On a soft summer day, the God of Empathy rests in a forest sunbeam. Honoring his passed loves isn't just about maintaining their legacies. It's not just about keeping peace and prosperity for all. Sometimes, it's also about slowing down and enjoying the world they earned together.

My three-novel series is finally complete! Made in collaboration with my dear friend @foxgirltrauma, this is the largest (and best) project I've ever done. There's twists and turns, love and heartbreak, and even some funny little animal guys! (Please don't tell Nintendo...)

You can read all of the books on my website: https://val-triplicate.neocities.org/. There you'll find a heaping plate of bonus content, fanart and fanfic, and a book by @foxgirltrauma which details the origin story of my character Zora!

Speaking of which, my ask box is always open! Anonymous asks are accepted just the same. I adore hearing about people reading my work, and I answer almost every question I get. Anything related to one of my characters may be answered in character, and the lore revealed will always be canon. The interactions themselves are never canon, though.

It's hard to describe what it looks like. Perhaps it's a computer terminal, in a dusty lab with seemingly no connection. Perhaps it's a diary in a forgotten attic, its ink as fresh as the one you write in at night. Perhaps it's simply a hole in reality. You try not to stare too hard at it either way - it hurts your head to think about.

There's words in the box, or perhaps voices. You back away. The words come regardless.

"Excuse me? I apologize if I've startled anyone - I can't quite tell where this portal leads. My name is Zora. I'm responsible for Aldor and Zytrea, and I do my best to help out wherever I can as well. If you need my help, please let me know!" You move to respond, or perhaps just to leave, but another set of voices cut you off.

FLAREON: The hell is that thing? JOLTEON: Don't touch it, idiot! FLAREON: I wasn't going to! JOLTEON: I'm gonna go get Espeon. See what it wants? FLAREON: Dammit. I guess I'm on mysterious portal duty today.

You try to leave once more, really quite insistently this time, but you trip over a pile of books. Who the hell left these out? A note on top says that more might be coming soon, too. Strange...

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Hey there! Welcome to my blog - this is where I do all my interactions with or regarding my characters! I might poke around other folks' blogs too, but that'll mostly be on my side blog, val-duplicate. I'll use #val-triplicate for stuff relating to me and my worlds, #vaporeon cycle for my main series, and #zoruadventure for the story I contributed heavily to. #other blogs will be my catch-all tag for interacting with others.

It's finally here! ZoruAdventure: Director's Cut is up on my website! Written by the wonderful @foxgirltrauma (and featuring myself), this story shows the origin of Zora in the Age Without Sun. As with all of foxgirltrauma's works, it's amazing, but this one has a lot of personal importance to me! As is probably obvious, Zora is one of my favorite characters I've ever made. It's hard to fully understand him without knowing the context he comes from, and that context is finally ready to read.

The story will be on its blog eventually, but it gave me permission to put it on mine in the meantime. Look out for that when it updates, and check out all of its other stories, too!

It looks like my account's back to normal - many thanks to staff for the help. I think it would be fun to celebrate with something to post! I've been meaning to try out polls, too, and what better time?

FYI - the descriptions under the cut contain spoilers for Frost Spirals! If you haven't read it or are partway through, you're welcome to vote based on what name sounds best.

Three slips of paper drift through the portal and land on Zora's bed. You can't see much through it, but you do hear a fireplace and glimpse a book.

"Ah! Cage, right? It is good to see you again, and thank you for the questions. The memories have been getting a bit heavy lately. It'll be nice to have them off my chest."

He picks up the first note and reads it aloud.

[ 🫀 Who taught you what love is? Did it hurt? ]

"I'll start with the easy one. My spouses did, of course. They were the ones who saw me at my lowest and saved me. The ones who saw a pathetic, fearful wretch, and pledged everything they had to defend him. I could never repay them for that. That ordeal was terrifying, and it hurt immensely, but it's what made me who I am."

"Love isn't about mutual appreciation to me, though we of course have plenty. It's about care for your fellow person, no matter what. I show this love not just to my partners. I show it to every Pokemon I meet, good or bad. I seek the kindest solution for all involved, even against those who have harmed my family. I cannot speak about ongoing rehabilitations... but there is a Pokemon this topic brings to mind. It's going very well."

Zora sighs at the next slip. He gives a reassuring smile, to show it wasn't a bad question to ask - just one with an answer he doesn't like.

[ 🩸 Is there something or someone that, if lost, would break you?]

"...no. There is not."

The answer seems to drain years of life from his expression.

"I can say this with confidence. Every loss that could scare me, I've experienced. Some were mere illusions. Some were not."

"When I was coming into my role, I was given a trial. I was to fight while answering difficult questions. This honed my prowess and my ability to decide under pressure - both of which I've needed since. At the end of the fight... I was forced to live out the answers I gave."

"I saw... I saw them all die. Some by my hand. I could have saved them, but... it was the only answer in those situations. I don't know what I would become if that ever truly happened. But Aldor would still need me, so I would survive."

"As for... the one that was real. I may have mentioned the death of Aldorus, but since I'm not sure who was on the other side of this, I'll summarize. When Aldorus created me, it gave me its soul. This meant that if it ever died, it would be completely gone. And... it did. That's all I'll say on the matter today."

Zora reads out the final question and lies down to decompress.

[ 🌀 Do you have a recurring dream or nightmare? ]

"...every choice I've had to make that I'm not certain about. Every person I feel I've failed. Dodrio, most often. Prismus, sometimes, and Aldorus. Even Void... what if there was more I could have done? What if I wasn't good enough, and someone else would have been?"

"I know it's pointless to think about now... but it still digs into my mind whenever I'm off-guard. Time with my loved ones is the cure for that, and preparation for future situations. I won't be caught off-guard again. I promise."

He sits back up and nods to the portal.

"Thank you for asking, friend. I hope this has given you some insight. I always try to be approachable, so please - ask me whatever you like, just like you would any other mortal."

"Oh, hey bro! Nice to see ya. You got a terminal too, huh?

"Oh! Prismus! It's so good to see you."

Zora's shoulders drop just a fraction. The expression of relief would be hard for most to notice, but to the god's sister it's unmissable.

"I was just doing my rounds for the day. Nothing else out of the ordinary - I'll be spending the rest of the day tending to the gardens."

"I still miss you, as does the rest of Aldor and Heaven, but I know you're doing amazing where you are. Don't hurry yourself on our behalf, we'll take care of each other just fine."

Zora smiles wistfully as he thinks. He vanishes for a split second.

"Stay right there, actually. I think I can put things through this portal."

Before he returns to his duties, a plate of pancakes appears by Prismus's terminal. The stack is tall and smothered in berries and sprinkles.

"Fresh from Heaven," says the note by the plate - "from Dad."