#See horse tail would also be fun because then I can style it differently and put accessories in it.

[aquaticcryptid]

Changing Lavendare from having lion traits to making his head shape a Brown Hyena and the subsequent 'mane' just a fixture of the hyena build. Like a psuedo mane to rock. That does mean I'd change his tail too. I'm not sure what yet....

Could do a horses tail to match his lower extremities but??? Maybe something more fun? Maybe a simple nonexistent tail like bats have? But I want a long tail, I love long designs.

[otterloreart]

MLP-Takara generations: a design experiment

Takara MLPs are considered generation 1 My Little Pony; the original ponies look like little horses and the takaras are obviously very different.

But the standard MLP toyline underwent a lot of changes throughout the years... so, if the takaras had been successful, what would their changes look like?

Generation 1 year 2+ takaras.

Year one MLP was only a few ponies with a single color of body + matching hair... just like the takaras. It was year 2 that they introduced unicorns. pegasus, and seaponies.

You all know I've already been concepting these so it's not surprising at all. As MLP g1 went on, they ended up doing more and more gimmicks throughout the 80s which would also be kind of fun to see the takaras do... (hint hint if you want me to draw those lmk which gimmicks are your favorites)

I also think they should bring in markings like the normal ponies but that could be part of the gimmicks. Maybe on their cheeks, or on their bellies like care bears?

In the later years og MLP also had a lot of variations on the normal pony body type, so maybe you could also see the takaras with that kind of variant, so that might be cute:

Moving on!

Generation 2

If you aren't big into early gen My Little Pony you might not know that generation 2 didn't do very well; it was a reboot of a beloved franchise, it was new, and different, and all that jazz:

Main differences between them and g1: first, you can see they have a very late G1-type body, which is why I pointed out the thinner pony in g1. Their face is less detailed and rounder, but they have a little more expression, very smiley.

Their ears have a more horse-y curled in shape, they have fur around their hooves (in g1 only the boy ponies had hoof floof), and they have a gem in their eye.

Also they had a lot more moving-leg gimmicks where you could push one part of their body and another would move (eg push tail -> bobs head)

So you may ask, how am I could to g2-ify the takaras? After all, they are already much rounder than the g1 ponies. Well, I'm not going to make them just *look like* the g2 ponies, although I'll borrow more elements.

Instead: I am going to take and exaggerate all of the differences that I listed above and see what we come up with.

So! Here is my idea for g2 takara pony. I feel like its the exact balance of very cute and something that would upset collectors familiar with the original takaras, just as g2 upset the g1 fans.

First off, she's thinner, the iconic takara nose is removed in favor of a sculpt with a smiling mouth, the legs are more horse shaped with fluff and human fingers to match the additional foot detail. a lot of people find the g2s a little "uncanny" so I feel like this works.

The sparkley eye gem and ear shape are just straight off the original g2s, just to have extra gimmick to it (also the og takaras basically had the g1 ears)

g2 came out in the late 90s so I like to imagine the pony eyes would be extra shoujo too

Finally, a ball jointed head for more flexibility. (yes the arm would be posed like that in the doll, because its a more dynamic pose, and we can also assume that the larger size allows the doll to have a joint with more flexibility)

g2 had pretty similar gimmicks to g1 but also had some light up ponies, so maybe the takaras could have some with that gimmick too

fun fact, g2 MLP was sold for a longer time in Europe and performed better there.

Generation 3

Generation 3 ponies are a pretty clear return to g1 MLP style, kinda scrapping most of the changes g2 made, other than proportionally thinning out the ponies a bit.

g3 ponies have very similar face sculpts with bigger eyes, nearly the same legs, and their heads just a bit bigger in proportion to their body

They do remind me a lot of the g1 Petite ponies, which were 1 inch sculptures that also had those proportionally bigger eyes and chunkier legs.

I have here included the g1 so you can see the slight changes better! I think the main difference would be the g3 takara would be a lot rounder, smoother, and cutesy-er. While the original has the hello-kitty simple cute look, the g3 version would definitely have like eyelashes and big eyes.

The only other thing to note about the body is some bigger ears, a generally rounder face, and round feet.

