#these designs are so cute to me regardless of the fact that they are the anime girlsonas of 40y/o men

[lavender-rroses]

the power of friendship!!!

[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! ^ ^

[g1rld1ary]

you said you didn't have any ideas so here I am scuttling over. book!percy with the pumpkin head trend?? like carving pumpkins and having a pumpkin gut fight? idk I'm silly goofy and my target apple cider candle is getting to me

pumpkin head - percy jackson x fem!reader

wc: 810

cw: none

this was so cute thank u for the request!!! i <3 book percy

“Percy!” You shrieked, “Be careful with the knife!” Percy glanced up at you from where he was haphazardly shoving the knife in and out of the top of the pumpkin, trying to create a cavity.

“I know how to handle a knife, babe, I have saved the world once or twice with one,” He joked, slowing down his movements nonetheless, cutting more carefully. You rolled your eyes, bringing two bowls over from your kitchen to put the guts in while you were carving.

You’d made Percy start the craft for you, doing the most difficult part of cutting the top off so you could get to the fun part and get to making your design faster.

“This is texturally so gross,” You said, scooping the pumpkin’s guts out into the plastic bowl, careful not to get it on your hands.

“You’re texturally gross,” Percy retorted, flicking some guts on you. You gasped, mouth dropping open as you stared at the pumpkin on you.

“That is not what you said last night!” You flung some of your own pumpkins’ guts at him as Percy laughed loudly, scrambling away from you on the floor of your living room. It must have been your demigod instincts that kicked in at that moment, both of you overcome with competitiveness. Pumpkin guts were flung across the room, leaving remnants on the hardwood floor and both your clothes.

You were both laughing, hysterical giggles echoing off the roof as you collapsed onto Percy, the gross feeling of the pumpkin not even bothering you.

“I win,” You said, sticking your tongue out and pointing it at your boyfriend.

“Did not,” Percy whined, playing the sore loser. He let you gloat your victory, pushing you off him and towards your un-carved pumpkin. “Just do your craft.”

You sat in silence for a while, happily listening to your witchy-themed Halloween playlist.

You glanced over at Percy’s when he’d been quiet for a little too long, bursting out in laughter as you caught sight of his pumpkin face. “What is that?” You wheezed, clutching your stomach as it ached. His design wasn’t bad, in fact, you were pretty sure it was supposed to be Medusa. The only issue was that it was completely lopsided, thanks to the way he’d been holding it steady. Percy cocked his head in confusion at first, not understanding what was so funny about the craft he’d been working hard on. Upon holding it out at arm's length though he got it, the realisation hitting his face clear as day. You thought he might have complained after all his hard work, but in true Percy fashion, he just rolled his eyes then let out a laugh.

“It’s an action shot,” He supplied finally, “She’s lopsided ‘coz I’m in the middle of cutting off her head.” That made you laugh harder, Percy’s moments of brilliance always delighted you. He groaned dramatically as he looked at yours, simple but well-executed. “Why is my girlfriend always perfect?” He yelled to the sky, shaking a fist like an old-school gangster.

Regardless of the disparity in your craft abilities, you and Percy decided you were finished at about the same time. That brought you to trying to get the pumpkins on your head. Percy helped you first, sliding the pumpkin over your head as you squirmed, squealing as you felt it on your hair.

“This is so gross,” You moaned, “I’m gonna have to wash my hair tonight.”

“This was your idea, stupid,” Percy laughed, patting you on your pumpkin head.

“I thought it would be cute! I didn’t know it was gonna feel like this!” Percy offered for you two to stop but you shook your head resolutely. You’d already gotten this far and you were going to get your cute couple photos out of it.

Percy was much less dramatic about putting his on, and so there you two were in the middle of your living room, pumpkin heads on and hard to take seriously. You pursed your lips for a kiss, forgetting that when Percy leaned in to reciprocate it you wouldn’t make contact, bumping into each other instead.

Piper had volunteered to take photos for you since you could barely work a camera through the bulky pumpkin heads, bossing you around into different poses that made you laugh and Percy produce some snarky response or another.

Later that night, with your hair freshly washed and pumpkin-free, you and Percy sat on the sofa, Hocus Pocus playing on the TV. You swiped through the pictures Piper had taken, teasing Percy and yourself for how silly you both looked. As Percy ventured to the kitchen to get you both some cider, you set your favourite photo as your lock screen.

[alexandraisyes]

Gotta say, the ASPD bunny is really off, especially in comparison to the other mental health plushies. I even went and looked over the mental health collection, and it’s such a contrast to the others. I’m sorry this isn’t a good representation of ASPD.

So I’d like to know. How would you redesign the plush to better represent you and others with ASPD?

Okay so I thought long and hard about this design, and consulted my fellow ASPD haver @zthesheep for a second opinion.

First off fuck the “bunny”. I like cats more. So it’s a cat.

Obviously I used the colors of the ASPD flag (flag design by @aspdsolace ) with the scale symbol. I wanted to keep the design cute and pleasing to look at, so I used the pinks/purples as accents. Every color of the flag is on the plush.

I wanted to use button eyes instead of detailed eyes because I wanted to stay true to the fact that people with ASPD don’t emote very well with their eyes (from personal experience, as well as self-reporting from others with the disorder). But without using the bead eyes that might be seen as creepy. Buttons are cute, and I honestly prefer them design wise in general.

The heart locket is my personal symbol for neurodivergence. I know the infinity symbol exists, but that’s most commonly associated with autism, and I don’t want to encroach on their symbolism, even if it is now associated with more. I thought about using an umbrella, but looking into it that’s apparently more a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community so same issue.

I like the locket because it’s supposed to symbolize a need for compassion as a key to understanding neurodivergent minds, especially since there’s so many different flavors of neurodivergency. Obviously the heart is supposed to reflect the compassion aspect of that. It’s also representative of the fact that many people who are neurodivergent are guarded of their emotions and tend to “lock a part of themselves away” in order to properly mask.

I wanted to put the symbol for ASPD on the back, somewhat “hidden” instead of the front since many people who have ASPD don’t know it, or don’t understand what it means, as well as the fact that in a public setting you won’t know someone has it or not unless they tell you or allow you to see those parts of themselves that the world thinks are “scary”, which leaves them vulnerable, and at risk of being stabbed in the back for showing someone the truth of themselves. So I wanted to put in on the spine, to symbolize that.

I also like the thought that people who don’t see the back may not understand what the plushie is supposed to represent because it’s hidden away, but those aware of the meanings will know regardless, representing other people with ASPD and people without that choose to inform themselves.

I made the face neutral/blank to show a lack of active emotion, many people with ASPD struggle to retain emotions in their full, and don’t have the energy to hold onto strong emotions long enough to properly experience them the way other people can. Many of our emotions are superficial, so it’s supposed to show someone with their metaphorical mask off, that’s trusting enough of the people around them to not force themselves to emote if they don’t have the energy. Many people with ASPD are constantly fighting emotional burnout just from trying to fit in, and everyone needs a safe space where they don’t have to pretend.

Overall this design was really fun, and I wouldn’t mind designing more of these mental health kitties. A friend told me they’d love to buy this if it was real, and maybe one day it could be. I’d love to have this little guy on my shelf.

[a-twistedheartslonging]

PLS, I need more non-human twst au (maybe with male or gn yuu? If I ask kindly, with a cherry on top 🥺🥺🥺) + (you au gave me some ideas, great au, yummy, delicious ate it all up)

Seeing this pleases me greatly, I wasn't expecting to actually get asks from people.

Hmm, should I keep using non-human, or would demi-human be better for this? Just Beasts? 🤔

Anyway, I’m not sure what you want specifically aside from the “male or gn yuu” bit but what's currently been in my head with this...

Nonhumans are in general stronger and have better senses than humans. Faster, stronger, sense of smell, night vision. When your friends are around you might get a startle at night or when the light goes out because of glowing eyes. They are also typically bigger except for the ones related to prey animals. What's small to them could be considered average for us.

Peets, hooves, and talons are common. Some wear special shoes, have you ever seen the hoof boots they have for horses? Imagine that but in an NRC design. 

Hormonal schoolboys already get into plenty of fights but adding beasty guys to the mix? You will likely see many scuffles. Particularly over things like snacks, hang-out spots, dominance, and crushes.

Humans are the minority in Twisted Wonderland. The beasties were always better suited for surviving and the humans that remained could get by because of magic. So, you not only being a human but one without magic makes you rare…and vulnerable.

Your scent is different from the other humans here and the guys aren't sure why. Cuz you're from another world? Or lack of magic? Maybe it's just a you thing. Regardless sniffing someone isn't considered exactly rude like it is in our world, so you often get some curious noses pointed your way.

Many find your clawless monkey hands and round ears both weird and cute.

You will get scented by your friends often and need a lent roller for all that fur that’s going to get on your uniform.

A lot don’t care much about gender or sex when it comes to a would-be mate, though there are at least some with a preference. For a lot of them, the usual stuff like strength, personality, and skill are what they look at but something particularly important to many is scent. The fact that yours is unique has gotten you more attention. Careful complementing the scent of one of the guys though cuz you're pretty much saying “I think you're breedable.”

Another thing with the whole gender and sex thing, there are a lot of animals out there that can change their sex, have both sex bits, etc. That also applies to the non-human guys that are based on those animals. So, any genderqueer-ness isn't something they’ll bat an eye at.

Many court the animal way so expect gifts of shiny things, food, and clothing covered in your guy's scent, or a piece of themselves like a feather or scale. Might want to make it clear you don't want anything…that they hunted. Stuffed animals are a lot better than dead ones at your doorstep.

