#might share their lore here one day

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The Quest Continues...

(part 1- part 2)

[y010isaghost]

just watched tadc ep5, spoilers in tags because im going to explode if i dont talk about it at least a little

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

Little drabble for today, since technically today(or perhaps yesterday?) Was the day I had my little...moment of. Wow it would be so funny if I got engaged with Finn and of course it happens to be cliche a few days before Valentine's Day. Anniversary. I know I don't really post my writing a lot and keep it more private but that's mostly just cause it's harder for me to write things that aren't very emotionally incorporated, if that makes any sense? With drawing I can do a little cute doodle, draw some hearts around it, and that's it, a nice simple little thingy. But with my writing it is normally a lot more extensive, even if whatever I'm writing is just fluffy stuff. And. Not to mention. A lot of people normally brush over drawings after like five reasonable seconds, but with writing it isn't entirely something that can be consumed so quickly. But! I yap a lot on here anyway.

I don't thinkkkkkk this needs any content warnings? I tried to not go into detail about the actual extent of the woes I experienced and just said enough to get it out of my system, but everything else is true and accurate😉 it gets super sappy fluffy at the end because it is me we are talking about here, so of course it does. I did a shorter Speedrun version of my proofreading, so hopefully it has a nice flow to it!

--------

"Yes, but I want to actually do SOMETHING for today, I mean, something nice at least. It is a special day, we should do something.. special for it!" Kane reasoned, still in bed and curled up to a pillow. He cautiously rolled over onto his back, and his expression twitched like he had winced. He kept the pillow in his arms and loosely hugged it against himself.

"Kane, I'm pretty sure I just watched you die, I'm not going to let you expend what little energy you have left that needs to go to resting." Finn sighed, upset, sitting carefully at the edge of the bed. He certainly wasn't upset at Kane, more so the situation; and perhaps what little he could do- or have done- to remedy it, to no fault of his own, of course. Or anyone's, really.

Considering that Kane wasn't always that keen on bigger events anyway, his prying for one was a bit ironic. But just because he didn't like going out to restaurants or typical romantic events that involved eating out in public or resulted in lots of noises going on like at restaurants, it didn't mean that Finn didn't like those things. And, perhaps, Kane felt a little guilty inside, because he had been out of commission for most of the day, so anything that they could've done couldn't happen.

"It's not like I didn't know this might happen." Finn said gently, turning a little so he could look at Kane when he said it.

Kane sighed a little, almost in a pouting manner, and glanced at Finn to meet his gaze for a moment, "I mean, I know that we both knew it was going to happen, cause the prediction and all- and I could feel it- but..."

"But I'm feeling better now and-"

"Rest." Finn interrupted firmly.

Kane groaned in response, why must he need rest and recovery. Why must he be aware of how truthfully exhausted and sore he felt. "Okay, well I wasn't dying, I was just-"

"You were withering in pain, and trying to tug out your own hair so you could feel something else, you-"

"Okay, okay, but worse case scenario you could've just- I mean we live in England, all the houses and buildings are brick- you could've just bonked me out on the head and then drivin me off to the ER or like, urgent care or something."

Ah, and Kane was met with the look of a man who sometimes forgot what country people grow up to be. A look laced with concern because it was his partner he was looking at, but there was still a slight hint of "Fuck? No!" Whether Kane's country roots lying in America added to this was a different story.

"Er- euhm- Whatever the uh. Thing is called the-..." Kane looks around the room as he racks his brain for it, "The NHS! Yes! Whatever those.. they have like those walk-in urgent rooms, right? Like buildings?"

Finn looked like he wanted to respond with several things like "The NHS wait time isn't worth it" and "The day I put you out of your misery like some animal even if it is to temporarily knock you unconscious is the day I [redacted]" but with as ruffled and exhausted as Kane still appeared, he wasn't going to have the man waste his breath on discussing the complexities of the NHS and every other healthcare system, or whatever else was going through his mind. Instead, he ever so gently nudged Kane over closer to the middle of the bed so he could lay down next to him. He understood that going from forever sleeping on a bed that was hardly bigger than him to the luxuries of a bed that was probably a bit bigger than your dining table was something for Kane to adjust to, but it still drove him mad that Kane, for some reason, slept right at the edge of the bed. Even if he has yet to actually fall off of it.

And Kane couldn't help but crack out a grin over it, he spent a lot of time in bed so there was hardly a moment where Finn wasn't wordlessly gently shuffling him closer to the center of the bed.

"But we aught to do at least something, right? Today isn't just any other day today- not to me at least- I want to at least mark it like that by doing something special. Even if it is something small."

As Finn stretched out and laid down net to Kane, he let out a long exhale, "And you call me foolish?" Finn mused, and with as much little movement as possible he rolled over so he could face Kane and gingerly wrap an arm around the other man, tucking it under the pillow that Kane was still holding closely to himself. He was sure Kane was still feeling sore, so he treated every movement and touch he did like he was trying to do a waltz in a minefield.

Kane cocked an eyebrow, "I do call you foolish. Not that I'm any less foolish- if not more." "You certainly are," Finn's voice turned to a mumble as he tried to nuzzle himself infinitely and impossibly closer to Kane.

"And would you like to elaborate on that?" Kane asked, with a faint grin. He was feeling far more amused that he was able to express himself at the moment.

"The whole point of the day is just to spend it however we'd like, and I don't care how we spend it, I just want to spend it with you."

This was one of the moments were Kane was glad that Finn had his face buried up against him, because even if Finn could feel Kane hold his breath, it at least still spared Kane a little dignity because Finn would miss seeing his eyebrows furrow and the corners of his mouth twist and maybe his eyes watered up just a little as well. "Yeah, but you spent the day like a medieval doctor watching a patient and not being able to do anything about it but sedate them."

Finn frowned a little, but he would've frowned regardless of what day it happened on because it was still something that happened in the first place.

Kane let go of the pillow with one of his arms, and then decided to forfeit the pillow entirely altogether and shift his position so he was laying more towards Finn now. He didn't really have much left to say.

"I just want to enjoy the day with you, Kane." Finn murmured, the weight of affection in his voice was undoubtable.

Kane was quiet for a moment, his eyebrows were still furrowed, "I just want you to know that you are special," he responded, and if his sentence had been any longer his voice might've croaked.

Finn smiled, and tried to be as gentle as he could as he softly tugged Kane ever so slightly more closer to him, "I know that you think I'm special." Again, Kane took a moment before he responded. His mind was having trouble arguing with someone who seemed to radiate their love out of their body.

"You do?" Kane asked. Of course he would want Finn to feel special.

"This is where I get to use one of your own sayings against you," Finn said, starting to grin, "You always say that actions speak louder than words, don't you?"

As much as Kane loved that saying and thought it to be true, it bugged him a little that it sounded like something you would find spelled out as the lesson in the back of a book or TV show for children. Which perhaps was exactly where he had gotten it from.

"I do say that. And at least in my experience I've found it to be relatively true, give or take some case scenario exceptions; as with anything there's exceptions."

"Well I think it is plenty special that I get to do this with you," Finn gave Kane the lightest squeeze possible in his arms, "And you tell me in plenty of different ways all of the time how you feel about me." Kane knew that he did that, but part of him almost wanted to respond with "I do?" because it wasn't the usual for someone to be able to understand the funny language that he seemed to speak.

Kane looked at the ceiling for a little while, soaking in the words and the moment. Finn seemed quite content and peaceful with things right now- which is what Kane wanted. Truthfully, in an ideal scenario Kane would've spent the day treating Finn like he was some royalty- not that he didn't have tomorrow to do that, anyway.

"I like you, Finn," Kane said.

"I like you too, Kane." Just for a few moments Finn had closed his eyes. Then again, no one ever goes to close their eyes for just a few moments and it turns out that way.

No, maybe today wasn't and couldn't be spent as a day for a big grand gesture and display of love and affection, perhaps that was something that was going to be saved for another time, but there was still just as much love to be felt in getting consumed by the peaceful tranquility that came with not having anything but a nice warm and safe home, and being willingly boxed up in a room with someone literally, and figuratively, wrapped up around you.

[qangelbluebird]

Going from dead/non-updating media to technically-updating-but-games-take-years-to-make media to qsmp is wild. From nothing to “the link is still missing where is missing link<-(it’s been a year)” to “do you remember,,,, QSMP,,,, it’s been decades<-(it has been five days. It is coming back in another five days. You people are fascinating(pos))”

[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.

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! ^ ^

[cardo-de-comer]

soo helloo and i think it's time for me to explain the deal with my characters and this whole "you're not supposed to be here" thing. EDIT: finally updated the info! Also I now have a Unvale profile that I use as a gallery and keep my ocs art in there. You can check it out if you don't want to scroll trough the ynstbh hashtag on my tumblr ha here it is

i made these characters way back in june and by today they have a lot of lore around them in my head. i even have a dream to make a game with them but it's just a dream for now so i'm gonna try to explain the main things about this story. Obviously this is a long post, although I tried to keep this stuff short. and excuse me for my writing and any mistakes, I don't usually write this much text.

It starts with the world. Alternate 15th century, humanity is almost gone and what's left of it shares quite a big city with demons and angels. However, demons and angels are usually being treated like servants - eventually one gets tired of it all, so everyone knows an uprising is just around the corner. Let's just ignore that for now.

The City has a catch of it's own - it's alive. The walls have eyes and ears and the City knows every resident by heart and soul, both figuratively and literally. Usually City acts through the King, it chooses protectors for itself, ones who have strong minds to comprehend it - they will be called the royal knights, each of them have a company of a /more wiser than the rest of them/ demon and angel to help with their tasks. Only the King and ten royal knights know that the City is alive and very talkative but they don't understand fully what it's trying to tell them. Most of them choose to ignore the voices in their head because hey, that's what you do usually in this situation, otherwise they drive you nuts.

City is also extremely emotional and it's appearance depends on it's condition. Usually it's a sunny day out and the city looks welcoming, but you don't want to be there when the City is scared: it might eat you alive by accident. Now that the environment is aside, time for the main three characters.

I need to add that all characters are entwined with each other one way or another - everything is connected here in my head and it's a shame I cannot tell you fully about how it all is.

Imri is a man of a few words, usually stoic and prefers to stay on his own side, not choosing between Sun and Moon or Hells and Heaven. Chosen to be one of the Royal Knights, he's highly trained to fight for himself and protect the City. Though he actually wanted to be a painter. Always collected and confident, he rarely shows emotion and understands little of it, as well as feelings. There is something uncanny, wrong and strange about him. Despite all of this, he still has human fears and boundaries that he has driven himself into, trying to conform to the society of his time.

