#esp because there's like. something about ghosts there y'know

[staticpokedex]

I’ve been wanting to share this girl for a good while now- This is a bit of a revamp of an old OC I made when I was around 15. But I de-selfinsertified her and, y'know, gave her an actual solid backstory and personality.

In short, Rose is the niece of the main villain Lysandre. At first, she'd fit the role of the "angry/mean rival" archetype that XY seems to not have, acting as a rival counterpart to Shauna. (Seeing as everyone else in the main group seems to have a counterpart. Tierno has Trevor, and the MC has Calem/Serena, but Shauna doesn't really have a solid rival outside of the MC.) She's manipulated by her family into helping Team Flare, but in a sort of Zuko/Hunter/Amity-esque arc, she choses to join the main group against her uncle.

Extra doodles:

Extensive bio under the cut:

Name: Rose Dorado Age: 14

Home Region: Born and raised in Kalos, but moves to Alola with her maternal grandfather Enzio and connects more with her late mother's side of the family in Paldea. Favorite Type(s): Psychic/Ghost Voice Claim: Vanessa Paradis (Lucille from "A Monster in Paris")

Pronouns: She/Her (Experiments a little with They/Them too as she figures themself out) Sexuality: She's still figuring things out. Rose isn't sure about 'lesbian' or 'bi' or whatever so she just leaves it at 'generally sapphic' or just 'I like girls a lot'. She's pretty sure she's on the ace spectrum though. Personality: She starts off as a serious, perfection-obsessed "mean girl" who puts on a tough/cold front in a bid to impress her father and uncle. But deep down, she's an insecure, confused and frustrated kid who wants approval from the only family she has.

But after moving to Alola with her maternal grandfather, she starts to find a softer, dorkier side of herself as he heals. Because deep down she's just a dramatic, passionate, coffee-obsessed nerd who deeply loves her Pokemon.

Story:

Rose is the only daughter of one of the more powerful families in Kalos and the niece of Lysandre. All she ever really knew in terms of "family" were her father Albus, and her uncle Lysandre. She never knew too much about her late mother Alana growing up. What she was never told was that her mother comes from a well-known paldean family of psychics, and she happened to inherit ESP from her mother. She wouldn't discover these powers until her teen years, but she would hide them from her father.

The first Pokemon she recieved in her life was a unique Fennekin she named "Beryl". What makes this pokemon unique is that it is actually an incredibly rare shiny. This shiny pokemon was originally set to be sent to Sycamore's lab for study, but was bought out by Rose's father. Sadly, Beryl was originally meant to be nothing other than a trophy pet. But Rose and Beryl formed a strong connection and manage to be a strong team. Seeing this, her father decides to take advantage of that for Team Flare's (and his own) gain.

During the events of Pokemon X/Y, her drive to become a great pokemon trainer ends up in her getting roped into the "family business". Ergo, Rose is pressured into assisting her uncle Lysandre in his "vision" for the world by helping Team Flare. Despite her convictions, she pushes herself to do so to hopefully impress her only family.

With this pressure, Rose is pushing herself past her limits to meet these high standards. And she's not keen on anyone standing in her way. But there's always that one trainer who seems to pop up wherever she's assigned to- a trainer girl named Shauna. Everywhere she went, this girl was pestering her and getting in the way. But there was something in the things Shauna told her that started inspiring...doubts. As the story progresses, Rose begins to doubt her uncle's "vision" and starts drifting more towards the side of the protagonists. And this all leads to the final confrontation where, with her new friend Shauna's encouragement, she helps the group stop her uncle.

After everything is done- With her uncle presumed dead and her father MIA, Rose is taken in by her maternal grandfather Enzio Dorado. (A mysterious old man that would pop up here and there in the "story".) Rose decides to come with her grandfather to see Alola. And, wanting to go out and visit new regions herself (according to post-game dialogue from her), Shauna joins her new friend in this adventure. For her, the events of Sun/Moon (and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon) are a time for her to heal from her past and figure out her new life. While she explores this new region, she takes time to process and rediscover herself.

Obligatory OC x Canon: Rose + Shauna (I thought they'd be adorable, and fun to write/draw.)

[the-furies]

omg I LOVE hearing about synthenesia !! please infodump if you feel like it. /no pressure, just pos excitement

one of our partners has it ( @the-songbird-bus ) and I just love some of the conversations we have;

Sini, a synthete: coke is crunchy and pepsi is like sticking a bunch of warm pennies that have been sitting in the cupholder of your car in your mouth

me, not a synthete: what do you mean sodas have textures ?? they have FLAVOURS ?? coke is Good Flavour and pepsi is Not Good Flavour /t

like synthenesia is absolutely fascinating as someone who does not experience it so I love to hear about other's experiences. /gen /pos

WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO omg!!!!

OK this'll be rambly and everywhere bc Still recovering from cold but uhHHH hmmmb. A good starting point I suppose is how most of us experience our synesthesia!!

