#free runner eclipse

[jenn-the-butterfly]

Fashion Week

Sort of breaking standard rotation with this since it started with Ty and ended with Event, but I finally got the boys to all have some kind of values-and-wardrobe page to experiment with their looks a little bit. I’m sure I’ve shown the others off at some point but it’s nice to have everyone together on the same page too~

[clever-fox-studios]

Did that Princess Mononoke thing as a riff off of something canon. The only reason he's saying that is because of brain damage, but don't worry he'll be fine (and pissed) later

This is technically canon, but only in spirit; at the point of this occurring, Black would never say/admit/think anything good about Jenn but for the sake of stupid AUs I gave him a concussion XD Of course, she wouldn't believe him anyway, but it would catch her off guard because it's so out of pocket; him not using it to get away would also be confusing. 

"Under the Knife" AU (it's not actually an AU) blurb:

In this AU snippet, this is his breaking point where he finally gives up, as he's given a moment of mental clarity and realizes it's not worth it. With everything that's happened, the foggy thought that this angry human covered in cuts and dirt, holding his own knife to his throat even though it wouldn't do anything to him, is so far disconnected from how he feels with his head not full of commands and prompts, he doesn't even register the threat. "It is what it is".

If they keep going, sure he'd probably work out a win purely because he outlasts and outclasses her in strength and stamina--but she's outsmarted him in every instance. This wouldn't be any different. He feels it. Knows it.

In this moment, through glitching HUD and cracked lenses, he can see her eyes. The desperation and rage so intense they seem to glow, filled with light and thunder that he put there. In another life, this would make him proud--smug even--to know this force of will behind her eyes was his doing. These feelings exist because of him. For him. He'd driven her to this point and come out on the other side at her feet.

He was a failure, but that mattered so much less than the light of her eyes in this moment. With nothing else to lose, nothing left ahead, he let himself have this one thought because it was his. Only his, with no malice or command behind it, no ulterior motive for it to exist. Under the ash and blood, beneath the bruises and cuts he himself inflicted in their repeated scuffles with each adding more fury to the brilliant blue irises that pinned him down more assuredly than the knife ever could, he found beauty.

By his own choice, he would say as much, even if she would never believe him. That wasn't the point, however, so it didn't matter if she accepted this truth as it tumbled from his tired mouth. At least he knew it was his choice to speak. To say what he could manage through the horrid pain in his head.

And yet a flicker changed in those raging blue eyes--confusion--as short lived as it was. She wouldn't believe him--she DIDN'T believe him.

But that wasn't the point.

He didn't care.

He was tired.

"Well?" he went on when she failed to act. "Just get it over with already."

[mdhwrites]

What Were the Palismens' Point and Did They Succeed?

I got a really long ask that started with asking me how I would have handled the Palisman. For a question like that, I believe there are two core tenants that need to answer. The TL:DR though for this is that despite the Palisman having presence since S1, their point in the story is only made clear in S2 and then their point is useless except for Luz, weakly, because of how TOH defies normal genre convention, in a way that is very counterproductive, when it comes to character climaxes.

Anyways: The questions.

What is the narrative concept of the element we're talking about?

What is the point of the narrative element?

For the Palisman, this isn't clear until Hunting Palisman. Before then, they are glorified broomsticks with one episode acknowledging their agency but at the end of the day in S1: They're just glorified broomsticks. Hunting Palisman very clearly and bluntly states what their point is.

They are a physical manifestation of the witch's will and desires. You can only obtain one with a clarity of purpose and conviction. This is also the point of them: They are essentially character statements. The grand thesis of whoever that palisman is connected to. Honestly, as far as creative uses of magical items to present the culmination of a character, the palisman are...

Exceptionally stock standard. Like painfully so. Anyone watched a season of Power Rangers? Yeah, the Palisman are just the battlizer. If you watched Winx Club like... AT ALL past the first season, maybe even requiring that long, it is ANY of their power ups because they always come with a big character growth moment that defines who they are as a person. It is maybe one of the basic fantasy tropes out there to have self actualization be a power up.

And this isn't just me being hyperbolic. Even from their first introduction, it is presented as a part of a witch growing up. That the school grants witches their palisman but that Luz will have to earn hers. Once she does, she has a loyal companion and the ability to fly. Even at Hexside, you still have to reach certain age to get a Palisman. They're not just giving them to kindergartners. The show itself, by all accounts, says this is explicitly what they are. It's even why Hunter can have Flapjack like he does because the two are their most at sync the closer Hunter is to being Cale- Being the good person he always was. -_- Before then, during moments like Eclipse Lake, they are out of sync, just like he says.

There's just a small, tiny, MINISCULE problem with this concept. Barely noticeable so I'm probably making a big deal out of no- HOW DO YOU HAVE TWO CHARACTER CLIMAXES LIKE THIS IN THE SAME MINUTE AND THEN ONE OFF SCREEN!?

TOH has this weird aversion to character climaxes, at least traditionally paced ones. This is any episode focused on the ending of an era for a character. When a hero falls to the darkside, with the entire episode, or episode after the fall happens at the end of one episode, being about his fall to the darkness. When the scoundrel decides that there are indeed things worth more than gold and has to grapple with that. The end of Book 2 of Avatar spends a lot of time in its last couple episodes grappling with what is a character built up over the entire season: Which side of Zuko wins out for his future? This is balanced with Aang's character climax with the guru with asking questions about how much Aang is willing to give up to the job of the Avatar instead of being the free spirited, loving kid he's always been. A LOT of time is given to this.

TOH hates giving time to ANYONE who isn't Luz. Very few people get real character climaxes of this sort of variety. Willow essentially never gets one and Gus never gets one. You could Watching and Dreaming and Labyrinth Runners specifically but those episodes aren't about self actualization. A VERY common thread with character climaxes is a choice the core character has to make in order to make things right. Meanwhile, in both episodes, HUNTER is the one to make the choice and actions to fix the problem. It is not about self actualization that then prompts a better, more refined character... It's honestly just one problem of the character amongst many like most kid's show episodic issues. This is ESPECIALLY true for these two because Gus' having this level of confidence issues has never been a thing. The closest to ever come to it is the Human Society episode and, well... That happened like a season before Labyrinth Runners with MAYBE one more hint at the S1 penultimate episode from the orb giving him a pep talk. Otherwise, he has confidence. Willow's is worse because she's NEVER taken on others burdens like they talk about. The stories they tell do not sound like Willow at all and Gus, her best friend, has NEVER called her 'Dependable Willow' before now. It has all the hallmark fingerprints of a long running kids show retconning elements to have a plotline this episode. You know, during the season that was SHORTENED.

