Not Yet! We can fight on! An Iris Analysis
Ah Iris…I remember when we first got information about her through anime leaks how Serebii.net forums were going wild. A dark-skinned female as Ash’s companion? I was fighting for my life trying to defend her because people were…not that accepting of her to say the least.
I like Iris, both her anime and game counterparts. But this analysis is going to be centered on her game counterpart (since this blog is mostly gameverse centered). While our time with her in both Black/White and Black 2/White 2 is overall pretty limited we can still gain a lot of information about who she is in the game’s world
Let’s start with her name. Fun fact! Iris is the only champion (bar Red) whose name is the same in both English and Japanese. The name Iris comes from the plant genus named Iris which actually comes from the Greek Goddess of Rainbows, Iris. Now this Greek Goddess doesn’t have a whole lot of mythology around her, but her key role was to be the connection between humans and gods. A divine messenger of sorts. Given Iris’ ability to understand the hearts of dragons, the Tao Trio being revered in Unova, and her being from a Village that lives as one with dragon types it makes sense why this is her name. She’s a bridge between humans and dragon types which I think is really sweet.
Now back to the Iris flowers, we know Pokemon loves floral and plant symbolism. And the Iris flower has no shortage of symbolism with it meaning faith, courage, valor, hope and wisdom. Iris as a character certainly has a lot of courage being a dragon tamer of some pretty fierce dragon types at such a young age. She has a lot of faith and hope in her and her team’s power. She shows plenty of valor by offering to be Bianca’s bodyguard in Castelia city and stepping up against Team Plasma in the Plasma Castle. And as we see in Pokemas, she is growing in her wisdom.
But wait there’s more! Even the individual colors of the Iris flower (of which there are many) also have their own unique meanings. Since Iris is very much related to the color purple, let’s use that one for more analysis. The purple iris symbolizes royalty, wisdom, strength and courage. Wisdom and Courage are repeated themes for Iris as we see. Strength and Royalty can be tied to her status as champion as they’re the strongest trainers of the regions and (especially in places like Galar) can be seen as royalty among the league.
Now let’s take a look at her team. For this I’m going to be only using her normal mode team
We see here that she uses a mix of Dragon-Type Pokemon and Pokemon that are dragon-adjacent much like Lance. However unlike Lance, she doesn’t repeat any species (which is mainly due to Unova having more variety in Dragon Types). She uses 12 of then (at the time) 17 types with a fair spread of both physical and special damaging moves showing that she does value coverage a lot. She has a lot of coverage for ice types with fire and fighting to combat ice, and fire, fighting and ground to combat steel which resists dragon moves. Even though the fairy type had not yet debuted, it seems like Iris was already future-proofing her team with the addition of Aggron. She also tends to favorite spread moves (Surf, Earthquake, Rock Slide) and some high-risk/high-reward moves (Double Edge, Focus Blast, Endeavor, etc) which gives the impression her style of battling is very high-powered and likely means her champion room needs to be pretty sturdy to withstand the level of her attacks.
"I heard this lady's scream and ran after the thief as fast as I could. But this city is so big and so crowded… I'm afraid I lost them. […] But that's so bad! Taking people's Pokémon is really bad! 'Cause it's really nice when people and Pokémon are together! They each have something the other doesn't, and they help each other!"
This is our first introduction to Iris after she helps out Bianca after she gets her Pokemon stolen from her. We can see right off the bat that despite being young she’s very eager to help others, which gives me the vibes that in another universe she’d be a perfect Pokemon Protagonist. Also we see that she truly values the relationship between people and Pokemon which again tracks since she not only grew up in the Village of Dragons, her empathic abilities that allow her to connect with Dragon types at a deeper level would increase her love on the bond people and Pokemon typically share.
We also see in the Castelia City events that she does struggle bit with getting around the city, but that seems to be more of a result of Castelia being so unfamiliar to her versus her being like Lillie or Leon who have more overall struggles with with direction, since she can navigate Opelucid City just fine.
