#i've also been considering on moving blaze here

[wishfulmuses]

This is a low activity multi muse that carries variety of muses from different fandoms. Crossovers friendly and original character friendly. Mun has the right to be selective. This blog is multiship and must require heavy chemistry. If you are interested in my blog, please feel free to check me out and make sure to read my rules before interacting!

Personal blogs please dni. Mun is autistic and has anxiety. This is a safe for work blog. Mun is 25+. Template credit @pompedia.

[magicalqueennightmare]

Not Exactly the End

Billy Butcher x Reader (Blaze)

You and Butcher have been at odds since the fight against Homelander and Soldier Boy. Things have changed but can you two work together without things blowing up?also known as Butcher is facing dying and comes to spill his guts to you which ends up in a fight and so much more.

NSFW warning and cursing, some violence but it's the boys

You didn't have to look to know Butcher was watching you. That was all he did anymore. The two of you had barely shared a total of fifty words since what happened in Vought tower but damn him, his eyes tracked your every movement when there wasn't a current job.

You were currently moving around MMs apartment helping to patch up Frenchie and Hughie. Annie and Kimiko were helping but you'd had a little more first aid training than them so you took the reins times like this. You hummed the music Frenchie had playing under your breath as you finished the line of stitches on his arm "Ma petite flamme, what would I do without you?" You grinned at him "Lucky for you I'm fairly hard to kill so you won't have to figure that out"

You cut your eyes towards Annie who was going over some paperwork with MM "Did we get what we needed or not?" Kimiko looked up from the stack and nodded before signing "Of course we did" you laughed and signed back "You're overconfident of our skills sweetheart"

You were exhausted if you were telling the truth but the job wasn't done until everything was secure and everyone went home. Of course home now apartments in a not so decent building to stay under the radar but everyone was close,the roof didn't leak and the heat and air worked.

The information that was retrieved was passed off to Grace's contacts and every T was crossed and I dotted so that meant everyone could go home and crash. You walked out behind Frenchie and Kimiko considering your apartment was on the same floor as theirs. Annie and Hughie were on the top floor and as for Butcher when he did sleep it was either MMs couch, the couch at the office or the rare times he went across town to where he called home. There was an empty apartment one floor up from yours that had been rented for him should he feel the need to use it but he rarely did.

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

You bid Frenchie and Kimiko a goodnight and went in search of a hot shower and your bed. You were just about to crash when you heard a knock at the door. Was probably Kimiko wanting to watch a movie and Frenchie had already crashed, you walked to the door with a smile as you opened it "Did frenchie already crash again?"

Instead of Kimiko standing at your door Butcher was leaning in the doorway. "Butcher?" You asked in shock and he nodded "Can we talk?" You half laughed "What exactly is there for us to talk about?"

The bastard had the nerve to shove past you into your apartment and even closed AND locked the door behind himself before turning to face you "Luv,me and you both know there's plenty for us to talk about" you were trying to hold your temper, you'd been doing good recently at controlling your powers but felt your fingertips warm slightly as you shook your head in disbelief "Weeks have passed Billy and you haven't said over two words at a time to me. What the fuck do you want me to say here?"

"I know you want to tell me how much of a fucking cunt I've been. Give it to me Blaze. I fucking deserve it" here he was, shoving into your apartment and demanding you talk to him but couldn't even use your actual name. "About what exactly Butcher? About how from the time I started working with you and the boys you talked shit about me being a supe despite the fact that I had no fucking say over it?"

You took a step towards him and saw his eyes flick down to your bare legs then back up to your face. He nodded slowly "Yeah" you laughed loudly without a hint of humor "No. We're not doing this. You're not coming in here and baiting me into an argument. Say what the fuck you need to. I'm not standing here and spilling my fucking issues to you"

"I've got a year tops Y/N" you froze mid step "What?" He nodded again. You weren't sure what to feel. Anger? Sadness? Loss? All of them rolled through you at once. He wasn't yours, he never would be but he was something wasn't he?

You gripped the anger, a familiar emotion you were more comfortable letting control you "You're such a fucking idiot. I told you not to fuck with compound V" you took a step towards him and he stepped back but you shoved him backwards and he slid into a wall but kept his feet under him.

You shoved a finger in his face and was proud of yourself when it nor your voice shook "I told you there had to be another way but you couldn't stop could you? You had to a bigger asshole! You've been horrible to me Butcher, to us all yet we've stood by you! We've fought with you! We've fought FOR you! You just couldn't let us in, you couldn't let us help. Why? Why if supes are so horrible, why not just put me, Kimiko and Annie on the front line? Why ever fucking touch me? Why get worried Ben had hurt me? Why get jealous of Ben? Why lie to me and all us and not tell us how much V you'd shot up? Why didn't you just fucking kill yourself when Becca died?"

He shrugged "I'll be dead soon enough" you had just enough presence of mind to not use your full strength when you slapped him but the sound echoed through your apartment "Damn you Billy. You never should put this team together. You never should've expected us not to care about each other. I know you're an uncaring asshole but MM is your friend, Hughie is practically a stand in for your brother and Frenchie backs your every play. We haven't lost any of us yet, how the fuck am I supposed to keep them together?"

Out of everything he could've said in that moment the words "I'm sorry" shocked you the absolute most. You took a step backwards "Don't apologize. You'd made it abundantly clear none us mean anything to you. The worse part is Homelander isn't even dead. You've killed yourself and he's still walking. What justice does that give anyone?"

"Y/N.." You'd never heard him say your name gentle, even in bed but this time he did. "Just leave" you pointed towards the door but this time he shocked you by moving fast as hell for a human. You must have really been off your game considering he had your back against a wall before you realized it.

Billy was strong for a non supe but you could move if you wanted. He was holding you by your upper arms. You glared up at him "I could move you" he smirked "I thought you liked it when I manhandled ya luv?" You felt your cheeks threaten to warm but bit the inside of one to ensure they didn't "Just say what you needed to"

He released your arms and put one hand on your hip instead,his other hand coming up to grip the side of your face "Supe or not I would've been dead a while ago if it weren't for you. You protected Becca, best you could even against Homelander who scares the hell out of ya. You're one hell of a woman" you swallowed hard before meeting his eyes "I know all of this. What's your point?"

He laughed lightly,more of a chuckle "Whyd ya look at me when you told Soldier Boy the deal was off?" "He hurt a kid and was a threat to people I care about. Whether you believe it or not there are things more important than revenge"

Butcher watched your face as you spoke. Why hadn't he seen it before? Yeah you were amazing in bed and a demon in a fight but you were also gorgeous and had that gentle spark in your eye. You still cared about people, despite everything you'd been through. If he hadn't let revenge eat him alive, if he hadn't fucked everything up....

"I never deserved a second look from you" the words slipped out of his mouth before he could put thought behind it. You laughed, snatching your head out of his grip to drop your gaze "If you want sex just say so. I don't need sweet talking" he gripped your chin, harder this time but just enough to make sure he had your attention before crashing his lips against yours.

-----------

The kiss took you by surprise. One minute you were sure the two of you were going to start arguing, the next his tongue was in your mouth. You moaned lightly,internally cursing yourself for how well you'd let Billy Butcher learn you.

He used the hand on your hip to pull you closer, deepening the kiss. You finally let your brain win over your hormones and pushed against his chest lightly knowing that was all it would take for him to back off. He broke the kiss and met your eyes.

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

You were at war with yourself, he was dying. He'd finally admitted it. You cared about him if you admitted it or not. You wanted him but did he want you simply because the one he wanted was dead? You held his gaze as you said "I'm not Becca nor have I ever tried to be a replacement for her" you were breathless from the kiss but had to say it "I don't want a replacement for her. You're two very different women. If I would've let myself be happy after her though you would've been it"

He didn't blink, didn't look away. "Fuck it" you muttered,shoving his heavy coat off his shoudlers before pulling him into another kiss. Your hands smoothed over the soft black sweater he wore as his hands went from your hips to just under your ass. He bent his knees just enough to pull you up into his arms, your legs circling his waist in a well practiced dance between the two of you.

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

He walked across the room to where your bed sat against the wall, never breaking away from your lips. He laid you down gently and kicked his boots off before climbing in the bed, lips finding yours as his hands slipped under the tank you'd put on for bed.

You gasped when he pinched your nipple, causing your back to arch off the bed. He broke from your lips down to your neck, attacking the skin there and teasing each and every spot he knew would have you a dripping mess under him.

Your hands went to the hem of his sweater and he broke away from your skin long enough to snatch it and the shirt he'd worn under it off and toss it across the room. You smirked slightly as your fingers danced across his chest "Eager are we?" He raised one eyebrow "I'm gonna fuck that smart mouth outta you" you raised an eyebrow of your own before slipping your tank off, leaving your breasts bare to him "Prove it Butcher"

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

"Fucking hell" he muttered before placing a sloppy kiss to your lips. He moved from your lips down your neck, kissing and bite hard enough you were certain you'd have marks regardless of your healing.

When he made it to your chest he rolled the nipple of your left breast between his teeth and used his fingers to tease the other. You let your fingers rake through his hair, tugging lightly when he caught your nipple sharply with his teeth "Fuck, Billy"

He looked up at you and the look in his eyes alone was enough to make your stomach flip "How many times did he make you come?" You licked your lips, breath already ragged before answering "Five" he nodded "Six it is"

You felt his fingers tease at the waistband of your shorts "You know the rules sweetheart. You say anything near the word stop and it's stopped" you nodded and he bit down on the breast closest to him "Words Y/N" "I know" he smirked and pulled the shorts down your legs and tossed them.

You instinctively tried to press your legs together in an attempt to hide just how wet you already were but Billy positioned his shoudlers between them and without taking a chance of hurting him you couldn't close them,his damn shoudlers were too broad "Don't hide from me. I want all of ya" you swallowed hard but let a smile slip onto your face and that was all the go ahead he needed.

A light sheen of sweat covered your entire body, your legs were shaking around his head and you'd already came twice but Billy was a man on a mission.

"Billy...Butch...fuck please" you couldn't form a coherent thought at the moment. The pleasure building in your core was threatening to topple over yet again and he'd yet to take his damn pants off. He added two thick fingers in with his tongue and that toppled you over the edge, forcing another orgasm out of you as you screamed his name.

He leaned back, wiping his face with the back of his hand. A proud smirk played across his face "Ain't tapping out on me are ya?" You shook your head "Take your fucking pants off Butcher. I want you inside me" "Yes ma'am" he stood off the bed quickly slipping his pants off.

You curled one finger at him "I want your back on the bed. It's my turn to play a little" he grinned "Yes ma'am"

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

He laid back on the bed so you moved to straddle his waist, feeling his hard cock at your thighs but wanting to take your time. You let your lips brush against his, tasting yourself on him before moving lower.

You left a trail of kisses mixed with little bites down his next then chest, enjoying the little moans and curses that slipped from him. You sat up enough to grip his cock and line it up with your entrance. You slowly lowered yourself down, eyes closing against the stretch. "Take it slow baby. I ain't going nowhere" he cooed and you felt yourself clench at his words.

Once the stretch faded you gave a tentative roll of your hips and he groaned "Fuckin hell luv" you grinned and gave another roll before moving your hips up and down. You started to fuck yourself on his cock and he gripped your hips tightly, praises falling from his lips as his thrusts started to meet yours.

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

You were so damn close and Billy must have known because he slipped a hand between you and started to rub tight circles onto your clit. You felt it half a second before your orgasm slammed into you, causing your movements to halt. Billy tightened his grip and turned the two of you over to where your back was now against the bed but he was still buried inside of you.

-----------

You gasped at the moment and he smirked "Still got a few surprises in me" you shook your head and he shifted his hips to drive himself deeper into you pulling a moan from you "Please don't stop Billy" you begged and he chuckled "wasn't planning on it"

Your legs were on Billy's shoudlers and he had you damn near folded in half. You were breathless from how deep every damn thrust was hitting inside of you and he was leaving wet kisses on every inch of your skin he could reach. You were both covered in sweat, you'd lost count of how many times you'd come yet he was still fucking you like he was on a mission. "Billy...Butcher...please" he slowed slightly "What ya need luv?"

