rosavulpes

[rosavulpes]

[rosavulpes]

" Well a mighty fine good evenin' to you too Shads . Pardon my intrusion , never realized that you had your own feelin' about you . Got to thinkin' it couldn't be just anybody standin' out here all by their lonesome giving off all this raw chaos energy but here you stand . Even with those suppressor rings on ya . Good on ya "

Grinning as he took in the sight of the other black hedgehog standing a bit of a ways before him , the golden chaos powered hedgehog wondered as to how he'd never before noticed the feeling of raw power in the air around them emanating from the Ultimate Life form himself . It felt as if he was breathing in Shadow's presence overall each time he filled up his lungs , as strange of a description as it might have seemed .

" Happy new year's an all that ! Don't mind me Shad's , still gettin' used to all of this . Wish you had told me sooner that using chaos power like you do felt so good ... so liberatin ! "

Putting some emphasis on the last few words with a slight rise in his voice , Sonic would soon begin to laugh to himself . Realizing how he must have sounded at the moment . His laugh exposing his sharpened chili dog chompin's canines in his mouth .

" Mind if I ask you a question or two while I'm here friend ? It'll help pass the time before the rest of the party catches up "

Snapping his gloved fingers together , not to draw Shadow's attention , but more so as a means of testing out something as evidenced by the sparks of golden electricity dancing around his right hand .

" I've been right curious about how ya we're always able to get chaos control to work for ya so easily . What's your trick ? Oh ! and heard that you're some type a' coffee connoisseur . So here , help yourself Shad !"

Upon the fifth snap of his fingers , his attempts at attempting to casually utilize chaos control's space warping abilities , would finally prove fruitful . The air around both his hands becoming distorted , as if being pulled inwards to a singular fixed point . Opening up his gloved hands , two takeaway plastic coffee mugs covered with lids would appear . One of which would be outstretched to the other , as Sonic began to down his own .

[rosavulpes]

OOC : Thinking about these two a LOT , found some awesome what if sprite battles involving sonic.exe and the OST's had me thinkin' a lot about how cool it would be to write em'

An unhinged Super Sonic is already very bad , but an unhinged Super Shadow ? A walking nuke , a ticking time bomb waiting to happen without his inhibitors on ? ( assuming he takes them off at any point and doesn't care / isn't forced to put them back on ) and being in a state of mind where he wouldn't care if he overloaded , and then exploded ?

I also really like the idea of having a prerequisite for using the chaos emeralds being a strong mind / will , otherwise the influence of the chaos energy which is neither good nor evil can overtake you . Either making you a force of destruction , or turning you into a mindless killing machine .

RP wise , as killing wouldn't be all that good for long term interaction . I like the idea of writing them Fleetway mindset as being someone who understands that chaos , whether good or bad is all beneficial to them . They'd want to provoke long lasting conflicts to take in as much chaos energy from it as possible similar to what Unicron did in the Netflix Transformer's : War for Cybertron series .

He could have destroyed Cybertron anytime he wanted to , but it's far more beneficial to him to keep the war going for as long as possible , provoke escalations only when he's certain that it wont completely obliterate the other side , and if it does ? Or when there's no longer any living thing left to harvest chaos energy from ? Destroy the planet , harvest what's left and move on to the next .

[rosavulpes]

extraterrestrial satellite communication ✧ “the” herta

[rosavulpes]

OOC : Happy new years everyone. Whether your at a party, family gathering, or if you're on your own. Love all yall. As the new year arrives, remember to search for the good even when the bad comes. I pray we can all be better then we were and find new opportunities 🙏

[rosavulpes]

dc au- …so i finished my coursework

[rosavulpes]

Regardless of their current circumstances , regardless of how futile it may have seemed to some , they were to continue onwards with their mission . That was what they had all agreed upon , though ... it did not escape his audio sensors that one of them , one of them in particular had been far more delayed in voicing his agreement than the others .

Someone that likely preferred that their leader remained lost , missing in action as he currently was .