The Eighth One is Imri's "true" form - it's his very Soul, that takes the shape of a eight-pointed star. It sees a true nature of things and what drives them - if there were any humans left, when the Eighth One appeared, it would probably see them as a lot of blood because blood is what moves us. With that it sees the City as it is - it looks like an abomination. Souls were made by the Gods a long long time ago - although it's hard to tell how many of them are there - the Eighth One is just the one we know about. They appear at late point of the script. The Eighth One is a glass cannon.

Royal knights get to know their angel and demon companions at least a month before they get knighted to avoid any misunderstandings. Imri doesn't mind his friends at all, although one of them causes quite a fuss sometimes /cough cough devil cough/.

Angel /they name themselves Lyra/ is an overly positive, naive and blindly kind entity. A bit childish and very kind but also endlessly naive, can do "good" to that extend it actually becomes "bad".

One of the most beloved by Gods angel, they were made an archangel back in Heaven. Ynstbh lore goes along bible a lot, so it's true that Lyra was the one who threw the Devil out of heavens when he started to cause problems. You can hear a lot of echoing voices when they talk.

Another Imri companion happened to be the Devil himself. Yes, everyone knows who this is, everyone avoids him and he's not supposed to be here at all. No one knows why exactly he's here, but maybe it's because no one dares to ask. And Imri just doesn't care enough.

He's everything you expect a devil to be. Similar to Bible, was an angel once, angered the Gods (multiple times), got thrown out, became whatever he is now. Did a lot of horrific things and plans to do more. Knows a lot more than he tells.

Sun and Moon are the gods of this universe. All powerful but also nonchalant about the world below, they focus more on their own business. Rarely show themselves to humans, so all they usually see is a celestial body.

Despite always looking calm, the Sun is always full of feelings, warmth and love. It's almost sensual in a way. However, they are very distant and prefer to keep everything to themselves. Ages ago, when the Gods were a little "younger", Sun was a bit more open and very curious, especially about humanity. The Sun is blind, however, it still can see a lot, because what is blindness to a god? They choose to be this way.

The Moon is more chaotic, likes to break and corrupt things, a lot more eager to show and tells what they feel. Their mood changes with each moon phase quite drastically. Moon has a lot of influence on a darker things and entities, such as fallen angels and demons.

Angels and demons were made by Sun and Moon and they come in all forms and sizes but those are the main population - lesser demons resemble the Devil in some ways and lesser angels look like clovers. Rivals usually (though they fought like children) but when the revolution happens, they learn to tolerate and work with each other. Humanity doesn't really have a chance.

Rev is a demon that was in charge of the City's guard. Known for his short-tempered demeanor, he was the only one who could control other demons well. When the revolution finally happened, he became the one in the lead - though he's not the one who started it. There is another God.

Time is the, well, time. It's a solitary god, that prefers to stay away from other gods, Sun and Moon. However, everything, including them, depends on Time heavily. Time resembles a bell and has a lot of candles, making you think about churches, but humans tend to forget about Time quite often so there's no churches in their honor left. They don't mind. They are a very minor character in script so they appear only at the start and the end very briefly.

And there is another being, that Imri meets a few times through the story - it's Death. Death is just having fun in this end of the world and there is a lot of work to be done. I haven't drawn them separately yet but Death appears here along with Imri.

The whole story begins at that day when Imri is supposed to be knighted. Everything seemed fine until Imri gets to hear the City for the first time and realizes that he hears and sees a lot more than everyone else. Completely overwhelmed he blacks out - even the toughest of minds often can't take it - and wakes up later only to find out that the King got killed somehow, angels and demons saw this as the starting point for a revolution and the City starts to panic.

Now Imri, guided by his companions and the voice of scared City that's crumbling and slowly drives him insane, shall travel to the center of it to find out what really happened, getting through demons and angels who are busy destroying the rest of humanity. Fun. I'm pretty sure you can get more story and details from my art - I just don't really know how to put it into text right now.

There is a lot more to this whole thing but I cannot tell the entire plot because spoilers, in case if i actually will make something out of this story. Think of it as a game lore. I'm not sure about making sth yet because i operate only on hopes and dreams and i barely have any strength lately but who knows... But now you have at least some context! And yeah, thank you if you actually read all of this, you're a hero.

Now i need to get back to drawing. Thank you all for your support. <3

[deerspherestudios]

Hello hello! I'm Cheea, also known as DeersphereStudios; if you're here for content related to my games on itch.io, you're in the right place! You can expect lore snippets and doodles, behind-the-scenes and other stuff that players might be interested in!

My current ongoing project is Mushroom Oasis, initially submitted for a Yandere Game Jam in 2023. While that's the main focus of this blog, I also occasionally talk about my other one-shot games: Astronought and Lift Your Spirits!

Enjoy your stay! ☕🐰

🔗 LINKS 🔗:

🎮 itch.io ▏ 🎨 Patreon ▏ 🦋 Fan-MO Discord

📖 FAQs 📖:

[PLEASE READ BEFORE SENDING AN ASK!]

🔍 MUSHROOM OASIS QnA MASTERLIST 🔎:

❥ [PART 1] Mychael's abilities, romantic/yandere traits and his opinion on kids.

❥ [PART 2] Mychael’s anatomy.

❥ [PART 3] Mychael’s reactions to different MCs.

❥ [PART 4] Mychael's general lore.

❥ [PART 5] Mychael’s favorite things, experience with holidays and MR!Mychael.

🔍 LIFT YOUR SPIRITS QnA MASTERLIST 🔎

🔍 ASTRONOUGHT QnA MASTERLIST 🔎

// EXTRAS BELOW:

// TAGS:

✿ mushroom oasis vn/lift your spirits vn/astronought vn = official game tag.

✿ mychael ask/alma ask/atom ask = questions about each character!

✿ fanart, fanfic = (submitted or reblogged) fanworks.

✿ doodles = silly scenarios in sketch form.

✿ light spoilers = posts that imply future updates.

✿ bts = behind the scenes for any current or past projects.

✿ how tos = renpy or drawing tutos on how i do stuff!

✿ cheea chatter = dev posts, bit random.

✿ jar of fireflies = lovely messages from players that make my day!

✿ happy birthday mychael/alma/atom = special fanart for their special day(s)!

✿ mushroom musings = theories for the Mushroom Oasis game!

✿ poll time = silly and sometimes plot-relevant polls!

✿ patreon post-its = posts shared from my patreon!

// MY GAMES:

beware of toxic fungi. a slow burn yandere vn : itch.io

🍄 Questions about Mychael (ask tag) 🍄 Mychael's character sheet 🍄 Firefly's character sheet 🍄 of mushrooms and men ║ a mychael playlist (Spotify)

trapped in space with a stranger too keen on getting to know you. a short sci-fi horror/romance(??) vn : itch.io

👽 Questions about Atom (ask tag) 👽 Astronought QnA masterlist 👽 Atom's character sheet (coming soon) 👽 Luna's character sheet (coming soon)

are the campus rumors true? short horror/light romance vn : itch.io

👻 Questions about Alma/Vida (ask tag) 👻 Lift Your Spirits QnA masterlist 👻 Alma/Vida's character sheet (coming soon) 👻 MC's character sheet (coming soon)

✩ Thank you to @/thecutestgrotto and @/plum98 for their lovely dividers!

✩ For my own personal use: the old pinned post.

[joelmillers-wife]

take my hand (joel miller x f!reader) chapter eight

18+, MDNI series masterlist: here | please check this for complete series warnings and tags | 🎵series playlist pairing: joel miller x f!reader chapter summary: a quiet night in with joel and ellie wc: 3.8k THIS IS A SHORTER CHAPTER SORRY BUT I PROMISE THE NEXT LIKE 3 WILL BE LONG AND WORTH IT- this is the calm before the storm one might say… rating: this story is 18+ (minors, do not interact), there will be eventual smut in later chapters  chapter warnings and tags: cursing and tlou lore accurate outbreak content below, fluff, reader has no description besides she has hair, jackson!joel, age difference: reader is in her 30s and joel is in his 50s, sloooow burn ao3 | follow @writtenbynic and turn on notifications for chapters! dividers made by: @saradika-graphics , check them out!

previous chapter | next chapter

VIII. TO BUILD A HOME

There is a house built out of stone Wooden floors, walls and window sills Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust This is a place where I don't feel alone This is a place where I feel at home

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Joel?!”

You’ve never seen the way Ellie looks at Joel right now before, the way she speaks to him with so much malice in her voice. You have no choice but to nervously look between the two of them, sitting on opposite ends of each other—Ellie glaring and yelling at Joel in such an accusatory way. It scares you enough to sit in silence and simply watch the two of them hash out their frustrations.

“Ellie… I’ve been tellin’ you for the past twenty god damn minutes. All I have is seven draw 4 cards and two green cards, and you keep changin’ the damn color to blue. I don’t got no fuckin’ blue!”

“Yeah? Well I do! All I have is blue because you keep making me draw more fucking cards dude.” She lets out a frustrated huff before shaking her head and closing her eyes for a moment before continuing. “Who even shuffled this fucking deck in the first place?”

“You did!” You and Joel yell.

Ellie begins opening and closing her mouth, fumbling to find a response. “Yeah? Well… you guys shouldn’t have let me do that!”

The three of you sit around the coffee table set up in Joel’s living room while music plays softly in the background coming from the vinyl Joel had set up earlier in the night—snacks and drinks are scattered across the table, and each of you hold your own hand of cards. Ellie had found some old Uno cards at Maria and Tommy’s board game collection the other week, and thought it would be a fun idea for the three of you to play a round of Uno.

The “fun” part ended over an hour ago.

Nights like these have become a regular in the time that has passed since your injury. The following day, after Joel had stitched you up, word had gotten back to Ellie when a friend of Jesse’s had shared what had happened to you and him on patrol. That night, Ellie had knocked on your door and demanded she spend the evening hanging out with you, with Joel accompanying. You’d said yes, because since when have you ever been able to say no to her, and that first night was spent watching some movie the two of them seemed to always be watching—Curtis and Viper, the second one, specifically. From that day on, your days of the week were spent with Joel and Ellie more often than not. Trading between watching a movie, playing a board game, or making dinner and talking for hours, whether it was at your place or Joel’s.

You watch as Ellie puts down another draw 2 on your turn and you mutter out, “Oh my god,” looking at your own hand of cards that you had to lay out on the floor beneath your side of the table thirty minutes ago, because it was becoming too much to hold.

Grabbing your empty glass of wine, you move to stand up, throwing your other hand out in surrender. “Nope. That’s it. I’m done. If I pick up one more fucking red card, I’m gonna let the clickers get me.”