"That single Dragon Pokémon, along with twin heroes, brought a new region into being. And people and Pokémon had happy lives!! In its pursuit of truth, the white Dragon-type Pokémon sought to usher in a new and better world… Its name was Reshiram. And the other, the black Dragon-type Pokémon, sought ideals and to usher in a new world--a world of hope. Its name was Zekrom. But, but… The two heroes' sons started the battle again! And an instant later, Reshiram and Zekrom destroyed Unova with fire and lightning! Then, they disappeared! But, but… If people work with Pokémon in the right way, we don't have to worry anymore about the world being destroyed. I mean, Reshiram and Zekrom worked hard for everyone and made a new region! So, it should be all right, I think."
Iris is also the one in both versions to tell us the origin story of Reshiram and Zekrom showing her deep knowledge of Unova cultural history. Now here we get a bit of a divide where in Black she is Drayden’s apprentice and will teach the move Draco Meteor to your Pokemon, but in White we actually face her as the gym leader.
"The pain of my Pokémon… I feel it, too!"
Here we get a glimpse of her powers in action, albeit subtly. It’s very clear she’s an empath and that the bond between her and her Pokemon is so strong that she can feel when they take hits. Which when you think of the attacks she puts on her teams, shows that she tries to finish battles quickly to minimize the shared pain.
We see her again at N’s castle bravely fighting against the seven sages so Hilda/Hilbert can face N, once again showing her courage and I swear in another universe she was the BW protagonist. She fits the bill so well
"Sometimes I think about the village where I was born, but I'm totally OK! Because I met lots of Pokémon--and all of you!"
This quote comes from Caitlin’s Villa where she remarks about her time in the Village of Dragons, showing that she doesn’t mind being away from it because she’s made so many new friends!
"… Looking for Team Plasma? But Team Plasma disbanded two years ago!"
Fast forward two years in-universe and meet her once again in Castelia City as Hugh and Nate/Rosa are giving chase to Neo Team Plasma. As she helps them to the sewers we can see she’s gotten a better grasp on navigating the big city as she no longer complains of getting lost. We can see though, she is taken aback a bit by the claims that Team Plasma is still around, but nevertheless she still helps out.
"Yahoo! I haven't seen you since I ran into you in Castelia City! Are you here to battle Grandpa? Yep! Opelucid City's Gym Leader, Drayden, is my grandpa. We're not really related, though! Oh! The Gym is that way! Before challenging it, you might want to go to Route 9! Still, your Pokémon really respect you! I feel how much fun your Pokémon are having, even from inside their Poké Balls! Good luck!"
We meet up with her again in Opelucid City where we see in both versions that Drayden is now the one gym leader for the city which is foreshadowing that Iris has ascended to a higher position. But also we get a confirmation that Drayden and Iris have a grandparent-grandchild relationship even if they aren’t blood related. And once again we get a bit of hint of her powers as she can sense the fun the player’s Pokemon are having, showing that although her powers seem most related to draconic , she can still sense the feelings of other Pokemon too.
"Know what? I really look forward to having serious battles with strong Trainers! I mean, come on! The Trainers who make it here are Trainers who desire victory with every fiber of their being! And they are battling alongside Pokémon that have been through countless difficult battles! If I battle with people like that, not only will I get stronger, my Pokémon will, too! And we'll get to know each other even better! OK! Brace yourself! I'm Iris, the Pokémon League Champion, and I'm going to defeat you!"
I really love this quote in particular because it shows how much she looks forward to tough fights as it helps her deepen the bonds between her and her Pokemon. This is in contrast to at the time, the only other kid champion of the series, Blue, who was more concerned about gloating about his tactical mindset in assembling a powerful and versatile team. It shows the different mindsets we see between the two child-prodigies (thankfully though, Blue does change his mindset). The fact that we both began and end the 2D era of the franchise (Gen 1 to Gen 5) with the champion being a child is a nice way to bring it all together for that time of Pokemon.
Iris’ pre-champion fight quote also ties into a quote you can only access in the memory link cutscenes
"I've already decided! I know what kind of Champion I will be! There's a myth in Sinnoh that says that the reason why Pokémon jump out is because they want to thank people. I'm sure that we and Pokémon have helped each other and enriched the world since ancient times. These memories have been engraved in each Pokémon's heart! So, I want Pokémon and people to get closer and closer! As the Champion, I want to tell that to everybody!"
