orioncayge
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class:
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Jul 16, 2024 14:23:19 GMT 9
Trigger warning: Mild Nihilism but in context to a blooming hope
It’s crazy how much things can change over time.
Like, the grand canyon is just because of one river going apeshit for a real goddamn long time. Mountains are just the result of thousands of years of tectonic plates refusing to leave any room for Jesus. But even on a smaller scale, things can change in the blink of an eye. One moment you’re a happy ten year old, the next you’re scarred for life. One day you’re a sad young adult living day to day, emotionally held hostage by those around you who would be destroyed if something happened to you. The next you find purpose again, a spark of hope as the truth is brought to light, old wounds torn asunder so they can be properly cleaned and stitched up.
Sometimes healing hurts like a motherfucker.
A great deal of that was owed to UNOVR. For both holding up a mirror to his reality and showing him the truth of the delusions he’d been living, and for offering him a sense of purpose. To let him play hero, punch his way through his problems and work things out in a kinetic way that made sense. It gave him stakes, something to fight for, something to get out of bed every day beyond just the normal nine to five grind. It’d given him friends and family beyond what anyone could possibly anticipate. It’d challenged him physically, mentally, and morally, and tested his resolve in the heat of combat that no man could dream of without consequence in reality.
And yet…
To say that UNOVR itself was any less real than say, Southside felt disingenuous. The people within it all seemed to have hopes and dreams, the sensations were so close to real it was impossible for him to tell the difference. Perhaps it was a difference in hardware, but Orion oft felt like he was drifting from one state to another, like he’d logged in while standing in the kitchen of his uncle's restaurant.
That should probably be more concerning.
Yet this blending of realities had brought him to his task today, something that most players would balk at as he went about his work. He was releasing several of his ‘mons, helping them find good homes so that they could live happier lives. After all, it wasn’t like most of them had chosen to join him, they’d been event loot from doing in game daily quests or random things he’d caught while hunting for the pokemon he’d been looking for.
They deserved better.
So, Orion had set up shop at the Round Two base and was working on flagging down guildmates he’d figured would make good poke parents for the poor pals. What better place than the one place he knew was home to all of the homiest of homeslices. The guild with the greatest of G’s. This place was more than just the bee’s knees, it was the bee’s whole ass leg.
“NEEEEEEXT UP!” Orion barked, motioning flamboyantly to a small table in which a weedle was sitting in a wicker basket filled with fruit. “This right here is the artist currently known as Narcissus, but he’s open to anything you can think of that’s more fabulous. This right here is your modern day adonis molded out of chitin right here. Perfectly photogenic, and obsessed with the pursuit of the most patrician of vibes. He’s looking for a lover of the high arts here, but also someone who’s willing to call him on his bullshit sometimes ya know?”
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Big Bee
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 684
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Bryan Nautilus
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 49
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Post by Big Bee on Jul 24, 2024 8:46:34 GMT 9
Bee walked up to the table, one blue drink in each hand. He hadn't come here with Orion, or even been expecting him, but this situation was a crossroads of several universal factors. Firstly, that both Bee and Orion hung at in, on, and around Round 2 most of the time. Second, that they were both in America, and also terminally online. And Lastly, that Bee was usually carrying around an extra beverage on the nearly-guaranteed chance that he would run into a thirsty bro.
And here we are.
"What a cute little guy!" he said. Bee slid one of the drinks across to Orion so that he had a free hand to pet the little insect. "You said he was an artist? I've got a little artist of my own, but she mainly does mud and charcoal. What do you work with?" he asked the Weedle. "Oils? Or, uh, poisons?"
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orioncayge
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class:
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Aug 11, 2024 10:11:29 GMT 9
"I am working on my maaaagnum opus." The weedle droned haughtily as it struck a pose. "Most people tend to work with lesser mediums, things that are as temprorary as the fates allow, but I?" The worm wiggled and writhed into a new pose. "I am the ultimate medium. I am immutable to but the changes of myself and the environment that I put myself in. I AM the art darling."
