#Continued from DAY 5

[knuckleslove]

Whumptober 2022 ficlet

Day Seven | The way you shake and shiver

Shaking hands | Silent Panic Attack

—

(continued from Day 5)

All Knuckles knew was that he’d awoken some time later in a frenzy, and immediately felt flooded with a NEED to be outside of this place. Once he’d managed to get his legs beneath himself he proceeded back—not through the most direct, but the most walkable route—towards an exit out of Hydrocity. 

Only one chamber—one of the submerged current tunnels—ended up being impassable without continuing straight through the water. It left Knuckles shocked how, simply stepping up to the pool’s edge somehow dropped him to his knees in a panic.

He couldn’t do it. Not right now.

Several minutes passed before he managed to calm himself, and scrape himself off the floor to try a different route. 

‘City’ wasn’t quite an accurate translation, but it did convey the scale of this place. Hydrocity was a massive winding network. Knuckles knew it well, but right now he was struggling to find his way through. Would this path lead him to another submerged room? He couldn’t remember. In the end he did find a way out, but it wasn’t the exit he’d been searching for. 

In each zone he made sure to keep a stash or two of practical supplies—the sheer size of his island demanded it. The closest stash to him now was housed just inside the eastern grand entrance to Hydrocity—the one he most often passed through. He’d come out the North side.

It took Knuckles another ten minutes to drag himself round through the forest to that entrance. Once inside, he located the large chest where his items were stored, and crouched before it. First he fished out an old woven blanket, and wrapped it around himself. Warmth from sunshine above had helped a little, but he’d been shivering since he woke up. It took a bit of searching through the heap of stuff, but eventually Knuckles fished out the small yellow radio he’d been looking for. He placed it on the ground, and took the mic, but his hands were shaking so terribly, it was a struggle to do the rest. He was thankful that it did switch on and power up easily, but adjusting the dials to the correct frequencies took several tries. He’d never really liked this version of their comms. He did better with the simple dialing system.

When he finally thought he had the signal in right, Knuckles raised the mic, and just… faltered for a moment. The danger was over. Did he really need to make this call? Was it worth worrying them when he was fine? He agonized over the decision for several seconds, until finally the shaking rattled his hands so badly he dropped the mic. It surprised Knuckles into the realization that maybe, actually… he was a lot less okay  than he thought. 

He picked the mic back up, and rather than speaking pressed the button he knew would just send a call tone instead. It played quietly on his end. Knuckles closed his eyes. He leaned back against the chest and waited. It rang for a long time. Two minutes, maybe more. He’d already assumed it was playing to an empty room—or maybe the frequency was wrong—and began considering whether he remembered anyone else’s frequency, when the tone finally stopped and a voice came on. “Knuckles! Shit. Sorry! I was outside. I thought… aren’t we meeting tomorrow for the bridge fixing thing… don’t tell me I marked it wrong on the calender.” Knuckles opened his mouth to reply and immediately descended into a violent coughing fit. “Woah, hey. Knux, you okay? Are you… sick?”Knuckles coughed a couple more times before he managed to speak. Sonic did wait for his reply. “Not… ogh-hark-gh gh …not sick.” “No…? What’s going on?” “I… need some… help…” Knuckles felt really tired again. He probably shouldn’t have closed his eyes. “Help? You got it. On my way. What’s happening bud?” “Hmm… I’m cold.”“You’re… cold? Are you out in Ice Cap?” In the background, Knuckles heard a door open and close, and then some harsh whispering. He only caught a bit of it, but definitely the words, “spin-up… …rnado… …go now.”Sonic spoke again. “Knuckles, where are you now? Are you somewhere in Ice Cap?” “Ngh-ngh. No… hh-hydro…city.” Knuckles might have imagined it, but he thought he heard Sonic mutter ‘fuuuuck’ under his breath. Either way he sort of agreed with the sentiment. “Where in Hydrocity Knuckles? You know I don’t know my way around that zone too well.” “Not inside… anymore. Wait…no, I am… um… east side. big hall. It’s the entrance. He could definitely hear a propeller sound thrumming in the background now. And another voice—Tails—saying something, though he couldn’t make it out. His shivering hadn’t really improved much despite the blanket. He curled over on his side, as the chill got worse. He really wanted to sleep. “I’m… tired.” “What? No, no, don’t do that. Don’t go to sleep. Don’t… Knuckles I need you to tell me what happened. Please? Can you do that?” Knuckles groaned. He wanted to say no. “Okay… Yes. I…I…”  Oh… why was this hard to say… “Uh…I… almost drowned.” Sonic did not reply for a long time after that. Eventually Knuckles heard Tails say something forcefully in the background, and then Sonic was back.