Starscream . Their leader pro tempore . One that , in the decepticon's own opinion ? Had become far too comfortable with his current seat of power in dictating their actions . Though ? That would hopefully be coming to an end soon .

His attempts at suggesting that they resume the search for Megatron after they had taken the Master Emerald away from it's guardian . Either by killing the red creature that guarded it , or taking it from it . That they could make use of it's power , and that of the other Emerald's on this planet to conquer it first . Allowing their search to proceed without having to hide themselves as Starscream had argued .

While they'd determined the Emeralds to be objects of great interest as they'd been shown to grant great power to those who wielded them , and could potentially be used to gather more energon ? Starscream had garnered little support with the idea . Especially at the notion that the be the one to lead them . A suggestion that was bordering on treason in Blackout's own opinion as such power should be resting in the hands of their proper leader , not him . But , it was something that would likely be done in the future , but with Megatron to lead them to a decisive victory . Not without .

When they'd last physically met ? Starscream had taken on the appearance of one of the earth's G.U.N fighter jets . Currently stationed aboard one of their oceanic freighter carriers . According to him ? He was directly observing the human's , and mobian's command without them knowing . However , in truth , one of the main reasons that their communications , their presence on this planet had yet to be known was directly due in no small part to Soundwave .

Having taken over one of G.U.N.'s satellites that comprised one of a decently made communication array . A wide spanning network of telecommunications that provided them with access to navigational data , real time orbital imagery of points of interest across the planet , and lastly ? Most importantly ? Access to most all planetary communications . Even manipulate , or cause disruptions if need be . Soundwave was the only of them that could not be physically present during their gatherings , but it mutually agreed that it was of vital importance that he remained where he was . Directly morphing himself into the satellite in order to interface with it .

However ? There remained one flaw . While soundwave could monitor all incoming transmissions for any mention or description of Megatron , they could not yet directly access G.U.N's date storages , files , and records to speed up their search for him .

That . That would be the main purpose being his current mission . The first of three targets . A mission that had been timed in anticipated accordance with another major disturbance elsewhere on the planet to ensure that most of G.U.N's forces would be occupied . Ensuring a delayed response , if any .

At the current moment , blackout had taken on the alternate mode of a G.U.N attack helicopter . A form he'd acquired after coordinating with Soundwave to lure one out . Utilizing his own unique radio jamming equipment to muffle their cries once he shot them down out of the skies , disposing of the crew , and destroying the original to ensure his cover would not be given away until it was time . Disgusted as he was to have to display their symbols , and imagery on his body rather than his deception emblem , it was a necessary sacrifice .

As he approached the chosen target , G.U.N base designated as F.S. 24 . His audio sensors , and communications equipment soon notified him of G.U.N's attempts to communicate with him . Their voices coming across his audio equipment , though his response ? Silence .

Silence , even as they continued to demand that he identify himself or face lethal force . As two of their fighter jets streaked on past him he remained at this current speed , and direction . They had likely scanned him , not a deep scan , but just to provide a description of his current form . Listening as new instructions were given to follow the jets as they " escorted " him to their base of operations , he complied . Fools , little did they know that was what he'd been counting on . He didn't doubt that they would have attacked , but , not when he came bearing their flags .

Following the exhaust path of the jets , it would be only half an hour until he touched down on paved concrete . And ? No sooner had blackout's wheels touched down , did he hear the squealing sound of tires . Their vehicles , mounted with weapons . Foot soldiers wearing protective body armor , carrying weapons , racing out to meet him . Though keeping their distance .

Immediately activating his radar jamming equipment to cut off their ability to cry for help , no sooner had it come online did blackout begin his transformation . His rotor blades stopping their spinning , folding together at his back like a pair of avian wings . Front facing glass of the helicopter folding inwards towards his chest . His form currently an undiscernible mess of moving metal parts . Parts ? That were now coming under attack as the soldiers fired upon his form .

Their bullets for the most part , doing nothing but annoying him . Impacting , but not penetrating his reinforced armor plating . However , being a military outpost ? He knew well that their harder hitting weapons that could blast a hole through his armor ? Were nearby to which his first point of action as his hand mounted machine guns , and rocket launchers , pulse weaponry came online ? Destroy their weapons before they could be reached .