And this is without recognizing that their palismans have NOTHING to do with either episode, at any time. They are absent from being a part of their self actualization and why shouldn't they be? They already bonded and obtained their power up back in Hunting Palisman. Both made declarations and received a palisman for it because... What the fuck?

This is the core of why when I saw the initial question, I kind of went "I can't do them better because they're pointless besides giving the fandom Patronus stand ins for OC creation." They don't do jack shit.

Amity gets this THE WORST. She makes her palisman off screen, before the shortening took effect, and we only get told what it was... As a part of comforting Luz. Her character thesis, the embodiment of who she is, her will made manifest and it's used narratively to try and comfort her girlfriend. The words actually don't matter because a character climax should not just be words. It should include action alongside it. A showing of their character alongside them telling you, if they tell you at all.

This is also why Luz's character climax blows on this front. Not only is it not well built up to (I despise Luz's character climax) but it also doesn't have action behind it. It's a big statement before she... Just shows off Stringbean to her friends and then gets ready to go fight the Collector? What does that have to do with Luz? What does that have to do with 'wanting to be understood'? It's not even like her goal is to show the Collector understanding now that she's figured this part of herself out. As far as we can tell, her goal was to kick the Collector's ass right up until the Collector tried to show he was an uwu baby, please ignore the murder stars and the fact that I actually know the consequences of my actions (he KNEW King would hate him for the dreams and so is shown to have understanding of his actions upsetting people) and yet did them anyways. Obtaining Stringbean is meaningless besides the meta context of "She just like me fo real" for the people who identify with her.

All of this because TOH won't commit an episode to just finishing a character's arc, or even part of it. I have LONG been complaining about how Escaping Expulsion IS a character climax for Amity but she's in like a collective four minutes of the episode. It is the complete refusal to continue to be who she was. To be willing to throw away even her family in the pursuit of her own happiness and desire to choose her own future. For her to be such a small part of it centers her motivation on Luz because she hasn't had enough time to explain or put focus on why she doesn't want to be who she has been. It's always just on "I wanna be with my friends." or "I want to protect Luz." or "Luz and her friends make me happy." As such, the motivating factor being Luz's life being in danger doesn't make it feel like Amity self actualizing, it makes it feel like a young lesbian throwing away everything for someone she has known for like two months. That what matters is not her character but just that this is another step towards Lumity for her. That's not exactly great, is it? Especially not with how much they want Odalia to shoulder the burden of the fact that Amity CHOSE to be pure evil to Willow for YEARS. For her to be cast off so easily... Well, it just doesn't hit right. Not like it should for a climax like this.

Almost every character climax in the show suffers from stuff like this. Eda's big farewell in Agony of a Witch? She's in like four minutes of it and barely spends time with Luz so we never get that deliberation before Eda chooses to lose her life. It can't even be said that the season built up to it because Luz and Eda haven't had a plotline together since Adventure in the Elements. At best? Grom. And Grom doesn't exactly help build up how deep their connection is, does it?

And so how would I do the Palisman better? I'd just remove them. They are not used for the purpose they were built for and the show doesn't do the elements they're connected to in a way that would ever work for them. They have no point besides being cute and marketable but otherwise? They're entirely superfluous.

Which is a pretty shitty thing to say about something that's meant to represent the best your character can ever be. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[silkentine]

Thank you everyone who participated in my #ichijirecolor challenge!!!! @lunar-eclipse-bunnies @abyss-tylwyth and @velenoblu

It absolutely delighted me these past two weeks to see how much fun you guys were having while coloring in my line art!!! And I picked up a few techniques by studying how you rendered my work. I’m so lucky!! Please please please take the time to check out the #ichijirecolor tag on my blog to see the full resolution submissions :)

Speaking of lucky, I conferred with my Mom and together we picked @lunar-eclipse-bunnies as the winner of the free commission!!! Let’s talk details in DMs 😊 I’m so excited to work with you one on one to bring a vision of yours to life! To my beloved runner ups, don’t hesitate to reach out in my DMs either! I started this challenge to foster some community between us OP fanartists and I won’t say no if you have any drawing requests… I owe y’all my life 👏🥰 hehe!

Thank you thank you thank you. It means the world to me that y’all played along!!! I’d love to do this again sometime! What characters would you like to color in the future? Drop a reply!

[lastweeksshirttonight]

Did you want my notes on Strike Force Five episode one? No? TOO BAD! YOU'RE GETTING THEM!

(Heavy spoilers for episode 1 if you plan on listening soon!)

- I love the show's overall vibe and the "roles" that all of the guys play. It's definitely a free-wheeling, off the rails kind of show, where everyone is rambling over each other; the personalities involved can make or break this kind of podcast, and everyone thankfully is playing to their strengths.

Kimmel serves as the overall show runner and is seemingly the only one endeavoring to keep anything on track, which is a slightly thankless job with this group, but he's got a soundboard and all his radio experience guiding him. Colbert also leans into being the other "elder statesman", as it were, but is much easier to derail (and provides his own episode eclipsing derail I'll talk about later). Fallon is surprisingly reserved and a bit awkward - I'm not the hugest fan of Fallon, but in this podcast, that energy serves him pretty well. Kimmel introduces Seth as "the cute one" and he seems the most neutral so far, just there to ask questions and crack jokes. And John is their super sarcastic "evil teammate" who occasionally interjects to just destroy everyone. Perfect dynamics, 10/10, no notes.

- Seth qualifies his eyes as ocean blue. John says they're Gatorade blue. I don't think I've ever laughed harder at a description of someone's eyes.

- There's a point where I assume there must have been a really blunt edit, because Fallon changes the topic abruptly to having a doctorate. Otherwise, I love the image of Fallon just sitting on that revelation and WAITING, BURSTING to talk about how he has a doctorate, while everyone else talks about Kimmel getting paid summers off.

- Everyone mention multiple times that they have sponsors and are doing this show to help pay their staff during the strikes, which is lovely. This does not mean they aren't taking the piss out of their sponsors. I never thought I'd hear worse ad copy reading than I do on The Jeff Gerstmann Show (I love Jeff, don't get me wrong, but his ad copy screaming is hilariously bad), but the Casamigos ad in this is something else. John spends most of his reading time shitting on a bleeped-out competitor that he calls "not fit for human consumption", Stephen says "you're gonna wanna wipe your ass with it" and likens it to the smoothness of sheets you make love on, there's a disembodied "woo" at some point, Seth stumbles all over a few Spanish words, and Fallon delivers his lines in his awful fake French Timothee Chalamet puppet voice. It's pure chaos and I love it so much.