"Need you to come" you begged weakly, fingers tugging at his hair "Feels soo good...but I'm tired baby..." you didn't have the presence of mind to realize you'd called him baby until he chuckled, face nuzzling in the crook of your neck "Baby huh? I kinda like it coming from you"

He shifted his angle and your vision went soft around the edges as he started to fuck you harder, chasing his own high finally. "Want me to fill you up baby?" He asked, warm breath on your neck. You nodded "Please" the answer was his laughter.

His hips started to falter and you knew he was close "Fuck Billy. You feel so damn good. Fuck me so good" he grunted as he buried himself into you with one final thrust, his cum coating inside your pussy.

----------

After a few breaths he eased your legs down then started to rub them. He did that for a few minutes before pulling out of you, a few mumbled words of apology leaving his lips at your whimper.

After Billy cleaned you both up with a warm rag he climbed into bed next to you and pulled you over onto his chest and you let him. "What now?" You asked and he shrugged "We keep fighting those batards till the end. I only hope I last enough to make sure the lot of you and Ryan is safe from them"

You cut your eyes up at him and nodded "If we can get him away from Homelander, I'll keep an eye on him. I promise" he leaned closer to catch your lips in a gentle kiss "in another life we would'a been it, ya know?" You nodded "I know. Get some sleep Butch. We'll handle whatever bullshit comes tomorrow but for tonight let's just rest"

[thewildsophia]

OK KO, Let's be Heroes!//KO x Older Sibling!Reader

A/N: I can't believe this hasn't been written before omg. I had the thought of an older sibling reader to KO rolling around in my head while watching the series and was shocked to find no fanfics with the premise. So I did it myself.

NOTE: The Reader's powers are basically Portgas D. Ace's from One Piece. If you aren't familiar, I've attached a few gifs to give you an idea of what it's like.

Word Count: 2026

"Read More Link" placed due to length.

So I can’t think of a realistic way for Reader to be a biological older sibling to KO considering the timeline of what happened.

Soooooooo…You took on the role of KO’s older sibling, even though you’re not related by blood.

[Insert tragic backstory here] and Carol had found you when you were a young teenager wandering about without a home to go to. When she found that out about you, she couldn’t in good conscience leave you alone, so she…adopted you basically. There wasn’t any paperwork involved so you just unofficially become her second child.

Carol was SHOOK when she found out about your superpower (and that’s putting it lightly, she was freaking out--).

It happened when she failed to light the fire underneath her stove a few days after you came to live with her and KO. Not thinking much about it, you held your finger up and lit the fire yourself. When she turned and saw the small fire burning on the tip of your finger she freaked tf out thinking you were hurt. 

A one-hour explanation later, she was now on board as to what power you have: You’re made out of fire and can set other things on fire just by looking at them. You even showed her some of your moves the next day faaaaar away from anything flammable. 

Carol encouraged you to become a hero and with her help you eventually did. You became a decently high-ranking hero at a young age, clocking in at level 6. 

There were a LOT of companies trying and failing to recruit you, but you chose to stay home with Carol and KO (no Carol is NOT crying-).

KO was quite young when you were “adopted,” being around 3 or 4 at the time. Because of that, he always assumed that you were his older sibling by blood and it wasn’t until one day between ages 6 to 11 that Carol told him the truth.

My boy was shocked, but it didn’t change anything between your dynamic. 

In fact, you became even more of an inspiration to him on his path to becoming a hero!

You helped Carol a lot at the fitness dojo until Carol got KO a job at Gar’s, to which Carol also had you hired to keep an eye on KO. Not that she didn’t trust him, she just knew that he could get in over his head sometimes and wanted to have someone be there to protect him. 

Talking about Gar’s, Rad and Enid absolutely ADORE you. You’re the unofficial manager appointed by them truly because you are a few levels higher than them. 

At first, when they heard they were getting two new coworkers, they didn’t think much of it. You and KO seemed nice enough so they didn’t mind having you around. 

It’s not until the Darell robot for the day comes busting into the plaza that their opinion changes. 

Just ask KO is about to get absolutely decked by Darell, you zoomed onto the scene in a blaze of fire and punched the bot, setting it on fire while also hitting it with enough force to send it back to Boxmore with KO nestled into your other arm. 

“Nobody ever touched my little brother.” You muttered under your breath while wrapping KO into your arms further to soothe him. You walk past a stunned Rad and Enid as you enter the store and get back to work.

That day, Rad and Enid also became your younger siblings. Pestering you with questions like “How did you get so strong?” and “Where did you get that power from?” Considering you’re a year or two older and much stronger you embraced the title with honor.

You actually became a little bit of a local celebrity after working at Gar’s for a while. People, locals really, would occasionally come in a ask to take a picture with you. Abashed, you said yes every time because you really couldn’t say no. Real Magic Skeleton even has a picture of you on his site with a small bio (You blushed so hard when you found out you thought you were gonna explode).

Speaking of which, KO LOVES to flaunt you around and hype you up, much to your embarrassment. He says stuff like, “Look at my cool amazingly strong older sibling!” and “My older sibling could beat up your older sibling!” 

KO means well, but he embarrasses the shit out of you.

MAD PROTECTIVE. If Carol is protective then you are on another level entirely. If someone even says something mean about KO it’s on sight. People learned very quickly that you are KO’s older sibling and that you will not hesitate to DIE to protect him (KO prays that it never comes to that).

I could see a rude customer coming in and harassing KO about Cob knows what and you just come up behind them and punch them out of the store. When Mr. Gar confronted you about it, you held your ground and stated proudly what you had done. He was honestly surprised at your resolve and didn’t punish you at all, saying “You should stick up for yourself and the ones you love.”

Lord Boxman even became a little weary about attacking the plaza knowing that you worked there and you are a pretty strong defender. That doesn’t stop him, of course, but he does strategize to combat you better.

Professor Venomous encourages Boxman to capture you and “convert” you to villainy since your power is something that could be very useful to them. You’ve heard people throughout your life make comments about how “villainous” your power is, but you never let it get to your head since you know who you are and that’s all that matters. 

Taking. Naps. Together. Seriously, if KO ever doses off during one of his shifts, you’re quick to follow him. You’ll scoop him up into your arms and sit down somewhere in the corner and fall asleep with him. Rad and Enid think it’s absolutely adorable and have several pictures of you two.

Rad and Enid will even join your cuddle pile in the break room when time permits (or when they make the time themselves).

KO will even occasionally crawl into your bed at home and sleep with you there. He says that your bed is more comfortable than his, but you really know he gets lonely sometimes.

Piggyback rides! KO loves to lounge on your shoulders and back and will often hang off of you as he does with Rad. 

You’re also just used to the feeling of holding/carrying KO that it sometimes feels weird when you haven’t for a while.

When you met TKO for the first time you kinda panicked like many of the other plaza members. It was an especially stressful time in your life (and probably much more for Carol).

TKO wasn’t that fond of you either which made everything 10x harder to deal with. He didn’t actively dislike you, it was more like he wanted nothing to do with you.

Once KO came out of that initial swap between himself and TKO, you didn’t really think much about it. 

When he mentioned some “Shadowy Figure” though you immediately began to do as much research as you could on the guy, you were determined to beat the crap out of this guy (if not kill him-).

Listening to KO cry into your and Carol’s arms blabbering about, “I’m so sorry!” and “I don’t know what he did to me!” You honestly thought this man had touched KO (I know I’m not the only one…right??). It took a lot of coaxing, but you eventually managed to understand what happened when KO told you the full story.

It’s not until Dendy begins to monitor KO and TKO that you start to give his alter much thought. You encourage KO to pursue research into his darker ego, assuming he’s okay with it of course, and offer to be someone he can talk to about it if he isn’t comfortable talking to anyone else about it. 

During some of these talks, you open up about yourself a bit to KO to make him feel better and let him know that the negative emotions he feels are normal. 

During some of the more intimate conversations, you tell him how you used to hurt people and even kill at times before Carol took you in.

KO doesn’t believe you at first. How could someone so kind and loving have killed in their life? You use that to help you explain that good people do bad things sometimes, but that doesn’t make them a bad person. 

You teach him that TKO isn’t something that he should be ashamed of and cage up in the back of his mind, but could instead be someone to rely on in times of need.

He feels a lot better after you tell him all of this.

Hugging and holding KO close to you during nights when he feels really bad about himself. Where he doubts his ability to become a good hero and to be able to harness TKO’s powers. 

You’d rock him back in forth in his bed while quietly soothing him over his crying. He asked you not to tell Mommy and you promised him that he had your word.

I could honestly see Reader lying to cover up KO’s tracks. Like KO is caught doing something he absolutely should not be doing and instead of immediately admitting fault, you would come up with some realistic yet unfeasible lie that only works about 50% of the time.

KO loves to spar with you! He learned most of his physical skills from you, stuff like punching, jumping, kicking, and all that fun stuff. You’ve never used your fire powers against him though.

There was one incident where Boxmore accidentally found out what your weakness is, that being water. A Shannon bot had thrown you into the little kiddie pool Rad and Enid had set up before the attack started.

When you jumped out of the pool soaking wet and unable to start a fire, the stupid sibling trio laughed and mocked you. Enid was quick to come in with a kick to Raymond’s head and you soon found your footing.

Boxmore learned that day not to underestimate you as even without your powers you’re still a physically strong hero.

However, it would seem that Boxman and Professor Venomous stored that data about you since some of the bots they send are equipped with water guns. You’ve gotten pretty good at dodging them, so that’s kinda cool.

You do remember one time after KO had gotten a handle over TKO where you had been drenched with a bucket of water and right as you were about to get socked by Raymond, KO had pushed you out of the way and dodged the punch himself.

You had never been more proud of KO than in that moment and you made that known to him after the fight. You ran up to him and cradled him in your arms talking about how proud you were and that he was becoming such a fine hero (that last one got him to blush a little).

Rad and Enid definitely took a picture of this and then proceeded to print out a copy and put it in the break room.

When you and KO found out that your mom was dating Mr. Gar, you both were a little unsure about how you felt. When Rad and Enid asked about it, they asked the two of you together and then asked you separately. 

Seeing as you’re the older sibling they thought that you would have had a better idea of how you feel about the whole arrangement and were bummed out when they realized that you really didn’t know how you felt. 

After the date you four hosted for Carol and Mr. Gar, both you and KO see how happy Mr. Gar makes your mom and decide that if she’s happy then you’re happy as well.

KO is honestly one of the best younger brothers you could ever ask for. He’s kind and selfless and wants to help others when he can. And in return, you are the best older sibling that KO could ever ask for.

Sorry the format looks off in some places, Tumblr just makes booty juice decisions like limiting the character limit per block to 4096 words...

[lets-try-some-writing]

Okay, I just wanna say that I love ALL the fic ideas you came up with and I desperately want to read all of them but I know everyone else wants that too, so for the sake of your mental sanity, I'll pick my favorites

Also, as much as I cry/go feral over your angst works, your fluff/crack stuff does something to my brain chemistry that I need

So I really want to see more of the prompts I requested (omg, someone wanting to see more of their prompt, who would've guessed? Though which one you wanna expand on is up to you) as well as "Of all the things that could happen, did have to be this?", "Human Females Do What Once A Month?!", "Cybertrons newest younglings/sparklings"

Those are some of my personal favorites but if you aren't feeling it or wanna do angst, you do you. Love all your amazing work and thanks for listening to my rambles 🙃

Well thank you for the chance to write more fluff! I am so happy you like my work friend! I've been meaning to get to this request for a while now. But classes have been dragging me kicking and screaming through the mud.

Prompt for this request here.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

Of all the things that could happen, did it have to be this?

The battle for the Omega Lock was by far one of the most intense any of the Decepticons had ever engaged in. It was a fierce and brutal conflict that left both sides struggling. However in the end, all Autobots on Earth were captured, promptly executed, and had their bodies thrown into the Cybermatter as a taunt toward their desperate attempts to regain control of the relic. But of course, this singular act of smug retribution came with consequences.

As the bodies of the Autobots sank into the Cybermatter, the Matrix blazed and collected the sparks of the fallen within itself in an attempt to preserve them. Then, with the aid of the Cybermatter surrounding it, the Matrix did as it was made to. It remade those it was offered. Optimus it kept to itself, but the others? It molded them again granting them new life and hoping to save them from execution once more by altering how they emerged. It could not erase who they were, nor did it want to. No, it needed to preserve them and give them a chance.

