#Maker's Ark

[docfuture]

Does Black Swan share any code or continuity with Vizier, Flicker's stock trading AI?

Why, yes. Yes, she does. 8-) One of Doc's purposes in allowing Flicker to use that aggressive an AI persona was to field test certain details that really needed someone very fast who could say "Hey, wait a minute, that's not quite what I wanted." Flicker helps Doc a lot with safety tests where speed is handy.

[illdothehotvoice]

Replaying Mario the Music Box with my roommates and.. yeah...hm

[caktoz]

Palworld is a good example that once again, dont just believe any tweet you see, do your own research

[galleryofart]

Noah's Ark

Artist: Edward Hicks (American, 1780 -1849)

Genre: Religious Art

Date Created: 1846

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Description

The biblical story of Noah’s ark, depicted here, is found in the book of Genesis (6:9–9:28). To punish people for their wicked and violent ways, God decided to send heavy rains to earth for forty days and forty nights. First, however, he instructed Noah, a righteous man, to build an ark for his family and two of every kind of animal. After the rains stopped, a dove sent out by Noah returned to the ark with an olive branch, proof that the floodwater had receded and plants could grow again. Then God created a beautiful rainbow in the sky as a symbol of his promise to never destroy the earth again.

This painting by Edward Hicks shows a long, curving line of animals approaching Noah’s huge boat. Prancing horses and a serious-looking lion stare out at us, while pairs of elegant, black-and-white-striped zebras, giraffes, camels, tigers, and hippopotamuses stand patiently. In the distance, tiny black birds fly down from the dark, rain-filled clouds overhead.

Edward Hicks learned to paint decorative motifs when he was apprenticed to a coach maker at the age of thirteen. Later he became a successful sign painter and a devout Quaker preacher. Although his business conflicted with Quaker beliefs-that art is a distraction and a needless luxury-Hicks considered his art to be an expression of his faith and created paintings that told religious stories. This is the only painting he made of the story of Noah’s ark.

[crow-man9000]

sonic movie 3 thoughts (spoilers below for. literally everything basically + these thoughts are very sporadic)

I cannot express into a fully comprehensive english sentence how much I love this movie. I'm not even kidding, I think it's one of my favourite movies... ever! it tops raggedy ann and andy, it tops nimona, it tops deadpool and wolverine, it tops the mario movie, and dare I say my sam and max spinterest may get drowned out because of this movie... I'm never leaving this fandom tho. I am chained here LMAOOO

I absolutely ADORED all the scenes with shadow and maria! the movies highlighted their relationship perfectly, and I loved how shadow and maria looked up at the stars instead of looking down on earth on the ark because well. yknow. points to the arc-shaped hole in the movie. when she died I kinda felt like that video of that hazbin hotel fan crying over angel dust but um! we don't need to talk about that ^_^

also I fucking HATED gerald. I know we're supposed to but like I wanted to punch through the movie screen and choke him istg HE PISSES ME OFFFFF RAAAAAAAAAAAH

ok. normal now I swear. the chao garden! I loved the chao garden, and when team sonic all wears those chao mascot heads 😭😭😭 THEY LOOKED SO STUPID (SLASH POS) I LOVE THEM

also they said. a lot of things a lot of times. half of the time I was telling my mum "THE FUNNY HEDGEHOG SAID THE THING!" even though she has no idea what the fuck I'm talking about LMAOOOO. especially when sonic said "ok hot topic" I know it was in the trailers but I did not expect a snapcube reference

THE MOON SCENE. I AM NOT KIDDING I HAD MY JAW WIDE OPEN. AND THEY ADDED LIVE AND LEARN??? YOU PESKY FILM MAKERS I THOUGHT THEY WEREN'T GONNA BE IN THE MOVIE BUT YOU GOT MEEE YOU GOT ME GOOOOOOD. that scene was genuinely majestic, when the sun rises over the two of them and then shadow grabs his hand and they go super??? hello??? do you want me to go crazy??? (spoiler alert: I went crazy)

eggman and shadows sacrifices did make me a little upset not gonna lie... stone didn't even get to say goodbye properly :(( please let stone enter his villian arc next movie I think he deserves one... at least we know shadows coming back!

speaking of the next movie, AMY AND METAL!!!! I was straight TWEAKING when amy revealed herself. movie amy looks so fucking awesome GRAAAAAAAAAAAH I WILL GO INSANE!!!!! who do you guys think is gonna voice her? for some reason I can't stop thinking of movie amy as british? london being in this movie has corrupted me.... the british are invading yet another territory: my mind.

overall, this movie was so so good and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one! sonic 4 here we come!!!

no, not you episode 3

[churino]

Design for Spice Whirl ( latte spice whirl )

A whirl where everything went right for her in life, she actually gets to be a watch maker and cares for another whirl as a sister. The first ever bit of misfortune in her life was the xantium incident, but that only ever led to greater things

Spice is an autobot wrecker from the ark. Cheerful and energetic Spice loves to be helpful and care for others, but having lived a life of relative luxury compared to the other autobots, she grew fascinated with people from an outsiders point of view, not quite a psychologist, Spice Whirl likes to entertain herself by purposely acting strange to see people's reaction to certain things. Enjoying being the center of attention and pushing her friends to confront things about themselves and become better than they were before

Recently however she has picked up an violent knee biting chaos gremlin otherwise known as her sister, the other Whirl. Enthusiastic to a fault, Spice wants to temper Whirl's enthusiasm in the life of a wrecker, reasoning manufacturing and invention can give her the action she craves without putting her in too much danger, but Whirl dreams of breaking noses, (likely because she doesn't have one)

On earth Spice consistently works with her fellow wrecker Leadfoot as the autobot rotorforce sub team standing out as anti chemical weapon specialists, the two couldn't be more different, a literal ray of sunshine that hasn't suffered a day in her life and the world's most tormented rudest man, but unlikely as it seems the two have a really good friendship and work together like a well oiled machine. the world leadfoot wants to create is one where everyone can live Spice's life, and the world Spice wants to create is one where everyone can grow and improve like leadfoot.

[tyrantisterror]

A couple months ago, one of the kids at the daycare brought in a D&D starter set and asked me to DM a game for him and some of the other kids in my class. Now, I had considered doing this in the past, but written it off for a variety of reasons, mainly asusming it'd be a couple days of chaos before the kids get sick of all the math involved and lose interest. But if a kid broaches an idea and others seem on board, I feel it's kind of my duty to at least try it.

So far my assumptions have been... mostly correct? Like, 70% of my predictions have come true, it is chaos, ten-years olds are the most murder-happy murder hobo PCs you could possibly imagine, and they've really been pushing my improv skills to their absolute limits with the choices they've made (and the constrictions I have on me as a daycare teacher). But they haven't gotten bored with the math, and they absolutely love playing the game still, which is nice. I like it when my students are passionate about something.

