#wyrdo01

[works-of-magic]

It was a beautiful day to be in Eterna Forest, Jess thought, as if entranced. The more habitable-to-humans part of the facility was in a fairly open clearing, and xe was on that side crouching in the garden. Xe had planned to meet their guests there, as it would be the easiest place to be seen among the trees.

Though for the moment, Jess too absorbed in studying an intriguing pattern of new lichen to notice the background sounds of a forest being transversed, right up until xir partner Mismagius came close and called for xir attention.

Jess looked up and straightened immediately, waved, and called out "Hello!" loudly enough to draw the attention of every ghost on the property. A couple Misdreavus in the trees looked over curiously.

Jess rushed over. "Mind the river!" A few too many visitors missed their steps across it. It wasn't very wide or very deep, and the Misdreavus all loved when the unwary fell in, but it wouldn't make for a very good first impression.

@wyrdo01

[works-of-magic]

Sorry that I haven't been able to do my end of the deal Some things came up, especially with today that involves Rosie. Magic, grave, and dredge all say Ello.

@wyrdo01

Oh wow, I completely understand! I can't do much to help all the way in Sinnoh, but I'm watching it all happen from the sidelines. I hope Rosie and Lumi are okay. I'm sure they will, now that they have each other. (Once, you know... they're able to heal.)

Anyways, it's no rush! I know things have been Happening a lot lately, and I'm sure I'll hear some stories eventually. :} Good ones, too. Please tell them I say hello back!

[works-of-magic]

"So I gotta ask, how does one care for a spiritomb? I'm mainly curious since while water bucket is able to care for trouble making prick #2 without much issues, I on da other hand do not know how."

Ha, trouble making prick #2... They certainly have a team of colorful personalities, don't they?

They actually asked me something similar, so I'll point you to that answer:

https://works-of-magic.tumblr.com/post/723592562261262336/so-ghost-type-expert-i-need-a-bit-of-advice-on-a

Basically, caring for a Spiritomb is less about physical maintenance and more about helping the souls that comprise it get along. Some respond best to being engaged in an activity that forces them to unify. Some respond best to being distracted. Depending on what Grave likes to do, it might be socializing that achieves this and it might be quiet reflection. (Though from what I've seen, I don't think Grave seems like the meditating type, heh.)

The most physical thing you have to do for them is make sure the stone they're anchored to doesn't get smashed! Maybe buff out scratches or divots. That stone is the most solid part of a Spiritomb, so it's essentially their body!

They might appreciate it being polished or lacquered if they're particularly vain, but how you do that would depend on what kind of stone it is. Its literal physical mineral type, I mean. Some stones are water-soluable and some react to vinegar, thus these need to be avoided for those stone types. Some you can use rubbing alcohol on and some you can use a mild detergent, it just really depends on the kind of stone. If it's sandstone or something else equally delicate, probably best not to mess with it.

And if they're the eating type, because such a vast collection of souls likely has a vast collection of preferences, I'd say it's best to offer a variety of foods, something to please everyone.

And as a warning, if you come across any cursed artifacts or anything else powerful, probably handle it with care and only let Grave get a hold of it if you're absolutely certain there's no chance of trouble being made that you can't unmake. But that goes for any cursed spirit hanging around. :P

[works-of-magic]

🕯 @wyrdo01 for both muses?

Wyrdo's so fascinating! A robot pokemon trainer, how unique! They seem to be a good one too, making sure they can take good care of their team. They lead an interesting life complete with adventures and shenanigans and romance and all. Maybe I should ask them for stories sometime. Not gonna lie, I'm also curious about Magic. I've never met an Alpha Misdreavus before!

And Roya, I don't know her very well yet, but she seems like the kind of person that's good to have around, both as a loyal friend and a handy ally. Doesn't seem fond of her past, though. I can relate to that.

And together? Arc, they never pass up an opportunity to argue, do they? But they also do seem to genuinely care for each other under it all. Overall very interesting and fun people to watch from my little corner of the rotomblr world.

[works-of-magic]

So ghost type expert. I need a bit of advice on a certain stone with 108 souls inside it. Cause while I am caring for my team members decently I want to improve in doing so. Despite the fact that the spiritomb is a jerk all the time.

Heh, this is officially the first time I've been addressed as an "expert" and not just a specialist! Well, you said it, not me. (But thank you, thank you very much!)

So the thing about Spiritomb is that they're... ehhh, how do I say this nicely... They naturally lean towards the erratic. Think about it: There are Souls in there. Dozens of them. All different, all previously independent, all unique and with their own energies. They didn't choose to become this Pokemon. They're probably not happy about it.

Souls without bodies aren't as "independent" as the souls in you and I. (...or, well... there's an existential question of "do you have a soul or not?", but that's a tangent for another post, methinks.) But for the Pokemon, they're different enough that it can cause unrest, just by the nature of its existence.