Receiving a dismissive reaction from the two of them, you walk into the kitchen to pour yourself your third—wait, no, fifth glass of wine for the evening. You let your eyes lazily pass over the kitchen island scattered with empty plates and glasses that you all had used over the course of the night. Heading back into the living room, you see the two people you have grown fond of still sitting there playing that god forsaken game. 

Joel stares at his own cards in intense concentration. You’ve always known he was stubborn, but tonight you learned he is also competitive. That wouldn’t be much of an issue, if it weren’t for the fact that Ellie, too, is both stubborn and very competitive. They both have taken the game much more seriously than you have—the two of them taking more time than you would think one would need on their turn to really figure out what the best play is.

Ellie groans. “Dude, can you just let me fucking win so we can end this shit?”

Joel shakes his head with a frown and a half-offended look. “Hell no I’m not just lettin’ you win, kid. You wanted to do this tonight so this is what we’re doing.”

The teenager throws her head back, letting out a sound that’s been a groan and a dramatic broken sob until she looks at you after calling your name. “Please, please make this end. Please make him stop, I’m begging you!”

Settling back down onto the carpet, you give her a small laugh before looking over at Joel. “Come on, Joel, she’s been through enough—we’ve been through enough of this. Just let her win.”

Joel gives you a look of betrayal as you side with Ellie, before you look at him desperately saying one more please. You watch as his resolve crumbles after only mere seconds of you pulling your best puppy dog eyes on him—the alcohol you’ve been drinking warming your cheeks and making you act more theatrical. 

Sighing out with a shake of his head and a muttered, “Unbelievable,” Joel throws his cards onto the table. “There, you win. Happy now?”

“But I didn’t get to say Uno!”

You can’t help but laugh as you mindlessly swirl the wine in your glass. Looking at Ellie incredulously, Joel groans and grits his teeth before asking her what colors and numbers she has, letting her put her cards down one by one before shouting, Uno, and slamming her final card down onto the deck. “Ha! I won!”

Pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, Joel lets out a sigh of relief at the game ending. You can’t help but giggle at his exhaustion, watching as he looks up at Ellie and points at her accusingly. “Low fuckin’ blow gettin’ her involved with your beggin’,” he says, turning his finger to point at you.

Ellie shrugs with a smirk. “Hey, I gotta do what I gotta do.”

Joel exasperatedly shakes his head, but you catch the soft huff of laughter he lets out under his breath. Looking over at the clock hung above his fireplace, he tells Ellie, “Alright, kiddo—it’s time for you to head to bed. I’ll walk you over to your room.”

Receiving only a few groans of reluctance from her, you say goodnight and goodbye to Ellie, watching as Joel walks her over to their backyard. A few months ago, Joel had cleaned out his garage and set up her own little space in there. Back when he first started working on it, he had said something about her recently turning seventeen and wanting to give her a better sense of independence without having her too far away so that he couldn’t keep an eye on her.

You take the time to clean up the mess the three of you had made—making sure that all the cards are back in the tattered old box, clearing the coffee table of your glasses and of any stray pieces of food that may have fallen to the floor. In the process, you take the time alone to really feel the effects of the red wine you’ve been nursing all night—your stomach feeling warm and your face flushed. 

You’re in the kitchen washing the empty wine glasses you and Joel had been drinking from, when you hear the back patio door open and Joel walks into the doorway. For a moment, he looks at you with a small smile as he leans casually against the doorframe. Once his eyes drop down to your hands in the sink, he walks over with a pout. “You don’t need to be doin’ that, darlin’.”

You look up at him as you rinse out the soap from the glasses. “Nah, I don’t mind. I happen to like washing dishes if you’d like to know.”

He raises an eyebrow at that before picking up the kitchen towel set on the counter beside the sink, and begins drying the now clean glasses. “Oh, really?”

Giving him a soft hum, you tease, “Sure do. Although, you wouldn’t know that because you never let me do any cleaning or maintenance myself.”

At that, he laughs. “Alright, touché. But it’s not like I don’t let you do those things…”

He trails off when he sees you give him a deadpan look. Laughing harder, he says, “I just like doin’ things for ya. Don’t want you to have to be doin’ anythin’ that I’m more than capable of myself—includin’ dishes. Besides, you shouldn’t be movin’ too much with your shoulder.”

You throw your head back with a soft, yet annoyed groan. “Not this shit again.”

It had been almost three weeks since Joel had stitched up your wound. Despite being a tad sore if you strain it for too long, your shoulder was completely fine. You felt fully recovered, yet Joel had still been convincing Maria and Tommy to keep you off patrol for a few weeks—giving you some tasks around town to keep you busy and get you moving enough for you to flex your muscles. But Joel was still worried over your injury. So much so that he insisted on coming over multiple times over the days to help you with meaningless household chores, or bringing you things from the market. The most you were able to convince him to allow you to do was going on walks around town with him to shop, which he only agreed as long as you let him carry any items you were to bring home.

You set down the clean dishes onto his side, turning the water off before turning your whole body to look at him. “Joel,” you say, waiting for him to turn to look at you before you continue. “I am fine. I promise. Perfectly healed and it doesn’t hurt at all anymore, see?”

You lift your now-recovered arm all the way up to prove a point to him, but the speed of which you did so made you lose your balance slightly and stumble.

Joel’s reflexes kick in as he reaches out to try and catch you if you need to, but you quickly catch yourself by leaning your hip against the counter. You look up to see him giving you a lighthearted glare, noticing your own body was disproving your point. 

“Okay…” you say. “That doesn’t count. I’m a bit tipsy so my balance is off.”

Joel looks back at the empty bottle of wine on the island behind him, before his eyes widen to find a second bottle next to it that is nearly empty. “How many glasses did you drink, darlin’?”

You look at the ceiling, squinting your eyes as if to act like you were thinking before answering him. “Um, only like two… or five,” saying the last two words in a whisper, hoping he doesn’t catch it.

His eyes widen further before he puts down the dishes he was drying and turns to face you directly, grabbing your upper arms with his hands gently. “Sweetheart, I think you’re a lil’ past tipsy, and it’s only now catchin’ up to ya.”

“Oh, so it’s ‘sweetheart’ now, too?”

You hadn’t expected to say that out loud, but your mind was too fuzzy to stop yourself, or to catch the way Joel’s cheeks redden at you calling him out—not being mentally present enough to think about what you were saying.

He sighs, shaking his head lightly and offering a small smile before beginning to guide you out of the kitchen. “Let me walk ya home, alright?”

Your body catches up to your drunk mental state, and you let yourself be led out by Joel. You walk by his staircase before you remember something. “Oh! I lent Ellie one of my sweaters—do you know where it is?”

He nods. “Yeah, should be in the closet upstairs. I’ll go look for it real quick.”

“I got it–”

He shakes his head at you. “Darlin’, I do not trust you to walk up or down any steps right now.”

You roll your eyes at him, already walking up a couple of stairs before you turn back to him at the bottom of the stairs—your body twisted to look behind you, one arm holding onto the railing as you lean in close to his face below you. “Oh, come on, I’ll have to do it when I get home so I might as well practice here. Besides, you’ll catch me if I fall, won’t you, Miller?”

Your face inches away from Joel’s own, you watch his eyes linger on you, briefly flicking around your face. An unreadable expression washes over him—one that, had you been a little more cognizant, and if your vision wasn’t blurred at the edges, might’ve made your heart stutter for a moment. 

His features soften after his scan over you before he lets out a word in a soft whisper. “Always.”

Giving a nod of approval, you dramatically bring down your hand onto the railing of the staircase and slowly make your way up the rest of the steps. What you don’t notice is Joel's hand that hovers on your back as he walks two steps behind you the whole time.

Only stopping three times to look at the paintings that adorn the walls along the stairs, you reach the top and spot three doors a few feet in front of you. The one on the right, closest to you is barely ajar, but to the left is an open door to what looks like a small closet space—a single rack of clothes drying, with a large bucket underneath them. 

You spot your sweater and walk over, checking that it was dry before removing it off the hanger. Looking to your left, you see a closed door—probably Joel’s room, you think. 

You turn, holding the sweater up with a thank you as Joel starts to take down some of the other clothes in there, placing them in a laundry basket that sits outside the closet and against the wall. 

Joel turns back to you. “Of course. Let’s get you to your bed now, alright?”

Beginning to lead you back over to the staircase, you look at that first door you saw that was partially opened. The realization that you hadn’t seen any of Joel’s personal space doesn’t hit you as you take a peek into the room, something in the corner catching your eye.

Your eyes wide at the sight. “Is that a guitar?”

Joel turns to see that the door to what you assume is some sort of office space is halfway open, and a guitar is in view.

You look at him with a surprised smile, eyes wide with excitement, and see his demeanor has become shy and almost child-like for a moment. Rubbing the back of his neck, he says, “Um… yeah that’s, uh, that’s mine.”

Noticing that his gaze has turned down to the floor, you realize you may have come off as mocking. In an attempt to correct your reaction, you place a hand onto his arm, bending your head down to meet his gaze. “Do you play guitar?”

At the contact, he looks back at you to see your face is filled with genuine warm curiosity. Bashfully, he responds, “Yeah, I know how to play a bit.”

Your smile grows as you ask how long. He still seems somewhat vulnerable while he says, “Been playin’ since I was a teenager, really. Didn’t get the chance much for the past couple decades obviously, but when I got to Jackson, Tommy gave me one he’d found. Took some time to tune properly and fix ‘er up but she sounds pretty damn good.”

Looking off to the side with a reminiscing gaze, he adds, “I actually used to want to be a, um… a singer.” The words leave his lips hesitantly, as if trying to feel out what your response would be.

“No shit,” you speak up, wonder and giddiness filling you. At your words, he looks at you slightly startled, as if he didn’t intend to share that detail out loud. “That’s so…” you shake your head, trying to find the words without making him feel embarrassed. “Just… really cool. I didn’t know you played guitar.”

He gives a sheepish smile at your reaction and words. “Yeah, I don’t talk about it much, or really at all. Promised Ellie I’d teach her how to play when we got to Jackson.”

The realization hits you suddenly. “Oh my god—I knew she played because she’d talk about it and I’d see her guitar in her garage. I never knew you were the one who taught her.”

You can no longer discern the warmness you feel to be due to the wine… or Joel.

Joel breathes out what sounds like a laugh before he looks around for a second, seeming to realize you are still standing at the top of the steps, and begins to guide you over to them to walk down. “I better get you home. You need all the rest you can get tomorrow, because the followin’ day is our first patrol back together.”

You almost stumble at the bottom of the steps, looking up to see Joel smirking. Jokingly, you say, “Has Jackson’s very own Dr. Miller deemed me fit to go beyond the gates again?”

