orchard-lad

[orchard-lad]

!";:+gdh

-@caoimhe-from-hoenn

????

Caoimhe, are you ok?

Do you require assistance?

[orchard-lad]

-part 4

Soon, more cocoons begin to fall from the tree tops, unravelling to reveal a multitude of pokemon, some unconscious, others struggling for freedom. The Ariados horde too began to thin, many falling prey to exhaustion and paralysis, while others were dispatched by the newly awoken Pinsir.

A flash of red from a newly fallen cocoon catches Darnell's eye, unravelling to reveal one of the Ledian Rangers, its carapace mottled with purple poison and bite wounds. As he rushes over to tend to its wounds, the loud sounds of tearing and wingbeats can be heard.

With a loud cry, a Skarmory tears through the web covered canopy, followed by a flock of other flying pokemon, each bearing a ranger upon their back, scattering dust and debris across the clearing.

The video ends here.]

[A video plays, clearly recorded from a camera strapped to Darnell's head.

The forest stands tall, a thick canopy blotting out the sky with scattered moonlight bleeding through the leaves, while the ground is shrouded in a thick shrub. Before him, the forest is tightly woven together by a thick webbing, strands of white fiber cording through trees and bushes to form and impenetrable net.

"Are you ready?" As the quiet words echo through the silent forest, Artichoke floats down from beyond the tree canopy, while Hue clambers to her feet, shaking slightly from nervousness. With a nod from Darnell, the two assemble before him, Artichoke leading the less experienced Deerling forwards.

As Artichoke approaches the webbing, flower begins to spin slowly as the webs, shrubbery and trees seem to bend out of his way, opening a path for the trio to move through. The webbing and shrubbery close behind them, whatever power that affected them fading as the trio pass through.

Soon, the tunnel of webs and wood breaks open to reveal a large clearing centered around a giant tree. Remnants of an old Beedrill nest still hang from the boughs of the tree, old wax turning to dust in the breeze. Even higher still are countless sacks of web, some wriggling with movement while others have begun to still, barely moving every few seconds.

At the base of the tree, a few large groups of Ariados have gathered. Unlike typical Ariados, they are smaller, some misshapen and malformed like a molting gone wrong. These Ariados huddle in swarms, cowering from a few large Ariados. These older, wiser Ariados look battleworn, their carapace covered in the scars of battle, snapping at the swarming Ariados as if they come too close.

[orchard-lad]

-part 3

The spiders are up in arms now, webs being flung left, right and center as they seek to deal with both the flying menace and the little deer on the ground slamming them around. The smaller, swarming Ariados are in a panic, crushing each other in an attempt to swarm up the tree to get Artichoke, who is fending them off with large clouds of Stun Spore, Seed Bombs and a powerful Tailwind.

But as he speeds up to avoid a series of Sticky Webs, the blowing winds cause the flower upon his head to spin at just the right speed, slicing right through a series of hanging cocoons, which fall to the ground, unravelling to reveal an nearly unconcious Pinsir and a group of Sentrets.

"Hue! Lure the big ones away! Artichoke, keep watch over her!" Trusting his pokemon, Darnell dashes towards the fainted pokemon, pulling out Pecha berries and Oran berries that he begins to feed to them.

As their eyes shudder open, he whispers to them, "I need you to help us fight. Just drive the Ariados away for a while, until more backup arrives." A loud squeal interrupts his words. A stray web from one of the Ariados attacking Artichoke glued Hue to the ground as the Ariados she faced began to circle.

"PINSIRRR!!" With a loud cry, the Pinsir gets to its feet, before charging at the Ariados, knocking them aside like bowling pins. The Sentret too leap to action, choosing instead to rush up the tree in an attempt to free more pokemon to assist in the fight.

[A video plays, clearly recorded from a camera strapped to Darnell's head.

The forest stands tall, a thick canopy blotting out the sky with scattered moonlight bleeding through the leaves, while the ground is shrouded in a thick shrub. Before him, the forest is tightly woven together by a thick webbing, strands of white fiber cording through trees and bushes to form and impenetrable net.