You will be groomed, cuddled, licked, nipped, and bitten by the one you accepted as your mate.

That's all I can think of at the moment but if anyone wants to add or share their ideas/thoughts please do. The interaction makes me happy and helps these thoughts grow and become something more.

Like possible fics. 🤫

(Please tell me what kind of creatures you think the boys would be.)

[hoe4sports]

The receipt

Alexia Putellas ft Mapi Leon x Reader

A/N: I’m discovering a new found obsession with Alexia.

Triggers: nothing, google translate Spanish.

You were casually placing up the newest curtains that you had got in earlier that morning. It was so peaceful to work in an interior design store especially during the morning shifts. You got to spend time walking around touching soft materials, looking at new bedsheet covers and blankets. You got to talk to so many new kind people within one day. It was the perfect job for you.It was Monday morning, and the awaited new items had come in a bit late. You were struggling with the big boxes being everywhere in the litte shop, but regardless you loved seeing what things were in trend and what had just arrived.

A hand suddenly tapped your shoulder leaving you terrified as you were busy daydreaming about what my future appartment was gonna look like. You turned around and it was the sweetest old man. “Good morning, is there anything I could do to assist you today?” You said as you smiled while climbing down from the little latter you had been using to hang the curtains.

“Good morning Miss, actually yes, my wife is celebrating her 90th birthday this week and I want to get her something special.” The old man replied as he smiled. You nodded and looked around you for inspiration. “Is there anything you had in mind or do you want some help?” You said as you smiled knowing exactly what you wanted to recommend to him. “I could really use some help, she has so many things!” He exclaimed as he zipped his jacket down. The store was always very hot, so you definitely understood him. “I have the perfect idea! What about a robe? We have multiple kinds. We have thicker materials, silk, cotton or even have linen.” You said as you walked towards the bathroom department of the store where we had the robes. I pulled out the rack of robes and showed him the colors. “Wow” he said as he touched them. “She likes pink and she is a cold person” he said as he furrowed his brows into a thinking position. “Perhaps this pink one thats double layered, then” you said as you pulled it out of the rack. “That will do!” He said as he smiled widely clearly satisfied with himself. “Does she like good smells, soaps, towels?” You asked as the man nodded rapidly. “I suggest this pink soap bottle with a rosy smell, this complementing room spray and this matching towel” you said as you put them together to portray what they would look like. The old man nodded as he smiled widely. “Ring me up Miss!” he insisted as you made you way to the desk. You rang him up, he paid and you wrapped the gift in a cute giftbox adding a variety of ribbons and a tag. You did your very best to make the gift look special and the older man was visibly pleased. “Here, for your wife sir!” You said as you handed him the beautifully wrapped box. The man thanked you multiple times and told me how he was always happy to shop with you because of your very thoughtful customer service. You thanked him and waved him goodbye as he walked out.

This was the part of your job that you loved. You loved seeing customers get just what they want, have their visions come to life and be pleased to find something they have looked for. You walked over to the pile of boxes and pulled out some candle holders in crystal. They were something that every rich hausfrau would need. You kept unpacking the latest news and got to the bedding section. There were tons of new styles coming in synch with the season changing from winter to spring. You grabbed the higher latter from the back and climbed up to place the bedding. The bedding was heavy and you were juggling them back and forth between places to find the perfect spot for the new arrival.

“Hola, Do you work here yes?” A voice said behind you as it tapped my hip. You turned around and there was a woman standing next to the latter looking up at me. She was quite attractive, and you felt slightly embarrassed by the fact that your ass was in the same height of as head since you were up on the latter. You jumped down, and smiled. “Good morning mrs, is there anything I can do to help you this morning?” You said as a put down the items I had tried to place before getting interrupted. Her friend came around the isle and she had funny a look on her face. “Si bonita, yo necesito una..” she was stopped by a smack in the back of her head. “Tonto! Tienes que hablar Inglés!” the other woman exclaimed. “Dios mío! Cállate por favor!” the attractive woman said back. You smiled knowing that you could speak perfectly Spanish as your step father was Spanish. He had been brought into your life as a toddler and he insisted in spaking Spanish with you claiming that it would help your learning abilities. “Sorry, yes, I need some clothes for the bed.” She said in a clearly Spanish accent. You giggled “Clothes for the bed?Sheets? You need sheets?” You said as she blushed.

“Dios mío! Estupido de mierda. Nos estás avergonzando a los dos delante de la cura.” the woman said as she shook her head. You giggled again as you started walking. “Follow me please”. You came to the baskets with sheets and you looked at the pair. The blonde woman was still red and the brown haired woman looked like she was gonna piss herself laughing. “Cotton or satin, what do you prefer?” You asked as you touched the sheets in front of you. The blonde woman’s eyes widened. You smiled and explained.

“Cotton is cheaper. It stretches but I also gets wrinkly. Satin is more expensive, more silky but it dosent pill and it dosent wrinkle. Both have the fitted sheet look.” You said as a reached out for one of each for her to touch. She touched the sheets and looked confused. “What is your preference?” She asked. “Oh, I use the satin ones! They feeling cooling on the skin and they are way more durable than the cotton ones.” You said as she nodded. “I’ll take the satin then” she said as she winked. Did she just flirt with me? You shook the thought of quickly. “Now, what color do you prefer? We have navy, black, grey, white and cream” you said as you pointed to the different types. “Dios mio! Realmente necesito encontrar una novia.” the brunette said as she playfully slapped the blonde’s toned bicep.

“The navy and black sheets dosent work well with blonde hair or fur. The white or cream sheets dosent work if you have a partner with black hair or black pet fur.” You said as you smiled while you were silently hoping that there was no partner. “I’ll go with crème then, no partner.” she said as she smiled shyly and looked at your blonde hair. You were doing everything you could to not blush.

You beeped the sheet and looked at her. “It’s 49 punds. Are you a member?” You asked as you were focusing on the screen in front of me. She shook her head. “Do you wanna be a member? I would just need your phone number.” You said as you smiled hoping you could sign her up as a member because it would mean that you got extra bonuses. “Si, dale tu numero!” the brunette whispered and nudged her. “Yes, +34 914 36 38 40, you can write my name as Alexia Putellas.” she said and you happily obliged. “Quieres una bolsa para ello o lo tomas como estás?” You smirked as the blonde blushed and the brunette bend down hysterically laughing. “Ella puede entender español, mierda estúpida” she wheezed out. “I’ll take a bag.” The blonde muttered while looking down at the bank terminal. She paid for it and you handed her the sheet in a bag with the recite. “Thank you, and goodbye!” You said as the pair started walking out. You got back into working on bedding placement when after a while, a hand tapped my knee. Jesus, you thought to yourself, not one moment to finish the wall. “Good morning, how ca-“ you stopped as you saw the blonde woman again handing you a reciet. “You dropped it.” She said as she disappeared out of the store. You opened the receipt to see who had lost it so you could keep it if they came back. The recite had pen marks on it and when you looked closer it was a message.

“If you ever want coffee, +34 914 36 38 40.

-Alexia “

[euphoricfilter]

𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 | 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐𝟎

twelve hour countdown

tags/warnings: games designer! jungkook, non-idol au, established relationship, fluff, they’re just in love it’s kinda sick, the final chance, more sort of bowser content because he’s my fav dog

word count: 1k

notes: no taglist >:)

☆ literal epic callob with @bonny-kookoo 💞 ☆

☆ series masterlist

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆.

The last two days of the trip hadn’t exactly been how Jungkook wanted them to go. Engagement ring box stuffed in his bag under a layer of underwear so he didn’t have anymore scares with you and your curious fingers.

Entirely convinced it would only take one more excuse about his smart watch before you caught on and opened the box before he could even utter an excuse as to why he was carrying around an expensive ring.

He’d decided that he would do it within one of those two last days— the back garden of the airbnb pretty, secluded too so you wouldn’t have to face the awful embarrassment of outsiders onlooking such an intimate new development in your relationship.

Because as much as he wants to the world to witness the metamorphosis of your entwined souls, there will be many opportunities for him to flaunt the fact you’re going to be his wife (hopefully) in the near future.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Every time he would look over at you, blissed out on one of the deck chairs, book in hand or eyes closed as you nap in the sun; his mouth would open to call your name, yet nothing would come out.

It wasn’t a matter of him changing his mind, he would have asked you to marry him on the second date if he didn’t think it would creep you out that he had already dreamt up his entire future with you. Because there was, and never will be anyone after you. This is it for him. Legality of your relationship aside, he knew he’d be spending the rest of his life with you regardless if it was written on paper or not.

He had a solid twelve hours before the both of you got in that car and drove back to the airport. Twelve hours before the entirety of his plan would go to shit. Though not a wasted holiday in his eyes, the break well deserved by the both of you. And even if he ultimately fails today, then at least you enjoyed the time away, the gentle smile on your face each morning, warm kisses pressed to soft cheeks in thanks for every little endeavour he’d taken you on, enough of a reward even if you don’t get on that plane with an engagement ring on your finger.

“Jungkook” you startle him, his eyes wide as he turns to look at you, stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

He raises an eyebrow in question, assuming you’d grown impatient for you lunch that he was so graciously preparing.

“Do you think we can go see bowser before we leave?” you ask, sheepish smile on your face as you rock on your feet a little.

“Yes” he says it without even thinking, hope of this being the day he asks you slowly slipping through his fingers. Anguish of another failed day mellowed out a little when he catches the bright smile on your face.

“I’ll text the lady, and see if it’s okay” he nods, slipping his phone out the back pocket of his jeans.

“I had a dream last night” you tell him, pushing yourself to sit on the counter beside where he’s making both of your lunch.