SO it like. Manifests differently for a lot of us depending on a ton of things; species, whether someone fronts often or not, types of senses a specific sysmate has in-sys, etc. just to name a few! bc of this, things like our Emotion => colour syn or our mirror touch varies between a lot of us! examples:

For our emotion => tactile synesthesia: Infīnītus, being a Skeleton Nephila (or,, whatever the singular for Nephilim is ajsjsjka),,, Thing, doesn't experience touch sensations in-sys. So instead Inf experiences it as a Mental tactile sensation? If Inf fronts and Inf feels angry then instead of feeling a sensation of spikes (because for many of us Anger Feels Spikey!) Inf won't feel it but instead mentally imagine it!

For Emotion => Colour synesthesia, using anger again as an example, most of us default to anger being red but some of us experience anger as being cold and inky, I think,,, Izzet mainly experiences that one? In fact most of hes experiences with synesthesia is some variation of black and like, the sensation of Slime. Which is! Very unique to hem! I personally experience anger as a buncha reds and hot fog sensations! And Allan associates anger with grey-blues and cold, etc. !!

And then there's the clusterfuck that's fucking mirror touch, oh my god. Mirror touch is.... a Lot.

Like,,, Imagine watching a movie and there's a fight scene. You focus on one character, and they get punched in like, the side. For most of us, if we watch that scene, we ALSO feel a minor Discomfort or Tingling sensation or SOMETHING in the same area that said character got punched in. It's not a LOT but it's Annoying esp since we like action/horror </3 HFJDISIDKDJ. we Can ignore it but it's. Annoying! FJDJSKFK tho it's not Just w Violence, if we focus on Anything any character feels (be it in visual or written media) we feel it a bit too. Absolutely wild tbh.

Tho that also differs btwn sysmate to sysmate— if someone's up front and they happen to Not Have Any (or Very Little) Tactile Sensations in-sys for whatever reason (like in Inf's case, or in Giyg's case bc she's A Ghost,,, Thing), they don't Experience mirror touch unless someone who Does have a tangible (for lack of a better word??) in-sys form is fronting with them!

Let's seee uhhh,,, Hmmb. There's also ticker tape, which we all experience p much the same way, though there are ofc a handful of exceptions!

Ticker tape is basically mental closed captions. Tho with audio processing disorder it does,, NOT help much HFJSKSKD (/lighthearted). We see words as we hear them in our minds eye, tho with a bit of concentration we can project em "outward". obvs no one else can see em but when we do that they kinda float about in our line of vision. Our words => colour syn also mixes w ticket tape BUt that's a whole different can of worms.

Depending on whether a sysmate can speak in some way in-sys dictates whether they have our collective ticker tape! If they can't, they Do end up experiencing it anyway should they front w someone who does experience it though. For our nonverbal/altverbal sysmates they also use some variation of it to talk in-sys tho it's more like,,

y'know that picture of SpongeBob where he moves his hands and a rainbow appears? yeah we do That but instead of a rainbow the words we're trying 2 say appears in a caption-like mannor in the headspace! And depending on how comfortable a sysmate is speaking english in-sys dictates what their ticker tape adjacent in-sys speech looks like; our sysmate Guppy fr example can't speak due to being a Kitty Cat so instead of Words when he communicates he uh,,, Speaks emojis? they appear as captions in-sys but when he says them it sounds like Beeps And Boops. and should he front alone the ticker tape would probs manifest as gibberish to him tbh

Andddd finally there's colour => words, it's not our Last type of synesthesia we experience but we r a tad low on spoons rn BFJDSJSKD.

So like many synesthetes out there we sometimes experience one word (or letter, or number) having a different colour than how someone else in-sys experiences it! This sometimes causes fights. they're not serious but still it happens ZbJFJSKSKDKF

Examples:

Many of us agree that A is red, but someone here, no idea who, is deadset on it being black. They're wrong, by the way! (/JOKE /LIGHTHEARTED)

Depending on how one pronounces a word changes the colour (and texture, and taste, and smell, and—), be it just a little or a Lot. I pronounce hyperbole as hyper-bowl, which makes it pale yellow and kinda shimmery and Sensation Of Licking Metal, but Izzet pronounces it high-per-bowl-ee, and THAT is more blue-ish, smoke scented, and feels warm!

We will jokingly argue over which colours school subjects are and if anyone disagrees with math being red then they r dead 2 us be they a sysmate or not (/jokeeeee JFJDJSJF)

there's SO MUCH MORE but this is. LONG already so I'll stop there JFJDKSDKFKFOD thank u for listening!!!

