#shadowed cross au

[peachypede]

Dogday for the au because I can't help myself...

[wardenswateringhole]

Shadowed Cross - Chapter 3

(This is an AU worked on by @peachypede and myself. Inspired by @bluebellowl's 50's AU.)

CW:

-none

Cut for length. Enjoy.

Ilona stared out the window, watching the world pass by as she rode in the backseat of the car. Buddy had said it was Mercedes Benz and then rattled of numbers and terms that swiftly flew over Ilona’s head. She ran her hand over the red leather seat. Her human hand.

It felt strange. Cross drilled a spell quickly into her head before he even let her step foot out the front door. The spell worked thus far. She was human again. But it was temporary. Cross said it would last however long she could hold it. He made her promise to start finding a safe place as soon as she felt even a hint of the spell fading. Promise wasn’t entirely accurate. It was more that he held her by the nape of the neck and hissed how badly things would go if she was caught. She gulped as she remembered the feeling of his hot breath against her ear, saying she’d be left to her fate and he would deny all knowledge of her as people who did not care about her well-being captured her and did gods knew what to her.

“You okay, kid?”

Buddy’s voice from the driver’s seat pulled her out of her mind. He still wore the shades but she could see his eyes glance at her in the rear view mirror as he drove. She nodded.

“Yeah. I’m okay…”

Her eyes drifted around the interior. It was all red. A dull boring red that didn’t assault the eyes but didn’t beg for the attention of such either. Ilona felt small. She could stretch her legs out completely. The tips of the white pumps still didn’t even reach the back of the front seat. Buddy could be heard laughing softly.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Who in the world could need this much room?”

“You mean other than Mr.’I’m too tall for my own good’ Cross?”

“Oh yeah… I guess he would be a little squished in a regular car...”

She rubbed her arm. The conflicting feelings of right and wrong returned. The skin felt alien without the fur. But she knew it was how it should be. She could still feel Buddy’s eyes on her.

“Without all that fur… I think I recognize you now.”

Ilona looked up at him. “I don’t think I ever made a delivery to Mr. Cross’s mansion…”

Buddy shook his head. “Nah… Somewhere else… Were you ever a waitress or something?”

Ilona’s mind traveled back to a much less content time in her life. Her first job. She was a soda jerk. One of the few female ones. It showed in how the guests treated her. When she wasn’t being treated as completely incompetent for things beyond her control, she was getting harassed for the short skirt she was made to wear. The owner had definitely believed in the adage ‘sex sells’.

“Uh. Yeah… I was the soda jerk for a diner on the other side of town. Uh, Lenny’s Eats.”

“That was you!?” Buddy sounded like he was ready to wreck the car. “You’re the one who broke that dessert dish over that guy’s head!”

“You were there for that!?”

Buddy howled in laughter. “Boy Howdy! I was there with some other drivers while Joe-- I mean, Mr. Cross was at some function. The fellas and I were about to get up and get the guy after he yanked on your skirt but you beat us to it.”

Ilona’s cheeks still burned with how angry that had made her. She was also written up and had her pay docked for the incident. The owner was obligated to tell the guy to take a hike but he also made sure that Ilona couldn’t assault the customers in return, no matter what they had done. It didn’t dawn on her that she was the only one to actually put up with that treatment until she had decided to quit. The boss flipped between begging her to stay and verbally assaulting her as she put in her notice. In the end, she didn’t even finish the two weeks. The man was left short staffed for eleven of the fourteen days she had said she’d remain. Last she had seen the place, there was a for sale sign on the window and the doors were boarded shut.

Served the asshole right, she had thought.

“You got moxie, kid. Tons of it. Whatever happens, you’ll be okay. I know you will.”

Ilona thought for a moment before nodding. Buddy’s words seemed to almost magically dispel the anxiety that gnawed on her nerves.

“Thanks, Buddy.”

She saw the trademark red striped walls of Jerry’s diner out the corner of her eye. Buddy drove past and parked into another parking space for a business next door. He put the car in park and turned in his seat to look at her.

“You remember the plan?”

Ilona nodded. “I’ve got it. I’ll be okay.”

“Good luck. Kid. I’m routing for ya.”

“Thanks again, Buddy.”

The door clicked as Ilona opened the door.

--

Everett’s reflection in the face of his wristwatch glowered back at him as he tapped his fingers against the table. It had been twenty minutes. Twenty minutes since he and Pecha had arrived and sat down. They had a normal meet up time. 10am. Each time. It wasn’t unheard of for Ilona to be a few minutes late but she always made it close to time. She was never this late.

Everett’s eyes drifted up to Pecha sucking down her soda. His eyes watched the liquid disappear rapidly. The ice clinked against the glass as it no longer had it’s bubbly cushion to keep it a float. A loud slurping sound signaled the soda’s demise as she stopped and looked back at him.

“What?”

“That never ceases to amaze me. Where does it go?” Everett replied flatly. Pecha shrugged as she dabbed daintily at the corners of her mouth.

“In my stomach, I would assume.”

Everett sighed. “As Ilona would say, ‘you’re going to hate yourself later’… of course she’s not here to say that…”

Everett propped his head on his hand and looked around the diner. It was a bit of a slow day. Some older diners chatted and the sounds of the cook working away could be heard. His voice yelling order names that sounded like some made up language would pierce the quiet from time to time. Without fail, the waitress would gather the order and deliver it where it needed to go despite the words that came out the cooks mouth making no sense at all. What the hell even was “Adam and Eve on a raft and two blowout patches and axle grease”?

Ilona would know. Ilona would have been the one to translate when either he or Pecha was curious. Ilona was not here.

Everett huffed once more before staring at his watch like it would magically bid Ilona to appear.

“She’ll be here, Everett.” Pecha stirred the ice around in soda-less glass absentmindedly. “She probably just got caught up in a delivery.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of…” Everett sat up straight. His hands waved in front of him as he spoke, “She’s always caught up in something since she left that diner job. That delivery job seems to hold all her time lately.”