“Hmm?” he glances up at you, phone pushed onto the counter as he looks at you, “about what?” “Bowser living with us”

A smile quirks onto his lips, stepping forward until he’s pushing your legs open to stand between them.

“Yeah?” he hums, “and what was it like?”

Your tongue runs over your bottom lip, “literally the best thing ever, he’s so cute”

“Taking care of a dog is a lot of work you know” his hands skim up the length of your thighs. You nod, arms slipping over his shoulders, fingers skimming across the back of his neck.

“I know” you murmur, “but you had a dog growing up so you can teach me all the things I need to know”

“You’ll be a good parent, you know”

Your nose scrunches up at that “I’m not ready for kids yet”

“We’re literally adopting” he laughs, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

“A dog”

Jungkook’s eyebrows narrow, “Bowser is more than just a dog” he shakes his head, “he will be our first born son”

You press your forehead against his chest, trying to swallow down a laugh, “I suppose. We should spoil him since he’s our first”

Jungkook nods at that, “of course. he’s literally the coolest dog ever”

It’s when you’re in the car later that day, small play date set for the both of you to see Bowser one more time, do you pass a pet store.

Your hand slaps down onto Jungkook’s thigh, “Turn here” you point down a little wide road.

He briefly glances over at you before his focus is back on the road, “huh?” he gapes, fingers pressing down on the indicator anyways.

“We gotta get Bowser a gift before we see him” you wave him off, picking your shoes up off the car floor, quick to put them back on as Jungkook parks the car.

“What sort of treats do you think he likes?” you ask, arm hooking around Jungkook’s as you drag him towards the store.

“We could get a few? See what he likes, maybe?” he trails behind you, quick to pull you back by the collar of your f-shirt before you can get hit by a care.

“Careful baby” he murmurs, hand skimming down your arm, fingers lacing with yours. You pause outside the pet store, Jungkook’s eyebrow raising when you meet his eyes. “Lets go in there after” you point to the small store beside the both of you.

“Why?” Jungkook tilts his head a little.

“We should get fairy lights for Bowser’s wheelchair, but the battery ones so he can have them on when he’s outside too. What if we take him on a walk when it’s dark?”

“There’s street lights...” Jungkook trails off, mind slowly conjuring up the imagine of a glittery wheelchair, “Lets get two sets just in case one isn’t enough” he nods.

“Okay” you hum, smiling up at him as the both of make your way into the pet store. “Love you” you press a kiss to his cheek, unfiltered smile gracing Jungkook’s face. “Love you more, my love” he hums.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

for the nsft thing maybe a scenario for the gfl gals (404 and defy + whoever u choose) if their s/o was shy about being inexperienced and asked them to take the lead?

(GFL) UMP45, UMP9, HK416, G11, AK-12, AN-94, AK-15, RPK-16, Angelia being asked to take the lead

NSF-W IMPLICATIONS BELOW THE CUT!

I know AR Team isn't in this ask, but imagine taking SOPMOD to take the lead and she just assumes you're talking about fighting.

(UMP45) "Well, aren't you needy?"

UMP45 teases her S/O with a small kiss on their forehead before letting their back lay against the bed.

Truth be told, it's not like she knew how to do this sort of thing properly either.

But whatever, S/O probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

...Probably.

Regardless, UMP45 finds S/O absolutely adorable with how shy they were this moment, each kiss on their body making them squirm.

(UMP45) "Don't worry, I won't tease you for too much longer.~"

(UMP9) "U-Um...Okay...! I'll try my best, S/O!"

UMP9 was feeling just as shy as S/O was, but her energy was more than making up for it.

And now it looked like it was going to have to kick into overdrive.

Which was a good thing? Maybe?

A T-Doll could still hurt a human by being on top, but like hell she would make S/O doubt their trust in her!

She takes a few deep breaths before resting her hands to the sides of their head, nodding.

(UMP9) "O-Okay, I can do this...!"

(HK416) "...F-Fine, I guess I have to."

416 notices her S/O's shoulders slumping at her voice, in which she exhales, well imitates it really, and has one hand resting on their face.

416's thumb brushed against their cheek, nonverbally telling them to calm down, and that she didn't mean anything by that.

More than anything, she was flattered that they had that much confidence in a T-Doll that was designed for fighting, not love.

After fighting the rapid overheating that threatened to overtake her body, she has S/O hold onto her as they began kissing again.

Once they were fully relaxed, 416 moved lower and lower, a little smirk growing on her lips.

(HK416) "Relax, I...I'll make sure you chose right."

(G11) "Uh...okay...?"

Bold choice, considering S/O knew how G11 usually was.

G11 especially has no idea what the hell she was doing, but whatever.

And apparently, this kind of thing does help with sleeping so it should be fine.

As long as they both felt good, right?

After a few more minutes of very slow kissing, G11 makes S/O lay on their back as she lazily sits upright on them.

(G11) "...I...think I know what happens next...?"

G11 did not.

(AK-12) "Aw, don't be shy...But then again, you are cute when you're like this."

Despite 12's coy tone, she doesn't really hold it against S/O for not having experience in these things.

She sincerely doubted anyone at Griffin would, considering.

Regardless, she indulges S/O by having them quickly on their back and letting her hands roam across their chest.

Feeling them squirm underneath, she lets her eyes open as she gives them a wink and a growing smile.

(AK-12) "You can't ask for anyone better to take care of you than me.~"

(AN-94) "...U-Understood, S/O. Please leave it to me."

94 is a little more hesitant to take point on this specific matter.

She wasn't faring that much better, but S/O placed their faith in her for a reason.

It flustered her to no end, but it also made her quite happy, in which she instinctively started kissing them harder after the fact.

Holding both their hands, she straightens her back before speaking softer than before.

(AN-94) "I plan to repay you for all the love you've given me, S/O. Please, bear with me for a moment..."

(AK-15) "Very well, I will ensure you are cared for properly, S/O."

15 knew she had to be careful, if she used too much force she could accidentally break bones.

But besides that, she was only a little nervous on account of not having to deal with matters of the human heart and affection before.

She was a weapon first and foremost, but S/O still loved her. This was quite illogical to begin with, but...maybe that wasn't always a bad thing.

15's hands keep S/O's arms pinned to the bed as she narrows her eyes.

(AK-15) "Thank you for trusting me, S/O. Now, please relax."

(RPK-16) "Hm, a human trusting a machine for intimacy? Strange taste, S/O...Hah, relax, I'm just joking."

Well, if this wasn't an indication that S/O trusted 16 like she were flesh and blood, then she wouldn't know what would even if it hit her.

16 was more flattered than anything, and a bit curious.

If S/O trusted her with this, what else could she do to them?

Fun questions for later, maybe for right now they should probably survive their first intimate moment together.

16 leaves a kiss on their neck before giving a nibble and hearing them yelp, making her laugh.

(RPK-16) "I hope you'll show me all sorts of lovely noises tonight S/O. After all, you trust me. Right?~"

(Angelia) "Well, when you ask me so nicely.-"

Angelia had been kissing S/O fairly aggressively, until she realized just how quiet and flustered they had become from asking her that question.

Now, her real hand cupped their face gently, before slowing down in her passionate kiss, drawing out the moment until both of them were nearly breathless.

Angelia lets a soft chuckle come out of her before her hands trail down to S/O's waist, feeling them tremble from the cold of her prosthetic.

With one last kiss to their forehead, she starts rubbing their thighs before smiling at them.

(Angelia) "Heh, don't worry. I'll be gentle. For now."

[doppel-doodles]

Since everyone is making their own little version of the characters I thought I would join the fun for my Fallen crown Au! These were supposed to be quick little sketches just to get some ideas down but they still took me the whole day:'D will probably change as I draw them but I wanted at least something down on for the time being and I do like how most turned out!

Single versions plus some info and ramblings about each under cut for those interested:

My lamb was mainly based on both, yes the actual player character but also the vibes of my own plathrough which were very "oh god who let this child be in charge?-" while I'll still mostly just call them Lamb I figured they should still have a proper name so I went with my friends @/tamaruaart suggestion as it suits them rather nicely! And most note worthy detail is honestly just the fact that they carry something from each bishops realm on their person now, I like to think they treat those items like little trophies:>

Narinder is probably my weakest I feel like, he definitely needs something to give him some extra "ompf!". I basically made his undertaker fit a sorta reverse or at least loosely inspired by his white robes in game. I imagine he is very boney or a straight up skeleton underneath so he covers it all up beneath heavy fabrics, but because I lack subtly I still covered him in bones regardless-

And yea I kept the veil cause 1. It's a look and 2. It coviently covers up his now sewn shut third eye.

There wasn't much reason behind making him an undertaker, I simply thought it suited him, when your the former god of death you aren't exactly squeamish around corpses. Lastly the dark blues are there to contrast the other followers warm tones, as they kinda seen him as an outcast which is just fine for narinder he isnt exactly thrilled to be here.

I'll put Leshy and Heket together as they were sorta designed as a set.Since they are both youngest among the bishops I sorta latched onto the headcanon that they get along pretty well and just stick together after getting into the cult so they just share a lot of their duties. So I gave them some matching elements like the puffy shorts but also stuff that contrasts like Leshy having looser clothing and Hekets being more tight. Or Heket getting working gloves with a little belt to hold tools plus a hat for the sun, meanwhile Leshy will happily dig through the dirt bare clawed in the sun for hours-

I debated on giving Heket an apron but honestly I think she would only wear one while cooking or tending the farm plots there is no reason for her to wear it casually, the gloves though stay for I reason I utterly love because its PETTY-

Literally the only reason she keeps them on almost constantly is because when the lamb asks she can be like "ew, I'm not touching you with my bare hands." Yes, my humour is broken moving on-

I also gave Leshy a cane just so he actually has something to feel around with when he is areas he isn't too familiar with so he isn't running into crap- on that note, Heket can speak a bit but not exactly loud or for a very long time without seriously hurting her throat, once I properly learn it I definitely wanna draw her using sign language.

