#but at the same time i give at least 50% of doubt to this possibility bc it rlly doesnt seem to me any more starklings will die

[guppyfish77]

So about the Battle Subway Trains

Hi, I love trains! And the Trains in Unova have a surprising amount of detail? And nobody talks about it? And if I don't talk about it I will explode!?!!!

So despite Unova being inspired by New York you'd think the Battle Subway Trains would be based on The New York Subway Trains? However they look like they are more based on Japanese Railway Trains!

I'd like to preface before going into this that despite talking a lot about the Japanese Railway, I am not Japanese, while I did my best to research as best I can, some stuff may fly over my head, I also used an online translator for some information so it might not be 100% accurate.

Alrighty lets get into this! This is mainly for fun and its going to be under the Read More because it is verrrrrrrrry long, I hope that you enjoy!

If you aren't aware, each train in the Battle Subway has lore! All the lore comes from this Worker NPC on the bridge in Anville Town. Depending on the day, a different train will show up on the turntable, and he'll give you a little dialogue for that train! This dialogue is what I'll be mainly analyzing :]

Single and Anville Town Trains:

"This is a Single Train! It's the oldest train in the Battle Subway. It's for a loop line to go around the Unova region! Do you know Tubeline Bridge? The train that runs on it is this Single Train."

"As you know, this is a local train to Anville Town! Isn't it just so cute? This one is a little slow and heavy. When it runs, the whole train sways. The train car is the same model as a Single Train. Because it is an old train car, I hear the maintenance is hard, but it's the one I always ride, because I loved it as a kid!"

So! The Single and Anville Town Trains are the same model of train, you can actually see this in their designs where they both share the same face but they differ in the livery. (Livery is a term referring to the train's decor/color, the color is often associated with a particular company or in this case a particular train line.) I'm going to use this fact to assume that if one train has one feature, then it's likely that the other train also has that same feature. Such as how the description of the Anville Town Train says it sways as it runs, if that is the case then the Single Train also probably sways. (which sounds kind of awful to battle on, unless you have good train legs I suppose X_X)

It is stated that the Single Train is the oldest in the Battle Subway. I believe though, that it means the oldest train that is currently running in the Battle Subway. As there is another train that seems much older and no longer running, but I'll get to that train much much later.

Older trains are indeed harder to maintain, and expensive too. This is because the older the equipment, the harder it is to get its parts as they become more obsolete. Though I will say this, trains can last a long time! The average service life of a train is about 30-50 years, it really varies from train to train. These trains would most likely be on the older side.

There is a slight possibility that it has been continued to be maintained past it service life. Given how fond the Worker NPC talks about the train, it might have high sentimental value. Therefore if it is past its service life, it has not been scrapped or recycled yet because of it. I doubt this is the case though, usually it is never worth the maintenance cost (especially for regular operation.)

Like the description says, you can see the Single Train running on the Tubeline Bridge, here's a video of it! Apologies for the way I am recording this, I don't exactly have a capture card, but I wanted to show you guys regardless

You can see how fast the train is going as it passes below you! At least the just Singles Train anyways, seems to me like it's going about 20-30mph? I tried doing math to find the exact speed but that's difficult for several reasons (no idea how large a "tile" in Pokemon really is and objects in the overworld are not very accurate in size so I can't exactly do any comparisons. The perspective of the camera also makes it tricky.) Given how the Anville Train is described as "slow and heavy", I would hazard a guess to say that the other trains of the Battle Subway may run faster than this.

You can also see that each train is made up of 7 cars as it passes below you if you slow down the footage. Which is not surprising, you have to win 7 battles in a row to complete a "set" where you are then dropped off at a rest stop. I believe the Battle Subway trains to be electrical multiple units (EMUs) so it would probably make them 7-car sets.

It also looks like the Singles Line is very busy with the trains only being seconds apart! Now I know this is more a visual thing so the environment would be interesting to look at, but I'd like to think it indicates that the Battle Subway/Singles Line is very popular! (and very well organized!)

As for Real life train inspirations I think perhaps the Tobu 10030 series?

The Tobu 10030 is a version of the Tobu 10000 series with some minor changes, such as the design of the face and using a bolsterless bogie. (Bogie is a part of the train that refers to a frame that holds sets of wheels as well as the suspension, breaks, etc. in which the body of the train car rests upon.)(A bolster is a part that connects the side frames of the bogie and the underside of the car's central pivot point.)(A bolsterless bogie is a bogie type that doesn't have a bolster). The front of the train is covered in fiber reinforced plastic and the outer panels are "bead molded" (which... I have no clue what that means...) This series has been going under renovations since 2010.

Double Train:

"This car is a Double Train! This is a mass-produced car from a decade ago! Compared to a Single Train, the number of parts was reduced so it could be built for a lower cost. The number of parts influences the budget and construction time. The streamlined and beautiful design of the Double Train is still valued today."

So the Double Train is at least 10 years old! (That's what decade means!) Honestly though, I think the Double Train might be older than 10, in Japanese the description just says that it is a "mass-produced train from a long time ago" and doesn't mention a number... Another reason is that in the Multi Train description, it mentions that it is a test model for future trains that will replace the Double Trains. Which means perhaps that the Double Trains may be reaching near the end of its service life, which again average 30-50 years. It could be a possibility that this train may have a shorter service life than usual, who knows. This all speculation really.

As for lowering the amount of parts, from what I found it makes the train lighter. It would also probably lower the cost as well like the description says (trains are really really expensive to build! EMUs can cost $2mil-$10mil per car!)

It also mentions that it is a mass-produced car! It's a train made with mass production for commercial purposes! I believe it's usually for train lines that are really busy, where they would need a lot of trains? It typically means that there are a lot of them. (All this makes me wonder about train production in the Pokemon World...)

As for Real life inspirations, I think that the Double Train is inspired by the Tokyu 1000 series train.

The Tokyu 1000's design and equipment is similar to another train, the Tokyu 9000 series, with improvements such as improved handling and making it easier to do inspection and repair work. As well as reducing the amount of spare parts from the Tokyu 9000.

Multi Train:

"This car is a Multi Train! Few cars of this model were produced. This is a test car to develop future mass-produced cars that will replace the old Double Trains. The technology born during the creation of this train car made the Super Single Train and Super Double Train possible!"

The multi train is a test/prototype train! A little surprised that an entire line is running off a few prototypes. Like the description says, not many are produced as the purpose of a prototype is to test features and improve upon them if needed before they are put into mass production. Given that it says the technology from this train was the reason the Super Single and Super Double Train was made possible. I'm thinking it was most likely testing some eco friendly features? As it is the Super Single and Super Double Train's main feature.

Perhaps them using a model with so few trains means that the Multi line isn't that busy/popular? (Surprising then the train platform is not swarming with more train photographers haha!)

As for real life inspirations, while the livery may not be the same I think it could be the Keisei 3000 (2nd Generation.)

The Keisei 3000's body is made of lightweight stainless steel and the passenger doors have a paper honeycomb structure. When they were designing this train, they wanted it to be both environmentally (energy saving) and customer friendly (being accessible to elderly and those with disabilities.)

Super Single and Super Double Trains:

"This Super Single Train is a new mass-produced car! It's an environmentally friendly train, because they revised all the parts to drastically reduce power consumption! Newer trains have to be built in a way that's both functional and environmentally friendly. Compared to the past, they've improved significantly."

"This Super Double Train is a new mass-produced car! Such a streamlined and refined design! Beauty and utility working together! That kind of beautility is unique to mass-produced train cars! It uses the same train car as a Super Single Train. The only difference is the appearance. It is a superb train car that will go down in the history of the Battle Subway!"

The Super Single and Super Double Trains are the same model. Honestly the description of these trains doesn't give me a lot of information besides the fact that these trains are eco friendly. So I'll talk about what trains do to make themselves (even more) eco friendly!

They are stated to be eco friendly by reducing power consumption. I think it could be referring to a "VVVF inverter control" (it stands for variable voltage variable frequency. In English its mainly called the VFD or variable frequency drive.) A VVVF is a type of system for an AC motor that can reduce energy consumption! (There are two types of electrical current, DC or Direct Current and AC or Alternate Current. An AC motor is a motor that is driven by AC electricity.) It is important on energy saving trains! I won't get too much into how it works, but essentially it controls the AC motor's rotational speed by controlling the frequency. By controlling these, it can control the speed and acceleration of a train. You'll find that a VVVF is often paired with a three phase motor (I will not go into that...) Let's just say that these systems are very efficient at using power and help save energy.

Really, reducing power consumption usually means being more efficient at using power. Like using LEDs, using better insulation to retain cooling or heating, and generally using parts that use less electricity. It could be that the train is lighter in weight too (lighter vehicles use less power.)

Both of these Super Trains are mass produced! Which tells me that there are a lot of Super Single and Super Double trains! Its lines are probably busy.

As for real life inspirations, it is very much inspired by the E233-2000 series train

The E233-2000 is a little bit of an oddball in the E233 family exterior design wise. Its design was inspired by the Tokyu 5000 series. Its basic running equipment is the same as the E233 trains before it though.

I think it is a bit of a stretch, but I'll mention it anyways. The E233 (which the E233-2000 is a subsection of) is a train that has won the Laurel Award in 2007. The Laurel Award is an award given to trains by the Japan Railway Friends Association for trains with an excellence in technology and design (specifically geared towards commuter trains.) It could be what all the "beautility" comments could be referencing to? They do look verrry different though, and the E233-2000 came after the award was given...

Super Multi Train:

"This train car is a Super Multi Train! This is the latest train car! Improved acceleration and deceleration! Automated train-car controls! It's full of cutting-edge technologies. Also, a regeneration brake system, a car-body tilting system, a whatchamacallit system, a thingamabob system... I don't remember all the details, but it's just a big festival of all the latest technology!"

Ohhoho! The Super Multi Train description is a goldmine of details! This train is the whole reason I wanted to make this post! Let's run through its features!

Improved acceleration and deceleration means that it can run between stops faster, allowing for quicker operation time.

Automated train-car controls or ATC is a safety system on trains that prevents trains from going over a certain speed! If the train goes over the maximum speed permitted then the ATC will pull the brakes automatically to reduce the speed and release the brakes when it is below maximum speed. It also displays the maximum speed to the driver. It is an incredibly important safety system!! From what I understand, the term ATC is very common in Japan, in other countries the ATC would simply be a part of cab signaling (it is a safety system mainly for the driver and train crew, it tells them track status and condition information) and train protection technologies. ATC is installed on all Shinkansen trains, it is also installed in some subways and heavily used railways.

Here's an example of what it looks like! The green triangle there is the (current) maximum speed. There are a lot of different types of ATC systems and this ones a D-ATC (stands for Digital Automatic Train Control) from within an E233! There are a whole lot of different types of ATC, and they can come in many looks! I would show more examples, however, I have hit the image limit on this post... :[

A regenerative brake system is a special type of breaking that allows a train to generate electricity via breaking! The electricity can either be used immediately, stored, or returned back into the line. You might've heard this feature on electric or hybrid cars. It is a common eco friendly feature!

A car-body tilting system is a feature in trains that allows the body of the train car to tilt into a curve! It allows the train to go faster on a track (not needing to slow down on a curve) but the feature is mainly for passenger comfort! When you ride, you don't feel the centrifugal force at all when going around a curve! And it makes the ride so smooth! Here's a short video demonstrating what it looks like:

There are essentially two major ways to do a car body tilting system. There is active tilting (forced body tilting) or passive tilting (pendulum system). A forced body tilting system uses computers to tilt the train using track data or sensors, telling the train when and how much to tilt. If the calculation is not done correctly, it can leave passengers with motion sickness (An infamous example is the Advanced Passenger Train in the UK). The tilting itself I believe is done via hydraulics. Forced Body Tilting is more popular in European and American trains.

As for passive tilting, the train in the video uses it! (A controlled pendulum train!) It means it uses natural forces to tilt the train car. I'll dive deeper into this type of tilting in the Wi-Fi train section because it actually mentions it's a pendulum train! As to which tilting type the Super Multi train has... it could honestly be either.

(Ah! I forgot to mention this, but tilting trains are especially useful in mountainous regions, where there are a lot of curves.)

In the Japanese version of the Super Multi description, it also mentions that it has a "earthquake warning system" and a "tornado monitoring system".