With that in mind, there was no way the Decepticons, who were still reveling in their victory, could have ever predicted eight sparklings clambering out of the Omega Lock screaming and shivering. At first the gathered Decepticons were too shocked to act, but as a young Smokescreen wailed, Starscream moved without thinking. With soft murmurs and croons, the Seeker held the sparkling close to himself, soothing him with gentle touches and songs. After that, there was no stopping it. Megatron was cruel, but he was not the the kind to allow sparklings to die, no matter their origin. Thus he gathered the sparklings, brought them onto the Nemesis, and set course for Cybertron. Earth was all but forgotten amidst the chaos.

A meeting was held with all of high command as soon as the Nemesis was out of Earth's orbit. There was brief discussion of killing the sparklings considering they were formerly Autobots, however that was shut down immediately by Starscream throwing the biggest fit any on the Nemesis had the displeasure to deal with. The Seeker threw away any pretense of cowardice in order to defend the sparklings, regardless of whatever wrath Megatron might hold toward him after the fact. Thankfully for him, Knockout was quick to support his stance, even going so far as to threaten to damage the ship and tell the Vehicons about the incident if the order to kill the sparklings was given.

As such, with no other choice considering the threat of mutiny, Megatron sighed, and had the sparklings distributed until a better plan could be devised. The Nemesis continued to soar toward Cybertron, but the trip would take time and quite frankly, what interest Megatron had in Earth all but faded. Optimus was a sparkling, and without his foe fighting for the planet so viciously, the competitive desire to take the world was no longer present. Cybertron was his focus, even more so now that there were sparklings on board to fuel and raise. They had been at war for far too long, and now with the Autobot elites stuck as sparklings, it had practically been ended. Cybertron needed to be restored, and Megatron would see to it, if only to ensure he didn't lose the loyalty of his soldiers.

Of course, taking care of sparklings was far easier said than done. Each of the newly reforged Autobots seemed to have something... off about them. All were assessed by Shockwave and with his aid, assigned to the appropriate caretakers until further notice.

Smokescreen was biologically the youngest and based on the tests run, the most mentally stable. He behaved as a perfectly normal sparkling, with all the little quirks and habits of the newly emerged. In order to ensure that the sparklings with more... pressing needs were attended to, Smokescreen was given to the Vehicons, under the supervision of Starscream of course. The former Autobot rookie was perfectly tame for the most part and by all accounts, terrible friendly. He didn't care for who was tending to him and had a fantastic time with just about anyone. He only cried when he wanted something and was totally at ease for the most part. He had no sense of stranger danger whatsoever. His only notable quirk was the simple fact that whenever he got a glimpse of the other Autobots-turned-sparklings, something seemed to click in him.

In the instances where he caught sight of his former comrades, Smokescreen lost any and all self control. He would scream, kick, bite, and overall fight denta and digit to get away from whoever was taking care of him. There was an intelligence in his optics during those instances, and cunning calculation that often led to the sparkling somehow wriggling away and booking it after whoever it was he spotted. Thankfully for everyone, he would calm quite easily once allowed to interact with whoever it was he wanted to get to. He needed at least a half groon with the former comrade in question, but then he would not struggle against being removed.

Bulkhead was the second least difficult sparkling to handle. He and Wheeljack could not be separated without causing both to throw horrible fits and reject energon, and so were given to a caretaker together. Knockout ended up being the one to take both under his wing, partially due to their relation to Breakdown before their reforging, but largely because he was one of the few ground units that could be trusted with unruly sparklings. He treated them perfectly well and took great care of them. Knockout threw himself into the tending of his new charges, even going so far as to create carriers that he wore on his front and back, one for each sparkling. Both his charges were given ample entertainment and offered enough affection to be somewhat smothering. But of course, there were issues.

For an undeterminable reason, Bulkhead spent a great deal of time crying. Next to nothing Knockout did ever seemed to calm him. All that worked for the former Wrecker was being held close to Knockout at all times. Often this led Knockout to carry the sparkling around everywhere during the cycle, even while working. Bulkhead could not be left alone or he would begin to wail. Having Wheeljack with him helped, but Wheeljack had his own set of problems that made having him around a blessing and a curse. Perhaps due to his prior love of any and all things explosion related, Wheeljack was a master at eluding Knockout while he tended to his more sensitive ward. Wheeljack then proceeded to always get into something important, be it the inner workings of the Nemesis, or some wiring that inevitably led to partial blackouts. It was somewhat amusing most of the time for Knockout, up until Wheeljack started making Megatron mad.

Knockout has since kept to giving Wheeljack random broken electronic parts to mess with instead of watching his wreck havoc on the ship. Of course the pyromaniac still manages to escape the confines of Knockout's workspace here and there, but it is nothing serious... usually.

Arcee ended up with Starscream quite simply due to her rather debilitating problem. Anything that moved too quickly, she immediately did her best to attack and kill despite her small size. More specifically, anything with too much kibble for her liking ended up receiving her ire. Shockwave predicted it was due to lingering trauma from Arachnid, but whatever the case, she hurt herself and sometimes others because of her aggressive tendencies. Starscream, long used to tending to feral seeker sparklings, took her on as his own in an instant. He took every precaution tending to her despite her lack of flight capability. It had been far too long since he last saw or was even able to come near a sparkling.

Arcee was a vicious little thing, but Starscream handled her with grace none on the Nemesis knew he possessed. She quickly came to only calm around Starscream and her former Autobot companions as the seeker worked to earn her trust. It was an arduous process, but Starscream carefully cleaning her, singing to her, helping her fuel, and constantly holding her as close to himself as possible yielded results. She could not be around any of the other Decepticons without her newfound caretaker for fear of her hurting herself, but she was renown for the happy sounds she made when particularly at peace. Starscream has a whole album filled with photos of his adopted ward, which he shows off as if it were the documentation giving him ownership of Cybertron itself.

Ultra Magnus was a difficult sparkling to be placed under a caretaker. At first he was given to Knockout alongside Wheeljack and Bulkhead, but that swiftly led to numerous fights between the trio. Not to mention a startling lack of emotion from the former leader of the Wreckers and a subsequent explosion of it made handling him alongside the other two impossible. Ultra Magnus was a mess of emotions and couldn't be predicted at all for the most part... well except by one scientist. Shockwave did fight hard to not be given the position of tending to the sparkling, but Ultra Magnus needed a steady servo to guide him. He reacted to any sort of emotions that others presented with extreme prejudice. Shockwave had no facial components for Ultra Magnus to react to, nor did Shockwave have any outward emotional responses.

There were MANY concerns from Knockout and Starscream about Shockwave possibly turning Ultra Magnus into his lab rat or abusing him. However against the expectations of pretty much everyone, Shockwave was a highly dutiful caretaker once the mantle of being a parent was passed to him. He took all the necessary steps to tend to his ward, including setting up an entire section of his laboratory specifically for Ultra Magnus. In turn, Magnus was as happy as could be in a safe, controlled, and calm environment. He thrived in the stable comfort Shockwave provided and was content to remain quiet as the scientist kept careful tabs on what he needed and when. There was never a moment when Magnus wanted for anything, and in the odd instance where something set him off, Shockwave was there to hold him as he worked, waiting until Magnus calmed. Emotionally Shockwave was not particularly invested, but with Magnus's mental state, that seemed to be for the best for both of them.

Ratchet was an interesting case in that he REFUSED to be cared for by anyone. He was... odd to say the least. Being the most developed out of all the sparklings, he could easily toddle and was capable of managing basic words. What he said was concerning more often than not. He seemed to know things he really shouldn't, especially regarding death and medicine. In the end, Megatron himself ended up snatching up the former medic and becoming his overseer more so than a Sire. Ratchet had no interest in forming any real parental bonds, but he was more than accepting of tutelage despite his relative youth. That suited Megatron just fine as often he would allow Ratchet to roam with a Vehicon as an escort. In turn, Ratchet would visit with almost every one of his former compatriots and hang around with Megatron's inner circle, watching and learning without complaint.

The only times he made a fuss where when Megatron was eventually forced to come grab him from wherever he was hiding out and take him to his crib. Ratchet was NEVER pleased with that development. He got his energon from those his visited, and his assigned Vehicons tended to him when he required aid. He had no interest in being put to bed against his wishes, even if he was not exactly sure why. Once he had Ratchet secured, Megatron would fulfill his one vaguely parental task of the cycle and tuck the sparkling in, answering several questions and reading Ratchet a book of his choice before bidding him a good recharge cycle and leaving. Ratchet was a strange and oddly mature sparkling, one constantly hounding his fellows to ensure they were well. And despite the hatred Megatron once held to the former medic, he came to appreciate Ratchet's willingness to learn and was more than happy to give him classes necessary for a future leader. Ratchet didn't seem all that enthusiastic about leadership, but he took the lessons without complaint.

All the sparklings settled into some sort of situation, that is all save for Optimus and Bumblebee. Their situation was.... unique in the extreme. Before their reforging, Optimus and Bumblebee were bound as Father and Son. The Matrix, in its infinite wisdom saw this fact, and not wishing to destroy those bonds, came up with a fantastic solution. It simply... didn't give Bumblebee a proper frame. Optimus emerged from the Cybermatter screaming and ready to wage war despite being the size of Megatron's servo. But that was not the strange part about his and Bumblebee's situation. No, it was the fact that when examinations were run, it was revealed that Bumblebee's spark shared a chamber with Optimus's. Through some strange means, he yet lived, but was not yet truly developed. Optimus carried his sparkling within him alongside the resized Matrix, and based on the scans, it seemed that once Optimus was large enough, the Prime was going to likely go through the oddity that was budding.

That took almost everyone by surprise. Budding was not... unheard of. However it was so rare as to be little more than a fairy tale. Often it was the result of a set of spark twins forged from a hotspot not developing with enough protoform for both of them to have frames. In those instances, whichever sibling developed would eventually bulk up until there was enough protoform to break off and produce a frame for their sibling. Even in those extraordinarily rare cases, modern technology meant that it was often easier to artificially produce a protoform for the twin without a frame. With that in mind, there was discussion of having that done to Bumblebee, however a shriek of outrage from Optimus and a good look at the adult sized protoforms on board that that idea flying out the window. Not to mention Optimus's Sire coding was still active despite his youthful body, meaning that any attempt to take what he saw as HIS would end horribly. Bumblebee would be left alone, at least until Cybertron was stabilized.

Bumblebee's spark appeared healthy enough once they could strap the half feral Prime down long enough to get a solid look at his spark chamber. The gold and white mote of light spun happily around its far larger counterpart, pulsating as it swirled like a nebula. Optimus for his part was fiercely protective, and once released and given time to calm himself around his companions, he too revealed his oddities. Much like Ratchet, he seemed to know a bit too much and had little desire to seek out a parental unit. During the trip to Cybertron he largely avoided everyone and wandered the Nemesis, only remaining with his former comrades to receive fuel and check on them. Often he fell into recharge in dark corners, unwilling to settle down anywhere due to his parental desires. Thankfully for Knockout and Starscream's mental health, Soundwave, through bribery with energon goodies and respectful interaction, managed to acquire Optimus's trust.

While most certainly odd, Soundwave found himself with the young Prime as his ward. Optimus was perfectly content to remain quiet, muttering to himself and to the unframed spark within him as he followed Soundwave and watched. He was not a nuisance, and so the spymaster had no issue teaching the young Prime his craft and caring for him as required. Theirs was a strange relationship, one that never fully stepped into mentorship or a familial tie. They simply existed and assisted the other as much as possible. But of course their care for each other was quite clear when Soundwave would silently stalk the halls with Optimus clinging to one of his cables as he hurried to keep up.

They were processor ache inducing menaces at times, especially when Ratchet and Optimus managed to meet and be creepy together or when Wheeljack managed to get Ultra Magnus into a tizzy, but they were the former Autobots were Decepticon wards now. Most of the caretakers involved in tending to them would have it no other way, especially once the startling realization that they still required the Allspark to fully repair their world hit them all in the helms. That left them two choices.

One: Wait until Optimus was old enough to guide them to it.

Two: Try to focus on rebuilding Cybertron until Shockwave could find a way to locate it.

Either option involved time and a great deal of sparkling rearing in the meantime.

[whisper-and-tangle]

hey so um.

