#this has me really interested but does Shadow age in your AU?

[thatshadowcomic]

Lore/HC: Underlined text links to original post👇

[For Character answered QnA and general "asks" click here]

You're welcome to expand on my ideas in your own way, but please credit me so they don't mix up with my own HCs/design choices.

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Sonic & Shadow:

-Mobians hedgehogs "Anoit" their partners

-Sonadow children ideas

-related to the above, "WOULD sonic and shadow have kids?"

-Fave HCs/ what's it like living with rouge/ where's sonic live?

-Does shadow like/play any instruments?

-who likes to cuddle more?

-Sonic is an accidental flirt.

-Shadow's stripes will become more like the Black Arms emblem over time. His paws are already very similar... do you think his head stripes will change as he ages?

-Sonic grew up alongside Amy and other orphans/broken families. He cares for her a lot but can only see her as a sister-- the same way he sees Tails as his brother--so the idea of a relationship with her disgusts him. Maybe he sees Sonia when he looks at her?

-Before Sonic, Shadow and Rouge fell into a relationship. Shadow assumed they shared a deeper past, given how much Rouge knows and how comfortable she is around him. But really, Shadow didnt know what he wanted, assuming it just was this way. Rouge wasn't sure either, just trying to help Shadow in some way. That said, they learned a lot about themselves and eachother as they opened up-- but in the end deciding to return to just friends...Although it would take some time to feel normal again.

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Shadow & Maria:

-Shadow's has dissociative fugue

-baby shadow (shadow and maria)

-Why Shadow knows how to swim

-Maria would have been a menace

-Maria told Shadow to comb his white fur up, so he looks more presentable, teasing, "You have a little built in tuxedo! See? Such a gentle-hog." :)

-I think Shadow liked sleeping in maria's bed. It was probably of great comfort to Maria during her sicker days... He was always being watched, so when they gave him his own bed/room, it must have felt isolating and alone. Do you think he had to wear pajamas so he wouldn't leave any fur in her bed?

-Some scientists/maria used to pet shadow and fluff up his cheeks, to Robotnik's displeasure. Shadow only recently learned that's something you do to your pet... he kind of misses it though.

-This is canon: Abraham Towers (commander) and Shadow grew up alongside each other, though their time was short. Ab was terrified of Shadow, because he saw Doom helping Gerald. He would warn the other's that shadow was some kind of demon, but Maria only became more protective of Shadow. He wasn't just an experiment to her, he was a person. As she became sicker, Ab blamed Shadow. But 50 years later, he finally understands and is trying to build some kind of bridge with Shadow, even allowing Shadow to visit his baby granddaughter. Just like Shadow, he let his anger and pain drive his choices.

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AU ideas: Feel free to expand on these in your own way, just credit me for the initial idea, so it doesn't get mixed up as canon in my own HC lore lol.

-AU where Shadow is created on mobius

-Scene from the above AU where shadow is created on mobius

-Return to mobius/search for sonic's mom AU (idea)

-Return of Doom (AU where Shadow is copied and Doom controls shadow's old body)

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Other characters:

-Metal sonic in my HC

-more metal sonic HC

-Manic is Scourge, who'd been sent into a zone for safety during the first bombing, only be have been lost to the "other" Mobius. He got a little crazy after that... No one knows what happened to Sonic's sister. It's assumed she died in the first Eggman attack. (or you could go with trans sonic hc? Would be an interesting/wholsome moment between Sonic & Shadow when he reveals it.)

-Omega is basically metal shadow...

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[rocksibblingsau]

so in the au where barb is baby but everyone else are grown ups did Trash just decided to adopt/kidnapped branch when he was a kid or what happen

In that AU I think Branch heard noises so he went further away from the village and found the Rock Trolls. He was pretty scared but also really intrigued and when Thrash went up to him the first thing he said was "You look like me."

Thrash's first thought was "Baby Rock Troll" but then he realized they were close to Pop territory so he was like "Nah probably not, probably just grey- oh..."

He asked Branch about where his family was, then where the people taking care of him were, of which there are none. Thrash was like "At least let me take you back to your village, it's not safe out here." And Branch pointed out that they clearly didn't want to get caught so he'd just walk back himself.

Branch starts to but then he sees them all packing up to leave and he decides he'll just... sneak into their bus and go with them. He hides until everyone leaves and ends up in the city and he borrows some clothes/boots that were left on the bus.

Here's the thing: you'd think Rock Trolls would be bad about keeping track of their kids. They are not. Even if the parent doesn't know where their kid is, someone does, and that someone is keeping an eye out.

As you might imagine, a random kid turning up makes people talk and Thrash gets pointed Branch's way. Branch who is currently making a bed behind some boxes and metal barrels. He of course is like "Mine" (after clearing up that Branch doesn't want to go home) and he keeps Branch as his kid. Since he has no kids, he's upfront with Branch that he'll be the next heir and Branch is like "I don't even like music, I can't lead a whole other tribe" and so Thrash says he can find Branch another foster. Branch can kinda tell Thrash was pretty excited about having a kid and he stays and starts learning all the things an heir needs to know.

Instead of imitating Barb, this Branch imitates Thrash so he has wild and frizzy hair like him and the cat's eye eyeliner that Thrash has going on. He's Thrash's shadow and Thrash has to nudge him to make friends his own age.

A few years later Thrash has a celebration to officially recognize Branch as the rightful heir to the throne. Branch still feels like he doesn't deserve it, in part because he's Pop but also because he's not Thrash's actual son. Thrash explains that Rock Trolls don't believe in distinction from birth or adoption and he tells Branch that he's 100% certainly not a direct descendent of their ancestor if you count out adoption. In fact the royal family has one of the highest rates of adoption with Rock Trolls. Almost every king and queen keep the first child they foster, which often times leads to them being the oldest child and thus the heir to the throne.

This leads up to Branch becoming king about 2 years before World Tour would have taken place.

As king he's fantastic, everyone says it's like Thrash never left.

Remember what I said about kings and queens adopting their first egg?

Branch ends up with an egg in his care: an egg safely left at his door by someone who wasn't interested in being a parent. Eggs can typically be handed over to a foster family immediately, since they don't need to be monitored for their mental health, but Branch couldn't bring himself to part with it.

Thrash had once told Branch if he'd ever had a daughter, he'd name her Barbara, so that is the name Branch picked.

Branch in the Baby Barb AU is functionally more of her dad but I'm Rock Sibblings, not Rock Father and Daughter.

[rosypenguins]

Day 17! TMF AU’s!

These are some pretty standard AU’s I came up with. (Like VERY basic. Everyone probably has their own version of these.) I would write these but unfortunately I already have three other writing projects on my hands and I really don’t know how I’d balance a fourth. (Also, in case you haven’t guessed it yet: they’re all pretty heavily Drake-coded lmao.)

💙Royal Knight AU: A classic I’ve seen many times before! Nothing like taking your favorite blorbos and forcing them back in time to the age of castles and monarchies! Anyways, in my version, Drew’s a prince and Jake’s his personal knight. (Clever, I know.)

Jake was practically raised to be a knight, just like his parents were. But Jake wants to find his own purpose; something that doesn’t bind him to being Drew’s shadow.

He starts sneaking out at night, and realizes the massive wealth-gap between the nobles and common-people. While on his adventures, he runs into a group of bards who perform at night to inspire hope in the townspeople. (The Music Club!)

Under the disguise of a simple commoner, Jake decides to talk to them. He gets to know them, and eventually, the leader of the group: Hailey, invites him to join their group. Each night, Jake gets to perform with them, finally feeling like he’s found his purpose.

(Oh, and him and Hailey obviously start developing feelings for one another.)

Meanwhile, Drew is stressed. He’s being forced to marry Lady Zoey, who makes it abundantly clear she has no interest in him whatsoever and is only in this for the wealth and status. And after the wedding, Drew will be crowned king. And he is not at all ready for any of this. He’s always turned to Jake for comfort, but he slowly starts realizing that Jake is hiding something. Jake’s increasingly exhausted, and almost always distracted. He barely talks to him anymore.

Perhaps there could be a scene where Drew follows Jake? He realizes what he’s been doing, and I’d imagine quite a bit of angst would ensue.

Oh, and one more note: remember the wealth gap? I could totally imagine the Music Club is actually part of a secret rebellion against the royal family. And perhaps they’re coming up with a plan to overthrow the royal family.

Now, scenario: masquerade ball. Hailey’s sent to sneak inside the palace during the festivities and see what she can learn about the royal family. Perhaps steal some riches for the Music Club to sell. She successfully enters the palace, but ends up running into Jake. The two recognize each other almost immediately, and end up dancing together to keep up appearances, all while whispering hushed questions about why the other’s there. Meanwhile, Drew notices this, and is practically seething with jealousy.

I don’t really know where the plot of this would go, but surprisingly for me, I feel like endgame ship would be Jailey.

💛Idol AU: Another classic! Jake’s a pop idol, and Drew’s his bodyguard. (Practically a reverse of the first AU.) They’re obviously very much in love, but they have to keep it secret due to Jake’s contract. And they kiss backstage in storage closets sometimes.

I don’t have much for this AU compared to the last one, but I’ve always imagined Jake being kidnapped and Drew having to rescue him. I think that’d be pretty fun. Maybe they have to go off-the-grid for a while, and they’re actually able to have their little relationship for a period.

I just want to see Drew and Jake kiss honestly. Drew needs to be kissed very softly on the head.

🖤Ghost AU: Last one! I actually brainstormed this with @ratkingnezu awhile back. Essentially, after the events of Episode 11. Drew dies. (Doesn’t really matter how he does, he just needs to be gone.) But because of his lingering regrets, he isn’t able to leave the mortal world just yet. So he’s stuck as a ghost, and he’s unable to leave Rosemeadow. Meanwhile, Jake is deeply affected by this. He regrets never being able to explain things properly to Drew and perhaps make peace with him, so he spirals. Grief practically consumes him, so Drew decides to make it worse and start haunting him. (Well, he’s not trying to make it worse. He just has nothing better to do with his time other than haunt Jake.) He realizes how much Jake actually cared about him. And he only regrets how their last interaction (the fight) played out. And sometimes he’ll just lay with Jake and cry with him wishing he could talk to him one last time.