Lastly bodies, Leshy was based off a previous drawing I made of him in bishop form, I simply made it less monsterous but he is in charge of chaos so he had to remain a creature- Heket is more straight forward, she is a frog and she is large and in charge.

There was one reason why I made Shamura a tailor and that was the mental image of them sewing the bishops clothes when they were younger and dressing them up all cute.

I went for more pink colors mainly because I thought it better suited the purple and would make their red eyes pop! Honestly I really love their colors they remind me of a Berry! I've drawn shamura before but honestly the only things that stuck were the colors,face and then also the hand markings I did tweak their eyes a bit I wanted something more stern feeling.

For clothing I kept everything nice and loose, while they are the tailor I also love the idea that in their spare time they either teach the youths in the cult or are like the champion of the fighting pit because war is also their domain and they can be- so I wanted them dressed pretty comfy to deal with whatever may come! But still keep everything pretty mature and mildly fancy maybe in the future I'll do some fancy gold and silver embroidery to the pants because of that.

As for body type I wanted them to be pretty thin but unlike Narinder who is twink material under his cloak they have a bit more bulk on top to show that they can choose violence if they so wish-

I adore me some pathetic but still serving men, honestly except for the cross on his belt I completely ignored the fact I made him a medic- If he needs to treat something gross he can throw something over to protect his clothes but just like Heket there is no reason for him to wear that while not working.

Otherwise my main goal was simply to make Kalamar look pretty and fancy. I debated on either short or long bottoms until I realized I'd have to figure out his tentacle situation, then realized I don't hate myself THAT MUCH so bro got put into a floor length gown, work smarter not harder kids.

If I have an excuse to give a character a shawl I will take it so fast.

His body type I mainly wanted to flesh out the roster so I tried making him very squishy and huggable looking, I debated on thinner so he looked more dangly and stretchy but that made him kinda to similar to Narinders build for my liking.

[maleyanderecafe]

Inclement Idee Fixe (Visual Novel)

Created by: HimeBee

Genre: Romance/Horror

As a demo, this one is pretty short but man is Leumin's design cute, so it of course caught me a bit off guard when he did go yandere mode even though I knew it was coming. The theming of rain and general blue is pretty nice as well. If you want more information about this game you can find it at @hime-bee.

The story starts out with the Heroine being annoyed that the coffee place that they're working at going through renovations as their boss did not inform them of this. They notice that their tire is deflated and has to take the bus, only for it to start raining. Their boss emails them outside of work asking them to come over to his place the next day to give them something. After being cold in the rain for a bit, Heroine is greeted by a tall blue haired man, explaining that the bus won't be running for the rest of the day. He offers to walk the Heroine home as they don't have any other way to get back under his umbrella.

Regardless if the Heroine decides that it's safe to walk with a stranger, he'll introduce himself as Leumin (or Leu) before walking under his umbrella together. He talks about hobbies ( and gets very excited about talking about games) and we learn that he works at a florist as Heroine talks about how they're not good at growing plants. From there, they can either invite him to their place or go home by themself.

Inviting him inside for coffee will lead to the Heroine turning on the TV for Leumin to watch while they make coffee. Leumin of course, enjoys the coffee. Heroine gets a call from their boss basically stating she has to go back to the cafe to work on her day off because they're understaffed (which... ouch, you gotta go back in the rain) and Leumin and Heroine exchange numbers. Leumin is very happy that he was in Heroine's home before deciding to get rid of their boss.

The next day while getting ready to meet their boss for the letter, Heroine sees on the news that their boss has just been murdered, leading to them panicking for a spell. After messaging her coworkers and telling them that they were alright, Heroine gets a text from Leumin wishing them a happy day.

The Heroine can go to sleep and nothing really seems to happen.

They also can instead of responding to Leumin call one of their coworkers, Sam to come over, in which he happily agrees. Leumin is not happy with this development, rationalizing that his feelings haven't gotten through to Heroine yet and decides to get rid of Sam as well.

Heroine can also decide to call Leumin over, to which he does agree very quickly. Afterwards, Heroine describes their situation of the death of their boss to where Leumin reassures them by stating they can work in the flower shop instead. Heroine falls asleep next to Leumin, leading to Leumin's confession while they are asleep. Heroine wakes up on their bed and finds Leumin on their couch and decides to cook dinner for him.

Going back by themselves will lead to Leumin talking about how he actually was the one who slashed their tires and although a bit worried about their skepticism, is happy that they were able to meet as he knows all about them.

I will say that despite the fact that I knew that Leumin was a yandere, I still was caught off guard by his yandere behavior. It's probably because the game has a very cutesy vibe to it, a sort of rainy comforting vibe towards it that made me believe it would be a lot more of a light yandere than he actually is, which... he's not really. Leumin goes through a lot to be with Heroine, from slashing their tires so that they're forced to walk together with him in the rain, to possibly killing the boss depending on if Leumin is invited in and even killing Sam the coworker if they so choose to invite him instead. He seems to have been watching Heroine for a while now, and seems like a more calculating yandere than he first seems. That being said, he still retains his more deredere side when interacting with Heroine being shy but overall encouraging to them despite what kinds of troubles they have been going through. It's a cute contrast that a lot of yanderes have, but I do like it when a yandere is shy around their love interest, since not only is it cute, but it continues that kind of gap that yanderes have over their cutesy nature versus their more vicious one.

Like I said though, I am a fan of the more rainy vibes that this game has. It's a comforting feeling, like a melancholy meeting in the rain, which is likely what this style will encapsulate in contrast with the more violent tendencies. I assume the setting will likely have rain often as a theme, which can be cool.

Overall, a fun start to a game. Leumin is very cute (and tall) so I am curious to see what he will be in the future. I'm digging the vibe of the game so far though and I am curious to see what lengths Leumin will go for our dear Heroine.

[omfals]

So, does anyone know if we have a canonical reason why the traveler can just, posses the different saurians in Natlan. Ik in-game yeah it's a new travel mechanic but it got my brain thinking

To figure it out, there's a few things we need to consider:

1. The traveler can "possess" any saurian not in a civilian designated structure like the arena and the within the tribes

2. The traveler, while they are saurians, get treated as an odd but still counted as saurians by the other ones as indicated by the usual head tilt and visible question mark

3. While in-game whenever the traveler possesses saurians, they dissapear as enemies during battles. And they can also die by the traveler's own hand when possessed. However, they still end up respawning where the traveler original possesed them

4. The traveler cannot, or chooses not to, posses baby saurians or adjacent boss saurian enemies

5. When exiting their saurian form, they only leave a holographic marker behind

Initially I thought that meant that this was symbolic of the traveler riding the saurians giving hoyo less effort to animate, but that wouldn't explain why other saurians saw the traveler as one of them OR the fact that the traveler couldn't have possibly gotten 3 saurian companions in the small amount of time they've been in Natlan. They also can't be taking pre-existing saurians because they always reappear where the traveler originally possesed them. So "posses" isn't the correct term.

Thus, I headcanon that the traveler, in some sort of spiritual or shapshifting power, can turn into saurians.

This would fit as suitable explanation to all of my previously mentioned statements, and also because I think it would be adorable. The traveler could open full communications between Natlan and their saurian companions. The Natlan playable characters could use us as transport of if they just want a cute animal friend. Freakouts when new characters see traveler tranform/detransform.

Another layer is that, why is it that the traveler can only do it now? I think there are two factors given the Natlan Nation.

1. Saurians are dragons

2. Natlan is filled with Abyss energy

What if all the corrupted energy we've been purifying is actually the traveler unkowingly increasing their original powers. And why their twin sided with the abyss, because it gives them back what was cut off from them.

It can be that because the saurians have undergone revolution alongside humans and abyssal energy the traveler resonates with them.

Or my favorite alternative that since dragons are usually being of great power and divinity, plausibly one of the traveler's original powers was either becoming a dragon or possesing dragon-like power.

It's just, my thoughts. Personally I'm not too well versed into genshin's lore so I could be wayyy off course.

Regardless I will continue believing the traveler animorphs into saurians and no one can stop me.

[tonydaddingham]

what does aziraphale know?

i wanted to have another look through the pre-fall scene because there was something that wasn't feeling Quite Right to me about it, and honestly the below is just a stream of consciousness rather than any coherent theory, analysis or otherwise - so read at your own peril.

so the school of thought for many reasons has been that the Angel Who Crowley Was (AWCW) was a powerful angel, and i don't think that can be argued sufficiently given what we have seen so far from s1 and s2. but after rewatching the pre-fall scene i do wonder if crowley's importance in the Grand Scheme of Things has been overestimated, possibly by noone more than AWCW/crowley himself, and if aziraphale was actually the one with status, however quiet and modest.

when we open with the pre-fall scene, we see crowley alone, and he calls at a passing angel for some help with the map/plan. now this angel seems to rocketing past at the literal speed of light, and i cant help but feel that they were actually intending on going somewhere. and at the below specific angle, that angel looks like they were heading in a downward trajectory.

given that AWCW points up when referencing "Upstairs", we can infer that whilst heaven may not be bound by concepts like upstairs or downstairs, it does seem to have a concept of a higher placement for a higher being (ie god). this is also going on the assumption that in this scene, AWCW and the angel are even in heaven-space (which arguably, they're not), but regardless the angel seems to be heading down, indicating that they've just come down from the Up.

in any case, when aziraphale arrives, has helped AWCW with the cranking, he then says, "was that it?". and the way he says it, his body language, indicates to me that he is being polite, but in a perfunctory way. to me, it almost feels like he has things he needs to get on with - not in any frustrated or impatient manner, but just simply, 'is there anything else you need from me?', because he has things To Do.

