#No shade on Scourge (this time)

[lo-destroyer-of-gender]

Imagine being stuck in a time loop that spans from the start of your life to the time of your death. Each iteration you learn to recognize more and more events before they happen, and like all ground hog day stories, you try to circumvent the event you don't like. You try to warn people about disasters before they happen, which doesn't alway work, but it works often emough that when you try to warn the US government about 9/11, they actually believe you and precent a catastrophic loss of life. But now MCR never starts making music. Okay, not a big deal, you think, but to your horror, twilight is still piblished.

[reasonsforhope]

"For most people, a rat is at best an unwelcome guest, and at worst, the target of immediate extermination. But in a field clinic in Tanzania, rats are colleagues—heroes even.

Far from a trash bin-dwelling NYC street rat, the African giant pouched rat is docile, intelligent, easier to train than some dogs, and for East Africans, the performer of lifesaving tuberculosis diagnoses every day.

400,000 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) were estimated to have been prevented by these rats, whose sense of smell would make a bloodhound take notice. As [TB is] the number-one killer among infectious diseases worldwide, many of those 400,000 can be translated into lives saved.

“Not only are we saving people’s lives, but we’re also changing these perspectives and raising awareness and appreciation for something as lowly as a rat,” said Cindy Fast, a behavioral neuroscientist who coaches the rodents for the nonprofit APOPO.

“Because our rats are our colleagues, and we really do see them as heroes.”

APOPO uses giant pouched rats to sniff out traces of TB in the saliva of patients. In parts of Tanzania, a saliva smear test under a microscope by a human may only be 20-40% effective at detecting TB.

By contrast, a giant pouched rat like Ms. Carolina, a now-retired service rat who worked for APOPO for 7 years, raised the rates of detection on TB samples by 40% in the clinic where she worked.

Pictured: An APOPO employee with one of their trained rats

It would take 4 days for scientists to analyze the number of samples that Carolina could screen in 20 minutes. For that reason, when Carolina retired last November, a party was thrown at the clinic in her honor, and she was given a cake.

TB is sometimes thought of as a thing of the past—a disease for which doctors used to prescribe “dry air,” leading a modern sense of humor to muse at the antiquated, pre-antibiotic medical advice.

But it remains the number-one cause of death globally from a single infectious pathogen, and Tefera Agizew, a physician and APOPO’s head of tuberculosis, told National Geographic that once people see what the nonprofit’s rodents can do to slow the spread, they “fall in love with them.”

3,000 times in her career did Carolina detect one of the six volatile compounds that can be used to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and she got a hero’s send-off to a special compound to live out the rest of her days with her closet friend and sniffer colleague Gilbert, in a shaded enclosure dubbed “Rat Florida.”

“We’ve made special little rat-friendly carrot cakes with little peanuts and things on it that the rat would enjoy,” Fast said. “Then we all stand around and we clap, and we give three cheers, hip hip hooray for the hero, and celebrate together. It’s really a touching moment.”

APOPO has made headlines for its use of these rats in other lifesaving tasks as well: landmine clearance.

One of the world’s great underreported scourges (a lot like TB, coincidentally) is landmine contamination. There are 110 million landmines or unexploded bombs in the ground right now in about 67 countries, covering thousands of square miles in potential danger. Thousands of civilians are killed or injured by these weapons every year.

GNN reported on APOPO’s demining efforts using pouched rats back in 2020. One rat named Magawa alone identified 39 landmines and 28 items of unexploded ordnance across an area the size of 20 football fields.

If at the start of this story you didn’t like rats, maybe Magawa and Carolina will have changed your mind."

-via Good News Network, March 31, 2025

[whitecompri]

can we have more dad hedgies please 😭

i dont really have an idea i just want something either really cute or angsty 😞🙏

Daddy Playtime

Check Out: Daddy Daycare

Pairing: Sonic x Reader; Shadow x Reader; Silver x Reader; Scourge x Reader.

Genre: Comedy

Rating: T (Teen)

Warnings: Light Swearing

Synopsis: The hedgehogs have to spend more time with their daughters, but this time, they hope it will be more peaceful.

A/N: Thank you for the request! I was in doubt before if I would do a continuation for the first part, so thank you for asking, it gave me motivation to write this part.

Sonic

He had already survived an entire day with his daughter, so spending a few more minutes playing with the little one wouldn’t be that bad. Or at least, that’s what he thought.

Sonic sat on the floor in his daughter’s room, his only job being to spend some quality time with her while you cleaned the house and took care of daily chores.

“So, kiddo, what are we gonna do?” He crossed his legs, resting his hands on his knees, watching curiously as she searched through the drawers.

“Found it!” She exclaimed, approaching the older blue hedgehog with a pink box.

“What’s that?” Sonic raised an eyebrow.

“Makeup! We’re playing beauty salon today!” She opened the box, revealing various shades of makeup, tons of different lipsticks, and multiple brushes for every type of application.

Sonic’s smile faded as he stared in shock at the box.

“...You don’t wanna play something else? I dunno, Monopoly?” He shrank into himself, hoping the idea would convince her. Holding his breath, he waited for her response.

“Nah.” His ears drooped to the sides, already growing worried about what she was about to do to his handsome face.

“Painting my face? Ahhh, I don’t know, kiddo, I’m more of a ‘speed and action’ guy than a ‘beauty salon’ guy…” He scratched the back of his neck, glancing at the door as if planning a secret escape.

“It’ll be fun.” His daughter grinned mischievously.

She sat in front of him, rummaging through the box, looking for a specific lipstick color.

“Do you want a color, Dad?”

“Blue?”

“It has to be a different color, or it won’t show up.”

“I’d rather it not show up.”

“Dad!” She pouted, lifting a lipstick she had chosen. “Orange should suit you.”

The little hedgehog reached out, grabbing his cheek to hold him in place. Sonic shut his eyes from the tight grip.

Frowning in deep concentration, she started applying the lipstick with a slightly shaky hand. Sonic even held his breath, fearing what she was doing. Her hand accidentally strayed downward, immediately making him panic.

“Oops… But it’s okay, I’ll just put a bit more here to cover it up.”

“This stuff washes out with water, right?”

“It’s waterproof lipstick.”

“What?” He flinched in horror.

“Dad, stay still! You made me mess up again!” She pulled him back into place, focusing on her work.

“Are we done?”

“No, now we need eyeshadow and glitter.” She turned to the box, grabbing a tiny jar of glitter and an eyeshadow brush.

She loaded the brush with shimmering silver eyeshadow, then turned to him.

“Close your eyes, Dad.” He shut them tightly as she started rubbing the brush over his eyelids, layering on the makeup. He coughed lightly at the amount of powder she applied.

Once she was satisfied, she grabbed the jar of multicolored glitter, sprinkling it over his quills bit by bit. And finally, she picked up a mascara tube, twisting it open and carefully applying it to his eyelashes.

At last, what felt like an eternity for Sonic ended within a few minutes.

“All done, Dad! You look beautiful!” She stood up, admiring her work.

“I’m already naturally handsome…” He stood up too, walking over to the mirror. When his eyes met his reflection, he jumped back.

“I’ve got more mascara on than Rouge now…”

The orange lipstick was completely smudged and uneven, making his muzzle look more like a circus clown’s mouth. The silver eyeshadow on his eyelids was ridiculously overdone, reaching almost up to his forehead. His eyelashes were so long they nearly bothered him when he blinked. And to top it all off, his quills sparkled under the light from the absurd amount of glitter.

“Did you like it, Dad? I think I’ll be a makeup artist when I grow up!”

“Yeah… Maybe a circus will hire you to do the clowns’ makeup.”

The little hedgehog playfully punched his arm.

Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open.

“Sonic, dinner is almost rea—” Your eyes widened at the scene. “What happened here?”

Sonic shrugged, flashing a lopsided grin.

“I think I’m ready to compete for Miss Universe.”

You couldn’t hold back your laughter at the state he was in.

“Hey, I heard that laugh… You’re totally crushing on my new look, aren’t you?” He smirked, his silver eyeshadow gleaming even more as his glitter-covered quills shimmered.

Shadow

After the incidents with his Chaos Emerald, Shadow decided to hide it in better places where only he could find it—he wanted to avoid being teleported against his will.

So now, instead of chasing his daughter all over the city trying to stop her from playing with Chaos Control, he was sitting on the rug in her room, surrounded by toys.

She grabbed another box from the corner of the room, bringing it closer. Opening it, she pulled out several dolls. Shadow crossed his arms, watching. He wasn’t the type to play like this, but you needed some peace and quiet to clean the house, and since he was free at the moment, he took the opportunity to spend some time with his little girl.

He just didn’t know how quickly things were about to spiral out of control.

“Here, Daddy, you’re gonna have these.” She grabbed a doll, a toy car, and a dinosaur, placing them in his hands. Shadow raised an eyebrow, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do with them.

Shadow held the doll, staring at its plastic face with narrowed eyes. He meticulously examined the toy, trying to see if it did anything interesting, but it was just a regular doll.

He let out a heavy sigh. “Now what?”

But then, he froze, completely motionless, as his daughter brought a tiara to him and placed it on his head.

“There, Daddy, now you’re the queen.” He furrowed his brow.

“Queen?”

“Yeah, you’re the queen now. Take your dinosaur and put it in this farm here.” She pointed to a fenced area with other animals.

Shadow looked at the plastic dinosaur, thinking for a moment. That dinosaur was obviously a carnivore.

“If I put it there, it’s going to eat all the farm animals.” He tried to engage in the game. She pouted, looking at the animals thoughtfully.

“Well, it needs to eat somehow, right? You can leave it there.” Shadow, somewhat surprised, complied, placing the toy in the designated area.

“Daddy, now there’s going to be a party here. You need to get your Barbie ready for the ball.”

He looked at the doll in his hands, confused about how exactly he was supposed to do that.

He watched as she grabbed a toy brush and started combing her doll’s hair. Shadow ran a hand over his own quills, wondering if he really had to go through with this.

Then, he reached for the small brush and awkwardly began brushing his doll’s hair, doing it quickly and clumsily.

“Daddy, now you have to say that Barbie is going to the ball.”

Shadow looked at her, completely bewildered.

“I’d rather not...”

“Please, Daddy.”

Shadow sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“...Barbie is going to the ball.” He closed his eyes as his daughter giggled—at this point, she was probably doing it on purpose.

“Oh no, Daddy, too bad! You got arrested.”

