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Hyphen (Pokemon Emerald)

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Dermonster said:
Astra had even been able to finally drop her height illusion after 'catching up', which was good because she'd spotted May giving her a few peculiar looks tinged with bewildered curiosity and self-doubt the last few mornings, and even Brendan had given her a glance or two on the day she finished. Astra felt bad about making them doubt their memory so much, but she hadn't had much choice. At least they didn't stare at her neck when they talked to her anymore.
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Wow, that actually worked? You may as well just keep it going then, Astra - shoot up a couple inches, then gradually back down, then lose a bit instead before zeroing it back out, and so on and so forth. It'll set expectations so that when you evolve again, no one will be surprised when you grow another foot tall. ;)

Dermonster said:
"Hey guys," Astra said, breaking the silence. "I'm gonna send Swablu up to check how much farther we have left."

Brendan looked back at Astra and quirked an eyebrow. "Didn't you just get a cutting-edge map?" he asked, looking amused.
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"Yeah, but I still bear a grudge against maps in general! Maybe I like being lost!"

Dermonster said:
"Don't care!" May yelled. She slammed into him, bodily lifting Brendan off his feet—and off the edge of the pier. "INTO THE SALTY DRINK WITH YE!" she crowed.

Brendan dropped off the dock, and Astra had just enough time to see May's victorious grin turn to horror as she realized Brendan had grabbed her wrist. Astra heard a brief shriek, which was cut off abruptly by a loud sploosh. She snorted, shaking her head.
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->May used Body Slam!
->Brendan used Brine!

(Dripping with seawater is gonna be hella unpleasant on the boat.)

Dermonster said:
"A rock monster...?" That...why did that sound familiar? All that came to mind were those pokemon made of living stone she had seen while fighting Roxanne. Maybe it was some other Rock-type pokemon? Assuming it was true at all, of course. Well, whatever it was,

It deserved everything that happened to it.​
Astra blinked, then realized she'd stopped playing and had missed a few bars.
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Hey! That's really rude of you to intrude on Astra's thought process; get out of there! :mad:

Dermonster said:
A gargled scream split the air. The two looked out just in time to see a harnessed Lotad skimming across the water in reverse, a pressurized water gun accelerating him to gratuitous speeds. Not far behind him was May, flat on the surfboard with one arm wrapped around a rope and the other clutching onto the surfboard for dear life, all while getting an unending faceful of Lotad's backwash. The board skipped across the water and the warble had just enough time to rise in pitch before the board flipped and sent May tumbling into the shallows.
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...I don't think this actually would work if the Water Gun is constantly hitting May in the face, since the forces involved would just cancel out? Still, it's an amusing image nonetheless. ^^;

Dermonster said:
May rolled her eyes. "Not literally burnt, dummy; Roselia's just got a finicky seeping temperature. If he makes it too hot it'll lose the flavor. Of course, too low and—well, if it was the good stuff it'd flat out poison you, but green'll just turn out really bitter aaand you don't know what tea is."
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Why May, who knew you were such a tea snob? :rolleyes:

Dermonster said:
"Hm? Oh, honey is...uh, this viscous yellow stuff, really sticky and sweet. Combee make it."
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"Not Beedrill though. Stay away from those."

"Why? What do they make?"

"Pain."

Dermonster said:
Hhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzz—

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy—

Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuusssssssssssssssssssssssssssssscccccccccccccceeeeeee...
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So, if we actually pronounce and sound this out loud... it wouldn't happen to sound anything like a slowed down/drawn out version of this specific clip, would it? ✍(◔◡◔)

Dermonster said:
May stared at them all, a pained, incredulous laugh escaping her throat. Mr. Briney turned to her and winked.

And began to sing.
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Very nice lyric replacements! Tis a simple tune, but a cheerful and fun one to complete the journey to Dewford with. :)

(Addendum: You can quack at me on Discord all you like, Derm, but Flair's singing corner is not often open. :eyeroll:)



Fun chapter!... annnnnnd apparently I never commented on the previous Backslash chapter? So, uh, let's do some extremely belated replies to that too!