Everett had been surprised when she had called him up to join her for a celebration. He had arrived at Pecha’s house and later stood in Pecha’s backyard with a watering hose as Ilona set fire to the uniform she had loathed so deeply. It was the night she vowed to never return to that place. She then proceeded to explain she was getting paid very well for her delivery job. It had made Everett scratch his head. He didn’t know of many delivery jobs that paid that well. He was happy for her nonetheless. That was before he got a good look at her new lifestyle.

“Haven’t you noticed how she’s been since taking up that delivery job? Her clothes at gotten at least three new patches in the past month and that was a brand new pair of pants! Her shirt is going ragged as well! And the injuries! She’s had bruises and scrapes for days!”

Pecha listened to Everett’s rant while still playing with the straw in her ice. He named off several instances he felt that Ilona had not taken her safety seriously. Several more were counted off on his fingers where he wondered about her hygiene as she was covered in dirt and debris from unknown sources.

“Is she still eating? Drinking water?” Pecha asked suddenly causing Everett to stop his complaining mid sentence. He looked at her blankly.

“Yeah? Seems so. She didn’t look thinner or anything…”

“And taking her medicine?”

“Well, yeah, she hasn’t had any episodes and still looks healthy all things considered.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” Pecha assured him, looking down at her cup once more and watching the ice swirl with the motion of her straw.

“Ilona has always been a bit aloof. She’s rough around the edges and active. She doesn’t mean to get hurt, but she seems to know what to do when it happens. She may not have done anything with it, but that degree in medicine seems to have given her some knowledge when it comes to taking care of herself in those situations. I really don’t think you should worry so much about her. She can take care of herself… Don’t you think so, Everett?”

Silence.

“Everett?”

Pecha looked back up at Everett to see him staring at something behind her. His eyes were wide and his mouth was dropped open. She turned and saw the subject of Everett’s astonishment.

Walking toward them was Ilona. A green and white gingham dress flowed around her as she moved. Pecha couldn’t help but let her own jaw drop.

“I-Ilona!?”

Everett was already clamoring to his feet to pull out a chair for her. His mouth had still not closed. Ilona sat and gave Everett a small thank you as he sat back down with eyes still glued to her.

“What? Is it too much?”

Pecha shook her head as if trying to set her ability to speak back in motion. “N-no! It’s great! I just… I thought you didn’t like dresses…”

It was true. Ilona had made a big deal about never wearing anything dress like ever again after the harassment she had suffered at her previous job. It had pained Pecha so very much. Pecha loved to dress up in pretty clothes, especially when Ilona was there to do it with her.

Ilona shrugged. “Those clothes I was wearing to do my deliveries were getting really worn and it’s hot. I’ll have to be dressy until I can get a new shirt and trousers.”

Everett found his voice finally. “I didn’t know you owned something so nice…”

“I…” Ilona rubbed at her arm once more. “It… was… well, it was buried deep in my closet. I didn’t want to have to wear it unless I absolutely had to.”

Everett opened his mouth to speak only to be excitedly grabbed by Pecha. “Here they come!”

The waitress came over and sat three plates down. Each had a serving of stuffed french toast with different flavors. One strawberry, one blueberry, and one chocolate. Each were drizzled in warm syrup and a dollop of whipped cream sat pertly atop it all but was quickly melting from the heat of the meal. The sugary substance slowly dripped down the sides of the bread and mixed into the cream cheese, flavoring, and powered sugar.

The scent assaulted Ilona’s senses. She could feel the familiar ferality rising as she stared at the three plates. Her jaw clenched hard as she held herself back. Despite her earlier meal, her stomach still growled loudly. Pecha laughed as she retrieved her cutlery from the rolled napkin.

“Wow Ilona, I can hear your stomach from here!”

Ilona forced a grin as she dug the heel of her shoe into the toes of the other foot. The pain was enough to push away the urge to plunge her face into the food. “Y-yeah! I didn’t realize how hungry I am. Uh, who’s is who’s?”

“Well…” Everett began, holding a fork at the ready. “We couldn’t decide which ones we wanted and didn’t know what flavor you’d like either so we figured we’d try all three together.” He cut a piece from the chocolate one and quickly scooped it into his mouth, taking care to not let the syrup and whipped cream drip everywhere. His eyes widened as he held a hand over his mouth. Pecha and Ilona stared at him.

“Well?” Pecha asked.

“This might have been a mistake… I don’t want to share.” Everett replied behind his hand.

Pecha and Ilona glanced to one another before digging into the other two flavors. Their reactions were much the same but all three managed to control themselves enough to urge one another to try what they themselves enjoyed.

The table descended into giggles and playful banter as they enjoyed the meal. Ilona had long forget about her earlier encounter, losing herself to sweet treats and the company of friends. The memory of her promise to Cross came back to her as she saw Buddy out the window. He threw her a thumbs up. She gave him a slight nod before he turned and left.

Good. He found my bike.

“So Ilona…”

Ilona turned to Everett with her fork still in her mouth. She grunted at him as she continued to lick the sweetness from it’s prongs.

“You know why we agreed to meet…”

Oh no, here we go, Ilona thought to herself. She pulled the fork from her mouth and set it back on the plate in front of her, long empty from their feasting. “Okay… You got me here. Let’s get on with it. What do you have to say?”

Everett gave her a sidelong look. “The same thing I said yesterday… Your new job is a bit too dangerous in my opinion.”

Ilona nodded. “You did say that, and I understand. I’ll try not to get hurt so much in the future.”

“Not good enough.” Everett grunted. “You keep saying that and I keep seeing new wounds and patches on your clothes.”

“What do you want form me, Everett? I’m not stopping being a delivery biker because you can’t stop being a worry wart.”

“And you don’t worry enough!”

