MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Aug 23, 2023 4:13:49 GMT

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[attr="class","omgentop"]THE WILDS: THE BORDER

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ONGOING EVENT

EXPLORATION

MT. PYRE[break]✥ THE BORDER

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1035423510278979624/1055281670649032755/bambooba.mp3[/player][break]
Northern Province - Area 2 (Riding) - Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
[break]

THE BORDER IS A MOUNTAINOUS PURGATORY OF MUTED SEPIA SMOKE. By floating islands, translucent bridges soar through the realm toward the heavens. Tall stone spires jut out from the spiritual mist. In the sky, the wisps of spirits can be seen heading toward their final destination before the afterlife...[break][break]

Curiously, there are four broken seals embedded in four mountains. Though Adrian Malcolm and YVELTAL may have seen their location upon their unceremonious entry, the spirit realm has shifted since their last visit, rendering each broken seal far apart from each other.

PROMPTS

LIST OF PROMPTS

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15 become lost in the mist.
27 briefly detach from your body or bodies in order to accomplish a task using your spirit body or bodies.
29 encounter shadowy copies of yourselves or your pokemon that mimic movement, form, and more.
30 feel a throbbing temptation to pass through the border to the afterlife.
🗺️ utilize terastallization in an advantageous way.
🗺️ SPECIAL HUNT: Isaac Merlo will now be able to encounter and catch a MARSHADOW. you must be able to defeat or prove to the marshadow that you are worthy of training them, but this will be no easy task. they quickly learn you and your pokemon's movements, able to mimic their movements by analyzing or hiding in their shadows.

EXPEDITION TREASURES

AT THE END OF EACH EXPEDITION THREAD, all characters must ROLL for their final post. The HIGHEST FOUR ROLLS will be counted for what TREASURES are retrieved from the location. These treasures will be returned to each faction for future use...

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[attr="class","boxName"]YOUR HAUL

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RULES

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES. A more comprehensive list of rules will be published in each event thread. These rules are also subject to change.[break][break][break]

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Your character can only be in ONE EXPEDITION THREAD at a time.
You may participate with all of your characters; however, be aware of your ability to post.
If a thread partner has not posted in awhile, please skip them in this event. Momentum is important for engagement.
Since these threads may feature combat, please be reasonable with your battling. Discuss with your group if you'd like one move per post, how many Pokemon are allowed to be brought, etc.
Try to keep posts short for clarity and speed.
Please be trusting and open to communicating with all of your thread partners.
Please INCLUDE WHICH PROMPTS you are using in your expedition thread.
Please have at least FIVE POSTS PER CHARACTER in your expedition thread.

IN YOUR FINAL POSTS, PLEASE ROLL.

Isaac Merlo parker jones

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Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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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part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Aug 23, 2023 4:15:02 GMT

Tempest Quinn likes this

[nospaces]

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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"]

Isaac was no stranger to Mt. Pyre. In fact, by this point, he knew the mountain like the back of his hand. At least once per week he came back to visit his beloved Aggron's grave. If he didn't watch himself he could spend hours talking, whether sharing in his triumphs or asking for advice about his hardships. Even after her passing, she had been his pillar of strength.[break][break]

As of late, he'd started bringing enough flowers to share. All of the Pokemon buried here had once been the same to somebody.[break][break]

Yet Mt. Pyre was far from the peaceful spot it had been in Hoenn's history. The border between life and death had been torn open, the rift looming over each gravesite a painful reminder of that fact. Some saw it as a sign of hope, desperately watching the rift in hopes of a loved one sneaking on out from it. Others saw it as an omen, a reminder that crossing that boundary took nothing but a few bad seconds.[break][break]

To Isaac, it was where he had died for the second time.[break][break]

The warden that oversaw the boundary deemed him a lost soul in need of seizure. With the help of his dear friends, he had been lucky enough to say "not today." That didn't change the fact that, whenever he saw the rift hanging over Mt. Pyre, he felt the calling of the void. Was it some innate sense that he belonged there? Or was it a desperate need to challenge that feeling and prove it wrong?[break][break]

