#BUT UHHH I LIKE THIS ONE A LOT

[avephelis]

twenties mutant ninja turtles or whatever you call it

[welcometogrouchland]

(ID in alt) I literally said I was gonna post this month's ago and then never had the wherewithal to describe it and so I didn't Lmao (said with pain). But since I'm thinking of opening my commissions I figured I should remind ppl that I. Yknow. Can draw.

Lots of Steph here (I had major art block making all of these and my brain worms for her kept me going) + some sprinkles of stephcass for Cass nation to enjoy!

[evelynpr]

Genshin Official Relationships and Status

Something to take note off in character relationships is what their "official and known" relationships are. So, I decided to try to make a chart of one with the playable cast and some extras.

This is a draft though. If you have criticisms and comments, absolutely please do leave them because I don't think my interpretations of these government systems are that accurate.

Anyways, here they are! The higher the placement, the higher the authority. Distance does not apply, and the legend is in each of the pictures.

Mondstadt: That's a lotta knights

They can be split between the Church and Knights, but the Church is still under the Grand Master as far as I know.

Power is surprisingly concentrated to 1/2 individuals only for a nation of freedom...Mond you gotta work on that...

Jean, Diluc, Kaeya, and Lisa are arranged the way they are in reference to the Klee summer event where they passed on who was looking after Mond.

Diluc still retains his high position because he has so many high credentials and connections (The Darknight Hero, Mond's richest man, high status in an intelligence network), despite being the Ex-Cavalry Captain.

Rosaria is an official recognized nun, but her vigilante works are by her own accord, hence the colors.

I am not sure whatsoever where Jean and Barbara's father, the Cardinal, should really be placed, or if he even still holds the position.

Poor Noelle does so much more Mond, but is lowest in status...please just make her a knight already T__T

Liyue: Zhongli and his powerful lesbians

I really am not sure if Ningguang is who Liyue's closest "leader", but that is how I felt during most of Liyues events

I'm assuming that the adepti now have a lesser status in Liyue because of the shift in power to the humans during the archon quest

How high Beidou's status is is, completely informal. She's right beside Ningguang because they do find each other to be equal competitors in their own way.

Those directly connected to Zhongli are those I assumed to have taken direct orders from him, hence why Beidou and Keqing are not included although they do respect him as their archon (Keqing in her own way)

I feel like I'm missing people here, compared to Mond, so uh, help me out here-

Inazuma: They just had a civil war...woops

I am reallyyy unsure how to label Sangonomiya island's status. Are they under the shogun? Are they their own separate territory?

Otherwise, Inazuma is pretty straightforward with its 3 factions and families

Sumeru: The whole government was just overthrown

Are there like, genuinely so sages right now, or replacement Grand Sage??? Nahida you need to do something asap-

Scara doesn't exactly have equal status to Alhaitham as Acting Grand Sage, but I felt it was more important to show that Scara is working directly under Nahida

Speaking of which, the title "shadow" is used because it's the same role that Ei served to Makoto, which I find poetic. If there is an official or better title tho, I'd love to hear it.

Hopefully, as time passes, there will be more representatives from the desert with high status. Poor Candace is carrying the desert's status on her back-

Should I have included the Corps of Thirty even if there are no playable characters...?

Fontaine: Fancy Schmancy Titles

I honestly reallyyyy wished that Neuv and Wrio were on equal standing, but in the eyes of Fontaine, that probably just isn't true.

Even so, absolute do not underestimate how important Wrio's role is in Fontaine's justice system, because without the Fortress functioning as it is, so much of Fontaine's justice would fall apart.

Despite Furina's death penalty and retirement, I still believe she deserves the title of archon with the highest status. No matter what happens, she is still Fontaine's idol and savior. (Besides, if she wanted/needed anything, Neuv would give it to her.)

How high Navia, Clorinde, and Chevy's statuses are in relation to each other in reality is...not explicit?

Really, Clorinde is just another employee under Fontaine's justice system, and isn't a head in anyway, while Chevy and Navia are actual leaders. But, Clorinde is the best Champion Duelist, so does that make them cancel out...?

Anyways that's all from me! It's pretty interesting to me just how much of the cast are part of their respective nation's government, which only makes sense given the kind of ruckus the traveler causes. Have a good day!

[humming-fly]

Happy to report I have finally started listening to Malevolent and to no one's surprise I am already obsessed (I'm almost done with s2 atm please don't send me spoilers yet sdlkfj)

I'll skip over my usual formality of having one normal art post before diving into shitposts let's not waste anyone's time here

[suitsofarmour]

mixed assortment of art i’ve never finished/posted

[doctor-disc0]

Bethesda needs to bring back elder scrolls games taking place over multiple years. I'm sorry, but I genuinely don't think that the Oblivion Crisis and all the Oblivion DLCs happened in 4 months.

And don't get me started on the fact that every event in ESO happens in the same year.

[starflungwaddledee]

Hear me out…Meta Knight and Starstruck

✧˖°.✧ gravity ✧˖°.✧ ɡravɪti (noun) 1. the force that attracts a body towards the centre of the earth or towards any other physical body having mass 2. the degree of intensity of gravity, measured by acceleration 3. extreme importance; seriousness 4. solemnity of manner

[tariah23]

One of the main reasons why I used to avoid Isekai’s, and fantasy works in general, like the plague is because of how over saturated they’d become with things that didn’t feel like they even belonged to the genre to begin with… it’s not too hard to find works that stand out but so much of those works have been pushed down and forgotten, it just sucks.

[sleepinginmygrave]

do you ever feel uhm left out no matter what

[pinetreespants]

my first friendly fire attack @ghosts-and-glory

i... dude this character is so mf cool i hope i did it justice.

[fisheito]

i told myself that yakuei only had one position then i proved myself (sorta) wrong

my fave face here:

[blu-ish]

Seasonal Love💖

PART TWO (read Part One Here ;))

Summary: A couple weeks after Sonic's "Valentines Day" encounter with his rival, he decides it's only fair to teach Shadow about a Mobian Holiday. It's only polite after all...

So why is he suddenly feeling embarrassed about it now?