“WHOA! Hey! Hey… let’s calm down now…” Pecha held her hands up at both her friends as they both huffed and looked away from one another. “Look, I get where Everett is coming from. You have been kinda… well…” Ilona’s eyes drifted over to Pecha as she struggled to find the right words. “… Raggedy…”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Ilona asked, crossing her arms. “So because I’m not dressed up prim and proper and reeking of flowers and perfume I’m suddenly a danger to myself!?”

“No! That’s not—”

“Dammit Ilona, can you stop being stubborn! You know you can’t keep going like this with your illness! What if you really get yourself one time and bleed out!? No one is going to be able to help you! What if those dogs really did get a hold of you!? You would have been killed!”

Pecha’s head swung toward Everett. “Dogs!? What dogs!?”

Everett scoffed. “Oh yeah, didn’t tell you about that part. The ever adventurous but oh-so-responsible Ilona Vincent decided it would be a good idea to cut through Mr. Carlson’s yard and take a chance that his dog’s wouldn’t chew her to bits.”

“ILONA!”

“Hey! I made it didn’t I!? I’m still here!”

“Yeah but you still got hurt! Your arm! ...Wait…”

Ilona looked to where Everett’s eyes laid on her. Her arm. Her bare arm. Her bare and uninjured arm.

Shit.

“You… your arm… it was… it was all scraped and bloody yesterday…”

Ilona could feel her heart beat faster. She didn’t think of this. She should have insisted on getting her regular clothes from her apartment but she was so panicked about being late that it didn’t dawn on her.

“What? N-no it wasn’t. You must have dreamed that…”

“No. I swear it was. I would bet my entire inheritance on it. Ilona…”

Ilona looked away quickly. She could feel something wavering. Like a thin membrane threatening to snap. Pecha’s hands guided her gaze to Pecha’s. Pecha looked worried.

“Ilona? Your eyes. Are you feeling okay?”

“My eyes!?”

Ilona pulled her face away. She rubbed her cheeks, trying to calm down. A glance down at her feet saw the barest hint of black fuzz beginning to sprout around her ankles.

“I need to go!”

Ilona stood. Everett and Pecha stood with her. “Wait! Ilona! What’s wrong!?”

“I’m fine! I-- I just remembered I have an important delivery to make!”

She pushed away from the chair and rushed toward the door. She yelled back to her companions without looking back. “Thanks for the meal! I’ll call you both later!”

“Dammit! Ilona! Wait!”

Everett’s words were lost as she almost sprinted out the door. Everett grumbled as she dug money out of his pocket and threw it all the table before running toward the door himself. Pecha followed awkwardly. They both exited the diner just in time to see Ilona blazing down the street and into the distance. Everett grabbed his bike angrily.

“Everett!? What are you doing!?”

“If she thinks she can just blow us off like that after all that, she’s got another thing coming!”

Everett sped off leaving Pecha to scramble onto her own bike and attempt to catch up. Whatever Ilona was hiding, the pair were determined to confront her about it.

[peachypedereblogs]

When there’s a poly ship of four people in The Shadowed Cross au me and @wardenswateringhole made so we have like the longest ship name in history of Crossiloningorado

[krazycat6167]

So @somerandomdudelmao made a version of their sona in a dystopia (inspired by @tapakah0 doing the same to theirs) and the person in this ask named the robot C.A.S.5 and I thought, ‘well then there’s at least four other C.A.S. units out and about in the world’ leading to this being the end result! It was a lot of fun to come up with the different customizations each C.A.S. unit has.

also, the design for C.A.S.4 (Cash) was partially inspired by @mobiitez post.

Doodles:

[anamdreams69]

I may be late for the party, buuut- Happy birthday emo boyo!!

[nayladoodles]

Dark Cream Week Day 5: Gray

Challenge by @zu-is-here

Shadows!Verse Bad End aftermath.

Shattered is alone because he thinks himself a monster and refuses to go home to Nightmare and Co. He often visits Cross's memorial grave in the mountains. He blames himself so much more than he should for Cross's death.

Shattered in this au is very unstable emotionally most of the time and snaps easily. He nearly hurt his brother when he shattered and has refused to go home aside from stealing the sweater, scarf and guitar while everyone slept.

He doesn't have to be alone but his fear of hurting anyone else keeps him away.

Also cross took him on even at his worst so his death hurts Shattered even more so.

[raccoon-crown]

Just a Hot Cocoa cup...

Whatcha got there?

A hot Cocoa cup

Sorry for the ugly resolution, but I somehow managed to have a space to draw this morning and the only thing that came to me was this meme doddle of @son1c dream AU, which I totally love!

[catiecat1320]

Very proud to announce that I am participating in the Sonic the Hedgehog Big Bang (@sthbigbang)!!

Thank you to my wonderful artists, @lofithetanuki, @therealsinnohdawn, and @sleepingcircus; as well as a thank you to my beta reader @thesummoners!! I <3 you all!!

[MasterPost]

Summary:

Shadow has never been the kind to think of himself as special. Aside from a talent for music, he’s just your typical guy. Nothing more, nothing less.

That is, until he meets Sonic. Until something about the unremarkable him catches the eye of the world famous solo dancer. Until he’s offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with a legend. 

There’s so much more to the star than he could have ever imagined. There’s so much more to himself that he never knew. And there’s so much more between them that blooms in the time they spend with each other, beautiful, foreign, and absolutely hectic.

Standing in the face of chaos, the only logical step is to find a rhythm to dance to.

Chapter 1 Below 🔽

“And… I think that’s all I have planned for today,” Shadow announced, idly stretching before gently lowering the piano lid. “10 minutes of an early end. Nice job, Cream, as always.”

His protege beamed, her wide grin proudly displaying the gap of a missing tooth. He chuckled as she tapped out a happy little jingle on the piano in celebration, the sound reverberating throughout the pastel room.

Mere moments later, a soft knock sounded, and Cream hurried to let her mom in. 

“Are you finished your lesson?” Vanilla asked, carefully closing the door behind her.