....im gonna say something now

Tangle is the literal definition of bravery to a T.

She's done all of this with a smile.

I'm gonna start with things you could brush off as fearlessness, first of all, starting with her very first appearance in the comics.

Her village was under attack by a swarm of badniks-

that she couldn't defeat by herself.

She tried anyway, and smiled the whole time.

She had fun, and this may have been case of fearlessness and love for adventure- but either way, she was willing to face extreme danger because she knows it'll help protect her home and the people she cares about. That's mental or moral strength to face danger and difficulty.

Tangle, no matter what, is always a kind, brave person, and would almost never dismiss a chance for adventure.

That's just a cosmic truth. :)

Then, we'd move on to the Battle For Angel Island.

AKA the comic where Tangle tore the wings off a robot dragon.

Tangle took part in the fight against Neo Metal, and was brave through the entire fight- she was in no way prepared for any of it, literally just being some girl from some town, yet was a key part in defeating Neo. She didn't once hesitate to help someone, and that makes her just as much of a hero as those she looks up to.

I mean, she even saved Blaze.

Then, let's move to Tangle & Whisper-

Every single fucking time one of her friends are threatened, sad or hurt, Tangle will immediately push past her fear and worry to comfort them, putting on a confident persona.

She's open about her feelings- but also does her best to reassure her friends. They're her highest priority- she's very, very considerate of them.

She trusts them deeply, and is, above all, a good person.

Even if Tangle herself is scared, she'll punch her fear straight in the gut with utmost confidence, just to bring reassurance to her friends.

She's got so many similarities with Sonic-

except she doesn't hide her emotions, and doesn't just bottle them up all the time.

She's got his love for adventure, helping others, and care for his friends,

but is willing to be more truthful when it comes to her own state of mind, unlike Sonic.

Now, the Metal Virus.

I've talked about this alot before, so I'm gonna skim over this one pretty quickly,

Here, she's dying. She knows she's dying. She's smiling. Joking. Reassuring Sonic, her hero, that it wasn't his fault- none of this is. All of her heroes are dying infront of her and she's doing her best to stay brave as she tries to help them.

She dies fighting, not even considering fleeing or trying to save herself-

because she puts her friends first, even if that may not always be a good thing.

She trusts they'll save her,

She just hopes they won't keep her waiting too long.

And she was right.

They did save her and she got a hug from her gf.

Because the amount of trust Tangle puts in her friends in a major part of her character.

[andypantsx3]

tags/warnings: dabi x gn!reader, runaway prince touya au, ambiguously established relationship, some violence, slightly yandere at the end, sfw

length: 1k

"You're him," you breathe, a strange kind of terror zinging through your veins. "You're the missing crown prince."

Dabi—Touya, that is now—just arches a brow at you in that dismissive way he has.

"Thought you said you didn't care about my past, sweetheart. Walking that back now?" he drawls.

His voice is the same smoky rasp as always, tinged with an undercurrent of boredom, as though there is nothing about this revelation that has discomfited him.

"Why join a league of antimonarchists if you're quite literally a future monarch?" you ask, drawing back. Unconsciously, your hand goes to the knife pouch at your waist.

Touya's eyes follow the motion, and a smirk cuts across his mouth. "Why might a wolf creep into a sheep's pen, you mean?" he asks.

Your hands ball into fists at your side. You can feel your muscles shivering with the barely-restrained need to do something. You're certain what you want most is to punch him—a bold move on a good day, considering he's one of the League's most dangerous assets—but now the idea carries new weight.

He might be here, in antimonarchist headquarters. But if you punched him, you'd be punching the future sovereign of your country—an offense that carries a death sentence.

"Have you been spying on us?" you demand.

Touya laughs, leaning in like he's delighted with the question. "Oh no—I've been using you. There's a difference."

With his face this close to yours, you can pick out the changes this new information has wrought on his features. He's always been an arresting sight—his face full of stitches and metal, the skin under his eyes and mouth the purple bruise of old burns. But he's also always been darkly handsome—the damage to his face not enough to disguise the careful, sensuous lines of his features.

You see now that he looks so much like Prince Shouto—which makes sense. They're brothers.

"I'm going to have to take you in," you tell him. "Whatever your reasons, you're a liability now. Leadership will figure out what to do with you."

Touya's laugh is dry and crackling. "You? You're going to take me in, sweetheart?"

You scowl. You know you're not nearly equipped to fight him—you're more of a logician, and he's a brawler. He's got years of swordsmanship under his belt, and molten hot stores of fire magic at his disposal. He's also undoubtedly taller, broader, and stronger than you.

The odds don't look good, but you know he can't walk free after this.

You don't have a choice.

"You could come quietly," you tell him.

Touya snorts. "Doesn't sound much like me."

Your hand is back at your knife pouch, and you watch Touya closely for any sign of his magic—you've seen it before, an instantaneous inferno of blue flame impossible to escape at close range. Your best chance is to back away to safer distance and try to pin him with your daggers.

You will have to be fast.

But Touya is faster.

Quick as a viper, he strikes first. Blue flames rage into existence just past your shoulder blade, a line of fire shooting along the side of the room. It's so hot it feels you can feel the burn of it through your shirt, though it hasn't touched you yet.

You yank your dagger from your belt, lunging for Touya's ribs. Fire blazes to life in his fingers, roaring out in a hungry wave, and you're forced to stumble back to dodge it.

Blindly, you fling your dagger towards his shoulder, but Touya lunges through the flames feet away, and you hear the metallic clatter of your knife on the ground.

More fire pours from Touya's hands, lashing around the room in a sapphire wave. It feels like all the oxygen has been sucked from the room, the air thick and burning in your throat. The air shimmers with the heat, and your eyes water.

Too late, you realize Touya's burned a circle around you, cutting off any route of escape. You grasp your remaining dagger, warily eyeing the growing blaze.

Touya steps through his own flames just in front of you, grinning. He's always liked a fight, has always come out of them invigorated—and even this measly matchup has clearly pleased him.

"Touya, please, I'll ask you again to come quietly," you say, though you know very well your odds of besting him have just plunged to zero. You can't get a safe distance away, now—he could light you up in an instant.

But he doesn't make a move to. Instead, he looks thoughtful, those burning blue eyes flickering over you. "It sounds even better in your mouth," he says.

For a wild moment, you wonder what he's on about. But then you realize you've said it out loud—his birth name, where before he was only ever Dabi to you. The tips of your ears burn, independent of the fire blazing around you.

"But I won't be coming with you, sweetheart," Touya continues, stepping even closer. "No, even better. You'll be coming with me."

You swipe out at him as he comes within range, but his hand snaps out to catch your wrist, twisting expertly until you've dropped your knife. You grunt in pain.

"Let go," you gasp, kicking out at him. He easily wrangles you closer, until you're pressed against him with your arms twisted behind your back.

He's inhumanly warm, and this close he smells like ashes and smoke, with that rich, dark undercurrent like cinnamon you've always associated with him. You tell yourself you don't like it as much as you thought.

But Touya just grins, pressing his mouth to your ear, much closer than he needs to to deliver his pronouncement.

"Not ever," he says, low and raspy, before huffing a laugh. He bites the shell of your ear, a sudden flash of sharp teeth. Despite yourself, a shiver wracks your body. Touya shifts you, angling you closer against him.

"Now hold still, sweetheart," he says.

Before you can beg him not to do it, in a sudden flare of pain at the base of your skull, the world goes dim.

[genlirema]

Do Silver the hedgehog!!

How I feel about this character

Underrated as hell round II: Sonic Boogaloo

I think compared to Eusine the wasted potential is greater here, for while Eusine got a bittersweet yet satisfying conclusion to his story, Silver...never really did? Silver symbolizes a hope for the future, no matter how distant or scary it may seem, yet his story and reputation had to be tarnished by a rushed and convoluted story c':

I mean tbf, I can see why his character could get overshadowed by a bunch of other optimistic characters like Tails or the main man Sonic himself, but...do you know how many crises could've been avoided if Silver was just...there??? Like...he had the potential to be the clairvoyant of the future like Morty, and they just...forgot??? About him??? (although tbf I can also see the problem with Silver being the clairvoyant as well and just spoiling everything for everyone, it really depends on the writing too. Also I say "clairvoyant" but I can't find a better term for "character from the future who already saw what happened and can travel through time to warn others" so c':)

The trio with Sonic, Shadow, and Silver was perfect! The symbol of Present, Past, and Future, respectively! I know Silver's character isn't that much different than Sonic, but he still had a unique background and motivations, dammit, you could still work around to make his character stand out (I mean they tried in Forces...I think c':). Compared to the other two, he seems more laid back, and his powers were unique enough to have him stand out too. Why did they let such great potential go to waste ;-;

All the people I ship romantically with this character

honestly it's not my otp but I will admit Blaze x Silver is kinda cute. I can also see him with Infinite for some reason...before they botched his character in the games and gave him the edgy mask ofc c':

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Blaze

Sage

Tails ig

Cream why not

Knuckles?

He can be the fun little crossover buddy too I'd like to see him with the FUN Gang from Deltarune or Jasper from Steven Universe before they botched her character-this is gonna be a running gag isn't it c':

My unpopular opinion about this character

SONIC GENERATIONS X SILVER, SEGA. THAT'S YOUR NEXT MOVE. IF YOU CAN REMAKE THE GAME WITH SHADOW, YOU CAN DO IT WITH SILVER. PLEASE.

(Also I know he won't make it in the movies and I honestly don't mind/care about it, just...one more game with him as the deuteragonist, please. That's all I ask ;~;)

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon...

...Besides everything I've said above? c':

I mean idk if I explained it well in the beginning of this post but considering his debut game was apparently just a big time paradox, that makes him a walking time paradox as well. If you play your cards right with the writing, he could be like the Absol of Pokemon (or the Paradox Pokemon themselves if that makes any more sense), where his presence could signal a bad omen of what's to come, yet he could still assist Sonic in the fight for a better tomorrow. I don't know if I made this up or this was a real thing in one of the side games, but I think at one point they did change his backstory so that he was just...from the future, in general? Which could open a lot of story potential, if you think about it. A character who's actually seen it all, yet still defies the odds with a smile...that's what Silver was meant to be, I think.

[winreyplace]

Intro: James "Howlett" Howlett

My Name: James Howlett, go by Howlett since coming to Winrey Place My Personality: I’m down-to-earth, laid-back, and always open to yakking. Deep within me lies a primal nature that gives me a wild streak, but it’s always tempered with gentleness. With age comes wisdom, and being older than dirt means I am the perfect person to turn to for practical advice. There is no story too scandalous or shocking for my seasoned ears; I’ve seen and heard it all. My Birthday: I’ve been around since 1832 born on 4/20; blaze it! Species/Cultural Identity: I’m a mutant My Gender Orientation: Cis man, but with a little sprinkle sprinkle if you get my meaning; he/him My Sexuality: I like guys, gals, and other pals: I’m Bisexual, though after this many years alive I’ve landed on the asexual spectrum too My Disabilities/Conditions: Well, I’ve got superhuman healing, senses, and strength as well as an adamantium skeleton and retractable claws; sometimes they’re cool, other times not so much. I’m also autistic, have PTSDxinfinity, and a brain made of Swiss cheese. Physical Description: I'm a bit of a short stack at 5'3", and I got these warm blue peepers that'll make ya feel right at home. My hair's dark brown and thick as a bear's coat, cut short cuz who's got time for styling, am I right? My skin's a nice, natural tone, like I've been out and about but not baking in the sun or anything. For my build, picture a barrel with arms and legs and you're on the right track. Let's just say I'm not worried about staying warm in the winter, cuz I've got more hair than your average throw rug. My sideburns aren't just facial hair—they're a statement. So yeah, that's me in a nutshell: compact, cuddly, rugged as the mountains and twice as handsome. My Relationships: My life partner is Logan, but I also consider Tasha, Meyleth, Butler, and Sean my QPPs. I get passionate with Diana and Pope and am down to be a BDSM play partner/mentor for anyone in the family. Lav and Mel are my daughters and I love ‘em both. My Hobbies/Interests: History, reading a lot, wrestling, kink (particularly masochism), games of skill and strategy, forest animals, and a good beer. My Canon Backstory:

Eh, a little bit of the Hugh Jackman Wolverine movies, a little bit of the Marvel comics, a little bit of the shows, and a little bit out of my own Swiss cheese munbond brain. Honestly all the key highlights are; I was born Canadian and a bastard (both senses of the word); I fought in wars; I did work as an X-men and in the academy plus a few other groups; I had many lovers of all genders; I lived ferally a few times in the woods; I traveled all over the world; all that is until Mel stumbled into the academy and offered me something new.

