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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @absinthe

POSTED ON Aug 5, 2024 4:51:48 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","absinthe"]

[attr="class","body"]

absinthe weighs his words in her mind. With a steady supply of the needed materials, there is no need to question her production. With every word, it seems more and more like a better business venture. Less time spent on barking orders at feckless fools means more time spent in the lab pursuing her real passion: the atom's refrain.[break][break]

absinthe bends down behind the bar and, from it, produces a sleek filtration mask. she places it on the bar top. "you may look," she affirms, tilting her head in the direction of the filtration mask. "put that on. but don't touch anything. not unless you have a death wish."[break][break]

the woman prowls from behind the bar to a pair of doors in the back of the bar, clearly marked with a plaque that says 'employees only'. with only a glance over her shoulder to ensure the stranger is following, absinthe pushes the door open.[break][break]

inside is a pristine, sterile world, almost entirely white, built from the decaying carcass of what must have once been a modest kitchen. sleek stainless steel countertops gleam under the harsh, flickering fluorescence of overhead lights, each surface meticulously organized. beakers, erlenmeyer flasks, and graduated cylinders stand in orderly rows, their pristine glass reflecting the cold, clinical environment. on the shelves, vials are meticulously labeled and named, marked with the date they were harvested: shiinotic spores on monday, seviper venom from the previous week, a single toxapex sac in distilled vinegar from just a day prior.[break][break]

and, in the corner, cages with rattata. absinthe guides her guest over in this direction, and the rattata squeak and press back up against the confines of their cages as they see her. "is a demonstration in order, or are you squeamish?" absinthe queries as she tugs latex gloves over her hands.

howard slayte[break][break]

NOTES

- n/a

[attr="class","pkmn"]

tryptophan / ♂ / effect spore / sleep powder, moonlight, strength sap, giga drain, spore, dream eater

soman / ♀ / merciless / baneful bunker, toxic spikes, liquidation, acid spray, poison jab, toxic

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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351 posts

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TAG WITH @absinthe

a space that loss won't occupy | m

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 22:26:04 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","absinthe"]

[attr="class","body"]

the men nod as if their lives depend on it. the flush has left their faces, replaced by a pallor befitting of hooligans scared straight. then, when they are finally relieved of their chains, they scramble backward. absinthe can't help her laugh. it may be cruel, but she savors the sight of such vile creatures being put in their place—on the floor, crawling on their bellies like slugs. by the time they've finally stumbled to their feet, though, absinthe's attention is elsewhere. their pattering feet mark their escape from the alleyway, mumbling to each other the whole way.[break][break]

absinthe could take or leave the woman. the true star of the show is the houndoom. she draws closer, much like a bee to a flower.[break][break]

this is a fascination that perverts her logic, a passion that renders her cold aura right and verily thawed. once a predator, now she is nothing more than a scientist, kneeling down in a street that she would normally grace with even the royal skin of her knee. as if peering at an animal in a circus, she appraises ruza from a safe distance, and particularly her jowls, once dripping with hardly-contained acid. absinthe has never seen anything like it. it is just not standard for houndoom.[break][break]

"fascinating," she mutters to herself, voice muffled by the mask covering the bottom half of her face. "the slobber—corrosive? a nerve agent?" she looks to yuina for confirmation.

Yuina Higashi[break][break]

NOTES

- n/a

[attr="class","pkmn"]

tryptophan / ♂ / effect spore / sleep powder, moonlight, strength sap, giga drain, spore, dream eater

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

351 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @absinthe

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 22:14:02 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","absinthe"]

[attr="class","body"]

absinthe appraises him. no, not boring, a judgement she makes in a split second. but there's nothing absinthe loves more than tearing people down, from the rags of their forward facing persona to the viscera of what they hide behind closed doors. morbid curiosity, maybe, the passion that drives a surgeon into the operating room. "quite."[break][break]

absinthe turns her back to replace the bottle on her shelves, and her head tilts to the side at the mention of a dog. yes, that one. helpful, certainly, even if a pain in the ass. already, she thaws at the mention of someone she does trust, and even further at the thought of getting materials without sticking her nose into places she rather wouldn't. she turns to once again fix him in her vision.[break][break]

"then i assume you already know the type of product i sell," she hazards, leaning forward across the bar top on her elbows. "what does the profit margin look like for me?"[break][break]

the truth is that absinthe tires of handling her own dealers. vile creatures, the kind of people she washes her hands of after every meeting. so long as the profit is close to her current levels, she's already sold.