An earthquake warning system is not something fully installed into the train, rather it's mainly a set of sensors installed along the track, coast, and major inland areas. For passenger rail, if any signs of an earthquake are detected, it will alert any trains in the affected area and drivers are required to apply their emergency brakes. For shinkansen trains it will cut off power to the affected area which will automatically activate the emergency brakes.

Well, I found something close to a tornado warning system. There is a "gust warning system" where sensors measure wind speed and to predict where strong gusts of wind would go. Again, it's not a system that is installed within the train. From what I could tell, they would restrict travel speed during strong winds. If wind speeds are too high, then they would shut down the lines. (I suppose would be very useful, especially when there's some legendaries that cause powerful storms roaming around.)

In the Japanese version of the text, it also states that the Super Multi Train is also a test train. Which again means there's also not a lot of this train. It also states that some of it's features are unnecessary due to it being a test train lol

In the description all these features are stated as "cutting edge" and "a festival of all the latest technology" when these features are not all that new? And Regenerative breaking seems to be pretty common? (Every irl train I have shown thus far all have it.) Eh, I don't think it's that big of a deal. They are just fictional trains after all.

I originally thought the train looked like an Eizan Railway Deo 800 series, but thanks to the leaks, it looks like that the JR East 205-500 was used as a base to design the Super Multi Train? With probably heavy modification to the final design. (While I don't condone the method that these leaks were obtained, curiosity did get the better of me. This is the only train that I ID-ed this way.)

This Train was exclusive to the Sagami Line, though it ended operation in 2022 and every one of these trains have been scrapped. The blue color I believe is an homage to the Sagami River that runs along the line. The Train used a semi automatic door system for its passenger doors. Which means that rather than the conductor opening and closing the doors, the passengers would press a button to open the door when the train has stopped.

Wi-Fi Train:

"This train car is a Wi-Fi Train! It is the fastest long-distance high-speed train in the Battle Subway! This is called a pendulum car. Its body tilts while going around curves, so it can run without slowing down! Faster! Farther! Our engineers' spirits are infused in it!"

A pendulum car is a very specific term!!! Like I mentioned in the Super Mutli Train section it is a type of car body tilting. There are multiple types of Pendulum systems, There is Natural Pendulum, Controlled Pendulum, Air Spring (also called Simple Pendulum), and Hybrid.

Natural Pendulum is just using the centrifugal force of when it goes around a curve to tilt the train. This type was known to cause motion sickness in riders because when it straightened out, the car would "lag" or wobble. Sometimes the force was not enough to tilt the train and this would also cause passenger discomfort. These issues were fixed later with a controlled pendulum, where there would be a degree of control to the tilting. Using mechanisms similar to forced body tilting, it would prevent wobble and ease the tilt. The air spring method, as suggests in the name, uses air springs to help with tilting. It is similar to the controlled pendulum, though it tilts less than it (controlled pendulum can tilt 6 degrees and air springs can only tilt 2 degrees). Air springs are cheaper to build though and still are able to make the train go faster. Hybrid is the combination of controlled pendulum and air springs, allowing for an 8 degree tilt.

I hope the Wi-Fi train is not a natural pendulum? You're telling me you have to battle on that and you might get motion sickness?? Though it sounds like it might be more high tech so it is most likely the other types... Hopefully...

It also states that this train is the "fastest long-distance high-speed train in the Battle Subway!" Looking at Japan's tilting trains (that are not shinkansen), they go about 120kmh-130kmh (about 75 mph-81 mph.) So it could be a possibility that the Wi-Fi goes something along those speeds.

I've looked through Japan's tilting trains, and the closest one might be the JR Hokkaido Kiha 201 series? It's not at all close though... I can't really find a good match tbh. I think the 113 series seems to be a bit more closer visually.

The one on the left is a Kansai livery and the right is a JR Shikoku livery. They are both the same train, JR Shikoku bought the 113 series from JR East to replace some aging trains and then modified it. Which is why they look a bit different. The modifications include strengthening the front of the train and adding shock absorbing material inside.

So Those are all the trains that run in the Battle Subway! However there are 2 trains that don't, instead they only show up in Anville Town on certain days. I'll be calling them "Old Train Car" and "Futuristic Train Car"

"Old Train Car"

"This train car is the kind that ran a long time ago. Compared to contemporary train cars, it has more parts, so I heard it was difficult to build. The old train cars built with lots of small parts have their own unique beauty and attract a lot of fans. Those cars no longer run in the Battle Subway, but I hear they're still used in a faraway region. Ah... I'd love to be on that train!"

So this sort of car used to run on the Battle Subway. It's said to be still running in another region, though with how old the train looks I can only think that maybe it would be running by railway preservationists.

The design of this train reminds me a lot of old Japanese electric trains and trams. Especially trams with that double roof. I don't think it's really based on any particular vehicle? Here's a couple that I found;

The only one I feel like is worth mentioning is the Jomo Electric Railway Deha 101 (this specific car is the Deha 101, others of its kind are called Deha 100 type) and the Nagasaki Electric Railway 160 type. Both of these vehicles I believe are still running to some capacity.

The Jomo Deha 101 has been running for over 90 years. While car 101 still resides at Jomo Railway, other Deha 100s have been transferred to other private companies where they have been scrapped. I believe the only existing Deha 100s today are Car 101 and Car 104 (which has been painted bright yellow.)

The Nagasaki Electric Railway 160 type used to belong to the Kyushu Electric Tramway where it was called the Type 1 Electric Tram. When it was transferred to the Nagasaki Electric Railway it was renamed into the 160 type. Today, there is a single car in operation. I believe it is the oldest wooden car in Japan that is still in service.

I suppose I will also mention the Keifuku Electric Railway Mobo 21 Type Train, it does look the most similar. Though, it's purposefully designed to look like an old style tram.

"Futuristic Train Car"

"This train car is a new train to run in the future! Wooo! Cool! Super cool! The latest motor breathes fire! Uh-oh, if it really breathed fire, that would be bad! But it is full of the latest technologies! It's undergoing a lot of testing. It's called a gauge-convertible train. It's a sweet car that can adjust its wheels to run on any rail!"

So first off, I'd like to say that this train visually kind of looks like a "Sonic" 883 series (nothing to do with the blue hedgehog, it was just a coincidence lol)

However the description!!!! A "gauge convertible train" that is undergoing a lot of testing... That description matches exactly with the GCT! (literally standing for Gauge Change/Convertible Train, though in Japanese it's called FGT or Free Gauge Train!)

The GTC is the project name for this experimental shinkansen. The one in the picture is the GTC-01, the second generation of its kind (as this is the version they would be testing before and during the development of the game, there is now a 3rd generation.) So, the term gauge refers to the distance between the two rails. Different trains run on different gauges, they can come in either narrow gauge, standard gauge, or wide gauge. Japan's rail network is mostly narrow gauge (specifically Cape Gauge.) The main exception are the shinkansen trains, which run on standard gauge. This shinkansen like the description says would be able to run on any gauge. It used to be under a lot of testing by the Free Gauge Train Technology Research Association. Today though, the GTC-01 second generation sits on display in the Shikoku Railway Heritage Museum.

There are a lot of challenges that the GTC faces. It takes a bit of time for the wheels to adjust to the gauge and you need to go slower when it's doing so. It has increased maintenance costs. The heavier specialized bogie creates more wear on the rails as well as making the train harder to detect. (Ok! Basic explanation for Railway Signaling! Tracks are split up into sections called "blocks", and a small electrical current is run between the two tracks that makes up the block. When a train runs through, the wheel and axle of the train disrupts the current, which then the system detects that block as being occupied by a train. If it is occupied, the signal lights at the end of the block will be turned red, preventing other trains from entering the same block, thus preventing collisions. The problem arises in the GTC in that the wheel and the axle are separate, thus something about this is making it hard to detect on the rail.)

With this train being a "gauge change train" it really made me wonder what gauge the Battle Subway trains runs at? I thought maybe standard gauge or maybe even wide gauge because you can only make the train so wide depending on the gauge. And you'd probably want it wider so that there is more room, especially if you are fitting a battle arena in it! However in Japanese the description mentions that "The rails are a little wider on the tracks that run at higher speeds." Which is... exactly how Japanese rail works? So the Battle Subway lines are probably narrow gauge?

Another thing that's interesting about the "Futuristic Train" is the date that it actually shows up. In Anville Town the way that each train shows up is dependent on the last digit of the day of the month, like so:

0- (10th, 20th, and 30th) "Old Train Car"

1- (1st, 11th, 21st, and 31st) Single Train Car

2- (2nd, 12th, and 22nd) Double Train Car

3- (3rd, 13th, and 23rd) Multi Train Car

yada yada you get the point (4- Super Double Train, 5- Super Single Train, 6- Super Multi Train, 7- Anville Town Train, 8- Nothing, 9- Wi-Fi Train)

The only exception is the "Futuristic Train" who will show up ONLY on February 1st, June 12th, October 1st, October 14th, and December 30th, pretty random huh? haha of course not! These dates are dates significant to the History of Japanese Railway/Transportation!

February 1st: The opening of Japan's first electric street car in 1895!

June 12th: The temporary operation of Japan's first passenger railway in 1872!

October 1st: The release of Japan's first Shinkansen, the series 0 in 1964!

October 14th: The official opening of Japan's first passenger railway in 1872, with the first two stations between Shimbashi and Yokohama! This day is also Railway Day in Japan, celebrating this event, Tokyo holds a Railway Festival and train companies like to do events on this day as well! 

December 30th: The opening of Japan's first subway line in 1927, The Ginza Line!

Rails, Station Platform, and More Train:

So the Station, there are a few details I can pick up on here!

The type of track that the trains run on (at least in the station) are ballastless tracks! It means the rail is tied directly onto a slab of concrete rather than having ballast hold it up (ballast is that rocky gravel that you often see beneath the tracks.) This type of track is quite expensive to build and makes the place a lot nosier, but it has a lot of advantages! For one, because there is no ballast to maintain, it has lower maintenance cost (ballast must be packed every now and again using a ballast tamping machine. Which lifts the track and jostles the ballast beneath it. Ballast also needs to be replaced after a while because the rocks have to be irregularly shaped for it to work, and natural weathering can make them smooth out.) It is also easier to clean and has a longer lifespan. Because the rail is tied to slabs of concrete the rails are less prone to deformation, which is good! Though it is also that same inflexibility means that it is difficult to change anything about it and takes longer to repair.

Their buffer! (that little black thing at the end of the line, I think it is a buffer?) It doesn't look like that effective of a buffer... The purpose of a buffer is to stop a train if brakes fail. Though this thing seems to be more for the driver telling them where the end is, hence all the, what I presume are, lights. Let's hope they have some sort of other safety system in place (like some sort of Automatic Train Stop system.)

There doesn't seem to be a third rail. I have a feeling that might be because most Japanese railway trains are powered via overhead wire (literally every irl train I have shown is powered this way.) Maybe the Battle Subway trains might be powered via overhead wire? I might be over analyzing here, they might not have thought of modeling such a small detail haha

The train itself has some sort of device on top (that box thing.) I believe it to be some sort of air conditioning unit. Given how each train car has one large unit on top of it, I believe that it uses a centralized cooling system, which means there is one large air conditioning unit. (There are 2 other types, they are distributed cooling which consists of 6-8 small units and centralized distributed which consists of a couple of medium sized units.) Central cooling systems are easier to install and maintain because there is only one unit to worry about.

Signboards:

The Buildings in between routes have a electronic news bulletin board, and depending on which city is connected to it, the news bulletin will give a little flavor text about the city. There's some flavor text about the Battle Subway when it's about Nimbasa City, and it different depending on whether you are playing the first one or the second one, here they are:

BW

"Run and battle! Trains never stop!” Battle Subway in Nimbasa City"

"They say someone who loved battles also happened to be a railway maniac, and thats why we now have the battle subway"

So, this might be a coincidence, but there is an old name that Japanese Train Fans used to call themselves. The name was "Railway Mania" (鉄道マニア direct translation). It was used up until the 1950s. Today it's seen as a derogatory term but it was used very commonly back in its heyday (even more popular than "railfan" apparently.) I think it is kind of interesting that the term "Railway Maniac" was chosen for this flavor text and I wonder if it has anything to do with this old name. However, I say it might just be a coincidence because the term "Maniac" is not unheard of word in Pokemon (Item Maniac, Poke Maniac, Hex Maniac, etc.) But regardless, there's that little fun fact for you!