Maybe it was the knowledge that, with what he was planning, a third and final death loomed overhead. The longer Caleb Harcourt spent in Team Rocket's clutches, the more at risk he was. The more at risk he was, the more dangerous rescuing him became. If Isaac couldn't crack this case soon, he'd be doing little more than offering himself up on a plate.[break][break]

He needed to clear his mind and focus. There was but one place he could think of to do so.[break][break]

The fog was already rolling out from the rift as he approached. It was as if it was warning him away. It was as if it was inviting him in. Isaac let out a single, deep sigh as he stood at the threshold, the last gasp of a man who knew he would soon be drowning. Taking a look around, as if to make sure he wasn't being trailed, Isaac let the fog consume him.[break][break]

And then he took a step.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / parker jones

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

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twenty-five

march 21

mauville

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debt collector

grunt

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TAG WITH @parker

POSTED ON Aug 23, 2023 4:25:00 GMT

she doesn't care for this place. it's too close to the rift. but there's a pit stop she'd had to swing by on her way here. a lonely gas station on the side of the mountain, left mostly alone save for the crumpled bills and pokeballs passed between hands. which parker - rocket - doesn't have a problem with in the slightest, so long as they get a cut.

and they haven't seen one lately.

so her fists are bloody by the time she's done. amulius has a nick on his arm, a couple of feathers lost in the scuffle. a fat wad of cash is stuck under the waistband of her joggers. it's easy to put the face out of her mind as she climbs.

her thoughts drift to something - someone - sweeter.

amulius is the one to stop her though. she would have gone around the rift none the wiser if he hadn't pointed out the blond hair, stooped figure of - "nah, bud. can't be i - " but the letter she's stuck on is ironic 'cause he looks both ways and he's certainly missing a fucking eye and fuck.

"the hell's he doing going in alone?" she says. the fog tugs at his heels and draws him into the rift.

amulius looks at her expectantly and she throws her hands up. "y'remember the sea? the kingdom with all the crazy ass birds and minions 'n shit? nah, nah, fam. nah. if he wants to throw his life away on some -

"motherfucking fucking damn it gods fuck, come on." amulius snickers with his eyes and follows parker as she passes the wall of fog.
Isaac Merlo
☉

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Aug 23, 2023 5:01:18 GMT

Tempest Quinn likes this

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

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

[attr="class","skullbody"]Unfortunately for Parker, the fog proved not to be a wall. Instead, it seemed to stretch out ad infinitum, filling almost every inch of space that passed through the rift.[break][break]

Wherever the fog touched Parker's skin, she would feel a clammy, almost slimy sensation. However, were she to touch herself to be sure, she would find she was as dry as a bone. It was as if the air itself was diseased. At first, it was easy enough to see Isaac's silhouette walking into the horizon. Yet with each step Parker took, the haze grew thicker. With each step she took, the air grew colder.[break][break]

At times, it would feel as if the fog was grabbing at Parker; the sensation of fingers running past her arm, or perhaps a firm grip on her shoulder.[break][break]

Shortly after her journey started, she would find herself unable to see past her immediate personal space. Moments later, she would be unable to see her hand if she held it in front of her face. Shortly after that, she wouldn't even be able to see her own body if she looked down.[break][break]

The only thing she would see were the haziest vestiges of her regrets.[break][break]

The fog was starting to get harder to fight through now. Pressing on would feel like moving through a river of molasses. Fog would cling to Parker's arms like draping vines. All the while, those hazy images would continue to dance at the edge of her vision. They would whisper their torments in the back of her mind, only to vanish in an instant if she tried to focus on them. Only Isaac's footsteps up ahead, nigh inaudible, would serve as proof that her journey wasn't fruitless.[break][break]

Then, suddenly, jarringly, they stopped. And so did the fog.[break][break]

