#sky runners au

[agoist]

ago i would like to hear about your aus /nf

OH MY GOD. OK SORRY IM SO LATE TO THIS I JUST SAW THIS IN MY INBOX

Hdisjfjfbf ok so. There are two but I’ll just share the happier one rn

My Sky Runners au is based on the Flyer set! It’s set a few years in the future (like. Twenty) but everyone is still the same age and everything, it’s just if everything happened twenty years later. This means medicine and technology is more advanced!

Thanks to the more advanced medicine, rad weekend isnt a funeral; it’s nagis retirement. She recovers, although its not easy, and taiga travels alone while ken stays back to raise an. Everything else happens as normal, but during lutf time nagi says shes gonna help train vbs :D

Theres also the factor that hatsune miku is a sentient ai that can feel feelings and chooses random teens to help musically, but this is just a fact of life for them.

I love them so much theyre all happy and wverything is fine (said theough sobs)

Harumichi also doesnt force toya to work as hard with classical music in the sense that toya still hates it and quits, but he never worked to the point his vision would go white and his hands cramped (canonically happened). He isnt *happy* that toya quit classical but he doesnt argue with him either

Shinei didnt discourage ena in middle school, so even though she has to struggle to get recognized she has support at home. They dont argue nearly as much so akito is also less aggressive with ena if that makes sense

Kohane is pretty much the same; taiga still trains her and everything, and an still gets jealous, but with nagi there ti help with her wmotionals it doesnt boil over and affect their performances. I havent actually read whip the wimp girl but i think itd go about the same, maybe a bit less angry tho

Thank you again for asking about them :D

[menacetomany]

i’ve been brainrotting recently... warriors x things fall apart mashup au... (context: Things Fall Apart is classic African literature that examines both traditional Igbo culture and the arrival of British colonizers. It centers on a man, Okonkwo, who’s basically the embodiment of toxic masculinity who has a complex about not being seen as ‘weak’ and ‘lazy’ like his father was. He’s extremely harsh on his wives, children, and community as a result. This stubbornness and pride also leads to him clashing violently with the colonizers when they appear, and things. Well. Fall apart. Other notable characters:  Ekwefi, his second wife, with 10 kids [nine of whom are dead]. Okonkwo once nearly shot her to death because she made a snide remark about him being a bad shot [ironically, he missed.] Ikemefuna, Okonkwo’s adopted son who was given to him by a neighboring village to prevent a war after said village killed a woman in a scuffle. One day it was decreed by the gods that Ikemefuna must be sacrificed to prevent disaster; the Oracle (I think?) told Okonkwo not to be involved in the death because Ikemefuna was his son in all but blood; Okonkwo is the one who deals the final blow nonetheless because he doesn’t want to be thought weak.) Nwoye, Okonkwo’s biological son, and very close with Ikemefuna. Okonkwo sees him as weak just like his own dad, and is very cruel towards him. He runs away to the colonizers near the novel’s end to escape his father--and his grief. Possible candidates/setting: -The proto-clans, with Clear Sky as Okonkwo, Bright Stream as Ekwefi (she’s not getting friged), and Thunder as either Nwoye or Ikemefuna (if he’s Nwoye, Ikemefuna might be Lightning Tail?) Clear Sky is a very good Okonkwo ( abusive, embodied toxic masculinity), but its not a 1:1 thing because the proto-clans were the colonizers during DOTC... -The forest pre-clans, with Wind Runner as Okonkwo, Gorse Fur as Ekwefi, Dust Muzzle as Nwoye, and Moth Flight as Ikemefuna. Wind Runner also makes a great Okonkwo, considering she’s an awful mom and also has complexes abt usefulness and strength, but she’s not rlly toxic masculinity. Wind, obviously, never assimilates into clan culture in this au, and maybe becomes ‘leader’ of the groups of non-clan affiliated cats who resist the mountain cat invasion. Moth and Dust would  be kits she found somewhere after her first litter died; the spirits tell Wind to sacrifice Moth to become the first spirit guide but just like canon tell her not to be involved; Wind disregards this and kills her anyway. After this Dust Muzzle runs away to the clans and eventually becomes the WindClan founder (Maybe it’s DustClan in this universe lmao) -Modern SkyClan, with Sharpclaw as Okonkwo, Cherrytail as Ekwefi, Hawkpaw as Nwoye, and Dustpaw as Ikemefuna. Not much to say abt this one, other than Hawkwing taking Darktail up on his offer after killing Sharpclaw being very interesting and very, very tragic. Sharpclaw is technically the most fitting but it feels boring lol lmk what yall think!!

[gs-artchive]

here’s the founders lineup! just wanted to put them together & compare heights so i can reiterate my point about making tall shadow short lol

[mirensiart]

Speaking of the chain and ages, this has absolutely no importance to the au, but when I write/draw the chain these are the ages I imagine them to be

wind: 13 (he says he’s almost 14 in canon but that is teenager speak for “I turned 13 like 2 months ago” lol)

four and hyrule: 16

legend: 17

sky: 20

twilight: 24

warriors: 27

time: 30

wild: 117 (lmao joking, he’s 17)

.

.

.

“But miry”, you say, “how is wild 17 if he’s post botw, shouldn’t he be older like at least 18”

I look at you dead in the eyes while I take a drag from my cigarette, “the wild in my mind is from the speed runner playthroughs”

you look at me with confusion in your eyes, “what do you mean?”

I shake my head, chuckling softly, “he defeated calamity ganon naked and with a stick, that’s what I mean. It took him a day” I drop my cigarette to the ground and step on in while I walk into the sunset

[overtake]

Non-driver Maxiel AU where Max lives in London and is forced into a run club by George.

Warning: mention of vomiting

The sun is obscenely low in sky when George raps at Max’s bedroom door. It’s soft at first, then graduates into louder and louder pounding that Max can’t ignore, even in this hungover haze. He drags his heavy limbs to the shaking bedroom door and flings it open, hoping his visible rage and pillow-creased face make George fuck right off.

“What do you want?” 

George is perky, that irritating fucking smile accompanying clear skin and bright under-eyes. There’s no signs of last night’s adventures left on his face. He’s also wearing the ugliest, most neon green workout set Max has ever laid eyes on. The shorts are obscenely short. Max isn’t wholly convinced George isn’t aspiring for the sex offender registry if he wears those in public.

“You promised you’d attend run club with me,” George says. He begins dropping into little side-to-side leg stretches, and Max has to avert his eyes to avoid being flashed. 

“Mate, I absolutely did not do that.” If a criminal was holding Max’s family hostage and said the only way to save them was running a 5K, he’d have to beg the guy for a chance to say goodbye.

“Yes, you did,” George protests. “It was after that guy you hit on turned out to be straight.”

As if Max needed to be reminded of that part, which does come back to him quite clearly, along with the many g&ts he downed after.

George, rather unwisely, keeps talking. “I said it was a great way to meet people, then Alex said you wouldn’t last a single kilometre in a run club, and then you bet him 10 quid you could finish the run and agreed to come today.” 

Max blinks at him dumbly. To be fair, it does sound like the kind of stupid, competitive bet he’d get into with George’s new boyfriend.

They all technically work for the same company, but Max is in IT and Alex was always tech-literate enough to never need Max's help. Ever since Alex all but moved into this flat — which George's mysteriously wealthy parents pay for, so Max shuts his mouth and deals — they have become well acquainted. George has effectively weaponized their innate need to antagonize each other into fights over who can dry dishes faster, sort out the recycling best, and hang framed photos the straightest.

This, however, is a whole new level.

“Absolutely fucking not,” Max says. He moves to slam the door in George’s face, but George swiftly kicks his foot in the gap.

“Fine, but I’m telling Alex you backed out,” he threatens. He’s serious, too. He’s been begging them to join this run club with him for ages, but it’s been a losing battle against two people who hate both early wakeups and exercise. 

Max thinks of Alex’s smug, delighted face when Max is forced to hand over the money — and he’ll make a whole show of it, probably in front of all their co-workers — and grits his teeth. “I’ll fucking go, but I’m moving out.” 

“That loses its effectiveness when you threaten it every other day,” George informs him, then drops into a lunge that exposes his matching neon green briefs. This is going to be the worst morning of Max’s life.

They roll up to the meeting spot five minutes late and both extremely grumpy: Max at the whole situation, and George at Max because he apparently dressed too slowly. He’d dragged him by his wrist the whole way there. 

George is instantly greeted and swept away into a crowd of runners who could be his fucking clones, short shorts and all. Max briefly wonders if he can escape without George noticing, but as he begins a shuffle toward the edges of the group, someone catches his eye and begins walking over.

“You’re new!” he says, just as eerily enthusiastic as the rest of this group, like it’s not literally six in the morning. Max is beginning to wonder if he’s starring in a horror movie.

The man flashes perfect teeth at Max. At least he’s extremely beautiful. The least this group could do is give Max something worth looking at if they’re planning to ritually sacrifice him at the end. 