To which , with both hands raised , alternating from one direction to the other quickly . Blackout fired relentlessly . Without mercy . Striking down any living thing his optics showed him . Smoke , and the sounds of explosions beginning to pollute the night sky . Their screams ignored as they were encased in balls of flames as explosions rocketed the area . His missiles hitting their targets , destroying their tanks and heavy weapons . Pulse weaponry used to send forth waves of destructions that shattered glasses , overturned vehicles , and ignited the explosive munitions stored within said vehicles . His bullets ? Tearing through everything , and everyone else left standing . Bullet casings mixed with scarlet staining the ground as he quickly pushed his way through them .

Releasing the locks on his back that kept his partner attached . The task of killing all remaining earthling life would fall to Scorponok . A decepticon of a much small stature when compared to that of Blackout himself but still larger than most humans . It's body insect like in build hence the name , but it's hands , and aspects of it's face composed of numerous drills meant for burrowing into the ground . To which it did so immediately . Uprooting the earth , as it began it's attack .

Blackout's optics soon turning to the far more important task of deep scanning the tops of the remaining structures , looking for one building in particular . Where their heads of command gathered . A place where they'd been storing some data servers . The true target of this attack .

Tearing off metal roofs one after another as he moved past , it would not be long before Blackout found his prize . The fear in the eyes of those that had sought shelter in the building almost inspired pity within the decepticon . Almost .

Stretching his hand out into the open space , his metallic digits soon enshrouded the spire of server racks . Pulling them up out of the air a few feet , enough to loosen some of the cables attached to them , and will them to attach to his fingers instead . A sudden influx of data leaving him momentarily stunned for a few moments as sparks of electricity danced around his hand . While he was not expecting so much ... volume , he'd still take as much as he could get . His actions not going unnoticed by what humans remained as it seems . His optics quickly scanning through the downloaded documents that appeared in front of him , but suddenly stopping abruptly to his shock . To which he'd furiously spot a few humans , standing near a breaker box , having shut down the power to keep him from downloading the rest of the files .

Roughly tearing out the server racks to be salvaged later on , Blackout rose , looking at the status of the machines before turning to look downwards . His right arm raised , ready to pull the trigger and end their miserable lives right then and there but ... no sooner had he raised his arm ? Would he lower it . Turning away , and beginning to leave .

" Scorponok . Do as you wish with them , but leave none alive . Do it quickly "

No sooner would Blackout finish giving his command , would the sounds of Scorponok's drills breaking through the ground incur further screams . Wails that would soon grow quiet after a few minutes . Only the sound of roaring flames remaining , to which Blackout began to adjust the data servers to his person after assessing their condition . Ordering Scorponok back to him as he began to assume his alternate mode once more , albeit with two major distinction .

What was once colored silver across his body now shifted in color tone to orange . What was once am emblem of G.U.N ? Shifted in design to a emblem of a particular smiling mustached man . Rotors beginning to pick up speed in their rotations , wheels retracted and pulled up inwards once he'd gained enough altitude to rise off the ground and begin had towards his next destination .....

[rosavulpes]

"If you are wondering why Dash is here... It got too cold where she was hiding out and she wouldn't stay indoors willingly, so I swiped her shoes. I mean... they were about to fall apart anyway, so... yeah..."

Evelyn in reference to a somewhat familiar blue hedgehog that was making pitter patter noises all over the house.

" No , no ... don't worry . It's not a problem at all for me . If there were any conflicting issues with my schedule I'd have told you from the start . It'll be a good experience for her to be able to attend this new school . She'll have plenty of opportunities here to branch out into different interests , meet new people , and make new friends . If there is ever any conflict where I'm not available , you can be certain that I'll arrange for a substitute to come by to pick her up and - "

Stopping in the middle of his sentence as the sound of a nearby school bell chiming drew his attention away from his cell phone , the black hedgehog smiled softly to himself before returning his attention back to his call with Vanilla .

