#haha cry

[atlasventuress]

dropping this

[nc-eikin]

In Memory

Pairing: None

Tags: Angst, very short one shot, character death

Summary: Ingo finally gets to go home. But at what cost?

🚆🚆🚆

“We are a two-car train,” the silver-haired man spoke with unwavering defiance. “I will do everything in my power to reunite with him again.”

---

“Are you absolutely sure, Ingo?”

The blonde clan leader looked on helplessly at the scene that unfolded before her. She still hadn’t processed what she witnessed at that very moment. Standing a few feet away was Ingo, one of her wardens. Behind him was Dawn, the rising star of the Galaxy Corps, the Hero of Hisui. She wore a solemn expression that made her look just as old as the Sneasler Warden. If anyone didn’t know better, it was possible to mistake the youngster for his niece. 

Ingo opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked like a fish out of water. His pristine mercury eyes glanced over to the other wardens who stood in a line behind Irida. Then to Lian. Next, Calaba. To Palina and finally Gaeric. When his gaze returned to his worn leather black shoes, Irida pushed on.

“You’re not alone here in Pearl Clan,” she hoped the wind could carry her voice far enough. Irida could feel her throat tighten. “Faller or not, you’re like family to us.” She watched Ingo’s shoulders sag at her words. Irida kept her chin up in a vain attempt to stop her tears from falling. Her hands balled into fists, the knuckles going as white as the warden’s sideburns. “It will be difficult to find another Warden like you.”

It wasn’t because there weren’t any other Pearl Clan member who were as competent as Ingo. Irida was proud of each one of her clan members. It was Lady Sneasler. The Noble was already devastated from the news, she refused to see her own warden off. If Irida didn’t keep Ingo here.. Irida didn’t want to think about it. Instead, she dug her nails into her palms as hard as she could.

“Ingo, please-”

“Oh, would you stop it, Irida.”

The Pearl Clan leader whipped around to face Calaba. The old lady’s face darkened from the shade of the broad leaves she carried on her back. She shuffled uncomfortably, shrugging off the pain in her hip due to her age. “You know Ingo isn’t happy here,” Calaba’s voice cracked. “You can make a Noble play 'house' in the village, but you know well enough that it won’t be happy,” Steel-blue eyes met Irida’s bright-sky ones. “Let the man go.”

As the weight of Calaba’s speech sank into Irida’s heart, the dam broke. The young leader wept. She was losing one of her best wardens. She was losing one of her friends. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Someone to her left breathed Ingo’s name before sprinting past her. Irida looked up to find Lian running at mach speed before hurling himself at Ingo. The youngest warden wrapped his arms around the lanky one, causing the latter to widen his eyes in shock. They softened before Ingo returned brunette’s sombre embrace.

“I’m glad I’ve met you all,” Ingo murmured.

There was silence before the other wardens crumbled. Second was Palina. Then Gaeric. Finally, Calaba even hobbled forward to bid her final farewells to the Faller. A cacophony of sobs echoed in the vast Alabaster Icelands.

“Please stay safe, Ingo.”

“We’ll back you up, every step of the way, y’hear?”

“Don’t be a stranger, old man!”

Ingo chuckled at Gaeric as the group (save for Calaba) squeezed him in one big bear hug. “I’m not that old yet.” His own tears trailed down his cheeks and dripped down his silver goatee. He looked up to see Irida, who continued to watch on. It took so long for the Pearl leader to build the confidence she needed to lead her clan. Once again, she was powerless. With an extended arm, Ingo motioned her to join in on the huddle. Irida accepted it.

“I don’t know what we’ll do without you,” Irida choked once she joined the huddle.

"I have nothing but faith in you," Ingo murmured to her. "In all of you."

The wardens huddled together whispering to one another parting words that Ingo held onto, hoping, praying that they’d stay intact with him on the ride home. His real home. Home that he still had no idea where or what is. Behind him, sparks ignited from a wormhole Dawn conjured with the power of the Alpha Pokémon through her mysterious device. She had worked herself to the bone to come this far, and yet somehow, she was giving her reward to him.

“I’ll catch up sooner or later,” the young girl promised him when he turned around to the noise. “See you on the flipside.”

Peeling away from his clanmates, Ingo gave one final, solemn nod. He placed one foot into the portal and..

In the blink of an eye, he suddenly found himself in a musty room. Dust bunnies floated from wherever he appeared, gathering around the rim of his hat and atop of his round shoes. While slightly discombobulated, Ingo managed to sweep off the remaining dust off his sleeves before instinctively reaching for a phone.

Emmet.

A million thoughts raced through his head. He was on his way to work with his suitcase and uniform as usual. He made it there, he knew he did. He was getting ready for a big project. Perhaps if he went there, he’d find his belongings. But first, he needed to call someone. Anyone. Emmet didn’t seem to be at home, considering the state of the place, he reached for the home phone, only to find the line dead.

Why hadn’t Emmet taken care of their phone bill?

Why was the place in such a state anyway?

…

Where was Emmet?

“Emmet?” Ingo called out, the name almost felt foreign on his tongue despite knowing it fully well at this point. With his phone in his trembling hands, he went to find a place where he could charge it up with some juice to call his brother–

“Mmm?”

His heavy footsteps stopped dead in their tracks. The sudden unheeded presence, the eerie, whispery cry, there was a Pokémon in the house. A Pokémon he nor Emmet owned.

“Maa?”