And Jake starts hearing Drew’s voice whispering to him. Starts seeing things move. Starts seeing him in reflections. And he starts thinking he’s losing his mind.

The only way Drew can finally pass on is by somehow making peace with Jake. I don’t know how he’ll do that, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out. At some point.

So yeah! Those are my super simple AU’s!

Well, actually, I do have one more, but I’ll save that for its own post sometime in the future. (Wink wink.)

@31days-of-freakblr

[superscourge]

Hi! Found your blog semi recently and got obsessed with your res au, and have a few questions!

You’ve talked a little about how Infinite changes in appearance after getting comfortable with the family and you’ve shown how Bang and Vacio look as teens/young adults (? It’s been a second since I looked lol), so I was wondering if there are any changes you’d thought of for the rest of the family. Like, Mephiles and Iblis are mortal now right? Do they age? Will they and Infinite start going grey? And how will Meta change? She’s still exploring her identity at the start of I remember right, so how will she look with over a decade to get to know herself?

Also, I think you might have talked about it a little bit before (?), but how do Infinite and Mephiles go from that initial mutual dislike to having a close relationship? When do they start talking about it? Was there a distinct moment when they started being closer to partners than just kinda cohabiting?

Oh! Also also how does Mephiles patch things up with Scourge? If I remember right, they didn’t exactly have the best start with the whole parasitizing on his chaos energy thing. He does end up like a father figure, right? He has that with Meta, but I’m not sure you’ve mentioned if he has that with Scourge

Obviously, no pressure XD I just kinda adore this au and had to get the thoughts out

omg it makes me so happy that ur so interested in learning more abt it 😭😭😭 i'll try to answer as best i can (under a cut bc it got real long)

mephiles and iblis are mortal but not..really?? i guess?? they CAN be killed now but they dont necessarily age, have the same powers they had as deities, and have enhanced functions on top of it all (like fast healing and things of that nature). this is because their bodies arent technically "legitimate" mobian bodies, as they were made using synthetic mobian dna as well as the essence of their original forms, if that makes sense?? so they wont rly go gray at any point. unfortunately, infinite is genuinely mortal, and he does physically age still, so he will eventually start to gray (and honestly it probably wont be very long until then because this family has stressed him out so much even though he loves them LOL); flatline and julius are already dead so they dont rly physically age anymore; scourge, sonic, and shadow arent necessarily immortal, but their lifespans have been significantly increased due to the chaos energy theyve absorbed throughout their lives (and also shadow's whole...thing); meta is as mortal as infinite, though if im being real she will somehow find a way to prolong her own life using science or technology lol (she is genuinely afraid of her mortality and death at first, but she does come to terms with valuing her life after she processes that it is finite and precious. however im not sure she'd end up wanting it to end after all once she realizes that a good amount of her family will outlive her, yknow?), and on top of that i do think she would explore her outward appearance more over time; bang and vacío are in the same boat as mephiles and iblis because one is made up of pure chaos and the other is literally mephiles' son lol; black doom is also the same as mephiles and iblis; sunny is like meta except she 100% is ok with her life eventually coming to a natural end; zonic is in the same boat as infinite because he doesnt have experience with chaos energy like sonic or the others

mephiles and infinite didnt start really getting close (or even tolerating each other) until after mephiles got his mobian body! at first mephiles was very clearly and obviously showing bias towards meta and seemed to only rly be attached to her, but after becoming an unspoken member of the family, he did slowly start to form bonds with infinite and scourge as well, which was encouraged by how much he knew meta valued them. it wasnt until infinite really noticed mephiles' fondness for the rest of them that he sort of opened up his heart to him, though actual feelings didnt come up until someone mistook him and mephiles for a couple at a market lmfao. on mephiles' end, his feelings towards infinite didnt develop until he noticed infinite being kinder to him and treating him like he treated meta and scourge as members of his family, with the real tipping point being infinite setting up a small, simple shrine for solaris on one of the windows as a gesture of respect. mephiles then proceeded to ask meta and scourge questions regarding the feelings he was having as he had never experienced them in his previous form (scourge literally did not want to deal with that so he just told him to look shit up on the computer lol), and he was actually the one who ended up initiating the talk. they came to the conclusion that it wouldnt hurt to try things out (infinite makes the comment that it feels strange for him to try and navigate something like this at his age, to which mephiles responds that he's centuries old himself, so he supposed they would both be navigating it together) and they attempted to keep it on the dl but meta and scourge clocked that shit so fast LMAO

you remembered right! scourge and mephiles def had a strained relationship at first because of how mephiles used scourge's chaos energy as a means of tethering himself to the timeline. honestly scourge had a hard time coming to terms with mephiles being part of the family for a while after he got his own body, even after seeing how much meta seemed to love him. that only improved after mephiles caught him one night after he had a particularly bad nightmare (mephiles doesnt sleep A Lot so hes usually up anyway). he offered to let scourge vent about it to him to ease his nerves because he had learned that behavior from meta, and though scourge was hesitant and reluctant to open up like that at first, he did end up doing it, and after that he felt like he could trust mephiles better, which led to him eventually becoming fully comfortable with his presence :]

i want to write this shit out in a fic so baddddd bc i only have one (1) chapter fully written out and posted, but its so very hard for me to do anything past that lol (especially bc im nervous about the second chapter due to how. heavy. it is). but maybe one day i'll get around to it after all, we'll see

no matter what tho ur always free to ask abt stuff ur curious about ^^ odds are i Have thought about these things but just havent gotten around to posting about them yet lol

[katzkinder]

I'm curious, do you know who the other soulmates are grouped up in that au?

In regards to this fic

I do! For some at least. Stupidly, I didn’t write all the combinations down, so this is what I remember and managed to scrounge from searching chat logs. I also have their flower combinations all set to go, and some of the placements as well

So, a couple things to get out of the way before I go further. My soulmate au plays with a few different concepts, one of which being that your soulmate isn’t necessarily the person that’s best for you, or a romantic interest. That your soulmate can in fact be someone who is objectively bad for you

This is the case with Touma and Tsurugi, who sport bird of paradise (Touma’s flower) and white camellia (Tsurugi’s) Tsurugi’s mark of placed on his calf so it’s difficult to make out because of Higan’s little “painting” he did. Touma’s is on his back in a spot that’s difficult to see without a mirror. Easily perceived by others but not himself. I chose the white camellia for Tsurugi because it means “waiting” and the bird of paradise for Touma because not only would he hate it, his symbolic animal is the peacock!

Higan and Licht are another pair like that (red spider lily and lily of the valley) Licht’s is on the inner wrist of his left arm (astute readers might notice this is the arm Jeje shot) usually covered by the sleeve of his hoodie. Higan’s is on the back of his left hand, usually covered by his gloves.

Tsurugi’s soulmate is Touma, but he chooses his friends

Licht’s soulmate is Higan, but he rebels against ‘destiny’ and chooses Lawless to be his shadow

Misono and Lily are another duo, white rose and white lily. Misono’s is on the bottom of his foot, while Lily’s is on his stomach

I don’t remember where I placed Gear’s but I do remember that he and youtarou have lupine and cotton, and that Youtarou’s is on the back of his neck.

Lawless has his on his tongue, olive and clover, while Ophelia’s is in the hollow of her collarbone. His literal one and only.

Jeje’s is on his cheek and Mikuni’s is on the left side of his rib cage, just under his heart, the place you’d choose to slip a blade between someone’s ribs. Red anemone and yellow roses choked with thorns.

Kuro is the third flower for Mahiru, of course! Ash blossom. His mark is on his hip, a place Mahiru wouldn’t really be looking lol

Okay but I love how much this would mess with a lot of the way the world works though.

Like if you’re an adult and you meet your soulmate as a child, like Jeje would have, there’s definitely an undercurrent of prejudice against that, no matter how the relationship goes. Of course Jeje’s immortal so he doesn’t give a shit, and neither does Gear, but he did have to triple take when he saw Youtarou’s cotton puffs with curved boughs of Lupine framing it on the back of his neck after the little brat managed to find his home

“... You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Like the “proper” thing to do would be limit contact with your soulmate as much as possible until they’re a more appropriate age, but what if you’re a teacher and it’s one of your students? Does the student have to transfer out? Be moved to a different class?

What if you find your soulmate through them being on the news for murder? What then? People faking their marks to try and get with celebrities, illegal operations to alter them, the view of relationships outside your soulmate as “lesser” or “doomed to fail”

Siblings being born with matching marks, especially twins like Yully and Mary

Mikuni sees the mark on the bottom of his baby brother’s foot and knows instantly All of Love will not be his partner.

Misono giggles and gurgles while Mikuni beams at him, already so in love from the very first meeting.

“Congratulations, Misono! ○○○ is the best, you know? He’s really nice, and he knows lots of different things, and he’s super fun to pull pranks on! He’ll always protect you... Just like me~!”

[mxrcusflint]

flintwood long wizarding war wip

this is also 3+ years old but the au....it compels me to this day oops

“Wood,” Marcus said, inspecting the gun in his hand. “Come here.”

Much to his chagrin, Oliver’s feet obeyed. Flint handed him the weapon; the metal was sleek, cold under his fingers and immediately, his magic wanted to centre around it. He’d grown used to the pull, but it never felt as natural as his wand. The weapons were helpful, though – every Order member had found themselves without their wand, and having a backup option was better than relying on shoddy wandless magic.

“Go on,” Flint nodded, and Oliver turned to face the remaining line of targets against the wall, fresh for practice. 

He aimed, focused on the bulls-eye, and pressed the trigger. The crackle of magic pulled from deep within his chest, and then a burst fired a metre above where he meant for it to. 

“Fuck,” Oliver cursed. “I’m usually better at this.”

