An ice guy after all?

andrea's curry entry

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thread summary: Andrea visits the "grave" of her frozen Salamence to pay her respects, when THEO BECKETT shows up. Finding out that he's lost a Pokemon to Kyurem's never-melt ice too, her view of Team Rocket as an evil organization that treats Pokemon like tools is challenged. Exposing the League's mishandling of METENO and the corruption within their ranks further shakes her trust in the system. Right and wrong become muddled, making Andrea ponder whose side to take should a war between the two factions erupt.[break]

why is it important?: Coming back from a slump of low activity, it was fun having a thread that recounted recent site events. Up until that point, Andrea thought of Hoenn's two factions as black and white, so having Theo shed some light into their nuances is really going to affect her future interactions with Rocket characters (already showing up in her thread with Lulu Flint). It might set her on the neutral or peacemaker path depending on her involvement in future events. Writing a thread this long with NOODLES was a blast, and I love how despite coming off as a "nice guy", Theo's motives for talking to Andrea were left ambiguous.

VYING

theo's curry entry

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thread summary: Elisabeth Fiorelli and theo discuss recent, current, and future events. through their discussion, they learn more about each other, and realizing they share more in common than originally thought, the two overcome their splashfest differences and become allies.[break]
why is it important?: the thread allowed us to cover narrative beats from the past to utilize for the future. beats such as SILAS BLACKWELL' betrayal and eventual demise.

it is the first discussion the two have for a more "aggressive" rocket, referencing things said from TOP3, and hopefully it will be used to springboard coming plots and conflict (postdormitum pog?).

thank you scarlet for the very fun thread! ♥

ABRA CADAVER

cygne's curry entry

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thread summary: in the aftermath of Isaac Merlo's great trauma and her inability to protect him, cyg immediately begins seeking a way of rectifying the situation by doing the normal thing of stealing a corpse from the hospital and dissecting his eyes to learn about how to replace them. in her slightly manic state she seeks the aid of Elisabeth Fiorelli and her secret underground murder bunker, as well as her calmer head and ability to logic where cyg cannot.[break]

why is it important?: this thread is the marker of a big change in cyg where she goes from burnt out ex capitalist cog to slightly maniacal mad scientist with a penchant for harvesting human organs. she's pretty angry that she wasn't there to keep isaac and Ashley Shepard safe during mt. pyre so she's going to do what she does best, which is fix things, and build isaac a new eye as an apology gift. but she doesn't know the first thing about medicine or the human body so she has to learn, which will begin a downward spiral into some rather tetchy corridors of HIPA violations and crimes against humanity which in the penultimate universe will conclude with her downloading herself into a robotic body. maybe someday.

ANYWAY. there's a lot going on in this thread. there's a very marked energy shift in how i RP cyg because ooc conscientiously i'm sort of revamping her character and how she sounds in my brain, which appears in an IC personality transformation. cyg and elisa's relationship is also a spotlight in this thread because she literally brings a dead body to elisa's house and elisa's like "of course this is expected and normal" which says a lot about the strength and closeness between them (which was totally an accident and not at all planned).

there's also a lot of reflecting on her relationship with isaac in this thread, and how she feels hurt because he won't let her take care of him following his injury. that's how she's programmed, is to take care of people. she's very much a protector/avenger archetype. and so she feels stifled that he won't let that happen because he's very independent which she personally doesn't understand. she's internalizing it a little bit lol.

overall this thread is a bit like a lens on the biggest parts of cyg's character, and the facets that make her up intrinsically and how those are going to be changing going into her next quote-unquote arc.

TAKE TWO

isaac merlo's curry entry

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thread summary: Isaac's last encounter with Melody Miro ended in the revelation that Eris Halla was in League custody. Rather than charge off on the warpath, Isaac returned to her gym in order to find out just what had gone wrong. Now, armed with proper knowledge and context relating to Eris' stay with Team Rocket, he rang Melody up for Round 2.

To Isaac, it was a life or death struggle for the safety of a child that had been through hell and back. For Melody, this was exhaustion, a problem that she had severely burned herself out on rising from the ashes one last time to haunt her. With her ready to wash her hands of this Eris situation once and for all, and Isaac all too desperate to be the ear Eris has been denied, the two come to a secret agreement. Isaac gets five minutes to visit Eris and try to guide her away from the darker path she threatens to tumble down.