Anyway, I bring this up because seeing how children play with D&D canon has made me realize one critical fact:

D&D needs a Mons Game spinoff.

Kids love monsters. This is not my bias, it is something that has been categorically proven to me in my four years of working at a daycare. Every kid loves the idea of weird, impossible creatures, and they love the idea of befriending a whole horde of those creatures even more so. One of my kids in the daycare D&D campaign is making it his goal to find and tame every monster he can find in the kid-friendly monster manuals I bought for the class. He wants a Tarasque and a Bullete and an Owlbear and on and on and on, and keeps proposing tactics for capturing them based on his time playing Ark: Survival Evolved, a game where you can tame dinosaurs and mythic beasts while trying to survive a wild world full of danger and obstacles.

And it turns out that, while the mechanics of D&D don't support this, the philosophy of how its settings are structured according to those mechanics does. D&D is filled with hundreds of wild and imaginative monsters, all with distinct appearances, habits, adaptations, and environmental needs. The need to make the "dungeons" part of D&D interesting has required it to build really interesting monster ecosystems, and, much like mons games, the need to keep players buying new content has resulted in them building a vast library of creatures, because selling $50 books containing a slew of new monsters is a pretty guaranteed way to get money. D&D may not be a mons game, but it's accidentally made its setting perfectly suited to be one.

And what a money-maker that would be! Skew it more towards a child audience in tone, use simpler mechanics so kids can hop into it without spending, say, three solid weeks of afterschool daycare time crafting character sheets more or less one on one, and you'd have a game that would easily hook a younger audience while planting seeds of interest into the bigger game.

Of course, there are already indie TTRPG mons games, and I imagine some of them are actually good, but unfortunately they're not exactly easily obtainable on a daycare teacher's budget. And, you know, they wouldn't let you make a team of a bulette, an otyugh, a gray render, and an owlbear.

But then again, Wizards of the Coast continues to be absolute bastards, so maybe this idea is too good for them. Which makes it a good thing they're never going to read this blog post.

[pinkanonwrites]

Been thinking way too hard about Earthspark's world implications again...

Do the Transformers get royalties for all their merchandise? The toys, the comics, the collectibles? There's no way people can just use their likenesses for walkie-talkies and coffee makers without permission, unless all the merch Alex owns are knockoffs. Does it go to the government? GHOST?

Bumblebee can't be accepting royalties for his merch when he's on the run. Does it go to Optimus? Does Optimus have a bank account? Can he list The Ark as his place of residence? Who balances the Autobot's books? Lord knows Optimus, Megatron, and Elita are far too busy to do it. Hopefully Prowl. I don't think Wheeljack is responsible enough to not be funneling money into his pet projects.

Does the Transformer themselves have to be there to approve each merchandising deal, or do they send a representative? There's no way they weren't making toys of the Decepticons to go against the Autobots, where did that money go?

I have a lot of thoughts about this. Probably too many.

[gwydpolls]

Time Travel Question 54: Ancient World and Earlier

If you could travel through time, but only to see something for Research or for Fun, not to change anything, what would you pick? Yes, you may have a Babel Fish in your ear to translate.

These Questions are the result of suggestions a the previous iteration. This category may include suggestions made too late to fall into the correct earlier time grouping. In some cases a culture lasted a really long time and I grouped them by whether it was likely the later or earlier grouping made the most sense with the information I had.

Please add new suggestions below if you have them for future consideration. All cultures and time periods welcome.

[merakisphere]

Honestly, when I was a kid I had no idea what those transforming silvery-things were for. All I knew was that delicious tamales came out of them. Fast forward 30 years later and a customer unlocked my memory, just as I unlocked hers with my wire mandalas. Who else remembers either of these curious contraptions?

I don't make the tamale maker, but I do make the moveable wire thingamajig. You can visit my shop and my handmade products here:

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Can I ask for a quick run down on what damage ark has done?

ark: survival evolved has countless prehistoric creatures inside of it that are not particularly well known. when people search for information on said critters, ark results are often the first to come up. the way the animals are portrayed in the game, in terms of physical appearance, are extremely inaccurate. designs from the game have been replicated and used by many people, including professionals (such as documentary makers), for their own designs, perpetuating that inaccurate idea. Heck, the Stephen Fry documentary has Ark dinos.

the inaccuracies aren't trivial, when we're depicting prehistoric animals people do not have a frame of reference to compare them to to understand what they were like. If you draw an elephant wrong, people can look up what an elephant looks like, or see one at the zoo. we don't have that for the dead.

Instead, you look up an image, and you see what's on google, which is often yet more inaccurate images. And suddenly, someone has a very skewed and incorrect view of prehistoric life

then on top of that, because the critters ark has aren't well known, sometimes ALL the results on google are just inaccurate depictions from ark

this has real consequences. as a docent, I had just as many people become extremely disappointed when I told them that ARK had it wrong as I did Jurassic World.

why does reality and accuracy matter? well

reality isn't going away, and we have to acknowledge that. you can't just create a new one. we have the one and only reality and its consequences to deal with. see: global warming happening literally right now

the idea that reality can be whatever you want it to be or that opinions matter when it comes to facts is exactly how politicians and other people who desire control manipulate people. see the "fake news" phenomenon

people ignoring reality and how it functions leads to a variety of extremely bad things, including cults, hate groups, and - once again - global fucking warming

as such, anything that makes it seem like reality is more murky than we know - such as filling a google images result section with inaccurate portrayals - makes people question the fact that reality is, actually, unmoveable

in this case, birds being living dinosaurs and dinosaurs being portrayed accurately is extremely important for people to know because it demonstrates that humans are not actually the "main character" of planet earth, and we have to stop acting like it (there is no main character)

why do we have to stop acting like it? well, for one, the extreme amounts of destruction we've caused on this planet. for two, because we can go extinct, we operate under the same rules as all life (one such rule is more diversity = more chances for survival), and we have to stop clowning around and arguing about shit that doesn't matter and actually focus on repairing the harm that we have done to the planet and to each other

so yeah. that's why accuracy in paleomedia matters.

because reality matters.

and reality isn't up for debate.

p. s. I don't care that it's a fictional game that says its fictional, if people are coming to me with misconceptions from a thing and thinking they're real, then that thing has fucked up. end of story. and I had *so many* ark fans come to me at the Field Museum. so many.

[writingtraumaforever]

Something I’m Made For: An Uncontrolled Chaos Prequel

Notes: Hope you enjoyed this! Was listening to this song and INSTANTLY thought of these two. <3 I wanted to provide some further background for their story in that universe without giving away too much detail, and figured this was a good way to do it. Check out the Uncontrolled Chaos series for more of their story!

Summary: A song fic prequel of sorts to the Uncontrolled Chaos Series. This takes place with Alternate Universe’s Shadow and Sonic, jumping through events like when Shadow fell from the ARK to after Sonic found him alive and more..

UC Series Masterpost!

Link to my AO3!