His eyes shot open, focusing on his daughter, who was now holding a police car, placing it right in front of his doll.

“...What?” He raised an eyebrow.

The little hedgehog took the doll from his hands and put it inside a box, which was apparently supposed to be a prison. Shadow remained still for a few moments, trying to comprehend what was happening.

“Daddy, your dinosaur invaded the prison and saved you!”

“What kind of game is this, anyway?” He asked, crossing his arms as he watched her place the doll on top of the dinosaur, making them both escape the imaginary prison.

At that moment, her bedroom door slowly opened, drawing both of their attention to it.

Your eyes immediately landed on Shadow—with the tiara still on his head. You raised an eyebrow at him. The hedgehog’s eyes widened in realization, remembering he was still wearing it. Before anyone could blink, his hand shot up, snatching the tiara off his head and placing it on the floor.

“Daddy, you can’t take off your crown! You’re the queen!” His daughter protested.

You chuckled.

“Queen, huh?” You leaned against the doorframe, teasing the black hedgehog.

“I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on for a while now, too.”

“But Daddy, the queen is going to get arrested again if she doesn’t wear the tiara!”

Shadow let out a deep, defeated sigh. He grabbed the tiara, placed it back on his head, and crossed his arms—completely resigned.

Silver

After almost witnessing the complete destruction of his living room, Silver felt much happier and more comfortable being back to spending some relaxed quality time with his daughter.

He sat on the floor, placing colored pencils and sheets of paper around him. The little hedgehog approached, bringing markers and paints.

“Here, Daddy, you’re going to use these pens.” She grabbed a few markers and handed them to him.

“Thanks, sweetheart!” He accepted the markers, picking up a sheet of paper to start drawing.

For him, it was a peaceful and fun activity—perfect for spending time together.

Silver scribbled and sketched, drawing a simple landscape with mountains, some trees, and the sun shining above. He smiled to himself at the result, excited to see what his daughter had created.

“Look at my drawing, Daddy!” She turned the paper toward him. The hedgehog looked eagerly, curious about what she had drawn—until he froze, furrowing his brow as he tried to make sense of the image.

He placed a hand on his chin, scratching it thoughtfully.

“Uh... What is this?” He pointed at a dark blue figure, a scribble that was hard to decipher.

“A squid with a sword!”

Silver nodded as if he understood.

“And this one?”

“A bee dragon.”

He raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out how something that looked like a yellow-painted rat could be a bee dragon—but he quickly gave up trying to rationalize it.

“Well, it looks great, sweetheart. Keep it up.” He ruffled her quills playfully.

“I’m going to use the paints now, Daddy.” She turned to grab the paints. “Hmm, I’m missing a color.” She looked at her desk, spotting the paint she needed.

Using her psychokinesis, the small paint jar started floating toward them. However, just as it passed over Silver’s head, the jar tipped over, spilling paint all over his quills.

Silver flinched and froze as he felt the cold paint land on his head. But once he realized it was just paint, he relaxed. The hedgehog grabbed a clean piece of paper, instinctively trying to wipe it off.

“Daddy, wiping it will only make it worse. It’s already all over your quills.” The little one stood up, looking at the mess of paint now covering his head.

“It’s okay, I can wash it later. Actually, since I’m already messy, why don’t we just get even messier?” He reached for another jar of paint, dipping a brush deep into the colorful liquid.

“Good idea, Daddy! We can make lots of paintings this way!” She copied him, grabbing some brushes and mixing colors together.

Getting into the spirit of the game, Silver poured some paint onto a piece of paper, spreading it around with his hands. The little hedgehog giggled at the sight and grabbed another color, mixing it with what he had already spread.

Within minutes, the once-organized room was covered in sheets of paper painted in every way imaginable. The atmosphere was filled with cheerful laughter.

Silver and his daughter stood side by side, both covered in paint, proudly admiring their work.

“Daddy, our masterpiece looks amazing!” she said proudly.

“It really does. Great job, sweetheart.” He crossed his arms, his quills puffing up in satisfaction.

The door beside them slowly began to open.

“Looks like you two had fun in here.” You observed them with a small smile. Then, your eyes scanned the colorful mess covering the floor, and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yes, Mommy! First, we drew, and then we made a masterpiece.” The little one giggled, hugging Silver’s leg. He gently placed a hand on her head.

“I’ll clean everything up, don’t worry.” The hedgehog reassured you about the mess.

“It’s alright. Keep having fun. I love the masterpiece my two artists created.”

Silver scratched the back of his head at your words, letting out a small chuckle.

“Daddy, can we make another masterpiece?”

“Of course we can, sweetheart.” He immediately grabbed fresh sheets of paper, ready to start another round of creative fun with his daughter.

Scourge

He sat down with difficulty on the tiny pink children's chair at his daughters' play table, watching as the two little troublemakers approached him. Scourge had spent the entire day trying to escape them, but it hadn't worked. In the end, he had no choice but to spend time with them while you rested.

The green hedgehog crossed his arms, watching as the older one flashed a mischievous grin at him, while the green-furred younger one, still sucking on her pacifier and toddling unsteadily, carried a gray box.

"A’right, what’s the deal? Spit it out, kid."

“Dad, we want to paint your nails.”

Scourge’s eyes widened in shock.

"Pfft, yeah, like I’m really gonna sit here n’ let ya paint me up like some kinda princess." He laughed, adjusting his sunglasses on his head.

“If you don’t let us, I’m gonna tell Mom that you didn’t want to spend time with us!” She crossed her arms, staring him down challengingly.

The threat made Scourge’s eyes momentarily widen before he muttered something under his breath.

"Tch… aight, fine." He sighed, placing his hands on the table.

The older one giggled excitedly, pulling up a stool for herself, placing the box on the table, and then lifting her little sister into an empty chair.

She picked out a few colors and lined them up in front of her father. The youngest simply watched with her big blue eyes. She reached for his hand, holding it firmly as she grabbed a bright hot pink nail polish and began carefully applying it.

Scourge’s ears drooped back.

"This is freakin’ humiliatin’…"

“Dad, hold still, or I’ll mess it up.”

He sighed.

"Y’all ain’t got a better color? Green, black, purple, somethin’ that don’t make me look like a damn cupcake?" He propped his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand.

“I have those, but I want hot pink.”

"Y’all are havin’ a real good time watchin’ yer old man suffer, huh?" Scourge huffed, but he had to admit, his daughter was surprisingly skilled at painting nails, despite the strong smell of nail polish irritating his nose.

A few minutes later, she finished painting both of his hands. Scourge scowled at his pink nails before shifting his focus to his older daughter, who was now setting up tiny teacups and a plastic teapot on the table. She placed a few stuffed animals on the remaining chairs.

The green hedgehog watched curiously as she worked. Then she picked up the teapot and ran out of the room, returning shortly with it full—probably with something to drink.

Scourge crossed his arms, observing with interest as she arranged everything. But his eyes widened when she placed a folded piece of paper in the center of the table with bold, messy handwriting that read "Gang Meeting."

She then took her seat.

"The hell is this?" Scourge glanced at her, confused.

“Tea party!” she answered cheerfully.

"Wait—since when did tea parties turn into gang meetin’s?" he asked incredulously.

“We need to talk and decide what to do about the gang on the other street…” His daughter gave him a serious look.

"A’right, this gang stuff’s gettin’ a little outta hand now."

She grabbed the teapot and poured some of the liquid into all the teacups.

"Yo, what the hell did ya put in here?" He picked up his tiny cup, squinting at the liquid inside.

“I took one of your energy drinks, Dad.”

Scourge’s eyes widened in horror. He immediately lunged forward, snatching the cups away before they could take a sip.

"Since when did y’all get old enough for this kinda junk?" He narrowed his eyes, pouring the liquid back into the teapot and keeping it far away from them.

“Dad, you’re the boss of the gang. Shouldn’t we give them a little scare?” She crossed her arms.

"What kinda nonsense y’all talkin’ ‘bout now?" He raised an eyebrow. The youngest cooed softly, locking eyes with her father.

“See? Even my sister agrees we need to teach them a lesson. I say we throw rotten eggs at their leader’s house!”

Scourge blinked once, then twice, before a slow smirk crept onto his face.

"…Y’know what? That actually don’t sound half bad. A’right, lemme hear the details." He leaned back in his tiny chair, now fully invested, taking a sip from his cup before refilling it with more energy drink.

At that moment, the bedroom door slowly creaked open.

Your eyes landed inside, and you raised an eyebrow at the scene before you.

There sat Scourge—way too relaxed in a chair that was far too small for him—his nails painted bright pink as he delicately held a tiny teacup, pinky raised, sipping the liquid inside. His youngest daughter, still sucking on her pacifier, focused entirely on him, while the older one chatted excitedly.

“…What are you all up to in here?” You crossed your arms.

Scourge wobbled in his seat, nearly toppling over, and choked on his drink, coughing as he pounded a fist against his chest.

“It’s okay, Mommy! Daddy was just playing tea party with us!” the older one said innocently.

Scourge cleared his throat, adjusting his jacket collar.

"Yeah, yeah, that’s it—just havin’ a lil’ tea party with these tiny monsters." A single bead of sweat rolled down his face.

Your eyes flicked down to his hands.

“Nice nails. The color suits you…” you teased.

Scourge stood up and sauntered over to you, grabbing your waist and pulling you close.

"Babe, I just got my pride stomped on by my own kids… don’t ya think I deserve a lil’ somethin’ for my troubles?" He rested his forehead against yours.

“Of course. Your compensation will be washing the dishes after dinner.”

He groaned in frustration but quickly leaned in and stole a brief kiss from your lips.

“Ugh, Dad,” the older one gagged. “You could’ve done that somewhere else.”

"Aw, c’mon, what’s the big deal? I can’t even show yer mom a lil’ love?"

She folded her arms with a huff.

"An’ y’all better get used to it, ‘cause I’m gonna kiss yer mom whenever the hell I want. An’ if ya whine too much, no more sneakin’ cookies from the pantry."

You couldn’t help but laugh at the look of utter betrayal on your daughter’s face while the younger one giggled softly.