Flint hummed. “Does it feel too light?”

“Not really,” Oliver replied, “It feels fine. Just wasn’t able to aim properly with it yet.”

Marcus came up behind him and settled his hands on Oliver’s hips, adjusting his stance. He nudged Oliver’s shoulder up so that it was once again lined up with the middle of the target. 

“Focus,” Flint said, face so close his cheek brushed against Oliver’s.

“Kind of hard to,” Oliver bit out – Flint’s hands were still on his lower back and the heat of them was all he could think about. Marcus hummed, but didn’t move away. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you aim,” Marcus said, “Go on, then.”

Oliver fired twice in quick succession. The first burst of magic hit a few centimetres below the bulls-eye. The second hit it straight on, singing the target. 

“There you go,” Marcus said, and Oliver felt large callused hands creep up into the front of his shirt, settling on his lower stomach.

“They’ll be back soon,” Oliver bit out; Flint had always been immensely good at getting his way, and artfully distracting when he wanted to be. “Fucking hell, Higgs probably already knows because you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”

Marcus had the audacity to laugh, a pleasantly low sound that had surprised Oliver the first time he’d heard it. Hard as it was to admit, it was what had kept him sane on the overnight missions, on the midnight stakeouts where every rustle and every shadow was a Death Eater waiting to strike. 

“Higgs doesn’t care about anything but himself,” Marcus said, “Never has.” 

He sounded almost fond – Oliver never understood what Slytherins valued, though he’d learned to stop trying. 

“So you say.”

“Do you really think he wouldn’t have cursed me out already if he did?” Flint said bluntly. He pulled a flask from his back pocket and took a swig, before offering it to Oliver with a wordless nod. The firewhiskey burned sharply down Oliver’s throat — it was stupid to get drunk on the job, but he was already breaking so much protocol that it didn’t really matter.

Whatever this was with Flint was a glaring conflict-of-interest, hence why Oliver didn’t dare allow anyone else to find out. When they’d first contracted with Flint for weapons – and Merlin, it felt like ages ago – he’d been wary of Marcus’ true intentions, easy to distrust a former Slytherin, especially one that had a father who had the mark and who undoubtedly had face-time with their enemies. But it’d had to be accepted, for the Order and for Oliver’s sanity. Higgs had made a convincing enough case, and some members of the Order had deep enough pockets to keep funding it. 

As they made the runs each month, he and Flint had danced around an age-old tension. It’d been a rivalry once – schoolboy matches all the way to professional leagues. Somewhere in between, it’d twisted and morphed into something he couldn’t control. 

There was no need to think ahead: Oliver made a point to think day by day, and never about the future. 

Thankfully, Flint had tucked away the flask and removed his hands by the time their companions returned. George had slip in hand for dues settled, looking less displeased than usual – clearly, Higgs had gone easy on the negotiated rate this time. The four of them moved in silence with crates split between them, a mixture of hovering charms and brute strength. 

“We’ll handle it here,” Oliver said as Flint made a move to load the crates into the equipment they brought. It was managed with an undetectable extension charm, and though he was naive enough to get side-tracked by his own emotions, he wasn’t about to expose the rest of the contents to third parties with no allegiance. 

“Suit yourself,” Flint shrugged, waving Higgs inside. “Next shipment will be ready in a month’s time.” 

“A month?” George pressed, “Longer than usual.”

“Can’t control every part of the process, unfortunately,” Flint’s smile didn’t meet his eyes. 

-

“You go on first,” Oliver nodded at George, squinting into the winter sun, “Flint mentioned new developments I want to take a look at. Might be useful.”

The lie slipped easily from his mouth, another one amongst the growing pile of things that had grown like second nature. George didn’t protest, accepting it as much as Oliver could tell. He watched the vibrant flash of red hair disappear on the border of the warehouse, crack resounding indicating that George had managed to apparate away safely, before heading back in. 

Flint was waiting for him in his room — temporary sleeping quarters, given the nature of who they were and what they did, but it had a bed and a chair and extra security charms set up. A minimal luxury. His grin, white in the dull light of the room, sent shivers down Oliver’s spine.

Marcus’ hands were bloody, if not directly then through the bodies taken down by one quick press of a trigger. It was easy to forget that, though, when they were pressing Oliver into a mattress.

[1moreff-creator]

(01) Levi Fontana - First Trial (DRDT-Milgram AU)

Hey there! We’re officially starting the First trial, and it’s Levi’s turn! With his Voice Drama: Minimalism, and his Music Video (concept): Torn Stitches! As well as the voting at the end (I'm using Tumblr one week polls to not overcomplicate things). I’ve decided (for now at least) not to do post-MV interrogation questions because… I don’t know what to do with them? They would just be a bunch of headcanons for the most part, so I don’t think they would be too important. I might make them later, but not now. 

Anyways. Below is a vague, not entirely serious attempt at a thumbnail for this "video" (ID in alt text). The sprite is from the official gallery of course. 

CW murder and blood (description of a fight). Not afiliated with either DRDT or Milgram.

One clarification I should have probably made in Undercover: all of these prisoner’s backstories are set in the US, because that’s where the DRDT characters are from (minus possibly Teruko). This isn’t really important for Levi, but it may come up later so.

Also another thing I forgot! The idea for this AU came from this post by sunlit-haru! Thanks for the brainrot buddy!

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

Voice Drama - Minimalism

(Keep in mind this Es’ personality isn’t the same as canon, but rather it’s loosely based on a certain DRDT character)

*Footsteps*

Es: [Upbeat voice] Hello, Prisoner Number 01! It’s nice to meet you. 

Levi: Hm… Interesting. The uniform is designed to impose a sense of authority, that much is clear from the cape and the hat. The dark clothing enhances the effect, with the gloves-

E: Uh… what?

L: Oh! Apologies. Your outfit is quite intriguing, and… well, observing that kind of thing is a bit of a nervous habit of mine. 

E: Uh… huh. Well, that’s… nice! *Shuffling* Do you like it? It’s a bit more dramatic than what I’d usually wear, but I guess it’s fitting.

L: Oh? What is it you usually wear?

E: …

L: Warden?

E: Oh! Just call me Es! What’s your name, anyways? It would be kinda awkward to just keep calling you Zero One or something. 

L: … Oh. Right, where are my manners? Levi Fontana, a pleasure.

E: Nice to meet you Levi! Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself? 

L: Well… I’m XX* years old. I work as a personal stylist in a pretty large company. Uh, I’ve lived alone for a while now, and, uh...

*(Note: DRDT characters are all of an unspecified, adult college age. Understand Levi is saying a number here, I’m just not committing to a specific age)

E: …

L: …

E: …And?

L: Well, not much else. I’m not a very interesting person, I apologize.

E: No, no! That’s all very interesting! But, well, there’s… how do I put this. There’s something in particular I was hoping you'd bring up? Something I feel we… kinda have to talk about?

L: Is that so?

E: Well… this is an interrogation, you know? And here in Milgram, there is a particular aspect of your life that we’re sorta more interested in, you see.

L: Oh, the murder?

E: … Yes, the murder. 

L: I imagined. You have mentioned everyone in this prison is a killer, yes? That TV-cat thing has repeated the same a few times.

E: [Oddly serious] It’s a dog, actually. 

L: … Really?

E: *Clears throat* Like you said, all of you have taken lives. Interrogating these situations is the fundamental purpose of Milgram. 

L: I see. And you know we are murderers without a shadow of a doubt? I would find that quite impressive.

E: Milgram has deigned you murderers, and I have full faith it is right in its assessment. 

L: Very well. In that case, yes, I am a murderer. 

E: … Just like that?

L: Well, yes. I killed someone. That makes a murderer, does it not? 

E: Uh, yeah, but… you seem oddly calm about this.

L: Am I? I suppose this is not quite how most people would confess to murder. But if I’m frank, I cannot bring myself to pretend to be sorry for what I did. 

E: Oh! That’s… huh.

L: …

E: I mean, why? Why do you not regret it? Surely killing someone is something no one would ever want to do, right?

L: Perhaps that’s how you view it, but… well. The person I killed had to die. It’s as simple as that. 

E: … Well, that’s a- That’s a pretty simplistic view, which is fine, I suppose. Isn’t that a bit cold-hearted, though?

L: I have been told that, yes. Hm... I suppose I should watch the other prisoners to learn how normal murderers should handle themselves.

E: Huh? I don’t think… Wait, why is that your first instinct?

L: Oh? Well… I have never been very good with my emotions. It’s usually better if I simply act the way normal people act. 

E: That doesn’t sound healthy.

L: Perhaps. It… hasn’t always worked out very well. I thought if I acted more like my family… ah, I probably shouldn’t talk about that kind of thing.

E: Hm?

L: Yeah, ignore that. 

E: Uh, if you say so... But that’s still quite a bit to unpack there. 

L: Is it? 

E: *sigh* Alright, listen. I have a lot to say about… that, but we have only a limited amount of time, and I still don’t know anything about your murder. 

L: Hm.

E: Look, Levi. I am not here to merely condemn you for what you’ve done. I am here to decide if you are Forgiven or Unforgiven. But as of now, I have little to make that judgement. If you just explain what happened, I'm sure you'll be able to convince me to Forgive- augh!

*Chair being pushed, something falls*

L: Es? 

E: Ugh- *Shuffling noises* Stand down. I am fine. 

L: Are… you certain?

E: [Noticeably more serious] As I was saying. To make a proper judgement, I must be deeply aware of the intricacies of your crime. Explain yourself. 

L: Wait. Why did you just-?

E: Irrelevant. Zero One, explain yourself.

L: … Alright, I suppose? But unfortunately, it is probably for the best if I refrain from speaking of my crime. 

E: What- What do you mean, Levi?

L: I am… not good with words, either. I fear by attempting to explain myself, I will only make things worse. From what I understand, you will be able to see directly into my mind? I believe that would be the best way for you to truly understand what I’ve done.

E: Really? You know you won’t have control of what’s shown, right? For all you know, it could show things as worse than they actually are! Don’t you want to clarify things now that you can?

