(Cyrus @ Blackjack) "I've been recounting something recently, so I find it necessary to ask- do you have a particular reason in choosing to evolve? Most 'mons that I am familiar with evolve at one point or another... I would be curious to hear your tale, that is, should you wish to share it."
Blackjack: “Aha, well, the first time was actually by accident! W-when it started happening, I knew what was going on, but I didn’t do anything to stop it. It was a little embarrassing!”
Blackjack: “Th-the second time, w-well, um…”
Blackjack: “…It was a-after we left the forest. E-evolution stones are pretty rare, and I’d—I’d given up hope of it ever happening. But…”
Blackjack: “...When Tricky found that stone... L-let's just say it wouldn't have been the first time he saved my life.”
CHERI: "H-how did you meet this 'Blackjack' fellow you mentioned?"
Charade: "Nah. I figured it was something like that. I wouldn't have gone over to introduce myself if I thought you were creepy, you silly string bean."
Blackjack: “Aha, I guess not, huh? W-well, it turns out we both had… similar experiences growing up as shiny Pokémon. It was validating to talk to someone who understood that.”
Charade: “I ended up staying in the village for a while so I could hang out with my new friend. We got to introduce Tricky and Ridley to each other, too! And then, well, we never left.”
(( Thank you to everybody who suggested their blogs for cameos!
Cheri (Sylveon) from @askfatalefurfrou
Toshi (Espeon) from @blueespeon
Angela (Noivern) from @askwornhearts
Crow (Gimmighoul) from @ask-gimmiventures
Darla (Zorua) from @darling-zorua
Honey (Flareon) from @askbookwormflareon
Isaiah (Bayleef) from @luckystravels
Okko (Meowstic) from @pmd-waveringfate
Poseidon (Inteleon) from @ask-sarah-and-co
Deoxys (Deoxys) from @askdeoxys
Characters were chosen using a randomizer, with the exceptions of Cheri and Toshi (whose inclusion came from a previous interaction). The Serperior barista and Lucario belong to me. I'll certainly be doing things like this again in the future!! ))
Blackjack: “First of all, Tricky—I’m so sorry I’ve been so frazzled. I know—”
Party Trick: “don’t.”
Party Trick: “EVER. apologize. for how you feel. i know you’ve been stressed out. your feelings are important.”
Party Trick: “you don’t have to tell me everything. i just need to know you’re okay.”
Blackjack: “...Thank you.”
Blackjack: “Still... I’m sorry for not talking to you sooner. I wanted to tell you exactly what was going on, but I wanted to wait until I was certain I knew what I was feeling. I know I put it off for way too long. I didn’t think about how you would feel.”
Party Trick: “jack i literally feel the emotions of everyone in the house. that’s not your fault. it's not personal. however, i accept your apology for the sake of closure.”
Party Trick: “again. you don’t have to tell me everything—i just need to know you’re okay.”
Blackjack: “I’m okay. I promise. And... I want to tell you everything. It’s pretty embarrassing, but... Someone asked me if I had a crush on you. I, uh, I started overthinking everything and my anxiety got the better of me. Once I cleared my head a bit, I realized I’ve never had romantic feelings for anyone. Like I was doing something wrong, you know? Even though I know that’s not true.”
Blackjack: “I’m still figuring myself out, but... saying I’m asexual feels right. I’m gonna try that for myself. I also found the term aromantic, which resonates with me too, but... I don’t wanna get overwhelmed, so, one thing at a time.”
Party Trick: “i got asked the same thing. fools think i’ll reveal my secrets.”
Blackjack: “But, it did make me realize... Despite all that, I can’t imagine a future without you. Even if it’s not a romantic thing. I... I hope that’s not disappointing for you.”
Party Trick: “jackie.”
Party Trick: “i felt everything you felt. your anxiety, frustration, dread... love. so much love. and it's the same kind of love that i've had for you, all this time. i don't know what kind of love that is, either, but it's ours.”
(( So in between real life things it took a long time to get this post up, but I wanna thank you all so much for not only your patience, but your enthusiasm and participation in this story arc! There are still a few little things to wrap up, but this was the culmination of it all.
First off, a huge thank you to Nans (who also runs @ascendedofthesea) for doing the panels for the telepathy sequence! They turned out perfectly and I'm so in love with their style for it!! <3 (This artwork was commissioned, and I highly recommend commissioning Nans too when they're open!)
Secondly, this is something I've had planned since the blog started. I'm not asexual myself and never intended on telling a story about asexuality, but I certainly wrote this arc with my own experiences with coming out in mind. Plus, ace and aro representation is always important! Anything I wrote from Jack's perspective was inspired heavily by talking with my ace friends over the years, and I hope I portrayed him justly.
