#& meta

[auxtowns]

Muvian rambles, brought u by @doodlingwren 's questions:

Lil Dratini! By the way, why Mu’s team (or in general for the Muvians) is made of Dragon Pokémon? Beside the fact that it is connected by their culture in this AU, what made you choose them instead of, I don’t know, Psychic or Fairy Type? I need the LORE!!! 🤯😳

Pulls the nerd emoji akSUALLY

Really good question!!

In the games Dragon types are often described as mystical like creatures (it's not a coincidence that until the introduction of Fairy types, the dragon type was heavily attached to Legendary pokemon). They are wielded only by highly skilled trainers (E4 member Drake/Drasna, Champion Cynthia), or by characters that have some cultural/historical/long running connection to Dragon types (See Lance and Clair coming from the same clan seen in Blackthorn city, the Draconids tribe with its connection to Rayquaza in Hoenn, Drayden and Iris being the ones well in the know about the Legend surrounding Reshiram and Zekrom, amongst many others).

With that in mind, I felt like it was the most suitable type for muvians. You're correct in Fairy types also being a possibility. But, the Dragon type has a different kind of worldbuilding that I felt like, fit them better. I never considered Psychic types for them, because of the overlap with Shaka.

The tribe's location is also VERY important and relevant. Muvians originate from Sinnoh, and region that carries a heavy theme of history, and ancient times for the pokemon world. Even though, there only being only one native, dragon type species in the Garchomp line (which makes sense, because it's the coldest region we have seen thus far). The tribe is also located somewhere within Mt. Coronet which would also ensure that, not everyone is even aware of their existence.

Now, here's another sacrifice from Sts lore I have to make. Because, outside of Az, who is like that due to the effects of the weird weapon he used in a war that's explained in the XY games, we don't really have any immortal beings. So that means, Alde and Mu can grow old & happily together and I wont be sobbing over it Muvians in this AU are mostly common humans.

Mostly, because I also mentioned they also should have a foot in Aura reading and use. A concept that was introduced in Sinnoh, by the likes of Riley and the Lucario line (it really wasn't expanded on the games, but the anime and manga had a field trip with it). So, through that, Mu retains a form of telekinesis and telepathy. It's this ability that ensures muvians close connection, to dragon types.

Taking mental notes to draw Shion soothing down a Kommo-o/Mu soothing down a Roaring Moon/Kiki soothing down a Draconzolt.

[cowboyprosecutor]

To extend further on those tags on the last post, because I don't think I explained myself very well...

I see Gant as a man who has been subtly manipulating people around him for years without anyone really noticing.  On the surface, he's an incredibly likeable person, but with an extremely commanding vibe to him.  Your instinct around this man would be to be friendly to him and do what he wants, and it isn't hard because he does have that charisma.

I think that, especially when paired with Lana, he's hard to suspect. The Lana we meet in the game is the Lana who is being blackmailed into doing Gant's wishes, but before that point, she was supposed to be kind and nurturing.  Even Edgeworth mentions that he felt like she took a special interest in him, and she wasn't even his boss until after SL-9 and Gant's blackmail.  If Gant can be suspected while acting alone, surely the fact that Lana Skye trusts him will clear up any suspicions.

However, given that Neil's murder had absolutely no clear motive in canon, my first guess is that he began to suspect Gant's involvement in...something.  Neil was smart enough to become a prosecutor, and he was a good one at that, since he won the King of Prosecutors award.  It's possible he was clever enough to see through something and start investigating something that Gant wanted left alone.  He didn't ask anyone for help because 1. he knew it was dangerous and didn't want anyone else in danger, and 2. because he wasn't sure anyone else would believe him.

When Gant walked into that room with three unconscious people on the floor, he had a choice to make.  He chose to murder Neil.  It's true that Neil's death would be the most effective way to manipulate Lana, but he could have just as easily murdered Darke and pinned that on Ema.  Why would he choose to murder a friendly when there was someone he was desperate to imprison lying there too?

If Neil was poking around somewhere he wasn't supposed to and Gant found out about it, well, that would explain a lot. And I don't think it's really a stretch, either.

...but I also don't want to make Neil too smart and good and wonderful at everything, because then it's boring.

[tobelockedupmoved-blog]

WHAT HAD SHE BEEN FIGHTING FOR?

people were dropping like quiet flies around her, falling into death like one slips into a warm bath. she saw the peace on some faces, others were covered in regret. harper wasn’t about to forget these faces. she was holding the cup in her hands -- the blonde was READY. at least, that’s what she had been telling herself. hadn’t she been preparing herself for this? hadn’t she just pushed away the love of her life in order to reach this end?