Here we can see once again how knowledgeable she is about myths, not just in Unova but Sinnoh as well. But also we can see how this helps inform how she wants to be a champion. That she wants to help facilitate the bonds between Pokemon and People. This really shows her mindset as being quite mature for her age as she’s not focused on showing off her strength as much, even though yes she still doesn’t like to lose.
"So, this room is the Hall of Fame! Your name and your Pokémon's names will be recorded here so these important things will never be forgotten: That you are an excellent and kind Trainer! That you are considerate toward your Pokémon, and you give them your whole heart! And that your wonderful Pokémon believe in their Trainer with all their hearts, and together you have a strength that knows no bounds! Hey, c'mon! Oh, excuse me… ! To the Trainer standing before me! And to the Pokémon at your side! Your beautiful bond has grown strong through battle! In order to make this bond an eternal treasure, your names shall be recorded here!"
I also find this quote really endearing as you can see that even though she’s giving a serious impactful speech, she’s still just a kid and sometimes slips up a bit. She is really trying to live up to the role of being champion which we see impacts her a lot in one of the Pokemon Masters EX events- The Shining Hearts of Dragons
Is he saying…I'd be an embarrassment to Unova?"
Oof…if ever I wanted to jump through my screen and throw hands with NPCs, it was those jerk adults who were calling Iris an embarrassment. It seems being a kid does not protect you from the harsh criticism of people who keep an eye on the league. We see Iris definitely feels pressure as being the youngest champion at the event. All of the other champions are adults (or in Blue’s case an older teen) and she’s coming off the heels of Alder who is a wise veteran champion.
"It's just…Diantha is so pretty, calm, and mature… […] Diantha is amazing…I wanna be that elegant and cool when I grow up, too."
You can see of all the older champions she definitely looks up to Diantha the most. Which is very fitting considering it’s Diantha who ultimately mentors her to help her get out of the funk once her Hydreigon goes berserk thanks to the actions of Team Break
"I wanted to make sure people knew me…and accepted me…I just wanted to make everyone happy. I wanted them to know that I'm the proud Champion of Unova… […]"I remember thinking I'd become a great Champion, just like Alder was! But I don't think I can do it anymore…I don't have the experience…and I'm just a kid…"
We can see how much the incident (and Lance’s stern warning) affected her. Hydreigon going out of control was also a hard blow because we learn in her “Day with Iris (Champion Alt)” story that she struggled to control it initially (again drawing more parallels to Blue as he also couldn’t handle his Aerodactyl at the start of his journey). So having Hydreigon act up again right when she was trying to show how capable she is as champion was a huge blow. She wants to be seen as mature and to be accepted. The acceptance part likely stems from her being from the Village of Dragons which has a vastly different culture than Unova and how she likely feels like an outsider at times. Poor Iris, she needs a hug.
Thankfully though she manages to find her way and get back to her peppy self by the end of the event. Feeling more confident in her abilities as champion. Which is important once we see her in the multiple Unova Neo Champion events where she presides as the main judge. In all the events she definitely seems to prioritize how people and Pokemon connect via their hearts and their ideas of strength
While Iris has certainly stepped up to the plate in showing her ability to be a mature, albeit young, champion. She thankfully still has time to still be a kid. A lot of her dialogue in the Pokemon Center talks about playing and having fun. But more importantly she got to get a whole bunch of candy, and new friends in Allister and Naganadel in the “Otherworldly Encounter” Halloween event. It was really adorable to see her team up with a ghost type expert like Allister who also happens to have supernatural powers much like her and just be able to hang out and enjoy getting a bunch of candy.
“But I can tell how it's feeling! I bet it was just afraid because it came to a place it doesn't know well! was the same when I moved to the large cities of Unova from the Village of the Dragons! I was really nervous since there were so many tall buildings–and a lot of people."
I really liked this moment where she stands up to someone as domineering as Lusamine in defense of Poipole as she could relate to how the ultra beast felt being in an unfamiliar place.
