taking sandygast, thank you!

FATHER WINTER THE 2ND
NORTH POLE H0H 0H0
HOENN

Father Winter the 2nd,

Seems funny writing to a holiday figure at my age. I'm not really sure where to go with this, so please bear with me -- it's my first time.

I guess I'll start it off with any normal, casual letter: how are you? I know the holidays can be a stressful time for plenty of folks, and being the mascot of Wintertide can be relentless, I'm sure.

I'm doing well. My acclimation to this region has been a challenge, but not as difficult of one as I thought it to be. It's no Unova, but there's something of intrigue at every corner, that's for sure.

What do I want for Wintertide? That's a rather juvenile question. Growing up, my family didn't really celebrate it. Sure, we did the festivities of hosting dinner parties, but we never did the gift thing. I don't even know the first thing to ask for, really. I suppose a refurbished or new typewriter would be nice. It's an obsolete request, but it would be nice to try and type a manuscript on something a bit old-fashioned. And though this one is a bit more complex, I do wish to find purpose in this region. For now, I am but an outsider, but one day I might feel something for this region and its people that others do.

As for what I want to change with my past, there's not much that comes to mind. The past is just that: the past. It's just a page we've read over and no matter how many times we go back and try to reread it, nothing will change. So no, while I'm not satisfied with the hand I was dealt, it's a hand I'm forced to take, and there's nothing that can be changed about it. Time is absolute to the mortal coil, and the sooner others can realize that, the happier they'll be.

Though what I want to change with my present is a more feasible question. I've been given the opportunity to do something with myself while I'm here, to be of service. Overall, I'm happy with my present state and I'll do what I can to keep working towards a better self.

Though naturally the future always beckons us. Maybe that's where my wish for purpose comes in. I want to prove that I am a worthwhile asset to people who can bring themselves to see some form of potential within me. I want to prove that they saw right, but more importantly, I want to climb the ranks and become someone worthwhile. Someone who can be trusted.

This letter helped me gain a better insight of myself and what I want for myself. For that, I thank you. I imagine my answers to the other questions weren't what you were looking for, and I apologize for that, but I hope the childlike whimsy that comes with the first answer can atone for that.

A Pleasant Wintertide To You,
Schuyler Tate

SPOILER: Click to show

SIGN-UP (RSVP)

CHARACTER RSVPing: schuyler tate [break]
ROCKET POSITION: Grunt [break]
POKEMON: Mabostiff [break]
PLUS ONE?: tbd[break]
WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT?: Schuyler's contribution has been broken down into two separate gifts. A feather ink pen + dragon ink bottle tucked into a neat leather case. If the recipient were to remove the portion holding the ink pen and bottle, they would find a crude set of pens wrapped with a swinging Ducklett hanging ornament [break]
EVENT CONTRIBUTION?: Despite the funding already provided from Underboss Fiorelli, Schuyler has opted to donate towards food catering in tandem with those providing food they've prepared themselves or food catered by Casino Starlight.
[break]

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X regular gacha (bubble tea brewing showdown reward -- gacha link) (0 PD)

TOTAL

do come again!

0 PD

It seemed the capture worked well enough. The moment the dream ball registered that it caught the Pangoro, a familiar chime resounded like it had from the castle when he first received the ball. An alert that items had been added to his inventory. As the screen was summoned once more, he caught the sight of a new item in his bag.

[attr="class","rbynote"]
BATTLE CARD (3 ea.)[break]
a card with a mysterious power. destroy it to activate its ability to poke-modify (name pending) your navi, and only your navi! resets after every battle encounter.

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So it seemed the pair were expected to battle. He doubled down on that notion the moment he checked his Pangoro's condition and saw three items attached to it: Bright Powder, Black Belt, and Wide Lens. Odd choices for items, but maybe he could use them effectively.

As Schuyler exits out of his menu, he's met with a young boy who rolls right into him from the steep hill ahead. It seemed he tripped coming down, and his Purified Clefable follows close behind. Once the spinning stops from the head-on collision, Schuyler stands up and can't help but gently shove the kid off of him. He began to dust himself off before he arched his brow. Some of the kid's behaviors seemed... Odd, to say the least.

"Where's your parents?" he spat.

As the child spoke, it seemed to lack any sort of pattern to it. Maybe that was the effect of the dream world? Or maybe something further beyond his understanding. Either way, it gave severe NPC energy, and the writer figured he'd just roll with it. As he tried to walk off, the young boy and his Clefable followed close behind. A halt, then a few steps forward, followed by another halt.