Orion let out a light chuckle, patting the wiggly worm and then turning to Bee. "See why he got the name?" He raised a brow, offering a fist to bump which his bro would reciprocate on almost pure instinct. "He claims to be a bodybuilder but won't knuckle down for any of the regiments I've cooked up for him, calling them..."
"Crass, phillistine, and pedestrian." The weedle interjected. "How could you possibly think I would emerged a work of art from such droll practices!"
"Exactly lil man, hence why we're looking for someone who gets you." Orion quipped back before turning to Bee. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone who's buggin for a bug who's also buggin eh?"
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Big Bee
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 684
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Bryan Nautilus
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 49
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Post by Big Bee on Aug 11, 2024 10:22:25 GMT 9
As luck would have it, a Round 2 bro with a multicolored ponytail, tank top, and trimmed facial hair was walking by and stopped at the painting.
"Bro! This is..." he searched for the right word. "Emergent! The use of color is not only radical, but inspiration and deeply reminiscent of an early Pollock, you know?" The bro reached out, entranced by the work. He stopped just short of touching it. "Yo can I, like, commission you to paint some bigger ones of these? We've been looking for someone who can repaint the walls of the rock-climbing gym in the basement!"
Bee looked over at Orion, then back to the bro. "Well this guy is actually looking for a permanent home!"
"No way! What do you say bro? You wanna live here and help us repaint the whole base? It could be your Sagrada Familia?"
Bee looked over at the Weedle. "What more could an artist want than a full-time patron?"
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orioncayge
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class:
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Aug 11, 2024 13:47:08 GMT 9
"SSSSSSSSSSSUCH GRACE!" The weedle exclaimed looking over the hipster looking bro who'd approached. Orion raised a brow, that was...the first time he'd seen such energy from the grub. "THE COLORS, THE STYLE! THE APPRECIATION OF THE ART!" The worm wriggled over to the man and Orion smiled softly.
"Sup Jayczin," Orion would dap the artist up. "Meet my boy Narcissus! Due to reasons that are difficult to explain, he's lookin for a trainer that matches his speed. You seem like the type of dude to take care of em, but if I'm passing him along you gotta do me two mcfuckin solids. One." He held up a finger, taking a sip of the drink Bee had brought by.
"Ya gotta turn your pokemon speech on bud. And two." He held up a second finger. "You can't trade him to anyone else unless he says its cool. He's his own mon, I'm just helpin him find a home. Capiche?" He'd ask with a smirk.
Hands were shaken, fists were bumped, and the deal was done.
NARCISSUS THE WEEDLE HAS BEEN GIVEN AWAY
"So what brings you by these parts bud?" Orion asked turning his attention to Bee, one hand waving around nonsensically as he danced through his UI to find his next mon. "Questin? Cruisin? Schmoozin?"
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Big Bee
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 684
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Bryan Nautilus
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 49
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Post by Big Bee on Aug 11, 2024 14:54:25 GMT 9
Bee watched them go, confident that Jayczin was the right guy to adopt Narcissus. "I can't wait to see what they do to the rock climbing area, that place really is a mess. It gets bleached from all the chalk, you know?" Bee explained.
"Me? Oh I'm always hanging around this place," Bee said cagily. "And, uh, I was kinda hoping to run into Kayleigh. Hey don't give me that look! I just wanted to ask her contact details." He realized that sounded worse. "For an upcoming event! I'm holding a party in the— you know what screw you," he said, laughing as he took a seat beside Orion. "Which Pokemon are we finding a home for next?"