Joel walks past you to open the door—the slightly chilled air of the late night hits you, making you shudder. At your words, Joel laughs as the two of you begin walking across the street to your front door. “Yes, he has. Figured I forced you to spend enough time with me here that maybe you’d like a more open scenery to combat my face.”

“Hey, I happen to like looking at your face.”

You did it again. Said your inner thoughts out loud without realizing. Thankfully, if Joel heard you, he doesn’t make a comment on it. When you reach your front door, you open it and expect to turn to see Joel hovering on your porch to say goodnight. Instead, hear his footsteps cross the threshold and feel the warmth of his body close behind yours. Slightly shocked, but not uncomfortable, you look up at him with confusion before he says, “Wanna make sure you make it up those steps and into your room safely, if that’s alright?”

A smile sheepishly curls at the corner of your mouth as you nod, walking up your steps with him following close behind until you reach your bedroom door. At that moment, Joel speaks up to say, “You get changed and settled for the night, I’m gonna be downstairs for a second.”

Confused, you nod anyway, too tired and out of it to try and figure out what he is doing. You make your way to your bathroom and close the door behind you as you splash your face with water quickly, before heading back into your bedroom to change into your pajamas for the night.

As you’re putting your t-shirt over your head, you hear a knock on your bedroom door and walk over to open it, revealing Joel standing there with a glass of water and a couple of white pills in his hand.

Holding them up, he says, “Figured you’re gonna have a pretty nasty hangover in the mornin’, so, got ya a glass of water and some pain meds for tomorrow. That way it’s right there on your bedside when you get up.”

The idea of Joel thinking ahead for you like that seems to sober you up in the slightest—just enough for your stomach to flutter and your cheeks to turn red. “Thank you, that’s so thoughtful,” you softly mutter as you grab the items and go to place them on your bedside table.

Joel shrugs off your thanks, as if it wasn’t a big deal to him. He looks behind him to your stairs briefly before back at you, saying, “You alright if I lock up behind me so you can go straight to sleep?”

After the incident a few weeks ago, which resulted in your door being broken down, you felt bad for worrying him. So, you offered to give him a spare key to your house in case he needed to get in due to anything bad happening. You felt good about the decision—trusting him enough to let him have open access to your private space in case of emergency. In return, he had given you a key to his place as well, saying at the time, “You come over anytime you need me, got it? Don’t care what time it is. You come to me for anythin’.”

You nod in response to him, assuring him you were set for the night. You stand there thinking for a moment, watching him begin to turn around and walk away, before saying, “Hey, Joel?”

He looks at you with a soft frown as he waits for your next words.

“Do you… do you think you could play guitar for me one day?”

His eyes widen in the slightest, small surprise covering his features as you assume he hadn’t expected that question out of you.

His silence makes you think you crossed some sort of line, causing you to look at the floor before you begin rushing out, “You don’t have to. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I know it’s probably a bonding moment between you and Ellie–”

“Sure.”

You look up to see a smile on his face and a look in his eyes that you can’t quite place—one similar to what you briefly remember seeing on the staircase at his house. Then, you notice his hand move from his side and look down to see him raise his right hand in front of you, extending out his pinky finger with a smirk on his face.

You stifle a laugh as you twist your lips to the side, bringing your hand to link your fingers together and shake. 

He drops your hand with a soft laugh. “You let me know if you think of any song requests, yeah?”

You match his smirk. “You got it, Miller.”

Joel turns his body around, heading out the room to walk downstairs before looking back at you one more time. “Sleep well, darlin’.”

“You too, Joel.”

Standing in your bedroom doorway, you watch and listen as he makes his way down your stairs, hearing him open and close the door behind him before you hear the soft sound of the lock turning.

You turn and walk over to your bed, settling in and laying down. Sleep finds you quickly as your dreams are filled with the sounds of a soft guitar playing.

reblogs and comments are appreciated! i hope you all enjoy <3 follow @writtenbynic and turn on notifications for updates!

a/n: sorry for the shorter chapter! I had grad school orientation yesterday that lasted 12 hours😵‍💫 and I had to spend the week doing all the modules lol. the next few chapters will be much longer, I promise. also some of my fav chapters coming up ;) 🏷️: @dendulinka6 @suzysface @koshkaj-blog @orcasoul @emmasveinyahhdih @thatoneperson38747 @silksepia @orodaeh @ithinkimokeei @emnull0 @warriorkarol @luvwanda @pascal-mynightlyobsession @grayandthyme @crlsummer @ashleyfilm @darling-imobsessed @tjohn63 (if i missed any tags pls let me know!)

[kxsagi]

ok i'm literally about to rip my head off instg. I'm asking because I LOVE your writing, but does anyone remember a ff with Kaiser with multiple trigger warnings (no NSFW) with reader who ran away from home and met him while she was rummaging through the garbage for food? That was the lore or something like that, ISTG I'M GOING INSANE BECAUSE I WAS STARTING TO LOVE IT AND IF SOMEONE CAN FIND IT I MIGHT MARRY THEM. Please let's help each other 🙏

“𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐩”

a/n: girl i’mma be so honest… i have no idea which fic this is and i’ve never read it 😭

but since you really wanna find it… and i like the plot idea… i figured i would write my own version

but if anyone finds the original, pls comment or message me their @ so i can tag them and credit them! 

(art credits go to jinxx_yu on X)

tw: child neglect, poverty, homelessness, implied abuse, food insecurity, emotional distress

you’re ten when you meet him. and you haven’t eaten in two days. 

it’s early morning, still foggy with dew, and the back alley behind the bakery is quiet, save for the soft rustle of your hands digging through the bin. you’re small enough to go unnoticed, quick enough to run if you’re not. but your legs feel heavy today. slow. your stomach cramps with every movement, and your fingers are shaking so bad you almost drop the stale muffin you find. 

you’re about to shove it into your mouth when a voice says, “hey.” 

you spin around, heart in your throat. 

a boy stands there. not much older than you. probably your age, even. but taller. sharper. he’s not wearing a shirt, just black sweatpants a little too big for his slim figure. he doesn’t look scared. doesn’t look mean, either. just curious. 

you narrow your eyes. “what do you want?” 

he remains calm, hands resting in his pockets. “nothing. just… i come here, too.” 

you blink. “to… dig?” 

he shrugs. “sometimes they throw out the ones that are only a little old. if you get here early enough, they’re not soggy yet.” 

you stare at him for a beat. and then you look down at the muffin in your hand. 

“… you want half?” you offer, quiet. 

he’s shocked. you’re too bright for someone living like this. 

“you serious?” 

you break the muffin in two, handing him the bigger half. 

“you’re weird,” he says, taking it. 

“so are you.” 

the two of you sit on the curb, eating in silence. crumbs fall into your laps. he tells you his name is michael, but he says it with an accent (mee-kha-el) and then adds, “but i prefer kaiser.” 

“why?” you ask. 

he shrugs again. “just… sounds cooler.” 

you snort. “okay, kaiser.” 

he grins a little, and it makes your chest feel warm. 

you learn a lot about him that morning. like how he hates the rain because of how fast it soaks his already-worn-out shoes. and how his dad makes everything he does a punishment. how sometimes he climbs on top of the bus stop just to feel above it all. 

you tell him you ran away because home didn’t feel like home. you don’t give details in the moment. you don’t need to. he doesn’t ask. 

“we’re kinda the same,” he says, picking at a loose thread on his waistband. “like… like nobody wanted us. so we had to want ourselves.” 

you glance at him. it’s the first time anyone’s ever said something like that to you. something that feels true. 

you nod. “yeah. we have to be our own people.” 

he holds out a pinky. “so let’s promise.” 

“promise what?” 

“that we’ll find a way out. not just survive. like… really live. better than them. better than this.” 

your throat burns. not from hunger this time. 

you hook your pinky with his. “promise.” 

𐙚

years later, you’re standing in the world’s loudest stadium. confetti rains gold. his name echoes across the world. 

but michael kaiser only sees you. 

you’re at the edge of the field, eyes glassy, mouth trembling with a smile. the same way you looked when you shared half a muffin with him behind a bakery all those years ago. 

he doesn’t hesitate, he jumps the barrier, running straight into your arms. 

“we made it,” he breathes, medal warm between your chests. 

you nod, laughing through tears. “yeah. from trash bins to trophies.” 

he kisses you like a promise kept. 

and when he lifts the world cup over his head, he looks at the cameras, the crowds, the sky, but smiles only at you. 

© 𝐤𝐱𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢

[chiliconsharls]

So, I caved in and I did it in detail! A few days ago I posted a meme of the Charlos lore iceberg but then I had some people asking about some bits and I thought, oh, might as well make the whole masterpost. LOW AND BEHOLD, it is here; an extensive compilation of the rich Charlos lore

Below the cut because boy is this bitch long

DISCLAIMER: before we begin I must note a few things. First, this isn't a whole detailed timeline of Charles&Carlos' relationship and every single bit of their moments bc I would've genuinely gone insane, so, like with the iceberg meme, this is merely key details of their relationship that make ME particularly unwell. This is also almost 2K words long. Lastly, not all points are linked as some of them are rather quite simple to find with an easy Google search

They have the same name in different languages. (In fact, Carlos has explained that his ‘chilli’ nickname comes from the fact that a lot of his friends went from calling him ‘charlie’ to calling him ‘chilli’). Their name is of Germanic origin and it means “free man”. Charles is the French/English version of it, Carlos is the Spanish one.

Beginnings & Pre-Ferrari era (2017-2020)

“I knew you before you knew me” – Charles said he had heard about Carlos when he was coming up in racing while Carlos was competing in KF3 (2008-2009)

They were already hanging out by 2017, when Charles was still only a Ferrari academy driver – as told by a reddit user who works in the Yas Marina circuit and shared the story with a tiny Renault helmet signed by Carlos

“I said this guy’s not beating me, no fucking way” – Carlos in Drive to Survive S01E02 after his battle with Charles in the Azerbaijan GP. (Sidenote: The first episode of DTS dedicated to Charles –S01E08– also showcases a battle with Carlos briefly)

Marina Bay Sands pool story – in several instances now, they both have shared the story of their first meeting/first ‘real’ conversation back in 2018, during the race week of the Singapore GP. They both said they saw each other at the pool of Marina Bay Sands hotel (it’s still unclear whether they were inside the pool or just by), and they had dinner where they talked for a while.

Carlos’ said that that first conversation made him think Charles was a good guy but also that when he first talked to him, he seemed innocent

2018 Autosport Awards interview  – Charles is giving an interview about how his exciting new season is coming and Carlos pops in and tugs him by the ear, making as if to give him a little smooch

“Carlos! My future teammate!”