“I’m Max. George made me come,” he says, sticking his thumb out at his evil, detestable flatmate. Max will be unleashing the cats into George’s locked office, where he keeps his priceless collection of vintage teapots on display.

“Oh, he’s always talked about bringing his boyfriend! I’m Carlos. I founded this group.” 

Max tries to resist gagging at more than just leftover gin sloshing around his stomach. Judging by Carlos’ amused expression, he does not succeed. “Flatmate. Definitely not his boyfriend,” he corrects. 

Carlos runs a tan hand through his beautiful, flowing hair, and Max doesn’t even bother to pretend he’s not watching the movement. “Welcome, George’s not-boyfriend. Let’s get you sorted into a pace group. What’s your usual time?” 

“I haven’t run since I played football in school. I will be walking behind the slowest group.” 

Carlos laughs as if Max just made a hilarious quip, which is vaguely concerning seeing as he could not be more serious. “Just run at whatever pace works for you. We believe in pace inclusivity here. You’ll have Daniel over there hanging behind the pack today so nobody gets separated, and we’re just doing 5K today. You’ll be fine.” 

“Just 5K,” Max repeats flatly, but Carlos is already gone. Fuck his life. He’s swearing off all bets with Alex for the rest of time. 

He tries to get a peek at the mysterious Daniel that he’ll seemingly be spending loads of time with, but all he can see is the back of a worn navy cap, long sleeves, and tight compression leggings under shorts. At least he’s not an exhibitionist like George’s little neon crew. 

Carlos stands on a nearby bench, gets everyones attention with a clap, and starts on some monologue about the beauty of morning runs. Max tunes him out and wonders if it might have been a good idea to stretch.

When Carlos gets the run started, Max doesn’t even try to move near George. He lets himself fall back with the only other person who looks vaguely close to struggling. The dude's in an ankle brace, but still, Max is able to keep pace with him for a solid two minutes.

Things start getting a bit shaky 1K in, but Max can still see some of the other runners. He knows the run club pace guy should be somewhere behind him, but he can't turn around to check. If he pauses for even a second, there’s no way he’s making it through.

He’s definitely wheezing quite loudly, and his legs are cramping in ways he never thought possible. Every new step aches. His four-year-old worn down shoes probably couldn’t survive another London rainstorm, let alone an actual run. He knows the wrinkly t-shirt he wore to bed is probably completely drenched in sweat, but he successfully gasps through another kilometre.

Only three to go before Alex has to pay up, and that thought is pushing Max through. He’s almost completely lost track of the group by now, and he can hear the slow tread of the poor guy stuck with him getting closer. The guy — Daniel, he thinks — calls out to him as he approaches. 

“Mate, if you don’t mind, I’m just going to run beside you so you don’t veer off-path.” 

If Max could hear anything over the sound of his own heavy breathing, he might have clocked the Australian accent and familiar cadence. Instead, he focuses so hard on not tripping over a now-unravelling shoelace that he instead misses a giant fucking stick in his way and eats shit straight onto the pavement. 

He sits with his back curled over his scraped-up knees, trying to remember a time when his chest and lungs didn’t physically ache with every short breath. He can feel last night’s drinks and 2 AM kebab churning around his stomach.  

“Are you okay?” a kind, concerned voice asks. There’s a hand lightly touching his back, and it’s making Max feel sickly over-warm in his already burning body. 

Max turns, looks into Daniel’s eyes, and promptly vomits onto his ex-fiancé's pristine white shoes. 

[hermesserpent-stuff]

Ace In A Cage AU Questions To Help You Worldbuild, Part One:

#1 How does Remy end up in the Brotherhood of X Universe, a.k.a. Earth 199-Z?

#2 How do the Brotherhood of X catch word that someone who looks like Gambit is running around? Did they plan this? Or was it an accident?

#3 Where does Remy go to outrun the strange mutants of Earth 199-Z? What his first encounter with them?

1. Something similar to tick tick boom for void!Remy ig. Some sort of 'touch this thing and it goes wrong' maybe breaking into a aim facility and a prototype portal reacts to his powers specially.

2. The brother hood of x hear about a massive explosion and then reports come in from towns of a flighty kid with ruby red eyes. The mutants have taken over in the world and there is an effort to bring in all mutants to let them hone their skills and become part of the rulers (or maybe just the USA was taken over??? Idk what do you think???). A lot of mutants are okay with this because it makes them safer than before even if people are hurt or die occasionally. The ruby eyes kid is a runner and won't let people take him anywhere, vanishing like smoke.

3 Remy goes home. New Orleans. There is a den with a nest there in his own universe. But he finds the nest barren. This scared him.

The brotherhood finds him on a rooftop in Richmond, staring at the sky line with narrow eyes. He is happy to see them, but they are immediately suss

Maybe Creed is there and is rageful that someone is trying to steal his cubs face. He's the first to use a dart on the kidm

[rfswitchart]

Obligatory Huntlow post for ASIAS anniversary

So, I might as well do an anniversary post for Any Sport in a Storm, shouldn't I?

Pop quiz: When did Willow Park fall in love with the Golden Guard? There's a lot of answers you COULD say for this. Maybe she started realizing it when they were in the Human Realm. Maybe she realized when he grabbed her out of the sky or was in the detention pit with him.....

You COULD say that.... but you'd be wrong. She realized it the moment Hunter stood between the Entrails and Darius. "Wait, how do you know that?" you might ask. Simple. Because as a writer of 25 years and someone who has had many crushes and relationships... I know that kind of body language and tone of voice well.

"After all, it will be 52 weeks until 'Caleb's' next day off..." Note the way she SAID that. Sly, coy, definite tongue in cheek. The way she's looking over her shoulder back towards him. I mean COME ON, there's a heart shaped cloud just above her head. Hearts being between the two of them is a big tell for that. It's called THEMING. "Ok, but that's just one moment..." Au contraire, did you think I'd come into this with one example? Remember, I WROTE THIS ALREADY. Now, pop quiz #2: Why did Hunter, who had only ever met Willow ONCE know the difference between the real and fake one?

After all, there is no way he could have known that after just one encounter. You can not determine a person's entire personality based on a sole encounter, no matter how much of an impression it left on you. The answer, again, is simple...

Because they had been talking over Penstagram since ASIAS. Probably took a while due to Hunter not being used to typing and stuff, but I cannot imagine they weren't talking since that night. It also explains why Willow trusted him so easily during the scout invasion of Hexside. Because it couldn't JUST be the breathing technique that swayed her. After all, Hunter had lied and betrayed her and her friends before.

...Again with the hearts. THEMING! Anyway, even if we discredit ASIAS and Labyrinth Runners, or how she totally went to kill Kikimora for trying to hurt 'him' (and stopped when she could have hurt him) and ran after 'him' specifically when 'he' was captured (remember, it was Luz, she just THOUGHT it was Hunter) Fine, let's forget all that then...

Because even if you discount those things, she definitely had a thing for him while they were trapped in the human realm. How do I know? Ok, time to teach you kids about flirting 101.

"I'm gonna borrow that book when you're done with it! ;)" She's not saying "I want to read that" because she's curious about Cosmic Frontier. She is saying "I want to know more about your interests," and saying it with a tone that says "I want to turn this into a date if I can." Even before when she's taking a picture and shutting down Amity's snarking on Hunter's costume, her body language, her words, her tone. They are all suggesting there's more than just 'friendship' there. When it comes to flirting, it is not WHAT you say, it is HOW you say it.

Also, while I'm on the subject. Willow is canonically Pansexual, she is not Ace. Also, she is not Demi/aromantic, she is heavily guarded and has trust issues from years of bullying and nearly everyone looking down on her or using her as emotional support. I have the same problem for the same reasons, and I know for a fact I am not aro. I am guarded because I've been hurt before, same as Willow. Hunter is the only one who ISN'T like that.

He doesn't see her as weak and frail, he doesn't rely on her for stuff, and he wouldn't be caught dead hurting her or looking down on her. That is HIS captain, and he'll be damned if he won't see her as anything short of incredible. And boy did he let her know that, more than once.

Anyways, sorry for rambling. Let's all appreciate these two amazing, powerful witches who really do compliment each other's lives.

[m3tr0n0m333]

»A SPARK OF HOPE«

A fankid AU: Introduction

Circa 200 years into the future…

Past the death of the renowned, world famous hero: Sonic the Hedgehog, his immortal rival resides in a secluded location not many know about, or dare to stumble upon. He’s made himself a peaceful abode, isolated from the rest of the world— prying eyes or hands seeking his power or presence.

Shadow merely wishes to live without the stress of catastrophe weighing on his shoulders. And with the death of the biggest villain of the era- Doctor Robotnik, he succeeds for the most part- until a mysterious illness overcomes him, and he’s forced to reach out for help.

