#(to be fair hes under dark gaia influence)

[the-heart-of-a-monster]

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[98prilla]

Lost

AO3

...

Patton was lost. He was lost, and scared, and alone, and cold. It was snowing, out, and he didn’t have his coat, his gloves, his hat. He was lost alone in the woods.

 He shivered harder, at that thought, tears slipping down his face as he stumbled over a tree root, too slow to catch himself, as he fell over into the snow. It quickly soaked through his shirt, his pants. He realized he didn’t have his shoes on at all, which might explain why he was finding it so hard to move, to keep moving.

 He didn’t know why, he needed to keep moving, he just knew that he had to. That’s what mama had said. She’d told him to run, to keep moving, to get as far away as he could, and to not look back, no matter what.

 He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew it was bad. Mama had rushed him out the door, she’d been crying, she’d hugged him and told him she loved him. He’d heard shouting, heard screaming, smelled smoke, but his mom hadn’t let him see, ushering him into the woods outside the back door with the instructions to flee.

 And now he was lost, alone, scared, fallen in the snow, in the woods, all alone, with no idea of how to get home, with the sinking feeling that home wouldn’t be there, even if he somehow managed to find his way back.

He started sobbing. He couldn’t help it. He wanted his mother, he wanted his father, he wanted to be home, sitting in front of the fire, mama humming a soft song to lull him to sleep as she knitted, papa coming in from chopping wood, scooping him up and spinning around until he was dizzy and giggling, he wanted to be back in their cozy little house on the edge of the village, on the edge of the woods, curled up and warm and happy.

 But mama had told him to keep moving, keep going, so he forced himself back to his feet, though they were numb, and his legs were hard to move, and his breath was cold, his chest tight, but he forced it all to work, somehow, and he kept trudging forwards.  

…

He finally fell, shaking and shivering, so cold he couldn’t even feel it anymore, against the base of a huge tree, if he were more aware, he’d marvel at the size, but his head felt weird and fuzzy, and the world felt distant and he felt so, so small.

 He curled tight, not caring about the snow seeping through his clothing, the ice crystals forming against his skin, the snow already starting to pile atop him as it fell. He could feel his tears freezing against his face, could feel the numbness creeping through him, knew that was bad, that he shouldn’t stop moving, but he didn’t care. He was so tired. All he wanted to do was sleep. How bad could that be? Mama always tucked him in for naps, when he was sleepy at home. Maybe if he just thought of the snow as a blanket, he could sleep for a little bit, and keep walking later. That sounded nice.

 The cold wasn’t feeling so cold anymore, either. He was starting to feel almost cozily warm, almost like he was curled back up at the fireplace. Almost like he was snuggled against mama, under his favorite blanket, listening to her stories. That was nice. He missed her.

 “mama…” He whimpered softly, curling tighter against the sobs wracking his small frame.

 “what in the name of gaia…” He hadn’t noticed the person approaching. Hadn’t heard the footsteps, but at the voice, he managed to blearily open his eyes, though his vision was blurry and clouded, specks of ice sticking to his lashes, coating his lids. He gasped and drew back, bumping against the bark of the tree, in the face of the being before him.

 They looked like a large owl. They had the scaly legs and talons of a raptor, but a human torso and face, though instead of hair, he had dark, tawny feathers, small white ones outlining his widow’s peak and tracing his hairline. And instead of a mouth and nose, he had a dark black beak. He could see tawny wings stretching out behind the being, speckled lightly with black, though the being had human arms as well. A spirit, of some kind, a spirit of the forest. A spirit of death, according to the legends.

 “P-please… please d-don’t h-urt me….” He stuttered out, breath heaving and shaking, the cold scorching his lungs, fear making his heart hammer in his chest, his tongue feel like it was stuck to the roof of his mouth. The being crouched before him, and he shook, closing his eyes. He heard the figure make a soft cooing noise, and held his breath.

 “It’s alright, nestling. I do not mean to cause you any harm. You must have traveled a long time, to get this far and deep into the forest.” The spirit’s voice was low and soft, steady and sure, and he found himself nodding.

 “y-yeah. Mama s-said… mama said to r-run. T-to k-keep running. S-so I d-did. But I don’t know my way b-back and… and I think something bad happened. S-something really, really bad. And I’m scared-“ He broke off, voice wavering as it fell into a sob that tore at his throat, and he heard the spirit make another sound, this one sounding like a soft clack from his beak, as if unsure what to do. “I’m scared that something really, really bad h-happened to h-home.” He finished, swiping at his eyes, though his hands were clumsy and stiff.

 “You did a good job, listening to her. It sounds like she is very brave, and very smart, and so are you, to have kept going this long.” The spirit hesitated again, before he heard him shifting, settling down onto the forest floor, peeking his eyes open, he saw him a good foot or so away, dark eyes speckled with gold and silver looking at him carefully. “My name is Logan. May I ask what yours is, little one?”

 “P-patton. I’m s-seven.” He answered, shivering once more, feeling his eyes slip closed despite himself.

 “Patton. You’ve been out here a long time, without any proper protection from the cold. I would like to take you back to my nest, to get you warmed up and safe. After that we can try and find your home. Is that alright?” His mind played over the thousand stories his mother had told him, of spirits whisking away children, never to be seen again, of fae swapping them out for changelings in the middle of the night, of will-o-the-wisps leading travelers astray, only to get them so turned around and lost they died in the woods.

 But… but Logan seemed nice. And he didn’t have anywhere else to go.

 “Y-you pr-omise?” He asked, head drooping, unable to keep it upright as he felt himself losing hold of awareness, that warm tingling back in his limbs.

 “I promise.” He felt arms scoop him up, and he gasped, because they were so hot! So very, very hot, after so long in the snow and the wet and the ice, and he nearly cried, at how nice it felt, curling tight against Logan, feeling soft downy feathers through the thin flowing fabric that covered his torso, nuzzling against them with a happy little sigh.

 “I’m going to fly now, all right? It might feel a little strange, but I promise you’re perfectly safe. I’ve got you.” Patton didn’t respond, and Logan panicked, looking down at the now unconscious child in his arms. “Patton. Patton, can you hear me?” A small stirring of his limbs, but not enough, no awareness, and the poor thing’s lips were blue, his face so pale, his breath so slow and laboured. Hypothermia, obviously.

 The best thing he could do was get back to the roost as quickly as possible, and start slowly warming him up. He just had to hold on long enough to make it back, and the wind of the flight would not help in preserving the little warmth Patton had left.

 He quickly stripped off his shirt, wrapping the billowy fabric softly but firmly around Patton, holding the boy close to his chest, shielding him as much as he could with his arms, hoping the soft, fluffy downy feathers that lightly covered his chest would be enough to insulate him until they got home.

 “It’s all right, Patton. I’ve got you.” One last adjustment, and he leapt off the ground, his powerful wings flapping hard to gain near vertical altitude, the climb much easier once he cleared the treetops and could spiral upwards, soaring high above the woods, towards home.

 …

 He alit on the edge of the cliff, glancing down at the child in his arms. His heat beat was slow and weak, his breath sporadic and shallow, and he cursed, passing through the illusory wall that led into his aerie.  