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Tails busied himself with his gadgets. It wasn't often that he'd get the free time to work on something that wasn't "saving the world" related. Don't get him wrong, he loved a challenge, but some of his personal projects needed some tending too.

Wiping his brow, the kit smiled proudly at his work. All he needed was to fine tune it and--

"Hey bud!" a gush of wind engulfed the room, it was kind of refreshing to the sweaty inventor, who held onto his working goggles as the breeze passed. Smiling at his older brother with a brow.

"What did I say about running into my workshop at mach one?"

"And what did I say about working without the windows open little brother?" Sonic ruffled the fox's head, moving passed him to pull the window open, leaning against the frame to enjoy the fresh air that drifted in.

Tails knew how picky Sonic was about windows, it seemed the only time they were ever closed was during a storm. Before he could reassure his sibling it just slipped his mind, he gasped, running up to the window.

"Is that--?!"

"Sure is! I think it's my best one this season."

Hanging just above his window, was a small charm. Tails always thought they looked similar to wind chimes or suncatchers. Small yellow and orange flowers were weaved between fresh blades of grass, two pine cones at their center. All held by a strings and small twigs. It was beautiful.

"That's today?!" Tails groaned, "I completely forgot! Wait a minute--" he pointed an accusing gloved finger at the hedgehog. "You didn't remind me on purpose so you could beat me this season!"

"and I oop--" Sonic wheezed, weakly covering his face as the younger playfully swatted at him. "Do you like it at least?"

Pulling his older brother into a tight hug, he couldn't stop his tails from wagging, causing another small gust. "I love it, thank you Sonic."

Sonic purred, resting his head on his baby brother's. They stayed like that for a minute before Tails pulled away sighing, a bit defeated.

"How am I supposed to top that?! I've only started collecting for everyone last week!" He really needed to rework his scheduling, especially during holidays.

"You still have the rest of today before the festival dude! Don't sweat it." Sonic reassured him. He knew his brother was right, his inventions could wait, and he wasn't just gonna let Sonic have all the fun. "I still gotta hang the rest of them before tonight, but I can help you with yours if you like."

Tails nodded, he was gonna need all the help he could get. The fox was good with machines, but when it came to arts and crafts, well...

"Only if the "charms king" want's to of course." the fox teased, removing his workshop equipment and running up to his brother who had already zipped over to open the door.

"Indubitably dear brother." Sonic bowed. Shutting the door behind them. The charm swayed in the wind, it's twin pine cones turning ever so slightly.

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Shadow had never seen the town this busy before.

The one day off he had from work, was the day he decided to visit Sunset Heights, a small Mobian town just a quick run--for him at least, from Westopolis. There was the occasional human here and there, but the buildings themselves accommodated the different species height, so they mostly stood outside and chatted with their much smaller companions.

What caught his eye the most, was the amount of.. hanging like objects? Decor? He couldn't really put his finger on how to describe them, but they seemed to hang on every window within his sight. It was, admittedly, a little strange. But he supposed it was a nice change to how the town was a few years prior, when Eggman sent the place to ruin.

Unwilling to reopen those memories, he instead walked a little closer to a local bakery, where a older goat like Mobian woman tended to what seemed to be baskets upon baskets of leaves, grass, flowers, and twigs.

What on Earth is going on?

He hadn't meant to peer inside of the baskets, but his curious nature betrayed him anyways, catching the attention of the shop keeper.

"Are ya interested in my rare wares youngster?" she laughed. Shadow noticed her windows had tons of those same hanging objects, which seemed to be made out of the same kind of material, he blinked as the lady awaited an answer.

"O-oh, I apologize, I was just curious about... the grass." You would think he would be used to public interactions by now, he mentally cringed at himself. Why was he like this...

"Oh your a grass fan huh? Well I got dead grass, some what alive grass, brown, green, yellow--you name it honey."

Before he could ask-- or better yet, try to understand what was happening, he felt a line build up behind him. The goat looked at him expectedly. How did he even get here? He was NOT going to buy grass---

...

He bought 2 bags of grass and a single flower.

Pulling out his phone, he sent pictures of some of the hanging decor that boggled his mind to Rouge. Maybe she would know, she always happened too. He had to admit, some of the designs were rather beautiful, while confusing.

He continued to walk through the town, entering the main plaza, he reached down to grab the particular flower he had purchased in his moment of weakness. He sat down near the fountain to examine it.

Each flower the lady was selling had been pressed and incased in a glass like circle container. Like a keychain, it was held by a single string. The yellow rose shimmered in the sunlight, their tips a deep red. He supposed it was rather stunning, he could find some use for it, maybe.

The agent watched as groups moved from one side of the plaza to the other, moving tables, bags, and tools. He felt a little cramped, so much for finding a place to relax--he wasn't a fan of crowds.

Not wanting to get in the way more than he felt he already has, Shadow hastily walked out of the town, finding solace in the nearby woods.

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Sonic was on a roll today.

After helping Tails with the charms for everyone, he was quickly shooed out of the house. His little brother wanted to surprise him with his charm when it was finished. Sonic offered to take the few the kit was able to get done with him, it was probably one of his favorite parts.

After all, who was a better delivery boy then the fastest thing alive?

He hit all the stops, as many as he could anyways, he couldn't wait to see all the additions during the festival. He wondered if they'd finally serve chilidogs this season?

After quietly hanging some charms at a certain detective agency, along with a quick run passed Vanillas, the blue hedgehog pulled out the last two charms-- littered with small pink flowers and shiny stones, meant for the one and only Amy Rose.

The pink hedgehogs window was wide open, the sweet smell of--what Sonic could tell anyways, was something in the oven, probably for the festival. This was one of Amy's favorite holidays after all.

But before Sonic could hang the charms, Amy was already opening her froNT DOOR-- NO HIS PEFRECT PLAN FOILED.

Quickly hiding the charms behind his back, he hoped they wouldn't get tangled together too much. He smiled as Amy made eye contact with him. Act natural.

"H-Hey Ames! Cooking up something for tonight? Wouldn't happen to be chilidogs would it?" yeah, he was super cool.

Amy rolled her eyes, but played along. "Nope! It's my world famous strawberry short cake, also its baking not "cooking" Sonic."