howard slayte[break][break]

NOTES

- n/a

[attr="class","pkmn"]

tryptophan / ♂ / effect spore / sleep powder, moonlight, strength sap, giga drain, spore, dream eater

[attr="class","credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

351 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @absinthe

absinthe's infamy file

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 21:01:01 GMT

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ABSINTHE'S INFAMY FILE

PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE X PRIVATE KNOWLEDGE

THERE ARE VAST CAVITIES INSIDE YOU

THAT YOU HAVE SPENT YOUR LIFE TRYING TO FILL

a woman far too sharp to touch.

the widow to a sunshine cop with his fingers in too many pies. a dying heron in the ashes of her own pharmacology career. she swears there's a tune to life that only she can hear, that only she can uncover, that only she can manipulate. owns a bar, the snake pit, with a piano in the corner that has slowly been gathering dust. the kitchen thrums with the energy of a woman that has lost it all. there, she manipulates the atoms of the universe into the melody she keeps hearing. drugs pour onto the streets. drug dealers say they get the best stock from the woman with no face, from a woman they know only as lady taipan.

PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE

WHAT CAN BE LOOKED UP

absinthe was born and raised in littleroot.
she attended university in slateport, earning double degrees in biology and chemistry, and a master's degree in pharmacology.
she was a well-respected pharmacologist until she disappeared from the public eye after her husband's death.
she now owns and operates a bar called the snake pit in slateport.

LEAGUE KNOWLEDGE

POINTS OF INTEREST FOR THE LEAGUE FACTION

absinthe was the wife to a respected but dirty cop that died in an "accident".
absinthe has a spotless record, and was well-liked in university.
the snake pit is a suspicious place, possibly a front for illicit activities.

ROCKET KNOWLEDGE

POINTS OF INTEREST FOR TEAM ROCKET FACTION

the snake pit caters to criminals, mostly.
absinthe has connections to, and possibly is, lady taipan, a woman who manufactures clean drugs and peddles them throughout slateport.
the snake pit is a front for drug manufacturing.

PRIVATE KNOWLEDGE

PERSONAL SECRETS

absinthe has lost a child, and blames that for her descent into her current state.
absinthe regularly struggles with her lost passion for music.
absinthe is in the early stages of manufacturing a biological weapon.
absinthe has severe scarring on the lower half of her face from a chemical accident, which she hides with a face mask.

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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351 posts

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absinthe's plotter

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 20:48:44 GMT

freya morningstar, Lulu Flint, and 3 more like this

absinthe blackwood

a woman far too sharp to touch.

the widow to a sunshine cop with his fingers in too many pies. a dying heron in the ashes of her own pharmacology career. she swears there's a tune to life that only she can hear, that only she can uncover, that only she can manipulate. owns a bar, the snake pit, with a piano in the corner that has slowly been gathering dust. the kitchen thrums with the energy of a woman that has lost it all. there, she manipulates the atoms of the universe into the melody she keeps hearing. drugs pour onto the streets. drug dealers say they get the best stock from the woman with no face, from a woman they know only as lady taipan.

CURRENT PLOTS

loose threads
absinthe suspects her husband's death was not an accident as she has been told it was. the man was a demon even on his best days, but she loved him. even he deserves the truth. most of all, absinthe thinks she deserves the truth too.

SEEKING:
anyone who might have interacted with her husband, from coworkers to criminals to people who ran into his less than savory dealings
investigators willing to look into a hopeless case

kill the moon
absinthe doesn't fuck with the league, and anyone who knows her knows that. few individuals know that she's currently in the early stages of manufacturing a biological, chemical weapon to use against them.

SEEKING:
criminal contacts and black market dealers who can provide rare pokémon compounds or help test the early products
rivals or threats who might discover her plans and try to stop her
potential allies who share her grudge against the league and might assist in her cause

OTHER PLOT HOOKS

PAST CONNECTIONS

old friends from littleroot who notice her drastic change and try to reconnect
university peers or professors who remember her as a brilliant student and are curious about her disappearance
former colleagues from her pharmacology career who have noticed her withdrawal from the field
former peers or enemies of her husband, either from the force or otherwise

NEW CONNECTIONS

regulars at the snake pit who begin to notice odd activities and become suspicious
individuals in need of the experience of a skilled chemist and pharmacologist

RELATIONS

ENEMIES

Yuina Higashi - scientific peer turned enemy. blinded by her emotions.
Shalin Nariya - incredibly foolish and equally annoying.
freya morningstar - to her, i am nothing. to kill her would be a balm to my soul.
ollie morales - you can't save me. no one can.