Start:

I use to float 

Now I just fall down

I use to know

But I’m not sure now

What I was made for

What was I made for

It was all so surreal in the moment.. so rushed, so sudden. Never had he stopped to think that perhaps he had been manipulated. Confused. Used. Never had he stopped to think his maker, a man he considered his father at one point, Gerald Robotnik, would ever do something as heartless and cruel as to take Shadow’s mind and reprogram it to misremember everything he once had with his granddaughter. With his family. 

But Shadow supposes one will do crazy things for revenge. His own actions leading up to this moment are proof enough of that..

If not for that pink hedgehog, he would’ve watched the world burn with nothing but pure contentment. Contentment that he had fulfilled his promise to his sister. Contentment that he had fulfilled a promise that was never real. A promise that had been instilled and installed into his head as though he were a simple machine. A weapon. A means to a brutal and vengeful end. Merciless.

Everything Shadow had done up to that moment was nothing. He was a failure. Built only with the purpose to cure and save, and he had done neither.

But he could do this.

He could save this.

With a newfound purpose, Shadow rushed to the aid of the blue hedgehog— the one he had learned and accepted he had been created to mimic. His creation’s inspiration. His reason of being made. His prophecy. His predecessor that somehow came after.

Space was cold. But they burned gold with the stars, fighting off absolute destruction to the best of their abilities. It was exhausting. It was taxing. But it was the most sure Shadow had felt of any of his actions since waking up from that tube. He had to save this world. He had to fulfill his true promise..

Sonic fought with determination, fueled by power and the need to protect those he loved. Shadow lacked where he didn’t. Shadow wasn’t made for this. He was a copy of what Sonic naturally possessed.

But the thing that held Shadow back the most was simply his will to live slipping slowly from him…

Sonic repeatedly warned him through the battle.

“Get back to the ARK! Your powers are weakening!”

“Don’t push yourself too far!”

Shadow ignored this and pressed on.

He’d give his all to make up for all he’s done. All the pain he’s caused. 

He’ll destroy the monstrosity the doctor created.

Nothing came after this. This was it for him.

The final blow was given and gloved, golden hands rise above their heads with a final and definitely “CHAOS CONTROL!”

The Biolizard was gone.

ARK was once again put into a steady orbit of the planet.

And Shadow could rest..

He had fulfilled his purpose.

He had no reason to be anymore..

He couldn’t save Maria.

But he could save her home.

And that’s all he had left.

Maybe he could be with her now.. wherever she was..

He found comfort in this as he plummeted through space, pulled by the earth’s atmosphere to its surface.

The last thing he remembers seeing was a shooting star reaching out to him, desperate to catch him…

He never reached back.

Then there was nothing.

Taking a drive

I was an ideal

Looked so alive

Turns out I’m not real

Just something you paid for

What was I made for

Shadow stood quietly as they stared at the broken robot before them, a shamble of a battle they just portook in. 

Sonic walked up beside him, a knot in his brow and and frown on his muzzle.

Shadow’s arms were crossed, looking the scraps over that resembled himself.

It’s funny, in a way. How this broken thing was a perfect simulation of how Shadow felt. Shattered pieces torn apart. Detached. Lifeless.

A hand rests on his shoulder,

“..Shadow..?” 

Shadow’s head turns ever so slightly in acknowledgment, his crimson eyes never leaving the crumbled Shadow-bot before him.

“…That’s not you,” the hero’s voice sounds firm, definite. Far more confident than Shadow is feeling in that moment.

He had been found months ago by the blue blur.. apparently being stashed underground in a base of the professor’s grandson. 

He didn’t remember much of anything back then, but he remembers some now.

And when they had received a worrisome invitation from Eggman himself, they had leapt into action. Never would Shadow have guessed the doctor had managed to acquire enough information on him to begin cloning him..

And yet here they were. Horrified at the sudden existential crisis before him.

Was he just one of them??

“You’re you,” Sonic insists as though reading Shadow’s mind, squeezing his shoulder a bit tighter.

“I don’t even know what that means,” Shadow hisses out, voice barely a mumble but bitter and confused. 

Sonic’s hand on his shoulder eases, feeling the hero step up beside him now and slide his palm up to cup the side of Shadow’s neck, “Hey..”

Shadow doesn’t move, still looking at the clone.

“Look at me,” Sonic instructs gently, the palm on Shadow’s neck pulling just enough to make the hybrid finally look at him. 

Emerald and ruby.

“…It doesn’t have to mean anything right now. You’ve got time to figure that out.. but you’re real. You’re alive. You’re you.”

Shadow looks at the hero who says these things with such conviction, such earnesty.

He looks back to the clone.

“…We should go.”

He needs answers.

They have a date with Eggman.

And it’ll be one to die for.

Cus I don’t know how to feel

“Stop it, just— stop!”

“Why??? What are you so afraid of, Shadow?! Why do you always pull away from me?!”

“I don’t need your saving, hedgehog!”

“That’s not— I don’t want to save you, I just want you!”

They had been on a run. Typical for the pair on late nights where neither could sleep. They’d inform Tails, who was usually working on something in his shop or nodding off at his workbench, that they’d be back in a bit and they’d go out for a run. Which would inevitably turn into a race. The two playfully jeering their other on, mocking and coaxing reactions out of the other with rival banter. 

But this time had ended differently.

This time when Sonic pulled ahead of Shadow at the end, he turned around rather than skidding to stop and spread his arms just in time to catch Shadow as they tumbled onto the ground. They rolled down a small cliff side that dipped into a valley of lavender and forget-me-nots. A place they had found a few weeks ago that they now cherished as a secret place for them.

They laughed, at first. Shadow pinned under Sonic and Sonic cackling over him as Shadow’s chest rumbled with a low chuckle.

Sonic’s smile was brighter than all the stars in the sky. His laugh was better than any wish any of said stars could ever grant..

They ended up becoming entranced with one another’s smiles. Enthralled by one another’s gaze. Laughs faded and left them in a compromising position, tension filling the minimal space between them..

And then Sonic’s eyes had dipped down to Shadow’s mouth.

And Shadow’s breath hitched.

And Sonic leaned down.

And that’s when everything went wrong.

Shadow had shoved Sonic off, immediately defensive and panicky and scared. But he hid all this under a mask of anger and disgust, one he often used as a defense mechanism..

But Sonic had learned to see through it, much to his dismay.

And here they were.

“You can’t want me!” Shadow shouts back, his eyes angry and stern on Sonic’s. The person who found him, the person who never gave up on him.

He couldn’t ruin him, too.

“Could’ve sworn I could do whatever I want!” Sonic huffs in disbelief, looking at Shadow like he’s crazy. Like he’s making no sense. Shadow knows he’s making no sense, but it all makes sense to him.

“No, Sonic, not this time!”

“Why?! What is it, huh?? I know it’s not that you don’t feel the same!”