The air was clear. The cold, dead, sepia-hued stone of the Border stretched in all directions. Wayward souls drifted through a pale, empty sky. For the first time in her life, but by definition not the last, Parker was gifted with a chance to see what came next.[break][break]

Laying right in the middle of it all was the corpse of her fallen friend.[break][break]

Isaac's limbs splayed at unnatural angles, like a toy haphazardly thrown to the ground when its god was done playing with it. His skin looked as pale as the fog that Parker had just endured, and would feel every bit as cold and clammy to boot. Half of his Rocket mask sat upon his face, while the other half had fallen bare beyond his eyepatch. Strangest still was what appeared to be a crown, sitting perfectly perched atop his head even as it lolled against the cold stone.[break][break]

The world fell silent.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / parker jones

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

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twenty-five

march 21

mauville

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TAG WITH @parker

POSTED ON Aug 23, 2023 22:15:54 GMT

Naomi Sato likes this

and on and on she walks. it's not her first time, getting swallowed by mist, so she's not as peeved as she should be. until she starts thinking about the fact that no one knows she's in here. she just straight up walked through the rift without even a text to Naomi Sato.

she blinks and when she stutters to a stop, realizing maybe she should do the smart thing and turn around, she realizes turning around isn't as easy as it seems. her arms wheel through the fog and it clings (and yet it doesn't) to her skin. it goes down her throat and she feels it, and nothing, at the same time.

it's enough to make her start running.

amulius keeps at her heels, feathers fluffed at her alarm. he casts her a silent, worried look, but she sets her jaws. keeps moving. as long as she keeps moving, she'll be okay. they'll be okay. she'll find isaac and they'll get out of here just fine.

her throat is dry and cracked. there is a sheen of sweat on her neck. but her heaves as she jogs are kept tight and quiet, ears strained to hear isaac's footsteps just beyond her, out of reach.

"isaac, damn it! come back! why the fuck are you - SHIT." she stumbles to a stop as the mist goes. just goes. it happened in a blink. she looks wildly at amulius and the bird looks just as disoriented, but his piercing gaze is fixated on something in front of them.

parker's stomach drops. a sour taste fills her mouth. she's seen broken bodies before. hell, she's broken bodies, but not like this. never like this. not with limbs twisted in all the wrong ways. the cold cowl of death lain over his body.

how did this happen? what the fuck am i gonna tell - how am i supposed to - where the - holy shit. holy fuck.

amulius rests a talon on her shoulder. squeezes. steadies her. she breathes out shakily and straightens her shoulders. detaches, like she has to for the job.

"you stupid piece of shit," she mutters as she crouches next to the body, reaching to put him back together as best she can. but she pauses. her brows furrow at the crown. her scalp prickles. unease shivers through her and she doesn't know what the fuck to think.

just that she has to get him back through the border. she has to get him back home.
Isaac Merlo
15 become lost in the mist
☉

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Aug 23, 2023 22:54:34 GMT

Tempest Quinn likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

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

[attr="class","skullbody"]It was silent enough to hear a pin drop. Parker's mutter, quiet and pained as it was, echoed as if she had screamed. The lost souls drifting through the air stopped in their tracks, hanging still like a sky full of shimmering stars. As they swiveled in place, it seemed almost like they were trailing the voice's path across the horizon.[break][break]

Were any of them Isaac's? If they were, they sure weren't in a rush to get back to their body.[break][break]

That meant Parker would be left alone with Isaac's body. To her credit, she was as brave and headstrong as she always was. She only found the situation moderately revolting and distressing. In fact, she was able to steel her nerves enough to actually reach for Isaac's body. She'd just need to tear her attention away from the crown atop his head in order to do so. It was easier said than done, especially as the pearl embedded in its center seemed to stare back through her.[break][break]

It was a pearl, right?[break][break]