[fanged-fanfics]

hii!! could you possibly do mystic monkey (or unspecified species) reader (gender neutral OR fem) x chubby sun wukong? reader is already close with sun wukong, is very much a fan of being touchy with him and absolutely loves the dad bod. SO sorry if this is oddly specific

🧡👑 A King's Form — Wukong x Mystic Monkey!GN Reader Fic 👑🧡

Genre: Fluff || they/them pronouns for reader || No warnings needed

A/N: This takes place around the end of S4 at the beach ep cause that's where we saw his stomach for the first time :D

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆˚｡⋆୨👑୧⋆˚｡⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

At the end of a successful mission to save the world, you were able to relax on a beach trip with Wukong and the rest of the Monkey Crew. Unlike a certain dark furred simian, you had actually been invited to join along in the wind down day. The sun was bright, the winds were warm, and you were positioned in the beach chair right beside the King himself.

As you fiddled with your sunglasses, you saw movement in your peripheral vision. Wukong's tail was extended towards you, offering up a colorful tropical drink, as he regarded you with a wide grin. You smiled back, accepting the drink with your own tail. "Having fun, bud?" The Sage asked you as you took a sip. "As much as I can" you replied with a little snort "It's so hot out here. I wouldn't be surprised if it somehow sunburns through my fur" you joked.

To your surprise, you felt shade over you soon after. Wukong had pulled up his umbrella from the sand, placing it between you two instead. He tilted it a bit to make sure you were both covered. "There! Much better, huh?" He asked brightly. You shifted your chair closer to his "Yeah, thanks Wu". Wukong folded his hands behind his head, tilting it towards the sky to breathe in a huff of the fresh air.

As he did so, you could see a clear view of his stomach, especially due to his shirt being left unbuttoned. You had mostly ever seen him in his armor, even with all your years of companionship. He seemed to feel your gaze lingering under his torso, and he shifted in his seat as a result. "Ah, uh... haven't really been hitting the stone gym as much these days" he joked, a small and awkward chuckle following "Not really a hero's physique". You shook your head, sitting up a little "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Wu" you reassured "The whole point of being a hero is anyone can do it, right? Even a destructive self-proclaimed Sage" you teased. Wukong snorted a bit. "Thanks, bud, but still-"

"I'm serious," You added in gently. You scooted in more, to where your chairs were pressed as close as they could be "There's nothing wrong with how you look, Wukong. You're still the scourge of heaven and hero to Megapolis no matter what". As you spoke, you gently intertwined your tail with his, which he nervously reciprocated with a small chuckle. "Alright, I get it" he said lightheartedly. "Besides," You added, leaning in to rest your head on his shoulder the best you could, "I think it's attractive "

"Re-wuh-really?" Wukong asked, stammering a little. "Mhm" you hummed in confirmation "I love how it looks on you. Haven't you been keeping up with the mortals? 'Dad bods' are a very 'in' look right now". "Hah, but uh- do you- really not mind it?" Wukong asked tentatively. You hummed the affirmative, nuzzling into his arm. "Especially this here," You said, tracing the heart pattern on his chest with your claw. His breath hitched a bit, cheeks flushing warm at the contact. His tail swatted nervously as it stayed wrapped up with yours. "Oh yeah-!" He began, voice cracking from how flustered he got "Just one of the, uh- g-great things about me! Pssh, there's a lot of that, y'know!"

"You okay?" You asked, a bit of a knowing smirk on your lips "You seem kinda flushed". "Just the sun" Wukong replied, taking off his hat and waving it in front of his face to get some air "Man this umbrella really isn't doing much, want a popsicle?" He said quickly to divert the topic. He pulled out a popsicle shaped like an apple, holding it out to you with a crooked grin. You chuckled, accepting the treat "Thanks!". You sat back in your chair, absentmindedly gnawing on the cool snack as Wukong ate his own peach one. You looked out the corner of your eye, seeing how nervous he still was.

"I mean it, you know" you began softly, and Wukong looked at you curiously "hm?". "You really do look great" you said, smiling gently. Wukong returned the look. "If you like it that much, maybe I should wear an open shirt more often" he joked. He was surprised when he felt your tail sway excitedly against his "I mean, I wouldn't be against it" you said, attempting to keep it cool. Wukong smiled a little wider "I'll keep that in mind then"

[porters-fangs]

sunlight;

just some porter thoughts for the soul

tw: thoughts of suicide

Porter stood in the shadows enwreathing the premises of Skyside, having picked out his blissful patch of shade beneath the looming edifice with much deliberation. The sun was ever creeping across the clear sky, and even a sliver of its deadly light could cut his afterlife short. And what a shame that would be. The day was windless, warm, and bright - everything that made him lament the fragility of the skin that clung to his bones. His fingers tapped restlessly against his belt as he stared unseeingly at the light dappling through the treeline edging around the property. Grass swayed in the gentle breeze, sending the sunshine filtering through each delicate strand. Every muscle in his body ached to reach out for those patches of warmth sprawling out beneath the verdant canopy, to stretch out across the earth. Grey eyes panning from the daylight drowsed woodlands, he studied the delicate line of shade that kept him from stepping out. A foolish thing, really. Almost metaphorical. Just open air, a difference of dark and light that would govern his days for as long as his heart continued to beat.

And it would just be so easy.

To venture out into that heat. To bask in that freedom. To do the selfish thing for once. What would it be to feel sunlight prickling against his skin for the first time in an age, for the last time in the tumultuous life of Porter Solaire? Would his end be slow? Flesh melting from muscle melting from bone, pain consuming every inch of him, no different than the pain he’d endured as a constant. Or would it happen in the blink of an eye? Cells crumbling into ash, one with the wind in a matter of minutes, free from the preoccupations of his daily burdens, the lives he carries with him, their souls weighing down on him, the blood on his hands a perpetual reminder of his guilt. Could he be so inconsiderate? To end his own life and bring peace to those that continued to haunt him at the expense of those who still needed him? Could he be so opportunistic? To succumb to his suffering on a Thursday afternoon, to take all but two steps forward and end his legacy without a second thought?

Oh, but what is a legacy when even you live in shame of it? Would he rather live on as the King’s Blade, brandished tirelessly until his metal begins to rust and his edges begin to dull, finally receiving his comeuppance at the hands of a rival clan, an assassin with sharper teeth and an agenda perhaps? Or would he end it all now and be forever forgotten, misdeeds swept beneath the rug with centuries worth of trespasses and transgressions?

His feet moved before his thoughts could reason otherwise. Deep down, he’d always known his choice.

“Porter.”

He stilled in his tracks. The summons was not loud, but it did not need to be. The utterance was more than enough to have him moving on instinct. After all, Porter Solaire was still the King’s Blade - and sunlight was not meant to illuminate a soul as scourged as his.

Like the loyal hunting dog that he was, he ran to heel.

[superscourge]

Could you tell us some lil fun facts about the imposter au, please? It’s genuinely so good I adore it-

i can try to loredump about it real quick!! just off the toppa my head..

just to establish what the au is again: imposter au is an au set in the idw-verse where scourge is a literal clone of sonic created by dr. starline using chaos energy in order to replace sonic! he began to think for himself too well for starline to control at some point and started seeing through his lies and manipulation, and he eventually broke away from him and went to the restoration to help him take starline down as revenge for selfishly creating him and bringing him into the world without an identity of his own..

some little tidbits ive thought up that i wanna explore in some way down the line (i could do fics or mini comics idk. depends on how i feel):

scourge keeps his true identity as a sonic clone a secret from the resistance for as long as he can, telling them his name is scourge from the start--the name he chose for himself after escaping starline--and he doesnt get his identity revealed until starline outs him during a confrontation where scourge helps the restoration bust into one of his bases but starline already knew they were coming so he made it look like scourge led them into a trap as part of a bigger plan :P

scourge and the restoration (convinced by amy) agree to help each other because they both share starline as a common enemy, but scourge is basically assigned a babysitter to watch his every move because they definitely dont feel like they can trust him after everything so far. that babysitter is silver!

silver 100% does not trust scourge for a while at first, but after spending more time with him and getting him to open up a bit more (accidentally..) and i guess kinda seeing him more as a person, they form a sorta bond that is kinda similar to sonic and tails ^^

scourge was meant as a sort of "prototype" for surge and kit! he didnt know this though until he's confronted by them later which is great bc he was already having issues with feeling like he didnt have a place in the world and then surge shows up and further hammers in that he was expendable from the start :P (this actually ties in with a mini comic ive been wanting to do for agesssss i hope im able to get it out eventually..)

shadow actually shows him how to better control his chaos energy and abilities that he's been kind of wild with up to that point! this comes in handy because the first time scourge fights surge she completely wipes the fucking floor with him, but after shadow helps him learn to use his power better (and he discovers the additional power of friendship), he's finally able to best her in battle ^^

over the course of his time with the restoration, scourge kinda learns how to be more of a person as it were :] he unintentionally makes friends and slowly realizes people actually care about him (and that he is able to be cared about in the first place), and eventually, once he finally finds security in his identity apart from being sonic's clone, he decides to stay with them as an ally!

and of course, yes, by the end of it all he does get his cool jacket and shades <3 just. probably a little redesigned lol

genuinely i have brainrot for this au occasionally. it flares up every now and then and i am obsessed w it... i love it a lot

[contemptible-scoundrel]

are you a time traveller or perhaps an evil timeline version of a real humanperson

Im just me aka the dead man, the blade in the dark, the living weapon, the mutant, the darkness of the heart, the one-eyed demon, god-stabber, the nightscourge, the darkstalker, vengeance, the viper of darkwood valley, dragonthief, the final bandit, the obsidian gaze and the eye in the dark, the priestslayer and the clericsbane, gloomdagger, flameborn, deathwalker, terror of the heavens, the bane, the dark smothering the light as evening breaks, the poisoned chalice, elf ear licker, the blademaster, the soulless one, the holy man's lament, the wretch, death's shadow, the grim omen, foul dweller, the deadly gambit, shadow-heart, death-dealer, the hidden blade, jane doe, herald of desolation, the bloody fable, the piercing sorrow, the swamp-shade, strider, hero's folly, the contemptible scoundrel, night's edge, the viper's sting, el cazador, giantslayer, fate-stealer, soul-render, hope's end, avatar of despair, the wraith, ghostblade, 死, nightfall, the phantom, the last resort, bloodthirst, unquenchable fury, rogue warrior, the heartless one, the leaden soul, the martyr of darkness, unholy fury, blackguard, breaker of vows, spiritbreaker, the nightmare, killer, the enemy of all living things, snakeblood, the immutable truth, the light's bane, the vengeful revenant, depraved fool, the killing machine, the beast of bones, brutal operator, the bug man, the shadow spectre, glintblade, bloodseeker, the merchant's scourge, the blight of man, knifegleam, nightfear, virtuous thief, the blood butcherer, ironeye,

furthermore the duchy of milq'drauz bestowed me with the left cleave of god, death's lament, blade of ill-omen, she who stalks the night, the veil between what is and what must never be,

[mochacoffeeumai26]

DarkBlade

Noah Diaz X Mirage X Female autobot reader

Summary: Way before Noah met Mirage, he had a car. It didn't really last long and eventually stopped working. When Mirage learns about the car, he tells Noah that it's actually no regular car.