(gif quality does not display this lmao but it's the impression i got anyway)

but AWCW puts out there that that was just the starting the ignition, and gleefully says that the next bit is where the true magic happens. which, i think is obvious, is where aziraphale actually reacts in any of the same manner - he begins to really smile, and offers up his name, even going so far as to say hi for the first time in the conversation. and i do think this is because he's just gotten a slam dunk of 'oh shit this angel is cute', but that's almost immaterial.

the part of the dialogue that struck me however is that AWCW says, "ive been waiting for this since... well, always!". it's not particularly revelatory, but to me basically says that AWCW has literally been working on this since he was formed from the firmament, having concept and design meetings with god, but this has been his entire "life"'s work, and he has never known anything else. he could just be being hyperbolic and i could be reading into it, but it would make sense for this starmaker to have only ever been a starmaker.

and heaven is certainly portrayed as being the most desolate place ever conceived, whether its in the dreaded High Rise Penthouse office building or in this vast, empty, dark space (presuming of course that the latter is in fact part of heaven, which it may well not be - and instead be in the space between planes before the universe was actually created)

regardless it gives the distinct impression of being very Lonely. so can we surmise from this that AWCW is not only a starmaker, but The Starmaker? working entirely in a team of one (thinking about the ep6 line of a "team... of the two of us") to create this nebula, possibly even most of the universe? crowley is described as being the only demon with an imagination, and his weapon of choice is literally the same instrument with which he cranked up this nebula... was his imagination in heaven also that revered and that's why he was entrusted with this project? and other similar ones? possibly.

but that spells for loneliness - single genius can be lonely. so it stands to reason that AWCW would be eager to have someone around to get dizzy with him about the wonder that is this new nebula and appreciate him for his creation. but it's not out of it being aziraphale being the one to appreciate it - we can surmise that in the way AWCW brushes him off. is this a case of self-importance? feeling he has status and should be recognised for this achievement? i feel like this is potentially a likely scenario.

in any case, AWCW seems pretty set on creating not only for himself, which he evidently finds fun and self-rewarding - going so far as to preen at the heartfelt but small praise that aziraphale gives him, but because its part of gods plan, and he's doing it for her.

he's even given perhaps one of the most famous lines from the bible, "let there be light". do we even trust that in GO it was god that originally said it - was it in fact AWCW? well either way, he completely believes in her vision, as far as he understands her vision to be.

so imagine how it must have felt then, in this instance, to have this stranger angel tell him that hes fairly certain that god is planning to destroy it in the next few millennia. AWCW, who is entrusted with creating parts if not all of her universe, isn't even clued in on the full facts, but aziraphale seems to be.

aziraphale is even seemingly part of the team (or is the whole team?) that seems to be entrusted with the plan of god's ultimate creation - earth and people built in her own image... but in kind doesn't seem to quite understand the true purpose of the nebula AWCW has built, at least according to him.

do we take this as an indication that god doesn't readily share her plans between angels, or that the nebula doesn't actually have as much importance as AWCW believed it to have? in any case, aziraphale seems to have been entrusted with god's plan, and AWCW - a creator whose creation the plan directly threatens - isn't.

aziraphale then goes on to describe the people they are currently designing; if we went with the notion (ie not sure how true this is in GO!verse) that humanity is god's ultimate creation, aziraphale has been trusted to help with that. i can't imagine just any angel would be, so there must be something in aziraphale that god sees as being fundamental in helping her with building them. from what we know of aziraphale's characteristics even this early on in his arc, he seems to be a kind and selfless person, and these may be the qualities that in building humanity god considers instrumental.

when we further consider that aziraphale then ends up being guardian of the eastern gate, and seems to have gone unpunished in giving away his sword (spelling its own implications for humanity as concerns war, cruelty, and death) and lying to her about it, this really does indicate to me that aziraphale is literally one of - if not the - favourite. given his qualities that it seems the other angels seem to lack (yes, even AWCW to a certain extent), it might just be that aziraphale was god's perfect angel. that would make sense.

the other thing that struck me is that aziraphale warns crowley against questioning god. the fall hasn't happened yet, so what gives aziraphale the foreboding sense of doom if crowley were to directly question her and her motives? "if i was the one running it all, id like it if..." strikes me as being the foreshadowing that it's this exact phraseology that AWCW puts before god and spells for disaster; that crowley intimates that if he were in charge, he would do things better. which is eerie when you again take into consideration the bookend that is aziraphale, "if im in charge, i could make a difference".

i would take the context of this being set pre-fall to indicate that there isn't any concept of actual punishment in heaven just yet (other than what a supervisory angel might order another angel to do, or a general reprimand). so what exactly is aziraphale afraid of? why is he scared for AWCW? doesn't he trust god to be understanding and kind if AWCW were to ask questions? what is it that aziraphale knows that AWCW doesn't?

so this is where i come to wondering if crowley was indeed prince of hell (okay yeah, fuck it, this is now a theory). what if it was actually aziraphale? god's perfect angel, entrusted with creating and guarding her ultimate creation? would it really be implausible that aziraphale went back to god and mused on what AWCW had said to him?

that it would perhaps be beneficial to have further input on how things were being created, especially when all the hard work, the creativity and genius, that was going into making her plans a reality, was just going to be wiped out in a snap? AWCW had 'friends' that fanned the flames of questioning god, doubled down on his resolve, and aziraphale tried to forestall the punishment that would inevitably come for him... but in doing so was punished himself?

but because aziraphale is her Favourite, instead of making him fall, she wiped his memory of it? he evidently remembers crowley as an angel, but beyond that? especially his remark that he's never killed anything (when, even if indirectly, aziraphale actually has? s1 with the french guard and the airfield soldier (perhaps not taking book canon into account here re: soldier) and the demons in s2) - does aziraphale not remember being a soldier? had a hard factory reset and is back to the unblemished, untainted angel he was before?

what if crowley did indeed bargain for aziraphale to be spared? that it was his fault that god was going to make him fall, it was his questions not aziraphale's? i think narratively it could make sense in the way that aziraphale and crowley are put as two halves of the same whole; that crowley did a selfless thing and was damned for it, whereas aziraphale wanted something selfish for crowley but was spared from the consequences. it would also go some way to explaining why crowley always has to protect aziraphale - its literally been his way since the beginning, in recompense for what happened to aziraphale?

i realise that this is completely batshit, but i do like the idea (im a huge fan of a bait and switch), and poetically speaking i think it could work - that instead of crowley being the original fallen angel, it was actually aziraphale? borne out of kindness and fondness for his new friend, the friend that actively seemed to welcome his company and wanted to show him the stars, and wanting to make heaven and the world a better place?✨

[adobe-outdesign]

Venonat line review if it hasn't been done yet?

Venonat is honestly a pretty underrated Pokemon. I really like how it's a bug-type, but it's an ambiguous little ball of fur with compound eyes and antennae instead of a specific kind of insect. On top of that, it's pretty cute despite the non-conventional design, what with its little hands and big 'ol eyes. The colors are also nice, contrasting bright pink accents with a dark purple base. No complaints here.

I don't know why, but a lot of butterfly and moth Pokemon tend to be pretty bland with only a few exceptions, and unfortunately Venomoth isn't one of them. What made Venonat unique in my eyes was the simple abstract design—so when it evolves into a fairly normal moth, it looses most of the interest it had and doesn't really replace it with anything notable. It is known for scattering poison with its scales, which is interesting, but that doesn't factor into the design—in fact, nothing in the design really even suggests it's a poision-type.

There's a common conspiracy theory that Venomoth and Butterfree were switched during Gen 1's development. For the record, the entire Caterpie line have correctly numbered internal IDs, pointing to them being added all at once; however, they could've always been switched back when they were designed on paper, long before they were programmed into the game.

That said, a lot of Gen 1 designs do just share similar elements. I do think that it's entirely possible that the similarities are just sheer coincidence; like, just look at Dragonite and Charizard sharing the same color palette, or how many lines have the exact same eye shape. Don't get me wrong, we can't know for certain either way; but I do find it annoying how people insist that the lines had to have been swapped, which shows very little understanding of Gen 1's development, especially when it's argued that the switch was somehow accidental.

(If you really want to make things confusing: Venonat's sprite was downscaled at some point, indicating that it originally wasn't even supposed to evolve. Also, some early Venomoth art shows it being blue with multiple yellow spots on its wings.)

ANYWAY, I only point this out because A) people will bring it up if I don't, and B) regardless if the theory is true or not, Venonat and Venomoth have a lot more in common than people seem to realize. The long fur off of Venonat's head becomes the spikes on Venomoth's head, the hands are still clutched to the abdomen, they both have fangs, and they're both furry. I don't think that Venomoth doesn't fit as Venomoth's evolution or anything; I just think Venomoth is merely boring compared to it.

Overall, Venonat's pretty solid, but Venomoth is relatively boring—I think the best thing that could be done for this line is regionals. I'd almost suggest just doing what Galarian Meowth does by making a regional Venonat that keeps with the more unique body shape; though then again, I'd feel kind of bad if Venonat got forgotten. Regardless, this line definitely feels like it could be revisited to make it more memorable.

