Welcome Back Gregor Samsa EditionContinuing the 'I Woke up as a Pokemon, So What?' AUPrevious Thread: >>58709286
>FAQ>What is this?People are turning into Pokemon. Some are having the time of their lives, and some are struggling to survive. These are their stories.>How do I join?Just start posting.>What's the lore?People and animals (and at least one tree) are changing at random in their sleep, waking up still in the real world, but now as Pokemon, and nobody knows why (that includes you. Please don't try to explain it). Just enough transformations are occurring to notably change day-to-day life without collapsing civilization. This is not the apocalypse, even if it might feel like it to some characters in the moment. Some people are more in touch with their instincts than others, and some have lost more of their humanity than others. That's about it. Avoid legendaries if possibleOngoing Stories:>Transformed Into a Lucariohttps://pastebin.com/dNfCG4se>Herding Catshttps://rentry.org/HerdingCats>Copanon the PokeWhisperer and other storieshttps://rentry.co/PolicemanPokemonStory>Super Macho Monhttps://rentry.co/MachampStory>Digigirlhttps://pastebin.com/rvUJh1Vd>Professor Decidueye by ProfDhttps://rentry.co/ProfD>VetPhoxhttps://rentry.co/DelphoxStory>Serpent and Wyrm by Snivyanonhttps://rentry.co/SerpentAndWyrm>A Loser and a Very Lost Snowpix by Drifteranonhttps://rentry.org/tcab223e>The New Police Animals by Snivyanonhttps://rentry.co/larsonkurt>Kartanimatorhttps://rentry.co/kartanimator>The Pokemon Pit by ProfDhttps://rentry.co/r7aa9bzy>Churchanonhttps://rentry.org/cb24k1ti>Swiss Army Mienshaohttps://rentry.co/whipping-back-into-action/>Sandslash and Ms. Gemstonehttps://rentry.co/h62h6eh7e>Drifteranon's one-shotshttps://pastebin.com/4K9M6uJ2>Other one-shotshttps://pastebin.com/UtXMsyyD>One-shots that were too spicy for pastebinhttps://rentry.co/wokeuponeshots
>>58772890Archived stories:>0332https://pastebin.com/WMdqhP8H>Tinkanonhttps://rentry.co/TinkatonStory>Not a Pikachuhttps://rentry.co/notapikachu>Lopunanonhttps://pastebin.com/ecBem3sz
Merry Christmas everyone!Is it too late to to make a /ruse/ thread?
>>58773177>Is it too late to to make a /ruse/ thread?Never too late for a ruse thread.
Merry Christmas /sip/!Hope you all have a good eve / day. Gonna try to write something small over the next two days, but no promises cuz I’m pretty sick right now (fantastic timing on that).
>”Breaking into a church?”>You blinked, unsure if you hallucinated the question.>”Surely that breaks a commandment...”>Had it happened only once, you would have forgotten the impossible sensation.>Written off the indescribable.>A gentle knocking on the door to your mind.>Wind blowing across a meadow of understanding.>Words from within.“Wouldn’t you agree?” Melody asked, her knowing eyes meeting yours a moment. >You came mid-performance.>Gardevoir continued her dance. >Like aura, putting this experience to words was inconceivable.>The beauty of it could only be experienced.>Short of breath, you ran a paw over your chest, rubbing the manilla fur and brushing the spike.“Wow…”>Sensitive to the rapturous thought-talk, your aura sensors swayed on an ethereal breeze. >”Quite the gift, is it not?”“Yeah, yeah…” You drifted off. >You had to focus to think.>She didn’t control your brain, but she was influencing it.>You were still at the wheel, but someone suddenly talking in the passenger seat was new.>Subtly guiding your consciousness, regardless of you realizing or desiring it.>A slow exhale, and Melody remaining silent, strengthened your mental resolve.>Her old, yellow sundress flapped against your fur as she spun by.>If she possessed the natural white dress gardevoir had in the games, you couldn’t tell.>She was well in control of her faculties, and renewed with unexpected youth.>”You handled it well, young man.” The voice from within continued. ”Not everyone stays standing.” “I can imagine.” You answered, walking further onto the wide balcony.>The organ, tall and venerable, took up most space.>Between, around, and over, the half-dozen rows of pews, the gardevoir weaved an endless ballet.“Can you speak?” You asked, standing far enough back to give the woman move to bob past.>”Are we not speaking?” The gardevoir asked, humming aloud.“No, no, I meant with words. Your voice.” You clarified.>The fae-woman hummed louder, testing her vocal cords.
>>58773537>”No, dear, I cannot.”>”My voice seems forever lost.”>Her cocked head and knowing eyes told you she’d gotten the same question a hundred times.>”A small price to pay for the many blessings.” Melody glowed, speaking again when she sensed you were ready.>She moved in time with her telepathy and hummed hymn, effortlessly merging both.>A beatific blend of worship and conversation.>Speaking felt infantile, in comparison.>Tantamount to shouting mid-opera.>In regular conversation, one party could choose not to listen.>Not this time.>The invasive mind-speak communicated with perfect clarity.>If she desired someone hear her, they would.“Not everyone would say this was a blessing.” You stated.>You hadn’t meant it as an insult, nor did she take it as one.>Merely a statement of fact.>”Yes, my grandson said as much.”>Her already brilliant aura brightened when she mentioned him.>”Such a helpful boy.” She added, pirouetting in joy.>She spun like a figurine skater, the floor below offering no friction to stop her.>”I know not why God does as He does.”>The mental tune lulled you to silence.>”Questioning God leads only to resentment.”>Interrupting felt impossible.>”Why not my husband too?”>Was it respect for one’s elders or her mental trickery?>”He thought I was an angel.”>She did look like one.>”He thought he had died!”>A reasonable thought.>”I believed I’d be taken to our heavenly home first, given what I had.”>The paper said as much.>”I pray every hour he is blessed too.”>You believed it.>”But if it’s God’s will...”>The imaginary chorus in your head rose.>”If He has plans for me…”>The finale of an unreal orchestra.>”I give thanks in all circumstances.”>It repeated itself in your thoughts, like the refrain of a hymn.>Loud, joyous, and stately.>With the authority of someone beyond your years.>Within the span of a blink, the spell shattered.>Still standing in the same place.>You barely registered getting there mere moments ago.
>>58773541>It’s a good thing she had her head on straight.>You shook away lingering trance-shock and crossed your arms.“Don’t do that again.” You cautioned the smiling gardevoir.>Her amused curtsy would have made a lesser man forget the daze she had you in.>”Good listeners always get hit the hardest.”>You kept up the stink eye, ignoring the compliment.>”So, thank you.” Melody added, finally coming to a standstill.>Your throat grumbled.>You stood tall, but your pride was wounded.>Walking into a trap, even if the trapmaker wasn’t malicious, stung you.>”Fret not, beastly knight.” Melody began, coyly smiling. “I’ve my wits about me.”“Beast knight?” You asked.>Even without the psychic powers, you’d bet this woman had a way of getting people’s attention.>”You’ve already quite the reputation, I hope you know.”>You didn’t.>And you wished you hadn’t.>You’d rather stay low.>”Our little town hero, I daresay.”“Just, you know…”>You rubbed the back of your head, tickling the aura sensors.“Doing what comes natural.”>The shorter woman clasped her hands together, pressing them against her dandelion-yellow dress. >”Good.” Melody answered, pleased with the simplicity.>”The children need a man like you.” >The gardevoir punctuated it by wrapping it back into her sing-song responses.>This time, the compliment worked.“So, why the dancing?” You asked, again seeing the gardevoir step to a waltz.>Again, you felt like a child joining an experienced choir singing.>Off key, mispronounced words, wrong timing.>The gardevoir showed no offense at your imagined slight. >She worked with and around it.>A master working with poor material yet producing the finest product.>Toned down as her telepathy was, the beauty of it still felt humbling.>”Oh, sometimes I get so happy, and I just have to!” Melody declared, swaying to and fro.>Her feet tapped a rhythm beneath her dress.>You didn’t need aura to see she almost launched into another tango.
>>58773549>”My grandson told me all about it.” She added again, brightening.>”Well, does this sate your concern, knight?”“Sate what?” You blathered, unsure what tune the gardevoir had switched to.>It was playful, but oddly accusatory.>”That I’m no threat to your territory?”“I, uh...”>You hadn’t thought about why you came.>Was it more than mere diversion?>”I’ve no interest in whatever alpha-male dominance… thing you boys do.” Melody said, waving her hand in the air.>Perhaps it was instinctual.>Melody certainly pined it as such.>And she could, seemingly, read your mind as easily as you could read her emotions.>You grunted.>It was all you could think to do.>The gardevoir took that as a ‘yes’.>”Glad that’s settled.”>”Come now.” Melody said, moving closer and reaching out>A simple, aged ring adorned the middle of her three fingers.>”They’re serving spaghetti tonight, and it’s my old sauce recipe.”>You waved your hands.“Oh, no, no no, I’ve already eaten.” You began.>You did not get to finish your excuse.>”Of barely cooked fish with your girlfriend?” Melody asked, this time giving you the side eye. >“I know you’re still hungry.”“I, no!” You stammered, waving your hands faster.“I told you not to do that.” You sighed.>Melody shrugged.>”Can’t help it.”>The gardevoir touched your shoulder.>”Your breath smells too.”“And she’s not my-“>The world turned silvery white.>Your abs tightened.>Wet noodle smell.>Your back hunched.>Garlic tang.>Your tail raised.>Clinking silverware and dim, dying chatter.>Surrounded by a sea of aura.
>>58773557>”Hello, everyone!” Melody sang out.>She did not share your social unease.>There was no way out.>If anyone missed the burst of light in the center of the room, they didn’t miss the gardevoir’s telepathic call.>”Look who decided to join us for dinner.” >Hundreds turned to you.>You forced a smile.>Someone clapped, for whatever reason.>Others followed suit.>Two children screamed at the tops of their lungs in excitement behind you.>Your ears flattened.>You waved a limp paw back, and looking ghoulish in your bent, defensive posture.>The free food, you prayed, would be worth it.Updated aurabin: https://pastebin.com/dNfCG4seMerry ChristmasDidn't proofread. Too late for me to care. Finally had some free time to write again. Wish I could crank out something every night like I did back in August, but that's just not a possibility anymore. Let me know if there's mistakes (there probably are) so I can correct them in the bin.Wasn't planning on making Melody a regular character, but we'll see. Had a scene like this in my head for months so I vomited it out. Share a comment, thoughts, etc. I always like reading what you think. Enjoying the rest of the stories you all write.
>>58773537>>58773541>>58773549>>58773557>>58773588No sir I don’t like it. This makes me feel more unease than seems reasonable. It isn’t dread, it isn’t fear, just an overwhelming sense of being on edge and that something is terribly wrong. (Don’t take this the wrong way. I love the writing, really great work. It’s not you, it’s me. I don’t know why I’m reacting this way.)
>>58773604Eat the sketti
>>58773177Merry Christmas everyone!>>58773520Get well soon, Snivy! No need to unnecessarily strain yourself.>>58773588It's always delightful to see another Lucarioanon story, no matter if it takes a day or a month between updates. Loving Melody's carefreeness - a rejuvenated grandma ought to be a handful to handle. Best of luck to our sociophobe town hero. 100 people staring at you would be nightmare fuel material, especially if you stick out like a sore thumb.>"And she's not my-"Deny it all you want, you're only delaying the inevitable!
Merry Christmas to you lot! Been a hectic few days on my end, but I hope everyone'll have a great time for their holidays! Actually, for no particular reason and not making any promises... what'd be the favorite holiday meals for everyone's characters? I may or may not have an idea that I'm not entirely sure I can commit to but I'd like giving a shot...Time to play some catch up with the previous thread's stories...>>58759055Already thought the original was pretty good, but damn that's a good rewrite. Poor squirrel. And as usual, Copanon just gets no breaks does he...>>58760830Hell yeah, new S&W! Loved the new chapter, Valerie seems right up my alley in terms of character and you've got me curious about Squire. Wonder if the 2 of there were human or not beforehand... Also very, very curious where that stone will lead given Miirym's vision there.>>58766782Good opening despite the tense snarls, interesting way to introduce a mythical as more of a force of nature. I like Ryan! He seems like a nice fellow, also looks like he has a healthy agreement with his Sandslash half so both parts of himself can be "at peace". That imposing presence of Diancie's is very, very interesting...>>58773549>>”Our little town hero, I daresay.”I know for a fucking fact you wouldn't reference this game because who the hell other than me would, but even the slight possibility you might be hit me like a freight truck. Good ass soundtrack, has a couple tracks I really want to write story beats around https://youtu.be/9e3y6sLTbxI>>58773588Great stuff as always! Melody seems like a lovely lady and I do like her more spiritual approach to the situation, here's hoping that's all there is to it, I've grown kinda tired of subverting generally nice characters... Does feel like protag was a bit out of his depth just in terms of wisdom here, which is interesting to see given it does feel like he's been trying to play the whole "zen aura master" role somewhat.
What are tense snarls?
>>58737667The OP made me realize I'm an idiot and completely forgot to make an archive for the Golisopod story. Feel free to throw it in a Rentry, but I'll make sure that gets corrected for next thread regardless. It was really great, so I hope you don't take my retardation as a sign people don't want more of it, because I definitely do.>>58772745Probably no memory baggage, yeah, but the not always harmonious mixture of human and Pokemon instincts could still be a thing.>>58773177>>58773520>>58773588>>58773729>>58773756Merry Christmas, all! You guys are incredible and deserve the Earth this Crimbo. Hope you get well soon, Snivy.>>58773729Das a pretty 'shao.>>58773756For Charlie, you could go for a classic Christmas meal but with some sort of slight hipsterish twist. No, I have no idea what that would look like sadly.>>58773912Just what I (and now Kart as well, so I guess it's catching on) came to call incorrect use of mixed tensing. Drifter is writing his story in past tense, but has a tendency to slip into present tense without realizing.
>>58773756>I may or may not have an idea that I'm not entirely sure I can commit to but I'd like giving a shot...You have me intrigued.>What'd be the favorite holiday meals for everyone's characters?As is tradition, Etienne will enjoy a Fondue Chinoise with his family. Lots of different meat (chicken, pork, beef, you name it!), boiled to individual perfection in a broth, accompanied with an exquisite selection of home-made sauces and rice. The poor lad doesn't know how many showers he has to take in order to get the smell out of his fur...>>58773924>Das a pretty 'shao.I finally got some backlog of 'shao pics, so expect more in the future.
I demanded that I made ANYTHING, and thus I have made it so. (I'm absolutely going to have to rewrite this paragraph, unfortunately.)So it's not swallowed by the archive, tehre's also this. >>58770784
Really nice to hear from everyone, and yes that includes (You) authors who might not feel like part of the “in crowd” or haven’t posted lately. I’m glad you’re here too.I might make an addendum to that last chapter I wrote for our kitty dealer. An idea just occurred to me that feels so obvious I should have included it.>>58773756Don’t stress yourself out over the idea you’re working on and don’t feel bad if it doesn’t come to fruition.I think Alex would have whatever was available and a glass of water.I’m not sure what would be funnier for the Professor, trying to use a knife and fork with their three fingered feather hands (thematically appropriate given how he has mostly avoided instincts) or an oversized turkey leg (unaware of this display of bird on bird violence)
Merry Christmas everyone, hope you’re all having a great time. Sorry I haven’t caught up on stories but I hope I’ll be able to after the holidays.>>58773756I like the idea of Ben trying to eat a ham leg that’s bigger than him.Alternatively, someone could be feeding him scraps under the table.Like Prof said, though, don’t worry if it doesn’t come to fruition. This is a tough time of year to do anything.
>>58773588Always happy to see an update! Hope you’ve been well this holiday season Lucarioanon. Great stuff as usual, Melody seems sweet, and makes sense she considers what happened to her a blessing. Does make me wonder, does transforming affect your age as well?>>58773729Thanks, I think I’m starting to feel better (but I said that yesterday and immediately felt worse after getting out of bed).>>58773756Glad you enjoyed the new chapter and like Valerie! Simon finally gets someone to talk to and they’re completely deranged, just his luck. Squire’s also a weirdo, Simon isn’t quite sure what his deal is.Holiday meals. Hmm. Usually my family does ribs instead of turkey or ham because it’s tastier, tradition be damned, so that could work. Miirym would probably enjoy a fish or two. Or maybe them enjoying some hot chocolate, would be funny seeing Miirym trying to drink out of a cup way too small for her.
>>58772890>>58772893You're a real one for this, mate.
>enter thread expecting degenerates>Its a wholesome stuff...you guys are alright, don't go to Naranja tomorrow
Do you guys think Santa got turned into a Delibird?
>>58776557Better than 90% chance there was no change to begin with.
I'm a single Kangaskhan and my son refuses to leave my pouch what do I do?
>>58776778Just die. It forces his independence and hardship builds character.>t. Marowak
>>58776817>Just dieWhich pokémon would LowTierGod be?
>>58772890>Avoid legendaries if possibleDoes it counts Ultra Beasts?
>>58776933Refer to the>>Kartanimator>https://rentry.co/kartanimatorpart, it's a harder sell early on compared to more "regular" mons, but if you commit to the idea it can work out, or at least, it seems like mine did!
>>58776921>Which pokémon would LowTierGod be?Phione
>>58774477Slight rewrite of the ending of the last chapter>The Lucario sat down on the ground with their head in their paws“I’m so sorry. Is there something I can do?”>>”No, no. It’s fine. Don’t panic. Please don’t worry about me. I just get overwhelmed with these things. Just breathe girl, breathe.”>The realization made you feel like an idiot>>”Don’t feel bad. Please, genuinely don’t. I know it’s weird. Try to stay calm. Let’s start over. My name is Jeanie but I’ve always gone by Jean. I am a female Lucario. Yes, this blue dog body is built muscular and not very curvy so people get confused. But I am still 100% female. I have a kid getting ready to graduate from UNLV. My husband is incredibly supportive. I just get unsettled by unexpected emotions so I have to keep a guard up. Please don’t feel guilty or sympathy, let’s just move on.”>She kept straightening out the bulbous dreads(?) on the back of her head as they drifted upward like from static electricity>Imagine being so sensitive to the emotions of others>That has to be rough.>Come on think... you have to cheer her up...“Say, you didn't get to see my trick did you?">>"Not really. All I heard was that you were throwing off the cameras.""That's too bad. Do you want to see another trick I've been working on? I must warn you, its the most technical and life threatening thing I've ever done!"[Pic Related]>Jeanie lets out an involuntary laugh>Whether she was genuinely impressed by your dumb trick or only let out a pity laugh, it doesn't matter>Her "hair" settles down as she jumps back up>>"That's quite the trick. You better be careful, you'll make some old lady faint from shock doing that. Thanks for the show.">It took you by surprise just how deeply satisfying it was to be an entertainer and know your little performance made someone's day, no matter how small.>Your heart pounded seeing the blue dog in front of you smile so genuinely
Merry Christmas, /sip/! I hope to deliver my chapter for an external proofreading pass today, as a present. Fingers crossed I can deliver that in time!
>>58775934Just don't post about hisuian zoroark and they'll stay under control
>>58777711Zeraora can get a bit touchy too
>>58777887Touchy Zeraora gf…
>HOLYSHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT
>>58777310This is very sweet, great edit.>picrelHoly SHIT how did he DO THAT
>>58776933UBs are a grey area I suppose. Kartanon made it work very well, so it’s not like it’s impossible to do them without falling into the same issues as writing legendaries. >>58777310Master magician at work! New ending is super cute, really like how happy someone enjoying his dumb little trick made him. >>58778153Holy shit…
>>58778669>same issues as writing legendaries.newfag here, which issues are those
>>58778884Legendary Pokemon range from being gods to capital G Gods.
>>58778935Oh thats not much of a issue for UBs thenThanks
>>58779028Some of the Ultra Beasts are powerful enough that they give the lower case gods a run for their money.
>>58778884Setting isn't apocalyptic, so if godlike beings / literal gods start popping up its kind of hard to maintain that unless you heavily nerf the legendary, which at that point why not just use a regular 'mon. Its mostly preference that we avoid them, but at the end of the day its just a suggestion, the only hard rule we have is to not explain the transformations.
>Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house>Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse>The stockings were hung by the chimney with care>In hopes that Saint Nicholas would soon be there>Larson kicked in his sleep, ignoring Kurt’s snores,>While Porygon charged up its energy stores>When out in the hall there arose such a clatter,>Glass shattered inward, scattering matter!>The carpet was sparkling with shards from the pane,>A large canvas sack too did that mess contain>It was a moment later after the creation of that mess,>Before a squat figure leapt through the opening with finesse>He wore feathers white and red, and his body was thick>He looked like a bird version of old Saint Nick!>He danced over the shards as the cold air rushed in>And grabbed the bundle of gifts in the midst of a spin>With a hop to his step, Delibird went to the tree,>His eyes wide and manic, and sparkling with glee>He dug through the bundle, giving contents a sift,>Until from the depths he produced the first gift>A very cool stick shaped like a curved scimitar, >And fresh from the trash, a half-used Geek Bar!>Then nondescript booze from a tweaker’s tent, >Underneath the pine tree these treasures all went.>Now that he’d finished the work he adored, >He snuck to the kitchen for a well-earned reward>The glazed ham, the cheese, and the cookies galore, >Too many treats in the fridge to ignore!>So busy stuffing his face was the holiday fowl,>He failed to take note of a predator’s prowl>An angry Luxray appeared, growling through fangs,>Causing Delibird a fright, platters flying with clatters and clangs>”I’ll give you five seconds to get out of my house,>Before I rid of you like I would a wood mouse”>The bird grabbed his sack, going into a dive, >Running out through the window, barely alive>Larson sighed as he gazed at the mess in the way, >Not expecting this to be the start of the holidaySomething short and silly, rhyming's hard.
BEHOLD. A L& VLSP chapter 3 is ready for a basic proof reading session, just in time for Hawaii's Christmas to end :Phttps://litter.catbox.moe/vfv9dfr52xpbkjx9.txtThis thing's a 17,577 word behemoth that took me 51 days to complete, so please take your time! Also note that this isn't really the final. Though the details are more or less locked in(barring the action sequence which may see some significant, revisions) there's still a lot to touch on.
>>58779840>mojibakeFUUUUG.You can either ctrl+s that page to read it properly, or your alternative is this rentry. https://rentry.co/xme9axuwI am so sorry, I should've known that was going to happen. Someone made a comment on it earlier while I was sharing it in an IRC but they blamed their forced Japanese font. Oh well, let it be known that even today, encoding mistakes can still be made!
>>58779950>>58779840Do you have a link to part 2? The last thing I remember is the Alolan Vulpix getting unceremoniously dropped off at the community college. Or do I need to re-read part 1 since it’s been edited?
>Have a nice Christmas dinner with my wife>We watch "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" as was our Christmas tradition before we go to sleep>Wake up feeling weird>I look at my hands and they are now claws>Run to the mirror>I am now a Zangoose>I panic and contemplate hiding from my wife so she doesn't see me this way>Hear slithering noises and immediately feel an intense fight response.>I turn back and see that a Seviper is in my bed where my wife was>Fucking snake ate my wife>Go to fight it and mid-fight I recognize its voice>Its my wife>Wife turned into a Seviper>Try to calm down and talk it out but we just can't help but be angry at each other now>Make the decision to just leave the room before anything bad happens and we hurt each other>Go on a drive>Think about going to see my mom so I can at least have someone to talk to about this>Go to mom's house>She's also a SeviperDo I just kms now or what
>>58779810Adorable. Larson's so ungrateful, that stick sounds awesome.
>>58780421>Literally get fat and divorced overnightThis is so sad
>>58780585The only solution is PIPS therapy for couples.
>>58780243You've already read part 2. The Alolan Vulpix shows up in part 1, and gets dropped off in part 2.If you want to reread it anyways, it's on the same Rentry. There's a chapter select at the top of the page. https://rentry.org/tcab223e
>>58780585custom made headphones for zangoose ears? interesting
>>58781380Would the species-specialized device be particularly profitable in this world you reckon? Or too niche to become a proper market?
>>58781419>companies make a mad dash to patent as many designs as possible >none of them actually manufacture or sell them because it’s not profitable >niche companies willing to take the risk must either pay the license or create an original design that avoids the patents>companies sue anyway out of obligation to protect their IPThis isn’t the apocalypse, just another boring day in [CURRENT YEAR]
>>58781419In the case of headphones, I think there would be a modular base that could be tailored to an individual with 3D printed parts. Seems the easiest to produce en masse.>>58780421>Do I just kms now or whatNo, do your species proud, the Seviper population must be purged!>>58779810A rhyme for Christmas? Love to see it! That Delibird will experience Larsons Chrismas "love" after making such a rukus while breaking in.
>>58781380>>58781419Might be smaller, limited releases if certain populations congregate and grow in specific areas.Until then, make do.
>>58780421Well your PIPS isn’t completely fucked if you recognize what you’re doing, so there might be hope things turn out alright. Don’t give up ‘goose-boy.>>58780582>>58781593Glad you guys liked it. It is indeed a very cool stick, Larson is just being a grump like usual.>>58781419Species specific probably wouldn’t be profitable (1000+ species you’d have to account for…), but modular devices for different body shapes definitely would be popular. Species-specific stuff would probably have to be more of a commission based thing.
>>58781419There are a lot of similar morphologies (like pointy animal ears) that would get some wide-release products. You’re probably SOL if you’re a Beldum though.
>>58766782I promised to read this story, and since I have time tonight, I have decided to.So first thing's first, I liked the descriptions of everyone. The class system is pretty interesting too, though I'm not really sure the purpose beyond "hey that thing was human!" The only thing I would've changed is reversing the order of the description. Body first, then name. You don't look at a cat and recognize it as a cat first and its components second, your brain has to decode the components first and then describes it as a cat.The description of the rolling is really cool.I'm curious how the scientists would more formally describe "odd magics shit." Would be funny to get a euphemism for that.Yeah, alright. I like the idea, but it doesn't fit as a story like most others.I won't comment too much on the tensing or grammar mistakes. Macho's much better about that, but I picked up a couple of mistakes which I'll highlight for you.>concisenessThat should be "consciousness.">ssssss"Some" weird mistake there, what even happened?As said before, I do like the idea. It's not tonally consistent with the other stories, but it's a pretty interesting concept. I'd say you should try developing it a bit further.Also, the Diancie is just a Carbink, so them being treated this way is weird, but I'll let it slide.(Someone forgot to add this story to the list.)
>>58782905>Someone forgot to add this story to the list.It’s listed as ‘Sandslash and Ms. Gemstone’, right underneath Mienshanon’s story
The past few days were a bit less hectic than usual, so I decided to rewrite the Prelude of our little Mountain Noodle Etienne. Although I'm okay with what I wrote a few weeks back, the chapter missed a few things to truly make it a nice entry. I think I achieved that now. hopefullyIn any case, the new and improved Prelude is now around 11k characters long (the original was 6.7k). It is the same basic storyline, but with way more detail on various things. So reading it again is still worth it!https://rentry.co/whipping-back-into-actionYes it's the same link, as I replaced the original. If someone wants the original, tell me and I will put it up on a different Rentry or something.Thanks you Snivy for proofreading and catching some of the tense snarls beforehand.
>>58783056I'm blind, apparently. My bad.
So... how do you think Shuckle changes prohibition?
>>58773588This was really cool. You did a good job of making Melody’s power feel magical but also a little creepy. Good thing she had her wits about her indeed…
>>58783481Good intro. French MC?
>>58784523The stoat is Swiss.
>>58779840My initial read through thoughts: https://rentry.co/53rmfe8r>>58783481I really like all the additional details you added, even the basic stuff like how the bus felt as it weaved up the mountain. Really helped with immersion stuff. Looking forward to chapter 1 proper!
>>58785252Thanks Snivy.I think I might rewrite a large swath of this chapter, actually. You bring up a lot of good points with the whole "telling too much" bit. So much for having it done this month. Oh well.Thank you for your thoughts.I'll correct the record here, he's not schizophrenic. I'm glad he came off as such in the beginning half because I was aiming for, but I have to stress he isn't because I feel like you're trying to diagnose him off of exceptional circumstances.The beginning segment is him losing his grip on reality due to sleep deprivation. You can begin experiencing hallucinations within 24 hours of being awake after a good rest, and you completely lose it by the 72 hour mark. Each stop on his trip was around 8 hours apart, so he's been awake for at least 72 hours by the point he's stopped.As for why he thinks Fort Sumner is unsafe, New Mexico's already got a high baseline crime rate and despite Fort Sumner's small population, its crime rate is also above national averages. It was a bad play at statistics, since Fort Sumner isn't really big to notice it if you're just sticking around for a few weeks. I'll probably remove that bit, to be honest.
>>58773588While I can see why some others felt this scene was creepy, I think when taking it in the broader context of the tone and themes of Lucarioanon's story (and of most /sip/ stories in general), we can give Melody the benefit of the doubt here. Our boy WAS intruding and being kinda shady (dare I say creepy?) himself, after all, and gently entrancing him the way she did seems an appropriately (given her typing) faeish way of defending herself without hurting him or causing a fuss until she could properly gauge his intentions. It's entirely likely that powerful psychic types are always going to exert some degree of mental influence on their surroundings whether they intend to or not, so I'm inclined to give them some leeway. It's certainly comparable to the 'mon that was dream eating the entire town in DigiGirl's story.The way Melody mind-speaks is very interesting. Her mannerisms (particularly how she calls our boy "beast knight") feel less like interacting with another modern day human and moreso something akin to, well, a fantasy setting encounter with a fae. Melody may have her wits about her, but I'm wondering if that's the Gardevoir half exerting a heavy influence. She does seem extremely in tune with her newfound Pokemonness, after all - she could be the closest thing we've yet seen to a perfect hybridization of the human and Pokemon selves. Alternatively, she might be a lot more gardevoir than human at this point - certainly not fully feral given how she talks about her family, but it certainly does occur to one that a powerful psychic type going fully feral might be very different from, say, Mama Aggron, perhaps still being entirely capable of holding down a full conversation with you.
>>58785705Her conclusions are interesting too. I read Lucarioanon's attitude towards Kat as fatherly, but assuming Melody's mind reading is infallible, it seems Lucarioanon desires more than that, at least subconsciously. He probably wouldn't act on it, but it's worth noting. Given the picrels, he might well have the hots for Melody as well, in spite of his annoyance at having his mind intruded on, and the two DO share a compatible egg group (I don't think it's fetishy to mention that at this point, given the earlier confirmation that transformees can and will still have kids, since the alternative would be very grimdark, which I entirely agreed with). Again, he probably wouldn't act on that either, but it's intriguing to think that there might be something there. Noteworthy also is the notion that our boy was unconsciously scoping out a possible threat when he came here and not merely curious or taken with Melody's beauty as it seemed when he was reading about her in the newspaper. He really is a true hero, even if he's awkward at times. I kinda did the Rick Dalton meme when he played off his heroism and rubbed the back of his head, because that's EXACTLY how my own Lucario OC carries himself. That definitely tickled me.It's not clear what Melody's referring to when she said her grandson told her about it, but that's the only minor criticism I noted. Melody's definitely being, shall we say, forward in bringing Lucarioanon out of his comfort zone, but as I said before, bro's gotta learn to navigate social situations with aura sense some time. I know you said Melody will probably be a one-off, but a follow-up scene of him beginning to learn how to handle large crowds while awkwardly eating (and trying not to spill) his spaghetti is something I'd love to see. Pity she's not likely to be interested in joining him in his brand of heroics, because I'm sure her powers, mental stability, and high degree of integration with her Pokemon self would make her great at it.
>>58777310Heheh. Amusing. I like the deliberate ambiguity as to whether the rush of excitement Alex feels is because of latent Meowscarada instincts making themselves known in subtle ways (as they've done before when he was making biscuits and the like), or if he's just always been an entertainer at heart.>>58779810Larson's luckless streak continues, even at the most heartwarming time of year. I hope he and Kurt are better off financially than me, such that they can actually afford to get that fixed (we have power points here that have been out of action for months - no money for an electrician). So much for a peaceful, cozy Christmas - now they gotta scramble to get boards or something over the hole before the weather coming in through the broken window ruins the house. Poor fuckers. At least working together to solve this crisis should bring them even closer. Probably. Maybe.>>58780421This'd be a very interesting set of instincts for one to have to work to overcome. I don't think it'd be impossible, though. Get a feel for your new self, then maybe try to talk to your wife and/or mom once you have your head on straight.
>>58785705*It's certainly nothing comparable to the 'mon from Digigirl's story, that should read.
>>58785819They mentioned they work at a mine and so we should not expect updates alot from Digigirl.They also stated they where busy this holiday season with family.
>>58785705It’s less creepy in the sense that Melody is going to abuse this power and more in the sense that this kind of power exists now, and we’re lucky it went to a sweet-seeming old lady who will use it responsibly,
>>58785748Hey, Larson broke that streak when he and Emma got together! And they'll be fine, that's what insurance is for.
Idea I'm never gonna write: one of two twins gets transformed as toddlers and they grow up together.
>>58786971Every single scientist would literally be B-lining towards those twins.
>>58784462Shuckle Moonshine sound like a terrific idea! Shuckle turnees would either have the best breweries or be drunk 99% of the time, maybe both.>>58784523Thank you!>French MC?What >>58784813 said, but still a fair question. 22% of CH is Francophone after all. Etienne might have a French-sounding name, but he certainly would have trouble expressing himself in French-speaking Switzerland. Many such cases. The amount of Jean-Claudes I met that cannot speak French should be criminal.>>58785252Thank you for the kind words, Snivy! I always like if a book can pull me in with little details, so that's what I'll try to do with my story as well. It was also something I disliked about the first version. The bus was in it before, but the characters lacked that certain oomph.>>58786456>And they'll be fine, that's what insurance is for.inb4 the insurance won't cover damages made by Pokémon, because fuck you.>>58786971That's a sweet idea, actually. It would be hell for the parents, but we can just choose to ignore that. It would be interesting to see how much humanity would remain in a transformee toddler. I can imagine pre-self-awareness would just be a full overwrite by the Pokémon, while there would be some hope for an older child. Actually, that scenario is kinda morbid for all involved...
>>58787214As a baby, you're pretty much a blank slate anyway. Or maybe the kid was born a Pokemon? I don't know if that would be more or less squicky, but it's supposed to be cute, lol.
>>58787242I think if the baby turned in the “fourth trimester” and they had some Jonathan and Martha Kent tier parents, it would work out just fine.
>>58787278>fourth trimesterThe doctors leave the twins in the hospital nursery the first night after they're born, come back later and one of them has already turned
Faggot fetish thread. Go back to >>>/trash/
>>58787242>As a baby, you're pretty much a blank slate anyway.The Tabula Rasa does not exist. We are all born with inbuilt genetic primers that are tied to our heritage and even the past sexual partners of their mother, which alters the gene expression of the child.
>>58787330>Urgle blurgle *fart*Yes troll we see you.
>>58787339And... these traits are being instantly rewrote into pokemon DNA.So at best only base personality might stick.
>>58787488>these traits are instantly rewrote into Pokemon DNABut the traits are theoretically still there, just with the Pokemon equivalent.
>>58787214>inb4 the insurance won't cover damages made by PokémonOh they’d probably be bastards about that kind of stuff and make you pay additional of Pokémon related coverages. Luckily the damage wasn’t really extraordinary so he can just say it was broken due to a break-in, not like that’s really far from the truth.
>>58787870I’m predicting it’s fully covered, but they have to get an insurance adjuster to inspect the damage in person and aren’t allowed to make any repairs until they arrive or they forfeit the claim. Six months later, a Slowbro in an insurance polo shows up at the door.
>>58787214>>58787242>>58787278>>58787339>>58787488>>58787855This was discussed before. It's more interesting if transformed babies and the Pokemon children of transformees still retain some degree of human instinct and psychological wiring. I suppose hypothetically that probably DOES mean their DNA should be somewhat different from that a "purebred" Pokemon - not that this setting has any such Pokemon to compare to.
>>58788476I liked the idea that your DNA is exactly the same before and after transformation. It’s just (something something) epigenetics (something something) protein expression (something something) RNA.
>The day started with a quick freshening up in the green room>Half locker room, half Hollywood dressing room, the space was a recent addition by management as a show of support for the pokemon pit program>”Look good, Feel good, Play good, Do good” was the snappy slogan attributed to it by the leadership team when it opened>Give all of their most unique employees a chance to put themselves together up and show their best face to customers>You were never really “fastidious” but having the opportunity to brush out your mossy fur and straighten out your built in accessories like your “cape” and “mask” on company time was a nice boon>Or maybe it was the feline instinct to self groom>As long as you didn’t start licking yourself, you don’t really care>…what’s with the mask anyway?>Could take it off?>Or would it be like peeling your own skin off?>With the texture of palm fronds or very wide and thick leaves, it was probably best not to mess with them>You were on UTH today, “Ultimate Texas Hold’Em”>For the poker player that didn’t want to burn money folding hands for hours straight over in the real poker room>It was going to be a slow weekday graveyard shift but that usually meant connecting with the players more, if they were sober>Eventually a man in a gaudily colored blazer sauntered over to your table and bought in for $500>The really unusual part was that the Machoke dealer you met earlier was standing by him like a bodyguard>>>”You’ll be okay to play here for a bit?”>>”Oh sure. This is much better than before. I’ll flag you down when I’m ready to move on. Go on now.”>>>”My. Pleasure. Sir.”>Ah. This must have been the gentleman Guido warned you about before setting up the table.>>”How’s it hanging dude? “A little to the left.”>>”HAHA! Nice.”“Are you familiar with the game sir?”>>”I’m fine mister Alex meowscapone just deal me the winners”“I’ll see what I can do.”
>>58788738>This gentleman, Timmy as he preferred to go by, was a known “stroker” that had blown back into town>His play and spend made him worthy of true VIP status, but he seemed to relish in making everyone’s job just a bit harder“Sir, you need to make two bets of equal amounts, each at least the table minimum.”>>”Oh of course. I’ll just go ahead and play this side bet too. And this one. What the heck, I’ll play this one too.”>This year he seemed to be utilizing the “play dumb” strategy>Guido said that Timmy was late to his dinner reservation by an hour because he “got lost in the casino because of all the changes” due to the new construction >>”So tell me about yourself, what is a Meowscarpone anyway? You some kind of baker cat? Cats do love their milk.”“Meowscarada. I’m a Grass-type Pokémon with a Dark subtype. They seem to be inspired by magicians and masquerade.”>>”Very interesting. That might explain why you’re making all my chips disappear. Cut a guy a break will you?!”>The restaurant incident was on top of him complaining about his room not having the view he usually had when he visited, despite not making a reservation and only showing up bags in hand before check-ins started>Timmy also had phoned his VIP saying that he didn’t feel safe being so vulnerable and wandering around not knowing where everything was>After what you can only assume involved a screaming match between departments, it was decided that one of the dealers would be his escort and tour guide around the facility for the remainder of his stay>All of this because they moved one wall about 3’ out and shifted some slot machines around>>”That’s more like it! Here’s a little tip for yourself, just give me the $4 change back. Now answer me this. Do you Meowscaras all look like this? And just how cat-like are you? Don’t worry, I won’t put any cucumbers on the table!”“I think you’ll find I’m a pretty average guy”
>>58788810>>”You don’t expect me to believe that do you? C’mon! I was there in the 90’s. ‘Cute cuddly characters who become super-charged so they can fight their enemies’“I don’t have any enemies or a reason to fight.”>>”I read somewhere that all you Pokémon types either have voices in your head telling you about past lives or instincts that drive you nuts. That muscle dude seems really tense around me. Maybe he can tell I could take him in a fight? Yeah he’s strong, but I’ve got like crazy man energy I could use in an emergency if I wanted.”“I guarantee you, he only has your wellbeing at heart. Table minimum is $25 sir, you only have $15 on the Ante”>>”Fine fine. My bad. Back to you then. What do your instincts tell you? When to take a cat nap in the sun, or do you know how to sharpen your claws on a tree?”“Sorry to disappoint, but nothing like that. If you must know, I have been learning magic tricks. But that’s not anything a voice in my head told me to do.”>His chips were starting to run low by this point>A poor night for tips, but this might be the chance to turn it around>>”Alright Meowcarena, show me your stuff. Gonna saw a dog in half?”>You took one of the “how to play” instruction sheets out of the rack and in your hands>With one smooth motion, it disappeared behind your hand as you waved it in front>With another motion in the opposite direction, it came right back>>”Not bad kitty! Not bad! I’m officially entertained. Take the rest as payment for my ticket to the show and an interview with the performer. Now all that’s left is to find that big lug to take me over to the sportsbook. Chinese Ping Pong is starting soon.”“Thank you for playing sir. Please return any time.”>>”Oh, one last thing. You got any of them Lopbunny things here? That would make for a real cute cocktail waitress.”“No sir.”>>”Pity. Oh well. My ride’s here. To the betting counter! Mush!”>What a guy.