“Yeah!” The bunny exclaimed, “how’d you know?”

Her mother patted Cream’s head, though her attention seemed to be elsewhere. “Well, sweetheart, you always play that tune when you’re done.” She then turned to Shadow, bowing her head slightly as if she were apologetic. “May I have a word with you?”

He nodded, curiosity perking in his ears as he shifted his shirt collar. “Of course, Mrs. Vanilla.”

“Please, just Vanilla is fine,” she remarked, smiling at his formality. She seemed nervous, he noticed, tense. “I need a favor. I’ve already scheduled Cream’s next lesson, as you know, but yesterday she… Cream, why don’t you share the news? You’re practically bouncing off the walls.”

Her mother’s comment was definitely accurate— if felt as if one little tap would send the bunny zipping around the room. “I won a dance competition! And they gave me tickets to see Mr. Sonic!” Cream piped, vibrating with excitement. Shadow pretended to know who she was talking about as the gears turned in his head.

“That’s… great. I’m so proud of you,” he picked her up in a congratulatory hug before turning his attention back to her mother. “I’m assuming that this event coincides with the lesson? If so, canceling it is no problem.”

“Mr. Shadow, Mother has an appointment when it happens,” Cream interjected, grasping his hand before he could fully let her go, as if by some magical power, her thoughts would translate through the touch. Vanilla only nodded, allowing her daughter to lead.

“Oh, you want me to take you, don’t you,” the hedgehog realized, his response laced with teasing undertones. “And if I don’t?”

“Pretty please?” Cream locked gazes with him, face morphed into a painting innocent and pleading. Caramel eyes grew big and glistening, a deep pool that threatened to drown him should he decline. Shadow twitched involuntarily at the display. 

“Don’t give me that face. I’m just joking— of course I’ll take you,” the tutor breathed, and that seemed to satisfy the bunny enough for her to tuck away the act for another day.

Vanilla breathed a sigh of relief, squeezing her daughter’s shoulder in silent acknowledgement of her effective (although slightly questionable) communication skills. “Thank you so much, Shadow.”

“No problem at all.”

………………………………

Cream’s little hand wrapped around Shadow’s fingers, gloved in protection against the chilly February air. The kid skipped along the line, dragging her chaperone with her, hyperactive from the sugar in the donuts he should not have bought her.

That pleading act was just too convincing…

The auditorium was crowded with fans young and old, most settled down in their places a long time ago. Although it was expected with how late they were in the acceptable entry frame, it posed a problem as the pair awkwardly scooted past the legs of the already seated, many scoffing in annoyance as he waved in apology.

Somehow, they made it to their spot before Cream exploded from anticipation, and soon the overhead lights went dim, shushing the audience. Different lights switched on, one after another, highlighting the stage in all kinds of pretty colors that seemed to captivate everyone but Shadow.

He really should have found out what this show was about beforehand, huh? Sorely regretting putting off the task in favor of an unnecessary house cleaning, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath. That blinding rainbow cascade was going to give him a headache. Glancing at Cream to make sure she hadn’t bounced out of her seat, he reached over to take her already shed jacket before working at his own. The building was heated quite nicely, so he folded them neatly and put them aside for the time being.

By the time he was done, a soft melody had already begun playing— violin, Shadow recognized, partnered with a quiet piano. The song was unfamiliar to him, but having grown up in a world of music, he’d developed a deep understanding of it, and having that knowledge helped him relax. His fingers flitted upon an imaginary instrument, picking apart the tune as the sounds filtered through his mind. 

Beside him, he felt Cream go completely still, a sharp contrast to the excited jumble she had been seconds ago. In fact, it felt like the whole room was holding its breath. A little suffocating, in all honesty, but he followed the general example and looked up.

Just in time. Right then, a lithe figure sprang onto center stage, striking a deeply bowed pose in time with a dramatic thrum. All eyes focused on him at once, everyone shifting forward in unison as if connected by one single mind. Shadow just squinted, unimpressed.

A blue hedgehog, dressed up all prim and pretty in something that seemed like it would be awkward to wear, he assumed that the dancer was the “Mr. Sonic” Cream had been so ecstatic to see. As multicolored lights swirled around them, Shadow couldn’t deny that there was a certain air of elegance to them that almost seemed magical. Yet he could not understand what the big deal was.

That is, until Sonic moved, along with a sharp crescendo in the melody, gracefully gliding across the stage akin to a figure skater— there seemed to be no hindrance, no friction, as if he didn’t touch the ground at all. Their eyes were closed as he twisted and twirled, complete confidence that their steps would land and they would be beautiful. 

For once in his life, Shadow didn’t pay attention to the music.

Suddenly they flipped, once, twice, much to the audience’s delight as everyone surged forward in their seats. And even as the dancer landed at the edge of the stage, they never once looked. Never once feared falling, as they maneuvered the border like a tightrope walker, delicately making their way around.

It wasn’t a specific style of dance they were doing, at least, not to his limited knowledge of the art. They were just moving. Yet there was a story hidden behind it all, one that was told without the use of words, but still communicated so clearly that Shadow could understand everything, could feel everything.

It was like magic.

At last Sonic came to a stop, once again at center stage, and dropped into a bow. A beat of silence resounded before the audience cheered, exploding with thunderous claps and shrill whistles. Beside Shadow, Cream grabbed his hand, exclaiming something he could not hear. He could only nod in response, which only kicked off more of the one-sided conversation that he sorely hoped was not important.

On stage, the blue hedgehog shouted something he barely missed, and Cream excitedly tugged at his sleeve. Sonic flashed a bright smile that gleamed in the stoplights, and Shadow swore several people swooned as sparkling emerald eyes passed over them. 

Someone who had gotten up to leave obstructed his view for only a moment… but when they made their way out of the row, he found himself locking gazes with the dancer.

It felt like someone was staring straight into his soul, yet it wasn’t a cold feeling. More warm, like a fire, swirling in his gut. 