Upon wandering to the familiar-yet-changed Emerald Town, Shadow spots a recognizable logo on a building.

With curiosity and intrigue, the ebony hedgehog makes his next exploration the inside of this tall establishment.

[REFS AND MORE UNDER CUT]

No, it will not stay this well formatted most of the time. Guess I just felt like putting effort into it.

This au focuses around Tails, Shadow, and my fankid, Sparks! (No ships between these three, although they do end up as a family of sorts.) (+ Silver, who exists around this time, gets to be the cool cousin of sorts)

Shadow, as described, had isolated himself for quite a few years. And got an illness. But it’s far from mysterious.

His inhibitor rings have rusted and aren’t as effective as they were, well, 200 years ago, causing his chaos energy to run irregularly and make him fatigued/sick. Of course, it was a gradual process, so it was a little difficult to have spotted it right away. And when you’re sick, the obvious becomes… less obvious?

During this lengthy intermission between supposed canon and au, (I may go off canon quite a bit. I’m not professionally well versed in all the Sonic lore…) Miles Prower (formedly gone as “Tails” for his iconic two tailed ‘mutation’) had grown rather successful. A well-off entrepreneur of his own brand. He lives comfortably, although he does lack the bonds he once had.

As a kitsune, Miles’ life expectancy is lengthened, and gaining another tail every 100 years. He had existed much past his more mortal friends and allies, but pushed forwards to a brighter future, sort of. In this time, he has developed more of his kitsune oriented abilities, taking a favor to illusions.

Shadow wanders upon the main building, the HQ erected at Emerald Town, where his house once was. As Shadow wanders, Miles is aware of the old friend bumbling through the building and decides to play a little prank with some illusions and the high tech security measures he has installed in the building. (Nothing harmful, promise)

Once Shadow reaches the top, Miles reveals himself with a bold act of bravado. As of which they have some reunion and reaccqeuaintence time. Shadow explains his problem to Miles, Miles points out the problem and offers to make Shadow new inhibitor rings (and fix his air shoes in the process). Afterwards, he offers a residence for Shadow with him, but the hedgehog refuses, intending to return to his reclusive life.

On his path of return, he comes across a kid, sitting alone in the rain.

He resembles someone.

Spiky blue quills colored like the wind and the sky, peachy fur on his chest and muzzle. Pointed ears, although a bit droopier.

He sat with his legs pressed against his chest, on the edge of the sidewalk. Alone, yet he wears an expression closer to irritation rather than fear or melancholy.

After some questioning, he discovers that the kid ran from an orphanage, one he describes as nasty and disrespectful to him, like gum sticking his shoe to the floor. He describes that he had ran, to find some freedom. He’s a fast runner, you know? Maybe if he can get faster and faster, he may actually break the barrier keeping him chained to the orphanage.

When the sky darkens, illuminating the moon and the stars, Shadow stands. To lead the kid back to where he should be encourages him to have hope, but without acting to give him it. Words are empty when actions don’t reflect it.

The kid begs to let him free. Lead him somewhere else, not back to his prison. No one will take him back in the orphanage. He deserves to be free. He can take care of himself out here- a string of reasons to grasp why he shouldn’t go back.

Shadow continues to walk in silence.

…

Perhaps it was pity. Shadow would like to believe it is, but it’s hard to describe the pull of his actions towards another decision. He felt this was right, despite denial weighing on this choice.

Shadow returned to the tall building, where Miles— although surprised to see his return— welcomed him back warmly. When asked for the reason of his return, Shadow provides a rather bashful explanation.

He doesn’t know how to take care of a child.

—

References + Character Design and Personality Rambles

Eyyyy it’s the old man (quite literally at this point. He’s like 200+ years??). How did he survive all those years in isolation without going insane?? I have no idea. He probably talks to the animal inhabitants of the place he lived in I think. I like to think maybe he found himself an ancient library to make himself at home and spent most of his time reading books and doing house chores.

To be honest I tried to reference other Shadow redesigns because I also wanted to put some more Black Arms traits on him, but I honestly don’t know know much about the Black Arms so all he got was a longer tail <3

He’s a tiiiny bit pinker in this design. Like the red highlights on his quills are more pivoted towards the pink on the color wheel, and the white fur also has a tint of pink. No reason. He just gets to be slightly pinker. As a treat.

^^ (Miles noticed. Shadow did not.)

Anyways, you may be wondering, why didn’t Shadow take the offer of staying with Miles the first time? After being alone without friends were so long, you would think he is drawn to the idea of having company again. Well, the thing is, I think that Shadow hates change, in a way. He’s drawn himself away from society, lived self sustained, without the pressures and all that. Suddenly, he gets the offer to reintegrate into a society he is not well versed in? Seems incredibly overwhelming. And Shadow believes he was perfectly content in his serene lifestyle.

He only reconsidered the second time because he doesn’t know how to take care of the kid he freshly adopted (and probably not correctly adopted either) and only thought of Tails for help. As far as he knows, Tails is the only other old friend that exists alongside him right now so…

This sets up the story of Shadow and Tails tries to take care of this kid and slowly forms into a type of found family that doesn’t quite fit into the boundaries of what a family would be like. They are not even close to traditional family roles, I think, other than a child-parent relationship between Shadow and Sparks (who I have yet to introduce)

During this story, Shadow gets back into the action of adventure again. He’s reminded of the exhilaration he felt in the past. Even little things such as banter and skating down hill. He missed it all, although he doesn’t admit it.

Here is Miles!! He dropped the name “Tails” after a while, deeming it something he doesn’t identify as deeply with anymore. (Maybe because no one was around to call him that old nickname anymore)

So you know how I mentioned he’s become an entrepreneur of sorts? It was bound to happen, I think. Imagine living 200+ years and still not figuring out how to earn the most money and live comfortably.

Anyways, while coloring his design, I did realize that he vaguely reminds me of Eggman… it’s probably the red, gold and white colors. Fits him well though, yeah? He always did share some traits with Eggman, I think. He just turned out more benevolent, he still has the high tech tendencies that Eggman held, as well as other habits.

I think Miles had earned some of an ego over time. When most acquaintances leave(died), and you rise to the top, everyone feels so far. And Miles stop bothering to seek out meaningful relationships to save him some suffering. He can still have fun, he can still have friends- just not with the strong intimate bond he had with his initial family.

When Shadow returned, he felt a spark- the hope- the opportunity to have a semblance of the old life again. Nostalgia is a strong feeling. That is why he offered for Shadow to stay. He didn’t expect him to, but that didn’t stop his heart from swelling with joy when Shadow did return.

Here is Sparks! The kid Shadow picked off the street yaknow yaknow… He is meant to resemble Sonic. Not uncannily resemble him though. Just enough that both Shadow and Tails can look at him and think… he kind of reminds me of his other blue hedgehog I had a deep connection with….

Part of why Shadow adopted Sparks is honestly because of his resemblance to Sonic. He would not like to acknowledge it, as it seems like such a cruel thing to give the hope of a new connection to someone that doesn’t know that that new connection did not start off new at all in the other side.

Of course, Sparks acts nothing like Sonic, despite similar appearances. Even though Sparks also shares the same sentiments— wanting freedom— as well as abilities— such as superspeed— Sparks acts more towards the pessimistic side. He’s not as charming as Sonic had been. (And although he does have superspeed, I believe it’s not to the extent that Sonic had.)

Additionally, when Shadow had been taking him back to the orphanage, he really wasn’t forced. Sparks intended to follow him back. Perhaps out of habit. And inevitable loop of escaping but returning once again. But also because if cowardice, knowing he wouldn’t be able to make it by himself. He’s immature, he’s inexperienced, Sparks is aware of that, yet still tries- only to the extent of what he knows he can succeed: aka running away, but never staying away. His cowardice is one of the traits he does not share with Sonic.

During his description of the orphanage to Shadow, he’s a bit of an unreliable narrator. The orphanage isn’t as miserable as Sparks describes it as. It’s a pretty normal orphanage, Sparks is just a troublemaker- and he hates the idea of being trapped in one place.

Anyways, Sparks resembles a star of sorts. He’s a little star themed. <3

[irondad-creator-awards]

All Winners and Runners-Up have now been added to the collections, though some will be awaiting permission.

The Bookmarks are all processed though for Winners and Runners-Up so you can find them all there.

Here is a list for simplicity's sake of our 2024 WInners and Runners-Up.