B2W2

“Get on a train and fight!” Battle Subway in Nimbasa City"

"The energy generated by heated Pokémon battles is the fuel that keeps the Battle Subway running"

I'm going to get a little headcanon-y here. We can interpret this figuratively, as in if there are no battles then its not really a Battle Subway is it? But I think it would be fun to interpret it literally! What if Pokemon Moves could get absorbed somehow to power the Train? And if the Train doesn't need it it could go into the line to power something else in the Subway! I think that would be cool :]

Extra Stuff:

●I think the Battle Subway Map could also be inspired by JR East's rail map, the main reason is the single lines (dark green) which goes in a loop around the Unova Region...

Reminds me of the Yamanote Line (light green) which also goes in a loop connecting a variety of major stations together in Tokyo and is a very very important line!

●While I do believe Gear Station is inspired by New York's Grand Central Station, I do think there's a lot of design elements taken from Tokyo Station as well

●The gray bodies of the Anville, Single, Doubles, and Multi cars are probably meant to represent an exposed steel/aluminum body rather than the ones painted white like the Super Trains.

●In the Anime, the trains are said to have an ATO system, this is also a real system, it stands for Automatic Train Operation. It's a system that allows a computer to control when the train stops and goes with no driver involved! I don't think that the trains in the games run on an ATO system though, as there are Depot Agents who talk about train driving (Depot Agent Cameron who says "I’m good at driving, but I’m not good at dealing with Pokemon." at the start of battle, and a way more obscure Depot Agent whom you can talk to on the platform after 14 wins on a Super Train who says "I’d rather have an exciting battle than slowly drive the train.")

●In the Anime, there's a stamp rally, which is a real thing! There are station stamps in Japan which tourists can collect. Though, occasionally Pokemon will collaborate with JR East to create a Pokemon Stamp Rally! The most recent is this Pokemon Horizons Stamp Rally promoting the show! Here's a map of what stamps you can collect at each station and the prizes you can get!

●In the Nacrane city library there is a book that mentions that Nacrane used to have steam locomotives running through it!

"This book is about the things you can ride in the Unova region, such as Castelia City’s cruise ship and Mistralton City’s planes. Before there were planes, locomotives carried people all over Unova. The railway in Nacrene City is a legacy of those lines." (B2W2)

What kinds of Steam Locomotives? I suppose we will never know, as we never see one in game.

●There's an Roughneck NPC you can talk to at Tubeline Bridge in B2W2 where he says

"Watch it! People use “railway fan” as a catchall term, but there are many types of railway fans! There are riding fans, detraining fans, station fans, train-car fans, schedule-table fans, picture-taking fans, recording fans, and more! Don’t go thinking they’re all the same!" (B2W2)

So in Japanese, Railway is Tesudo (鉄道, testu 鉄- Iron and do 道-Road) and a Railway Fan is Tesudofan, however fans will abbreviate to just Testu and stick what aspect of trains they enjoy with it, so like 乗り鉄 (Nori 乗り-Ride, 鉄-tetsu) as a Train Riding Fan, or 撮り鉄 (Tori 撮り-Taking a Picture, 鉄-tetsu) as a Railway Photography fan. There are a lot of these and the NPC does go over some! There's also Railway Modeling Fans (Fans who collect model trains and/or construct model railways), Collecting Fans (Fans who collect railway related items such as tickets or stamps), Operation Fans (Fans who like researching railway operation and equipment), Regulation Fans (Fans who like researching railway handbooks and laws and regulations that go into a railway), Simulation Fans (Fans who like playing train driving/railway management games), Artists/Writers, Urban Explorers, and Railway Preservationist (I gave up on the last ones lol). There are lots of ways to enjoy trains!

There's also the super specific terms of "Mama Tetsu" where a mother becomes a railway fan because of their children's interest or "Oyako Tetsu" where a child becomes interested in trains because of their parents.

●The badge on Ingo and Emmet's hats probably represents the logo for the railway company that they work for, while researching about Japanese Railway Companies, I noticed that they have a lot of circular logos, here's a handful:

From what I could gather, these types of black and white circular logos are called a mon, kind of like a crest? If you wish to scroll about the logos, here is the link for the Wikimedia commons list.

The company's logo is also what's usually depicted on irl conductor's hats anyways, in the exact same place too.

(I was looking for a screenshot to showcase the hat to put here, but instead I found this promotional video! It's actually pretty good at going over the basics of what a driver and conductor actually do! Please feel free to check it out)

●The name "Depot Agent" is a little bit of a strange name, in Japanese the name is simply "Railway Worker", a depot is often referred to a train yard, however depot can also refer to a station, given where we see this trainer class working (at Gear Station), it is most likely that the depot in this case is referring to station, so they are station workers!

Final:

After all this I have come to the conclusion that somebody at Gamefreak really liked trains! And I really think all the little details are so awesome! and it really cements the Battle Subway as my favorite battle facility!

Anyways I hope you learned a thing or two and I hope you gained a new appreciation for trains and the Battle Subway! Thanks for Reading! ✌

(If I got anything wrong, please feel free to correct me, there was a lot of information I had to sift through and I am NOT an engineer * _ * and if you have something to add please do! I would love to learn more! ^ ^

[thornswoggled]

on chises family, “a storm brewing in the east,” and future arcs

[ive written this post before, but its due for a refresh. now that jasper has been introduced, the whole last half of that post is moot, and i have additional thoughts on chika as well as more context on my thoughts on yori.]

now that fumiki is back in the picture, id like to theorize that yuuki hatori will soon follow. [see post: yori is fumiki and heres why.] more attention being paid to chises life in japan [ch 50, 75], chise wondering why her father “abandoned his role" [ch 57], and elias expressing curiosity over the circumstances that led her to meet seth [ch 74] are all hints towards yuukis story coming to light

one thing TAMB does that i love is how tertiary characters are facsimiles meant to help us understand our main characters. for example, all the dysfunctional pairs we see in the first arc that we are meant to compare and contrast elias and chise to, all in various ways that help us understand the ways their relationship might evolve. these minor characters may seem unimportant, but are preparing us to accept developments in the main cast. i believe there are two characters in the college arc that are prepping us for yuuki hatoris story - seth noel and adam sargent

lets first address fumiki, who ill just call yori. yori seems to have mastery over his eyes, which “have the power to bind [fae]” according to gabriella [ch 51]. this is a power both he and yuuki have, which protects chise and chika for a time. however, chika implies that he didnt always have this ability, or perhaps didnt have the sight at all until he became involved with her. which is strange, considering yori has a “family business” important enough to require he study abroad to train for:

[sources: ch 19, ch 98]

(id like to note that this line about training is almost certainly a result of his "reeducation" in italy, as we already know that his true purpose was to audit and replace simon. but i think theres at least a kernel of truth to it)

lets run with the idea that yuuki started off with weak or nonexistent powers. have any other men in this series been booted from their families because they lacked the skill?

[source: ch 63]

its possible that this “family business,” assuming it exists in truth and is not a fabrication of yoris brainwashing (which i dont think it is, considering he seems specialized in exorcism), eventually learned that yuuki acquired his binding powers, as well as a child with the same ability. again, are there are other men who are forcibly dragged back to their family, to the detriment of their young daughters?

[source: ch 83]

theres a few reasons why i think such care and time was put into the backstory of philomelas family. chise has done much of the character growth thats possible for her at this time, and attempts to “fix” philomela as a way of fixing herself. she projects on her, and for good reason too, since we are meant to compare them almost 1:1. i believe that the amount of time sunk into adam sargents story is meant to warm us up to understanding yuukis situation, regardless of whether we are meant to forgive him for his abandonment. seths story, too, introduces us to the idea of magical families booting their unworthy kin. which leads us to:

[source: ch 42]

going back to the screencap for the beginning, lets give yuuki the benefit of the doubt and assume hes being truthful when he promises hell be back one day. this phrasing is really interesting, and i feel like it implies yuuki knows the place hes going is dangerous. if hes returning to his family, or to some sort of organization (which i say because yori is part of the church), perhaps hes afraid that theyll be taken advantage of. or… maybe he was just lying! there is very little we understand about the church, so there are all manner of reasons why yuuki and yori may have ended up involved with them

regardless of reason, i dont believe that yuuki left because he wanted to. rather, i think he was being summoned. lets look at this little fae that appears twice, just pages apart:

[source: ch 42]

this weasel-like creature appears as soon as yuuki gets home in the first instance, and appears again immediately before yuuki packs up to leave. it looks distinctly different from the abstract, blight-like monsters that trail this family day to day, and id like to theorize that it is specifically keeping tabs on yuuki. in my theory post about yori, i wrote that the fox yori keeps in a tube [ch 51] is a kuda-kitsune, a sort of familiar kept by soothsayers. another word for this type of creature is 飯綱, or izuna, which is read in modern japanese as... the least weasel! yamazaki has solidified her reputation as someone who doesnt shirk on research, and i think this linguistic connection is enough to suppose whether the weasel that summons yuuki home came from the same source as yoris familiar

now, to discuss something i neglected to mention in the first version of this post. the ways in which we can compare philomelas and chises families doesnt end with yuuki. not only is alcyone a sort of elias, but iris is a sort of chika. id like to start with noting that iris' backstory of having been sold by her parents is a reflection of the original backstory yamazaki wrote for chise in the first drafts of TAMB. the dregs of chises old backstory finally gets used when iris' story is revealed:

[sources: merkmal, ch 83]

iris and chika are two mothers who deeply love their children, but are doubtful that they will be able to protect them when it counts:

[sources: ch 83, ch 42]

this next part might be a little controversial, but id like to take a look at the scene when chika snaps. specifically, the way her inner voice is framed:

[source: ch 42]

the black mist that we see in the apartment is similar to other depictions of malevolent magical energy weve seen before, such as the blight elias creates just one chapter before in ch 41 when he languishes over chise leaving him. it also seems to be pouring in from the same window where we've seen the weasel hanging out. the way chikas intrusive thoughts are depicted as a separate, shadowy figure is also remarkably similar to chises inner voice that tells her to kill the nucke-lavee:

[source: ch 61]

its possible that the voice that urges chika to kill chise is coming from somebody else entirely. like how chises curse[s] urge her to violence, i think theres a chance that someone wanted chise and chika to die, but didnt want to get their hands dirty. after all, if the family yuuki left behind died, he would stop trying to leave to reunite with them or retrieve them. being able to frame their deaths as a result of his abandonment would also be great manipulation fodder if he was summoned to wherever he went against his will

to be a naysayer of my own theory, i think it would cheapen chikas death if it turned out that she was not wholly responsible for her own actions. it would also make chises refusal to forgive her less impactful if it... literally wasnt her fault. but the way her attempt to kill chise is visually depicted makes me think theres a nonzero chance she truly didnt want to do it

lets take a look at the way iris' and chikas deaths are depicted:

[sources: ch 83, ch 42]

the visual of billowing curtains was often used in early chapters when it wasnt yet clear what happened to chises mother, and it gets used again when iris dies. and just as chika throws herself off the balcony, alcyone leaps through the window with philomela. im also stuck on the line of "we messed up and let his daughter escape." i dont mean to imply that i think we should hold up philomela and chises respective backstories as 100% 1:1, but they are remarkably similar in terms of broad plot points. if the same force that compelled yuuki to leave also compelled chika to get rid of the remains of yuukis old life, i wonder why it is that no one ever directly tried to kill chise again. did they lose track of her when she began moving from home to home?

speaking of... do we know whether chika took yuukis surname when they married, or the other way around? japanese law requires spouses to have the same last name, but husbands will sometimes take their wifes name. as far as i know, theres no explicit confirmation that the hatori family chise stays with in the OVA are related to yuuki or chika. just as seth changed his name when he was driven from the webster family, it could be that yuuki distanced himself from his past by taking chikas name. after all, if the hatoris who care for chise are truly so fed up with her, why would they not attempt to track down yuuki and "return" her if hes their relative?