That brief pause threatened to change everything. The last lingering echoes of Parker's mutter were silenced by a crack like thunder. A blackened chain crashed down to earth, splitting what little space there was between Parker and Isaac. Twisted barbs hung from each link of the chain, tipped in a dingy brown substance that could only be rust.[break][break]

Were Parker to look up, she would see that there was no other end in sight. The chain just stretched onwards into infinity, a black mark carved into a cloudless sky. It hung there for a moment, swaying back and forth in a breeze that didn't seem to exist. At times, the individual links would draw imperceptibly closer to each other, only to drift apart moments later. It was as if the chain was breathing.[break][break]

Whatever this strange chain was, it seemed to have no quarrel with Parker. Instead, it lunged towards Isaac, a whiplike crack erupting right next to poor Parker's ears. At speeds almost like lightning, the chain tightened around his neck, trails of blood trickling down from where it dug into his flesh.[break][break]

Now it was Isaac's turn to sway in the breeze, the chain pulling him off of the ground as if it were a hangman's noose. With each movement, his shadow stretched and distorted. Whenever it fell upon Parker, she would feel a deathly chill settle upon her skin.[break][break]

Would it even compare to the chill when Isaac started speaking?[break][break]

"Heyyyyyyy, Parker." Isaac's jaw had dropped into a wide smile. The lack of any further movements did nothing to stop his voice as it slithered out from his mouth. "How's it goin', buuuuuuuuuuuuddy?"

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / parker jones

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

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six

she/her

twenty-five

march 21

mauville

gay

debt collector

grunt

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TAG WITH @parker

POSTED ON Aug 24, 2023 1:35:43 GMT

thunder breaks. a chain drops around her. that mask she wears, that mask she has to wear to do the things she does, isn't fitting right. because she's not filling in the spaces, not bulking up with the monster creeping under her skin. the one that hungers for blood and the choking, squelching sound of broken noses.

the pleas of the indebted.

her shoulders tense. his skin feels wrong. clammy and pallid. like the mist had touched and untouched him. is this supposed to be her fate?

amulius' chin tilts and parker looks up too, teeth bared in a twisted grimace. are those...ghosts? like honest to gods ghosts? it's enough to make her stumble back, to make her shake. you'd think, after being flung in enough dimensional pockets, she'd have lost the ability to be scared of the unknown now.

her steps falter. amulius steps forward, towards the ragdoll body. he notices it move first and parker's quick to narrow her eyes, watching in disbelief as his limbs are snagged upward by elbow and spine and shoulder.

as scared as she is, relief sweeps through her. whatever this thing is, it's not isaac. it can't be isaac.

"where the fuck is he?" she snarls as she goes in swinging.
Isaac Merlo
☉

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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Aug 24, 2023 2:10:21 GMT

Tempest Quinn likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

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

[attr="class","skullbody"]If Parker wanted answers, she'd probably picked the wrong approach.[break][break]

How could anyone talk with a hole punched straight through their body?[break][break]

The good news was that it wouldn't feel like flesh, at least. His skin tore like paper as soon as Parker's punch made contact. His stomach didn't fare much better. It gave way with a sad, greasy pop, its contents mercifully empty. With nothing providing even a shred of a resistance, was it any surprise when Parker's fist exploded clean through his back?[break][break]

Drip. Drip. Drip. Not blood nor bile, but instead a strange, inklike ichor dribbled down from Parker's knuckles. Even if she managed to shake it dry, its trails would stay stained along the curve of her fingers.[break][break]

"Hey, c'mon. Is that any way to greet a friend?" Parker would be able to feel the shifting of "Isaac's" innards around her hands as he laughed. Her arm was like a little Dutch boy's finger in a holey dam. If it was gone, there would be nothing to hold back the flood. "And your future maid of honor, too. For shame."[break][break]

Chain after chain shot down from the bove, each backed by another thunderclap. These didn't hesitate for a moment. Instead, they pierced straight through "Isaac's," body, blunt tips and barbed edges forcing their way through his flesh. His hands. His upper arms. His back. "Isaac" now looked for all the world like a marionette, his back jerking rigidly so he could look Parker right in the eye.[break][break]