Best Multi -Chapter

Winner: Get Off My Lawn by Or I'll Turn The Hose On You by Bergen

Runner-Up:  Broken Mirrors And Fragile Things by Evienyx

Best Drabble

Winner: Peter Parker Needs A Hug by Happyaspie

Runner-Up:  They Happen Because Of You by Diamondshard143

Best One -Shot

Winner:  How To Get Banned From Monaco (Again) by Niniblack

Runner-Up:  King Of The Interns by Isadancurtisproduction

Best Plot Twist

Winner: Dark Matter by Mysterycyclone

Runner-Up:  Occupational Hazard by Bergen

Best Biodad

Winner: The Moon And Stars (And Gummy Worms Where They Shouldn’t Be) by Jaworley

Runner-Up:  I Believe I'm Lacking Some Context by Bergen

Best World's Colliding

Winner: Heir Of Stark Industries by Inkinmyheartandonthepage

Runner-Up:  4.2 And Running In Circles (Don’t Give Up Kid by I’m Here) by Jaworley

Best Hurt/Comfort

Winner: To Be Built Back Up Again by Fotibrit

Runner-Up:  If You Find That You Feel Lost by I'll Be Your Ticket Back by Kingdomfaraway

Best Homeless

Winner: Leap Of Faith (Catch Me If You Can) by Erinwantstowrite

Runner-Up:  Broken Mirrors And Fragile Things by Evienyx

Best Adoption

Winner: 7 Times Peter Starts To Realize He Has A Family + The One Time He Knows He Does by Jaworley

Runner-Up:  100 Hours (Community Service Is For The Turtles) by Orphanaccount

Best Fix -It Fic

Winner: Tis The Damn Season (For A Christmas Miracle) by Peacockgirl

Runner-Up:  The Fifth Stage Of Grief by Bergen

Best 5+1

Winner: The Iron Dad Protocol by Peacockgirl

Runner-Up:  5 Times Peter’s Metabolism Screwed Him Over by For_The_Night

Best Identity Reveal

Winner: Coincidentally— by Bergen

Runner-Up:  All I've Waited For (Where You Belonged) by Jaworley

Best Kidnapping

Winner: I Know My Name (It's All I Know For Sure) by Jaworley

Runner-Up:  How To Catch A Spider -Man by Ctrsara

Best Bonus Bond

Winner: Take Me By The Hand (I Miss You) by Jaworley

Runner-Up:  Unofficial SI Lemonade Business by Happyaspie

Best Humor

Winner: Hierarchy Of Needs  by Bergen

Runner-Up:  Ned Leeds' Beginner's Guide To Faking Sick by Happyaspie

Best Wild Card Story

Winner: Lies Of Omission by Bergen

Runner-Up:  An Unexpected Reunion by Sara (Ctrsara)

Best AU

Winner: A Sky Full Of Stars by Olliecollie

Runner-Up:  The Spiderman And The Frog by Bergen

Best Series

Winner: Finding The Way Home by Peacockgirl

Runner-Up:  More Than An Intern by Jaworley

The All -Time Favorite

Winner: Leap Of Faith (Catch Me by If You Can) by Erinwantstowrite

Runner-Up:  Identity Saga by Kitcat992

The 2023/2024 Favorite       

Winner: Deadpool's Guide To Accidental Kidnapping by Inkinmyheartandonthepage              

Runner-Up:  Broken Mirrors And Fragile Things by Evienyx

THE PROLIFIC WRITER AWARD     

Winner: Bergen           

Runner-Up:  Inkinmyheartandonthepage   

THE NEWBIE

Winner: Mswinifredquale     

Runner-Up:  Badass_Bookworm

THE OG           

Winner: Jaworley       

Runner-Up:  Peacockgirl       

BEST IRON FAMILY FANART             

Winner: Spideyart     

Runner-Up:  Reeneeart         

MOST HEARTBREAKING FANART 

Winner: Spideyart     

Runner-Up:  Stxrddst              

Best Sketch  

Winner: Moritashi      

Runner-Up:  Monireh

Best Wild Card          

Winner: Spidey -Art  

Winner: Reeneeart    

Best Fic Art   

Winner: Monireh

Runner-Up:  Happyaspie

Best Cartoon

Winner: Happyaspie

Best Canon -Redraw

Winner: Melty -Artz

[dianesdiaries]

scorched earth| Homelander x Y/N

Synopsis/AU;Homelander becomes a madman after Vought decides they have the better facilities of taking care of Ryan, realizing the pain and abandonment he went through Ryan would believe his dad left him to face. In a fitted rage, he destroys the Vought building one by one, taking a life every minute it takes to return his boy. Y/N is assigned to the special forces team responsible for 'cleaning up his mess', and ensuring that nobody gets hurt. By the time special units have reached the building, Homeland's already taken a liking to toppling down dominoes.

TW: lots of violence in this one! I didn't really know what to write but I thought it would be a cool idea to see homelander go cray cray again lol

NOTE: this is short but I feel like would make a rlly good part 2 lmk!

I searched the premises top to bottom, looking for any signs of imperfections left behind in his massacre. God knows what he had in store for the rest of the world, and not one person has a single clue what could've led to this trajectory. I watched as bright stars peaked in the sky, cameras and vans swarming the building like bees to a nest. My gun slinged along my arm as I slowly watched the stars get closer, and closer..

It was bodies.

The sound of bones mushing into pavement made my stomach hurl. But when it rains, it pours. Dozens of civilians began falling from the sky, bouncing off the concrete in sync to the sounds of blood curling screams arising amongst viewers. I know, I was assigned to special forces for a reason. But he's lost his damn mind.

"All units, Move in! NOW! RIGHT FUCKING NOW! I SEE ONE MORE BODY DROPS ITS GONNA BE YOU!" The chief demanded, his coffee splattered across his long tattered coat in a fuel of rage. Hoisting into gear, I took one last look at the pain behind me. News vans scampered back and forth across the roads looking for a way out, avoiding the bloody trouble Homelander had flung into their direction. But something was wrong. I began to sweat, and it didn't stop. Drops of water began covering into my helmet vision, tactical gear cooking my body as the temperature increased. Metal scraping against brick made my ears squeal, quickly retreating into the building for safety. Red lasers danced across the city scape, quickly sawing whatever came into its way.

The building couldn't be any more worst than outside. Scarlet red painted the walls like an artists' touch, the main floor wiped of human life. I was assigned no other job but to simply talk to him, my guys in route watching closely as we made our way to the elevator. Quickly, I swiped my feet at the feeling of someone's touch, backing away in terror. There lay A-Train, who once was the world's fastest man quickly turned to nothing but broken bones. He crawled gently towards my ankle, pleading with his eyes as he winced in pain. "Send a paramedic team in, now. He's still got time" I demanded, the group of SWAT enforced men looked at me puzzled. "You're going up there, alone?..." one brave suit asked, I couldn't see his face but his tone ensured everyone was equally as terrified. I could see right through the supes facade, Homelander didn't scare me not one bit. I nodded my head in approval, the boys quickly sweeping to A-Train's rescue as they steadily carried the poor runner out of the building. I stared at the hopeless elevator entrance ding open, inhaling deeply as the doors closed behind me. Soft elevator music hummed in my ear, steadying my heart beat to a soft thump. I had to be prepared for the worst of it all, he could cut me into two pieces by the time the door opened and nobody would know until it was too late.

39,40...41.....42..........42.....

The elevator came to a holt, its bright led numbers flickering as the music came to a stop. My feet jolted below me, holding steadily to the railing as I waited in silence. He knew I was here. He knew someone was coming. My heart roared through my chest as I struggled to catch my breath, what the fuck was I thinking taking this job?

distress fled into my body, watching the doors pry open to the grip of ruby-red gloves. I fled to the ground, covering my head with my heads, watching the door opening wider. And wider. His cold distilled blue eyes emerged from the peak, analyzing me through the small crack. Homelander demanded, "Take off the helmet and let me see your face", watching my hands unravel from fetal position as my breath quivered. Slowly emerging from my helmet, I took the might of speaking up. "Homelander, I know your stressed... I'm not sure what happened, but.. we can work through this-". In the blink of an eye, the metal doors tore as gracefully as paper, falling into the ever abyss of the metropolitan below. My pupils constricted at the sight of him, his face was dim in expression and yet said so many things. His once "all American dream" blue suit covered in the blood of his coworker's, his hair a frilled mess, mania scampered in his eyes to the sound of his laughs. The dazed man grabbed my neck in a grip, and pulled me towards the gravel of the roof. I could feel my heart drop into my stomach, watching him edge closer and closer to the end of the building. "Homelander, wait.. Homelander please d-don't do this! Listen, okay? I'm Y/N, now you know me. Just tell me what happened, I'll listen!", pleading for my life as my gear scraped across the floor. The crazed supe held my head against the edge, a thousand feet of death kissing my eyes in return.

"They took my son. Away from me. My son is gone. you're going to tell me where he is. Or you can go say hi to your friends for me" he said, my hands pushed in denial as I screamed at the force of his body swinging me back and forth. "Where is Ryan! Goddamnit-where is he!" Homelander roared, his eyes holding threat in a bright neon red, I could feel my life draining from me in the moment. I had to think quick. I could keep my job, and do as I'm told. Or, I could save my life. I could do what I was good at. What Butcher taught me best. Rationalizing.