There weren't many gimmicks super /unique/ to g3 but one I wanted to highlight was the Breezies. G1 did have the flutter ponys, which were ponies with butterfly/dragonfly type wings, but the breezies are like their own little species AND they have antennae. While the flutter ponies were sort of graceful and thinner than the other ponies, the breezies are like little chibi-er ponies.

A little bit Littlest Pet Shop-core, since its the early 2000s too.

SPEAKING OF

Generation 4 Generation 3.5

Before there was gen4 there was a subset of Gen3 ponies with a different and unique style. They were basically an exaggerated version of the Breezies with even bigger feet and tinier snouts. They are also VERY littlest-pet-shop-core.

So, pretty straightforward changes

Just an even more chibi, kid-ish style pony. I think the g3.5 ponies were even meant to be kids. So this is just an even more child-friendly, littlest pet shop type horsey.

Generation 4

So, obviously generation 4 ushered in a whole new era of My Little Pony with its unique and bright artstyle, which did need to transfer over to the ponies

Personally, while I love g4 in a lot of ways im not a fan of the toys in the same way I am the other generations, their little noses have shrunk to specks, they're skinnier and more big-eyed than ever. Well, g3.5 was pretty big-eyed but at least those ones were like little kids.

This is such a drastic shift from g1/g3 and even g4, I would be unsure about the takaras.

So: eyes, bigger. Snout, so tiny and so smooth. Ears, bigger. Hooves are flatter and parts of the legs are just kinda featureless. a longer neck. They released a decent amount of ponies with plastic hair this gen, too.

I was struggling to come up with a doll for this one, but I finally realized I was doing it backwards. The thing that makes g4 stand out, I think, is the fact it was fundamentally designed opposite from g1. Lauren Faust, an animator, designed the ponies and the toys had to be designed around her art.

So the primary difference was considering what a tv show- a tv show concieved in the 2000s and airing in 2010s- and I did look into some kids properties from that time period as I was designing

I think these Strawberry shortcake dolls are really close to the concept I'd want for a early 2010s mirror of MLP g4. So basically these toys but more anthro.

I ended up making a 3D mockup so I'd be able to plan the different angles and keep them consistent.

The eyes are kind of far apart but I think thats true of the g4 pony toys as well. Again, because of the way the g4 show was stylized as animation, there was sort of cheating with the anatomy, especially on the face.

Generation 4.5

Gen 4.5 was a spinoff of gen4, just like gen3 had 3.5 where the ponies are more chibi. More big eyes with even bigger ears and a face like... a cats? instead of a horse. Hoof fluff again.

I think this nailed the style without being as much of an outright copy. The bendy arms with fingers seem so silly but also I think that matches the vibe/artstyle.

G4.5 don't look like horses to me really at all though, they're like cats with hooves. Out of all of them we've seen so far they're suffering the most from "predator eyes" where they've gone so far as to make their eyes just face forward.

Generation 5

Generation 5 premiered with a CGI movie, so the toys that would be released are fairly on model with their movie selves except for the fact their heads are smack dab in the middle of their neck which i find extremely unsettling and dislike

We've gone full "predator eyes" (no the predator eyes thing doesnt 100% biologically hold up but I find them freaky and I get to say it) AND full human eyebrows stenciled in like a makeup vlogger in the same color as the hair.

The ears are back to cup shaped (more horselike) but again the face is round with a little muzzle (more catlike). The hooves have really detailed feathering on the legs. Otherwise the body is mostly just structured like the g4 body (except a bit longer) just with more specific horse details.

These continued the trend of having a lot more articulated versions with moving legs as well. I think given that most dolls these days have articulated elbows and knees, it is reasonable to expect the takara g5 dolls would too.

Again, I made a 3D model so I could keep it consistent from various angles.

ta-daaaa heres my takara pony generations 1-5 lineup! Tell me which youuuuur favorite are. if you want.

[taybatwo2]

I bought Magic Mixies Pixlings’ Unia the other day and wanted to do a mini review/compare her to some of my other dolls and her Moose Toys brethren.

