MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Aug 30, 2024 18:26:23 GMT

These deaths weren't her fault. A fact that struggled to implant in her mind as she stared at the graves. The start of them, rather. Sootopolis had the rights to Mt. Pyre like the rest of Hoenn, even if they had to be buried betwixt the Rocket and League designated areas. Regardless, the mountain would gain a few pounds by the end of September.

A few other souls milled around the area, in search of names they either hoped to never see or to realize what was the reality of their lives. Those who cried did so silently, and those who mourned planted themselves like trees, unmoving in their grief. June preferred to sit herself, regardless of how fresh the dirt was. A thin layer of mud caked her pants, but who cared?

Not like the dead would say she looked stupid or silly.

"I don't know what to do, Dad," she said to no one. Silently, in a hushed tone. Respect to those who only desired the whisper of wind and symphony of thoughts that stirred in the mind. "Grigori said I'll get past it, or something. But it sure doesn't feel like it right now."

Survivors Guilt, he called it. But she didn't think she deserved to die in Sootopolis. No one did. But... it was the closest thing she got to an explanation for a feeling. And it'd have to do for now.

Violet and yellow eyes stared vacantly at the sky, which mourned alongside humanity today. Its light grey overcast soured the mood further, and the slight smell of soot topped of the depressing atmosphere. It was hard to breathe through the literally and metaphorical murk, but it was important she did.

Grigori said the dead had it easy. It were the ones who lived that had to burden the weight of grief. Dad's burden felt heavy today. So too did the rest of Sootopolis, despite it not being her burden at all. Why couldn't she go back to being numb? It was a lot easier.

But maybe she wouldn't have to, for now. A familiar head of blonde hair materialized. A stab of guilt shot through her heart, but then the comfort of a familiar face. "Annalise?"

annalise henderson

close tab

played by

space

anna

she/her

july 4

mauville city

bisexual

ranger

captain

5'4 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

1,511 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @annalise

POSTED ON Sept 2, 2024 18:21:10 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ambrosia annal"]

[attr="class","amilkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

[attr="class","textbox"]

annalise is coming down from the mountainside when june spies her. she has her head bowed and the back of her hand pressed against her nose, waiting for the hollow feeling in her chest to finally abate. she doesn't know why she came here — the dead don't keep a guestbook of visitors, only the living keep score — yet she was compelled to come anyways. to see DEREK HOFFMAN. to find a quiet spot to cry.[break][break]she hears her name. her shoulders jolt, startled out of her reverie by the sound. her head raises, red-rimmed eyes searching for the source. recognition ripples across her face as she spots june sitting by some graves. [break][break]"june?"[break][break]the dirt is freshly turned in that area. further down, out of view, more holes are being dug to accommodate the lost.[break][break]"you're out here too?"[break][break]it's not surprising that she's here, but it is an unfortunate coincidence to be caught sniffling and self-pitying in a place like this.

[attr="class","nametag"] june sleigh

[attr="class","oocnotes"]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","pkmnlist"]

[attr="class","tagline"]

[newclass=".annal"]--accent:#FFB546; [/newclass]

[newclass=".ambrosia"] width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; background-color:#1c1c1c; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom right; box-shadow:2px 2px 0px #333333, -2px 2px 0px #333333, 2px -2px 0px #333333, -2px -2px 0px #333333; position:relative; border-radius:10px; overflow:hidden;} .ambrosia .textbox i { color:var(--accent)!important; } .ambrosia .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--accent); font-weight:500; } .ambrosia .textbox a { font:600 13px/13px 'Poppins'!important; } .ambrosia .textbox u { text-decoration: underline solid var(--accent); letter-spacing: 1.2px; text-underline-offset:1.5px; font:13px/10px 'Roboto';} .ambrosia .top { height: 250px; background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155412642115104829/image.png); position:relative; } .ambrosia .line { height: 5px; background: #333; width: 300px; margin: 20px auto 0px; opacity:0.8; } .ambrosia .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding:40px 60px; padding-bottom:40px; } .ambrosia .pkmnlist { text-align:right; margin-top:-20px; } .ambrosia .pkmnlist img { filter:grayscale(1); } .ambrosia .pkmnlist img:hover {filter:none;} .ambrosia .oocbox { border-top:3px solid #333; padding-top:10px; width:260px; margin:20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
[newclass=".amilkycredit"]font-size:15px; position:absolute; z-index:99; top:10px; right:10px; opacity:0.5; border-radius:100px; color:var(--accent); } .amilkycredit a { transition:0.5s all; color:#6b6b6b!important; } .amilkycredit a:hover { transition:0.5s all; color:var(--accent)!important; [/newclass]