" You'll be the first to know . I've got to go , the school bell just went off . I'll be seeing you soon "

Vanilla and Cream had always been polite , and courteous with him . But most importantly so ? Understanding . Vanilla especially . Behind those sweet eyes , elegant composure , and impeccable posture there was a steadfast steel will . The signs of someone that had seen and endured the darker realities of life yet remained fiercely opposed to allowing those truths to drag her down . Or her daughter .

A belief that reflected in her parenting .

It had been by chance . During one of the times in which Shadow had passed by the household for a visit . One in which Evelyn happened to be already present as well in which Vanilla had expressed her desire to hopefully see Cream enter into higher education but wondered about what was currently available in their area , outside of the major cities .

A desire that had lingered within Shadow's mind , which had prompted some research on his end to look into the top elementary schools in the city . Eventually finding an opening in one of them . It was private of course , and the price of tuition certainly reflected that but that was something Shadow had taken upon himself . After all , the money he was paid by G.U.N. as an agent often times sat accruing in bank accounts that weren't touched unless to pay for any damages that he either intentionally or accidentally caused .

This was a far better use for it .

The only barrier to entry that remained past that was entrance examinations , which thankfully Cream had passed with flying colors with some extra tutoring .

As the sounds of children's laughter , and footsteps drew closer , the hedgehog readied his own bike helmet alongside of the one he'd gotten for Cream . Alongside of a small pink jacket to ensure that she wouldn't catch any colds from the wind chills while riding with him .

Soon enough ? He spotted Cream . Thankfully it appeared as though she'd already started to make some new friends here . Talking with a group of children as he exited the building . Good , there'd been some concerns that she might not adjust well to the new environment but this was still the same Cream the Rabbit that had helped Sonic in some of his prior adventures . Some that had even involved rescuing Vanilla herself from the Doctor . She'd already handled worse . Cream's waves towards him greeted in kind with a light one from Shadow .

Helping the little girl unto the empty space in front of him on the seat of his motorcycle . Her backpack , lunchbox , and other belongings would be secured within an empty compartment right underneath the seat . Her helmet placed on securely , visor flipped down , and with that ? The black hedgehog kicked off the stand . Reeved up Arcee's engines through the handlebars , and took off before any of the other parent's could pull out in front of them .

Riding fast , but not as quick as he normally would on his own . His attention split between Cream , and the road in front of them . Slowing down a bit when passing by scenic locations to allow Cream more of a view . Listening , and talking to her all the way in regards to her first day at the new school .

Before long ? Shadow was already pulling into the pathways that lead to Cream's home in Spiral Village . Stopping close to the front lawn , and kicking out the stand to allow the motorcycle to lightly rest on it's side . Helping Cream off the bike first , and then moving to retrieve her belongings from the empty compartment it wouldn't be long at all before Cream was racing into the arms of Vanilla whom had opened the door moments after their arrival .

Taking off his own helmet , and setting it down to rest on the seat . Shadow walked over with a light smile , handing over all of Cream's belongings , exchanging light pleasantries with Vanilla before it was soon time for him to be on his way . But ? Not without reciprocating a gentle hug from Cream , and receiving a slice of homemade chocolate cake that he intended to deliver to Evelyn . An extra slice had been included for him but he wasn't all that big on sweets .

Waving goodbye to both mother and daughter , promising to see them in the morning to begin the process anew of taking Cream to school . Shadow secured the small container with cake in the empty compartment again . Slipping his helmet back on , before taking off towards Evelyn's home .

Soon enough ? The black hedgehog arriving at his destination , but ? Noticing the lights in certain rooms kept going on and off quickly . As if someone was running back and forth between the rooms . As Evelyn answered ? He'd soon have his answer to which he lightly smirked in response . Of course they had .

" Vanilla asked that I bring this over for you since I was stopping by . I suppose that Dash hasn't eaten all that much today either ? "

He didn't intend to stay all that long , but he supposed he could do something to help Evelyn out while he was here .

