A Strange Box Appears...

An askblog for some characters of mine. Icon by @corvaeon! All my works are hosted at: val-triplicate.neocities.org

[val-triplicate]

Welcome to The Vaporeon Cycle!

My three-novel series is finally complete! Made in collaboration with my dear friend @foxgirltrauma, this is the largest (and best) project I've ever done. There's twists and turns, love and heartbreak, and even some funny little animal guys! (Please don't tell Nintendo...)

You can read all of the books on my website: https://val-triplicate.neocities.org/. There you'll find a heaping plate of bonus content, fanart and fanfic, and a book by @foxgirltrauma which details the origin story of my character Zora!

Speaking of which, my ask box is always open! Anonymous asks are accepted just the same. I adore hearing about people reading my work, and I answer almost every question I get. Anything related to one of my characters may be answered in character, and the lore revealed will always be canon. The interactions themselves are never canon, though.

Thank you for reading, and enjoy the show!

[until-it-reaches-my-room]

the ones you love mean more than anything

(Zora belongs to @foxgirltrauma and @val-triplicate)

[val-triplicate]

This is so amazing... thank you so much!!!! The use of color is so inspiring, I wish I could have learned to draw like this back when I did art. The three different styles (Zorua's abstract rainbow, the more grounded sphere, and the explosion of light and power) tell an extremely vivid story once you wrap your head around them. Perhaps this is a reach, but the white/yellow/green/red outer colors also reminds me of Ho-oh's color scheme. Fitting for a moment of true rebirth!

Zora's apotheosis is such a climactic event; not just in what he means to the world, but in what he means to himself. Here we see a character who has considered himself a liability at best, unworthy of the love he was shown, suddenly able to save the world. Is that enough for him? Is that enough to make his pain go away? It's not... but something else is. Team Good Guys is at the heart of this story, and that arc is really what it's all about.

I did write another poem inspired by this! I think the previous was better, but it seemed like a decent way to show gratitude at the very least. Thank you again, for the art and for thinking about the story I care so, so much about! I won't spoil anything yet... but I have at least three different things planned that involve Zora. He really is my favorite of my characters. ♡

The mind expands, the mind contracts One shell formed to hold another My sense of self, naught but you My sense of others, naught but me Off in the distance, my world grows closer Too slow to make it, but no less crucial You will believe me, in due time You saved the world far more than I The mind contracts, the shell returns The shell is spent, my purpose through All that's left is all that's left My sense of all, just me and you

[until-it-reaches-my-room]

I opened the door and found a smaller, scared version of myself at the end of the hallway

Yet when he turned to look at me, he looked at me as if I were the whole universe

(Zora belongs to @foxgirltrauma and @val-triplicate)

[val-triplicate]

I have... so, so many thoughts about this. First off: it's amazing and when I saw it, I genuinely started crying. I can't thank you enough, nor can I properly communicate how happy it makes me! To have a character or story mean something to someone is the purest joy to me... to hear that he's been on your mind means so, so much!

The theming in this, especially, and the poetry... that's what really got me. You're absolutely spot on. The small, hurt child is still there in the strong and caring adult, and that's perhaps the most important characterization Zora has. He's healed and recovered, but he knows to his core that the bell only ever tolls for thee. If a single soul is ever beneath him, then that small child is forgotten about, and no one will ever come for him. Zora can't save everyone, but nothing will ever stop him from trying!

I almost feel bad mentioning anything else before the art itself because... just- wow. It's unbelievably good! I've mentioned before how much I love your style and the way it flows, and this is the perfect example! There's a slightly out-of-focus quality to the lineless, painterly strokes, and it gives the piece a wonderfully dreamlike feeling. It feels almost like Zora is cut out of space itself, or a projection of light and love around his still-aching child self. There's countless other interpretations, of course - and I'll definitely be coming up with more as I continue to cherish this!

Lastly, and forgive me if this is a little self-indulgent in a reply that's already very much so... but I ended up so moved by this that I wrote a little poem as well. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you- so, so much!!!!