ACQUAINTANCES & COLLEAGUES

Calpurnia Kubrick - annoying, incredibly so, but useful and competent.
Lulu Flint - a capable but mysterious employer. probably shouldn't be angered.
june sleigh - delivery girl turned pain in my ass. for some godforsaken reason, she is a good person.
Makoto Kurumi - a scientific anomaly. further testing required.

FRIENDS

Yamaguchi Himiko - i'll try to live. for you, i'll try.
howard slayte - pay your goddamn bar tab.

LOVERS

Evelyn Vespera - please don't leave me. dear god, please don't leave me.

FAMILY

@tag - Brief description of relationship.

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

351 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @absinthe

a space that loss won't occupy | m

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 20:07:25 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","absinthe"]

[attr="class","body"]

absinthe returns to the street to a much different scene than when she had absconded. once so prepared to break just enough bones to send a message, she now lowers her bat leans against it, her eyes flashing as she rakes her gaze across the scene. a very unassuming girl is the newcomer, but what truly catches absinthe's attention is her pokemon, a houndoom. not only a houndoom, but an interesting one at that. the barkeep's fingers clench around the grip of her baseball bat, clearly pleased, as she watches the unique sludge ooze from its jowls.[break][break]

the men notice it too. although they initially continue to throw punches, even as they are jerked into the air, the sight of the houndoom's maw and the way she snaps at any finger that strays to close is enough to keep the two drunks in check. like schoolboys, they are suddenly pin-straight, and almost completely sobered. they draw their palms close to themselves, blubbering wildly.[break][break]

'hey, we're good, we're good,' one manages, eyes wide. 'just let me go!'[break][break]

absinthe steps out from the shadow of the bar's overhang. "then you must know what will happen to you if i ever see hide or hair of your sorry asses again?"[break][break]

'yes!' the other man chimes in, perhaps a bit too eagerly. 'we ain't comin' 'round here ever again!'[break][break]

satisfied, absinthe leans back on her hip. "good," she says with a passing glance in yuina's direction, and another piercing look at the houndoom. "feel free to let them go."

Yuina Higashi[break][break]

NOTES

- n/a

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

351 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @absinthe

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 19:49:05 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","absinthe"]

[attr="class","body"]

though the woman's mask hides the lower half of her face and shields her expression, the corners of her eyes crinkle and her irises flash as the man breaks into theatrics. "my world, my rules," she says, and her voice takes on a low, sinister lilt. "thanks for the compliment."[break][break]

cruel—the greatest thing to be called. a woman who inspires fear is greater than a woman who does not.[break][break]

she pulls a low-caliber bottle onto the bar top, and a shot glass with it. with a tilt of her wrist, the dark, fiery ichor flows freely into the glass. she watches him the entire time. she doesn't play with her money, and she doesn't play with opportunities to make more of it.[break][break]

"go ahead," she murmurs in response to his request to smoke, and she slides the shot glass to him as soon as it is sufficiently full. "and, i'm listening. just try not to bore me."

howard slayte[break][break]

NOTES

- n/a

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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351 posts

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TAG WITH @absinthe

absinthe's pc

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 5:41:42 GMT

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kFIhIx0rATBVn4Mkp5iY-7bwvvU7gjtrP3KNyXsAhbc/edit?usp=sharing

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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351 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @absinthe

a small, quiet world | c

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 5:22:15 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","absinthe"]

[attr="class","body"]

the snake pit is not the bar you go to if you want to have a good time. it is small, it is cramped, and the bartender and owner has an attitude that few clients can put up with. however, it is the kind of bar you go to if you want to drink yourself into a stupor, if you want to forget. when a person walks in, the world outside of the snake pit ceases to exist. the door closes, and a patron is in another reality entirely for as long as their wallet can handle it.[break][break]

there are only a few tables, and each of them look like they haven't been reupholstered since they were made. the bar is cracked, scratched, and reeks of cigarette smoke. dim, flickering lights cast long shadows across the room, and the patrons are faceless and nameless. the walls, painted a dark, indeterminate color, are adorned with old, faded posters and obscure memorabilia, much of them depicting reptilian pokemon. the snake pit hosts no music, and whispered conversations and the clink of glasses are the only sounds that break the heavy silence.[break][break]