(by the way, what yuuki did in taking fumiki was legal. japan is only just now going to start allowing joint custody in 2026, "parental child abduction" was not illegal at the time we're to suppose TAMB takes place, and yuukis disappearance can be considered an instance of jōhatsu. i just think its important for cultural context, because as a western reader i know i tripped up on "wait, WHY was yuuki allowed to do that without consequence?")

do i think that yuuki will ever physically appear in the story again now that fumiki has? i would love him to, but i dont know that chise will ever be allowed the closure of seeing his point of view:

[source: ch 42]

theres such a sense of finality to this line. just as philomela was only able to speak to her father in the form of a curse taking his shape, i dont know that chise will have the luxury of meeting yuuki again. theres a strong possibility that hes already dead, especially if he persisted in attempting to reunite with the rest of his family. frankly, i always thought he looked unhappy with his life in the scenes from ch 42, but his instinct in wanting to bring chise with him makes me believe that only death would ensure he never tried to see or support her again. though, if this is a safe space for me to express a little self-indulgence:

[source: ch 51]

we still dont know who sent yori to audit simon. the church is such a large organization ("a loose collection of private armies," as gabriella puts it in this same chapter) that yori being taken to be reeducated by another branch of the same organization that sent him to audit simon in the first place is not unusual or contradictory. let me first state that i dont think yori has ever been aware that he has a sister, or that he knows chise is in any way related to him (again, this post supposes that yori is fumiki). but in my heart of hearts, in my very soul, i do think it would be just so wonderfully dramatic for yuuki - or any member of his family, for that matter - to send yori off to ensure that elias, and chise by association, are under the watchful eye of someone they can more reliably control. if chise was not worth anything to them when chika died, perhaps their interest in her is piqued now that shes a mage-in-training under the apprenticeship of a vastly powerful creature. even if its not yuuki trying to figure out what the deal is with the mage who bought his daughter, perhaps his family is interested in how she can contribute to them

again, to be a naysayer to my own theories before someone else can be, i doubt that yoris reeducation and months-long stay with simon would be overlooked if a member of yuukis family sent him for the initial auditing. though theres a chance alonza had a hand in making sure his stay with simon continues. we just have to wait and see

under what context might we meet the rest of chises family? i have some ideas, but this soon into the arc everything is too subject to change. im also not convinced any of this will be addressed in the fiendbane arc. after all, yori was first introduced at the beginning of the college arc, and is only now becoming relevant. so all of this may only be laying the groundwork for yuuki to return in another arc, if not this one, which already has a lot cooking with the dragon, the new mage, etc. but then again, we get oberons little prophecy:

[source: ch 99]

it doesnt seem that oberons phrasing in the JP text matches what the great wall of china is called in japanese, but i dont think we are meant to interpret "a distant land" in any way other than japan. yamazaki has a quirky tendency to refer to japan in her works as a faraway land in the east, which extends to spinoffs like wizards blue

with the growing interest elias has expressed in chises life before she met him, and with the appearance of yori, perhaps we will learn more about yuukis story and circumstances when the brewing storm finally breaks. her family may even have something to do with it! but i doubt that any of this will come to fruition during the current arc. so until we get the next arc several years from now... ill leave you with this theory!

[callsign-rogueone]

I don't know if I'm the only one wondering, but I wanted to know what you think about it in your girlfriendverse or in canon.

How do dragons handle childbirth? Since riders and dragons can sense each other's feelings and pain, I wonder what they think or how they react to the whole pregnancy and childbirth thing, because no offense, but I doubt you can block your dragon properly while you give birth to a human being.

Thank you in advance and btw, I love the way you think.🩵

Take care, beautiful.✨️

ooh interesting. I hadn’t thought about that before! we need Aimsir to call in since he’s been through this three times with Lilith lol

naturally, this question raises several more questions for me about the magic system 😅

I’d imagine that if at all possible, you should have a mender on standby to block the pain, to fix you up in case of emergency, and help you recover physically afterward. but when Brennan says he “blocks” someone’s pain, it sounds like he’s just stopping them from feeling it, and not taking it away or stopping the physiological process of it, so can the dragon still sense it?

and re: dragon and rider being able to “feel” each other’s pain… does the dragon actually feel the human’s pain at the same level / location, like it’s happening to them? or is it more of a “something is very wrong with your human, go save them!” impending-doom feeling?

I think it’s implied that the dragon is better at blocking out the rider, since they’re the ones who have the magic, they’re just sharing it with their human, and they’re older and have more practice using shields etc. so they’d likely be able to muffle the pain, at least, but I imagine it would still be distressing to feel the pain + be worried about the rider dying in the process, since this is a fantasy world without modern medicine, and even for us these days, it’s still risky.

I have so many questions about the level of medical tech in FW… I don’t know how much prenatal care and tracking they can do. I imagine that it’s always a surprise if you’re having a boy or a girl, and you don’t really know much about the baby’s health until they’re born.

also… imagine how much more protective your dragon would be if you’re expecting 🥺

they reproduce differently than us but they still understand — my human is making a tiny new human inside themself. this is a long, delicate process for them and they must be protected at all costs!

Cosa and Cath are not letting anyone “suspicious” get close to Love. Dain gets a pass obviously, and so do Brennan, Duchess, Darling, and Bodhi, since that’s her inner circle. the other marked ones are thoroughly sniffed and watched closely to check their vibes, but any fliers or non-Tyrrish better back the fuck up. Cosa is gonna be extra careful on flights (a little seat belt, like Tairn did for Vi at first) and maybe even reduce the strength of Love’s signet a little bit so she doesn’t strain herself.

and heaven help everyone when Duchess has her babies. the entire riot is going to be guarding her, and even Brennan isn’t safe. she’d have to reassure some of them that he’s her mate / the father of her child, and he’s not going to hurt her. and if she had to be on bed rest, Marbh would absolutely snitch to Brennan if she tried to climb up the hill to see the riot.

“I love the way you think” is the compliment of the century. I spend way too long on ask answers and I usually cut them down about 50% every time, believe it or not. it’s a jungle in here. but I’m glad it makes sense to people lol

love ya! stay hydrated 💗

[lestappenforever]

Heyyy!! I just wanted to drop some thoughts on Charles Ferrari contract because it seems very fishy atm.

This entire assumption of a 50 mil extension till 2029 is going off of one (1) rumour spread by one (1) Italian source so already there should be some alarm bells. Plus, it is highly unlikely that Charles would sign it since even the rumours are saying that there is an agreement but nothing is on paper. And there may well be an agreement like this but it is highly likely that Charles will sit on it as long as possible and most likely until mid season which gives Ferrari enough time to demonstrate improvement. We know that especially in the latter parts of the season Charles has been increasingly disillusioned with Ferrari that stems from a combination of things that Ferrari and Fred are trying to publicly alter so it would suite Charles and his needs but as another anon here pointed out, Ferrari is Ferrari and the core issues don’t just lie with a shitty car this season but are actually embedded in the structure of the team and Ferrari as an organisation.

That being said, there is regardless no way that Charles would sign anything now because it makes very little sense; he has already been able to get lot just by putting pressure on Ferrari and casting doubt over his position with them post-2024, including getting a car developed around him and questioning if Carlos should continue with Ferrari as a second driver. It’s also been mentioned multiple times that he has said that his possible extension will depend on the car next year and it’s development and it is way too early to tell anything meaningful. Also this is basically the same rumour that circulated post-Monza and nothing came from it so it may be that an agreement doesn’t even exist although I am more inclined to think that there is an agreement but Charles won’t sign anything until much later on once he his confidence in Ferrari and being able to win a WDC with them is restored.

This second theory would explain why people related to Ferrari and Ferrari officials have Ben taking part in excessive public pandering for the past couple of weeks. There is much being said about how amazing Charles is and comparing him to Michael etcetc but that just seems like publicly trying to convince him and as they have done before, create public pressure and expectation for him to sign the extension. It may be that, just as the rumours post-Brazil, that these rumours were also intentionally spread for this same reason.

On thé other side is rbr and I really don’t think that all of the things that we have picked up on are suddenly void just because of these rumours. It is almost a certainty that charles and rbr went back into negotiating or at least having informal talks (hence the shift of the teams attitude towards Charles) about a possible future with rbr. For rbr, they don’t lose anything by trying to sign Charles. If they get him that’s great if they don’t then that’s fine because they have a considerably large talent pool to pick and choose from so they only have to gain in pursuing Charles. Obviously there may well be worries about dealing with two number one drivers but I think after Charles show in Singapore and Abu Dhabi they would be certain that he would be able to make sacrifices for the team, it would be a case of getting max on the same agenda but since we haven’t seen max be put into a similar position in a long time because of rbrs dominance, we can’t really say how he would act. Two number one drivers is a risk but as we have said before if any team potentially would and could do it, it would be rbr.

I am willing to bet that the moment pre-season testing starts, rbr will start to court Charles again and farming lestappen content because once more, they have nothing to lose, if nothing comes of it then they will still have massive engagement because as we are increasingly seeing: lestappen sells. Also, we should wait for the FIA prize giving ceremony on Friday because we are bound to get some interesting content. The devil works fast but Christian Horner works faster so let’s see.

Anon, I love you. I'm not even going to add anything to this because I agree with every single thing you've said, and there's nothing you haven't covered in this ask.

I just want to point out this particular part, because it is absolutely true:

The devil works fast but Christian Horner works faster so let’s see.

Only time will tell how this saga will actually end, and I'm personally very excited to see where it goes.

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful thoughts! ❤️

[abitofboth]

some more owen carvour hcs because I’m unwell about him

he's meticulous when it comes to cleaning his guns. almost every night on a mission he will sit within the twilight and carefully take them apart and clean every piece. the same goes for his knives, brass knuckles, and any other weapons he happens to use.

he’s pretty consistent with shaving and cutting his hair; keeps his usual length, and a clean shaven face. when he’s going through a rough patch his hair will grow a bit longer and he’ll turn up to work with stubble.

post fall, his hair is down to his shoulders and he has a permanent 5 o'clock shadow.

he doesn’t play games he knows he can’t win. he was so certain that he was going to be the one to kill curt, not the other way around.

he can do tricks with his switch blade and he DELIGHTS in showing off for curt.

big fat crush on brandon shaw from hitchcock’s film ‘rope’. fucked up spy obsessed with his very own fucked up blorbo.

takes the piss out of curt for having a thing for james bond (“the name’s carvour. owen carvour.” “shut UP.”)

connected to that, curt loves the bond novels but can’t concentrate long enough to actually get through them. owen reads them out to him and does voices for all the characters.

he tells curt that “that secret died the night you left me for dead”, but I don’t think that he stopped loving him as soon as he fell. he hated him, yes, but he still loved him. some small part of him was still desperately clinging onto the hope that curt would come back and 'rescue' him from chimera for at least a year or two.

somehow manages to be kinda toxic with his own masculinity but also (in the privacy of his and curt's relationship) fucks with gender a little. for example, he doesn't allow himself emotional relief because 'men don't cry', but on the other hand relishes in being called 'princess' and owns a few lipsticks. loves leaving lipstick kiss marks on curt.

curt is pretty big on cars. he likes tinkering with them, fixing them up, knows all you could need to know about them, and has strong opinions on which ones are good and which ones are shit. owen couldn't care less- as long as it moves and it's not an ugly colour, he's happy.

he has doubts about his job and the governments he serves. where some spies blindly follow, he reluctantly trails behind.

the black and red leather jacket used to be owen's, but curt borrowed it one day and conveniently 'forgot' to give it back. owen has no complaints- he likes curt wearing his clothes and he barely wore it himself anyway.

he stands by the notion that british words and phrases are gospel, and american words and phrases are stupid and wrong.

known for a bit of a resting bitch face. he always looks pissed off, but is probably only pissed off 50% of the time.

older than curt, but only by a year or two.

he is kind to those with less power, and directs his rage to those in charge instead.

has a tendency to pull at his hair when he's super freaked out.

he has panic attacks more often post-fall.

he knows he's hot shit. plays on the 'british charm' when he's flirting with marks and it works every single time.

he knows a decent amount of french. not quite fluent, but enough that he can easily navigate most conversations.

spicy, don't look too close

he likes to take charge most of the time because it's owen, he loves having power in all situations, but he has a submissive streak in him. he doesn't like to admit that it doesn't take much to get him whining and begging.

phone sex. it's risky, but he likes it. transatlantic jerk-offs are key when your partner is in another country.

tops more often than he bottoms, purely because he thinks curt prefers it that way.

pull his hair and watch him melt.

likes when curt manhandles him. he has muscles, and owen wants him to use them.

he'll whisper filthy things to curt on missions with the sole intention of riling him up at the worst possible time.

he enjoys bondage regardless of who is the one being tied up.

[sawyerconfort]

Hey. Could u do a prompt 50 & 52 with Madison Montgomery. Her just dominating fem!reader and being soft at the same time?

Hi anon, sorry it took so long! I know it's been a while since you asked, I hope you're happy anyway…

I'm loving that everyone keeps asking me for Madison stuff around here, I really do. I understand the hype, she's super powerful and she's a bad girl after all.