A child starts to cry In a world that does not know him A world that cannot see him For it has concerns its own He ventures only forth For who would care to stop him They cannot dare to touch him Their last and least of hopes The child sobs and shivers As he has no clue he's growing Each wound that sinks into him Naively marked as gone He learns until he's halted When there's no more time for going And the wounds and love he's taken Unfurl as the new dawn - - - - - A child starts to cry In a world that's new and fitful But the motion wakes the cosmos And it rocks her back to sleep

[corvaeon]

commission for @val-triplicate !!! This is Hope, an eevee with monumental responsibility! She appears in the Vaporeon Cycle storyline, co-written with @foxgirltrauma <3 You can read it on Val's neocities page, linked on her page!

[val-triplicate]

It's her! :D

Hope is a fascinating character. She isn't introduced until very late in the series, but her importance can't be understated - to the story, to its themes, and to the deeper lore going on behind the scenes. I do go over some of it in the bonus stories, but more is still to come...

As always, tremendous, amazing, fantastic work by @corvaeon! The pencil and pen, matching with the hair clip... such a wonderful touch! Thank you for bringing her to such vivid life!

[val-triplicate]

When the Smoke Clears: All of All Realities

Heya! I've been holding on to this one for a spell, but as my other projects have been taking longer than I expected, I figured it was time to finally drop it. Massive spoilers for When the Smoke Clears, of course.

...by which I mean "this will make 0% sense without context, and maybe 15% sense with." It takes some thinking, but there's a point to it all! It'll become a little clearer when I finally finish the big epilogue...

[fanartbycactus]

Razz POV companion piece to "Snowglobe" by @val-triplicate

Treasure Town woke up buried in snow. All the guild could do was wait for the road out of town to be cleared, then they could reopen for business.

Razz sat in the corner of Team Mooncrashers room, hunched over a piece of paper. Waves of unease washed over him, and made the back of his head ache.

Sketch sketch

Erase

Sketch sketch

Erase

Sketch

Erase erase

Sketch sketch

Erase erase erase

This isn't hard, stop ruining it, Razz thought. He checked over his shoulder.

Hal was still bouncing off the walls, and McIntosh hadn't looked up from whatever she was doing.

Carefully, Razz looked over at his bag. He tried to pull it over with his mind.

The bag was surrounded in blue light, and began to levitate off the floor.

Razz's hand tensed to pull it closer.

It flopped on its side uselessly, and spilled pencils across the floor.

He pushed them away, bit the inside of his cheek, and went back to drawing.

Sketch sketch

The lines are unsteady.

Erase erase

You know how to draw a circle, damn it—

Erase erase erase erase

You know how to do this! You've done this a million times! You—

"WHAT ARE YOU DRAWING?"

"Nothing! It's nothing, go away." Razz pulled the paper into his chest.

Hal had floated closer and hovered over his shoulder.

"CAN'T. WHAT ARE YOU DRAWING?" Hal asked. It leaned in, a light, warm feeling radiated from it.

Razz winced when it hit his horns. Great, he thought. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

Hal's big, glowing eyes searched him.

Razz tried to bury his face in his scarf.

"Hey, why don't we play a word game?" McIntosh hopped down from Hal's head, bouncing a little when she landed.

Razz shoved the paper into his lap and crossed his arms.

McIntosh sat across from them, forming a tense triangle.

"Razz, you can go first, then Hal." Her smile almost reached her eyes, but there was still something behind it that Razz couldn't read.

Whatever, he thought, drumming his fingers.

[Loud -> DANGER -> roses]

[Snow -> WRUIN]

"Ruin starts with an R," he interrupted.

"OH," Hal said. "MAY I TRY AGAIN?"

Razz laughed dryly. "Nah, you lose. It's me against Mac, now." He tightened his grip on the paper.

[Worthless -> sorry]

[Yesterday -> yell]

[Leave -> sorry]

"And that's that! Dumb mistake, but I'm not complaining." Razz stood, throwing his hands over his head, and returned to his corner.