[rosavulpes]

OOC : Wondering if I should make a NSFW sideblog , or just start putting things under read mores .

[rosavulpes]

"On a side note... If you are wondering where the chocolate bar the size of a barn door came from... Some of my cousins dropped by with gifts." Maybe she wasn't entirely sure how to explain that side of her family as it had its own... Complexities, they always did bring cool stuff whenever they dropped by.

"And... No, I haven't told Amy about that yet."

He couldn't help the small smile that came to him as he turned his head from his chair that was situated across from hers , looking over the sight of the giant chocolate bar standing upright on it's own . Oh he had definitely noticed it , the smell alone coming down the corridors made him wonder if he'd at first stepped into the pages of Roald Dahl's 1964's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory . A book he still remembered reading through many , many years ago .

" I take it your family must know how extensive G.U.N's dental insurance coverage is , but all fun aside ... it's plain to see that you're very well loved by your family . It's a nice thing to have no ?

He still remembered with whom he'd first read it with too ... but ? Rather than dwell on the past , he'd return his attention to the present . While perhaps a bit excessive , it was still nonetheless to him a grandiose sign of affection . It's the thought that counts as they say .

" If you need ideas as to what to do with it , you could always freeze it , donate it , or make hot cocoa powder from it just to name a few . If anything , if this is what your cousin's brought by just for you ? Miss Rose is likely to be gifted something similar . Neither of you will ever have to worry about buying chocolate ever again . That's another gift in and of itself to enjoy "

[rosavulpes]

"So... If I sung "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas", suppose Rouge would find it hilarious or try to smack me with a pillow instead?" From Evelyn to Shadow... With a troublemaking smirk.

" Both probably . But it couldn't be any worse then the collective time all of you spent getting me off of using pagers when we first met . I still remember that look she gave me when Omega was able to fix the Commander's old blackberry phone for me . She's offered to show me how to use an iphone but I like that this phone has a keyboard I can pull out . Makes typing easier "

[rosavulpes]

Now that he's gotten all of his gifts dropped off and delivered ? Don't mind him as he spends the rest of Christmas Eve sitting in his living room watching some logs burn in his chimney . Setting some of his vinyl records to play on loop ... and seeing how long it takes for him to fall asleep .

[rosavulpes]

[rosavulpes]

Stage 24 : Gravity Bubble ( Part 1 0f 2 )

During their initial descent down into the ocean's depths together , he'd found some brief moments of time to silently take in the colorful aquatic scenery around him . While some instances were far more apparent than others , there were still clear standing signs all around that showed reflections of the past that once was . Of the ancient civilization that once thrived underneath the waves of Parusa .

Moss covered pathways , brightly colored coral spirals . Algae weathered stones that still bore their original etched inscriptions , and sigils nestled between the reefs . A rainbow of different fish , that now made these forgotten places their homes moving all around them between the open crevices . Deep trenches , some holding only darkness , others active seamounts . Likely one of many fault lines where Parusa's volcano was releasing it's pressure around the island nation .

No doubt , caused by the beacons that Merga had activated around the island .

While he still knew very little of the Water Dragons as he only knew of Lilac , even less about Merga ( as did they all ) . Shadow could only wonder how far their civilization had advanced prior to their war with the Earth Dragons that saw them become nearly extinct . Ironic , how the Earth Dragons themselves despite being the victors had ended up facing the same fate in the end . A pyrrhic victory .

These brief moments of introspection only possible , whenever Neera Li and the others located another open pocket of air to take refuge in order to breathe in again . They'd refused to allow Lilac to meet with Merga alone , a clear trap , even after Lilac's insistence to do so . How curious , whether it be a marvel of the Water Dragon's technology or some form of magic ? Shadow could only speculate as to how it might be possible .

Was it magnetism ? Or perhaps gravity manipulation like on the Ark ?

To not only create the means of splitting apart , and pushing the ocean's waters around to create empty spaces but to also then infuse those spaces with clean oxygen that could be safely breathed in . Whether it was water that was being pulled down from the surface of the ocean above them , or perhaps being filtered out of the waters around them without any potentially toxic fumes given their proximity to the seamounts but all the same ? Shadow still spared glances their way to assess their current physical and mental states .