[bansheeoftheforest]

I'll have you know that the skull crackening made me cry until I threw up (to clarify, crying did not make me throw up, it was the head injury, and I did so quite a few more times) though to be fair the only thing about the whole incident that upset me was that they refused to let me have my birthday there, smh

-

Plot twist: They had to revive Jekyll, otherwise Zosi would have killed the lodger that pushed J. The only reason that Lodger is alive today is because Zosi cant open doors 😔 /j

Also? Jasper, Rachel, n Robert not knowing Jekyll died is absolutely horrific and I adore it. Esp f he starts showing some more obvious signs of being dead/rotting 👀. Hey did you know Jekyll made a potion that can give ghost heartbeats. Like canonically? If you count a single deviantart post from probably a decade ago canon. Though that probably doesn't actually matter in this au as he was revived by Frankenstein, and thus his organs are probably actually functioning! That'd significantly decrease rot too I believe

If it isn't too medically possible we can always use the headcanon I invented for Peppermint Rot, That Jekyll's bones are very weak due to constant transformations ❤

Goodness gracious Imagine being the lodger in that situation, like heck. Also I vote the lodgers panicking and being in tears when running to Frankenstein about the incident. No "going into silent shock business" trust me, I have a rather deadpan/lack of emotion when speaking of some important things so my little brother just didn't belive me when I said something had died. I had to prove it. V awkward

Also did any other lodger see it happen/see the body 👀

I vote Helsby pushed him

Mmhm ignore the fact that I want to know why you called me a diet version of you, will you /J

Ugh... Vomiting... I have been lucky enough to never get a serious injury at all, counting away that one time a friend accidentally threw a fist-sized rock straight to the back of my head when I was like... 6... But I did vomit a few weeks ago bc I was a dumb bitch and stressed myself to the point of me throwing up for the first time in over a decade. Fun <3 Although nothing you are saying at this point can convince me that you were even remotely a normal child. You are probably a changling, I'm sure <3<3<3<3 /lh

-

Honestly? Zosi would have killed him and eaten his corpse if he got the chance. I'm honestly not even doubting that. If church grims ate kids that were just running in a graveyard they sure as hell can kill and eat the people that murdered their master.

It would be terrifying and absolutely traumatising for them when they realize what happen and I love it <3 AndI actually knew that bc you have mentioned it before and I found that post on Sabrina's deviantart! His organs probably would be functioning but I like to believe he takes that potion anyway bc maybe it helps to keep his organs intact and he likes to constantly feel his heartbeat, it's calming for him, even if he wished that it wouldn't be beating at all... Which is v sad </3

Mm... Weak bones, yes pls <3<3<3<3<3<3

I vote for them panicking, cradling Henry's body in complete denial trying to wake him up before realizing that he is completely dead, gone, his brain is literally spilling out onto the floor at this point, his eyes are rolling into the back of his head, they panic and takes Henry's body to Frankenstein who is both absolutely horrified at what they did to Jekyll, but wastes no time in trying to fix it?

Y'know what would be fun? If no one saw it, so only the Lodger/Frankenstein/Creature knows that he is dead. Maybe Maijabi too bc Frankenstein had no choice but to ask him for help so Henry would keep his memories/personality/everything else that isn't physical intact.

Helsby was actually the one I imagined when writing the murder, you read my mind <3

[domjaehyun]

Honestly, if I were to flirt with you, I'd be satisfied with this setup. No faces, just vibes and unabashed speaking of the mind. I tend to be critical about physical features, too (preferences and the like, y'know), and if I find your personality beautiful first, I'd rather keep the attraction blind than have my ego speak on the superficial aspect if I ever get to get a glimpse of someone's face. But hey, if you're a Jaehyun/Mark or Wendy (RV) kind of fine, why not? ♥ (Just butting in...👀)

i get what you mean !! i cannot relate 💖 i hear you totally for sure like . i get it but it just so happens that in my past experiences, i have had people flirt with me anonymously/without faces (like . 95% of the encounters i’m thinking of happened on/from tumblr sjfjsjdj) and like . they either went into it like Having Feelings for me or like Developed Feelings for me while we were talking and i… didn’t feel the same because i Didn’t Know Them sjfjsjd

(elaboration under the cut i kinda went off on a rant sjfjskfkd)

i am a very daydreamy, visual kind of person (pisces venus 💖) and i literally Cannot Actually Daydream about someone if i don’t know what they look like !! like a faceless, voiceless, formless being in my daydreams does absolutely nothing for me y’know?

and like . in the circumstances i’ve had on here where people have developed feelings for me and revealed themselves to me,,,,, i wasn’t attracted to them physically. like at all sjfjskkd and i felt Horrible about it bc they Trusted me enough to show me their face and they Wanted me to like them back obviously and like . i didn’t . and the last thing i ever want to do is make anyone feel insecure abt their appearance 😭😭😭 (especially women like . men have hit on me yeah but women rly do have so much fucking pressure from society to be Pretty and your prettiness gives you social value and that’s terrible)

like imagine texting w someone and you like them soooooo much and they seem to rly like talking to you and then you send them a picture of yourself and their whole behavior changes !!! like i’d kermit probably !!! and like !!! that is what i had to do !!! every time that happened to me !!! i wouldn’t ghost right off the bat bc that’s horrible but every time they flirted or said smth suggestive later i’d have to . deflect somehow !! i don’t wanna be walking on eggshells and i don’t want to lead ppl on yknow?

