#pika's writing

[tantanart]

draco malfoy

[pikanyachu]

A Lone Star In The Sky

Started writing a new fanfic! A what if Siffrin never left the island. Theres a few chapters already posted

[pikahlua]

so, I dunno if you typically answer questions like this, as it seems like most of your Asks are related to dissecting the manga, but!

in your opinion, what's the best way to write a post-canon fic without getting wrapped up in keeping it loyal to the still-unfolding story?

for context: i'm writing a (potentially long) post-war-arc fic at the minute, but seeing as how the arc is still ongoing, I'm finding it challenging to not stop and rewrite and every time i learn something new. perhaps this is a stupid problem to have lmao, but you seem so good at untangling the MHA narrative threads, so I guess I'm just curious if you have any tips for folks trying to weave 'em in our own way?

thanks in advance, and thanks for all your hard work in general <3

Aww I love this ask!

So if you think about it, there are plenty of great post-canon fanfics out there that were written without the full context of the series. The lack of information those stories have about the end of MHA does nothing to hurt those fics.

You have several options really. You can commit to adapting your story in future chapters to what may happen in the MHA canon as it goes, but that's a pretty difficult path to take. I started my fanfic based on the assumption we would eventually learn AFO's real name, but now I'm realizing I'm going to have to come up with a solution to the possibility he may have no other name. You could pick a cutoff point in MHA and write a story that doesn't rely on any information that might come later. You could write based on an alternate set of events to fill in the blanks so that your story is canon-adjacent and divergent. In any case, you have to accept the fact that you're writing a story before the source material has ended.

The real question you have to ask yourself is: what does "keeping it loyal" mean to you? I'd advise you to remember that, no matter what, you're not writing something that will be part of the official canon. That gives you a lot of space to move around. If you try to stick too rigidly to the canon when you don't know how MHA ends yet, then ask yourself what your story is even about in the first place. If your story is so up-in-the-air right now that the important beats in it could change at the drop of a hat depending on what happens in the canon, then you don't have a story; you just have an idea. There's nothing wrong with that per se. Plenty of authors write without knowing where their story is going or how it ends yet.

My suspicion though is that's not your problem. I'm guessing that you're just worried about small details or references to events in the canon that may incidentally occur in your story. To the best of your ability I would advise that you don't worry about such things. Just write KNOWING you will do that. It's a feature of fanfic to do so, not a bug. Anyone reading your fanfic will know that.

So now I come back to the question about what does "keeping it loyal" mean? I am writing an AU fanfic. I have to ask myself often what I care about when it comes to "keeping it loyal" because AUs have the potential to diverge so far from the canon material they're practically their own original stories. In this case, "keeping it loyal" to me is about the characters. When I write these characters, are they behaving in the way I would expect them to in the canon? I've chosen major events in my characters' backgrounds to make them behave similarly to how they would in canon because to me, the appeal of an AU is in seeing how my favorite characters would behave in a new environment. By extension, I've also chosen some events to happen in my fanfic that maintain similar themes to the canon. My characters may have to change some from their canon counterparts based on the specific events that happen to them, but there is a core vision of the canon in my heart I always try to come back to.

It's a lot easier to keep that distance between my story and the MHA canon because I'm writing an AU, and that helps me to answer your question because the obvious things my story and the canon have in common are the characters and the story themes. Those two elements would be my answer to you. The line becomes grayer when you're writing a story set in-universe to the canon. My best advice is to not get caught up in those details. It's far more important that you write and get out your ideas. You can always come back and edit things later, EVEN AFTER PUBLISHING. That's the forgiving nature of fanworks. That said, I personally think canon-divergent/alternate canon stories are supremely underrated, so I would embrace the label. It's up to you if you want to do that or just try to adapt to the canon as you go, but IT'S OKAY if your story doesn't completely match up to the canon. It doesn't make your story any less loyal to the source material so long as you maintain that integrity in other ways. No one is reading fanfic because they expect it to be a rehashing of the exact events in MHA anyways. They're expecting something new, something additional, whether it's an embellishment, a soliloquy, or an entirely alternate set of events.

Just write what's good for your story right now, and everything else is incidental.

[pika-bitch-iii]

Alright I had my bad day. On to new and better things! While everything is kind of a dumpster fire right now, we have until at least January to start beefing up the organizations that’ll make it count.

I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest author out there but I know some of you like me, so I’m offering some CHARITY FICS.

Shoot me proof of a donation of $5 or more to the following organizations (or similar ones) and I’ll write you a oneshot of your choice for any of the listed fandoms. The only thing I won’t write is porn or kink and that’s just because I don’t know how any of that stuff works! Anything over $15 I’ll do multi-chapters or totaling over 5K words for more complicated ideas! Hell if you do $50+ I’ll do full rewrites to the best of my ability.

To summarize:

$5+ or non-USD equivalent: One shot of varying length

$15+ or non-USD equivalent: One shot or multi-chapter fic at least 5K words long, probably more.

$50+ or non-USD equivalent: Whatever the hell you want up to 50k or so!

Show proof of donations to the following organizations, or similar ones:

ACLU

Trevor Project

Planned Parenthood

Satanic Temple

Currently I know enough to write about fandoms like BNHA, JJK, Naruto, hell, DSMP or South Park or COD or whatever, probs more; If you have a fandom I haven’t written before or an idea you’re not sure about feel free to HMU to clarify! I’ll be able to write most things, pairings, etc 😉

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Well, today was definitely not my best day. I got bogged down under work, and was under the weather, so I only managed to eke out 934 words in a couple of hours at the end of the evening. Still, I'll take it; The Everyday Naturalist manuscript is now at 69,204 words, and I've gotten a good start on the chapter on citizen science. I'm going to rest up this weekend, and focus on getting more writing done next week.