"You can quit following me, thanks."

His tone cold, but it seemed enough to go right over the boy's head. Brows furrowed as he groaned from frustration and accepted his fate. Seemed the weird kid was his new companion. As the two travelled further, Schuyler continued the trek in silence before they eventually came across a door. A look of surprise altered his features, as the door looked familiar. As he grabbed the handle to turn, it wouldn't budge. Instead, a warning came up:

[attr="class","rbynote"]
BATTLE CARD REQUIRED[break]
will you break one of your battle cards to proceed?
[break]continue or exit

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Continue.

One of the battle cards left his inventory as Schuyler shattered it on the ground. The door opened and drew the party of two further into its depths.

The scenery felt familiar, uncomfortingly so. It was aged, caked in dust from being left to sit. His childhood home, or well what was left of it. The piano that sat proudly in the main room decorated in cobwebs drew his attention forward as he found himself unwillingly approaching it. A few keys in and the poor thing sounded so dissonant. It needed a fine tuning. A glance over his shoulder to the boy that had followed him into this dungeon of sorts allowed him the opportunity to speak calmly and collectively.

"Does any of this look familiar to you?"

The boy shook his head no. This was Schuyler's dream, not the boy's.

Something compelled him to sit at the piano and play his mother's favorite song. Fingers moved carefully and concisely to keep the tempo of the out-of-tune song. Every note hit was the right one, but due to the age of the piano seemed to lack the crisp sound. The final note came, and seemed to echo throughout the room. Shadows pushed and pulled, blowing the pair away as a sound echoed through the dreamscape:

"You were always a spineless coward."

Those words meant nothing to Schuyler, but they seemed to strike fear into the boy at his side. It seemed this was when their journey came together. An odd amalgamation, but one he wouldn't question. This was a dream, after all.

Shadows coalesced into faceless creatures that the pair were stuck fighting off. Schuyler combined the use of the BLACK BELT and Pangoro's HAMMER ARM to take on the majority of them, but this was the boy's fight, so he left the biggest shadow for him. Schuyler saw the fear in the young man's expression and finally spoke up.

"Sometimes your demons might look scary, but that's just a matter of perception. You have the ability to overcome them. So are you going to bark or bite?"

Those words seemed to have some effect on the boy as his Clefable took its stance and followed the order the kid offered and fired a MOONBEAM straight through the shadow's torso.

And so they were able to continue.

As their next battle approached, they were prompted once more to destroy a battle card. This grew to be troublesome, they each only had one more left. Something told him they needed to conserve it.

Their second fight blew through with ease. Just another onslaught of shadows. This time, Schuyler could make out the faces. His father, his mother, his piano teacher -- all of them carried harsh words, but he felt himself grow numb. It was nothing he hadn't heard before. (Was that what the boy experienced, too? He could understand the hesitation now, that the child didn't know how to stomach the cruel words from people who were supposed to love him.)

As they managed to dive further into the labarynth that twisted and turned into a blend of their dreams, it became easier to separate. At the end, they were presented with both doors that reacted to the pair.

"Seems this is where we part, huh? I'll see you on the other side, kid."

The final battle card met the ground and shattered into several pieces as Schuyler pushed his own door open.

Awaiting on the other side was a peculiar sight of rhythm boards one might see in a dancing game. The sight perplexed him, but he figured he'd bite. He took one end while his Pangoro took the other. With both their weights applied, the storm further into the room began to reach a fever pitch. Clouds cleared to reveal a DYNAMAXED version of the Pangoro. Schuyler turned to the Pangoro to his side and gave a firm nod. They could do this. How hard could it be?

"Alright, night slash."

With the words offered out, the controls at their feet lit up in a certain pattern. While the pair tried to follow it, it seemed they missed a step. As his own Pangoro readied to attack, it seemed the NIGHT SLASH had missed entirely. The boost from the BLACK SUNGLASSES proved pointless in that moment. Schuyler swallowed hard as the Dynamaxed Pangoro began its move.

Luckily the BRIGHT POWDER his own Pangoro carried was enough to momentarily disorient the boss. Seemed it was their turn again.

"Vital Throw!"

This time, Schuyler knew what to expect. Each step came, unfaltered and careful as his feet met the proper panels. With the success in the combo, the attack landed, ergo leaving room for the npc partner to attack as well. The Dynamaxed Pangoro was met with both a VITAL THROW from Schuyler's Pangoro, and a METEOR MASH from the Clefable. He seemed surprised to see the boy there. Wasn't he fighting his own battle? He wouldn't question the help though.