"Listen- look, okay? I can help you find Ryan, but you got to let me go! Without me, not a single fucking person at Vought would tell you his whereabouts. Besides, what they did to you.. Could be happening to him as we speak. Y-You want that?", my words could be playing with fire. But I had to give it a shot. Homelander laughed in mockery of my bravery, hastily letting go of me as he clapped and laughed in rejoice. The man's madness made me sick to my core. I could feel fresh acid forming like a lump in my throat, but I had to keep composure. I couldn't show I was scared. He would kill me without hesitation. He paced back and forth in thought of my offer, hands on his hips as I tried to catch my breath and pushed up against a corner of the roof. The screams from below echoed like the gates of hell, I could tell it was riling him up. "I have an idea, but.. We need to do it my way. You understand? No diverting, no nothing" I exclaimed, he looked across at me as blood dripped off his icy blonde tips stained a muck brown. "We leave. Now. Before they find out you were responsible for this, we can pinpoint it on another supe and you get Ryan back. Homelander- if this gets on the news...", I carefully stared back into his cold gaze, gulping at the words stuck in my throat. "You might not ever see Ryan again if Vought finds out you did this" I said.

The supe almost took that as a challenge, raising his eyebrow at my comment. "Really? And what makes you think I'll listen to you?" he chuckled, approaching slowly as I backed my heels into the ground. He towered carelessly over me, crouching low to meet my gaze. The smell of death reeked off his clothes, his teeth blinked brighter than the sky filled with mourning souls. Without thinking, the man lifted me carefully and began to back away from the building, I could feel our bodies lift off the ground and up towards the clouds. It calmed me, to know that I was able to do something perfectly for once. The one moment that could've possibly ruined my entire life, I saved myself. But I couldn't save the others

"Before we go.. You want to see something cool? I've been meaning to do this for a while" he chuckled, stopping in position as we levitated above the downtown metropolitan. The feeling of course hot beams almost burned through my suit, as I watched the Vought building explode into an array of flames. The building's base was untouched, Homelander squealed in laughter watching people rush onto the streets like ants. "They had what was fucking coming for them. And they knew it. Nobody to blame but themselves, right Y/N? I mean, you have to agree. We're friends now. And you!-You Are going to get me my boy back", his head shook vigorously as if he agreed with his own sentence, looking at me for the approval of his message. I understood that he was setting me up, but two can play that game. "We need to see Butcher. Now. He'll know what to do" I explained, my eyes refused to watch the city below. I had nowhere to look but right into his eyes. And I prayed that he could feel the hatred feeling through my body. Effortlessly, the dazed supe began to track throughout the clouds, elevating so the bare naked eye could barely see us through the cotton-field of clouds.

[bendycxmet]

Meet Cute—Vash the Stampede

Summary: A new town can be quite lonely by yourself. That is, until you meet someone new.

Word Count: ~1.3k

Content: fluff, modern AU because why not?, whole gang makes an appearance, slight angst (on the reader's part) just for a bit

As you walk along the populated beach, your sandals roll and scratch against the sand-covered pavement, scraping sounds echoing in your ears. The sun is slowly descending on the horizon, fluffy clouds strewn across the sky and painted in lovely shades of pink. Laughter and loud music boom from speakers around you, skaters and runners dodging your slow-moving figure as you look for a quiet spot to enjoy your sandwich and lemonade, water droplets sliding along your hand from your drink on this warm day.

The joyous environment doesn't entirely match how you are feeling on the inside. A new and prosperous job was offered to you sometime after graduation, but this required you to move away from your family, friends, and everything you knew and were familiar with. It was a new chapter in your life, and you knew it had to be done. Although, this big change proved to be not as great as you had hoped it to be.

Sure it might be hundreds of miles away from home, but I’ll finally be working a job I always wanted! I can always go to the beach after work! Always nice to meet new people.

You thought all this before you left, optimistic views of a new start to your life swirling in your head as you moved into your new apartment. But… things were not going quite so smoothly. Everyone at work was either older or too uptight for you to be able to call them a friend. Your neighbors hardly showed their faces. Homesickness was settling in and you were beginning to doubt your decision.

With a heavy sigh, you plop yourself down on the barrier separating the sandy beach from the walking locals enjoying the weather on the sidewalk. Crossing your legs, you bite into your homemade sandwich, spacing out as you peoplewatch. Nearby, you see a volleyball net, a team of four players playing a two vs two match. 

Must be nice. You thought, laughter erupting from the pair of girls on one side of the net, the taller one picking up the shorter one and swirling her around in victory. On the other side of the net, you saw a head of black hair buried in the sand, presumably from a missed dig. You watched as his blonde teammate laughed, hands on his knees. You couldn’t get a good look at what he looked like, as his muscular back was to you.

They seem like a close group of friends. Wonder how they got to know each other.

Turning away from the scene as the heaviness in your chest deepened, you gazed out at the deep blue waters, letting your mind flow with the crashing waves that came onto the shore.

“Wolfwood, no! Don’t hit it so hard, there are people around! Oh no… Watch out!” 

The loud, chastising voice barely reached your ears before a black and red volleyball entered your sight, hitting the sandwich right out of your hands. You gaped at your now empty hands. 

Frantic running could be heard as someone came near.

“I’m so sorry for that! Are you okay?!” 

You finally looked up, stunned immediately. 

Pretty… is all you could think as your eyes wandered around the stranger's face. It was the blonde guy laughing from earlier, only this time you could finally see what he looked like. Swimmingly beautiful azure eyes rivaling the beauty of the ocean past him stared apologetically at you, a small mole sitting right near the corner of one of his eyes. A metal hairband pulled back his blond hair, and freckles dotted his entire face and body, perhaps from hours spent on this very beach. From up close, you could see he was definitely…muscular.

I need to come to this beach more often.

“-and he just spiked it hard, I’m really so sorry. He can really be a sore loser sometimes.” His apologies finally reached you, pulling you from your ogling.

“It’s just a sandwich, it’s no big deal. I can help feed the local wildlife,” you giggled as a seagull squawked above you, signaling it had noticed the lost sandwich lying in the sand. “You guys seemed to be playing quite the match over there. Who’s winning?” you teased.

The blonde blushed, adding to the pinkness already on his cheeks from the exertion of the game. “I’d rather not say…”

You closed your eyes as you cackled at his embarrassed display, missing the way his blush deepened. He didn’t even say anything that funny…have I really had not that much human interaction lately? You swiped at your eyes, peeking at him with one eye. 

Cute… he thought.

“Where are my manners? My name is Vash!” he extends his hand for you to shake. You grab onto his hand, noting the rough callouses on his fingertips and palm. Somehow, his touch managed to be soft and warm other than that. 

“And the idiot that hit the ball over there is Nicholas, the tall girl is Milly, and the shorter one is Meryl.”

You introduce yourself as well, giving his hand a light squeeze back as he holds onto your hand a beat longer than normal. His mouth tasted the syllables of your name as he echoed it back to you, grinning as he liked the taste of it on his tongue. He could get used to saying that. He pulled away after, huffing a laugh as he looked away. 

You quickly glanced around his shoulder, giving a quick wave to his friends, the girls enthusiastically returning the greeting while the tanned male gave a quick nod.

“I haven’t seen you around here before. We usually come every other day when we can so I’m pretty familiar with the folks here. I think I would notice someone as lovely as you.” Vash noted. 

“I’m new in town, actually. I just came out today to enjoy the weather and have a little picnic with myself…” you reply, choosing to ignore his final remark to save your wildly beating heart. You don’t usually like someone this quickly, but Vash seemed to have an energy that drew you to him the instant you met. 

I want to get to know him. A small desire in your heart made itself known.

“Is that so? Why alone? An evening like this is wonderful when you have friends to enjoy it with… or a partner…” he pried.

“Haven’t gotten that far here yet,” you smiled wistfully, twiddling with the lemonade cup in your hand.

“Tell you what, let me take you to one of my favorite sandwich shops on the pier one of these evenings. It’s the least I could do after we ruined your picnic,” he offered, a nervous smile etched on his face, scared of your rejection. 

“I’d like that.” You smiled, staring back at his fidgety gaze, noting how he carved a path all around your features, taking them in. If you had looked up a second later, you would have missed the way his eyes held a subtle admiration. He finally met your stare when you caught him looking.

“Yay! Ok, I’m so excited, here let me give you my phone number-”

“Oi! Blondie, quit flirting!”

Vash visibly flinched, thumbs freezing over your phone screen. Both of your faces felt hot.

“Sorry about him. Yeah, gimme one sec!” He yelled back. 

He paused as he handed your phone back. “Come join us.”

“Oh, are you sure? Your friends wouldn’t mind?”

He shakes his head, offering his hand again to pull you from the barrier. You take his hand and hop down, yet he doesn't take his hand away. “It’s only right. I ain’t leaving you alone after we ruined your evening.”

“Vash, you really didn’t-” your sentence is cut short as Vash begins to run, pulling you with him.