[wildflowers-of-trolberg]

If you had written S3, what would you have had it centered around?

I would have just done Season 1, Volume 2 - a return to episodic adventures with the kids, basically, but with Johanna coming along on more of the adventures - probably including another Kaisa episode, another Bellkeeper episode, and something with the Marra - what I wouldn’t do is do an overarching narrative, include Anders in any way, or anything with Trylla & Baba.

I so like some of the episode ideas in Season 3 on their own, like the Faratok Tree and especially the Young Johanna part of The Fairy Isle. I actually really like the idea of Hilda venturing into a fae realm (including the Victoria stuff) and helping a kid she meets there, but I wouldn’t have tied it into Johanna’s family, or tried to turn it into an explanation for where all the magic in the world comes from. I’d just do it as it’s own thing, a nice adventure (I also want to avoid a repeat of “Hilda goes missing and her friends and family are worried/looking for her” - it’s overdone)

Depending on when that episode takes place in the season, I could see myself amaglamating the fairy girl character with Louise’s role. As in, making her the 4th member of the main group. I feel like that would be neat :))

[catboyklug]

Characters: Gadget the Wolf [ they / them ] ; Oath the Ferret [ they / she ] ; Chord the Badger [ xe/xer ] ; Muscle the Pika [ zhe / it / they ]

Warnings: minor, not super described injury; very short moments of fear

Notes: anyone else remember that one really big crab you kick the ass of in forces? Well. What if it was awesome. ; dividers by @rookthornesartistry !!

Words: 3794

It's been half a week since the squad set out, and they're starting to get bored.

The five of them have been patrolling the same small zone around the Resistance HQ for months now, as Gadget and Oath are still early in training, but it's clear that every single one of them is more than tired of the area.

"Chord," Knuckles calls, "I'd like you to do some recon. See if you can find anything

Thankful for the excuse to finally stop sitting down, xe nods, patting xeir wispon to encourage her wisp to go inside.

"I won't go too far," xe teases, waving to xeir teammates as xe looks for some soft ground.

It doesn't take too long for them to find it - a neglected park, full of nice, soft dirt.

Xe takes a moment to appreciate the nature that surrounds xem.

Then, xe focuses.

Xe feels the ground, and finds loose dirt. A significantly wilder animal considered making a burrow here, but thought the better of it.

Better for xem, anyway.

Xe uses xeir wispon to dig deep, then far. Under the concrete, the steel, the foundations of the apartment and office and supermarket buildings.

Searching for vibrations in, under, on the earth.

Boots on the ground. A scraping under dirt. Any pressure on the soil.

Anything.

...And, to xeir horror, xe finds something.

As soon as xe feels it, xe digs back to the surface, rushing back to the group.

Noticing xeir horrified expression, Muscle frowns.

"Everything good, girl?" zhe asks in that too-soft voice of zhers, letting zher drawl escape the cage zhe put it in.

Even if xe can't calm down, Chord appreciates the attempt at comfort.

"A very large group of Badniks is rapidly approaching," xe explains, "And, something else... It-"

Suddenly, xe turns, looking at the horizon.

Shit.

"...It's already here."

It's impossible to miss. The behemoth on the skyline, blotting out the sun.

It crashes through several buildings, using its spikes to break the hardy but neglected concrete.

As it approaches, every member of the squad can see it in its full, ugly glory.

A massive crab-tank, spikes adorning its thick, heavily-armored legs.

Before it breaks the building the group had taken point at, they leap off it, grappling away.

Below them, the swarm of badniks that Chord felt flood the streets, giving no room for rest.

With a thumbs-up to the rest of the squad as he glides past them, Knuckles begins carving a path through the 'bots, giving rest to Oath and Muscle, neither quite used to using the grapple yet.

With the smaller threat being dealt with, xe turns to the greater adversary.

Despite how wild its movement seems, Chord quickly notices a pattern.

It's working on a grid, using its crab design to stick perfectly to it.

It keeps screeching to a halt at the ends of the paths it's taking, turning, then following the grid in the opposite direction, using its massive eyes to search for something.

And there's only one thing Eggman would send this earth-moving behemoth to find, and destroy.

"I believe it's looking for the entrance to the Resistance," Chord finally says over comms, "It's using a grid pattern - Eggman must have mapped out areas he believes the entrance could be."

Not too far from xem, Gadget and Oath look at the sea of badniks, taking temporary refuge near one of the entrances to the greater sewer area.

"It can't..." Gadget says, their voice dying in their throat.

They're the rookie, the baby of the team. Sure, everyone's been training together for months, including them, but...

They're still scared.

They shiver as a gentle hand meets their shoulder.

"It won't," Oath reassures, giving them a determined look, "We got this in the bag, team."

For a moment, it seems almost as if Gadget wants to argue with her. But, they nod, giving her a weak smile.

And so, the rookies set off.

Even as the buildings collapse around them, they simply turn it to their advantage, grappling or leaping off them to avoid the behemoth's attacks.

Though their movements aren't perfectly fluid, the team works well together. Oath uses her new Hover Wispon, with Gadget using their burst to create a slipstream, propelling them both far above the crab's attacks.

Meanwhile, Chord and Muscle practically dance together around the crab, looking for any potential weak points, taking occassional potshots at its metallic shell - and being very, very careful to avoid the massive spikes gracing its legs.

Knuckles sees them, looking up as he destroys the hordes of badniks below, and smiles.

Those months of training are definitely paying off...

Making good use of their positions close to the crab, Chord and Muscle look for any potential weak spots, and keep the crab in place so that the rest of their team don't have it figuratively breathing down their back.