Dermonster said:
After spending a week unexpectedly trapped in the wilderness in a wildly different body, sheltering from the elements in a slapdash assortment of rocks and greenery, and finding so little food that you eventually start luring and trapping other Pokemon for a simple meal, you would think that I'd be excited to finally get back to civilization.

You'd be very right, but the anxieties curdling in my gut would also be doing their very best—like no one ever had—to prove you wrong.
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I've been exiled from society for so long... I don't know the customs anymore... how will I reintegrate?!

...but seriously, yeah, Mawile!me was just as unnerved when entering Jubilife; Astra being there would only help so much. So, accurate.

Dermonster said:
I stare blankly at a stoplight as the dawning realization that I've been death spiraling into anxiety over absolutely nothing finally makes itself apparent.
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There it is! The patented Flair "Anxiety spiral that I eventually realize didn't actually need to be one" maneuver! :V

Dermonster said:
The question is earnest and innocent, in the abstract—Astra didn't foresee the trouble I'm currently having, so she's simply offering to lend some assistance. However, that nuance is rather lost on me in favor of my sheer, desperate outrage about being asked that about climbing some crappy stairs, to the point I barely manage to stop myself from leveling a full-force glare at her for it.
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Or, in other words:



Dermonster said:
I suddenly find myself being cradled in the crook of her arm in a sort of princess-carry, with my horn hanging off her shoulder like a giant, toothy tumor.

"Uh," I say intelligently, too mind-flooded for words.

"See?" Astra says, smiling down at me as she starts the long ascent. "It's fine!"
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Mawile!me, sarcastically: "Why Astra, this is so sudden! I don't know if I can return these feelings!"
Astra: "Are you teasing me? Might I remind you who recently asked who if they could kiss-"
Mawile!me, frantically: "Sorry, sorry, I take it back! Let's not talk about that!"

Dermonster said:
For the third time in as many minutes, I find myself floored. This is...way too much genuine empathy for me to deal with. Part of me hysterically notes that this is the third friendship speech I've gotten in the twelve hours since I've met someone I could talk to, which is both on-brand and absolutely ridiculous to experience first-hand.
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Help! I don't have the emotional bandwidth to participate so strongly in the Power of Friendship! (っ °Д °; )っ

Dermonster said:
I pick it up, and it falls apart in my hands. I look down at what I now clearly see is a whole, uncut swathe of black linen cloth.

...Has she just been walking around like a goddamn mummy? There's nothing else here! No underwear or—wait, no socks? No shoes? Has she been running around barefoot all this time?

"Astra, how the heck haven't you been found out already…?" I mutter, amazed that she's lasted this long with such bizarre attire. Does she just not change on the road?
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Mawile!me, internally: '...or... if this is like the games, and everyone always has the same outfit, then maybe no one changes on the- nope, nope, that's gross, I refuse to believe that.'

Dermonster said:
"That you? I stopped by The Gouda-father's and got us a—the fuck is that!?"
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Mawile!me: "The fuck is you? See, I can do it too."

Dermonster said:
May's other hand snaps out and grabs hold of the tube connecting my horns to my head. Pain explodes in my scalp as she yanks, pulling me right off the bed and holding me aloft in the air.

"Ack!!! What the—!?" I cry out, thrashing in her grip as my horns are suddenly tasked with holding aloft the entire rest of my body. They clamp and clatter uselessly above me, unable to move properly with the tube attached to them stretched taut. "Ow, ow ow ow! Let GO!"
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...you know, looking back on this scene, May must have some pretty significant muscles stowed away somewhere, because even if Mawile!me is shorter than average (which I won't confirm), that's still probably over 20 pounds that she's casually lifting with one hand here. Astra too, come to think of it, if somewhat less so since she was using both hands when she did it. We've got some real flexing going on in this chapter. :eek:

Dermonster said:
Part of me is mad at May for threatening me, especially to THAT degree, but…well, I technically set the playing field myself; she just met me on it. Which is on me—I don't know if it was my time in the wilderness or just the natural instincts of this body, but I didn't even second-guess using my trusty new metaphorical hammer on an obstinate nail. Over a damn pizza. Sure, she pissed me off, but that's no excuse for so quickly resorting to literal intimidation tactics.
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I'd like to think that May wouldn't bring Mawile!me to resort to what happened here — she's not Paul, after all — but considering just how abrasive and rude she can be, combined with the fact I was really expecting someone significantly less so... yeah, I can see her bringing out the worst in me. Not a great pairing, her and I.