“You’re… are you safe now?” “Mm..yeah… Not near the water anymore.” “Okay. Alright. Good. Are you—what’s that Tails? Oh. Yeah, yeah, okay… that’s yeah… Knuckles… you said your near the entrance? Is that right?” “Mm-hmm. Yeah. Where I keep the… the stuff. “Okay. Listen… I need you to go outside. Can you do that?” “Nghh… just wanna sleep.” “Yes. Yeah, I know. You’re sleepy but… but it’s a gorgeous day out here, ‘kay? You don’t wanna miss it. Can you just—” “—M’tired.” “Knuckles. I know. Please, just… stand up. Walk outside. It’s warm. Find a sunny spot to sit down—” “—Lay down.” “Fine. Lay down. That’s fine.” “Grr…okay Sonic.” “Good. Go warm up. You’ll be okay. We’ll be there soon.”

[deoidesign]

Thinking about vampires, death, life, and the space they occupy in between

[prolibytherium]

Man those The Hobbit movies really were bad huh

[doubledyke]

scrubbing through the last couple episodes of season 5 and just got hit with a wave of violent irritability

[truantng]

252/366 Linktree

[deus-ex-mona]

my five surviving braincells when something remotely good happens:

[lulu2992]

Where are they? What are they drinking? What is she saying? Why is he smiling? Is this a “No Cult AU”? If it is, why did I bother drawing all of John’s tattoos anyway?

I don’t know... I visualized this scene, drew it almost immediately, and it made me happy.

It still does :)

And I did it! One year later, I’m done posting all the “old” drawings I said I would post! :D

[dw-flagler]

its kind of funny to me that in the comics supergirl kind of occupies the spot for like the edgy superman. which is kind of weird for her typical role as kid sidekick to superman because her thing as a character (at least the versions of her character that i like) is that she doesn't have a reason to help anybody and doesn't like earth. edgy superman. but she's also the kid sidekick. strange juxtaposition

[lionbearfox]

nahida compliation

[laughingsapphic-creates]

Inukag Week day 5: Heat

Yesterday's story was over 5000 words and I didn't even post on time. Today you get a snippet lol