Slumped against the wall, he unclenched his fist and tried to smooth out the crumpled piece of paper.

You can't even draw an apple, or a magnet, or a—

The room felt cold again.

[val-triplicate]

Holy heck - thank you so much! To make someone happy with one of these character studies is reward enough, but to have you write your own take on it? It's incredible, and the companion piece is too!

My part can be found on my site under the fanfiction directory, but for the first time ever you can also find someone else's there too! I figured it counted, as a part of the fic. Enjoy - and thank you again, Cactus!

Many Moons AU: Snowglobe Many Moons AU: Ice and Cracks

[val-triplicate]

When the Smoke Clears: Vaporeon, Part Two

Merry holidays, folks! I’ve been hard at work on secret and not-so-secret projects lately, so sadly I haven’t completed much of anything new. Fortunately, I have a story I’ve been meaning to release for a while now – Vaporeon, Part Two! This is a follow up to Vaporeon, Part One, but it’s heavy spoilers for all three books instead of just the first two. Definitely read the previous bonus first!

Fun fact: both of these bonuses were inspired by a scene from @foxgirltrauma's excellent Blind, P.I. It's mentioned there that The Vaporeon Story has performed as play, and is being adapted into a movie. This easter egg means a lot to me, but I thought it would be even cooler if there was a way it could actually be canon to both worlds. This logic can extend to other stories too - I think it's a lot of fun! How exactly do these play scripts get to Violar? Well, I think that's up to the audience to imagine.

[carryingstarlightinherwake]

New fic ahoy - a Christmas gift for the amazing @val-triplicate , based on their Vaporeon Cycle novels! (Contains MASSIVE spoilers for the first novel in the series, Frost Spirals, and light spoilers for the second novel, Now And Forever.)

Merry Christmas, Val!

Read it here!

[val-triplicate]

Merry Christmas indeed - this is tremendous, thank you so much!!! It's always an honor and an incredible gift to inspire fanfiction, much less one this good.

Mawile is a very important character to the series as a whole, but she very much keeps to herself. This fic nails an important aspect of her early character - she's very much a romantic! That's a large of the reason she falls for Vaporeon so immediately. The idea of a legendary sweeping her off her feet and out of her meager life... she'd be lying if she said it didn't strike her embarrassingly often. While her mind is not often racing as fast as seen here... it can very much get there!

[tagarilaghost]

What do the other Legendaries think of Darkrai? I expect plenty of grudges, but are there any who care about his suffering?

--------------------------------------

Everybody... hates him...?

(Read from beginning)

Art of the second page is by the lovely @ghostbreadovni <3

[val-triplicate]

Frost Spirals: Splash Damage

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.

[val-triplicate]

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.

[val-triplicate]

Now and Forever: Wish You Were Here

As promised! Admittedly a good while ago, but I think it still counts. This one was pretty hard - Articuno and Raikou are both quiet characters! Getting them to talk to each other productively was not easy...

[rusty-eevee]

Here’s a PMV for a story by my friend @val-triplicate !!

It has major spoilers for their story Frost Spirals which you can find here!

The song is called Broken by Depeche Mode

[val-triplicate]

THIS IS SO GOOD...!!!! THANK YOU, I AM GOING TO CRY ;w; The intermissions of Frost Spirals have always been a highlight for me! They hit me really hard, because I know exactly what they're getting at... I'm always nervous that they might not hit without that context. So what really gets me most is how fully this captures what I was going for with Intermission Four! It's a harsh one!

[foxgirltrauma]

It's been some time, but!

I finally got it done!

TraumaFox44 Website 2.0!

With a lot of help from my amazing, talented, smart friend @val-triplicate , who shared the code with me from their website to make mine look good!

The colours are far from final, btw. If I accidentally picked some ugly shades of red, it's because I'm colourblind.