If Parker tried to pull her arm back, she would find that something was wrong. The body cavity she so easily pushed through before was now as snug and tight as a vice. Any attempt at pulling her arm out would simply jostle "Isaac" around, the jingling of his chains a mockery of her best efforts.[break][break]

"My turn~"[break][break]

"Isaac's" placid whisper was a stark contrast to the force with which his entire body jerked back. The chains pulled back and forth with a rhythm, each jingle and jangle another clubbing blow raining down on Parker. His hands couldn't even ball into proper fists. They were less punches and more weapons being wielded by some unseen puppetmaster. Despite this, his brittle bone would feel more like steel.[break][break]

Far in the distance, barely at the edge of the horizon, shadows began to amass on all sides.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / parker jones

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

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played by

crow

six

she/her

twenty-five

march 21

mauville

gay

debt collector

grunt

5'6 height

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TAG WITH @parker

POSTED ON Aug 24, 2023 23:12:27 GMT

the good news? this is definitely not isaac. probably. the bad news? well...

parker's surprise turns to horror, which turns into morbid fixation, which quickly dissolves back into horror as the inky ichor drips down her wrist, stretched fingers, and patters down on the other side of isaac's body. his organs, his meat, presses around the better part of her arm. are those his intestines poking around the hole in his middle?

her chin jerks when isaac chitters in her ear. whatever scathing remark she has on her tongue is gone, because it was going to be said in tandem with a forceful tug of her arm and another punch at this thing's stupid face. but his insides have coagulated and no amount of yanking can pull her free.

chains rattle. he's lifted, head lolling, saying something about being her maid of honor and she tastes strawberries in her mouth, but that fades as dread sets in.

"yo, isaac! if this is some sick joke, y'can come out now. very funny!" it's a nervous, disjointed shout.

my turn.

"'mul," she calls before the first hit lands. it's like being smacked by a truck. her cheek puffs immediately and it'll be less than a minute before the eye swells shut. but that's not the only blow that comes down on her. pain cracks over the top of her head, her left shoulder, her right, above her brow. and then amulius is there, towering over her, talons gripping the thick chains tight.

the bird's face is contorted from the effort.

"hey, buddy," parker says and spits to the side. she tries a different tactic while she keeps scrabbling against the sewed-up hole her arm's still trapped in. "let's be friends?"
Isaac Merlo
☉

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Aug 24, 2023 23:43:17 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

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

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Parker, Parker, Parker." For a brief moment, Puppet Isaac stopped his beatdown. His hand flopped onto Parker's shoulder. It looked, and felt, like a taxidermy replica of two friends having a serious chat. "Do you really think I would joke? Me, of all people? At a time like this? C'mon, give me some credit here!"[break][break]

"I'm dead serious."[break][break]

Puppet Isaac howled at his own joke, adding literal insult to literal injuries he rained upon Parker. As his laugh echoed across the horizon, it no longer sounded like his. Instead, each peal took on a different voice at a different pitch. It was like a laugh track from the studio audience of the damned.[break][break]

It cut off as abruptly as it stopped. Apparently, Puppet Isaac didn't find his chains being grabbed so funny.[break][break]

He was stuck. His arms were able to do little more than twitch. His neck, once lolled to the side, was now forced to stand straight at attention. The chains themselves thrashed furiously above the curve of Amulius' talon, but it translated to next to no movement down below. Puppet Isaac was left no choice but to hear what Parker had to say.[break][break]

"Friends?" Once more, his head lolled to the side, as if he was giving her offer serious consideration. "It has been a while since I've made one . . . but I already have so many!" He slid down Parker's arm, giving him the chance to a good look at her up close.[break][break]

Perhaps Parker would notice that the half of his mask that remained seemed almost molded to his face, black latex intertwined with pale flesh. In some places, webs of it stretched out like veins. Perhaps she wouldn't have the chance, instead focusing on his voice dropping to a low, fragile whisper. Rather than his mouth, it seemed to coming from the back of her mind.[break][break]

"Wanna meet them~?"