The spikes that adorn the plates on its legs, its built-in defense gifted to it by its creator, are more than large enough to grapple onto without discomfort, but too sharp to land near without risking serious injury.

Getting onto it from the front would be reckless, to say the least, especially without enough height to try and land on one of the smooth patches of its carapace.

But, maybe...

Hatching a plan, Muscle slows down, keeping a tight grip on the grapple as zhe does.

Zhe swings to the other side of the leg, which thankfully isn't as fiercely defended, and lands on it safely.

Yes!

Grinning, zhe takes a look around - seems like Eggman didn't expect anyone to try and get back here.

Especially considering that every bit and bob that makes it tick is on full display, massive spotlights shining from its underbelly.

The only thing stopping zher from breaking it to pieces right now is - well, for one, it's starting to pick up speed again, and zhe'd rather not risk getting crushed. And two...

There's an odd dome surrounding the systems, and zhe has no idea if zher Wispon could break through or not.

Sighing with longing, zhe zips back to Chord, giving xem a thumbs-up and a smile.

Zhe taps a button on zher headset, and is instantly connected to the commline. Something zhe still can't help but be impressed by...

"I saw it!" zhe smiles, then blushes, mortified, as zhe realizes how enthusiastic zhe sounds.

"All its systems, hidden behind some kinda... bubble," zhe continues, "Plastic, I think. Shouldn't be too hard to break through."

"The stomach may be a weak point, then," Chord nods, "It definitely is a lead..."

"One lead.. More than enough," they straighten themself, attempting to project an air of confidence, but they're shaking...

While the others distracted the crab, Gadget had fallen back a bit, sitting on the roof of one of the only apartment buildings that hasn't yet been destroyed.

Mostly out of cowardace, they have to admit, but right now their position gave them a massive advantage. One they had to make use of now.

They step on the edge of the rooftop, looking below as the crab approaches them.

They only get one shot at this.

"Time to follow it."

Ignoring the shouts from their teammates, Gadget jumps off the building, grapples one of the crab-tank's head spikes, and uses the momentum to swing below it.

Underneath it looks far different, and the wolf can't help but laugh as they look above them - Muscle was right. The underbelly only has a single, thin layer of plastic protecting its most vulnerable systems.

With ease, they use the fire from their Wispon to melt it, even managing to catch some important-looking systems in the blast. Though, not without some retaliation...

Whatever they hit screeches as it melts, and they have to cover their ears to not be overpowered by the sound - unfortunate, considering they need to hang on to their grapple at the same time.

They fall away from the crab-tank, managing to slow their descent by grappling onto the windowsill of a crumbling building before they crash.

As they check themself for a concussion, the crab-tank itself begins to scream. It clearly isn't used to the pain...

"Good, great, spectacular!!!" Oath suddenly yells into the comms, blasting Gadget's already sensitive ears with more noise.

"Lucky hit," Gadget grumbles, holding the comm away from their ear, "Not safe to try again. Need a new plan."

"Incredible, show-stopping, MAGNIFICO!!!"

They can practically hear the flowers hitting the mic...

"I noticed something..." Chord pipes up, and Oath and Muscle calm down enough to let xem speak, "This crab-tank's eyes do not reach around it fully. Its blind spots are, to put it simply, enormous."

"So if someone distracts well enough..."

"It would not know what hit it," Chord smiles, "I believe just one of us would be enough to lead it away."

"Leave it to me! As in, I got it!" Oath shouts, excited again, "Don't worry, Muscle and Chord, you'll get a spot in the action soon enough!"

And with that, she swings away, the comm going silent except for the sound of wind and the crab-tank's creaking legs.

Sighing, Gadget dusts themself off and attempts to find higher ground again.

Their strategy worked once, they trust it could work again.

Using Gadget's earlier idea of grabbing onto the tank's head spikes, she grapples onto it, landing on its head before it can guess what's happening.

Looking around, she vaguely - worriedly - notices how little damage has been done to it. Hitting it directly on the head won't work at all, huh...

Absolutely sure the others know this, she resumes her plan, tying her grapple tightly around the plating that jutts off the front of its head.

Then, she takes a flying leap!

She swings around it, leading it like she's a carrot on a stick, making sure to get all of its eyes on her - and yelps a bit as it rushes sideways, trying to... attack her? Knock her off?

Whatever dumb plan it's trying to accomplish, it won't work - her tie's too tight, and she's way too good at dodging all the dust it's kicking up.

Using its one-track mind to her advantage, she starts leading it away from the few buildings it forgot to demolish, taunting it with rude gestures as she does.

On the ground, Chord and Muscle join the squad's leader in fighting the Badniks... At least until it's their time to return to the true fight taking place above them.

"I cannot help but notice how well this tank was built," Chord notes, zapping a badnik drone to bits, "It must have been meant for a stronger opposition..."

"I can't help but notice we haven't even tried a direct attack yet," Muscle yells, "Just smaking it a little isn't near enough to figuring out how durable it actually is. For all we know its hide's as flimsy and weak as the rest of the bots down here - we just need a good enough opening to whack it proper."

Chord shrugs, and Muscle sighs.

"We're not the A-Team yet, but we're tough," zhe points out, "Gimme one good shot at the thing and I'll have it down, I swear."

Chord raises an eyebrow.

"And you could put it down in half my time," zhe praises, grinning.

Unable to raise xeir brow any higher, Chord caves in and returns the grin, giggling a little.

"Good luck," xe calls, giving zher xeir blessing as zhe rushes to find higher ground.

Giving xem a thumbs-up, Muscle disappears into a cloud of dust, and Chord fights on alone.

Seems like broken buildings are better for more than cool backdrops...

Muscle crouches on a broken office chair sitting atop the pile of rubble that was once a thriving office building.

Good riddance, zhe thinks, looks prettier as a pile of dust than it ever was back then.