L: You speak as if I have full control of my words. Frankly, I fear that my temper might flare up if… if I think about that piece of shit for too long. 

E: !

L: Oh, apologies! I did not mean to... *sigh* See what I mean?

E: Oh! No, you just… startled me is all. Why don’t you tell me more about this, uh, piece of… the person you’re talking about?

L: …

E: …Why are you looking at me like you want to kill me?

L: Ah. Apologies. That anger was not directed at you. As I said, it is difficult for me to talk about… about him without growing angry. And that’s- that’s something I have been trying to work on.

E: I… see. That’s a shame. 

L: It is not important. I have always been of the opinion that actions define people better than words ever could, especially when it comes to me. That video will probably show you the circumstances of my crime much better than I ever could.

E: Hm… I understand! But, without knowing what it’s going to show, aren’t you worried I might not Forgive you for it?

L: Hm… If I am frank, I do not yet know how to feel about this… Forgiveness you speak of.

E: Oh?

L: Well, I believe I did the right thing. I am not sure your words would change my mind. So, I am not worried about what you think of me. 

E: Uh… do you even know what happens if you’re not Forgiven?

L: I do not. Can I ask what the consequences are?

E: …

L: … Do you… not know either?

E: I mean, it could be pretty bad, you know? 

L: That’s not very convincing-

*Machinery whirs*

L: Hm?

E: Oh. Looks like we ran out of time. The extraction machine is starting. 

L: I see. 

E: *sigh* Very well! I’ll keep your words in mind! Let’s see what your actions say about what kind of person you are.

L: I suppose that would be fair. 

E: In that case. 

Prisoner 01, Levi Fontana: sing your sins!

(Oh wow I actually wrote a full VD. I mean, I think it's shorter than normal VDs, but I ain’t writing all that. Hope that was good enough)

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

Trial 1 Cover: Panda Hero by HACHI

(Because I am unburdened by the laws of the land (copyright), I can give these people any song to cover I want! Hehe. I’ll keep it Vocaloid only, you know, for fun. Probably imagine the covers in English, since the songs in the MVs are written to work in English)

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

Music Video - Torn Stitches

(So obviously I’m not going to actually make a song, I am not a musician to any extent, but I will make lyrics. Text between brackets is explaining what’s going on musically. Text in parenthesis are author’s note. Text in italics and citation thingy are lyrics. The rest is a description of the video)

(Also because no one has to animate this I get to go a little wild hehe)

[Silence]

The video opens on a shot of Levi with a black background, wearing a plain white shirt, leggings and shoes, standing with a hand on his chin and his eyes closed. He’s surrounded by clothes racks full of similar white shirts. The shot widens through a doorway, showing the room Levi is standing in is lit up by bright blue lights, and its floor is made up of white tiles (like the thumbnail room). A small sign is visible over the doorway. It reads “For self-expression.”

[Drumsticks are hit against each other as an opener. The classic “1, 2, 3, 4”]

Levi opens his eyes. On beat with the drumsticks, the lighting in the room changes around him, along with the sign on the door.

Orange lighting fills the room as the sign reads “Streetwear.” There are several shirts and pants spread across the ground.

Then it’s red lighting alongside “For the family.” Mannequins (like the ones you'd find at clothes stores) without clothes surround Levi.

Purple lighting, “Work clothes.” Desks replace the mannequins. 

Finally, it switches back to blue with the “For self-expression” sign. 

[The music kicks in fully. Imagine… Oh it is hard to describe music when you know nothing about it huh? Just- vaguely punk rock, somewhat fast paced. Metaphorically, it sounds like someone’s anger boiling just under their skin. Think of the beginning of Kotoko’s cover of Anti-Beat extended across most of the song. Does that even fit the genre I said? I have no idea]

Still with blue light, there’s a shot of his back as he quickly puts on the light blue polo shirt he wears in canon. A pop-up appears, pointing at it with text reading:

Blue Polo Shirt

Casual, simple, pragmatic. The color could speak of a calm and reliable person, but it may come off as too cold by itself.

Next, a shot of his hand as he puts on a black fingerless glove.

Black Gloves

Stylish accessory which signifies a person of action. Black is easy to combine with other colors for good aesthetics. 

We see the top half of Levi’s body as he walks forward, a title card appearing to fill up time. The camera focuses on his feet, wearing black boots, as he steps though the door. It lingers for another pop-up to appear.

Black Boots

Stylish. Useful for people who walk a hard path.

[The music slows down to let the lyrics take center stage. Again, I’m sorta using Anti-Beat as a basis]

The sun rises in the East, But I can feel none of its warmth.

We’re still in the same room as before, except the lighting has changed to orange. Levi looks at several blank mannequins wearing different clothes and facing different ways. The shot focuses on three of them, and pop-ups appear for their clothes.

Light Green Dress

A welcoming color that may be worn by a friendly, calm person.

Yellow Shirt

A warm and happy color. The user might be going through a joyous moment of their life.

Blue Denim Shorts

Simple, safe choice, for someone who may pay attention to their appearance, but doesn’t think about it too much.

Black Tank Top

Sporty, good for athletic people. Safe choice, but may sometimes represent someone’s despair.

White Shorts

Perfect for going on a run in the warmer parts of the year.

It switches to another two.

Pink Dress

Simple and upbeat. Good for more cutesy aesthetics.

Orange Shirt

Warm, inviting, happy. Incidentally, it’s a complementary color to blue.

It’s hard for a heart to beat, (I) When it is frozen as a rock (II)

(I) The lighting changes to purple as we get a front-facing shot of Levi walking past a desk. A mannequin sits on the other side, and a pop-up appears on its clothes.

Suit and Tie

Professional, but uncomfortable. This particular user really needs the work, but they do not like it.

(II) Then, we see him next to another mannequin. Levi is staring at this one, which is facing a clothes rack. A pop-up appears on its clothes, but also on a green hoodie in the clothes rack.

Neon Yellow Hoodie

Apologies, this one is too hideous to analyze.

Light Green Hoodie

They’re going to pick this one. It’s better for their aesthetic.

Yet…

We get a close-up of Levi sighing.

[The music begins building up, with fast drum beats in between lyrics. The lyrics themselves are quick and abrupt]

I have to make it work

Now with red lighting, Levi is sitting at a table, eating spaghetti. He’s no longer wearing gloves.

Next to him sit two teenage boys (not mannequins) with short hair of the same color as Levi’s, though their eyes aren’t drawn. Plates of spaghetti are also in front of them. The one on Levi’s right (our left) is wearing the following shirt, with another pop-up.

Heartbreaker Shirt

His favorite. 

Meanwhile, on Levi’s left, the other boy’s shirt looks like this, with the pop-up:

Party Shirt

His favorite. 

For the ones that even I can love

The scene switches to the head of the table. On it sits an older man with glasses and a grey shirt with black stains. 

Glasses

He’s smart.

Grey Shirt.

His favorite.

The boy with the Party Shirt is still somewhat visible to the man’s right. To his left, another teenage boy, this one with hair covering his eyes and hunched over in his chair, who has this shirt:

Theater Shirt

His favorite.

A middle aged woman sits to that boy’s left, across from where Levi would be. She has long brown hair, and like the other two, her eyes aren’t drawn. She’s wearing bronze, reddish earrings shaped like camellias, and a black dress.

Bronze Earrings

A gift from my father. She likes them.

Black Dress 

Her favorite. 

The things they feel and I do not

The camera focuses on one last person, but only their smiling mouth and shirt are visible.

Skull Shirt

His favorite. 

I’ll take them all and with them sow…

Back to Levi, the table disappears, but he’s still sitting. The lighting has changed to blue, and now he’s only wearing the blue polo shirt (and grey pants). The two boys which had been next to him have changed into clothes hangers holding their shirts. Levi looks around confused, before his gaze lingers on making eye contact with the center of the screen. 

[Chorus! The instrumental kicks it up a notch. The lyrics are very growly, leaning on Levi’s deep voice to give them some power (what am I saying again?)]

A patchwork heart beating along! (I) Can’t collapse, now keep it warm! (II) Even if it’s freezing, I’ll just fix it, make the passion thaw! (III)

(I) The camera flips, and this is shown:

The heart pumps with the beat of the song. 

(II) Back to Levi, who quickly turns to the shirts on the clothes hanger. His expression still looks a bit aghast.

(III) The camera focuses on the Skull Shirt on a hanger, zooming in. It turns back to Levi, who becomes more serious. He nods. 

A patchwork heart beating along!  Can’t collapse, now keep it warm!  Even if it’s freezing, I’ll just fix it, make the passion thaw! 

As the chorus repeats, Levi grabs the shirt he was looking at. Then, we get a few frames of him sowing things just off screen. Shots of needles, thread, that kinda stuff. 

[There’s a small instrumental part to keep the energy from the chorus for a bit longer] 

We get a full shot of the heart, which now looks like this:

Then, we see Levi smiling looking at it. However, he then frowns. 

A patchwork heart beating along!

The camera focuses on one of the black sections of the heart, the one which before just had fire. Now, the full symbol the Skull Shirt had is seen; skull and fire. 

[More instrumental for a moment]

Levi looks on perturbed. Suddenly, he startles and turns around. 

[Back to verse music]

All lives yearn for a yarn to spin, (I) Yet I fear I’m losing the thread. (II)

(I) Purple lighting. The same mannequin as before, wearing the same neon yellow hoodie, is holding out the green hoodie from before for Levi to see. 

(II) We zoom in on Levi’s face, as he turns to the side, and frowns a bit.

The mirror used to build up what’s “me”, I see it now, it starts to break.

Without overhead lighting, we see a full body mirror showing a completely different scene, which becomes clearer as we zoom in further. On our left, we see a mannequin wearing a grey hoodie, an orange spotlight shining on it. On our right, the boy with the Skull Shirt looks animated, his mouth open as if talking to the mannequin. His hair is the same color as the others’, except for red highlights (think the blond part of Mikoto’s hair). There is a red spotlight on him. A pop-up appears pointing at the mannequin’s hoodie.