just like i don’t want to hurt them by rejecting them and making them feel like something’s wrong with them, i don’t want to be put in the position where i have to keep dodging advances or like . when i was younger i used to get asked out at like . summer camp / summer jobs and shit . and i would just Say Yes because i didn’t KNOW how to say no nicely !! that’s exhausting/stressful for me and not fair to them !!

so . i am still on the path of finding my voice for things like that and being able to strike the balance of Being True To Myself while also Doing No Unnecessary Harm to anyone

so like . TLDR, basically: i am all for like playful anonymous flirting !!! it can be fun and lovely i love it !! i just feel like both parties need to be careful with like . it getting too intimate y’know? (esp considering a lot of people that have flirted with me on/from here have the advantage of knowing what /i/ look like and stuff abt me but i don’t know anything abt them,,, so they have a feeling of intimacy w me that is one-sided—it’s kinda like a parasocial relationship tbh)

(also it is totally fine that you butted in dw dw 💖)

[ruthlesslistener]

hey, its the NB anon from those vessel pronoun discourse asks. i felt like i should apologize. it was never my intention to be inconsiderate towards other NB ppl in the HK fandom. its not like i dont understand where theyre coming from; i /do/ also feel wary and uncomfortable when i see fics or posts that use gendered pronouns for the vessels. i just... try to have a live and let live approach when it comes to those things, bc i dont know the full context behind some ppl's decisions. (1/2)

(2/2) for example, a friend of mine told me about a hc where Ghost decides to identify as a girl and asks to be referred to as she/her out of admiration for Hornet, and i thought it was a sweet idea. not to mention, there could always be younger fans who are projecting themselves on the characters; i dont think theyre doing it out of malice, just enjoying the game in their own way. i do kind of resent it, but i just block and avoid them bc it doesnt affect much in the end. y'know?

...

Hey, it’s fine! I understand that perfectly. Like I said before, when I first joined the fandom I used to hc that Hollow used he/they pronouns because they wanted to align themselves with their father, but I stopped because even if my interpretation of that did not align with how we view gender, and was aligned to how wyrms and gods view gender, I realized that it made actual nb people in fandom uncomfortable, so I stopped. I also understand that we live in a society where gendering things is the norm, so younger fans might default to binary pronouns bc they don’t know any better, but gently reinforcing the concept of genderless pronouns to them is still better than just letting them go and watching as they get defensive when people tell them it’s uncomfortable. Fandom is an experience that you are supposed to curate to your own needs, yes, but it’s also a social experience period, and I feel like you really have to be aware of your impact on it, regardless of what your intentions are. Transphobia and the like isn’t always rooted in malice, after all- sometimes its rooted in ignorance, and that’s how you get microaggressions, like assigning binary genders to characters that don’t have a gender. We’re all susceptible to that, regardless of if we’re trans or not- it’s really up to listening to the majority of fans who feel represented by that and showing them respect that is the major key, here. After all, it’s not like the characters themselves give a shit about being gendered- they aren’t real- but it can be really insulting and infuriating to people who see aspects of themselves in the characters being disrespected, esp. if it’s something that they already have to deal with irl. There’s no need to bring it into fictional spaces that can function as escapes from reality, especially if the fiction itself doesn’t have transphobia and treats being genderless as the default/doesn’t place emphasis on gender at all. 

[jolynejay]

Ok, so something I’ve been thinking about... Why don’t espers use their powers for more... creative things? I mean, besides exorcising spirits, fighting each other etc.

It’s been a bit since I saw or read MP100 (i really have to catch up on s2), but I can’t recall something in this line of thought. Sorry if I’m wrong on that. Still, at least in the anime espers tend to have some kind of aura especially when using their powers, visable to skilled espers. And although it might just be an artistic choice to signefy power usage to the viewer, I’d like to think that it’s a real thing.

So, why then don’t espers use their powers in other ways? Well an obvious answer is, because it isn’t really relavant to the story and characters. I mean, one of the core messages of the 1st season was, that no matter how powerful (psychic) abilities you may posess that does not make you anything more or any better than any other person. But I still think psychic abilities could be used in different ways…

This is a personal thing, but I have always been facinated with things glowing in the dark. And I sure as heck know if I had psychic powers that glow like damn christmas lights, I would put on a giant lightshow for myself all the time.

I’m sure an artist with ESP could find some creative way to use their powers to paint for example. Maybe throw bubbles of paint on a canvas? Or maybe use several brushes with levitation to maximize efficency?