Even as zhe doesn't allow zherself to get distracted, zhe lets zherself bask in the pleasure that comes with knowing this building cannot be saved or salvaged...

But this war absolutely can.

The crab's finally gotten close enough.

With a whoop! zhe jumps off the building, grappling onto the side-spikes and pulling zherself onto its shell.

It feels even bigger to her, now that zhe's on top of it...

Not intimidated in the slightest, zhe raises zher Wispon, its edge sharper than ever-

And slams it down!

The sheer force that zhe hit it with shakes zher entire body, rattling zher up more than zhe's used to.

Once zhe stops shaking enough to see again, though, zhe notices...

There's no damage.

Zhe didn't even leave a dent.

Before zhe can recover any further, though, the crab notices the parasite that's landed on it...

And flicks it off its carapace.

Below - ahead - above zher, Chord shrieks--a gutteral, piercing thing.

Xe rushes to the impact site, using xeir wispon to zip over before the badniks or crab can.

Not having needed their comms to hear the sound, xeir teammates turn to her.

Oath and Gadget are too far away to help without compromising their position, now the only ones with any high ground to speak of.

This is it.

It has to be. There won't be another chance for a good while...

Through the chaos, the confusion, and the sudden split in teams, Gadget approaches the tank.

The flow of badniks is thin enough, the crab's focuse split enough, they can do this-

Before they can get too far, someone grabs their arm, nearly tearing it out of the socket.

Turning wildly, they calm when they see it's just Oath, having caught up with them at some point.

Barely any calmer, though, considering how pissed she looks.

"Gadget," Oath hisses, "Muscle's hurt. We need to go help."

She doesn't know their plan. That's fine, but they need to-

"Tell me why you're leaving them behind!"

Her voice hurts. Their ears lay flat on their head as they turn back to her.

"Can't fight you," they say, though their voice breaks, "It's time-"

"If you're not going to help them, I will," she growls, "Friends don't leave friends behind."

Wait, no.

No, no, no-

They need her help. They can't do this alone.

Before she can grapple away, they breathe in, and scream,

"OATH!"

Shocked, she turns around to face them.

"Please," they beg, lowing their voice nearly to a whisper, "Need to lead it away. Before it can..."

...Oh.

Of course.

With an apologetic smile, and a soft nod, she walks back to Gadget.

"Just tell me what to do."

They smile, eyes shining as their heart feels like it's about to explode with joy and relief.

They hold out their hand...

And Oath takes it, gripping tight.

Rushing toward the battlefield, they keep their hold on each other.

Propelling forward with their slipstream strategy, they match - no, exceed - the crab's speed, rushing to its side, in perfect view of its massive camera-eyes.

With a whistle and a wave, Oath grabs the crab's attention, and it uses its newfound voice to roar with anger at the specks of dust that just won't leave it alone.

Laughing a bit maniacally, Oath and Gadget fall from the buildings they were grappling from, using Oath's wispon to land, gracefully, onto the asphalt road.

And so, they race, past each crumbling building, every broken market, every entrance to the Resistance buried under rubble.

They run, following the path the crab-tank had torn through city and countryside in its attempt at destruction.

A path they can use as an arena...

Behind them, the crab-tank screams, utterly enraged. It pounds at the ground with its pincers, sending rocks and dust flying - and kicking up boulders as it does.

A new trick, for sure, but not one to get anxious about.

Even without the slipstream, the two could easily dodge the rocks being thrown at them, and they can't help but feel like their sheer speed is a bit overkill compared to the crab's fumbling.

Despite clearly not having a brain (or at least, not any smarts), the crab-tank recognizes it's being played with.

If it wasn't angry then, it's definitely angry now...

Exceeding what was thought to be its maximum speed in an attempt to reach them, it begins to steam, plumes of smoke following it like a cape.

It's catching up to them...

They've got a plan, but even so, a pang of uncertainty shoots through their shared heartbeat.

But even with the uncertainty, Gadget's heart is full of hope.

They turn to their friend, offering the hook of their grapple. Looking so serious, so determined, that she can't help but giggle.

Nodding, she ties her grapple to theirs, and they seperate.

Grinning, they turn, running backwards and sticking their tongues out at the adversary above them.

Once its acceleration begins to peak, the two shoot themselves upward and forward, sending themselves flying -

And behind them, the grotesque behemoth of a crab trips.

The sheer force it's sent flying at causes it to roll into a ball, unable to stop itself as it kicks up massive plumes of dust and sand.

With the smoke, rock-dust and debries in the air, it's impossible for either of them to see much of anything at all.

But, they both wonder, hesitantly, excitedly...

Is that it...?

The two find each other quickly, using their wispons as beacons. But the light emitted from them is too weak to pierce that far into the thick mist...

Once together again, they acknowledge each other with just a look, then break into a brisk run, searching for the crab.

After so much silence, the tension becomes uncomfortable heavy,

They turn toward each other, their faces mirroring each other's anxieties... and hopes.

Once they approach the crab, though, Gadget laughs in relief, and Oath sighs incredulously.

The tank fell on its back, spikes jutting into the hard ground.

Its legs flail, useless, above it.

It's completely stuck.

"So much for that..." Oath grimaces, resting her chin on her fist, "Seems like that Dr. Eggman guy really isn't even half of what he's cracked up to be."

Gadget can't response directly, shaking with laughter so hard they can't do anything but grip their stomach, but they make an effort - by shrieking with laughter, instead.

She gives an affectionate smile to the wolf, leaning against them as they continue laughing.

As she rests against them, though, her ear flicks - she hears someone coming.

She turns around, suspicious, but her shoulders fall with relief as she sees the rest of the squad approaching - including Muscle.