“Yeah! I bet a concert with Roxie is gonna be so much fun! I understand how you feel, Roxie! I have an important dream as a Champion too...So I think I can sing with the same feelings as you!"
Lastly, I wanted to point out this small bit of dialogue from “Who’s the best singer” Where we see that Iris not only enjoys Roxie’s music but that she has a bit of musical talent as well. I really love instances like this in Pokemon Master’s where we can see characters step beyond just their defined role in-game. So not only have we gotten a chance to see her play with kids around her age and get candy, but we also get to see her sing with a rockstar!
All in all, Game!Iris is a really incredible character who I’ve enjoyed since I first played White all those years ago. She’s certainly gone through a lot in her young life and I’d honestly love to see how she’s grown up since the events of BW2.
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☽ ✯ venture x witch! reader pt. 3! ✯ ☾
✯ welcome back everyone, to part three!!! (here is part one, and part two!)
✯ sorry for this taking so long, my mind has been brainrotting with valorant and roblox i cant lie...
✯ i was also a bit stuck on how i wanted to go about this... but every like has just been more motivation to keep trying to continue this, so thank you <3
✯ hope there's people out there enjoying this, happy reading!!!
☆ FANFIC DEETS! venturexreader ☆
reader is a female who practices witchcraft! i wrote her that way because i also am a witch irl! :,)
VERY lengthy build-up fanfic (LOTS of reading.. i type a lot i think?)
venture is referred to as sloan <3
lifeweaver is besties with the reader, referred to as niran!
everything related to witchcraft here may be exaggerated / inaccurate for fanfic purposes.. but i tried writing it all into an experience > just reading!!
eventual ritual smut....
feel free to hmu, hope u enjoy :D
“IM HOOOMMEEEE, MII AMOOORR~!!!! ⊂( ´ ▽ ` )⊃”
You gritted you teeth at the rock muncher that just busted through the front door, their hand happily waving in the air at you.
You shook your head and took a visible breath, cracking your knuckles.
“please, excuse me niran.”
“mhm! take all of the time you nee-”
“AAAOOOOWWWWW!!!! IM SORRYY!!! WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME?!? I THOUGHT YOU'D MISS ME??!??? (>д<)”
“WHY DID YOU STEAL MY JARS THIS MORNING??!? WHAT DID YOU EVEN DO WITH THEM??!? HUH????”
“I ONLY USED ONE FOR YOUR FOOD EARLIER I SWEA- AAHHHHHH MI AMOR PLEASE!!!!!! HAVE MERCY!!!! ヽ( ̄д ̄;)ノ”
“mercy? haha, i’m sure angela would react the same if it were her and her morning tea being stolen~ (^◡^)” Niran chuckled, taking a sip of his.
He watched as you had Sloan on the floor in a chokehold, their bag and drill frantically thrown to the side of the doorway.
Their hands were desperately trying to pull yours off of their neck, but you didn't budge.
You looked down at them with murder in your eyes, fully prepared to make them beg for their life.
“tell me where the rest of my jars are.”
“y/n.. please, have mercy-..”
They were starting to turn red, eyes squinting in extreme discomfort as they practically wiggled under your freakishly strong grasp on them.
Were they into this or not? They couldn't tell, but they definitely weren't being let off easily.
“you tell me what you took my waters for, where they are, and what made you not consider just ASKING me.. and MAYBE i wont boil you into a cauldron stew."
“mi a-amor-”
“WHERE ARE THEY, SLOAN.”
“i c-can explain if yo-”
“I WON'T HESITATE TO TURN YOU INTO BONE MEAL FOR THE PLANTS!!!! SPIT IT OUT!!”
“w-wait that'd actually be-”
“be WHAT?”
You suddenly loosened your grip on their neck, moving your hands up to holding their face and staring at them with a frown.
“..aweeesoomme◝(⁰▿⁰)◜???”
“...”
“listen, i know it prooobaablyy looked bad, b-but i promise i didn't mean any..”
You slowly leaned down towards their ear and pushed aside their headset, making them trail off from their words.
“no, you listen to me.”
You spoke in a low tone, earning a nervous gulp in response.
The excavator’s entire body shivered at the way your voice rang through their skull, cooing to them like a gentle warning that they were dead meat the split second Niran left.