First off, she’s adorable! A bit pricy because of the potion gimmick, but younger me would have loved that aspect. I love her very soft hair fiber (it feels very similar to the kiwi hair that Rainbow/Shadow high uses). I like that she has arm movement and an elbow joint (it is a bit limited and she can’t even bend her arms 90 degrees), I would have loved a knee joint but she sits well without one. She has pretty good neck range of motion and can look up and down really well. Her face sculpt and screening is kinda giving me Vanellope von Schweetz from Wreck it Ralph. She does have sculpted on clothes, but I don’t necessarily mind on her. Her skirt is kinda cute, but unhemmed and really wants to stay in place due to the tight elastic.

If she would have had a little horse tail she would have been perfect.

Other Moose Toys that I own (even some unicorn themed ones to compare her to). More under the cut.

Here is Unia and FailFix 2Dreami. Both ladies have a sky theme going on. Both girls look to have very similar printing methods. They’re both really shiny and lightly pixilated but way better than the pixilated mess Mattel has been using on its accessories and Barbies.

Unia has way better hair quality than 2Dreami (which has either Saran or nylon - it’s soft, but really rough on the bottom). But she has less articulation.

The torso looks pretty similar (ignoring all the other sculpted detail on Unia’s -which I was happily surprised continued under her skirt) to 2Dreami. And while I thought they’d have similar looking legs, they differ just enough (Unia’s look softer and rounded). My Capsule Chix has more articulation than both dolls, despite their minuscule size.

Unia found out just how articulated they were…. “Bzzzt…catch my legs before they wander behind the cupboards again…bzzzzt.”

Again, it looks like the same sort of screening method that 2Dreami also has. But what I was surprised to see, were how similar their feet were (despite Capsule Chix’s sculpted circuitry), they looked nearly identical. And while their hand shapes are similar, they are way different, with Unia having really deep fingernails imprinted on her hand and her palm being less round.

Now the smallest member of my Moose Toys, Rainbow Sparkle the Shopkins Wild Style Shoppet. She’s so short, Unia can’t even bend her head down low enough to see him.

There we go, that’s better. They’re pretty dissimilar from one another and are two fun takes on a winged unicorn…err…pegacorn…alicorn…pegacornaunisusicorniune. Rainbow Sparle is very limited on his movement, and can only move his arms up and down and swivel his head around. He’s also flocked and has really cheap poly-feeling hair. He still had those blushed cheeks that Unia and 2Dreami have.

Their wings are completely different too. …sigh…I’m going to have to give Unia a tail…she really needs a little yarn weff tail.

Now, what I was most excited to compare her to. Some of my Zelfs!! They were a bit shy at first, but warmed up pretty quickly.

We have Moonicorn, Hightail, and Lullaby as my unicorn (and winged unicorn for Hightail, he also has way different wings) inspired Zelfs (they all have tails too).

Moonicorn and Lullaby (Hightail had to be somewhere, and is absent from the other pictures because of that reason and not the fact I forgot I owned him 90 percent through the review) introduce her to Teeny Genie. He’s not a unicorn, but his body color scheme and pointed ears had to be compared to Unia.

Maybe they had shared a cousin in the evolutionary tree?

Honestly, the Pixlings and Zelfs work very well size wise for each other and I could imagine younger me thinking they were two kinds of fae living in the same world.

Oh, I also wanted to show the horns on Moonicorn, Unia, and Lullaby (Hightail basically has the same horn as Lullaby). Moonicorn is the most similar to Unia’s and even has glitter embedded inside. The horn shapes are also very similar and might be the same basic sculpt (just longer on Moonicorn to fit his face better). Moonicorn in general has a lot of similar swirly cloud motifs, glittery horn, and gemstones that Unia has.

Okay, how about outside of Moose Toys?

Unia is smaller than Aubrey from MGA’s NaNaNa (I don’t own the unicorn one to compare her to). They have a similar hair fiber.

When the designs first leaked, I thought she was going to be the size of a Cave Club doll, but it turns out she is even smaller, but she has large flat feet like Tella here. Tella has more articulation, but cannot bend her head up or down and has poly hair.