 It was a large cavern, but it never got cold, thanks to his influence. The ceiling sparkled with shining moonstones, and a large fireplace was carved into one wall of the space. He had a perch in one corner, along with a soft pile of furs, a desk against the wall. The real treasure was the books, the shelves lined and lined with books. He scoured the world for them, collecting them, fascinated by these testaments to human creativity and ingenuity, though a fair share of them were his own journals and scientific notations.

 “Logan! Took you long enough, I’ve been waiting for ages!” He jumped at the voice, before ruffling his feathers, annoyance coursing through him as he glanced at the fire spirit, who currently had taken the form of a shimmering, scarlet dragon. Then he realized his luck, that Roman was here, a being with the power of fire, of warmth.

 “Here. You need to warm him up, slowly. His core temperature is far too low, and a sudden change could do more harm than good. Make sure to rub his fingers and toes, to get circulation back into them, those are the areas that are most likely to succumb to hypothermia.” He explained quickly, Roman instantly shifting into a more human form as Logan placed the bundle in his arms, before hopping off across the space, to his herb storage.

 It took Roman a moment, to realize what exactly he was holding. The little thing was bundled up tight in Logan’s shirt, but when he pulled it down his heart nearly stopped.

 “Body heat is the best! You should take that off of him, it’s only hindering progress at this point!” Logan called, rummaging through his cupboards. Still in shock, Roman did as he was told, inhaling sharply.

 A child. A human child.

 “What… how… Logan!” He screeched, stilling as the child shifted slightly in his arms, curling closer to him, his thumb slipping into his mouth. Oh Gaia, the little guy was adorable, and he made sure his heat was softly surrounding him, slowly warming him up as he absently rubbed at his hands. “What are you doing with a human child!?” He hissed, Logan coming back with bandages and a soothing cream, that he started gently rubbing into the boy’s skin, instructing Roman to sit down with him, as he started rubbing his arms and legs, to get circulation going once more.

 “I felt a call in my territory and found him all alone and more than half frozen. His village was attacked and ransacked, his mother managed to sneak him into the woods before the raiders reached their home and told him to run. I couldn’t just leave him there, Roman.” Roman sighed, brushing back the kid’s curly chestnut hair, noting some color was starting to come back to his face.

 “No. no, I suppose you couldn’t. Is there any chance…” He trailed off at the shake of Logan’s head, dark eyes a bit clouded, as he glanced up at Roman.

 “They’re gone. No survivors, except him, I suppose. I… I don’t know, how I’m going to be able to tell him.” Logan hissed as he got to Patton’s feet, wincing at the state of them.

 The bottoms were completely torn and bloodied, the toes themselves turned a dark, angry purple, and he took a deep breath, knowing those would be terribly bruised and incredibly painful, if they came back from their exposure. He started slowly massaging warmth back into them, looking up at a soft cry from Patton, who’s eyes were fluttering uneasily, holding his breath as they opened.

 “Patton. It is all right. Do you remember me?” He asked softly, those light blues locking onto him immediately.

 “Lo-logan.” He whispered, and Logan nodded, smiling.

 “Yes. Very good, Patton. We’re at my home, right now. We’re getting you warmed up, all right? My friend Roman is helping.”

 “Hello there, little prince. Logan has been telling me just how brave you must be, to make it so far in the woods by yourself.” Roman murmured, once again brushing a hand through the child’s hair, his eyes already drifting shut.

 “H-hurts. I h-hurt.” Patton wheezed out, tears dripping down his face, and Roman let out a low breath, stroking them away with his thumb.

 “I know, little prince. But that’s a good thing, alright? That means your body is waking up from it’s nap in the cold. It means you’re going to be okay.” Patton was trembling, but he nodded.

 “O-ok.”

 “Patton. This is important. Can you wiggle your toes for me? It might hurt, but it’s very important.” Patton bit his lip, focusing hard, whimpering as more tears fell, but after a long moment, all ten of his toes curled and uncurled.

 “Good, that was very, very good, Patton. Thank you, so much.” Logan encouraged, squeezing the kid’s hand once, though he had already slipped back into unconsciousness. Carefully, he finished loosely bandaging Patton’s feet, sweating against the low level heat emenating from Roman, as he scooped Patton back into his arms, nestling him close against his down, settling so Roman was pressed against his side, warmth encasing the nestling.

 He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Patton. Every inhale and exhale filled him with relief, as they became longer and steadier, every solid thump of his heart reassuring him, every small movement of his eyes behind their lids making him wonder what he was dreaming of, hoping it was pleasant.

 “Logan?” Roman asked, shaking him out of his thoughts, gaze meeting the concerned eyes of his friend. He let out a shaky breath, shaking his head.

 “He’s so… small, Roman. So fragile. What am I to do with him?”

 “well… you could always keep him.” Roman suggested, voice unusually even. Logan let out a sharp sqwuak, staring at Roman.

 “Roman. I cannot simply keep a child. He is human, firstly. Secondly… me!? Raising a nestling!? I don’t know the first thing about caring for one, and this is hardly a safe place for one so little and unable to fly! He… I can’t possibly… what… Roman!” He sputtered, quieting instantly as Patton curled tighter in his arms, making a small whine, tiny hand clenching his feathers. He can feel his heart rate speeding and breath gasping. A nightmare.

 Instantly, he’s fussing over the child, stroking his hair, churring softly, a deep rumble in his chest that soothes nestlings, and seems to work just as well on the human, as he settles moments later, though his grip doesn’t loosen.

 “not a word.” He threatens, feeling Roman's smirk without having to look up, unable to look away from Patton’s soft, sleeping face. He takes a deep breath. “he needs humans, Roman. He needs his own kind. I can find a good family for him, a good home. Somewhere stable, that can provide a safe, structured life for him. I cannot in good conscience simply keep him, Roman, no matter my own feelings towards the matter.” He looked up at Roman's hand on his shoulder, his face serious for once.

 “I know you’ll do what’s best, Logan. Just… consider that maybe that means staying with you. Ok?” He nodded, ruffling his feathers.

 “I will consider it, Roman.” A brief silence passed by, both lost in their own thoughts, before Logan rested his hand against Patton's forehead.”

 “He's sufficiently warmed. Would you mind, grabbing some of the furs?”

 “Of course, Lo.” Roman swept over, picking out the softest one, carefully wrapping Patton in it, holding the boy in his arms for a moment, before passing him back to Logan. “I’ll leave you to get some rest. Try not to fret yourself to death, Hoot Hoot.” Roman swept out of the cave before Logan could respond, though his indignant spluttering echoed behind him.

…

Fire.

 Fire and smoke and screams, everything was burning, and it was so hot, he was trapped in the flames.

 He could hear mama calling for him, scared and voice shaky, and he tried to call out, to tell her he was ok, but the smoke choked his lungs, burned his throat, made his eyes water as the flames grew higher. He heard her voice fading, and he tried to chase it, tried to barrel around the flames, screeching as his pants caught aflame for a moment, before ��he patted them out, trying to run, though every breath choked him further, and he couldn’t breath, and the flames were closing in and the roof was creaking, and he looked up in time to see a fiery orange beam creak and snap, popping with embers, crashing down, down atop him, and he screamed.