Sonic groaned, what was she the word police? It should've been chilidogs.. NO ONE BRINGS CHILIDOGS-- before he could continue his mental war over the fact he was getting strawberry short cake AGAIN, Amy gasped. Crap he forgot he was supposed to be hiding the--

"Are those--?!"

"NO AMY SAVE YOURSELF DONT LOOK ITS BAD LUCK S T O P." He stammered, quickly running inside her house to hang them out her window letting out a long sigh of relief. "There we go, I saved your life you owe me now."

Amy snorted, holding her ribs as it quickly turned into a laughing fit. Sonic couldn't help laughing with her. It was nice, it really brought out the kids in them both. She walked back inside to look at them, wiping the tears from her green eyes. "Your a dork, ahh they're beautiful!"

"Thanks! Tails was really hoping you'd think so, I mean, mines a given but--" Amy nudged him playfully, stopping him mid sentence. "Alright we don't need another "Pro Charms" maker speech. You won that competition one time! one!"

"Sounds like something a beginner would say." He smiled smugly, Amy only groaned moving back to grab her bag.

"I was just on my way to hang some charms myself, I just set my cake to cool so I should be able to finish it when I get back." She put her hand on her hip, glaring at the hedgehog knowingly. "and you ARE going to have some young man, it was made with love!"

Sonic put a hand over his chest, "I will endure it for you Ames, always." It wasn't Amy's fault, her cake was always a hit, he was just a hater.

"Sounds good," she chuckled, "oh, and if you wanted someone to bring chilidogs why not just talk to Shadow about it? You didn't stop talking about how good his were for a whole week." Amy smirked, "come to think of it, has he ever been to the festival before? I don't think there are any in Westopolis.. I meant to ask Rouge, maybe they could come this season!"

Something in Sonic snapped, a tight knot built up in his chest.

He forgot about Shadow.

Amy noticed Sonics sudden change in demeanor, puzzled. "Everything okay Soni--?"

"CANT CHAT MY REPUTATIONS ON THE LINE--" and without another word, the blue blur was out the door, the gust of wind following him. Amy blinked, looking back at her cake, which was miraculously still standing and cooled to the perfect tempature.

"Oh come on!"

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Shadow smiled to himself. Now this was much better.

The hybrid sat by a small pond, watching the frogs do their daily business, which he concluded was a lot of croaking.

The sun was beginning to set, just a little, he'd have to report back in the morning. The "joy" was almost overbearing... Taking a breath, he refused to let such a small thing ruin his quiet moment with the frogs. They didn't deserve to hear his grumblings anyways.

Just then, his ear twitched, the agent picked up a slight disturbance in the forest--it could've been easily mistaken to the light rustling of the leaves in the breeze, but his advanced hearing knew better. Standing up, he quickly moved out from the open.

What now?

Suddenly, a flash of blue zoomed passed where he hid behind the greenery. The whirlwind left behind ruffling Shadow's quills, causing his breath to hitch, just a little.

Sonic.

He didn't know when he started to chase him, he also didn't know why he did so... all he knew was that his heart needed to catch up.

He wanted too.

They zoomed around the trees, up the slopes and over mossy boulders. He wasn't sure if the blue hedgehog noticed him yet, but Sonic seemed to pick up speed, dashing under fallen trees and making all sorts of sharp turns.

Almost like he was trying to lose him.

Shadow growled, he was not going to lose.

He was so close, too close, but Sonic still stayed quicker and ever more nimble then the hybrid. They began to occasionally circle one another, again, and again, for no other reason but to glance at the other.

What was Sonic holding?

Sonic's foot got caught under a root, causing whatever dance was going on between the two to be cut abruptly. Shadow saw the item get flung out of his hands. The agent swiftly catching it before it could fall to the ground. He eyed it curiously before--

He couldn't believe it.

Shadow heard a small chuckle coming from the trapped hedgehog, who was working on freeing his foot.

"Ya know, it's bad luck if you see yours before it's hung." He smiled, walking over to the ebony hedgehog as he gently handed it back to him.

"I don't.." Shadow groaned, "understand?" Sonic eyed him curiously.

"I've been seeing those," he pointed to the wind chime like object in Sonic's hand. "all around town, what are they exactly?"

The hero hummed, quickly putting the pieces together at last, snapping his fingers. "Oh! Holy Gaia you really don't know do you?!"

Sonic's face never looked more punchable, but he just grumbled through it. Crossing his arms annoyed by his rivals endless teasing. How was he supposed to--?

Sonic raised his hands a bit with a laugh, careful with the mesh of unfinished weaved flowers and grass.

"Alright, alright, my bad," he and the hybrid started to walk through the woods, a complete one eighty from their previous chase. The noises of the forest slowly humming back to life.

"Amy mentioned you probably didn't know about the festival, but I had no idea you also didn't even know about one of Mobius's oldest traditions."

"Did you happen to forget that I was raised above the planet, not on it." Shadow corrected, "also if I recall, you didn't know what one of my holidays were either." Could this hedgehog be any more scatter brained?

Instead of the utter embarrassment the hybrid was expecting out of the hedgehog. Sonic instead looked right at him with a smile that rivaled all the stars. He attempted to step away, but his legs wouldn't move. They seemed to have a mind of their own today anyways...

"That's right! We made a deal, remember? I'm pulling my "teaching Shadow about a holiday pass" today!" he smirked, pulling the agent along as they jogged around the trees.

Shadow supposed it was, only fair, it's not like he had any plans. Rouge hadn't responded to his text in hours anyways.

"You were running somewhere? Here?"

Sonic nodded, "I have a secret place I like to make charms at." he looked back at the other behind him, "buuut you gotta promise not to tell anyone Shads. It's our secret now~"

Ignoring the wink sent his way, Shadow only nodded, and the duo disappeared into the brush.

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"Hey! Your picking this up quick Shadow! You sure you haven't done this before?"

"Hush, your going to make me lose my place."

There was a meadow, a meadow right in the center of the forest. It looked like something right out of a painting, or one of the nature textbooks Maria would have in her room and stare at for hours, wishing that it was in color.

She would've loved it here.