Scientifically speaking , there were certain depths where pure oxygen becomes toxic . Inhalation at those areas was akin to breathing in alcohol . Oxygen Narcosis as he'd learned . Deep sea divers , as well as underwater cave divers had to bring along different oxygen tanks that contained different mixtures of gases that were swapped to once they'd reached those depths in order to avoid succumbing to the potentially deadly sickness .

While he cared very little how Serpentine was faring , he cared more so for Lilac's friends . The black hedgehog had initially offered to follow after Lilac himself , with them waiting at the beach side in case Merga surfaced but as notated before they'd insisted on not leaving Lilac to face Merga alone . While he noted no changes in their movements , or behaviors as they took a few minutes at a time to recenter their breathing , and prepare again to submerge it was still a marvel all the same that whatever forces allowed for air down here allowed for it to be breathed in as to avoid these issues that most normal divers faced .

Perhaps deliberately invented as a means to allow for outsiders such as them to visit . As for Shadow himself ? He was the Ultimate Lifeform after all . Whether it be the radioactive vacuum of space , the bitter cold of the arctic , or the heat of an unforgiving desert . His body could very quickly acclimate to the most intense of environments as per his title . Magic or not , water dragon technology or not , he'd be able to explore the depths without this additional aid .

Standing near the edge of the bubble with his hands folded over his chest , his ear lightly perked as he picked up the sound of footsteps approaching from behind .

- We're all ready to proceed , I assume you've already located the next area correct ? -

If not by the sound of her voice , then by the sound of her ice staff lightly digging into the rock underneath them as she centered it beside her , he could tell that Neera Li was anxious . Though she hid it well .

Unfurling his arms , he offered a light nod of affirmation before turning his head to look at the rest of the group . All standing , waiting to follow him further down . With his speed , he could help mitigate their risk of drowning by locating the next pocket area before them , then returning to help guide them all to it . All while remaining a decent pace behind Lilac . A tactic they'd employed once it had become too dark to easily locate the next pocket of air .

Though , he could understand Neera Li's uneasiness . The lack of resistance to their presence here was concerning. None of Merga's troops had been present thus far to stop their advance . Was it because Merga was genuinely offering a chance to parlay with Lilac ? Or was it because they were laying in wait for her order to attack ? Or ... was it because they were all elsewhere ? Had Merga counted on them to follow after Lilac ? Instead of chasing down Spade for the Syntax Drone ? For that ? Well , he hoped that King Dail was making good on his word to " Bust him up good " when it came to his brother Spade . What enemies did arise paled in comparison to the numbers , and ships he'd seen attack Shang Tu . Ultimately , it gave more credibility to the possibility that Merga was hoping to ensnare Lilac in a trap from which she could not escape from . But , as Shadow exited the bubble , feeling the weight of the ocean upon his back once again , the coldness of the waters against his body . He'd lead the others down further into the darkness one final time .

Stopping only when he'd caught sight of Lilac and Merga ahead inside of an air bubble not long afterwards . Looking back to see the others catching up to him , he'd guide them to an adjacent connected bubble , motioning with his raised right hand for them to go no further than this , and ? To remain silent as he took a few paces backwards to avoid being spotted .

Remaining crouched where he was , he ears remained at attention as he listened to Merga speak . Addressing Lilac as " Hatchling " as she had before .

- ... We had many names once . Then the earth dragons came and took those names away from us . We were their brothers and sisters of the sea , and given just one name ... water dragon . We were to be redeemed and remade in order to accomplish a ... necessary duty . I suppose that it was in our favor that we were the most biologically compatible species on this planet . Out of our union was conceived a child . Bakunawa . And once she was born , well ... they'd taken our names already . What else could they have taken from us ? "

Listening to Merga speak , Shadow's expression silently soured as he thought back on what the Grand Minister of Shang Tu , and Askal had said of the Earth Dragons of the past . What the Grand Minister had confirmed , and what Askal had raged over during their encounter not too long ago . As an outsider to these events , he could see the parallels arising between the actions of the Earth Dragons , and that of G.U.N . when they'd stormed the Ark after the Gizoid broke free of it's containment and rampaged across the Space Colony . That event , that sole event of chaos , that had caused the purge of all Space Colony Ark Staff . Regardless of who they were . Regardless of the reasons for it , the Earth Dragons had shown similar inhuman cruelty to the Water Dragons in committing genocide no different than G.U.N. had acted all those decades ago .