I would have liked to compare Unia with my one Enchantimal: Lorna Lamb (or if I had ever managed to my hands on her, Queen Unity on the right). I assume the regular Enchantimals like their unicorn Ambrose (on the left) are about the same height as Unia, but I know they have smaller feet and heads than Unia. They also have less articulation and have the creepy character design of having TWO SETS OF EARS (my pet peeve when it comes to designing animal/humans). Unia also has better hair fiber and her skirt/molded top is also better done than any of the Enchantimals that I have seen.

She is the same height as MH G2’s surprise siblings: Pharrah (she could have been a little cousin and it would have been so much better).She can even share shoes. Pharrah would show more emotion here, but she has such bad articulation, she basically has NO ARTICULATION. Sigh, anyways….

Two big eared pink ladies Unia and Kjersti. I was actually surprised at how similar their profiles were. Again, Unia has better hair quality (especially over glue seepage Saran…I promise I’ll get to cleaning you Kjersti).

Unia had to meet the most popular of pink Monster High dolls: Draculaura!! Draculaura thinks she is absolutely adorable, and kinda reminds her of someone…Fan-Fang-Fangelica…no, she’s just a dream (she actually would have been a much better comparison to Unia than Pharrah now that I’m looking back at these -whoops).

And a final shot of my unicorn dolls all together! Neighthan Rot even joined in the family photo (I love my little crayola zombie unicorn boy so much…he even got a tail too….yup that’s it, I’m picking up some yarn and going to make her a tail).

Anyways: Magic Mixies Pixling Unia. She’s really cute guys. I am really excited to pick up the rest of the line and am looking forward to where the line goes, even if it is another one of those doll lines that only stay for one wave. I know my Walmart is already having issues stocking them (they only had three of Unia and Merena when I first saw them, and were completely sold out the next day -besides this Unia that had been rat-holed in another aisle).

And she’s got a tail! Perfect! I also painted some details on her top in a silver and pearly color.

[bonkusdonkus]

Something I think about a lot in fantasy worlds with lots of different exotic races,(mostly DnD, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fantasy franchise any near as many races as DnD) is how their cultures would handle jewelry, make up, or just general self-decoration.

Like, we humans have come up with all kinds of ways to pretty ourselves up, tattoos, hair dyes, piercings, rings, etc. But all of that stuff is based on our anatomy, some of it isn’t going to work for some races. And besides, why would other races/cultures use beautification techniques solely pioneered by humans? Surely they have their own based on their own cultures and bodies! Think of the possibilities!

Like, maybe Tieflings put piercings in the fleshy bits of their tails, to glam them up with jewelry! Or maybe they drill little holes in their horns, and string ribbons or small chains through them!

Or what about the Kenku! They’ve got nice shiny beaks and talons, what if they painted little designs on them, kind of like henna? Plus, they’ve got lots of feathers, maybe they could dye them? Or if they were feeling particularly adventurous, they dye their feathers to resemble other birds, like Bluejays, or Peacocks!

Orcs are pretty humanish for the most part, but the big thing that sets them apart, (aside from, ya know, being green,) is their tusks. I feel like the Orcs would be really into decorating their tusks. Maybe they’d put little caps made of precious metal on them, or paint them in Clan colors. Heck, maybe they’d even carve little symbols or runes into them. It would probably hurt like the dickens, but somehow I can’t imagine that stopping them. Lol

Speaking of carving, Tortles! I bet they carve all kinds of stuff into their shells! Or at the very least paint them! They’ve got a big ol’ canvas right on their backs, why not use them?

Tabaxi are covered in fur, making things like tattoos pretty difficult. After all, the point of a tattoo is to pigment your skin, and unless you shave it off, fur kinda makes that tricky. So what if they tattooed their paw pads? It’s basically the only exposed skin they have, except maybe the inside of their ears, which might be a bit too sensitive to tattoo. Also, I like the idea of Tabaxi painting their claws. They’re retractable, so you can’t see them most of the time, but on the occasion that a Tabaxi does decide to relieve someone of their face, at least they’ll be doing it in style!

Ever since the Rabbitfolk/Harengon (their the same thing, don’t worry about it,) were announced I’ve been thinking about bunnies with earrings. I mean, they’ve got so much ear real estate! Why not use it? Also, I imagine that those big flippy flops get in the way when you’re moving a lot, so I bet Rabbitfolk/Harengon use something like a hair tie, or something to their ears from flying around all over the place.