Sonic’s voice cracks, but it still holds confidence in his works. Shadow doesn’t know how to respond to that. Doesn’t know how to even begin to deny it.

“I-.. I don’t,” Shadow insists. But even he knows his attempt to sound as sure of himself as Sonic does is absolutely pitiful. Pathetic, really.

Sonic scoffs, a humorless chuckle escaping him as he shakes his head and looks away, “Unbelievable.. Shadow, you can’t keep lying to yourself—“

“So what if I do?!” Shadow caves, diverting to a different tactic, “So what if I do, then?! It doesn’t change the fact that you can’t—“

Sonic opens his mouth to protest, but Shadow cuts him off by correcting himself.

“—shouldn’t want me!! You don’t need me!”

“Shadow— you’re everything I’ve ever needed!” Sonic argues, snapping his head back to Shadow now with a desperate need to make Shadow understand in his gaze, “Everything! No one meets me like you do in every way! No one challenges me! No one makes want to be the best version of myself I can be like you! No one!”

“You don’t understand—“

“Then make me understand!” Sonic demands desperately, his anger subsiding now for just pure desperation, “I want to understand! Why can’t you let yourself be happy?!”

“Because I don’t deserve it!” Shadow snaps out through gritted teeth, growling it out and making Sonic’s eyes widen as he takes a small step back.

Shadow breathes heavy as the steam in him slowly subsides into nothing, leaving him to deflate with a sighed, “I don’t deserve you, Sonic.. that’s what you don’t get..”

Sonic doesn’t speak, but his eyes look heartbroken. Not at the rejection, but at the fact Shadow really thinks that..

Shadow continues anyway, determined to make Sonic see. 

“I have done.. terrible things. Things I can never atone for. Things-.. things I’d do all over again if it was you..”

Sonic’s lips part with a shaky gasp.

“I’m not— I’m not strong enough to go through that again.. I can’t lose everything again. If I do, I-.. I don’t know what I’d do.. what I’d become..”

Shadow lives his hands shakily, looking at them as though they’ve slaughtered millions when in reality, he simply blames them for the death of one.

Maria. 

“You can’t want me, Sonic.. because I want you,”  he whispers as he lifts watery crimson eyes to find glossy emerald ones, “…and that’s too dangerous.”

Shadow is shaking now. Trembling as thoughts of bloody carcasses scattered throughout ARK flash through his mind. The echoes of screams and gunshots. Maria’s light fading as she sacrifices herself for him..

Whatever Maria was made of, Sonic is made of the same thing. Pure hearted selflessness.

Shadow isn’t made of that. 

Where Sonic would go on to be the hero he truly is if Shadow were to be gone one day, Shadow would burn the world and then himself after.

Sonic approaches him with a quiet, “oh Shadow..,” undeserved sympathy drenching his voice.

Shadow doesn’t realize it when his body collapses, knees giving in as he falls to the ground with a sob. He never feels the sting of his knees hitting the earth, though. Sonic is right there in a flash to catch him, gently lowering him to the ground to cradle and hold. Rocking back and forth as he pets his head slowly. Shadow cries against his chest, feeling pathetic and weak and absolutely disgusted by how much he hasn’t earned Sonic’s affections and receives them nonetheless.

He feels like an imposter. A fake. 

He is a fake, really.

But I wanna try

Sonic’s hand rubs down Shadow’s quills, shushing him as he cries and comforting him with gentle touches.

“…Danger has never stopped me,” Sonic mutters against Shadow’s ear, his lips pressing to the hybrid’s temple as he holds him.

Shadow just cries harder and selfishly soaks in all Sonic can offer.

When did it end

All the enjoyment

I’m sad again

Don’t tell my boyfriend

That’s not what he’s made for

What was I made for

“And you’ve felt better this week?”

The room is bland. Warm in tone but very much not stimulating to those who are easily overstimulated. This is a good and bad thing, but currently bad since Shadow can’t distract his gaze with something other than the therapist siting on the seat across from him. Her legs are crossed with a notebook on her lap, her eyes forever attentive to only him. It’s unsettling to have so much attention, sometimes. Especially from a stranger who is being paid for said attention.

He grunts, a small shrug as he averts his eyes to the corner of the room. If he stares at the line long enough, sometimes it’ll disappear.

He wants to disappear.

“It comes and goes..,” he eventually answers.

It took several sessions for him to even speak to her in general, the first three consisting of them each staring at each other:Shadow with his arms crossed stubbornly and skeptically and the therapist with a soft smile that encouraged him to take his time.

The only reason he ever spoke is because he had come home to a very distressed boyfriend who had gotten a call from his therapist saying Shadow wouldn’t talk.

‘For me, Shadow.. just try.’

And who was Shadow to ever deny Sonic anything??

“I saw on the news that you defeated another scheme of Eggman’s,” she prompts, head tilting with a small smile, “Surely you felt good after that?”

“You mean after foiling the plans of a man who only lives in my head as a reminder of all the failures my creator made?? Sure. Absolutely,” he replies sarcastically with an eyeroll.

“But you’re different, remember?” the therapist reminds, “You have to separate yourself from that. You’re not just his creation, you’re your own person—“

“I know, I know,” he sighs, shrugging as he looks back to her, “..I’m not a failure. I’m a person.”

“Good,” the therapist nods, sighing as she leans back in her seat, “..how are you and Sonic?”

“Good,” he says quietly, some of the tension leaving him at the mention of his boyfriend, “We.. saw a movie Thursday.”

“That’s good, I’m sure that was fun! What movie?”

“‘Chaos In Space’. It was terrible, but he loves the franchise.”

“That’s sweet of you to watch it with him despite not being interested in it yourself.”

“It’s bare minimum, doc,” Shadow remarks with a huff, “he’s done much more for me.”

“And that’s okay,” she reminds, “He doesn’t want you around because you owe him anything..”

“I know..,” he agrees a bit reluctantly. It had been a hard realization to convince himself of. “…Sometimes he looks at me though and I can tell he worries.”

“Well, he loves you.”

“Yes, but.. I don’t want to worry him. I don’t want him sad because I’m sad.”

“That’s why you’re here, right??” she asks with a little smile, “It’s okay to need a reason that isn’t yourself. And if getting better so you can be better for Sonic is your reason, then it’s a good one.”

Shadow nods at this, sighing as he leans back on the couch he’s sitting on, “..He’s a very good reason.”

Think I forgot

How to be happy

Something I’m not

But something I can be

“You should just live here.”

Sonic’s hand halts in the mirror, wide emerald green eyes meeting Shadow’s from where he stands behind him leaning against the doorframe looking at him through the reflection. Slowly, Sonic puts his toothbrush down, wiping his mouth and never breaking eye contact with Shadow.

“What??”

“You should move in,” Shadow reiterates with a small and hesitant smile, “You’re here all the time since I moved out of Tails’ workshop. You sleep here most nights. I don’t sleep well anymore when you don’t… you should live with me.”