Grey Hoodie

Commonly used by villains.

Yet…

We further zoom in on the mannequin’s right hand, which is stained by a splatter of black liquid.

[Chorus build-up again]

If I could get it right

The purple lighting returns as Levi looks back at the mannequin with the yellow hoodie. He nods, and we get a close up of him snapping his fingers. 

But there’s little that I can do fine

The mannequin now has blush on, wearing the green hoodie with a yellow shirt underneath. It’s also wearing a deep purple skirt. A pop-up.

Proposed Outfit

At least I’m not bad at this. 

Even smaller things feel like they’re too much

Red lighting, on a shot of Levi’s back. He turns around, but we can’t see his face. The shot switches to show the back of the “skull shirt” boy, again lit up by a red spotlight. We also see as the back of the grey hoodie mannequin from before, hand still stained and still lit up by an orange spotlight. The boy is talking to the mannequin again, gesturing towards it, but now he’s wearing a grey hoodie which is hanging off one of his shoulders. His hand is stained by a splatter of black liquid. 

It just feels like there’s no helping my…

The shot zooms in on the stained hand. 

We get a close up of Levi’s mouth, red lighting still noticeable. He snarls.

[Chorus again]

Patchwork heart beating along! (I) Can’t collapse, now keep it warm! (II) Even if it’s freezing, (III) come on fix it, make the passion thaw! (IV)

(I) We see the heart beating to the beat again, once more with blue lighting, and now it looks like this:

(II) We switch to Levi sitting, looking slightly up as if staring at the heart, expression serious. 

(III) We get a different shot of Levi, now hunched over while sitting on a chair. His expression is still serious. Something out of focus is covering the foreground, and Levi turns to look at it. 

(IV) The camera flips to the thing he was staring at. It’s the purple sleeveless jacket he wears in canon, as well as his canon set of purple gloves and his pink tie. Pop-ups!

Purple Jacket

My favorite. Reminds me of work.

Pink Tie

Stylish yet professional. Reminds me of work.

Magenta Gloves

Comfortable. Cover a lot. Remind me of work. 

A patchwork heart beating along! (I) Can’t collapse, now keep it warm! (II) Even if it’s freezing, (III) I’ll just fix it, make the passion thaw! (IV)

(I) We switch to the purple boots he wears in canon. Levi’s out of focus in the background.

Purple Boots

Comfortable. Remind me of work. 

(II) We get another shot of Levi looking at the clothes, with a contemplative expression. The heart can be seen beating in the background. 

(III) Close-up of Levi sighing.

(IV) Another shot of the jacket and gloves, except now Levi grabs them. 

[Unlike last time, the music doesn’t linger, but rather switches to a bridge. The music is still pretty energetic, but less powerful than in the chorus]

Perhaps it would be better… (I) To give up and let it be, (II) Worse to burn rather than freeze (III)

(I) Levi contemplates the clothes he grabbed. 

(II) We cut to him putting an arm through the purple jacket. 

(III) The jacket is now hanging off one of his shoulders, as he’s putting the other hand through the hole where the sleeve would be. Before he fully puts it on, he looks to the side. 

But still, I would regret it… (I) Abandoning them all, (II) Let the core of my soul rot (III)

(I) We see the grey hoodie mannequin again. Still lit up by the orange spotlight, still with black liquid on its hands. Skull Shirt boy is also there, again lit up red, again talking, again with a grey hoodie hanging off his shoulder, again with stains on his hands.

This time, though, the other three boys from the table scene are also there. They’re all lit up by red spotlights, and they all also have grey hoodies hanging off one shoulder. Heartbreaker Shirt and Party Shirt have similar talkative expressions, while Theater Shirt is hunched over with a placid smile on his face.

(II) The screen splits in three zoomed in shots of the new boys’ hands. They’re all stained with black liquid. 

(III) Back to a shot of Levi’s face with blue lighting, he seems to be staring at the other boys with a concerned expression. In the background, a clothes hanger with a grey hoodie comes into focus. 

So, instead… 

We get a close-up of Levi’s chest, and we see his mouth as he sighs. The jacket falls off his shoulder. 

[Pre-chorus music again]

I have to make things right

Close-up of the clothes hanger with the grey hoodie, and Levi grabs it roughly. As the music-only part plays, we get a shot of his back at an angle as he looks at the hoodie, his jacket fully off.

Protect them all, just one last time

We see Levi putting on the hoodie. First one arm, then the other. He puts on brass knuckles. Pop-ups:

Grey Hoodie

…

Brass Knuckles

…

We focus on his head as he throws the hoodie over it. The lighting fades into orange. 

Doesn’t matter there’s no going back

The shot focuses back on the mannequin with the hoodie, orange spotlight still there. The camera is shaking. The shot goes back to Levi, who is walking at first, but then starts running. 

After all, there is no saving my…

There’s quick flashing between Levi running with orange lighting and the grey hoodie, with a background that slowly turns white; then the thumbnail image; back to the grey hoodie; then a shot of Levi’s back as he stares at the heart with blue lighting. The Levi that stares at the heart is wearing his canon outfit (purple jacket - gloves - boots).

[The music goes silent, a preparation for a beat drop]

The video slows down as we focus on the grey hoodie mannequin. The camera “blinks” and the mannequin turns into a human; a scraggly man with an uneven beard and short black hair, wearing the same grey hoodie. He's facing away, but turns around as the camera closes in. The environment changes; the colored lighting disappears, and we are now in an alleyway. 

A shot of Levi from the man’s back, as Levi braces for a right hook.

Patchwork heart (I) beating along! (II) Just once more, weather the storm! (III) Even if it’s freezing, I can’t fix it, it will never thaw! (IV)

(I) A close-up of the man’s stomach, as Levi’s punch connects with his gut. 

(II) Right as the punch connects, the scene switches to one of the heart’s stitches, between the Party Shirt and the Theater Shirt. Levi’s hand is now grabbing those stitches, and he pulls on them. The camera follows his hand as he rips them from the heart, blue blood splattering all over.

(III) Back to the alleyway, the man shoves Levi away. He throws a left hook at Levi’s face, but Levi ducks to his left and throws his own left hook at the man’s stomach. 

(IV) The scene again switches to the heart, with Levi grabbing the stitches between the Skull Shirt section and the Heartbreaker section with his left hand. The shot quickly switches to Levi’s face, which is splattered with blue blood. He frowns. Back to the heart, and Levi’s fist clenches.

Ripping, bleeding out a song! (I) Break it now, (II) then have it sown! (III) Patchwork heart beating alone! (IV) I will keep on living, (V) even living with my stitches torn! (VI) 

(I) Again, Levi rips out the stitches, causing blue blood to splatter.

(II) Back to the alley, we get a close-up of the man falling to one knee from pain. Levi raises his right fist…

(III) Back to the blue lighting, black background and heart. Levi’s holding up loose threads with blue blood on his raised right hand.

(IV) Back to the alleyway, we get a shot from the man’s back as Levi punches him in the head with his brass knuckles, recreating his Undercover killshot. The man spits out (red) blood. 

(V) A shot of Levi from behind his ankles, the man’s body lying still in the background, blood under him.

(VI) The shot pans up quickly, switching back to the heart scene as “stitches torn” is sung. We get one good look at the heart, which is now fully blue, but filled with gashes where the stitches used to be. 

[The music begins winding down for the ending]

The shot pans backwards to let us see Levi’s back, the heart beating more slowly and not with the beat anymore. He’s wearing his full canon outfit. There’s a glitch effect as the heart disappears, and the lighting changes to orange, but Levi’s outfit doesn’t change. The room is completely empty, but there’s (red) blood splatters on the floor.

My stitches torn!

The lighting changes to red, and while Levi’s clothes don’t change, the room is now completely barren. A few moments after, the lighting changes to purple, the same desks from the beginning surrounding Levi who, you guessed, hasn’t changed clothes.

The shot zooms in on Levi’s back, as he sighs.

[The music fades out, save for one last lyric]

Patchwork heart beating along!

He turns around, the screen glitches again as he does. The lighting is now white, and the background has changed to the wall with the height marks of one of the Undercover cells. Levi’s clothes change to the Milgram uniform, and he holds up his Undercover prisoner card. A final pop-up appears on the uniform.

Strange Clothes

The outfit of a murderer

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

MonoTV: I see you’ve made it to the end of the post!

Es: Huh?

M: Now, it’s time to hand out the verdict! Make sure to think carefully, you only have one vote, and one week to decide how you’re gonna vote!

E: Wait, who are you talking to?

M: Will you make the right choice? Or the wrong one? 

E: Uh…

M: Trick question! There is no right choice! It’s just a choice!

E: Hello? Is there anyone there? 

M: With that, it’s…

VOTING TIME!!!

[akolnoix]

I've been following for a bit and I was wondering about your p4 au(?)/rewrite that you have going on honestly seeing you p4 posting has been making me think about it a lot more recently. Also you have a lovely art style!

thank you! it's honestly nothing very concrete, just an assortment of musings that i play around with in my mind for fun... might as well post some of my ramblings (apologies that it's long and a mess)

-im kinda obsessed with trying to make accomplice ending work? the ending itself in p4g is pretty great (seeing the "yu has forged a bond that cannot be broken" text you get for max social link is sooooo good) and fits thematically, it's just that it has like NO proper buildup to it to make it feel even remotely plausible.

so i'm thinking you'd have to really go out of your way to get it. like in addition to maxing out adachi's SL, you can't advance any other characters' SL past like rank 3 or something early on, and you have to select certain dialogue options (like the original game has so many mean/detached responses you can pick to be a dickhead lol), you have to refuse optional hangouts with your friends. and Then you have to choose to not reveal him. so through consistently refusing to truly connect with/care about the people around you, the protag can somewhat reach a similar worldview to adachi, and conceivably relate to him.