Centaurs! A cross between a horse and human! You know what that means? Caparisons baby! (For the record, Caparisons are those big fancy cloths knights used put on their horses. If you’ve seen a horse wearing something like a dress or a big skirt, that’s a Caparison. At least, according to my limited horse knowledge. Lol) It’s always struck me as a little strange then Centaurs were okay running around naked from the waste down, so this my answer to that. Fancy horse dresses! Also, I like to imagine that Centaur hair grows more like a horse’s mane than human hair, so really long, and tending to fall to one or the other side of their head. So maybe some Centaur cultures are really into braiding?

Minotaur time! Maybe it’s a bit stereotypical to imagine a Minotaur with a nose ring, but honestly it just fits in my brain. Maybe it has some kind of cultural significance, like maybe it acts the same way as a wedding ring, or maybe it denotes rank in their community. Another important bit are those big lovely horns! I can imagine all kinds of decorations on those bad boys! You could go simple, and just slap a few simple rings on there, or could a little more complex and do piercings,(Does it count as a piercing if it’s a horn?) and hang a bunch of dangly stuff on em! You could paint the horns, carve designs in them, heck, you could even drill holes in both horns, and run a chord or chain connecting them! All kinds of possibilities!

Finally, let’s talk lizards, specifically Dragonborn. Honestly, I can’t imagine Dragonborn painting their scales, or even wearing too much flashy jewelry. The impression I get from Dragonborn is that they are immensely proud of their Draconic heritage, and tampering too much with their scales would probably be seen as either disrespectful, or maybe even shameful.(Because why would you want to hide your scales, the single most visible sign of your glorious draconic lineage, unless you were disgusted by them, ashamed of them?) What I CAN see them doing is trying every possible way to show off and enhance their scales. Dragonborn would definitely take meticulous care of their scales, and that includes shining them up to make shine like a dang mirror. They might even use some kind of wax, or something to protect them from damage.

My point is, with all this rigamaroll I just spouted, is self expression should not be not limited to human sensibilities. No matter what they look like, these are people, and people aren’t manufactured on a conveyer belt. Get creative with your characters looks, take things like species, background, and culture into account, have fun with it!

[gunterfan1992]

Interview with James Baxter (the Human)

Guess what, everyone? I just had the pleasure of exchanging emails with James Baxter—that’s right the James Baxter! James is something of a legend in the animation world, and he is known for his beautifully expressive animation style that is able to make even the simplest shape look majestic and full of life. In addition to the myriad movies he has worked on, James also contributed special animation to Adventure Time, working on season five’s “James Baxter the Horse” and season eight’s “Horse and Ball”; not only was the character named after him, but he even got to voice his horse doppelgänger!

And so, without further ado, Mr. James Baxter the Human:

GunterFan: I know that you've recounted it before, but would it be possible to get your take on the 'origin story' of the "James Baxter the Horse" episode. How did it all come together?

James Baxter: Well, Pen and I were in contact with each other while I was working at DreamWorks. I had known about him since he had left CalArts and I had already told him how much I liked Adventure Time, and I had told him that if he ever needed me to do anything to give me a call. I guess he heard me because later he asked me to meet him at a tiny sandwich place that was on Flower St. and Sonora in Burbank (it's called Little Ground now, but I can't remember what it used to be back then). There, he pitched me the idea for the character and he gave me a quick sketch of James Baxter the Horse. I said  yes, absolutely I would love to animate and voice that for you, that sounds amazing. He also reminded me of one of my animation demo lectures that I had done at CalArts when he was a student there. I usually ask for suggestions from the students of what they would like me to animate for them, so they can see the thought process. At that lecture someone yelled out, "Do a horse balancing on a ball!" (it may have been Pen) I guess as a goof, knowing that might be a little tricky for a quick demo. I remember asking for something a little simpler please. I suppose Pen remembered that moment because that's where the idea came from. As far as the actual episode goes, and what happens in it, that's all Pen and his team.

GF: What was the animation process like? How long did it take you to get everything all together?