I already advance that smut requests won't always come out well, because I'm terrible at these things, but I hope you like it, I do my best.

And you, reader who hasn't asked yet, don't bother asking, feel free! I take a while, but I write!

Enjoy!

--------------

50. "let me unzip your dress, please." 52. "use your words."

The Seven Wonders exam was stressing everyone out. Not just Cordelia and Myrtle, the possible authorities, but the younger witches. The competition had become a game of life and death, and it was terrifying to think that others would need to die for just one to rise as the new Supreme.

Only one witch in particular seemed unaffected: Madison Montgomery.

"Lift your head, open your eyes, wear some makeup, (Y\N), come on, cheer up!" "Everyone knows what the outcome will be, but maybe the tables will turn, and you'll be our new queen, who knows?"

You huffed, throwing yourself on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know, Madison."

"You know, sweetie, I bet you do."

Her voice was so convincing that you could easily assume she was just training her mind control skills on you. It was common to want to improve the gifts that you could have, gifts that would help you reach the "throne".

"I know exactly what you need, (Y\N)…" she said, biting her lip. "You need a girl to convince you of your potential… And you're in luck, even more so today."

"Am I?" you frowned, confused.

Madison didn't give you time to think. She simply slithered across the bed like a snake and sat between your legs, wrapping her arms around you with a teasing giggle that automatically had you looking at her mouth.

"Let me unzip your dress, please", she asked in a whisper. "Just to show you how good it can be." You frowned again. "Don't worry, it's just a massage. I promise."

Her reputation didn't help much, but you allowed Madison to unzip your dress, relieving you of at least one pang on your conscience. You didn't know whose idea it was to wear these dress clothes, but they didn't help matters.

Madison started with her hands roaming over your shoulders, gently going over every corner of your skin and every corner of your insecurities. She was relishing the opportunity, you could hear her chuckle as you moaned softly with relaxation. Of course, with someone like Madison Montgomery, a massage would never be just a massage.

"Like that, don't you?" she asked, leaning very close to his ear. "That's good, I didn't even need to read your mind to know that… It never fails." That made her laugh for some reason.

Inevitably, you found yourself wondering how many girls Madison had fooled with Muggle "chill out" speeches, and even how many boys. Suddenly the doubt seemed genuine, and you couldn't resist the urge to ask:

"How many people do you fool a day with that speech of yours?"

Madison was still laughing, and then her hands came out of the massage to support her as she leaned over and whispered in your ear. "Why? You think I'm fooling you, do you?"

Without waiting for an answer, she bit her earlobe and chuckled, a cold, villainous laugh, just like her type. You felt your body shiver with the contact, and suddenly, she threw you on the bed, stopping on top of you.

"We're not going to do anything you don't want to, but you can let me prove I'm being sincere, right?", she whispered, cupping your cheeks and squeezing them. "There's a high possibility that one night of sex will calm you down, you know?"

You rolled your eyes and Madison smiled.

"Oh, no, no, no mockery, let me get rid of these clothes and show you what I'm capable of!", she said, dominating your entire body while kissing you and going through ways to take your clothes off while doing so, taking advantage of your distraction. "Blimey, (Y\N), you're obedient, hm?"

"Yeah, but don't take advantage, okay?", you laughed. "I want to dominate this shit too."

Madison smiled, but it was more than clear that she was the only person who could rule here, within the four walls. You just gave in, because there was nothing more desperate and breathless than her kisses all over your body, wet on your lips and especially too long to take. And then there were her fingers, running over every part of your most intimate parts.

She started in slow strokes, one finger, rasping as she bent her body to reach your pussy better. The other hand, which was useless at the moment, traced full circles across your nipples and made you forget to breathe.

Still feeling dizzy and uncomfortable, you arched as Madison inserted two fingers at once, laughing happily at your reaction. However, your shortness of breath made her alert, and she lifted her head instantly.

"Are you okay? Shall I continue?", she whispered, not wanting the others to hear the onomatopoeia coming out of that room.

You took a deep breath, lifting your head slightly, but you couldn't say anything other than "I…"

"Use your words." Madison insisted, still whispering.

"Just fuck me, Madison Montgomery."

She smiled and took a deep breath, relieved, as she came back more calmly, but with the same intensity and euphoria in her body, introducing the same fingers inside you. She loved seeing you delivered, moaning for her and for her only. And then, after a while, you melted and came for her, sliding until Madison tasted you all over.

You took a breath and lay down side by side, with her head on your chest, smiling from ear to ear.

"Hmmm, really nice… We could do this more often, honey," she whispered, running her fingers over your exposed skin and giggling when she noticed you were flinching and getting goosebumps.

"Okay, I guess…", you whispered back. "But you're going to let me dominate next time, right?"

"All for you, my love," she said, before kissing. "You know, I don't care about missing the Seven Wonders test anymore. I already have my private Wonder right here, and I know, with all my might, that she's going to come back to me for the rest of her life. Because she is tied to me, for all eternity."

[jaybug-jabbers]

Gen 3 Beta Pokemon 'Dex - Page 1

So the teraleak has revealed a whole bunch of beta gen 3 pokemon. I wanted to go through them all one by one and present the gathered information on them in some Tumblr posts. HiResPokemon (HRP) is keeping a spreadsheet of this info, but I find it incredibly awkward to scroll through it, so I wanted to present the info in a format that's easier for me to read (and perhaps for others too).

I'm going to start with the beta pokemon that seem to have been entirely cut. This will no doubt span several posts since there is a 30 image cap per post.

One final note, we do not have equal amounts of data on all of these beta pokemon. For many of them we only have sprites and a name. For others, which were far closer to being included in the game before being cut, we have a lot more info.

Okay, onward to the beta 'mon!

Name: Boyatto [ボヤット]

My Notes: HRP notes this yeti pokemon was possibly inspired by a yokai called Ashiarai Yashiki. (I gotta say it seems uncomfortable to have a mouth on your foot, though)

Name: Bii [ビィ]

My Notes: It appears this pokemon's data was in the process of being swapped over to Wingull; its name is listed as キャモメ(Camome), its typing is Flying/Water, its Category name is Water Bird and its height/weight are Wingull's as well. As such we don't know actually much about this pokemon, other than it looks like a bug type. I am not sure what they were going for with this bug's design, to be honest.

Name: Kuroboshi [クロボッシ]

Type: Rock

Category: Black Stone

Height/Weight: 1'8", 50.7 lbs

Pokedex Entries:

It's impossible to understand what they're thinking because their expression is always the same. When stared at, it makes one feel unsettled.

--

After the rain, they can be seen rubbing their wet bodies with leaves, polishing themselves. They seem to be satisfied when they are shining black.

Evolution: Evolves into Claydol

My Notes: This was apparently inspired by a roly-poly toy, which rights itself if you push it down. While I do feel as though Baltoy matches up with Claydol a lot better, it's a shame this little guy wasn't re-used as a seperate pokemon.

Name: Toroiika [トロイーカ]

My Notes: Previous beta squid pokemon include a couple from Red/Green, and a drill-armed Squid from Gold/Silver. At least we finally got Inkay!

Name: Ubausagi [ウバウサギ]

Type: Normal

Category: Foster

Height/Weight: 2'7'', 27.6lbs

Pokedex Entries:

If it has no offspring, it will seek out a small living thing and place it onto its back.

--

A Pokémon that wraps its tail around to make a cradle while raising its child on its back. Sometimes it bonds with a different creature.

--

It can run 50 meters in 7 seconds flat. Sometimes, it may accidentally drop its child. It brushes its teeth by gnawing on hard objects.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: Its stats are average strength, high speed.

Signature Move Ideas:

'Milk Time' - Withdraws from the battle forcefully to feed milk to the child on its back.

'Tantrum' - The kids on its back throw a fit, screaming loudly, which lowers the opponent's attack power.

My Notes: Literally the best scrapped gen 3 pokemon, fight me

Name: Biskyal [ビスキャル]

Type: Grass

Category: Everlasting Summer

Height/Weight: 2'4'', 17.6lbs

Pokedex Entries:

Lives in warm regions, often acts in groups, becomes very noisy when three or more are gathered.

--

It is said that giving one of its head petals to a loved one will make love come true. It gets furious if someone tries to take its petals.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: Born in tropical regions. It is weak to the cold. As long as the temperature is high, it can survive in even the most polluted environments, showing remarkable toughness and resilience. Its personality is selfish and self-centered. Only females exist.

Evolution: Evolves into Rillidiy

My Notes: HRP notes that this pokemon may have been cut due to the controversy surrounding Jynx (which would have been fresh in the minds at Gamefreak, at the time).

Name: Ryllidy [リリディ]

Type(s): Bug/Psychic (previously Grass)

Category: Red Spider Lily

Pokedex Entries:

It has long antennae that are highly sensitive, capable of sensing subtle air currents to understand the thoughts of its enemies.

--

It mesmerizes opponents with its dance-like movements and deep gaze, putting them into a hypnotic state. Only females of this species have been confirmed.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: The part that looks like a skirt is actually part of its body, and its legs are properly hidden inside. It excels at sensing the emotions of others, using its antennae to feel the opponent's aura. It can manipulate others at will. It is often seen standing still, gazing at the sunset sky.

Evolution: Evolves from Biskyal

Signature Move Ideas:

'Hypnotic Gaze' - Puts the opponent to sleep and manipulates them at will, allowing the user to command the opponent's moves. The opponent must be in a sleep state for this move to work.

Other Moves: Sleep Powder, Stun Spore

Name: Kanbok [カンボック]

Types: Grass/Water (previously pure Grass)

Category: Shrub

Height/Weight: 4'7'', 154.3lbs

Pokedex Entries:

Stores a large amount of water inside its body, which it can expel in a shower-like fashion while spinning. It's particularly useful during hot summer days.

--

Drinks more than 100 liters of water per day, and its leaves on its hands wilt if the water stored in its body runs low.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: By spinning, it creates wind with the leaves on its head and hands. It usually hops around to move. High defense. Can learn water type moves.

Evolution: Was going to evolve into an undecided pokemon which then would have evolved into Tropius

Signature Move Ideas:

'Sprinkler' - a regular physical attack where the body spins rapidly and shoots out water.

Name: Komari [コマリ]

Types: Ghost (previously Psychic)

Category: Spirit

Height/Weight: 8'', 3.3lbs

Pokedex Entries:

Is known to guide those who are lost in deep forests with the sound of its horns. Seeing this Pokémon is said to bring happiness.

--

Shakes its head side to side, producing a clear, bell-like sound similar to a xylophone, using the tones to communicate with others.

Additional Gamefreak Notes: It inhabits deep forests, and its ecology remains unknown. Its horns have a bell-like structure, and when it shakes its head, it makes a 'kaka' sound. When humans or Pokémon approach, it rings its horn to signal its companions. It communicates with its companions through the sound of its horns. It does not have a mouth. When angered, it emits ultrasonic waves from its horns, overwhelming its opponent. Extremely high special defense.

Signature Move Ideas:

'Exit Path' - Forces the opponent’s Pokémon out of battle and makes them switch to another Pokémon.

'Echo' - Reflects the opponent's move back at them.

My Notes: Because its name is a combination of 'Kima' ('the space between trees') and 'Fairy,' if this pokemon were ever made a reality in modern times I think it would be Fairy typing.

Name: Monorabi [モノラビ]

My Notes: Some of these pokemon have critique notes included with them; for our little one-eared rabbit friend here, the note was 'Looks deformed.' That note seemed especially mean and uncalled for, I really like this bun.

Name: Stanbu [スタンブ]

My Notes: The critique for this one was 'too much like Sudowoodo'

Name: Rikugin [リクギン]

Name: Aarei [アーレイ]

Name: Otoma [オトマ]

Type: Water

Category: Scale

Height/Weight: 1'4'', 5.5lbs

Pokedex Entries:

It produces sound by spinning the disc on its head. Each individual produces different musical scales. The sound varies based on the size of its body.

--

When eight of them gather, they start a performance. It inhabits ponds.

Additional Gamefreak Notes:

Uses its tail to flick the disc on its head, creating musical notes. The scale of the notes changes with the size of its body. Lives in small ponds rich in water plants. When its peers gather, they start playing lively music by the water's edge.

Evolutions: Evolves into Keromeelo

My Notes: While we do eventually get the sound-themed Tympole line in gen 5, that family line looks so very cursed to me and I think I prefer the DJ tadpole here.

