In Home's Shade

Toki's curry entry

thread summary: Toki meets the rambunctious Ettie while on his journey to Fortree City, as that was selected as his primary station as a Ranger. Curious about this Pokemon-raised girl, the two went on a quick journey to Fortree together. The two got to know each other and their Pokemon, and their teams seemed to get along very well. After several tense encounters with Pokemon while on the route, the two eventually reached their destination as new friends.

why is it important?: Toki's been a relatively solitary character since he moved to Hoenn to begin his training as a Ranger, so this chance encounter with Ettie will do wonders for his social life. Her energetic, extroverted behavior came as a surprise, especially since he wasn't used to people finding him approachable given his usual quiet demeanor. Seeing their Pokemon get along and her passion for those she cared about was a wonderful experience for Toki, and he wants to take his meeting with her to heart whenever he encounters anyone new. As a Ranger, he understands he will have to be in contact with people and try to be reasonable and approachable, so this was an amazing first step for him on that path to be a more open and friendly person.

EUPHORIA

willow's curry entry

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thread summary: will's best friend ollie morales needs to blow off some steam so, on his circuit to visit the rangers in the area, will offers to be his designated driver for the night. they get separated and an unfortunate turn of events lands her seated right next to councilwoman PENELOPE LIVY, a woman who has never quite cared for her. [break]

why is it important?: willow just wants a break. her current boyfriend LANCE VOLLANS punched her ex-boyfriend boruta maher in the face (even though bo evidently started it), her son's therapy is going well but not great and all the destruction in hoenn has made for leaner times, which isn't great when you run a flower shop.

so she distracts herself by offering to take ollie out to the bar. she makes herself important. she leaves the house so she isn't lonely. and it's okay because she's smiling and surrounded by all those people, it's hard to hear the silence in her house. or the soft breathing of the man she doesn't love beside her.

willow likes to run away. to dance in the flowers and smile with her big green eyes and ask without asking, which is never fair, for someone to care. and when they don't understand her pleading, she flits away. because that way is safer. if you don't let anyone through the door in the first place, they can't walk back out.

but here is penny. penny who's heard willow, will, will. who's heard about roman and about bo and about the shop and about eleanor and about sam and about all the things that make will's life so hard. penny, who's always been on the other side of the window looking in, looking past the oleandors wreathed around her and seeing them for what they are - poison.

under the influence of several too many drinks, penny has the opportunity to say what she's always wanted to over the years. and she does and will does not take it to heart. she says she does not take it to heart.

but there's something powerful about being called out on your bullshit when you're vulnerable like that. powerful enough to leave her shaken. angry, finally, at no one but herself.

one day, maybe, she'll thank penny for the realization. for kicking her when she was down. but for now?

she's going to be more honest with herself

thank you to cap for this funny, fun, and powerful thread. and for having a good linkedin profile. and to mad for being so talented and brilliant and letting me play this character. and to milky, for having the most wholesome cinnamon with some of the best dialogue literally ever. and also to scarlet, for supporting these baes and making me feel like the writing i do is worthwhile. and noods is there too.

[attr="class","milkycurry"]

HEARTS & FLOWERS

ollie morales 's curry entry

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thread summary: [break]

in the WINTER MASQUERADE, ollie morales and willow atkins find each other in the middle of the dance floor. it's a bit of an unusual setting for the both of them, since neither usually see each other in such formal attire, but it's still a fun experience for the both of them. while they dance around, the reminsce about the past — both sweet and bittersweet moments — and you can really see the close relationship between the two. both platonic and romantically.

[attr="class","quotequote"] "time heals all wounds. it really does. those feelings you had for each other, you never really lose them. life gets hard. things can get in the way. but they're just things and they can't change the way you felt then. so just give it time. give her time. and remind her that you cared, and that you still care, about her. [break][break]

and i promise you - eventually, it'll be okay again."

[break][break] — willow atkins

why is it important?:

first off, thank you for Elisabeth Fiorelli for the wonderful masquerade event to let us all fulfill our bridgerton dreams!!!