Call it empathy , but ... in this ? Shadow could at least better understand Merga . To understand that impossible anger , that strangled both mind , and body so badly that the memory of those lost was nothing more than painful poison in the veins . One that could not be forgotten , not cured , only endured . As he'd once seen the Earth as well as all of it's people was likely the same way in which Merga herself sees Avalice and it's current generations of denizens .

A world that rejected her after having taken away what was most precious , a world that had long forgotten her . Cold , and undeserving .

He could only wonder what Lilac must be pondering at this moment as they continued their conversation . She'd shown a desire to seek out the truth of her past many a time , such as her disdain for the Infamous Prince Spade when she'd inadvertently revealed to Shadow ( more so angrily berated Spade in private to remind him ) that he'd stolen her away as an egg to deliver as a trophy to get into a gang called the " Scarves " . Potentially having forever denied her a future with a biological family she had never and may never know . While Spade had countered that he'd was just a desperate child seeking a means to earn easy street clout and that he'd assumed her egg to be just a trophy as water dragons were presumed fully extinct that did little if anything at all to quell the long standing disdain she held for the person that robbed her of that future . It had been thanks to Shadow's enhanced hearing , that he'd picked up on the conversation at all . Not turning to look her way once she stormed out of the the room where they'd been talking out of courtesy .

Though of all the parallels that he did not wish to see in this moment , the one that he hoped he would not see the most ... would be between that of Lilac and himself .

Wondering if in these next moments , as Lilac remained silent . If she would succumb to the sadness of having been robbed of a future with her parents , and knowing the full truth of the injustices done to her kind ... and embrace the rage of the injustices done to her as Askal had . Embrace a desire for vengeance , as Shadow himself once had .

The desire that had seen over a quarter of the Earth's moon broken into fragmented pieces when he'd helped Doctor Eggman gather the Chaos Emeralds in order to fire the Ark's Eclipse Cannon in a devastating show of force . The doctor oblivious to the Eclipse Cannon's pre set firing sequence set in place decades ago by his late grandfather , that would have set it into place to fire at the Earth itself once fueled by all seven emeralds . The rage that had nearly seen him accept death , and remain idle as the Ark almost descended into the Earth's atmosphere . An impact that would have brought about humanity's extinction , leaving the Earth forever scarred .

[rosavulpes]

OOC : Been working on a drabble that feels like a fanfiction for around four hours at this point . Bound to be one of the longest drabbles I've ever done . Freedom Planet 2 X Shadow focused based on ideas that pop in on my playthrough of the game .

Also had a bit of a self revelation while driving today . Tumblr's follow system is really approval based isn't it ? Just my own ramblings here but it feels like when we follow other people it's almost like we're seeking approval from them in order to write together overall .

If they follow back ? Gratification . If they don't I can see why it takes a lot of the fun out . Can be de-motivating .

Gonna do my best to just do what feels fun . Damn anything else .

[rosavulpes]

Testing the ground beneath him with every step he took , he could feel small beads of sweat trailing down from his chin to his chest underneath his layers of insulating clothing .

However , he could not risk removing them . Not yet , not now . Not while the winds around him still howled , the snow continuing to fall heavily around him . At times obscuring his vision , other times ? Obscuring his path forwards .

Making use of an elongated broken branch as a walking cane to help secure his footing as he made his careful descent down the mountains . He knew that he still had a ways to go still before he reached his destination , assuming it was even real in the first place , and that the stories that he had heard of her ? Weren't just all tall tales .