(not with a BANG, but with a whimper.)

but since when did harper mcintyre go through anything with only a whimper?

she thought back to all of the times she could have let herself die. the most obvious was mount weather, her resolve the only thing she had left on the table. she begged, pleaded for mercy -- for safety -- for HOME. she received nothing, but nevertheless she persisted.

had she ever been the girl to give in? had she ever been one to take the EASY WAY OUT? harper could have easily gone with jaha to the city of light, could have taken the chip and been cured of her pains and heartbreak. she could’ve given in.

but nevertheless, she persisted.

because she knew that taking the harder route, the HUMAN route, was the way to go. she couldn’t live life in ignorance, couldn’t trade in her pain in return to forgetof it. harper would gladly live with her pain if it made her stronger -- if it was worth something.

so she’s sitting there with this cup in her hands, and the room is getting quieter with every person whose last breath leaves their lips. but she’s stil here. and she’s THIRSTY, but she won’t drink because she’s thinking of the people that she lost -- fox, MONROE, mbege. what about wells? days on the ground only to be cut down by a fearful child. and what about that child, charlotte? she threw herself off of a cliff to get away from the nightmares.

was she about to go off this cliff to get away from her own? did she really think of herself to be so WORTHLESS that her pain was now irrelevant? did she think her pain didn’t matter to the world, so it would be better off without it?

she thought of MONTY last, not because he was the least important -- quite the opposite. he would be alone now. she knew it. jasper was his brother, and she was... three words rang in her head, the ones she refused to say because she knew that if she were to tell the boy the truth, he would never let her go.

if harper told monty that she loved him too, she would never have been able to make this decision for herself.

she couldn’t leave him alone. she couldn’t let his last memory of her be that she didn’t love him -- harper mcintyre was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a liar. and she wasn’t someone who gave up so easily, right? why else would she have gone through the mountain? why would she have gone through the black rain? why would she be HERE? there had to be a reason.

eyes lifted towards the door. maybe monty WAS her reason. it was foolish, ignorant of her to think that her purpose on this earth was to be there for this boy. she knew that. she had to live because SHE wanted to, not because he did. (but how would she ever know if she wanted to live if she didn’t try?) for the first time in days, her mind is stone cold sober. she never wanted to taste alcohol again.

the cup fell to the ground with a clattered that echoed, because she was the only one left. everyone made their decision, and who was she to tell them what to do? but harper would not join them. not today. not until she knew that monty was safe, that her future was secure -- that she knew there either WASN’T ONE or that it was one that she would never want to see. so she walked. and then, she RAN. she ran to monty. she ran to tell him the truth. she ran knowing that despite drills in her hips, she was faster than the others. she ran knowing that after being beaten over the head, she was still a better SHOT. she ran knowing that after others fell, she would remain.

            NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED.

[auxtowns]

Finally returning here to do some more rambling!

As always @doodlingwren taken from one of her commentary!

"His team is made mostly by Dark Types, I tried to guess once saying it would have been more of a Ghost Type Trainer, since the Sekishiki Meikaiha thing and all the sending people to the Underworld thing, but I don’t mind it." - here

Why was Dark type chosen for DM?

Here's a Pokemon trivia, in case you didn't know-- In Japanese, Dark types are called the "evil" type. That's why most dark type pokemon are ruthless predators type of creatures, or most of its moves have this theme going for low-blow-type of moves (e.g.: Fake tears, Nasty plot, Taunt, Thief, Crunch, Sucker punch & so on.).

Meanwhile in a stark contrast. Ghost types are most of the time represented as being trickster wandering souls, rather than full on evil (although, there are some species that are described as vengeful spirits or just straight up dangerous to humans [e.g.: Bannette, Cofagrigus, Gengar, Spiritomb & many others.]).

Your assumptions aren't wrong about ghost types also being a good pick for the cancer golds! The key difference is in their characteristics and personalities. That's why Deathtoll is ND's ghost type specialist, whereas DM is the dark type one (bc of his role and personal views/philosophy towards pokemon. DM is meant to be aligned and involved with Saga's schemes. Only powerful and strong pokemon matter to him. He gives clear signs that he treats his pokemon, as tools of raw power and not much else [he wields a whipe, which in early pokemon art design, is a telltale sign of how rough a trainer was to their pokemon].).