[break][break] second, thanks to PENELOPE LIVY , boruta maher and willow atkins for allowing me to rp this incredibly fun and DRAMA-filled love-triangle. when i first made ollie, i didn't expect that he'd have such a dramatic story, but it's been incredibly fun to rp out. i feel so blessed to be able to rp with such wonderful and talented writers too <3

[break][break] as for the thread itself, i want to highlight it because it shows the importance between ollie morales and willow atkins and their relationship. the two have been best friends for ages, with an undercurrent of romantic tension (one-sided, mostly), and you can see it especially true in this thread. the two are dancing in the middle of the dance floor, while boruta maher and LANCE VOLLANS fight in the background, and ollie at least is blissfully unaware of it's events.

[break][break] you can see how well the two get along, as well as the affection they have for one another, whether it is platonic or romantic. it also highlights some moments in their past that i think are personally really sweet, such as willow teaching him to dance in her mother's kitchen, or ollie revealing his remorse about PENELOPE LIVY .

[break][break] for someone who is outwardly very outgoing and charismatic, ollie has a surprisingly short list of people that he can open to about penelope, and willow is one of them. which is why it makes it even more meaningful when she tells him that he's a good person. i'm looking forward to watching the love triangle unravel, and maybe even one day see ollie's view of willow breakdown overtime. FUN FUN DRAMA!

[attr="class","milkycurry"]

A DEVIL'S DEAL

jayden cross 's curry entry

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thread summary: [break]

finishing off a meeting for wyndon, jayden meets with an old acquaintance of his vincenzo de luca to discuss the details of a new project that he and Felix Gallagher are working on. this thread is a pre-cursor to project lockbox, where jayden and enzo discuss the importance of the endeavor, rocket's future, and how his "uncle's" hotel expertise can play an important role in the project's success.

why is it important?:

for the obvious, this thread is part of a pre-cursor to project lockbox's release. it ties into threads such as a cupcakes and breach, also related to the project.

[break][break] the thread also gives an opportunity to showcase jayden's growth as a character, since it brings up jayden's history as well. vincenzo de luca was a friend of his father, and jayden once recruited him into rocket. but that was before jayden was beast, and long before jayden became admin. before, jayden was quiet and nervous and anxious — a tool of rocket. in parallel, a devil's deal shows jayden's growth into his admin role as he approaches someone he greatly respects with a proposal of his own.

[break][break] i also enjoy helping establish other plots in the background, such as the existence of both NIMBUS and WYNDON PHARMACEUTICALS. while not dealt with directly, the presence of both companies are present in this thread, which further establishes additional storybeats.

[break][break] thanks so much for lou for being a wonderful thread partner as always <3 <3 she is talented, and an absolute joy to write with. i strongly recommend !!

HIGH RANK HIJINXS!

Shalin Nariya's curry entry

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thread summary: In this thread, Shalin learned her Ninetales from the distant Ageos Region had been deported back there due to the barrier surrounding Hoenn in the Meteno area. Since then, the Ageosian government had dissolved due to turmoil in the region, forcing Hoenn to release the Pokémon into the wild. Weeks after the deportation, a giant Kantonian Ninetales had appeared, terrorizing Route 112 and making it dangerous to travel. As one of her first Ranger assignments, she had been tasked with hunting down the fire-type with Oliver Shrakes. She had accidentally brought her aquatic belt to the hunt, leaving her with no Pokémon usable on land![break][break]

She and Oliver, using their survival skills, tracked down the Ninetales. Showing her knack for taming wild Pokémon in an unusual way, Shalin dropped onto the golden fox's back from above and held on for dear life. She had ridden several wild Pokémon before, but this one had roughed her up by far the most of all of them. As the rodeo continued, Shalin and the Ninetales recognized each other. It was hers.[break]

why is it important?: This is the type of thread that embodies what I love writing Shalin for. She is a wild child at heart, and low key has an adrenaline addiction. It also showcases her tracking skills as a Ranger and her skill in subduing Pokémon with (relative) nonviolence, which is part of the reason she was hired as a Ranger in the first place. I created this character in 2005, and she's had this quirk since 2008. I just can't get enough of writing her catching Pokémon in unusual ways, especially by hopping aboard, burying her hands in fur, and holding on tight. While it's not particularly important to her plotwise, the writing in this has been just plain fun.