My Bond Backstory: Not too much to tell; she randomly showed up in the academy one day as an empath kid, probably in one of her immersive daydream paracosms, and we made some kinda connection. I think for her it was around March 2017, right after she was enjoying some of Jackman’s movies? We had some bumps at the start of our soulbond because I was a grumpy grump, a loner, and chronically underfed, but after getting a good few talkings to by the Prof and Logan, Mel’s dad, I got the idea that if I passed on this opportunity, I’d be the biggest dumbass in the universe. So I quit my job at the academy and moved into the Larramore universe at Winrey Place to make it easier to be there for the girls [both Mel and Lav]. For a while, I worked as a co-worker to Logan, which turned into a friendship, then brother-at-arms, and the final evolution is the loving partnership we have to do this day. Coming here was the best decision I ever made.

[cookinguptales]

I promised I'd update on the efficacy of blazing that post once it was done and I... think it's done. So here's some thoughts on the experience. Put under a cut for length, but maybe some of you will find it interesting, especially if you're interested in trying to market your own art.

Now that the blazing is done, it's a little difficult to see how much good it did. I actually got more impressions than they promised, so I can't say that they didn't hold up their end of the deal. And I certainly got more attention on the post than I did just by putting it in the tags or posting it on my own blog.

I got 45 likes on the post, as opposed to the 1-2 I often get when I just post things to the sideblog. Five reblogs from strangers. It seems like Tumblr would release it in little bursts, so I'd see nothing for like 6 hours and then I'd get like 10-15 notifications all at once. That made it really difficult to tell whether all of those likes were people who'd seen the blazed post or whether one or two people were reblogging it each time and that was driving the likes.

I'm apparently supposed to get a report about the campaign, but it's been 12+ hours and that's not here. It also still says the post is blazed when I look at it, so I'm not really sure what's going on there. The impressions aren't still going up so I don't think it's actually blazed, but maybe it just says that until the report is assembled and emailed to you.

I'm assuming that the report isn't automated? And that's why there's a delay. Which I suppose could be a good thing, if it means an actual person is looking at it.

I got quite a few hits on AO3, but I'm not sure it's many more than I would have been getting already. I've already been getting a surprising amount of momentum on AO3; I was already getting 100+ hits a week on the fic before I blazed the post. (Which is kind of shocking, compared to other original fiction I've posted on AO3, and I'm very pleased with it.)

I'm also not sure how many of the people who liked the post intended that as a bookmark so they could come back and read the story later, perhaps over the weekend. (Weekend readers happen a lot when you post long fic on AO3, and considering about 32k is up on AO3 now, I suppose that qualifies.) So it's hard to say whether the blazing gave the post (and project as a whole) actual legs or not.

While I'm happy to get 45 likes, especially if even a fraction of those people actually read the story, it's unclear whether that's actually going to translate into more readers going forward. Like blazing got a lot of likes but very few reblogs, and that could just be because people haven't had a chance to read the story yet, and it could be because people wanted to be supportive but don't actually want to read the story.

One thing that's true about fiction (and art in general, I guess) is that word of mouth is pretty imperative. The best book in the world simply will not move if people don't know about it. And advertising might get the project to more eyes, but one person telling their friends/followers about it would probably have a much further reach than paying for a few thousand impressions.

Look, I might be shitty at marketing myself, but I have actually worked with authors who are better at it lmao.

What I'm saying is, I think it's too soon (or too difficult) to tell whether doing this got me 45 new readers or 45 people who stopped scrolling enough to be like "yeah, I'll like that" or potentially many more readers than 45 if any of those people read it this weekend, enjoy it it, and tell people they enjoyed it.

I know that any creative on tumblr kind of pulls their hair out about the likes/reblogs thing if just because we're always mindful of how many people even know that we created something in the first place, but... idk, I have hope that this at least got a few more eyes on this project than it would have otherwise.

That said, actual money was involved here, so... ROI? Hmm. I mean, there might be a few more readers, which is what I really want. Monetarily, unless there's a big influx of subscribers or something this weekend, probably not. I did actually get two new Patreon subscribers over the last 24 hours (something I'm thrilled about, tbh) but I don't think either of them were from the campaign. One explicitly told me where they'd found me (bluesky) and one was anonymous but intimated that they'd been wanting to read this for a while and only now did so, which tells me that they were already aware of it prior to the campaign.

I'm not doing all this for the money, precisely, but money is a consideration when you're spending money to advertise a project. I love this story and I desperately want other people to love it, too, but I'm not made of money, either. I can't keep spending money on this if it's not making any, after a certain point. I'll just have to let it do its own thing.

So would I blaze this post again in the future? Hmm. Maybe. I'll wait a few days and see if this actually translates to people who read the story, keep reading the story, and maybe tell their friends about the story. I'm not opposed to funneling the money I get from Patreon back into a campaign once a month, if the campaign actually does anything.

Like, I'm not exactly making much from Patreon, but running a low-level blaze campaign with what I get isn't the worst thing in the world. Feels kind of like an easy-come, easy-go situation, financially. At least this hobby won't be costing me money, if you get me.

I unfortunately have to be pragmatic about my hobbies lmao. But at the same time, if I think about it like "well, I spend money to get thread for embroidery" I guess it's not a terrible expense for, again, a hobby. Just maybe not a lot and not often -- and only if advertising actually results in people reading it!

I guess you really only need to hit the right person at the right time once, though... On tumblr, if the right person reblogs something, you can go from two notes to two thousand notes in an hour. And if the right person talks you up on any social media site, that could lead to an explosion of new readers in a way that none of your own efforts ever could.

Trying to reach that one person kind of feels like trying to win the lottery, though. lmao. Like I said, I don't have the personality for marketing! I feel guilty and annoying when I talk myself up and gambling stresses me tf out. I do not have the hustler mentality. I just wanna write stories. haha.

This is long and meandering and I gotta go take a shower, so I'm gonna leave it here! But I'll update in a few days when I get my report and when people have had a few days to read!

[spidermanifested]

returning to the concept of greed playlists: im actually really proud of the one ive been working on. its not "done" yet, in the sense that i like to make my character playlists go in chronological order and theres still comparatively few songs representing the latter half of his arc, but what ive got so far is very solid in my humble imho. so. heres a big post with all the songs ive got in it so far, particularly relevant lyric excerpts, and explanations for how they fit into my Grand Vision

act i: greed the avaricious

softy by kiltro

there's a boy who stalks these halls, he never leaves and when he talks, he talks a lot always by mistake there's a man who runs the show you never see and where he walks, all our breathing stops, how he quiets things

i figured this was a good one to start off the playlist, it sets up the quiet unease of greeds existence. also starting with a song called "softy" on a playlist about the Ultimate Shield and building everything else on top of that is a move of genius i think

shadow's keeper by black rebel motorcycle club

what is the purpose if you feel so incomplete? what is the reason if it beats you to your knees? what do you keep? your eyes were wide but there's a world that keeps you blind a painted serpent turning water into wine seeking light

hes starting to acknowledge how unfulfilled he feels, and the shadow/light motifs are an extra treat considering he uses the metaphor himself. ive done my best to continue that theme throughout the playlist. especially fun if you take the "painted serpent turning water into wine" as the "world that keeps (him) blind" AND the thing "seeking light", aka father, and combine that with the later verse:

you're begging for the truth but now you've seen too much you're living in your head but never feel their touch and everything was buried by the deep blue sky help me to breathe 'cause I don't wanna see the light just tell me to breathe 'cause I don't wanna be denied

he doesnt want whatever grand plans father has in store, he wants a family that cares about him. truth mentioned also, as well, give it up for the truth

willard! by will wood

i've never understood what humans do and want it's quite confusing to me to try to connect never learned how I should feel, instincts somehow stunted just seem haunted by my stupid urge to protect

replace "humans" with homunculi and you have a whole song about how his chimeras are the only ones who really get him. "being haunted by (his) stupid urge to protect" is also such a greed line

hast thou considered the tetrapod by the mountain goats

and alone in my room i am the last of a lost civilization and i vanish into the dark and rise above my station

he, father and the other homunculi quite literally are the last of a lost civilization. also

held under these smothering waves by your strong and thick-veined hand but one of these days i'm gonna wriggle up on dry land

^these lines make me cry on their own already and when i place them in greedcontext it has an effect

what's a devil to do? by harley poe

oh, when the saints go marching in i won't be there, 'cause I love my sin am i so bad that you hate me? there was a time when i could see my hopes and dreams, they are no more i'm not a rich man, but blessed are the poor oh man, forgive me, i turned away i won't come back, so i'll have to pay

i dont think i have to expound on how this relates to greed very much do i. entire song about your inherently sinful nature making you unfit for your home

act ii: taking on the world

could have been me by the struts

don't wanna live as an untold story rather go out in a blaze of glory i can't hear you, i don't fear you i'll live now 'cause the bad die last dodging bullets with your broken past i can't hear you, i don't fear you now

the tiger! he destroyed his cage! the tiger is out!!!!

i by kendrick lamar

and i love myself (the world is a ghetto with big guns and picket signs) i love myself (but it can do what it want whenever it want, i don't mind) i love myself

hes seen how much pain society has in it at this point, but he still has no regrets about leaving home. for the first time in his life hes starting to fill the void in his soul

i want it all by queen

i'm a man with a one track mind so much to do in one lifetime (people do you hear me) not a man for compromise and where's and why's and living lies so i'm living it all, yes i'm living it all and i'm giving it all, and i'm giving it all

the first of several songs about Wanting Everything because you have to have songs about wanting everything in a greed playlist. but thats not the only reason this one fits, youve got the "not wanting to live a lie" part, as well as talking about giving instead of just taking

raise hell by dorothy

young blood, run like a river young blood, never get chained young blood, heaven need a sinner you can't raise hell with a saint young blood, came to start a riot don't care what your old man say young blood, heaven hate a sinner but we gonna raise hell anyway

hes way past young at this point but theres always room for a Fuck You Dad song

emperor's new clothes by panic! at the disco

welcome to the end of eras ice has melted back to life done my time and served my sentence dress me up and watch me die if it feels good, tastes good, it must be mine

this is maybe The classic greed song. everybody knows its about him. the only difference in opinion with the masses i really have is that even though emperor is in the title it really fits more as a pre-nest wild party era greed song than a greedling era song because at no point during the winter road trip does he get to engage in the songs brand of lavish hedonism. hes too busy being depressed

also its fun that it has the word decapitated in it. when, you know

the man by the killers

i know the score like the back of my hand them other boys, i don't give a damn they kiss on the ring, i carry the crown nothing can break, nothing can break me down

obligatory Toxic Masculinity Song. some of the lines about not taking advice dont really apply here because this is greed "looks to his minions for social advice in the middle of a kidnapping" the avaricious but he does have his weird chivalry thing and also a lot of baggage around his own vulnerability. i also think its funny to put in a song where he brags about his dick

thrift shop by macklemore

imma take your grandpa's style, imma take your grandpa's style no, for real, ask your grandpa, can i have his hand-me-downs?

unfortunately this is definitely a greed song.

mr. pinstripe suit by big bad voodoo daddy

now he strolls through the city like a big ol' alley cat with his pinstripe suit and a big bad voodoo hat i don't believe i ever saw him without a kitten on his hand and no one swings as hard to the big bad voodoo band

the time period doesnt quite line up but the Vibe is there. hes making a name and a reputation for himself and hes looking good doing it

busy earnin' by jungle

you think that all your time is used too busy earnin' you can't get enough

a more uncertain interlude. the melody doesnt falter but the lyrics ask if this is really what he wants out of life. after all, he has a long time, but he doesnt have forever.