“Hey guys, let me introduce you to my new friend!”

Your heart tightens, only this time it feels lighter and warmer. The sun begins to dip below the horizon, lights turning on along the pier.

Friend, huh?

A/N: I think meeting him for the first time would be so neat :)) anyway reblogs/comments appreciated!!

masterlist

divider by saradika

[mightybog]

Twenty Questions for Fanfic Writers

Thank you @liviapeleia for the asks <3!!

Tagging longtime frond @breadkween, fabulous runner of @merlinmicrofic @queerofthedagger (thank you!) and reader and writer who's left me lovely comments @achillesuwu. @mythandmagic, Ao3 is down rn so I can't check but if you have any fics yourself, here's an ask game for you! There's no obligation, presh or time limit of course! Also like @liviapeleia said before me, consider yourself tagged if you see this!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

11

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

265,960

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now just Merlin. I've written for other fandoms in the past but each of those works have been standalone.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Always His Destiny | Merlin | A true love's kiss, resurrection and golden age AU written for Glompfest 2024.

Like Every Tree Stands On Its Own | Merlin | A longfic inspired by other Arthurian media/sources featuring Wildman Prophet!Merlin and a magical forest. This is my magnum opus.

What's Mightier Than a Sword and Robs a Prince of His Servant? | Merlin | Pre-slash Merthur minor canon-divergence in which Merlin's talents in speech writing land him a promotion and Arthur is Not Pleased™.

Only Human | Venom | A short gift/exchange fic about masturbation, lol. The fic I received in exchange was also about masturbation. In my defence this was a writing exercise (I promise).

The Sky Is Falling | Nightvale | Unfinished fic about alcoholism recovery, love, community and the complete collapse of reality.

...Okay wow what a mix :D

5. Do you respond to comments?

I really love comments and I love getting into discussions with readers! It really makes my day to see that someone has commented on one of my fics.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Am I allowed to choose a soon to be published WIP? Words Are Dead, a microfic inspired by the Agnes Obel song of the same name in which Merlin and Arthur are unable to communicate when Arthur returns. Merlin has lost Brythonic, his first language, and his capacity to relearn it. He's simply been alive for far too long and his mind has suffered :(

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Like Every Tree has a prolonged bittersweet kind of ending but I think Always His Destiny wins.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope/not yet!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, though so far it hasn't been the focus of any of my works, there's no reason why that can't change though (the Venom one doesn't count, I make the rules here). As to what kind I'd say loving and intimate, I guess? Sometimes with a bit of a hurt/comfort element to it. Again, no reason why I can't branch out in the future ;)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

While not labelled as a crossover, Like Every Tree was heavily inspired by Arthurian media both new and old, and one medieval Irish source. I did so much research for this fic and I'm still down those various rabbit holes. It was a homage to my favourite, janky cartoon movie from my childhood Quest for Camelot. Otherwise I don't write proper crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don't think so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also don't think so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No but I would love to!

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I guess it really has to be Merthur! I don't recall a ship ever having such a hold on me. Those two are doomed but made for each other. The way they interact is so much fun to read/write.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Damn, this is definitely Be Here When the Weather Turns, a Mushi-shi fic. It has a very soft, restful and liminal vibe and I adore it. I really do wish I can finish it someday. So sometimes like a song, you share a piece of media with someone, or you associate it with a particular chapter in your life, and that song/piece of media brings up feelings. I'd like to think it's still worth a read. If you don't know Mushi-shi, please consider checking it out, it was weird and quiet and beautiful.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I can't deny that I put a lot of love into this hobby. Also @breadkween has told me that they really like my dialogue :3

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm really prone to typos. I can re-read something a hundred times and just fail to see them. I'm a very slow writer; what I put out usually goes through months of edits and change-ups. Lastly I have embraced a faux-pas or two for fun, such as starting sentences with 'and.' And no one can stop me >:)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'd only be comfortable writing dialogue in a language I've formerly learned and have some level of familiarity with for fear of getting something wrong.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Okay I love this question because the answer is the highly formative Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, a YA series I was obsessed with, and have continued to read, and re-read as an adult and as unexpected prequels and sequels popped up in more recent years. I wrote it on a literal floppy disk :D First fandom I wrote for that I actually published online was Undertale.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Definitely Like Every Tree. I'm just really proud of it :3

[elisaintime]

Woah, I must have missed something, why are people jumping down your throat?

From what I can gather at this point, it seems like they feel like anyone who likes Anne Rice herself and the books better than the show=automatically racist. Even if they ALSO enjoy the show and support the race change of the characters and all the racial conversation the show incorporated into its adaptation.

Personally, I think it does a disservice to the fandom to assume that the only reason one could like the books over the show is because of racist reasons. Anne's books speak to so many people in so many ways, especially those who have ever felt like outcasts or apart from mainstream society, and many fans have extremely personal connections to the books for a huge variety of reasons.

Like I said in my videos, I was excited and intrigued to see this AU version of the story (I love AUs!) but my complaints with the writing of the episodes mostly came back to when the show was trying to stick TOO MUCH to the books.... Because the show was really making its own thing with its own versions of the characters and all these new ideas, but then suddenly it would shove in a scene/dialogue straight out of the books which would contradict or make no sense with everything else the show had already worked to set up with the new direction it was taking itself.

Critiquing sloppy/weak writing does not mean I or any other fan who feels the same is doing it for racist reasons. Much of my criticism was about how the scripts changed Lestat's character to make him so much worse than he was in the books (which would be fine, it's their story, whatever--except the show runners told us over and over again that the whole reason Louis was doing a second interview was so that this time we could see the real version of Lestat and how Louis felt about him instead of the mean, insulting version he gave in the first interview). There was a lot promised by the showrunners about what their adaptation would be like that was not delivered ("closer to the books than the 1994 movie," "true to the spirit of Anne Rice" etc). The entire reason I made my videos was to evaluate how well the show measured up to those promises.

Worse than making Lestat so irredeemable, the way the first season ended in a way that made so many fans believe that Louis might have been lying about everything didn't sit well with me at all--it's a harmful stereotype to make the black man a liar, especially when it comes to abuse. I know the "the DV didn't actually happen and black Louis was lying or mind controlled by his evil non-white boyfriend" became a running fan theory, but I personally don't believe it one bit. But I can see why so many fans do--again, sloppy/weak writing on the show's part.

Like I said in my video, the only thing Louis actually lied about in ep7 (and he was lying to himself, not deliberately lying to Daniel) was the depth of his love for Lestat at the end. And that's entirely canon for Louis to deceive himself about--admitting how much he truly loves Lestat always came hard for him. I personally don't think it's going to turn out that anything Louis told us in season 1 was a lie. I think the show would have revealed that at the end of the season, not waited another season (or two or three) to reveal that. And the theme of season 2's promotional material has all been about memory, not honesty. I don't think Louis could mistakenly remember getting dropped from a mile in the sky and the months/years of recovery afterward, so I personally think all those memories were real.

The first three episodes of season 1 made Louis's struggle with race its primary focus, and the series description began with how Louis was chafing at society as a black man. But then from episode 4 on, the focus of the show shifted entirely. Obviously racism still existed in Louis's world, but the show pushed it all entirely to the background with little things, like segregation on the bus, and we saw the characters quietly taking in stride, not making any plot out of it. Suddenly all of Louis's character-driving moments weren't about that anymore and we were in a whole new story, when his battle against racism had been the entire theme of the first three episodes. This was something I noticed and pointed out in my videos--I didn't say it was a bad thing (after all, seeing people be racist to Louis on screen, while "realistic," isn't exactly fun for anyone, and we'd already seen plenty), but I did think the sudden dramatic shift in story focus weakened the show's themes and throughline.

Again this comes down to writing, and the premise/script was written by white people. I think they could have done much better with much more non-white involvement on the writing level. I think the show could have been stronger with some more care taken to create consistency and smoother transitions between episodes (like when they take Claudia out to feed in episode 4, suddenly all the race riots are gone, when everything was on fire 2 hours ago). It's common for shows to have each episode written by a different person, even though they all collaborate in a writer's room, but to me it felt like the show lacked efficient script supervision to make sure all the scripts flowed into each other without any contradictions or inconsistency.