A WOLF AT THE DOOR [POST-PAAA]

Caleb Harcourt's curry entry

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thread summary: After the events of the battle at Littleroot (PAAA Raid) - during which Caleb learned that his older brother, Zev Harcourt, had followed him to Hoenn - Caleb visits Howling at the Moon, Zev's bar. While there, Caleb realizes the "hacker" he ran into a few months ago during a Ranger mission was, in fact, Isaac Merlo - a Rocket-affiliated employee of Zev's. Allowing Isaac to remain in the room, Zev and Caleb proceed to have a tense conversation about Zev's hunt for Caleb. Caleb offers to protect Zev's Rocket identity from the League in exchange for Zev's continued protection against Rocket's other assassins (who would normally seek out a defector like Caleb and eliminate him). After Caleb leaves, he sends a text to Isaac, demanding they meet.[break]

why is it important?: The confrontation between the two brothers during the Littleroot raid ended the first arc of their larger plot (Zev's "hunt to find Caleb"). This is the first thread between them after they found one another again in Hoenn, marking the start of the next arc of their plot: Zev's efforts to destroy the League for "brainwashing" his brother and bring Caleb back to Rocket, and Caleb's efforts to remain independent from Zev's influence (despite still feeling affection for his brother). This also marks the beginning of a plot arc between Caleb and Isaac, in which Caleb will make a serious attempt to win Isaac over to the League's side, which he believes would be best for Isaac's wellbing and continued survival.

THE BORDER: ZENL

Naomi Sato's Curry Entry

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thread summary: Nomi visits the new rift that has opened up at Mt. Pyre called The Border alongside her mentor, Lulu Flint, Rocket admin Elisabeth Fiorelli, and Rocket Beast Zev Harcourt. This is, collectively, their first journey into The Border. While there, Nomi helps identify a demonic Jubokko Tree, relaying aspects of its nature to the others due to her knowledge of Johtonian lore (Johto being her region of birth). From the tree bursts the angry spirit of Moltres, who sends several malevolent spirits after the group of Rockets, one of which ends up possessing Zev, forcing the others to fight him. During this battle, Nomi is confronted with several angry spirits who refer to her as the daughter of the people who tortured and killed them. Nomi utilizes Terastallization to help banish the spirits, free Zev of his possession, and fight Moltres. The group ends up surviving the encounter with the Jubokko, after which they investigate the broken seal there. Nomi wonders if the seal - which reminds her of the shrines in Johto that are believed to be the gateways between the Gods and humanity - once housed a legendary Pokémon, now free. The group resolves to head home to regroup, after which they plan to return with more resources to continue investigating the seal.[break]

why is it important?: After Nomi returns home from this mission, she realizes that the terrible people the spirits who attacked her were referring to were likely her parents, the scientists Dr. Yuri and Karin Sato, who disappeared when she was a toddler on assignment in Kanto. This is the first time Nomi has been confronted with the reality that her parents - who she has built up in her mind to be brilliant people killed unjustly by Kanto Rocket - might not be the people she thinks they were. Could they really have tortured and killed human test subjects as part of their experiments? Was this some trick of the Jubokko tree and Moltres, or were those spirits really their victims? This thread motivates Nomi to more aggressively hunt for information on her parents and how they died, while at the same time grappling with what it might mean to learn an ugly truth about their true natures...

This thread was also important because it was one of first times Nomi has had the opportunity to participate in a mission with several Rocket leaders at once (a Head Scientist, Admin, and Beast) in such an intimate capacity. Given that soon after this thread, Nomi herself was promoted to a Head Scientist position within Rocket, it is clear that the events of this thread and her influence on the other Rocket leaders contributed to her advancement within the organization.