The hedgehogs sat under a giant willow tree, a flower bed surrounded them with different shades of small flowers. Tall green grass pressed below them under the shade, it took all of Shadows willpower not to stare at the scenery around him, instead it was just as Sonic instructed-- one loop through the next, and tighten, then again.

He finally understood now. These "hanging trinkets" were called, Mobian Suncharms. Through Sonic's crude-ish history lesson, he learned that at the end of every winter, Mobians would weaved together their own Suncharms to give as a gift, a "promise" to friends and family that they would be with them in the spring.

Sonic explained that, when you were done, you were traditionally supposed to hang them right outside said persons window. Without them seeing of course. The person would collect how many SunCharms they'd received at the end of the day, bringing them to a special festival where you would combine them to one big SunCharm, where you would then keep everyone's "promises" in your home until the Charm wilted.

"The food, games, and music was kinda added later I guess." Sonic explained, effortlessly weaving around the small green and red flowers in his hand. "Tails and I had ran into a festival when we were younger," he breathed a laugh, "we were so lost, no clue what was going on either."

Shadow hummed, listening as he glanced over to Sonics hands before readjusting his own weavings.

"I didn't really have any interest in it at first, we were just there for the free food mostly, but Tails, he begged me to try. His village had excluded him from it.." Sonic gripped his charm slightly. Shadow noticed and subconsciously leaned a little closer to the blue hedgehog.

"Why?"

Sonic glanced back at Shadow, his face... a little closer than he expected. He cleared his throat, sighing. "ah, well, you probably didn't know but.. his old village was convinced his Tails brought "bad luck" or some crap like that..." Sonic mumbled the last part, Shadow could tell he didn't like talking about it much. So he only nodded.

"I see, a shame, I always thought they were rather unique."

The hero blinked, chuckling a bit, "Man, Tails would freak if you said that to him." The hybrid chuckled back, glad he was able to lift Sonics spirits, just a little.

"Well, I am a bit of a hybrid myself." Shadow concluded.

"Hey so am I," Sonic snorted, referring to what Shadow could only guess was his abnormal speed. "We should start a club."

"Noted."

The silence was comforting, whatever sunlight was left peeping through the trees branches fell onto Sonics cobalt quills. It reminded him of the pond. Not that Shadow was staring-- no.

"The festival is gonna start soon." Sonic's voice broke the stillness, he didn't realize the blue hedgehog could sound that soft before.

Standing up, Sonic dusted himself off, looking down at his rival. "Can I see you there?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it." he smiled, "I'll finish mine and meet you tonight."

"Sounds like a plan." the hero gave him a quick thumbs up, holding Shadow's charm close to his peach chest and zooming away. Shadow supposed he'd get to see the finished product later then. They were running a little short on time, hanging them on the windows was out of the question now.

After a few more minutes, the hedgehog stood up, one arm holding a bundle of SunCharms. While the other, one Sonic helped him with earlier, he hung on the willow tree. It's light blue and yellow flowers perfectly weaved together. A blue stone at it's center.

"I promise, Maria." Through the spring, and for the rest of time.

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The festival was going just as planned, people from all over Mobius seemed to join together under the lights of the Sunset Heights plaza. Sonic waved toward his friends, who were all dressed up for the occasion. They held their individual SunCharms in bundles, some already started trying to find a way to piece them together, laughing and joking all the way. It warmed his heart.

"Sonic!" Tails called, giggling as his brother pulled him up into a hug. "Look how many Charms I got!"

The kit enthusiastically held up what seemed to be hundreds of SunCharms, Sonic could tell the kid was already figuring out a way to fit them together in his little genius brain.

"That's awesome bud! Maybe you could help me with mine next." Sonic held a whole bundle of SunCharms, being the literal hero of Mobius without a literal window FOR SunCharms ended with him being handed all of them at once as soon as he entered the plaza. Tails couldn't help but wheeze.

"Good luck with that Sonic." he winked. Cream and Charmy came running over as well.

"I can take those for you Mr. Sonic! We set up a table for us all near the fountain!" the rabbit smiled, helping Sonic walk over to set the SunCharms down.

"As emperor of Charmy Day, I herby also offer my assistance to you!" Charmy added, flying over to take some as well. Sonic smiled, these kids were awesome.

Vector sighed, "Charmy for the last time it's not Charmy Day." he chuckled, "Wow Sonic, you sure got your hands full there!"

Espio nodded from where he sat near the kids table, Sonic could only guess he self appointed himself as the child watcher as the other adults partied around. "Glad you could make it Sonic, and thank you for your charms."

"Thanks guys, no problem!" after setting his stuff down and finally resting his arms, he started to greet the others. Amy was already handing out slices of her strawberry shortcake. While Charmy had pulled Tails and Cream away to play games. Even Knuckles was here, and he looked like he was being "tormented" by a certain white bat.

"Rouge?" Sonic blinked surprised. "I didn't know you celebrated!"

"She didn't," Knuckles huffed, "But someone has big ears and heard me talking about it, now she won't leave me alone." Knuckles's muzzles was almost as red as his quills. Sonic assumed that was Rouge's doing.

"Heya blue," she took a sip of her drink before gently patting the echidnas head. "He invited me here since I was trying to get answers for a certain someone who didn't know about the holiday."

"Yeah, while you were on my island trying to steal my emerald!"

"Oh relax red, we made a mutual agreement to put aside our differences for tonight." she hummed, taking another sip out of her drink before Knuckles could put in another word.

Sonic never really thought about it, but Rouge was almost always in the city, probably for her whole life. He wondered if she was like Shadow, and was simply unaware of a part of Mobian culture because of it. Like Sonic was with, with.. oh yeah! Valentines Day!

"Well, either way, glad you guys are here! Wouldn't be the same without ya Knuckle head. Your gonna love it Rouge, everything's free tonight!"

"Now that's my kind of holiday!" she laughed, raising her glass to the hedgehog.

Leaving the couple to it, Sonic grabbed a drink, walking around the fountain greeting more people before eyeing a familiar dark hedgehog under the lights.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up." he couldn't help his tail from wagging, or the dumb smile that was probably on his face. Because oh my Gaia did Shadow clean up good.

The end of the winter brought its last chilly breeze, so many people had light coats or sweaters on. But Shadows collared shirt, leather jacket, freshly brushed quills, and eyeliner. Looked... nice. Yes, very nice.