Thirdly, I know this post ended sort of vaguely. Since I never want to be seen as baiting anyone, I promise there will be closure! I know what I want to have happen, I just haven't figured out how I'll make it happen yet. We'll let these two have some time to figure things out amongst themselves. :D
Lastly! If you opted in to participate in Jack's pride asks, there's no time limit if you still haven't answered yours! I'll continue to reblog answers that I get as long as people post responses. Jack still wants to hear it, too!
Thanks again to everyone for your patience and for following along with the story. <3 ))
Blackjack: "...Hey, Char. D-do you have a minute?"
One explanation later...
Blackjack: “I don’t—I don’t—I don’t know what a crush is supposed to feel like. I’ve never had a crush on anyone before.”
Charade: “Never ever?”
Blackjack: “Never ever. I-I’ve never even been in any kind of relationship. Obviously you have, though. What… What’s it like?”
Charade: “Hmm… For me, when I like somebody, the next step is finding out if we’re… este, how’s it called… Compatible! Compatible. I’d like to have a long-term girlfriend eventually, so for me, dating someone is about making sure we agree on important things, and communicating well.”
Charade: “It’s okay to want something casual too, though! Let me ask you this: can you picture you and Tricky being together for a really long time? How would you feel if he started dating someone else?”
Blackjack: “That—that’s the thing. We’ve been through everything together. I really can’t imagine a future without him. But… You know? I don’t feel jealous or anything, thinking about him dating someone else. If anything, I’d be happy for him, if it worked out!”
Blackjack: “I’ve tried asking myself. Could I see us getting married? Raising a kid together? Sharing a bed? But there are a lot of couples who don’t do any of those things, so, that’s not a reliable way of knowing…”
Blackjack: “…Hey, Char. Is it alright if I ask you something personal?"
Charade: “Do it.”
Blackjack: “When you and Riddle were dating… What made you realize you weren’t "into" him?”
Charade: “Hm. So what happened was—when I was in training, my superiors would tell me, that I was going to find a man and that we should have kids. Gross, right?”
Charade: “When I met Riddle, we became friends very quickly. And I think... We thought we were supposed to be dating, because we thought that’s what boys and girls do when they like each other.”
Charade: “And! He was really fun to be with! He still is. I love his ideas, and hearing about how he sees the world. He did make me really happy.”
Charade: “But eventually, I started feeling… like there was something missing. Like I should have been feeling something that wasn’t there. We never even kissed, because I thought I would only want to after being together for a while... But it never happened.”
Charade: “Much later on, when I met my first girlfriend, I finally felt all those things that I didn’t with Riddle. I do love him; he’s my best friend. And our relationship is still important! Important relationships don’t always have to be romantic.”
Blackjack: “N-no, of course not. And I appreciate you telling me all that."
Charade: “Always! You’re my best friend, too, you know.”
Blackjack: “Going back a moment, here… What did you mean when you said you felt like something was missing?”
Charade: “I don’t know if I could explain it better. You should try asking someone who is asexual.”
Blackjack: “Asexual? …I-I’ve—somehow, I’ve never heard that term.”
Delasol approached the Hatterene, with an air of caution due to their demeanor. She never really interacted with Hatterene's but was aware of the stereotype. "I understand you are able to sense feelings. Have you ever done so to any of your teammates? Did you ever hear something you regret hearing?"
Party Trick: “I FEEL EVERYTHING FROM EVERYONE AROUND ME. THE CAT CAN BE OVERWHELMING. THE FOX IS A CANTANKEROUS OAF. BUT JACK… HE’S AN ANCHOR. EXCEPT FOR THESE LAST FEW WEEKS WHERE ALL I CAN HEAR IS THE BUZZ OF HIS ANXIETY!”
Party Trick: “…IF I COULD, I WOULD TURN IT OFF OUT OF RESPECT FOR HIS PRIVACY. BUT I CAN'T. I CAN ONLY TRUST HE WILL TALK WHEN HE'S READY.”
Well with a response like that looks like i'll take the ask hint. Party Trick is surprisingly calm for a hatterene, aren't they typically more violent. Not that this slakoth is asking for violence.
Blackjack: “H-he knows the reputation Hatterene have. But Tricky is… different. He totally would shred someone to pieces if he wanted to, but deep down? He’s really sensitive. I—I know he hates showing it because he thinks it’s embarrassing for his species.”
Blackjack: “But I love him the way he is. He’s got a weird sense of humour and most people find him off-putting, but… He’s my special guy.”
Riddle: "Meat, specifically? Okay, weirdo. Considering that we're Pokémon living in a Pokémon-run town, a lot of our groceries are plant-based. I do actually do most of the cooking in the household, which sometimes involves igniting a wood stove—so if you’re asking that because of Jack’s trauma, luckily cooking is a mundane enough task that he doesn’t seem bothered when I do it.”
Charade: "Jack hasn't said anything about trauma on the blog yet you useless turnip."