WOLVES [MASQUE]

Elisabeth Fiorelli's curry entry

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thread summary: Zev Harcourt asks Elisabeth Fiorelli to dance at the Winter Masquerade, mostly as a way to kill time as he awaits the arrival of his true date, Neffatari Nzingha. The Rocket Beast recognizes Elisabeth for the Rocket admin that she is, but Elisabeth fails to recognize him in return, leading to an unusual encounter between the two that reveals a side of Elisabeth she'd never shown to Zev prior.[break]

why is it important?: Gunsmile and I have written together for years, and it's always a pleasure seeing the ways our character dynamics unfold. Zev and Elisabeth are two people who, on the surface, have a lot in common: they are seemingly cold, indifferent, and aloof members of Rocket who are willing to get their hands dirty, and appear to even relish in the opportunity to do so.

But there are significant differences between them, and the 'masks' that they wear. For Zev, the person he pretends to be at the masquerade is another form of the personas he wears as a sociopath, feigning social niceties and pleasantries. Who he is in Rocket is the person he truly is, the man hiding beneath the veneer of socially acceptable behavior.

Elisabeth is not a sociopath, however. Empathy is one of her core defining traits as a character; the aloof nature she wears in Rocket is her true mask, built as a way of protecting herself against potential vulnerability and silencing her own empathetic instincts. Zev has caught glimpses of the civilian mask she wears in public, but he has already begun to suspect through her friendship with ana fell that the civilian persona is closer to Elisabeth's true self than this front she wears in Rocket.

Here in the masquerade, however, Zev Harcourt meets a third aspect of who Elisabeth is -- the spiteful, vengeful black widow, crawling with resentment underneath the surface of both her facades.

Something I rarely get to openly explore about Elisabeth is the way in which her revenge has not made her happy. She has killed the man who abused her for a decade, she has burned down the manor that was her prison, she has torn apart and sold the company that her husband loved more than her, and yet despite it all, nothing in her feels satisfied. You cannot feed yourself with hate and spite and anger for a decade and expect all those feelings to vanish the moment you get the freedom you thought you wanted.

Instead, you are forced to look into the mirror and see the person you became to get that freedom, and reconcile that this is who you are now. That you are stuck with those choices, whether you want to be or not.

In this thread, Elisabeth treats Zev like one of the men she would have used in Kalos, some distraction she threw herself at as a means of getting back at her husband. She's trained herself into patterns of self-sabotage, treating her body as just another weapon in a war against a husband who feared little else she could do to him. She taunts Zev, mocks him, provokes him, and all of it gives her a brief thrill -- feeds some small aspect of that unfed vengeance that still burns within her. It's a habit she struggles to break.

Some part of her still wants revenge on a dead man, even though doing so can only ever hurt her anymore. As Zev points out however, she has no outlet. A "worthy opponent" eludes her. And it's perhaps for this reason that Elisabeth is primarily in Rocket, more than any other reason she tries to articulate: she wants something or someone to suffer, as payment for what she's suffered and endured.

She just has no outlet. Not yet.

MECHANICAL KINGDOM: RABR

Ruby Garcia's curry entry

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thread summary: Raphael Pryde, Belial Stone, Asriel Pryde, and Ruby Garcia use a Primal Crystal to teleport into the Mechanical Kingdom. The latter three fan out to patrol for anything out of the ordinary while Pryde examines a dormant coal engine. Things quickly get hectic when Asriel is attacked by soulless Volcanion guards and Ruby comes to his aid, while Pryde and Belial have to contend with a mechanical Corviknight. Though Ruby feels like this trip was a total waste of time, she and her fellow Rockets have gotten a taste of the dangers of the Wilds and how to prepare themselves in the future.[break]

why is it important?: This was only me dipping my toes into The Wilds event, but now I'm eager to explore more and see where these expeditions take Ruby. More importantly, Ruby was forced to confront her past when she had a flashback to the Three-Day War and the tragedy that took her father's life and nearly took her sister's. I'm so grateful to Shiv for the prompt that let me explore this moment, even if it wasn't fun for Ruby herself.

ICE TO MEET YOU

Elinor's curry entry

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thread summary: Elinor goes to investigate the aftermath of Kyurem's little greeting. Where she meets Andrea Vaneau, one of the many trainers who had Pokémon victims frozen in ice.[break]

why is it important?: This is one of her first chances to be confronted with what happened during the Meteno incident and the victims thereof. She is also unfortunately forced to inform the Andrea how the efforts in saving the victims in the ice is not prioritized, which is definitely an uncomfortable thing for her.