Sonic turns to face him now, Shadow recognizing that look on his face as one that wants to be excited but is holding back for caution’s sake.

“Shadow, I—“

“I’ve thought about it,” Shadow interrupts, “I know this seems sudden and random, but I’ve thought this through. It’s all I’ve thought about for weeks. And.. I want this.”

Sonic slowly smiles, his eyes holding so much proudness in them that Shadow nearly melts on the spot,

It’s a big deal for Shadow to voice things he wants so clearly without guilt or shame. To voice them without feeling as though he doesn’t deserve them.

He wants this.

And that’s okay.

“.. I want that, too,” Sonic answers finally, his tail wagging rapidly behind him as he steps closer to Shadow.

Shadow’s own smile grows at this, reaching a hand out to take Sonic’s and gently pull him in, “So that’s a yes?”

“It’s a heck yes,” Sonic giggles, their noses brushing as their foreheads gently bumping as they wrap their arms around one another.

Shadow’s own tail waves back and forth in a slow wag, eyes half-lidded as he reaches a hand up to cup Sonic’s cheek. Holding him like the treasure he is, he tilts his head to press their lips together.

Something I wait for

His person. His purpose. His happiness.

Something I’m made for

[girlactionfigure]

🔘THE PENTAGON SAYS, GOOD MORNING FROM HEZBOLLAH - Real time from Israel  

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

✡️Shabbat Parshat Noach (Torah Portion “Noah”) - Genesis 6:9 - G‑d instructs Noah��the only righteous man in a world consumed by violence and corruption—to build a large wooden teivah (“ark”), coated within and without with pitch. A great deluge, says G‑d, will wipe out all life from the face of the earth.

( VIDEO - IDF demolishing Hezbollah town used to launch extensive attacks on Israel - Kfar Kila, street by street. )

💧RAIN tomorrow with strong wind in most of the country.  Prepare for the first rain on Shabbat.  ( For those overseas, Israel receives seasonal rains, for most of the country there has been no rain since last winter - people store things outside that can be water damaged until rainy season. )

▪️NEWSPAPER CEO SEMI-APOLOGIZES.. (Amit Segal) Owner Shoken made a reserved apology. He did not retract his call for sanctions on the State of Israel, does not say to whom did he meant are freedom fighters? Hamas in Judea-Samaria? Islamic Jihad? Shoken read his words from the script. Suddenly he "reconsiders" his words. Amazing what an advertiser and subscriber boycott can do.

▪️NATIONAL BUDGET.. The Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar decided to vote against the state budget: "The treasury decided to delete the cultural bodies and sports support in Israel." ( The budgetary battles over must-have vs. nice-to-have vs. ministers defending their area will go on through the end of the year, due to war finance pressures. )

🔹PENTAGON SAYS.. The Pentagon: American Defense Minister Lloyd Austin talked tonight with Defense Minister Yoav Galant about "opportunities to reduce regional escalation". In a telephone conversation, the two discussed the demand of senior American officials to reach a solution to the situation in Gaza and Lebanon and to prepare for an Iranian response to Israeli attacks in Tehran.

♦️The IDF in an unusual official announcement: "Hezbollah rockets killed 7 civilians yesterday, Hezbollah attacks cannot go unanswered.”

♦️LEBANON - widespread wave of attacks overnight in Beirut, and Nabatia after evacuation warning.

♦️LEBANON - IDF airstrikes and artillery and the firing of more than 20 phosphorus shells in the area of ​​the Al Khayyam village detention center. A Lebanese source explained that the area of ​​the detention center is at a high point that allows fire control in the area.

♦️SYRIA - Syrian report, IDF forces attacked about half an hour ago Iranian militia sites in Kusayr in the western countryside of Homs.

⭕Overnight 2 INTERCEPTIONS OVER EILAT, suicide drones from Shia Militias Iraq.

⭕DRONE FROM IRAQ Shia Militias intercepted over Syria.

⭕HEZBOLLAH says good morning with a ROCKET BARRAGE (at least 20 rockets) at Upper Galilee towns.

⭕JUDEA-SAMARA.. 3 armed terrorist groups claim to have carried out 3 shooting attacks in the last few days in northern Samaria and in the northern Jordan Valley.  

.. IDF operating in Kalkilya and Shechem overnight - firefights!

🔸CEASEFIRE NEWS.. Lebanese origin: Great anger at the US envoy Amos Hochstein who did not even contact the decision makers in Lebanon before leaving the region yesterday and returning to the US.

[eleventhhourfactor]

I don't have much to add to the Sonic 3 trailer discourse that many have no doubt already said.

But I do have one thing.

Maria's look has been updated to fit the 70s.

Look at that hair. Look at that fabric. Look at her! It's like some Partridge Family shit up in here, and I'm all for it!

Goodbye 50s, hello 70s. That's the new 50 years ago, and I'm glad the makers of this movie were sharp enough to make note of it.

Also, did she break her arm?? What the hell, y'all. I need to know why she's in a sling.

Well, since you ventured under the cut...

I have music to share.

Here's some playlists I made of various tracks from the 60s-70s, because Maria's Mixtapes would totally encompass whatever the crew brought on board, from the hits to the more obscure.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5lErY9CO6FsbCaxI2Wkg6n?si=whZ1pD2zRcyAoM_AsAZAAg&pi=wzwNglFnT4yLM

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7G9Ksa5dZSggj72JEcJfoq?si=fn7I_fW-RFi4t8eBEHCUhQ&pi=5yFhN6RfS-CtW

If you don't believe she'd be spinning around the ARK listening to these with Shadow, then what are you doing here?

Anyway, I'm hopping around like crazy. I made these playlists months ago. I had no idea if they'd actually be relevant.

[edenityy]

( chapter fifteen ! )

"Music? Oh— or croquet! Boating could be fun?"

Within the walls of Phantomhive Manor sit Leah Barrett and Elizabeth Midford, brainstorming ideas on how to satiate their boredom. Lacking the presence of Ciel to be a mediator and maker of the final decision, the two girls have spent the past ten minutes going back and forth. Still, neither seem entirely interested in each other's suggestions.

Sitting atop one of the lounges in the drawing room, Leah gently rubs her fingers across the material of her amber dress skirts. She is disengaged from the conversation, evident in how she trains her gaze on Elizabeth's canary yellow dress or the relentless way she presses her lips together. Perhaps had she stayed home to recuperate from her time at Noah's Ark Circus, she wouldn't feel so overwhelmed by mere conversation.

"Is it like you are not even listening to me!" complains Elizabeth. "How could you possibly not like a single activity I named?"

Effectively being snapped out of her trance, Leah swallows and reluctantly meets the blonde in the eye. "It is not that I reject your ideas.. It is just— does it not feel like we do the same few things as women? As if our options are limited. You can only have so much fun before you grow tired of it," her voice trails off towards the end of her sentence.