On the way to Ever Grande, they seal their tense alliance in an exchange of information. Isaac reveals to Melody his face, and Melody reveals to Isaac his story. The two still have no love lost for each other, but despite the great amounts of tension between them, what else can they do but try and hold things together for the kid?

why is it important?: Isaac's never been the Rocket-iest Rocket. However, this thread proves to be a pivotal turning point in Isaac's understanding (or lack thereof) about his path. Both what the League put Eris through and what Rocket put Melody through are, frankly, inexcusable in his eyes. Does he stick the course with Rocket, hope that their worst impulses can be sanded out from the inside and the League can be adequately pressured by their presence? Or does he follow Remiel Calcifet's example and break away from an organization whose sins he can no longer abide by?

This thread shapes many potential avenues for Isaac's future. Not only is it the point where his conflicted feelings over the whole damn faction war come to a head, but it's also where he makes a silent promise to embark on the gym challenge. Not only does Melody's story make him more interested in learning why League officials walk their path, but the urge to prove his strength and worth to her has sprouted in the back of his heart.

It's also a wonderful showcase of Isaac's personality. Whether through sacrifice (the sanctity of his hidden identity), through determination (facing off with an Elite 4 member despite being terrified), or through compassion (his insistence on hearing Eris out, instead of being another shadowy figure denying her a say), he takes any and all avenues he can to pursue his single-minded goal of protecting a single girl from the horrors she's experienced. It demonstrates virtue born through stubbornness and spite, a hallmark of his character.

However, moreso than I'm excited for my character, I'm excited to see the ripple effects it has with other characters. Isaac has been deeply impacted by Melody's story in a way that even caught her by surprise; with the knowledge that her story is worth telling, and her struggles have merit, perhaps it will temper her recent arc of finding her voice again. Similarly, Isaac's insistence on giving Eris a say even as the world shuts her down may give her the push she needs to finally voice her innermost thoughts. Will it be the push she needs to give her the right choice, or make her feel safer continuing to walk down a darker path? It still remains to be seen.

Pilo is a blast to write with, Myria has given us a fantastic plot to have a push-and-pull over, and both of them work wonders for facilitating my ideas and inspiration. I'm incredibly thankful for them, not just for this thread but for the entire series of works before and after. I can't wait to see how this plotline reaches endgame!

the exhibition match

Laurence Anderson’s curry entry ft. Andrea Vaneau

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thread summary: Set at an indeterminate time after Meteno had been handled—in order to drum up some rep for the AQUA initiative, a series of exhibition matches are held. One of the matches features a certain silver Metagross and a black-and-green Hydreigon. Insanity ensues, explosions galore![break]

why is it important?: Oh deer.

Simply put, this is the end of the first chapter of the rivalry between Andrea Vaneau’s Hydreigon and the salthead’s Metagross—as the two had met previously before back when Chomper was a wee Deino (and Andrea here had gotten into some trouble while training out at Mount Chimney here).

That was where their rivalry started, even though from Chomper the Deino’s perspective it was like hitting a brick wall because Deino versus Metagross was so incredibly one-sided…

Fast-forward to here where Chomper had not only evolved into a Zweilous, but also became shiny as well! This time the draconid put up a little more of a fight, but it’s not until this last thread that the two actually get to face off in mortal kcombat (even if it’s only an exhibition match).

(In between the Zweilous vs Metagross and Hydreigon vs Metagross thread, their owners meet and talk some about their two Pokémon raring to have a go at each other while exchanging information about what happened in the Tiered Tea Room. There’s that too.)

This last match brings to a close, the first chapter of a rivalry between Andrea’s Hydreigon and Lars’s own Metagross—since there is a chapter one you can bet your ass there will be a chapter two where Ro the Metagross comes back to even the score!

OOCly, I didn’t realize that this entire arc stretched across an entire iRL year, and ohmygod what is a rivalry if it’s not between two Pokémon and not just between their trainers / owners? See, in this instance Lars and Andrea aren’t rivals but are friends; it’s their respective Pokémon that are rivals—sending the Deino on a Rocky-esque training montage while Ro waited at the top of the mountain like some shining silver mountain peak.

Needless to say, the first part of the saga comes to a close with Chomper blowing everything out of the water and Lars coming to a realization that the ol’ reliable needs some refreshing to keep up with his rival!

Also, a very big thank you to Kost for the saga! It was hella entertaining and my god I cannae wait for part two because you bet your noogie Ro is out for blood a comeback to settle the score!

To put it aptly, in Ro’s own words, “Finally! Someone other than Alpha I can consider a very worthy rival!”