everybody loves me by onerepublic

don't need my health got my name and got my wealth, i stare at the sun just for kicks all by myself, i lose track of time, so i might be past my prime, but i'm feelin' oh so good, yeah

this answers the question the previous song posed with a "psssh, ill think about it later"

i want it by viv and the revival

in the stores make it rain 'cause it's wet like a dream (a-wooo) cars, boats, big house, everything in between (a-wooo) i don't know i don't care i don't give but i can share, so i'll make you scream make you believe that you can have anything, anything!

another "i want everything" song that stands out by mentioning wanting someone else to have things too. still not really addressing the uncertainty yet in favor of continuing to fuck around

gimme! gimme! gimme! (a man after midnight) by abba

gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight won't somebody help me chase the shadows away? gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight take me through the darkness to the break of the day

well? give him a man after midnight

i'll rust with you by steam powered giraffe

i'll rust with you i'll rust with every one of you nostalgic nights have got me feelin' its all gone, gone, gone to rust

song about being immortal and watching all your relationships fade away before your eyes as the decades roll past? dont mind if i do

highwayman by the highwaymen

i was a highwayman along the coach roads i did ride with sword and pistol by my side many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade the bastards hung me in the spring of '25 but i am still alive

by this point hes been living among humans long enough to have racked up a considerable number of deaths. but hes still around. he'll always be around. Or Will He

act iii: coming together

red right hand by nick cave & the bad seeds

you don't have no money? he'll get you some you don't have no car? he'll get you one you don't have no self-respect, you feel like an insect well don't you worry buddy 'cause here he comes through the ghettos and the barrio and the bowery and the slum a shadow is cast wherever he stands stacks of green paper in his red right hand

the tone of the song is sinister. within the context of this playlist i am envisioning it as entirely literal. whats up with this weird guy and his red right hand. well he got me a new car so he cant be all that bad. he definitely casts a shadow wherever he stands but you know itd be kind of weird if he didnt

this marks the beginning of his quest to find lasting friends minions. clearly just bribing them wont really work

evil friends by portugal. the man

it's not because the light here is brighter and it's not that I'm evil i just don't like to pretend that i could ever be your friend

return of the light motif and the cataclysmic collision of greeds refusal to lie and his refusal to accept the most basic truth about himself. hes gotten to the point where hes able to recognize that who he is isnt a bad thing, but he still cant connect the dots and understand that he was lied to from the start about who he is at all. so he says shit like this with full confidence

let me bathe in demonic light by the mountain goats

someday the old flesh will give way to the new find a functioning mirror inside and slip right through and there, there i'll be and who, who's coming with me? to show me my one true face when i arrive at my preordained place

the light theme continues, and illustrates the fact that in starting to seek out immortality he's retreading the same ground as father-- making the same mistakes. the hunger, as the lyrics explain, runs "deep in the bloodline". just like father, he cant do it alone, and calls on others to join him, while the lyrics run in direct contrast to the past song by saying the word "friend" multiple times. this will continue

amy aka spent gladiator 1 by the mountain goats

i hide down in my corner because i like my corner i am happy where the vermin play

i might wind up relocating this somewhere else on the playlist at some point but right now the sound fits well in this part so. song about Coping, and not necessarily coping healthily or well. but hes surviving, with his little crimelord hobby

if i lead by kiltro

show me the ways that you talk and all of the places you walk if i lead would you follow? let me at the corners where the light don’t touch colors, figures sway love, they might lift you away from the street to what’s under and everything that scatters by the light of day

weve got light again folks! this ones (very plainly i should think) about recruiting the gang. he asks for their trust and brings them down into the underbelly of dublith.

modern jesus by portugal. the man

don't pray for us we don't need no modern jesus to roll with us the only rule we need is never giving up the only faith we have is faith in us

the Greed Crucifixion jokes are hilarious but this song i think fits very well as a refusal by the nest to treat him as anything but an equal, at least in terms of his being a homunculus. they dont want a god, they want a boss and an ally and a friend.

bourbon street by jeff tuohy

every night we throw this little soiree i'm gonna turn her head until she's mine, all mine every night I breed a new disaster might be right, might be wrong try to get away and i will bring you right along

another party song, this time with hints that being on his side isnt totally safe, and he might not be as in-control as he makes himself out to be. everyones having fun, though. for now!

guys on every corner by the mountain goats

with your tabloid stars and your unmarked cars with your special forces and your inside sources with your radar fields and your riot shields and heavy horses i'm coming to swat you down like flies 'cause i got guys

come at him, government. hes got guys.

act iv: the downfall

alligator teeth by mother falcon

i will turn my friends to gold for the treasury to hold them safely while they dream

a sudden shift in musical style to something way more... i dont quite know how to describe it but its soft at first and then turns frantic and its generally not the kind of music i would typically listen to for Fun but in the context of the events leading up to the raid i think the sound works to illustrate the confusion and fear. immortality, i think, was never just for greed. he wanted to protect his friends too. the lyrics start to repeat "i don't wanna ever dream", and then "'cause all it ever leads me to is bad things, bad things"-- this desire is exactly what gets them all killed.

king rat by modest mouse

we spun like birds on fire right down towards the residence, and i i took all that I desired, even crooks have to pay the rent we swam like rats on fire right, right down the reservoir we took all that we could carry, but we tried to carry more and you know, you know, you know it all went wrong

the musical panic continues into the next song, which describes a burglary gone sideways and perfectly captures the raid. greed tried to bite off more than he could chew and paid the price for it. plenty of the lyrics can be directly associated with the situation-- the "king rat" who "has (greed) on his list again", the "deep water" he's sinking in, the claim that he was "honest even when he cheated them". i dont think id be able to find a more fitting song for this part if i looked for a year

going to hell by the pretty reckless

father did you miss me don't ask me where i've been you know i know, yes, i've been told i redefine a sin i don't know what's driving me to put this in my head maybe i wish i could die, maybe i am dead and he said for the lives that i fake, i'm going to hell for the vows that i break, i'm going to hell

barring any better future options this song has provided the title for the whole playlist-- "redefine a sin". the in-context priest being called father really elevates this one, if the whole premise wasnt enough to begin with. a+ greedsong

heretic pride by the mountain goats

and i start laughing like a child and i mark their faces one by one transfiguration's going to come for me at last and i will burn hotter than the sun

maybe greeds emotional state is a little different from the narrator here, but overall this is a certified Song to Get Put in the Soup To

act v: rebirth

still feel. by half alive

floating in outer space, have i misplaced a part of my soul? lost in the in-between, or so it seems, i'm out of control floating in outer space, have i misplaced a part of my soul? lost in the in-between, but it can't keep me asleep for long 'cause i still feel alive

i can so vividly picture the animatic to this one. greeds little soulface flipping around in the stone. zooming in on fathers weird eyeball as he cries him out and puts him in different guys. the last verse being him coming to life again in lings body. why dont i have 7 million dollars

same man i was before by oingo boingo

i'm not the same boy I was before but I haven't changed my desires i've not extinguished the fires i haven't lost wide-eyed wonder i haven't lost, haven't lost, haven't lost that stupid fear of thunder

AND everyone keeps telling him everything he does is wrong. cut that out

ドーナツホール ft. GUMI by hachi

いつからこんなに大きな | When was it that I got these memories, 思い出せない記憶があったか | These big ones I can't remember? どうにも憶えてないのを | Out of what I just can't recall, ひとつ確かに憶えてるんだな | There's one thing I remember pretty well もう一回何回やったって | Try one more time, a hundred times, 思い出すのはその顔だ | All I remember is your face それでもあなたがなんだか | And yet you yourself, I'm not sure why, 思い出せないままでいるんだな | But I still can't remember you…

this is the bido song. look up the rest of the lyrics its about bido. i searched bido on japanese twitter one time and saw somebody else saying this song reminded them of greed and bido. its about greed and bido

act vi: memories returned

stronger by the score

set me on fire set me on, set me on fire (whoa, whoa-oh) i'm still alive i'm still a- i'm still alive (whoa) bet you didn't think that i'd come back to life

every single line fits him perfectly. youve all seen @humming-fly's animation right you dont need me to explain. if you havent what are you doing

long way down by black rebel motorcycle club

don't you cry to yourself just to feel like someone who's hit bottom? but you can't run away 'cause the hole that remains will follow don't you care just enough? don't you feel your heart stop? but you can't know what you want

after the emotional high of 'stronger', representing the anger overtaking him as he goes to attack bradley, 'long way down' takes us, well, Down. hes is so fucking sad. but he cant know what he wants! now more than ever! because to admit it would mean admitting he lost it!!!

clean slate by the mountain goats

rest until you're rested, climb back onto the caravan remember at your peril, forget the ones you can and then just when you think you've learned how to forget you learn it's just the ones who haven't risen to the surface yet

this is The Roadtrip Song. hes sorting through his memories and struggling the entire time. i owe john "the mountain" goats my life for continuing to make ten million songs about extremely specific situations. ideally id have so many more songs in this category but until i find more this is it for the time being

act vii: final sacrifice

human heart by thao

god damn your crooked mouth and lean your fear is a bullet in the wing is it so brave? tell me, is it so brave? the private posture of the self homemade

with this, we skip ahead to the final fight and the moment when he decides to sacrifice himself. shout out to whoever transcribed "eat and won't you be hungry" as "ethan won't you be hungry" on the spotify lyrics for this one, i dont know who ethan is but i hope he has a good lunch. what was i talking about. oh right

children play with fire by mischief brew

children lead us to the lake of fire (fire!) children lead us to the lake of fire (fire!) and as we drive down into the flames maybe I'll let you hold the reins

change da world... his final message. goodb ye

epilogue

just one more by mad caddies

no necesito la vida rica (i don't need the rich life) estoy contento contigo (i'm happy with you) 'cause in the end we all go the same place, yeah so i'll be happy with what i know

like the title says: just one more. because whatever form it takes, he IS partying it up in that shitty bar in the sky. and all his friends are there too.

like i said i would very much prefer to have more songs in the latter parts so if anybody has recommendations. please rant at me about the songs you associate with greed. and if i can fit them in i will. this post took me all day to make i have got to get some follower interaction out of it

[travelingarden]

No matter how far I go, I always return to a central feature of my personal garden; writing.

I had the opportunity to visit Vancouver, B.C. for the first time a few weeks back.

It was a work trip, so I was tempted to shut myself in my hotel room other than the daily obligations, but I was pulled out into the world with the rumor of a beautiful park just a few miles away.

Stanley Park offered a much-needed reprieve from worker/performance mode. I was most excited to visit with the rhododendron garden the map promised I'd find within the park. The flower garden was more than I could have dreamed. A vibrantly multi-colored patch singing in shades of pink, white, purple, fuchsia, and red, with green leaves all lush and bushy, some were as tall as trees.

I've been missing the annual bloom of azalea and other rhododendron kin, since moving to southern Arizona in 2023.

I grew up along side them and they are some of the first flowers I remember being fascinated and inspired by. Many heart-blazing writing sessions went down on their whimsical watch.

Standing among them, I felt an overwhelming sense of creative power building all around me. Rhododendron reminds us how crucial uniqueness is to nature and the world. The kind of shining that comes naturally doesn't take study, or striving, or masking, although I am certain that every year the flowers try to give their best face. These brilliantly colored and theatrically made flowers are natural performers. They didn't have to try to stop anyone in their tracks with their gorgeous dresses and fairy-like forms, it simply is that way.

For a few years now, I've been caught in the vines of striving, studying, perfecting. I'm grateful for all I've learned, the teachers, and the community I've gained.

I'm also ready to cut loose from the twisting branches and claim my beingness. Although I'm still a novice gardener, when it comes to the little piece of soil I've cultivated inside myself, I feel the steady fertile ness that comes from walking and working the landscape.

I know enough to know now, that everything I needed, was literally already here, covered in dirt, tucked away behind thick groves of trees.

I thought I needed to become something different to be of service in this world. I considered all the many ways I could train and change to be what was useful and yet I neglected the sacred wisdom of the rhodedendron in this way of thinking.

There is usefulness in everything, even beauty for the sake of pure wonder and inspiration is useful.

That is how it feels for me to write. There is no end goal, although I have many dreams and intentions. There is no why other than the simple pleasure of creating.

Fiction writing is a key aspect of my heart's way of creating. It is something I have done for my entire life and after years of searching for purpose, for specialness, for how to best be in service, I've surrendered to what I know to be true.

My heart's desire is to write stories.

