minecraft; the way home

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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Tsukistar

Elliot

They/Them

April 12th

Lavaridge Town

Pansexual

Ranger-Coordinator

Cadet

5'9" / 175 cm height

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El Sunderland

minecraft; the way home

POSTED ON Sept 8, 2023 5:23:43 GMT

But Isaac had been the opposite of a layabout. He'd done so much, much more than what El had been able to achieve thus far, besides in the Ranger department. "Haven't you seen the magazines, Dad...?" They asked softly, trying to push back that bubbling frustration that was starting to build in their chest. "He had won last year's Silph Cup - and he's been winning a bunch of badges, too. He's not just... Some 'layabout'."

He was so much more than that. He was amazing - and they wanted to match up to him in some way, even if they had a dislike for battle.

But, Terrence didn't seem to see it. Instead, he just saw Isaac as someone who had supposedly taken away El's potential... And something about it all had their brows furrowing slightly.

"W-... We were kids, Dad. Kids who thought they were fine without Kiryu to watch us." They spoke - a pained hue in their tone, partly at the thought of Kiryu, partly at recalling the incident. Kids always thought they were invincible, until they weren't; no matter how smart El was, kids are never wise. "It wasn't even his fault that I fell. It was mine - cause I rushed ahead, and wasn't being careful..."

And it was something that they could say for sure - even though they were so young when it had happened, it was something that had engraved itself in their mind through less than pleasant means. These weren't the words of someone trying to shift the blame onto themself - it was just. The truth. They had been a kid, a kid that was - in the kindest of terms - stupid, and didn't know any better without an older figure to watch over them.

But with the way the talk was progressing, those bubbling feelings only grew - a thorny resentment that felt fresher than it should've, thanks to a certain Elisabeth Fiorelli . It took a squeeze on their shoulder from an attentive Bibidi, for them to remember to take in a deep breath, to try and relax. "It... feels like you blame every bad little thing that happens on him. Even when he's had very little to do with any of it." They spoke, their voice softer this time.

In a way that'd almost sound meek, if they didn't feel like it was the calm before the storm.

Isaac Merlo

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Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

I've got a, I've got a

Pocket fulla sunshine

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

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Isaac Merlo

minecraft; the way home

POSTED ON Sept 8, 2023 23:40:23 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Terrence's brow furrowed. He heard of some Merlo kid making waves lately, but that was another story. Or was it? If what El was saying was true, those waves came from a source a little closer to home. His face went along an assembly line of emotions; the wrinkled forehead of comprehension, the wide eyes of shock, and finally the huffed scowl of frustration.[break][break]

"Thinks he's too good for our name now, does he?" he grumbled. He didn't even seem to process the fact that he'd just been proven wrong. He just leaped from annoyance to annoyance like a Zarude swinging from tree to tree. "Figures. Kid wouldn't know respect if it hit him in the face."[break][break]

Perhaps, if Terrence thought a little bit harder about cause and effect, he'd realize how all these pieces fit together.[break][break]

Instead, his thoughts continued to wander as El shared their side of the story. "Well, clearly he's not making that mistake again," Terrence said, a touch of resentment in his voice. "Little bastard nicked her on the way out. Bet she's the only reason he scammed out all those wins, anyway."[break][break]

"Ugh. Forget it. You're right. You were just a kid, and you always looked up to him." His gaze softened. His voice followed suit. "Its not your fault you let him put those dumb ideas in your head. Jagged Pass. Arceus, was he trying to get you killed? You should've been more careful, but that he even dared bring you there . . ."[break][break]

It was almost hard to tell what was worse; the harshness in his earlier tone, or the way he repeated those same cruel words with an almost honeyed sweetness.[break][break]

Was it any wonder that El had enough? With a gentle voice layered over a million frustrated thoughts, they finally did the unthinkable. They looked their father right in the eye and questioned his judgment.[break][break]

In the silence that ensued, you could hear a pin drop.[break][break]

"You know how much I had to give up just to keep this family together?" His voice, too, grew quiet and tense. Two headwinds fed off of one another, and between them grew a gathering storm. "You know how much I had to deal with? How much I let myself get hurt, just 'cause I decided to play nice? How much I blame myself for?"[break][break]

"You really think being 19 means all of a sudden you know everything?" A slight, strained laugh of disbelief escaped Terrence, despite his best efforts at holding it back. He leaned forward, the light that hit his face showing just how heavy and hollow the bags under his eyes had become. It was clear that he was in pain, but how much of it could have been avoided? How much of it had been at his own hand?[break][break]

"Go ahead. Tell me. Make my day."