Zhe looks...

Well, more than a little beat up.

But alive.

Zher eyes twinkle as Oath rushes up to them, yelling with excitement - and Gadget scrambles to catch up, not wanting to miss out on the reunion.

"MUSCLE!!!" Oath cries, overjoyed, as she finally manages to reach the squad, gently wrapping her arms around her friend - a gesture immediately reciprocated, much to her joy.

"Crab-tank disabled. Not destroyed," Gadget explains, looking warily over their shoulder at its twitching limbs.

"You're going to be the one to break it, right?" Oath grins at Muscle, bouncing on her toes and wagging her tail, "Dish up some good old-fashioned revenge?"

"Nah."

Shocked, Oath stills.

"The spotlight's on you, kid. And you too, Gadget. I wouldn't take it away from you, now," zhe sighs, eyes soft, "But..."

Zhe twirls zher wispon, then hands it to Oath.

"My friend here would love to help you two out, if you'd have her."

Starstruck, Oath stares at the wispon in front of her, her tail wagging so hard it might sprain.

Muscle seems pleased with zherself - this is clearly the effect zhe was hoping for.

"I'd love to," she smiles, gently picking the wispon up out of Muscle's hands, then turns around towards the crab, "I'll make both of you proud, I swear!"

With that, she runs off, yelling for Gadget - who hadn't managed a word in edgewise - to race her there.

The crab's innards are big enough to run through, and both of them take full advantage of this fact, racing through the 'corridors' of its circuitry on a path of destruction.

Oath opens access to one of the more sensitive systems, Gadget weakens them with their burst, and then both crash into the weakened component.

With the adrenaline from earlier, and the rush of their destructive rampage, the two barely notice when the crab begins to overheat.

"IT'S GONNA BLOW-!"

Too panicked to remember to run, it's Gadget who steps up, grabbing her by the waist and running from the wreck.

Scrambling out of the crevice they were evicerating, they making a mad dash for anywhere that isn't where they are in the moment.

They run to the edge of its damaged underbelly, taking a flying leap off it, just as-

The tank explodes.

Tripping over a rock, they act as a meat-shield for Oath, keeping her safe from the debris and shrapnel and using their arm to cushion her against the hard ground.

Slowly, the adrenaline leaves, reminding Gadget that they are alive. Oath is in their arms, uninjured, safe. She is alive.

Once the smoke clears, and as Gadget worries about Oath and them getting lung problems with all the crap they've been breathing in recently, the wolf pokes their head up, looking at the scene.

The rest of their squad is, thankfully, unharmed. They were standing a good distance away from the crab when it self-destructed - and, as such, have no idea about Gadget's panic.

Good.

Knuckles cheers, Chord gives a thumbs-up. Muscle, even with zher injuries, hoots and hollers in joy.

Good.

Just as Gadget raises their arm to wave to them, however, they see...

Something.

A glint of light, amplified by the edge of their glasses.

They stand up, help Oath get up, and then head over to this mysterious object.

It lays, light refracting from it, in a pile of dust in the crater left by the crab-tank.

Gadget sees it.

They know it.

Green and glittering, even as covered in dust as it is.

It's unmistakable.

As they slide down the crater, they notice an odd color mixed in with the red.

Curious, Gadget hops over to it, reaching down, picking it up and gently wiping the dust off with the soft insides of their sleeves.

Then, they frown.

A long, dark crack goes down the length of the Chaos Emerald.

And, from it, the cracks grow new crystals.

Pink-red-black.

Humming with energy.

They turn to Oath, brow furrowed, and she returns the sentiment.

"That's no good..."

[hersurvival]

I took it as a sign, the dreams came first -

A black bunny at my door

One week later,

The first rabbit I had seen in years,

A small shadow with tall ears sat waiting

In the driveway when I got home

And he was there every day

Until Winter came and I lost him

If the universe was trying to tell me something,

I never understood

But if it was strictly coincidence

Then I refuse to believe it

@nosebleedclub April 18th - Lagomorph

[yuckydraws]

Hey Yu! This is my first time requesting but I've been watching your work even before I made an account(I think? I sometimes just mess around logged out so I don't really know) but;

How would Red, Coffee, Midas, and Bear with a S/O who will immediately relax/ fall asleep if their head is being pat? Like even if they are freaking out over something it works to calm them down.

Aw thank you!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red: He's not always the best with words, and he tends to show his support more through physical affection anyways. When he sees just how much this helps to calm you, he's honestly relieved that he can at least do that much when his words may not be helpful. He'll also, of course, pull out the head pats when you're both cuddling just to see your cute sleepy face.

Bear: He can't relate to the feeling, with his injury, but he probably finds this out and then forgets about it a few times just to rediscover it again - it'll eventually stick. He loves to play with your hair if you allow, so... chances are you're in for lots of sleepy, relaxing cuddles.

Coffee: He also loves head pats/pets and will purr up a storm if you show affection like that. When he finds out that you like them just as much (if not more) - he'll pull them out much more often. He likes to pay attention to and remember the small things like this about you. It's just one of the ways he shows he loves you.

Midas: So. He's kind of a turd (affectionate), and will definitely tease you about this little quirk of yours while taking advantage of the sleepy-state it puts you in so you can't retaliate. However, that's all just in lighthearted fun, and he also pats at your head in soft moments too, just because he loves you.

[beanmaster-pika]

March’s room is so lovely and cute and personal and then Dan Heng’s just set up a futon and a blanket in the archives.