few clients stay for more than one drink unless they are of the clientele that the snake pit adheres to. the ambience is overwhelmingly dangerous, and patrons can owe that to the owner and bartender, absinthe. from four pm to 2 am every night, she assumes her post behind the bar, commanding her domain with what can only be described as the ruthless efficiency of a seasoned predator. she keeps careful note of every person who comes in and out of her world, all the while washing glasses and engaging in the endless minutiae that defines the duties of a small business owner. regulars mention her whenever speaking upon the snake pit in such a fashion: "she makes good drinks. just try not to look her in the eye." even better, there's no chance for her to spit in their drinks—not even her most dedicated patrons have seen absinthe's face beyond her eyes, owing to the dark mask always on her face.[break][break]

tonight is a slow one. weekdays are never particularly busy except for the usual lowlifes. as such, absinthe is unpacking bottles into her shelves, sorting glasses, and wiping the bar down in preparation for a lonely night. when the door chimes, indicating a new entry, absinthe's eyes raise, and their dark depths focus on the entrance. who could this be?

Hawkins[break][break]

NOTES

- n/a

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

351 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @absinthe

a space that loss won't occupy | m

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 4:56:55 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","absinthe"]

[attr="class","body"]

on a lonely evening, in a lonely street, violence grows teeth as a clamor emerges from the local business sandwiched into an alleyway. a man, red-faced, comes tumbling out from the door that leads into the snake pit, and a woman with short black hair is haloed by the dim light from within as she stands in the doorway. she had thrown him by his collar, evident in how she dusts her hands off and glowers down at the man. absinthe, the owner of the bar. "if you ever come back here again, i'll kill you."[break][break]

the red-faced man leers back up at her, leaning back on his hands from the pavement. "he fuckin' started it!" the man slurs back at her, jabbing a limp finger in the bar's direction.[break][break]

"then finish it somewhere else," absinthe hisses through her teeth, leaning her head forward. "kill each other for all i care. just not here."[break][break]

steps emanate from behind absinthe in rapid succession. stepping to the side, absinthe only barely avoids getting run over by another man barreling out from the bar. within seconds, both men are wrestling on the ground, screaming obscenities and throwing drunken punches into whatever sensitive spots they have access to. the nighttime crowds whisper at the scene and move along. any prospective clients have seemingly vanished in thin air, and nearby business are already sending absinthe death looks from their windows. above the clamor, absinthe buries her head in her hands. "just my luck."[break][break]

with a sigh, the woman briefly retreats back into the bar to retrieve her trusty baseball bat. she doesn't jump at the chance to get her hands dirty, but she'll hammer down some nails if it means protecting her business.

Yuina Higashi[break][break]

NOTES

- n/a

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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351 posts

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TAG WITH @absinthe

PUTTING ON A FRONT

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 4:44:31 GMT

shiv likes this

Taking with Yuina Higashi !

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

351 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @absinthe

POSTED ON Aug 4, 2024 4:35:28 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","absinthe"]

[attr="class","body"]

absinthe always keeps her eyes on unfamiliar people who find themselves in the snake pit. like a seasoned predator, her stalking grounds lie behind the bar, and her prey beyond it. it is not out of wariness that she does this. it is, perhaps, out of bloodlust. so, as the stranger sits, and as he orders, and as he places a coin on the freshly polished countertops, he might feel her eyes boring into him, as if in an attempt to peel back the layers of minutiae he presents to the world beyond his subconscious. the squeak of a wet glass being dried by a towel fills the silence between them.[break][break]

the woman makes no effort to turn and begin making his drink when he requests it, and the only sign that she had heard him at all is the subtle tilt of her head to the side. setting down the glass she had been drying on the countertop in front of her, absinthe takes the coin into her hand and holds it up in front of her face. then, with an inscrutable expression, she palms it.[break][break]

"starting a tab," she begins, voice low and cold. "implies a level of trust. trust, as you may well know, is a luxury and privilege few can afford."[break][break]

absinthe places the coin in her pocket. "if you prove yourself worthy of the privilege, you may open a tab," she says. "until then, you pay for the drinks when you order them. the whiskey, still?"[break][break]

the sound of clinking bottles fills the bar's tepid atmosphere as absinthe bends down to search her stock.

howard slayte[break][break]

NOTES

- n/a

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abby, lady taipan

she/her

32 years old

November 4th

slateport

bisexual

bar owner, drug manufacturer

scientist

5'6" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

351 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @absinthe