Okay, so the development of chapter 3 becomes significantly more complicated, as what was originally supposed to only be one split has become at least unplanned two, maybe three.I'm not sure how the hell I'm going to present my chapters for feedback now, because like 60% to 70% of the chapters in totale are complete. I'd like feedback on what already exists for the next two chapters, since it's already a lot of the way done, and it'll give me a direction on what needs to be expanded and what doesn't, but presenting both at the same time is a challenge I'm going to be facing down. I don't think there's a right answer here.
Musings on chapter 4 of S&W. Took me long enough.I did kinda call immediately that the initial scene would prove to be a dream sequence, but don't let that take away from how heavy and well-realized Miirym's misery and sorrow is in that scene - torment so intense it causes everything to animate with accusation, or perhaps she's just sensing the creation of many new ghost types. Yet, for all that, she finds new hope, never allowing harsh reality to take away her desire to be more than base predation and destruction. Pokemon or not (and all this does seem to be coming from the Dragonite side. It's interesting that the usual slate of false Pokemon memories in this case include differences of opinion among the same species in how bes to approach life) such conviction is as rare as it is commendable. She's a model for other strong Pokemon - and even ourselves - to follow.With the revelation that it was a dream, we are left to hope that such a cruel fate arising from a conflict the dream was almost certainly foreshadowing can be averted. Simon meanwhile seems marginally less uncomfortable in his own scales this morning. Letting the instincts in somewhat (and not having to eat Wurmples anymore) may have allowed the existential horror to abate some, although the constant irritation at everything and everyone around him is likely never going away, as I have a feeling that's one of the few things he and the serpent are in complete agreement on.The pending winter is probably also distracting from the dread nicely - Maslow's hierarchy and all that. The implication that the Serperior line can change colours with the seasons just like the Sawsbuck line does is certainly a fun one. Miirym could easily have demanded Simon tough the cold out, but that deep well of intrinsic kindness manifests in small ways as well as grand ones.Familiar cold authority, huh? There's several interesting places that could go.>She still expected him to eat his Wurmples.Miirym plz
>>58789430>It was the polite thing to do.Keep your mountain-levelling power appropriately contained. To do otherwise would simply be far too crass and entirely too gauche. I chuckled.As someone else pointed out WAAAY back when you first posted the chapter, the soulfire thing is definitely an interesting way to think about Pokemon moves and typing. Between Simon yelling at his Snivy instincts and then literally using them as a punching bag, you get the sense that he's staying sane out of pure spite for the serpent... which granted isn't the healthiest way to do it, but it is A way... You'll be far more powerful if you can learn to work together with the serpent, Simon, but this is a start.Aaah, yes, I recall you wanting to do something with other humans without it providing an easy way for Simon to escape back to civilization. It'll be very interesting to see what you've cooked up... y'know, whenever I actually get around to reading chapter 5... Good grief, I apologize in advance...Great chapter once again, Snivy. Getting Miirym's perspective is an interesting change of pace, and Simon's first reluctant steps into properly adapting to his new environment and self are as fun as his character always is, especially as the looming threat of insanity seems to have abated some, giving us more space to enjoy the comedic side of his suffering.
>>58788810>known “stroker”You're gonna have to explain this one because I've never known "stroking" to be anything you're allowed to do in public>>58788863This guy's a fun character, even if he's a nightmare patron. He's got that annoying, talkative guy at the bar energy.Also good on Alex for covering for the Lopunny...
>>58789430>>She still expected him to eat his Wurmples.In a past life, that innocent Wurmple could have been your mother.
Not much to add. Just expanding things.
>>58789916Wikipedia defines it as “A player who makes bets overly complicated and/or gives dealers unnecessary additional work”. Basically, a casino version of a Karen. Common ways to be a stroker are to make improper bets, bets of unusual sizes (e.g. betting $17 or $29 or $33), making the dealer give you change in the middle of hands, etc.I wasn’t sure if people would pick up on him protecting Sarah or just thought I forgot my own characters. Glad you caught it.
>>58788738Y'know, you just reminded me that certain Pokemon would be quite unfortunate given that they have what appear to be fragile extremities.(Will have to read the rest later, but I enjoyed this post :P)
Alright, now that I've read the rest, my thoughts>Post 1Why was fastidious in quotes? Unlike the physical descriptions of the odd biology of Meowscarada, it doesn't deserving of scare quotes.Meowscapone? Meowscarada doesn't really give me an Alcapone-gangster vibe.>Post 2Yeah, a bit of a description of his behavior before making the connection to the term "stroker" probably would've been better. I kept looking up variations of "gambling stroker" and got nothing. It's cool to see the term, but I wonder where you learned it.Thankfully, you get across how annoying this guy is.>Post 3Yeah, definitely a guy alright. He's got a sleazy charisma to him, the type that makes him somewhat entertaining to watch, but man, definitely not the guy you want to be interacting with.Overall, pretty good. Wish I could've given you more praise, because I feel like this isn't enough, but I just can't think of what else to comment.
>>58791487>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MascarponeJust one of the first words I could think of that an average person would know and jump to if they didn’t actually read the name tag. Same thing with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mascarahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_craps_terms#SI wasn’t sure how to balance the customer’s annoying gambling habits with the Pokémon stuff people actually come here for. I could probably fill it out more as I rushed it a bit writing late last night. The whole thing is, again, based on a true story. I could link the video if you want, but it would expose me for the hack plagiarist writer I am.Thank you for the comments! If you think it’d be interesting, I might flesh it out a bit more for the Rentry version.
>>58791571>Mascarpone and MascaraI feel embarrassed not to have come to that obvious conclusion.>Stroker sourceHuh, weird that it didn't come up with searches such as 'gambling "stroker"'.Anyways, it wouldn't hurt to flesh it out some. I don't think it's necessary, but it's not like you've got 17k words there.
>>58791571If you’ve got more ideas for it I’d like to read it.
>5,288 wordsYou know, I thought this would be the shortest chapter and wouldn't clock in above 2,000.I'm now concerned I might have to split this chapter too, or cut details. We'll see if I overcorrected with the detail, I guess.
>>58788863Wanted to comment on this last night but 4chan didn't like my phone! Really enjoyed this update! Good call on not messing with the mask, not sure how its attached but I'm pretty sure its not supposed to come off. I too didn't really know what a 'stroker' was in casino terms, so I got a chuckle out of the implications of that one, but you did a good job of showing off Timmy's sleazy and heckling nature for the explanation to make sense. Also good save at the end, I'm sure Sarah appreciates that, 'specially considering how much she hates being a Lopunny. Cute trick from Alex at the end (how the f did he do that?!).>>58789434Glad you enjoyed chapter 4, always enjoy hearing your thoughts! Planning on using the false memories / dreams as a way to flesh out animal transformees. And yeah, Simon is trying his best to stay sane by ignoring all of his issues until they can't be ignored any longer, very healthy way of going about it! And a lot of self hatred. And spite. Hope you enjoy the next one when you get around to it!>>58790118Don't tell Simon this implication, he'll probably have a complete mental breakdown.
>The rumbling and jostling of Kurt’s CR-V was not doing Larson’s stomach any favors.>He was fairly certain that under his fur, his skin had turned a vibrant, nauseated shade of green.>Being relegated to the trunk didn't help; with the back seats folded down to accommodate the supplies, he was essentially cargo, not that he could really fit anywhere else in the car without feeling cramped.>He pressed his forehead against the rear window, desperate for a visual lock on the horizon to stop his stomach from leaping up his throat.>Back when he was human, staring at the road helped abate the bite of car sickness. As a Luxray, it mostly just made him acutely aware of every pothole in the gravel road.>The only mercy was the glass itself. The icy cold helped fight back against the motion sickness.>”You doing okay back there, Lars? I can toss some stuff out of the bag if you need an emergency barf bucket,” Emma’s voice drifted back from the passenger seat with a tinge of concern, Kurt’s long tail coiled around her.>Larson grumbled and squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to think about puking.>“Don’t say the b-word,” he groaned, sucking in a sharp breath through his nose.“I’m alright. The sooner I get out of this rocking boat of a car, the sooner I’ll survive.”>Kurt chuckled from the driver’s seat. “He always gets like this. Even with anti-nausea meds. I don’t think the lion inner ear agrees with modern human transportation.”>The Inteleon turned his head to check on Larson. “Just pop the trunk if you’re gonna hurl, I don't want you to make a mess in my car!” he teased.>Larson cracked one eye open to glare at the back of the Inteleon’s head. “I don’t want to hear shit from you, Kurt. You can’t even keep your liquor down. Or have we forgotten Halloween?”>“That was a fluke,” Kurt said dismissively, turning the wheel.
>>58792421>“A fluke? You were gone after the second shot!” Larson barked, the annoyance momentarily overriding the nausea. “We found you the next morning asleep in the bathtub, all folded up like a mummy, absolutely covered head to toe in your own sick.”>”Hey, I was gonna pace myself, but you made me take that second shot with you! Don’t act like you had no part in my suffering!” >Emma hummed, tilting her head as she watched the snowy trees slowly roll by. “Mmm-no. pretty sure you stumbled up to us, shouted ‘Who wants to ride the lightning?’ or something to that effect, downed the shot you were holding, spilled the other two into the carpet, and then vanished. Like literally vanished, you camouflaged yourself.”>”I think you’re using your evil psychic powers to rewrite history,” Kurt sniffed.>”Whatever lets you sleep at night, King Tut,” she giggled.>The gravel road began to smooth out as the trees thinned, revealing a wide, flat clearing in the distance perfect for the festivities.>Emma turned to the window, her soft puffs of breath fogging up the glass. She began to idly doodle a smiley face with the tip of her tail.>“How’s the arm doing, by the way?” she asked, looking at Kurt’s cast. “They took you off the heavy meds Monday, right?”>Kurt nodded, glancing down at his sling. “Yeah. Doc was surprised at the recovery speed. They aren’t sure if it’s the ‘mon biology or the Oran berries, but I should be out of the cast next month. I’m just glad to be off the pills, they made my head feel fuzzy. Just a dull ache now, so didn’t really need to take them anymore.”>“That’s good. I know you’ve been going stir-crazy.”>”Tell me about it.”>Finally, the SUV crunched to a halt on a patch of flat, frozen grass. Kurt threw it into park and yanked the e-brake.>Emma let out a long, catlike stretch, her stiff joints popping with a sound that sent a satisfied tingle all the way down to her split tail.
>>58792424>A soft blue glow surrounded her door handle, clicking it open before she pushed it wide.>The winter air rushed in to displace the heater’s warmth, nipping at her nose and large ears. >Emma shivered, burrowing her chin deeper into her thick purple scarf as she leapt from the car and padded around to the back.>The trunk popped open a second later. Larson desperately nudged it wider with his snout before half-crawling, half-falling out of the vehicle. >He landed on the frosty grass with a groan, melting into a puddle of black and blue fur.>“Oh, you’re so dramatic,” Emma snorted, leaning down to nuzzle the side of his face. “Trying to play it up so I dote on you, you big baby?”>Larson opened one red-yellow eye and stuck his tongue out at her, before lifting his head to rake a rough, affectionate lick through the fur between her ears. “Maybe. Is it working?”>“A little.”>The driver’s side door slammed shut, and Kurt sauntered around the vehicle to join them. >He looked down at Larson, absent mindedly pulling his forest green scarf up as his breath fogged in the air, then at the open trunk packed with various bags, lawn chairs, portable stove, folding table, and a cooler.>“Alright love birds, we got work to do,” Kurt said, reaching in with his good arm to grab the lightweight bag of fireworks.>He nudged Larson’s ribs with his foot. “You’re the muscle. If you want to eat, you gotta carry the heavy stuff. I’ve got the doctor’s note getting me out of lifting the cooler. Emma can grab the chairs and table.”>”Aye aye, captain,” Emma saluted before giving Larson a boop on the nose with her own, then hopping up into the trunk to start grabbing supplies.>Larson stood once his stomach was in order, taking a once over of the snowy clearing that’d house their festivities as he waited for his turn to drag something out.>Quiet, pristine, away from the chaos of the town. It was going to be a good night.
>>58792421PROTIP: You can’t vomit if you’re humming. If you’re motion sick and not drunk or food poisoned, this can help you keep it together. I don’t know if a Luxray can hum, however. Can they purr? Or is it more of a chuff?
>>58792429Camping trip!
>>58788863Very enjoyable read. I'm still impressed with your knowledge about casinos and all the lingo it entails. Pulls me right in, even though I never entered a casino in my life.I like the interaction between Timmy and Alex. Misspelling Meowscarada would be so me, except I'd butcher Quaquaval. This gen's starters seem to be cursed – I blame Skeledirge's ghost typing for this!>the magic trickImpressive, very nice! The real trick was the tip Alex got from it, though.>>58792429Why are Emma and Larson so damn cute together? What is your secret to writing such wholesomeness, Snivy? I *need* to know!>Quiet, pristine, away from the chaos of the town. It was going to be a good night.Oh, this arc is going to be so comfortable, isn't it?
>>58791974>I thought this would be the shortest chapter and wouldn't clock in above 2,000Been there, done that. Let's call it suffering from success.
>>58792981>Quiet, pristine, away from the chaos of the town>this arc is going to be so comfortableRight up until you get a Rillaboom hiking through the woods with their Bluetooth speaker
>>58792421Poor Larson, getting stuck with permanent carsickness must suck.>>58792429Love the little Pokemonish displays of affection between them. Emma may not have any instincts but it seems like they've found a way to make it work.
Glad everyone’s enjoying the update! Figure this’ll be a three parter for new years, unless I get carried away.>>58792459Does that actually work? Never heard of that trick. Larson can still hum, probably can’t purr quite like Emma can.>>58792943They’re just hanging out for New Year’s Eve, it’s a good spot for fireworks, but full on camping trip episode could be cute! I’ll save this idea for later.>>58792981The secret is loneliness.>>58793487Well NOW it’s a party.>>58793527Yeah carsickness blows, I used to get it really bad when I was younger. And thanks! I just write down what I think would be cute.
>>58794318>three parterOh hell yeah! I'm all here for it!>camping tripThose are always worth it! Gotta write one with Etienne at some point. With the right friends, sitting around a camp fire is peak cosiness.I should also go /out/ some more myself, my last camping trip has been a while.>The secret is loneliness.:(
I'm not happy with how the intrusive thoughts were represented here. I'll tinker with that later. For now, I think I'm doing a good enough job. Maybe.
>>58792429>They formed a little caravan, hauling the supplies from the car to the stone-ringed firepit that sat near the center of the clearing, the grass worn down to dirt from years of previous gatherings.>Kurt immediately claimed the folding table as his culinary domain, organizing his utensils, pan and seasonings. >Being one-handed made it a little tricky, but he managed to hook up the propane cylinder to the burner with a sharp hiss-click.>He’d promised them steaks to ring in the new year, a dinner choice the other two carnivores had accepted with hungry enthusiasm.>Larson, playing the role of the designated draft horse, dragged the heavy cooler over patches of mushy slush scattered about from the snow of the previous night. >It was packed to the brim with dinner, beer, snacks, and a bottle of expensive champagne Emma had insisted on bringing for tradition’s sake.>He wedged the cooler between the two lawn chairs set up for Kurt and Emma. Kurt had offered to try and find a stump or a bench that could support Larson’s bulk, but the Luxray had waved him off.>He was perfectly content with the ground. The instinct to doze off anywhere meant he could get comfortable on a pile of rocks if he had to. All he needed was room to sprawl.>“Music time!” Emma announced, leaping out of the trunk.>She had a sleek, heavy-duty speaker floating beside her, a Christmas gift from her parents. It wasn’t a party without a soundtrack, after all. >Her phone hovered next to it, glowing with a psychic aura as she tried to connect the devices.>She frowned, tapping the screen with a paw and eyes glancing at the silent speaker. “What the… come on. I charged you all night.”>Suddenly, the speaker let out a deafening, ear-splitting bark of static as Porygon-Z was ejected.>The digital duck appeared in mid-air, its disjointed limbs windmilling wildly as it tried to reorient itself in the physical world.
>>58795524>Emma’s ears flattened against her skull and tail lashed. She glared at the glitchy duck. “You better not have eaten the battery percentage. I was looking forward to testing this thing!”>Porygon’s detached wings snapped up to catch its spinning head, holding it steady. It shook its head no vigorously, emitting a noise that sounded like a dial-up modem choking on mesmerizing static.>“Uh-huh. Likely story,” Emma sighed. She turned back to the phone. With the obstruction removed, the Bluetooth finally paired, and a chill lo-fi playlist began to drift through the clearing.>While the tech support was happening, Larson had been trotting back and forth from the treeline. >He breathed a sigh of relief when he found his old stash of firewood undisturbed under a heavy tarp. He’d been worried campers might have raided it over the autumn.>Less camping with the pokemon craziness, he guessed.>The lack of hands didn’t seem to impede his process much. He arranged the logs in the pit into a pyramid shape with the same practiced precision as when he was human.>Once everything was set, he simply leaned down and let a controlled arc of blue electricity spark into the dry kindling, and blew gently.>The tinder caught instantly. Within moments, the fire was crackling, casting a warm, orange glow against the winter twilight.>An updraft from the fire sent a spiral of glowing embers twisting into the darkening sky. >The display immediately captured the attention of Porygon-Z, who detached from its orbit around the speaker to float in dizzying circles, eyes wide as it tracked the fleeing sparks.>Emma chuckled as the digital duck tried to catch a cinder with an oblong wing. Larson couldn't help but smile, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.>"So," Larson asked, gently nudging a log deeper into the coal bed with a paw. "Be honest. Did you understand any of that?">"Absolutely no clue," Emma admitted, popping a cashew into her mouth.
>>58795529>"We need a debugger or something. Maybe someone online coded a patch for Porygon-Z speech patterns," Kurt chimed in. He had unspooled his massive tail and wrapped it as close to the stone ring as safety allowed, trying to soak up the heat.>Porygon-Z froze, turning slowly toward the Inteleon. It puffed its chest out and let out a garbled, screeching noise that sounded suspiciously like a mocking impression of Kurt’s voice, causing him to scoff a laugh and shake his head.>No need for some random internet dweller's hack-job 'fix', thank you very much!>"Aww, it's alright buddy, you’re perfect the way you are," Emma amended.>A loud hiss erupted from the pan as Kurt dropped the steaks onto the hot metal. >The scent of savory meat rolled over the campsite, hitting the two cats like a physical blow.>Larson’s stomach gave a treacherous growl. A moment later, a long string of drool escaped his jowls, dripping onto his paw. >He didn’t realize he was doing it until Emma burst out laughing. "Classy," she teased. "Try to keep it in your mouth, tiger.">"I’m not a tiger," Larson grumbled, hurriedly wiping his paw on the grass. He turned his attention aggressively back to the fire to hide his embarrassment.>Porygon-Z floated closer as Larson prodded the logs with a long, charred branch he held in his teeth. The duck vibrated with interest, clearly wanting to participate.>Larson paused, shrugged, and passed the stick over. "Here.">Porygon-Z gleefully grabbed the branch with both wings, eyes gleaming with pure excitement.>It immediately began to stab at the fire with rapid, chaotic fervor, sending a shower of sparks flying and threatening to collapse the carefully built wooden pyramid.>"Hey, hey! Easy!" Larson barked, stepping in. "Don't make a mess! Look, I’ll let you be my hands tonight, but you gotta work with me. Don’t topple the fire."
>>58795531>The Porygon paused, the stick hovering over a glowing log. It processed the request, digital gears turning in its head, then slowly, carefully, pulled the stick back. It gave a salute with its free wing.>Hopefully playing with fire would distract it from investigating the fireworks.>Larson let out a sigh of relief. "Good duck.">A moment later, a cold bottle of lager floated into Larson’s field of vision, nudging him gently on the shoulder. >He turned to see Emma smiling from the cooler. He gripped the bottle carefully in his jaws, tilting his head back to down a swig.>"Thanks, Em," Kurt called out as a beer floated over to his table. He flipped the steaks, sending another wave of delicious scent across the clearing.>The smell was overwhelming. Emma, realizing she was on the verge of drooling herself, finished off the remains of the cashews and levitated a bag of potato chips out of the cooler. >She ripped it open and began shoving chips into her mouth with undignified speed to temporarily sate her hunger, glancing side-to-side to make sure Larson hadn't seen her cracking under the pressure. >She wasn't about to let him win that round.>POP. A sharp crack echoed in the distance, rolling over the hills.>Everyone’s ears perked up. Porygon let out a garbled yelp of surprise and spun to look for the source. Emma glanced down at her phone. "It's barely eight o'clock.">"People getting antsy like usual," Kurt noted, adding more seasoning to the meat. "Can't wait to blow stuff up.">"Guess you can’t blame ‘em," Emma replied, looking at the dark sky. "Got a feeling this year is gonna be crazy. I wonder if we'll see any move displays tonight. I bet there's some Electabuzz out there itching to discharge." >She looked at Larson with a grin. "Maybe you have a routine cooked up?">Larson just smirked, taking a long sip of his beer. "Maybe. You'll have to wait and see."