ULTRA PLANT: OCGG

Ceri Glynn's curry entry

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Thread summary:

Given Team Rocket's desire to explore Ultra Space, Ceri ventures into the rift at the Desert Ruins in the company of oscar clayton, @gaultier, and Gerald Kaiser. This is the first time visiting the area for all of them, and as it often happens in Ultra Space, things quickly turn to chaos.

However, despite the horrors they face, Ceri finds that her craving for discovery triumphs over her reluctance to venture into dangerous places, and as a scientist she thrives in this environment where so much is left to be studied and understood.

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Why is it important?:

I think Wilds threads in general are a great way to explore how characters react to new and dangerous environments, and the areas often lend themselves to exploring darker themes. All such things are true in this case, but with this particular thread I also found that it helped me explore Ceri's dislike for danger VS her interest in discovery, and how both of these often collide.

I adore any thread that allows me to write about Ceri's passion for science, and I have much appreciation for Hollow, Senpai, and Howie for putting up with her (and thus my) shenanigans.

This was also the first time she interacted with both Gaultier and Gerald, and I had a great time exploring that, especially in an enviromented like that of this thread!

À LA TIENNE

BARNABY FINCH 's Curry Entry

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thread summary: After the events of PAAA, Martín del Mar comes to BARNABY FINCH 's new office to celebrate his promotion to ROCKET admin. Champagne in hand, the two toast the good news and soon fall into conversation. They begin on lighter subjects (teasing, as per usual), before Mars brings up whether or not they should go public to the rest of the organization about their new relationship (established in ODE TO THE END the night before PAAA).

Given the personas that Barnaby has to maintain, in the end they decide to keep their relationship separate from their ROCKET work. This leads Mars to admit that he, too, works under a false name. His given name was not Martín del Mar, but Martín Marzán - a revelation that brings with it a deeper look into Martín del Mar 's life before Hoenn and ends with Barnaby assuring him that he'd help with his plans for revenge.

Oh, and Barnaby knows about the clone powers now, too.

why is it important?: WOO, I loved this thread! Azul did a wonderful job having Mars ask about how they should present themselves to ROCKET going forward. At this point they'd only just confirmed their feelings for one another, so this was definitely an important conversation to have. It helps to set the tone and establishes their relationship and how they plan to interact with ROCKET as a couple moving forward.

I liked that I was able to have Barnaby feeling some internal (and not so internal) conflict about the personas he uses for ROCKET (Bee and Barnaby Finch). Undercover work can be extremely mentally taxing and he's really been feeling that burden lately (referenced here and in PETALS ON THE FLOOR).

The BIGGEST thing of importance though would have to be Martín del Mar admitting his real name to Barnaby and confessing exactly how his wife and child died. It was EMOTIONAL and MEANINGFUL and I think did an amazing job at showing how much trust the two have built between them now.

As always, Azul is a phenomenal shipping partner! Thank you again for making Hoenn such a fun place to rp ♡

OVERTURE [MASQUE]

GIDEON GRAVES's Curry Entry

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thread summary: A dance between a masked man and a gilded lady. Flirtation strums through their conversation until a challenge is issued by the lady under Christmas mistletoe. The man leans in for a kiss...

why is it important?: I'm going to keep this brief because I could gush about GIDEON GRAVES and Elisabeth Fiorelli and all of our plans for them for way too long.

Scarlet is an amazing storyteller and really puts her all into everything she writes - especially when it comes to Elisabeth manipulating the men around her. She does a GREAT job in detailing the subtle subterfuge that goes into Elisa pursuing what she wants (in this case, an oblivious museum director).

This thread sets up their future romance. It showcases Gideon being overtly flirtatious toward Elisa with an immaculate back-and-forth between the two. The vibes are THERE and he's feeling it. For him, he hasn't felt this kind of instant connection for a really long time (probably since he met his ex-wife for the first time, honestly).

Scarlet, you know I love all of our juicy threads. Thank you for letting me have fun shippy times with Elisa! I can't wait to continue this super fun plot with you ♡