When I talked about these things in my videos, when I said I would have liked the show to do better with the way it missed the mark sometimes in handling racial aspects (even though other parts I commended as being great), and the way I critiqued the inconsistencies and contradictions, some people took that to mean I hated the show entirely. The point of my videos was to see how well the show measured up to Rolin Jones's promises that it was so faithful and respectful to the spirit of the books and that all he wanted to do was honor Anne's work. I know the books back and forth, enjoy having a ND hyperfixation that gives me near-encyclopedic knowledge of the texts and Anne as an author. So people ask me questions about them all the time, especially in comparison to the adaptations. Who better to make videos evaluating how well the show measured up to RJ's promises and claims of faithfulness? But some people took me comparing the show to the books to mean I thought it was a bad thing that they weren't the same, and I hated the show entirely for not being the same as Anne wrote it, and therefore that meant I (and anyone else who loves the books) was racist 🤷

[daedelweiss]

DTIYS IS HEEEEREEE!!!✨️ wanted to thank you all for your overwhelming support on life mission, the comic, and even my own iteration!! y'all are the sweetest beans and i'm so so happy to share my little blorbos to all of you 💖

this is my first DTIYS so please bear with me 😄 here are some of the rules of my DTIYS:

1. you can change the setting, poses, etc. just keep the 4 brothers together, their outfits, and the starry sky because i associate LM!Leo with stars 🌟 2. tag me and tag the post with #daeslifemissionDTIYS and life mission's official hashtag ➡ #rottmnt Life Mission AU 3. deadline is March 10th!!

i will choose one main winner will win a free colored art of any character and 2 runner ups who will win a cleaned sketch of one character 👀

in case you need help figuring out the bois' full outfit, i have the temporary character sheet of them on "keep reading” section! will be making a full character sheet soon and updated profiles for them though 😄

hope y'all have fun!!! and thank you again 🥰💖 • ( 🌿 please do NOT repost, edit, trace, use, and/or sell 🌿 )

temporary character sheet:

better view of the full piece:

[the-fiction-witch]

The Garden Shed

Media - The Maze Runner Series AU Characters - Newt Couples - Newt X Reader Rating - 18 + kissing / groping / fondling / breast play / nipple play Word Count - 1074

As Newt sat on his break, he found a comfortable spot on the soft, lush grass near the vibrant gardens. With a leisurely gaze, he observed the puffy white clouds drifting gracefully across the expanse of the clear blue sky. Occasionally, these clouds would meander before the sun, casting fleeting moments of tranquillity and shade upon the Glade.

He looked up and noticed Y/n approaching, in her usual denim shorts and light blue hoodie, so he sat up a little “Hey love, you alright?”

Y/n sat down beside Newt and let out a whine, "Newt... Why is it so hot?"

Wiping sweat from his brow, Newt gazed out at the scorching sun beating down on the Glade. “It's been like this for days, at least we have the odd cloud,”

"still too hot... Make it cold" she demanded

Chuckling dryly, Newt raised an eyebrow, “Easy for you to say, love. You're not the one in charge of keeping this place running smoothly.”

"I keep this place running," she protests, "Without me, you boys would have no clean clothes," she reminds,

“Well, I suppose that's worth a few cool breezes, don't you think?” He winked.

she sighed and lay against his chest "you’re mocking me,"

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Newt pulled her in close, his expression softening. “Don't be daft, love,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear. “I'm just tryin' to lighten the mood.” His fingers danced across her scalp stroking though her hair,

"Newt?"

“Mmm?”

"do you boys ever ... Talk about me when I'm not around?" She asked curiously

A hint of a smile played on Newt's lips as he leaned in, “Oh, you want to know what we really think about you, don't you, love?” His breath caressed her ear, “We talk about how bloody brilliant you are at getting under our skins,” he chuckled softly.

"you know what I mean" she playfully shoved his chest,

Newt's grip on her hair tightened, his fingers digging gently into her skin. “You mean, do we gossip about your... assets?” He raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with amusement.

“Umm,” she nodded,

“Do I look like an idiot, love? Even if they did do you think I’d tell you?”

she pouted, "But do you think the boys... You know?"

Newt's eyes locked onto hers, a knowing glint flashing in their depths. “I think they're all bloody fascinated by you, love,” his voice low and husky. “But as for...specific details?” his lips curling into a sly smile. His gaze drifted downward, his eyes roving over her curves. “I've seen the way boys look at you,” Newt's voice dropped to a whisper, his tone laced with intrigue. “And I think many boys have been wanting to...get closer for quite some time now.” Newt's fingers trailed down her arm, “Don't tell I said anything, love,” he whispered urgently.

she nodded "What about you?"

Newt's chest rose and fell with a slow, deliberate breath. “Well… I've been wanting to get closer to you for far longer than most boys have, love,” his voice low and husky, his words dripping with intimacy. “Honestly? I think I've been obsessed with you since the moment I met you.” His fingers wrapped around her wrist, holding her captive. “You drive me bloody mad, Y/n,” he growled his face inches from hers.

she softly Giggled "Do you ever... Think about me? When in not around?"

“Oh, love, I think about you constantly,” his voice a low, throaty purr.

"what about... After lights out when you all alone?"

“After lights out, love... I think about you so very much,” his voice barely above a whisper, his words dripping with seduction. “I lie in bed, feeling the weight of my responsibilities as second-in-command...and then I imagine what it would be like to have you under me.” His fingers tightened around her wrist, pulling her closer. “To feel your skin against mine, to taste your lips.”

"do you imagine how nice it would be having the only girl in your arms?"

“Oh, love, I don't just imagine it,” his voice was a low, husky growl. “I crave it.” He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear. “I want to hold you so tightly, to feel your warmth seep into my bones.” His hands squeezed her tight, “To feel like I'm home” he whispered, his breath sending shivers down her spine.

"do you imagine... Touching things that only girls have?"

“Yes, love,” his voice barely above a whisper, his words dripping with longing. “I imagine touching you everywhere.” His fingers trailed down her sides, coming to rest on the curve of her hips.“Your thighs, your belly, your breasts …” He paused, his eyes flashing with desire. “And most especially,” he whispered, his lips grazing her earlobe.“...your lovely little cunt.”

She blushed and softly Giggled,

Newt's grin spread wide across his face, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Oh, love, You're so bloody adorable when you blush.” He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against hers almost kissing her. “Let me show you just how much I adore it,” he whispered, his breath sending shivers down her spine. His hands slipped beneath her hoodie, cupping her breasts in his palms. “Perfect, just like the rest of you,” he murmured, his thumbs tracing circles around her hardening nipples.

she gasped Blushing hard, his hands making her softly moan and rub her thighs together trying to conceal her excitement,

Newt's eyes gleamed, his fingers deftly manipulating her sensitive nipples, “Oh, love, you're so responsive,” he breathed, his voice husky with desire. He pinched her nipples gently, watching as she arched her back in pleasure. “You're the goddess of the Glade.” His hands continued to tease her breasts, his fingers rubbing and tugging at her skin until she was squirming against him, “Shh, love, nice and quiet we don’t want the other boys to hear you do we?” he cooed, mouth closing over hers in a possessive kiss.

Y/n gasped but kissed him back melting into his actions,

Newt's kiss deepened, his tongue probing the depths of her mouth as he continued to caress her breasts.

“Come on, love,” he whispered, breaking away from their kiss to trail hot kisses down her neck. “We need to find a place where we can be alone.” He glanced around the Glade, his eyes scanning the surrounding area before settling on the nearby garden shed, “Shall we?”

she gulped and nodded excitedly,

So Newt got to his feet and pulled Y/n’s hand to bring her to her own, sharing a tender kiss before they both bolted through the grass towards the Garden shed. 

[espinosaurusrexex]

The Trap - Introduction

Worlds Collide Collection

BuckyBarnes x Female!Reader apocalypse au

summary: Welcome to the apocalypse. This is the introduction to the new world you're about to enter. Let's see what your life is like. Do me a favor and be open, and maybe there'll even be a handsome stranger to meet...

a/n: so this is heavily influenced by The 100 and Love and Monsters and I guess also Maze Runner, if it seems chaotic at times, that’s because it is. With that being said: have fun reading i’d love to hear what you think 

word count: 2.2k

warnings: grumpy/sunshine, mentions of death and misery, loneliness, dystopia, nuclear weapon and monster stuff, obnoxiously optimistic reader (give her a chance okay)

collection playlist | main masterlist | collection masterlist

May 10th 2039

Hey Book,

Here are the things that happened today:

found a new pen (that’s great because this one is running out)

watched the acid fog from the building with the tall glass roof (pretty dope if you ask me!)

went to the west border and saw new tracks

finally got the nose right on that Gordon Ramsey sketch (it’s finished, yay!)

gave Berty a makeover

The day has been pretty sweet. I’m thinking of going out tonight to watch the meteor shower. Hope I don’t die.

Anyway, see ya tomorrow!

   ~You know who :)

The notebook closed with a loud thud that made even you twitch. Your eyes went to the basketball on the shelf above the makeshift bed.

“Sorry, Berty.” The ball didn’t respond, obviously. Its plastic wig shifted slightly further over the marker eyes, making it seem all crooked and funny looking. You weren’t crazy. You just preferred not to talk to yourself. 

A look at the window told you that it had gone dark by now. The weather conditions weren’t too great for another acid fog so your plan was good to go. You grabbed your backpack and headed out to the cliffs where you had the best view. Ever since the apocalypse started, there were a lot more stars visible at night. Half the population had been wiped out with the Hydra nukes and the rest played survivor with the mutated animals roaming the earth due to the atomic bombs that had been fired on that day. 