A sigh escapes Elizabeth, followed by a muffled agreement. Silence also fills the room and works to set a tone of slight discomfort, primarily on Leah's end, both girls letting their eyes wander to different spaces of the room.

Leah points a finger to her chin before glancing back up at her friend. "Horseback riding?" she suggests, not expecting a thrilled answer.

The Midford's face immediately lights up in a smile. "That sounds quite lovely!"

"You know how to ride, yes?" asks Leah as she stands from her seat and smooths out her dress skirt. "You can ride on my horse if not."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth follows suit and skips towards the door of the drawing room. "I believe I should be fine! I'm sure if I need help, you are capable," she grins widely.

"My Lady," Thomas interrupts before Leah has a chance to react to Elizabeth's words. "Riding can be dangerous. Surely there are safer activities you can do this afternoon?"

Stopping in her tracks, the young Barrett turns around to face her butler, face displaying utter irritation at the sound of his voice. "Thomas.. just get the horses and riding clothes. If it bothers you that much then ride behind us. Just keep quiet!" she almost raises her voice in anger.

Leah exits the room with Elizabeth on her tail, nearly stomping down the halls for the guest room she was given. Back in the drawing room, Thomas doesn't have the chance to respond before he must arrange everything, heading out of the room as well but purposely taking a different path to give the Barrett her space.

Walking down the halls, the teenagers have slowed their speed now that Leah has calmed, allowing Elizabeth to not have to exert herself to keep up. The sound of labored breathing dissipates as the brunette regains her composure, shaking her head to clear her previous thoughts of anger.

"That butler is so irritating.." complains Leah, moving her hair out of her face. Today the brown locks are styled half down with a braid going across the back while Elizabeth is wearing her infamous pigtails.

Elizabeth's face wears an expression similar to surprise. "He is not all that bad. All he did was suggest a safer activity."

The pair approach their rooms with small steps.

"I know. I think I let him anger me so much over trivial things that now Thomas merely existing seems to offend me.." Leah's voice fades, fully aware that her distaste towards the butler is unjustified.

Steps slowing to a stop, the girls enter their respective rooms to prepare for the afternoon ahead.

— ౨ৎ —

The grand doors of the manor are pushed open by Thomas who stands tall, a display of nature behind him, giving a false sense of security with the February air that nips at their noses. Stepping aside for the ladies, he watches them file out and make their way toward the horses he fetched and brought around to the front of the manor.

Both the Barrett and Midford wear riding habits, Leah wearing one in pine green while Elizabeth chose azure. Leah is the first of the two to attempt to get close to the animals, taking a peek at the horse's face before trying to mount herself, promptly being interrupted by the butler ten steps behind her.

"Allow me, My Lady," says Thomas as he arrives by her side, shifting himself to bend his knees.

Giving him an askew glance, Leah — with the help of Thomas — hoists herself up and places her foot upon his right shoulder. Thomas strictly follows the way to help a lady mount a horse, getting his master on the saddle and strapping in everything necessary. Settling down in her spot, Leah steadies herself on the horse and watches as Thomas assists Elizabeth before getting on a horse himself.

Leah adjusts her riding hat. "Your lead. I suppose we shall just go around the manor," she speaks up and sends a nod to Elizabeth beside her.

"Alright!" Elizabeth muses, slowly allowing her horse to begin a trot.

Following suit, Leah swerves her horse to position herself on the blonde's right side, acting as a stand-in man. Just a couple of feet behind the teenagers, Thomas keeps a respectful distance but acts as a supervisor, ready to intervene if necessary.

The ride is initially quite silent, only the faint sounds of rustling leaves or chirping birds fill the gap. Neither attempt conversation. Beneath them, the horses keep a steady pace and walk around the perimeter of Phantomhive Manor. Only occasionally does Leah glance in Elizabeth's general direction to ensure she doesn't fall from her horse.

Elizabeth glances over at Leah warily. "I am glad we are doing this. It has been some time since we have been able to be together like this," she smiles, trying to strike conversation without making her friend feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, I suppose it has been some time," responds Leah. "Life moves quite quickly, does it not?"

"It does. Soon enough, we'll be of age to make our social debuts. Then get married," Elizabeth has a face that reads of bliss for the future, unlike Leah who shows apprehension at her words.

Turning a swift corner, a breeze passes through the girl's hair. The atmosphere feels serene. Even being beside something as simple as a manor rather than the pure outdoors, it still manages to draw people in. Not far behind them, the shuffles of Thomas can be heard but go unnoticed despite the man watching them like a hawk.

"Sometimes it feels as though I barely got time to be a child.. but I suppose that is just how life is. We all have to grow up eventually," sighs Leah. Her disdain for the future ahead, no matter how prepared she could be, is clear.

Nodding along to her words, Elizabeth pouts in response but it is masked by something almost euphoric. "Well I am happy I get to grow up with you," she turns her head completely to drag her eyes across her friend's face, admiring someone who has been a constant in her life for years.

Leah's hand gripping the lead twitches and tears prick the corners of her eyes, bringing her head up to meet the green eyes of Elizabeth that hold nothing but fondness in them. For the first time in what feels like a long time, a genuine smile pulls at the corners of the brunette's mouth until her teeth show. Despite the internal issues she may struggle with when it comes to Elizabeth, she cannot deny that the girl is indeed her friend.

"I am grateful I get to grow up with you as well.." her face glows under the sunlight, a newfound sense of happiness that comforts the Barrett.

Returning their gazes ahead, the pair let their horses pick up speed and enjoy the feeling of the wind pushing against their face. As the afternoon wears away, they make gleeful — though sometimes forced — conversation and manage to hold onto topics. Even after months of little chance for interaction, Leah and Elizabeth can always somewhat keep the spark ignited within them, bleeding into the cold February air that envelops them like a hug that they cannot currently give the other.

— ౨ৎ —

Crash!

Leah shoots up in her bed with a gasp, the typically heavy sleeper awoken by the unpleasant — and unbelievably loud — sound of a noise that is uncomfortably close to her bedroom. Pushing the undone hair off of her shoulder, she sits up fully in a sideways kneel. Any further sound is nonexistent, making her tense up as she keeps her eyes trained on the door, despite her difficulty to see with only small gleams of moonlight being the lamp of the room.

Shaky breaths escape from her parted lips and she swings her legs over the side of the bed, reaching beneath the plush furniture to reach for a sword she keeps hidden. The cold floor pricks her fingertips while she blindly feels around before grasping the sword handle and gripping it uncomfortably tight, her knuckles would look white if her hands weren't already pale.

Rising from the safety of the soft blankets, Leah steadily approaches the door with quiet steps, keeping the sword held tightly against her back. Her footsteps are the only sound that reaches her ears, lifting a hand to wrap it around the door handle. Cracking the door open, she warily sticks her head out. Standing just a few feet outside the door, Finnian walks in a straight line in her direction, a small patch of blood shining beneath the light on the previously spotless floor.

