"'
At Morelet's last question, Marcus panicked.
'Oh, sorry! That was very creepy!'
Indeed, while the Slowpoke, being so 'adorable', was used to physical affection, one thing that the Slowpoke feared the most was others taking the subject the wrong way whenever Marcus even brought up the subject.
'I mean... since... you got a... massive scar... over the torso...' After a pause, Marcus continued, 'I feel that others... would want to hug you... but... you do not wan... want others... touching the scar.' Marcus paused more. 'I get hugged... without my say... a lot. ...I am ...fine with hugs... but... not so fast, first!'
Of course, there was the bigger picture.
'Yes... I asked a lot... You should have a turn.'
While opening a To-Do application, Marcus started: 'Do you have any... questions... that you wa... want to ask me? I recommend that you ask them all all.'
The crisp sound of crunching leaves echoed through the speaker. Morelet was almost out of Route 14.
"Haha. It's okay dude, I know you didn't mean anything by it."
"And man, let me tell you, they really were underselling how bad OKHO moves are. Like they're supposed to knock out Pokemon, not kill them! I was almost cut in half!"
"Should be called 'Use-this-if-you-want-to-kill-your-opponent' moves."
"Maybe I'll run into a League official out here and ask what the deal was, heh."
Morelet thought for a moment as he trudged along. Did he have any pressing questions for Marcus?
"I guess the first one that comes to mind is, where are you from? Like what region? What area?"
"Oh! Oh, and do you have a favorite food? Or a favorite place to eat at? If we meet up again I'd love to take you out for lunch sometime!"
Morelet mentally scolded himself. Of course he steers the conversation to food.
"Umm... The only other thing I can think of is..."
Morelet rubbed his forarm.
"...Do you find it... easy? To forgive others?"
"I'm sorry if that's a weird question, it's just... You got me thinking about Kappa again."
At Morelet's assurance, Marcus replied, 'Thank you'.
'Underselling...' Marcus repeated, noticeably tense. That has to be false advertising with deadly consequences! Did they even know how bad they were when they first came out? Then again, there is no mistaking the word 'Guillotine'.
Somehow, Morelet's first question freaked out the Slowpoke some, causing Marcus to stumble upon writing down that question.
'Where are you from... like what region... what area?'
The Slowpoke cannot afford whatever provoked the jolt, since there were more questions that needed to be jotted down.
Upon seeing the surprisingly small amount of questions done, Marcus stared before addressing the first one.
'Do you... know... that... island... where...' The Slowpoke paused. 'Three Kings touch... meet you... every year... after... you... give them treats?'
'I come from somewhere... kinda... that way. ...from where I come... is... very... similar... to... that island... but not exactly the same.'
A metaphor is necessary.
'Think of that... Gym... in Alola... that is... specifically... based off... Kanto. ...or again... how... Kintamani... Island... despite being in Paldea... is... close to Sinnoh.'
Marcus meant to say 'Kitakami Island'. The Slowpoke was never good with names.
'If... that island... touched by the Three Kings... is comparable... to... Kintamani Island... then... my... place of origin... would be... comparable... to Sinnoh.'
Indeed, those listening on the conversation now noticed that aspect of the strange Slowpoke's speech. Halting every few words aside, Marcus' regular speech was otherwise unremarkable due to being natively Unovan, if not just a perfect imitation. The Slowpoke, if dropped into Castelia City, would quickly get lost in the crowd due to sounding so native. However, the way Marcus' pronounced 'Mustela' (and 'Alola' and 'Paldea', actually) really is right at home at the island Marcus mentioned. Moreover, Marcus' pronunciation of the name 'Morelet' is obviously traceable to not only Kalos but specifically Lumiose City. The oddest was the way the Slowpoke pronounced 'Kanto' and 'Kintamani': there was the same islander influence from the pronunciation of 'Mustela', bu there were also aspects that can be pinned down to either Saffron City or Celadon City. However, underneath the whole thing is a diction that is fundamentally from Lilycove City, which sounds to be the influence that most wants to 'win'.
While on the topic of speech, Kappa must have been feeling very thankful that Marcus is speaking with a sometimes loud voice. After all, no matter how hard Kappa would try, the Slowpoke somehow had literally no odour at all.
Morelet thankfully did not have to worry about going to the topic of food. Rather, Marcus actually paused in disbelief that someone would actually treat the Slowpoke to some food.
'I... normally... eat foods... a... quite a bit... of rice...'
Marcus paused again.
'...but... my favourites...'
...and again.
'...are meat and sweet things.'
...and again.
'I like... drinking... fruit juices... especially... pure... juice. ...I have been... trying to drink more water though.'
Trying to recall, Marcus continued, 'I... do not know... of any places here... that would be... my favourites... thus... I... welcome you... surprising me... in a reasonable way. ...remember: I like meats... sweets... and... fruit... juices.'