[pentacle-artist]

I realized something about the cure designs while watching this week's episode. The crowns.

So initially, with Komugi and Iroha, it's like (at least for me), "Hm, Iroha has a hat while Komugi has a crown. Interesting since they're a pair but it's cute so whatever"

But I realized that it's the same for Yuki and Mayu. Yuki, the pet, has a crown, while the human has a hat. That combined with the fact Yuki and Komugi aren't stylized normally makes me think this could potentially be important. I'm not going to be certain about it unless it carries to the mid-season cures (hopefully Satoru and Daifuku).

Regardless, I think it's neat.

[tsunflowers]

Extremely wild day in the Detective Conan fandom that I need to tell as many people as I can about. The latest film (which is currently only in Japanese theatres) has apparently revealed that Spoilers:

Shinichi Kudo (the real identity of Conan Edogawa from before he got shrunk into a 7 year-old body) & Kaito Kuroba (the real identity of Kaito Kid) are actually cousins (their dads each took a different family name when their parents divorced).

KaiShin/ShinKai has long been a very popular ship in Japan (despite the fact that the actual plot is very blunt about the girls each of them is going to eventually end up with). And when I say “very popular”, I mean in general, not just within the Detective Conan fandom. Shippers in the English-fandom are doom spiraling, while most other regions seems fine with it.

https://twitter.com/Kastoriaaa/status/1778761128224735264

(Because of seeing this tweet I specifically looked up “新快” and “快新” on twitter, and google translate is giving me the impression that the main reaction from Japanese shippers has been “cousins can get married, so it’s fine”. Side note: learning that first cousins can get married in Japan gives me some context for that gross thing in Ninninger where Yakumo apparently had a childhood crush on Kasumi and no one reacted grossed out to this information & just teased him about it.)

Anyways, regardless of if you think it is okay to ship cousins (I personally am not okay with it), the English fans saying that this revelation means the author suddenly decided to add this to spite fans and/or the author has been queerbaiting (since KaiShin/ShinKai merch makes a ton of money) are just wrong because:

Kaito Kid was the protagonist of “Magic Kaito”, the author’s manga before Detective Conan, and later got brought into Conan as a reoccurring character. From the start, and they have always had very similar faces and voices (they have the same VA)

Even if you try to dismiss this as the wanting to give the VA more work & author’s artstyle having same-face syndrome (which to a certain extent he does), it has been explicitly acknowledge in-universe they are almost identical beyond their hairstyles.

(Please forgive the official English translation of the manga still calling Shinichi “Jimmy”)So this is a reveal that has most likely been in the works for a while now.

This is is Shuichi Akai & Akemi Miyano. They canonically dated before Akemi was killed near the beginning of the series, and both are very important reoccurring characters to the plot (though in Akemi’s case it is primarily through flashbacks from various other characters).

Like 5-10 years ago, the author revealed that their mothers are/were actually sister, and later explicitly confirmed at a fan panel that that means they are/were first cousins.

(Note: afaik no single person in-universe knows both that they were related and were dating. Akai would actually probably be pretty bothered if he learned they were cousins, because he was born in England and went to study in America (and later join the FBI) while the rest of his family moved to Japan after his dad died, so unlike most of the main cast he would not have grown-up in a cultural where that is at all seen as okay.)

So setting aside the fact that Akai/Akemi demonstrates the author is more okay with kissing cousins than he should be, Shinichi and Kaito being revealed as cousins is not an act of homophobia to spite the fujoshis.

-

I’m glad that you told me all this bc I’ve seen people freaking out but you’ve provided some context that I didn’t have before. now I think this is a fun reveal. they look the same bc this is what mr aoyama thinks is a good design for a protagonist and he’s decided to say in-universe they look the same bc they’re cousins. I don’t know or care about the ship so I think it’s cute for them to be related

also I feel like he can’t not know how big the ship is but I agree he probably did not make this decision just to spite shippers

[eldritch-spouse]

[Part 5 of Gifted. Fem reader.]

Previous poll winner: Grimbly (56.7%)

TW: Creepy one-sided mommy kink, later becomes mutual.

New choice! [VOTE]

When your leg lightly pokes the smaller monster, his previously cute expression morphs into a smarmy, gross smirk.

" Hah. Looks like you might wanna reconsider. " His hands are on his waist as he regards the wraith.

" Fool. They're not in the right mind to be making decisions. " The other counters.

" Mm. Cope harder. "

No matter how hard you try to keep your eyelids open, they flutter repeatedly, eventually shutting for good. Your consciousness fades on Morell's chopping table.

...

There's a chirp. Then another. You hear something rushing nearby. A liquid. The noise, paired with a slight chilly sensation, becomes uncomfortable, forcing you to gradually wake up.

Eyes eventually parting, the shapes of the revolving world finally begin to make sense, and you find yourself in a garden. Not just any garden, the same one where all this madness started. Alertness seeping back into your form, wary hues scatter until they find a fountain.. If you can call it that. Yes, it's not exactly standard. The thing takes on a strange, bent shape which seems to loop in itself like an optical illusion designed to confound the mind. Water rushes down its sides, then up, then diagonally- Like it's crawling around it, alive. You'd imagine this is what a being who has never seen a fountain in their life would make, putting aside the way this thing very clearly defies physics.

You've been around here for a while however, and as such, you know better than to question the logistics of this location. The how and why of this reality is irrelevant. Nevertheless, the sound of water cascading and dripping aimlessly is the least bit soothing to your overworked, stressed brain, so, with a quiet sigh, you glance at the flowers who have been chirping all this time- Swaying and twirling at each other as if to communicate. To think those things have teeth. That they bit you. Cursed garden indeed...

" It's beautiful in its own way, right? "

Your heart, that poor, miserable organ which has been tested thoroughly throughout this entire day, threatens to leap out your ribcage for what feels like the hundredth time.

" Geez silly, it's just me. "

Bulging eyeballs zero in on the monster sitting next to you. Grimbly... Ah yes! The one you picked, good. He's far too close, thigh brushing yours actually. How had you not noticed him before? Shortly after this initial observation, you realize you're on a bench, and a quick self-check reveals that you're wearing an entirely different get-up. In fact, you're clad in what looks to be a pastel pink Summer dress with subtle floral patterns. Huh. Well, you suppose it's better than torn, bloodied scraps?

The bat monster notes your disoriented staring and pipes up. " Ah, I hope you don't mind. It's just, you looked so bad in that trash, I found something much better for you. " Bright magenta hues almost seem to sparkle at you. " You love it, don't you? "

Yeah, sure. You love being minimally covered. Now that you think about it, he must have undressed and garbed you himself while you were out cold. Slimy fucker. Regardless, a free dress is a free dress, so you nod cautiously.

" Yay. I'm really glad, mommy! "

Fucking what now?

You give the monster a subtle side-glance. This is a grown adult. He may be small in stature but this is definitely an adult. There is no way in Heaven or Hell he's actually mistaking you for his mother, this is very clearly a "thing". A thing he's involved you in without asking. God damn it, and here you thought this one could be slightly more normal. Serves you right.

" Uhum. " Because what else are you supposed to say? That he's a creepy loser? So are the others. You can only hope that he's a less powerful creepy loser. Hell, if all he wants to do is pretend you're his "mommy" and have you pet his head, then you'll consider yourself very lucky.

Wary eyes glance around again. It's noon-ish? Indeed, between being inside, with all that ruckus and calamity, you much prefer this twisted garden. You can still hear people in the vicinity, but nowhere near the amount indoors. All the chattering, cackling and yelling was getting in your brain far before you were even handed to Morell like a tasty morsel. This... This is much better, it has saved you from a pounding headache, and your body is only somewhat sore. You must not have slept on this bench.

Hold on.

You're in the garden. And what a large garden it is- But that's hardly the point! What matters is that, if you can get this one off your hairs, you could maybe try to find a way out of here. After all, if you're fast enough, clever and quiet like a mouse, would it truly be impossible to just leave? There has to be an exit. Somewhere. For all intents and purposes, this is the closest you've been to freedom ever since being dumped here by the Icon of carnality. Yes... Good.

A small weight on top of your right hand jolts you. You didn't even realize you had them fisted around the hems of your dress until he gently grasped one. Forcing a deep breath out of your lungs, you meet his big, rounded eyes.

" I know your day has been tough so far. How are you feeling now? "

That calm breath was fruitless, for those words alone instill insurmountable tension within you. How dare he? How are you feeling?! Fucking hopeless, how about that! Tarnished. Frightened. Panicked. You want out. You just want out. You want to go home, you want to see your family and you want to pretend that none of this happened. That you weren't picked to be some appetizer, some distraction brought on by a demonlord.

Tears slide down your cheeks faster than you realize you're crying.

" Oh. Oh no, please don't cry mommy, I didn't mean to- I promise! "

Grimbly scoots even closer, smaller, four-fingered hands reaching for your cheeks and softly wiping away the waterworks. Although you freeze, expecting some sort of catch behind the act, he only spares you a soft smile. Before sitting sideways on your lap that is. Ugh.

" It's okay, you don't need to cry anymore. You have me now, after all. " The bat half-jokes, earning only a sniffle in return as you try to gather your bearings.

Shaky hands hover, having nowhere to poise, until the waiter rolls his bright eyes and grabs them, manually wrapping them around himself in a clumsy embrace. He's smooth, surprisingly soft. " We can talk about anything you want, okay? "

What is there to talk about, your cynical side snarks. Yet, if he's responsive to conversation, for whatever reason, then maybe you can make the most out of it.