…

“Hush, little one. I have you, little one, I have you.” He was crying, he realized, crying and sobbing, and as he realized that his scream choked off into a gasping, wheezing inhale, the air still burning his lungs despite the lack of smoke.

 “Th-they're gone. They're all g-gone, aren’t they?” he sobbed out, feeling the hesitation in the answer, which only confirmed it, really, as he shook harder, sobs tearing at his throat. He felt the arms pull him closer, rocking him slowly, something soft and warm pressing in from a sides, but it wasn’t hot, like the fire, it wasn’t trapping and enclosing and crushing him, it was nice and safe and good.

 “I’m sorry, Patton. I truly am. It is senseless and cruel and no one should have the right, to take them from you. But they would be so proud, Patton. That’s all they wanted, was for you to keep going, and they fought so that could happen. So you would keep going. And you did. You’ve done so well, little one.” Logan murmurs, heart wrenched in two as Patton shifts in his arms, hugging him around the middle, face buried against his feathers, and he tucks his head against Patton's, nuzzling his cheek, churring once again, letting Patton cry himself out, letting him grieve, acting as a steady, solid presence to let him know he was safe.

 “I m-miss her.” Patton whimpered, and his own breath caught, hugging the nestling tighter, wings wrapping closer.

 “I know. And it won’t ever stop, that missing. But it will get easier.” He replied. “I know of some humans, in the next valley over, that would love to have a child, will take good care of you, keep you safe and loved and protected. You’ll be alright.” He uncurled from around Patton as he felt him shifting against him, those blue eyes peering up at him, a frown on his lips, set in his eyes.

 “Why… why can’t I stay? Am I not… not g-good, enough? Do you not w-want me?” Patton asked, pulling away and looking down, and oh, how his heart was breaking, absolutely shattering, with fondness for this lost child, how had he already gotten so attached?

 “Of course you are, Patton, you’re so good, and incredibly brave and strong and resilient. Of course I want you. But you should be with other humans. It’s dangerous here, for you, there’s so much that could harm you, and I couldn’t stand it if you got injured on my account.” He answered softly, crouching down before Patton, who refused to meet his eyes.

 “But I was with people, and I got hurt, already. And… and I kn-know, you’d keep me safe. Y-you’re good, I can tell. Mama always said I was the best judge of character.

 “Patton-“

 “Please? Please let me stay? I’ll do anything you tell me, I’ll be so good, and quiet, you won’t even know I’m here, I’ll… I’ll…” Logan cut him off, sweeping him into an all encompassing hug, cooing softly, throwing his whole heart into it, feeling Patton bury his head against his shoulder.

 “alright. If you’re sure that’s what you really want, I won’t force you to leave, Patton. But you need to know this. Spending so much time around me, around the magic of nature spirits, is going to change you. Over time, it will make you less and less human, more and more… other. At some point, there will be no going back.” He said seriously, making sure Patton was listening, understanding what he was saying. His lip trembled, but he nodded, sharp determination and hope burning in his blue eyes.

 “ok.” He said seriously, before tilting his head. “Do you think I’ll grow feathers? Could I get wings, like yours?” Logan chuckled, ruffling Patton’s hair.

 “Possibly, with time. Until then, I’ll just have to fly you around. Now, let’s get you off those feet, they’re still healing, and I don’t want you to reopen anything.” Patton sighed, but flopped onto the ground, pulling a fur around him, slightly dejected. He clearly wanted to explore, bubbling with energy, and Logan smiled. “How about I read for you? Will that make sitting still a little more manageable?” He asked, Patton nodding excitedly. He selected a book from the shelf, one of fairytales, before settling on the floor next to Patton, who immediately snuggled up next to him, pressing against his side, under his wing, as Logan began to read.

 Soon, his eyes were slipping shut, a huge yawn escaping him, and Logan tucked his wing a little tighter as Patton fell asleep, slumping against his side, hands curling into his feathers. Still, Logan continued to read, not wanting to stop, lest nightmares mar the little one’s rest.

 Oh, Roman was going to be so pleased, and not at all surprised, by this turn of events. And he hated to admit it, but he was happy, as well. He knew he would already give anything, for Patton, and he was so excited, to watch him grow. To see what he would grow into. And nothing, nothing would harm his nestling. Not ever again.

...

@fortheloveofjanus

[im-totally-not-an-alien]

Final Fantasy prompts no 15

1. Zack jumps into a mako pool to save trooper! Cloud, but comes back up with both him and a older blond man with a massive sword. They are both unconscious and quickly flown back to HQ.

2. AVALANCHE fights Sephiroth after he revives for a 4th time. "Where's Cloud?" Tifa demands, staring up at the madman.

Sephiroth stayed suspended in the air, one wing flared out like a dark banner, even as he died. "Close."

"I swear to the Planet, if you hurt him-!" Barret roared, but was cut off by the monsters quiet laughter.

"I didn't kill him," he rasped, the only show of weakness he'd made the entire fight, his voice carried even as he dissolved into dark particles, "You did."

And Cloud fell to the ground.

3. Roache joins AVALANCHE. He mostly just hits on Cloud and asks to race.

4. Cloud got lost on the mountain when he was a child and never made it home. He was presumed dead but actually lives near the peak of Mt. Nabil, drinking mako infected water and talking to that wierd lady in his head.

5. Zack walks into Seventh Heaven one day, having no idea who he is.

6. Cloud travels back in time but he's a ghost. He uses this time to terrorize Sephiroth, and haunt Zack and his younger self.

7. Vincent comforts his friends by lifting up part of his cloak and pulling them into it, wrapping them up in the soft material.

8. Zack Fair radiates intense himbo energy and Cloud hates that it makes him swoon.

9. Cloud finds other escaped experiments and decides to care for them

10. Someone in AVALANCHE gets seriously injured and Cloud becomes super overprotective

11. Someone manages to get a good hit on Cloud, but instead of bleeding his skin chips off like porcelain and black particles/smoke flitters out. Everyone realizes that Cloud is literally a living doll. (Doll au) (Cloud is a doll brought to life by Jenova's Edrich powers and is fueled by souls/mako)

12. AU where Jenova claimed ALL of the SOLDIERs as her children and influenced them into joining her journey through the cosmos. Those who fought it, like Zack and Cloud, were put into a deep slumber and stored somewhere safe while the others annihilated the planet and she fed each of her little Eldrich babies by hand. Then packed them up to raise them properly on a nesting planet.

13. Cloud and Sephiroth are both sent back in time to thier old bodies. They both remember everything, and Sephiroth kinda freaks out because he's not under Jenova's influence anymore and 'Oh, gods. What have I done...' so now he's trying to apologize to Cloud and come to terms that with the fact that he's fallen in love with the small blond.

Cloud is desperately pushing the "Open doors" button in the elevator.

14. Sephiroth asks Genesis, Angeal, and even Zack for romantic advice.

15. Another world was threatening war with Gaia. Cloud used the black materia at the behest of Minerva, destroying the other world. His makeshift family comforts him, and he admits he can hear Jenova in his head, praising him for what he's done. Saying that she was so pleased to have at least one successful son.