Shadow could not, for the life of him, get his body to move.

Sonic winked at him, saluting to the general crowd before disappearing backstage. As he and Cream were caught in the mass of people moving out, he gripped their things tightly in one hand and held on to the bunny with the other, unable to do anything but wonder, what was that?

………………………………

As he found out much too late, Cream had neglected to tell Shadow that they were invited to the Meet & Greet after the show. He figured that was what’d slipped past him among the chaos. Keeping a vise grip on the bunny’s wrist, he followed the rest of the lucky few to a different room. 

It was quieter here than in the auditorium, and much more well lit. He assumed that this was originally a practice room of sorts, repurposed for this mini event. As they filed in a line to spend a few moments with the dancer, Shadow took the opportunity to text Vanilla about the change of plans. Easier said than done, because Cream had reverted to a bouncing ball of energy, and she took every chance to yank him forward in line, startling him every time.

Somehow, he managed to send a less-than-refined message to Vanilla without dropping his phone. But before he even had the time to look up, Cream tore herself from his grasp with a squeak. “Mr. Sonic!” 

“Heya, kiddo,” her idol replied with a grin, patting her head gently. She beamed, introducing herself excitedly, her pitched voice making it hard to decipher her swift speaking. But Sonic seemed to have no problem, answering all her rapid-fire questions like they planned specifically for this moment. 

Shadow let them have their time, picking up the things that had fallen from his arms when Cream had so abruptly pulled away. It was cute, really, the way the two interacted as if they were old friends. The dancer was making a very exaggerated motion to accompany the story that they— he, as per the pronouns displayed on his poster— was telling, his one person audience very engrossed.

Eventually Cream settled down long enough to take a picture, which was then printed and signed for her with a wink. But before they left and let someone else take their turn, Sonic got to one knee and whispered something to Cream that made her face light up like a firework. She somehow yelled and whispered at the same time. “Really?!”

“Would I lie to you?” The dancer grinned, much to Cream’s elation. Shadow sighed softly— he had no idea that she could get more excited than she already was. If this kept going… well, Vanilla was in for a very long night.

He hadn’t realized he was zoning off again until he felt a tug on his sleeve. Cream stared at him with expectant eyes, then cocked her head in Sonic’s direction. 

Shoot. Shadow looked up to see the dancer wearing a lopsided smile. Once he realized that he had the other’s attention, Sonic clapped his hands together. “So! How’d you enjoy the show…?” 

“Mr. Shadow,” Cream helpfully chimed, to which her idol nodded in thanks.

Said hedgehog rubbed his arm nervously, unsure how to respond. He settled for a shrug. “It was okay.”

Emerald eyes sparkled knowingly, although their owner seemed to have a great poker face. “Well, take care of little Cream here,” he patted her shoulder, to which she perked, again, “she’s got lots of potential.”

“Mhm.” That he knew. Who better than her teacher to assess her skill? Sonic’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, indicating the want for something more. Panic began mottling in Shadow’s stomach. Sue him, it was nerve-racking for a famous person to stare you down when you’re already bad at social interaction. What did he need…?

Both people in the room were staring at him now, the awkward silence doing nothing to help his nerves. On instinct, he shifted all his things to one arm and reached out for a handshake— something he found both polite and a good way to end conversations— with a “It was nice meeting you,” for good measure. However, Sonic took it in an entirely different way than he intended.

Soft lips, rosy from the previous exertion, pressed against the back of Shadow’s hand as emerald eyes stared teasingly into his own. Heat flooded tan cheeks instantly, and he clamped his jaw shut before it could fall open. Dimly registering a giggle from Cream, he was much too caught up in the fact that Sonic was kissing him.

Who the hell did that anymore?

Sonic straightened once more, the moment over as fast as it began. Yet somehow it felt as if hours had passed. The dancer was either oblivious to Shadow’s mental meltdown or he just didn’t care, bouncing on the balls of his feet like there was nothing wrong as he winked, giving a mock salute similar to the one he’d left the audience with. “It was nice to meet you too, Shadow. ‘Til we meet again!”

Shadow made a sound like he was being strangled, only serving to deepen his embarrassment along with the furious bloom of blush on his face. Somehow, he managed to keep a grip on everything tucked under his arm, despite it going slack in shock.

Before he could properly process everything, or even save himself some face, he and Cream were already outside, Shadow fumbling with his keys as he tried to get a hold on the one for his motorcycle.

Sometime in the building, amongst his memory lapse, they’d both put on their coats, leaving the bunny with one arm hooked around her chaperone’s. She was staring, caramel eyes worried. “Are you okay, Mr. Shadow?”

No.

“Yes. Now hop on, your mother’s waiting.”

[nomnayuii]

I've finally done it before next month but still I felt too late to join this trend😭

[the-sky-queen]

Just a silly thought I had while at the grocery store

scu boys, mention Eclipse

Prime hedgehogs: who?

Sonic W. Shadow's brother???

Prime Shadow: I don't have a brother...

Silver W. Oooh, he hasn't met him yet. You do. Get ready, he's A LOT

Prime Shadow, going through the five stages of grief at this new information

XD XD XD I love this so much!

Shadow immediately has SO many questions. His entire view of his life just got upended and the boys are acting so casual about it! Yeah, you have a brother. No big deal.

Hmm, if I want to include something like this, I guess now I REALLY have to get caught up in WFMA. Guess that'll be next on my to-do list!

[saffron-gold-stardust]

Oblivion.

I wasn’t able to get my DarkCreamWeek stuff done in time, sadly, but I will post the sketches!!

Thanks for hosting, @zu-is-here !

[peachypede]

This took me a month to do and it doesnt even have super great backgrounds ahhh

But Pecha and Reno teaming up to save her dad and apprehend Vraxx! Based on the au me and Warden have been talking about for ages now akdjskd

The comics I make of this will probably be all out of order…

[wardenswateringhole]

Shadowed Cross - Chapter 1

(This is an AU worked on by @peachypede and myself. Inspired by @bluebellowl's 50's AU.)