Warning: First post so its cringe-

Of course with Mirage being Mirage, he could never really stay put. Noah had left him alone for literally two minutes and he was already messing around with stuff in the garage.

While in the middle of making a mess, Mirage notices something in the corner of the garage covered. Mirage walked closer to examine whatever was covered by that giant cloth, but he ended up tripping and making an even bigger mess of the place.

"Yo, Mirage. You serious?! I leave you alone for literally one minute and you just made a mess!" Noah scolded Mirage as he walked back inside the garage.

"You actually left for over a minute, dude." Mirage stood up and dusted himself off. He looked over at that same corner of the garage. He noticed that the cloth had slipped off a bit, it revealed part what was underneath.

Looking at it closer, Mirage could see what it was.

It was a car.

"Hey, Noah. You never told me you had a buddy before me. I honestly thought I was the first."

Noah looked over to see what Mirage was talking about. He groaned when he saw his first car.

"What? That? That piece of junk didn't even last three months." Noah removed the cloth from the car completely.

The car looked okay. It didn't look like an old or recent car. It looked like a regular dark shade (favourite colour) one.

Mirage only looked at it for a second before looking at Noah. "Maybe don't call her a piece of junk. Blade doesn't like to be called names."

"What? Who's her- Blade? What?" Noah was confused.

Mirage cleared his throat before crossing his arms and speaking. "Hey, it's alright, Blade! You can transform."

Not even a second later, Noah's "old car" instantly transformed into an autobot that was a bit bigger than Mirage.

Noah started in disbelief. His car had been an autobot this whole time?!

You looked around, your eyes immediately landing on Mirage and then on Noah.

The next thing Noah knew, you picked him off the ground and gave him an intimidating glare before glancing at Mirage.

"Prime better have approved of this Mirage. Or else..."

"Uh- Mirage...?" Noah started to panic a bit.

"Easy there, DarkBlade. Noah here's cool. Plus, Prime's Cool with him. Cool?" Mirage gave you a thumbs up.

You sighed. "Forgive me, human Noah." You set Noah down on the ground. "And Mirage... you know my real name, use it."

"Hold on, hold up. So...you're name isn't DarkBlade?" Noah looked up at you confused.

"Nah, man. Her real name is [Name]. But back on Cybertron she was called DarkBlade." Mirage spoke happily, he was looking at you the whole time he spoke.

"Why DarkBlade though?"

You made a swipe motion with both of your arms and instantly two very long, sharp and pointy dark grey blades came out on the sides of your arms.

"Nevermind...." Noah gulped. "So... If [Name] is an autobot...why didn't she help us when the world was literally on the verge of ending?!"

Mirage has to explain to you everything that had happened with Scourge, the Transwarp key and the Maximals.

"I don't recall receiving a distress signal from Prime... Perhaps it's because a certain someone had hit my radio like a crazy person while calling me trash..." You looked down at Noah while crossing your arms.

"My bad...?"

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

Drawing more with the new sketchbook because dang, these markers work amazing on this paper~💜

I haven't drawn Scourge in years, and this is the first time I've actually attempted to draw Starline, but my Lil Bro and my Sis-in-Law both really like the characters and I wanted to draw them for them.

The bunny, inchworm ((Mom suggested)), bison and marshmallow head person are my own ideas, and Movie Sonic slipping on nothing seemed pretty funny. Also, fat pikachu because cute. 😁

I didn't have the right colors for Starline, since it's kind of much to expect a 24 pack to have more than one shade of gray and something like maroon, so I fudged things a bit so that "Pale Violet" can be suggested to be a shade of gray, as can "Pale Jade" and "Pale Light Blue".

Maybe if I use up my alcohol marker ink enough, I can have an excuse to warrant buying a bigger set next time. 😙

[the-slender-doll]

Deep BLU Team Member Roster - Part One -

I've compiled some information on my Deep BLU team members for everyone. Please enjoy!

Inspired by @darrowfire15 's post on their team.

Sniper

Name: Milo Jones

Age: 37

Cosmetic(s): Rifleman's Regalia, Salty Dog and Most Dangerous Mane

Weapons:

Huntsman

Jarate

Bushwhacka

Background: Prior to joining Mann Co. Milo used to be the captain of a fishing vessel crew of six men. An incident at sea had changed both him and the Deep BLU’s Pyro physically and mentally, especially since they were the only survivors. He only agreed to join Mann Co for medical help for both him and his former crewmate as well as secrecy about his new “condition”.

Extra:

Cursed by the sea by unknown means. Slowly becoming a sea monster in the form of a “Kraken” as Milo describes it. He has gained more cephalopodic traits slowly over time. The transformation seemingly quickens with sea water.

AB+ Blood type. Perfect for blood transfusions. Uses a cover of having a blood disorder as a reason for the transfusions.

Constantly has to keep himself hydrated with drinking water or he risks falling ill.

Currently in a secret relationship with Dingo (owned by @darrowfire15 )

Name: Oliver Bennett | “Skipper”

Pyro

Age: Approx 32

Cosmetic(s): D-Eye-monds, Tricksters Turnout Gear, and Little Buddy

Weapons:

Degreaser

Flare Gun

Third Degree

Background: Prior to joining Mann Co. Skipper used to be the ship's mechanic of a fishing vessel crew of six men. An incident at sea had changed both them and the Deep BLU’s Sniper physically and mentally, especially since they were the only survivors. Joined Mann Co as part of Milos deal and uses art and fire as a means of destressing.

Extra:

Only responds to Skipper. The name was originally a nickname that they fondly loved as it was a nickname by Milo.

Pyromaniac tendencies developed after the incident due to mental instability due to trauma and physical injuries due to fire.

Skilled mechanic.

Suffers from Thalassophobia (Fear of Deep Waters/Ocean)

Communicates through ASL.

Nonbinary

Spy

Name: Merle Lavigne

Age: 49

Cosmetic(s): Sky Captain, Genuine Spycrab and Shutterbug

Weapons:

Spy-cicle

Cloak and Dagger

Revolver

Background: A former Spymaster, Merle only agreed to join Mann Co. as a means to “step down” from his high ranking position, for identity protection and to experience being a “normal” spy once more. He does have an extensive “network” of connections between fellow Spies that he can call in “favors” if the situation calls for it.

Extra:

Former Spymaster; now a “normal” Spy much to his relief.

Infertile and can't have children much to his dismay

Tutors Jerry, the Deep BLU teams Scout with reading and writing help.

Unfortunately has former history with Felix

Merle has a chewing stim through chewing his cigarettes

Medic

Name: Felix Adler

Age: 47

Cosmetic(s): Scourge of the Sky, Das Gutenkutteharen, Blighted Beak

Weapons:

Quick-Fix

Crusader's Crossbow

Ubersaw

Background: A former surgeon with “unusual extracurricular activities”, Felix only agreed to join Mann Co. as a means for legal immunity and for Mann Co. to use his skill set of both the medical variety and means of disposing corpses and the like from his other “activity”. He does care about his “patients” to some degree.

Extra:

Former surgeon and serial killer at large. Only was captured by Mann Co thanks to Merle.

He has an unhealthy obsession with the weird and unusual (especially medical anomalies)

He's the reason Milo has a phobia of medics

Scout

Name: Jeremy “Jerry” Chase

Age: 27

Cosmetic(s): Merc's Mohawk, Aloha Apparel, Stereoscopic Shades

Weapons:

Soda Popper

Flying Guillotine

Atomizer

Background: The middle 4th child of 6 brothers and sisters, Jerry was brought up by his single mother on the East side of Boston. Jerry at a young age always had an interest in space but was forced into sports by his mother much like she did to his elder brothers. So he chose soccer instead of baseball as his sport of choice and became a rather agile striker in the field.

Unfortunately a severe leg injury cost him his promising sports career much to his mothers dismay. Despite this, Jerry pushes on. Eventually he was given a job offer he couldn't refuse to help his family another way through Mann Co.

Extra:

Jerry has undiagnosed ADHD and Dyslexia which impacts him quite a bit especially with focusing and reading and writing comprehension.

He had a fascination with space and the like and wanted to become an astronaut growing up. Unfortunately life and his mother had other plans.

Has a limp while walking due to his healed sports injury.

He had his hair styled in a mohawk after losing a bet to Milo. He ended up liking it.

Current canon ships:

Sniper x Sniper (Milo x Dingo) - @darrowfire15

Spy x 10 Class ( Merle x Marlow) - @pageofthemicocee

Scout x Pyro ( Jerry x Skipper)

I hope you enjoy these little fun facts about my team!

[crusherthedoctor]

A guide on how to draw Trudy "officially".

Over the years, Trudy has received the occasional fanart, and I can never be grateful enough for every last one of them. <3 However, possibly due to not being an artist myself (unless you count purposefully terrible MSPaint doodles), I sometimes get asked what her intended reference is supposed to be. As in, how is she officially meant to translate in the Yuji Uekawa style alongside the other Sonic cast members.

In the past, I've been hesitant to clarify because truth be told, I don't care too deeply about every detail being completely accurate in fanart: I'm always perfectly satisfied and delighted to see how artists handle her regardless, no matter their spin on it. You wanna make her even taller? Go right ahead. :D You wanna make her hair reach further down? Knock yourself out. :D Boots going all the way up to her thighs? Hehe long leg horsie. :D But since it's something I've been asked more than once, I feel it's about time that I finally give a rundown for those who are interested in keeping her proportions, colours, facial expressions, and other such features canon-adjacent, so to speak.

I'll be numbering my points, because bullet points always seem to get smushed together no matter how I space them, which never fails to aggravate me lol. There's a lot to go over, but I hope I've compiled and summarized them as conveniently as possible. ^^ Alright, now let's make like a Mach Speed secton and go:

1. Trudy's official height is 3'06". For comparison, Rouge is 3'05", and Sonic himself is 3'03". (Originally Trudy was shorter than Rouge, but since Trudy remaining tall in spite of her condition is already a thing, it just felt right this way the more I thought about it.)