You're as cold as ice ... No, seriously

ELAINA PIERCE 's curry entry ft. illeana reyes (Light mention of Josh Devlin )

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thread summary: Elaina is called forth for an assignment in The Silent Icelands, being a 'guard' of sorts for the prestigious illeana reyes . As the female ranger and professor embark further into this barren and unforgivably frigid area of the region, Elaina asks the professor what had actually happened here, not knowing exactly herself. It is then that Illeana tells her about the legendary dragon, Kyurem - sharing general information with one another about it. Illeana also tells Elaina about the rifts as well and as they continue talking with one another, Elaina comes to the realization that there isn't much that she herself can do, aside from what she is currently assigned to do, which sets in a moment of Despair within the ranger's heart and mind. [break]

why is it important?:

1. The main thing that should be expressed, first and foremost is that Elaina has only lived in the Hoenn Region for a year, not knowing everything that has been going on while she was taking her extended training to become a Ranger. So, to hear such a thing as she is on the job, upset her, not because those she works with did not tell her, but rather because she had no idea that such a thing had happened. She felt that if she herself had already known what had happened here, she would have been better prepared to help out with it. Sure, the events were obviously out of her control, but that still does not take away the helplessness; the despair she felt when she realized that there was nothing else she could do, which is a part of her job. As a Ranger, she is supposed to be prepared to help in matters such as this but still couldn't do anything about it. It reminded her of the day she had gotten word of her mother's death, which only made that feeling worse. Also, with that in mind, a part of her acts like she is over her mother's death, when in fact, she isn't. She's not only lying to others in regard to the matter, but she is also lying to herself. Essentially, the helplessness she felt of her not being able to do what she deemed 'her job' mixed together with what she had bottled up inside her in accordance with what had happened to her mother a year ago.

2. As we all know, Kyurem is tied to the Unova Region, or its history rather. Illeana asks Elaina to share any and all information that she knows, however, Elaina points out that what she knows, is basically what the League knows, even going so far as to say that the history books pertaining to the legendary pokemon, are more so written as a 'folk tale', rather than something that is considered informative. This is actually where the starting point where Elaina starts to feel despair and helplessness, due to the simple fact that the information about Kyurem is something that isn't all that helpful.

3. Despite the feeling of helplessness, Elaina still manages to somewhat pull herself together, successfully completing the assignment that had been given to her. A part of it was because of illeana reyes 's small words of encouragement. However, It makes Elaina question why hadn't any of her co-workers (mainly Josh Devlin ) about it, which is explained to Elaina here. (Just to note: the thread previously linked is set after the thread with Elaina and Illeana) It also makes Elaina question whether or not she'd be able to handle these kinds of things as a Ranger moving forward. A part of her says 'yes' but another part of her is concerned. I feel like, because of this, she will be more inclined to prepare herself for more potentially dangerous assignments in the very near future, as a way to overcome that same helplessness and despair.

FESTIVE SPIRITS

matias' curry entry

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thread summary: Eva Morales and matias prepare to celebrate the holidays before he asks a question he has been wanting to ask for a very long time. since he ran into her again when he first arrived in hoenn, actually, as he has had no doubts since.[break]
why is it important?: it's the next step in their relationship and it further solidifies their future together. as intertwined as they are, it allows for interesting avenues to explore in the coming arc with conflict being the core focus! i wonder when they'll get to plan their wedding with all the fighting that's about to happen...

ty bd i've never written a proposal before and i'm very happy to have been able to do so ♥

POKE THOSE WRINKLES

hideo's curry entry

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thread summary: Hideo Kino invites Melody Miro for a walk along route 101, with the intent to talk to her about what he experience during Rocket's raid on Littleroot. This includes showing Uxie, and he shares what he witnessed underneath the Littleroot Theater. After sharing the words Uxie spoke into his mind, Hideo learns about the Pokemon that was down there (Volcanion) and how it once destroyed a tower Melody had been working on - and how some of the words Uxie shared had been spoken by Volcanion at that time.[break]

Hideo explains his intent to explore the kingdom he found underneath the Theater. He makes it clear that he doesn't plan to sit on the sidelines for this, but Melody explains to him that this could potentially lead to conflict between Hideo and the League were they to spot him there. This does nothing to deter Hideo, confident in his ability to evade detection should it be necessary.[break]

why is it important?: Apart from filling Melody Miro in on the events of the Littleroot Raid, the thread helps deepen the sibling-like relationship between Hideo and Melody. Hideo has gradually been relying more and more on Melody, and trusts her enough to let her know he's in possession of Uxie. The two also learn more regarding Volcanion from each other, potentially giving Melody a way to learn how to better work with the Volcanion she met if it ever returns.[break]

The thread also establishes a potential point of contention in the future: despite Melody's warnings, Hideo continues to do what he wants, which could lead to the two being at odds if she finds him at a place he shouldn't be.