"I said I'd be here." he said, in his, "did you literally forget I just told you" look. Sonic just sighed, "And I'm happy you are, because I get to give you this!" he pulled out a SunCharm from his quills, Shadow stared in awe at the sight.

It looked even better from when he watched Sonic make it under the willow tree. It was embedded with small black stones, the red and green flowers curled around them perfectly. There was even a few pressed flowers on there too, dangling from thin strings. A green rose, and a purple one too. He was definitely keeping those after his charm wilted for, educational purposes.

Shadow gently took the charm from him, holding his carefully to examine each little detail. He hoped his tail wasn't wagging too much...

"T-Thank you, Sonic." he forced out, still infatuated with his gift. Sonic only smiled dumby in response, he wanted to make sure Shadow's first SunCharm was extra special.

"Here..." The hybrid pulled his SunCharm from his own quills, not really watching Sonics expression as he handed it to him. He wasn't expecting much of a response other than a "Thanks Shadow!" or even "Aw for me? You shouldn't have."

But he was met with absolute silence.

In fact, Shadow hadn't even realized until then as well, but the whole plaza was, in fact dead silent.

Heart picking up pace fast. Shadow looked around confused out of his mind, which wouldn't be the first time that day anyways. He shifted his attention to Sonic, and he was going to ask him what the hell was going on but--

Sonic's face was beet red.

"Sonic? What's wrong?" Why was it that every time he tried to celebrate anything it ended up going horrible and utterly wrong in his favor--

"S-Shadow, you gave me a E-Eternal Rose.." Sonic swallowed, gesturing to the Yellow Rose, the one with the red tips. That dangled innocently by a string. Shadow didn't know what else to add on Sonics' SunCharm so he just-- he just added it? What in the world is happening right now.

Shadow bit back a hiss, trying so hard to not let all the eyes scare him away. He was stronger than that, right? Whatever offence he just caused Sonic and all of Mobius apparently could be solved with a simple apology and a swift move to a different continent and--

"It's a declaration of an eternal love, to like your.. uh, l-life partner?" Sonic chuckled awkwardly. Watching as Shadows face twisted from anguish to pure flushed embarrassment.

"I-It's okay! You didn't know! It's not a big deal or anything--" Sonic was stammering, people were whispering. People were watching.

He wasn't strong enough.

He took a hold of the traitorous rose and snapped it from the SunCharm, pulling his chaos emerald before the whole plaza was engulfed into a green light.

"C-CHAOS CONTROL!"

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.

.

Why couldn't the rose have meant nothing. Absolutely, nothing. He could've been enjoying himself with everyone else, in the back, probably in the corner. But still, nonetheless better than this.

But no, it had to mean something, and that something was the most prominent something of all.

A declaration of love of all things.

He gripped the rose in his hand, unwilling to shatter it, because what good would that do? Why didn't that lady tell him it meant something like that before he went ahead and bought it along with her two bags of grass.

Maybe he should just sleep under this willow tree for the night.

Suddenly, he heard a voice call to him. The last voice he wanted to hear right now...

"Shadow! Dude?! Where did you go!?" Sonic called to him from somewhere within the forest. Shadow knew it was cowardly to hide, it was weak to hide. He would be severely scolded for this behavior back on the Ark.

But he wasn't on the Ark.

And no amount of testing prepared him for this.

Maria's SunCharm seemed to make the most noise, the blue stone he had placed in the middle mere hours earlier made a whistling noise through the cracks around its uneven sides in the breeze. He grumbled at it, begging for it to stop--

"There you are!" Sonic peered under through the long hair like vines that hung from the tree, separating them like curtains.

Shadow yelped, quills sticking up protectively. "L-Leave me be.." he sped walked around the tree, a determined Sonic behind him.

Kicking up his air shoes, Shadow blasted away, the forest blanketing him in darkness from the moon. The blue light that bounced off of the trees following him..

They raced once again, similar to earlier, but instead of it being filled by curiousness, it held the unknown-- something that only filled the hybrid with dread.

He hated it. He hated not knowing, he despised running away, to many complicated emotions... gritting his teeth he swerved around. Face to face with the hedgehog, who wasn't expecting him to stop.

"Shad--"

"Fight me."

Sonic blinked, "What?! Now--?"

But he was already blocking a kick, and it was Shadow's turn to play chase.

They duked it out for what seemed like forever, kicks and punches coming left and right. Swerving under and over trees and rocks. They gave it their all, occasionally circling... just to glance at the other.

Sonic would lose him in the darkness, and Shadow would seemingly reappear from it, tackling him to the ground. The blue hedgehog in return would light up the forest in a dazzling light, chaos energy flowing through him.

They rolled down a hill, gripping the other tightly before they stopped. Breathing heavily, Sonic and Shadow collapsed side by side before looking up into the starry night. The moon greeting them in its pale light.

"S-Shadow?" Sonic panted, looking over at the coughing hedgehog. Who used to rest of his energy to look away.

"I-I'm" Shadow swallowed heavily, "I'm sorry."

Sonic laughed, but it sounded more like a gentle wheeze. "That you lost? I mean you said it not me-- OW!" He hissed, as Shadow elbowed him.

"You know what I meant.."

"Y-yeah.. I know."

They stayed silent for a while longer, the night filled with nothing but their breaths. This time, however, Shadow broke it.

"I didn't know.."

Sonic smiled, "No kidding."

Shadow grumbled, holding his face in his hands remembering the moment. He dragged them down his muzzle before hesitantly looked over to Sonic, who was covered in branches and leaves.

"I had purchased it this morning.. a older woman was selling some I supposed." he recalled, the flower was rather pricey now that he thinks about it.

The hero hummed, "Those flowers are extremely rare, couples usually put them on their SunCharms when their expecting to marry in the spring." he explained, "It's just for good luck or whatnot, the fact she just happen to have one is crazy."

"That would've been nice to know.." The agent looked away, face absolutely flushed.

Sonic sat up, reaching a hand out to help the other up. They sat there for a minute before the blue hedgehog held his hand out again. "May I see it?"

"S-sure.." Shadow handed him the flower that singlehandedly ruined his night. But Sonic looked at it with utter awe.