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orioncayge
•
Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class:
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Aug 12, 2024 7:38:08 GMT 9
As the Blue Smoothie Sourcerer's name was dropped, Orion did in fact give Bee a look. Said look entailed a rather smug smirk that spread from ear to ear, eyes the twinkled with mischief, and a singular arched brow that signaled a sense of triumph. "Oho?" He chirped, leaning against the table that he'd been using to present prodigal pokemon. "The homie doth bro-test too much methinks, does a certain someone have a crush perhaps?" The arced brow danced saucily on his stretched bronze skin as a snicker filled the air. "I knew we shared a similar sense of style, humor, and had similar tastes in media? But women too? Should I be nervous that you and Abs are out there in Cali without me?" He gave his bro a nudge with his elbow and shook his head, snicker blooming into a full belly laugh that filled the air.
"I think she's busy with work today, I was chattin with her last night about like, how the police could be reformed in such a way to help better society without being used as a tool for fascism, which by the way I was out of my depth the WHOLE fuckin time, but she mentioned how like some of the people at her shop were going to be out of town for some sort of Con and she was working a double to keep the boat afloat. If you need her digits I gottem tho, she and I exchange pizza recipes and memes."
Another nudge was presented, the last of his literally ribbings before he pulled out a timid looking scatterbug and started his next bit.
"Next on up on the Cayge's uncaging tour we have the artist currently known as Medea! A timid little scatterbug who's looking for someone kind, caring, and nurturing to help her discover her inner beauty! She HATES combat and would much rather assist with anything and everything crafting related OR help with various other minigames. She's been a WONDERFUL little smithing buddy, but she wants someone who's sense of beauty aligns with hers."
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Big Bee
•
Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 684
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Bryan Nautilus
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 49
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Post by Big Bee on Aug 12, 2024 7:59:17 GMT 9
"I was never against the concept of love!" Bee laughed. "I was simply bro-testing about work/life confidentiality!"
"There's nothing wrong with having good taste. And the only thing you should be worried about is the two of us going out for a drink and me learning about all of your secrets," Bee teased. "Now forward me that number. And the recipes. And the memes too."
"Another artist," Bee said, rubbing his chin as he looked at the little Scatterbug. "But more physical stuff? Like crafting? Hmmm. Well Medea, I know some dudes that are into LARPing, which sounds like an insane hobby to have here, but there we go. Do you wanna help them build suits of armor and weapons and sets and things for their adventures?
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orioncayge
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class:
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Aug 12, 2024 15:36:18 GMT 9
"Bro-test these nuts dude," Orion fired back impishly as he forwarded just about his entire dossier he'd gathered on the handicapable Heisenberg who'd concocted the good blue that had everyone chompin at the bit for more. Her memes were a bit verbose, relying heavily on the presented text to indicate the thought rather than like, five tiers of in-jokes stuffed in a trench coat, which to some would spoil the fun, but to Orion it circled back into absurdist territory and added a sense of postironic metahumor to the whole thing, intent or not.
Anyways.
"LARPING?" The bug asked with a quiver to it's voice.
"It's like dudes and dudettes playing knights and princesses." Orion explained softly, taking a much different tone with such a timid mon.
"Do you know any princesses?" The bug asked Bee, wideeyed. "I wanna make pretty dresses..."
Orion turned to Bee and raised a brow, "That sounds awfully like Brytknee yeah?"
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Big Bee
•
Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 684
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Bryan Nautilus
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 49
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Post by Big Bee on Aug 12, 2024 15:43:46 GMT 9
"Oh yeah, Bryt was basically born in a dress. She has this whole magical-girl persona going on when she LARPs, basically doing quick-change between street clothes and these absolutely stunning dresses, and even some crazy disguises!" Bee said, remembering doing double-take after double-take when playing with Brytknee. It was like every time he looked over she was a totally different person!
"If you can make dresses, especially if you can make them fast and beautiful, then Bryt would give her left—" he resisted the urge to say knee "—eye to have a partner Pokemon like you. And I bet she'd ask you to make her a couture eyepatch to start!"
"So what do you think?" Bee asked. "Do you want me to call her over?"