-izanami brings up the tv world also being a product of outside perception, but the actual implementation of it in the game feels messy and often like it's just there as a way to give reason for the shadows desiring transgressive things for shock value without committing to them being real aspects of the characters (like, how kanji's shadow is extremely stereotypically gay not just in mannerisms but in overtly showing interest in men, but in kanji's acceptance+future appearances they make sure to assert that the real kanji is not actually gay)

so i've been kinda toying with the idea that instead of the shadows as presented in p4, there would be like multiple fractured shadows in conflict? like i think it would be neat to play more off the tension between how the characters are perceived by the town vs their repressed selves, idk

-i've been turning naoto's arc around in my head a lot over the years... like the easiest thing to do would be transplant the existing (attempted) narrative to a trans woman naoto. but i also want to do right by canon naoto, who sees himself as a man, desires to be one, only gives up on that because he believes he can't become one, and gets treated like dogshit by the narrative for it. so lately i've drifted to the harder challenge of working out the logistics to make a satisfying+believable arc for trans man naoto. i've got concepts but i don't have enough worked out in this regard yet to talk about here.

-im autistic and rise has always read as such to me, so i'm being self-indulgent and making that an overt aspect of her arc. i grew up subconsciously masking my autism, and it wasn't until i experienced autistic burnout just after graduating highschool that i discovered just how much of myself i had been suppressing, and how much was constructed. it was like i had never known my true self until age 18, or noticed just how badly that repression hurt me.

so um. you might say i saw a lot of myself in rise. she's got a slightly different scenario, but still a pretty autistic one. a child with no friends because everyone thinks they're strange, who decides to learn how to be Normal in hopes of obtaining any human connection. but because she can't be herself, the connections she does make don't feel genuine. her becoming an idol specifically is really fantastic thematically, a career all about commodifying not just your body or talents but your very personality, for a girl highly manufactured on every level to appear Normal.

for the brief period you see her in person before her shadow, rise practically has a flat affect and monotone, with everyone commenting on how different she is from her idol persona, and i'd like to actually retain that as an aspect of her character. i'd like to shift her arc to being about relearning that aspect of herself, and allowing herself to be that. even if just among friends. her idol persona is still part of her (she made it after all, and it can be useful), but she was harming herself by thinking it was all she should be.

i've always hated her going back to being an idol (especially the way they executed it ugh) but it might be nice if she stuck with music...

-yosuke internalized homophobia arc is a gimme

-naturally a major aspect is in the differences btw a playthrough as yu narukami vs femc. as an ex-delinquent she experiences more hostility from the general populace and dojima. oh and i don't care for super self-inserty protags so yu and masami have more established personalities+history+etc.

i imagine the narukami sibling dichotomy is that yu tries to be perfect and masami intentionally disappoints (opposite attention-seeking responses to their ambiguously distant parents), and in their trip to inaba yu takes the opportunity to let loose, while masami reigns in the delinquent behavior (because dojima will actually react to what she does). and they both benefit from the power of friendship etc etc

-sometimes i enjoy daydreaming about a "cross-dressing" sequence that's actually fun. where the crew hang out in yu's room or something and try on each other's stuff for fun. and chie gets a buzz cut

-while it's very true that women can be bigots, that p4 claims that kanji would think that men are more accepting of gender nonconformity in men than women is something just. utterly detached from reality. it makes more sense that he thought there was no possibility of acceptance from boys so he never tried, but he thought there was a chance with girls but was rejected by them too, so he distances himself from everyone.

and i think kanji can be gnc AND gay. for many people there is a real fear of stereotype, of reinforcing them, but that repulsion is misplaced. stereotypes are bad when they are used to dehumanize, but to be a effeminate gay man, a fat butch lesbian, a trans woman with a beard, are not bad things to be. and i think it'd suit kanji to have that sort of conflict, and metatextually to take those aspects of canon that were so negatively presented and transform them

and i think it would suit his love of cute things to eventually start dressing cutesy.

-i've definitely got more in my brain i could say or i forgor but this post is long enough

[almightyhamslice]

KIRBY'S DREAMLAND 3 ON THE SUPER NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAY IM SO STOKED ABT THIS DRAWING SERIES (it is going to take me a million years to finish and be much longer than KDL2 just a warning LOL)!!!! KDL3 is one of my favorite Kirby games, I played it all the time as a kid! Tbf a lot of Kirby games are my favorite. But this is probably my favorite OLD Kirby game! It's missing a lot of modern Kirby conventions, but I still love it so much, it's so cozy and warm.

In my gijinka AU timeline it's set about a year after Star Stacker, so Kirby is now 13. I dunno if I set ages for the original Animal Friends ngl. I think Coo's in his early 50's, Kine's in his early 40's, and Rick's in his mid 20's. ALSO I finally found out what the nonbinary equivalent to nephew/niece is!! It's nibling!! Kirby is Rick, Coo, and Kine's honorary nibling!

I will get into Acro and Ado's context in this gijinka universe during their respective boss encounters, but for now I CAN tell you about the new generation of Animal Friends! I described them on instagram as "extended found family"-- they're loosely connected to the original 3 Animal Friends in the sense that they know them well, but they're brought closer together through knowing Kirby!

Nago is from the Iceberg and knows Rick well because he often visits the Iceberg to improve his climbing skills. I imagine that he and Kirby might 'click' because Nago is trans and Kirby is nonbinary? Nago's a teenager/young adult, but is the oldest of the 3 new Animal Friends. He's a werecat and can turn into a giant calico cat whenever he feels like it! So I guess he and Rick probably would be friends since they're very alike?

Chuchu is from Ripple Field, so she and Kine have met before! Kine has told her many stories about his adventures as a Dark Matter hunter on the surface world, though Chuchu finds herself most interested in his friend Kirby! She thinks Kirby is cute and wants to date him. Kirby has never dated anyone in his entire life and has no idea what romance is like! Chuchu is a flapjack octopus mermaid with mild transformation abilities-- she doesn't have a fully human form like Kine does and is instead half human half octopus in her default form, but fully octopus while transformed. Chuchu is a year older than Kirby.

Pitch is a harpy like Coo, but he's just a lost baby essentially. He's only 4 years old! For now Coo is looking after him since there aren't many other harpies in Dreamland (much less any who'd want to care for Pitch) but they both really want to find Pitch's mother. Pitch sees Kirby as an older brother and likes to shadow him. Unlike Coo, Pitch shrinks when he transforms and turns into a tiny bird you can fit in the palm of your hand! I think he is a shima enaga specifically. A colorful one I guess. They can't be green irl lol.

ALSO I decided to reveal Zero extra early because honestly I don't like that they're just, at the end of the game only! And I like their design a lot. I've drawn them before. I think they deserve a bit more limelight! So I drew them in 2 panels here.

ALSO ALSO (oh my god this post is so long already) thank you everyone for blowing up my Gryll post!! glad 2 see there r so many Gryll enjoyers on here :)

[chiropteracupola]

tagged in '20 questions for fic writers' by the esteemed @verecunda — thank you very much!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

62.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

102,035.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

at the moment, I think Sharpe, Flight of the Heron, and Kidnapped are getting most of my attention? altho' there are of course quite a few others.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

you'd be my best friend, you'd be my lady (Hornblower)

sleep in it slowly (if you can) (Hornblower)

illuminating all, in time (Hornblower TV)

here in your arms is cured (Kidnapped)

as in a mirror dimly (The Mummy 1999)

...huh. that is not what I thought the top five were going to be. but then again, I think a lot of the work that I myself like better is both newer and more niche, so I guess that does make sense.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I typically respond to comments on fics I posted after April 2022, which is when I started replying to comments. not sure why that's my routine but either way it's what it is.

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

hm, a lot of breaking left to do, perhaps, being as it's just solidly Horatio Hornblower Is Sorrowful right from one end to the other. I'd lean toward this one rather than any of what I've written on the theme of being lost in undeath, even though there are quite a few more of those (and better written ones to boot!), since I tend to end those with something calm and a little restful even in decay.

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

I think that's probably got to go to Shaking Off Our Shadows, which is basically two thousand words to the effect of 'what if these two fellows from a very grim book full of disease and death and ruin and general misery had a really nice beach epilogue wherein Everything Was Fine.'

8. Do you get hate on fics?

eh, I've gotten a few weird comments on one, mostly people voicing their hatred for one of the characters it's about. I personally think it's all very silly to come to the doorstep of a fellow who likes to write about romantic dissection and say that a kiss exchanged with mutual interest but without previous discussion is 'fucked'. methinks the problem lies not with me.

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

...on occasion. not a great deal of it has actually made it into finished fic at present, mostly because I'm not very confident with specificity in those matters, and so it's more likely to be heavily metaphoricized (see above about the romantic dissection...)

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

most of them are things that I'll draw about or merely ponder rather than writing, but a particularly silly one that I've actually gotten some words in on is Hornblower and Animorphs — look, if the Animorphs team is canonically at Trafalgar, I don't think I have a choice but to crack open a space to play with in the Age of Sail!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

as far as I know, no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

a few of my RLS-based ones have been translated into Russian!

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

sort of! when it comes to actually both writing in the same document, no, but the larger expanse of Flintlock Fortress is done in close collaboration with @dxppercxdxver, and we're discussing a great deal even if we're actually writing on separate parts of the story.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I think when it comes to sheer years-long staying power, that badge has to go to Livesey/Trelawney.

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

I really would like to finish some of my earlier Treasure Island and Hornblower attempts, like the selkie au and the tattoo-sorcery story. I was definitely biting off more than I could chew plot-wise at the time and I'm more confident writing at length now, but I really don't have a ton of enthusiasm for the almost complete rewrites those stories would need to feel right to me, and so probably not.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I really do pride myself on my ability to Describe poetically and to spin an interesting sentence. enough of my fics are extended versions of things that I couldn't make work as a single drawing that that's become quite an important thing for me.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

plots, and overall forming a story to have a solid structure and not just be a vaguely interesting selection of scenes... and I'm definitely not very good at imitating authorial voice, even when I'm trying very hard to do so.

