#goodmustbeinnocent

Grantaire is halfway down the connecting street between Rouge Plaza and Hibernal Avenue when it starts to rain. The sky had been threatening all morning, gray and bleak with a clinging mist that crept so low that the illuminated top of Prism Tower in Lumiose's center was visible only as a dull glow, suffusing the fog with light. It was a curious effect, a play of ambient illumination that Grantaire wouldn't mind exploring in a painting sometime--but being outside in it when the sky finally opens up is less captivating and more irritating. He sets out at a jog for some shelter, knowing he can reach the Café Musain in a matter of minutes if he hurries. Besides, the only other place to duck into nearby is a stiflingly fancy restaurant, and if Grantaire dared to show his scruffy self in there he's positive the maitre d' would have his Growlithe set him on fire for disrupting the ambiance. 

His Mightyena's claws clack against the cobblestones as the Pokémon breaks into a trot to keep up, prompting Grantaire to fumble in his bag for a Pokéball. "Last thing I need is you smelling like wet dog," he grumbles as his fingers close on the small sphere, depressing its central button so that it expands to more comfortably fit in his hand. "Come on, get back in there." The Mightyena dances nimbly aside to dodge the beam of red light that his ball emits to recapture him, mouth open and tongue lolling in a wolfy grin. The Pokémon lopes around Grantaire in a dizzy circle as the trainer continues hurrying to the Musain, ducking onto his elbows in a playful stance as he continues to dodge until Grantaire gives up with a sigh and a wry twist to his mouth, tucking the Pokéball away. 

Yes, this is an Animorphs AU. I regret nothing! Here's everything you need to know about the canon of the series in order to get up to speed: 

"We're off the map of weirdness by this point. But unless we're all just dreaming, I think we'd better deal with this." 

(A readmore goes here to save your dashes, but before the cut I just want to point out that if you're interested in getting in on the madness, shoot me a message! Only Grantaire, Enjolras, and Combeferre are accounted for so far.)

The acrid smell of smoke had only increased in potency over the last several months. At first he had thought it was simply Bahorel, but it was the wrong scent for the cigarettes that he smoked, and Enjolras had caught the scent multiple times, not coming from the back porch, which was the only place anyone was allowed to smoke at the house. He'd smelled it out on patrol, the scent lingering around the ledge he liked the perch on, his keen nose finding the black ash crushed into the rock. Whoever it was, at least they had been careful, and that alone was enough to keep him from hunting them down and shaking them. The entire pack knew how Enjolras felt about careless flames. It could have been anyone, the ledge held the scents of every members, so it wasn't until late at night when he caught a whiff of fresh smoke on the air, trotting down by the river on patrol, that he traced the source to one pack mate in particular. And he should have known, how had he not known. 

[text] Crap.

This is an idea which I've been working on for an original fiction. It's a science fiction + steampunk AU. The backstory is outlined below. 

The year is 2540. Humans have overrun the earth, and are seeking more places to expand to. As is to be expected, not all worlds welcome the intruders, but the Human Empire marches on, relentless. Some worlds surrender, others are conquered, and others fight. 

One of the worlds which refuses to give in is a prize—a green jewel in the crown of its system, the only inhabitable world for light-years. The world is known to the humans as Akos, the closest humans can come to the natives’ name.

The natives are a race of winged bipeds, human-looking save gloriously feathered wings. The closest translation of their name is “Skyborn”. They are a peaceful race, and welcome the human colonists when they arrive at the turn of the century—until the humans’ demands and ever-increasing expansions into Skyborn territory become too much to bear, and the Skyborn close their borders. The local governor, under orders from the Empire, responds with force, pushing into the forests of Akos and forcing the peaceful Skyborn into the depths of their forest. That’s when the humans discover that while the technology they brought with them from Earth is falling apart, the land itself is rich with resources—and so they take to the skies, building airships and burning the forests in their wake. 

When the first shots are fired, the humans discover why the Skyborn rule Akos—they are furious fighters when provoked, and unchallenged masters of the air. The humans have numbers, while the Skyborn have experience and tremendously fast learning capacity. The colony is too far out and too small, despite its rapid expansion, for Old Earth to bother sending help, not when Old Earth has bigger wars to fight and greater worlds to conquer, leaving the colonists alone in their attempts to take over Akos. 

The conflict has been raging for fifty years—the humans, unable to set foot on the surface, have built ships the size of cities to live in, each named for a city back on Old Earth. Both sides are worn and weary, but the fighting has not died down at all, and tensions are at an all-time high. Humans try to sneak into Skyborn strongholds, daring Skyborn attempt to infiltrate human skycities, trying to make a quick buck and survive another day. In addition, more unscrupulous elements have appeared—pirates, building their own crews and ships, not caring who they raid as long as they make a profit. 

Darker rumors have been spreading among the public—humans whispering of the Skyborn building some kind of massive new weapon, powered by hitherto unknown energy sources, and the Skyborn muttering of entire settlements of their people going missing into the bellies of human skycities, never to be seen again. 

And so the story begins, on the skycity known as Paris.

There are four main factions, as you can see above. 

1) The Human Empire. This may include characters such as Javert. 

2) The Skyborn. I will be playing Eponine as a Skyborn. 

3) The sky pirates. This is an independent faction that most, if not all, of the Amis will belong to-- fighting for equal treatment, for the end of the war. 

4) The criminal underworld. Where there are people, there will be crime. Both races are represented here. This will include characters such as Montparnasse, Claquesous, etc. 

If you are interested, please either reply to this or PM me! I will be happy to deluge you with as much information as you need.

Roles will be given on a first-come-first-serve basis. :) Feel free to reblog too, spread the word :)