I'll also take this as the perfect opportunity to get ahead and say that Omega's Cancer gold (Schiller), also won't have the ghost type as his specialty. I still haven't settled on it (bc I still haven't had the chance to put much thought into Omega's setting, as I'm writing this), but he's likely going to be a poison-type specialist.

[auxtowns]

Gold Amazon - Genderbend AU Brainstorming

See I have other AUs guys

Posting here some of the rambles I've done with @ectogusher / @doodlingwren and @awesomesauce2929 !

On this post, I'll be mainly focused on the gold saints -> Amazons.

ND Amazons -

I've only really got to think of Genderbend for only a handful of golds. And one of the main reasons to it is bc, I like to think that the 18th century is the first time Amazons make it to the highest ranking in Athena's army. Which translates into not all golds have been genderbent as a result;

The golds I have genderbent:

Shion;

Dohko;

Kaiser;

Deathtoll wouldn't be genderbent per se, it just means they would present themselves a lot more feminine leaning. They are still NB in essence, it's just the way they prefer to refer to themselves changes ever so slightly. DT also wouldn't be referring to themselves as an Amazon;

Historically speaking, Athena's army has always been really harsh on women, there's a very apparent bias to saints & male warriors (which becomes all the more apparent their trainings, with Amazons' feeling quite lackluster compared to their male counterparts.). So, the odds have almost always been stacked up against them.

Despite all the odds, for the very first time in the 18th century, at least 3 Amazons filled the shoes of the Army's elite. It was a huge leap and progress, but it still didn't bring in any immediate changes to the army's structure.

And even when Sanctuary had a woman as its Pope, something entirely new, in Shion. It also didn't mean she brought any significant changes, to the way Amazons/women were treated, even less tried to do anything about their trainings.

Suikyo would also have been genderbent into an Amazon, I'm just not touching on her here bc the focus rn is on Golds.

Classic

The 20th Century is the very first line up to be entirely filled out, by Amazons. Something that never happened before. Especially considering that, some of the girls were originally going to be drafted to the Saintia roles. BUT seeing there wouldn't be any men, to take on the role of saints. All the 20th century's appendixes were put into the role of Amazons.

Ironically, the first one that would bring any real changes would be none other than Saga, while she was disguised as the Pope. Utilizing her newfound position and power, she sought out to create a field that mainly benefitted herself above all else. But, it also ended up benefiting the other Gold Amazons.

Some changes included giving the girls ampler access to knowledge (letting them reach the same level as their counterparts), continue their trainings, give them more freedom/lee-way for themselves. Saga, whether she saw it coming or not, was crucial to elevate the amazons importance even though her motivations were selfish ones.

The Mask rule is still as crucial as ever for them. Going as far as for them having to cover their faces with anything, when they aren't wearing their cloths.

Some opt to wear headscarfs, whereas others tend to get creative with it (e.g.:Aldebaran keeps her motorcyclist helmet on almost at all times).

Omega

The 21st century saw the return of a handful saints amongst the high ranks, BUT considering how a good chunk of it were brought on board during Mars' reign. Former Mars followers find themselves in a grey area (but not for long, given that most of them were killed in the confrontation against Kouga and his friends).

Pope Harbinger in a way, follows Saga's steps to bring even bigger changes towards the amazons. Basically, expanding even more on what Saga may have started.

The Mask rule is still prevalent, especially for ceremonies and special dates, BUT it's no longer being as enforced as it once used to be.

[auxtowns]

I'll be just answering this one specific question from @doodlingwren's latest reblog! Because !! I feel like it'll help explain the Pokemon AU's essence

It’s interesting to notice that most of them don’t have a Pokémon in their teams that can be directly reconnected to their Zodiac Sign. I believe it was made on purpose, but may I ask which was the criteria used for creating the teams?

One of my favorite things from the Pokemon games were the many other subtle ways, the franchise would use to build a character (You just gotta grab whatever crumbs you get out of this franchise). A character's team could tell quite a lot about them.

And this has been influencing my decisions. I don't want to just pick the pokemon that are literal connections to their zodiac signs, when there are many other pokemon that reflect other aspects and traits about a character.