"It's beautiful."

The hybrid hummed, staring at Sonic for a while as he examined the flora.

"I should've explained the flower color meanings to you man.. I'm so sorry. Guess It just slipped my mind."

"Wouldn't be the first time you've forgotten something." Shadow minorly teased, correcting his gaze away from the hedgehog.

"Har har," Sonic nudged him, coming a little closer to show the flower to Shadow. He smelled like wet grass, or the air before the rain.

"You see the yellow? That could mean multiple things, but usually, it means happiness, or friendship." Shadow nodded along, looking at where Sonics gloved fingers pointed on the glass.

"The red tips signify that friendship becoming, something more," He chuckled, awkwardly, "Like, falling in love, I guess."

Shadow pulled his own legs closer to hug himself, looking away once again, he didn't know why he felt so.. vulnerable. When he let himself become this way around Sonic specifically, it happened over time he supposed.. he didn't care, he just wanted to be.

"I didn't.. mean to embarrass you, on your holiday no less." Shadow cleared his throat. "and I shouldn't have left so suddenly.. that was very rude of me and--"

"Dude," Sonic placed a hand on top of Shadows. "It's okay.. I promise."

He was so close, too close, they ended up resting their foreheads together. Closing their eyes and just sat there. Something inside of him wished it could last forever.

Sonic hummed, breaking the contact, "You never finished your SunCharm by the way.." emerald eyes stared back at him in the night. Shadow couldn't help but stare back.

"What..?"

Pulling out the SunCharm Shadow made for him, he pointed at the broken string with a smile. "Think you could fix it for me?"

Shadow blinked, "But I thought--"

"It doesn't have to mean anything Shads, who cares! It's just a pretty flower," Sonic rolled his eyes, "You made it and I want to keep it, I don't give a damn about what anyone else thinks."

There was something about Sonic that had always fascinated Shadow... he supposed he'd never fully understand, and for once, he was fine with that.

He tied the Eternal Rose back in place, the moon reflecting off its surface. Sonic glimmered with a happiness that Shadow momentarily thought rivaled even the flower. He knew somewhere, Sonic was right, that what the flower meant was just a means of symbolism... nothing more.

But he supposed it was true in a sense, Shadow knew he was eternal.. and, as much as he didn't like to admit it--even to himself, he found himself caring, a little too much about this stupid blue hedgehog that just so happened to run right into his life.

And if Sonic saw a promise of anything in that flower, Shadow would keep it, until the end of it all.

Sonic chuckled, glancing toward Shadow, "What? Do I still got dirt on my face?"

The agent grumbled, looking away, "We should head back." He stood up, he had some apologizing to do after all.

"You mean you still wanna go? Even after--"

"It's like you said, it doesn't have to mean anything." Shadow smiled, happy that Sonic smiled with him. Helping Shadow dust himself off and fix his collar. "Happy to hear that Shads." He winked.

They stood there for a moment, before Sonic playfully shoved him to the side. Taking off, "You owe me a dance! And chilidogs, faker!"

Shadow grunted, recentering himself before blasting off after his rival back to Sunset Heights. Maybe the night was full of unsaid promises, and maybe now wasn't the right time, but whatever the two had was special.

That was a promise.

[welcometogrouchland]

Batman #149 by chip zdarsky is mostly unremarkable, but I'm really fascinated by how it makes a great case for 'good' endings not saving 'bad' stories*. Because there's a lot of interesting concepts in this issue (bruce having to deal with his rapidly aging and decaying clone making him think about his own life, re-establishing a 'nest' so to speak for his family after pushing them away, etc) but bc of the OOC slog that came before it, almost every moment w/ the batfamily comes off as unearned and disingenuous imo.

Like, everything with Damian is the perfect example in this. Because in isolation it's...fine. admittedly it's a missed opportunity to not go deeper into how Damian would feel about a clone of his dad who tried to kill considering Damian's relationships with clones of himself (the heretic rejects and respawn) or with former enemies who wanted him dead but who were manipulated and/or brainwashed (like suren and maya).

Zdarsky doesn't go into any of this but you could maybe excuse it as the issue not being about Damian. However, coupled with the previous bizarre characterizations of Damian in 147 and 148, it ends up not being fine- instead it starts to feel...icky how Damian (who, despite often being drawn and written as white, will never have his connection to the non-white al ghuls forgotten and will always be effected by racism even when not portrayed as a poc) is constantly written as overly violent, uncaring and narrow minded in this run. Coupled w/ trying to recanonize the morrison origin for Damian it's like. OH this is badly written and laden with subtle bigotry, sick**

That's me going into detail on it with Damian but it's applicable to other things in this issue- the way Cass, Steph and Duke have all been ignored or turned into jobbers makes their inclusion in the 'family' here feel hollow instead of satisfying. Bruce proclaiming that Zur was still a part of him and he needs to accept responsibility for his actions (when it means taking in clone son) wrings hollow when just last issue zdarsky was bending over backwards to separate Bruce and Zur bc otherwise the Jason thing would get really awkward. Ends are achieved through means that feel hollow or strange. I'm at my destination but damn why'd the bus have to do all that???

I only really have opinions on this latest arc of zdarskys Batman bc it's the one I've read the closest (bc I'm a hater, masochist and avid follower of even the bad damian storylines) but it's not saying great things.

Bc zdarsky can do one thing good in this book, and it's write Bruce and Tim. And yet this entire story, whether of his own volition or editorial mandate, includes other characters who aren't Bruce and Tim, the fabric starts to unravel in very telling ways.

(p.s, I think pennyworth manor is an interesting idea but I feel like in execution it's just gonna be 'bruce living in a house haunted by the memory of the people he couldn't save' but with a different dead guy this time. Illusion of change and whatnot)

*whether or not the ending is good is up to you ofc, as is your opinion on the proceeding arc! I saw some ppl complain that the ending was too "WFA" for them, which I get even if I dont think it'll literally be the same premise. If anything it's probably a lead into the new tec run. Likewise many ppl who aren't in the weeds of Damian and Jason characterization liked the previous arc! But I have my opinions and rest my case before the bench

**disclaimer, I'm white and portrayals of bigotry in comics are complicated and subjective, but I am basing my point here off what other poc comic fans on socmed have been saying about 149. Also the "sick" is sarcasm incase that wasn't obvious

[formereldestdaughter]

ok wait i need to hear more of your thoughts on peeta owning a bakery....