" How many floors are there in this building? "

" It depends. " Grimbly shrugs. " Today there's extra ones, because we're kinda flooded with clients. I just hope they don't rush to the aquarium, serving there is no fun, everything's wet and slippery and I don't know how to swim. "

" Do you know how to swim, mommy? "

Your eyelid twitches. " ... Yes. "

The monster gasps. " Oh! Can you teach me someday? "

You don't even know if you'll make it past today. " Uh, sure. "

God, this is awkward.

The waiter purrs loudly, exactly like an overgrown kitten, as he dips his face into your chest, struggling with his own horns. " Thank you! " He's nuzzling, you can feel the pointed tips of those fangs dragging on your skin as he tries to shove his face on your tits. You've no doubt he picked a dress with significant cleavage for this very reason. You don't think too much of your chest, but he seems fixated on it nonetheless.

Silent, passive seconds pass. You're not too sure what you signed up for before passing out, though, thinking back on it, maybe you made the right choice? The mysterious figure in the hood was so ominous, at least this one seems way less intense. Clingy definitely, but way less intimidating.

" You're so nice... " The monster attempting to become one with your tits purrs in a saccharine tone.

" Am I? " A sort of corrosive dryness seeps from you. Your patience for games is dwindling.

" Yeah. You're not like the other ones. " Grimbly hugs you tight, sighing in a way that sounds much too infatuated while he adjusts his position on your lap, tail swatting behind his lithe figure. " You're not screaming, trying to run, or calling me names- I knew I was right when I said you were special. "

Maybe you're just too tired to do those things. Or, better yet, you know it would worsen your chances of survival. The urge to yell and flail is right around the corner, but so it the other voice asking you if you'd like to live to see another day.

" You're perfect. " He swoons, shifting his legs on your lap. " You love me already, don't you? "

Your chin is grasped, forcing you to face the hysterical-looking monster on top of you. Ah. So you were wrong. He's not any safer than the other ones, in fact, he's apparently a lot less stable. Something in the blade-thin pupils of those sweet round eyes tells you it's a horrible idea to antagonize him.

" O- Of course. " You stammer, trying to smile in a comforting way but very aware that your discomfort is shining through crystal clear. Grimbly tilts his head expectantly, and your eyelid twitches a little. " ... Sweetie. " For good measure, you give him a couple of pats on the head.

It seems you've gouged what he wanted correctly, because the waiter relaxes, leaning into the touch. " I knew it. " He lilts. It almost feels threatening.

You try to focus on the relatively calm surroundings, hearing some flapping and thumping in the distance. Not for long however, because a claw hooks onto the front of your dress and slips your tits out. You can only tense, observing the small bat hybrid excite himself with the sight of them. It certainly doesn't help that the slight breeze has your nipples rock hard like pointers. Small hands practically dart to hold your now exposed breasts, the touch greedy and self-serving more than anything. He's clearly not intending to massage you, more so rolling them for his own lurid entertainment.

A not half bad suggestion crosses your mind. What if... What if you used his own kink against him for a second? Would that work? Worth a try.

" Grimbly! " You call sternly, making the hypnotized monster blush and jump slightly. " What do you think you're doing?! Is this any way to behave? " A small part of you writhes, cringing.

" Buh- "

" But nothing. " You insist.

The smaller monster's face goes from velvet to crimson, although whether that's good or bad is up in the air. He covers his groin, expression deflating. For a moment, you almost believe he's going to come to his senses and let it die, your expectations are shifted upside down when he gives you a teary-eyed look.

" But I was so good! " His fists ball. " I didn't touch you while I was dressing you up even if I wanted to so bad! " A shiver crawls up your spine. " I'm being good for you! Aren't I? "

No. But the way the pitch in his voice rises makes you second-guess the effectiveness of pursuing this. " Mommy, why are you being so mean to me?! "

God, he's creepy.

Fine then, he wants you to play nice? Might as well get this over with.

Rolling your eyes, you shove his face between your tits, snickering at the surprised yelp he lets out, which very quickly morphs into a content murr. Those threatening pinprick points you can only guess function as fangs drag across the sensitive tissue of your breasts, and you vaguely wonder if he's going to bite at any point. Puncture into your chest. The mental image makes you shudder. His arms dart to squeeze the soft skin around himself more, and you take advantage of it by sliding a hand right down his body, to the sopping wet slit he tried to hide before.

Grimbly whimpers.

You don't know what to make of this guy.

He's definitely desperate, and even if he's got admittedly adorable looks, his attitude is invasive and abrasive. You can see through his little disguise, or maybe he's just become sloppy in his excitement, but this little fucker is toxic enough to smell. You'll have to be careful with him. For now though, you can afford being a little rougher. You deserve it even, after all that's happened to you. It's a miracle your poor body isn't sore. It should be.

With little to no hesitation, you slip two fingers into that eager hole, getting rewarded with moans that the monster tries to muffle against your skin, now merely holding onto you. The way you pump them is merciless, fingerfucking that pouch and ignoring the swollen cock begging to be freed. The bat's legs twitch, parting, his claws digging into your sides.

" Ghh- " He tries to form a sad excuse of a word, but you don't relent, getting some kicks out of torturing him this way. The sound of his slit greedily swallowing your fingers is lewd and loud.

" Mm, what was that? " You cruelly egg.

" Ngh- Mommy- "

" Yeah? " Grimbly makes another senseless noise and tries to buck into your motions. Your placid hand rises to grab him by the hip, and although you didn't expect it, you're able to keep him perfectly still. Or maybe he's letting you? You sense you have more strength over him.

" Words. " You demand.

" P- Please- Please let it out! It hurts- I need it! "

Your digits all but rip out of his hole, leaving it flexing solemnly before a short chubby cock pokes out. A smooth and slick member bobs in the air, featuring a tapered tip. He's the smallest you've seen today, but that's actually quite comforting. Just enough to make you feel good, and not have to worry about how your body is even accommodating it. Again, you're sure Vesper tampered with you in unwanted ways.

Not giving the needy waiter a moment of respite, you fist your hand around his pretty dick, pumping him fast and hard, occasionally stopping to toy with the odd tip and figuring out what feels best there. The monster atop you twitches and gasp, legs jerking while his body juggles excess sensation. But by God, if the look on his face isn't one of pure ecstasy, open-mouthed and eyes rolled, blinking with each new flare of heat.

It feels good to finally exert some sort of power over someone here. You're not foolish enough to believe you're safe, much less that you can intimidate this odd monster, but you can trick your desperate sense of control, pet it like one would a frightened animal, whisper that everything is fine- Because here you are, making the waiter choke on his own pleasured noises.

Some mean, wounded part of you wants to make Grimbly come from a harsh, merciless handjob. You want him to quiver and soak himself hopelessly, experience just a taste of the powerlessness you've been restricted to since the beginning of this cursed game, this obscene adventure born out of the depths of the Icon of Lust's debased psyche. You want to make sure he reaches that precious peak of pleasure, and then rip all touch away, see him buck like a stupid animal after your hand, cry and strangle out noises of despairing frustration as his orgasm is ruined.

For a brief instant, you stun yourself with the peculiar nature of your desires. You never once experienced a need to be so domineering and cruel... This place is sinking its filthy claws in your brain and it hasn't even been a full day yet. It's a horrifying possibility. Besides, you don't think it'd be a particularly bright idea to feed those urges.

" O-Ohn- N- Not yet! "

The waiter's ambiguous whining forces you to attention. He's thrashing a bit more, no longer the simple squirming of an overstimulated body but genuine attempts to halt things. You stop the moment he taps at your hand insistently.

Grimbly sighs, offering you a glazed smile. " I don't want to come yet, mommy. Not without you... "

Although the look he puts on is cute, you're too riled up to give him any leash, sliding him off your legs and placing him down with jarring ease. He weighs so little, it's bizarre, he definitely doesn't feel that light, and your upper body strength isn't anything to gawk at either. Huh. While he observes you vapidly, the dress is hiked up as you shift to straddle the small monster instead.

He's positively dwarfed by you, which is equal parts satisfying and arousing. The crimson burn on his cheeks agrees completely.

Although you hover tantalizingly over Grimbly's twitching cock, you don't touch or line the monster up with you, enjoying the frustrated brow crease wrinkling his otherwise smooth features. When the bat cares to look up from between plush legs, he finds you boring holes into him.

" A- Ah! " He flusters, breaking eye contact.

" What do you want? "

" Mmm... I want- " Magenta orbs flicker between the sight of your bare pussy to your eyes, begging wordlessly.

" You want? " Grabbing his member, you don't offer the bat any stimulation, even as his legs tremble and he bites his lips at the feeling of your pussy lips juuust grazing his tip.

" Please mommy! " He whines loud and high.

You actually can't contain the laugh that rips out your throat. " Please what? "

Grimbly cracks, voice acquiring a growled edge that wasn't there before. " I want your pussy! I want mommy's sweet pussy I Hhng- "

Gross. You sink onto him like an anchor.

A risky move, but fortunately, he's small enough that it went smoothly. While you blink and gasp in strong shocks of pleasure, Grimbly cries out like a needy whore, and you bet at least some people inside that blasted building heard it. Let them hear, fuck it.

He's still panting by the time dark hands hold onto your hips, throbbing inside you. Pent up little man, you doubt he'll last much longer. Drunk on the control, you can't take much more stillness, starting to ride the monster as hard as you know he wants it.

Grimbly's eyes widen and his mouth parts soundlessly, you grab the back of the bench to support yourself and grin as you fuck down onto his pretty cock, shivering at every choked out whimper he offers. What a pretty slut, maybe that's what the other ones saw when they took you. And you can't blame them for being weak to it.