Despite not remembering Kappa's name, that last one had Marcus form a deliberate, long, thoughtful pause, since that is a rather complex idea.
'...nes. ...I... know the feeling... of others... thinking... that you... do bad stuff... on purpose... even when the re... the "correct" way... is... "ridiculously obvious". ...I ...also ...slip up ...when talking. ...those ..slip-ups ...happen ...a lot. ...I also ...tend to be ...easygoing ...hence ...I do not normally hold grudges.'
There was another pause.
'I do hold grudges, though... even though...'
...and another pause.
'Even if I forgive others... or know tha... that... they... had theirs hearts in the right place... if... something... wrongs me deeply... even... if that... grief... is... nonsensical... the memory... with those feelings... stay. I desire retribution at least... and that retribution... has to... be... to my... satisfaction. ...what that ...retribution ...is ...depends on ...the crime.'
That was the wrong word.
'...not a li‒not a... not necessarily a crime... but... something that wronged me... with big consequences... to me, at least.'
Marcus suddenly goes alert.
'If that was an accident... a real accident... I let go of that! ...I cannot ...should not ...grudge over ...what was ...an honest accident! ...that would be ...horribly hypocritical of me!!'
Marcus paused again before clarifying, 'Even... murder... if... accidental... must... require... forgiveness... since... whatever the consequences...' A final pause preceded, 'the... death... was... completely unintentional.'
Morelet scrunched his brow in focus, trying to memorize everything the Slowpoke was saying.
He labelled Marcus's somewhat complicated explanation of where he was from as "Sinnoh-ish" in his mind.
After hearing about his favorite foods, an idea immediately popped into Morelet's head.
"Oooh! If those are your favorite foods, then I'm hearing that I should take you to an Alolan place! Something tells me you'll really get a kick out of some of their meat and rice combos! Lotsa good fruits there, too!"
Morelet took in a harsh breath. He was... mostly ready to hear Marcus's reply to his vague, out of left field question.
He felt kinda dumb, asking what used to be a stranger, how he should feel about... Her.
I know the feeling.
Grief is nonsensical.
I cannot hold a grudge over what was an honest accident.
Those words pierced through his skin and burrowed themselves into the bloodiest, guiltiest, most wounded part of his heart.
He knew. He knew Kappa would never hurt Nema intentionally. He knew the abundance of Dynamax energy drove her out of her mind. He knew that she, more than anyone, felt the most remorse, most pain, most guilt, out of all of them.
And yet.
And yet he still couldn't look at her.
He couldn't rationalize the fear he felt. The nonsensical thoughts that flew through his mind and rattled his frame as he thought about her.
She killed your friend. Injured others. Killed her teammates. Sent our trainer to die. No, she didn't do that- It'll happen again. She'll hurt again. No- Marigold was right. If only you had stopped them. If only you had gotten there quicker. If only- If only- If only-
Marcus sniffled a bit over the receiver.
And Morelet was back in the present.
And he thought about Marcus's last words.
The death was completely unintentional.
Morelet stood for a moment. He hadn't realized he was hunched over his phone.
"...You're right. You're right, and I hate it."
Morelet forces out a laugh.
"I know I shouldn't hold grudges. Especially not against her."
"I don't know if I can see her again right now. But, I'll think about what you said as I travel. I think... I think maybe... I'll be able to see her again."
Marcus, despite any intentions, could not wait.
'Wait... if they are fatal, then why are they called "One-Hit Knock Out moves?"'
At Morelet's last question, Marcus panicked.
'Oh, sorry! That was very creepy!'
Indeed, while the Slowpoke, being so 'adorable', was used to physical affection, one thing that the Slowpoke feared the most was others taking the subject the wrong way whenever Marcus even brought up the subject.
'I mean... since... you got a... massive scar... over the torso...' After a pause, Marcus continued, 'I feel that others... would want to hug you... but... you do not wan... want others... touching the scar.' Marcus paused more. 'I get hugged... without my say... a lot. ...I am ...fine with hugs... but... not so fast, first!'
Of course, there was the bigger picture.
'Yes... I asked a lot... You should have a turn.'
While opening a To-Do application, Marcus started: 'Do you have any... questions... that you wa... want to ask me? I recommend that you ask them all all.'
The crisp sound of crunching leaves echoed through the speaker. Morelet was almost out of Route 14.
"Haha. It's okay dude, I know you didn't mean anything by it."
"And man, let me tell you, they really were underselling how bad OKHO moves are. Like they're supposed to knock out Pokemon, not kill them! I was almost cut in half!"
"Should be called 'Use-this-if-you-want-to-kill-your-opponent' moves."
"Maybe I'll run into a League official out here and ask what the deal was, heh."
Morelet thought for a moment as he trudged along. Did he have any pressing questions for Marcus?
"I guess the first one that comes to mind is, where are you from? Like what region? What area?"