- Kimmel referring to "the despicable Matt Damon" made me so happy.

- John has never done a deposition. Kimmel saying "I'm surprised you're not in prison" gets lost which is sad, that's a fucking hilarious joke.

- Fallon tells an amazing story about his mom being a nun for a week. She left after being reprimanded for taking Lifesavers into the nunnery and then left. My late aunt and best friend, who was also a nun, probably would have loved Jimmy's mom, as she was always going on wine tastings and picked the order she joined entirely based on who would let her continue to drink after taking her vows. Jimmy also has a picture of his mom dressed as a nun holding a doll dressed as a nun, which is absurd and adorable.

- This leads to everyone but Seth confessing that they'd all thought about becoming priests at some point. That doesn't shock me about Stephen at all, tbf, knowing how religious he is.

- I have to shamefully admit that when John mentioned that he told his father he wanted to be a vicar, my brain went to an extremely Fleabag place and I had to rewind the podcast once I snapped out of it and realized I'd missed like 3 minutes of jokes (including a fantastic one from Seth about John having a doll of himself as a child, like Fallon's mom's nun doll).

- "Don't you want a whole new crop of relatives to visit and entertain?" "Do you wanna get cancelled?! :D" The two Jimmys everyone.

- Stephen reveals who he has everyone saved as in his phone, to prevent people from figuring out who his contacts are if his phone gets stolen. John's is Joliver, which 1) was his name as written on TDS scripts to differentiate him from Jon Stewart, and 2) as everyone points out, is a VERY easy code to crack. Don't really need Sherlock for that one.

- ONE OF US ALERT: Stephen collects weird late night shit, like a hat from The Chevy Chase Show (John literally goes "WOW") and a silk jacket from The Pat Sajak Show. I am very jealous of this collection.

- Next episode everyone will talk about first episodes. I cannot wait to hear John talk about how all over the place his first episode is.

- The big story, running joke, and completely wild admission from this episode - Stephen Colbert has a pair of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza's pants. Fallon asks how no one outbid him, and it turns out his MOTHER had them BECAUSE SHE DATED HIM. His uncle went to LaSalle Military Academy with Somoza, and Somoza stayed with them during holiday breaks. Everyone else in the room picks up on the idea that Stephen's mom probably slept with a dictator (or as Kimmel says, "made love to a murderer"), Seth claims his mom drinks coffee out of Ferdinand Marcos' skull, and every other male figure Stephen brings up for the rest of the episode is assumed to be someone his mom slept with.

If you asked me before listening to this podcast if I thought there were going to be a pile of elevated "your mom" jokes holding it together, I would have pretty strongly said "no". Surprises at every turn in this pod.

The beginning of this story also captures John SO STRONGLY, and he wants to hear everything about it. Definite Bugle vibes there, this man will never not want to hear about weird dictator facts. He also manages to completely kill Seth by saying "Anastasio Somoza's pants, brought to you by Casamigos".

- Finally, I have already sent an email to the show asking about Planet of the Bass, to make up for my complete failure to ask at the Q&A. I got y'all, we'll get this answer some day.

[star-girl69]

But You

Tsu’tey x Fem!Omaticayan!Reader

—-

a/n: welcome to my new miniseries 🫶🫶 i hope you all enjoy!!

warnings: mentions of death, parent death, mentions of blood, tell me if i missed anything!!

Chapter One- Summer Rain

—-

When she finds you, the first thing Sylwanin notices is that you’re her age.

She can see even from here the blood on your hands, the tears rolling down your cheeks and neck, the memories hanging over you like a dark cloud.

She knows you, faintly. Your family lived outside of Hometree, which not many did, but enough for it not to be unusual. You came to the village sometimes, for celebrations, festivals.

Although she doesn’t know you, she knows you’re her age.

It seems almost… wrong, wrong that someone she knows, someone her age, should have to go through this much. She wonders if she’ll ever suffer like you have.

She overheard it all, not that it was hard, the shouting of her parents and the others, the warriors calls. The cries when they can back empty handed.

We only found two bodies, they said, and then everyone screamed for you.

Search parties would be combing the woods by now, but when the children are allowed to roam free- provided that they stay close, even more important with the humans crawling closer and closer- Sylwanin doubts they will check here first.

To the river, to play in the sandy bottom, touch the bioluminescence, count the colors. They play with the plants and splash each other until eclipse starts to fall.

She should be in Hometree.

But Sylwanin knows you, and she can’t think in the face of the anger burning in her bones.

Yes, you live outside of Hometree, on land that belongs to no one but Eywa. Then, the humans came with their big metal animals, tried to dig where your kelku is. When your parents refused- Sylwanin could hear the gunshots from Hometree.

Gun, gunshot, the words are foreign and odd, but she’s become quite familiar with them. She wants to do something, feels it in her bones, but her parents say she is just too young. She is still learning to wield a bow, to hunt. Her inkimaya is not for many years.

But every time she hears a tree fall, every time a harmless animal is left for dead in the forest, she feels something inside of her. Not just a want, but a need to something. She wants to help. She wants to keep Pandora safe.

For now, she will settle with helping you.

The rain hits her forehead, making a plopping sound, and she has to squint, blink away the water. But she can still see the blood, still see the tears mixing with the rain down your body.

Just yesterday, the sun was shining as bright as she could remember. Now, the sky cries for your loss.

“Y/N,” she calls, trying to keep her voice level but low, not to scare you. She is not the fastest runner, not like her sister, Neytiri, not like Tsu’tey. She doesn’t know how fast you run. She wants to know.

You turn and nearly fall into the water, your mouth parted in shock. She can see the sharp rise and fall of your chest. She cannot imagine how fast your heart is beating.

She goes to speak, but realizes she doesn’t know what to say.

I’m sorry, maybe? But for what? For scaring you, or for what you lost?

You’re crouched low to the ground, eyes flicking from her to the bloody hands you hold out in front of you.

“They killed my parents,” you whisper.

She needs to do something. She needs to change it, make it better, something, anything-

“I know,” she chokes out. “Come back with me, sister. The clan sings for you and your parents.”

She holds her hand out, slowly, like she’s approaching some scared animal. But you’re not some scared animal, you’re her age.