This is one of those rare times where I’m pretty sure this anon isn’t someone I know personally bc I’ve subjected anyone who will listen to my rant about the Peeta Bakery Headcanon. Anyway, you’re gonna regret asking this anon bc there are fucking Layers here.

I know this is probably a controversial take based on the number of fics where I’ve seen it, but I simply do not think that Peeta would open a commercial bakery after Mockingjay!! Like on a metatextual level, I don’t think it really fits with the point of the ending of the series. It actually sort of fascinates me that it’s just such a common headcanon because the ending of Mockingjay is exceedingly vague. I think that vagueness invites us, as readers, to imagine a better world post-revolution. A world where Katniss would feel confident that her children would be safe from injustice, where she’d feel confident that her children would never know want the way she did as a child. A just world. A kinder world. Can a capitalist society ever be just? Is a capitalist society where a disabled teenager has no other means to subsist himself (or feels like there’s no other way he can be a contributing member of his community) really the post-revolution world we dream of? Is that really the best we can imagine?

(This got so insanely long I’m adding a read more lmao)

I get that showing a better world is not always the point of post-mockingjay headcanons/fics. Like there are plenty of really great post-mockingjay fics I’ve seen where, yeah, part of the fic is that society like ISN’T all that different or all that much better. I’ve seen that really well done! Hell, I’ve written them myself! It’s easy to imagine how a lot of aspects of society would not get an overhaul, a lot of the same structural inequalities would continue to exist. One headcanon that really stuck with me (I can’t remember which fic it was from) was that Peeta sells basically mail order baked goods to people on the Capitol, sending them iced cakes and pastries by train, because there are still people who were “fans” of theirs during the Games. And idk this doesn’t actually have much to do with my point lol but I liked it because it’s kind of fucked up and like! Yeah! It makes sense! If he needed money that would be a good way to make it! War often makes people rich, often for horrible reasons, and often it’s people who already have capital in the first place.

Anyway, more about the hypothetical bakery because alright. I bring up the fact that “yeah society not being all that different post-revolution and still being an unjust capitalist hellscape” could be a reason why Peeta re-opens a bakery because that’s actually never the types of fics where I see the bakery headcanon. Fics where Peeta opens a bakery are usually trying to make the exact opposite point. Like. Things are getting better, now he can open a bakery! Look at how much better the world is now, plus he’s got a bakery! Peeta is healing, that’s why he can open a bakery now! And I am so, so sorry to inform everyone who’s never had the grave misfortune of owning a family business, but there is truly nothing further from the truth lmao. Like just putting aside the immense amount of emotional baggage that Peeta has about his family, running a small business is an insane amount of work in any context and being a baker especially is physically grueling and involves early hours (and long hours) that aren’t really the best fit with the multiple ways that Peeta is disabled now. (I could go into this more because I have a lot of thoughts. But I will spare you.). I also think it’s seen throughout the books that Peeta is someone who needs time to pursue creative outlets to process his feelings and someone who values leisure and values quality time with his loved ones. And having grown up in his family’s bakery, I think he’d understand the reality that running a bakery wouldn’t leave much space of those pursuits and wouldn’t leave much space for him to have the things that keep him healthy and stable. I think he’d know that the way he is now— after two Games and the war and unspeakable torture at the hands of a dictator—isn’t compatible with the lifestyle necessary for running a commercial bakery.

And tbh with that in mind, I don’t think he’d push himself to re-open a business (one that would be a constant reminder of his dead family and his complicated relationships with them that got no closure) that would require him to sacrifice his physical and emotional well-being. Like I think he might look into the possibility, I think he might even start trying to open a bakery out of a sense of obligation/duty, maybe harboring some idea that this is who he was supposed to be, who he would've been without the Games, or that it’s this last piece of his family that can live on, or that it’s this last connection to his family so he can’t let it die too. But ultimately, I think any attempt to open a bakery wouldn’t get very far. Maybe he'd start wading into the logistical nightmare that is small business ownership and realize it's not for him (because it's probably also true that as much as him and his brothers were involved in the business, there's almost certainly parts they weren't involved with and didn't see, i.e., filing taxes). Or maybe looking into opening a bakery— how triggering it is, the stress of it— causes a downward spiral. Maybe he hates how much he's worrying everyone by unraveling. Maybe having a breakdown from the stress of just trying to open a bakery makes him realize, yeah, maybe in another life he would have ran his family’s bakery but the way he is now just doesn’t work with running a bakery, not without great sacrifices he's not willing to make. I just can’t see a bakery coming to fruition.

I know a lot of fics include Peeta deciding to reopen a bakery as a big step in his healing or include him rebuilding a bakery as part of his healing process but honestly, I think the opposite would be more true: I think Peeta either trying/failing to open a bakery or ultimately deciding not to open a bakery would be hugely healing for him. I think it would be a huge part of him accepting the way he is now as a person, his new limitations but also his strengths. I think it would be a huge part of him accepting the way his life his now and accepting that he likes his life the way it is, that he’s satisfied with his life without needing to own a bakery. I think it would be an important part of him coming to terms with the loss of his family. I think he knows he can never have things back as they were and I don’t think he would try to recreate them, especially because his family’s legacy isn’t a business. I think he’s emotionally intelligent enough and self reflective enough to realize that what mattered to him about the bakery— taking care of others by feeding them, being integrated into his community and being actively involved in it, brightening people’s days with delightful things whether that’s beautiful cakes or hearty food or delicious treats— and the things he learned from his family through the bakery, are things that he can carry on in other meaningful ways.

(Do you regret sending this ask yet, anon? Because if not, you will soon. I’m not done yet. There’s more.)