Or if you have telekinesis and can fly with that, I know several people who would use that power to go skydiving - without the plane. Just fly as high as you want and let yourself fall (and ideally stop the fall before you crash into the ground XD)

You have pyrokinesis? Minimize gas usage for cooking by supplying the fire yourself. Alternatively you could be a special effects master for theatres. y'know, like, kabuki where there are will-o’-wisps and spooky ghost flames etc. etc. Though maybe some good insurance might be needed, in case you accidentally set the stage or your coworkers on fire…

Look, all I want to say is, I want some whacky, mundane and/or hilarious applications for psychic powers, because shit I’d love seeing them used for fun, not fighting.

[andagii-writes]

Orchard Party

For @aperturegaming011, mega request indeed!

You’ve been waiting for so long, and the number of characters made the entire project a lot more involved than its initial conception. I really hope you enjoy it, and that I captured your characters! It had to be its own short story so I’m slapping it under a... 

"Good grief, Rhei. You didn't say I'd be having a festival in my front yard."

With a scratch at the light stubble along his chin, Rhei grinned, and neatly skipped up the steps of the Breezy Banks veranda. He threw his arm around Kutone's shoulders. "You specified no guidelines for this event." Nodding to the sprawl of tables and vineyard decorations, as well as the townspeople marveling the spread of autumn fare, Rhei gave his friend a fond squeeze. "A bit more gratitude would be nice."

Shaking Rhei off, Kutone squared her shoulders, letting her suit jacket settle back into a comfortable position. Despite Rhei's amused snort, she tugged next on the collar of her blouse. Routine, for old business. She crossed her arms. "You told me you had some guests for me to talk to?"

"Sure do." Rhei offered his hand. Rejected, of course, as Kutone slapped away the offer, and descended the veranda steps. Still, he chuckled. "Otherwise, you wouldn't give a shit about the other farmers around the valley--ah, no, sorry--was that too much?"

She glared as Rhei matched her pace. "Oh, do carry on. Business as usual."

"So I'm not getting an earful from your fiance?"

"Business. As usual."

"Come on, Kutone. He's become something of a little brother to me. I like pissing him off."

Golden rays spilled over the visible fields of autumn fare, and glinted through amber glassware offering candied yams, cranberry sauce, homemade stuffing, plum pudding--and even more than Kutone knew she'd requested for the event. Instead of reflecting her confusion, however, Rhei maintained a proud smirk. "It's amazing stuff," he said, "when a local farmer is also a top-tier chef."

A sweet laugh answered. "Mr. Young, you realize I'm not sitting on a cake, right?"

"That's not..." He masked his exasperation well, with an amused chuckle, as he waved someone over. "I'm not talking about cake tiers, Catherine."

"I guess that one was a little obscure of me." Catherine, bright green eyes sparkling, stepped away from the table and accepted Rhei's firm handshake. Then offering her hand next to Kutone, she laughed again. "Kind of a sour face, aren't you? Life's thrown you too many lemons?"

Kutone tried a light smile, as she shook Catherine's hand. "The day's making my face pucker, maybe," she said. "Having Rhei as an associate does that sometimes."

"Hey!"

"Quite the opposite, actually!" The strands of Catherine's blonde hair bounced as she nodded toward Rhei. "The man sponsored and got me out of the sour patch known as Joja. You don't need me to say more, do you?"

"I'm not here to dredge up awful memories," replied Kutone, "for my sake or yours." She gestured to the orchard party. "Rhei tells me he invited you on business? You must have prepared the spread here."

Catherine gasped, and cast an impressed expression in Rhei's direction. "She's a sharp knife, that's for sure! Tell me that you're enjoying it so far!"

"I unfortunately haven't had a chance to try it yet, but," Kutone paused and turned in her spot, nodding to the Pelican Town residents gaily tucking in, as well as the amber ambiance. "This is beautiful, top-floor restaurant fare here. Do you have your own location?"

"Maybe I should sit on top of a cake at this point!" Catherine laughed. She clasped her hands together, as though in prayer. "Though, it is my dream to open up a restaurant. So when Young told me an old friend of his had a fantastic vineyard in the works, I had to come check it out. I understand, you'll be unveiling an original blend soon?"

At this, Kutone shot a glare toward Rhei, who uneasily averted his eyes and pulled at his collar.

Catherine pressed a hand over her mouth. "Oops, I guess I spilled some milk here? Please don't mind me!"

"I don't, and I won't," Kutone replied, digging a sharp knuckle into Rhei's side. "I'm surprised no one else has asked me, really, with this great flapping mouth of his."

"I was talking business!" Rhei whimpered, cringing and curling away from Kutone's jab. "Catherine wanted to pair some of her signature autumn dishes with your drinks, so I told her about testing your new blend!"

"He told me nothing more than that, I promise," Catherine added. "Since I had no idea if it was even a red or white wine, I prepared a variety here to take the guessing out of the picture!" She offered her hand again. "Kutone, when I make my dream come true, I'm hoping you'll let me carry your wines on the menu?"