[marbledpython]

finally been makin some actual refs of the guys, heres a winnie and cyllisaro

[the-era-of-shadow]

Relic's Lost Journal

Written by Ash Rose Red

Content Warnings:

Mentions of bodily mutation

Summary:

It's a cold, brisk early morning on board the Black Arms' Floating Temple, and Shadow is restless about the day ahead. While lost in their thoughts, Shadow's comes across Relic's journal, seemingly left by accident. As Relic prides herself on being quite dedicated to studying the Black Arms, one has to wonder... What kind of things are written in such a journal, anyhow?

Notes:

So this was originally just the journal entry. I wrote it in 2021, forgot about it, then found it a few days ago while looking for something else! Originally I had just spruced up the journal entry to match my current lore and timeline of events, but when I showed the improved version to my beloved polycule, they suggested that I perhaps create a full story around the journal entry, even possibly having the story reference in a sense how it had been originally lost, and I really liked that idea, so now we're here!

EDIT (1/11/2024): I've added translation notes under the uses of Hi-Bloosiæne to this story as well as a few others! You can still check out the link to the Hi-Bloosiæne google doc in the blog's pinned post to learn more, however!

Shadow paced restlessly about the central platform of the Aerth Temple, for despite it being so early that not even the sun had awoken, it simply could not find it in them to be tired enough to return to a state of slumber. Today was the day that Shadow and their mother, Black Widow, will be raising a forcefield of chaos energy around the temple in order to protect it and those within from the incoming snowfall and frigid temperatures. This sounds easy enough on paper, yes, but Shadow understood that not all is what it seems, for they have been training for this very day for the whole week beforehand. This process, according to Widow, requires a lot of chaos energy, an amount that Shadow has only used one other time before in its entire life; the fight against the Biolizard, which resulted in Shadow going unconscious and crashing into the Aerth’s surface. It can’t remember much of anything after that event, up until that fateful night when they and the rest of Team Dark were informed of the existence of the New Black Comet, everything in between is an unreadable blur, aside from some minor bits it’s managed to grasp onto. One of those grasps being witness to the demise of their father, Black Doom. They were told that the Black Arms had invaded Aerth, and that Shadow, being “the good hero that they are”, had made it their goal to stop them and take Black Doom down. But all Shadow remembered for itself was the final battle between them and Black Doom in his “Devil Doom” form, and only glimpses of it at that. It remembered feeling unable to control their body, unable to speak, only able to watch as a version of themself that wasn’t them killed its father without mercy, without consideration, as if they were complete strangers.

Shadow remembered feeling a sort of “coming to” moment after the news of the New Black Comet’s existence was given out, as if they had been in a state of deep slumber for the past… 3? Years? They thought that the battle with Black Doom had been just a bad dream it had. They didn’t recognize Omega, they barely recognized Rouge. They were scared and afraid, oh so terribly afraid.

It remembered being forced to move on with it all. It remembered feeling sick at the thought of killing a Black Arms - again, apparently. It remembered… trying to slip away from it all, to try to find their way back into the hivemind. It remembered feeling that there was no hope left for them, that this was the end, that they had messed up so terribly that it would result in their demise and they couldn’t even remember messing up in the first place. It remembered… finding that light of hope… It remembered rejecting that hope for the “safety” the government they once despised had granted them.

They remembered wondering why they couldn’t remember, why couldn't they remember the “hero” it once was? Why can’t they be that hero again?

Why did they, in the end, choose villany? As if that hero never existed… as if that hero… was another person entirely from Shadow.

Shadow was snapped away from its thoughts rather suddenly, as they noticed a lone journal flipping its pages in the wind, resting on the floor beside them.

Curious, it picked up the journal, and saw that on the front cover was Relic’s name written into it.

“Oh… Well this is an odd thing to leave behind, isn’t it?” Shadow began to wonder to itself, “I wonder if she lost it by accident…”

They thought about returning the journal to her, but Shadow figured that unlike them, Relic was asleep. So with that thought, Shadow’s curiosity began to get the better of them.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I just took a little peek…” It muttered, opening up the journal to a random entry.

Journal Entry #?????

Date: November 01, 2011

I've been noticing that I've changed a lot since I first started living in the vicinity of the Black Arms. My exposure to them has slowly but surely increased over the 3 years that I've been with them so far, starting off with just working alongside the ever elusive Eclipse and their Dark Arms in late 2009, to being truly accepted into the fold of a hivemind of about 15 members. I know it does not sound like much of an increase when it comes to numbers, but something that I've learned about the Black Arms is that there's power in numbers, no matter how small, as with every new addition to the family, they as a whole become stronger. 

Ever since I first joined, I've been taking blood samples of myself every 6 months. The reason for such a thing is that a long time ago, I heard a rumor that those that are caught in the Black Arms' web are warped, both mentally and physically, into something quite monstrous. It's very clear to me that the mental warping is referring to the effects of the Black Arms hivemind, and the Black Arms are quite monstrous, but as a scientist, I needed more proof than just that, and thus, the blood samples. One of the Black Arms' defining traits is their bioluminescent, nearly neon green blood that runs thin like water. It's quite a sight to see in a test tube, it's as if I'm holding a glow stick bought from the store! Today when I took my blood sample, I saw something incredible…

My blood looked nearly identical to the Black Arms blood sample!

It truly seems unreal that such an outlandish rumor is true, but in a sense, I saw this moment coming, I have for quite a long time. As with every blood sample I took, the color and properties of my blood shifted ever so slightly. But this still doesn't answer a very important question, that being of why Black Arms blood is like this in the first place… and even more importantly, what in the world made it possible to change the properties of my blood, the blood of a mere mobian, to match that of the blood of a Black Arms? 

After running some tests on both the BA blood sample and my own, I do believe that the answer to both of these questions is in the incredibly high amounts of raw chaos energy found in the samples. Around 85% of the contents in both blood samples is purely raw chaos! Truly absurd, and yet, incredibly fascinating! 