[newclass=".ambrosia .bottom"] height: 45px;background-color: #272727;border-top: 1px solid #333;background-image: url(https://i.ibb.co/7YB3gRD/flower.png);background-size: cover;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: bottom right;display: flex;flex-direction: row-reverse;flex-wrap: wrap;justify-content: space-between;align-content: center;align-items: center;padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; [/newclass]
[newclass=".ambrosia .tagline"] color:var(--accent); font:12px/10px 'Poppins'; } .ambrosia .tagline span { color: var(--accent); font:500 11px 'Poppins'; background: #222; padding: 2px 10px; border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid #333 } .ambrosia .tagline a { font:500 11px 'Poppins'; [/newclass]

[newclass=".ambrosia .oocnotes"] letter-spacing: 0.5px;margin-bottom: -20px;display: flex;column-gap: 10px; margin-top: 10px; align-content: center;flex-direction: row;flex-wrap: nowrap;align-items: center; } .ambrosia .oocnotes i { font-size:16px; } .oocnotes a { font:bold 11px/10px 'Poppins'!important;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ambrosia .nametag"] text-align:center; margin-top:20px; } .ambrosia .nametag a { font:600 15px/13px 'Poppins'!important; letter-spacing:-0.5px; [/newclass]

[googlefont="Playfair+Display"]

close tab

played by

rysa

June Bug

she/her

twenty-seven

April 21

Mauville City

Bisexual

Delivery-Person

civilian

5"4' height

Swallow the Heart and Kill the Senses

awards

525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @rysa

POSTED ON Sept 2, 2024 20:50:26 GMT

“...Yea.”

There wasn’t much else to say and little else to panic about. Violet was somewhere else. It liked to watch and wait for her whenever in public, content to spy on her and how she fumbled through life. It was the impression she got, rather. Despite her newfound avatar ship, she could still not speak Pokémon.

Could Shred ? Maybe she needed to track him down, try not to get killed doing so, and get a conversation running.

“Just, well, y’know,” she jutted her head towards the rest of the graves being constructed. “For them. And Dad.”

On the stone she leaned against was chiseled ‘GABRIEL SLEIGH’, alongside the years he lived. Past tense. December 27th, 2021 was the last day of his life, apparently. Despite it being her dead father, she tried to conjure the words for her friend. She looked like shit. Sad. Had she lost someone too?

“Guess you know what it’s like, a little,” she offered alongside a desperate ‘I’m trying my best here’ shrug. “It sucks. Sorry, I'm not good at this sort of thing.”

Oh, that’s what that sudden feeling was. Tension. Like she’d found a minefield right underneath her feet before she even knew what it was. They were pretty close to the Rocket section. That grew larger because of Kyogre. The thing the League wouldn’t try to stop.

“Who were they?”

annalise henderson

close tab

played by

space

anna

she/her

july 4

mauville city

bisexual

ranger

captain

5'4 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

1,511 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @annalise

POSTED ON Sept 4, 2024 1:49:57 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ambrosia annal"]

[attr="class","amilkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

[attr="class","textbox"]
"i'm not either."[break][break]june doesn't invite her to come sit, but the conversation feels like an open door. she shuffles over, head lowered again, pawing at her face like she will somehow look put together by the time she reaches the grave. [break][break]"we can be not-good together," she decides, voice watery, standing over june but not quite looking at her. instead, her eyes trace the engravings that aren't blocked by her body. [break][break]2021, it reads. a lifetime ago, but no time at all for june.[break][break] "DEREK HOFFMAN," she admits with a sniffle, averting her eyes to gaze down the rows of gravestones. "he was all over the news."[break][break]a muscle in her cheek clenches. [break][break]"he was the last thing i saw before i ended up in my cell. he just stood there when i got grabbed. and i hated him for it."[break][break]stilted, distant recollection. brain-to-tongue without leaving time for an emotional response to fester. [break][break]"but there was a gun to my head, so he couldn't do anything even if he wanted to."[break][break]through sterile glimpses into the past, she can put together the logic, but her feelings remain conflicted. [break][break]"i thought i'd have more time."[break][break]to get over it. to reconcile. it's foolish, in hindsight, to have been so optimistic that anyone on hoenn has a long lifespan ahead of them.