"Are you ready?" As the quiet words echo through the silent forest, Artichoke floats down from beyond the tree canopy, while Hue clambers to her feet, shaking slightly from nervousness. With a nod from Darnell, the two assemble before him, Artichoke leading the less experienced Deerling forwards.

As Artichoke approaches the webbing, flower begins to spin slowly as the webs, shrubbery and trees seem to bend out of his way, opening a path for the trio to move through. The webbing and shrubbery close behind them, whatever power that affected them fading as the trio pass through.

Soon, the tunnel of webs and wood breaks open to reveal a large clearing centered around a giant tree. Remnants of an old Beedrill nest still hang from the boughs of the tree, old wax turning to dust in the breeze. Even higher still are countless sacks of web, some wriggling with movement while others have begun to still, barely moving every few seconds.

At the base of the tree, a few large groups of Ariados have gathered. Unlike typical Ariados, they are smaller, some misshapen and malformed like a molting gone wrong. These Ariados huddle in swarms, cowering from a few large Ariados. These older, wiser Ariados look battleworn, their carapace covered in the scars of battle, snapping at the swarming Ariados as if they come too close.

[orchard-lad]

So i'm not allowed to work on my days off anymore

And we're capping the number of battles per day until the end of the month

[orchard-lad]

-part 2

As the camera peers over the area, Artichoke takes off high into the sky, quietly raining down clouds of blue and yellow powder onto the insects below. At first, the insects don't seem affected, but their movements begin to slow, and then still.

It is one of the older Ariados who notice this first. Glancing up, it spots Artichoke with a loud hiss, before beginning to fire Poison Stings into the air in an attempt to hit him. A swift Tailwind begins to build under Artichoke, knocking away some of the Poison Stings as he begins to pump up enormous plumes of powder, any attempt at subtlety forgone as the rest of the Ariados begin to take note of this new threat.

As the plumes of blue and yellow powder reach the spiders, some fall asleep, while others lie paralysed, but many forge on through the plume, scaling the great tree in evergrowing numbers.

"Artichoke! Forget the Sleep Powder, some of them have Insomnia! Knock them back with some Seed Bombs. Hue! Get that Ariados that's preparing that web!"

Orders received, Artichoke ceases emitting Sleep Powder, focusing purely on Stun Spore instead. As some Ariados begin to reach him, he releases a Seed Bomb, knocking them off the tree. Meanwhile Hue and Darnell both begin sprinting, Darnell towards the edge of the clearing while Hue dashes towards one of the oldest, largest Ariados in the area.

As she gallops towards him, all traces of worry are lost as a serenity descends upon her, granting her a graceful movement through the battlefield. Lowering her head, she Headbutts the Ariados in the thorax, causing it to flinch as it is pushed backwards.

[A video plays, clearly recorded from a camera strapped to Darnell's head.

The forest stands tall, a thick canopy blotting out the sky with scattered moonlight bleeding through the leaves, while the ground is shrouded in a thick shrub. Before him, the forest is tightly woven together by a thick webbing, strands of white fiber cording through trees and bushes to form and impenetrable net.

"Are you ready?" As the quiet words echo through the silent forest, Artichoke floats down from beyond the tree canopy, while Hue clambers to her feet, shaking slightly from nervousness. With a nod from Darnell, the two assemble before him, Artichoke leading the less experienced Deerling forwards.

As Artichoke approaches the webbing, flower begins to spin slowly as the webs, shrubbery and trees seem to bend out of his way, opening a path for the trio to move through. The webbing and shrubbery close behind them, whatever power that affected them fading as the trio pass through.

Soon, the tunnel of webs and wood breaks open to reveal a large clearing centered around a giant tree. Remnants of an old Beedrill nest still hang from the boughs of the tree, old wax turning to dust in the breeze. Even higher still are countless sacks of web, some wriggling with movement while others have begun to still, barely moving every few seconds.