Aiolia's main attacks are all about lightning fast punches. So, his ace is a pokemon that has punches as its primary shtick in Electabuzz (even though there's a clear attempt at a joke. BC according to Electabuzz's pokedex entries, it takes so long to prepare its punches, other critters easily get away);

Aldebaran's softer side is shown in his gym battle's team with cute or baby pokemon (Cubone/Phanpy/Rhyhorn), which is a stark contrast from his proper team which has many intimidating/threatening beasts (Mega Garchomp/Hippowdon/Mamoswine/Swampert) while also hinting at his home region;

The contrast between Mu's graceful dragon types that are still connected to his tribe's roots vs Kiki's team that has practically no connection to his tribal roots and it led him to pick up some unorthodoxal choices. (It'll make Shion's team look ANCIENT).

Also because as far as we know, the lore itself has never shown to have a zodiac like system in their world! For all we know, they don't even have anything like it to begin with. So, in my eyes if I followed the zodiacal path, it would feel off in the pokemon aspect. It's a sacrifice I'm making, if it means I get to run with mons that will further illustrate the characters traits/personalities/stories.

Another factor that made me settle on this route is the fact, they are all gym leaders with monotype teams to work with. It just makes so much more manageable. (If they were just common NPC trainers? Then sure, I could have followed the zodiacal connection). Thankfully, with the Bronze boys there won't be this restriction, for the most part at least.

I just felt like doing things this way would be more engaging and thought provoking (for me). Hope this makes sense!!

[prosecutormiles]

Manfred von Karma is a Jerk

I was thinking about the timing of von Karma's attempt to frame Edgeworth for murder.  Now, obviously, it makes a lot of sense to have done it when he did, due to the anniversary of Gregory's death and the fact that the statute of limitations was due to run out that year.  But I can't help but feel like there's more to it than that.

The date was definitely significant, and it was probably the entire reason von Karma acted when he did.  von Karma's greatest weakness was his narcissism that he would be able to convince Edgeworth to confess to his “crime,” and that no one would ever find him out. Had he been content to just convict Edgeworth, then Hammond's death should have been enough, and that could have happened any day, any year.  Getting him to confess to DL-6 was probably the back up plan, should someone actually be able to see through the Hammond murder.  He was trusting someone else to carry out his instructions, after all; he couldn't ensure that it would be done perfectly. Doing it on the last possible day Gregory's murder could be tried ensured no one would be able to poke around the investigation files or figure anything out.

So I'm not arguing against any of that.  If he was going to get Edgeworth to confess, there was literally no other time to do it. However, that doesn't mean there couldn't be further motivation.

Consider: fewer than three months before Turnabout Goodbyes, Miles Edgeworth lost his first case.  Ever.

Fewer than three months before von Karma implicated Edgeworth for murder, Phoenix destroyed Edgeworth's perfect win record.

And what happens when a von Karma loses their perfect win record? Franziska tells us in Farewell, My Turnabout that they are no longer worthy to carry the von Karma name.

Let's also not forget that, despite being a disciple of von Karma, Rise From the Ashes tells us that Edgeworth never dabbled in falsifying evidence.  Yes, he coached witnesses, concealed inconvenient evidence, things like that, but his reaction to finding out he had used forged evidence to convict someone was not the reaction of someone who had knowingly done it before.

However, I doubt von Karma felt the same way about it.  A 40 year win record is infinitely more impressive than a four year win record, and I really doubt he could have kept it up for 40 years without making up his own evidence.  Nor do I feel his ethics would keep him from doing so, since the single most important thing to him was perfection.

What does that mean?  It means that von Karma didn't teach Edgeworth all his dirty tricks.  It means that he knew at some point, Edgeworth was going to get himself into a fight he couldn't win.  It means he was setting Edgeworth up to fail.

Manfred von Karma was not content to merely murder his rival, to take his son and raise him to go against all of Gregory's principles, to sculpt Edgeworth into the very thing Gregory devoted his life to fighting, and finally, to drag the Edgeworth name through the mud by not only framing him for murder but also encouraging the belief that he had been the one to kill his own father.

No. First, he wanted to break Edgeworth.  He wanted to see Edgeworth suffer through the realization that he wasn't good enough, that he would never live up to expectations.  After Gregory died, von Karma was the closest thing Edgeworth had to a father figure, and he wanted this to hurt as much as possible.

This was the Miles Edgeworth that stood on the witness stand and demanded he be put on trial for his father's murder.  This was the Miles Edgeworth who had nothing left to fight for -- the one that von Karma tried to destroy.

...this is probably just me being overdramatic and overthinking things, but that's just what I do.