Name: Keromeelo [ケロメーロ]

Evolutions: Evolves from Otoma

My Notes: It was critiqued for being too similar to Politoed. HRP spreadsheet notes something disturbing, that the orange strand that makes up the shape of a clef note may indeed be this frog's intestines (similar to the swirl in the Poliwag line being its intestines)

Click for Part 2!

[mintytealfox]

Any headcanons about Detective Orpheus?

Yeeeeeeeeeeeee~ The creepy gremlin man who doesn't realize how scary he is lol

and sniffing all the gosh dang drugs like Alice, and him taking it a step further and DRINKING THE ONE IIMMMMM???????? Just like he did when he was still the Novelist 10 years prior LOL Alice maybe doing the same (likely and hopefully not pff) since he finds that same BOTTLE on HER DESK in HER ROOM THE FUUUUHHH???

What are these two DOIN LOL

(side note Alice is familiar with the drug cause the forgetting one was replaced with this hydra one and she was able to escape 👀:

the sticker behind the forgetting one has a hint of one of the hooks of the hydra mark but I totally could be in delusion land again loool)

ANYWAY! (gosh DANG I keep getting side tracked lol)

HEADCANONS GOSH LOL

-Bro has a HORRIBLE case of dual personality(or at least he is convinced he has dual personality. Like he is trying to convince himself he is a good person and would never do anything that he did and its just his alter ego). Where one is aware of everything and trying to lead the other who has control. But the naughty one is able to do 'minor' things such as making him see things and potentially carving clues into his skin 😱but most likely just making him see it not actually doing it, but I wouldn't put the carving past him either honestly.

-Bro hasn't slept in ages, I mean look at him lol he barely 35 and looking in his 50s (which reminds me that Norton would be 38 with 40 around the corner lol old jk jk 🤣 I bet he would age well if he has the opportunity to. I mean look at him, after all he has been through, he should be looking ROUGH considering, but here he is and still looks like a baby bean with his 30s are around the corner looool)

-I don't think he ('or his alter ego') know what happened to everyone after that night. I don't think they know if Alice is alive or not. One seeking for answers the other seeking Alice.

-Orpheus seemed to have gone on with his life and just lived as a detective for 10 years until he got a letter again, then he started loosing his marbles again. So all this time he hasn't been looking or searching, just kind of living. (what if he gave himself that letter and he is so messed up he genuinely doesn't realize like. All of his stuff is so messy I would believe that as a possibility lol everything he says is wild and everywhere oh my gosh)

I wish I had more headcanons but this dude baffles me so much, with all of his stuff being confusing and contradictory and unreliable oh my gosh LOL but he puts on the airs that he has two personalities, one trying to be a good person and find his memories while the other is like "NAHHHHH I GOT PLANS"

bro baffles me so bad man orz I want to give him the benefit of the doubt like this detective version of him does for himself, but I don't trust a darn thing cause he is so unreliable as a narrator lol

-But after all of these events and he gets all those memories again and goes back on his mess? I betcha he would hunt down Alice whether she is alive or not. orz I bet he would try to hunt down all of da capo (if they are alive or not) honestly, and try a REDO, sort of thing, to make sure it all goes RIGHT this time orz He either finds them if he can or finds people like them to try and recreate it orz I feel like Da Capo would HAUNT that 'alter ego' and its a wrong that needs to be made right 🙃

but of course these are just some thoughts/ponderings heh

[whisperingrockandroll]

Ranking Aquato family members by how likely they are to commit tax fraud (least to most)

8 - Razputin Aquato

Of all the members of the Aquato Clan, Raz is currently the only member confirmed to be working for the government. He's the absolute model of a federal employee. The kind of agent they would make naively optimistic 50s movies about. The kind of hero who is everything J Edgar Hoover was not. Honest, caring, loyal, hardworking, excited to chase the call of adventure alongside his heroes, who are also employees of the federal government. He's not a slave to authority, but he could best be described as "Lawful Good" in D&D terminology. As such, Raz would never commit tax fraud. He only wants to help people, rescue their brains, and occasionally commit arson and kill animals. But only when its cool. Also, he hates math.

Likelihood: Never.

7 - Dion Aquato

Dion is a contentious character. Some people hate him because of the way he bullies and insults Raz. Others like him because they see past that and see him as depressed and anxious teenager who's taking his insecurities and pain out on his little brother out of jealousy and the fear of his entire world changing around him. But we're not here to talk about that: we're here to ask if he'd commit tax fraud. The answer is he's simply not smart enough to. We're talking about a guy who heard from his toddler-aged brother that real living human beings reproduced via eggs. He simply isn't smart enough to figure it out. He'll either need a caregiver or spouse to file his taxes for him, or he'll download a terrible app on his phone that he can just barely navigate and might still have to go through an audit just because he got stuff wrong.

Likelihood: Too dumb to commit tax fraud. Even if he were smart enough, he'd probably get frustrated and bored very quickly.

6 - Augustus Aquato

Auggie won't lie to you, the thought of cheating on his taxes has definitely crossed his mind. There's a lot of overhead on a circus, even a small one. With how much the family struggles financially, the temptation has always been there to write off a few fake expenses. But he never has, because he's a responsible father and husband, and would never want to endanger his family by putting their finances and freedom in jeopardy.

Likelihood: Highly unlikely. Good dad energy too strong.

5 - Mirtala Aquato

The member of the family we know the least about. She seems kind enough, though often times sarcastic and smart-alikey. A spirited and adventurers young lass, she might find certain parts of the Internal Revenue Code to be arbitrary, annoying or overly cumbersome. The thought might occur to her to commit tax fraud, but its doubtful she'd ever go all the way through with it. The potential jail time and fines would likely be enough to make her decide against it.

Likelihood: Might do it under pressure, but very unlikely otherwise.

4 - Donatella Aquato

A very passionate Italian mother, often times theatrical. Also very uncool about guilt-tripping her kids! Not cool, Donna! Though in fairness it's treated as a gag, and seems to just be her way of burning off the conflicting emotions she's going through. Still, sometime in the VERY near future she needs to give her son a hug and an apology! Moving on to the tax fraud, she's most likely faced the same temptation as her husband, but likely has weaker moral reservations. Donatella strikes me as the rebellious type, the kind who'd angrily stare down the head of a government agency for talking shit to her. Were it not for Augustus reminding her of the dangers, she'd probably get "creative" with her return filings.

Likelihood: Possibly. Similar motivations to Augustus but less moral apprehension. It'd take some pressure before she gives in.

3 - Frazie Aquato

She's a bitch but I like her. She throws shit around and says fucked up evil things. But she still clearly has a heart, can have a pleasent conversation with Raz, and even admits she misses him. Like Dion, she's a dumb teenager with issues, she's just slightly less douchey about it. Slightly. Would she commit tax fraud? This girl breaks into private government property, tosses pinecones at people and skulks around in trees like a spider monkey.

Likelihood: Would commit tax fraud, but doesn't make enough money. She lives in the woods.

2 - Queepie Aquato

This child is an agent of chaos. He runs around in the forest at the age of like 4 and is under no threat by wild animals. If anything, the wild animals are scared of him. His mind conjures up insane and silly conspiracies about psychics that he doesn't even believe and tells his older brother just to fuck with him. This kid will claim his toys and dependents to help fund his pirate radio station.

Likelihood: Already commiting tax fraud with his co-conspirator Morris Martinez.

1 - Nona Aquato

Nona has been committing massive tax fraud for decades, but only by accident. She's been filing as her dead sister, whose identity she unwittingly stole. By now, she's in her golden years, and I'm sure she figures it's too late to stop now. Might as well go the extra mile and fudge some of those numbers. Especially since she recently reconnected with her friend Cassie O'Pia, infamous criminal counterfitter. The stuff Cassie knows about cooking books will be instrumental to her fraudulent claims.

Likelihood: Serial tax scammer

[strqyr]

i spent way too much time on this—like, "wrote it in google docs first" amount of time—but, uh. team strq ages let’s gooooooo!!!

first things first, some assumptions™ that i’m basing this on:

1. the remnant school year follows the japanese school year, i.e. begins in april, and ends in march the following year.

2. the years are split based on birth year, nice and clean, since blake (who’s born in january) says ruby is “only two years younger” than wby. this would mean that blake had already turned 18 by the time of V1 (she would have been 17 during the black trailer), while weiss and yang turned 18 during V1-2 and ruby 16 during the small timeskip at the end of V3. (this is also what i’m used to, so it’s easier on my brain. don't @ me.)

the second point isn’t super relevant, but it does keep things simple since we don’t know strq’s birthdays; basically, the year students start their first year, they’ll be turning 18, 19 for the second year, 20 third, and 21 for fourth, with the possibility that some may have already turned 22 by the time they graduate.

so. the year strq graduates, they’re 21-turning-22 years old. since yang is born on july 28th, raven would have gotten pregnant some time around november / december (if i did my math right. i did count with my fingers.) since the school year ends in march, and i’m doubtful raven was already pregnant while still at school, at earliest yang could have been born was during the same year raven would turn 23.

and since yang is currently 19, 23+19=42 <- the youngest strq could possibly be in the present day.

(that is, assuming they were all 17-turning-18 during their first year. depending how you interpret raven’s “and qrow and i were the perfect age”, they could have been either exactly the age they should be to attend beacon (17-turning-18), or close enough for the tribe that they could pass as the right age.)

anyway! next part: figuring out how old they were during the V9 flashback.

first, the kiddos. if we are to take what yang said literally about ruby not being able to even talk yet when summer disappeared, ruby being a 2-year-old at the time is probably the safest bet. does she look like a 2-year-old in the flashback? eeeehhh… while i’d be willing to give a little more leeway there since it’s a short scene, to be extra safe, let’s say ruby is about 2-3yo, with yang being 4-5yo. if the members of strq were 23 the year yang was born, they would be about 27-28 at the time of the flashback.

which, if i’ve done my math right (knock on wood), is cutting it pretty damn close for raven becoming the spring maiden—even more so if she didn’t get pregnant the soonest possible moment after graduation—since as per miles: “As for ‘too old’, we don't like having super hard-fast rules for certain things, but we've sort of unofficially figured that 30 is probably around the cutoff point to become a maiden.” [source]

to be honest, i do think the math checks out. in before the dawn, according to yatsuhashi, theodore is “likely in his forties, maybe older”, and ozpin “had been younger [than theodore] but seemed much older.” per raven, ozpin was already the headmaster when team strq was formed, and prodigy or not, if as the headmaster of beacon he had a seat at the vale council (likely, since both lionheart and ironwood had council seat in their respective kingdoms as headmasters) i’m somewhat doubtful the rest of the council would have been super fine with someone who isn’t even the age of a huntsman graduate being in charge of what is essentially the main defense of the kingdom. so, if theodore is likely in his forties, maybe older (let’s translate that into late 40s-early 50s), and ozpin was younger than him but older than strq by at least 4 years, that would put him at ~45 in V1, and ~47 if he were still alive. maybe subtract a year or two, as a prodigy discount if you so please, but all in all, it fits rather nicely: yatsuhashi’s thoughts about theodore’s and ozpin’s ages are accurate-ish, and raven is just the right age to inherit maiden powers if she did get them during summer’s mission—and similarly, if / when summer joined salem, they’d still have to search for a maiden host since summer is going to reach the unofficial cutoff point of 30 very soon.

[felassan]

A few more snippets of interest and insight from Mark Darrah, from an older Mark Darrah on Games YouTube video where he was livestreaming playing Dragon Age: Origins some months ago -

Chat said "One day we will get a BioWare game with good hair. One day." Mark replied, "I hope they have good hair this time. I think they'll have good hair. There's some really cool tech in Frostbite now that FIFA is using for pretty good hair, so might be expensive, but."

[please note this video streamed 4 months ago] "I've been pretty inaccurate on my predictions for DA:D news. I mean I would be shocked if they don't plan to do something for EA Play 2023, but then there would be no reason for them to do anything before then, to try to make their own event, but. Yeah, I would say that, if they're planning to release this year [2023], which would still be my expectation, they'll announce at, they'll have stuff at EA Play and probably date, so they can open up preorders in Europe. If they're still concerned about their date then they won't date. Normally EA Play would be in June, same time as E3. Do we have confirmation of an E3 this year?" Here chat commented, "Could you see them potentially showing up at something like the rumored Microsoft conference?" Mark replied, "It's possible, the problem with going to a console-specific conference is it's implying things that you don't necessarily want to imply. If you're a really big game like GTA or COD or something then it's fine, but for something like DA you never want to even softly imply, you have to be really careful about potentially softly implying that this is a Microsoft exclusive or a Sony exclusive. They could do it, if Microsoft made the deal sweet enough, there's always that possibility. But it's a lot easier for the really big games, you're never gonna be confused that GTA is Microsoft exclusive or that COD is a Sony exclusive, but you could make that mistake with DA, and they'd want to be very careful not to make that happen. But it could happen, but I doubt it."

