Jul 5
After the prison escape
I’ve had some mysterious medical issues recently, and I’ve got a minor procedure coming up that I’m kinda nervous for, so it’s medical angst art o’clock (I think this is the third one I’ve drawn in a row lol)
seen from Malaysia
seen from Philippines
seen from Austria
seen from Singapore
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States
seen from Belgium
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from Spain
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from China
seen from China
After the prison escape
I’ve had some mysterious medical issues recently, and I’ve got a minor procedure coming up that I’m kinda nervous for, so it’s medical angst art o’clock (I think this is the third one I’ve drawn in a row lol)
His brain is melting :(
I LOVE Snow Crash, excellent episode, absolutely horrifying. The letter from this one made me more emotional than any before or since, I nearly cried when I translated the binary
@runner5anna
Prompt - Swimming
5 does not like getting wet, and is a poor swimmer. Like they can survive but they do not like the experience.
Autism sensory being wet is gross
However, someone has to get in the water and swim. That being 5. They have to go swimming on a run.
Sam has to get 5 in the water and just generally enjoy it and maybe that’s a good place to start. Get them to have fun rather than sit and mope on the side going ‘noo I don’t want to be wet and slimy noo’
@runner5anna thanks for the request! This one’s not about my version of Five (they’re autistic too, but mine’s sensory issues are mostly food related), but I irl happen to have similar issues with water as what you described (though to a slightly lesser degree), so hopefully I could do it justice! (Also, I low-key interpret Sam as kinda neurodivergent coded himself, so I brought a bit of that implication to this because help from fellow ND people is usually better than what a neurotypical can come up with lol. It’s subtle, you can probably ignore it if you don’t enjoy that headcanon)
Five knelt on the deck, staring miserably over the ledge, their rippling reflection gazing tauntingly back at them.
Showers were bad enough, that disgusting waxy feeling that lingered on their skin for at least an hour afterwards, the cold droplets of water that inevitably trickled down their face and the back of their neck from their damp hair, the moisture in their ears and the way their clothes would stick to them like clingfilm. But pools and baths were an entirely different level.
“Hey, Five”
They startled at Sam’s voice, turning to see him climbing the deck stairs.
“Sorry, thought you might be here, mind if I join you?”
Their first impulse was to push him away. This wasn’t a struggle they felt inclined to share, most people wouldn’t understand.
…but this was Sam, he had never judged them before… and, if they were to try to be honest with themself… they had sat there for the better part of half an hour, and made no progress on their own.
They gestured half heartedly beside them in a vaguely welcoming way, and he took a seat there.
“…did Janine tell you?”
When the order had been given that all runners would begin underwater training the following week, to prepare for their upcoming mission, Five had been forced to admit to her that they could hardly bring themself to swim, let alone dive. She had essentially told them that they would be needed for the mission and suggested they begin acclimating themself to it immediately.
Sam shook his head. “I honestly didn’t even know you’d told her”
They tilted their head, questioningly.
“Just, when we got the announcement, you seemed sort of upset, and you weren’t in any of the usual places when I went to find you just now. -nothing important, don’t worry, just meant to chat”
“Hm”
There were a few long moments of silence, before Five finally brought themself to explain, “…I hate how water feels”
“Ah, yeah, not the biggest fan myself, to be honest. My mum said I used to cry at my swim lessons as a kid”
They looked away, going back to staring at the water.
“I don’t mind it so much now, I think it’s about distraction”
They frowned slightly, but still gave no answer.
“Mm… hold on, be right back”
He got up, heading back down the steps. They weren’t sure what he was doing, or whether they should be curious or worried.
___
Some time later, perhaps ten or fifteen minutes, though Five hadn’t kept track; he returned, now wearing swim shirt and trunks , hands full with towels, a few spongy balls, rubber rods, and shiny translucent plastic gems.
He set everything down on the deck, then grabbed one of the balls, moving to the far side of the pool deck from them, sitting with his legs in the water. He gave the ball a light underhand toss to them, and they caught it, reluctantly scooting closer to the edge. Though it made them cringe, they too, slowly lowered their legs into the water, then tossed the ball back in his direction.