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

like most everything, it's good when done with intention — I really wish I'd gotten quite good enough at Latin to do what I'd been intending and write some Hornblower fic entirely in Latin.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I'd guess Stand Still Stay Silent, altho' I never ended up finishing any of the stories I began, and that was long before I had such a thing as an ao3 account (or even my current file-keeping system,) so where that all ended up I've got no clue at all.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

well, I think it's got to be the wormsfic... I'm just beyond proud of it even in its currently unfinished state and I think it's excellent proof of the fact that I've actually grown as a writer over the last few years.

and I shall tag... @dxppercxdxver, @cedarboots, @baronetcoins, @kigiom, @bishakespeares, and @lacomandante, if you're interested?

[hydrangeyes]

Aishite Aishite Aishite

Back when I was into Your Boyfriend (Mainly the fanart and writes)

I had wrote this AU drabble.

==================================

Summary: This takes place during a bad end where YB kills (supposedly) Y/n and panics going to the one person who from the start has been on his side wholly. First time writing yandere, it’s not my scene but damn...damn fanart got me good...

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

Ch. 1: His mistake, His opportunity

It was everywhere, his darling's blood. He didn't mean to- He just snapped. Now here he was cradling Y/n’s slowly cooling body. “I can fix this, I- I can get you to the hospital and they can-” But the hospital would take them away, maybe even take him away? Why wouldn’t they after all he has hurt his darling, and this time he couldn’t play it off.

Again without thinking his hold tightened and hearing the hoarse whimper leave y/n almosted shattered him to pieces all over again. He needed to clean them up, check the damage-

He moves while he thinks, like a robot, eyes glazed over as he cleans the blood from y/n’s body then his own. Gently taking their body to check the stabs, patch them up and finally an idea comes to mind. By now Y/n is dead, that he numbly barely but still does accept.

He wasn’t ready to let go, maybe he can preserve them in some way? But how-

Maybe it was a sign, the way his eyes skimmed the room and stopped on a familiar black rose. Ah. he knew someone who could.

__________________________________________

“So you dragged their corpse to me!?”

Standing in front of the Flower shop’s back doors was the gardener. He ushers Yb in glancing behind him in case anyone saw them this late night and shuts the door. The gardener sighed and looked up to see Yb gently lay y/n’s body on the steel table of his.

Standing at 6’0 only 4 inches shorter than Yb, in his uniform and covered in dirt stood the Gardener. 

A man who when Yb started coming around to stalk his latest live didn’t call the cops immediately. Dark brown curly hair, double piercings on both his ears, and always curious honey yellow eyes; This was the person Yb trusted the most.

While watching Yb frantically try to decide what flowers he wanted to grow from his darling, the gardener inspects the body.

Nothing he wasn’t used to. After all this wasn’t the first body Yb has brought to him, well...it being his obsession was a surprise. But a small large part of him was laughing in delight at the situation. You see while Yb was watching and chasing down y/n, The gardener himself was watching and chasing Yb from the shadows.

It wasn’t easy by any means. It took ages for him to get Yb to believe he had no interest in his precious y/n. And then slowly getting Yb to depend on him for things, a little game Yb didn’t even know he was playing. So yes, having y/n now out of his way gave him the final push to really make Yb his own.

Smiling softly the gardener per y/n’s cheek and lightly grips their neck. “If you know what’s good for you. Stay dead.”  he whispers. But the feel of a weak pulse against his fingers told him other wise.

“Gardener! Gardener! Should I choose roses for my darling? Any flower would look stunning on them but it has to be perfect!” Yb suddenly pipes up. To which the gardener quickly lets go of y/n and hums loud enough for yb to hear.

“Mm I can just sell you our premade ones. Seems your...Darling. Is still hanging on to life." The gardener says tone as void of emotion as he could make it. Watching Yb light up almost made telling him worth it. He still rather let y/n bleed out.

Think how this could change his plans, it only takes another second to make new ones. "You need to leave, I'm going to call the cops say I heard a shout from across the street and saw someone run away with a knife." He starts, poking and lightly agitating y/n's wounds putting some of the blood on him to make like he carried the body over.

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

and I stoped here! I for sure day dreamed more but never got around to actually writing it lmao.

[the-sonadow-chronicle]

So, I’ve seen this on others OCs, so I decided to make one, too :3

Name: Siren the Cat

Species: Cat

Type: unknown

Alignment: neutral good

🏡 - Home: Siren doesn’t really live anywhere. They will sleep on tree branches if they want to, but if Eggman “asks” them to, they have to stay at his lab. Sonic and Shadow offer a roof over her head, but he keeps refusing.

✨ - How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Well…… *flashback to reading a pirate au* I liked how Siren sounded on him. Their original name would’ve been Luna

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

15 or 16

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

This baby is aroace

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

She enjoys a variety of food, but mostly enjoys spaghetti when cooked by Shadow

💼 - What do they do for a living?

“Spy” for Eggman (unpaid) and painting (under a pseudo name)

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

Skating in their Wheels, squeaking for no reason, f*ck up Eggman’s new projects when they get the chance, sneak into Sonic and Shadow’s place, sleeping

🎯 -What do they do best?

Spy work for Shadow and (in my Sonic world) taking care of Shadow and Sonic’s kids.

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

Love - messing with Eggman

Hate - hurting his family for Eggman’s wishes, being Eggman’s Guinea pig, and telling Eggman the Hedgehog household’s secrets cause Eggman is forcing them to.

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

Making Shadow laugh.

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

Every time Eggman laughs at him

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

Nope, and I highly doubt it’ll be his absolute final as of yet.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

I wanted to be able to make a character I could feel I could relate to, but this crazy thing happened instead.

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

Slice of Life/Comedy

💚 -What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

They are gender-fluid (all pronouns including it) and are aroace.

🙌 - How many siblings does your OC have?

Siren never met their biological family (killed or abandoned I’ll decide in the car), so they consider the babies in my AU their siblings. So 2 3 when I finally properly introduce her to the story

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

Siren loves Sonic and Shadow and considers them his parents. Eggman loves to think Siren sees him as a dad, but Siren hates his guts and doesn’t kill him cause they don’t know how to fight

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

I like how Siren is never afraid to feel free to express themself when not in an uncomfortable situation. I love how Siren is sweet and caring despite coming off as a badass.

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

I draw Siren most when I have art-block. Recently, I draw siren almost everyday

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

Maybe. It’s a secret

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

Siren has angrophobia (fear of anger), astraphobia(fear of thunder and lightning), autophobia(fear of being alone), and philophobia (fear of love)

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

Since February of this year (2023)

If you’d like, go help Siren pass the first round of the OC showdown on the account @sonic-oc-showdown . It would mean the world to me (Siren isn’t very competitive. Siren’s just happy to be there :3)

[aliatori]

🖋️❓ 10 & 25

So you know that thing where you read a text message notification but then don't immediately respond to it, so it vanishes into the ether of memory to be obliterated forever? That's what happened to this ask until I was going through my inbox for other stuff! Better late than never, and these are great questions from the weird writer asks, so let's get into it. 10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you? Writing has absolutely haunted me. Most of my favourite writing haunts me in one way or another, especially if we use a loose definition of 'intangibly living rent-free in one's mind' as haunting. Haunting, for me, revolves around a piece of writing having a prominent place in my memory, even if I've only read it once, or if it has been years since I've read it. I'd be here for a much longer essay if I listed every piece of writing taking up residence in my mind like a beloved ghost, but a few that come to mind immediately:

The Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate. Little did I know picking up the second book in this series as 2nd grader would etch permanent grooves in my psyche and interests. Ostensibly, these books are about kids transforming into animals via sci-fantasy magic, but as the series goes on, it unpacks a startlingly political and horror-backed landscape of personal trauma, the cost of colonialism, and how war never has any victors even when there is a 'victor'. It's no small wonder I ended up radicalized.

Empress of the World by Sara Ryan. I've known I was queer since a very young age even if I didn't have all the words for it, but across the years, I've felt so seen by certain pieces of writing in terms of my identity. This was the first contemporary sapphic book I ever read, and while 'sapphic' no longer completely describes my queerness, as someone who identified as a mostly-closeted bisexual girl when I read it, it was deeply impactful.

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. I can credit this book with planting the seeds for the kinky, poly self I am today, as well as for many of my favourite concepts/tropes (tangible deities! masochists who are strong-willed and feisty! magical tattoos! sex as the vehicle for the sacred!) I re-read this book... this year? Last year? What is time? It still holds up each and every time I re-read it.

Everything Pablo Neruda. Neruda was the poet who made me fall in love with poetry as an art form. I will probably spend the rest of my life trying to describe love with a fraction of the artistry that he does in his love sonnets. Specifically, XVII has always been a favourite, and this stanza in particular: I don't love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz, or arrow of carnations that propagate fire: I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. (Fun fact: This is where the title of my first FFXV longfic came from as well.)

Haunting also implies more morbid aspects, and to me, that means corpses. When my own writing haunts me, it tends to be the unfinished corpses I have left behind. My abandoned longfic Artificial is first and foremost among the corpses that haunt me. To this day I wish I had been able to finish it, but for a variety of reasons I won't detail here, it's not happening. I've gotten to the point where I appreciate how well it prepared me to transition into mostly original writing, and how it gave me an idea of the discipline and scope finishing a 100k+ project requires. I've never been a BNF and likely never will, but I will forever be grateful for the small yet passionate community that sprang up around Artificial. It's humbling to have people along for your weird (but well-mapped from canon!) AU project and have recursive creativity result from it. My original sapphic inkwitch/painter romantasy continues to haunt me, both because it was originally supposed to be for a project I self-sabotaged myself out of and because I still really need to write it - for myself. It's been through three drafts at this point without being quite what I want it to be. I keep tending the idea field and collecting bits of inspiration, letting the field nourish itself before giving it another try. 25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story? In their youth and pre-transition, before their first long-term posting aboard a navy vessel, Izod Arsenault was a talented dancer, to the point of receiving accolades from and invitations to the Imperial court to perform. Their favourite was a dance I imagine to be similar to the quickstep in modern ballroom dancing. It's also half the reason they sincerely enjoy attending Admiralty parties—the other being their bottomless thirst for throwing their political weight around. I'm not sure if this is hyper-specific enough, but it's at least specific, and it's for sure completely irrelevant to any plotty part of F&F.