Chat asked "So for whoever ends up giving the live presentation - would you have any advice for them? I imagine it's a stressful time." Mark replied, "Live, it is stressful, it's interesting though because the press conferences, the stage press conferences, you have a live audience but it's a lot quieter than say doing a PowerPoint presentation to a roomful of say 50 people. So in a way it's a lot easier, but you have to kind've get over the fact that there's 3000 people in the room with you. But if you can then it's easier than a normal presentation, because you can just practise and get smooth. Now EA practises a lot for their press conferences, which is good if you're nervous, but it does have a tendency to kind've squeeze a lot of the authenticity out of the presentation style. You can really see that in the Anthem one where it's me and Casey Hudson. We practised that like fifty times. Maybe not fifty times. At least a couple of times. It's not a good format. It takes a format that's supposed to be authentic and on the fly and turns it into something where all of the spontaneity has been squeezed out of the thing. I do think authenticity is the key, but the problem with authenticity is sometimes you get someone like at TGA saying that the Oscars are garbage. So EA would rather have 20% less authenticity, with 50% less chance of someone going massively off-script. I actually don't agree, I think it's the wrong tradeoff, but they would rather take the safe route."

Chat said "I feel like the Warden and Darkspawn story arcs have taken a back seat to the templars and mages. Do you think it's likely they will ever revisit the Blight threads?" Mark replied "I think the Blight will be probably relevant."

"I would be very surprised if the Architect showed up in DA:D. They could collapse the quantum of him though, if they wanted to bring him back, they would just do that. If he was killed, he body-hopped, same as Corypheus did. They could do that. I don't think they will."

"Isabela is quite quantum."

"Boss design like the Mother in Awakening definitely would not fly today."

"Any of the books that happen after a game are canon only so much in that they, the events that happen in them are treated as happening, but they aren't necessarily treated as 'whose alive and whose dead', for canon. But things that happen before stuff, like The Calling, I think are treated as fully canon. Like I think Absolution will be treated as canon, like Fairbanks will be dead. There's nothing in there that violates any possible worldstate. But sort've like, from a canon perspective, there's sort've like several layers. There's, what is, base canon, in terms of what we choose, like fully canon would mean it applies, is canon for everyone. Whereas there's also the, like, what is the default, what is default canon, what is written to. But if things that can potentially be violated by different playstates, the writers will tend to try to write away from them so that we don't suddenly have something happening that violates your playthrough. So something that can be true for everyone is more likely to occur. Something that might happen for someone else, I mean, obviously that's been violated, like Leliana shows up even if she's dead in DA:I, but that's why it's lampshaded. So that if you kill her, it's explained why she's alive. Masked Empire is fully canon for the same reason, because it doesn't have any way of violating anything. Doesn't mean that some things that are presented aren't recontextualized, but."

"RPGs don't demo [at conferences and events] super-well because they require so much context. The best I ever saw honestly was probably, I saw Skyrim once at an E3 but I didn't play it. They'd set it up in such a way that when you were standing in line to play it or just kinda walking by you could see other people playing it. I actually didn't play it at that E3. Standing there for five or ten minutes watching other people play it was probably the best RPG demo I've ever seen, because you were distant from it, so you kind've accepted a little bit less context. So you kinda want that, but you can't really get that, so you either ended up doing what BioWare usually does which is a behind-closed-doors 45 minute demo, which gives the context, but you can only get a certain number of people through it. Or you have something that's really tight for stage. When demo-ing an RPG you need to set up the story, the conflict, but you also need to somehow sort've establish how this plays. With a shooter you kind've know. Do you show character generation in an RPG demo? You never do but kind've people care about that a lot so you kinda should."

"One of the best [demos] from a story perspective that I ever saw was Mass Effect 2, it showed the beginning of the game, the bit with you walking through, the bit where Shepard dies, and showed it as if it was the end of the game. So a big misdirection. But I think that you kind've have to do some sort've, and I guess we did something, not as effective, but kind've the same in DA:I where we showed Future Redcliffe essentially as an ending of the game or as something that would happen."

"The PAX demo of DA:I was the game as we understood it at the time. A lot of stuff we showed at PAX ended up not getting into the final game, so people get mad when demos misrepresent the game, but sometimes that's happening because the game changes after the demo. Not because it was a lie, it was the truth at the moment, it's much more likely to happen with an RPG than it is to happen with other things. With shooters you might get something like big fidelity degradation but you're unlikely to get significant changes to mechanics."

"Hira in Absolution starts out being really bad at [levitating/flying on a disc], and then gets really good in like a later episode, I feel like she should've, or I guess it's in the same episode, she's way better all of a sudden at levitating, at flying."

[source]

He also talked more generally about DA:O and the franchise and things in general. These bits are collected under a cut due to length -

Chat said "I still say Velanna would have made way more sense for turning Justice into Vengeance." Mark said "Yeah, Velanna definitely has a lot more revenge in her than Anders does at this point." Chat then commented "Like, if it was about justice for the elves, that would have been a better fit for Velanna." Mark replied "Yeah it wouldn't have made sense for DAII, like what is she doing in Kirkwall?"

"With darkspawn [structures and items] it's always a little over, there's a lot of decoration for something darkspawn cobble together"

"Awakening is a bit blobby"

In the Mother's Lair, chat said "The lair is the same as the place Morrigan found the eluvian. Is this on purpose or just asset reuse?" Mark replied "I think it was asset reuse"

"The Sacred Ashes trailer was made by Blur. Blur is not cheap. I don't think you can compare it with in-game cutscenes"

Chat asked "Was the thrown dagger mechanic in Mark of the Assassin too large a file packet to be in the base game? It changed everything for rogues." Mark replied, "It didn't exist in the base game, it was added just to give them a ranged weapon, it's not that it couldn't fit. Why didn't it get put back in? It's not so much that it was definitely going to be big, but it would be hard to know for sure without very carefully testing the whole game all over again. Because it is extra memory. Some of the stuff in Awakening for example does actually blow memory on consoles on the main game if you take it back, which, there was some way you could do that. It did something bad, so it had to be changed"

When the Architect appears to the Warden before the confrontation with the Mother, chat mentioned that he doesn't mention how the Fifth Blight started and refers to being "born". Chat said "I wonder if the Architect is just a magister like Corypheus? He says he was 'born' but maybe that's just a play on words." Mark said "At this point he's acting like he doesn't remember. Yeah, he's acting like he doesn't know what he is. Yeah I don't think you learn any of that stuff here. Does he not know/remember? Or is he hiding it?"

Chat said "I've never killed Leliana, what was the explanation in DA:I for her being alive?" Mark replied "The explanation is pretty loose but it's basically, the Urn was right there so it brought her back to life. Though it is possible that you decapitate her in that fight, so that is a bit of a stretch in certain circumstances."

"Solas is the master of 'didn't think this through'"

"It wasn't that it wasn't being contemplated, DA was just never intended to be a series. DA:O was always conceived of as a standalone game, which is why there are all these weird things in the end screens of DA:O, especially where it's like 'oh, you know, the entire world fell into a volcano'. By the time that DA:O was coming out, EA wanted a sequel. It was actually before EA that it was conceived of as a single franchise, it was to work on a sequel to DAII before DA:O was even out. That's when/why I came on. So it wasn't, what became DAII wasn't what was being worked on in that time. The SW:TOR delay made DAII, but it didn't make there be a sequel"

"I don't know if they'll ever do a Dragon Age legendary edition. EA does not like spending money. With DA:O you kinda have to decide if you're remastering or remaking. If you're remastering, you just let all of the iffy bits stand"

"A lot of the end screens in DA:O and Awakening, they're causing weird things for the future. The one I used to bring up a lot was the werewolves. You could literally end DA:O with werewolves just rampaging over parts of Ferelden. Or there's also like a potential dwarven civil war coming."

"DA:I was definitely considering collapsing the quantum state as much as it could, whereas DA:O doesn't care, it's just like whatever, make the world be a completely ridiculous quantum state, you're basically not guaranteed that anyone makes it through this alive"

"The problem with Oghren in Awakening is it's like they rewind him back to how he is when you meet him, so it undoes everything. Oghren is very 2D in Awakening"

"An RPG is more like a buffet, it's about providing a lot of features and you engage with some of them, you kind've like some of them, you can tolerate some of them, you don't engage with other ones. Whereas a lot of other game genres are much more about excellent execution on your core loop. An RPG isn't really about that as much. I think that's to some degree one of the problems with Anthem has, is that, you know, it's made by a company that's used to 70 B features combining into an A+ feature. And for a looter shooter it's not really that, it's two or three A features combining into an A+ feature. So there's just a friction in some of the pieces of Anthem that are fine for RPGs but not fine for a looter shooter. And you know, looter shooters aren't even the pinnacle of that"

[source]

(pls note that in places there is a bit of paraphrasing of the info, the best source is always the primary source with full quotes in their original context)

[giantologist]

Hello professor.

I have found myself in a very difficult situation. Never knew much about giants, they seemed scary but I mostly felt neutral towards them. This has changed ever since i was awoken in the middle of the night by the the sounds of distant cries the last season.

I was scared at first. Never seen a 50 ft creatures before, but... He was just a lost boy, more scared of me than I was scared of him somehow. His name is Arvid, he looked to be around 6 years old, his parents were gone... I offered him shelter, thankfully my barn was large enough to give him a roof, at least for now...

He's such a sweet boy but, I'm scared for the future, i don't know anything about giants!!! I think it might best for him to be adopted by another giant but... This might be selfish of me but, I'm very attached to the boy, and he seems to be attached to me too, last night he called me papa!!!! then immediately apologized but I had to hide my smile. im also scared in terms of my resources to provide for him, but i think i can manage... For now at least.

I've already started reading up your works because of my limited knowledge but can you quench some doubts for me? Is he gonna grow old in the same time a human child would? That's a major concern of mine...and most importantly, am i making the right choice? Am i hurting Arvid more than helping him by keeping him with me? I live alone on the country side, there's a village nearby but I ain't exactly part of a community that can help me.

Thank you for the time,

- A very lost sort of giant's dad

Hello!

Dear me, what a tale. I would say to you that if you aren't comfortable with the responsibility then you should probably try to find him some surrogate parents. At the very least a giant who could find someone willing to adopt him (we may think giants are far away from one another but to them they're neighbours). By the time you are old, he will be bordering on being of age, possibly the younger side, but certainly old enough to be on his own. You are possibly looking at a decade's worth of childcare, a further one of preteen, and so on.

If you, and Arvid, decide that you shan't be parted from one another, you must set rules in place for him as soon as you can. Habits form early, and keeping a schedule with him will be beneficial. I would advise you to seek out those in the neighbouring village for aid, even if you aren't a part of the community. It sounds as if you are a farmer, and while some large helping hands would make light work, you would need a tutor for him considering the lack of free time. As he grows larger I expect he will keep your yeild plentiful enough to support himself as well as you, so I wouldn't worry about that for now. If you do find yourself in a bind, however, there are plenty of giants I am friends with that could lend a hand. You need only send me another letter.

Whatever your decision, I hope for nothing but happiness for you both!