It was the Dynamaxed Pangoro's turn again, this time the attack landed with a HAMMER ARM to Schuyler's Pangoro. The creature staggered, but still remained conscious. But with the attack met, it seemed the Dynamax Energy in the room grew stronger.

It allowed the Dynamaxed Pangoro to go again. This time, the attack was set to take out Schuyler's pokemon. A breath in to realize that this dream was coming to an end. A breath out to ready himself to awaken.

"FOLLOW ME!"

The move came at just the right pinch. His controls lit up again, and he knew he couldn't afford any mistakes here. Left, right, left, right, forward, left. Each note hit in succession granted the use of his partner's FOLLOW ME.

He couldn't thank the child enough as he left out a sigh of relief. They were still in this. Now was the time for a final strike. Schuyler breathed in and called out the last strike.

"Shadow Break! Put your all into it!"

The steps given the use of the shadow move were far more complicated than those of a regular move. But Schuyler followed them step for step, ready to take down the Dynamaxed Pangoro. A successful combo earned the use of the shadow move as his own Pangoro charged forward for one final attack.

The room emitted a blinding light as the pair stepped foward to pick up the Zangoose Claw that had been left behind. They were met with the sight of the woods once more. It seemed the boy had successfully cleared his route as well. Schuyler heaved out a sigh of relief as he pulled the boy into a tight hug.

"I couldn't have made it without you," he admitted. "I never got your name."

"Sky. You can call me Sky."

His throat tightened a bit at the name, but he couldn't bring himself to figure out why.

PERFECT SYMMETRY

an excerpt from Finn's recent novel, short story Marionette

Perfect Symmetry is a novel released containing nearly twelve short stories written by author Finn Charbonneau. The point of this novel is to exercise the art of horror in brief takes.

(content warning for self-harm and lightly described gore)

Doctors tried to insist that the inexplicable movements were muscle spasms, hypnic jerks, basic involuntary body movements that anyone could experience. Sofia knew the truth though. That something beyond mortal comprehension was at play, that she was no more than a puppet strung up by marionettes. The gods were cruel puppet masters, leaving her to suffer for the choices they made.

The pills didn't help. If anything, all they did was dull her mind to the truth -- that she was being controlled. (It was a common thing for people that suffered from hallucinations. That the medicines never helped.)

She could never find the wires, as much as she tried.

It wasn't until the voices came that guided her. Instructions to slit tendons in her legs were the first. If it weren't for her neighbors, she probably would have bled out. By some miracle, the doctors kept her alive. She was given a second chance to live, hopefully without the ties of those strings that she insisted were there.

Horror bloomed on her face as she looked inwards at her wrist. Blue lines sat just below the skin. Thin, blue wires.

The sound of the EKG monitor sounded like an alarm and doctors came rushing. Some seemed mortified by what they had waiting for them in there. Some turned away as bile crawled its way up their throat and splattered onto white tiles. Seated upright on the medical bed sat Sofia as she began to unravel the veins from her wrists with a scalpel as her voice came out weak.

"I finally got them out."

WELCOME TO HOENN HIGH!

PLEASE FILL OUT THE SENIOR YEARBOOK QUESTIONS BELOW!

Show us your yearbook photo! (High School FC)
Shinomiya Natsuki from Uta no Prince-sama


Which high school trope were you? (The jock, the prep, the goth, etc)
The Band Kid


What was your GPA?
3.6


What was your favorite class?
English and Creative Writing


What was your LEAST favorite class?
Band practice, surprisingly. It was an extracurricular forced upon me by my parents.


Did you ever get detention? Why or why not?
Never. I minded my own business. Besides, my parents would have probably killed me.


What clubs/sports teams were you on?
Band and Soccer


Who was your High School Sweetheart/Crush?
Most people assume that high school sweethearts would last. I did date someone under my parents' influence. We were even engaged at one point, but I just wasn't emotionally there. She eventually realized this and broke off the engagement. Sometimes I think about her and hope she's doing well in life.


What did you do for prom?
Another obligation forced upon by my parents. They weren't happy with letting me stay home. After all, who wants to stand in a stuffy gym with people you have to see daily? It was fine, too many photos for my liking. But I did get to witness a handful of fights at least, so that made the night entertaining enough. Would I do it again? Probably not.


What rumors about you would you like to set straight?
Were there even any? I like to think I minded my own business enough to not get tossed up in the rabble of high school drama. Pretty sure most people didn't even know I existed, which honestly? It's easier that way.