I told Rouge about my findings, and decided to get a blood sample from her as well! It would seem that this effect is being made within Rouge's blood as well, which is truly impressive, considering that she joined the hivemind only a month ago! As much as I would love to document the full natural process with Rouge in the same manner I have with myself, the both of us were given the opportunity to undergo Eclipse's specialized Accelerated Assimilation process within the next month or so. Considering my fascination with Eclipse's passion for innovating the Black Arms' biotechnology for the modern era, and Rouge's hesitation towards the traditional, long-term method of Black Arms assimilation, we both very happily accepted their offer.

Despite this, I will continue to document any changes to myself and/or Rouge that occur before we undergo the Accelerated Assimilation process, and I for certain will document the process itself and its results to the best of my abilities when the time comes. When that time will be is currently uncertain, as according to Eclipse, their attention has been very suddenly stolen away to a different matter for the past month. I'm not sure what it is that Eclipse is preoccupied with, as they have not told me, but whatever it is, I'm sure that it will be very fascinating! 

For all of this is truly, incredibly fascinating…

Shadow smiled softly while reading the journal entry, happy that Relic was enjoying herself being a part of the Black Arms. Shadow’s memories of Relic are rather vivid, as they met her after the New Black Comet mission. She was kind, and curious, and even sometimes a bit too ambitious for her own good, or at least, that’s what some people say.

Relic was the first mobian Shadow had met that didn’t judge them for being part Black Arms, nor criticize its bias towards them. In fact, Relic too was sympathetic to the Black Arms, or at the very least indifferent enough to their faults to still want to research them regardless. That’s why it was no surprise to it when Shadow found out that Relic had eventually switched teams and started working for Eclipse. Oh Eclipse, that light of hope that they had once rejected, but one day returned to, and when they did, there Relic was, standing right by Eclipse’s side, right by Shadow’s side. She’s always been there, from the very beginning.

Maybe that’s why Shadow felt a warm and fuzzy feeling wash over them as it read Relic’s journal entry. Assimilation is quite an intimate topic in Black Arms, and every member of the hivemind experiences it differently, and even then, it can vary even more depending on who the assimilatie is and their relationship to the Black Arms member in question. For Shadow in this moment, it was a sense of warmth, like the kind you get from a tender hug. It was the arrival of a new member of the family.

“Oh, Shadow! Thank you so much! I’ve been looking all over for that blasted thing!” Relic’s voice came into earshot of Shadow, who was still a bit lost in their thoughts.

“R-Relic! I thought you were asleep..!” Shadow sputtered, slamming the journal shut.

“Same to you! But I’m quite thankful that you weren’t, as being awake allowed you to find my journal!” Relic responded with glee.

“Heheh.. Yep..!” Shadow muttered, sheepishly handing over the journal to Relic, who started to catched onto the guilt they felt.

“I don’t mind you reading my journal, Shadow. Really, I don’t! Actually, may I ask you which entry you read? I’m quite curious!” She said to them.

“Th-the November 1st one…” Shadow answered, still feeling a bit uneasy.

“Oh, excellent!! That one is very exciting, I do say! Aah… I feel so honored to be a part of the great and mighty Black Arms!” Relic’s words soothed Shadow down from their nervous state, as the warmth it had felt as they had read the journal entry returned to them.

“I’m… so happy to hear you feel that way… I’m very happy that you have joined us as well…” Shadow responded, gently taking hold of Relic’s hands into their own.

“Why aren’t you the sweetest thing…” Relic remarked, smiling. “Say, what are you doing up at this hour, Shadow?” She then asked.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” Shadow asked Relic.

“Ah… I do suppose you’re right..! You see, Eclipse, Rhygenta and I got… a bit distracted with the new Dark Arms and Project Midnight… and the three of us ended up pulling an all-nighter…” Relic explained awkwardly.

“I see- Wait, R-Rhygenta too???” Shadow reacted suddenly. “... Kæ’ Blak Doom ducsie, sum yahn vih, vou nu’mihnenro, nu’e???*”

*Translation Note: “Dear Black Doom almighty, have mercy on me, you’re mindless, no???” (Localized Equivalent: “Dear god, have mercy on my soul, you really are an idiot, aren’t you???”)

“Yeah… I guess that’s fair…” Relic mumbled with a giggle. “But since you're awake, would you like to see the progress we’ve made? Especially on Project Midnight, considering that’s your project too!”

“Su, vih kæ blarjikære..!* Lead the way…” Shadow replied enthusiastically.

*Translation Note: “Yeah, my dear comrade..!” (Localized Equivalent: “Sounds like a plan, pal..!”)

“Su!*” Relic chirped.

*Translation Note: “Yeah!”

“Once we arrive, I can take the wheel from there on matters. You three need to rest.” Shadow told Relic. “That’s an order!”

“Oh alright, we will, Blak Shahdo duscie..!*” Relic sighed in a jokingly defeated tone, which caused Shadow to chuckle.

*Translation Note: “Lord Black Shadow..!”

Maybe it didn’t really matter to know all the pieces of how Shadow got to this point after all, for perhaps the matter of true importance is that they’re in a happier place in life now.

Maybe, just maybe, they will come across the answers when it least expected them, when it isn’t paying attention to that matter, in the same manner they ended up finding Relic’s lost journal, by complete accident…

[peppermint-whiskers]

The Rat Pack works with the 501st on an extended mission. Chaos ensues.

This fic isn't about the mission. It's about the crack uwu

[pikatrainer99]

I drew Orange again...and this time he is one ANXIOUS child...