"Oh! Oh, and do you have a favorite food? Or a favorite place to eat at? If we meet up again I'd love to take you out for lunch sometime!"
Morelet mentally scolded himself. Of course he steers the conversation to food.
"Umm... The only other thing I can think of is..."
Morelet rubbed his forarm.
"...Do you find it... easy? To forgive others?"
"I'm sorry if that's a weird question, it's just... You got me thinking about Kappa again."
At Morelet's assurance, Marcus replied, 'Thank you'.
'Underselling...' Marcus repeated, noticeably tense. That has to be false advertising with deadly consequences! Did they even know how bad they were when they first came out? Then again, there is no mistaking the word 'Guillotine'.
Somehow, Morelet's first question freaked out the Slowpoke some, causing Marcus to stumble upon writing down that question.
'Where are you from... like what region... what area?'
The Slowpoke cannot afford whatever provoked the jolt, since there were more questions that needed to be jotted down.
Upon seeing the surprisingly small amount of questions done, Marcus stared before addressing the first one.
'Do you... know... that... island... where...' The Slowpoke paused. 'Three Kings touch... meet you... every year... after... you... give them treats?'
'I come from somewhere... kinda... that way. ...from where I come... is... very... similar... to... that island... but not exactly the same.'
A metaphor is necessary.
'Think of that... Gym... in Alola... that is... specifically... based off... Kanto. ...or again... how... Kintamani... Island... despite being in Paldea... is... close to Sinnoh.'
Marcus meant to say 'Kitakami Island'. The Slowpoke was never good with names.
'If... that island... touched by the Three Kings... is comparable... to... Kintamani Island... then... my... place of origin... would be... comparable... to Sinnoh.'
Indeed, those listening on the conversation now noticed that aspect of the strange Slowpoke's speech. Halting every few words aside, Marcus' regular speech was otherwise unremarkable due to being natively Unovan, if not just a perfect imitation. The Slowpoke, if dropped into Castelia City, would quickly get lost in the crowd due to sounding so native. However, the way Marcus' pronounced 'Mustela' (and 'Alola' and 'Paldea', actually) really is right at home at the island Marcus mentioned. Moreover, Marcus' pronunciation of the name 'Morelet' is obviously traceable to not only Kalos but specifically Lumiose City. The oddest was the way the Slowpoke pronounced 'Kanto' and 'Kintamani': there was the same islander influence from the pronunciation of 'Mustela', bu there were also aspects that can be pinned down to either Saffron City or Celadon City. However, underneath the whole thing is a diction that is fundamentally from Lilycove City, which sounds to be the influence that most wants to 'win'.
While on the topic of speech, Kappa must have been feeling very thankful that Marcus is speaking with a sometimes loud voice. After all, no matter how hard Kappa would try, the Slowpoke somehow had literally no odour at all.
Morelet thankfully did not have to worry about going to the topic of food. Rather, Marcus actually paused in disbelief that someone would actually treat the Slowpoke to some food.
'I... normally... eat foods... a... quite a bit... of rice...'
Marcus paused again.
'...but... my favourites...'
...and again.
'...are meat and sweet things.'
...and again.
'I like... drinking... fruit juices... especially... pure... juice. ...I have been... trying to drink more water though.'
Trying to recall, Marcus continued, 'I... do not know... of any places here... that would be... my favourites... thus... I... welcome you... surprising me... in a reasonable way. ...remember: I like meats... sweets... and... fruit... juices.'
Despite not remembering Kappa's name, that last one had Marcus form a deliberate, long, thoughtful pause, since that is a rather complex idea.
'...nes. ...I... know the feeling... of others... thinking... that you... do bad stuff... on purpose... even when the re... the "correct" way... is... "ridiculously obvious". ...I ...also ...slip up ...when talking. ...those ..slip-ups ...happen ...a lot. ...I also ...tend to be ...easygoing ...hence ...I do not normally hold grudges.'
There was another pause.
'I do hold grudges, though... even though...'
...and another pause.
'Even if I forgive others... or know tha... that... they... had theirs hearts in the right place... if... something... wrongs me deeply... even... if that... grief... is... nonsensical... the memory... with those feelings... stay. I desire retribution at least... and that retribution... has to... be... to my... satisfaction. ...what that ...retribution ...is ...depends on ...the crime.'
That was the wrong word.
'...not a li‒not a... not necessarily a crime... but... something that wronged me... with big consequences... to me, at least.'
Marcus suddenly goes alert.
'If that was an accident... a real accident... I let go of that! ...I cannot ...should not ...grudge over ...what was ...an honest accident! ...that would be ...horribly hypocritical of me!!'
Marcus paused again before clarifying, 'Even... murder... if... accidental... must... require... forgiveness... since... whatever the consequences...' A final pause preceded, 'the... death... was... completely unintentional.'