[attr="class","nametag"] june sleigh

[attr="class","oocnotes"]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","pkmnlist"]

[attr="class","tagline"]

close tab

played by

rysa

June Bug

she/her

twenty-seven

April 21

Mauville City

Bisexual

Delivery-Person

civilian

5"4' height

Swallow the Heart and Kill the Senses

awards

525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @rysa

POSTED ON Sept 7, 2024 22:28:49 GMT

June didn’t watch the news. But that seemed like a not very fun fact right now.

But recalling explain why she was so… all over the place about it. Hard to feel bad about the man that could do nothing but watch as you were dragged to hell. Even if they could do nothing, it was a cold comfort. Derek wasn’t the one who had to spend a few months in Rocket captivity. Annalise was.

But emotions were a fickle thing. They made everything difficult.

“Sorry, Annalise,” she said. Her hand reached forward in an attempt to grab the rangers. “There’s no way you could’ve known. Just… how it works. Tomorrow is always a day away, or something. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

A painful point of truth, one that Grigori never shut up about. Why couldn’t she have just gotten a simple fucking goodbye?

This isn't about her. This is about Annalise. Focus.

“A-anyway,” she sighed, “glad you’re here-- but not in the bad way! Not-doing-good-together sounds nice right about now.”

Don’t bring up Sootopolis. Don’t bring up Sootopolis. Dont’ bring up–

“Sootopolis has me feeling like I wish I had more time, too.”

Fuck. Fuck. Why did she bring that up? To relate? To connect? “Or something. It doesn’t matter.”

Fuck. Maybe she'd catch on that now wasn't the time? Please? Pretty please?

annalise henderson

close tab

played by

space

anna

she/her

july 4

mauville city

bisexual

ranger

captain

5'4 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

1,511 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @annalise

POSTED ON Sept 9, 2024 21:14:32 GMT

ameena abadi likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ambrosia annal"]

[attr="class","amilkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

[attr="class","textbox"]

annalise doesn't mean to dump everything on june. she just wants to speak her grievances into the wind, to be heard by their indifferent universe. she has kept so much of this to herself, ensuring her survival by burying her feelings so deep that she has difficulty digging them up now, but it feels good to let it go. to admit her complicated feelings towards DEREK HOFFMAN to someone — anyone. [break][break]june reaches for her hand and the touch is familiar and grounding. annalise takes a steadying breath and turns back to look at her, but her expression shifts precariously once her gaze finally lands on the delivery girl up close. [break][break]"sootopolis?" she repeats, stuck on the one thing june probably wishes would have been lost to the wind. "were you at sootopolis?"[break][break]but for annalise, the conversation is a bait-and-switch. [break][break]she crouches down in the dirt, eye level with june, and cups her face in hands that are surprisingly strong if she tries to pull away. she leans in close, scrutinizing. [break][break]"what happened to you?"[break][break]but maybe the better question is: what have you done?

[attr="class","nametag"] june sleigh

[attr="class","oocnotes"]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","pkmnlist"]

[attr="class","tagline"]

close tab

played by

rysa

June Bug

she/her

twenty-seven

April 21

Mauville City

Bisexual

Delivery-Person

civilian

5"4' height

Swallow the Heart and Kill the Senses

awards

525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @rysa

POSTED ON Sept 11, 2024 19:49:30 GMT

Annalise dumped her grievances into the wind; that was all the universe provided. June was an anomaly at best. She was not considered for how best to soothe the ranger’s troubles. Luck brought them together, nothing more. It was as indifferent as before.

In June’s eyes, anyway. Which widened as Annalise joined her on the ground and firmly grasped her face. Her first instinct was to back off, but no dice. It was surprisingly strong, like a vice. It didn’t stop her from trying again.

“I-I wasn’t… okay, I was there, but I didn’t do anything,” she said. A half lie. Those were a lot easier than the full-blown thing. “Just kept to myself and tried to help the people drowning.”

Tried. She hadn’t saved anyone. Grigori wasn’t the type to need her help. She was too late to stop Kyogre, and too late to save anyone who drowned. Her memory was faulty, but it was impossible to unsee the water-logged corpses left after the waters receded. Burned into her mind like Violet’s power.