You take her hand, and she pretends that the slickness of her hand sliding against yours is from the rainwater, not the blood.

“It’s alright, sister,” she whispers as your tears start again, as the wet grass starts to stick to your legs as you wade through it.

Only yesterday, the sun was shining, and now you are blessed with a summer rain. The blood will sink into the ground as it does the water, and they will mix and feed the world, the trees of Pandora, Eywa.

“It’s alright,” she says, and she feels bad for lying.

—-

taglist:

@eywas-heir @ssc7514 @n7cje @tejas-kris

everything taglist:

@monsterwasstolen @fanboyluvr @artologia-blog1 @tulipatheticee @elvyshiarieko @fluffisalliwant @fluffi19 @jeizllz @myheartfollower @fy-fy-world @minkyungseokie @ivy-plays @blueberryfailureclinic @cryingwhilereading @thatratprincessforever

[dyvimwhitehart]

all the skeletons you hide

A dark power doesn’t automatically mean a dark hand. He knew this long before meeting the Spellbinder, but seeing her wield the same magic as the Shadow Queen in such a noble way only cemented his beliefs further. or, The Wizard and Dyvim Whitehart find themselves at a dark kitchen table, unable to sleep the night before traveling to the Kondha Desert. READ ON A03 FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.

Dyvim wakes up with his hand instinctively placed on the hilt of his sword.

Immediately, he looks for a Goliath. An Apiary guard. A mantis wielding her scythe. Any kind of bug to accompany the chittering in his ear, but there’s nothing. The room is empty, save for him and the bed in which he lays. A moment passes before he begins fiercely rubbing at his eyes to come back to the present. 

That damned chittering is still there. 

Dyvim pulls himself from bed, moving slowly across the floor to what he assumes is a window. There is a sliver of dark orange light peeking from behind a curtain. Carefully, he lifts it— anticipating the worst. What he’s met with is a limited view of two mantises battling a block or two away under the dim sky. 

It hits him then, all at once: he and the Spellbinder are in the city of Sardonyx. 

Under the request of both Zaltanna and Ezekiel the Lucent, Zarozinia the Deathsong had arranged for them to stay in an unoccupied home (its owners having all moved to the Hive) for the night to conserve energy before breaching the Kondha Desert at sunrise. 

The chittering is a result of the city’s now-uncovered Fifth Column members clashing with those loyal to the Umbra Legion. Such battles would not have been possible without the Spellbinder’s good work. Dyvim drops the curtain, briefly wondering if she’s succeeded so far in sleeping through the night. He can’t think of anyone who deserves a quick rest more. 

But, if he had to pick a runner up for that position, he’d pick himself. 

“By Mourningsword,” he murmurs. “Pull yourself together,” 

Before waking, he’d been trapped in that tomb again, only this time he was wide awake. As his fists pounded against the amber that encased him, the bees taunted him from above, their eyes beadier and crueler than he remembered. They were joined then by the Broodmother, who uttered no words and opted instead to scream at a pitch so loud he thought he might go deaf. Her warped voice grew more and more hysteric the harder he worked to free himself. 

And then he was running down the Moon Cliffs at full speed. His armor, however, was so heavy he began to sag to the ground. One limb at a time, Dyvim fell to the dirt, his head the last thing to remain unbowed before dropping into the sand. He continued to try and scramble despite this, all-too aware of the sound of a Goliath gnashing its pincers in the distance, ready to tear him apart in the name of the Shadow Queen. In the distance, the Eclipse Tower began to crumble into the lake. 

But soon he came to in a cell. All around him, the Broken Tower shook with what he could only justify as some kind of earthquake. Roze the Mousehunter, by name, paid no attention to him this time. This blossomed not hope, but deep confusion within him. As he stepped to the edge of his prison, fingers wrapping around the bars, he saw her far across the room moving at an absolutely erratic pace. Once his ears caught up with the rest of his body, he heard it: the unmistakable sound of a Burrower wailing for help, accompanied by the repeated strike of a scythe. 

Finally, when he thought he could go back no further in his journey, he was a statue. He stood still in the Silent Market, accompanied only by the others who had been turned to stone. Who had failed to escape when the Shadow Queen’s dark magic swept over their land. His ancestors were safe, but they would bear no heroic descendant. And the more he attempted to move, to scream— the quieter things became. 

Awake now, he takes special care to listen to his breathing. 

Though he is proud to be the sworn sword of the king sent across the sea, Dyvim can’t help but wonder if simply being in Sardonyx had triggered such horrific scenes. Then again, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence. It's just one he’d rather have an explanation for. That makes it easier to press on. 

He remembers then, a hand to his chest to feel his heartbeat, that he’d purposefully fallen asleep with his armor on. Call it a force of habit from the nights he and the Spellbinder would spend camping in caves and at the bases of trees. Though he is fortified, he lacks comfort, and one glance in the direction of his bed confirms to him that he won’t be falling back under anytime soon. 

His nose twitches. His stomach growls. He wonders if those traitorous mantises left any food behind. 

With his sword still at the ready, Dyvim gingerly opens the door to the common area, anticipating an equally quiet scene. What he finds is a candle on the kitchen table, still burning. Curious, he approaches it. A sheet of paper is illuminated by the light. Before he can make out the symbols scrawled upon it, he hears a soft, yet concerned voice. 

“Dyvim?” 

He looks up to see the Spellbinder’s silhouette approaching. The closer she gets, the easier it is to make out her face. Her dark brows are knit in what could be interpreted as frustration, maybe even anger— but Dyvim knows her well enough to see the worry in her eyes. To avoid intruding, he takes a step back from her work. 

“Forgive me. I thought you may be asleep,” 

“And I thought the same of you,” she says simply. 

“Then it appears we both thought wrong. I think that makes us even, don’t you?” 

He thinks he sees the flicker of a smile ghost across her face as she takes her seat. 

“May I sit?” 

“Of course,” 

A sense of relief floods him as he pulls another chair out. Not that she has the authority to send him back to bed, but he’d be disappointed if she didn’t want his company. And that disappointment alone would’ve at least been enough to send him to the other end of the room. 

They sit in silence for a moment. He watches intently as she waves a hand, causing a pen to rise into the air. She continues her notetaking in this hands-off way, a small section of brunette hair cascading from the braid she hasn’t bothered to fix in hours. It frames the one side of her face sweetly, accentuated by the candlelight. 