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orioncayge
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class:
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Aug 15, 2024 11:28:59 GMT 9
"She sounds amazing." The bug whimpered, its entire body quivering at the thought of meeting someone so cool. "Im going to meet a real princess! Oh my goodness I'm gonna I'm gonna-" the bug would then turn green around the gills and begin to spew stands of sticky silk. Orion would reach down with a hand and gently run his finger along the critter to sooth its sensitive sensibilities.
"Lookatchu gettin the materials ready." Orion purred, offering the bug an out for the embarrassing moment. "I bet you two will make a beautiful Vivilion styled dress for her to run around in." Shooting Bee a wink his free hand would make a telephone shape and he'd waggle it by his ear, mouthing 'call her'.
"I'm scared." The bug whimpered.
"You'll be fine." Orion breathed. "Not a nasty soul in all of the guild. Bryt will lose her hoopin mind when she she's you. I can hear her and that silly hoop censor already. That's like...the most toxic thing about her and thats not even like, bad."
"But what if she thinks Im lame?"
"Nah, she LARPS, that's like pots shouting slurs at glass houses."
"What?"
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Big Bee
•
Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 684
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Bryan Nautilus
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 49
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Post by Big Bee on Aug 16, 2024 8:09:02 GMT 9
Bee called Brytknee, and not five minutes later she was in the courtyard with them, sipping on a (pink??) smoothie and wearing the HELL out of a princess dress. "Ahmagahd, as thas Medea?" Brytknee asked in fluent valley girl. She flipped her princess veil back and took a long sip of her smoothie, inspecting the little bug. "She's sah hoopahn ka-yoot!" Brytknee said, reaching out a hand to the little bug for her to sniff or shake or whatever.
"Wattaya say kayoot bahg frand? Tagetha we cahd make the ka-yootest dresses and avarywan will be laik supah hoopahn jelly~"
Bee stood behind her, giving Medea an enthusiastic thumbs up.
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orioncayge
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class:
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Aug 18, 2024 7:30:35 GMT 9
Orion had forgotten why he didn't talk to Brytnee super hooping much, but boy howdy did being in her presence remind him if EXACTLY why that was the case. It wasn't like she was a bad person by any means, he'd heard tales of her good nature that were spun longer than the train to her dress. Her virtues was are pure and plentiful as that heretical concoction in her [Tangent=THIS IS A BLUE SHAKE TREEHOUSE GOD DAMNIT] hands.[/tangent] Yet the moment she opened her hoopin mouth he realized exactly why he had put so much distance betwixt himself and the princess.
He fucking HATED how she talked.
Yet as reluctant as he was to interact with the Valley Princess, he could tell Medea was SMITTEN with the princess that stood before, eyes wide and body trembling from excitement as the hand was offered. Nuzzling into Bryt's hands, Medea would let out a simple squeal of joy that spoke[tangent=Explicitly the five part anthology of hype as fuck bugs.] volumes [/tangent]
Once again reminding Bryt of the conditions of Medea's adoption, he would give the bug one last pat, Bry a solid high five, and bid them on there way as the excitedly chattered about their next upcoming design in which they were going to make a Bowsette Dress? With a smirk and a smile he turned back to Bee and sighed.
"This is what its all about bud, getting pokebros matched with the right trainer, yaknow? I feel kinda like a diet verson of professor Ashe hookin homies up with hopefully forever homes."
With a crack of his neck he'd eye up the dev, a brow raised. "So like, who in the writers room penned up Plasma exactly? It seems like a super radical spin on the concept of pokemon as a whole, letting the players play as a group once depicted as baddies, but we're out here keepin the green peace. Helpin legendaries and trying to save this world in a...brighter way than normal? I smell your fingers in this but I don't actually know what your official day to day grind looks like."
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Big Bee
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 684
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Bryan Nautilus
OOC Username: Ladybug
Arena Points: 49
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Post by Big Bee on Aug 26, 2024 14:43:24 GMT 9
Bee froze mid-wave. Shit. How was he supposed to tell Orion that the whole Plasma thing hadn't been 'written' or 'scripted'. It was something that had grown organically in the game. Sure the devs had added in a bit of scaffolding here and there, but they'd never had to write a single line of dialogue or even plot the Ash quest chain.