I wasn’t really sure where to put this next part in what is rapidly becoming an essay because it sort of combines the points about like “what do we imagine a post-mockingjay society to look like” with the practical difficulties of starting this bakery but here’s another thing: do people really think that the Mellarks owned the land the bakery was on?? Like, sure, the merchants are the petit bourgeois of Twelve but I still don’t imagine they really own anything. In a society where houses are assigned to people upon marriage, where property ownership and capital are so closely interconnected with citizenship (as shown by the Plinths who, by having immense capital, are able to leave their District and become citizens of the Capitol) do people really think the Mellarks would be allowed to own the land their bakery is on?? I always imagined it sort of like a tenant farming situation: the Capitol gives them the raw materials for the bakery and in return the bakery give them some absurdly high portion of their profits, or the Capitol sells them a year’s supply of raw materials at a premium on credit and at the end of the year the Mellarks have to use the money they made with those materials to pay it back, except it’s never enough to turn a profit so they always have to buy next year’s materials on credit and the cycle continues.

We (understandably) get a really skewed view of the merchant class through Katniss’s perspective so I can see why people come to the conclusion that his family owned the property and, as the last surviving member, he would’ve inherited it. I’ve seen the inheritance thing in fics a lot or a hand wavey “well Twelve was decimated to no one owns anything anymore so it can be his” or even like an almost sort of reparations type situation where he’s entitled to the land as a surviving refugee of Twelve. But I don’t know. I guess I don’t think it fits with everything else we know about Panem that the Mellarks would’ve owned that land and I think the question of whether the government would’ve let him take ownership of the land post-revolution brings up a lot of issues about the structure of society post-Mockingjay that I find more interesting to explore in other ways, especially when, from an emotional perspective, 1) I find the idea of Peeta not opening a bakery more compelling and 2) I don’t think it really fits his character arc by the end of Mockingjay to reopen a bakery, as I went on about at length above lol.

On the flip side: literally who cares!! Do whatever you want!! Headcanon whatever you want!! I get why people go for the bakery!! It’s fun, it’s wholesome, it’s a built in bakery AU that isn’t even an AU. It doesn’t matter if it’s practical or realistic!! It doesn’t need to be practical or realistic!! It’s fanfic of a dystopian YA series!! My unfortunate affliction is that I grew up in a family that owned a restaurant and that I have multiple degrees in the social sciences so I can’t see the bakery without being like “What about the overheard? What about the start up costs? Who’s spending long nights balancing the books? Is Peeta covering shifts when an employee calls in sick? Is Peeta the sole person working there until the bakery is open long enough (often a year or more) to start turning a profit? How does that sleep schedule work with his nightmares? How does that work with Katniss’s nightmares? What happens when he has an episode and suddenly needs to take the day off before he has any employees? Does the bakery just remain closed for the day? Can the profit margins withstand regular unexpected closures? Can the supplies withstand regular unexpected closures?” And if the answer is “Elliott none of those things matter he’s not doing the bakery because he needs the money but because he wants to”, then my question is why does he want to? Does he not get the same sort of satisfaction out of feeding his loved ones? Doesn’t Peeta seem like someone who would rather give away baked goods than sell them?? Doesn’t Peeta seem like someone who would prefer to make cakes for people’s special occasions upon and then when they insist on paying him for it, he only lets them “pay for the ingredients” which actually cost significantly more than he says they did??

So yeah my point is that it’s a matter of personal taste! It doesn’t fit the way I see the series but that doesn’t mean it’s like wrong, I’m not an authority on Peeta lmao.

It’s also a matter of personal taste in the sense that I find the themes that most resonate with me at the end of Mockingjay (and the end of Peeta’s arc specifically) more interesting to explore in other ways. Grief, living with loss, relearning yourself, finding hope, figuring out your place in a dramatically different world when you don’t even know who you are anymore, healing, building a new life after such complete and total destruction of your old life— those are all things I find compelling about the end of Mockingjay but for me the bakery isn’t the most compelling way to explore them.

Not to say I find the concept of the bakery totally uninteresting. I have this fic about Johanna that I’ll probably never finish where the point sort of is that, yeah, her life really isn’t all that much better after the war. It’s been years at this point and she’s still miserable and she doesn’t know how to be a person but by the end she’s trying to figure it out. And towards the end, Peeta tells her that he’s spent years sort of passively, half-heartedly trying to figure out how to inherit the land his family’s bakery was on, only to find out it was never theirs in the first place. They’d been renting it the whole time and he’d never even known as a kid. So he sort of passively, half-heartedly went on another wild goose chase to find the owner and now, finally, after years of writing to various government agencies and being sent in circles and things being barely functional, he’s managed to track down the owner. Now it’s owned by the daughter of the man who owned it when he was a kid because the original owner (who was likely up to some sketchy war crime shit) died during the war and she inherited it (the irony…). He got in contact with her and asked how much it would take for her to sell it and she told him she’s not interested in selling but in light of the situation, in light of the fact that he’d have to build a new building in order to operate a bakery, that she’d cut him a deal— she’d only require 50% of the bakery’s profits as rent instead of the 80% his family used to pay. And of course Johanna is outraged, that’s not right, the owner shouldn’t be allowed to do that, they should do something about it, they should fight back. And Peeta is like. Not interested. He was actually sort of relieved that opening wasn’t very feasible. Getting the answer was a lightbulb moment where he saw that over the years of trying to look into this, he’s built a life that he likes— one where he’s stable, where his loved ones are stable, where he’s cared for and can care for others— and he doesn’t really want to change it drastically by opening a bakery anyway. He just needed an answer, one way or another, before he could get some closure and move on. (And the point of the conversation is Johanna is having her own lightbulb moment that it’s okay to move on, it’s okay to change, it’s not a betrayal of the people and things she’s lost but that’s not my point here!!).

But anyway. That’s obviously not about running the bakery— it’s about the choice to not run one.

Anyway!! Anyway… are you satisfied anon? Is this what you wanted?

Lastly, here is my most important qualm with the bakery headcanon: must Peeta be gainfully employed? Is it not enough for him to be Katniss’s boytoy? Can’t he just paint and garden and bake and hang out with his girlfriend all day? Is that really too much to ask?

[sillyfairygarden]

is it.. is it obvious that i like cle o……….

[mildmayfoxe]

WORLDS GREATEST con artist / cheapskate / stud / boozer / dancer / brat / space cadet / bs'er / hypochondriac / nut / burden / losing gambler / playmate / animal / party-goer