[weirdships000]

Back again! I'd love to know some of your dark zanus hcs? Just the most dark hcs you have.

........anon........I love you, you have given me so many things to post about and I thank you for it. I will now call you '✨️anon' or if you don't want the ✨️ you can choose a different emoji

Okay, so my favorite Zanus headcanons and AUs come from the nature of cults and worship. I write Janus as viewing Zane as a deity, so their relationship is very off. Looking at it from a distance, you can tell something wrong but you can't tell what's wrong.

(I have multiple AUs and headcanons so I'll just go with my darkest Zanus AU, called 'my love is god', it's a really fucked up AU but i love it.)

Trigger warning for kidnapping, yanderes, torture, murder, cultish behavior, and eye horror.

(Help how do I add the 'read more' thing? I googled it but it isn't working)

I headcanon that they met at a fairly young age, middle school probably, in my AUs Janus got bullied really badly, (this was before they got all big and intimidating)

Zane chased off the bullies and accidentally befriended Janus in the process, Janus had never had someone show them kindness so they clung to Zane, and as they grew up things got worse.

It got especially bad in PDH when Zane was obsessing over the shadow knights. Pdh was when Janus started his shrine. Zanes hair, blood, teeth, clothing, spit and glasses are just some of the many things Janus collected.

Janus absolutely despised Balto and the Shadow Knights. Balto for the fact he bullied and abused Zane on a daily basis. And the Sks because they ignored Zanes adoration of them and they treat him like crap.

Janus has a mindset where they believe everyone should worship Zane but they also want to kill people who get to touchy with Zane.

In this particular AU Balto, Gene, Zenix, and Sasha are all killed off brutally. Janus held them captive and tortured them for two weeks before finally killing them and burying their bodies in the woods. Before they dumped their bodies they cut out their eyes and put them in their little 'shrine' for Zane.

Janus kills several more people they views as threats. Laurance, he bullied Zane, Nana, Ivan, Dante, he killed Dante because he looked to much like Gene to be 'safe', as well as several other bullies that Zane had.

Janus has cameras and listening devices in Zanes bedroom so he can watch over Zane and keep him 'safe'

Zane in PDH has no idea what's happening and is very distressed by all the sudden deaths of people he knew.

In FCU things change. As Zane gets and less naive he realizes that Janus is a bit off, he notices that people he doesn't like tend to go missing after he tells Janus about them. So Zane decides to test this by ranting about random, non connected people, and they go missing within the week Zane says anything.

Zane was going to call the police but the more Zane thinks about these things the more he likes the idea of Janus being obsessed with him.

Everyone treats Zane like crap so why would he get rid of the person who will do anything for him and won't ever leave?

Zane goes back to pretending to be naive to Janus' crimes but this time he has more purpose when he talks about people, if he's angry at someone and he wants them gone he'll act more visibly upset so Janus will get rid of them quicker.

Zane does avoid getting angry at his family in front of Janus, just in case.

In mystreet Janus and Zane live together but they aren't quite dating, Janus considers them to be dating, Zane doesn't

Zane gets a bit more interested in proper relationships outside of Janus, Zane loves Janus but Zane knows how fucked up their relationship is, he wants a nice relationship.

Zane ends up secretly going out with Travis, nothing serious, just a few dates, but Janus finds out.

Janus doesn't tell Zane they know, instead Janus invites Travis over and kills him. Janus hides the corpse in Zanes bed so when he goes to bed that night....Zane finds him.

Janus knocks Zane out and ties him up. Janus and Zane leave town and go to an old abandoned cabin in the woods where Janus gets Zane all to themselves.

Thank you for the ask anon (:

I'm always open to asks

[scoracletrashlives]

The Backstory

Hello all!

I am ScoracleTrash. Have been ScoracleTrash since 2015. You may also call me Pidge. My main blog is neil-panenby. Because I am a pan enby. She/her and they/them both work. Many things about me are very different than they were when I created the original Scoracle Trash blog. One thing that is the same? Scoracle is my OTP.

I am a psychiatric hospital liaison in my early 30s and once upon a time, back in 2015, while playing the then-new video game Arkham Knight, I had a weird fucking idea.

See, I have been a Scarecrow groupie since Batman Begins came out when I was but a teenager, and I had long been trying to figure out a Scarecrow ship that spoke to me. I tried an OC on DeviantArt ages ago and that fizzled out fast. Hattercrow never held my interest. Becky never clicked.

So I’m playing this game as a mid-20something and it hits me.

Scarecrow and Oracle. Jonathan and Barbara. They’re both navigating traumatic backstories, wicked smart, fond of the odd bit of theatrics, and they’ve just been thrown together by this narrative like never before. Why not?

So I threw together an AU fic and slapped it up on ao3 and something super wild happened.

It spoke to people.

Somehow, I made it work. I made it believable enough to click with 107 people in the last 8 years. Which is MINISCULE compared to many ships but HUGE to me. Because I was, as far as I can tell, the namer of this ship and the first person to write about it and put it on ao3. The first person to draw parallels between the experiences of the two characters and put forth that maybe, just maybe, they might understand each other.

Now, do I take a bunch of liberties with my writing to make my vision work? Of course I do. But so does every fanfiction author. And Rocksteady did as well when they made their games. Honestly, every new team that takes the helm of an established comic book title does, for that matter.

Do I think that ANYONE should be in a relationship with a fear-obsessed serial killer in real life? No. Don’t be daft.

Do I owe anyone these disclaimers? No, but I’m stating them anyway.

Scoracle is my fantasy. It is escapism. Like all escapism, it owes no one believability nor is anything about it required to translate into the real world as healthy or admirable. If it squicks you out, that’s valid. If it turns you on, that’s valid. If you don’t care either way, that’s valid. I never meant it for anyone but myself. The fact that posting about it years ago generated any interest at all surprised me.

The fact that upwards of 100 people also see something of merit in this fantasy is wild to me. Even if you never see this, I hope you feel my love and gratitude wherever you are.

Scoracle is healing to me. It’s two people with decades of trauma and brilliant minds seeing each other, really seeing each other, and accepting the differences in each other that would make people less dedicated to one another irreconcilable. It’s two people leading each other out of the shadows of what’s been done to them and the people that did it to them.

And on a more shallow note…It’s dark aesthetics and late nights and sarcasm and intellectual conversation and passion and just enough danger.

Over the last 8 years, my writing has matured and improved VASTLY and I fully intend to go back and create rewritten versions of the first two fics in the series, Pet Bat and Her Long Halloween. The originals will not be deleted.

For now, Heart of Darkness has finally begun.

Not sure who all is on tumblr, but if you manage to make your way here, welcome to the clubhouse. Pour yourself a beverage of choice, sink into the leather sofa, choose your music, and let’s talk Scoracle!

-Pidge DePeche

[pls-help-im-confused]

i just realized it's rude to ask for this and not provide my own fic recs D: these are coming straight from the bookmarks (with links !)

warning; a lot of this fics will have some sorta smut so tread with caution. also some of these will require an ao3 account to read ://

Golden Hour by kooprdoodl

this fic is incredible and imo one of the more realistic continuations of post-fall life. there is an on-going sequel that is just as good !!

Symbasis by tei

this is probably my favorite fic ever in all the fics ive read in a decade of reading. it's over 100k words and the integration of characters into the world is sooooo incredible. i read it all in 3 days and am thinking about rereading it. also every fic by tei is incredible. smut!

Pavlova by nbcravenstag

if i could ever recommend an author to read every work from, it's nbcravenstag. their works are some that i reread often when im in a bad mood, and i enjoy the way they characterize will. this a funnier fic that is just a good time all around. SMUT

Hidden Potential by sourweather

sourweather is another author where i've read all his works, and i would recommend you do the same. this fic is one of my faves by them, and it's def one for a good bedtime story (he's also written a lot of spacedogs and i love space dogs)

Call Me By Your Name by ShotgunSinner

controversial age gap bc it's based off the book call me by your name. i actually hated the book by andre aciman but i loved this fic so much. it's one of the few not-cannibal-hannibal fics i enjoy (another author who ive read every work)

Taken for Rubies by emungere

i didn't expect to love this but i really really did. there's this bit of angst in it that made my heart actually hurt and if that doesn't constitute a good fic idk what does

Shark Tank by xzombiexkittenx

i love prison!au's because of this fic specifically. im totally normal about will and hannbial's dynamic in this fic

Midnighters by whiskeyandspite (Midnighters series)

if you like spacedogs (adam raki from adam and nigel from country charlie man) and you havent read this, you are missing out big time. it's super wholesome, if you want something that is just good vibes and lover boys

Faded Fantasy by Phenobarbital

this series is a commitment. i mean it, there's over 200k words all together. features "straight" will and a very complicated relationship between him and hannibal. such an incredible read, i've re-read it like 4 times

Identically Different AU by Pragnificent

this series is another commitment. it's my favorite role-reversal!au in the hannibal fandom and the author does such an incredible job of creating this little universe

A quiet stretch of ice by NohaIjiachi

ice skating au??? so random but so so good. i love the relationship between will and hannibal in this fic, it's so flirty. also will is kind of a bitch in the best way

The Story We Chose by JBauchley

thinking about this fic made me start crying so i am crying rn. divorce fic with a happy ending i promise

Fall the Shadow by littlesystems

bedelia as will's therapist? delicious. one of the more interesting different first meeting aus

Ladder (series) by emungere

emungere is so damn good at series i always read them in one sitting even if they're so long good god.

i think that has to be the end of this post because if i dont stop now i never will. enjoy :D

alright chat present me with your fave hannigram fics