[val-triplicate]

Woah!! Check it out - it's really good! I'm always thrilled to be able to help, especially with website stuff. This is a format I'm really proud of! Extra shout-out to our friend @rusty-eevee; this site and mine are based on the site I made for him. He came up with a lot of the design and layout elements, I just implemented them!

[val-triplicate]

Frost Spirals: Now on PMDFF!

Yes, this is what I've been working on since I last posted. Yes, it really did take me that long. No, the CSS was not fun to figure out. So it ever goes! By the way, if you missed it - I've updated Frost Spirals on my website! The big feature is some new art by @fanartbycactus and @rusty-eevee, but there's a rather large and important change to V-CREATE. I'd recommend rereading it; it fixes some continuity issues with the sequel and with One Million and Eighty-Six.

There's also plenty of notable changes elsewhere, at least for people who think typos and wording tweaks are notable. I won't judge, they bothered me enough to fix after all!

So, what's next from me? We'll just have to see! I do have irons in the fire, but nothing to announce just yet. Keep an ear out, and have a great day!

[rusty-eevee]

Speedpaint

Here's two commissions for my friend @val-triplicate

You can go read their story The Vaporeon Cycle on their website!! It's super amazing go read it!

And a bonus Vaporeon because I can never resist drawing her

[val-triplicate]

Absolutely gorgeous, amazing, tremendous! I commissioned these for a project I've been dying to talk about:

The new revision to Frost Spirals is now live!

I've touched up some wording and continuity, especially with respect to Victini, but the art is the big new feature. There's absolutely gorgeous art between each act, and I really think it elevates the experience.

Acts 1, 2, 3, 6: @fanartbycactus

Acts 4, 5: @rusty-eevee

Thank you to my wonderful artist friends, and look forward to more coming soon! In fact...

A new bonus story for Now and Forever is live, too!

Enjoy! :]

[val-triplicate]

For Blastoise: What are you up to nowadays? Also, I've been looking into some new moves and I wanted to ask: how did you learn Scald and Roar? And do you have any advice in learning them? Also also, have you ever met Manaphy? Also also also, what is the most amount of times you can spin around quickly in a row without getting dizzy?

The moment you submit the message, a massive fist comes flying towards your face. You throw yourself to the ground. You feel a little silly, picking yourself up, for dodging out of the way of a computer screen. Then you remember tossing a croissant through it and it doesn't seem quite so silly anymore.

BLASTOISE: Huh? BLASTOISE: Oh, hey! Sorry about that, miss! BLASTOISE: Just doing some workouts.

You keep a comment about dropping the comma to yourself. If this terminal is like the last one, it probably doesn't support multiple inputs anyway.

BLASTOISE: Hm... I'll answer the easiest one first: five. BLASTOISE: You'd think that's nothing, but it's a lot! BLASTOISE: Just one is enough to clear spikes, which is mostly what it's for. BLASTOISE: Gotta keep spikes off when sparring with another team.

He flexes, you think. The gesture isn't really noticeable from this angle.

BLASTOISE: Speaking of, that's what I've been up to lately. BLASTOISE: I joined a guild team when I evolved, but we're not really there for the chores. BLASTOISE: Sorry, for the missions and the "helping the weak and needy." BLASTOISE: But nah, you know how it is. We're here for the food and the fighting. BLASTOISE: What more could a dungeon mon want?

He grins with pride and validation. The last two questions are good ones.

BLASTOISE: You've done your research, huh? Yeah, Scald and Roar are both TM moves for me. BLASTOISE: Expensive stuff. We take on the best-paying missions, and it pays off! BLASTOISE: I haven't met a Manaphy yet, no, but I've got something better: BLASTOISE: I've met a Phione. And not just one, but two. BLASTOISE: They were there to deliver a letter, to me!

Blastoise blushes and turns away.

BLASTOISE: Sure, I'm pretty sure the letter was a prank. BLASTOISE: And they were laughing really hard, sure. BLASTOISE: But don't forget - girls love a guy who can make them laugh. BLASTOISE: If you see them again, let me know...?