[josephmxa]

Worldbuilding: The Seven Deadly Sins & The Seven Heavenly Virtues

This was an exhausting portion of my world-building. It took me so long to finally finish this. I just wasn’t sure where to take some of the characters. However, there’s A LOT that needs to be cleaned up when it comes to these characters (and the Universe as a whole, like it’s creation and the Magic System) but at least there’s a vague idea of who they are, what their motives are, and what their lives before the Reset were like. Please be warned though, it’s a lengthy post for fourteen characters. But without further ado, enjoy.

Tags: @merigreenleaf

(Feel free to comment to be tagged, and always feel free to like and reblog if this satisfies your tastes.)

Commit a sin and you’re deadly. Be virtuous and you’re heavenly.

Each Vice and Virtue had a role they were meant to play, each had a power Gaia bestowed upon them. Eight of the New Gods wielded abilities from the four classical elements of Earth and its subsidiaries; Fire, Water, Earth, and Air—Gaia’s powerset. The other six came from Chaos and Cosmos; Time, Reality, and Space. Make amends for Humanity’s abuse. The former were the world��s judgement and end while the latter were the world’s clean slate and beginning. But Gaia asked for too much. She dreamed near-sighted. She underestimated her successors.

Her wishes might’ve been fulfilled if most never took after Humanity. Pride was the first to object his role in the Reset. He questioned and argued and yelled. The others came to be an audience looking for answers. Humanity meant much to him. The world fascinated him. Understandable. What the Holy Trinity created was remarkable. How and why they created me… the idea is overwhelming. But change was preordained. The Reset inevitable. He had to understand this. He had to learn to let go. When he continued to refuse his Gaia’s calling, the others answered.

War waged.

New worlds began.

Welcome to the New Gods of the Universe:

Lust and Chastity: Lust is an uncontrollable passion or longing, especially for sexual desires. She’s fierce, she’s attractive, and she knows how to work her curves but dare mistake her as less than and she’ll enjoy making a game out of you. The way she carries her words, how her body sings in the presence of others, she’s a threat to those insecure and timid. She’s one of the New Gods who didn’t share the same sentiment as some of her siblings who renounced their Vice or Virtue. To her, why fix what’s not broken? She enjoyed a challenge, she enjoyed the longing others had for her, and humanity’s ever-growing sexuality excited her. She makes no connections but to the raw, passionate nature of sex. What’s so bad about resetting humanity? She gets to play from the start again. Dare let Pride and Chastity ruin her fun and pleasure.

Chastity is controlling that passion and leveraging that energy for the good of others He views the world through a different set of lenses than his twin sister Lust. Strong-willed, ambitious, and a hopeless romantic celibate, he comforts those insecure and timid. He leads those lost and confused after encounters with his sister on a virtuous path. His self-worth is priceless and he vows to feed others the same sentiment. But he began to wonder what life was like on the other side of the fence. And through a bit of experimentation, he came to realize lust can be set in moderation and committing a sin like so did not make one bad. It did not make one less virtuous and true and did not tarnish one’s self-worth if they indulged in a few intimate endeavors with those not romantically tied to them. He condoned Pride’s actions through and through; there was so much more Humanity and he had to offer. Why ruin his and Humanity’s evolution?

Fluent in Romance, Lust and Chastity wore golden brown skin, ash grey eyes and natural brown curls; the New Gods of Water.

 Gluttony and Temperance: Gluttony is an excessive ongoing consumption of food or drink. Big and pompous, Gluttony never had the same passion for keeping up appearances or being of service to others like his twin sister Temperance. He could care less about lending a piece of bread to a starving child or donating a portion of food to families in need. He ate and consumed without restrictive tastes, indulged in his fair share of wine, beer and liquor. Maybe he had the occasional soda just to switch it up a little. And yet the amount he scarfed down amazed everyone who stopped and watch, sparking a few to do grossly inflate their appetite in order to match or supersede him—he made a competition of his nature. Until one night a man stopped by and participated, catching the eye of Gluttony. This man consumed like him, drank like him, was the fastest out of all the other competitors and quite big like him, too. Gluttony spent his time with this man like he was a disciple and the more memories they created, the more Chef Rodriguez earned a major portion of his heart. The death of Rodriguez forced Gluttony to temper his cravings for he could not experience heart disease the way his lover did. In the following years, he lived and loved many, taking over Rodriguez’s business, and couldn’t see why Gaia wished for such a thing. Humanity made mistakes, but they all couldn’t be generalized under one roof.

Temperance is the desire to be healthy, therefore making on fit to serve others. Well-crafted and well-mannered, Temperance was all about appearances and the service to others. The active lifestyle she lived allowed her a greater opportunity of agility and the understanding of self-restraint so she could pass it down to those lost to the temptation of their appetite. The temptation usually came with wealth and because she was part of that economic group, she used her power to help those falling victim to heart disease and diabetes. And things were going great, the times and social stigma were changing. Until her brother Gluttony created an epidemic. The people she had relapsed and fell back on temptation and the giddy smiles Gluttony had on pissed her off. She grew wrathful of him, and it was easy considering they were that close to begin with. So, she played him in hopes he could see the errors in his lifestyle, so that he could stop influencing others. She used a man by the name of Hernan Rodriguez, a chef of a local city. When the time was right, she ripped him from Gluttony’s heart. He changed, but his epidemic didn’t die. Humanity ruined their bodies and for what? She didn’t understand. She just wanted it stop. So, she was all in for the Reset.

Olive-toned, soft brown eyes and straight black hair; Gluttony and Temperance were the New Gods of Air.

 Greed and Charity: Greed is an excessive pursuit of material possessions. A rightful thief, she wouldn’t have it any other way. When she sets her mind on certain prized materials, nobody can dare stand in her way. If you so choose to, then by all means, may the odds ever be in your favour. Quick-witted like she is fast and agile, she’s a feat to behold, a legend you admire, and a woman whose territory you don’t cross. The riches of the world were vast and limitless and when she learned of the Reset, she refused. Physically disgusted. Why reset the world and its riches? They meant power, they meant wealth, they meant status. A hierarchy of dynasties. Why rid the world of that because their mother’s creation ended up becoming too much for her too handle? Greed silently cursed her posthumously any chance she got, rarely making visits to the World Tree unlike Charity—the little snob. Gaia was crazy to her, and Lust was too stupid to see how much they could gain. Learning of her New God status put a definite smile on her face.

Charity is putting the desire to help others above storing up treasure for one’s self. He wasn’t particularly fond of his sister’s obsessions, nor was he all too interested in her methodology of success and achievements. By being charitable, he gained more rewards, he gained the trust and love of others, he gained sovereignty over them without them knowing. Now, now, I know what you’re thinking; why is Charity using his nature for greed or power? Well, you see, his twin sister and he were best friends. They had a system when they first started out; steal from the rich and reap the rewards when returned. And the rewards were huge. He could make something of himself within the Dynasty they grew up in. So, he ditched his sister and became a charitable man for the sake of the various rewards he was gifted—appearances were everything. When he learned of the Reset he was on the side of his sister; a definite smile was on his face with his New God status.

Greed and Charity, two Dynasty warriors with yellow-tanned skin, dark brown eyes and straight black hair; the New Gods of Space.