>>58783481Never did post my reactions to this update. Omitting the proofreading stuff I sent you on Discord:Oh damn, Etienne _loathes_ his new form, huh? Definitely paints the whole thing in a less optimistic light than the original version of the prelude came across. One hopes he can come to appreciate his new form more as the story progresses,One also notices that both Etienne and Florin have been made a lot more sassy and snarky on the re-write. Etienne actively speaks up and calls things out without fear (he points out Florin was reading the article about his species, even though it's embarrassing for all concerned), matching with his stated ability to call out his superiors when they do a stupid. He's definitely bucking those European stereotypes this way and I am here for it.He also seems to have a talent for getting reads on people the moment he meets them. That has a lot of potential, especially if it still works on transformees as well.Things end on a sort of ambiguously uplifting note now. One is left to ponder whether Etienne can genuinely find the good in his situation, or if he's just defusing his internal turmoil with humour so that other people don't have to deal with it.>>58788863I mean, you're already licking yourself in your sleep, Alex mate. Theoretically, pulling the mask should be much the same as pulling an ear - not removable and it'll hurt if you pull too hard.Pfft. Seems everyone's taking pointers from David. Honestly, the "stroker" monkier would've just made me think it's because this guy jerks people around. Which isn't too far off anyway, as it turns out. Always nice to not have to be involved in the screaming matches the problem customer causes.
>>58795543The cucumber reference was definitely inevitable. Heh, I love how bro managed to choose literally the most boring transformee in existence (don't worry, I say that with affection) to pester about transformation weirdness. I also like how the truth is already so weird that there's no need for exaggerated rumours about the consequences of transformation.>I was there in the 90's."You think crazes only started getting big after your newfound "Internet" got to them? Lemme tell ya about..." Actually, know what? Finish this joke in your head.Yeah I noticed him covering for Sarah too, don't you worry. Savvy call. Savvy call also for him to start using other props for tricks instead of the cards. He may not be a scintillating personality (comes with being an observational everyman protagonist), but he's got a good head on his shoulders does Alex.Solid stuff as always. Your nerdy casino glee really comes through on the page. Glad we could give you an outlet for it.>>58792429Classic writing what you know here, huh Snivy? Even if being with Emma technically broke the streak, Larson's more generalized lucklessness remains. One wonders if Kurt's issue is due to the transformation or if he was always a lightweight. Either way, it's always nice how the gang tease each other without ever getting genuinely hurtful. I've praised their chemistry way too many times as it is and should really spare the characters, but, what can I say? Their interactions aren't getting any less fabulous.Very relieving that Kurt's recovering well. I wonder whatever happened to the alpha that injured him, anyway? Is till blows my mind that Americans call it an "emergency" brake. We just call it the hand brake. As someone else said, Larson and Emma's animalistic displays of affection are great. I'd love to see more of the three's eveni..>>58795536...well okay then. Will read later.>>58794318>lonelinessI'm so sorry to hear that, man. Maybe we could do more voice chat sessions?
>>58795536And another update for the end of the year!I honestly forgot about Pory for a minute. Glad it's also part of this!>levitated a bag of potato chips out of the coolerExcuse me, you store the chips in the cooler?>>58795543Appreciate the feedback, thanks again Macho!Etienne is now more aligned with what I had in mind for him to begin with. (The holy character sheet told me)Also, he has episodes of self-loathing, especially if he is forced into his own mind for long enough. eg. because all he can do in the bus is staring at himself and the white wall of fog for 15 minutes straight. We don't look at people, that would be rude. We stare at them instead! https://www.newlyswissed.com/about-the-swiss-stare/>He also seems to have a talent for getting reads on people the moment he meets them.Another one that was planned since the beginning. He had to impress Christophe somehow for him to get promoted to platoon leader deputy.
>>58795536It's nice to see the duck mellowing out a bit. Maybe by next new year he can be trusted with a roman candle.
Happy new years to at least half of the world! May you all be happy with being dorks.
>>58796020Give him old data drives. I'm sure he'll enjoy them.
Happy new year to everyone on the other side of the world, still got a few hours here.>>58795548Glad you’re enjoying it! Larson just shares my universal unluckiness I suppose. Kurt definitely was able to drink more before transforming, so something with his Inteleon biology isn’t agreeing with hard liquor. At least beer is still fine! Yeah they aren’t malicious, all the teasing’s in good fun, and I’m happy to hear their chemistry is still good, sometimes I worry it’s getting a little too samey… Feds picked up the alpha the evening of the incident and the station never got any updates on it, so no one knows what really happened to it.>>58795777Yeah I struggle with Porygon, it was supposed to be a one off thing but I figured it might be fun to keep him around, I just need to write it more. I keep chips and bread and all that fragile stuff on top of everything in a cooler when going on a trip so they don’t get crushed if stuff shuffles around while I’m driving! Probably reads oddly to other people, might change that in the rentry version.>>58796020It and Kurt had a big talk after the thanksgiving episode, Porygon knows to try to behave in a less unhinged manner, so it’s mellowed out slightly. Still crazy though, bad code runs deep.
Happy new year everyone!I'm a bit conflicted on what to write: the Copanon story from Copanon's perspective, another Layla perspective shift, or finally adding some more of the Vaporeon story.
>>58797540How about a third party? I don't think we've seen anything from the PoV of CopAnon's partner on the force.
The spirit of New Year’s compels me to push forward with this piece. I hope you enjoy.>Another day, another chance to enable questionable decisions>Otherwise known as being a casino dealer>You were supposed to be on PaiGow today, the Chinese poker variant notorious for ties and very specific house rules for setting hands>Strange, when you went to check in, your schedule was blanked out>One discussion with your manager later, and everything was explained>>”We’ve got a new hire coming in today. I know I’m not supposed to use the phrase, but he’s another one of our ‘rescues’” David confided in you>The correct term from leadership was a P.O.P.P.E.D. hire>Providing Opportunities for Pokémon Professional Employment and Development>The truth of the situation didn’t quite fit the strained acronym>When you got the job, you knew the casino was willing to overlook certain parts of your history if you were down on your luck and turned into a Pokémon that could still deal>It turns out, there’s some actual real philanthropy involved too>The new guy, Brent, was literally found dumpster diving behind the building>When one of the housekeeping staff found him and recognized that he was both non-violent and turned, leadership was informed>You didn’t get the whole story, but apparently leadership liked what they saw enough to sign him on as a paid intern while he went to dealer school>Your job today was to get to know him and find out if there’s any reason he shouldn’t be brought on“I’m the new hire, why is this my job?”>>”Special request from the VP, my hands are tied. And not in the fuzzy handcuffs way. Just talk to him, make sure he can hold a conversation, and isn’t going to be blow his money if he gets hired. We’ve let him stay in a hotel room for the time being”>And with that, you were whisked away to a meeting room and sat face to face with your potential new colleague
>>58797710>The black hoodie muffled his distinctive features, but some things can’t be hidden that easily>The white fur everywhere was a touch dingy, but the yellow fur on his long floppy ears shone just as brightly despite them trying to stay hidden in the hood>After awkward introductions and several prying attempts to get him to open up to you, you finally asked him how he ended up here>>”I woke up as this rabbit thing about a week ago. The first day I was chased out of my house with a broom by my girlfriend. I had moved out here to try and make it big as musician. It was a dream. I think I always knew that, but I thought I had support. It wasn’t even 24 hours before she put all my stuff in a garbage bag filled with bleach on the front door. I don’t have a car and her efforts to sanitize whatever caused my transformation destroyed my phone.”“You know now that it isn’t contagious right?”>>”Yeah. We had been fighting the night before. Part of me wonders if this was just a convenient way to dump me. There was always arguments about money and how she treated me, but I thought I could make it work. But there I was, no way to contact anyone, no money, no place to stay. I guess I could have come up with something better to do, but I just couldn’t find the will to do anything. Life was over, what’s the point?”>Holy smokes
>>58797716>This was not what you signed up for>And yet…“Believe it or not, I’ve been there. I moved here just out of community college when I turned 21. I thought I could become some rich celebrity and run this town. Vegas will chew you up and spit you out like nothing else. I didn’t last two months before I started drinking daily and blew through my money. Thankfully I had paid in advance for the dealer school. One day I stumbled through the door, having literally woken up in the gutter. The administrator pulled me into his office, pulled a leaf out of my hair, and sat me down. They didn’t offer refunds, but he offered to use my remaining funds to buy me a bus ticket back home. I couldn’t stand the thought of letting everyone I knew down. I told him I’d let him know the next day.”>>”And that night?”“Exactly, I woke up as a Meowscarada and had to deal with changes to my vision and hearing and figuring out what to do with my dumb paws. But the best thing happened. The brain must get rewired to work this new body right? I woke up sober. I still felt like shit, but I didn’t immediately feel the need to drink to dull the pain. >>”Great. You get to bypass a month of AA from your change, and I lose everything. That cheers me up.”“It’s not that simple. I still get cravings. I’m still fundamentally me inside. I’m one bad day away from going back. But this change gave me the opportunity to make a fresh start. Do you realize how rare that is? No one gets to start over in life. But we’ve been given that chance. It’s going to be a struggle, but isn’t that what makes it worth trying?”>>…>>”A chance to start over huh?”>>”Do you mean that?”“Truly.” >>>”You’ll also have a fresh set of clothes. Steady pay. Housing assistance. Free training. No commitment to stay.” David chimed in as he walked in with a set of dealer black black pants and white dress shirts>The Cinderace looked down>>”It’s worth a try”
Happy new year, /sip/. It's been a lot of fun reading and writing along with you guys these past few months. I'm making it a goal to get more consistent and focused with writing, so hopefully the wait between parts of Herding Cats won't be so long.>>58797727We have a new contender for the Having It Worst Championships. Dumped, homeless, and a rabbit all in one day. That's an interesting wrinkle for Alex's character too. It's cool to see someone finding the bright spots of a tough situation. That's something I'll get into in Herding Cats soon enough too.
Happy new year everyone.>>58795536>All he needed was room to sprawlDamn, wish I could do that.Heh. I'll bet nobody invited the Porygon either - they're just getting resigned to its antics. Ahh, so it CAN speak, kind of. I do wonder how Larson's carrying the logs - just biting a corner like it's the scruff of a Shinx's neck?Heheh. Larson, Emma, and the duck are all super cute right now. Can't wait to see what they've cooked up for midnight.>>58797540I'm down for more Vaporeon if you want to write something lighter for a bit to ease back in.>>58797727Aaah, so there IS more to Alex than observation skills and general agreeableness. If anything, the latter may in fact just be a match for the natural domino mask. None-the-less, we see here the darker side of Vegas and how this casino's Pokemon dealers program is, perhaps surprisingly, actually genuinely helping. Whether there's a nefarious additional motivation beyond making money off the gimmick remains to be seen of course.You gotta feel for Brent. His girlfriend's actions may have been born of panic, but one does suspect there was almost certainly a malicious streak to them as well. Destroying his phone with bleach was both unnecessary and immensely cruel. Hopefully Brent does really well here and the girlfriend swings by one day and sees him thriving. Her trying to take him back and being rejected would probably be far too cliched, but just her seeing that he's better off without her would be enough.Now that we've seen Alex open up a little more, perhaps he can show similar empathy to the other dealers. Granted the everyman perspective character becoming the diplomancer and resident therapist is pretty cliched too, but it'd certainly give us a lot of insight into the rest of the cast over time, which is desirable given such a large and still growing ensemble.
>>58795536>The evening settled into a comfy rhythm of idle conversation, the fire crackling punctuating stories about the holidays and the chaotic mess that accompanied them.>Emma recounted her trip home for Christmas. Her flight had been one of the few not canceled by the winter storms, a true holiday miracle.>The airport had been a nightmare, as expected, with TSA security checks becoming an even bigger ordeal than they already were. Definitely not something she was keen on experiencing again any time soon.>“So how did your parents react when they finally saw you in person?” Kurt asked, turning the steaks once more before moving on to season up the corn cobs.>“Well, they already knew I turned a while ago, so it's not like I blindsided them,” Emma said, watching the fire. “I think they were still a little surprised by the reality of it, but mostly just curious. Their neighbor turned into an Ivysaur two-ish months ago, so they kind of understood the mental baggage and were expecting something... wilder? But my head isn’t any different than when I was human so it was a pretty normal visit, once we got past the initial awkwardness of them not knowing whether to hug me or pet me.”>She giggled at the memory, but the sound quickly soured into a grumble as she pawed at the fabric of her lawn chair.>“Of course, then they had to bring up the future. ‘Oh Emma, are you ever going back to medical school?’ ‘Think of how successful you’d be if you finished.’ ‘You wouldn’t be stuck at that awful job.’ Blah, blah, blah. I know they mean well, but god, it gets tiring.”>Larson, who had been intently watching the treeline after hearing a bush rustle, swiveled one ear toward her. The instinct to go on a prowl and investigate the noise was strong, but working that urge out could wait.
>>58798272>He pulled himself up, shaking the frost and grass from his fur. With a decisive stride, he walked over, grabbed Emma gently by the scruff of her neck with his teeth like he would a Shinx cub, and lifted her out of the chair.>“Eep!” Emma went instantly limp as he carried her over to his designated spot by the fire. He set her down on the warm ground and curled his massive body around her.>Emma regained control of her limbs and settled in, leaning her weight against his mane. “You’re getting too comfortable doing that, you know! One of these days I’m gonna be able to pick you up, and we’ll see how YOU feel,” she grumbled through his fur.>Larson just smirked down at the pouting cat.>Her beer levitated from her chair, drifting through the air until it nestled safely between her front paws. “They said they want to meet you soon, by the way,” she added before taking a sip.>Larson tilted his massive head. “Hmm. Should I be worried? Am I expecting the ‘dad on the porch with a shotgun’ treatment?”>”Ha! Nah, luckily they aren’t too crazy. Will probably talk your ear off and pester you with questions the entire time, so prepare yourself for that.”>”I think I’d almost prefer the shotgun dad.”>Emma bapped him on the nose with a paw. “What about you guys? From the sound of it, you both just stayed home?” She asked as she closed her eyes, soaking up the dual heat of the Luxray and the bonfire.>Kurt shrugged, tossing the foil-wrapped corn onto the grill grate. “Yeah, pretty quiet. Helped Larson set up a webcam after his shift so he could video chat his folks, since they couldn’t make the trip out again. Personally, I enjoyed a nice day of sleeping in and gorging myself on holiday sweets.”
>>58798273>“My mom ended up sending me this high-end grooming kit, and my dad snuck in a bag of catnip as a gag gift, which made me laugh. I didn’t have the heart to tell Ma that I can’t exactly use a brush without, you know, hands, but I’m figuring it out,” Larson said, turning his gaze back to Porygon who was currently inches from the flames, itching to mess with it but keeping itself composed.>True to its word, if you could call them that, the digital pokemon remained dutiful in listening to Larson’s guidance and played the part of firekeeper with as much enthusiasm as a six year old playing with fire could.>“Been meaning to ask,” Kurt grinned over his shoulder. “Have you actually tried the catnip yet? Does it mess you up like it does housecats?”>Larson shook his head and scoffed a laugh. “Well I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts showing up on drug tests for feline transformees.”>“Pfft. Well, now I gotta try it,” Emma giggled.>“Already corrupting your girlfriend? Not a good look, Larson,” Kurt teased.>Larson rolled his eyes. “Please. She was beyond help long before we met.”>Emma snickered into her paw. “What about you and your folks, Kurt? I don’t think I’ve ever heard much about them.”>Kurt’s smile vanished, replaced by a simmering, cold scowl. He stared down at the sizzling steaks. >“We aren’t on speaking terms,” he said flatly. The fin-like frill running down the length of his tail sharpened dangerously, standing rigid.>Sensing the sudden spike in tension, Emma hunched in on herself, trying to look smaller. “Sorry,” she murmured. “Didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”>Kurt let out a long, heavy sigh, waving his good hand dismissively. “Not your fault. You didn’t know. Blame them for being shitty.” He cleared his throat, shook his head, and snapped a finger. “Alright! Let’s forget about that. I’ve got my real family right here anyway.”
>>58798275>He grabbed a pair of tongs. “Annnnd… Everything’s done! Everyone grab a plate before I eat it all!” >The Luxray and Espeon leapt from their spots, trotting over to the table with voracious, predatory glee.>Kurt made sure to slide the largest steak onto Larson’s plate, both because he was the largest ‘mon of them by far, and as a silent tribute for being a good sport about the teasing.>Larson accepted the offering with a rumble of appreciation.>The clearing fell silent, filled only with the sounds of the crackling fire, distant pops of fireworks, and enthusiastic chewing. The trio fought their baser instincts to inhale the food in seconds, forcing themselves to savor the flavor.>“Oh! Wait!” Emma paused, her phone floating up. She snapped a picture of her plate before digging in. “Here, Porygon! Digital steak for you too!”>The digital duck paused in its fire-watching duties. It looked between the phone and the flames, torn between duty and hunger. Finally, it tossed the charred stick aside and zipped into the screen.>On Emma’s phone, the photo file immediately began to corrupt. Pixels of the steak vanished into static blocks as Porygon ‘ate’ the data. Seeing Porygon was enjoying its meal, she turned back to her own.>“Damn, this is good,” Emma mumbled around a mouthful of real steak. “My compliments to the chef, Kurt. I didn’t know you cooked this well.”>“I used to cook all the time,” Kurt said, leaning back in his chair. “But with the pokemon stuff throwing a wrench in everything, plus the resulting long shifts… I just never had the energy. Figured I’d get back into the swing of it while I’m on leave. Beats doomscrolling all day.”
>>58798276>Larson nodded vigorously as he chewed a massive bite. “Just as good as I remember. Didn’t lose your touch,” he added after swallowing, licking his jowls clean.>Kurt gave them an exaggerated, flourishing bow from his chair.>Emma pushed her empty plate away with a satisfied sigh. “I need to cook more. Funnily enough, becoming an Espeon actually gave me a push to do it. It’s way more fun when you have telekinetic reach of the whole kitchen from one spot.” >She looked at the Inteleon. “Maybe you could give me some lessons sometime?”>“Sure. Not like I’m doing much right now. Why? Did you learn the fastest way to a Luxray’s heart is through his stomach?”>“Well, I can’t have him enjoying your cooking more than mine,” she laughed, nudging Larson. “Or he might break up with me and run away with you.”>Larson gave a noncommittal grunt as he finished the last scrap of fat on his plate.>“See?” Emma cried. “I’m doomed!”Whoopsie, getting carried away again. Happy new year everyone! Hope you all have a good start to 2026!>>58797540More Vaporeon could be fun!>>58797727Damn, that sucks buddy. Poor Brent, I also kinda feel like some of that situation was his GF using his rabbitfication as an excuse to dump him, her behavior seemed pretty excessive for just illness panic. At least this POPPED stuff seems earnest so far, so hopefully it all works out for him. Was not expecting that kind of backstory from Alex, he seemed like he always had his head firmly on his shoulders. More to people than meets the eye, I suppose. Great update!>>58797907Porygon likes to hitch a ride with them. Its speech is basically just a garbled mess of static, it just sort of resembled Kurt's voice when it was mocking him. And yeah, Larson is huge, so its pretty easy for him to carry the firewood in his mouth!
Do you prefer SIP stories set in the pokémon world or the normal one?
Kinda late happy 2026! Onto a year full of peak fiction!>>58797237>PorygonFor struggling with Pory, you're doing a pretty good job with it. The glitchy duck is a great comedic relief!>Removing the chips in cooler segmentNah, leave it in. It gives some utilitarian character to the gang. It mainly puzzled me, because all the coolers I've owned usually were either super tiny or filled to the brim with beverages.>>58797540I enjoyed the Layla POV you put out. Having insights to what is going on inside her messed up head gave her a lot of character. I think it would fit perfectly for a family reunion with Derek.The Vaporeon story would be nice as well, though. Lots of potential for a wholesome story with some water 'Vee overthinking injected into it.Also what >>58797574 said – that Magikarp Checkhov's gun still wasn't fired...Just go with what you think will be most fun to write for you. We'll be cheering either way!>>58797727Ayy, finally some background story for our Gato Alex! I was wondering how long we'd have to wait for his past to be somewhat revealed.Brent really hit the jackpot that night... poor guy. Considering he wears a hoodie to "hide" his new rabbit self, I wonder how he will fare being put in the spotlight. Should get interesting.>>58797788>I'm making it a goal to get more consistent and focused with writingBest of luck with your New Year's resolution!>>58798289That's a beautiful pic of Emma!Man, I just ate, but I'd kill for a steak right now.>Larson picking Emma up by the scruffAdorable!>>58798298Definitely the latter, it's the whole premise of /sip/, after all!We do have a one-shot(?) of a Lopunny set in the Pokémon world that I honestly wouldn't mind seeing more of.