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / El Sunderland

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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played by

Tsukistar

Elliot

They/Them

April 12th

Lavaridge Town

Pansexual

Ranger-Coordinator

Cadet

5'9" / 175 cm height

Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?

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El Sunderland

minecraft; the way home

POSTED ON Sept 10, 2023 12:02:52 GMT

And there it was - much as they had once feared. The second that they questioned their father's 'infallible' wisdom, he began to turn that familiar venom onto them. Even if they could see it coming, they couldn't help a somewhat reflexive wince, that urge to shy away... But at the same time, they clenched their hands, furrowed their brows.

He wanted them to tell him everything they knew? Then they would, a thorny part of their mind whispered.

"Kiryu wouldn't have let herself get stolen." El began, starting with addressing the prior statements. "And... Even if she was stolen, you- you know she wouldn't have listened to him. I remember you telling me, how even when she was a baby, she was too stubborn to be persuaded by food or praise." For a moment, they paused - glancing to Terrence to see if he understood the truth they knew, their thoughts going back to that otome they played months ago. "She went with him willingly, Dad. Probably because she was worried for him - cause she loved us."

Like hatchlings she never had.

"And- it isn't like he only ever had Kiryu and Watson. She's strong, but she's not a race pokemon - his Tauros is. And I even saw a stream of him fighting against one of the newer Gym Leaders - Johanna Joy - with a Dragonite and a Blastoise. And you know he even gave me a couple of pokemon - Behemoth and Bibidi." Glancing over to the aforementioned Alakazam, they took her hand and squeezed it - and she squeezed their hand back. "He... He's a capable trainer, Dad - more than you give him credit for..."

"... He did a lot. More than I did in that same time." El continued, something approximating sadness flickering across their expression. "... Dad... Breaking my knee did mean that I couldn't do things like sports the same, sure... But it didn't make me the fragile doll that being cooped up in here made me feel like I was. I... felt like I could barely go anywhere without either of you worrying over me, even once Yggy got to the point where she could protect me, and even after I was given Bibidi and Behemoth."

El, honestly, felt a little bad for this subject in particular. Cause it wasn't as though this was driven by any sort of malice or spite, right? "... I... I know you guys were just worried about me. I appreciate that you and Mom wanted me to be safe - and you're right, that things out there can be dangerous," Pulling up their sleeve, they show Terrence the bite scar on their arm - a reminder of their time in Ultra Deep Sea. "... But I had to go looking for trouble, to find most of the danger. And my pokemon were able to protect me even from the danger that I didn't look for."

Pulling their sleeve back down, El concluded "I just feel like... I could've been just fine, at least exploring the routes around Lavaridge a few years younger." Rather than them having to feel like they had to make a grand escape, with Bibidi. "To... Find my footing, before I really started being independent, y'know?" Being on their own had been scary, at first - and it was something that probably could've been avoided if they had been able to ease themself into it, rather than go trial by fire.

Falling quiet for now, El would glance to Terrence - giving him his chance to digest, and to respond.