Its been a long road to this point. Dyvim admitted to himself ages ago that he felt some kind of yearning when he saw her. Those feelings have little place in their current set of affairs, however. It would be deeply unfair of him to unload that on her when her plate is so unimaginably full already. 

Still, in moments like this, his courtly nature almost falters. They’re hidden away from the world they have to save. If not for the sparring on their doorstep, maybe it could all melt away in the depth of her eyes. 

“What are you sketching?” he asks, a selfish attempt to hear her voice, to delve into her thoughts. 

Her gaze reaches him for a moment before returning to her work. “It's not so much sketching as it is… studying.” 

“Ah, well then, may I ask what you’re studying?” 

She hesitates, the pen hovering in midair for a moment. 

“Shadow magic,” 

Amber doesn’t so much as slide the paper toward him as she does move her arm in a way that he can see it if he wants to. With the added context, he recognizes the Shadow symbol immediately, accompanied by what he thinks is the symbol for Necromancy. He’s seen her draw and cast it many times before. 

She seems like she’s waiting for him to say something, like she’s holding her breath. Dyvim keeps from pouring over the paper and gives a nod. 

“Its been some time now since you captured the Eclipse Tower. How are you feeling?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, I’m not a spellbinder myself. Maybe I’m just making an assumption here, but I’d imagine wielding such powerful magic has somewhat of a physical and mental impact. Especially…” 

“Dark magic?” 

He blinks, not wanting to imply anything. There simply isn't any other way to put it. But a dark power doesn’t automatically mean a dark hand. He knew this long before meeting the Spellbinder, but seeing her wield the same magic as the Shadow Queen in such a noble way only cemented his beliefs further. One of his ears twitches, and he shakes his head. 

“I didn’t mean—” 

“It is dark magic, you’re correct. That’s why it’s important for me to seek to understand it further.” 

There’s an unspoken end to her words that hang heavy in the air. Something akin to… so I don’t end up corrupt and vile like Morganthe . It occurs to him then that he may have a deeper faith in her than she has in herself. Dyvim sits up a little taller, each second they spend together making his role in all this clearer. He’s always been there to stand beside her, even when he didn’t think she needed him. Now it’s becoming apparent that she does. Not because she’s weak, but because she’s a tad too strong. 

His eyes are still heavy, but he fears another chapter of the nightmare: venturing to the end of this world just to lose her to the destruction of them all. 

“You are still a student, yes? Back in your home world?” 

“I am,” she begins writing again. “But not a classic one. My studies are more… field work based. I’m rarely ever in a classroom. Hence, well, my being here now.” 

“Are your teachers reasonably lenient with you? Considering all the world-saving,” he attempts to joke. 

“Well, my Necromancy professor usually can’t keep track of the days of the week, let alone my work. And there’s one who is on the Council of Light that guides me, so I suppose she reports back to the rest,” Before he can respond, she speaks again, causing his ears to jump. “They don’t offer Shadowmancy at Ravenwood,” 

“Because it’s a dark magic?” 

She wiggles her fingers in his direction, causing the pen to spike up and down. “It’s entirely forbidden,” 

“So what shall they do when you are set to return to them?” 

“You say that so optimistically,” 

“I am optimistic,” 

Amber shrugs. “I guess I would have a bone to pick with them if they refused to let me graduate after all I’ve done. But I don’t seek their approval, necessarily. I just seek… whatever I have to do to stop the Song of Creation from being sung. And if that means becoming a Shadowmancer…” 

She has little choice now, it appears. Actually, it sounds like she’s always had little choice. This Council of Light she speaks of does most of her decision making. In a way, she is their sworn sword. Perhaps it’s an honor for her like it is for him under King Pyat. But when he speaks of the king, he never sounds so exhausted. 

“So how does it feel? You never answered me,” He pushes the envelope only because she’s been more open tonight so far than ever. Dyvim blames it on the combination of fatigue, duty, and candlelight. 

“You’re asking me a lot of questions tonight,” 

The knight in him wants to step back, to bid her goodnight alongside an apology. But the heart in him… 

“Would you rather I not?” 

“Why are you interested? If you aren’t a spellbinder yourself,” the word rolls off her tongue almost teasingly. Perhaps he’s taking this more seriously than she is. 

“Because you are my… companion. And I, yours. And if this weighs heavily upon you, I wish to help you carry the burden. It’s no secret to me how those who occupy this land view the Shadow. It’s unfair of them to view you similarly when you are only here to help,”

It’s not until he finishes rambling that he sees the small smirk across her face. She brushes that loose section of hair back behind her ear before returning to her work. He doesn’t dare to wonder if the warmth across her cheeks is simply heat from the fire, or… 

“It makes me dizzy when I use it. Or when I’m struck by it. Like I’ve got a cloudy head, or I’m about to pass out…” she begins tracing the Shadow symbol again upon her paper. “The better I get at it, the less it impacts me. But it does feel heavier than my Death magic. My trip through the Eclipse Tower wasn’t exactly relaxing. Sofia Darkside is an exceptional, but brutal teacher,” 

His skin itches, still touched somewhat by the tomb the bees had placed him in— the coffin he’d been cheering her on from, whether she knew it then or not. 

“You have an exceptional gift,” Dyvim continues to speak before she can accuse him of buttering her up extra. “All heroes are powerful, but not all of them are smart. That’s what sets you apart. Your desire to understand and respect your magic,” 

“I’ve been trusted with it. It’s only my responsibility to do so,” 

A task many have failed, he thinks. His desire to bring up the Shadow Queen again, however, is nonexistent. 

Apparently tired of having the heat on her, Amber sets her pen down completely and turns to face him. “What about you?” 

“What about me are you asking?” 

“You know what’s keeping me awake. It’s only fair that you tell me why you’re up. If we’re to stay even, that is.”

Dyvim shakes his head, scooting his chair back slightly. “Ah, well, before you captivated me, I was looking for a midnight snack,” 

Her eyes widen, giving him the impression that he may have stood up a bit too hastily. He glances from side to side before realizing his sword is still in his hand. As if she can’t see it, he sets it down on the table and turns to head for the other end of the kitchen. 

“I suppose those mantises wouldn’t have good enough taste to keep some aged cheese around, eh?” 

The Burrower knight opens a cabinet, nose twitching wildly, searching for a scent. The Spellbinder continues watching him from her seat with no intention of moving. 

“Dyvim,” 

“I suppose we could try our luck with the market in the morning, stock up on food for the desert. It would be horrible to end up with only the meat-eaters’ menu available.” 