Ferrari era (paper & cotton years – 2021-2022)

Youngest Ferrari duo

Lord Perceval nickname is born – despite claims that Charles disliked the nickname Carlos gave him (as requested by Charles himself that Carlos ‘from now on, call me Lord Perceval”), Charles went on to have it as his personal tag on his cap –made for driver use only. He’s also used ‘Perceval’ as his aviator call sign when he did some training with the French Air Force.

Jenga challenge video

Fiorano music challenge – this is their core happy memory, as they have said a few times themselves

“I started to listen to some jazz in the mornings” “Jazz?”

Chess – chess is one core activity they do. They would play a lot, even online. Charles would even stop talking to Carlos when he lost sometimes, and Carlos has stated that he only plays it with Charles.

Charles’ said Carlos plays better at night, and he plays better in the morning to evening. “The flights together are probably the ones I enjoy the most (...) we will put our phones away and play chess. That’s where we have the most interesting and deep conversations and I have really, really good memories of that”

“You haven’t showered together?” “We’re not that close yet” // “I find you spontaneously funny” “Carlos doesn’t do anything but he makes me laugh” – Sky Sports game interview in 2021

Charles going to watch Carlos on the podium in Monaco – Carlos talked later in 2024 about how much it meant for him to see Charles there

“Mate! You are looking at me!”

Red porn couch debriefs videos – not much to say, tbh, Ferrari sat them in a sus red couch to shoot the debrief post-race videos. Some of them are quite something

“Come on, Charles, don’t do this!” – Carlos’ radio in Saudi Arabia ‘21

Jean Alesi calling them ‘la bella coppia’ (“the beautiful couple”) // also, Jean Alesi doing photoshop manips when Charlos fought in 2024

Carlos: “good looking couple” “we make a good couple” “most beautiful pair”

Carlos showing off his strength to Charles in that Ferrari party thing

Everything that was written in the GQ article (by Tom Lamont) as well as the photoshoot

Calling each other beautiful

Charles sharing a sandwich with Carlos

Them calling each other ‘sweetie’, ‘honey’, ‘baby’, ‘love’ // ‘like this or more, darling?’ // ‘thank you, my love’  

Bahrain 1-2

Carlos checking in on Charles before his post-race interview in Monza 22’ despite being told he had to go some other place

Ferrari era (leather & forced divorce – 2023-2024)

Football watching together (despite the fact that Charles’ said he doesn’t really follow football) // “Yes, Carlos will be really happy” – Charles after someone asked him if he watched El Clasico and Real Madrid had won that time

Paddle playing too

“Can I choose the position he needs to be in? Take off your clothes, Carlos!”

The gingerbread cookies video

“He loves me” – the whole shell challenges in Zandvoort actually

Talked about racing Le Mans

Charles being jealous of Lando

“Together or nothing. We come as a package”

Charles hiding in Carlos’ closet to surprise him for his birthday

Monza 23’ battle

The Curious Case of Charlos and Pierre Gasly’s PR accusations – During a fan forum in the Singapore GP ’23 weekend, Carlos joked that he would’ve picked Charles to be stuck with in a deserted island, saying: “You see, I would’ve picked Charles, Esteban, I like my teammate” (because Esteban had been asked the same question just before and upon being told he wasn’t allowed to pick his own teammate, Esteban jokingly went: “I wasn’t going to pick Pierre anyway”).

Pierre and Esteban Ocon had a rocky relationship as teammates in Alpine, on top of having an already complicated past together since they’ve known each other since they were kids. Nearing the end of 2023 season, after Pierre (and Esteban) had been criticized for their poor relationship, Pierre talked about friendships in the paddock in an interview and he name-dropped Carlos and Charles, claiming that people “shouldn’t think that they’re all friends”. Despite Pierre having also named Mercedes and Red Bull pairs, people seemed to only latch onto Charlos

It’s important to note that Pierre Gasly is the driver Charles is famously closest to in the whole grid (as they’ve been friends since childhood) but also, he was teammates with Carlos in Toro Rosso for two races in 2017, and is fairly one of the drivers that are close-ish to Carlos as well. In fact, Pierre sometimes hangs with both of them, too.

Puma couch picture we never got the context of

Fred: “are you still single?” Carlos: *looks at Charles* “anyway, changing subject…” – DTS S06E08 // (Sidenote: theres some joking that Charles’ current girlfriend, Alexandra Saint Mleux, and Carlos’ current girlfriend, Rebecca Donaldson, seem to have a slight resemblance to Carlos and Charles, respectively (and the girls also seem to get along quite well))

New York event

Charles timing Carlos’ laps

“I want to give this to you, so you remember me for the rest of your life. For our post teammate era” // “You’re going to leave it there” “No, I won’t" – Carlos gifting him a chili plushie.

“Tell Charles to come close to me and we celebrate this one together” – Australia 24’

China Sprint 24’ incident: “He’s fighting me harder than the rest” // “A kiss on the mouth, everything okay”

Spanish reporter calling them roommates

Insane sim racing videos (almost all of them have some degree of craziness but specially Saudi Arabia, Austria, Dutch, Monza, COTA, Brazil)

Both of them thinking about their morning wood live on camera… then Carlos knowing Charles’ a sleepy guy

Miami merch promo video being cut just right as Carlos seems to go for Charles’ face

“We go from hating each other to loving each other real quick” – actually, that whole motorsport interview for Miami was awesome

Spain 24' inchident - Charles: “He was trying to do something extraordinary because it’s his home race and important moment in his career” // Carlos: “It’s too many times he complains about something”

“Charles and I have one or two ding-dongs a year”

“We look at each other and we smiled like we’re used to” // “We look at each other in the eyes and we understand immediately”

Gladiator II premiere

“Complicate me. Complicate my life, like you always do”

Charles letting Carlos drive his Ferrari in Monaco and show Carlos Sr

“I wanna smash you”

Carlos grabbing Charles’ balls in Mexico 24’

“You should try the chilli crab … I am the chilli crab”

“Try in Spanish” – Charles post Vegas 24’

“Carlos is not my girlfriend, I’m not gonna miss him like crazy”

“I would listen to you for hours”

Abu Dhabi 24’ radio: “it hurts a lot… I really wish we could’ve won it also for the last season with Carlos”

Charles goodbye to Carlos: “Now, I can call him a friend outside of racing” // Charles calling him 'chilli' in IG post (Carlos' said his personal friends call him chilli)

“I wouldn’t be the driver I am today if he hadn’t been my teammate”

“I was happy with Charles. I would’ve continued with Leclerc for life”

“Amazing four years fighting for Ferrari” — Carlos on IG

Fred: “I have never in all my time of racing seen two teammates so intensely preoccupied with what the other one is doing”

Charles being in Fiorano for Carlos’ last farewell with his father driving a Formula 1

Timeless traditions/Uncategorized info

Starting almost all videos with: “Helloooo” “hola”

“Are you ready?” “I’m always ready, Carlos”

Zero concept of personal space

Charles often looks smaller than Carlos despite actually being taller

Hand size difference

Yapper & Yapper

Carlos’ love language is physical violence

Carlos –a self-proclaimed butt guy— often taps Charles’ butt

They had 9 podiums and three 1-2s

They had 90 races together and never crashed

They’re each other’s longest teammates as of date

[elodieunderglass]

Your jockeyposting has enthralled me (certified non-horse girl) and made me curious—how much familiarity do jockeys have with the horses they’re riding? Is it normal for a given horse to have a Long Term Jockey or are the jockeys like. Called up a week before and asked to race a horse they’ve never met? (& interested to hear any Killy lore related to this)

Thank you so much! (In reference to Killie the jockey OC and random posting about horse racing more generally.)

In general, racehorses never have a long-term or even a repeat jockey, and vice-versa! Jockeys usually aren’t familiar with the horses at all.

There are three main situations where they might be, though; if they’re retained, if they’re nepo babies generational and have a trainer in the family, or if they’re amateurs having fun. So with apologies for making a really long post, I’ve structured this as a writing reference.

Retained Jockeys

Killie’s a retained jockey for a stable (very unusual - not many jockeys are good enough, and not many stables have the resource to employ one) and he and Thunder share an especially eccentric owner who likes to watch them paired up.

And hey, if we were unbelievably ultra-rich people with no moral compass, “putting Killie and Thunder in a jar and shaking them together, briskly, to see what happens” would be a fairly legitimate hobby.

I’m not an expert or personally involved in the industry, so if you were thinking of doing some writing in the setting yourself, a starting point for a retained jockey’s life is this “day in the life” video, of champion flat jockey William Buick, TW for discussion of weight.

Generational

Jockeys may handle horses as family businesses. In real life, “racing dynasties” are influential. A very lucky jockey, retiring in middle age with piles of winnings, often wishes to become a trainer; especially prosperous ones buy a stable operation, move in their family, use their reputation and connections to get owners to send them horses, and start chucking their own children on the horses as a source of labour. The children grow up, stick around home, and naturally keep getting chucked on horses for their day job. Next thing you know, you have a lot of grandkids and horses around the place, so you might as well keep going with it. Everyone pretty much lives at Grandad’s stable together, and then you get cousins scuffling on the day job like this:

That’s how Killie grew up, as the result of several generations of jockeys becoming trainers producing jockeys. but moving to a retained post was both a) the only logical move if it’s offered, and b) an escape from his parents, who are astonishingly awful. and if you are that kind of nepo baby, like Killie, it makes so much sense to flee the country (move to the uk and constantly pretend you’ve just dropped your phone in a horse’s water bucket, glubglubglub, BYE MA.)

Press “keep reading” for the amateurs and then what everyone else is doing.

Generational steeplechase jockey Jonjo O’Neill Jr does a day in his life here. he knows the horses and is doing admin, management and stable work … at his family’s massive operation.

Amateurs

Finally, in the UK, you can ride as an amateur jockey - usually in types of lowkey local steeplechases, like “point to point” - and basically anyone can do this. horse racing is fun, but you need a license to do it with other people, and the license remains incompatible with owning a registered racehorse. So technically your best friend could share a horse with you, in all but paperwork, and they could be the trainer and you could be the amateur jockey, and you could wrangle your way into actual races with a horse that you knew. It wouldn’t work very well as a day job (the horse would only race like 2x a month, netting you like £300 a month out of your friend’s pocket, plus the absurd costs of transporting/entering everyone) but if you were writing a crazy story in which some good friends and their pet racehorse decide to make it rich, that’s how you could do it.

Everyone else

Everyone else (including generational jockeys whose grandfathers didn’t have the foresight to establish a proper dynasty) just scrabbles around.

Most races aren’t high-stakes! There are a lot of basic boring races every day. (though, if you ask jockeys, there is apparently never quite enough work.)

horses might live at the stable of their owner but more commonly their trainer (some owners are both).