Isaac Merlo

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

I've got a, I've got a

Pocket fulla sunshine

Short King height

Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!

awards

4,402 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

Isaac Merlo

minecraft; the way home

POSTED ON Oct 20, 2023 2:50:59 GMT

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","textbox"]The thing about cognitive dissonance was that it was less a mindset and more a shield. Changing one's mind was a scary thing. Rather than consider the evidence put out before him, it was so much easier to deny, deflect, and diffuse. Unfortunately, the more evidence piled up, the harder that became. At some point, something would have to give.[break][break]

"She was always soft on him." It was irony, saying that about a being of pure stone and steel. However, one look into those soulful blue eyes of hers was all one needed to know Terrence wasn't quite wrong. "He played the victim. Spun up some big sob story and tricked her into going with him. He always pulled that shit."[break][break]

That had to be why. It couldn't be that his Pokemon, his child, and even life itself chose that brat over him. He couldn't accept it.[break][break]

Neither could he accept that Isaac had just matured into this wunderkind overnight. For four years, he'd vanished off the face of the Earth. Now, suddenly, he was commanding all these rare Pokemon, winning all these competitions, sneaking these gifts over to El. Who the hell went from zero to hero in the snap of a finger like that?[break][break]

"Capable? Yeah, sure. At lying, cheating, and stealing maybe. No chance in hell he'd done it all the old fashioned way." The funniest part? Terrence was closer than he knew. Without Rocket's backing, Isaac's meteoric ascent would've taken a far longer time. Would he have even believed it if he learned that it was in spite of their criminal leanings, rather than because of it?[break][break]

No, Terrence would never budge on the subject of Isaac. However, El's grievances with him weren't just Isaac related. Both more shocking and more painful was the rift that had grown between the two of them. The sacrifices he'd made were stifling, not protective. The encouragement he'd given was suffocating, not inspiring. The dreams he'd thought they shared were a waking nightmare.[break][break]

Part of him wondered what he'd done. Part of him wondered how his child dared.[break][break]

"How did you get that?" He fixated on the bite scar. It was all he could do to stop himself from saying everything and saying nothing. "Where did you get that? What happened, El?"[break][break]

Maybe if El's words weren't reaching, an example would have to do.

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TAG — El Sunderland [break]
NOTES — notes go here

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played by

Tsukistar

Elliot

They/Them

April 12th

Lavaridge Town

Pansexual

Ranger-Coordinator

Cadet

5'9" / 175 cm height

Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?

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646 posts

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El Sunderland

minecraft; the way home

POSTED ON Oct 26, 2023 22:23:41 GMT

Terrence dug in his heels, and El felt that frustration dig in in turn. "Do you really think she's gullible like that, Dad? That she would've stayed, once she realized that something was up?" They questioned, trying their damnedest to keep their voice steady - even as emotion leaked into their tone.

They weren't the only one finding frustration in it all, though - Bididi's own brows furrowing as she stared Terrence down. This was not her conversation - her place here was as El's anchor and support. Yet, she couldn't help but feel insulted, over the slander directed at her former trainer. To claim that he was perfect would be a disservice - but to claim that there was no good in that boy's heart was even worse.

But, the conversation would end up sidetracked by the reveal of El's scar. And as he questioned about it, they couldn't help but find their brows furrowing further. Would he give even half of a damn, about Isaac's eye? Probably not, a bitter part of them knew. Yet, a scar - some silly marks on their skin - are enough to stop their dad in his tracks.

"... I was there, at the fighting in Dewford." They spoke after a couple of moments, finding their words as they thought back to the cursed place that was Ultra Deep Sea. "I found someone who had gotten badly hurt - and... An aggressive pokemon had shown up, while I was treating her. It got me on my arm, while my pokemon and I were protecting her - but we were able to fend it off."

It wasn't the whole story - and it likely would be obvious - but the whole story would also be an undertaking to express in a way that'd make sense to him, and in a way that wouldn't out someone who was a member of Rocket. How could you tell someone about going into a rift, about paradoxical pokemon that looked familiar yet oh-so-different? Certainly, they could show him Baron to prove the story to be true - but... It was still something that they felt would be mind-boggling, to someone who hadn't been there...

And after a few moments of thought, they'd add "And Isaac was there, too, you know. He was helping people, not cheating or stealing from them - even Bibidi could tell you as much." He had helped them, too - and that wasn't something that he could just fake his way through, like Terrence might want to think.