@inukag-week

~~~~~~

Summertime Savage

Kagome sighed in relief, setting down the last basket.

"Alright! Everyone ready?"

"Hard to say, since you haven't told us what we're doing," Shippo pointed out, "but I took off my vest and shirt, if that's all you meant."

"It is! And since it's been so hot lately, I thought a water balloon fight would be a fun way to beat the heat!" Kagome explained, picking up one of the colorful balloons.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sango hummed, sounding unsure. Kagome had brought a swimsuit for her to borrow, and a skirt to go over it if she wanted it, which she had.

"Don't worry, you look great! And if Miroku gets handsy, just start chucking," Kagome grinned, tossing the balloon to Sango. She caught it easily, careful not to squeeze the taut rubber. "Oh! Shippo, here, these are for you, too!"

Kagome grabbed the bag she'd carried the balloons and hand pump in, picking out a pair of children's gardening gloves.

"Is this part of the game?" He asked, pulling the first glove over his hand.

"Not typically, but most kids who have water balloon fights don't have sharp claws. They're not much fun when every balloon pops in your hand before you get to throw it."

"Not that I'm complaining, Kagome," Miroku assured as he and Inuyasha returned to the group, stripped down to their hakama trousers, "But what exactly is the objective of this game?"

"There isn't like, a win condition, per se. It's just trying to land as many hits as you can while not getting hit. Like a snowball fight, but better, because it's hot out, so getting hit with something cold is actually nice," she shrugged, going back to the bag. "Here, Inuyasha, I have gloves for you, too."

"Feh, I don't need 'em," he huffed.

Kagome watched as Shippo narrowed his eyes, picking up one of the balloons with his own gloved hands.

"Hey, Inuyasha," he hucked a bright orange balloon. "Catch!"

Inuyasha reached out to catch the balloon, which he did.

And then he closed his hand around it, which punctured the delicate material. He squawked in surprise at the jolt of cool water, clenching his fist around the shredded balloon.

"You little brat!"

Snatching the gloves from Kagome's hands, he gave Shippo about a second's head start, picking up one of the baskets and beginning to chase him down.

"Spend all morning pumping balloons by hand so we can have a fun afternoon, and now they're being used in anger," Kagome sighed, shaking her head. Kagome patted her shoulder, flashing a smile.

"Don't worry so much, Kagome. This is just how they have fun, you know?"

"You think so?"

"For sure," she nodded, still smiling as she took a balloon in each hand and turned her gaze on Miroku. "I'm starting to see the appeal as well."

"Sango?" Miroku asked, smiling through his nerves. "Sango, let's talk about this!"

"Start running, Monk!"

Kagome sighed, but smiled, eyes flashing at the sight of Inuyasha, who had chased Shippo to the low boughs of the nearest tree.

"Kagome! Kagome help!"

"Get down here and face me!"

Picking up an armload of water balloons, Kagome strode over, hucking the first at the back of his head. Another indignant squawk escaped him, and he whipped around to stare at her

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"What? Like you?" He asked smugly. Smirking, she threw another balloon, hitting him square in the chest. With a laugh, he picked up a balloon from his basket, and Kagome got one more shot in before she took off running with a laugh, Inuyasha taking chase automatically.

The valley surrounding the base of the waterfall echoed with shrieks and laughter for more than two hours. Kagome had to implement a "no picking up baskets" rule when Sango took two and used Kirara to implement a tactical air strike against Miroku, and Shippo had eventually gotten his shirt back and began filling it with balloons, tackling people as a means of attack. Miroku had thought to use his staff to deflect the projectiles, but they usually ended up splashing him anyway. The absolute enragement from Inuyasha whenever a balloon he threw managed to not pop on impact was hilarious to watch, but he was still clearly having a good time.

Kagome had distracted him from targeting Sango, and gotten him to chase her again. The balloons had almost run out, she only had one more on her, and she wanted to make it count.

When she reached the dead end, Kagome turned, throwing the balloon, which caught him in the shoulder before he had her backed up against the base of the cliff, one hand planted to the side of her head, the other holding a red balloon

"What's your plan now, wench?" He asked with a superior smile

Kagome didn't answer, blinking up at him with wide eyes and a soft expression. She held his gaze, looking startled but not upset.

Inuyasha's brows furrowed in confusion for a moment, before Kagome's eyes moved down, looking Inuyasha over slowly, and his face erupted with warmth as he realized what she must be thinking.

"Y- Kagome I-!"

Quick as a flash, Kagome grabbed the hand with the balloon, which had lowered in his shock, and smashed it into his chest, splashing them both.

Inuyasha grunted in surprise, eyes blown wide. And before he could even yell in indignation, Kagome pecked his cheek, reaffirming his shock.

Slipping out from between him and the rock, Kagome grinned as he turned to look at her again.