“Dyvim, I get them too,” 

He stalls then before an open drawer. Her eyes bore into his back, rendering his armor useless. Slowly, he turns to face her, ears drooping and eyes soft. She’s similarly vulnerable, a state normally so difficult to unearth. 

“You do?” 

Amber laughs, though there’s no real amusement in it. “I do. It would be concerning if I didn’t when you consider… what I’ve seen. What I’ve done,” 

Dyvim wonders how many people would guess that about her. A Death wizard’s heart being set to race in the dark doesn’t sound right. And she’s so composed, so straight-faced and unafraid. He’s not unwise enough to fall into such a trap, but can see many interpreting her as above such a thing. But she suffers those nightmares face-to-face so they won’t have to, those endless people she’s saved. 

Like her, he suffers for generations of people he will never meet. The long dead, the never born, the gone too soon— any and all of the Burrower ghost statues that give the Silent Market its name. The misery of his people compounds on his brain and, on occasions like this, keep him up at night. 

“I didn’t mean for you to hear,” his tail falls between his legs. 

“And I didn’t mean to dance around it. But I sleep with my wand on me. In times like this, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t,” 

“Until you wake up,” he glances at her face, at each feature in the dim light. “And even then, it takes a moment.” 

The Spellbinder nods. Her eyes are weighed down by hours of rest she hasn’t gotten. Whether she even tried to sleep or not is a mystery to him, but he approaches the table again, hand nearing the base of the candle. 

“Can I help you, Spellbinder? In any way? Perhaps if I keep watch, like before,” 

“You mean sit out here?” 

“Wherever you need me. At the table, the foot of your bed…” 

She stands, looking around the room before wordlessly crossing it. Dyvim watches her take a seat on a couch beside another window bleeding dark orange light from the Sardonyx sky. 

“Or we could both sit here. And I’ll… try to close my eyes,” 

Dyvim picks his sword up and joins her. At first, he takes the far side, but as Amber settles her legs on the latter end, he scoots closer so she’ll have a place to rest her head. She accepts his shoulder despite the armor covering it. He’s stoic to start, but upon growing accustomed to her weight, exhales and sinks further into the plush of the cushions himself. 

They don’t speak beyond that. There isn’t much to say, or much they feel they can do without inviting complication. Instead, she does just as she said she would, shutting her eyes and focusing on leveling out her breathing. 

Like this, she looks cherubic. She looks the antithesis of what the public would assume an apprentice of dark magic to be. She looks so tired, so young. 

And Dyvim supposes he is the same, though he stays up the rest of the night, hand ghosting her forearm though his sword sits beside him.

[deer-rising]

mystichowl878 id #278941

My favorite/most important dragons are on tab 1 but i also have more by breed in the second tab <3333 AND the saints and elders are really neat too. i have a LOT of dragons tho so feel free to look at only the first tab lmao

I pick Eclipse!

I first thought he had polkadot because of his lovely speckled wings but not hats just Jaguar being The Bestest! He really embodies being a Winter Beast, 1/2 snow leopard 1/2 frozen spirit, cause forever mid pounce. It's neat! I am not the biggest fan of this pose but it Works for me here. You got the apparel matching the accent very nicely too :) Runners Up - Highlighter (Aaah! My Eyes!!), CircuitStrike (nice apparel cool Vibes), Randal (i love these colours :)

[welcometogrouchland]

something something fire magic as a representation of toxicity in amity’s life (which sounds really far fetched BUT! here me out:

She's practicing a fire spell in Adventures in the Elements where she unknowingly passes on the isles elitist/fantasy abelist ideas about magic to Luz, making her insecure in her magical abilities to her own detriment. Amity is also insecure in her magic this ep

She uses the fire spell AGAIN in Understanding Willow and like. Idk if I even have to talk abt the symbolism of fire in this ep. Amity literally ends up nearly killing her former best friend, with fire, bc of the way the isles toxic ideals of magic and strength split them apart, and Willow literally has every emotion other than anger burned out of her body because of this.

She uses fire magic in Eclipse Lake (I can't remember the exact scene but I do know that in FatCDP kiki refers to her as the "little fire starter") where she is, again, falling back into her pattern of needing to justify her existence, though this episode marks a definite turning point for her, in that she reaches out to someone going through the same thing as her and. Y'know. She almost gets through to him! She ends the ep in a better place than where she started though

and then we don’t see her use fire magic for the rest of the show, to my memory, bc she’s breaking free of those patterns fully from EL onward, even if she slips back into them occasionally (like in Labyrinth Runners). Last piece of "evidence" is how Boscha’s often associated with fire magic (her grudgby attacks teach Luz the fire glyph and she threatens to. Set Luz's eyes on fire in FatCDP) and also constantly bullies ppl like Willow for not fitting the isles idea of what a witch should be, and tries to drag amity back into her toxic circle in FTF just so she won’t feel alone anymore)

[boroughshq]

Welcome to the community bulletin board! Here are some events happening around the Boroughs this month:

April 1: April Fool's Day Special @ Punchline!, the Bronx

April 3: Run the River 5k @ the Bronx River, the Bronx

April 8: Solar Eclipse Viewing Party @ Manhattan

April 11: Pet Meet & Greet @ Prospect Park, Brooklyn

April 13: Scrabble Tournament @ Puzzles, Manhattan

April 22: Pot Painting @ Glazed Finish, Brooklyn

April 24: Scream Queens Marathon @ Technicolor Theater, Queens

April 19-21: April 26-28 BoroughsHQ Event 002: Art Festival (POSTPONED)

April 30: Tie Dye Fundraiser @ Tiny Tots, Staten Island

Continue reading below to find descriptive blurbs of each event. As a reminder, community events are optional events for members to use during their threads throughout the month of April.

April 1: April Fool’s Day Special at Punchline!, the Bronx

What better way to celebrate the national day of jokes than with a slew of professional jokesters? Join Punchline! for an hilarious one-night only lineup of some of New York’s brightest up and coming comedians! Laughs start at 7, and will keep on rolling all the way through to midnight!

April 3: Run the River 5k, Bronx River

In celebration of National Walking Day, non-profit organization StrideForward proudly invites you to join them for a scenic walk (or run) along the Bronx River! The race starts at 10am. All runners earn a complimentary medal upon completion, along with photo opportunities, healthy snacks, and a DJ playing them out at the finish line to boot! 