"..Finnian?" Leah whispers, her hands clinging tightly to the door.

The gardener steps slowly as he stops before her door. "You should be asleep, My Lady! It's late, you need your rest," his words are quiet but his eyes are wide and pupils small, emitting an unnerving aura.

"What were those sounds?" asks Leah. Her eyes are equally as wide, but full of fear rather than the startling look from the typically cheerful gardener.

Finnian's eyes flicker to an undistinguishable emotion. "Don't worry about it.. We're taking care of it. Please get back in bed."

Shifting on her feet uncomfortably, Leah rubs her thumb over the handle of the sword in an attempt to make herself feel better. She opens the door a bit wider but Finnian stops the movement.

"What's happening?" the Barrett demands an answer.

"Please—"

"Answer me."

The sudden shift in Leah's tone is one Finnian has never heard before, stilling his movements. They both stare into each other's eyes. Silence.

"There is an intruder.. but please don't panic," Finnian whispers, unable to pull his eyes away from Leah's.

Leah's eyes trail over to the small pool of blood on the floor and her finger twitches. "Is Elizabeth safe?"

She is only offered a nod in response before gunshots sound from the end of the hall. Flicking her eyes to Finnian's, she glances out the door and runs down the hall, the sound of her footsteps pattering against the floor.

"It's dangerous, My Lady! Please go back to bed!" calls Finnian as he runs after her, surprised by Leah's speed.

Rounding the corner, Leah's breathing is slightly labored and her grip on the sword tightens at the sight. Standing at the end of the hallway is Dagger and Beast, staring back at her with wide eyes. Her steps slowly come to a stop and she can hear Finnian approach her from behind, unable to rip her eyes away.

"Diamond..?" Dagger's voice is low.

A shaky breath is the only thing Leah can offer in response, glancing warily at the knives clenched in his hands. 'What are they doing here? They aren't supposed to be here!'

Leah holds the sword to her stomach. "I'm sorry I lied.. I didn't mean to," she shakes her head at her words, tears pricking the corner of her eyes.

The circus performers glare, observing her uneasy stance with disdain. Against his better judgment, Dagger sends a knife straight past the Barrett's head and listens to her shriek.

"Prying into our lives. Take advantage of our hospitality. You nobles are all the same!" Beast's voice nearly becomes a yell and she retrieves her whip from her side, flashing it to frighten the teen.

There's a flash of something in Leah's eyes. Hurt. It only seems to last for a quick moment, her eyes darkening into contempt.

"You know, I did not think you people were all that bad. But it seems it stands true that the poor are only a burden," Leah clenches her teeth and wields her sword. "How dare you invade my home!"

Dagger and Beast hardly have a moment to react before the Barrett is charging at them, her feet pounding against the floor. Any previous anger she bottled up is released, showing in the swing that she aims directly for Dagger's head, only to have to dodge Beast's whip.

Hastily grabbing another knife, Dagger begins to swing and nearly cuts Leah's nightgown in the process. However, further attempts at injury fail when Finnian takes the chance to send a statue flying their way.

"Leave the lady alone," he calls out, voice lacking emotion yet a wide smile sits on his face.

Rubble and dust fill the air, prompting coughs but that doesn't deter the young Leah from taking the chance to swing rapidly at her targets. 'How is Finny capable of lifting those things? It doesn't matter.. He is giving me the upper hand.' She tries to steady her breathing as she lands a hit on Beast's arm, only to be forced to duck from a flying knife.

Eyebrows knitted in anger, Leah glances back at Finnian who holds another statue before dragging her eyes back to Dagger. "Would you like to make the fight fair?" she asks.

Throwing herself in the direction of a wall, she sticks her sword out at the same time Finnian chucks another statue, causing half of its length to shatter. Taken aback by this, Dagger and Beast don't get a moment to react before Leah violently swings at them again, almost landing a hit on Dagger before he is pulled back by Beast.

"You people are insane!" Dagger yells.

Finnian lifts a statue over his head. "We're just exterminating the mice," he pulls it back and sends it flying.

The circus performers continue deeper into the manner, but this doesn't deter Leah nor Finnian from chasing after them. Glancing behind him, Dagger grunts and throws a knife directly at Leah, missing when she ducks to the floor. But given the advantage, Beast can land a small hit with a whip on the Barrett's leg, only enough to cause pain but still reddening the skin.

Leah gasps and takes ahold of her leg, pain written all over her face as she watches Finnian throw yet another statue. 'Just where is he getting them from?' Nonetheless, she gets back on her feet and tries to follow after the pair flying down the steps but is stopped by the gardener.

"My Lady, please go back to bed. Us servants can handle it!" Finnian looks worried as he smiles down at the girl.

The Barrett pouts. "But—"

"Please.." he nearly begs. "For your safety."

A sigh escapes Leah but she nods, allowing her sword to escape her hand and drop to the floor with a rattle. Reluctantly separating herself from the situation, she heads off down the hallway and steps past the mess she helped create, lacking the will to feel sympathy for Dagger or Beast.

'It truly is a shame. I thought they were quite nice..'

When Leah rounds the corner and enters the hallway that leads to her room, her breath bitches at the sight before her. Thomas.

There is no face. It almost looks molten, like it cannot choose what form it wants to take until it settles on all black amidst the night. The eye holes are gaping and the teeth razor sharp, lacking the lips to keep them contained in it's mouth. His body— It's body is lengthy and mangled, only the legs seeming in tact to resemble any form of a human.

But just as quick as she sees it, the face uncomfortably melts back into the face she's seen since adolescence. Thomas. This can't possibly be Thomas though, can it? This isn't Thomas this is—

She lifts a shaky finger. "You're that thing I saw all those years ago.." Leah whispers, struggling to breathe.

"Whatever are you talking about, My Lady?" Thomas tilts his head, choosing to play coy.

Leah shakes her head and takes a step back, nearly tripping over her own feet. 'No..'

— ౨ৎ —

Cold. The night was cold.

Leah Barrett, freshly five at the time, ventured out of her room knowing that she was not meant to be doing so. That never stopped her though, she always enjoyed the feeling of being able to roam freely on her own. But she wished she hadn't that night.

The soft sound of her bare feet against the floor was the only thing to fill the silent halls, most of the servants were even retiring for the night. It was January. Barely ending the holiday season. The cold on her translucent skin hardly pushed her away, prompting her to walk further into the dark.

Children naturally hold curiosity. Leah was no exception.

She continued down the hall, turning a corner into a part of the manor she had hardly ever gazed upon. But it wasn't the dark she was scared of when she looked into the depths. It was an ungodly sight.

The molten face. The missing eyes. The mangled body. Little Leah cried out, taking the largest step back she could with her short legs. It twitched. To the creature, the young brunette was nothing short of wondrous. It spent years silently watching. Seeing the shining tears that fell down her porcelain cheeks, it was enamored.