He's on his second journey, by himself without Dia and Pearl around...so he's not comfortable speaking to anyone (except his Pokémon when there's no one else around but them, and when they’re in battle against human opponents he uses his Viridian-granted telepathy to command them) because there aren't any humans that he feels comfortable around, thus rendering him unable to speak to anyone the whole time (This is actually legitimately one of my biggest struggles as an autistic person, and because Orange's autistic traits and experiences are based on my own, it's a big one for him too). He gets around this by carrying around notepads of various sizes and using them to communicate instead of speaking, the one he's holding in this drawing is the biggest one he has. The different sizes are used for different things, and the biggest one is the size of a sketchpad and is used for writing down things to say at Gyms and during battles and stuff like that, because of the distance between himself and his opponents. It is also the easiest one to read because he can write nice and big on it, which makes his writing actually legible, unlike the smaller ones where he has trouble with making his writing clear enough for others to read. In this drawing, he is challenging a Gym (not any specific one since he does this at all of them), and he's holding the notepad in front of his face because he's too anxious to even look at anyone. Thunderheart is on his shoulder as usual, and she's worried about him, as usual. She knows this is normal for him, but she still can't help but worry.

Anyway, onto the drawing itself...the arms and hands look really weird, I know. It was hard enough to draw his hands holding the paper so tight it got crinkled (his fingers are actually folded so that's why they look so stubby, he's THAT anxious), but the arms were even more of a challenge, I had no idea how to draw them so I just did what I did. Also, I finally drew his Pokétch! I think I was able to draw it this time because by this point he has the Platinum Pokétch model (and has had it for a while now) instead of the DP Pokétch model, and the one from Platinum is definitely easier to draw than the one from DP. It's on his right arm because he's left-handed so he can't exactly use it if it's on his left arm like everyone else's is. And his hat design is really weird looking too because I can't draw flames to save my life, so that's the best I could do with that one 😅

All right, those are all my notes this time around! I'd been wanting to draw anxious Orange for a while now but wasn't sure how I wanted to do it until now tbh. There's so many ways to draw him being anxious it's not even funny. I do want to try drawing him with different emotions more often though, because it's good practice for me and Orange definitely feels a lot of different things in my fanfics, both the ones already written, and the ones I have planned. Hopefully I'll have another drawing ready to post soon!

[pikatsum]

a non-comprehensive list of annoying things Bakugou Katsuki would do to a put-upon live-in partner:

- pushes you back into your seat any time you try to stand up and is WAYYY too smug when he catches and “saves” you from the peril of his own making.

- walks by and steals your phone/book/bag right out of your hands for no reason (attention).

- never ever EVER forgets when you misuse or mispronounce a word, and repeats it ad nauseam.

- “[pet name] likes me better than you”.

- mimics voices CONSTANTLY. your voice. the neighbor’s voice. your annoying coworker’s voice— he’s got a whole repertoire.

- if you wear glasses… godspeed, because he WILL try them on and make comments abt your prescription (hold strong, he’ll need his own pair by 40)

- (correctly) predicts the ending of 9/10 of the TV shows you watch together.

- sometimes whaps you with a dish towel.

- Windexes a surface IMMEDIATELY after you’re done with it. you will have BARELY moved a hot dish from the oven before he’s swooping down on the microscopic crumbs you’ve left behind.

- for the easily-startled crowd… occasionally he’s gonna exploit that. thinks he’s SO FUNNY for the self-created jump-scare, like he doesn’t have a heart condition himself.

- If it reaches self-appointed bedtime (read: a hot 9:30 PM) and you, in a flight of fancy, are NOT in bed? those eyes are tracking every. single. step that you take.

- only once you slide into bed does he mutter something like “that’s what I thought” (be prepared: whacking him with your pillow WILL incite a wrestling match)

[princessmacedon]

“Ah! Maria! There you are!”

Although Chrom doesn’t know the Macedonian very well, her kind and cheerful nature made a big impression on him back in the Rusalkan dream, and he wants to be able to help her celebrate her birthday as a good friend should. Unfortunately, he’s not exactly certain of what she likes, so after a lot of thought he goes and gets her a nice potted flower; she seems the type to want to take care of growing things. He also bakes her some cute little cookies—he hopes she likes strawberry with vanilla frosting! (He made extra sure the cookies came out right, and he thinks they’re actually pretty yum, but whether the redhead agrees remains to be seen.)

“Sorry if I’m interrupting something,” he continues, sheepish, “but I wanted to give you something for your birthday. I thought it’d be all right, since we’re friends.” He hands her the bouquet first, full of cute pink tulips, then the tin of cookies. “I hope your birthday is turning out to be a happy one! You deserve it, and I’m so glad I met such a nice person like you!”

She remembers Chrom, of course, and fondly, a smile rising to Maria's lips as she turns to greet him. Her wiggle-waving fingers briefly still as she takes in his words and carried gifts, and the little princess presses her knuckles against her lips in quiet, merry laughter.

"Hee hee, you're fine, of course!" And then, even as she first accepts the flowers, there is a sort of wonderment, a sparkling curiosity as she beholds them. "For me?"

She's received many flowers in her life, being that her love of them is no secret, but there is something special about receiving ones that she can care for. Rather than preserving them between the pages of her journal, they can grow in the sunlight of her window sill day after day, their vibrancy and life enduring...

"Oh, it's wonderful! I love it -- thank you, Chrom!" Her arms wind around the flowerpot, playful but appreciative all the same as she hugs the tulips. "And you picked such perfect flowers, too!" Tokens of congratulation and well wishes, if she remembers rightly. "Was that on purpose? Heeheehee."

The tin of cookies, too, she accepts, balanced somewhere in the mess of arms and tulips.

"Yes... hee hee! We are friends, aren't we? I'm happy I met you, too!" A bloom bobs in front of her face, and the little cleric cranes her neck to peek over it, then smiles again. "It's a pretty good birthday so far -- and it's even better now!"