April 8: Solar Eclipse Viewing Party, Manhattan

For anyone not trekking to the Adirondacks for the total eclipse, you’re welcome to join in one of the many partial-eclipse viewing parties occurring around the city! Including one hosted by a well known local astronomy club, The New York Galaxy Patrol, in partnership with the Empire State Building! Ticket admission includes a pair of safe eclipse-viewing glasses and a solar themed cocktail drink. With music playing and a selection of food and drinks to purchase, guests are welcome to sit back, relax, and take in the sight of this remarkable occasion.

April 11: Pet Meet & Greet at Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Pet lovers rejoice! The Pet Lovers of New York (Brooklyn) Facebook group has scheduled a meet and greet for National Pet Day! All owners are welcome to mix and mingle with other owners — and don’t forget to bring your little ones with you! Pets ranging from dogs to birds to reptiles and everything in between are welcome!

April 13: Scrabble Tournament at Puzzles, Manhattan

For just a $30 cover, YOU can sign up to join in Puzzles’ Scrabble Tournament, in honor of National Scrabble Day. Starting at 2pm, join in as the entire foosball table section has been cleared out to make space for Scrabble tables. Winner of the tournament gets a weekend of FREE DRINKS from the establishment, and their name on the bar’s blackboard for ultimate bragging rights. Spectators welcome!

April 22: Pot Painting for Earth Day at Glazed Finish, Brooklyn

Happy Earth Day! To celebrate, Glazed Finish is offering an array of different sized plant pots for painting, all at a discounted price! 

April 24: Scream Queens with Technicolor Theater, Queens

Classic Scream Queens are taking center stage at Technicolor Theater for Scream Day. Enjoy the latest horror movies of today on the indoor big screens, and an assortment of classic horror films on the outdoor projector!

April 26-28: BoroughsHQ Event 002: Art Festival** Postponed to early May!

A festival of colorful spectacular, soon to take over the boroughs over the weekend of the 19-21 (& a week of ooc writing between 19-26). More information to come! **No threads allowed until week of event.

April 30: Tie Dye with Tiny Tots, Staten Island

Tiny Tots is throwing a fundraiser for a brand new playground! Support the cause by purchasing and dying your own t-shirt or pillowcase with them on National Tie Dye Day. The craft experience may be a little overpriced, but the proceeds all go to a good cause, and you get to have a fun tie dye experience!

Admin Note: The above events are all optional events that members are free to use as the setting for threads throughout the month of April. Though each event comes with brief descriptions, writers are free to manipulate and take liberties with them however they like for their threads. Additionally, writers are not restricted to only writing threads on the dates of the events listed; you are free to create threads around these events and post them whenever you like during the month of April.

[jenn-the-butterfly]

Remember those cool thematic images I was making of the boys?

No?

Well, I did the last two (for now~). Of course, you already know him but in case you don't, may I introduce you to:

Event Horizon

[clever-fox-studios]

A small collection of art of Ty & Nova <3

Credits: chibis by Papyswaghet/clownpillz; portrait was a gift commission from @quilandscroll, drawn by NexuxCryptid

Credits: "What Event's Made Of" by @imagine-creative; follow up by me~

Credits: Jenn Squad (gift art) and Starfall (art fight) are both by DragonGirl685

[mdhwrites]

Is Amity a Good Person?

This is not if she's a well written character. A judgement of that is a part of this but the bigger point is just: Is Amity a 'good' person? Does she appear to actually care about others? Does she choose selflessness over selfishness? Etc. etc.

And part of this is going to be subjective. To some people, not being mean is enough to make someone nice. Other people will ask for a bit more, especially out of a fictional character. Hell, you can even see it with most fictional parties. The lancer character who is meant to contrast against the hero is usually a pretty dickish person but you might still call them good because even if they're cursing while doing it, they are still putting their life at risk in order to save a town or the like. Meanwhile, you probably wouldn't call Vegeta a nice person, even by the time of Dragon Ball Super because he is still mostly selfish, even once he's explicitly no longer trying t get stronger regardless of the consequences to others.

So what does Amity do that is actually nice?

...

........

Oh, were you expecting me to start listing things she does? Because I have bad news for you.

See, one hang up I have with going "Amity always wanted to be a good person and so even if she loses her drive, motivation, etc. she gains the personality of a good person," is that Amity doesn't do fucking anything to earn that. She isn't unpleasant. After S1, she isn't trying to murder people or actively bullying people but like... Cool, you upgraded from Mega Bitch to Background character. Why do you claim that's a new personality instead of the death of one?

Because being a 'good person' is actually more complicated than just not being an asshole. Being nice to your friends? Of course you're nice to your friends. You care about them (put a pin in it). Noticing when your partner is in pain and wanting to help them? You supposedly love that person, much like why you might be nice to family, so OF COURSE, you put in a little extra effort.

A good person, at least in a narrative, doesn't need the excuse. They help because it is the right thing to do and then their personality dictates how they go about doing so. Maybe they write wiki pages to share their knowledge in a free way so people can benefit from it. Maybe they help out at a soup kitchen because it gives them a chance to be more directly kind and they have the time for it. Or maybe it's just that when they see someone who is potentially having problems, they risk whatever it may lead to be asking this complete stranger if they're okay.

Amity doesn't do this. In fact, as far as actually giving a shit about anyone other than Luz, she's AWFUL at it. Hunter is her kindest moment to a theoretical stranger in the series but it is still characterized by her being suspicious, judgemental and not giving him a chance until the dude is suicidal and has drawn a dozen parallels between them. Even then, she does it as part of mimicking Luz, at least with the joke she immediately makes of how 'this always works for Luz'. Then you have poor fucking Willow. This is a girl that Amity abused, especially for her powerlessness and helplessness, for YEARS. Amity even knows explicitly why Willow should hate her. What her crimes are. But... Then 'good person' Amity, showing 'care' for her friend, treats her as powerless after having thought she didn't need to do shit to be allowed to come to Willow for advice (Labyrinth Runner and Falls and Follies respectively). That is TOTALLY someone who always just wanted to be a good person and is dedicating themselves to that instead of any of their old dreams and desires.

The only person or thing she puts any effort into post S1 is Luz. She doesn't care about anyone else besides that. Belittle Eda for not focusing on taking of Luz in a tangible way during Eclipse Lake? Check. Feel justified to give marching orders to literally everyone in the house just because she's Luz's girlfriend during that same episode? Check. Including Willow, who she has done NOTHING to make up for at this point? Check. Hell, even further: Not give a fuck about stopping Boscha while Luz could just step out of the splash zone around Willow during Winging it Like Witches? OF COURSE NOT. She only gets involved once Boscha's only focus is going to be on Luz.