Dermonster said:
WHY IS TENTACOOL SPEAKING RUSSIAN!?
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Poor Mawile!me's auto-translate feature just keeps getting weirder and weirder. What's next, a Pokemon that talks in morse code? Speaks binary? Talks in rever- wait, no, anime Kartana actually did that; I take it back. Still, someone fix this stupid theasaurus-itis!

Also a fun chapter, even if I didn't say as much four months ago. ^^; Thanks Derm!
 
Flairina said:
Wow, that actually worked?
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Seemingly! Although I do suspect that it has has left Brendan significantly more prone to believing that there is something about Astra.
Hey! That's really rude of you to intrude on Astra's thought process; get out of there! :mad:
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If Gramma wants to grab the grandkid's cheeks, I do not think that ethics or vocal protest is going to stop her.
...I don't think this actually would work if the Water Gun is constantly hitting May in the face, since the forces involved would just cancel out? Still, it's an amusing image nonetheless. ^^;
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I suspect it to be about as sensible as a limitless supply of water coming out of a giant frog... . That said, there may still be some air-resistance extracting energy, thus leaving a small net-positive in the energy pushing lotad compared to the energy pushing May. There is also the issue that lotad is still being pushed forwards just as much, it is just that the harness is applying force to counteract that, so the situation is solved in short order by the energy being applied to remove May from the harness...
 
Flairina said:
...I don't think this actually would work if the Water Gun is constantly hitting May in the face, since the forces involved would just cancel out? Still, it's an amusing image nonetheless. ^^;
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Only if the majority of the force reaches May. Anything that misses her, and any momentum lost to the air in between (which can be a lot if the Water Gun spreads out fast), will be useful net acceleration.
 
I just caught up, I've really enjoyed the ride so far! That little peek at Astra's training card got me thinking. Have you ever considered working with someone to make this an Emerald mod once the story is complete?
 
Crownless said:
I just caught up, I've really enjoyed the ride so far! That little peek at Astra's training card got me thinking. Have you ever considered working with someone to make this an Emerald mod once the story is complete?
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It's been 8 years and we've only just reached gym 2 of 8.

'Complete' will take...quite some time.

Nevertheless, I have not. I'd be really hyped about such a thing, once the criteria of 'done' has been reached in 2060.
 
I just got caught up too, and this is really good. Even if it takes a few decades to reach the end, I'm eager to see all that happens in Astra's journey
 
Aunty Shi Ping said:
should I go looking up how much space is left for brain when one's eyes are that big? I guess maybe her eyes are flat? They could be a film of smaller light-sensors, and with the chibi proportions she can probably have a brain-centre dedicated to generating visual distances using post-processing alone...
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This actually has a very simple answer: the eyes are purely cosmetic. The Ralts line is in the Amorphous egg group along with blobby lumps like Grimer or Slugma, and amorphous gasses with an optional outer shell like Koffing or various Ghost-types. Until recent game gens, that was their only egg group.

Therefore, we can conclude that despite the clearly defined shape the Ralts line are naturally bloblike as well, and likely have no well-defined internal anatomy whatsoever. They're probably soft and squishy to the touch like a foam ball with the red horn thing being the only solid piece. Possibly they're even latent shapeshifters whose current form came from generations of using their empathic powers to create a form that evokes positive feelings in others, which would also explain why Ralts are so gosh darn cute even by Pokemon standards.

This is of course a headcanon that is founded entirely on the egg group factoid, but I'm sticking with it. :V
 
Echo said:
This actually has a very simple answer: the eyes are purely cosmetic. The Ralts line is in the Amorphous egg group along with blobby lumps like Grimer or Slugma, and amorphous gasses with an optional outer shell like Koffing or various Ghost-types. Until recent game gens, that was their only egg group.