If not her puns, her enthusiasm was infectious. Kutone accepted a second, eager handshake, as she chuckled. "So long as you're okay with Rhei being our go-between."

"I wouldn't have it any other way!"

They exchanged business cards, Rhei adding he'd send a mock-up of a wine menu for Catherine's consideration, before Catherine turned next to Gus and Elliot. Both in awe of the artistry and taste of the dishes, they already had wine pairings to discuss with the up-and-coming restauranteur.

Meanwhile, Rhei guided Kutone past the banquet tables, toward the vined arches leading to the farm's main orchards. They weren't permanent, Rhei assured, unless Kutone wanted to keep them. "Don't get me wrong," she responded. "They're a nice touch, but once this event's over, they're gone."

"Sometimes I forget you're a minimalist."

"You forget a lot of things in your age, Mr. Young, sir."

At this, Rhei crossed his arms, and turned up his lip, mocking an offended pout. "Stand yourself corrected, miss! I remember that cruel tone of voice very well!"

Cackles answered in Kutone's stead. "Big, bad businessman just got one-upped by the wino!"

Hardly the description Kutone would have used for Rhei, but it was comical enough to grab their attentions, and a legitimate frown from Rhei. Following the voice, he turned to one of the benches nestled between the arches, where two girls sat giggling.

One of them, at least, was familiar to Kutone. "Lay off, old friend,” she said, laying a hand on Rhei’s arm. “I told you about Jane, didn't I?"

"I'm assuming she's the one currently not laughing at your supposed one-up?"

"Still giggling, but yes." Kutone lifted a hand in greeting, as she approached Jane and her friend.

"You've some explaining to do," said Kutone, mocking a patronizing tone. "I don't take kindly to people other than me giving my old friend a hard time."

Rhei ground his knuckles into Kutone's shoulder. "I'm hearing the word 'old' too many times, Kutone."

While Jane, face hidden behind her curtain of black hair, giggled helplessly at the banter, her friend shrugged. Her fair features held a perpetual smugness that, when she spoke, added to her playful tone. "Well at least it's obvious who's wearing the pants in this partnership."

"It's why I don't wear skirts," said Kutone, smiling. "But giving Rhei a break for just one second here..."

Jane pressed her hands together, nodded, and pulled her phone from her pocket. After a bit of typing, she flashed the message to Kutone and Rhei.

My friend, Glaser, began the message. weve been enjoying the party and talking video games this entire time!

"Just sucks that I don't know the language to talk to you so you don't have to keep typing and playing charades, y'know?" Glaser huffed and crossed her legs, directing her attention to Kutone. "What a sharp-lookin' bitch though--you're sure you're a farmer?"

"And businesswoman," Kutone added. "Rhei here is basically my mentor."

Jane gasped, and quickly tapped out another message. It's very nice to meet you, sir!

"Good grief, finally some shred of good vibes in my direction," Rhei replied. Accepting Jane's amiable handshake, he flashed a handsome smile. "You're also a valley local?"

With a deep nod, Jane threw an arm around Glaser's shoulders.

"Both of you, eh? How do you like the Banks, then?"

"Makes me feel good to know a chica's running the place," said Glaser. "Or maybe I should be more respectful, senorita?"

Kutone shook her head. "Say whatever you want about me. I don't particularly care."

Jane landed a light but purposeful slap on Glaser's shoulder. Cheeks puffed and brow furrowed, she leveled a meaningful glare.

Glaser rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Fine, I'll be nice, just because she's your friend. And because she runs a fuckin' winery from her backyard." She shot a calculating glance toward Rhei. "And also 'cause the old man's not nearly as annoying as I thought he'd be."

Rhei threw his hands up. "Kutone, if you need me, I'll be on the other side of the estate arranging your other meetings, okay? Okay."

"Hey now, no rage quitting!" Glaser jeered, "You can't go AFK and ghost us like this! Hey!"

Kutone snickered at Rhei's retreating back, meandering back through the banquet tables on his way to the farm's entrance. Noticing Jane's concerned frown, she gestured toward him. "No need to worry about him--he's used to far more cruelty than that."

"Bet you really jerked him around, huh?" Glaser leaned back against the bench, and sagely shook her head. "You can't get to be a powerful girl without stomping over some stupid chicos, y'know? Is he your bitch?"

Jane pressed both hands to her face and deeply sighed.

But Kutone snorted. "Far from it. I'm his producer, he's my distributor. We've known each other in too many ways for too many years for us to have some better-than-thou relationship here."

"That's almost boring."

After a contemplative silence, Jane's fingers tapped out another message on her phone. She considered the words with a cock of her head, but with a nod, showed it first to Kutone, then to Glaser to fill her in on the conversation.

i think its amazing how u get along with ppl, kutone. esp when youre as close to a business partner as you are. like... it feels like u and rei are so much more than what youre saying.