Jockeys cannot own racehorses themselves.

In the UK racecourses are randomly scattered around the country, usually hours away from each other. They all usually have several races every day.

Jockeys in the UK are paid £157.90 for Flat jockeys and £214.63 for jumps riders per race. They get this flat rate for everyone, whether they’re experienced or not! Their expenses are fairly high, and as freelancers they have to cover them all. The real attraction pay-wise is that they get a “cut of the purse” (percentage of prize money) if they win first, second or third place in a race. It’s a small percentage that they have to share with their agent, but there are sometimes some super-big stakes, where you can earn your year’s wages all at once.

Of course, you need to be piloting a pretty good horse in a high-stakes race to have a shot at that.

jockeys are a rare professional athlete that work every day, and they want (but are never guaranteed to get) a few rides every day. This usually means travelling across the UK constantly every day.

Racehorses usually only race once a week or less. They definitely don’t “work” as often! Their schedules rarely match up to jockeys. Driving them around the place is also a huge pain.

Jockeys live all over, and most of them are known to spend several times more hours driving between jobs than they ever spend sitting on horses. They get up very early each day, often “riding out” (doing early morning horse exercise) for trainers before hitting the road, often driving for several hours between races. This has been flagged in many sports medicine papers as one of their many wellbeing risks.

At any rate, with hundreds of jockeys travelling randomly around the country, getting injured and suspended and with stats fluctuating constantly, trainers work through agents to book jockeys - often not getting the one they want.

There are also considerations like trainer suddenly deciding they want to get a different (better) rider instead, leading to the one they booked getting “jocked off”.

All of everyone’s stats, from horses to jockeys, are publicly available, and everyone can study them obsessively. Trainers will request jockeys who have attractive stats - that’s not just “winning” stats, but weight/strategy/experience that might match the horse (+ terrain + conditions, etc). In their turn, jockeys with better options may turn down an offer of a horse with terrible form (I.e. a big loser, or a dangerous animal, or one that looks incredibly dodgy in race videos.)

Often trainers try to get the same jockey for their horse, but in all this chaos it’s not always possible, and everyone has to constantly pursue their own best interests.

Particularly winning jockeys and particularly influential trainers may gradually come together in working relationships, and as a horse gradually emerges as a favourite and the stakes rise, you’ll start to see it working more often with the same people. For example, in the Grand National, the jockeys will probably know the horses.

In conclusion, it’s common for the first time the jockey touches the horse to be when they’re thrown on top of it, prior to the race.

They get around this by studying form (race statistics), watching videos of the horse, and of course speaking to the trainer about their desires/instructions/strategy.

OKAY that is the MOST information that I could possibly have given!! I don’t know why I know all this!!! Thanks!!

[cacartoon]

Um i am new to your au but question whats is pirate cove?? From what i understand is that it takes place before the Octonauts fully became a team but what is it exactly about??

So there’s a brief explanation of that in this part of the master post

But I’ll explain here as well

“The Octonauts and the Pirate Cove”, a.k.a how Kwazii became an Ocotnaut, takes place back in the early days of the Octonauts before anything we see in current octonaut lore (so the main series, movies, and above and beyond).

I place this not long after the first Octopod crashes and Tweak builds the new one.

To summarize events:

The new octopod began experiencing a few little errors and malfunctions so they stopped so tweak can repair them easier.

The Octonauts docked the octopod near an island in the Caribbean, and begun fixing their new ship.

While doing repairs and generally taking in the environment, Captain Barnacles became aware that they were being watched and he instructed Tweak and Inkling to go back to the octopod and stay hidden while he checked things out.

His instincts were on point because soon he got ambushed by a group of cat pirates. Not wanting his crew to be discovered he lied and said he was alone. The pirates capture Barnacles and take him to their own captain, Captain Chimera.

Captain Chimera and her crew were on this particular island in search for a lost shipwreck in a hidden cove which is said to hold an amazing treasure, and they assumed Barnacles might have also been searching for it as well; he wasn’t.

Chimera put one of the lower ranked crew members in charge of keeping an eye on Barnacles while she and the rest of the crew searched. That crew member? Kwazii

Kwazii was pretty disappointed he couldn’t join in the search, but obeyed and kept guard of their new prisoner. He acted very tough and tried intimidating Barnacles but wasn’t very successful, and Barnacles tried to convince Kwazii to let him go. The conversation began trailing off into Kwazii ranting about how he’s always left behind and treated like he’s not capable of being part of the adventure. Captain Barnacles listened to all of this and realized Kwazii wasn’t some hardened mean spirited pirate, but was someone eager for adventure and wanting to help where he can; Kwazii demonstrated his kind heart further by helping a little snail onto a leaf to avoid accidentally stepping on it. Kwazii’s ranting stopped once he realized Captain Chimera left the map she was suppose to use for the treasure hunt, and Barnacles decided he’d help Kwazii find this ship wreck and earn Chimera’s respect. Kwazii was hesitant about this stranger being so willing to help, but thought about it and knew he’d need muscle in order to traverse the jungle safely so he agreed. He was still in charge though, and warned the captain not to make any sort of funny moves. Captain Barnacles swore on his honor as an Octonaut and the two began following the map.

While traveling they did come across a few troubles, but with the captain’s polar bear strength and Kwazii’s cat-like-quickness they got through just fine. Kwazii was in awe of Barnacle’s strength and was even more taken aback when he got complimented for his speed. The two started opening up to each other, even to the point Barnacles talked about the Octonauts, the rest of the crew, and what they did. Kwazii didn’t divulge much about his past but did share some tales of the adventures he got to be part of.

They’d even help each other while traveling.

One of those moments when traveling in a small cave that triggered Barnacle’s claustrophobia, and once again Kwazii demonstrated just how good he was and helped the captain through his episode. Then there were spiders and Kwazii was visibly nervous, but didn’t admit to his phobia. Barnacles recognized it though and didn’t pry, instead encouraged Kwazii through it all.

Soon they discovered the hidden cove that had the abandoned ship wreck, and there was indeed treasure. Kwazii thanked the captain for helping him and Barnacles praised Kwazii’s abilities. Kwazii was about to go gold crazy when he spotted the most precious treasure of all, a golden shell a snail was using for its home. In fact many little creatures were using the treasure for their home. Kwazii was conflicted about taking any of the treasure, but before he could make a decision Captain Chimera and the rest of her crew appeared with Tweak and Inkling as hostages. The two grew worried when Barnacles hadn’t returned and after some time they went to search for him, only to be discovered and captured by Chimera. Captain Barnacles tried to save his crew but was recaptured too go Kwazii’s horror. Chimera praised Kwazii for his trickery and was happy her test proved his skills as a true pirate. She ordered the Octonauts to be locked away and to take as much gold and treasure as possible. Barnacles pleaded with Kwazii but it fell on deaf ears, at least sorta deaf.

Back at the pirate base camp the crew were celebrating their treasures and Chimera promoted Kwazii for his deeds.

Kwazii wasn’t happy though. He thought about the little creatures whose home was torn apart, and the look on Barnacle’s face was tearing at him. If he was uncertain about his position, he was certain now. When the partying died down and many were asleep, he raced to the Octonauts.

Locked away in the pirate ship’s brig, Barnacles Tweak and Inkling were trying to figure a way to escape and rescue to the creatures who got swept up in the treasure collecting. Kwazii appeared with keys and freed the Octonauts, begging for them to help him save the creatures. Barnacles was proud of Kwazii and pleaded his case to Tweak and Inkling. They agreed and the four of them escaped the pirate ship with the creatures. They were returned home but the pirates discovered their treasure gone and their prisoners gone. Chimera and the pirates chased down Kwazii and the Octonauts, causing much damage to their own supplies and such. Chimera was able to trap Kwazii and cursed him for betraying her. Before she could do anything Barnacles saved Kwazii and they all escaped into the now repaired Octopod. They left the island and Chimera vowed to take revenge among her destroyed camp and lost treasure.

Barnacles, Tweak, and Inkling thanked Kwazii for rescuing them and praised him for helping save the treasure creatures. Kwazii thanked the captain for saving his life as well and not leaving him behind. The crew let Kwazii spend the night while they discussed something very important.

The next morning Kwazii was prepared to be dropped off at any port and find a new pirate crew, but was surprised when Captain Barnacles and the others offered to have Kwazii join the Octonauts. Barnacles saw how brave and selfless Kwazii was and how well they worked together, and wanted to make Kwazii the official lieutenant. Kwazii wasn’t very knowledgeable about scientific stuff, but his knowledge on the sea, his bravery, and his spirit of adventure made him a perfect fit. Kwazii accepted the offer.

Kwazii swapped out his old pirate getup, minus his eyepatch and sash, and now sported an official Octonaut uniform and position.

He may still have the heart of a pirate, but he was an Octonaut now.

And he’d have many new adventures, only now they were below the waves with a crew who brought him along.

And that’s the basics :D

[theside-b]

The upcoming Taiwan line-up is crazy:

Eternal Butler Romance between spoiled rich brat and his robot servant. Part of a shared universe with pre-stablished lore about a rogue A.I. that went against his creators in order to be with a human lover (Anti Reset). Secondary couple is a childhood friends to lovers storyline.

Fight For You One works for an "organization" that deals with anything; the other sent by an initiative to destroy said "organization". They are roommates but are unaware of the each other's secret jobs and once feelings starts to grow they must make a decision about which path to follow.

The Promise of The Soul Possibly one of the wildest plots I have ever read in my entire life:

When 69-year-old Cha Hsia’s grandson announces his intention to undergo a sex change, Cha Hsia accidentally falls down the stairs with him, and his soul then enters the youthful body of his grandson. From that day on, he experiences many firsts in his grandson’s body: going to college, living in a dormitory, being kissed by a man, and falling in love. Does the classmate the grandson secretly admires actually like him back? In the dormitory, his grandson’s boyfriend even takes off his pants and wants to… Who is the red thread of fate connected to?

Secret Relationship Another crazy entry but almost vanilla considering the previous one.

Rivals to lovers with unhinged behavior that in the source material ranges from rock-paper-scissors contests to competitive handjobs (yeah, you read that right).

Fun fact: Taiwan's favorite deranged step-brother from HIStory: Close to You is here, Lin Chia-wei will play a support role in this one.

I want to point out two other titles: Impressions of Youth (which was schedule for this month but might have been postponed) and Exclusive Love set for Valentine's Day of 25'

[deerspherestudios]

Short Break and To Dos!

Hello all! 🍄🍄👻 I'm glad to see people enjoying Day 3 so far! I was so nervous about showing another side to Mychael in the update I thought people wouldn't like him as much but plenty have reacted positively! ❤️

I'll add a TLDR; above the read more, but if you don't mind my ramblings and want more details about everything, I'll write everything below! Light spoilers ahead!