At the base of the tree, a few large groups of Ariados have gathered. Unlike typical Ariados, they are smaller, some misshapen and malformed like a molting gone wrong. These Ariados huddle in swarms, cowering from a few large Ariados. These older, wiser Ariados look battleworn, their carapace covered in the scars of battle, snapping at the swarming Ariados as if they come too close.

[orchard-lad]

[A video plays, clearly recorded from a camera strapped to Darnell's head.

The forest stands tall, a thick canopy blotting out the sky with scattered moonlight bleeding through the leaves, while the ground is shrouded in a thick shrub. Before him, the forest is tightly woven together by a thick webbing, strands of white fiber cording through trees and bushes to form and impenetrable net.

"Are you ready?" As the quiet words echo through the silent forest, Artichoke floats down from beyond the tree canopy, while Hue clambers to her feet, shaking slightly from nervousness. With a nod from Darnell, the two assemble before him, Artichoke leading the less experienced Deerling forwards.

As Artichoke approaches the webbing, flower begins to spin slowly as the webs, shrubbery and trees seem to bend out of his way, opening a path for the trio to move through. The webbing and shrubbery close behind them, whatever power that affected them fading as the trio pass through.

Soon, the tunnel of webs and wood breaks open to reveal a large clearing centered around a giant tree. Remnants of an old Beedrill nest still hang from the boughs of the tree, old wax turning to dust in the breeze. Even higher still are countless sacks of web, some wriggling with movement while others have begun to still, barely moving every few seconds.

At the base of the tree, a few large groups of Ariados have gathered. Unlike typical Ariados, they are smaller, some misshapen and malformed like a molting gone wrong. These Ariados huddle in swarms, cowering from a few large Ariados. These older, wiser Ariados look battleworn, their carapace covered in the scars of battle, snapping at the swarming Ariados as if they come too close.

[orchard-lad]

So good news, we've found the nest and a lot of wriggling things in web sacks. It seems increasingly likely that the missing Ledian Rangers are in the nest, and that the Ariados's and Spinaraks haven't gotten hungry yet.

Bad news, they are definitely getting hungry soon, because they're amassing in a few large groups around their captives. If we wait for the Rangers to arrive, the Ariados and Spinarak will definitely have finished their meal by then.

So... we're going in. I'm not letting any pokemon or any of my Ledians die tonight.

Wish us luck!

Thank god for the new fences, the combination of the storm and the new trees are really messing with the surroundings, I've never seen so much territorial conflict in my time here.

Speaking of new trees, those Lum trees I planted earlier in the season are growing well, they managed to avoid the worst of the storm and only required mild care to recover.

Same can't be said for the Pecha trees, being the closest to the northern fence, they took the brunt of the storm. I've written off nearly half the trees. The Oran Berries are mostly ok, only a few of them have been damaged to the point of being written off. They took more damage from the Beedrill infestation then the storm itself.

Speaking of which, those Beedrills have been such a nightmare to deal with. After I incapacitated the nest, I called rangers who came to remove them, but it seems like I missed a nest of Weedle and Kakuna somewhere because the Ledian Rangers and many of the wild pokemon keep ending up poisoned after doing their rounds. Thank god I keep a stockpile of Pechas.

[orchard-lad]

We're missing the red and black Ledian Rangers. I've called the Rangers (as in the human ones) to inform them about the emergency, but I'm headed to wherever this fuckin nest is to get my bugs back.

The rest of the Ledian Rangers are currently out scouting for the nest while Hue and Artichoke hold the perimeter, once they find it they'll double back to get us.

They'll be remaining to guard the orchard whilst Artichoke, Hue and I strike the nest to retrieve the missing Ledians. If we can't drive them away now, hopefully the Rangers arriving soon can help to do so.

Thank god for the new fences, the combination of the storm and the new trees are really messing with the surroundings, I've never seen so much territorial conflict in my time here.

Speaking of new trees, those Lum trees I planted earlier in the season are growing well, they managed to avoid the worst of the storm and only required mild care to recover.