As Glaser pulled a grim, suspicious expression, Kutone simpered. "We were. Once. Before we stabbed each other in our backs and realized we just weren’t meant to be.”

"So how do you get to be buddy-buddy-business-partners without killing him or being friends with benefits, huh?"

Kutone winked. "I have a fiance who's a far better match than Rhei could ever be. Rhei's already come to terms with that."

rei's kind of amazing in his own right?

"Now, why would I ever be so kind as to admit that?"

"Tell it like it is, senorita!" Glaser laughed. "You and me could have drinks sometime and talk more about this type of shit!"

She could appreciate that refreshing sort of rudeness, especially over drinks at the Stardrop Saloon. Definitely in moderation though--Glaser seemed like the type to easily rub off on people. Heaven forbid Kutone started talking to Rhei, or even her lovely boy like that; they'd surely crack and break down.

Leaving Glaser and Jane with a wave, Kutone followed Rhei's path: back across the banqueting area, along the stepping stones to the farm's entrance. Seeing Rhei in conversation--heated conversation--with other suits, she squared her shoulders stepped into the ring. "Problem, gentlemen?"

It was a rhetorical question, but an effective one to get the suits off of Rhei and on to her. Not that Morris, bespectacled pudgy face creased into an ever-worsening scowl, needed the distraction. Neither did the other two suits with him, but Morris stood to his fully unimpressive height, and adjusted the bright red, oversized bowtie at his neck. "A pleasure to see you, Kutone," he sniffed. "It's been some time since I last saw you and this community--I found myself wistful, you know."

The lie through his teeth couldn't have hissed harder, but Kutone shrugged and gestured to the party behind her. "Pardon my bluntness here, but I remember my colleague saying participants needed invitations to attend this event. Did he extend you one?"

Rhei, keeping an easy expression over his restrained irritation, crossed his arms. "Well, no," he started. "Morris here never saw your products as worthy of his attention so, I saw no point to inviting him."

"Yet I am a member of this community," said Morris, face already turning pink. "Certainly, I've been away awhile, but once a soul of Pelican Town, there's no leaving it, yes? I believe I deserve a spot in this party!"

Kutone gave a low, sage nod. "Duly noted, so, I'm keeping this short, Morris. Get out."

"I've even forgiven the assault Pierre made on me--you notice I never charged him!"

"Yes, and I'm not interested in making any deals with Joja either."

"Mighty words from someone using a Joja turncoat as her distributor! I'm saying lose the middleman--you'll find we can offer more benefits, a greater network, than whatever Young can muster!"

"An accomplishment and a half," said Kutone, Rhei snickering next to her. "Do come back some time to prove it though; I'd love to see how you can do Rhei's work better than he can."

"Brat. You think you're untouchable, don't you? You just happen to be on these people's good sides--which isn't that hard to do, might I add; country bumpkins and their magnanimous stupidity were always the easiest to manipulate--but wait until I tell them everything you kept in the dark!" With an evil snigger, Morris pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "After all, Miss Kutone, you know a thing or two about a tarnished reputation?"

"I do, but you wouldn't dare--"

"Wouldn't I now?"

Rhei stepped forward, shoving hard against the suits protecting Morris. "Can the threats. You can't do anything until she signs your agreement, anyway."

"Which she'll end up having to do when her rotten name brings down revenue!" Morris reached into an inner pocket and pulled out his phone. "Just one call, Young my friend."

"Don't--!"

"All's fair in the war of business!"

At the moment Morris looked down at his phone, however, a tall silhouette behind him grabbed the collar of his dress shirt and lifted his entire body from the ground. Feet dangling, Morris flailed like a swinging sack of flour. "Who--?! Put me down! Put me down, or I'll press charges!"

Unfazed, the man lifted Morris higher, reducing the Joja Sneer into a babbling squeal. Morris flailed harder, pointing at his bodyguards. "Do something! Get this man off of me!"

Morris's men weren't moving anytime soon. That much was a certainty to Kutone, mouth agape at the metallic sheen of the mystery man's hand holding Morris aloft. Not just his hand, either--both of his legs looked like they came out of a sci-fi superhero movie. Even his eye, for crying out loud, flickered a dangerous red.

Rhei whistled. "Now I've really seen it all."

But there was, Kutone thought, a certain softness to the man's dark hair and fair features, even as he whispered, "She said leave. So leave," and dropped Morris with a dull whump.

Morris couldn't have scrabbled away any faster, bodyguards in tow and cursing something about coming back to make the deal again.

While Kutone stared, Rhei gave her a nudge and turned to their benefactor. "Appreciate it, sir. Sure felt good to see him squealing like that."

Sir? Kutone tried, but failed, to figure out how this man could be Rhei's superior.

Luckily, Rhei filled in the gap, as the man averted his eyes from Kutone's baffled expression. "If you want to know how the Empire's tearing up the Republic, you're staring at that answer. Defectors like him are the only reason why Ferngill's hanging on to what little edge it's got."