As anyone who has had an awful roommate can tell you: Being forced to cohabitate doesn't necessarily mean you're forced to get along. Sometimes the basest level of energies in the souls doesn't resonate well with the others in there, and this can put all of them in a bad mood. Usually only one soul inhabits a body. That whole Spiritomb setup is really kind of unnatural for a spirit.

But the cool thing about Spiritomb is, barring any damage to their keystone (which can become a big problem very quickly; that becomes a PART of them in the process of formation), Spiritomb don't need a whole lot of bodily care. It's mostly mental for them.

So I would recommend finding ways to help the souls... "coalesce".

For some of them, they can find respite in tasks that require them to focus, sort of uniting towards one common goal. Battling tends to be the go-to, of course! Taking the actions can help them focus. Some of them do better with quiet focused activities, like meditation or puzzles.

For others, distractions are ideal. Entertainment like music or watching others train can take their minds off the chaos in there. Hobbies like cooking or contest coordination can act as both distractions AND focusing agents!

Like any of these ghosts that had a past life, they tend to carry, ahem, baggage. I'm, uhh... not sure where I stand on the controversy around "help an angry ghost get revenge", but at the very least, you can try to come to some kind of understanding where the Acting Out is coming from.

I don't know much about your Spiritomb, honestly. (Grave, is that the name?) But hopefully something I've said is helpful, and hopefully you two make some kind of peace with both the past and the present.

[works-of-magic]

"so I need some advice on Caring misdreavus since as ya know, the water bucket lives in a haunted beach house in galar (I guess they got used to dealing with this sort of thing given their weird fuckin nature) one of their Pokemon teammates is basically an overgrown one that's apparently the big cheese of those Lil guys. As of right now it seems they ain't here and I'm stuck with the big one and a Geodude and a few of the wild ones" -Roya

@wyrdo01

Oh, hey Roya! So THAT'S Magic's role in the Misdreavus group. I hope Wyrdo's doing okay...

I spent awhile trying to take like 15 years of knowledge built on research and obsession and experience, and answer this without making a collegiate-length essay.

Honestly, Misdreavus are pretty self-sufficient, especially wild ones, and especially if they already have a social hierarchy established! There's not a lot you'll need to do for them.

Are they still nocturnal? Most wild Misdreavus (and all the wild ones I've met) don't want to be awake in the day. You don't want to shine bright lights on them while they're sleeping, they can get very grumpy and will probably try to run you out.

You should probably expect some unruly behavior. Wild Misdreavus (usually) aren't outright aggressive, but they do love playing tricks. (From what I understand, Wyrdo was subjected to this.) They won't hurt you! But it might be inconveniencing. If you can distract them, or entertain them otherwise, they might stop? They're independent, but also social enough that if you keep things interesting, they might even start to enjoy your company.

As for the ones in this particular situation: It's going to be... interesting. I don't know if Wyrdo's AI is advanced enough to create actual fear for the Misdreavus to feed on? Or energies to mimic it? If they haven't had any in awhile, they might be especially eager to spook you. They eat fear, you know? Misdreavus can feed off other Pokemon, but the ones I've discussed it with said human fear "tastes" better.

Then again, it's a rare ghost that will refuse free treats. They can eat normal food too, fear is just more entertaining. Wyrdo... probably doesn't eat? But I'm sure there should be food around for their other Pokemon, right? You could always offer treats as a peace offering. If they won't take it straight from you, make sure they see you leaving it out. They'll probably eat it eventually.

Is Magic still the "big cheese", even after joining Wyrdo's team? You could leverage that! If you gain Magic's trust and respect (which takes more work with Misdreavus than a lot of other species), the others might follow. Their social structures are really loose so it's not guaranteed they'll follow their leader, but at the very least, I'm sure Magic can communicate that you're not a threat. That should reduce the hassles.

[unovan-businesswoman-angie]

😇

For both muses of @wyrdo01 (Wyrdo and Roya) even if they never had Interacted they must have heard of them both.

Hm...

Wyrdo, I must say, technology fascinates me- as do you. You are a marvel of engineering, which is as much of a compliment as I can give without knowing you personally- sorry!

Roya, it is truly inspiring that you managed to turn your life around from rainbow rocket and start a new one- I can only wish you the best of luck with that.

[works-of-magic]

"Yo it's me Roya, water bucket and I just landed at sinnoh not long ago at canaclave city or whatever it's called. How's things going as of now?"-Roya

@wyrdo01

Oh, hey Roya! Good to hear from you.

Things are going pretty well. It's the time of year when the berry bushes are in full production, and the ghosts are getting rowdy. They always seem to find extra energy between September and November. Hope things are going well for you guys, too!

But I have to wonder: What brought you to Sinnoh? And let me know if you guys wind up in Eterna City. I mean, I actually live in the middle of the forest to the west, but the city's a lot easier to find. :P