And So it is. The gardening continues as it has, one season to the next, with new blooms, some failures, prayers for abundant rain, and a hope to be present for the sunny days.

[badnikbreaker]

i've talked before about how something that i want to do with my amy is her eventually figuring out how to summon objects beside her hammer / wish other objects into existence. i've also wanted to chat about amy's moveset in frontiers! AND how i wanna put all their talents together in one place. so i'm gonna do ALL THAT and chat about amy's abilities in and out of battle below ye ol' cut.

firstly, to address stuff that's not here — amy can't heal herself, nor can she turn invisible. i translate these abilities as her being a talented medic and better at sneaking than you'd expect, but she lacks those powers in and of themselves*. i want to keep amy's abilities focused and sensible and congruent to her character, versus just being slapped on because sonic team wasn't sure what to do with her. i love when other amys have these abilities! mine, however, does not.

there's obviously the super strength — i've been wishy washy on how their strength compares to characters like knuckles and et cetera, but broadly speaking i think they and knuckles are about evenly matched when it comes to raw strength, though the way he uses his is different than the way they use theirs. when they arm wrestle, amy wins about 50% of them, knuckles wins the others. ( knuckles is far more skilled in hand - to - hand combat, however, so amy still considers him the 'strength' type between the two of them. not that it's dimmed their rivalry at all. ) amy has worked insanely hard to get to that point and works out regularly — they hated feeling like the tagalong kid when they were little, and since they couldn't run the way sonic can or fly like tails or knuckles, they opted for strength.

i've talked before about how amy doesn't have 'powers' the way the others do — no natural flight like tails or speed like sonic or the ability to wield fire like blaze — and the insecurity that often inspires in them. it's part of why they work so hard to be strong! but lacking a power's not strictly true. on the one hand, they have access to 'hammerspace,' which is a technically nonexistent 'place' where amy's hammer is 'stored.' it's hard to describe, but amy can feel it and is aware of it at all times, and losing access to it would feel a bit like losing a limb. i talk a bit more about how her hammer(s) work(s) here, so i won't get into the nitty gritty. but just having access to hammerspace is its own power!

their bigger Power, though, is easier to ignore. amy's original hammer isn't something they built or found or were given — it's something they quite literally wished into existence! it could be said that amy's power isn't just the ability to wield the hammer at all, but to create things just via willing them. amy rarely thinks of this as a power she has, as she's yet to wish anything else into existence. most people she knows just assume the piko piko hammer is a normal, if very big, hammer.

an aside, but the things amy can store in hammerspace are generally limited to things she's wished into existence — though if she has a strong emotional connection with an object she can sometimes turn it wish - like through great exertion of will, enabling her to store it in hammerspace. an example is the cards she uses to fight on starfall islands — or, from past threads, a tails once gifted her an augmented piko piko hammer he'd built, which she eventually became able to store in hammerspace as well. still, they can't, like, keep rocks in there.

obviously the ability to Create Objects Merely By Wishing They Existed is insanely powerful and extremely difficult. this is why she's never created anything else; she isn't sure how she created the hammer in the first place, just that there was a moment when she needed a weapon badly and needed to to be strong, and it was there — and that creating it gave her a hell of a nosebleed and wiped her out so hard she couldn't move at all for a few hours post - fight and had to rest for several long days after. amy wants to learn how to summon other things, particularly shields or armor, but despite her hard work it just hasn't happened. reality is like...a wall, or a weight overtop of her. she can feel it, and it's difficult to overcome, to break it long enough to make something new. she's injured herself pushing too hard in her attempts, though few know that. she can summon copies of her hammer without much difficulty, at least up until a certain number, and so has been focusing on that as a training tool, figuring that if she can build up enough stamina to summon additional hammers it'll increase her ability to do other things as well.

their moveset in frontiers actually stems at least in part from their training with hammerspace! she's managed, through great effort, to turn her deck wish-like, enabling her to store it in hammerspace and use it to fight. while she initially just tested storing the card for the sake of pushing her limits, amy quickly realized that the cards are a faster alternative to her hammer and started using them in combat training. starfall island was the first opportunity amy had to use them against real enemies, and she was pleased with the efficiency. the piko piko hammer will always be her go - to, but she's excited to add another tool to the arsenal. her current primary goal, however, is still learning how to create new objects. she'll get there, but maybe not until there's no other choice. ( i have a drabble about it! )

her cards have a more mundane use, of course — they can be helpful in predicting future events, guiding her actions, or clearing up mysteries. amy uses the cards more rarely these days, but is always happy to do a reading for friends. because tarot is so subjective, she's hesitant to do readings for herself due to a tendency to just see what she wants to see ( or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, to confirm her worst fears or insecurities ).

she does possess an actual sixth sense, particularly regarding those she loves. with sonic and cream particularly, she can often sense when they're nearby or know it's them before she opens a door or call her. she also has a knack of finding things, particular people, and can 'sense' where people may be hiding. she can also often sense others' intentions ( for example, she might have an inkling someone she's talking to is lying to her, even if there's no outward reason to suspect that ) though she prefers to assume the best of everyone and may ignore negative intuition accordingly. this has obvious applications in battle.

an incredible leader; amy has both the big heart to understand others and make them want to follow them, and the tactical acumen required to make good calls. due to a boatload of trauma related to leading or co - leading things worsening their existing self - esteem issues, though, they tend to avoid leadership roles when possible.

aside from all this, there's obviously the bonkers level endurance, agility, stamina and speed required to be somebody who adventures with sonic on a regular basis!

as for skills less immediately useful in battle —

she's a talented artist; she put more time into it when she was a kid, but she still sketches now and again, and has a real interest in sequential art! after stepping down from leading the restoration, one of the hobbies she's trying to revive is drawing — and drawing manga, specifically. they think it might be fun to publish some children's comics particularly. no, they have not drawn themself and sonic kissing. they've tried but they get too embarassed to finish. this hobby has also proved useful as a coping mechanism — vent art, basically, or drawing bad dreams as a way to process them. her sketchbook is funny because it's got the cutest thing you've ever seen next to The Horrors.

they're also an extremely skilled extreme gear rider! honestly, if they devoted themself to it properly she could easily be one of the top performers. it's not a priority, though; just something to do for fun sometimes!

we'd be remiss not to mention her ability to redeem damn near close to everybody, though that's harder to quantify. still, amy's good nature is so obvious and their faith in others so extensive that they really can get through to people others couldn't dream of saving. and she wants to save everyone. their ability to empathize is just as powerful as their hammer. related, but they are taking online classes to get a degree in counseling. it's slow going for obvious reasons, and they're only taking a few hours per semester, but they're enjoying it. "why are you doing that, amy?" you ask. "it seemed fun," they answer, proving that they are a fucking weirdo.

great cook and baker, and a talented teacher in these subjects as well! loves feeding others, and has made or bought personalized bentos for all their friends.

*some of these abilities are movies amy could conceivably gain in super form, though my amy has not ever gone super so she isn't entirely sure.

[nathan-kakehashi-blog]

Kakehashi 2022 - Day 1

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The trip began in earnest the morning after my arrival, naturally. (This was one of the busiest days, so here's yet another huge post lol.)

We had a VERY busy itinerary for the whole trip, planned down to the minute. I was pretty nervous still at this point, considering that it was my first time in Japan, as well as my first time travelling abroad without my family; but I was well-prepared and in good company for the trip.

Breakfast in the hotel was far better than what you'd find in an American hotel. It was a buffet of a wide variety of foods, ranging from typical western fare to all sorts of Japanese staples, in a very clean and well-lit restaurant. Surprisingly, the french toast was my favorite of the things I tried there, followed by the coffee. After having tried a wide variety of common coffees in Japan on this trip, I can safely say that they tend to be considerably less bitter and are smoother going down than coffees found in the US. (Not to say that you can't find that kind, though.)

As one final tangent before moving on, I also wanted to mention the washlets (bidets) in Japan. There isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said elsewhere about these, but I was thoroughly surprised by how prevalent they are. Out of the many bathrooms I visited during the trip, only a small handful of them didn't have a washlet at all. Even out in the countryside! I will miss the nice, clean restrooms of Japan dearly. I had some reverse culture shock on my way back home after the trip due to this, lol.

Our first stop for the day was the National Diet Building. We got to take a tour of the interior of the building. (Though just the central building and the south wing, the House of Representatives portion.) If I understood what I was overhearing as we were going through security right, this tour is a part of the standard curriculum for all Japanese schools. A few groups of elementary/middle schoolers from distant prefectures were on the tour ahead of us, cute yellow/red hats and all. I quite like this style of architecture, with all the nice reliefs and detailed wood carvings. It reminds me a lot of buildings in Washington D.C., having gone there once before.

A few highlights, including the House of Representatives:

Before lunch, we stopped by the park outside the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, mainly to see Nijubashi (lit. "double bridge"), one of a famous pair of bridges over the moats at the palace. Before it was replaced by the iron bridge present today, it was a wooden bridge that was built over a smaller bridge, hence the name. I also found it interesting how such a big park could be in the dead center of such a huge cluster of cities like this.

Nijubashi and the park near the Palace:

After finishing lunch, we went to see Meiji Jingu, a very famous shrine complex next to Yoyogi park. The fall colors around the shrine were utterly gorgeous; my camera doesn't do them justice. Vivid greens blending into blazing oranges. Pure crimson maples. Majestic, golden yellow ginkgo trees. I admit, I've always had a soft spot for autumn scenery. I also have to mention the crows. All throughout the park and the nearby areas of the city, there are crows everywhere, cawing away. I hardly ever see any back home, so I found that particularly neat.

The shrine gate, the autumn colors, and a crow:

On the way out of the shrine, I heard the deep, rhythmic bass of some drums in the distance. I didn't investigate since we were already walking away, but apparently one in our group got split up by following the sound, as if he had been summoned. We made plenty of jokes about him being spirited away or him being like a lost child.

What came next, I was not expecting at all. They set us loose in Harajuku for two full hours! (Specifically, right at Takeshita Street/竹下通り.) One of my only regrets of this trip was not having researched the area ahead of time, since I didn't have any idea they were planning this. For those unaware, Harajuku is known as a center for young teenage girl's fashion and the like. Not far from there is Omotesando, which is packed with all sorts of high-end international stores, like Gucci and Armani for example. Definitely not things I particularly like or can afford.

The bustling Takeshita Street and "fashion":

For whatever reason, I could not for the life of me find a decent-looking bookstore in the area around Harajuku proper, so me and my friend that I was wandering with quickly decided to try broadening our search to the direction of Shibuya. We didn't just take the train down a couple of stations since we were under the impression that we weren't allowed to, but in hindsight, we were literally right next to Harajuku station… We should have just taken it anyways lol. This was the first time I would properly experience the crowds in Tokyo, and I wasn't fully prepared for it. Fortunately, I do have some skills with moving in a crowd, but I did get a little jangled by just how many people were around and how loud it was.

As a sidenote, both cars and people in Japan flow in the opposite direction as the US. Instead of hanging on the right side, things flow on the leftmost-side first. Interestingly, this also includes pedestrian flows, even if it isn't always a literal rule. It took some getting used to at first, but now I'm having a hard time unlearning it, since I don't often walk in crowds here in the States. I may or may not have bumped into a couple people in Atlanta before realizing I needed to be on the right side again lol.

We were just a bit past Omotesando when we spotted an intriguing store that claimed to sell manga on the upper floor; as the both of us were big fans of manga (and active members of our Japanese reading club!), we decided to alter our heading to check it out. The store was running a temporary exhibit of studio MAPPA's recent hit anime "Chainsaw Man", which had a wall full of design artwork and behind-the-scenes work from the anime; not to mention the life-size statue of one of the lead characters (pic below). My friend quickly spent all of the money he brought with him for the trip(!) on a huge stack of volumes from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and I decided to buy the set of SPYxFAMILY, since another friend of mine had been translating it as his project for the Japanese translation class at the UofM, and I found it pretty good then. I had run the numbers, and if I had bought that same set here in the US and had it shipped, it would have cost me nearly triple the price!

My manga haul, the obligatory Jojo meme page, and the statue:

But as a surprise to us both, we ran into another one of us on the street shortly after we started heading back! He was heading to some back-alley store nearby. He is a huge fan of Chainsaw Man, so before going to that alley, we brought him to the store we found earlier.