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / parker jones

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

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POSTED ON Aug 27, 2023 2:55:29 GMT

Cillian Quinn likes this

here are all the nightmares parker would rather be living than right here, right now:

a lobotomy center in the middle of a 7 point earthquake
a twenty year-old straight-edge's wedding where the only other attendees are the bride and groom's immediate family
back in Cillian Quinn's office getting the shit ripped out of her leg by his shadows

but she can't have any of those. she has to wake up from this one. the one with her new friend and girlfriend's closest friend's dead body (? or fake body???) being dragged around like a puppet while it told terrible, gods-awful jokes.

and also it hits like a motherfucking truck so that sucks too.

parker squints up at amulius. relief sweeps through her, but that's short-lived too, because puppet isaac does not like his chains being grabbed one bit. his laughter dies and he sidles close to her.

whatever he - it - is, its breath is rancid. something unnatural squirms in its mouth whenever it talks and there is a pressure in the back of her head. like a maggot chittering in her mind.

"yeah, not really. hard pass on that one. you're the only friend i need, isaac. honest." she yanks again, uselessly, on her arm. amulius tightens his grip on the chains and looks down at parker, eyes narrowing. she nods.

his talons burst into flames and the chains go from black to red in several seconds. parker doesn't know what reaction he'll have, but hopefully it's shocking enough where she can reach up and try to rip the rest of that mask off this thing's face.
Isaac Merlo
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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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POSTED ON Aug 27, 2023 3:39:04 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

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

[attr="class","skullbody"]The smell of burning flesh was worse than the fake Isaac's breath could have ever been.[break][break]

An unholy shriek erupted from the phantasm, loud enough that the realm seemed to shake and piercing enough that it would rattle Parker to the bone. As he shriek, Puppet Isaac writhed back and forth like a cocoon ready to rupture. Poor Amulius' talons would be torn to ribbons if he didn't let go soon, but at least the damage he sought had been done. The burning hot chains, embedded in Puppet Isaac at every angle, were clearly causing him agony.[break][break]

Further agony would come as Parker's fingers hooked underneath the latex. The material felt strangely warm, and despite her best efforts to pull on it would have a lot less give than your average mask. With each tug, it seemed to come a little further off of Isaac's face. Strands of black and strands of red intertwined, each fighting to stop the mask from separating.[break][break]

For a second, Parker would see the raw, wet muscle glistening beneath his mask.[break][break]

Between the searing and the tearing, it was clear Puppet Isaac had enough. The flesh that once gripped so tightly to Parker was now barely an obstacle as he swung far, far away from her. One hand limply flopped up to his mask, trying his damndest to press it back onto his face. Between groans of pain, he forced himself to laugh.[break][break]

"Is that so? Then why'd you join a team so full of 'em?"[break][break]

The shadows at the edge of the horizon continued shambling forward. Slowly but surely they began to take form; Rocket Grunts. Tall and short, thick and thin, young and old, brought together from all walks of life. If Parker could close her eyes and imagine a dozen different people, they would likely all be present in the horde. They stood shoulder to shoulder, not an inch of space between them, surrounding Parker and Puppet Isaac on all sides. If there was ever a time for escape, it had clearly passed.[break][break]

Those weren't the only "friends" coming. Isaac rolled his longcoat off of his back, part to shed the burning garment and part to put the Rocket uniform he wore beneath it on full display. Out from the R, right where his heart sat inside his chest, six chains tore their way through his shirt. Compared to the chains Parker had seen before, there was one key difference;[break][break]

These were tipped with Pokeballs.[break][break]

A sickly red light engulfed the Border as each of these Pokeballs burst open. A Combusken. A Pignite. A Metagross. An Aggron. A Genesect. Even a Totodile, who were it not for his dull, glass-eyed stare would be the spitting image of Watson. In perfect sync, still chained to their master's chest, the six turned to face Parker.[break][break]

"Its a shame, you know. They wanted to meet you so, so badly." Puppet Isaac's voice was contemplative, almost sorrowful. "Why don't you show her?" Fire. Water. Lightning. Ice. Earth. A barrage of elemental blasts bore down on Parker from the combined might of Puppet Isaac's team. It was a firing squad courtesy of the hive mind.[break][break]

In the line of fire it would be so easy to miss four more flashes of red light, brighter and more vibrant than the last.[break][break]

Another Combusken, settled into a martial artist's stance. Another Pignite, bouncing back and forth as she pounded a fist into her palm. Another Metagross, stomping the ground a few times to brace itself against the ground. An Iron Thorns, standing protectively in front of Parker as its spines pulsed a soothing green. Touching down to join the group was a Genesect, a sight for sore eyes hanging off his back.[break][break]

"Return fire!"[break][break]

Isaac's team fired back against their doppelgangers' barrage, their own attacks nullifying the onslaught before it could come close enough to threaten Parker. Even the real Watson was present, turning over his shoulder to flash Parker a wink and a smile. He scuttled to Isaac's side as he hopped off of Genesect's park, falling back to come to Parker's side.[break][break]

"You shouldn't be here," he warned her, a touch of concern in his voice. "But fuck it. So long as you're here, how 'bout you and I thrash ugly's ass?"

[break]

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[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / parker jones

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

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POSTED ON Aug 28, 2023 22:27:46 GMT

despite it all, this does not rank in her top three worst days ever. it's top five, for sure. no doubt about that. but three? puppet isaac doesn't get the godsdamned satisfaction of that. so maybe that's why she's not absolutely pissing herself and thinking i'm gonna die. dying was never on the table. dying was never a thought.

(okay, maybe when she couldn't pull her fist out, it briefly crossed her mind.)

but now she's free and amulius is at her side, sporting a matching black eye of his own courtesy of the thrashing puppet. she grins up at him, raising fists in tandem. and then makes a face at the goop still left on her left fist and gives that one a shake.

but then puppet isaac hauls his ass up into top three. six pokeballs burst from ichor-covered chains, hollow husk pokemon emerging for the final reaping. parker's stomach drops and she reaches for her own belt, heart thudding in her ears, thinking this would make for a really good fucked up horror movie.

she's not fast enough. there's a flash as every single one of them fires off attacks and parker instinctually flinches, hand raised. amulius is a blur beside her, desperate to protect his trainer, but a concussive sound hits her ears. she squeaks open her eyes and stares up at a massive...tyrantrum? metal scales glitter and its body hums as it hunkers protectively over her.

and fucking finally, she hears isaac. all flesh and blood, not the tinny timbre from a cracked voice box. relief sweeps through her, but there's really no time to rejoice.

she's not sentimental anyway.

too many cooks in the kitchen will make this messier than need be and parker's not great at commanding all her pokemon at once. so she rips eldin's ball off her belt and the tyranitar emerges with a shuddering growl. it's likewise caught off guard by the iron thorns, but this time the mechanical creature isn't an adversary.

"y'know how they say everyone's got skeletons in their closet?" parker says as amulius punches a curled talon into his hand, rearing to go.

"yeah, you shoulda put a fuckin' lock on yours."
Isaac Merlo
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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

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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POSTED ON Aug 28, 2023 23:23:31 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

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

[attr="class","skullbody"]"What? This little guy?" Isaac didn't even look over his shoulder, instead just nudging his head towards Puppet Isaac. "Ah, please. Wake me up when you find a skeleton worth the getting the lock and key, alright?"[break][break]

He was trying to be lighthearted. That much was clear. Despite that, his smile was the slightest bit strained. His eye shone with the slightest hint of worry. Even the air around him didn't seem quite as light and breezy. Was he trying to be strong for Parker, who he could tell was having one hell of a day? Or was he trying to be strong for himself?[break][break]

"Hey, look at that! You actually showed up!" Puppet Isaac didn't seem threatened in the slightest by the fact that he was outnumbered, 2 to 1 and 8 to 6. If anything, he sounded overjoyed. "And here I thought you were just gonna keep on running. Not even drop on in and say hi to yourself! What were you even looking for back there, buddy?"[break][break]

"You know I'm all you're gonna find."[break][break]

"Yeah, big whoop. If I wanted to ask an ugly mirror what it thinks, the carnival's in town." He took a step closer towards his doppelganger, undaunted. "Now scram already, or-"[break][break]

"Or what? Your little girlfriend's bigger girlfriend is gonna beat me up? Boo hoo, I'm shaking in my boots!" Puppet Isaac drifted closer as well. Unlike Isaac's determined stride, his doppelganger had shifted into an almost laying position, wiping his eye in a big, exaggerated pantomime. "How about this, oh worse half of mine?"[break][break]

"You try to make me scram. And I make you regret thinking you could ever talk to me like that."[break][break]

With that, all hell broke lose. The doppelganger's Metagross contorted and folded in on itself, its claws swelling to an enormous size. Now Mega evolved, it careened towards Isaac's team like a flying bullet. Its hands swirled around its head to prepare a vicious Hammer Arm, stopped only by Isaac's own Metagross charging up to intercept it. Without Infinity Energy, he was far weaker than his counterpart, but nonetheless pushed back against each vicious slam with all his might.[break][break]

The rest of Isaac's team was quick to pair off. The Colonel and his counterpart slammed each other clean in the face with a pair of mirrored Blaze Kicks. Baconator and hers unleashed a barrage of Hammer Arms, each blow intercepted by a matching one. MUGEN fired a Zap Cannon towards its counterpart, only to have the attack neutralized by a diffuse network of Magnet Bombs. Akane caught the Aggron hurtling her way, blunting its Heavy Slam as she pushed against it with Wild Charge after Wild Charge. Even the Watsons were dueling, their Aqua Tails kicking up a heavy splash of water as they collided.[break][break]

It was anarchy, and Puppet Isaac drifted over it all without a care in the world. "All that yammering on about how special your Pokemon are, and what's there to show for it?" His chains spread wide, allowing him to make a grandiose motion towards the battlefield. "Any old one of 'em can do what you do. Ain't that right, guys?"[break][break]

On the horizon, the Rocket Grunts nodded in unison. With each nod, their bones cracked. Their bodies shifted. What were once a wide, diverse range of builds was slowly, almost unnoticeably contorting into a standardized template of a human being. As they stood, shoulder to identical shoulder, they finally looked up to face the battlefield once more.[break][break]

Perhaps "face" was the wrong term, for they now had none at all.[break][break]

Nervous sweat gathered beneath Isaac's mask. He had no idea what was going on here, but something about it shook him to the core. His Pokemon, too, seemed to be feeling the burn. Slowly but surely they began losing ground, pushed back by counterparts that fought with mechanical precision and deadly efficiency. For a second, Isaac considered Mega Evolving his own Metagross, if only to try and tip the scales.[break][break]

Then he remembered the blazing red gem his team had found beneath the waves.[break][break]

New plan. Isaac took a step back, stopping to twist a few clasps along his shimmering wrist brace. With a final pop, it came off. "Pssst, Parker! Back here!" Isaac whispered, offering the brace to her with one hand and the glimmering gem with another. "No time to explain. Just . . . give Mul that gem and put your whole damn heart into it."[break][break]

"If you're ever gonna pick a time to trust me, pick now, okay?"

[break]

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[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / parker jones

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

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played by

crow

six

she/her

twenty-five

march 21

mauville

gay

debt collector

grunt

5'6 height

chaotic stupid, i'll get used to feeling useless

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DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @parker