“i was in the middle of doing a tarot reading for niran before you came home, and i need to go finish that up for him.”
“when im done, you better have prayed to every god you know.. because when i get to you, sloan cameron..”
You leaned closer, lowering into a whisper.
“you're gonna be begging for forgiveness.”
With that, you got up and made your way back to the kitchen, dusting the dirt from Sloan's clothes off of your own.
They, on the other hand, stayed on the floor for a minute with wide eyes, breath hitched in their throat, trying to process how they wanted to feel about what you just did.
Yeah, they did essentially steal from you with no explanation, and you seemed reasonably mad at them for it, but why was their face burning?
“niran, i am so sorry about that.. interruption.” You rubbed your forehead, taking a seat across from him again.
“no worries! you can always take the time you need, i’m never in a hurry anyway.”
“thank you.. gosh, you're always so kind and patient with everything, i dunno how you do it.”
It was your turn to lean on the table with your face in hand, glancing over at the phased out sloan still sitting by the door.
“hah, if i’m being honest, i’m not sure either.”
He shrugged his shoulders, reaching down to pet the raccoon and possum that were now rubbing against his leg.
“i just approach everything with a- uh.. pardon me, but are they supposed to be doing.. that?”
Niran tilted his head, pointing at Sloan. They seemed to be standing near an altar of yours, one of your salt lamps about to.. enter their mouth.
“hu- SLOAN, YOU PUT MY LAMP DOWN RIGHT NOW! |・д・)ノ”
They quickly set it down in embarrassment like a child getting caught doing something they're not supposed to. How they got up so quickly and found the covered lamp on one of your altars was unknown to you.
“sorry..! forgot again- and heey niran! sorry for not saying it earlier.. (⇀‸↼‶)”
They rubbed the back of their neck in shame, looking at the floor.
Whenever they felt bad about something, their go-to was munching at.. questionable things. A lot of times, they won't even realize they're doing it, and that's how lots of your things go missing.
“hello!- (٥⁀▽⁀ )/”
“..ahem! anywho.”
“mhm?”
“niran, do you feel like my reading resonated with you?”
“hmm.” He took the last sip of his tea before setting it down.
“i do feel as if.. it resonates, but not for me.”
“oh?” You raised a brow.
“rather.. y/n, don't you think it all sounded very familiar?”
“eh? really? how.. so?”
He gestured towards your lover, who was nervously fidgeting at the door, seemingly waiting for you.
It looked like it took every bone in their body to not pick your lamp back up again and start biting.
“wh.. what do you mean? i don't think my partners.. stupid, they're very smart for the work they do…?”
You hadn’t picked up on it somehow, your mind defaulting to showing off your lover to others.. even though you had just.. threatened said lover.
“no, my friend, what was your answer to my question earlier?”
“about how i was doing?.. uhh..?? i don- oh… oh.”
You turned in your seat and looked back at Sloan, who had caved and started biting at the lamp.
You could see them stop to ‘shush’ the bugs in their respective jars on your altar, not wanting them to tattle for what they were witnessing.
If anything, thank goddesses it was the lamp being eaten and not.. the bugs themselves.
“damn, i must've really made em’ scared huh.”
You both kept watching, but they didn't notice their audience yet, too nervously deep into their comforting eating session.
“it's normal, but i'm not sure about the salt-eating thing though..”
“yeah.. i’ve got to sign them up for that strange addiction tv show sometime.”
“agreed. ( ❛ᴗ❛ )”
“but anyway, ya know.. you're entirely right, it makes a lot of sense.” You ran a hand through your hair with a sigh.
“well, don't forget to give yourself most of the credit, y/n.. you were the one who read the cards after all! i’m impressed!”
“ahh, thank you, but? doesn't that mean i basically.. did that reading on myself? what about you?”
“don't worry about me, I'm quite content with what we've learned today~”
“hmmmmm… you.. sure?”
“mhm! if you truly are worried about the results of this reading, then can i ask you to do some other things for me instead?”
“oh? of course! what is it?”
“for starters, i think you should.. remember to be more patient with yourself.. and them.” He nudged his head towards Sloan’s direction.