CW

-Mild body horror

-Blood mention Cut for length. Enjoy.

Ilona’s legs pumped as hard as they could. The bike sped along the darkened road. All traffic had thankfully cleared out before the coming storm. The wind threatened to push Ilona backwards as it howled through the trees. She persevered, her cargo sitting in the basket in front of her reminding her why she was rushing the way she was.

It was supposed to be an easy dead drop. She’d find the package, secure it, and take it to it’s intended destination. Most likely another dead drop. It hadn’t panned out that way. A couple of old women just could not stop talking. Even after bidding each other good bye on four separate occasions, the conversation between them dragged on, leaving Ilona to wait even longer for them to clear out so she could search for the package. The sun’s rays had begun to reach for the horizon by the time the two ladies left and she was able to get on with her job. She had silently prayed for whoever Robert was and hoped that he didn’t mind the entire world knowing about the painful rash on his rear end.

Now here she was, rushing to beat the torrential downpour and lightning that threatened to rip the sky in twain. A small wooden box sat in the basket on her bike. Plain and unassuming with some winding carvings on the front. The clasp on the front was a weathered brass and fastened shut.

Despite her urgency, Ilona couldn’t help but let her mind wonder. Perhaps as a method of dealing with the circumstances being completely against her on this night. First the conversation with Everett, now this. What it worth it?

She peered down at the box. There was no way to tell what was inside. She hadn’t seen fit to ask what it was she transported on these dead drop jobs. They paid exceptionally well for what seemed like such simple tasks to her. Sure she had to sneak around a couple times to get the item in question. It never seemed overtly dangerous. Other than some overly tenacious guards at a warehouse or dogs in a junkyard.

Was it the cargo that was so valuable then? The box was so plain it was hard to believe anything of value was inside. Ilona’s gut twisted slightly at the thought of there possibly being drugs inside. Maybe Everett was right… Maybe it was time to stop this business…

A shadow darted across the road in front of her. Small and black. Ilona snapped back to her senses just in time to twist her handlebars and avoid running the creature over. It hissed and ran into the bushes as Ilona fell, tumbling across the pavement and eventually sliding to a stop. The box flew past her, leaving wooden shards in it’s wake. It eventually stopped some ten feet before in front of Ilona’s body.

Ilona slowly pulled herself up. She rubbed her face, checking for injuries. Thankfully nothing had happened to her head. Her arm however, had seen better days. A sharp pain coursed through her limb as she tried to move the arm. It moved at least, but tell tale wetness on her hand and the shredded bits of her sleeve spoke of what damage had been done.

Her attention snapped to the box in front of her. She managed to pull herself to her feet to retrieve it. Holding the object in her hurt arm, she pulled the bike upright and fidgeted with the light on the front.

“Dammit… Fuck… COME ON!”

The light flickered to life as if almost on command. She used the small bulb to examine the cargo. The box was tattered and splintered but still whole. The clasp on the front was broken, gone and lost to the darkness of the night and the storm.

With careful hands, Ilona opened the box to check the contents. A segmented jewel glimmered back at her in the focused light. It sat framed by snakes and demon’s wings cast in light colored metal. The jewel itself looked shattered but as if someone had tried to make it whole again with some metal filament. Ilona picked it up and turned it around in her hands. She breathed a sigh of relief as she didn’t find any damage to the item itself. It seemed like some gaudy piece of antique jewelry. Probably for some eccentric collector. At least it wasn’t drugs…

She noticed the blood on her hand. Her hand had sustained a nasty scrape on the pavement. She’d have to make sure to clean that well when she got home. Along with all the other bits of road rash. She wasn’t going to hear the end of it from Everett tomorrow.

A distant flash followed immediately by a crack of thunder caught her attention. She quickly put the jewel back in the box and reoriented her bike. It wasn’t a pleasant ride to the drop off point. But she was determined to make it.

--

Later

--

Large hands held the box firmly as their owner walked down the darkened hallway. Sporadic flashes of lightning lit the path before the man. Shadows clung to the opulent trappings. Paintings, bright and beautiful in the light hung with dreary shades. The pale marble of a few small sculptures seems to almost glow with the lightning, the mottled shadows from the rain molding the features to something stark and alarming.

His footsteps, steady and purposeful, were muted against the ornate rug that lined the hall. What little sound his large frame managed to make was drowned out by the rolling thunder and rain battering the windows. Fine black leather shoes stopped at a door. A hand, complimented by a shining gold watch, reached forth and turned the knob.

The room within was just as dark as the hallway. A few moments and a desk lamp was clicked on. Golden light illuminated a desk covered in books of various sizes and titles while reaching weakly to the corners of the room. Shelves holding still more books peered from the shadows. The light was just bright enough to show off the embossed titles and ornate typing. Curious objects sat among the tomes. A decorated plate showing a battle from a long ago time. An animal skull of unknown origin. Trinkets tied with feathers and teeth, all dangling and rattling from their perches.

The man sighed as he held the box under the light of the desk lamp. It was damaged badly. The looping and winding carvings were scuffed and splintered. The edges frayed with bits of wood poking out precariously. The clasp that once held it closed was completely gone.

“This thing is in some state… What the hell happened?”

Papers and notepads that had sat on the desk were pushed aside to make room for the box. Though he was alone, a second voice was present. It sounded as if it had floated in from the ether. It sounded raspy, like blackened smoke.

“The pretty box isn’t important. What’s inside is still good, yeah?”

The man sat down in the padded chair and began to contemplate the parcel. The box was opened carefully with both hands. The hinges creaked loudly in protest, threatening to come undone in the man’s grasp. Inside, a brooch shined back at him. It was nestled carefully within the velvet interior. It looked tiny as he picked it up. Eyes the color of steel peered down at the purple jewel marbled with silver. His fingers ran delicately over the snakes and wings that framed it.