 Sloth and Diligence: Sloth is an excessive laziness or the failure to act and utilize one’s talents. Royalty often brings responsibility. You’re living under a monarch and if you’re on the thrown, you have a duty to serve the people. You people. Unless you’re but a child of the throne, much less the heir, then the most you have to do is smile and wave in the presence of the public. You barely put in a pinky’s worth of energy and time. This is the lifestyle Sloth lived, as it always was. Sure, he had natural born talents. Yes, he had a very unusual intellect that often opposed the stereotypes, generalizations and beliefs that European nations had of the kind of people he was imagined after. But any ambition or desire and fire in him was but a pilot light waiting to sparked—at least, his sister Diligence believed so. Rightfully so, he viewed his time invaluable and no one person earned any sliver of it. Until his life under African Monarchs; the people had a charming effect. Their charisma infectious. Their spirits in the high heavens. He couldn’t help but self-reflect his motives and ideals. When the Reset was known to him, he was indifferent at first. Then realized he could do something different with a new world—rebuild a broken system the world lived on.

Diligence is placing interest of others above a life of ease and relaxation. Her talents made rounds for scouts, her ambitions carried her through tough times, and her intellect won every conversation. She was masterful. An art herself. She and her brother Sloth were close. They were each others caretaker, and that was mostly because Sloth probably wouldn’t have survived with how unwilling he was to do much of anything. For every person Sloth influenced, however, she sought and treat. A repeating cycle for a few hundred years until she grew tired. She wanted ease herself. She exhausted so much of her energy trying to keep up with her brother; people started to ignore her words of motivation. They were taking her positive mental attitude serious enough and the aspirations she wanted to instill in others were nothing more than feats no one could achieve. Diligence had some pretty high standards for humanity with ever evolution they came out of. Sloth told her of the Reset one day and for the next several she thought about it. She realized it’d be too easy to redo the world—you can change the system from within.

Sloth and Diligence, Sweet and Dark like a berry, kinky manes and chocolate eyes; the New Gods of Time.

 Wrath and Patience: Wrath is an uncontrollable anger and hate towards another person. In Wrath’s case, it was an uncontrollable anger and hate towards his family. Every single one of them. Especially his pushover sister, Patience. He couldn’t stand being around them for too long and was glad their little family meetups Gaia called was rare, and when she died, he couldn’t be anymore glad. He wasn’t obliged to care or give a damn. Why did he hate them so vehemently you wonder? Well, they never gave him the opportunity show his talents or athleticism. He wasn’t allowed to be quick-witted or strong. He couldn’t be fierce and sexy. They belittled him because he was no where near their level at first. They ignored him because he wasn’t worth their time and support. When humanity’s evolution peaked and Wrath grew up around the people he was imagined after, Pride and the people he was imagined after stole his people’s land, erasing their mark and history on the world. He couldn’t care less about the Reset but if he was given a choice to beat their asses, he took it without hesitation.

Patience is first understanding the needs and desires of others before acting or speaking. She served her family without so much as a will to question. She knew Wrath hated her and yet she never cared much. She wasn’t going to act out to be seen. That wasn’t her way of doing things. But she was easily influenced, her patience endangering her most times. It forced Wrath to save her. But that’s the thing with patience… you’re able to step aside and see things from a different point of view. You’re able to step back and listen, taking in any and all information you possibly can. Her patience was her strength, she learned. First understand the needs and desires of others around her; they become your flaws and weaknesses. She loved her brother, loved her people, and she was going to take everything back. Like Wrath, the Reset gave her an opportunity. Make amends for Humanity? Not for what they’ve done. Wage war with your family for the end of the world? Say no more.

With Native roots, Wrath and Patience bore brown skin and eyes with long black hair; the New Gods of Fire.

 Envy and Kindness: Envy is the intense desire to have an item or experience that someone else possesses. The intense desire to be like someone who seemingly has it all. The looks, the talents, the skill. There was something his brothers and sister had he never did. He was always a level below, a step behind, the slow one. And he hated it. He wanted to be better. He wanted to live through the good things they’ve gone through. He even hated how much he looked because other people fetishes him and his sister. They were exotic. They never fit to one single race, not that they could pass off being Brazilian like Lust and Chastity—they weren’t much a linguist. But no matter how much energy he put into trying to supersede them, his efforts failed. He aspired to be better and the Reset never caught his attention. Not in the slightest. He just wanted to be better, to have a place to fit in, to be someone in a world that fetishized and discriminated against him.

Kindness is placing the desire to help others above the need to supersede them. The fetishization, the discrimination, they never got to her. Her brothers and sister, they could be whatever and do whatever, she had no need to do better or be better than them. Why? She was content in what she had and what she could do, but she educated the ignorant. That was her talent. She sat down with Envy one too many times and even if it seemed like her efforts proved to be fruitless, she never gave up. Every week, for the rest of her life, she sat down and talked with Envy. Listened to his struggles and problems and always gave sound advice even though he never took it. One day he would. One day, the world would learn to be kind. When the Reset came about, she didn’t care either way. Leave the world as it is and continue to educate or start new, killing ignorance before it was ever birthed. Either choice was fine by her.

High-yellow brown, redheaded and emerald eyes, Envy and Kindness were exotic to those around them; the New Gods of Reality.

Pride and Humility: Pride is an excessive view of one’s self without regard to others. He was often wealthy, often holding his head up high because no one matched his level. No one was capable of doing so. His athleticism, his with and intelligence, a natural born linguist on top of good-looks granted him God-tier status among the poor and weak. You wanted to be him, you wanted to date him, you wanted to raise his off springs even if you were male. But he was only meant to fuel other people’s ego by having them envy his success. But things change. People grow. It was during World War II that he discovered empathy, a child he had met. Scared. Alone. Beaten. The first time he put himself in someone else’s shoes because this kid admired him. He was no better. He was of no importance in the grand scheme of life itself. He was simply a soldier following orders and getting medals for obedience.

Humility is removing one’s ego and boastfulness, therefore allowing the attitude of service. They found glee and happiness in the growth of people around them. Helping them build success, helping them discover their self-worth and fight back insecurity. She was the hammer to people’s comfort zones, the bridge of their confidence and the pride of their growing development as a well-rounded individual. She chastised her brother for effectively taking her people and remolding them in his image. But dare she let him win and brag. She’d humbly sucker-punch him any chance she got. But when she saw this sudden change in him, her being a war medic in World War II, she thought, was there anything remotely bad about being prideful? Because she was definitely prideful of her accomplishments. Wrathful for those who dare challenge her. Kind to those ignorant who’ve realized their wrongs and may have days, weeks, months or years to amend. She clearly detested the Reset and anybody for it.

The New Gods of Earth, Pride and Humility; fair, porcelain skin, piercing blue eyes and thick black hair.

Truth: I am All for One, and One for All. I am God, and the World, and the Universe. I am your mind, soul, and body. I am the first; the New God of Soul, Mind, Power, and Truth.

[isakthedragon]

Super Sonic Thieves Chapter 20

Chapter 20- Kung Tsao Rooster

The Set-Up:

Sonic, narrating: “Wait, hang on, who’s left for us to defeat again?”