2. Trudy's shade of green is much more softer and minty than most green characters in the franchise (Vector, Jet, Scourge, Scourge With A Vagina, etc), as a harsher shade would clash with her portrayal.

3. The rule for her clothing:

Darker blue = headscarf + bandana Medium blue = top + boots Lighter blue = gloves + boot cuffs Brown = breeches + glove cuffs

4. Her muzzle and inner ears are peach, but lighter and more pale than other characters who have peach for those features.

5. Speaking of the ears, they're a teensy bit bigger than Sonic's, but not by much. They're also more rhombus-shaped by comparison.

6. She has five bangs in total, though it may often look like four due to her headscarf.

7. Her eye shape is exactly as it's presented in the image below. The general shape is tsurime, similar to Blaze, but rounder and softer to convey Trudy's personality, and how despite the rough experiences she went through while growing up, they haven't changed her kind heart. Her eyelashes and their length are also exactly as they appear here.

...also, while she's commonly depicted with half-lidded eyes, they're NOT like that all the time like in Rouge and Vanilla's case. Her eyes are fully open in her default state like most of the cast, she's just prone to half-lidded eyes due to her tender demeanour.

And of course, her sclera is NOT the usual white. :P It might look white from afar, but upon closer inspection, it's actually a very subtle light blue. This is often an effect of EDS in real life, so I figured it would be a good way of conveying it visually within the specific framework of a Sonic character. Meanwhile, the shade of brown used is much more warm than cool.

8. She actually has a little boop for her nose (complete with the two nostrils in place of the traditional black dot), it's just not obvious when looking at her from the front, like a mind trick of sorts. It's easier to notice from the side or from other particular angles, like so.

9. There's no easy way of putting this, so I'm gonna come right at ya with it: Trudy does indeed have breasts. Not as overt as Rouge (I say that out of endearment, not out of Bumblekast-flavored contempt), but it's there all the same to indicate she's a bit older than Amy and Cream.

10. Likewise, her legs are on the thick side. Again, more subtly so than Rouge, but still notable when compared to the pipe frames of Amy, Cream, Blaze, etc. And yes, just like horses in real life, she also has a prominent... er, behind, but this too is not quite as blatant as Rouge, since her top tends to obscure some of it, at least when standing up.

11. Her tail reaches down to just above her feet, and can be used to convey some of her emotions, such as slowly swaying when happy, or raising ever so slightly to show her contempt towards a villain. The joke is that she's "politely" telling them they can kiss her ass.

12. Her ponytail reaches down to her back, and in its default state, it forms an S-shape. It's also so close to her back that it may look as though the top and bottom alike are fully glued to her lol. It's not, obviously, but it's another mind trick per say. The height and width of the big upper half are near-equal, for maximum roundness. :3

...however, when she's in motion, be it mild or major, the ponytail can react accordingly in order to convey said motion. This never needs to be portrayed super realistically, what matters is that it looks cute and/or amusing. :3 :3 :3

Basically, if you're familiar with the Shantae franchise, and you know how animated the titular protagonist's ponytail can get, you can play around just as much with Trudy's ponytail.

13. Her gloves are just like Rouge's gloves: they go above her elbows, and fit her arms smoothly even with the small triangular gap on the brown cuffs. They're very much intended to invoke the feeling of classic princess gloves, to contrast the tomboy aspects of her attire.

14. Trudy's boots are yet another mind trick: while they technically go up to her knees like Amy's boots, they end up looking as long as Rouge's boots due to Trudy having longer legs than Amy. :P As for the feet, while they may seem similarly shaped to Amy's boots from a brief glance, the toes have recently been mildly altered to be a little more visually distinct and to reflect Trudy being older than Amy, so the toes are slightly longer and pointed now, as seen below. Despite this, they still lack heels, because heels are a no-no for Trudy's sensitive hooves.

15. Despite her bandana seemingly appearing smaller than her face when she's not using it, it somehow covers the entire lower half of her face perfectly fine like a ninja mask when she is using it. What sorcery is this??? Same reason Amy can pull her hammer out of thin air. Cartoon logic, deal with it.

16. As you can see in the second image above, Trudy's top has a window, which can be easy to overlook since you normally only see it when she has her bandana up. And on the subject of her top, as you may have noticed in a few images earlier, the top also has two small triangular cuts at the bottom of both her sides.

17. As for other details that are normally concealed by her clothing, her body has some pale peach that matches her muzzle and inner ears: it starts exactly at her *ahem* chest, and goes down across the middle portion of her front, ending where the stomach ends. Her feet - or rather, her hooves - resemble the typical round and toeless texture of most Sonic characters, except they're grey, with a little bit of fluff over them like so.

18. Trudy can certainly show a wide range of facial expressions, even playful and silly ones that you might not expect from her, but even so, they are always presented in a dignified and restrained manner. She's also not the type to lose her temper outright, preferring Tranquil Fury, so you won't be seeing her gnashing her teeth madly.

In other words, if Trudy shows visible disgust towards Eggman and his nefarious ways, she would not pull a Jack Nicholson Joker grimace ala Tracy Yardley's Sonic while doing so. She would much rather turn her head a little to the side and turn her nose up at him all proper-like.

19. And finally, simply put, the design of her trusty bow is as it appears here:

...and her whip, in its finalized form, can easily be described as being able to extend like a regular whip, while the handle resembles a rapier handle.

Bonus Fun Fact: During the very early stages of Trudy's design, I considered giving her a cape that reached down to just below the knees, so as to fit her unique mix of refined-yet-quirky. It wasn't super-detailed or anything, it was simple enough, but elegant nonetheless. However, I decided against it due to fears of it potentially making the design too cluttered, and also thinking about Trudy's design not causing inconvenience if she were actually playable in a game.

That said, I still think about it from time to time, as while it may not be part of her finalized attire, I still think a cape could look endearing on her, partly due to an old comic by Skaru, so if anyone wants to try their hand at drawing her with one, that's perfectly fine with me. :> Plus, with those who already accuse Trudy of being a Whisper ripoff, despite Trudy existing long before IDW Sonic in general was even a thing, it'd be a funny way of baiting them lmao.

And that's about it, assuming I don't remember something else five seconds after uploading this post! So for any artists who prefer to draw her with her "canon" proportions and whatnot, I hope this guide is able to help. ^^ Credit for all the art used in this post goes to: @skaruresonic @star-stages @nuncadisponible @sonikkuruzu @eva-of-the-sea @thespeedhighway @aquillis-main @la-nom-nom @latias-eevee-hatori

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

sorry to spam you, but. what happens with scourge in your rewrite? he’s my favorite <3

Please, don't ever apologize for sending lots of asks! I love answering them and they can help me think of things I hadn't thought about before, or flesh an arc out. Send as many as you want, all of you!

Anyways, Scourge, the literal scourge of my brain, because I've had to rewrite him 3 different times.

This little guy has been reworked SO much. The first was to tell the story of a downfall, how sometimes people become worse than the people who hurt them, and pay for it, but showing that there was still 'Tiny' in there, having The Rise Of Scourge end with his spirit, now back to being Tiny, reuniting with Quince, while his older self faded away.

I... Hated the vibe. And I'm probably gonna save THAT kind of ending for someone else...

I then changed it to be somewhat more like Better Bones, but with Scourge remaining leader of Bloodclan.... But that also doesn't line up with the themes of Graystripe's Clan and Ravenpaw's Path, where Fury and Neo Bloodclan come into play.

I didn't wanna kill him. I didn't want him to join Thunderclan. I didn't want him to stay in Bloodclan....

Then, it hit me.

So... Meet the new Scourge. He can say the F word.

Scourge

His story is one about coming back from the brink of no return.

Firestar has noticed something about Scourge. The fur around his neck has rubbed off, his voice is brittle, swallowing is so difficult that he drools a bit, his breathing is shallow, and he's... Painfully underweight. Now, aside from the terrifying thought that is "how strong would this guy be if he WAS properly nourished?", he realizes that even if Scourge manages to make it through this battle, he will most likely not make it to next season.

In a flash, Firestar leaps onto Scourge's back, and sinks his teeth into his scruff and collar. Just like his new deputy Longtail did to him, he begins to pull, hoping and praying that Starclan will grant another miracle.

The collar snaps, just as Scourge is about to pass out, he takes in his first deep breath in ages. Firestar pays for it with his first life.

Swiftpaw, now posthumously named Swiftclaw, is chosen as his first life to lose. He feels the pain and terror and rage and desperation that Swiftclaw did, but he also puts pieces together. Why did this happen? The real why. Not just the dogs getting a taste for cat. Not Tigerstar's seemingly unending thirst for power. Before all that.

This problem is the fault of the Clans. Churning out radicalized youths who will hurt others because of the instilled belief that Might Makes Right. Sure, Scourge has taken things too far, and seems hellbent on revenge, but the seeds of this bloody battle were planted on Clan Land.

Blackfoot, Brokenstar, Leopardstar, Mistfang, Darkstripe, Longtail, even Crookedstar and Nightstar have all fallen victim to this belief at one point of another. Tigerstar was not made in a vacuum. This kind of "kill or be killed" mentality is not making the Clans strong, it is getting cats killed.

He sees another vision of himself fighting Scourge, killing him. But his sight flickers, and it makes him sick. Scourge's build is so much like Princess. His eyes the same shade of blue that Cloudtail has. He sees his own loved ones in the one he is fighting. He is sinking his teeth and claws into his own Kin.

And then, finally, he sees the vision of Tigerpaw being goaded by Thistleclaw to beat Tiny. Then Thistlepaw being rewarded by Adderfang for sparring with a Riverclan apprentice and tearing their ear. Adderfang charging into battle alongside his father, too eager to take a life from Heatherstar Heatherstep. Tigerclaw berating Darkpaw for failing a training exercise. Darkstripe getting his new apprentice Longpaw to eat prey instead of giving it to the sick elder... The vision ending with Longtail touching noses with the newly named Swiftpaw, a line of cats behind him so long it stretches into the shadows, endless kittens behind Swiftpaw, a mentorship doomed before it even began. Generations of cats hurting each other with no end in sight.

Enough is enough.

When he comes back to life, he slams against Scourge, dodging his attack again, and looking around to confirm his worst fears. All of Bloodclan's cats are fully grown. The Clans have brought apprentices. This victory is for the future, to Save The Clans as Fire Alone.