“It looks good. Not a scratch.”

“Great! Let’s get to it then! You know what to do?”

The man was already leaning down and searching through the drawers of the desk. After a few moments of rummaging, a small dagger was produced. It joined the box on the desk as the man pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.

“Yeah, yeah… Still a bitch though. Why does it always have to be a blood bond? The last three artifacts were duds. I’m tired of slicing myself for this shit.”

The voice chuckled, a series crackling hisses.

“Ah, but I have a good feeling about this one, Joseph, Old boy. With this bit of sparkle, you’ll be nigh unstoppable. Now c’mon! Get on with the show!”

The dagger was retrieved with a sigh. With grit teeth, the blade was pressed into the man's thumb. Blood oozed forth around the metal. The dagger was discarded to the side and the bloody thumb was pressed firmly against the jewel. A thick red splotch was left behind as the man withdrew his hand.

Moments passed by in silence. The rain and the thunder little more than a far off distraction.

“Shit.”

The man grabbed the handkerchief and wrapped his thumb. The voice growled. “No! What the fuck!?”

“Another goddamn dud!… SHIT!”

A heavy foot stomped against the floor causing the desk to shake. The voice continued to protest.

“That can’t be right!”

“The hell you mean ‘that can’t be right’? You saw as well as I did that nothing fucking happened!” “BULLSHIT! Check the brooch!” “I did check the brooch!” “I can feel it! There’s no way in the nine rings that thing is fake! Check it again, dipshit!”

The man pulled a book closer to himself roughly and flipped to a page. It showed an illustration of the brooch, drawn in exquisite detail and additional notes scrawled to the side. The brooch was turned carefully in the light, each feature compared thoroughly with it’s written and drawn counterparts. The man’s eyes widened at the sight of a drop of blood dried onto the metal on the back of the brooch.

“It’s already bonded!?”

His fist wrapped around the brooch and tightened. His steel colored eyes began to melt into the color of red slag.

“Did they think I wouldn’t notice!? Do they really think they can get one over on me!? Nobody is going to have more power than me! I’m Joseph Cross Dammit! I run this city!”

His fist raised into the air then began to descend quickly toward the mahogany surface of the desk with the brooch still firmly in it’s grasp. The voice bellowed out.

“WAIT!”

The man’s fist stopped immediately at the sound of the voice’s protest. It hovered over the surface a mere fraction of an inch. The man’s face was drawn back in a snarl as he huffed through grit teeth.

“For fuck’s sake… WHAT NOW!?”

The voice lightened to almost a purr.

“Easy, Joseph. Think before you break. Yeah, you could smash that thing real good. That would take the power away from whoever is bonded to it, but it would also take the power away from you. Let’s just track down the asshole with a tracking spell and off’em. Reset the brooch’s magic and have a little fun at the same time.”

Joseph’s arm relaxed slowly. He nodded in agreement.

“Yeah… Yeah! That’s a much better idea.”

He stood and sorted through the papers that were pushed aside before. One with symbols and strange writing was grabbed. Joseph held the brooch in one hand and looked at the paper. Red smoke billowed from his mouth as he spoke in a tongue not of human origin. It floated to the brooch and swirled around it a moment before dissipating. The chanting stopped and the brooch was placed back onto the desk with the paper.

“I got a trail. Let’s go say hello.”

A dark swirling portal appeared behind Joseph as he retrieved his hat from the coat rack. He adjusted his tie and stepped through. The portal disappeared as if made of mist.

--

Joseph found himself bumping his knee into a shoddy card table. It clattered and squeaked lightly against tile flooring. Glowing red eyes scanned his surroundings. It was a small pillbox of an apartment. He assumed he stood in what was supposed to be the kitchen, though it was all just one room. The card table he bumped into had an opened first aid kit on it. It’s contents were strewn about. A tiny fridge sat against a wall with various magnets and a calendar marked up with various colors of ink. A picture of three people smiling hung from a magnet in the shape of a smiley face.

Joseph stepped carefully toward a window. He could see what looked like a fold out bed. A shirt was hung up on the door handle of a closet. It was torn with dark stains. A flash of lightning revealed a figure curled up in the bed. Even in the dark, Joseph could see ribbons of dark energy wafting from them.

He leaned down and examined the figure closer. It was a girl, clad only in a thin baby doll night gown. Her pale skin was barely hidden by a raggedy blanket that she had most likely shrugged off in her sleep. A pitiful whimper left her as Joseph's hand touched her shoulder lightly. Poorly tied bandages and badly placed gauze covered her arm and hand. The voice whispered harshly at Joseph.

“What’s the hold up!?”

Joseph gently ran a finger over forehead, brushing the hair from her face.

“I can’t kill this one.” “What!? Why the hell not!?”

“She’s one of our best delivery drivers.”

SO!? You have other delivery drivers!” “Not like her! She’s the one that takes the hard to sell deliveries. The ones no one else will take. Besides, what kind of boss kills one of their best employees!? It wouldn’t be fair…”

Another whimper escaped the girl. Her body shivered as the wisps became thicker.

“Fine, but you better do something quick! This girl is about to go through a very rough transition and it’s not going to be quiet! The whole town is going to hear this broad’s screams in a few minutes!”

Joseph looked around for a few moments. There wasn’t much he could do. The blanket was wrapped around the girl as he scooped her up and carried her back through the portal.

--

It was not a good night.

Joseph had barely gotten Ilona settled onto a guest room bed before it all started. Skin previously cold to the touch now burned fiercely. Joseph did what he could but he knew there was no making it easier. All he could offer was kind words and a cool towel on her forehead as she screamed.

Screams of pain, or terror, of something he could not identify altogether as her mouth bubbled with blood and teeth that had fallen out. Teeth fitting for a wild animal quickly grew in their place. Her eyes had blackened and garbled shrieks of blindness and confusion accompanied them. Her nightgown did little to hide the undulating of her flesh as muscles rearranged themselves. The squelch and cracking of bones breaking and reforming could just barely be heard over her suffering. Black fur pushed it’s way out her skin. Two horns did the same on the top of her head, covered in ripped skin and viscera. The skin around her fingers and feet darkened and the appendages warped into different much larger shapes. Claws sprouted from the tips of her new fingers and toes.