"Turnabout. Not a bad plan, for a wench," she laughed, winking at him before bolting back to the baskets, to see if she could get her hands on one more balloon and definitely not to distract herself from what she'd just done.

Inuyasha watched her run, a tiny, incredulous smile on his lips, before he took chase once more.

[raininyourblackeyes]

My cousin, a published writer, a well-known poet in my country and a literature professor, for whom I've always been no.1 support ever since her first attempts at writing in high school, told me that I must stop writing as a hobby because that's her thing and since I'm writing fantasy mostly my writing could never have any important artistic value anyways.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

man, your art is always so shaped. *eats it*

you drew human wally so adorable!!

ALSO

i LOVE reading tags on your art. so many thoughts i simply MUST imbibe. thank you

slowly (and Emotionally) breakdancing in my room over this ask <3<3<3

[misspoetree]

Presenting: The Great KinnPorsche Fashion Showdown (nobody asked for)

A few weeks ago, I made a poll about the best dressed KinnPorsche character. Tankhun won that one, followed by Vegas and Tay. Legitimate results - but the tags had some really interesting arguments for a bunch of different contenders. So why don't we take a closer look? Why don't we go through all the characters and their outfits one by one, choose the best one for each of them and repeat the initial poll at the end?

Sooo...that's exactly what we're doing right now.

*For the characters with more than 10 outfits - like Porsche here - I'm going to make multiple polls and put the best voted ones into a final one

Tankhun - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | FINAL CONTENDERS (CLOSED) - WINNER: THE CAPE 🎉🎉🎉

Vegas - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | FINAL CONTENDERS (CLOSED) - WINNER: THE WITCHY SHIRT*TM 🎉🎉🎉

Kim - Part 1 (CLOSED) | Part 2 (CLOSED) | FINAL CONTENDERS (WHITE T-SHIRT*TM vs. BLACK TANK TOP OF DEATH) - (closes April 6th!!!)

Porsche - Part 1 (closes April 9th) | Part 3 coming soon

You can find the links to all the polls (as I gradually post them) HERE (pinned on my profile).

LET'S GET VOTING! 🎉

[age-of-moonknight]

House of M: Avengers (Vol. 1/2007), #5.

Writer: Christos N. Gage; Penciler: Mike Perkins; Inker: Andrew Hennessy; Colorist: Raul Trevino; Letterer: Rus Wooton

[sun-marie]

rented Tangled on a whim tonight and man. i love that movie 🥺

[chemicalarospec]

Some intersex people genuinely don't want to be included but the majority of us want to be. It's actually really difficult to be in queer spaces that consistently enforce sex binaries, never use the updated progress flag with us, and never have intersex flags.

Often the idea that we don't want to be included comes from intersexists who want us to remain as "disorders of sexual development" (outdated offensive term). It's unfortunate that this idea permeates the queer community so much.

You can see photos from this intersex organization using the pride flag, if you need more than an anon's word. https://interactadvocates.org/#

Thanks for the information!

I didn't know "disorders of sex development" was considered outdated and offensive, I thought it was actually a modern (more formal?) alternative to "intersex". Unless that was "differences of sex development"? (I almost tagged it on the original post but I wasn't sure what the term was.) Ah, I found more information on the link (x). Thanks for the website, very helpful!

This subpage is a great source on intersex people wanting to be included! It's a bit more ambivalent than I expected - combined with this anon's word and my previous impressions it seems like there are still a significant amount of intersex people who don't want to be a part of the queer community, but the ones who do want to be included would much prefer the queer community open its arms. So it seems to me the best course is to do so and the intersex people who want to can individually distance themselves (my impression is most people of that group more want to be personally distanced than think 'I' should never be a part of 'LGBTQA') and only partake in intersex communities.

We recommend adding intersex to your organization’s LGBTQIA+ acronym only once you have intersex leadership, consultation and/or resources. Intersex people have very specific needs, just like each letter of the acronym.

This line in particular stood out to me because they only provide guidance for what organizations should do... I feel like most times when the decision is being made whether or not to use the intersex progress flag, it's individuals and small groups like my GSA making posts, selling merch, decorating a space, etc. that aren't serving any needs besides community for anyone... I guess I already came to the conclusion to include by default though? (Honestly this page feels just barely strong enough for me to send to anyone if this question comes up in the future, so if anyone has any more sources do send in more anons!)

Honestly I was hoping for something like "our survey of as many intersex forums/organizations/people as possible found that 80% of intersex people want to be included in 'LGBTQIA', pride events/orgs, and the progress pride flag" --that this had been "laid to rest" and I could just tell my friend straight "no, intersex people want to be included now"-- , but of course I shouldn't expect things to be too simple haha, people & groups are nuanced and nuance comes in the form of caveats. At least I feel much more informed now!