Same can't be said for the Pecha trees, being the closest to the northern fence, they took the brunt of the storm. I've written off nearly half the trees. The Oran Berries are mostly ok, only a few of them have been damaged to the point of being written off. They took more damage from the Beedrill infestation then the storm itself.

Speaking of which, those Beedrills have been such a nightmare to deal with. After I incapacitated the nest, I called rangers who came to remove them, but it seems like I missed a nest of Weedle and Kakuna somewhere because the Ledian Rangers and many of the wild pokemon keep ending up poisoned after doing their rounds. Thank god I keep a stockpile of Pechas.

[orchard-lad]

IT WASN'T FUCKIN WEEDLES

so the house's shitty roof now has two holes in it instead of just one.

One of the Ledian Rangers came back poisoned again, so I went out to help her without Artichoke and Hue. Nearly got my head taken off by a fuckin angry spider in the dark.

Thank god Noctus, our resident wild Noctowl was around at the time, and blasted the Ariados away, otherwise I would've been a goner. The roof's got a spider sized hole in it now though.

I'm thinking that they've set up a nest somewhere nearby. I'm trying to find the other Rangers to make sure that they're all still around.

Thank god for the new fences, the combination of the storm and the new trees are really messing with the surroundings, I've never seen so much territorial conflict in my time here.

Speaking of new trees, those Lum trees I planted earlier in the season are growing well, they managed to avoid the worst of the storm and only required mild care to recover.

Same can't be said for the Pecha trees, being the closest to the northern fence, they took the brunt of the storm. I've written off nearly half the trees. The Oran Berries are mostly ok, only a few of them have been damaged to the point of being written off. They took more damage from the Beedrill infestation then the storm itself.

Speaking of which, those Beedrills have been such a nightmare to deal with. After I incapacitated the nest, I called rangers who came to remove them, but it seems like I missed a nest of Weedle and Kakuna somewhere because the Ledian Rangers and many of the wild pokemon keep ending up poisoned after doing their rounds. Thank god I keep a stockpile of Pechas.

[orchard-lad]

Good.

You need rest, take care of yourself more.

Fuckin hell im still staying home today

[orchard-lad]

Thank god for the new fences, the combination of the storm and the new trees are really messing with the surroundings, I've never seen so much territorial conflict in my time here.

Speaking of new trees, those Lum trees I planted earlier in the season are growing well, they managed to avoid the worst of the storm and only required mild care to recover.

Same can't be said for the Pecha trees, being the closest to the northern fence, they took the brunt of the storm. I've written off nearly half the trees. The Oran Berries are mostly ok, only a few of them have been damaged to the point of being written off. They took more damage from the Beedrill infestation then the storm itself.

Speaking of which, those Beedrills have been such a nightmare to deal with. After I incapacitated the nest, I called rangers who came to remove them, but it seems like I missed a nest of Weedle and Kakuna somewhere because the Ledian Rangers and many of the wild pokemon keep ending up poisoned after doing their rounds. Thank god I keep a stockpile of Pechas.

[orchard-lad]

Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators:

Send me a # (questions for OCs) or a letter (questions for creators) and I’ll answer

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OCs

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

How easy is it to earn their trust?

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

What animal do they fear most?

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

What makes their stomach turn?

Are they easily embarrassed?

What embarrasses them?

What is their favorite number?

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Why do they get up in the morning? 

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? 

 Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom? 

 What are their thoughts on marriage? 

 What is their preferred mode of transportation? 

 What causes them to feel dread? 

 Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

 Do they usually live up to their own ideals? 

 Who do they most regret meeting? 

 Who are they the most glad to have met? 

 Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? 

 Could they be considered lazy? 

 How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? 

 How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? 

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? 

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)? 

What memory do they revisit the most often? 

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? 

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

How do they feel about children? 

How badly do they want to reach their end goal? 

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so? 