Through it all, she begged. Her sightless eyes stared at Joseph as she begged him for comfort, for death, for it to all end. He held her hand and cooed to her.

“You’re doing great… It’ll be over soon…”

He wasn’t sure if his words had actually reached her. Eventually her screaming began to quiet and her body went limp. Her eyes drifted closed as exhaustion finally claimed her. Joseph placed a blanket over her. She looked so peaceful as he ran his hand over the fur on her cheek.

“In the morning… You’ll be mine.”

[jupitercl0uds-art]

at least it was a happy marriage

(i would have also included rivet if i knew literally anything about her)

[brandwhorestarscream]

Masterpost of AUs

As promised, here's the (wip) masterpost of all my AUs. In alphabetical order with a short synopsis, and the tags are all on this post so you can easily search them up :) if there's any I missed, please send them to me so I can get them added! If the last tags aren't alphabetized that means I need to get on my laptop and move them around lmao

Bittersweet Reunion AU

TFA AU wherein the jet twins are Starscream's offspring specifically produced by the autobot government, and their finding out kicks off an entire domino effect storyline

Blitzbee Baby AU

Exactly what it sounds like. TFA Bumblebee gets Blitzwing sparked up and neither of them realize until he enters emergence

Cross Dimensional Shenanigans

- Umbrella tag for anything that involves more than one iteration of transformers interacting with each other

Cross Dimensional Starblitz

- How the CDS started. Focuses solely on TFP Starscream and TFA Blitzwing’s weird friendship

Cryptid Seekers AU

- Everything is the same except seekers are terrifying cryptids. Nuff said

Cybermorphs AU

- An AU in which a group of warframes working off planet accidentally stumble into an ancient, buried xenomorph nests, and come back to Cybertron bearing what becomes the first generation of cybertronian-xenomorph hybrids, aka the Cybermorphs. Features a lot of world building, Cybermorph Queen Megatron, a lot of fun alien biology, and some angsty MegOP among other ships

Cybertronians Are An Invasive Species

- No war AU wherein cybertronians are an invasive pest species that have moved onto earth and cause the most havoc

Cybertronians Are An Invasive Species: The Soap Opera

- Takes place in the invasive species AU, but specifically is about a goofy soap opera created by humans with the bots as the inspiration

De-Extinction AU

TFA, the autobots have finally run out of stored Allspark energy and, seeing as the artificially created population is completely sterile, are now an officially endangered species. Their only chance at salvation lies with the decepticons and their ability to produce "sparklings"... whatever those are 🤭

Hindsight AU

- Aligned continuity. Arcee goes back in time in an attempt to stop the war with the help of Vector Prime, accidentally creates a much worse world. Goes through several crazy timelines, currently on the Self Imposed Exodus.

OS×BB AU

A TFA storyline wherein Omega Supreme wakes much much earlier than canon, becoming truly self-aware and sentient. He and Bumblebee form a connection and Things Happen

Shadows House AU

- Exactly what it sounds like. All of our favorite bots and cons are parasitic fae members of the Shadows Family. Megatronus is plotting to bring it down from the inside. Lots of secrets and spooky stuff

Subnautica AU

- Starscream and Skyfire (and sometimes the other seekers) stranded on the terrifying hell planet, 4546B

Terran Task Force

- An angsty AU that involves GHOST getting their slimy hands on the Emberstone and making legions of their own little terran warriors

The Repopulation Project

- A dystopian future AU wherein the autobots won the war, and in an effort to save their species from extinction, implemented the repopulation project. It warped and twisted over time til the war frames are kept as nothing but livestock to be bought, traded, and harvested. In an attempt to change the horrific conditions of their present society, Optimus gambles by having decepticon high command reborn in the hopes that they'll be able to overturn the huge mess he made

Unicron Reborn AU

- Technically an AU/what-if of the 5th timeline of Hindsight. Unicron is killed and later reborn as a sparkling on Cybertron; Megatron adopts him. Later gives rise to The Spawn

[hanakihan]

me and mutual had a cracked idea

Kinda Tokyo Ghoul AU with SSS-rank Ghoul Jinwoo and one of the best (but not rank wise) Investigator Jinchul

Jinchul accidentally ends up trying to stale against S rank ghoul who pretty much toys with him while Jinchul really wishes his coworkers would fucking move faster because he’s pretty much injured and talking this one out will only win him some minutes at best

So then he’s pretty much unarmed, injured and tired and will die anyway so when he’s certain he’ll be stabbed he’s suddenly thrown away into a wall only to see another ghoul murdering a ghoul

Jinchul pretty much goes inadequate after blood loss and probably a concussion after that throw into wall so he just sits here bleeding and trying to stay conscious while leaning on his quinque

And then he hears someone asking him if he’s okay and he tiredly moves his head to see that new ghoul just kneeling at distance from him and definitely not reeking of malice or murder intent, so jinchul kinda laughs a little hysterically and decides to roll with it because honestly he’s gonna die anyway at least he’ll have some fun chatting with a ghoul who didn’t try to murder him on spot by simply being dressed as investigator

and then he blacks out mid chat only to wake up in a bed with doctors running around and Gunhee having both worried and puzzled expression on his face which is later explained by ‘a SSS-rank ghoul delivered your unconscious body to your team and pretty much disappeared’

Jinchul later keeps stumbling upon this mysterious and almost mythical SSS-rank ghoul and starts to think it’s either a weird form of hunting on later’ part or flirting (jinchul may laugh all he wants but jinwoo is definitely awkwardly flirting because he became interested in this weird investigator who didn’t start to act like most of them do and instead had a really nice peaceful chat with him)