Sly, narrating: “Unfortunately, it just so happens to be the terrible General Tsao. To put it bluntly, he is very sexist to women, thinking he can force them to marriage and be his *ahem* ‘wife’, which is more like a servant. We fought him when we helped Panda King rescue his daughter from marrying him, and he’s definitely tougher than he looks. He’s strong, brazen, and will do anything he can to get what he wants. He even found our safe house and took Bentley’s computer right out his hands, just in an effort to stop us. Since he has left prison though, I’m guessing he’s looking for someplace to conquer and make his home. And he kicked a puppy supposedly.”

Cream, from afar, but hearable: “NO! Not the puppy!!”

Sonic, narrating: “Don’t worry, Cream, we’re going to teach him a thing or two. He seems to be visiting a part of our world that looks more Chinese than anything and take over there. We are going to stop him before he harrasses anyone else.”

-----

Zone Layout: The first two acts here take place in the daytime, crossing the Great Wall, long and winding dragon statues, and large lines of pagodas, and even going across the river the dragon boats cross on. The last two Acts take place at night, following along the river of Chun-nan’s village, which is being terrorized by General Tsao.

Enemies:

Pig-bots: Robot replicas of General Tsao’s pigs. Similar to Tsao’s original pig guards, they will either try to karate chop you or send a missile shaped like a dragon head at you that needs to be avoided. Carries 22-24 coins and has a 10% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Monk-keys: Robotic copies of Tsao’s monkeys with all the downloadable knowledge of kung-fu. But since these are Tsao’s guards, they still aren’t very smart. Carries/drops 26-28 coins and has a 25% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Tigerots: Eggman’s robotic copies of Tsao’s impressive tiger guards. Be careful around these robots, as not only do their punches hurt, they also carry spears that they can throw and poke you with.  Carries/drops 26-31 coins and has a 50% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Mantis Vampires: For once not robotic duplicates of Tsao’s guards by Eggman but the real deals, Tsao managing to strike a deal with the mad scientist to keep. The Mantis Vampires were servants of General Tsao’s ancestors that, upon their deaths, were reanimated into undeath by the Tsao family’s dark magic, becoming hopping vampires. Fortunately, given the nature of vampires, they cannot appear in the day, but at night… The Mantis Vampires move slow, but they come in large numbers and explode upon death. Ranged attacks recommended. They drop any amount of coins when they explode.

Egg Launcher: These missile happy robots will send their payloads after you relentlessly until they are destroy. They can fire horizontally, vertically, or both. Drops 26 rings when smashed.

Egg Fighter Knight: They’ve come back bigger and tougher, and will fight to the bitter end. Though, since these knights don’t play fair, back attacks are fair game. Drops 28 rings when smashed.

Egg Cannons: They fire cannonballs at you in an effort to trip you up. They’re built strong so a few hits are going to be needed to take these out. Drops 30 rings when smashed.

Dark Master: The wizard force of Dark Gaia that can heal its friends and attack with a ball of energy at you. Drops 32 rings when defeated.

Deep Nightmare/Nightmare: The big grunts of the Dark Gaia force, they use their stretchy arms to attack at different ranges. Drops 34 rings when smashed.

Titans: Equal to being the Dark Gaia commanders, they carry around wooden clubs and swing them, but can also create shockwaves to unbalance enemies. Drops 36 rings when smashed.

Treasures:

From Guards:

Bronze Coin: Worth 125 coins and 63 rings.

Silver Coin: Worth 145 coins and 73 rings.

Gold Coin: Worth 165 coins and 83 rings.

From Pedestals:

Legendary Hot Dog: Found in one of the pagodas in Act 1. Worth 2500 coins and 1250 rings.

Golden Dragon Fangs: Found on one of the islands in Act 2. Worth 2600 coins and 1300 rings.

Ageless Scroll: Found in a temple in Act 3. Worth 2700 coins and 1350 rings.

The coins have a dragon for the design on them.

-----

Dragon Road Zone Act 1: Espio and Sly tackle the first act here, in broad daylight. Hmm… Anyway, the player runs and sneaks across the Great Wall that Sonic used to run on before. This then diverts to large pagodas and dragon statues that span across the water, with plenty of guards keeping watch for the player. The act ends when Sly and Espio have to divert by jumping off a bridge to the water and little islands below.

*At the start.*

Sly: “Huh, this place looks quite similar to our China, but it’s not China…”

Espio: “We call this place Chun-nan. From what I saw in your world, it is safe to say this place is just our world’s version of your China.”

Sly: “Well, that makes things easy. Well… I never thought I’d be thieving in broad daylight.”

Espio: “There’s still plenty of shadows from the cliffs, and I know you can just make yourself a shadow.”

Sly: “Yeah. Well, time to get sightseeing, and thieving.”

*After a lot of running from dash panels and twisty roads.*

Sly clutches his head, which has the ‘Dizzy’ stars floating around: “WHOA!!! God… that was really fast…”

Espio chuckles: “It’s a nice workout for the legs.”

Sonic, over the binocucom: “Sounds like you guys are having fun over there.”

Sly: “Yeah… minus the sore legs and spun head.”

*Near the end of the act, on the bridge.*

Sly: “Hmmm… no enemies.”

Espio: “Is that a bad sign?”

Sly: “Since this is General Tsao we are after? Yeah. This is leading to a trap.”

General Tsao, over a speaker as enemies start appearing from the ends of the bridges: “Stupid Cooper and Gang! You are trespassing on my property! Prepare to die by my forces!”

Espio: “We’re surrounded.”

Sly: “Not quite. Looks like we’re going swimming.”

*The player jumps off and lands on an island below to end the act.*

---

Dragon Road Zone Act 2: Sonic and Dimitri hydroplane and swim across the Dragon Boat river channel in an attempt to find a sneaky way in and get the drop on General Tsao. Thankfully, Sonic can’t drown here and will just end up under the water, where there some rings for lucky lookers, but he’ll have to find a new landmass to hydroplane on again. The act ends when they find the fishing area for Chun-nan.

*At the start.*

Dimitri: “Finally! Some water I can take a dip in. Now so swift and agile like a fish!”

Sonic: “I hope you can keep up with me when I hydroplane across the water.”

Dimitri: “I can keep up. I got speed, bro. I aint no slowpoke.”

*When passing by some Dragon Boats.*

General Tsao, on loudspeakers: “Be on the lookout for the Cooper gang and any friends of theirs. Don’t think of being a hero.”

General Tsao: “In fact, I am offering to spare the life of whoever brings me the head of Cooper, dead!”

General Tsao: “Also, all women in Chun-nan are forced to attend to a wedding ceremony to be entered into marriage to me!! Anyone who disobeys or abets to hiding will be killed instantly!”

---

Dragon Road Zone Act 3: For Bentley and Vector, night has fallen as they trek their way to the main village itself. Unfortunately, General Tsao has brought his hopping, exploding Mantis Vampires to act as an extra guard to any trespassers. And even worse, his dark magic influence seems to have awoken the Gaia forces, and they’re prowling around too, though they seem to just be attacking anything that’s passing by (I mean, how would you like it if someone just brought their dead to your land?). Bentley and Vector will have to keep their wits and strength together to fight their way up the cliffs and into Chun-nan itself. The act ends when they reach a familiar night temple…

*At the start.*

Vector: *Sniffs* “Mmm, fishing village. Delicious. I believe we are at the lowest point in Chun-nan.”