JB: I saw the storyboard, and they gave me a printed copy of it, as well as some exposure sheets for the shots that the horse was in. I spent a little time working out some different cycles that I could move between, James balancing in place, James turning in a circle etc. I was trying to do cycles that could be reused over and over in different shots to save on work. it was all animated on paper and all the clean up drawings were done by my wife Kendra. Then all those drawings were shipped overseas to the production studio that was doing the rest of the animation for the show, so that they could do the color and compositing. I guess it took us about a month or six weeks, but I was only working on it evenings and weekends.

GF: How much say did you have with regard to the character design? What about key poses? Were you given creative freedom?

JB: I was given a lot of freedom. I just had that one sketch that Pen had drawn, but he had suggested that I give it a more flowing mane and tail. I remember sending a drawing of mine back to the team at Cartoon Network so that they could do a color model for him. As far as key poses went, I just had the boards to go from, which were clear but not super detailed, so I had a lot of freedom to make up the animation as long as I stayed true to the staging and to the length of the shots. By the time i got the exposure sheets the dialogue tracks had already been written on them, which is common practice, so I could animate to the sound.

GF: I love James Baxter (the Horse)'s voice! What inspired the accent and the whinny? What was the recording process like?

JB: I guess the voice is me just trying to be horsey, and a little posh, and British. He only ever says his name (no trouble remembering the lines!), so it's a little hard to really define an accent, but I'm British so that's where I went. My natural accent hovers somewhere over the mid-Atlantic since I've lived in the US for over thirty years. The whinny is just me trying not to cough as I'm trying to make horsey noises! Voice acting is not my talent, but it was a lot of fun, mostly because it was so surreal just saying my own name in different ways for half an hour! They were very nice and patient with me.

GF: I haven't been able to find a lot of info on "Horse and Ball." What was that like? Was it different the second time?

JB: How did you feel returning to the show? Well, I was very pleased to get another chance to do more James Baxter, but there was more footage of him in the second episode and I had less time to do it. That meant that I only animated a few shots of him in that episode, not all of him as I had done in the first one. I would have loved to have done it all, but there just wasn't time. But it was just as fun to animate, especially falling off the ball and the dance at the end.

GF: What has the reception been like on your end? Do folks ever connect your name to the character without realizing that they're both you?

JB: I’ve never had the "Oh, I never knew that James Baxter was a real person" comment face to face, but I've seen it quite a lot in comment sections on YouTube and other places online. I've got to say, it's very gratifying having this amazing alter-ego of me in AT, especially since he's such a benevolent character. I'm glad Pen didn't decide to make him a jerk! All he does is ride around cheering people up, how amazing is that?! It's certainly become a gateway for a whole lot of people to discover me as an artist, not just a cartoon character.

I hope to incorporate all this information into the second edition of Exploring the Land of Ooo... one day. Either way, thank you James Baxter for not only agreeing to a little interview, but also making the world a better place!

[horrorslashergirl]

Andrei and Amaria Kulokova 🐺🔪

(This shall be interesting 👀👀 and funny! Lol)

Richard Firewood

For Andrei: Richard might see Andrei as an alternative for business, when there aren't enough clients to his hotel, he might call Andrei to hide him to capture 10 or 20 people. It will be strictly business.

Richard: Cash is King. Enough said.

For Amaria: He might be on neutral territory with her as long as she respects his territory and hotel.

Richard: She better not cover the carpets of the lobby in mud.

Jackson Jasper

For Andrei: He may view Andrei as a cool guy with whom to hang around for drinks and flirt with women.

Jackson: Any drinking buddy is good company.

For Amaria: Jackson loves a pretty lady especially one who isn't afraid to get down and dirty. He likes her.

Jackson: You don't see women like her often. *smirks*

The Hacker

For Andrei: Both are fucked up into the head. Both are bloody disgusting. Both love to stick their cocks into bloody pussies. They might be on good terms... Plus if Andrei needs a certain weapon, The Hacker can provide it wirh ease.... For a good priece.

The Hacker: *looks up from his computer screen* Oh? Him? Yeah... Fucked up in the head but not as much as me. *smirks*

For Amaria: Now that's a dollface that the Hacker might like. She fucks the corpses of her victims from time to time? The Hacker does that on an almost daily basis... Almost.