That. Is not. A good person. Not if the only people who matter are those she deems are worthy of mattering. Changing from actively crushing those other people to just being entirely indifferent to them and their plights is not as a big of a deal as you all seem to think it is, not for it to become the only defining trait of a character's personalities and motivations.

Are they evil? Bad? No. But anything beyond nice is giving such a character a LOT of credit. A rogue isn't Robin Hood just because they only steal from the rich. If they're still lining only their pockets and the pockets of their friends with their thievery, they're still selfish and self centered, they just have code. That's called Lawful Neutral, or Lawful Evil, in D&D for a reason. Not any form of good.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[siriusist]

Band of Brothers Characters as 1980s Anthem Vibes:

Babe Heffron: Take On Me by Aha! George Luz: Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler (Are you telling me George Luz wouldn't sneak up being someone with the "TURNNNN AROUND"). Lewis Nixon: Rich Girl by Hall and Oates. Richard Winters: Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds. Shifty Powers: We Got the Beat by The Go-Gos. Carwood Lipton: I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston. Doc Roe: Like a Prayer by Madonna. Bill Guarnere: Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A. Joe Toye: Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen. Ronald Spiers: Modern Love by David Bowie. Floyd Talbert: Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners. Joseph Liebgott: Should I Stay or Should I Go? by The Clash. Bull Randleman: It's the End of the World As We Know It by R.E.M. Donald Malarkey: Free Fallin' by Tom Petty. Frank Perconte: Karma Chameleon by Culture Club. Buck Compton: In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins. David Webster: You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon.

[inkyucu]

Welcome traveler to my lovely blog!

This blog is mostly dedicated to random fnaf stuff (mostly dca), with the occasional random exceptions!

Uh... Fair waring if you happened to see something I reblogged or saw a tamer-in-color picture I made, and that's what brought you here, just be warned that my art tends to be brightly colored. It's not very intentional, but it tends to happen a lot. So please keep that in mind if you're sensitive to bright colors.

Asks are always welcome (Just don't send anything weird or excessively long please. I'm sorry, but I'm not likely to read them...), and feel free to send an ask directed at a character from an AU I post about or directly to me!

This stuff isn't really related to any specific AU'S, but might be useful for whatever you're here for!:

Art tag!

Random Tag (Rambles, asks, etc.)

Mutual stuff

Opinions on others drawing my AU's/characters

The hang out corner!

But if you're here just looking for a specific AU, I have tags for those too!:

-Totally 100% Canon Stuff (sams)

-Theatrical Tragedy AU (non sams)

-Fanfiction (WIP)

-Info. post

-Pocket Buddy AU (non sams)

-Fanfiction (WIP)

-Swap AU (non sams)

-'What if...?' AU (sams)

-Celestial Tides AU (non sams)

-Protostar AU (non sams)

-Father knows best AU (sams)

-Shared AU with @bipolar-sad-and-ready-to-cry

-Double Trouble Eclipse AU (sams)

-Sorta info. post

-The Cursed Tanzanite AU (technically sams)

-Sorta info. post

-Unhealthy and Irregular Tendancies (technically sams)

-Info. post

Roleplay Blog:

@the-astral-messenger

@dazzles-playhouse

This doesn't really have to do with stuff on my blog, but have a little bit about me anyway:

-Any pronouns, I honestly don't care

-My birthday is August 26th

-I will not be sharing my age online.

-Sexual stuff makes me really uncomfortable

-I LOVE music!!!

-I like to ramble on occasion

-My favorite color is dark red

-I love foxes, but close runner ups have to be cats, sharks, and snakes!

-I'm mostly into fnaf, but occasionally I might pick up another fandom

Yeah that's probably the important stuff

For those people that most people keep off their blog, I don't care if you're here. Just don't talk or interact with me or anyone else here please. Respect other's boundaries.

I hope you enjoy your short (or long) visit here! Just try to have fun and a wonderful day!

[f1]

FACTS AND STATS: Verstappen on a roll in the States as he ties the Red Bull wins record

The Miami Grand Prix saw a thrilling climax, as Max Verstappen chased down his team mate for a famous win from ninth on the grid. With Fernando Alonso once again finding himself with the two Red Bull drivers on the rostrum, it was a popular podium with the huge crowds. Here are the best facts and stats from a very busy race in Miami… Red Bull finished 1-2 on Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley’s 56th birthday. Red Bull’s fourth 1-2 finish of the year is only one short of their record in a full season, set in 2022. Verstappen has now won from eight different grid positions since the start of 2022. The Dutchman is the first race winner from ninth on the grid since Niki Lauda at Dijon in 1984. Only five drivers have won from that position in F1 history. READ MORE: Perez concedes Verstappen’s Miami GP victory was ‘well-deserved’ after finishing runner-up Verstappen has tied Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38 wins for Red Bull. This was also Verstappen’s 24th consecutive finish since Melbourne 2022, the longest of anyone on the grid. It was Verstappen’s fourth consecutive win on US soil, having won the last two races in Austin, and last year’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix. Perez’s P2 was his best ever finish on his home continent of North America. Russell finished fourth, to match his best result of the season Fernando Alonso was third, his fourth podium finish in five races. The Spaniard has now scored more podium finishes this season than in his previous seven seasons of F1 combined. George Russell was fourth, which ties his best result of the season. Carlos Sainz is the highest driver in the championship without a podium this year. READ MORE: 'We are very, very far away' – Sainz and Leclerc exasperated by ‘incredibly difficult’ Ferrari SF-23 Lewis Hamilton came home sixth, to match his result from Baku. He gained seven places from his starting position. He also finished sixth at this race last season. Charles Leclerc was seventh, the same position as in Jeddah. He finished in the same position he started. Tsunoda returned to P11, a position he has occupied a fair amount recently Pierre Gasly was eighth, to score points in the US for the first time in his career. That also matches Alpine’s best result of the season – Esteban Ocon having finished eighth in Jeddah. Kevin Magnussen was P10 for the second time this year. Yuki Tsunoda finished 11th, the fourth time in six races he has finished just outside the points. In the other two, he has finished P10. There were no yellow flags, no Safety Cars and no retirements in the Miami Grand Prix. This was the 14th retirement-free F1 race in history, with 10 of those coming from 2015 onwards. HIGHLIGHTS: Watch as Verstappen eclipses team mate Perez to win Miami Grand Prix via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com