But what was it? What invoked such feelings within a being such as Thomas? What was so interesting about a young girl? Whatever it was, the creature's interest had been peaked, unidentifiable sounds ringing out into the void.

Leah tightened her grip on her stuffed bear, breathing shakily and holding back noises of horrified sobs. She didn't even realize she was previously stuck in place until her legs bolted her back in the direction of her room, leaving behind the awful noise that only seemed to echo in her head.

Letting the sounds escape, the young girl ran directly inside her bedroom to find Anna who was no older than twelve at the time.

"Mistress, I was just about to start looking for you. What are you doing out of bed at this hour?" the maid questioned, leaning down to try and get a better look at the child.

The attempt to examine Leah was a failure though, as she immediately collided with her and wrapped her short arms around her legs. Loud sobs rang out and Leah's tears began to stain Anna's dress, the bear previously in her arms was discarded to the floor.

Anna's eyes widened. "What is wrong, Mistress?"

"I saw a monster!" cried Leah, streaks of tears painting her cheeks.

Picking up the small girl, Anna brought her over to her bed and sat her down on the plush blankets. "There, there.. Monsters don't exist. I'm sure you just thought you saw something in the dark." she tried to reassure the child but the lack of emotion on her face was clear.

"But—" Leah tried to counter the maid's argument.

"No buts. Now please try and sleep, Mistress. It is well past your bedtime. The nannies will be upset if you are in a terrible mood tomorrow," Anna stroked Leah's hair and settled her beneath the covers.

The young Barrett couldn't find it in herself to protest any longer, the weight of her exhaustion having hit her the second her head felt the pillow. Beside Anna, Leah always felt safe. But whatever Thomas was.. it haunted her for many years to come.

— ౨ৎ —

Moonlight streams in through the windows, illuminating Thomas' blonde hair and the strange look painting his face when he notices Leah creating distance. Her discomfort is undeniable though, shakily stepping away from him and unable to control the volume of her breathing.

"I— I need a moment.." Leah whispers, unsure of what to say but takes off for the balcony.

Thankfully — or perhaps not so much — the balcony is close by, the fresh air flooding Leah's nose and almost calming her. The wind blows through her hair, the leaves rustling in the far distance. The atmosphere is nearly perfect. 'Surely I'm just going crazy. Yes. This is all a dream. None of this is real. None of this—'

"You know you're not supposed to be around balconies unsupervised, My Lady," Thomas speaks up from behind her, standing in the entryway. "It would be a shame if we were to have a repeat."

Leah's breath hitches. Staring down at the ground beneath her, her body tenses. It only gets worse when Thomas approaches and places a firm hand on her shoulder, his eyes matching the look Finnian previously held. Empty.

The butler's eyes drag across her face. "I would advise you to step away. It is time for you to rest."

Moving back in an act of defiance, Leah's hand hits the edge of the balcony. Stiffening, her eyes connect with the butler staring down at her, unable to form a sentence. It all came rushing back.

— ౨ৎ —

She was awake when she shouldn't have been. She knew that. When is she ever asleep when she should be?

It was a cold April night, silence throughout the house. Not even the servants were awake in Barrett Manor at this hour, only a fourteen-year-old Leah occupied the hallways.

Her movements were slow and coordinated, almost as if she was being controlled. The hems of her nightgown brushed against her ankles, mimicking a small spring breeze.

Approaching the balcony, the young girl took in a deep breath and stared down at the ground below her. It was far. At least eight yards. Leah took a tight hold on the edge, her hands twitched and shook.

A small tear escaped her eye and fell down her cheek, illuminated by the moonlight that shone above her. Lifting a leg to settle her foot on the balcony's edge, Leah stood tall amidst the world below her. It was peaceful. Serene.

'Why am I doing this?'

She swayed back and forth.

'Would it all be worth it? For..'

Leah closed her eyes and allowed her body to fall forward, feeling the air whip across her face as she plummeted towards the ground.

'Sweet release.'

This peace was short lived though. It was all Thomas' fault. Right into his arms, she fell. A grunt from her end, feeling the appendages wrap around her in a tight hold that she hadn't felt in forever.

"My.." Thomas starts. "What are you doing awake at such an hour?"

The Barrett's eyes slowly opened, blue staring straight into the grass as they filled with disdain. "I hate you. I really do," she muttered.

Thomas stared down at the girl in his arms, a sadistic smile forming on his lips. Walking with a shake of his head, he took off for her bedroom, finding the predicament oddly entertaining.

'I just wanted to feel peace.'

— ౨ৎ —

"No!"

Leah shoves back against Thomas, almost throwing herself over the edge of the balcony in the process. Her breaths are shallow, only worsening when her butler grabs ahold of her wrist.

"It is bedtime," says Thomas as he swings Leah over his shoulder with ease.

The girl protests, the faint sound of continuous gunshots becoming quieter the closer they get to her room. Pounding her fists against Thomas' back, he appears unfazed as he forces the door open and places her down on the bed.

Throwing the blankets over her, Thomas moves back from the bed. "Goodnight, My Lady."

Shuddering under his gaze, Leah gives up on fighting back and settles her head against the pillows. She watches Thomas step out of the room and shut her eyes, trying to forget everything she's just seen. It was nightmare fuel.

Sadly her attempts at sleep are interrupted by the sound of an explosion, startling her and earning a rattled gasp. Sitting up in her bed, Leah gets up for the second time that night and shakily approaches the door. 'Elizabeth is surely fine.. The sound is too far for it to have affected either of our rooms.'

"Leah," the voice lacks any emotion. "Get back in the bed."

Pausing in her tracks, the brunette turns her head over her shoulder. There in the corner of the room is Thomas. Standing there in the chilly night air, staring her down. 'I thought he left..?'

Leah cannot bring herself to defy this time. The look in his eyes is much too threatening, she feels uncomfortable beyond belief as she shuffles back over to the bed. Getting under the covers, she keeps a grip on the blankets and stares at Thomas warily.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asks with a shaking voice, keeping a tight hold on her blanket.

There's a silence that overcomes the room for a moment, almost as if Thomas is thinking before he breaks it. "I would never," he doesn't lie.

"Please go away.." whispers Leah.

A hum sounds from Thomas, looking at the girl in the bed before closing his eyes. Slowly walking towards the door, he turns his head over his shoulder one last time.

"As you wish."

[sincerely-sofie]

Hey Sofie, just wanted to drop by and say it’s always a treat to see your name pop up in my dash.

Your writings are the first ones I’ve actually been emotionally invested in on this website, and I can’t wait to see where you’ll go with the cast of TPiaG. Or with others, who knows !

Sidenote : how have you not received a Dark-Type suggestion yet ? We need Ark on your gym leader team ! And Ruby as your pet/mischief maker.

Thank you so much! That means so much to me! I’m so glad I was able to have an impact on you through my writing. It’s a dream come true for me! ;w;

As for me being a dark-type gym leader…