The monster clips out moans with each bounce, your legs more powerful than his, jostling his lithe figure somewhat the harder you crash onto him. It's addicting, something you never thought you'd need so bad. Chasing your own pleasure becomes a secondary goal, overshadowed entirely by wanting to ruin the winged monster beneath you.

Grimbly seems entirely hypnotized by the sway of your tits, it would almost be hilarious if it didn't help make you feel so gorgeous and desired. One palm leaves the discolored bench to shove his face directly against your boobs, hearing him groan in rapture. The waiter boy gets to work fast, rolling a slick tongue around your nipple and kissing from one to the other, only ever stopping to drool and moan out what could be mindless pleas.

You don't ever slow down.

Fevered with a foreign sense of glee, Grimbly's ripped back from your now soaked tits by the horns, you dip to share a domineering kiss with him, giggling into his mouth, peeling away only to stuff two fingers between his lips. He sucks on them automatically, and your hips snap as harshly as you can when he bites down, breaking the skin. The slight bit of alarm such sudden pain causes you is shadowed by curiosity -Then realization- As you see Grimbly swallow what few rivulets of blood he can leech out of you.

Vampiric. There's something you didn't see coming.

Apparently, the view of you flushed and debased above him, paired with the flavor of your blood and the delicious clench of your cunt around him is the perfect recipe for the monster to see stars, a mangled feminine cry released past your fingers as he seizes and pistons up pointlessly, his orgasm taking hold of him by the neck. Even then, only you remain in control, deciding how hard to milk his poor cock and taking every last bit of cum as deep as possible.

You only slow down when Grimbly begins crying and begging you for a break. Even still, you'd love to continue torturing him, maybe wring a second one out of his mess of a body. You allow yourself a couple of deep, calming breaths, trying to gather your mind in the haze of unfulfilled pleasure. Gentle palms scritch at the bat's chin and cheek, earning a satisfied, adorable purr.

" Mommy y-you... " He starts, when you rise off his spent cock, wiping some of his own seed on him with no shame. " You didn't get to come. "

" I'll live. " You shrug, watching him slump. Truth be told, your legs are a little sore from being tense with need all this time, from deliberately cunt-teasing yourself, but it's better this way.

While Grimbly slumps onto the wood of the bench and catches his breath, you focus on standing up to straighten the dress, comb over your hair, make sure the bleeding stopped, cover your breasts and think.

Your limbs are free, you're clothed and he's disoriented. The surroundings are basically devoid of others, it's calm. If ever there was a golden opportunity to dash away, this would be it. Hesitating, you glance this way and that, trying to estimate how far the garden stretches, if there's anything like gates in the distance. Which would be the fastest way out for that matter? There's almost a sort of smog effect in the air. Truth be told, the more time you spend out there, the less you like it, the more you feel like you shouldn't be here at all.

Which is true, you never should have been anywhere near this fucking hellpit. But it wasn't your choice now, was it?

Lacking any sort of direction, bare feet step onto the stone pathway that you assume leads North. It's hard to tell given how late it's getting and how blurred the sky appears from here.

You don't make it past three steps.

Something coils around your wrist, yanking hard. When you lose balance, stumbling, Grimbly meets your curved form with an eerie deadpan. When had the little shit gotten up? You didn't hear a thing! Your blood freezes.

" Where do you think you're going, mommy? "

" N-Nowhere, baby boy. " You try, as clear a lie as it is.

The bat tuts. " I really thought you loved me, you know? " It's ominous that you can't tell how serious he's being right now.

In seconds, more of a blink really, you're flung onto the very same bench. It takes a couple of stunted, very slow moments, for your brain to click that- Yes, the short thing you easily lifted minutes ago did, in fact, just launch you around like you weigh less than a feather.

You knew it was too good to hope that Grimbly was nothing more than a frail-armed little pipsqueak...

You try to stand again, jolted by pain on your right arm, which took the brunt of the impact. Something can be heard rolling on the stony ground, and when you think to track the waiter, his long tail slides an object from behind that twisted fountain. A transparent spherical shape is snatched in a four-fingered hand, you can spot something alive writhing within it. Fear starts taking a hold of you.

Grimbly unscrews the container and promptly discards the top half, by the time you realize it's imperative to start running, something foreign and wet has collided with your turning body. Frantic, you find... Strings? Tubes? Worms? Oh God, that's disgusting, they're alive and squirming like tentacles, what the fuck are you even looking at?

The purple and blue-ish things sprout to action upon the first blind palping of your skin, wrapping around your upper body tightly and latching wetly onto the back of the bench, jarringly forcing you to sit. It happens so fast that all you can do is bleat in terror and shake your head. The things pulse around your arms and torso, featuring a heartbeat of their own, invasively caressing your form. Your strength is moot against them, there's very little give no matter how hard you flex.

Panic-stricken, you can only look to Grimbly for answers. He appears perfectly calm, having taken the time to clean himself while you were bound.

" See? This is what happens when I can't trust you, mommy. " He pouts. " Trust is the foundation of every good relationship, you know? "

" What- What the fuck are you doing? "

" Nothing! " The waiter perks up, trotting over to your form and placing a light kiss on your forehead. You openly glare at him. " I need you to stay right here for me while I take care of some things in the restaurant, okay? "

" Yay! I'll be right back! After all, we aren't done. " The bat winks, seeming very excited even as he zooms past you. The last thing you hear from him being no more than a rushed- " Don't miss me too much! "

It takes a long while before you realize he wants an actual answer, to which you groan and nod, furious.

A tired, drawn-out sigh flows out your lips.

How many more times will you have to be tied up in a single day? It's getting ridiculous. From present wrapping to ropes to whatever these organic constructs twined around you are. It just gets worse and worse, doesn't it?

Minutes pass. Darkness starts to creep in. You have no way of telling the time and have long since stopped trying to twist out of the tendrils. Or bite them off. You really wish you could hit your head against the wall, maybe drag the bench out with you, but it's firmly planted into the pathway.

There's nothing to do except stare longingly at the open garden, freedom taunting you like the cruel mistress it is. To think that if, maybe, if you hadn't hesitated, put thought into it, you could have been a great distance away from here already... Miserable.

You're trying to roll your shoulders against the oppressive force of the mass around you when the sound of chatter becomes louder. Footsteps, laughter, shouting. Monsters. People are exiting to the outside area of the building. Perhaps for an event? You can't tell, but it's not important.

What matters is that you can't be seen by groups right now, especially defenseless as you are. That'll be your death sentence, the final chapter of your life's book. More alert than ever before, you start squirming in earnest. Like Hell Grimbly's coming for you. You're fucked!

" Damn it! Stupid fucking things- "

Your aggravated growl rings out as you kick and jerk pointlessly, only serving to tire yourself out. Eventually, a forced sense of calmness, resignation effectively, takes hold. You slump without grace and allow the back of your head to rest on the uncomfortable metal frame supporting the wooden bench. When your eyes open, expecting to see nothing but the distorted sky's bleeding hues, two monsters stare down at you from the rooftop of the gothic infrastructure.

No... That's a monster with two heads. A winged, horned monster with paper bags covering its two heads. One of which has a hole ripped onto it, a red glow coming from within.

The fuck is that one supposed to be?

You squint. Demon? But what is he doing on the roof? In spite of the darkening surroundings, you catch glimpses of blue skin, spotted and sprinkled along his bulky body in a pattern that's not too distinct from the one on the stone paths on the ground... Oh.

Oh. It's a gargoyle. Wow. You never actually saw one of those before in your life. They're not very common. Did he... Are the bags stuck on his heads? Is he meant to have two heads?

Momentary shock set aside, it dawns on you that this monster has been curiously eyeing you for a while now. You have no idea for how long he's been staring, perched there silently like a vulture. Perhaps he's hungry, and you're starting to look like a decent appetizer to him. An easy kill. Trepidation has you gulping, though as soon as you open your mouth to try and communicate with him, ready to have to beg if need be, a grating chorus scrapes at your brain.

Another voice joins the choir of strangers conversing not too far away, this one much more obnoxious and harsh, drowning out all the others. The clicking of boots can be heard.

" Can you believe that's all they had for a starter? Absolutely disgraceful! And to think I've been hearing about this dump like it's the be all end all of recreational establishments- I've seen better entrées in the slop bucket shitheaps of Gluttony! "

Oh, there's that headache you were fearing.

" ... Yes, m'lord. "

Two figures approach faster than the rest of the crowd.

One is a towering, very pale demon with sharp facial features and a completely ridiculous attire. The cape is just the cherry on top. Nevertheless, the fact that he's accompanied by a golden-eyed imp in a dress, looking bored out of her mind, must mean he's of some relevance. You glance between the small four-horned demoness and the one ranting angrily as they settle far too close to you for comfort.

The imp takes out a cigarette from her black dress' pocket and lights it to her red lips. She can definitely see you sweating bullets, though just as clearly doesn't give half a fuck. The other one is still much too busy yapping to no one, eyes cast elsewhere.

" I'm not staying here all day, I have better things to do with my time, I'm not like those abject failures getting ruined in there- It's madness, this whole thing! I can't believe I agreed to it in the first place. Are you even listening?! "

The servant jolts, choking on her cigarette for a second as the distant haze fades from her eyes. " H-Huh? Yes, yes of course your majesty! "

Majesty... Uh oh.

You remember the gargoyle above you, checking to see if he's still there. Surprise surprise, he is. Exactly in the same spot, though a lot more tense in the vicinity of this new pair. Between this dubiously intentioned gargoyle and the guy nagging at his imp, you're not sure who to reach out to for help.

Neither option is particularly appealing.