With what felt like a boulder in his throat, Ingo slowly turned around, dreading the sight of it. He did not want to look at it. He did not want to acknowledge it. For if he did, he feared another certain memory would catch up to him.

“.. Maas.”

A dark, treble-shaped Pokémon with red eyes stared up at him. Its thin arms swayed at its side, looking up at him. And upon its tail, hooked there like a coat hanger, was a sharp, angular cap that could match his if not for its pristine, snow-white colour.

“Yaaa..” It cooed, floating over to Ingo, who fell to his knees as visions of another time long, long ago flooded his mind.

Visions of himself constructing a monolith of a device at work in one of the many abandoned tunnels. The memory of his anguish, his anger, his own torment as he drove each nail, blazed each metal plate into place to form a machine that would grant him the power of god. To bend time and space at will within his own two hands.

“We are a two-car train,” he once declared stubbornly before he stepped into his mad invention of warping blue lights. “I will do everything in my power to reunite with him again.”

He meant to fix everything. To make everything right again. To make it as though the accident never happened.

But something must have gone wrong. Terribly, utterly wrong. And now he was back, with nothing to show.

Nothing but a single Yamask in his brother’s place.

“Oh, Emm.. I'm so sorry..” Ingo sobbed with hands outstretched, allowing the Yamask to rest in his palms while tears flowed down his tired cheeks. “I’m afraid went too far back..” 

It curled its tail neatly underneath itself, using the cap as a nest. It’s beady red eyes continued to watch Ingo, curious and in awe. For a moment, it wondered why this odd human appeared in the home it was haunting. It took one glance at Ingo’s hat, then back down at its own.

And cried tears it could not explain along with Ingo.

🚆🚆🚆

This one shot was based on this comic I read last year.

This was sitting in my drafts since July 2022 when Kazuki Takahashi - one of my favourite manga artists - died. I wrote this as a way to cope with grief of his passing. Recently, another family member died this week, driving me to finally complete this.

[engineer-idv]

÷ : [Ithaqua] carrying [Abella] to dungeon

- @ask-idv-night-watch

(Tbh I could see them getting along so-)

*Tears streamed down her face as her body was covered in bruises, her clothes torn from running and stumbling. As much as she tried to struggle, it wasn't enough. Her energy was gone. All she could do was sob.*

P-please... I don't w-wanna die... I just wanna g-go home, p-please let me go... N-no, no, no, I don't wanna d-die, please n-no...

*And after begging didn't work? All she could really do was cry to herself as she was brought down the stairs, away from anyone that could help her. She was going to die, wasn't she?*

M-momma... Help me... I-I don't wanna die, momma... p-please momma... h-help me momma...

@ask-idv-night-watch

[siedertreestudios]

Breaking your heart based on your love language

(Using this as a writing prompt because I haven’t written in a hot minute and I miss it. And you get to be sad now! Yay!)

Words of affirmation (compliments or words of encouragement)

• You run your fingers through your hair nervously. You don’t know if you’re prepared for this. You don’t know if you even are able to achieve this. You look to the side of you for a minute, opening your mouth to ask if they think you can, if they think it’ll be alright, but you’re met with empty air. It takes a second to hit you, but when it does, you hold back tears and quietly look back in front of you. You try to reason with yourself, but that anxiety just turns into regret. They weren’t there to stop the spiral.

Quality time (their partner's undivided attention)

• It’s been a long day, but you’re home now. A relaxed smile traces your face. You did good today. And now you can finally kick up your feet. You unlock the door and the smile falls from your face when you realize they aren’t there. Then it hits you again that they won’t ever be there again, in the spot they’re always in. You’re alone. You sit next to their old spot for the rest of the night. You almost think you see them, but when you look to the side, they’re not there. You feel your shoulders sag. It’s a lonely night.

Receiving gifts (symbols of love, like flowers or chocolates)

• You pass the shop quickly, but pause when you see the name. It’s the shop they took you to. You remember that day. They’d gotten you a gift, you could see a similar one in the display in the window. You remember them putting in your hand with a smile. You walk away, your hands balled up in fists as you keep yourself from shaking. You can’t stop thinking about it.

Acts of service (setting the table, walking the dog, or doing other small jobs)

• You walk into the kitchen and sigh. It’s been a while since you cleaned up. You go to pick up a plate from the sink when the memory hits you. They would tell you they would do it, and shoo you away from the kitchen with a smile, despite your efforts to help. Eventually they’d let you help, and you’d both end up working together, with some playful banter to boot. You tighten the grip on the plate and kept working. You didn’t want to think about it.

Physical touch (having sx, holding hands, kissing)

• You fall in bed with a content sigh. The day is over, and it’s time for some rest, some warmth. But as you close your eyes you feel it. They’re gone now. They used to hold you, keep you warm. Now you have only blankets to your name. You bury your face in the pillow. It doesn’t smell like them anymore, but at least you can’t see what’s missing.

[tabl3]

cc! bee duo is having fun so I decided that c! bee duo shouldn’t :)

divorce arc pog

also color practice + design updates :D

[kurtbrussels]

impulsively makes a generic priest/demon story in the span of a few hours and becomes engulfed by what yet again started as a joke

[mrs-dot-kennedy]

Today I finally watched Endgame

That means Endgame related content is about to come. So, being me the proud Tony Stark lover I am, you should be getting ready for many Tony's shit angst and feelings♥

[d-riddlea]

drew a laslow recently!