He slams Scourge against the ground, and knocks him out. However, Rooster, a Bloodclan cat, cries out that Scourge has been killed. To be fair to Rooster, Scourge is laying limp at the feet of Lionclan's leader.

While many Bloodclan cats scurry away, some to one day become Neo Bloodclan, Firestar taps the ground to call attention to Snowpaw, using a bit of Body Speaking to silently tell the deaf apprentice to sneak Scourge to camp, grabbing Scourge's torn collar and hiding it for later.

Bloodclan negotiations begin with the cats who stay and will later be seen in Graystripe's Clan.

Meanwhile, Snowpaw drags Scourge through the woods and sneaks him into Cinderpelt's den, scaring Cinderpelt half to death. She begins to treat Scourge, removing the enforced claw tips and gathering some food for him to eat without getting sick from the influx of sudden nutrition. Snowpaw is so friendly that he manages to become friends with Scourge while he is slowly recovering, hidden in the back of Cinderpelt's den and slowly putting on some weight as he eats with his friend while getting more comfortable with others. None of this would have happened if Snowkit had been taken by that hawk...

Eventually, he is healthy enough to groom himself properly and walk around. But... What now? Can he stay in Thunderclan? Would that be a safe option for him? Firestar is still teaching cats to unlearn their biases, and Scourge may be subject to suspicion and discrimination, which isn't fair to him.

Firestar talks with Princess, and the answer is clear.

His housefolk are not home now, haven't been in a week, but... Smudge is pretty lonely. Rusty left a bit of a hole there, he could use a good friend.

Scourge is brought to Smudge's home in the dark of the night, collar in his teeth, and welcomed inside. His collar tag reads 'Tiny' but with no phone number or microchip, Smudge's people take him in as their own, and Smudge isn't so lonely anymore.

Firestar left housecat life to be wild, proving himself with a broken collar, and Scourge is leaving wild life to be a housecat once more, saving himself with a broken collar.

He is seen during Firestar's Quest, slightly chubby and full of energy, and I might have him go on the Quest with them to round out the party. The important thing is, he is happy.

Princess's Short Story, currently unnamed, is about her passing, visiting her old friends and family as a spirit. She finds Scourge's spirit, along with Quince, Socks, and Smoke, enjoying a peaceful afterlife together.

He is allowed a place in Starclan and Sky-Starclan, and will reappear during Beyond The Stars as a supporting cast member.

[officialnightengalepublishing]

A Hand to Hold Chapter 1

Masterlist

First draft of chapter 1. I hope you guys enjoy. :)

00:00:00:01

Chapter 1

GASP

Light. Blinding. Nothing but white canvas.

It hurt his eyes. His heart was pounding. It was as if his mind was being opened and searched. He felt as if the bones and blood in his body were rearranging. Fire scourged through his veins, but his jaw was locked. He would have screamed if there was any air left in his lungs to do so.

Teeth grinding pain had nearly bitten off his tongue and had cut off his ability to breathe.

He was free-falling. His stomach was in his throat, doing enough somersaults to gain the perfect score for the Summer Agility Games. He thought he was going to vomit. Was he being branded? Some sort of higher cosmic being was laughing at him. The burning reconfiguration of every cell in his body left him without energy. He was unsure how much more he would take. His soul felt torn out of his chest, molded, pummeled, and squashed back into a space it no longer fit.

Where was he? What was this? What was happening?

Was this Death? A curse? A spell? A poison? A nightmare?

It felt too real to be a nightmare.

His thoughts raced like horses in a derby.

And suddenly, at once, it all stopped.

“Your Majesty?” A voice called from behind the door to his personal chambers. “Are you awake? It’s almost time for your meeting with the generals.”

Aiwin took a greedy breath. He was covered in a cold sweat. Perhaps it was simply a nightmare.

His head turned. He was still in his bed. The sun was just over the horizon. The sunrise made everything glow a delicate shade of pink. The birds were beginning their morning song, calling to lovers and friends to greet the first light.

He groaned and forced himself to sit up.

His body was heavy. Everything was sore. Aiwin was dizzy and out of focus. His long white hair draped over his face like the branches of a willow tree. Whisping across his shoulder, his hair silently fell to his lap, mocking his life-altering experience with the mundane. It was almost pathetic. With frosted skin and pale blue eyes to match, Aiwin’s appearance was as striking as it was unearthly. His kind were prone to… less than orthodox presentations in the physical form.

While his thoughts seemed to be going at their typical speed, his body seemed to follow commands in slow motion, even with his skull-splitting headache.

“Your Majesty?” The voice called to him again. Right. Silvyr. Silvyr Traleth. Aiwin repeated to himself. His right-hand man and most trusted friend. 

“Silvyr.” Aiwin croaked. His throat was dry and gritty, as if he had done nothing but swallow sand. His mouth felt gummed up and filled with cotton. His tongue, like the rest of his body, refused to cooperate. It was thick, almost swollen; had he actually bitten it during that strange episode? He shook his head, trying to shake off the imposing lack of movement he’s gone through in the past- what? Seconds? Minutes? Had an hour passed already? He groaned and turned.

He fell off the bed with a humiliating and heavy thunk.

Laughter?

Aiwin perked his head up and turned in the exact moment to see his friend open the door. That wasn’t Silvyr’s laugh. Where had that come from? Was he going mad?

“King Aiwin Qigella,” Silvyr admonished as he walked in. “I’ve never known you to sleep in on a morning like this. Did you happen to sneak an extra drink from the liquor cabinet without meaning-” Silvyr stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the full view of the king.

“Silvyr.” Aiwin tried to get up once more. “Something… Something has happened."

“Clearly.” Silvyr dropped to his knees, aiding the king back onto the bed. Dressed in blues and gold, the creature beside him was his opposite. Ebony skin with darkened eyes and even darker hair, he looked as if he were the very essence of shadow and night itself. “You’ve gone completely pale!”

Aiwin gave him an unamused look.

“...Paler than usual.” Silvery amended. “You’ve looked as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

“That was the problem.” Aiwin coughed to clear his throat. He barely had the strength to hold himself upright. He clutched the edge of his mattress with a white-knuckled grip. He was trembling. “I didn’t see anything at all.”

What happened to him?

He was never like this.

“A vision?” Silvyr tilted his head, fretting over the king like a mother hen. Aiwin allowed him to do so. In fact, Silvyr was the only one who was allowed as near as he was. There were few people he trusted, and he doubted there would ever be another.

“It was nothing.” Aiwin coughed again. He swayed forward.

Silvyr caught him and all but shoved him further onto the bed. “What do you mean nothing? Something had to have put you in such a state. Are you ill? Do you want me to call the medic?”

Aiwin shook his head. “It was pure light… and pain. Only pain. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think-!”

“Ok, ok, easy, Brother.” Silvyr put his hands on Aiwin’s shoulders. With one solid shake, he once more had his brother’s attention. “Surely there’s a rational explanation for this. We mustn’t…” Silvyr took a good, long look at the king. Aiwin could feel his judgment. His conclusion was likely the same as Aiwin’s. He wasn’t ok. Silvyr hummed weakly. There was truly no other way to spin it. Still, he hadn’t survived as long as he had and learned nothing from it. “We mustn’t lose our heads. I shall inform the generals that the meeting must be postponed for a later date.”

“They’re not going to like that,” Aiwin grunted, fighting the urge to go into a fetal position. Every fiber of his being felt stretched and anguished. But a king mustn’t lose his composure even when there was no one around to watch. He stayed on his back.

“I’ll handle their ire. You take the time to gather your wits, and we’ll reconvene with breakfast, yes?” Silvyr waved him off. His demeanor implied normalcy, frivolity even. Aiwin always admired Silvyr’s casual tenacity and seemingly effortless charm while appealing to the house below them. He was like that even when they were children. Their father, for all his attempts to hide his illegitimate child from public eyes, was no match for his silver tongue. It’s how the runt got his name, after all. “In the meantime, try not to do anything stupid.”

With a grunt, Aiwin excused the other man. He knew he must have looked worse than Silvyr had wanted to say when his brother hesitated at the door and looked back for good measure.

Before Aiwin could muster up the strength to give him a rude gesture, he left and gently closed the door behind him.

The silence was welcome, but not for long. The world does not stop turning. There were armies to lead, prisoners to interrogate, and lands to conquer. All of which looked to him for the final say.

Aiwin forced himself to sit up once more. He felt better than he had when he originally opened his eyes at the very least. It was enough to trust himself to stay on his feet and not eat the carpet of his bedroom.

Or so he thought.

Getting to that point was a different story altogether.

Sounds of a haunted quarry echoed and bounced off his walls with every little step he took. By the time he had reached the doorway of the bathroom, Aiwin was winded with trembling knees and a white-knuckled grip on the door frame. He tripped over his silk pajamas and narrowly missed hitting the corner countertop with his head. This is humiliating, Aiwin growled, forcing himself forward once more. 

He had to crawl.

He pushed himself into the shower and blasted the coldest water imaginable to his face. The shock was enough to wake his senses up again before he switched to a warmer, less punishing spray. He tried to gather his wits as he was advised.

His hair, which was long enough to reach his knees, hung lifelessly beside him. He frowned and scowled. Perhaps he should cut it. The one time he hadn’t put it in a braid for the night, and it’s a night when he thought Death itself was knocking at his door. 

It would be a pain to brush through and manage back to an appropriate texture. It didn’t even fit in the shower.

He leaned back, letting the water run down his body. Breathing was still a particularly unsettling chore. He had never felt so raw, so exposed, so unfiltered. And yet, there was a part of him that purred in satisfaction now that the pain was less on his mind.

Something was just as it should be.

Something new. Something normal. Expected. Perfect.

Aiwin could have rolled his eyes at the thought. Maybe it was just a nightmare. Surely there was nothing wrong with him. The tremors and weakness were a mere… psychological manifestation of whatever his mind attempted to comprehend. His body has sustained no injuries, and there wasn’t a hair out of place, ignoring his earlier gripe about needing to put the hair on his head back into order. In that turn of phrase, it was very much out of place. 

One long, overly dramatic groan later, Aiwin forced himself out of the shower again. It was as if he could finally breathe again. He was sore and wet, the perfect combination for feeling sorry for yourself.

His mind felt like mush. Perhaps he had truly gone and lost his mind. The pressures of being king have been weighing on him for a while, but he didn’t think it would have gotten this bad this quickly. Surely he had many more years to live and to rule while being fully aware of his cognitive abilities.