>>58798275Damn, Kurt’s got it tough too. Estranged, divorced, shattered arm. He’s as lucky to have Larson and Emma as they are to have him,I bet Larson could find someone willing to use that grooming kit on him, if he could weather the shame. Someone ambiguously purple or pink, maybe.
>>58799465>Estranged, divorced, shattered arm.And doesn't even get visitation rights with his son. If his son turns, his ex-wife would probably punt the boy off into his hands or try to put the kid into state custody and if it goes that way, I really insist that the kid ends up in Kurt's custody so he can finally have something going right for himself.
>>58787330>Reads thread>No actual fetish content How dare you to lie to me like that
>>58800328You go to /tfg/ to whack off to the idea of becoming a pokemonYou come here after to contemplate your identity and humanity, as well as how you would fit into society after being transformed.
I've stalled out. Didn't really help that the hatred came back with a vengance. I'm taking a break to recoup my creativity, I guess.
>>58800424
Posting some feedback for the additions Drifter's making to his draft.>>58789371First para uses the word "car" quite a few times."pushmyself allf". Formatting snarl there."She'd look" and "She'd take it" should be "She looked" and "She took it">>58790125"There was three pillows" should be "There were three pillows""Equally unusual and generic" would read better as "Equally unusual and yet generic".Instead of reiterating that Val beelined, maybe the second time say something like, "Upon arriving at the bed, I immediately crashed upon the covers"Oh damn, the plot thickens. One wonders if his mother was actually abusive or if it's all purely in his head. Alternatively, "fictional and non-existent" might even suggest he never had a mother to begin with. Probably not, but the ambiguity is well-realized."I've even slept" should be "I'd even slept". I do like Val reflecting on his insomnia here - it puts the earlier stuff from the draft into appropriate context. Might be worth having him straight up say "insomnia" at some point, though, just for the slow ones in the back.200 posts in 5 days doesn't seem like that much by 4chan standards, but I'm guessing it's a lot by 2ch standards. The first sentence of the second-last paragraph reads a little awkwardly. "it's hard" should be "it was hard"
>>58791974"struggling financial" should be "financial struggles"One foot doesn't sound like much, but I might be dumb.You'd really think proof of pets having transformed wouldn't be THAT hard to find, but fair enough."admit to myself" should be "admit it to myself", "indiscriminate" should be "indeterminate", "furs and skins" should be "fur and skin", "inbtween" should be "in-between" and "were all stunning patterns" should be "all had stunning patterns"."I chided myself with" should be "I chided myself", "drawn in" should be "drawn to", and "I'd try my hand at" should be "I'd try", since trying your hand normally refers to actively taking action in the attempt to accomplish something."interesting projects" should probably be "interesting events". Seems kinda odd, really, but I guess the political coverage is probably their brand."put in an" should probably be "put in during an"Heh. Nobody said politics had to make sense, Val.>>58794840"broke the area" should probably be "broke the silence"Yeah, I hate when my phone does shit like that."greeted to" should be "greeted by""think about to the" should be "think about the" and "in the recent time" should be "in recent times"Heh, I actually kinda love how Val's decision to buy a gun was born out of a half-remembered Starship Troopers reference while in a half-awake haze. It's kind of a scary prospect for someone as unstable as him to be arming himself, but it fits his established characters so well. Love it.I also like how much reflection Val's doing on the Pokemon stuff. It's a good winddown after the police scene, and kind of demonstrates how the world's new state of affairs, while it has its downsides to, is able to poke holes in the cocoon of misery Val's built around himself. We saw that before with Matsui as well, the hope being that these strange events can subtly (and maybe in the future not so subtly) guide him onto a better path.>>58800564"would pull over" should be "pulled over"
Do you prefer the protagonist still being able to speak or only if he is a psychic-type
>>58798289>Once the last scraps of food were gone and the plates were stacked haphazardly on the folding table, the trio reclaimed their territory around the bonfire.>The night had settled in properly now, the temperature dropping with every ticking minute. Larson lay on his side, soaking in the heat from the flames, fighting a losing battle against the post-meal drowsiness.>Emma sat tucked against his stomach, passing out refreshments while using him as a living heated cushion.>She checked her phone. Nine-thirty. Still plenty of time to kill.>Kurt walked over from the supply table carrying the holy trinity of campfire desserts: graham crackers, chocolate, and a bag of marshmallows. >He paused by his lawn chair, looked at the cold, lonely seat, then looked at the cozy pile of fur and psychic cat across the fire.>"Ah, what the hell," he muttered.>Not needing coaxing this time, he walked around the pit and flopped down next to Larson, his long legs stretching out toward the fire. "It’s cold, you're warm, and I have dessert. Call it a transaction or something, art of the deal and all that.">Larson cracked one eye open as Kurt’s long tail snaked around to gently corral the group. "Fair trade.">"Oooh, s'mores!" Emma exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she saw the bag. "I honestly can't remember the last time I had some.">"Not the best pairing with lager," Kurt admitted, tearing open the bag of fluffy sugar. "But a late-night fire isn't legal without them.">"I'm not complaining," Larson rumbled, shifting to accommodate the two people leaning on his ribs. "One of you has to make 'em for me, though.">They tag-teamed the task. Emma used her telekinesis to rotate the marshmallows over the flames until they were a perfect, golden brown, while Kurt sandwiched the gooey mess between chocolate and cracker.
>>58801131>"You know," Emma mused, popping the treat into her mouth. "If catnip affects us cat ‘mons, do you think a canine transformee’d get sick if they eat chocolate?">Larson paused mid-chew, a graham cracker crumb clinging to his whiskers. "I… actually have no idea. I haven't heard of anyone getting sick from it. If that were a thing, it would be all over the news, right?">He licked the crumb off. "God, I hope I don't get marshmallow stuck in my fur...">"If you do, I can use that fancy grooming kit of yours to clean you up later," Emma teased, bumping him with her hip.>Larson hummed. "...Yeah. That might be nice.">As the night deepened, the cold sharpened. Sensing the unspoken request, Larson pushed a low-voltage current through his fur.>The static charge generated a gentle, radiating heat that made both Kurt and Emma sigh in contentment.>Around them, the horizon began to pop and flash. The sounds of early fireworks, and the distinct noises of moves being fired into the sky were picking up tempo. The new year was close.>”So, what’s everyone’s new year's resolutions?” Emma asked the two, licking chocolate off a paw.>"Mmm. Don't have one," Larson murmured. "Never really gave those much thought.">”Lame. What about you Kurt?”>The Inteleon tapped his chin. "Didn't think much about it either. I guess… just trying to be less of a workaholic? That was the promise, right? I've been trying to get more in-tune with my lizard brain, and we seem to agree on that one.">"Sounds like a plan," Emma nodded. "Maybe if you cut yourself some slack, you won't be at odds with your instincts so much.">"Maybe. There's definitely a personality clash between us, which is why I usually ignore ‘em," Kurt sighed, watching the smoke curl upward. "The whole 'inner peace' mindfulness thing Larson uses never worked for me. I get too antsy doing nothin’. But... slowing down a little isn't terrible, I suppose. What about you?"
>>58801139>”Made it my goal to quit my dumb job. I want to find something I actually enjoy," she said, her voice gaining conviction. "With the whole 'new lease on life' angle everyone talks about with the transformation stuff… maybe I should take a leap of faith. Try something new.">"Thinking of re-enrolling in med school like your parents suggested?" Larson asked gently.>"Not really. It's a possibility, but it feels like moving backward. Plus that place sucked. I was actually thinking about… clothes.">"Clothes?" Kurt asked.>"Yeah. There still aren't many options out there for transformees. Barely anything fits right. But the cosplay stuff I posted from Halloween got a ton of traction online. People were asking where I got the patterns, what materials I used, stuff like that. So… maybe I could start designing clothes for 'mons? Custom fits for tails, wings, extra limbs, stuff that won’t irritate fur or scales… all of it.">"That’s honestly a great idea," Kurt said, nodding. "You've got the talent for it. And the market is wide open.">Larson hummed in agreement, the vibration rumbling against Emma’s back. "I think that sounds perfect.">"Aw, well, thanks guys," Emma beamed, her ears twitching happily. "I need to figure out the logistics. Maybe start commission-based until I have a portfolio. But I’ll definitely be asking you two to model for me. Especially you, Larson." She batted her eyelashes with cartoonish exaggeration.>Kurt snickered and elbowed Larson. “Heh. See you on the runway. Always knew this face was handsome enough to be a model,” he posed, imagining the flickering firelight as the flashes of cameras from a crowd of fashion fans.
>>58801145>Larson sighed, resigned to his fate, but he couldn't help smiling at Emma’s excitement. He leaned down and gave her a quick, rough boop on the nose. "So, if you made your own business, what would you call it? Emma’s Emporium?">Emma tilted her head, her large ears brushing against his mane, causing tiny blue sparks to jump between them. "I'm terrible with names. But that’s a solid contender!">Eventually, the marshmallows were gone, and the trio lapsed into a comfortable silence.>Porygon-Z woke up from its food coma, lethargically slipping out of the virtual space and flopping onto the grass. It waved a wing at Larson, demanding orders.>Larson yawned widely, fangs glinting in the firelight. He directed the digital duck toward the woodpile.>Porygon zipped away, enthusiastically ferrying logs to the fire and arranging them with obsessive care, clearly trying to appease the fire gods.>Kurt was just glad he didn’t have to put out any fires. Yet. Dealing with a pissed off Trevenant wasn’t on the bucket list.>He did worry they were creating a pyromaniac, though.>Emma checked her phone again. "Ten minutes to midnight! Almost showtime. We should get the fireworks set up.">She slinked out of the cuddle pile, stretching her spine. Kurt groaned, rubbing his eyes as he stood up.>He walked over to the bag of fireworks, carrying them a safe distance away to set up the mortars.>Larson remained by the fire, panic rising in his chest. He realized he still had absolutely no plan for the ‘display’ he had vaguely promised earlier. He cursed his inability to say no.>While Larson fretted, Emma trotted to the cooler to retrieve the champagne and pulled out glasses from a nearby box.>"Hey Kurt, mind helping me open this at twelve?" she called out.>"If you hold it still, sure," Kurt replied, adjusting a mortar tube. "Been practicing my sabring with my tail this week.">”Oooh, mister fancy pants over here.”
>>58801150>The minutes ticked down. The distant booming grew into a constant, rolling thunder of celebration.>“...Five, four, three, two, one! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" They shouted in unison as the horizon erupted.>Porygon-Z raised its wings, let out a glitchy, joyous scream, and rapidly stabbed the bonfire, releasing a storm of dancing sparks into the air as the firewood collapsed in on itself.>Simultaneously, Emma levitated the champagne bottle out for the Inteleon. >Kurt spun, the finned edge that ran down his tail once again sharpened as he whipped it around. Schink! The cork and glass collar flew off cleanly, foam bubbling over the neck.>Emma poured the glasses. Larson accepted his carefully between two massive paws, terrified of crushing the delicate object if he held it in his teeth.>"To a good start to everyone's year!" Larson toasted once he held a good enough grip. They clinked glasses and drank.>Champagne enjoyed, Larson and Kurt moved to the mortars. >Larson pointed a claw, sending a tiny arc of electricity to the fuses. A moment later, their own contribution joined the booming symphony, shells bursting overhead in glittering showers of gold, red, green and blue.>Porygon-Z, entranced, began to shudder. It charged up a Tri-Attack, three colorful orbs spinning around it, before releasing a beam of red, blue, and green energy straight up into the clouds.>Kurt whistled, impressed. “Beat you to the punch, Larson. I think it's your turn!”>"Don't get cold feet now!" Emma cheered.>Larson groaned, head hunched as he slowly walked further into the clearing.>Larson bit his lip. He looked at the sky. He looked at Kurt. An idea sparked.>"Hey, Kurt," he called out over the noise. "You know Water Pulse?">Kurt hummed to himself. “Hmm. Yeah, think so. What’s up?”>"Think you can pop a few rings high up for me?">"Easy."
>>58801153>Kurt aimed his hand at the sky, a sphere of pulsing water energy forming at his fingertip. With a flick of his wrist, he fired. Expanding rings of shimmering water shot upward, hanging suspended in the dark air.>Larson crouched low. His fur stood on end, the air around him crackling with static pressure. He threw his head back and roared, which was immediately drowned out by a deafening crack of thunder.>A bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, jagged and violent, and slammed into Kurt’s water rings.>The electricity splintered instantly, conducting through the water and exploding outward in a massive, glittering web of electrified mist. >It looked like a dandelion made of pure light, illuminating the entire clearing in blinding blue and white before fading into sparkling vapor.>Emma sat mesmerized, mouth agape, eyes reflecting the fading glow.>"...Wow," she breathed. "That was... amazing! What a way to start 2026!">Larson grinned from ear to ear, his fur still smoking slightly. He looked at his weird, mismatched, perfect little family.>"Happy New Year," he beamed.https://rentry.co/larsonkurt#to-the-new-yearSorry for the bombardment!>>58798298Real world is the premise, but we've had one-shots in the pokemon world!>>58798831Thanks! I just never really know what to do with Pory. I was so hungry writing this section...>>58799465>>58799569Yeah, Kurt's got some shit he's dealing with. The stuff between him and his parents will probably be explored in a later chapter. >>58800942I need to read through these as well when I'm not sleep deprived and can give better feedback.>>58800979Most of our transformee protags have been able to speak, with the exception of Charlie from Machomon and Ben from Herding Cats (Forgive me if I'm misremembering anyone else). Porygon-Z and Squire are both ??? in whether or not they're former humans or not. Really its up to author choice!
>>58800939 >>58800942Thanks.>furs and skinsWhy shouldn't this be plural? He's talking about multiple different Pokemon here. There are multiple furs and skins, as well as goo and what not.>greeted toSo apparently this is not gramatically correct. I had always read it growing up, in the context of>greeted to the sight of ____Thanks, I guess.>one foot tsunamiYeah, I picked that number because it's the sweet spot between "this is a problem" and "oh, the humanity!" If I may,A one foot tsunami can't really tear down buildings, but it will move cars, damage boats and absolutely suck people out to sea if you're not out of the waters. It's a pretty major problem for a Pokemon to just create one out of nowhere, and a perfect problem for someone who isn't intimately familiar with it to just dismiss it outright.For a tsunami to start damaging buildings, it only needs to be around three feet/one meter tall.>You'd really think proof of pets having transformed wouldn't be THAT hard to findHow can you tell a former pet from a human who transformed and lost their faculties? Even beyond that, there's the part where you kind of don't want people getting rid of their pets just because it /might/ be a potential infection vector. Imagine if people killed their cats and dogs during COVID thanks to WHO advice, only to find out that actually doing that didn't help them at all. The absolute shitstorm that would cause would be biblical-and is precisely what these news organizations who issued retractions are trying to avoid.Also I needed an excuse for Dr. Abet's line to be correct later.>doesn't seem like much by 4chan standardsI mean, if you go to a slower board like >>>/vst/, getting 200 posts in 5 days all in one thread is actually pretty impressive even on 4chan :P
>>58801161Great little update, I wish I could do a cool fireworks display with my mind.
>>58798289So Emma's parents are in-between the two extremes we've seen from parents in some of our other stories. Seems like university probably wasn't the right environment for her and not where her true passion lies. Many such cases.Pfft! The scruff carry is adorable. I swear Larson grows slightly in my mind every time you've mentioned how massive he is. Wouldn't mind meeting Emma's parents when Larson does.Ha! Catnip. Now that I'd like to see.Like someone else said, Kurt's really going through it. While Larson has dozens of tiny luckless moments (the equivalent of the universe constantly poking him and going, "does this bug you? Does this bug you?"), Kurt's life is instead defined by big, sweeping tragedies, which probably explains his distance and over-self-reliance. Him slowing down and rediscovering his passions (even if not by choice) is really nice to see, and the Porygon eating Steak.jpeg is adorable.>he might break up with me and run away with youPolycule or no balls!>>58800424If Larson and Emma have a kid, Kurt's son transforming and him getting custody would be a great parallel to those goings on.
>>58801161I thought the holy trinity was church, the states, and law. Cookie for anyone who gets that reference.N'aww, Kurt. He's learning!Any time I think of s'mores I think of Mike Jeavons' micowave s'more maker video - watching a Brit discover the American promised land in real time. Gotta admit you seppos hit on a winner with that one.Emma and Larson grooming. The amazing ideas for LarKurt scenes just keep coming.Hehe. Even the untransformed can get a chance to start over thanks to Pokemon. Granted it's a bit kicking and screaming in Val's case, but he'll get there.Love Emma channeling her inner Rarity. At least Larson isn't terrible with names. That makes one of us.Please don't pyro the Porygon.Oooh, nice precision Kurt.You know what I'd like to see for a new year's transformee display? A grass type fires a stream of bullet seeds into the air and a fire type lights them as they pass, creating glowing flak trails. You'd have to do it away from buildings and trees though. Larson's impromptu display waa definitely more impressive though.>He looked at his weird, mismatched, perfect little familyGentleman, we did it. The cozy singularity. We have officially reached peak /sip/.Snivy, hats off to you, and a round of new year's applause. Well done, mate. Bloody well done.>bombardmentMan I just HATE being buried under coziness and warm fuzzies. Truly it is the worst.
>>58802924>Any time I think of s'mores I think of Mike Jeavons' micowave s'more maker video - watching a Brit discover the American promised land in real time. Gotta admit you seppos hit on a winner with that one.Heh, I just watched him go from snarky Brit to a child who just discovered Christmas in a single bite.
>>58802924>you Americans sure know how to Spoil yourselvesEnjoying melted marshmallow on chocolate and Graham Crackers
>>58802173>>58802924Really glad you guys enjoyed it! Hope the new year treats you well! >I swear Larson grows slightly in my mind every timeI need to nail down his exact height. In my mind he's definitely larger than the average for Luxray, probably above 5 feet, but not like, alpha size.>ideas for LarKurt scenes just keep comingYeah I'm kinda glad I wrote as much as I did with this chapter, gave me a lot of ideas for stuff to write later, and I always kinda struggle with that for LarKurt.
>>58801394The plural I think just kinda hits wrong because just about the only context those plurals normally show up in is in relation to skinned pelts. Pretty sure no one says, "there's furs on all these dogs are gorgeous", but granted I could be wrong.As for the news... eh, I guess so...>>58803013He definitely didn't think it was s'less. : ^ )>>58803459Cheers mate. I love how the Snivy there looks like he's going, "They like me! They really, really like me!" As indeed we do.Heheh, Larson is one big kitty. There's a very obvious joke I could make there, but I'll refrain.
>>58789371Nothing really to change that Macho hadn't already, pretty good>>58791974I like this section a lot, its interesting reading about what the media is choosing to report about the situation, and we see Val's urge to pet pokemon again, which is fun. Also appreciate that this is a way to have more pokemon involvement earlier in the chapter. I am sort of curious as to why there's such incredulity about animals transforming, it seems like we're at a point in the timeline where that would be easier to confirm or outright deny? I know both you and Macho talked about this already, but felt like I'd chime in. Ultimately if you want to keep it in so you can have the moment with Abet, wouldn't be a negative or anything.>>58794840Good transition and reasoning to lead up to the gun purchase here. And yeah, like Macho said, I like how much Val is thinking about the pokemon stuff and relating it to his current situation and what he's doing, it definitely feels more connected to the first two chapters in that sense, whereas the first draft you could have taken the pokemon out and it wouldn't have changed anything. Very much improved.>>58800564Ok, so he's gonna explore the town, which can possibly lead to observations or interactions, and be an easy way to transition to the various things he got up to while in town. Again, nothing to change that Macho hadn't already noted.Overall I'm liking this a lot more!