“For all the good that did,” she finally reached up and pried Annalise’s strong hands from her skin. “Nothing happened to me. I’m fine–physically. But the civillians…”

“A few thousand innocent lives, gone. For nothing.”

Annalise had missed the intention behind the message the first time. June desperately wanted to avoid the topic– now wasn’t the time, when both of them were emotionally charged and red, teary eyes.

But it was the only way to keep her secret. It made her chest ache, and guilt flooded her mind. Sparks flew dangerously close to the kindling.

annalise henderson

close tab

played by

space

anna

she/her

july 4

mauville city

bisexual

ranger

captain

5'4 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

1,511 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @annalise

POSTED ON Sept 11, 2024 23:36:48 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ambrosia annal"]

[attr="class","amilkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

[attr="class","textbox"]

june's eyes are different. a lot different. she's changed, somehow, as much as she tries to resist her grasp and the inevitable rising in the back of her throat. annalise thinks of Melody Miro, the way her eyes twinkled with starlight after accepting meloettea's embrace. june did something. or something happened to june. either way, she's come back wrong. [break][break]her hands are pulled away. june summarizes sootopolis
with a sleight of hand that means to divide her attention away from what's behind the curtain.[break][break]for nothing.[break][break]annalise folds her arms over her knees, balancing herself on the balls of her feet. she searches for the right answer among the rows of graves. she only finds one, callous thought, whispered in agreeance to june's assessment: sootopolis should've remained claimed by the seas, just to spite the rockets that dare to call it home. that would've been more satisfying than a ceasefire.[break][break]"everyone left in that city was a rocket or a rocket sympathizer."[break][break]she pushes herself to stand, separating herself from the matter.[break][break]"they had years to leave, june. or rocket could've evacuated them, seeing as they had ships waiting for us when we arrived. they obviously wanted them as collateral."

[attr="class","nametag"] june sleigh

[attr="class","oocnotes"]

[attr="class","icon-league"]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","pkmnlist"]

[attr="class","tagline"]

[newclass=".annal"] --accent:#FFB546; [/newclass]

[newclass=".ambrosia"] width: 450px; margin: 0px auto; background-color:#1c1c1c; background-image: url(https://image.ibb.co/cpf8Wc/flower_patt.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom right; box-shadow:2px 2px 0px #333333, -2px 2px 0px #333333, 2px -2px 0px #333333, -2px -2px 0px #333333; position:relative; border-radius:10px; overflow:hidden;} .ambrosia .textbox i { color:var(--accent)!important; } .ambrosia .textbox b { font:bold 13px/10px 'Poppins'; color:var(--accent); font-weight:500; } .ambrosia .textbox a { font:600 13px/13px 'Poppins'!important; } .ambrosia .textbox u { text-decoration: underline solid var(--accent); letter-spacing: 1.2px; text-underline-offset:1.5px; font:13px/10px 'Roboto';} .ambrosia .top { height: 250px; background-image: url(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1058305315642286080/1155412642115104829/image.png); position:relative; } .ambrosia .line { height: 5px; background: #333; width: 300px; margin: 20px auto 0px; opacity:0.8; } .ambrosia .textbox { line-height: 15px; letter-spacing: .5px; font-size: 12px; font-family: roboto; color: #d6d6d6; margin: 20px auto 0px; text-align: justify; padding:40px 60px; padding-bottom:40px; } .ambrosia .pkmnlist { text-align:right; margin-top:-20px; } .ambrosia .pkmnlist img { filter:grayscale(1); } .ambrosia .pkmnlist img:hover {filter:none;} .ambrosia .oocbox { border-top:3px solid #333; padding-top:10px; width:260px; margin:20px auto 0px; text-align:left; [/newclass]
[newclass=".amilkycredit"]font-size:15px; position:absolute; z-index:99; top:10px; right:10px; opacity:0.5; border-radius:100px; color:var(--accent); } .amilkycredit a { transition:0.5s all; color:#6b6b6b!important; } .amilkycredit a:hover { transition:0.5s all; color:var(--accent)!important; [/newclass]