Professor J Finch

[rayofmisfortune]

About pre-virus ruin, ye, I suppose that's true. Thinking about it more, I do hope the showrunners keep it that way. Something about seeing them at their silliest and then getting the massive WHIPLASH after seeing them like THIS is... it's sad. I like to think we witnessed two character deaths that video. It's just that one started dying 50 years ago :') (l like to imagine their silliness originated from somewhere at least and was not all made up. A remnant from simpler times...) (1/10)

Aaaaah yea! And... if they end up giving us a backstory of them... I just reaaally want to see how they were dealing with the virus and adjusting to everyone around them being infected... I doubt it was easy on them qwq (no we're not writing that (i wanna) we already have a gazzilion unfinished projects glaring @ us)

I- wow I kinda forgot my stuff is on there jfjfjf AH I'M GLAD YA LIKED THEM! :3 I have a lot more in my drafts and as wips- well obviously it's not posted anywhere hehe

Well... hmmm if anyone WERE to fill in Jack in on the... news... i... i feel like he wouldn't take it well. "Where is Solar!" Oh buddy.. oh you precious murder machine qwq (had to look up what osmosis meant haha first time seeing the word n all that)... Jack slowly piecing it together as in the process of figuring it out he also slowly becomes sentient... I'm fine mhm

Oh, yea that... that is a sound reason. They, they had their reasons. I honestly like... don't think they ENJOYED hurting people. They were just... soooo off the leash when they arrived in this dimension. Scaring the hell out of Cassie and Gregory, the constant death threats, violent games and tricks. (One to three will always live in my head... "I can help with the cutting.") Like I said in... idk in which answer honestly it's all blurring together lmfao fjfjfj They kept up this act for FIFTY PLUS YEARS! And... they even managed to be one of their dimension's... I forgot the word but what the Ruin dimension's Monty was?? They were GOOD at their act. SO good they fooled everyone around them. Granted tho... those infected robots aren't too dreadfully hard to fool. Sun, when he was in Ruin's dimension, managed to fool one of them, convinced it he was Ruin. That robot didn't seem to posses the same level of sentience as the Ruin Monty we've seen in there (not to be confused with Ronty, rest in peace).

Fair! The lie detector video is.. really as ya said, our most reliable source of info. Even though some of the answers that were dinfed as truths were... weird.

Oooh you're right I haven't even thought of that heh. That was just silly in denial talk I suppose heh The Creators would have surely noticed... or... would they even have cared? Creators are selfish, self-centered insane geniouses... would they even care if one of their own suddenly vanished?

AHHHHH IT WOULD BE WORRYINGLY IRONIC 😭 Add onto that the very possible paraller between Cold Moon trying bring back his Sun and New Moon most likely going to drive himself to the point of shut down trying to find any signs of Solar possibly surviving... Oh my gosh I do NOT like this arc... WHY DOES EVERYTHING GO DOWN AROUND THIS TIME EVERY YEAR IT'S SO EXHAUSTING 😭

Mmm yea probably hehe We... don't really have anyone asides from Solar and Ruin to fact check this heh

[circlemidnight]

hey, so... do you (by any chance) know if the '"open ending/multiple endings" ship' is just about who ARCHIE decides to be with, or if it will included more couples as well? like, i could have never predicted JV would have an actual chance, and less that they'd have the same chance as the (arguably) main/long-lasting ships of the show!? it's nothing short of amazing. how powerful they are.

Ah, I think some of those rumors/leaks turned out to be false. I think it's better to just rely on the bts and statements made from people on the show. Rumors tend to snowball into unrealistic statements the more they are spread. Unless they are giving a specific detail of a scene then I wouldn't put much faith in them being true. And keep in mind the style of the season, it's been very simplistic, low stakes, with quick resolutions to things. I don't think they are setting up some big complex ending or a cliffhanger that's gonna enrage everyone. It's gonna be something bitter sweet, lighthearted but not crammed with possible what-ifs to every ship that came before. But I'm sure there will be many winks and nudges of nostalgia in the last episode. Right now if I could guess I would say it's probably just left unclear if Betty and Archie figure things out, but to me it seems like they are wrapping up Jeronica as an endgame pairing. There is a lot of mirroring of their first episodes this season together, she's helping him create Archie Comics, and they have written them more like a secondary romantic plot and not really this big will-they-won't-they dramatic conclusion to be reached in the final episode. They're also the only "random pairing" that actually got back together. From the bts, we know they are riding in the backseat of the jalopy together, which I doubt they would be doing if they have another breakup. also just my opinion but it makes a lot of sense to me that the two people hurt the most by the cheating would find happiness and move on together? If they are talking about changing the future, Veronica and Jughead never being hurt has a really big impact on the story. In comparison, the two who cheated are figuring themselves out and not committing to anything or anyone because they are still working on themselves. Plus, if the last episode is from Betty's POV it will likely focus on whether or not she finally gets with Archie this season, because her story is kind of meandering but rolls back to her feelings for him the same way that they showed hints that Veronica never got over Jughead. The multiple endings thing came from what Madchen said: No, we don’t get out of the 1950s. So I guess that is a big spoiler. I will say you do experience the characters in three different… dimensions, that you get to see a lot of closures that are outside of the 1950s. I can tease it that way. I think that’s safe enough. So, make of that what you will. I'd say it's either you get to see what would happen if they went back to their own time, their future in the next few decades if they stay in the 50s, or maybe the afterlife and some kind of cycle beginning again once they all die and time resets for them. The word closure implies that it's not really open ended though. It's possible if they go back to the future the ships reconfigure, but they choose to stay in the 50s, so does that count as canon? But like, I think in one dimension or another Jeronica is endgame. It's very close to the end of the season to be stirring them up with more drama again. At the very least I believe they will graduate as a couple, which is a win for me. It's been very out of the blue that we got so much content, but I'm glad they left it till the end so they have more of a chance of being happy together!

[sophietv]

I keep seeing a lot of doubts lately about LSK which makes me spiral and think maybe they really are over. But then they also flag each other constantly to the point where it cannot be "accidental" or even an "idgaf war" but especially not the latter coz why would 2 extremely successful women in their 30s(!!), one (or both? 🤭) with kids, actively fuel an idgaf war. Both these things to me make as little sense as to how Kaylor having kids together does to some others. Rather, kids together kinda makes more sense to me than an idgaf war 🤷‍♀️

Sorry to kinda rant here but didn't want to post this on Twitter and this just felt like a safer place to do so...feel free to add your thoughts!

Hi!

First. I'm really glad that you feel like my blog is a safe space to ask your question. It is! 🫶

Second I understand how this can be very confusing, there's so many different discourse and at some point it's difficult to see wich one makes more sense.

LSK or Kaylor hate has been around for a very long time now. Over the years, really really often people have tried to make the Kaylor discourse die down.

2016 was - We have to respect Taylor and Calvin!

We learn very quickly that he was a beard...

2018 was - Karlie is engaged and getting married

Taylor and Karlie continues flagging, Lover is out and it's pretty undeniable to everyone that they were still together even after Karlie's wedding.

2019 was - Karlie betrayed Taylor! (Thank god this one died down quickly in the gaylor community...)

There was also : She chose Josh! We need to respect that.

2020 - It was almost illegal to even talk about Kaylor theories anywhere. You were shut down practically immediatly.

2021 - Was even worse with Levi.

So you see, as much as I understand the point of view that since there's children involved some people are unconfortable talking about that. But at the same time, the "hate" toward Kaylors have been very much present for a long time now.

But yeah. The IDGAF war is the most childish argument I have seen over the years. And it's wrong in so many ways... But you are totally right that two woman in their 30s wouldn't go to that extent to get to the other...at least I really hope so.

But saying that there's a IDGAF war going on is admitting to seeing the flagging that they are both doing in some way.

Taylor flags Karlie and people say: She is unable to move on! She's gonna get over Karlie her whole life! She needs therapy asap...

Two minutes later, they are shipping Taylor with another woman...I truly wouldn't want to be this other person dating someone who is still as hung up over their ex... but it might be just me.

The same week Karlie flags Taylor the same way, and they go: She's doing it for clouts! She's profiting of the 50 person that think that they are still together to get interaction on her posts. (Do I need to tell you how Karlie doesn't need this kind of attention, or how Kaylors number are insignificant to give her interaction. In fact I'm sure that for some companies, having Kaylors/Gaylors interacting on her post is a liability...)

or

Karlie has no control on her social media and doesn't know how to do easter egg. Must be a gaylor trolling us.

Recently there was also: Karlie and Taylor are both doing this for PR to cover Taylor's relationships with a secret girl... If the girl ain't an aspiring queen in a foreign country... I have a really hard time seeing how it would be ok, and preferable to make some people believe that she has anything to do with Karlie and the children. This would be wrong in so many different ways...

So yeah. I can totally understand someone who's not confortable with the children discourse though.

After all. This is a though pill to swallow. Because to entertain the possibility that this can be true. You have to admit that Hollywood is truly that toxic and archaic place where most likely a lot of other artists like Karlie and Taylor are forced to closet this way... and this is a rough reality check.

So I guess what I want to say with all this is that I don't have anything against other theories.

I'm just really unconfortable with the hate and the tendency to try and shut lsk theories down... because most of the time this is not well intended and not done in a friendly way.

[ninjasmart]

Hi Ninja! How does one go about finding out the answer to "Why am I here?" I was born and raised to adulthood in Southeast Asia and met my American future husband by happenstance as he was in my country. When our eyes met, I felt an electric zing go through me. Against all odds, I ended up in the US, married and with kids and pets. I have no doubt that I was meant to be here in the US. I just wonder why. I wish I could say I get downloads when I'm asleep -- I forget my dreams so if I do get downloads, I don't remember them. 😔 I'm in my 50's now, and I'd like to at least spend the rest of my life actually in alignment to my purpose here. Any insight you can provide will help. Thanks, Ninja!

This is the Nth time I try to write this answer. I'll try to say as much as possible and as little as possible and yet help you in your search.

We all have a mission. It is a vague, all encompassing one. And at the same time we all have one more mission which is Sub mission of the Big mission and is very specific.

To uncover your mission you need to go to the akashic field, to the place and time where you agreed on your mission. An akashic reader or a psychic can help with that.

Caution. You will get the generic mission, the mission you share with your monad - with the others who have similar mission as you.

For example, mine is: to bring people back to their connection with source.

That mission can be fulfilled in many different ways. Plenty of things you can do to fulfill your mission and they may not even look like they are connected to it.

For example, I have an online school with the best of the best of curriculum. Some of my students are with special needs - those whose light the cruel and intollerant society that we live in tries to squash. I bring them hope for a fighting chance when they grow up and I want to help more of them.

The generic mission - you cannot fail at it. You and your creator have designed your life in such a way that you are helpful. The more connected you are to your Higher Self and to Source the better. But even if you are failing with your connection to your God, you cannot fail. You've already agreed how Source will nudge you back into the right direction.

The very specific mission is what many people feel anguish at not achieving .

This is a very specific mission and it cannot be told to you by anyone else but your Higher Self or Source. So you need that connection.

That mission has nothing to do with that you do and everything to do with who you are. It has everything to do with the types of people you attract in your life and how youinteract with them.

I'll give two additional pointers to this mission. A mission of a father could be that he suffers and through his suffering his childen do not.

A mission of a mother can be to be the best influence to her grandchildren or greatgrand children. She may fail miserably as a mother. Doesn't matter. He children can be very fallible human beings. Doesn't matter. If her mission is to suffer having difficult children so that they bring forth the grandchildren who will change the world for the better - she's one awesome soul. And not to be blamed.

Another pointer. If at some point you do receive the exact details of your specific mission you will be given a choice. You have the free will to choose the mission or say that it is too much for you. If you feel that it is the latter - the incarnation will end quickly.

People who cruise through life, not knowing what their life's mission is, they are not internally happy but the Divine is extremely patient and lets them, like willow children, play and learn and eventually come back to what they are here for. If that is way too late, it is their choice. Next time they can choose a lot more challenges at the start of life in order to grow as divine consciousness, part of the Whole, and individualised in itself.

But those who find the tuest of all missions and how much struggle it entails, they need to choose and the timeline for choosing is not too long. Few months to half a year.

Those who DO choose to go through with their mission, they need to NOT tell it to anyone. This is time of intense work with The Divine, The Higher Self, The panteon of Gods and Goddesses. This is the time to humble oneself and Serve humanity. And this is the time to not do Your Plan but The Plan of The Divine.

Hope that helps.

One more thing that I wanted to share. Read stories about the lives of others - famous or not. If a story clicks - something in your soul connects with the mission of that soul. Pay attention to those.

For example, I love, love the story of Ahinora, Cleopatra the 8th, sister. She was feisty, resourceful and courageous. She fought for her empire, she was genuinely liked. Unlike Cleopatra who was a psychopath, lost in a sheer gamble the entire empire, and she and her offspring did not get the respect and adoration she wanted. She "wrote history" by being overly dramatic in her choice of lovers and of death but she "remained" famous only because she unalived her sister before she could ascend the throne, the entire Egypt was gifted to the roman empire due to the utterly incompetent ruler and the Roman Empire prefered the "union of lovers" and "Egypt loves the Roman Empire" fairytales to the: that B unalived her entire family and then lost the empire because she wasn't as smart as the fold tales claim that she was.