You remembered it vividly actually: Bright beams shooting through the sky and then it rained down like hellfire. Green glowing stripes covered the horizon from where you looked down onto the city.

The world hadn’t been that great to begin with to be honest. People were suffering, water and food supplies had shifted into the negative, and don’t even get started on climate. Humans had collectively decided that their planet was going to waste anyway. So, where was the harm in a little more destruction, right?

It’s not like you or any other normal citizen had had a chance to decide on another outcome anyway. The united governments of the world had been infiltrated by an organization with fucked up values and no sense for common human decency. They didn't care that their bombs would wipe out half of the world’s population. Hell, you’d be surprised if they even considered this an argument for their ‘cons’ column. But, hey, it had one benefit after all: if this was the worst it could get, there was nothing left to lose.

You kicked open the door of the buried school bus that had become your temporary home for a while now. Temporary in the sense that there was no way of knowing what would happen or when something would attack. You tried to make them all as cozy as possible though. Berty was a big part of that attempt. The painted basketball had become a loyal companion in your ever-shifting habitats. And even though it was a pain to transport a so unfortunately shaped object, you would never dare leave it behind. 

The humid evening air hit you like a broken fan. It was springtime, but that had stopped to matter many years ago. The weather merely shifted between scorching hot days and bearable nights. Though the wintertime was making being outside a little more doable. The trees hung low over your head when you stepped past the traps you had laid out around your home. You lived at the edge of the forest, which wasn’t the most secure place of all the ones you’ve had so far, but it was a little cooler. Most of the dangerous things out there hid several miles from the tree lines anyway. 

A dark sky stretched over your head as your feet dangled off the cliff by the forest. You were munching off an old can of beans that you had found on your stroll through the cities as the bright streams of light shot through the sky. It was beautiful and thrilling. Teetering you on the edge of remembering the very day that made this whole shit show go down. The sky was lit up back then too, but it wasn’t half as beautiful as this.

You could have sat like this for hours. The meteors wouldn’t stop passing until the sun rose, but there was a danger of being tired in broad daylight in this world. You couldn’t risk strolling through the morning with half a working brain. Especially because the morning brought a routine acid fog with its sunlight. You took a look at the tactical watch on your wrist. It was 3:30 am - Probably best to head back to safety.

As you stepped through the dried ground, you hummed a song from the old record in your bus. It didn’t work great and it was broken in several places which had you always listening to a slightly messed-up remix of the actual song, but you liked it anyway. Close to the bus, however, there was rustling from the side. Your body went into surviving mode immediately. There was a routine: hide, listen, escape. Only idiots fought whatever was out there. 

So that’s what you did.

The tree you hid behind was wide enough to cover you whole, which gave you easy access to sneak your head past the trunk and see what was making the noise. It came from about 20 feet before the buried bus, but there was nothing to be seen. The rustling continued though and as you stepped forwards from your cover, you noticed that it came from underneath. Something had fallen into your trap! It was foolproof of course, but you still approached it with care, fearfully and intrigued all together as to what you had caught this time... well, it was the first time here to be perfectly honest. Even more exciting to say the least.

Your feet crunched the dried leaves beneath you as a mumbled curse reached your ears. That was weird. Last time you checked, monsters didn’t talk. You were even more surprised, however, to find a broad man tangled in the hole you had dug outside your home. Of course, a person had been stupid enough to walk into your trap. You had been so excited about something more dangerous. 

The man had not noticed you standing above the hole just yet. He was still working with the net you had splayed out beneath the fallen leaves, too busy cursing his life away in the dirty opening. You cleared your throat after a minute, though. And as amusing as the whole scene had been, the man looking up at you wiped the smirk off your face immediately. He was gorgeous. Bright blue eyes gleamed up in the moonshine, a deep frown on his face as soon as the surprise to see you had faded.

“You got caught in my trap.” You said blankly, still captured by his face. You had not seen another person in nearly a month. It was strange, to say the least. That’s why you weren’t really expecting your mouth to say anything smart.

“This is supposed to be a trap?” The brown-haired man huffed before cutting through the last rope to free him from his restraints.

“Well you can’t get out, can you?” There was a short silence in which you caught the slightest hint of disbelief in his eyes.

“If you wanted to catch a monster with that, you wouldn’t be making such snarky comments. It’s barely deep enough for them.”

Anger crept up your neck. Who was this stranger to not only fall into your - awesome - intruder trap but also criticize your work even though he was the idiot stuck in it? “Why do you think I wanted to trap monsters? Maybe my trap was for people, which, in that case, it is brilliant.”

“It’s stupid,” he grumbled. 

“Oh come on give me a little credit, I only had spare materials.”

There was the confused glare again, and you couldn’t really place it just yet.“Yeah, yeah. Trap’s great now get me out.”

“That wasn’t genuine.” Your arms crossed before your chest, but you couldn’t hide the small smile forming on your lips. This was fun.

“You know what’s gonna be genuine? My foot in your ass once I get out of here.” Oh, not so fun.

“That's not a really good way to make me help you, you know?” You were about to step away when you heard him sigh deeply beneath you. A triumphant smirk appeared on your face before you held your head over the hole again.

“Can you please help me out of this genius trap?” The Brunette was rolling his eyes, but it was good enough for you - after all, you didn’t want to make enemies just yet.

“Why of course! I love people that appreciate good handy work!”

You nodded appreciatively and reached for the net he held your way. It took a little bit to get enough momentum but then he jumped and dug his boots into the soil walls and within seconds, the stranger was pulled up from the ground. 

“Drop the bullshit.”

“What bullshit?”

Now that he was standing in front of you like that, you noticed how tall he was, and built, too. It was a wonder you had managed to pull his weight out of there now that you thought about it. He was really handsome, too. His dark hair fell into his face and his eyes were bright blue, staring down at you with a gloomy expression. It didn’t scare you, though. You were more... fascinated by him, really.

He looked at you for a second, and the gears were literally turning behind his eyes. But he caught himself quickly, shaking his head and making his way out of the forest. You weren’t ready to have him leave, though. It was rare to meet people now, and this one seemed entertaining enough.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Away.” You barely heard him over the heavy footsteps he pressed into the ground.

“You can’t go!”

That made him stop. The stranger turned around with an unfazed expression, his shoulders hanging low with annoyance, but you wouldn’t let up. “And why’s that?”

Shit, you hadn’t thought it would get this far. Your hands wrung the net as you stood there looking for an explanation. But the guy turned around with a condescending clicking of his tongue. “Wait! You haven’t told me your name.” You shuffled over to him in haste, you steps faster than his, but it was difficult to catch up to him, still.

“I don’t have to.”

“You do, actually. It’s a rule.” He stopped again, and you almost fell at the abrupt halt.

“A rule,” he repeated in disbelief, his face still unimpressed, but he was quite pretty this way.

You smiled. “Yup. You fall into my trap, you tell me your name.” To be honest, you were a little proud at how fast you had come up with the idea, but it seemed the stranger was still not impressed. He just crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at you almost amused.

“That's not a rule.”

“It’s my rule.” Was that a tiny smile creeping onto his features? You liked it - looked way better than those broody anger lines.

Then he huffed and shook his head. “Bucky.”

“Gesundheit,” you answered immediately, but that seemed to stick that annoyed look right back onto his handsome face.

“No. Bucky is my name.” Oops.

“Oh. Sorry.” You tried it out in your head, then. And it suited him quite nicely. It was a little odd but witty - just like him. 

“Whatever.” His arms untangled before his broad chest and Bucky looked ready to leave again. You didn’t want that, though.

“Would... uh.. would you like to come in?” Why were you so nervous all of a sudden? Your hands were a little sweaty, but talking to someone that actually responded felt so good...

You earned another look with that question. Really, you’d already gotten used to those in the three minutes you knew him - seemed to be his M.O. 

“What?” He wasn’t confused this time, at least you didn’t think so. It sounded more like he hadn’t heard you.

“You know... be my guest.” A bright smile spread on your lips, but Bucky wasn’t buying it, and frankly, you were running out of ideas to keep him here. Normally, people were happy to see others around here, but Bucky? He didn’t seem to like talking very much.

“Sorry, gotta go.”

Your eyes found the ground as you heard his steps distancing from you again. “Oh, ok.” You mumbled to yourself, and with a last wash of hope, you called out again. “Will I see you again?”

“No.” He was already by the tree line, now. And Bucky didn’t seem like the type of person to run back the distance in slow-mo like you had seen in those old films. 

It didn’t discourage you, though. “Okay, you know where to find me!”

“Not gonna visit you!”

“See ya soon!” You waved and bit back a triumphant smile when you heard him chuckle before he disappeared out of the woods. 

Hey, Book, It’s me again.

And, man, what a great day!

more…

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