“i fully believe that you two thrive together as a couple, so conflicts, like mentioned in your reading, shouldn't push you two apart.”
“i.. see.” You turned around to look at them again, your eyes squinting at the way your lamp was now half-way gone and probably in their stomach.
“yup! there truly is no rush to every little thing in life.. it's best enjoyed when you bask into each ray of light for how bright they really are, not for how bask-worthy you were expecting, right?”
“pshh, it's like i’m the one being soul read now,” you jokingly rolled your eyes, “but gosh, you're so right.”
“hmph, do i really just.. expect too much of them? like in your honest opinion, am i too.. harsh..?”
“from what i’ve seen, no. your current frustration is valid, given how this has never happened before. it seems right to be confused.. to want answers.. but, would you say you trust them?”
“huh? oh of course i do, why wouldn't i?”
“i think you should keep at that. have they ever wronged you?”
“outside of.. being the reason i could never keep ingredients for spells in the house.. no?”
“then, you should help their flowers flourish, even if you're not sure what seeds they've planted yet.”
“ah.. i definitely get what you're saying.”
“yes?”
“to be more patient and open-minded of them right now, and get back at them with a really well-thought out ritual later! maybe ill even get my witchy ancestors onto them? (っ˘ω˘ς )” You grinned, jokingly plotting your partner’s karma.
“..sure. (¯▿¯)”
“thank you a lot niran.. if you weren't here, i probably would've strangled them to death already.”
“HEY! THAT WOULDN'T BE A NICE WAY TO DIE THOUGH! ( `ε´ )”
“SHUT IT, LAMP EATER! ლ(¯ロ¯"ლ)”
“ahem, seriously, thank you a ton. your words will definitely be kept in mind when i.. deal with that knucklehead.”
Cartoon-like sparkles and hearts practically radiated off of you as you innocently thanked Niran.
You smiled happily, knowing good and well what you were planning for your lover when he left.
“of course, y/n! anytime you need something, i’m a phone call away! i trust that you'll take care of your partner just fine~ (ง ื▿ ื)ว”
Getting up and clasping his hands together, he took his cup to the sink. He tried to wash it, but you shoo’ed him away with a ‘nono, i got it, you're good!’
“thank you.. with that being said.. i’m afraid it's actually time for me to go. i have my own flower awaiting me at home, but it was a lovely morning spent with you! (⌒ω⌒)”
He made his way to the door, patting Sloan’s head before putting his sandals back on.
“likewise! thank you for this, really.”
You followed him, casually whacking your partner in the head and earning a ‘hey! >:(‘ out of them.
“of course! send me those love spell recipes for my bap when you get a chance, yah? (¬‿¬ )”
“only if you tell me how they work out for you two! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ”
You waved as he headed out with his umbrella, shooting you a thumbs-up before leaving.
“w-whew! it's a niiiccee raiinyy day, isn't it??!? i h-hope you two had a nice morni-”
“sloan.”
“i- u-uh-.. hiiii..yaaa? :,D”
“sloan cameron.”
“..im so fucked.”
“soo,” you had to remind yourself to be easy on Sloan with a heavy sigh, “..did youu.. take my jars of moon water to work?”
“y-yeah-”
“and.. did you bring them back?”
“s..sorta?-”
“SORTA?”
“i m-mean, i did! i brought them back but-”
“..but what?”
You caught yourself and sighed.
“sorry.. it's just? i’ve been stressed out almost all morning about this.. i’ve been curing those for like, three years now, every full moon, non-stop.”
You paced around in front of them, twiddling your hands in your own frantics of their responses.
“you-.. three years??!?”
“yes??? i've told you this over and over.. why do you think i’m so worked up over this?” You stood in front of them with crossed arms, eyeing them over.
“oh my god- i-?!?” They wrapped their arms around you.
“i'm s-so sorry for using some of it for your food this morning mi amor..! believe me, i w-wouldn't have even touched them if i had remembered! ugh, stupid sloan.. stupid me! the one time i try to change things up and it jus-”
They pulled away to cover their face in guilt, on the verge of crying and pleading to make it up to you, but you stopped them in their thoughts, it being your turn to hug them.