[newclass=".ambrosia .bottom"] height: 45px;background-color: #272727;border-top: 1px solid #333;background-image: url(https://i.ibb.co/7YB3gRD/flower.png);background-size: cover;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: bottom right;display: flex;flex-direction: row-reverse;flex-wrap: wrap;justify-content: space-between;align-content: center;align-items: center;padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px; [/newclass]
[newclass=".ambrosia .tagline"] color:var(--accent); font:12px/10px 'Poppins'; } .ambrosia .tagline span { color: var(--accent); font:500 11px 'Poppins'; background: #222; padding: 2px 10px; border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid #333 } .ambrosia .tagline a { font:500 11px 'Poppins'; [/newclass]

[newclass=".ambrosia .oocnotes"] letter-spacing: 0.5px;margin-bottom: -20px;display: flex;column-gap: 10px; margin-top: 10px; align-content: center;flex-direction: row;flex-wrap: nowrap;align-items: center; } .ambrosia .oocnotes i { font-size:16px; } .oocnotes a { font:bold 11px/10px 'Poppins'!important;[/newclass]
[newclass=".ambrosia .nametag"] text-align:center; margin-top:20px; } .ambrosia .nametag a { font:600 15px/13px 'Poppins'!important; letter-spacing:-0.5px; [/newclass]

[googlefont="Playfair+Display"]

close tab

played by

rysa

June Bug

she/her

twenty-seven

April 21

Mauville City

Bisexual

Delivery-Person

civilian

5"4' height

Swallow the Heart and Kill the Senses

awards

525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @rysa

POSTED ON Sept 12, 2024 16:13:21 GMT

“Good to know the chalk line is higher than a few thousand,” June said darkly. “Where did the League put it? One below the city population?”

“People can’t just up and leave, Annalise,” she said. She just didn’t understand. Some people couldn’t leave. They didn’t have the funds, couldn’t restart life at the drop of a hat. Others… their homes would be their graves. Figuratively and literally. “And even if they can, who is to say the League would help them?”

She knew the sting of ‘war effort’ well enough. She shut her eyes and dug her fingers into her palms. They’d get lost in the legislation and meetings about how to help them. Those who had the funds had a coin toss to be welcomed by their neighbors.

As Annalise had said, they had years. But that also meant people would give them odd stares. Ask questions. Assume the worst. It was easier to condemn a stranger than a neighbor.

“And they wouldn’t have needed to evacuate, if you’d just help stop the Kyogre,” she looked up at the now distant Annalise. It hurt. But she’d gotten lost in her own distraction. “But then you’d have to care about the little guys. Arceus forbid.”

annalise henderson

close tab

played by

space

anna

she/her

july 4

mauville city

bisexual

ranger

captain

5'4 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

1,511 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @annalise

POSTED ON Sept 16, 2024 7:12:26 GMT

LOTTIE QUINN likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","ambrosia annal"]

[attr="class","amilkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

[attr="class","textbox"]
annalise shakes her head, damming her frustration behind clenched teeth and closed lips. the region has taken a beating by team rocket for years, confined to reactivity and hand wringing over the moralities of full-fledged war — and when the region has had enough, when the region moves against sootopolis, it is the fault of the league. [break][break]not the invading force from kanto who claimed the island in the first place. not the organized criminals that didn't evacuate their civilians. [break][break]it's the league, always. [break][break]arceus forbid, june says, and that becomes the hill to die on. does june really think — ?[break][break]"but then i'd have to care about the little guys." [break][break]she finally speaks, rolling the insult around in her mouth. a breath rushes up her throat, expelled as derisive scoff. yeah, if only she cared about the little guys.[break][break]"if kyogre died, what do you think would happen to the ocean? and what do you think would happen to us?" she asks, voice measured. she speaks in half-truths and uncertainties that feel honest as they flit across her mind. "we helped stop it by letting it into sootopolis. it was corrupted. things would've only been worse if we tried to keep it away."[break][break]heat bleeds into her voice until no trace of her earlier temperance remains. [break][break]"and you know what — how about you be fucking for real for once. what would you do if you were 'the league'? throw your hands up and let rocket take over hoenn like they did with kanto? how many people do you think will die now that rocket is on the mainland? tell me, june. tell me. what's your magic solution to stop a war?"

[attr="class","nametag"] june sleigh

[attr="class","oocnotes"]

[attr="class","bottom"]

[attr="class","pkmnlist"]

[attr="class","tagline"]

close tab

played by

rysa

June Bug

she/her

twenty-seven

April 21

Mauville City

Bisexual

Delivery-Person

civilian

5"4' height

Swallow the Heart and Kill the Senses

awards

525 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @rysa