I'll be taking a short break from MO development until 28th October to work on a short VN for the Monstrous Desires jam!

Most probably missed it, but there's a tiny small patch to Day 3 explained here.

Queue will return soon! I just gotta handle some housekeeping first with my Patreon.

Regarding the feedback on Day 3, I'm glad people aren't as averse to the new side of Mychael, in that he isn't always soft and sweet. I want people to fall in love with a person after all, not a yandere caricature, and that means that person can get upset, angry and sometimes irrational when we don't know what's going on in their head even towards the subject of their affections. While some (understandably!) were shocked about his reaction to the mushrooms, it'll be clear as to why (hopefully!)

Some of you have given incredibly accurate theories, and I'll take that as something I've done well in building up the mystery!!! I'm excited to share more in the next update, but for now!

1. I'll be taking a short break from MO development to work on a short VN for the Monstrous Desires jam!

What I have planned for Day 4 of MO might be the biggest update so far, since one route will lead to a few official BAD ENDINGS as opposed to 'dead ends' like the current demo has. To those who really want to, you finally get to see Mychael at his worst. As usual, writing the script takes a few months with plenty of changes in between, and I don't wanna bulldoze ahead and rush the story when it's getting to the climax!

But before I jump into all of that I just wanna give myself a creative exercise and try exploring a different theme, style and setting with a fresh new character for the jam! Since I'm a sucker for the trope... yes, the new blorbo will also be a yandere, sorry, I'm predictable.💔 The jam ends on October 28th so development on MO will continue then!

The last time I wrote something remotely sci-fi was in high school, so this will be fun to try!

2. Most probably missed it, but there's a tiny small patch to Day 3 explained here.

What it says on the tin! If you've already played Day 3, rest assured there's no significant story changes. Just an updated credits list, three extra sprites for one route and a small fix in the code.

3. Queue will return soon! I just gotta handle some housekeeping first with my Patreon.

Plenty of people have sent such sweet and encouraging messages to my inbox on what they thought of the update and I cannot thank all of you enough for the support!! I can't wait to post them out to archive them on the blog and answer all your interesting theories and queries in my queue!

But for now I'm due for a short break from my socials and to catch up on my Patreon sketch requests haha. I also plan to release cut content from Day 3 for my Yearling and Deer patrons. Plus, I'll be working on some written prompts for extra lore so that's something to look forward to!

I'll be back soon! Take care, fireflies!! ❤️

[itsswritten]

teeny tiny

Pairing: Fairy reader x Azriel

Word Count: 2.6K

Summary: Azriel practices dwindling with you. (Just some fluff, mutual pining, pre bond snapping)

Wings Universe - read more from this couple here.

Azriel was watching you intently, a soft smile spread on his lips as his gaze danced across your expression. You were so passionate when you spoke about your work– your duty as a fairy. 

A stark difference to how he felt about being an Illyrian.

But knowing you now for only a year, you had softened that perspective he had for his own heritage. Purely by how dedicated you were to yours, and how you lit up whenever you got to speak about it. Naturally, when getting to know the IC you had wanted to learn everything about the Illyrians, everything about the sisters, about Amren. Every finer detail.

That warm nature of yours, got even the most reserved opening themselves up to you. You were always genuinely interested too, mesmerised in the differences and similarities you found among your new friends. You would never scrimp on compliments either, lovely words rolling off your tongue in awe when Cassian had explained some Illyrian lore. You even went as far to admit that you’d always thought the dark winged fae looked very cool and fierce. 

Azriel could vividly remember the heat filling your cheeks one evening at Rita’s when you’d admitted that, the faerie wine offering you some liquid courage. The comment had gone straight to Cassian’s head, prancing round Rita’s flexing in front of Nesta with a stealthy look, posing for her. “Look how fierce I look, Nes,” Nesta only rolled her eyes.

Azriel, though, had kept that comment. Tucked it away in the corner of his mind that he saved purely for you. A space filled with compliments from you, mentions of the things you loved, or observations of when he thought you looked especially beautiful– which truly was everyday. That corner of his mind was slowly growing by the day, bit by bit consuming him more and more. But he didn’t mind. For every new area you occupied in his consciousness, it replaced something dark instead. Those nightmares became few and far between after you entered his life, and he felt lighter, brighter. 

A mark that could only be left by a radiant individual– you.

Ever since he’d met you, he was absolutely smitten. There was a magnetic charge between you both, that just couldn’t keep him away. He was like a moth to a light, fluttering so dangerously close that if he wasn’t careful he might just burn. 

But he couldn’t stop. Despite the risk of it all, the risk of you burning his desires down. The obvious rejection you would undoubtedly give him if his feelings ever became known. So he settled for friendship, in fact savoured in it. He welcomed the friendly banter and familiar touches you so kindly offered him, but sometimes he dared to imagine…selfishly letting himself wonder, if he was to confess, would it really all go up in flames?…or would a warm glow await him instead.

Azriel began to look for the good parts of his own culture, an excuse to be able to share something with you. Little anecdotes of younger years with his brothers, the plants that grew in the harsh terrain of Ramiel, and what creatures may lurk in those mountains. Something Azriel noticed had piqued your interest. 

He found you numerous times after that in the library with Nesta and Gwyn, looking through bestiaries and field journals. Your commitment to the land and its creatures never wavering. You had found old scriptures, thousands of years old, of rare creatures that roamed the Illyrian land. Feline-like beasts that apparently once lived among Illyrians as their companions, a familiar of sorts. You had practically barged into Azriel’s room one evening when you had unearthed this new information, kneeled on his bed sharing this new discovery word for word as you read the translated version Gwyn had given you. 

“We’ll have to go look for them Az,” You had beamed, “It’ll be like an adventure, and well I could write it off as work too seeing as technically this falls under my jurisdiction.” 

Azriel had never cared much for his own culture and myths, actually, had rather hated every aspect of it. But somehow, watching you find the beauty between the cracks changed something in him. Over time the dismal opinion he had of Illyrians and that part of himself, paired with the progression in the camps had made a slight difference.

Today though, today, you were sharing even more of your world.

“So I thought, you know with you already being able to winnow you would grasp this the easiest” you smiled at Az.

You had brought him to the edge of one of the night court meadows you usually worked at. Elain had asked to join you on a day's work for the spring season, once confessing she wished the cauldron had turned her into a fairy just like you. You had told her she was perfect the way she was, exactly who she was supposed to be, and promised her anyone of any kind was welcome in the meadows. 

What was supposed to be a fun girls day with Elain had quickly snowballed into a field trip, the rest of the inner circle adamant they had to come too. But if your friends couldn’t master the art of dwindling then they would not be permitted in the meadows. Rhys and Feyre were fine, that unlimited pot of power they both possessed actually meant you’d caught them several months ago, rolling around in a flower enjoying some quality time together. You’re not sure who was more embarrassed, yourself or Feyre when Rhys clumsily fell out of a flower bell stark naked covered in pollen.

Before the others would be allowed to cross the threshold of the meadows you would need to teach them first.

“Dwindling is a lot like winnowing, how you move yourself to a different space. Or even how your shadows move you through space. It’s essentially the same, but it’s the space within you that’s moving…well smaller.” 

Your hands had been spread wide in your explanation, bringing them closer together as if your movement were perfectly representing how it worked. Your brows furrowed though, as Azriel looked at you with a soft dazed expression. Almost glassy eyed with a dumb smile on his mouth.

“Are you even listening to me Az?” Your tone felt stern leaving your lips. A little huff following after, that got his shadows moving in a giddy manner. It wasn’t just Azriel that found you utterly adorable, but his shadows too had a hard time hiding how your expressions caused a stir in them.

How they basked in your laughter, grew agitated in your discomfort or selfishly, liked to relish in your charming pouts.

Azriel quickly shook his head, as if shaking himself from the daze you so often ensnared him in, “I’m always listening,” he promised.

You rolled your bottom lip through your teeth gently, pausing for a moment to take in his words. How it had struck a ripple through your body, that often created butterflies in your stomach. Glancing up through your lashes you took your friend in, his large strong frame towering over you, never in an intimidating way. No, his presence, however daunting to others, always filled you with safety and comfort you hadn’t felt around many. And there were those beautiful hazel eyes that often reminded you of the sunrise after you’d worked the night shift. Golden rays breaking through the midnight blanket, spilling hazel threads into petals of blue.

Maybe one day you would tell him how when the sky filled with ribbons of gold and sapphire, that you only thought of him.

Quickly you stopped yourself from falling into your own daze, remembering his passing words. 

I’m always listening. 

That he was. So attentive, so kind, you’re not sure what you did to deserve the friendship of the Shadowsinger. You continued on, brushing over how genuine his words sounded. Rummaging around in your bag you pulled out a pouch of fairy dust.

“This amplifies your power, makes it easier to shrink. Should also help with the nausea,” you muttered, now choosing to ignore the way his eyes seemed to drink you up.

It was getting increasingly hard to disregard the effect the Shadowsinger had on you. He was so beautiful, so pretty– in that rugged Illyrian way. And he was very thoughtful too, and there was the way he said things to you sometimes that made it hard not to assume it meant more. Every word felt like a whispered kiss or unspoken promise, that you found yourself at times hoping, and daydreaming that perhaps it did mean something deeper.

Sprinkling the dust over Azriel, his nose scrunched a little at the scent. So familiar, he realised it reminded him of you. That lingering scent of fairy dust was always on you, mixed with vanilla and hints of honey, an underlying breeze of peonies. Your scent alone was enough to enchant him, enough to know he would be dreaming of you again tonight. His consciousness would slip him into a blissful haze of what it would be like to envelope himself in the crook of your neck and laze in your aroma.

Gently you took his hands into yours, his ragged hands engulfing your own. 

Azriel couldn’t help notice the stark contrast. How perfect and soft you were, delicate and light. He was rough and weathered around the edges, hardened by war and conflict. A gentle squeeze from you pulled him from his thoughts, realising how close you were now, he would only have to lean down slightly to bridge the gap between you. So close he could press his lips to top of your head and–

As if brushing that thought from his mind, his shadows moved towards you. Brushing a strand of hair from your face, while the other tendrils wove through the air in between you both like a dance.

“Are you ready Az? Remember everything I taught you?”

He nodded. 

Channelling his power in the technique you had shown him, his eyes fluttered shut. Honing in on the warmth of your hands and the faint sound of the breeze. His siphons simmered a glow as vibrations of power and space moved over the sharp lines and angles of his body, retracting and restricting the space within.

The air sounded different all of a sudden.