"A soldier," murmured Kutone. She pressed a hand to her chest, and smiled. "Then I have to thank you even more."

The red light in his eye faded to a curious green, as he glanced up momentarily to meet Kutone's gaze. "It's nothing."

Another man, summer-sun-caramelized features practically glowing with his amicable smile, jogged through the party area as he waved for attention. "James!" Finally catching up, he let out an exasperated gasp, and laid a hand on James's shoulder. "Good grief, James, that jump over the whole venue nearly gave Harvey a heart attack, you know! And--and now you're making friends with the hosts?"

James turned away, apparently refusing to regale his companion with a response. Rhei offered his hand to bridge the awkward silence. "Rhei Young," he said. "And the vintner herself, Kutone."

"Pleasure." The young man accepted handshakes from both Kutone and Rhei. "I'm Jake--Harvey let me in on his invitation; James through Abigail."

How all these people knew each other despite the valley's isolation was beyond Kutone. Her attention, however, fell on the metal bits poking through the skin of Jake's left arm. If James was anything to go by... "You're a soldier too?"

"Was," Jake corrected. "Can't do much jet piloting with a busted arm and cruddy grip."

"At least it's an honorable discharge," Rhei replied. "Thanks for your service."

"Flying across Hell and back was well worth it, I'd say," said Jake, "since it meant we protected the lives and magic Stardew Valley has to offer. I mean, all this good food, and good wine? You're an inspiration, Miss Kutone."

"Nothing compared to two men who've been to Hell and back," said Kutone, simpering. "I'm guessing you're local to the area as well?"

"Along with James here. We'll be sure to stop by and offer some of our goods too. Right James?"

James had finally settled on watching Kutone with a placid expression. At Jake's question, he nodded, the flicker of a smile barely ghosting his features. He needed some work, thought Kutone, but she found him likable enough. Somewhat and adorably reminiscent of her fiance.

Rhei, checking his watch, pressed a hand into the small of Kutone's back. "We've got an unveiling, Kutone," he said, gesturing back to the orchards. "Time to bring up the barrel and tap, don't you think?"

A spirited glint sparked in Jake's eyes. "Maybe I can help in some way?"

As Rhei and Jake marched off, Kutone laid a light touch on James's arm, and offered him space to walk with her. "I could use your help again as well," she gently murmured. "If you'd be so willing?"

Another small smile. He wordlessly matched her pace, slow as she was in her pumps, down the stone path leading to her veranda. Rhei and Jake were already inside heading into the cellars, as Kutone and James ventured after them.

It was then he spoke again. "What did you call it? Your wine?"

She stopped at the threshold, turning to face James, as well as the orchard party before them. Sunset skies burgeoning into the deep indigo of twilight, the scenery, she admitted, matched the mood of the wine she'd created. Behind her, inside the house, Rhei's and Jake's voices echoed up from the cellar, as well as her fiance's voice irritably bantering with Rhei.

"Rosé Memoria," she replied, pressing a hushing finger against her lips. "Like the semi-sweet recollections of a bygone summer. Or of meeting new people. Catching, isn't it?”

[jolynejay]

Something I've been thinking about: Why don't espers use their powers for creative things? I mean, besides exorcising spirits, or fighting each other etc.

It's been awhile since I saw or read MP100 (i really have to catch up on s2), but I can't recall something in this line of thought. Sorry if I'm wrong on that. Still, at least in the anime espers tend to have some kind of aura especially when using their powers, visable to skilled espers. And although it might just be an artistic choice to signefy power usage to the viewer, I'd like to think that it's a real thing.

So, why then don't espers use their powers in other ways? Well an obvious answer is, because it isn't really relavant to the story and characters. I mean, one of the core messages of the 1st season was, that no matter how powerful (psychic) abilities you may posess that does not make you anything more or any better than any other person. But I still think psychic abilities could be used in different ways...

This is a personal thing, but I have always been facinated with things glowing in the dark. And I sure as heck know if I had psychic powers that glow like damn christmas lights, I would put on a giant lightshow for myself all the time.

I'm sure an artist with ESP could find some creative way to use their powers to paint for example. Maybe throw bubbles of paint on a canvas? Or maybe use several brushes with levitation to maximize efficency?

Or if you have telekinesis and can fly with that, I know several people who would use that power to go skydiving - without the plane. Just fly as high as you want and let yourself fall (and ideally stop the fall before you crash into the ground XD)

You have pyrokinesis? Minimize gas usage for cooking by supplying the fire yourself. Alternatively you could be a special effects master for theatres. y'know, like, kabuki where there are will-o'-wisps and spooky ghost flames etc. etc. Though maybe some good insurance might be needed, in case you accidentally set the stage or your coworkers on fire...

Look, all I want to say is, I want some whacky, mundane and/or hilarious applications for psychic powers, because shit I'd love seeing them used for fun, not fighting.