“it's okay, baby. just.. don't sweat it, it's the thought that counts.” You ignored your eye twitching, your arms around them unconsciously getting a bit tighter.
They felt themselves melt into the tight hold of your arms, their nerves starting to wash away in relief that you weren't angry at them.
Their emotions almost hit them all at once like a bulldozer.
“i shouldn't have touched your things in the first place… i-i just thought you'd trust me and I could do something to make you happ-"
“sloan, it's okay, ya know? whatever it is you did with those jars, just…” you suppressed your eye twitches, trying so hard to not think about the dedication you put into some water, “i-its no biggie, you're good, i still love you.”
“man, i love you too.. i reeaallyy don't deserve you, mi vida..” They let themselves lean even more into your hold, the both of you hugging each other for a quiet minute.
The tension slowly going away between you two was nice, and you once again wished you could hold Sloan like this forever.
“oh! right!!! i still should uh-! s-show you what i used them for, since they're not actually gone or anything!” They suddenly pulled away, shuffling in their giant pockets.
“i dunno if i did it right.. or if it's silly? b-but i figured uh.. try my hands at charging some freshly mined crystals for you this time! (つ≧▽≦)つ”
They guided you to the kitchen, pulling out the jars from their pockets and placing them on the dining table.
“o-oh?!? woah! they're..??!? still covered and everything, hello!??” You covered your mouth in surprise, not actually expecting to see the jars again.
“y-yeah! i didn't even know you kept them for so long but i.. i knew it was important that the sunlight didn't touch them, so i thought it'd be.. nice if i gave you these beauties with all of the energy from the water poured into them already! that's.. how that works right..?”
“awwwhh, slooann..!!” You gushed, the smile on your face already hurting your cheeks.
“l-listen! it's probably better when you do it, since you have those magical witchy hands n’ stuff.. but i wanted to show you how cool i think you are by taking after what you do!! if it's.. weird or anything though, then uh.. ill jus- mph!”
You cut them off with your lips against theirs, holding their face and letting the wave of relieved honor take over your body.
The fluttering in your chest was from realizing how much thought they were putting into these little gifts for you, and it helped wipe away any lingering frustrations you previously had with them.
You tried not to dwell on your own rightful confused anger with feeling bad, clinging to the advice Niran gave you.
It was better to just focus on what things really were right now, and this? This wasn't a case purely of stealing or foolishness, it was just Sloan trying to do something meaningful for you.
It was already sweet that they brought back raw crystals for you from work all the time simply because they knew you liked them, not to mention how expensive and hard they are to acquire normally..
But, to actually try and charge and cleanse them for you too?
Trying to replicate what they've watched you do with gemstones and water before?
They might as well have proposed on the spot.
You pulled away, wrapping your arms around their neck and kissing all over their face.
“i take back everything i said, muah, i’m sorry for being mad at you, muah, i love you so much, mwuah muah, thank you, mwuah~ (づ ̄ ³ ̄)づ”
“so worth it~.. ⊂( ̄▽ ̄)⊃” was all they managed to get out, their eyes practically swirling at all of your kisses.
With one last ‘mwuah!’, you ruffled their hair and went to checking the jars that made it back home.
“oh my goshh, you found citrine??”
“ooh, there's some amethyst here too!”
“wahh, selenite?!!? gosh, you're spoiling me, sloan! ~(˘▽˘)~”
You excitedly inspected the glasses, raising them above your head to look inside of the dark jars without removing their coverings.
Sloan stood there proudly, their hands on their hips and a cheesy grin on their face. They were so relieved that you weren't mad at them.
“i’m glad you like them!! :D, there's some more in my bag for you, ya know, the usual~ (。•̀ᴗ-)✧”
“aawwhh, thank you baby! i’m so so so sorry i was even mad at you at all (*_ _)人”
You buried your face into their chest, wrapping your arms around them again.
“nono, IM sorry i made you worry like that,” they kissed your forehead, “i really should've just asked you first and.. maaayybee do this without.. OH! THAT REMINDS ME, BABY LOOK!!”
They reached in their pocket with one hand, the other still holding you back by the waist, and pulled out one last jar.