Vibrations growing louder, rustles becoming more powerful. Slowly Azriel opened his eyes, looking down at you, standing as you were before. He questioned if he’d even managed to do it, but as he glanced up he saw the tall green vertebrae of the grass tower above. The strands gently swaying in the wind, allowing the morning sun to filter through and cast viridescent shadows across the earth.

He had done it. He had dwindled.

The air was filled with a symphony of sounds, the song of crickets and the gentle rustling of the grass in the wind. Butterflies flitted by, leaving a gentle gust of wind in their wake. They were larger than him now, and he could vividly see the intricate designs and colours that lay on their wings.

“Az? Azriel are you okay? How do you feel?”

He hadn’t even realised you were talking, not until your hand gently pressed against the side of his face. Your thumb tracing the line of his jaw, as you looked up to him in concern.

“I feel fine,” he replied, finally remembering to take a breath as your touch left him.

“No nausea? You looked a little peaky for a moment, I was worried,”

Your remaining hand had slipped from his gentle grip, a simmer in his chest wishing it would remain. But Azriel unfurled his wings, stretching the dark membranes out, distributing his weight onto either feet to check his balance. 

“Okay…” You smiled then, “This went better than I thought, you know it’s Cassian I’m most worried about. I just have a feeling he’ll sneeze himself into a giant or something,”

“Wait, is that possible?”

“No, or at least I don’t think so. But somehow I could see it happening with Cass,” You laughed. The angelic waves of your laughter pulled up the corners of his lips as he let out a chuckle.

Oh Azriel could stay in this moment forever. Just the two of you, no one else in sight for miles.The sun basking it’s glow upon you both. Your laughter faded into a comfortable silence before you closed your eyes, head tilting up towards the sun as the rays washed over your face. 

Azriel thanked the Mother again for the blessings he had received since knowing you, because this moment right here– to be with you was surely one.

“Y/n…” Azriel couldn’t help breathe your name out, it barely a whisper as words he kept tucked in that corner of his mind seemed to pile into his mouth.

Gently your eyes fluttered open, your expression turning to him with a light hum in question. But before he could even untangle the mess of confessions on his tongue, a shadow loomed above.

With a slight jump, you hastily stepped back, colliding into the tough warm frame of the Shadowsinger, craning your neck up to see what had cast such a darkness.

A shadow– Azriel’s shadow.

The smokey tendril seemed to loom over you both inquisitively. It’s movements speaking of a curiosity to how its master was now so tiny.

“There’s always one,” Azriel grumbled, his hand tenderly moving to the small of your back for a moment as he stepped to your side.

Azriel crossed his arms across his chest, his expression boring on unimpressed as he glanced up at the disobedient wisp.

“You’ve got no excuse,” Azriel chastised, referring to the other shadows that had obediently followed an appropriate size to him after dwindling. 

The shadow slumped a little in response, eliciting a small gasp from you at how utterly adorable you found it. As if remembering you were there the shadow turned it’s attention. Azriel’s earlier command to resize itself held no authority but it quickly slinked itself slightly smaller for you. It’s size resembled something of Azriel’s shape as it twirled around you making the layers of your dress flutter up in the wind.

“Oh my…” Your cheeks heated a rosy hue as you attempted to hold your dress down in the gust of air.

“Sorry about that,” Azriel heaved, his patience growing thin as he tried to hide his slight embarrassment at his unruly shadow.

“It’s quite alright Azriel,” you reassured him with a light chuckle, the smile on your lips easing him. The use of his full name, raising goosebumps on his skin.

It wasn’t the only thing your smile eased, the shadow, as if melting under you, softened like honey. Oozing back behind Azriel’s wings in a dazed infatuation.

“Come,” you took Azriel’s hand in yours. Pulling him gently through the blades of green. “You should settle in this size for a while, make sure everything feels okay before we return,”

Azriel watched your fingers interlock with his, the smaller wisps of his shadows winding around your joined hands. Whispering words to one another that he couldn’t hear. 

He swallowed hard, once, twice taking in the view before him. Your usual pink dress dipping to the small of your back, taut flawless skin kissed under the sun as you pulled him through the green. No wings on show, though.

He wondered when you would share that part of you…if ever. 

Azriel would never ask, but he hoped one day you trusted him enough.

That he would be so lucky. But as you glanced back over your shoulder, sending him a soft smile that seemed to bury itself deep into his chest. He pondered, if for only a moment, that perhaps he was lucky.

a/n: just a little instalment from your favourite couple! <3 What else do you want to see from them?? (Other than flower sex , I promise this is coming👀)

forever tags: @lilah-asteria @illyrianbitch @sleepylunarwolf @daily-dose-of-sass @milswrites @marscardigan

Wings tags: @minaethrym

[selfaware-promise-au]

Self-Aware! Blade x GN! Reader

Warnings: OOC. Assassination attempt.

A/N: I was supposed to write about Blade's "recruitment", that was implied in last post, but the drafts are getting too confusing and with too much confusing lore hints for a normal fic.

_____

"It’s not even an advance, it’s just a fifth of it. Get rid of them, and you'll get a much larger sum."

Shrike, an assassin, licked her lips carnivorously, looking at the case filled with credits. She looked at the photograph of the target with renewed interest. A completely ordinary person with [e/c] eyes and [h/t] [h/c] hair. She turned her gaze to the customer, a thin figure in a robe.

"I am close to betraying my principles and wonder what they have done to make you, dear customer, pay a fortune to silence them forever."

"Dear customer" contorted with disgust.

"That sinful abomination have committed a grave sin and aren't planning to stop their corruption".

Tautology made Shrike mentally chuckle. But her expression didn't betray her. Paying client's wish was her to fulfill.

"Consider work's done, Master Cole..."

-------

Shrike pressed her back against the wall of Goethe Hotel. Belobog's cold was harsh, but not a single muscle flinched on her face. Her target were here.

She was stalking them for a few days already. For a sinful abomination they were surprisingly... boring.

They weren't yelling profanities on the main square, or vandalizing a museum or a theater. They weren't even littering.

They just spent time with other people. They were paying attention to indigo hair girl in glasses, when she told kids about Belobog's culture.

They were spending time in a workshop of a local rock star.

They were often in a company of two almost identical gray haired people, an energetic pinkette and a gloomy spearman.

Anything they do were boring, normal and totally disappointing.

Especially the fact, that they were careless enough to stay by their own in their room in a hotel.

Shrike checked her "work arsenal" again. A rope with grappling hook, lockpicks, a dagger with a poisoned blade, a bottle of oil and a brush. Boring assassination for a boring person.

------

She waited for lights to go out.

Her plan was doing so far so good. She planned the throw timing carefully, so noise didn't get anyone's attention.

Shrike was now right before target's window. In the darkness she could see the outlines of a bed and a huge pile of pillows on it. Somewhere there, her target were sleeping.

Shrike grinned. She heard, how earlier today they shared their plan of asking for more pillows with their friends. Sinful abomination wanting to have a comfy bed. There was something humorous about it.

Shrike start climbing up again.

She needed to get into the hotel.

------

Room's door quietly opened. Lockpicks and oil made their work. Assassin close the door behind her.

Shrike was inside. She proceeded with caution. It would be a disappointment to fail right now.

She finally was standing before the bed, where her target were sleeping. They were covered in multiple blankets, completely hidden from the outside world.

Now, the hard part come. To find among all this pillows a living person to unalive them.

Shrike start listening and observing.

Soon, she noticed, that one of the blankets were moving up and down.

In a quick motion, she stabbed her dagger right through the blanket, deep into the target's body.

There was no scream. Just a hiss. And blanket wasn't moving anymore.

Shrike pulled out the dagger, turning around. She whispered.

"That's it? I am disappointed. Master Cole painted you in a dangerous way, and you went down so easily."

"Well, if you allow me to try again, I might show you a real fight."

Shrike immediately turned away, but sword already pinned her hood to a wall.

She looked at horror at living nightmare.

She saw Blade's wanted posters before. He had a great bounty on him, one, that would make the person quite an attractive target for assassins. But not Blade. He was invincible, and only fools would dare to try to assassinate him.

Wound from her dagger were already almost healed, and only ruined clothes remained.

Shrike whimpered.

"But... How..?"

"Blade noticed you few days ago, ever since you start stalking me."

The lights were turned on.

Her target... Her real target stood up from the bed. They looked... rumpled. They approached Blade and Shrike, giving swordsmen a side eye.

"And while he was right, that you will attack again, I still fail to understand, why I couldn't sleep in another room, and had to stay here, in a pillow-blanket nest, with him sleeping on top of me."

Blade huffed, without loosing eye contact with Shrike.

"It still worked, right?"

Her target didn't answer. Instead, they looked at Shrike with unreadable expression.

"I... I really don't want to do it."

Shrike knew, that words weren't addressed to her.

"You knew, that she will try again. Others will come, but, at least, we won't have to worry about her."

They were silent. Then they nodded.

"Do as you see fit, Blade."

With ease, Blade pulled out his sword, freeing Shrike. He immediately grabbed her by her hood and start dragging her away.

Room's door opened and closed.

Shrike's last moments were silent and painful.

------

You were sitting on the bed. Waiting for Blade.

He was your first bodyguard, appointed by... 𝖍𝖎𝖒. (A bracelet on Blade's wrist were his sign). And he took his job seriously.

When you were near Blade, you felt small, if not outright tiny. Like you were a pebble, and he was Mount Everest.

Each time you were transported in this world, he was always near you. Protecting you from assassinations attempts.

Devines of this world hated you for breaking their control, for becoming a symbol of redemption.

And they wanted to destroy you.

Door in the room opened and closed again.

Nothing in Blade's appearance indicated, that he just killed someone.

You sighed, holding out your hands to him.

It was strange to see a somewhat soft experience on Blade's face. That experience he made only when he was with you.

He stopped before you, sitting on the floor.

You put both of your hands on his head, running your fingers through his hair.

He, as usual, leaned into your touch.

He was supposed to be a fictional character from gacha game. But now you couldn't see anyone from this world as fictional.

He was a dangerous swordsman. An avalanche of destruction.

And you, a small pebble, could easily hold that avalanche down.

"Freedom... Our Freedom..."

Blade's eyes stared into yours, filled with unspoken adoration. You didn't flinch. You were getting used to that. You didn't utter a single word. But, your expression...

"[Y/N]... Our [Y/N]." Blade's tone didn't change. Still full of gratitude.

You just continue to play with his hair.

As long as you will stay here, your life will be in danger. Back in your world, you will still work on getting people of three worlds their rightful freedom.

But, for now, in this silent room, everything was easy and slow. And, you dared to say, normal.

You continue to play with Blade's hair, enjoying this moment of normalcy in this mad world.