They tossed it back and forth several more times, both of them becoming increasingly competitive, tossing the ball higher or faster, and soon Five was laughing despite themself.
After a few rounds, each missing the ball once or twice and having to retrieve it from further down the deck, one of Five’s throws bounced off the rim of the pool in a way they hadn’t accounted for, and fell lightly into the water, drifting and bobbing on the surface. They froze.
Without hesitation, Sam slipped into the water and swam to the ball, grabbing it easily in one hand, and turning. He remained there for a moment, treading water. Lifting the now-dripping-wet ball out of the water, he called to them. “Ready?”
They hesitated… but the game had been fun so far, and, for a few brief moments now and then, they had nearly forgotten that their legs were submerged at all. They nodded.
He grabbed the side of the pool with his other hand, and firmly threw the ball their direction.
They caught it in both hands, and water immediately dribbled down their wrists and dripped into their lap. Their expression of disgust was immediate.
“Five! Pass it here!”
They shook themself, tossing the ball back in his direction.
“Try to keep focused on the game”
“…I don’t know if it’ll help”
“Well, you’ve gotten this far, that’s already quite good, isn’t it?”
“But I won’t be playing a game on the real mission”
“…but you’ll have other mission things to focus on still, and then after you’ll have running”
They considered this. After a moment, they reached out, ready to catch the ball once more.
___
They played for at least twenty minutes, before Sam asked, “want to get in the pool as well, today? I found dive toys if you like”
They gazed down at the water below. They’d gotten quite wet already from the many sponge balls they’d caught. Their arms, chest, and lap, were damp, and their legs were still submerged in the pool.
“…I don’t know.” They sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “…I’m sorry… maybe tomorrow? -if you have time?”
He smiled, swimming to the edge of the pool and climbing onto the deck. “Sounds good, yeah”
He tossed them one of the towels and began drying himself off with the other.
They dried themself best they could, but that awful feeling still lingered, coating their legs, making their heart sink. They hated it so much, they began to regret trying any of this.
“Let’s get changed and get some tea, yeah? I’d still like to hear about that run you were going to tell me about, earlier”
“…yeah, alright”
They took a deep breath, and followed him down the deck stairs.
Sam, seconds away from getting dunked in ice water
I LOVE Last Night and On the Run, definitely one of my favorite two-parters, and this moment was so funny
Sam with the radio tags (BftD)
I’ll forever love the shoulder length layered hair with the fringe from his tarot card, definitely my favorite official art Sam look (probably obvious since I draw it all the time as my default design for him lol)… but I gotta admit, this one from the BftD art looks REALLY cool as well
I think my headcanon is that he changed it to be shorter in the back and less in his face in the front not long before BftD M1, because he basically became a runner and it was more convenient that way
Who should I draw in a fun outfit?
I’m mildly annoyed my outfit today was covered by the dorky ice-filled vest I have to wear if it’s over 70 F because I’m heat sensitive like a lizard, so I want to draw what it would’ve looked like otherwise, on a character
If it matters, it’s a little whimsical, mostly neutral gender presentation but there is some jewelry involved
Who should it be?
My Five
Sam
Janine
Jody
Wrote a horror-comedy ZR fic based on a crazy real life experience
I only occasionally post about my AO3 fics, but this one’s something a bit different and I wanted to share. It’s based on something totally wild that happened in my real life like 9 years ago, I still haven’t stopped thinking about, so I thought it would be funny to put a couple of Zombies Run characters into a similar scenario. I’ll try to put a link at the bottom of the post incase that sounds interesting to anyone. Also, fun game, guess which parts really happened, and I’ll answer to confirm or deny :)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/87281051/chapters/231182606
(hopefully that link works, please tell me if it doesn’t, I don’t really know how to do this lol)
ZR Back from the Dead art
I am so obsessed with BftD, this episode had me on the verge of tears in the best way possible. When he hugs Five and you can hear the impact of him falling against them and he’s giggling and nearly crying and his voice is all shaky as it starts to sink in that they’re really alive and here 😭
I still have so much creative energy and emotions about it, might need to make more about this (series? mini season? not sure what to call it)