Aiwin limped out of the shower. Wrapping the towel around himself, he sat down on the bed, beginning the arduous process of untangling his hair. It was therapeutic in a way. Aiwin was able to let his thoughts and the ache in his bones settle to a more manageable degree. He began to rethink the strange nightmare. 

Was it a vision? Was it a sign? It would have been a strange one on either account, given how painfully bright the light was. It could have been a warning. A cry for help.

Maybe something significant had happened. 

His stomach dropped at the thought. He was thankful it was empty, otherwise, he would have felt potentially vomited from the sheer force of dread alone. If it was something significant, there were very few things that he could think of that would have warranted a strange, pain-filled vision such as that.

He was being punished for his actions as king and commander.

There was something horribly faulty in his exhaustion-laden mind.

Something had happened to his soulmate.

That final thought squeezed his heart in a vice. It made the very blood in his ice cold veins cease to move. Aiwin took a deep breath. Surely, his soulmate was fine. He would know if anything had happened to them. He was confident that if his soulmate had ever gotten hurt that his heart would stop on the same beat as theirs. There would be no point in living his life, even his body knew that.

The thought calmed him.

Besides, he still had more than enough time to meet this soulmate. Like other members of the Iobgyt race, he had been born with a timer on his wrist. It glowed a soft white, counting down every second of each breath until he would come face to face with the love of his life. The small ticking clock had been a comfort many a night when he found himself restless and wondering what his destined half was going to be like. Would they approve of him? He’d hoped so. He was powerful, handsome, and the king. Surely there wasn’t much else he’d have to change in order to appropriately woo them over.

Last he had checked, there was less than a month away on his timer. Three weeks, two days, 14 hours, 16 minutes, and 45 seconds to be precise. Not that he was counting.

Granted, that had been weeks ago as it was. He was a very busy man after all, and his duties did a fantastic job at distracting the king from the ever-decreasing numbers.

Aiwin set the brush away and got dressed, feeling more like himself. The scare was over, as strange as it was. After a good meal and some more time to steady his heart, he’d gather up the generals and once more have the meeting he was supposed to attend earlier. Surely that would placate both his armies and the public. Once they claimed the land to the north, they would be able to use the iron mines to further their weaponry and focus their attentions to the west for their ample, fertile land.

Dressed in reds and silver, Aiwin settled for a sleek crown-like braid over his head, letting it fall in tresses as it reached the bottom. His face no longer looked as haggard, albeit his eyes were a tad more sunken in than usual. Breakfast ought to help with that, he thought to himself.

Aiwin brushed some wayward hairs out of his face. Something was wrong.

The soft glow that was ever present on his wrist was gone.

His breath got stuck in his throat for one horrifying second. No. This cannot be. It must simply be covered up by the sleeve.

Tugging down the fabric, he swore his heart stopped, just as he feared it would.

00:00:00:00

Bile pooled at the bottom of his throat.

“No…” His voice was torn out of him. All over again, his strength had been sapped out of him. His knees buckled, and his vision tunneled directly onto the dimmed, silent numbers on his wrist.

He didn’t meet them.

Nothing happened. Was this the cause of the pain? The light?

It must have- It couldn’t be! It was impossible!

“No… No… No…” He repeated, scratching at the mocking lack of numbers. He scratched until his skin was red, irritated, and raw, and he would have continued to do so had Silvyr not returned to the room and found the king in a heap of hysterics.

“Your Majesty?” Silvyr ran to his side. “What’s wrong? What is it this time?”

“...They’re gone…” Aiwin croaked, forcing the words out. His worst fear came true. And yet his heart continues to beat. Yet his lungs continue to fill with every single agonizing breath.

“I don’t understand-”

“They’re gone!” Aiwin shouts. He all but shoves his wrist in his brother’s face. 

At once, Silvyr gets the message and dives to catch Aiwin before he can collapse onto the floor with nothing but heartbreak and soul-tearing despair. “They’re not gone. You don’t know what happened.”

“I know it. I know it. They’re gone. They’re gone! I never got to meet-”

Silvyr growled, holding Aiwin fiercely in his arms. “You don’t know it, you fear it. There’s a difference. MEDIC!!”

[fanged-fanfics]

Hello! Can I request headcannons or anything with the gn reader being besties with Macaque while also being Wukong's S/O? I imagine that the reader befriended Macaque somewhere during the adventures, or perhaps during the time when Wukong was possessed by LBD? Idk, I leave that up to you.

Please and thank you.

🧡👑A King's Petty Squabbling — Wukong x GN Reader HCs👑🧡

Genre: Fluff || they/them pronouns for reader || No warnings needed

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆˚｡⋆୨👑୧⋆˚｡⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

- Wukong loved everything about you, that was no secret. He wasn't shy at letting you or anyone else know about how much he cared for you, he'd put aside his reservations any day to make sure you knew about his devotion to you. If there was ever one complaint in the entire world he'd ever have to make, it'd be your unfortunate choice of friends

- During his time of possession, you'd gotten closer with Macaque. It was a purely platonic bond, but Wukong couldn't help but have his reservations. This was Macaque you were talking about! Shady, shifty, super edgy bad guy Macaque!

- He didn't want you to feel like he was being controlling in any way or that he was trying to limit who you could be friends with. You could befriend anyone you'd like, and he knew at the end of the day it wasn't his place to interrupt. But Macaque?

- You could give him a little bit of grace, to be fair. Macaque was his biggest enemy, the largest thorn in the Sage's side and the one who had done some of the biggest damage to not only him, but to MK and some of the others as well. Seeing you, his beloved, so willingly hang around someone like that... it admittedly stung quite a bit

- You had to have a few conversations with Wukong, telling him about how Macaque was there for you and supported you. Which, admittedly, Wukong was bitter about at first. It wasn't his fault he got possessed, he'd think to himself

- It took quite a bit, but he eventually softened. Macaque wasn't perfect, not by miles in Wukong's eyes, but he supposed the warrior was getting better in his own ways. And he was glad that you'd had someone in those times, especially since he couldn't imagine how it must've been seeing your mate possessed by a wicked bone demoness

- So Wukong worked on his glares, held back his comments, and overall did his best to keep amicable and cordial whenever Macaque hung out with you two. He didn't personally make many strides to Macaque, he moreso just tolerated the guy for your sake. The feeling was pretty mutual on Macaque's end

- Though the monkies often subtly threw shade on one another or avoided each other completely, they did their best not to fight near you... of course that didn't end up holding well with their petty arguments, but at least they tried-

- Wukong does give Macaque a warning or two about not doing any of his shady dealings or sly tricks on you, giving a colorful reminder that he was known as a scourge to heaven for a reason. Even when keeping things peaceful for your sake, he knew he'd never forgive Macaque if the warrior dared to betray your trust

- Wukong would usually deny this if asked, but if you pressed on the matter he'd eventually cave. He tried his best to explain how he feels to you, but addressing the past was always hard for him, especially since Macaque was prone to being just as cryptic about it. Even if you couldn't get the full scoop, you knew Wukong was just doing his best to try to protect you, and he made constant efforts to try and control his reactions to having Macaque around

[deviljaythey]

writecamp day 3!!!!!

I couldn't do day 2 cause I was busy (playing deltarune) but I'm making sure to do day 3! I'm going to be doing the setting prompt "weeping shadow" from the list, thanks once again to @agirlandherquill for putting this all on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In all of this light, scourging, raging dawn, there was a lone shadow. A shade who hide away from all that was, because they could not live in this world. They tired, oh gods they tried, but each time the light burned them and shunned them. In all of this beauty, this endless splendor, they could have none of it. So what else could they do but cry, mourn the life they'd never have. In a world not made for them, all they could be was a weeping shadow.

[superscourge]

Resurrected AU Ch. 1: Alliance

(read on AO3 here!) Warnings (for the fic in general, not necessarily this chapter): Graphic depictions of violence, strong language, general mature themes Chapter Summary: Scourge breaks into one of Eggman's bases in search of a secret weapon to defeat Sonic with, but what he ends up finding is much stranger and much scarier than he was expecting. Though…he finds a way to get some use out of it. Notes: it really took me like a thousand years to get this started huh. lol. well i wanted to at least get the first chapter out before the sonic au collision event fully started, so im happy to present the first chapter of resurrected au's fic!! god i hope yall like it LOLLL, this au means a whole lot to me.. it's become my favorite baby i wont lie. i will also admit that im a Little nervous to finally start posting my actual writing for sonic stuff; i'm pretty self-conscious abt it actually lmao. but hopefully yall end up enjoying how i write these guys. please be niceys idk how long it'll take me to dish out the rest of the chapters, but hopefully i can find the time and energy to get them out steadily!! thanks in advance for reading and thank u so much for ur support and enthusiasm <3

--

It’s not every day that you get a juicy piece of info that could very well put the odds in your favor. That’s why Scourge was not gonna waste this opportunity.

He’d gotten word thanks to his incredible sleuthing skills [read: eavesdropping on strangers] that Eggman had a new base in the area and had apparently acquired a very powerful “secret weapon” of some sort. That was all he needed to know before deciding it was time to raid a base. After all, if he found that secret weapon? Sonic was toast.

It took a minute to actually find the damn place, but soon enough, Scourge was skidding to a stop at the treeline before what looked to be a large, dome-shaped structure with the patented Eggman symbol on it (or something that looked like it; Scourge figured it was close enough). He smirked, flipping his shades down over his eyes and speeding off towards the entrance.

As expected, badniks littered the area around the main entrance to the base. They looked a little funny, Scourge noted; they seemed a little more…high-tech than he was used to seeing. But, whatever–he figured it wouldn’t be an issue once they were busted to scraps.

… He did have a little trouble with these bots. Just a little. But it was no biggie, since he ended up finding a way inside before he could be overwhelmed. All’s well that ends well, he supposed.

The inside of this place was…confusing. So many twists and turns, rooms that led into other rooms, platforms that moved in weird directions…

“Doesn’t this place have a map?” Scourge grumbled to himself as he ran through the absolute maze of hallways.

After what seemed like forever, he finally came to what was clearly the main, central chamber of the base. There was a very complicated-looking keypad attached to it. Luckily, Scourge was very good at lockpicking.

Stepping back a bit, he hopped up and curled into a spindash before launching himself at the keypad. It took a bit of work, but before long, the whole thing was smashed to bits with sparks flying everywhere. Just as he’d hoped, the door opened once the keypad was destroyed. With a triumphant snicker, he unfurled and landed back on the floor before confidently waltzing into the chamber.