The Hacker: *whistle* Pretty wild baby doll. Me like~

Dave Anthony

For Andrei: If Andrei thought he was brutal then he sure doesn't know Dave. This poltergeist was casted from both heaven and hell. Try to match that Andrei. If Andrei tries to stab or shot Dave, this evil entity will just laugh in his face and grin.

Dave: *evil smirk* Trying to kill me? *manical laugh* You cannot kill what's already dead, cocksucker... I am gonna enjoy possessing your body.

For Amaria: Now, that's something you don't usually see everyday and Dave would be intrigued by Amaria and her so called Gods. Interesting little human girl.

Dave: Oh? You believe in Gods.... Well.... I am the biggest motherfucking God ever, baby girl.

Samuel Grayson

For Andrei: The moment Samuel senses his aura he wants to puke his guts, because Andrei screams of sins all over and just his presence into the same room will annoy Samuel. Let alone Andrei trying anything with this poltergeist. Andrei will turn into a chew toy for Samuels hellhounds.

Samuel: He stinks of sin and he is a disgusting piece of walking meat on earth. *snarls*

For Amaria: Her aura is so so much more different than her brothers and to say so... Samuel is a little intrigued by her aura, sensing all the sadness from her past and there is just something about her beliefs that he finds.... Adorable?

Samuel: She is... Interesting.... But no... I am no God. These are too high words for me, little one.

Azol

For Andrei: Did I say Dave is absolutly brutal? Well Andrei... Meet Azol. This evil entity will view Andrei as the most amusing plaything ever. Ironic, huh? Much like the other supranatural ones, Azol feasts on humans desires and he will absolutly use Andrei's desires against him. He will haunt his dreams and drive him insane.

Azol: Ohhhh... You think you are brutal, piece of sloppy fucking used cunt. *chuckles evily* I am gonna have so much fun with your soul... I am sure after you die... We all are gonna fuck you into hell like the cocksucker I know you are. *laugh*

For Amaria: Azol will be amused by her beliefs into her Gods, teasing and haunting her, making her kill as many people as possible. Azol found himself new entertainment.

Azol: Oh... Never seen a human kill that much and with such a passion. *grins evilly* See that man, little one... He needs to die.... Listen to your new God and you will live on forever.

Bahini Talibah

For Andrei: Andrei is everything that Bahini hates into a man; he is despicable, horrible, disgusting, annoying, sleazy and someone she would absolutly not stand. He better not get near her or else he will suffer a slow, horrible and painfull death that will make Andei crawl on the floor in his own blood. Having your flesh and muscels be slowly melted by Bahinis piercing gaze isn't something to look forward to.

Bahini: His aura is simply making me anxious. He better stay away from me. He pisses me off!

For Amaria: Bahini might find her believe in Gods fascinating since she herself believes in the Egyptian Gods. They might have conversations about their Gods and such. Plus Amarias quiet and misterious aura is very calm and gives Bahini tranquility.

Bahini: She is a fascinating young woman... Also Anubis told me she has a beautiful and lightfull soul.

Azment

For Andrei: This demoness lust will destroy Andrei's for sure... And I advise him to not get close to her because at the end of the night he will be dead by the time he climaxes.... I mean... If he wants a horse dick up his ass that's his problem. Azment will over power him with ease.

Azment: Ohhh He sure is handsome and I can taste his lust... Such delicious carnal and mouthwatering lust.

For Amaria: Azment sees this small but deadly woman as very beautiful and she can appreciate such brutal display for passion of certain things... Like Amarias passion for Gods.

Azment: Beautiful and powerfull young human woman... Such beauty... It gives tingles down my spine. *sways her tail from side to side*

The Shadow

For Andrei: His personality and the vibe Andrei gives off is simply annoying to Shadow. Isn't it enough he has to deal with that idiot of a HACKER maniac? Now he has the stand this Russian Incompetent. He cannot work with these idiots around.

The Shadow: *looks up from cleaning his scalpels* I cannot stand this morron. He better not stick his nose into my business unless he wants to end up on my disection table.

For Amaria: She seems quiet and she keeps to herself so that is good on Shadows books. Her past might make Shadow sad because he has went through abuse too... Different but still abuse. He might be interested into her topics of Gods... