MARCH UPDATE

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Sept 25, 2023 22:50:21 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

The air is hard to breathe. Lungs are on fire. Here, on the outskirts of Fallarbor Town, five enter. They are dressed to remain inconspicuous. The dread and sweat trickles downwards. Autumn may be here, but the heat presses down on him. Not the weather.[break][break]

The hell he finds himself in.[break][break]

Ashley had been assigned a mission. But not just any mission. It was to kill... Isaac Merlo . His best friend. The best friend that defected while he took time away. The best friend he took the eye of. The best friend he loved like a brother. The best friend that he had to put under wraps.[break][break]

Five operatives to hunt one traitor might seem excessive, but this traitor eluded some of the stronger Rockets. And today. Ashley was set to take him in. He led this mission.[break][break]

On the one hand, some might consider this a conflict of interest. But to others, this was merely a roadblock. A quick photo of Ashley's half-sibling and his fiancee, kepler brueshaber , and it shut Ashley down. Added to that, the number of operatives that went weren't just to ensure the capture.[break][break]

They were to ensure loyalty. Just like they did back then. The operative he worked with before ratting him out to THEO BECKETT . The one that led to Jubilee's death.[break][break]

Only this time. It was a half-sibling he never got to know. And a fiancée he wanted to spend his life with.[break][break]

Here. He stands awaiting Isaac, at the gates of hell, the maws twisted arms coming to pull him in. Silver eyes never looked so full of anguish, but behind them sat a resolve that not even declan walsh could take away from him. No one.[break][break]

Ashley knew something they did not.[break][break]

15 rounds.[break][break]

Four bullets to use. Eleven to miss.[break][break]

With a shoddy breath. Ashley awaits Isaac's arrival. Unable to tell him what was up. But hoping, praying to any god that would listen. Please be prepared. He shakes the nerves, swallows his pride.[break][break]

And prepares for the bloodbath.

Isaac Merlo [break][break]

NOTES

- VIBE, MUSIC, MISSION[break]
- Ashley has texted Isaac to come out here... right outside Fallarbor Town. Maybe he can see this coming. But...[break]
- He is in agony over this. He is threatened, and is planning something. 15 shots in the mag.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

[googlefont=Poppins]
[newclass=".ashley1"]--accent:#4066E0;font:12px Poppins;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 b"]color:var(--accent);font:800 14px Roboto;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 i"]color:var(--accent);[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 u"]text-underline-offset:3px;text-decoration-color:var(--accent);[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 a"]font:12px Poppins;color:var(--accent);[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 h1"]font:16px Poppins;color:var(--accent);font-weight:800;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 h2"]font:14px Poppins;color:var(--accent);font-weight:800;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 .ashley1body"]background-image:url("https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png");background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;text-align:justify;letter-spacing:.5px;line-height:18px;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 .ashley1pkmn img"]margin:-10px -7px 0px -7px;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 .ashley1credit"]width:100px;background-color:#232323;font-size:10px;margin-top:7px;padding:3px;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ashley1 .ashley1credit a"]font-size:10px;[/newclass]

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

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

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Sept 28, 2023 4:19:43 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 nice thing about Dewford City was that it was never too far from the ocean.[break][break]

Like poetry, it rhymed. The witching hour had struck, and Isaac was fated to meet with a man he loved like a brother. Last time, he'd been put through the worst hell he'd ever had to endure. Five of his loves ones were torn away from him. His body was brutalized and broken. Worse still, he was forced to see the wreck that Caleb Harcourt had been reduced to.[break][break]

Yet even through the tragedy, it had been a night of unexpected triumphs. Against all odds, Caleb made it out in one piece. The love of his teammates allowed him to cheat death at the last possible moment. Then, when all seemed lost, a legend tended to his wounds and pledged itself to his cause.[break][break]

It was that very same legend he looked for tonight, at the hour when the veil between man and myth was at its weakest.[break][break]

Perhaps it sensed his distress. Perhaps it already knew he would be coming. Perhaps the winds of chance blew them together once more. Whatever the reason, Isaac felt Suicune far before he saw it. By the time the mists drifted across the sea, he already knew who they were heralding.[break][break]

The mist grew thicker and heavier by the second. Soon, Isaac could barely see his own hand. All he could make out were a hazy silhouette and a pair of intensely glowing eyes. "There you are," Isaac said, relief crashing over him like a tidal wave. "Sorry it's been a while. They've been making it real hard to sneak out lately. Which, y'know. Fair."[break][break]

For what he'd done, it was understandable. It was risky for them and downright dangerous for him. He'd have to earn his freedom back in more ways than one.[break][break]

"So there's this guy, right?" Isn't that how it always started? "Ash. My best friend for the last two years. He's like a brother to me, and we've had each other's backs no matter what. But . . . he's been getting into some dark shit for a while now. The kinda shit I should've protected him from."[break][break]

Arceus, that failure hurt like nothing else. So, too, did Suicune's silence.[break][break]

"He feels like he can't get away from his life. He tried, once, and they just dragged him back in. He tried to be what they wanted him to be, and it damn near broke him. They tried to tempt him, let him kill the man that ruined his life. That just broke him more. He's a really good guy. Better than me, for sure. But all that blood on his hands . . . the more he gets, the more trapped he feels. And the more trapped he feels, the more blood he sheds. It's like he's drowning in it. He's trapped."[break][break]

"But he's still there. And he says he wants to see me." Just saying it left his heart hammering. "You saw what Cillian Quinn did to me. They want me dead. And they know how close we are. Who's to say it wasn't just Cil or Zev Harcourt texting me from his phone? That it's not just bait? That I'm not just gonna be "meeting" him in the middle of a torture session? Or, fuck, his corpse?"[break][break]

"What if it's worse?" The thought felt like heresy, but he had to let it free. "What if they've turned him against me? It might be the only way to save his own life."[break][break]

Anguish tore through Isaac's chest at the thought. He didn't want to believe Ash could do that. He knew Ash would never want to do that. He also knew Rocket had broken Ash into doing so many things he hadn't wanted. Their grip on him, and his grip on himself, could be nightmarish.[break][break]

Through it all, Suicune remained unmoved.[break][break]

"Damnit, give me something to work with here!" Isaac swiped at the mist in frustration, his own water control pushing it away in great, billowing clouds. "I'm about to get myself killed because I can't turn my back on the guy! And you're just gonna stand there and let it happen? The hell'd you waste your time giving me those powers for if you're just gonna sit back and let me piss 'em all away, huh?"[break][break]

Swipe after swipe, cloud after cloud, and finally Isaac could see Suicune's face. There was understanding in its eyes and a wry smirk along its mouth. In that moment, Isaac realized the truth. ". . . You knew I'd already made up my mind, didn't you?" That wry smirk widened, a fraction of a hair.[break][break]

". . . Heh. Guess it's pretty stupid. Coming to you for advice when I already knew the answer." Suicune simply blinked in response, slowly and patiently. "Nah. Yeah. You're right. I needed that, if only so I could say it out loud. And you're really not gonna try and stop me or anything?"[break][break]

Suicune's only response was to turn and step to the side. It was as if it was ceding the waterways to Isaac. Isaac took a few hesitant steps forward, standing where Suicune once had. He reached out to softly set a hand upon the legend's crest. "Good. 'Cause I know you didn't give them to me so I could sit on my ass feeling sorry for myself. I'll be back, alright?" He leaned towards Suicune, forehead resting against its crest, and closed his eyes. From the slight shift in pressure, he could tell Suicune did the same.[break][break]

With the path ahead of him clear, Isaac ran like the wind. He could feel his patron's Tailwinds at his back. At this rate, he'd be at Fallarbor Town in no time.

[break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullinfo"]MOBILE POST / Ashley Shepard

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

[newclass=.skullhover]width:420px;-webkit-filter: grayscale(100%);filter: grayscale(100%);-webkit-transition:all 1s ease;transition:all 1s ease;-webkit-transition-delay:0.1s;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullhover:hover]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0%);filter: grayscale(0%)-webkit-transition:all 1s ease;transition:all 1s ease;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullimg]width:380px;height:200px;background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/HOVZp0J.png); background-repeat:no-repeat;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skulltitle]font-family:verdana;font-weight:700;font-size:50px;position:relative;text-align:center;color:#D9B800;margin-top:-36px;margin-bottom:0px;text-shadow: -1px 0 black, 0 1px black, 1px 0 black, 0 -1px black;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skulloverlap]letter-spacing:1px;font-family:oswald;font-weight:200;font-size:12px;position:relative;text-align:center;margin-top:-0;margin-bottom:-5px;color:#e8e8e8;text-shadow: -1px 0 black, 0 1px black, 1px 0 black, 0 -1px black;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullbody]div-align:center;text-align:justify;width:380px;line-height:15px;letter-spacing:.5px;font-size:12px;font-family:roboto;color:#d6d6d6;[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullinfo]width:380px;font-family:oswald;font-size:12px;font-weight:200;color:#767676;text-align:right[/newclass]
[newclass=.skullcredits]width:380px;font-family:roboto;font-size:12px;text-align:center;[/newclass]

[googlefont=Oswald]
[googlefont=Roboto]

close tab

played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Oct 5, 2023 22:13:07 GMT

jayden cross likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

Burning alone...[break][break]

Believe it or not, Ashley had one more reason he couldn't leave yet. It's selfish, but a part of him knew that there was a way to save jayden cross. The guilt of knowing he turned his back on Jayden back then burns more, corrosive upon his insides, and twisting around each and every one. He knows he can. Isaac saved Caleb Harcourt...[break][break]

Why can't he get Jayden?[break][break]

It's one of the biggest moments since he saw Jayden in that lighthouse near Dewford. It's the part of him that burns the most. He wants to do right what he should have done years and years ago. He doesn't want to leave if it means Jayden stays and becomes worse. But the longer he swims in Rocket depths, the easier it is to drown. He found that out when Cillian Quinn, Theo, and Zev accompanied him to his father's murder. When he found how easy it was to drown in those dark depths.[break][break]

Ashley wasn't a murderer. Well, he was, but he didn't fit the Rocket that was today.[break][break]

The air is hot. The hell burns closer. A step further in, and he knows he has to embrace that fire. If he doesn't more people die. What was his brother's life to four operatives? Four operatives with people who cared about them, sure. But Ash is sympathetic no more.[break][break]

This world is kill or be killed.[break][break]

On the outskirts, within that deadly field of ash, the fire he surrounds himself in swirls and swirls, as he feels a presence nearby. Reinhardt, the Nidoking, looks him over with sulky eyes. Ashley remembers what he was told in the SPECTRA ops. How he cared too much about these beasts.[break][break]

With a hand on Reinhardt's head, Ash smiles.[break][break]

He's not a monster. He'd rather fail a thousand times than to throw that away. He'd rather be beaten by his Rocket associates, than to ever be like them.[break][break]

A buzz on his comms. "Here he comes." Ashley tenses up. His heart does flips harder than a Palafin. His stomach knots further.[break][break]

"Roger. Showtime, people." Ashley stands, removing emotion from his face. Dark eyes awaiting the deed to be done.

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- VIBE, MUSIC, MISSION[break]
- Ashley's reasons are slightly selfish, but he does not wish to be like them. As Reinhardt approaches, Ashley pets him.[break]
- His grunts tell him the target is approaching. Ashley gets up.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

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

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 6, 2023 3:32:33 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]He could have blown in along the jetstream. He could have run laps around the town, too fast to catch, too fast to see, leaving no stone unturned as he tried to tell friend from foe. If something seemed off, he could just bounce, leaving nothing in his wake but a whisper in the wind.[break][break]

Yet as Fallarbor Town loomed in the distance, Isaac knew he couldn't do that. Not to Ash.[break][break]

Fear stirred in his guts and hammered in his chest, yet his stride remained unbroken. Since his bond with Suicune, a veil of supernatural calm had settled over his mind. He could feel the signs of fear. He could consciously identify it. However, the adrenaline surges that bridged the mind and body together were nowhere to be seen. Was it another of his powers? Or was it the consequence of having his mind, body, and soul intertwined with a crystal clear stream?[break][break]

"How" and "why" were questions Isaac didn't have the luxury of asking these days. Neither was "what if." Ash was waiting, and no sinking feeling in his gut could change that. Best case scenario, he'd get to see someone he'd missed all too dearly. Worst case scenario, he'd need to intervene. Rocket didn't take kindly to failure, and they weren't above punishing their own. And in the worryingly-plausible scenario somewhere in the middle?[break][break]

He'd just have to figure that out.[break][break]

With fearless eyes and a head held high, Isaac walked right into Fallarbor Town.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Ashley Shepard [break]
NOTES — notes go here

[newclass=".isaac2"] --color:#c4c067; [/newclass]
[newclass=".isaac2"] margin: 0px auto; background-color: #111; min-height: 500px; width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom:20px; } .isaac2 .textbox a, .isaac2 .textbox i { color:var(--color); } .isaac2 .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--color); } .topimage { background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155427871351906335/image.png); height: 250px; width: 400px; background-size: cover; background-position:50% 20%; margin: 0px auto; } .isaac2 .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding-bottom: 20px; background:#1E1E1E; padding:30px 50px; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; } .isaac2 .oocbox { border-top: 3px solid #333; padding-top: 10px; width: 260px; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]

close tab

played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Oct 6, 2023 3:52:37 GMT

jayden cross likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

For a moment. All is still. Hell sits upon the air. Tension was so dense that not even a blade could cut it, nor an axe, but a guillotine. The dread welled up in his throat, his eyes watchful. Waiting for his friend to near him, to approach. But hoping, wishing he would stay away in the same breath.[break][break]

The other operatives were waiting in the wings, but all Ash could do was play the decoy. He had made the plan.[break][break]

The tension hangs. The noose, drawn. Time to see if the stool falls away from under him, and lets him join that tension.[break][break]

Isaac approaches. He looks better than he had been. Than he ever had been in Rocket. A sentiment that Ash couldn't help but wonder, was this how he looked? Was it how he had looked before? Happier? There was too much baggage to just let it go like that, but Isaac had left with a tour de force. He was the reckoning. But now, that he left in such a way, taken someone with him...[break][break]

"Isaac."[break][break]

He can feel the name hanging in the air, joining the tension. And with a fake smile, he sells it. He sells that he is okay. That everything is fine, for a moment. But they both knew. They both knew where this was ending. Where it had to end.[break][break]

The barrel of the pistol is out, pointed at Isaac already. The smile fades.[break][break]

"Any last words?" Cold words, no sense of warmth exuding from any of that trio.[break][break]

The other four Rockets were at the ready. Two out in the open, pistols drawn. Two waiting. Making sure, insurance for Ashley to do it. To pull the trigger. The sweat trickles down his neck, his face shows no sign of cracking. Not even a little. To show a crack in the armor, was to admit to the four here what he was.[break][break]

"On your mark, boss."[break][break]

"Give us the signal, we'll end it."[break][break]

"Do it, Rocket."[break][break]

"Shoot."[break][break]

Ashley's ear is flooded with commands from his four. His stomach turns upside down.[break][break]

His eyes focus on Isaac. Awaiting judgment. Awaiting the reversal.

Isaac Merlo [break][break]

NOTES

- VIBE, TENSION RISING, MISSION[break]
- Ashley sees Isaac come in. Offers a smile, then a pistol in his direction. Two others come out, aiming firearms at Isaac.[break]
- They're in his ear. He asks for last words. He awaits.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

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

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 8, 2023 18:54:18 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]"I should've known."[break][break]

Of course this would be a possibility. Hell, it may well have been a guarantee. This was the toll Rocket demanded of those who joined its ranks. It didn't matter that they were best friends. If anything, it was all the more reason to send Ash after him. If he couldn't pull the trigger, he couldn't put Rocket first. If he couldn't put Rocket first, then he'd just be another loose end to clean up.[break][break]

It was an eerily familiar conundrum. Isaac would be dead either way, if Rocket had their say. If Ash didn't pull the trigger, would he be saving Isaac? Or would he just throw his own life away to delay the inevitable? Isaac had been in those shoes before, and he knew the answer he'd chosen.[break][break]

The gun was already trained on him. No amount of running could save him now. By the time the winds took him, it would be too late.[break][break]

There'd be no escaping. There'd be no fighting back. There were only two ways out of this, and one of those was death. Slowly but surely, Isaac raised his hands behind his head. Nothing in his palm. Nothing up his sleeve. One knee touched the dirt, then the next. It was a complete and utter surrender.[break][break]

"Just one. More of a last request, really." Isaac looked Ash dead in the eye, facing his friend and his fate with a smile. "Clearly, I'm not gonna be able to make it. So could you just tell me what your wedding's gonna be like?" If this was really going to be it for Isaac, he'd at least want to know his brother was happy.[break][break]

But was this going to be it for him? His fingers drummed against the back of his head, a nervous tic that hid the mists swirling around his fingers. If he could just get Ash talking long enough to weave some water between his fingers, he might have a way out of this mess. All he'd need to do was knock the gun from his hand and then he could run for the hills. Easy, right?[break][break]

Arceus, it hurt like nothing else to need a contingency plan against his own best friend.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Ashley Shepard [break]
NOTES — notes go here

close tab

played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Oct 8, 2023 20:35:02 GMT

jayden cross likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

Cold silver eyes look down the barrel of a gun, loaded to full with no chance of a roulette mistake. The game was for keeps, every shot would count. Every shot had to count. He had to be prepared to miss. But what makes it worse...[break][break]

Is that Isaac surrenders.[break][break]

Knees to dirt, hands to head, come what may, he lets it. If death was what came next, so be it. His breathing hitches, his heart enters his throat. Isaac was not intending anything crazy to get out of this nightmare. The regret pulls Ashley down further.[break][break]

The question makes it even worse. What his wedding would be like? Staring him dead in the eyes, Ashley holds fast. The barrel never leaves Isaac, but that shine. The tears start to well up. And Ashley starts to smile.[break][break]

"Figure that shit out yourself, best man." The Rockets present all turn to face Ashley. A heartwarming smile on his lips, as the barrel changes targets. And with a quick shot, one Rocket makes a gurgling sound, dropping their firearm, and grabbing at their neck as they fall to their knees.[break][break]

It's that same coldness that Isaac saw before during the mission to hunt down his father and off him in cold blood, now transfused upon the face of a brother in arms, shackled to Rocket, and attempting to break the shackles to keep Isaac safe. He circles the drain harder, he closes in upon the drain, he nears the edge of that oblivion, knowing that death is coming, riding in for him if he doesn't think up a solution. But at the moment, in this moment, as the Rocket falls... the shock ends. Sawyer the Rocket is no more.[break][break]

A traitor once before. A traitor once more.[break][break]

"Sawyer's a traitor!"[break][break]

"I knew it!"[break][break]

"Contact HQ no-!"[break][break]

Another shot, the other one nearby. Drops. Ashley stomachs it better than he ever had before. His silver eyes on Isaac. "Two more. Help." It's a whisper. A plead. He's begging, with every part of himself he can. If they get in contact with Rocket... it will be over.[break][break]

Gunfire sounds out in the night, as he aims to where one of his remaining teammates are, firing out. Twelve. Eleven. Ten. Nine. All misses. Dammit. With one order, Reinhardt the Nidoking charges that direction. His stomach continues to unravel.

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- VIBE, TENSION RISING, MISSION[break]
- That's harrowing... Ashley gives Isaac a smile, and tells him to figure it out himself. And shoots one of his teammates dead.[break]
- Then. As they respond on comms, Ashley shoots another, and looks to Isaac, pleading, begging for help.[break]
- Two more. Nine bullets left, and he needs it more than ever. Begging silver eyes never looked so broken.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

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

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 8, 2023 21:18:01 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]The second Isaac saw those tears, he knew he never should've doubted.[break][break]

There'd be time to apologize later. For now, Isaac continued knitting at the space between his fingers. The mists between them began to settle into globes of water, one settling into the palm of each hand. As he hopped up to his feet, he launched the balls, slinging them with almost pinpoint accuracy towards each Rocket's communicator. Their attempts at warning command of Ashley's treason would instead be reduced to garbled static.[break][break]

There was no time to waste. Their confusion would soon give way to aggression. If Isaac didn't act soon, a little scare from his best friend would be the least of his troubles. His kneel shifted into a runner's stance, and with that Isaac was off. Even before the winds could take him, he found himself running faster than the average man. Would Reinhardt expect to see his pace matched, even exceeded?[break][break]

The Rockets manning the stations sure didn't. As one tossed aside their communicator and drew a Pokeball from their belt, it was already too late. Isaac had grabbed them by the wrist, forcefully cranking their arm behind their head. The tight pressure on their wrist, and the creak of a shoulder joint at its breaking point, made it clear how this was going to end. They dropped the ball, Isaac catching it with a popped-up foot before it could release.

"Good boy." If the Rocket thought he was free when Isaac released his wrist lock, he was in for a rude awakening. Instead, the very same hand shot around the grunt's neck, pulling him into a brutal rear naked choke. His already lifted foot smashed into the back of the grunt's knee, robbing him of his base and forcing him deeper into the choke. He'd be out like a light in seconds.[break][break]

Between Ash taking out the other two (using methods that, frankly, Isaac was in no position to complain about for a change) and Reinhardt already barreling down towards the final one, they'd seemed to have wormed their way out of this little pickle. Just in case, Isaac kept an eye out for any reinforcements as he gingerly set his foe down. Rocket never tipped their whole hand at once, surely.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Ashley Shepard [break]
NOTES — notes go here

close tab

played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Oct 9, 2023 4:34:09 GMT

jayden cross likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

Another shot, nothing. No dice, but Isaac pulls off something stronger; cutting both communicators. Any link to this scene was over, but if anyone was in Fallarbor Town proper, the authorities could be called at a moment's notice. Every movement was messy, uncalculated, but it was all given more solidification. Isaac outpaces Reinhardt, the Nidoking finding himself skidding to a halt as he neared the final one, Isaac handling the other.[break][break]

No half measures. With a hefty MEGAHORN, Reinhardt didn't think twice. And the gruesome sight of a bloodied Pokeball falls near the newly bisected remains. And as Ashley nears the duo, seeing the one now unconscious, Ashley ensures he knows the lesson well.[break][break]

Once Isaac was a step away. Seven. One for the head of that last Rocket. Four more kills. Four more dead following Ashley, but a moment of respite afforded to those who took it by force.[break][break]

His own communicator was off, and he takes a moment to explain.[break][break]

"Not taking chances anymore." He was panicked in expression and tone, the anxiety fully pumped into the air. His silver irises were shrunk, as he leans against a cliffside wall, eyes unable to focus as they went over everything. His breathing was shallow, the panic attack coming in waves of pointed authority, ensnaring him in the moment.[break][break]

"They're threatening my half-sister. And they didn't outwardly state it, but they hinted... Kep too." He can feel the cold sweat of his actions, weighing further down, ensnaring him further into the deadly trap. "Test of loyalty." He tries to say, only to grab at his mouth, swallowing back the bile and disdain. If only it were that easy. He'd never be clean. He'd never be free. And his silver eyes shoot back up to Isaac. Terror.[break][break]

Ashley had only fallen that far once, and he's far more coherent this time. Meteno felt so long ago.[break][break]

And then he slaps a fist into a wall. "... I can't leave. Not yet. I promised I wouldn't leave him to rot this time." His eyes flash with recognition. jayden cross. He had to pull Jayden out of this no matter what. But how? How can he get that?[break][break]

"Reinhardt is good at making graves by now... but dude. You need to beat my face in."

Isaac Merlo [break][break]

NOTES

- VIBE, BOOM, MISSION[break]
- Reinhardt comes in to bisect one of the remaining grunts with a MEGAHORN, as Ashley shoots the other unconscious one. No half measures anymore.[break]
- Explains what position he's in, why he can't leave... and panicked, he needs Isaac to beat him up. In wrestling, this what's known as selling. And boy, did Ashley need to learn business.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

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

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 15, 2023 5:03:57 GMT

jayden cross likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]No chances. Isaac winced sympathetically, but he understood. If even a single one of these Grunts made it out of this alive, they'd squeal. If they squealed, Ash would be a dead man walking. If that happened because Isaac chose mercy at the wrong time, he'd never forgive himself.[break][break]

They'd bury them, at least. It was the least he could promise.[break][break]

"More like a test of how hard they can break you." Isaac knew Ash. He knew his tender heart. He knew the darkness in his soul. He knew how every life he took was a weight on his mind he could never, ever hope to shed. True loyalty didn't come from threats. They just wanted to know, if push came to shove, they'd be able to break Ash into a disposable assassin.[break][break]

"I'm not gonna let them get hurt." They wouldn't be the first prisoners Isaac had taken the heat off of. They wouldn't be the last. Ash himself was a testament to that fact, because Isaac would rather die than let him fester in this hell. "You still know that, right?"[break][break]

He left, and he'd caused so much harm in his wake. He had to make up for it, one way or another.[break][break]

At Ash's next words, Isaac wanted to shake him by the shoulders. He wanted to remind him what that "lights in the darkness" plan had done for them so far. He wanted to take advantage of this moment, where the chains had slipped off for but a second, and take Ash far, far away from any of the harm Rocket could inflict on him.[break][break]

But he stayed his hand. Even now, he couldn't say no to Ashley.[break][break]

"You just love making this hard for me, don't you?" He tried his hardest to joke, but he knew neither of them were laughing. Instead, he pulled Ash into a tight, protective hug, practically burying his face into the other man's chest. It was the only way to hide the tears. "Even thinking about you getting hurt fucking kills me, man."[break][break]

Yet there was no choice. If Isaac didn't act, Rocket would do worse. He lingered in the hug for as long as he could, shoulders shaking and eyes squeezed shut. They were the only real people in a city of the sleeping and the dead, a purgatory built for two. For a moment, he wished he could stay there, but he knew it was an impossibility.[break][break]

He took a deep breath, steeled himself for the worst, and smashed a knee right into Ash's gut.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Ashley Shepard [break]
NOTES — notes go here

close tab

played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Oct 19, 2023 9:27:52 GMT

jayden cross likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

He knows already that this is a test. To push him into the Rocket they want him to be. To stop holding onto his heart, and fall down the fence on the wrong side, to go over to the wrong side of the tracks. It was twofold. Ashley was killing someone tonight. And he did. They would forever follow him, until the day of his wake. He couldn't escape.[break][break]

This way, at least one of them got to be free.[break][break]

Isaac's promise is nice. It's good to sit in the air, let it bake in the sun, but the sun always goes down eventually. The sunrise isn't for awhile, and the demons swell in his heart. The dark pulls him further, the thorns yank him upwards to the rope that only tightens further. Silver eyes peer hollowed, rising higher and higher.[break][break]

He's at the landing now.[break][break]

His heart is in his throat when Isaac responds in a joke. There's no joke here. It was a test for admin-ship... one that Ashley threw away. He promised to reach the top, to keep kepler brueshaber safe. But that safety was worthless if he came back as nothing. A conundrum. He promised Kep he'd stop this, coming back with less and less of himself, but in wanting to keep him safe he had to step further. He had to let the thorns deepen. If he doesn't...[break][break]

This was the only way he could think to get everyone out alive, safe, and okay.[break][break]

"I know." He responds to the hug. He grips the shirt a moment too long. Trembling fingers hold on. But he lets go. Because it was time.[break][break]

The knee comes in, and Ash is gasping for air, wheezing. He fights himself to vomit. He remembers the face of Kep on vacation. The happy place... the love of his life. The happiness of holding him in his arms on an Alolan hammock. His happy place. His tears pour down his face as the beatings continue. He remembers the face of his half-sister, a picture he could only self-actualize, never having met her personally. How he wanted to know the sister he knew he'd never get to meet, and how much he wanted to be a part of her life. The beatings continue, and his hope to pull jayden cross back to the light, to make up for his mistake and not abandon him again. He can feel the bile in his throat, and the iron on his tongue, as he wept. The beating continues. Reinhardt turns. The Nidoking not wishing to see this.[break][break]

He made so many mistakes. He couldn't stop thinking about them, as he cries to no one. What comes next, the agony of night. The darkness swells around him. The promise of dawn forever on the horizon.[break][break]

Just think of Alola...

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- VIBE, BOOM, MISSION[break]
- He wants to believe in Isaac. He truly does feel hopeless, but maybe... there's a chance.[break]
- Taking his beating, faced with all his guilt, he thinks of his happy place... and goes to that vacation in Alola...

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

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

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 19, 2023 17:48:26 GMT

jayden cross and Tempest Quinn like this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]With every hand he laid on Ashley, Isaac hated himself more.[break][break]

Your fault.[break][break]

He'd decided he was too good for the Krabby bucket, and now people he loved had to pay the price. He should've just bit his tongue, swallowed his pride, and slunk back into the shadows where he belonged. Then those he loved in the light would be spared his presence, and the rest of thr bottom feeders wouldn't resent his absence.[break][break]

Your fault.[break][break]

It didn't matter that he was fired before he could quit. They didn't care that he was gone. They cared that he lived to tell the tale. Rocket wouldn't be satisfied until the job was done; those last breaths stifled, the last drops of blood squeezed dry. This was his life now.[break][break]

Your fault.[break][break]

With Tempest Quinn, it had been a collaboration. They were in on it together, and they got to raise hell once their little ruse was up. This was nothing like that. Isaac was forced to maul someone he thought the world of, and he wouldn't even get to see what happened next. All he knew was that Rocket would hate him more and Ash would never be safe.[break][break]

Your fault.

He wished so badly it was himself he was raining blows down on. It'd be so much easier.[break][break]

Your fault. Your fault! YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT![break][break]

Evenrually, Ash stopped moving.[break][break]

Isaac wondered if he should just pick him up right here and run for the hills. Rocket didn't play fair. They didn't honor their word unless they stood to gain from it. Ash's sister would never be safe. Neither would kepler brueshaber. So long as Ash demanded to bargain, those chips would always be on the table. How could Isaac send him back to that?[break][break]

Because if he didn't, Ash would never forgive him.[break][break]

Instead, Isaac scooped up Ash's fallen body. He studied it carefully, then pulled it in for another tight hug. "Fuck you, man," he said, voice choking and cracking. "I love you."

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Ashley Shepard [break]
NOTES — notes go here

close tab

played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley

POSTED ON Oct 20, 2023 20:20:03 GMT

jayden cross likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ashley1"]

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

At some point, Ashley barely was conscious. He felt brutalized. His body was sore. He wheezed. He had been unconscious sometime in that, standing up and taking it. The dream of Alola, the dream of holding him so tightly... crumbled, but unbroken.[break][break]

By the time that Ashley laid there. Silver eyes peer up, glazed. Isaac scoops him up. His bruised arms are in pain, as he reaches up to grab Isaac's shirt. He grips it as tightly as he can... his hands are shaking.[break][break]

"You too... man..." Tears begin to flow, as he cries there.[break][break]

He feels so helpless.[break][break]

He hurts, he pains, he wants nothing more than to fix this. To make it right. Rocket pulled him back in, but the scars lasted longer than ever. All because he wants to save jayden cross. To make up for what he had done years ago. He had to come back. He had to pull Jayden out of this. He could do it.[break][break]

But he's crying so much, he can't fucking breathe right.[break][break]

How can he save his sister, Kep, and Jay? How can he possibly win against this? Is there any way to win without letting something go? Would he even be able to live with himself if he did? He already watched what happened when Jay was let go... he couldn't do that again. He couldn't run like a coward.[break][break]

But this? Could he even manage.[break][break]

"...N... no ma... matter what... keep them... safe... okay?"[break][break]

The rope is tied. Escape is no longer an option.

Isaac Merlo[break][break]

NOTES

- VIBE, BOOM, MISSION[break]
- He must have gone unconscious there... he had such a wonderful dream... as he grabs onto Isaac, responding in kind, he's crying.[break]
- The weight is pushing down... there is no escape from Rocket. They will keep winning.

[attr="class","ashley1pkmn"]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

close tab

played by

Wanderer

The Liberator

he/him/his

April 10

Lavaridge Town

Figuring it Out

Penitent

Renegade

949 height

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

awards

4,329 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @isaacmerlo

POSTED ON Oct 20, 2023 20:34:20 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","isaac2"]

[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","textbox"]"I will."[break][break]

Isaac's voice firmed up. His time to cry had come and gone. The second Ash's voice broke, Isaac knew it was his turn to be the strong one. His hand sank protectively into Ash's mop of silver hair, and he let his arm and chest support him through the tears. After how much he'd hurt him, it was the least he could do.[break][break]

"But not just them. You, too." With each word he said, his words grew firmer, his eyes shone brighter, his head held itself higher. "I'm gonna get you out of here. No matter what it takes. And not to bring you to some new hell. I'm gonna get you a good life, man. Where you can be happy. Safe. Making something of yourself. Surrounded by the people you love."[break][break]

"I'm gonna give you the world. Even if it kills me."[break][break]

Kills. Right. The bodies. Isaac took them to the far outskirts of town, one by one, where he would give them the burials they deserved. No mass graves. No funeral pyre. Just five holes, six feet under, and a little marker to memorialize them by. It wouldn't be a proper funeral. It couldn't be. It didn't stop him from wishing them the best wherever they were going next.[break][break]

Finally, Ash, who he put right by the edge of the freshest grave. He smeared dirt on his hands and face, then tucked the shovel he used beneath his arm. He'd fought Isaac off, but couldn't put him down. With the last of his strength, he buried the bodies of his comrades. It was a nice story. Maybe Rocket would believe it. Maybe they wouldn't. This whole thing had been a huge risk, but one Ash all but begged him to take.[break][break]

Tomorrow, Isaac would give Ash the world. Today, he'd have to sacrifice him to the devil. He could only hope it'd make up for everything he'd done.

[attr="class","oocbox"]
TAG — Ashley Shepard [break]
NOTES — notes go here

close tab

played by

Kiwi

Ash

He/Him/Them

December 2

Aspertia City, Unova

Pansexual

Picking up the pieces

5'11'' height

But I, I will, go on howling and hollow

awards

1,109 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ashley