Bentley: “So we’re going to have to follow the cliffs up to the village itself?”

Vector: “Yeah. It’s quite a beautiful night.”

Bentley: “There certainly is a beauty here… but something worries me, and I can’t put a finger on it.”

*When they enter an open space, Mantis Vampires appear first…*

Bentley: “Whoa!?! General Tsao brought his hopping vampire?! This is going to be way harder than we thought!”

*...Soon followed by Dark Gaia forces.*

Vector: “Oh, no! Not the Dark Gaia force too! Those monsters are even harder to kill than Eggman’s robots!”

*Thankfully, they both start fighting each other that culminates in defeated Mantis Vampires, then defeated Dark Gaia minions once the corpses explode.*

Bentley and Vector: “Huh?”

Tails, over the binocucom: “I think I can answer why, but first, is General Tsao’s vampires brought by dark magic?”

Sly, over the binocucom: “Yeah, they’re his past servants weaved with dark magic to be his loyal force.”

Tails, over the binocucom: “Hah, he’s a fool! Both his vampires and the Dark Gaia forces are trying to occupy the same magical space, but since the Dark Gaia were here first, they’re attacking the foreign entities from entering their home! This is the perfect distraction to get by!”

Bentley: “Nice. I see General Tsao didn’t think too far ahead in his plans. He’s brazen, but dumb, and dumb won out here.”

Vector: “Still, we better be careful when a victor emerges. We’ll have to fight what’s left to get by.”

*Once in Chun-nan proper.*

Vector: “We’re in Chun-nan village now. Where is General Tsao?”

Bentley: “I am calculating that he might be in that temple?”

Vector: “The Gaia Temple… yeah, that’s a good stronghold.”

---

Dragon Road Zone Act 4 (BOSS): Rouge, Amy, Blaze, Marine, and Carmelita arrive outside the Gaia Temple, where General Tsao has cockily made his stand…

General Tsao sees the ladies come his way. “What the? Where the hell are Cooper and his gang?”

Carmelita: “They decided to help on the villagers, and they thought it was a good idea to send the girls to fight you.”

General Tsao: “Hah! You girls dare to challenge me? You pathetic women are too wimpy to even be able to damage me! Go back home and call the men over, who are looking just as pathetic for letting the females fight.”

Rouge: “No! You’re going to fight us!”

Amy: “We’re not as weak as you think we are!”

Blaze: “Let’s see you call us weak when we burn you!”

Marine: “Argh, this fool is too crazy. Even ladies make good Cap’ts!”

Carmelita: “Besides, it was Sly’s idea to have you fight us, just to piss you off. And I specifically remember making fried chicken out of you when you ‘married’ me, thanks to Sly.”

General Tsao: “Grr… it still burns... Fair enough. Prepare to die, worthless women!”

Boss: General Tsao

General Tsao is just as dangerous as he was before, what with his kicks and his spike shield, and magical dragon heads, and his undead Mantises trying to pull you into the ground. He’s going to go all out on you, and there’s no bamboo to save your life. But, then again, when you have Rouge’s flight and kicks, Amy’s hammer, Blaze’s flame aura, Marine’s hydrokinesis and Carmelita’s shock pistol, General Tsao may just have met his match… or so you’d think…

*Once ‘defeated’*

Carmelita: “You better give up, Tsao, before we do more than just rustle your feathers.”

General Tsao: “Grr… you ladies are a bit more powerful than I expected… but let’s see how you are…” *He jumps down to the river below, but then comes back up on a Clockwerk bird that looks to be a mix of his dragon from Sly 3 and Clockwerk birds from before.* “... My Dragon Clockwerk!”

*He flies into the air, and just starts attacking the village with fire.*

--

*Meanwhile*

*Sonic and Cream have entered the inner sanctum of the Gaia Temple.*

Cream: “Why have you taken me in here, Sonic?”

Sonic: “So you talk to somebody to provide extra help to our friends outside. Hey, Chip!”

*A small green ball appears from the back wall, then approaches them. In a flash, it turns into a ghostly image of a friend named Chip.*

Chip: “Oh! Hey, Sonic! Long time no see! Well, since you defeated Eggman in that orange bandicoot’s world whose name escapes me at the moment.”

Sonic: “It was Crash, but that’s not important. We need some help to defeat someone outside the Temple.”

Chip: “Ah… that General Tsao that the locals have been mentioning in their prayers recently. But I can’t really do much though… least not directly.”

Sonic: “Well, you control the Phoenix here, right?”

Chip: “Again, indirectly, but yeah. Why?”

Sonic: “Perhaps Cream might be able to control it?”

Cream: “Oh? Me?”

Chip: “Hmmm… I do sense that happy, bubbly, pure of heartness in her. Maybe you’re right, Sonic!”

*Chip calls the Phoenix, which appears in a burst of flames.*

Sonic: “Go ahead, Cream. Say hi to it. I fully believe you’ll be okay.”

Cream: “Okay…”

*Cream walks up to the Phoenix, which takes notice of her by dropping its head down to examine her. After a couple seconds, the Phoenix drops the flames surrounding it, showing it respects Cream, and even drops its head further enough that Cream can pat and scratch its chin. The Phoenix chirps to the affection.*

Chip: “Whoa! How did you know, Sonic?!”

Sonic: “Well, if the Chao like her, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch any beast would like and be tamed by her.”

Chip: “Ah… hmmm… so that means your going to let Cream take the Phoenix out to eliminate General Tsao?”

Sonic: “If that’s alright, Chip.”

Chip: “Well, it’s indirect help… and she’s definitely going to take good care of it… ah, go ahead, Cream. He’s yours whenever you visit Chun-nan.”

Cream: “Thank you, Mr. Chip!”

Chip: “Heh, don’t mention it. Well, I better get back. Just return him once your done. Back to the ether with Dark Gaia.” *In the same green flash, he returns to a green ball and goes back into the temple wall.*

Sonic: “Okay, Cream, go get General Tsao!”

Cream: “You got it!”

--

*Soon, Cream gets the Phoenix flying after the Dragon Clockwerk as Sonic rejoins the girls.*

Blaze: *Gasp* “The Phoenix… but how? Not many are allowed to see the gods.”

Sonic: “I had an in with Chip. And guess who’s controlling it?”

*The Phoenix flies by and a faint voice of Cream can be heard saying hi to them.*

Amy: “Wait, Cream is controlling that thing? That’s dangerous!”

Sonic: “The Phoenix likes her. Even wanted to be petted by Cream.”

Blaze stammers: “W-what?! L-likes her?! I-i-i…”

Amy: “Well, she is a pretty sweet girl. Guess even gods can tell a good caretaker from the bad and neutral.”

Blaze: “I-i-I suppose…” *In thought: “She’s very lucky.” *

Sonic: “Well, let’s watch the show, heh he.”

Boss: Dragon Clockwerk

With a little help from Chip, Cream’s good hearted nature has awoken both him and the Phoenix that resides here. With his blessing, Cream is allowed to jump on and control the bird as they fly into the sky and take out General Tsao’s Dragon Clockwerk. Since the bird is literally on fire, just contact will damage the Clockwerk already, though it may not be smart to stay too close as it can still use its claws to return damage back. Of course, you could use the Phoenix’s ranged quill missiles to do greater damage, but that can only be used so many times until it needs recharging. The dumb Dragon Clockwerk still spits fireballs, which can be used to both heal and restock the Phoenix’s quills, though the fireballs still have momentum enough to push you back a bit. Just keep on the attack and General Tsao will soon be stopped for good.