QUESTIONS FOR CREATORS

A) Why are you excited about this character? B) What inspired you to create them? C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story? D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look? E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you? F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)? G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most? H) What trait do you admire most? I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe? J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

[orchard-lad]

Well, the first step was to wait for a suitable pokemon to move in. An older wild pokemon is far more likely to cooperate compared to younger, feistier wilds. The main criteria required to convince regulars to stay are: food, safety, territory and freedom. Personally, I offer my regulars a tree to reside in, free reign to eat berries (provided they don't go overboard), free reign to hunt pests, protection from any severe threats and the freedom to leave anytime they want.

Offers rarely work immediately, but require a slow relationship to be cultivated with the regulars. Aside from assured housing and plentiful food, the offer of protection from threats that most pokemon can't deal with easily, such as Beedrill swarms here in Johto can often help in swaying pokemon, which might require a show of strength.

In your case, aside from a show of power, you would probably require the construction and maintenance of shelters for these regulars. Getting them to associate your orchard with safety after winter by cleaning out nests and dens of ash, or making sure that the same regulars are able to claim their usual dens and homes would work as a great starting point to begin bribing and making offers to them.

I imagine keeping an orchard in Hoenn must be quite different from Johto's more temperate climate (especially the volcanic ash) Are there any major challenges you face operating in such an environment?

Saplings planted, fences upgraded, ladies, gentlemen and non-binary besties, we are ready for action!

I've got around 10 saplings of each species planted, and we're hoping that they get to a good size before winter comes.

Currently, we already know of some possible threats, ranging from threats such as Weedle and Caterpie who love to feast on young saplings for fresh leaves to Aipoms who would easily damage young saplings for fun.

As such, the fence around the orchard has been raised and strengthened, and a 24/7 patrol has been established with Artichoke, Hue and a few loaned pokemon.

Tireless, fierce and fashionable, hailing from the Johtoan Arborist Society, meet the Ledian Rangers!!!

[A picture of 6 Ledian posed dramatically, with a blue, red, green, yellow, black and pink scarf around their neck respectively.]

These helpful bugs are assisting in protecting and monitoring the young saplings, especially at night.

I'll be updating everyone occasionally as the saplings continue to grow.

[orchard-lad]

I’m glad Ellisa ( @adventures-on-foster-island ) asked me to be a speaker at foster islands summer camp this year . It been a busy since I installed the tutor machine and fun introducing the children the more artisanal Tm’s in my company’s catalog. Fireworks , Pollen shield and Bubble Shower have been popular.

[orchard-lad]

BRB, need to deal with some firewood really quick.

Tell me about your partner pokemon and I'll tell you a fact about them!

[orchard-lad]

My partner pokemon is a Skiploom called Artichoke. He is currently eating a Lum berry while sitting in the sun. I have and will use him as a pillow while napping in the sun.

Tell me about your partner pokemon and I'll tell you a fact about them!

[orchard-lad]

Nope, they are on loan from the Johtoan Arborist Society, who are one of my partners in this conservation project. One of their members has had plenty of experience training up a Ledian to act as orchard guards, and so offered to loan me the Ledian Rangers to help protecting with the young saplings.

To deal with pests during Berry ripening periods, I prefer to just bribe major predators like Noctowl and Furret to move into the orchard. They would eat a few berries themselves, but chase off or kill most pests. I've got a few that live in my orchard year round to do so.

Saplings planted, fences upgraded, ladies, gentlemen and non-binary besties, we are ready for action!

I've got around 10 saplings of each species planted, and we're hoping that they get to a good size before winter comes.

Currently, we already know of some possible threats, ranging from threats such as Weedle and Caterpie who love to feast on young saplings for fresh leaves to Aipoms who would easily damage young saplings for fun.

As such, the fence around the orchard has been raised and strengthened, and a 24/7 patrol has been established with Artichoke, Hue and a few loaned pokemon.

Tireless, fierce and fashionable, hailing from the Johtoan Arborist Society, meet the Ledian Rangers!!!

[A picture of 6 Ledian posed dramatically, with a blue, red, green, yellow, black and pink scarf around their neck respectively.]

These helpful bugs are assisting in protecting and monitoring the young saplings, especially at night.

I'll be updating everyone occasionally as the saplings continue to grow.