There was a huge amount of power in the game itself, and Bee could sometimes feel it shifting like a giant in its sleep.
"It was a collaboration, really," he said, looking around the treehouse square for any more like adopters. "The people of UNOVR really wanted to lean into Pokemon rights, and so after Thunderfall that's the way things went! A lot of it is the dynamic systems that the game runs on, as you know, and we'd always had plans for Plasma in one way or another." He let the point fade into the vibe of the table, and shifted to Orion's second question, which he could easily answer.
"I'm head of UI and UX, which means that if anyone send in feedback for UI or mechanics or systems or stories in the game then it all comes through it before it gets to the team."
"I think of myself as a big organizer. I oversee the lives of the millions of players, see what they like, don't like, gravitate to, want more of, etc, and then make sure the people that can make all of that happen hear about it! I run mechanical testing of new features and send the results to the dev and balance teams, I summarize playtest results, I collate the feedback and play trends from millions of players and pass it all on to our story team!"
"And don't worry, I pass on all of your praise and promises of pizza."
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orioncayge
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Bandana Guy
Round 2
Posts: 770
Trainer Class:
Arena Points: 20
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Post by orioncayge on Aug 27, 2024 14:58:12 GMT 9
"Damn dawg, you've got the mcfuckin dream job right there it sounds like." Idle hands drummed upon the table, their cups bouncing lightly. "Must have been a motherfucker to wrangle that down though...must be a motherfucker to wrangle every day." A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he snatched his cup up and took a quick sip of the cerulean concoction. "I'm like, this close" he's in fact hold his hand up with two fingers perhaps micrometers apart. "From heading out yall motherfuckers way for a weekend. Shits uh...weird back home right now."
A terse frown settled on his face, his brow furrowing for but a moment before his banished it with the waggle of his head.
"And you best believe it's going to be raining za when I roll up, everyone's gonna be calling me Father Johnathan." A light pause filled the air, before Orion chuckled nervously. "That joke used to refer to the actual pizza brand but their founder says slurs so he doesn't get to live in my bits anymore. I've been workshopping a little ceasers gag but A, that food is not that great, and B, as an Italian man I have an obligation to be more than just a walking sterotype." A bombastic shift in tone, hopefully the perfect smokescreen to not talk about it. "Still, that's mad fucking rad dude. The plasma stuff really makes me think about this whole thing a lot more differently like...we've done an ollie into a kickflip one eighty over the fucking Turing Test dog. Like this Ruby NPC, is she an NPC or just terminally online? I managed to weasel something about doctors out of her mon so I know she's like...sick? Or is she like, this super mindfuck NPC who thinks they're a player trapped in the game? And even then, at the level of GENUINE BOND I've formed with her has me legit not giving a fuck at the end of the day. She's real, Ash is real, Achilles and the squad are all so...real. It's a fucking miracle, I legit think you and your team have played digital god in this virtual garden of Eden."
Okay, perhaps a slight too far in the other direction. "Anyways, my profound respect for this world and its inhabitants have compelled me to begin taking this whole trainer business seriously. I've got a bunch of dudes who were basically dungeon loot rotting in a digital purgatory when I've plucked them from paradise. Time to put them back out where they belong, and next up for that is..." He thumbed through his inventory and in a flash of red an Orthworm appeared on the table.
"This is...well, egg on my face but we never really got super into the hammering a name out phase. I think last time we talked you were goin by Brick Ryhme?"
"Yeah." The worm drawled in a borderline OFFENSIVE southern accent. "I am."
"Sick man, and you're like, into cowboys Im guessing?"
"What?" The worm looked offended. "Gollee no, I wanna find a group to play cyberpunk tabletop games with."
"Oh," Orion blinked. "Shit Bee, that sounds alot like Z4CH@REE yeah?"
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