With his breath coming out as a fine mist against the low temperatures , as tempted as he was to continue onwards in search of this mystical forest ? He could feel his body starting to slow down , the strain of his journey thus far catching up with him . While he'd been taught to compartmentalize , and disassociate himself from feelings of physical pain in order to push through them ... he knew it was wiser to listen to them when appropriate .

This was one such moment .

By his own approximations , he should hopefully reach the home of the rumored witch within three day's time of walking . Past these mountains , until he'd hit low laying rolling plains , and then ? A deep forest , where he'd at least be able to walk unfettered by the cold .

Finding refugee within a cave that bore deeper into the mountains . He'd set himself up near the mouth , after exploring the depths to ensure there were no signs of life , animal or otherwise that might pose a threat to him .

Setting down his rustic camping backpack , he'd pick out a large pot from among his belongings , and some materials to spark a fire underneath it . Packing his pot to the brim with freshly fallen snow and ice so it could begin to boil . Knowing it was safe to drink once fully , and properly boiled as it was snow that was not near any form of man made contaminants . Clean . Though he'd still inspect , and filter it before he'd allow himself to use it of course . Water starting to rise within his pot before long .

Resting his weary back against the cavern walls , he could feel ice protruding from the rock . A place such as this ... might have certainly scared others off from going any further , discouraged the curious . However , in Mamoru's mind ? It bore a striking resemblance to another . One that he'd learned to scale from base to summit through years of grueling training .

Training , that had resulted in vast improvements to his physique , his martial arts prowess , his knowledge of complex mechanisms , machinery , and engineering . He'd gotten the answers to most every question that he could possibly think of ... save for the one that he spurred him to leave behind the life of luxury that he'd been born into . A life , that even now , remained within his grasp . But , a life that he no longer had any interest in living as Mamoru Chiba . The heir to the Chiba family fortune . He'd died long ago on a night that had felt as cold as this one did .

Brining out a worn book , and pencil . Mamoru skimmed through it's pages until he found a blank one . Putting pencil to paper , and beginning to write as he waited for his water to reach boiling temperature .

" I've made more progress today . At least thirty miles roughly . Scaling the mountain ranges that lay between me , and the flatlands that should further lead into the forest where the witch resides . As I've hiked , I've had time to think back on my travels thus far . I can only assume that Duchard is hunting for me , as are likely many others for " Bruce Wayne " , and while I do not fear them ... I still wonder if I made the right choice . Before I met Duchard , before I trained under the league , I followed many within the international criminal underworld . All because I wanted to know why ... why do people ... why someone would be able to point a gun at someone else and kill them . To take what is most precious , life . Whether it be for a political cause , for vengeance , for revolution ... or just for the simple wads of paper in their wallet . Why ? Is it a cry for help ? A sign of failure of a government , an economy ? or is it a sign of evil ... a sickness . One that cannot be alleviated , or cured unless met in kind with death . It's a spiraling abyss , one that I've looked deep into for so long now ... but I've yet to fall into like so many others have . I don't know if I'd be able to come back ... or if I'd even want to . How do I fight against that darkness without becoming it ? How could I save others from it ? I think ... that the only thing that truly frightens me now ... is what would become of me if I were to give up on trying to find my answer . If I allowed myself to fall into it . If I were to stop violence with death , to stop death with death ... That's why I've chosen to search for her . The Witch . A name , and a term coined by man , as a means of attempting to explain what she is by our own terminology . Our way of seeing the world . A way of making the unknown , less frightening . A means of attempting to reduce the power she holds over many by her presence alone ... the power of fear . Of the unknown , of something that cannot be understood , or explained but remains present all the same . That power , is what I hope to learn from her "

Setting his journal down as he noticed his pot of water steaming , and beginning to spill out a bit on the ground . Mamoru removed the pot from the open flame , serving himself a cup that could be enjoyed hot to warm himself up . The rest , to be used as a base for a simple stew with pieces of chopped vegetables , and meat .

@cursedfortune

[rosavulpes]

We are getting a Sonic Adventure 2 movie