Inside looked pretty much as he expected it to–tubes and gadgets everywhere, lots of high-tech machinery that did Gaia-knows-what, lots of papers littered about several desks that clearly showed the work of an evil mastermind…

Yeah. Deffo an Egg-base.

“Now, where’s that weapon…” Scourge questioned aloud as he strolled through the room. He pulled out some drawers and rummaged around here and there, but he didn’t really find anything interesting so far. Surely this thing wasn’t hidden that well, right?

Just as he was starting to get frustrated, he came across a huge capsule of some kind right in the middle of the room. Pretty obvious, actually. He wasn’t that observant, but whatever. He raised his shades to where they were resting back in their place on his head before he rubbed his hands together with a huge, toothy grin. “That looks promising.”

Making his way to the door of the capsule, he tried to peek inside through the little window on the front of it. He couldn’t make anything out… He decided to just open it to get a look at what was inside, so he searched around for a switch of some kind that would do that for him. It didn’t take long, thankfully, and he quickly pressed the button down that would activate the door.

Smoke spewed out from the door as it opened, making Scourge cough a bit. He waved his hand to clear some of it out of his way as he impatiently waited for it to dissipate enough for him to see what he was in for.

This had to be some sort of cool gun. He knew it was. Some kinda laser shooter or something. Or maybe a bazooka. Oh–a cannon, even! He dearly hoped it was a cannon, actually. The smoke was almost fully cleared, so he leaned in excitedly to see what was inside…!

… It was…a guy. There was a guy in there.

“What the–?” Scourge furrowed his brow once he got a good look at the contents of the capsule. It was obviously a person–a jackal, it looked like? Definitely not a cannon. Who the hell was this? He looked rough, like he’d really been put through the wringer. His drip was cool, Scourge supposed, and the big, gnarly scar on the guy’s chest was pretty intimidating…

Mine’s still cooler, he thought to himself.

Suddenly, alarms sounded throughout the base. Scourge cursed under his breath as he looked over his shoulder. He turned back to the man in the capsule, making a quick decision–he’d snag him and take him with him. He probably had some idea of where the weapon was, so once he woke up, he’d just beat the information out of him if he wouldn’t give it up willingly.

Grabbing the jackal out of the capsule and slinging him over his shoulder, Scourge finally sped out back through the way he came. He was able to dodge any bots that tried to come after him thanks to his speed, and soon enough, he was outside and running through the trees of Mobius once again.

He ran until forest turned to jungle, and before long he was slowing to a stop once again in a small clearing where bits of light showed through the canopy up above. He rested the other man’s body down on a bed of moss near a small pond, figuring that’d be…somewhat comfortable, and he then took a seat on a fallen tree a few feet away.

It was only a matter of seconds before he began to tap his foot. What was he supposed to do now? Just sit there waiting for this guy to wake up? That could take hours… He didn’t have that kind of patience.

Deciding to take the initiative, Scourge stood and started walking over to the jackal, intending to just…lightly kick him until he woke up, or something. However, he didn’t get the chance.

A low, threatening growl could be heard rumbling from the stranger’s throat. Scourge stopped in his tracks once he heard it, then took a few paces back. How long had he been–?

One yellow eye opened to a squint, scanning the area before landing on Scourge. For some reason, the look the man was giving him made his skin crawl… Not that he was going to let him know that, though.

Instead, Scourge popped the collar of his jacket to regain his composure and puffed out his chest. “Took ya long enough,” he teased right off the bat. “I was startin’ to think you were dead.”

The jackal’s gaze lingered on him coldly for a few moments. However, he looked elsewhere when he began to speak. “... I should have been.”

That…wasn’t the response Scourge was expecting. The way he sank a bit betrayed his confusion. “... Wait, what?”

The man sat up, sort of startling Scourge into taking another step back. As he did so, he fully opened both of his eyes so that he could properly take in his surroundings. He was clearly ignoring the hedgehog beside him as he turned his head away, which didn’t really sit right with Scourge.

“Hey!” he barked. “I’m talkin’ to you!”

Giving no indication that he was listening, the man proceeded to rise to his feet, standing at his full height. Scourge sort of…shrank a little once he saw how actually tall this guy was. He knew jackals were generally bigger than hedgehogs, but this guy…

No, no, it was fine. No need to be afraid. He was still in charge here–this guy just didn’t know it!

With an annoyed sneer, Scourge dared to stomp a little closer. “Listen here, pal. If it weren’t for me, you woulda still been stuck in that base. I went outta my way to rescue you, got it? That means you owe me one. So, I’m gonna tell you how this is gonna go down, and you’re gonna–hrk!”

A clawed hand suddenly gripping his neck caused Scourge’s words to get caught in his throat… At least, that was part of it.

The jackal had snapped his head around to glare murderously at him as he grabbed him, which gave Scourge a very clear view of his face. He could see his one piercing yellow eye staring back at him…and he quickly noticed that the other eye had some kind of rock lodged into its socket. It was an eerie sight, and it definitely sent an intense chill up Scourge’s spine.

“You,” spat the jackal, voice deep and commanding, “do not control me.”

Unable to respond, Scourge just kind of…dangled there, hands gripping the other’s wrist as he kicked his legs a little. The expression he wore was enough of a response, though, so he was released after a moment of struggle. Once he was able to breathe and stand on his own again, he gasped for air and rubbed at his throat with an indignant look.

“What the hell?” he managed to say between coughs. “Who do you think you are, grabbin’ me like that?”

Turning away, the taller man didn’t bother to look at him as he replied. “I am Infinite,” he answered simply.

There was a pause as Scourge seemed to wait for him to say something else. When he didn’t, he furrowed his brow a little. “... Like, that’s your name, or…?”

The man–Infinite, apparently–seemed to hesitate, as if he was surprised that Scourge didn’t recognize him. One of his ears flicked.

“... I suppose enough time has passed that my name is no longer common knowledge,” he mused, half to himself. “Pity. I would have liked to think I made a bigger impact than that.”

Scourge watched as Infinite turned to fully face him again, making him subconsciously take a couple steps back. Man, this guy was kinda scary… Not that he couldn’t take him! He was just giving him the creeps, was all… Cyan eyes flicked to Infinite’s hands as he flexed his fingers.

“I will simply have to remind the world what true fear feels like,” he growled lowly, “and I suppose that starts with you.”

The rock embedded in Infinite’s eye began to glow as he summoned its power, and, to Scourge’s bewilderment, he began to lift off the ground and hover there. It was kind of scary, actually. The guy was floating. What the hell?

Then it hit him. The weapon Eggman had been hoarding wasn’t a gun or a cannon or anything like that. It was Infinite. He obviously held some sort of power that Eggman wanted to weaponize, and that must have been why he’d been locked up in that base… Things started clicking.

Despite Scourge expecting him to do… anything, really…Infinite proceeded to seize up in pain and let out an agonized yell. He suddenly collapsed to the ground, falling to his knees as he held himself up with one hand and gripped his head with the other. “W… What…?!” 

Infinite’s hand moved from his head to his chest where the large scar marked him. When he felt nothing but the scar, he had a look of both anger and confusion on his face, which told Scourge that what just happened clearly wasn’t the plan.

… Interesting.

Scourge stood a little straighter once he was confident that this guy wasn’t about to explode or something, sticking his thumbs into his jacket pockets. “Aaaalright, Criss Angel. If you’re done with all that , I think it’s time we get down to business.”

While Infinite knelt there still trying to figure out what was going on, Scourge began to pace around him in a circle, smirking as he did so. “Look. Like I said before, I rescued you from that base, so you kinda owe me one. But–and hear me out on this one–I’m willin’ to come to a compromise.”

Infinite snapped out of his pained daze long enough to shoot another glare at Scourge as he came around to his front again. “Compromise?” he hissed.

Scourge nodded. “Yeah. So, listen–I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier.” He held up a thumb and pointed it at his own chest, teeth bared in some kind of nasty grin. “Name’s Scourge. If ya haven’t hearda me by now, then you’ve been livin’ under a rock.”

Infinite somehow doubted that this brat had left enough of a mark on the world that anybody off the street would know his name. Still, he let him continue.

“I wanna take out Sonic. I assume you know him, right? Well, I think you’re just the guy who can help me out with that. He’s gotten lucky so far, but I think with you backin’ me up, I’ll be able to finally give ‘em his just desserts.”

The name Sonic caused a spark of recognition to flash over Infinite’s good eye. His breathing began to steady. “... Sonic,” he repeated. “Yes, I am familiar with Sonic .”

The way Infinite said his name let Scourge know that there was some beef there, at least. This worked in his favor. “Good,” he said with a nod. “So we’re on the same page, then.”

He turned on his heel before stopping his walk, facing Infinite to speak to him directly. “Like I said, I want you to help me take him down. Easy, right? In exchange, though… I’ll help you out with whatever you want, too. I dunno if you knew this, but I’m basically just as strong and just as fast as that blue bastard. I could give anybody a run for their money if I felt like it.”

Narrowing his eye skeptically, Infinite mulled this over. He seemed to be recovering from the shock from before, and he stood back up onto his feet. It was evident from how long he took to respond that his mind was…elsewhere.

“... I see.” His tail swished behind him as he thought about his next words. “You are offering to aid me in whatever task I ask of you?”

“Cross my heart.”

Infinite gave a huff before crossing his arms. “... Fine. If you intend to uphold your end of this bargain, then I will do the same.”

Scourge smiled widely, his sharklike teeth almost glistening in what little sunlight was managing to poke through the canopy above them. This idiot. He had no idea that he had every intention of double-crossing him the first chance he got.

He held out his hand for a shake to seal the deal. “Glad to have ya aboard, Infinite.”

Infinite glanced down at the other’s hand before reaching forward and taking it, giving it a single shake. His grip was tight. “Let us make the most out of this partnership, shall we?”

… Infinite was not stupid. He instantly knew that Scourge was going to betray him. That overconfident fool was so transparent it almost made him sick.

But…he could also tell that he had some bite to his bark, even if it was just a little. He was seasoned enough as a soldier that he could see that. That meant he could get some use out of him before he pulled his own betrayal.

He no longer had the Phantom Ruby in his chest, and he was alive, and he had no idea why. If this green idiot could help him figure that out…then he’d play along for as long as he had to.

Either way, he was going to get answers. And once that was done? He was going to rip out Sonic’s miserable little throat.

☆