>Ten more minutes later, the bus finally arrived at the Turnegg bus stop.>You remained in your seat until most of the around 60 recruits left the vehicle.>It took a while, but once the corridor was empty, you shouldered your daypack, wished the bus driver a pleasant day, and stepped outside into the fledgling day.>You took a deep breath of the cool, fresh Alpine air of late September, which cheered you up right away.>You always liked the air up here and your improved sense of smell made you appreciate it even more!>The crisp air alone had reawakened your wanderlust. Anything to get out of the city!>You thought about whether there'd be enough free time over the next two days to satisfy your desire to wander.>The voice also seemed to share your sentiment, pleading you to explore the little village on the side of a mountainous forest.>You ignored the voice, but promised yourself that you would try to scout out the area later.>Invigorated by the air, you made your way to the entrance around the corner of the street.>As you trotted down the road, you looked around. You saw many houses and chalets, each one more beautifully decorated with gentians, alpine roses and pansies than the last.>At some point, you caught a scent of lavender, which made the whole sensory experience complete.>You reached the end of the street and turned the corner.>You were now able to see your destination: A big building complex, three stories tall. Its concrete walls were hiding behind decorative wooden planks.>It wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as the chalets around it, but at least they tried their best to harmonise the modern with the traditional. They even put some nice-looking bushes in front of where it wasn't easy to hide the exposed concrete.>You saw a commotion in the distance. It was the new recruits trying to sign in at the entrance.
>>58804934>You strolled leisurely towards the entrance, at least until you saw them: Stairs hid themselves behind a well placed bush! The entrance was about five metres up from street level.>Your mood took a hit right then and there. You disliked climbing stairs with your short legs. The steps were just high enough so you had to jump a little.>"Curses..." you muttered to yourself, the voice once again in agreement.>You readied yourself to hop up the stairs, when you saw your ray of hope on the other side. There was a ramp for wheelchairs and heavy trolley bags.>Relieved, you circled around to the other side and walked up the ramp, sparing you from the early-morning exercise. Potted plants decorated the small path to the elevated entrance.>There were still two or three dozen people waiting in line. You decided to wait it out on the sidelines.>You made your way to some empty flowerpots where the morning sun was already shining and sat on one of their brims.>You took the chance to chill and meditate for a while. You closed your eyes and let your mind go free as the warm rays bathed your purple, ermine body.>But it didn't take long to feel something tugging on your tail. You opened your eyes and looked down to your left.>A young looking calico cat pawed at the two purple tips of your tail.>Surprised by the unannounced guest, you moved your tail up and away from the vicious beast.>The cat, clearly upset that its toy had been taken away so soon, glanced up at you.>Its big, steel-blue eyes met yours. It meowed, as if to say "Let me play some more!">You jumped off the flowerpot. The cat took a step back because of the sudden movement, but didn't run away. Instead, it tilted its head curiously to one side.>You squatted down and waited for the cat to come closer again.You reached out a paw to it. "Hello, little one," you said, greeting it.
>>58804936>The cat meowed again and head-butted your paw affectionately. It then moved around you, rubbing its head against your legs.>You carried on petting the attention-seeking red-white-and-brown cat. This continued for some time.>«Looks like I'm not the only high-ranking officer who's taken a liking to you,» you heard a familiar voice call out from behind you.>Your ears autonomously perked up and moved backwards, then your head followed.>A lanky man with short blonde hair and a freshly lit cigarette in his mouth stood before you. His uniform's right collar featured a badge with a single, wide, horizontal bar — a major!>You stood up and saluted the officer with a big smile. The whip on your right arm was swinging all over the place because of the momentum. The cat focused intently on the movement."Christophe, it's been a while!" you greeted your old friend.>Christophe took a long drag of his cigarette.>«*Repos, mon ami.* You don't need to be formal around me,» he said, casually blowing out the smoke and returning the salute. He made sure to blow the smoke away from your sensitive nose.>You lowered your arm. The cat followed your every hand movement, its eyes narrowed to slits.>Christophe's emerald green eyes mustered you from head to claw, before he gave you a big, brotherly hug.>«It so good to see you again, Etienne! How have you been?», he asked you, patting you on the back. It felt somewhat awkward, since you were now two heads shorter than him.You patted him on his left shoulder and replied, "Good, considering the circumstances.">«Glad to hear that!» The officer said and let you free. He then looked down to the little fur ball to your side. It was preparing to pounce on its prey.
>>58804941>You followed Christophe's gaze to the tiny, tricoloured predator. You knew what it wanted, and you accepted your fate and held your right arm out in front of you. The purple-tipped, snake-like extension of your arm now swung dangerously close to its own demise. A declaration of war!>Christophe chuckled with anticipation. «*Vas-y, colonel Benny !*» he encouraged the cat.>Finally, Benny sprang at its nefarious opponent, claws out and ready to finish the "serpent" off. You made sure the fight wasn't one-sided by moving your arm around.>Christophe and you couldn't stop laughing your sides off at the adorable display of murderous instincts.>The fierce battle continued for a few moments.>The battle was won! The colonel stood triumphantly before its slain adversary and meowed once again."Well fought, Colonel! Congratulations!" You congratulated the proud victor and scratched him behind the ear as a treat. A loud purr erupted from God's perfect killing machine.>Christophe was still recovering from his laughter, wiping a tear from his left eye. «Goodness! Turned or not, it's always fun with you around, isn't it?» he stated."Trying my best," you replied while cleaning your arm from the battle debris.>Suddenly, the cat heard a bird moving around inside the nearby shrubbery. The young colonel had found a new addition to his badge collection and sped off towards the bush.>«Well, that's that,» Christophe said. He took his last drag of the cigarette and flung it into the nearby ash tray.
>>58804946>«Unfortunately, I have to go to a different military base for the rest of the day to complete some administrative tasks,» he began. «We'll have an after-action review tomorrow at fourteen hundred to discuss your potential role in the hybrid platoon.»"Aww, that's a shame," you replied, sounding defeated. "I was looking forward to catching up with you!">«I know, I know... We'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow, including our private lives,» he reassured you."If you say so. See you tomorrow then, Chris," you concluded.>«*À demain, Etienne !*» Your friend said with a warm smile as he put his military cap back on. «Best of luck with the recruitment exams!»"*Merci !* Good luck with the higher-ups! You probably need it more than I do." you replied with a grin.>Christophe snorted. «You know it.»>The two of you bumped fists as a final farewell. Christophe then went over to the G-Class that was already waiting for him at the end of the ramp.>You were on your own again. You looked at the entrance. There were only four people left in the queue, so you went inside to sign in.--https://rentry.co/whipping-back-into-action#part-1-welcome-to-turneggBombardment complete! o7And that's part one of the first chapter. I hope you all have as much fun reading as I had writing it!
>>58804954A bit self-indulgent, but that's not so bad. Beef out those details to put is in the world around the cast and it'll be even stronger as a work.
>>58804954Excellent! I can’t wait to hear about this fantastical made up land called “Switzerland” and how they responded to Pokémon appearing.
Quick bump
Wasn't /pmd/ enough?
>>58806368Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is about a fantastic escape and going to another world. This thread is about our world being changed and how that affects the lives of the otherwise ordinary people in it.
>>58804954Very nice, really like the little character details like Etienne's improved senses allows him to enjoy the mountain top more, his disdain for stairs due to his smaller stature, how his whips move and swing around with his arm movements. His instincts are present, but seem quiet for the most part. They seem to agree on things so far, I'm curious to learn how in tune he is with them or if this is just a smaller moment where they cooperate. The interaction with Colonel Benny (which is adorable) further shows us Etienne's general good-naturedness. There's a jump between "The fierce battle continued for a few moments" and "The battle was won!...", not sure if there's a line missing between them or not? Not much interaction with Christophe, but seems like he's a busy man and we'll have to wait for their chat later. Overall really like this and I'm looking forward for more!
>>58801161>ywn see an impressive move firework in real lifeWe truly live in the worst timeline, don't we? Seriously though, I love how you wrote that segment!>>58803653>Heheh, Larson is one big kitty. There's a very obvious joke I could make there, but I'll refrain.Every time someone has inappropriate thoughts, Larson grows a few centimetres. By the end of the year, he'll be knocking down skyscrapers!>>58805570What can I say, I like to write about the environment around the characters as well. I'm still a complete novice in writing stories, so I still have to find that middle ground for a lot of things, which is doubly difficult because I still need to build up my vocabulary. I spent like 60% of the time just looking up synonyms.How would you like to see descriptions of the surroundings, and in general, in future parts? That's a question for the whole thread, btw.>>58805645Thanks! I can assure you, Switzerland is as real as Wyoming and is not just a containment zone for Germans with a speech impediment!>>58806521Thanks for the kind words, Snivy!>There's a jump between "The fierce battle continued for a few moments" and "The battle was won!...", not sure if there's a line missing between them or not?I put a new paragraph between the two sentences to signalise a small time skip. Reading it again, though, there really should be at least one sentence between them. That, or I could switch "The battle was won!" with the one that follows it.I'll update the Rentry once I make up my mind and before I start writing the next part.
>>58800307so he has a name tag showing who he used to be before he transformed? that’s an interesting idea, although I guess it’d be easy to slap the name tag on a different pokemon and trick people with it
>>58806905>How would you like to see descriptions of the surroundings, and in general, in future parts? That's a question for the whole thread, btw.Scene descriptions are a tool for the author to use. You can use it to set the tone of a scene, build out a mental picture of surroundings, to help establish the head space of the point of view character, and manage the pace of the narrative between dialog and action.
>>58806905>How would you like to see descriptions of the surroundings, and in general, in future parts? That's a question for the whole thread, btw.Pretty open-ended question, and I think you're mainly asking how much description is good. There's no cut and dry answer. My answer is 'enough'. Frequent readers get a feel for it. Too much detail slows everything down. That goes double if what you're describing doesn't matter.Using all the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing) strikes gold for my brain.
>>58806905Glad you liked the move firework, I was happy with how that came out!>How would you like to see descriptions of the surroundings, and in general, in future parts?You already got pretty good advice from the others. I do like flowery prose when it comes to detailing and fleshing out the senses to really get the readers immersed, but its hard to do all of that within greens unless you're very conservative and concise with your words, which takes practice. Having a clear picture of where and what is going on is baseline, then if you want to add more details you can. >>58807428I'd imagine most places have to take IDs at face value until there's a better way to actually make sure a transformee is the person they claim to be. Not really sure how they'd go about that, honestly.
>>58808230>19 year old Florida-man recently transformed into a Slaking uses fake ID to buy a beerFuck it, we’ve got bigger fish to fry
>>58808230>Are YOU a victim of Pokemon identity theft? Call now to learn more.
>>58807519>>58807650>>58808230Thanks you three! I'm going to do some more research as well, but this gives some pretty good pointers. It's probably gonna take a few tries, before I find the balance. Should be fun to experiment with some one-shots.>how to ID turneesIn the first few months, it's all just guesswork. After that I'd imagine there would be some government programme to properly identify someone. Perhaps based on memories, possessions and knowledge of the former human. There even might be a psychic type probing the turnee's mind for clues at some point.>>58808464>Underage transformee fakes a drivers licensepicrel
>>58808695The identity theft would go crazy in the first few months.>>58809213Yeah I’d imagine psychic types would be the surest way to go about it, unless you’re a dark type then you’re kinda screwed.
>>58809649>unless you’re a dark type then you’re kinda saved.Fixed. Psychic types would be a fundamental threat to the sanctity of your mind and the privacy of your own thoughts.
I know that most people think of psychic types as the mind-reading type, but it bothers the shit out of me because mind-reading isn't even a common ability with psychic types. I don't think a Delphox should be able to read a mind, and Alakazam is a face reader, not a mind reader. Psychic type is the psychokinesis typing, not the telepathic typing.Hell, the mass majority of Pokemon that can learn the move Mind Reader aren't even psychic type-that's a normal type move! It debuted with Articuno, Hitmonlee and Poliwrath, none of which are psychic. It took until generation 3 for the Meditite to debut before a psychic type could learn that. The only other four psychic Pokemon to learn that move are Mr. Mime(generation 2 event Pokemon distributed at the New York Pokecenter,) Galarian Articuno(generation 8,) Drowsee and Hypno(both generation 9.)There are significantly more fighting types that can read your mind than psychic.Now, there is Telepathy as an ability, but the games are weird with the description. They "anticipate," not "know" or "read" or whatever. It's kind of weird. Only Super Pokemon Mystery Dungeon actually says that they read minds. Still, the name somewhat implies mind-reading, so whatever.Even still, the fact this is a unique ability that is almost always a hidden ability(Oranguru is the only exception to the list of Pokemon that can acquire this ability) suggests that the ability to do telepathy isn't even common, even for the Pokemon that can actually have it. TL;DR: Your mind's sanctity is intact in 99.8% of cases.
>>58810364Goes to show that psychic type is the worst to turn into, because people just automatically assume you’re mind invading them.
>>58810364>Delphox learn to read minds>Everyone around them is constantly thinking "I want to have sex with that Delphox">Delphox unlearn to read mindsIt's a defense mechanism.
>>58810364>>58810553>Schizophrenic trying to become a Dark-type to finally be free of the Psychic menaceI might come back to this idea.
>>58810364Wall of text of truth! Unfortunately, the tabloid newspapers already published 50 articles calling all psychic types dangerous mind manipulators and you just have to live with the consequences.Turned into an Alakazam? Too bad! Enjoy being scrutinised by everyone, because <news outlet> lied/exaggerated about your capabilities for a quick buck.>>58810567I wonder how VetPhox would react to that.>>58810629Seconding this. That would be a hilarious premise.>Local schizo licks dark type Pokémon and it turns into a TikTok challange
>>58810629No one tell the schizo that Miracle Eye is a more common move than Telepathy is an ability.
>>58801161There is also the kartana anon who speaks in reverse
>>58801161It's kinda implied Abra Girl is entirely in her own head, and the only one she has spoken to is a meowth, so we don't know if she can speak.
>>58810567I like the implication that both men and women are thinking this at all times.
>>58810825I count Cruz because he still speaks human language, he just needs to use reversed audio recordings for non-transformees to understand properly.
>>58810629>I WAKE UP, still a human>The CDC and FEMA are talking about people getting turned into fictional creatures>I check the GCP dot and see impossibly high levels of synchronicity>I WAKE UP, still a human>I don’t trust the television news stations and talk with my over the horizon short wave radio community bouncing off the ionosphere>They confirm this is reality and direct me to researching Pokémon on TOR>This is supposed to be a Japanese company? Then why do they have the emblem of Greenland as their logo? A logo representing a tool designed to capture and enslave?>Rubedo over Albedo? Blood over Purity? They aren’t even trying to hide this.>I WAKE UP, still a human>After researching the types of these pokemon, I find they mostly fall into the Aristotelian elements>Psychic stands out however>How can the electrochemistry of the brain be affected at a distance?>Quantum entanglement? Masonic programmed responses to stimuli?>If they have power in the domain of thought, then there is no possible way of detecting their influence.>Just as you can’t see the air we breathe or a fish can’t see the water it swims in, all of salience is at the mercy of these beasts>I WAKE UP, still a human>The gangstalkers have gotten lazy and have sent an obvious trap>My neighbor owns a hairless cat, which they have obviously replaced with a shaved Espeon and surgically removed it’s second tail>They want to harvest my theta brain waves to ensure compliance with the one world order>That explains why I have been having nightmares lately>I WAKE UP, still a human>I am visited by a dark apparition with a red handkerchief and white hair>He must be a hyperborian cthonowarrior as he has made the false cat leave>He speaks to me four essential words before leaving me>”SORRY” “MAN” “GO” “OUTSIDE”>Be must be warning me that only a man that ends up sorry will go outside>My pills have long ago run out but I must persevere>I WAKE UP, still a human
>An owl has moved into my neighborhood and started hooting at nightI’ll take it as a sign
>>58812235I was amused, and yet I feel bad for this man. There's all too many people around here who've gone off the deep end like this.
>>58812235YOU ARE BEING TARGETED BY PSYCHIC TYPE FREQUENCIES, YOU ARE BEING TARGETED BY PSYCHIC TYPE FREQUENCIES, YOU ARE BEING TARGETED BY PSYCHIC TYPE FREQUENCIES.>”SORRY” “MAN” “GO” “OUTSIDE”>Be must be warning me that only a man that ends up sorry will go outsideI lol’d
Boards being spammed
>>58812235Post more installments if you've got 'em.
>>58812235>"Your feeling of helplessness is your best friend, savage."
>>58813240I genuinely had a more unhinged version that was going to need to be spread out over multiple posts typed up when my browser decided to refresh the page and lose everything. This was the half hearted rewrite.>The Rothschilds are trying to silence me and prevent the truth from being leaked
>>58813414>Rothschilds
>>58813414Damn, that’s brutal. I’m always paranoid something like that’s gonna happen to me so I neurotically save everything.
>>58812235Brilliant green, Anon. Great show! >>58813414Damn you Rothschilds! You robbed us of more schizo kino!>>58812254The professor clearly wants you to study more.
>>58813414Happened to me once. Accidentally fat-fingered the close tab button. Learned my lesson.Always used a word processor after that.>>58804954Fun stuff so far.>>58801161Also some comfy shit.I get the feeling Kurt would hate the cold on a primal level.Having a giant space-heater for a buddy would make it slightly more tolerable.
>>58812235>>My neighbor owns a hairless cat, which they have obviously replaced with a shaved Espeon and surgically removed it’s second tailGenius, I never would have suspected. What will the freemasons think of next?
>>58814370>PAYNOMINDTOTHECATOUTSIDE>INDTOTHECATOUTSIDEPAYNOM>HECATOUTSIDEPAYNOMINDTOT>UTSIDEPAYNOMINDTOTHECATO
>>58812254Math time, math time! >>58813858Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah Kurt's freezing his tail off, but he's got a fluffy mobile heat source to help out.>>58814468I hate this image lmao.
>>58812254Don’t forget to order your textbooks before the semester starts.
>>58816345I hope we see more of Owl Professor, he needs to learn to fly.
>>58816938I’m trying to decide which direction to take it first. Am I right in thinking people want more action and “things happening”, like working towards him flying and interacting with other characters? I know my writing has been conversation and monologue heavy. But I also have an idea for a scene that would necessitate more of that exploring when he first woke up and why he has such little “instinct”.
>>58817933>spoilerI like the sound of that. If you've got an idea you think is good, run with it.
>>58817933The spoiler sounds like fun. When I criticised Kartanon for that, it was purely because his first few posts were very "tell, don't show". Correcting that didn't compromise the introspective nature of his writing, it merely required Cruz to ponder his experiences as they were happening, rather than recounting them to us after the fact. Nearest I can recall, this wasn't a problem your story ever suffered from.
>>58817933More action should do things that help facilitate what he thinks and talks about with others. The professor being scholarly is actually a good change of pace, and tackles things from its own, interesting angle.
>>58817933Always enjoyed the professor tackling his challenges from a more scholarly position! More action just means showing him actually testing his thoughts or interacting with stuff / other people. I like the spoiler idea, I say go for it!
>>58817933I'm sure it'll be good no matter what you write, but there's no reason they can't go together. You can get introspective and still have "things" happen.
>>58818948Pictured: things happening
Imagine how insane some of the consumer goods this world produces would be. Ergonomics, Electronics, even Personal Hygiene
>>58820026Would be a logistics nightmare for sure.
>>58820026Can you sleep on your back if you have a tail? That would mess me up for sure.
>>58821029Mostly depends on body shape I’d assume. If you got spines or fins running down your tail, sleeping on your back is probably uncomfortable. Same thing with anything sticking out of your back, or if you got awkward spine curvature. If you don’t have any of that, it might be uncomfortable for the first few nights before you get used to the tail.
>>58821029>>58820026I have no earthly idea how a Quaquaval lays down on their back.
>>58821794They probably don't. That's probably another one of those major instinct things that newly turned people would struggle with.
>>58822589The good news is that you now have an unlimited wellspring of energy, are intensely athletic, and have enormous control over water for combat purposes. The bad news is you can only sleep either sitting on your bottom, standing up, or lying on your side.https://www.serebii.net/pokemonsleep/pokemon/quaquaval.shtml
>>58822674A fate worse than death, truly.
>>58817933Professor Decidueye is back. This one is a little bit different. Back to the present after this.>You never liked waking up on New Year’s Day>Between the fireworks and the pressure to start anew and drinking and everything else, it was always the hardest day to wake up>Alright, fine, second hardest>No other day in your life could ever top THAT day>…>…>…>huh?>try to “see” through your still closed eyes>too dark, still early>roll over slightly and bury your head into the pillow>your sleeping mind hallucinates this motion into the feeling of diving>not into water, but almost a sort of freefall without any wind or the gravity lurching your stomach>you feel yourself “pull up” and start climbing again as you roll onto your back again>you’re awake enough that you don’t “see” anything like a blue sky you’re flying through, but you still aren’t lucid enough to stop the experience>like a rollercoaster after the second hill, you feel the diving sensation again as you roll over onto your other side>there’s no sense of speed or danger, just the subtle trick of your inner ear>it becomes intense enough to wake you up further and you mentally come to>The sensation is gone and you’re completely in your bed>Eyes still aren’t open, but you have the reality of your other senses coming in>You mentally know now that you were tossing and turning in your sleep>It fees like the sheets are tangled around your arms>Moving your feet slightly, you can feel a strange slit>Did you rip a hole in the sheets?>Yes, there’s clearly a gash. Guess you need to be more careful trimming your nails or something>Must have been resting your head on your wrists or something>Your fingers are numb, only feeling the thumb, index, and middle fingers>Just a matter of circulation, like a foot falling asleep, start moving them and feeling comes back>These sheets are really tangled, how did they wrap around your arms like this?