Therefore, we can conclude that despite the clearly defined shape the Ralts line are naturally bloblike as well, and likely have no well-defined internal anatomy whatsoever. They're probably soft and squishy to the touch like a foam ball with the red horn thing being the only solid piece. Possibly they're even latent shapeshifters whose current form came from generations of using their empathic powers to create a form that evokes positive feelings in others, which would also explain why Ralts are so gosh darn cute even by Pokemon standards.

This is of course a headcanon that is founded entirely on the egg group factoid, but I'm sticking with it. :V
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If that were the case, wouldn't Astra just have form changed to not grow as much? Sure the mass needs to stick around, but putting on a bit of fat is way less suspicious than growing instantly.

Unless, of course, their blobby nature makes it so that the ralts line usually gains height instead of a bit more bolbous body, and Astra didn't realize humans do that naturally.

"Maybe if I put the added weight in my body? Nooooo humans aren't shapeshifters they would notice immediately if my body shape changed!"

Cue shenanigans when say Brendan puts on some weight or something.
 
Echo said:
This actually has a very simple answer: the eyes are purely cosmetic. The Ralts line is in the Amorphous egg group along with blobby lumps like Grimer or Slugma, and amorphous gasses with an optional outer shell like Koffing or various Ghost-types. Until recent game gens, that was their only egg group.

Therefore, we can conclude that despite the clearly defined shape the Ralts line are naturally bloblike as well, and likely have no well-defined internal anatomy whatsoever. They're probably soft and squishy to the touch like a foam ball with the red horn thing being the only solid piece. Possibly they're even latent shapeshifters whose current form came from generations of using their empathic powers to create a form that evokes positive feelings in others, which would also explain why Ralts are so gosh darn cute even by Pokemon standards.

This is of course a headcanon that is founded entirely on the egg group factoid, but I'm sticking with it. :V
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Now im imagining Astra getting hugged too tightly and her head inflating like a squashed balloon. Shes a real life (well real in story) cartoon character.
 
Echo said:
This actually has a very simple answer: the eyes are purely cosmetic. The Ralts line is in the Amorphous egg group along with blobby lumps like Grimer or Slugma, and amorphous gasses with an optional outer shell like Koffing or various Ghost-types. Until recent game gens, that was their only egg group.

Therefore, we can conclude that despite the clearly defined shape the Ralts line are naturally bloblike as well, and likely have no well-defined internal anatomy whatsoever. They're probably soft and squishy to the touch like a foam ball with the red horn thing being the only solid piece. Possibly they're even latent shapeshifters whose current form came from generations of using their empathic powers to create a form that evokes positive feelings in others, which would also explain why Ralts are so gosh darn cute even by Pokemon standards.

This is of course a headcanon that is founded entirely on the egg group factoid, but I'm sticking with it. :V
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So...they're made of marshmallows...thats why they are Fairy
 
Burned_Cookie said:
If that were the case, wouldn't Astra just have form changed to not grow as much? Sure the mass needs to stick around, but putting on a bit of fat is way less suspicious than growing instantly.

Unless, of course, their blobby nature makes it so that the ralts line usually gains height instead of a bit more bolbous body, and Astra didn't realize humans do that naturally.

"Maybe if I put the added weight in my body? Nooooo humans aren't shapeshifters they would notice immediately if my body shape changed!"

Cue shenanigans when say Brendan puts on some weight or something.
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I was more thinking something like ancient proto-Ralts being shapeshifters, settling on a form, then losing the ability itself over time. Or something like that. I dunno, it's more weird headcanon stuff.

Solacen said:
Now im imagining Astra getting hugged too tightly and her head inflating like a squashed balloon. Shes a real life (well real in story) cartoon character.
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Imagine May doing that exaggerated anime cheek-pulling thing to Astra. Streeeeeeeetch~
 
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AI art ft: Astra and May.
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    • AI art is a troubled field fraught with ethical issues I am ill-equipped to tackle, but damn does it look pretty when you do it right.

    Even if you have to spend a distressing amount of time making sure young characters aren't showing an alarming amount of Leg and Ass.

    It also loves giving Astra elf ears, which...I guess??? The fashion choices can also be a little questionable. I know it's trained on Danbooru but can the clothing at least try to cool it on being skin-tight?





    Comparison:



     
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