Our search for the hidden, ambiguously-named "Gamers" took us past the one and only sketchy part of Japan I would see on the trip; an odd tattoo parlor with a bunch of shiny motorcycles parked beside it, and a pair of suspicious-looking individuals hanging around. Totally not a Yakuza-run establishment, right? Regardless, we would come to find that this store was not at all what we thought it would be. Instead of some kind of video-game store, it was a store crammed to the ceiling with Idol merch, gravure magazines, and Love Live posters. My own personal definition of hell. We quickly fled, slightly redder in the face, and started the trek back to Harajuku station.

The cursed store:

It was getting close to the departure time as we got back to the station, and right as we got there I spotted something by chance. This whole time, there was a cat café directly next to the station! And I didn’t see it in time to go! Argh! I'm still mad about that, since my apartment doesn't allow pets and it had been months since I had last gotten to pet one. And while we were waiting to leave, for whatever reason some group started filming Idol-style dances dressed in very seasonally-inappropriate (chilly!) sailor outfits near us. I found it moderately hilarious, though I tried not to show it visibly lol.

By the time we made it back to the hotel, I was thoroughly exhausted. Some of us were going out again to meet a few current study-abroad students from the UofM, but I didn't have the energy to go out, opting just to say hello to one of them near the lobby. This would be a theme for the next few nights, haha. They really didn't go easy on us, as far as the itinerary for each day goes.

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[dixiewishes]

12/11/2024

oh, dear, I've fallen behind. Again. Not shocking when you consider the circumstances. I can't recall where we left off. I need to remember to use this as a diary and not a novel. Things don't need to make sense to an outside reader. So the play has been amazing. Abrupt subject change, but I'm the author. Reclamation or whatever. I love my castmates, even if there's 300 of them. We went to Applebees on Saturday and it was an actual riot. A crew of 20 theater nerds roll up at 9pm to an applebees. I was with leah, julie, and... shit. I forgot. Ellie maybe? These tiny beings ordered one (1) appetizer plate to split. My fatass creamed that and a macaroni and tendies bowl. I laughed until I wept. I remember at Farrier Fun Day in the hottub, someone said one day I will find my tribe. I really felt like I have. The girls were funny, attentive, active listeners. I felt understood. I felt... loved. It was an experience. We also decided to write a play called COUNTY BUSINESS where it's us going into progressively more unhinged scenarios in the name of the great county. Ahh, we also bullied me for having the most epic line blunder. "He was as good a friend, as good a employer, as good a man, or any other man, and men, in the good ol world." Fucking iconic. I had a really insightful conversation with ry dearest. What we're looking to get, what we mean to each other, what we hope will happen. He was vulnerable and open and honest and beautiful and I'm thankful we had that moment together. I'd like to drop in for new years but he might be too cooked. We had a mini date where we watched caseoh granny together. I think I like him. He said he was going to visit daddyslaw's gf in washington. I freaked the absolute fuck out to the point I was shaking on stage. Like... he can do what he wants? You know you just set off 36 blazing alarms in his pretty head? He handled it really, really well and reassured it's not a set thing, she has a live in fiance, he just loves silly me. I'm shocked he covered so well and was so patient. Maybe he is actually a nice guy? I gave him a dump about why I'm like that, but I also get his ptsd slaps too. I have to do better. I'm disgusted that I got that upset over a guy just... visiting his pals? wtf cheyenne? I'm going to nuke this before we have a chance to see what happens. I know he absolutely hates that, but anxiety is a bitch. I'm mad that I'm jealous over his rp partners when I don't even rp. I need to stalk and control him and it is so disgusting. I need his attention and validation all the time. I'm doing exactly what someone else did and broke apart a marriage. We all become what we're running from, I guess. I apologized and thanked him for being good, but I need to get a fucking grip. Shit, so much more to cover... So after all this, Sunday we went to the taco dealer, another group of 20 theater nerds. I was with Stuart, Tara, Diann.... and I think I'm missing some. Oh, Pam. Stuart shared a deeply personal tale of his gender identity. How he felt slewicidal, and he may have acted on it after losing his job. But his identity of Sabrina helped him cope. It was a really moving talk about finding yourself and your identity, and it's never too late. He shared a lot of pictures and ngl im mad that his makeup and styling is better than mine. gg sabrina get it bestie. i wanted to cry and hug him at the end. id like to try new things and all that but.... yeah me and fren had a painting night last night. i made a very Phat gnome. i love him. nobody else had a jumbo gnome. again, good food, laugh until i cry. good times baby. im also super into crochet now so thats cool "yup. i think we're done here."

[honorhearted]

Despite not having an education in medicine, Benjamin hovered over Dr. Weston's every move. He kept interjecting -- "Should that truly go there? Perhaps you should stifle the blood first?" -- before ultimately, the older man threatened to throw him out on his arse.

In an act of compassion, August intervened. "Give him space, he's the doctor. She'll be fine. He'll fix this."

"I know," Benjamin agreed, though it was clear by his tone that he did not. Continuing to pace, his boots practically burned a blazing trail through the grass. With a hand over his mouth, he only faltered again when August corralled him outdoors for a bit of space. It was just as well; he could scarcely stand to look at Emma, let alone be so near... Not when it was his fault she was on that operating table in the first place.

"It's all my fault," Benjamin whispered. Throat dry, he raked a hand through his hair. "She...she only went there because I requested it. Or rather, I told her I suspected Sutherland wasn't telling the truth, so she offered to accompany Sackett. If she hadn't gone..." Perhaps Sackett would be dead. He exhaled, shaken. "I don't know what to do for her."

"She's been through worse," August reassured him. "This is nothing to her. I've seen her running weeks after being told she may spend months in bed."

Benjamin offered a threadbare smile. "Yes, she's told me all about her exploits. Believe me: she was quick to throw out every incident she's ever endured, if only to prove herself worthy of serving. She has a soldier's heart." If only I'd had the courage to say that to her face...

August frowned. "That's the price people pay if they care for her," he said. "She'll make your life feel like an endless summer, be the most loyal, kind, happy of friends. But you'll also get this. You'll get the blood, you get her saving everyone but herself. You'll get her... trying to do everything alone, hardly ever asking for help."

Unbidden, Benjamin's eyes welled up with tears and he was quick to look away, hiding the pain glistening within his distant gaze. "They say it's better to have loved than lost," he softly agreed, "but why does she do it? As much as Emma claims she wants to soothe, to help, why is it that she doesn't consider the pain she's putting us through? Doesn't she know the people who love her are getting hurt with her reckless, senseless ambition?"

Trailing off, Benjamin jerked, startled by his own passions. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I am not angry with her -- not truly. I, myself, am much the same way...I don't think of the consequences until after, because in the moment, it feels like the right thing to do. I've been told I often expect too much of people. I suppose I'm doing the same here...even when she's fighting for her life." He swallowed, his throat bobbing reflexively.

August remained levelheaded. "And one of these days we'll go back home and it will be exactly the same, because she chooses to do this. She never stopped anywhere longer than a couple of months because there are just too many people to save. Until she met you."

Benjamin looked up at that, visibly startled. "Me? But...it surely can't be as simple as all that," he said, hating the sickening burst of hope that fluttered within his chest. "Emma's quite fond of everyone here. She loves Caleb, and Mr. Sackett, and Mary, and the doxies...everyone, because that's the type of person she is." He shrugged, refusing to entertain the pipe dream within his heart. "Perhaps she just sees this cause as more worthy than past battles."

Ben's lovely face could have been a happy last sight. It wasn't the most optimistic thought, but the pain was fading - was that good? bad? - and she could only think that she needed to reach him and tell him it was going to be alright, that he didn't have to look quite so desperate, that she wanted to think of him as the same happy, carefree Ben she had been seeing at night. No, that was gone too, wasn't it?

She blinked, but knew instinctively that she couldn't speak, any attempt would have been futile or made things worse. Instead, she put all of her strength into lifting the same hand that she had used to grab the gun, which now felt impossibly heavy. She choked out a gasp, taste of blood in her mouth and cold spreading through her, but her fingers found his arm. One squeeze. Two. The little gestures she did when trying to soothe his worries: about war, about friends, about the future. Now, about her.

She felt exhausted after that, and just as her hand dropped and she started feeling too sleepy to keep her eyes open, she heard more familiar voices and at least knew Ben would be taken care of. Her eyes closed.

"We need to get something so we can transport her without moving her body too much," August already knew the procedure, having seen Emma lay in a pool of blood too many times. James, who had left his post once he had realized she was in trouble, went to quickly help just as the doctor came in. August took pity on Ben, whom he had been able to only get to know a little before Emma had decided to do her usual dance with him, and even if his heart felt about to explode with fear for her, did what he knew Emma would want and put a hand on his arm to pull him back and let the doctor do his job. "Give him space, he's the doctor. She'll be fine," he assured Ben with a confidence that he didn't expect - that he hated, because he had gotten that used to Emma's near death experiences and knew some day he might be wrong, "He'll fix this."

No one wanted to leave Emma alone, even if they couldn't directly help the doctor, and they chose to wait outside. August hadn't even bothered to try to send James back to work so he wouldn't get punished, there was a limit to what he could do for Emma and knew the other man would never go, not with that look on his face. The only thing James said was that 'he knew he should have been there too. She had mentioned having a headache, not having slept well, he should have been there with her'. The doctor only came to tell them that the situation was dire, and there was nothing to do but wait longer. That was when James offered to go get some of her things, clothes she had left on top of the bed, things she may need later, and August had the distinct impression he was just trying to go cry in private. He didn't bother, taking a deep breath and running a hand over his burning eyes, still convinced she'd pull through this time. "She's been through worse," he told Ben without looking in his direction, "This is nothing to her. I've seen her running weeks after being told she may spend months in bed." But this time there was a problem: her heart had been hurt. And when Emma's heart was hurt, well, no one knew how much she'd fight to get better. He had seen that too. The man who was probably just as hurt was right there with him, and August knew he had to say something. "That's the price people pay if they care for her. She'll make your life feel like an endless summer, be the most loyal, kind, happy of friends. But you'll also get this. You'll get the blood, you get her saving everyone but herself. You'll get her... trying to do everything alone, hardly ever asking for help. I'm sure I don't know half of the most painful things she went through, and I've known her ever since she was born..." he shook his head, looking at the ground, "And one of these days we'll go back home and it will be exactly the same, because she chooses to do this. She never stopped anywhere longer than a couple of months because there are just too many people to save. Until she met you."

[rpsuperhighway]

Blog Updates 11/6/2023

Hey hey hey! Mun Blaze here! Sorry that I haven't really done much in the past few...while (part of it's due to other projects, specifically Halloween ones, part of it due to real life stuff.).

Due to the slight influx of new blogs that I've followed and/or are following me. I'd like to give a little heads-up for the status and plans for the blogs! I also updated the rules a bit. Under the read more, so this post isn't too long for those just scrolling

Blog updates

vxridis-quo: Still W.I.P. I'm not sure whether I want it to be a completely OC blog or have it be mostly OC with a few canons here and there (I still wanna have the Little Twin Stars as muses somewhere, maybe they might get their own blog?). Plus I currently have only two completed muses at the moment, and two planned but not drawn or ready.

infernal-thorns: Kinda active, and by that mean I still have FNF on the brain so I might try to start some threads soon...if my social anxiousness doesn't make me act unwise again...

worldofedd: Still W.I.P. Still gotta get icons for Tom, Tord, and Blaze. And create the promo, and create pretty much everything else for it 😅...

dropdeadgxrgeous: I'm gonna remove the canon muses from the blog and make it strictly an OC blog (on my side of course). TBH my interest in RP'ing the canon ghouls is practically nonexistent now and that's pretty much what's been holding me back.

goaskalxce: Still inactive. I'm considering moving Alice to the vxridis-quo blog, but we'll see.

strawberryflxwer: Currently inactive as of now. I'm afraid my Pikmin hyperfixation died out pretty quickly after making the blog. That will likely change once I play Pikmin 1 and 2 on Switch...someday.

My apologizes to those expecting threads or replies on strawberryflxwer. Should my Pikmin hyperfixation come back, I will get to them.

Rule Updates

Added a segment of the "Writing, Replies, and Threads" section to include things for verses and timelines.

Added a segment of the above section in regards to AI