>>58823853>Finally open your eyes and take stock of the situation>Something Is Wrong.>Where did this brown come from? You have light blue sheets. Was there a towel stuck from the laundry?>Its wrapped around your arms and doesn’t seem to come off>You didn’t want to lose the warmth under the blanket, but this couldn’t be solved without being fully awake and out from under the covers>With a kick and a flick, you lay flat and throw the covers off to let the cold air rush in>SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG.>The sight you see is not>Your body is>Your>YOU>WHAT>WHO>WH-WHOO?>STOP IT>Your mind is moving a mile a minute until one thought shouts above all of the other chaos in your mind>NO!>Get a grip so you can figure out what exactly is going on.>Maybe it wa->NO>You should get up and turn on th->NO>Quick, reach for your phone an->NO>Your nose is itchy you shoul->NO>NOT A MOVE until you figure out what is going on>Essentials first, are you breathing?>Inhale and exhale through your nose, not wanting to open or close your mouth>It sounds wrong but you can feel the air flow and see your chest move>Its all fluffy and creamy white and>STAY Focused. You’ve blinked a couple times, what’s the vision like?>For as dark as your room was, it felt brighter than normal>Staring right at the ceiling, you didn’t have the usual blind spot at the center of your vision from the dark>In fact, you were seeing a surprising amount of color for how dark it was>Something is going on with the rods and cones, noted. Next item.>Looking down at yourself while not moving any limbs, you could see the slightly tan color of your torso and how it stretched down to your feet>Your plumage was clea->WAIT>Plumage? Who brought that up? Why? You wouldn’t normally use that word.>How would you even know they’re feathers? It just looks plush in the low light.>WHY would you use that word?>FOCUS>Panicking won’t do you any good>Take this step by step
>>58823856>You feel lucid and fully awake>This isn’t a dream or some drug hallucination right?>For a 3x3 matrix, the determinant is calculated by a times the determinant of the remaining matrix when you remove a’s row and column, subtracted by b times …>Yeah, your awake and sober>Your dreams are always a giveaway because math never works and there’s no permanence to anything written down once you stop looking at it>You couldn’t think that through if you weren’t>That’s comforting, you were still mentally competent despite what’s going on>But you couldn’t be complacent>You were feeling calm just now right? Did you forget you were just thinking something foreign to you?>Isn’t the fact you’re not panicking anymore reason for you to panic?>Just finish figuring out what is going on>Work your way down your legs, starting at the waist>Leg lifts are just fine>KNEES ARE NOT FINE>The sensation was normal but the visual input was all wrong>They seemed to be bending backwards>DONT FREAK OUT>WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THIS IS WHAT FREAKING OUT IS FOR>Aren’t you being a bit melodramatic?>Clearly some impossible shit has happened, yes you should be concerned, but being dramatic isn’t helping>You’re by yourself so acting astonished isn’t going to get you attention>In this moment it’s up to you to figure this out>Maybe move things along?>Clearly these are some kind of bird legs, let’s establish that an move on>Your feet are gone, with feathered, fuzzy talons in their place, with two forwards claws and one rear facing>You try flexing them and feel a surprising amount of dexterity>Now you can finally raise an arm and turn your head to look at it>Its a wing, a darker brown than your torso>Despite twiddling your fingers, no additional feeling ever came to your hands>Holding them up to your face, you see the three wide, padded digits>You want to panic, but you save it for later>Think it through now, feel the emotions later
>>58823861>The mental image of a thick leather glove comes into mind but that’s again, something to worry about later>An inquisitive thought strikes and you feel the need to test it>You point forward with the “index” digit, sideways with the “middle” digit, and upwards with the “thumb” digit>The right hand rule>Positive X vector cross Positive Y vector gives a positive Z vector>You allow yourself to be calmed by this>Whether you were transformed by magic or some other impossible force, at least your fundamentals still worked>This breather segued into the last thing you needed to investigate>Bringing a single “finger” to your face, you felt the contours of what was now your face>The beak was obvious and attention grabbing>Sharp at the tip with an overbite if you would call it that?>The lack of other features was more unusual, like discernible eyebrows or ears>Prodding around under the hood that had appeared with this change around your head would reveal a dome-like shape>So much for hair cuts or shaving>That thought led to one last thought experiment >Closing your eyes, you held up your hand in front of your face>What did you mentally see in front of you?>Was it this strange new hand, or your human one?>If you were like this a week or a month or a year from now, would you give the same answer?>Mentally, you are a human, but things seem to be filtering down and back up to make this strange body work>How can you be sure this filter doesn’t change anything important?>Try thinking about your past:>You were Sean Jr. a professor in the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, born to Sean and Laura. You have a younger sister Rebecca.>Were these concepts being retrieved from your memory, or were you stating them and willing them as your memory?>Biology wasn’t your favorite field, but you did recall some concepts>Memories form as neural pathways are created and reinforced
>>58823865>The act of remembering can actually help you recall that memory later as the chain has been renewed >When interrupted, the memory chain will wither and allow for others to form>As a kid, you had one of those existential questions that don’t really make any sense that only kids can come up with>”Could someone write down every single thing they knew and could remember?”>Maybe, remembering who you are and what made you what you became would be a good way to prevent yourself from becoming something else.>Letting yourself get comfortable and back under the sheets, you let yourself start to fall back to sleep as you tried to think about every major event in your life>Your family throwing you a party, field trips and assignments in school, games played by yourself and with others, going to a scout camp with your dad>Learning… Archery? No… it was definitely BB guns, there was a schedule conflict with Archery. You spent a free day climbing a tree? No, definitely not. You did get to go up the stairs to a fire watch tower though.>You’ve definitely never been skydiving or in a hot air balloon or anything like that>It’s important to get these things right.
>>58823872Not trying to interrupt, but is this the end of the post?
>>58823908Yeah, that’s all I have for now. I suppose it could use a “coda” tying it back to the “present day”
>>58823853Welcome back!Good job on explaining the feeling of being half-asleep! This has to be one of my favourite things to experience. Unless it ends in sleep paralysis...I wonder if the sensation was the transformation itself or if it already happened at that point. Both could work, desu.>Numb fingers, "tangled" sheets over armsForeshadowing is a narrative device in which [...]ProfD being overly rational even after just waking up is too good.>>58823856>With a kick and a flick, you lay flat and throw the covers off to let the cold air rush inHow did he not shred the blanket with that move?>WHO>WH-WHOO?Owl mode activated :DBut damn, he realised quickly that he was panicking. Good for him! I know I'd be hyperventilating at that point.>Staring right at the ceiling, you didn’t have the usual blind spot at the center of your vision from the darkToday I learned about the night blind spot, neat! I always just thought that my vision is fucked from too much screen time in the dark.>Looking down at yourself while not moving any limbsI don't get the thought process behind that. Why would ProfD refuse to move, especially after kicking the blanket away?>Plumage? Who brought that up?Welcome to the party PIPS!>>58823861>Immediately starts calculating matricesOf course he'd do that!>KNEES ARE NOT FINEMade me chuckle harder than it should have.>with two forwards claws and one rear facingDecidueye have two back facing talons, actually. Just a minor nitpick.>Now you can finally raise an arm and turn your head to look at itWhy "finally"? This reads like he was paralysed, which wasn't the case before.>>58823865>some more mathHe's a hopeless math addict, isn't he?>So much for hair cuts or shavingNo worries, this will be replaced by moulting soon enough.>Sean Jr.Ayyy, we finally got a name for our favourite feathered prof!>>58823872>Learning ArcheryAnd another PIPS moment.Overall an enjoyable bit of backstory. Good job, ProfD!
>>58824302Probably would have helped. It hasn't really ended as much as stopped at this juncture.
>>58823872And the illustrious professor has a name! Really liked this! The battle between pure blind panic that everything feels off with the logical side trying to figure out what exactly is wrong is something I imagine a lot of people went through. Sean was able to pull himself together relatively quickly considering the circumstances. Him attempting to calm himself with mathematics is fun (the mention of the right hand rule gave me some memory whiplash lol). And of course, you always got some great lines like>Was it this strange new hand, or your human one?>If you were like this a week or a month or a year from now, would you give the same answer?Its surprising how quickly he's experiencing false memories. Maybe the reason he's so in-tuned with his instincts in the present is a combination of him logically thinking everything through to full understand what happened, as well as all the changes being present from the get go. Great stuff, happy to see ProfD back!
Quick bump. Haven’t had a chance to read it yet but I’m excited to see Prof back.
A pregnant woman must have turned into a Pokemon at some point. Did her child turn too? And what about the reverse?
>>58827261Lucario's Story, Aggron Mom and her Arron children.
>>58827261>Mama had a Torchic>Mama had a Miltank>Dad was proud, he didn’t care how
>>58827626She was a wild animal before things went down, IIRC?
>>58828498Its been so long, I need to reread that section. I want to say they were human, though?>>58827261Yeah I'm not really sure how that would go. I guess both would turn?
>>58823872A fun read, as always. Thanks for the work!>>58828498>>58829105Heavily implied she and the children were human. But it's more fun avoiding an explicit yes or no.
>>58829233>Heavily implied she and the children were human. But it's more fun avoiding an explicit yes or no.How do you figure? It seems like you can arrive at either conclusion if you assume the transformed individual gained something or lost something in the process, and assuming a loss of something seems extremely pessimistic, especially for the franchise we're playing with.
>>58829253>How do you figure?Because I wrote it
>>58829277>Because I wrote itAlright, fair enough.
>>58829279>>58829253>Because he wrote itYes, I was going to say - those kinds of picrels usually mean Lucarioanon has graced us with his presence.Now sure, some transformees losing their humanity (though it's a small fraction of all transformees) might be pessimistic by this IP's standards, but /sip/ as a whole takes a more realistic bent than something like Clover Guild. Mind you our portrayel of the real world is still way more optimistic than the REAL real world, with lots of WAFF and funny moments, but the push and pull between human and Pokemon instincts (and the occasional darker tones that tension provides) has become one of the most interesting and well-regarded aspects of these threads for good reason. I'm actually the last person to say that the potential loss of one's humanity is an aspect that belongs in Mystery Dungeon proper (the PMD module for Pokerole is heavily predicated on the idea and it's bloody awful), but it works well here.
>>58829296Something about it rubs me the wrong way I guess. There are differences in interpretation, but between humanity slipping through your metaphorical fingers and just... giving up, it seems like a cursed choice between inescapable ego death, ego-suicide, or a battle against a new form of entropy. Framed like this, it feels like the narrative device is a constant battle against losing hope and, ultimately, losing yourself. But what can you actually *do* with this in the story? Angst is easy, but angst is cheap.
>>58829834Well for one, going ‘feral’ is very, very rare in setting, and in almost all situations it happens at the point of transformation, not slowly afterwards. The only case of someone going ‘feral’ long after transforming is Ben from Herding Cats, and we still aren’t sure if he’s fully gone or if it can be reversed, or if he’s just living in a delusion and letting his instincts fully take the wheel to survive until his girlfriend gets back. The whole feral thing just adds a little bit of drama to the situation at large, even if the characters were never in any danger of it. The intensity of people’s instincts randomly vary, and how they deal with these new thoughts vary from person to person. Some people have zero instincts and behave just as they did as a human, some people found peace and balance and carry on like normal with some new additional quirks, some people fight against their instincts and struggle to make progress in learning how to be a pokemon, some people cope by anthropomorphizing their instincts in their head to either better understand them or have someone else to blame. You can do more with the idea than just have a story where the person is doomed from the start.Plus, it’s not like it’s hard canon, the only stuff we ask is no explaining the transformations and suggest no legendaries, so if it rubs people the wrong way then they don’t need to include it in their stories.
>Once inside, the distinct, sharp, alcoholic smell of hand sanitiser crept into your nose.>Your eyes immediately began to water.>You instinctively covered your nose with your paw and started breathing through your mouth.>It didn't help much, the damage had already been done.>You blinked wildly while trying to keep the accompanying dizziness in check.>It was similar to when you tested the seal on your protective mask and you agreed to pull your mask off for a quick laugh.>How on earth did you manage to do ten maskless push-ups in that tear-gas-filled trailer back then?>No! You've been through worse, you can't give up at the first hurdle!>"Tenacity in difficult situations! Stiff upper lip and all that," you reminded yourself.>You lowered your paw and forced yourself to breathe through your nose.>You took a first, quivering breath.>It stung like hell, your nose was in agony, and your vision was a blurry mess.>You focused on yourself, ignoring the thousand needles prodding your nose, and took another breath.>The dizziness was starting to ease off. However, your nose was still displeased by your insistence.>Another inhale.>Your nose slowly began to get used to the lingering aerosols.>You took a few more breaths and eventually recovered your footing, and your nose stopped sounding the alarm.>It still stung, but it was becoming bearable.>You hoped that not every new sensory sensation would irritate you like this.>You dried your eyes with your arm and sniffed your nose.>With your eyes clear of tears, you could finally see the entrance room in its full, grey glory.>The walls were mostly concrete, with a few pictures of military equipment and historic events to break up the otherwise monotonous boringness.>Several tables were set up to cope with the rush of recruits from earlier.>Besides you, there were just a few soldiers loitering around and one recruit still signing up.
>>58830756>While you were busy with your overloaded sense of smell, a soldier behind one of the sign-in desks had stood up and looked at you concerned.>"Are you okay?" he asked.>He made a move to go around the table and help you, but you gestured for him to stay where he was."I'll probably survive, thank you," you replied. "Did you happen to spill a palette of disinfectant? The smells's revolting!">The man sniffed the air with a raised eye brow.>"No sir, but we have a strict disinfection policy for everyone signing up," he explained and sat down again."I see... That's gonna be annoying...", you replied while making your way to the desk.>It was COVID all over again, it seemed.>Minus the masks, at least.>"Anyway, let's get you checked in," he said, and began rummaging through a pile of papers behind him.>"A Mienshao Affligé..." he said to himself, probably searching for a specific document.>He finally pulled a piece of paper from the pile.>"Ah, there it is! I assume you must be Sergeant Etienne, then?" he finally asked.>You straightened up and moved your arms back into a mantis-like stance to not drag your whips on the ground anymore.>You pulled your snotty nose up again."You assumed correctly!" you replied.>"Wonderful! We just need you to fill out this form and sign it at the bottom on the back side," he told you, pointing to the different fields on the front and back of the paper he slid towards you.>You looked at him with a slightly tilted head."Don't you already have this information?" you asked.>"It's to confirm that the data in our system is still correct," he replied.>He then put a pen next to the document."OK then..." you muttered.
>>58830765"Could I borrow a tissue, please?" you asked, sniffing up the mucus again. "My nose is still a bit runny.">"Oh, sure. One sec." The man opened the chest pocket of his uniform, took out a packet of tissues and handed you one.>You thanked him and blew your nose, then took a liberating breath without snot."Ah, much better!">You glanced down to the form and the ball point pen beside it.>You actually haven't written anything with a pen since turning.>You grabbed the pen with your right hand.>Without a thumb, you couldn't properly hold it, so you tried a few different styles.>Holding it like a human with thumbs would? >Obvious result...>Maybe pinch it between your digits? >Not enough grip strength...>The Private watched you with amusement.>You eventually settled on clutching the writing utensil with your fist.>The form just asked for some general information, such as your place of residence, national insurance number, occupation and emergency contacts.>Writing was easier than you thought. It felt like you were five again, but at least you were still able to write things down.>Your whip appendage on the other hand...>You filled out a few lines, just for the whip to smear your writing.>You flicked the furry snake away and retraced the messed up letters.>You jotted down a few more lines, just for the purple menace to ruin it again!>You felt many eyes on you.>...>It happened again — for the third time."Argh, screw those bloody whips!" you blurted out.>You stared at your involuntary blotting paper – now sprinkled with blue ink – and wondered whether you should just tear it away.>You knew full well that it was a waste of time, as the bloody thing just grew back after a day or two.>...>Screw it! They gotta go!>Just as you were about to rip the leash off with your left paw, another soldier nearby joined in.>"Why not wrap those things around your arms if they annoy you?" he suggested.
>>58830767>You stopped writing and glared up at him."And how would that he-" you interrupted yourself mid sentence.>Your mouth stood agape.>What?>How didn't you come up with that idea? It was so simple!>"Six bloody weeks..." raced through your mind.>For six long weeks, you either tore them off or tried to ignore them.>For six annoying weeks, the voice occasionally reminded you to hold your arms up like a dog standing on its hind legs and be proud of the whips pristine sheen.>For six humiliating weeks, you gave in, mainly because cleaning them up after dragging them through the mud would have been worse.>Your mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and, even worse, self-doubt.>The voice seemed to have influenced you more than you initially thought.>It wasn't just pouting after all!>It wasn't a passenger, but the copilot.>But those six weeks were over now.>You were in charge — completely this time!>Hopefully...>There was a lot to think about yourself and that little weasel in your head, but it had to wait.>You cleared your throat and turned to the soldier, who stared at you as if petrified by Medusa."Please forgive my anger. I was just about to rip those things off, but your suggestion is actually so much better!" you told him, trying to soften the glare you'd shot at the man a second ago. "Merci!">The soldier hesitated, but gave you a smile and a salute in return. "Glad to help, Sergeant!" he said with relief.>You grabbed the whip on your right arm and started to wrap it around your forearm.>You secured it by cramming the purple tips into the gaps.>Your copilot in the meantime was howling at you, telling you were a disgrace if you didn't show your weapons with pride.>...>You wrapped the left whip around your limb.
>>58830769>Afterwards, you shook your arms around to see if your efforts had paid off.>Luckily for you, they held fast.>Your forearms felt a bit strange and they were a bit thicker now, but after six weeks, your wrists were finally able to move freely without anything obstructing them.>Even better, you no longer had to walk around like a praying mantis to avoid dragging your long fur on the ground.>You could feel slightly more human again.>A relieved sigh escaped your mouth.>You adjusted a few creases to feel more comfortable.>You thanked the soldier again and then continued filling out the form.>Once finished and signed, you slid the form back over the table.>The soldier took the form and checked it to make sure it was all legible.>He nodded, put the piece of paper on a different stack of forms and handed you another, more colourful piece of paper.>The vibrant, colour-coded page contained the whole time table for your stay.>"That's the Picasso for the next two days," he began. "You're in group three.">"The commander's speech starts in 55 minutes," he continued, "You can take your luggage up to your room on the second floor; room number 204. You'll be sharing it with two other Affligés. Please deposit your belongings and then make your way to the waiting area in 40 minutes at the latest." He then pointed to the room to your left.>You nodded, still mustering the Picasso for your group.>After the speech, there was the sports exam together with group one, followed by some time to shower and have lunch.>The medical examination took up the entire afternoon, leaving just free time after dinner.>The next morning was left empty for group three, while the other groups were having the leadership and service aptitude tests.>After lunch, there was a big block labelled "Assignment".>You assumed that this last block would be the exchange that Christophe told you about.>Between the blocks were awfully long gaps.
>>58830774>You folded the paper up and put it in your bag.>You thanked the soldier and made your way up the stairs up to the second floor.>There was no saving grace for you this time, as the elevator was for staff only.>You gain some, you lose some...>So you started hopping up the stairs.>At least the voice seemed to have calmed down.---Another part done and added to the Rentry.https://rentry.co/whipping-back-into-action#part-2-the-struggles-of-signing-inI wanted to get further in this one (up to and including the commander's speech), but things just kept going until I was at 10k characters already. At least I have more time to think about the other Pokémon I want to add in the next part.>>58830173>picYour Holiness gets uppies!>and in almost all situations it happens at the point of transformation, not slowly afterwardsI could see someone slowly losing themselves kinda like how depression takes hold of ones mind over time. Even if a turnee has a supporting family or even therapy, there is a chance that they fall down the abyss anyway. Perhaps the subconscious distance and caution (stigma) of other people is enough, or there is news coverage that leads to open hostility towards 'Mons. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch sometimes.