“you totally aren't gonna be ready for THIS one!!”
Something about this made you feel uneasy in the moment, but you swallowed Niran’s words once more, trusting in your partner.
“BEHOLD, SLOAN’S SPECIALLY SUPER CHARGED JAR OF CELES..stine?”
They whipped out the glass of what was supposed to have the blue crystal in it, expecting it to be a glorious reveal… but, it was just strangely darker than the rest of the covered jars.
“huh, guess it's just.. a bit more shyer than the other rocks?” They tilted their head, letting go of you to gently knock at the jar. You watched with another jar in hand, ready to compare the two.
“heeelloooo? any celestine hoomee? hmph, i can definitely feel it in there though..” They held it to the ceiling and practically pressed their eyeball against the glass.
“it's like it's not in there.. but, it feels like it is?!” They swished around the jar, deciding to place it on the table with another ‘hmm..’
“maybe it's the cloth? let's just.. go ahead and pull that off then!”
“wait- sloan no it’ll toucH THE SUNLIGH-”
You tried to stop them, but their hands were already quick to remove the clothed lid and reveal the stone.
“wait shit no i’m so sorry i didn't me-”
“wooaahh..” You gasped and picked up the jar, mesmerized by the piece of celestine.
It glimmered in such a way that you've never seen before, making you immediately forget about the actual water around it touching sunlight.
“it's.. it's beautiful, sloan..” You held it up to eye level, your eyes sparkling at the glittery gemstone before you.
“h-how’d you even.. find something like this? it's.. like it's glowing~..” It had you hypnotized, struggling to take your eyes off of it.
“i.. uhh.. surprise..??” They were also lost in the stone, the way it shimmered all sorts of colors and lights in the water seemed like magic. It wasn't this glamorous when they had found it.
“here sloan, look at it! did you.. really find this.. for me?”
You quickly shoved the jar into their hands, puppy eyeing at them for bringing you something so beautiful.
“o-of course, mi amor! it's my proudest find for you so far, so it's-” They froze, both of your eyes widening at the stone.
It felt like it all happened in slow motion, the way you both stopped to stare at what was happening in the glass.
The piece of celestine was… dissolving.
“wh- huh?? wait noo- this- this isn't good- w-why is it.. melting??!?”
The split second they had started holding it, the crystal dissipated.
In a natural panic, they quickly placed it back on the counter, the water in the jar now being misty and clouded.
“hmm.. celestine isn't meant to rest in water but… it hasn't been that long since you put it in there, right?”
“l-like, only an hour or two, yeah?! b-but.. something feels weird..!” They started holding their own face in a panic, panting.
“it shouldn't have dissolved that quickly the- wait, are you okay?!? should I call someone??!”
“y/n.. i-i. i don't know! something'sdefinitelywrongandmystomachfeels-”
They suddenly covered their mouth, slowly looking at you with wide eyes.
“..’feels’? feels WHAT??, baby?!!? what's wrong??”
You joined in on their panic, bringing them close.
They tried holding a finger up, only to push you away and dash to a trash can, scurrying back to you with it in hand..
Then, they hovered over it.
“bleurg- ☁️💨”
“h-holy shit, sloan?? eurgh, sloan?!?!?”
As soon as they tried vomiting, the whole kitchen was smoked out in an instant, leaving you coughing and desperately swatting at the heavy air.
After about 10 seconds, the smoke started going away, revealing to you a trash can with.. no Sloan to be found.
“wh.. what..? even happened..?? where's-” You stopped yourself, something telling you to check the trash can.
Peering inside, you saw them.
Sloan was inside of the trash can, hand-sized, looking up at you. (・u・)
“o-oh.. my god.”
✯ if you've made it this far, tysm for reading again!
✯ im planning on proofreading and rewriting the other parts (again, and if im motivated enough), but how would yall feel about me posting little drabbles here and there?
✯ feel free to hit my line abt it, or anything in general, i dont bite ! >:)
✯ the link for part 4 will go here soon, and here are the borders used!
✯ enjoy your day/night! stay hydrated, love venture.. LOVE THE SILLY!! <3
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