*Once defeated, the Dragon Clockwerk crashes and explodes and knocks General Tsao back to the ground, where he is immediately arrested. The Phoenix lands and Cream joins them again.*

Cream: “Yay! The Phoenix and I did it!”

General Tsao, before losing consciousness: “The mighty Tsao… defeated by a little girl… so much shame…”

Carmelita: “You’re a shame already. She’s just rubbing it in your face.”

-----

The Getaway:

Sonic, narrating: “We returned the Phoenix back to Chip, and sent Tsao back where he belonged when Penelope gave some good news.”

Penelope: “Good news, everyone! I’ve figured out where and who the signal is coming from!”

Bentley: “That’s awesome, Penelope! I knew you could do it. Greatest hacking mind right here.”

Penelope: “Aw, shucks… *Ahem.* Any way, I’ll start with the where. It seems to be coming from; drumroll please…”

*Murray does a drumroll on his belly.*

Penelope: “Space! Heh… specifically, from the exosphere!”

Bentley: “Huh? That should be impossible.”

Sonic: “Not quite. I think I know where he is. But, moving on, what about who?”

Penelope: “Using DNA provided by INTERPOL, along with Science, and a healthy dose of Supernatural, I have determined our dead guy to be… Arpeggio!”

Sly: “But he died and was quickly eaten by Clock-La. I saw that.”

Sonic: “Again, it’s possible, and it means a machine of his is better than ever. We better hurry and find Eggman.”

Next Time: It’s time to deal with the big Eggman himself. Quick, to the new and improved Eggman’s Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park!

[the-heart-of-a-monster]

Ok, yes, I know it’s been… A WHILE. BUT I HAVE RETURNED!!! AND WITH INPUT!!!!

I first wanna start off with Chip and Knuckles’s dynamic in the recent pages, because there’s obviously something there that others may miss.

Knuckles is the Guardian of the Master Emerald, we all know it, been there done that. And Chip is a LITERAL GOD. And yes, Light Gaia is separate from Chaos and the Master Emerald, but the two are still connected. Light Gaia seems to feed off of the energy from the Chaos Emeralds like plant feed, treating it like a form of much needed sustenance. Dark Gaia is the same, but it feeds off the anti energy instead, or I suppose the lack of natural Chaos energy. And while Light Gaia is a calm, childish, optimistic being with a form of his own, Dark Gaia is brash, angry, and wild. This means the two have different reactions to their food source being taken away.

See, when Eggman zapped all the energy from the Chaos Emeralds at the beginning of the game/comic, it reverted Sonic’s Super form to his Werehog form because of the lack of energy. And since there was suddenly more food for Dark Gaia to snack on, he was awakened prematurely. Think of a child sneaking into the kitchen to steal a few cookies. In contrast, when Chip’s Chaos energy was zapped away and when he was awakened, all he did was find temporary replacements like fair foods and giant ice cream cones. But when Sonic and co. started bringing the Emeralds back to normal, Dark Gaia got angrier and angrier, causing the issue with Omega right now, while Chip got more and more answers to who he is and what he truly wants in life.

Knuckles is the only one who understand’s Chip’s dilemma here. He is a young Guardian whose only goal in life is to, like I said, guard the Master Emerald. And while he knows what he has to do in life and what his purpose is, he’s not satisfied. He longs for something more, a family, a home, a life. Him and Chip are kind of similar in this sense, as they both desire more than just vague visions of their past or where they came from.

So, since the two aren’t directly connected, they are still connected. So when the temple begins doing whatever temples do, they both feel the same thing. Knuckles feels Dark Gaia’s anger, and Chip feels Dark Gaia’s influence grow stronger. It’s also why poor little Tails is left out of the loop haha~

To summarize: My take on the relationship between Chaos Energy and Gaia Energy is as follows: Dark Gaia and Light Gaia feed on the different energies from the Chaos Emeralds, (Dark feeds on anti/negative energy and Light feeds on the positive energy when the Emeralds glow) so when Eggman disrupted their eternal snacks they were awakened and started causing problems. Due to this indirect connection, Knuckles and Chip understand each other much more than they realize.

Next I wanna talk about Omega’s situation here because it’s actually really interesting!

So as we all know, Omega is a robot, an artificial intelligence, created by Eggman. And also as we all know, Omega hates Eggman’s guts! And I mean he H A T E S Eggman! So much so that it’s the default emotion for him. Naturally, when interacting with any Dark Gaia creature, this hate gets amplified so much that it corrupts him. But that doesn’t make sense, does it? Omega is a robot, not a living being! His emotions are all fake, he doesn’t know what real hatred is!

…

If that’s the case then how did he even escape Eggman’s control in the first place?

Well to be fair, he is still a robot and it is true that robots typically don’t feel any “Real” emotions. However, in fiction it is possible to program a conscience or a simulation within the core programming that imitates emotion. This allows Omega to feel just like any other person, also allowing him to escape Eggman’s grasp due to feeling inferior and under appreciated. And if my theory on Dark Gaia is correct, then this all makes perfect sense!

I theorized that Dark Gaia’s just throwing a tantrum because Sonic and his friends are taking away his midnight snack, and I used a kid taking a cookie as an analogy. Well, just like that little kid, Gaia is desperate for any little crumb, nugget, or particle of food, no matter what it is, because he’s angy. Dark Gaia is desperate for literally anything at this point, so he’s ramping up the amount of monsters and negativity in the world just to get what he wants. Simulated or faked emotions are no real difference to him in this enraged state, so to him, Omega is just another random idiot for him to suck dry. After all, if Omega’s able to fool even Rouge and Shadow with his simulated emotions, then Dark Gaia doesn’t really care.

Another summary: Dark Gaia is pissy and hungry, so he doesn’t really care if one’s anger is simulated or not. He still likes the taste of Omega’s fury, so he is able to corrupt the robot despite the guy being, well, a robot!

AND NOW FOR GUN YES I CAN FINALLY HATE ON THE GOVERNMENT LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Wait-

Oh shoot this is already reaaaaaaallllyyyyyyyy really long! Uh. You know what? I’ll make a separate ask at some point later on talking about G.U.N. and what their whole deal is in this situation. This whole ask was mostly about gods and emotions anyway, so it would be quite the whiplash to go from that to government stuff. So with that said, thank you so much for reading this very��� V E R Y long ask! I hope it was enjoyable despite its length. Great way to come back from a 5-month disappearance…! Haha… We have fun here.

Thanks for making this comic at all btw, it really shows your talent and growth as an artist and it’s in general just fun to read. There are so many little details and plot points that I could go on and on about but again, I’ll save it for later. Byeeeeeeee!!

very good points regarding knux n chip! I rly wanted to give them this connection that only they could have, which is one of those big missed opportunities from the game by cutting knuc from the story.

Nd super interesting take on the gaia/chaos energy duality 👀 cant wait to shine my own light on that in the future!