>>58830779Man, if hand sanitizer is enough to cause this reaction, imagine what proper tear gas would do to poor Etienne. I wonder if someone forgot to dilute the bleach they're using to mop down the floors. And our weasel friend joins the ranks of having to write like a coloring toddler. At least his paws are dexterous enough for that, and not completely useless for grabbing things. I bet those whips get in the way of a lot of things, I sympathize with his complaints, and it looks like he and his instincts aren't quite as in-tune with each other as I first thought. Surprising to hear he's been ripping them off, I'd assume that'd hurt like hell? Wrapping them around his arms seems like a much better solution to that issue, lol. Looks like he has a lot on the docket for today, I'm excited to see the other turnee recruits! Great stuff! >Your Holiness gets uppies!Simon gets the best uppies, whether he appreciates them or not.>I could see someone slowly losing themselvesI was more so coming at it from a permanent, nothing-you-can-do situation. I imagine some people would be able to just let their instincts take the driver's seat, which might be what's happening in those situations you're describing, but they're able to get out of it with some help because the instincts aren't severe enough to dispose the human consciousness. True feralization is a result of the instincts being so severe that it just instantly shunts out the human side at the point of turning.But this is all just my personal head canon about the situation. Interesting to think about.
>>58831159Glad you enjoyed it, Snivy!Ripping off the whips doesn't hurt (too much), actually. Mienshao rip them off to become lighter during combat, as stated in the Sword dex entry:>When Mienshao comes across a truly challenging opponent, it will lighten itself by biting off the fur on its arms.Filling out a form is considered a challenging opponent, okay!>I was more so coming at it from a permanent, nothing-you-can-do situation.Total feralisation could also be a slow process, imo. Think about how dementia works. First, it's just minor episodes, that are mostly dismissed. A turnee would slowly have more and longer instinct-driven episodes, until they no longer "return". You could make it worse by having the turnee have short moments of lucidity after the post-awareness stage has hit – just like many dementia patients have, before passing away. Short moments of pure panic and dread, because the turnee realises what is happening to them.This is something I thought about while reading Herding Cats. Its awfully (and brilliantly) close to the seven stages of Dementia, just with the twist that Ben kinda did it on purpose in the beginning. Ben's reaction if, or when, he becomes aware again, is something I highly anticipate.Like you said, there is a lot to think and discuss about the psychological aspect of turnees. I'd love to see more of that in future stories (mine included, although I'm not sure whether I could pull it off). PIPS is a good starting point, but there is a whole ocean of possibilities to get inspired by.I'll kneel to anyone who can make me feel like "Everywhere at the End of Time" did after the whole 6.5-hour runtime. Shit messed me up real good!
Wasn't gonna post these since I don't think anyone else cares about MTG, but it's better than just bumping. Snivy made a joke about a Ben card while we were playing and I got the itch to make some custom cards. Because I will do literally anything except write Herding Cats.(Get ready for spam I made like 6 of these)
>>58832220
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>>58832225
>>58832228Not in love with the mechanics for this one but I'm proud of the flavor text, it's the only one I made custom instead of taking it from a story.
>>58832233And this last one, based on a line I like from ProfD.
>>58832238I really like this one
>>58831669>Its awfully (and brilliantly) close to the seven stages of DementiaThat's cool and I'm gonna pretend I did it on purpose>spoilerI've been meaning to get around to that one forever, but I don't know if I have the stomach for it... Despite everything about Herding Cats, dementia stuff really gets to me.>>58832263Thank you. I'm glad I found art that works so well with it.>>58832220I must have forgotten to add the attribution to this one, but this is Kartanon's art for anyone who may not know
>>58745655>...man my back hurts...>Hrn...>Well, at least I got some sleep...>...seems there's still some food left over from yesterday, dad must've cooked extra...>Figures...>I probably should tell my clients I'll be out of commission for a bit, not like any of the due dates were yesterday or today...>mmm...>I don't think I had anything else pending did I...?>I guess I could work on revamping my website, make it orange instead of blue, might as well use this state of affairs for my... branding...>...>I still haven't told Arle, have I...>...ugh, if i put it off any longer she'll be even more upset given i almost died...>just suck it up cruz...>"Hey Arle! Sorry for being sudden, you got home a couple days ago, right? How was the trip?">And now we wait...>...what a week, huh...>What the hell did I need to do today...>"Oh, hey brat! Yeah we got home a couple days ago. The trip went alright, though Mikey did have a lot of work to catch up with while we were there so that was as fun as always. What's up? You never message me so I'm guessing you wanna ask me for something. I think Amaro mentioned you went to have dinner with him and Suzi, what's up with that?" -A>mmmm>well now it's officially too late to procrastinate this any further>"Hey, yeah I did wanna bring that up. Amaro and I just kinda... ended up talking and we got along more than we expected, it was nice eating out with them for a change!">"So how'd he look as a bird? Corviknight, was it? Mikey and I never did finish Shield but I at least remember that Pokemon. Suzi said it was hard at first but last they told me they were working stuff out. They did kinda have to work together to make sure his bird brain would only ever put the shiny stuff away in the places it belonged anyway..." -A>"It was neat! I... actually have something related to that to tell you about, it's why I'm messaging you. I... Do need to tell you something important.">"Well, what is it?" -A>...>Ah, crap...
>>58832710>How the hell do I even go about it...>Just telling her doesn't feel right...>But sending her an audio wouldn't make sense...>I guess...>...>"It's... complicated. I'll send you a picture.">"You're... not gonna tell me you turned, are you?" -A>too late...>"Bad news.">There it goes...>...>No response.>"when did this happen" -A>"It... was a couple days ago.">"why didn't you tell me" -A>God.>How do I not upset her...>dammit i should've just told her the day of>Just... better to be honest.>"I was worried I'd ruin your trip if I told you about it.">"Well I'm worried now! Have you been ok?! Did anything happen since?! I swear I told you to keep safe while the whole situation was figured out, agh and we weren't even there to help you out..." -A>Man.>fuck how do i tell her i was assaulted now?>ugh>"It's alright Arle, I can handle myself, I'm 25. I'm glad you got to enjoy your trip at least :) ">"well, has anything happened since you turned?" -A>well, guess i'm cornered>"Mom didn't tell you about it?">"about what?" -A>"It's hard to explain.">"well, please explain it." -A>"Alright. I got assaulted by a pokemon the other day, but I've fully recovered by now.">"WHAT" -A>...>"Cruz, answer." -A>"It happened when I was making my way home, some... Gallade. I managed to protect myself for a good bit, but he hurt me pretty badly. Luckily, Amaro managed to pick me up and I think he scared the Gallade away. Next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital almost back at top health...">...>No response...>"That's... a lot. Do you mind if we go visit? I'd like seeing you in person. We... should talk, I think." -A>"I think that's fine. I probably won't be going outside today. Feel free to come by anytime!">"Alright. We'll see you later then!" -A>...guess I've got plans now.Sorry for the prolonged absence, been busier than expected as of late! Hope this smaller update'll suffice for now at least!
>>58804954>You always liked the air up hereGood air up high!The emphasis on what a beautiful place your homeland is makes for some super cozy vibes.Just "jump good" all the way up to the top in one bound, you scumbag! I'm sure your new body is agile enough to pull that off. : ^ )You already hashed out the weird skip between the cat attacking and the cat "winning" with others, so I'll just say that, honestly? /sip/ stories are kinda self-indulgent in general. It comes with the territory to a degree. Sacrificing a little brevity for the sake of a little more cozy descriptiveness is a good stylistic choice within this space, in my opinion.>a different military baseThis reads a little awkwardly to a native ear - like it sounds more like he's talking to a layperson rather than a fellow soldier. "another base" or even just saying the base's name instead could be better.Your stuff continues to be incredibly good from where I'm sitting.>>58812235>>58813414Absolutely re-write the longer version if you can - it's rather amusing.>>58823872Miensha already covered a lot of the good stuff in these posts, so I'll skip any points that would just be duplicating what he said.The fact that Prof has not merely a flying dream, but detailed sensations of climbing and diving suggests to me that the Decidueye instinct was already at work, so he might actually have a pretty strong instinct, making what happens next all the more interesting.
>>58832747The combination of shouting down the creeping instinct extremely aggressively at first, then moving into heavy analysis mode with no room for background thoughts coupled with insistent, meticulous correction of each false memory gives me less a sense that he's in-tune with his Pokemon instincts as Snivy said in >>58826039 and more a sense that, from the start, he actually kinda slammed the door right in their face. Starting with that and continuing to freeze them out thereafter (which considering both the "prevent yourself from becoming something else" line and just the whole way he carries himself throughout the rest of the story sure does seem to be exactly what he did) would definitely explain why he's been so reluctant to explore the full range of new capabilities his body provides - human instinct alone obviously isn't going to know what to do with those capabilities, something we already saw in earlier ProfD posts.Honestly really interesting stuff and it'd be cool to see Sean realize the downsides of what he's done as he continues to train for flight and perhaps start to tentatively begin allowing the instincts back in - even if just a little at first. Or perhaps they crash back in all at once the first time he takes off and he finds his comfortable little academic world suddenly expanded in a moment that is scary, but also triumphant at the same time. Lots of cool possibilities there. Even though he's literally just lying there, this still worked very well because everything is happening and being responded to in the moment. Nothing is left for us to pick up as a much less interesting second-hand account after the fact.Despite the somewhat abrupt cutoff at the end (although it does nicely set the tone for the rest of his experience as a transformee, so it still kinda works, I'd say), this is great, and I definitely want to see more from our ProfD going forward, just as much as I want to see more from the Pit.
>>58832749>your awake and soberyou're>an move on and move on>Its a wingIt's a wing>into mind but that's again,to mind but that's, again,>>58827261One's fetus suddenly turning into an egg would definitely be an odd experience, but not one that seems outside the bounds of possibility with everything else we've written so far. For the sake of all our sanities, I do think any such transformations should always result in both beings transforming. Dunno if actually writing it would verge too much into "fetishy" territory though.>>58830173Considering the cards Herdinganon just posted, it's suddenly looking A LOT more likely that Ben will indeed be able to go back. I do agree that >>58829834 is perhaps looking at the whole notion of Pokemon instincts and PIPS a little myopically. There's far more diversity of experience and things you can do with it than just "bad or worse". In fact, most of the angst in this thread is actually coming from Val, who isn't even a transformee.>>58830779>stiff upper lipSwiss do that too? Based. Heh, and then the soldier produces tissues like a Victorian gentleman would. I'm sure that wasn't intentional, but still funny.At least it seems like Etienne's 'shao form can get used to strong scents, rather than being perpetually crippled by them.
>>58832751Oh my. So this instinct can be loud and proud, but also subtle and subversive. Fitting for a noodly fighting type like this one. The comedic intention can definitely get a bit lost if the reader is unaware that 'shaos do indeed rip off their whips, but once you are aware of it it's nice to know that there's more going on with Etienne's relationship to his new self than just the self-loathing we saw earlier. Him being exasperated by this ermine feels like a slightly less adversarial version of Simon and the serpent and it's a very appealing dynamic. I do love how the 'shao instinct would RATHER rip the whips off than wrap them up - those little moments of decidedly alien logic really sell the tension between the human self and the 'mon self.>You could feel slightly more human againEtienne seems sensible and earnest, so hopefully he'll be able to learn to balance the two.I assume "the Picasso" is slang for your schedule, because of the different colours? I imagine the "awfully long gaps" have something to do with easing the Affligés into the existing command structure such that their addition to the military doesn't disrupt its existing operations too overly much.The speech is liable to be cringe, as such things tend to be, but REALLY looking forward to meeting Etienne's bunkmates.Absolutely fabulous and I'm loving every moment. For someone with as little writing experience as you claim to have, you're clearly a natural.>>58831669A full-blown feralisation tragedy story would definitely be a confronting read.>>58832220Who cares whether anyone cares about MTG? These are fantastic. As I said, I love how the Ben one kind of implies where his story might go next. Very much looking forward to that when and if you can swing it.
>>58832712Great to have you back, man.Yeaaah, telling sensitive relatives you turned into an origami man and almost died is certainly never going to get LESS awkward. Not much else to say about this update besides the art being fabulous as always and perpetually glad Cruz's family aren't the types to take opportunities to lay into him unlike some other /sip/ families we could mention. At a suggestion, it'd be good if Arle were to bring some unique angle or perspective to the table we haven't already seen from Cruz's other friends and family.
>>58832712Arle is not what I initially expected – in a positive way! The way Cruz talked about her freaking out, I thought it would be more dramatic, but she seems to take it quite well. Admittedly, her knowing about Amaro's transformation probably helped a bit with easing into this kind of situation.Her starting off kinda annoyed, just to go full concerned-mode after the selfie gives great insight about her character as a sister. Well done, Kart! I'm exited to see how Arle reacts in person, as texting is a lot more distant than facing someone directly. Cruz might want to practice talking backwards in the meantime, to at least say hello without needing the phone.>>58832220Nicely done cards, even if I have zero idea about MTG! Big fan of all the flavour texts.>>58832238This picture has major "horse on the beach, saying «man...»" energy. I love it!>>58832275>spoiler responseYeah, definitely don't listen to it if you're not mentally prepared for it. I listened to it in late 2020 and it shook me more than I though it would. It's a great, thought-provoking piece of art.
>>58832747Thanks for the kind words, Macho! Your comments are always a joy to reflect upon.>Just "jump good"He lazy, tho.>The time skipAw, shit, I completely forgot to mention that in here, didn't I? Yeah, I added some flavour to that segment in part 1. Glad you like it!>military baseI should've just named the place. I didn't, because I'm still unsure if I want to name-drop actual places or go like what other stories do with "place, USA". Turnegg isn't a real place, in case you were wondering.>>58832751>One's fetus suddenly turning into an eggThat would be some Alien-tier shit. Kangaskhan would be a more wholesome approach, though. The mother turns into Kanga and her unborn child becomes the little pouch gremlin.>stiff upper lipLike I wrote some time ago: "Confident demeanour despite total cluelessness". You might take a soldier out of the army, but you can't always take the army out of a soldier.>the soldier produces tissues like a Victorian gentlemanHeh, that is a funny mental image, but the uniform has actually a lot of pockets filled to the brim with stuff like tourniquet, dressings, many pens and a notepad, our signature Victorinox pocket knife, and of course the occasional tissues pack. Also don't forget snacks – never forget the snacks!>>58832753>PicassoYou're correct. The Swiss army has a lot of unique lingo for phrases or things. Have a look at an example of a Picasso: https://military.ch/abegglen/admin_zfhr/picassovbausb.pdfIt's not as colourful as it could be, but it should give you a good idea of what they look like.>I imagine the "awfully long gaps" have something to do with easing the Affligés inParts of my answer may unsettle you.Again, glad you enjoy my work! It seems reading countless cringe webcomics and other forms of (fan) fiction over the years paid off after all. :D
>>58832751It doesn't need to be fetishy, all a writer needs to do is not draw too much attention to the more intimate details
>>58833583Best way to do that is In Medias Res to the period after the new baby is born, imo.
>>58831669Yeah no I can see where you’re coming from in that thinking. Probably possible in setting. Guess it would be like any fiction where a character has some sort of terminal illness, though I can see where anon is coming from in terms of it being easy to slip into pure angst if it’s the focus. It’s definitely possible for it NOT to fall into that territory, just takes more effort to avoid.>>58832225>>58832228>>58832233Love these. Wish Larson had some green so you could do some Anzrag, the Quake-Mole extra combat shenanigans, but their colors make sense. Honestly for Emma’s card you could do something similar to Plaza of Heroes’ pay 3, tap and exile to give a legendary indestructible and hexproof until end of turn.>>58832712All that worrying she’d absolutely freak out and it turns out he was overthinking everything like usual! Good subversion of expectations, I think everyone was expecting Arle to freak out about him turning AND getting his butt kicked. Kartanon really needs to give himself the benefit of the doubt with this stuff, he ends up stressing himself out wayyy more than he needs to. Looking forward to him and Arle interacting in person!>>58832751It would be interesting if the cards were a little hint towards that lol. In the end though I think anon just has a preference to the non-doomy side of the transformations, nothing wrong with that.
Emergency page 10 bumperuski>>58830779Good shit. Great sensory descriptions>>58832220>>58832224>>58832225>>58832228>>58832233>>58832238Good shit. These are a fun idea!>>58832710>>58832712Also good shit.
>>58836052Why is it when you get turned into a pokemon, you suddenly feel compelled to wear a bandana?
>>58836052Sorry man, turning into a magical creature won’t let you escape having to slave away.
>>58836776I’d much rather slave away in the pokemon world than slaving away in my cubicle
>>58836435You feel naked otherwise
>>58837499>Nudist turns into a pokemon>Becomes even more insufferable
>Be you>Wagie janitor at the local convention center>Working double overtime trying to make ends meet>Dealing with the disgusting weeb, furry, cosplay fucks for the comic convention this week>Literally collapse from exhaustion in the utility closet>Wake up transformed into a pokemonWhat Pokémon and how do you escape?
>>58837868If we go by the last three digits of your post, a Milcery.
>>58837868>Marathon Doom before double overtime>Pass out>Turn into Zoroark Hisuian for max intimidation>PIPS and the Tetris effect hit>https://youtu.be/q9EsZFK8l5k?si=V0M_MlytMyzpZzrR
why do people keep saying pips? what does that mean?
>>58835623Thank you. I'll make some more if I have any ideas, since people seem to like them.>>58837732Nudist Pokemon who has to shave all their fur to feel naked>>58837980Pokemon Induced Psychosis Syndrome. It's an in-universe term (that Snivy came up with, I think?) for people who struggle with false memories or their instincts overpowering their rational thought.
>>58837980In the lucario story, the mc sometimes gets hit with fake(?) memories of being a riolu, having a pack, having lucario parents, etc.Other people liked the idea came up with an in-universe explanation the basedentific community uses>>58838026CopAnon, I believe incorporated it first.
Have a short Emma chapter pulling from the psychic-type paranoia discussion earlier in the thread. Not really sure if I'm happy with it, so deciding if I want to post it or not when the new thread is up. I got another idea for a chapter to introduce a new character, but need to actually plan it out. Is there anything you guys would want to see at all? I'm open to suggestions. Also need to finally start drafting the next S&W chapter, I've been lazy this month so far... >>58836435Cloaks are cooler, I wish there was more art of that. >>58837868Dhelmise. Good luck threading your anchor through the crowd to get out. >>58838026More cards would be fun.>Pokemon Induced Psychosis Syndrome. It's an in-universe term (that Snivy came up with, I think?)Yeah I coined the term as a joke, Copanon was the first one to actually implement it in-universe.
If you guys can wait about five hours, I'll be able to update the archives before the new thread is made.
>>58838206I updated Professor Decidueye with the latest update
>>58838437I also forgot to post the link like a birdbrainhttps://rentry.co/ProfD
Here we go. Updated archive with the Golisopod story that SHOULD'VE been here at the end of last thread (damn shame it's looking as if he won't post again) and updated one-shot paste with the Zanviper and schizo stories. Moved Digigirl back to archive. We might want to look into getting an art archive setup for the MtG cards and Kart's roundels and fanart.Ongoing Stories:>Transformed Into a Lucariohttps://pastebin.com/dNfCG4se>Herding Catshttps://rentry.org/HerdingCats>Copanon the PokeWhisperer and other storieshttps://rentry.co/PolicemanPokemonStory>Super Macho Monhttps://rentry.co/MachampStory>Professor Decidueye by ProfDhttps://rentry.co/ProfD>VetPhoxhttps://rentry.co/DelphoxStory>Serpent and Wyrm by Snivyanonhttps://rentry.co/SerpentAndWyrm>A Loser and a Very Lost Snowpix by Drifteranonhttps://rentry.org/tcab223e>The New Police Animals by Snivyanonhttps://rentry.co/larsonkurt>Kartanimatorhttps://rentry.co/kartanimator>The Pokemon Pit by ProfDhttps://rentry.co/r7aa9bzy>Churchanonhttps://rentry.org/cb24k1ti>Swiss Army Mienshaohttps://rentry.co/whipping-back-into-action/>The Human Wimpod Evolvedhttps://rentry.co/GolisopodStory>Sandslash and Ms. Gemstonehttps://rentry.co/h62h6eh7e>Drifteranon's one-shotshttps://pastebin.com/4K9M6uJ2>Other one-shotshttps://pastebin.com/UtXMsyyD>One-shots that were too spicy for pastebinhttps://rentry.co/wokeuponeshotsArchived stories:>0332https://pastebin.com/WMdqhP8H>Digigirlhttps://pastebin.com/rvUJh1Vd>Tinkanonhttps://rentry.co/TinkatonStory>Not a Pikachuhttps://rentry.co/notapikachu>Lopunanonhttps://pastebin.com/ecBem3sz
If the thread survives another 7 hours I should be able to bake the new one