FESTIVE SPIRITS

eva's curry entry

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thread summary:Eva and MATIAS SILPH take a stab at being normal in the brief peace after the events of Meteno. They decorate their first Christmas Tree together in their new house. Amidst the bliss of holiday peace, gets the best Christmas gift ever when Matias pops the question and Eva says YES.[break]

why is it important?: The Matias x Eva journey has been an interesting ride. When I first developed Eva's character, she was a cautious woman that guarded her heart above all else. She lost so much in Kanto, including Matias, that she was reluctant to let herself feel anything again. She didn't think she could handle losing anything else she loved, so she decided not to let herself love. This is very ironic becuase the foundation of everything she does is founded in LOVE. She became a pokemon vet becuase she loved the pokemon-human bond and strived to foster it the best she could. She loved Kanto, and gave up everything to try and save the region. She left Kanto for the safety of her family, which meant everything to her. She loves Hoenn and its people which is what inspired her to come out of hiding and join The League.

Even when she found Matias again in Hoenn, she was reluctant to let him in. Their lifestyles weren't compatible with a happy ending. It was inevitable that love would finally win in the end. He opened her heart which ultimately made her a better person and better Head Professor. I'm excited to see where this next step takes them and how they will navigate the treacherous waters of Hoenn chaos.

Thanks Noodles for being an awesome thread partner and giving Eva an arc I didn't expect <3

Mauville Gym? Or Mauville Zoo?

Ettie's curry entry

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thread summary: For a few days, Mauville Gym is closed for maintenance in preparations for New Years - the perfect opportunity, for Josh to introduce Ettie to his pokemon (and vice versa, as she has obtained a number of pokemon since they last interacted) as she desires to meet his pack. In the process, they briefly talk about a number of things - including legendary pokemon and avatars (albeit not by name,) and Ettie gets the opportunity to try riding around on a number of Josh's pokemon.[break]
why is it important?: Overall, the main reason why I'm choosing this, is that this was just a generally fun thread to write for - trying to think about and imagine what it'd be like for someone to ride on a manectric moving at top speeds with Quick Attack, or on a dragonair doing flips and loop-de-loops. You can't go wrong with doggos playing tag, either.

But this thread also lays some of the groundwork for things such as Ettie's awareness of the existence of legendary pokemon, as well as her desire to meet them - mainly out of the innocent desire to want to make friends with them (partly because of her hearing that for some legendaries, there is only one of that species in existence, which sounds lonely to her.)

Finally, it also touches upon Ettie realizing just how fun it is to go fast, and her general excitement to properly race Josh sometime in the future, once her electrike - Duchess - evolves. Safe to say, she particularly enjoys getting to ride on Josh's own manectric - Saber - for this reason, both a mix of practice and an opportunity to get a taste of what to expect once Duchess is ready.

A WOLF AT THE DOOR

Zev's curry entry

thread summary: In the wake of the attack on Littleroot as part of Per Aspera Ad Astra, Caleb Harcourt visits Howling at the Moon, his brother Zev Harcourt's bar. There, he encounters not only Zev but Zev's employee and protégé, Isaac Merlo. The two brothers discuss the state of affairs between them and reach something of an agreement: Zev will protect Caleb no matter the circumstance, and Caleb will protect Zev's true identity as a member of Team Rocket.

why is it important?: This is some truly excellent writing from not only Nellethiel, who writes Caleb, but also Wanderer, who writes Isaac. Isaac's inclusion into the thread provides an added layer to the brothers' conversation, because he and Caleb know Zev in different ways. They are parallels to each other, each influenced by Zev's subtle manipulations, each reflecting the same process by which Zev ensnares others.

I am very grateful to both Nellethiel and Wanderer for allowing me to showcase the multilayered and deeply problematic character of Zev — not just in this thread, but in our overarching plots. This thread is but a small sample of how Zev manipulates both men through his words and actions, even how he tries to mollify the jealousy of one and fan the flames of it in the other.

Besides that, this thread kicks off the second arc of Zev and Caleb's saga. Previously, Caleb lived his days in Hoenn without realizing Zev was looking for him, so he thought he had put his past as a member of Team Rocket behind him. On Zev's end, his hunt for Caleb had reached a seemingly dead end.

Now, though, both Harcourts are well aware of each other's presence in Hoenn, prompting a different sort of deadly game between them — one that employs greater emotional and mental maneuvering than before. Zev and Caleb are both trying to outsmart and outpace the other, while simultaneously existing in a sense of quasi-peace.