The Vaporeon Cycle, Book Three: WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS
The final book of The Vaporeon Cycle is finally out! I'm really proud of this one - it ties up so many character arcs, and introduces so much that @foxgirltrauma and I have been dying to share. Check out its recently-released Blind, P.I. as well!
As promised, I'll be waiting a week before I start to spoil anything from the first two books. In the meantime, I have something special to share! My favorite piece of fanart I've ever received, and one we've waited to post for an occasion such as this. I've always loved animatics so much... to ever have one based on my story is just mind-blowing to me. Thank you so much to my amazing friend @rusty-eevee... behold!
Wrote another little story today! It was mostly just for practice; not everything I write makes it out of my notes app. I wanted to make sure this one went live, though, to show my appreciation for Rusty's excellent story! You can see the two stories I'm really proud of here.
Wigglytuff's guild was always quiet for those who'd outlived time. No amount of horrors could make the initial panic last long, and even the fluffy leader couldn't keep the mood above a quiet despondence. The rescue teams and the residents of the town simply ambled on, waiting for the final straw. If they could just make it until then, they could all say they'd tried.
It was the death of Sunflora that did it. No pretenses survived the grief. Every Pokemon went to bed, hugging and crying and promising to all pull together regardless. When the scraps of the guild woke the next day, most had already left. No rescue teams were sent.
Chatot's guild was an odd one, a patchwork formed of the times. Celebi and Grovyle were the least affected. They'd already done their mourning in case they succeeded, and death was never new. Chatot found solace in lashing out at the others, while Nova took security fully upon himself. No one ever complained when intruders were turned away injured or worse. No one questioned his definition.
Missions and chores continued for the moment, but even they slowed to a necrotic crawl. The danger of the world had increased, but dead men rarely complained about it. Thus the new guild simply ambled on, living out the motions and rearranging the furniture. They knew they could survive losing each other, now. They knew the others could survive losing them.
Wigglytuff took Sunflora's death the hardest. Loudred was forced to blast music every time he returned to drown out the sobbing from his room. When he could stifle the pain, he would venture with Nova, Celebi, and Grovyle. They appreciated his presence as much as they hated it. No matter what, Wigglytuff could never truly let it go.
Happy six-month anniversary to @rusty-eevee's Villain Venus AU! It's hard to believe we've been mired in this wonderfully doomed timeline for so long... I figured I'd celebrate with a cute little story about a potential happy ending! Let's skip ahead a little, and see how everyone settles back in!
You don't trust me, huh? Well, that's your prerogative...
Before I say anything else - go read it! Not just Villain Venus, but Rising Ashes and everything else @rusty-eevee's done, too. It's all incredible, and it's been making quite a nest in my head lately!
There's a lot of wonderful stories I like to promote where I can (@foxgirltrauma's Blind P.I. comes to mind), but I try to keep this blog for my own works. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to shout him out, since I have writing to share on the topic!
Now go read it, because heavy spoilers lurk under the cut!
VAU_01: EMPTY NESTER
It wasn't easy to make anything, in the world without time. Nothing grew, nothing new would ever exist again. That was okay, though. Venus was resourceful, and more than that - she cared. Nothing was impossible with that.
Dusknoir flashed her a stern and worried look. She giggled - of course this would look silly from the outside. It was important, though. She had to get it right!
"Venus," he stated. "What are you doing? I told you that you are needed."
"Didn't I tell you? I'm building Nova a new bed!" She smiled brightly. Her baby girl would be back any minute, and she would need all the rest she could get! Playing with- playing with someone was tiring work.
"I… suppose the last one was not good enough either." Dusknoir let out a little sigh. He just didn't get it - maybe if he was ever a parent someday.
"Nope! She'd be back by now if it was. So I repurposed its parts again!"
He stared at her for a moment, probably deciding how best to help. "I remember seeing an intact pillow over where our next target is. Would you be interested in joining me for a joint mission?"
Venus paused, but put on a shaky smile. "Yeah. I- I guess I can do a mission, if it's for a pillow. I'll be right there."
She stared at the bed. Thirty-eight so far… but this would be the one.
This one would have a pillow.
VAU_02: DREAMLIKE WALTZ
Venus is so happy! Her tail thrashes about in her sleep from pure, sweet joy. She's so happy here she doesn't know what to do with it! She doesn't know what to do with it. She doesn't know what to do-
So she dances! She dances and prances about, her big yellow eyes crying big yellow tears of each day being better than the last. The strings just support her - each one a nudge in the right direction, each one attached helpfully to a shoulder or tendon or heart or mind she's too scared to ever really use again.
Dusknoir and Nova are here too! They're both dancing too, because they love her and they finally see how hard she's trying. Dusknoir's strings are much more faint - that must be hard on him. Nova's are still in progress, but she's working on it! She's working on it. All she has to do is be nice and not notice. Be nice and not notice and one day he won't make her try to!
That's not her choice now though! She doesn't need those. She's a dancer by profession, so all she has to do is dance. She'll dance in her sleep so she can dance when she's awake. She'll dance when she's awake until she's freed from the distinction.
Victini, is your restaurant open? I've heard great things about it and I'd love to have dinner there!
As before, the old laptop's inputs go dark the moment you hit enter. Victini is immediately on full alert. He scours the whole restaurant for the source of the voice, but keeps coming up empty. It isn't until he's made three sweeps that he thinks to just answer aloud.
VICTINI: Yes! Yes, a thousand times yes!
VICTINI: My establishment is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, from now until the end of time.
VICTINI: You'll never have better food, I promise! It's free, too!
The next search is a little more desperate. It no longer seems to strike him as unlikely for you to be hiding in the cupboards.
VICTINI: You didn't leave already, did you?
VICTINI: I promise. I won't hurt you, I swear.
The final two sweeps are increasingly performative. It's fully clear by now that you're gone - there's no inch of this building he doesn't know better than his own mind.
VICTINI: Haha. Yeah, I- I must have imagined it.
VICTINI: That's been... worryingly frequent lately.
VICTINI: Maybe I should go see Mesprit, haha! There's a good one!
The display shuts off before the fake life in his voice fully loses shape. Some days, a little privacy is the only dignity still left.
I've got a new Frost Spirals bonus episode today - an epilogue for a character of medium importance! Dedenne was inspired by @rusty-eevee's amazing Open Arms animatic; I loved it so much that I had to do something with the one Pokemon depicted that I hadn't yet used.
Zorre smiles wide. "Absolutely! Take whatever you like!" He pushes his basket of candy forward while Blair laughs. Once Venus has picked, she places the treat in her basket and the cycle begins anew.
"Trick or treat!" Zorre says.
"Of course! Have as much as you want!" Venus responds.
"I'll explain how it actually works eventually," Blair assures a customer.
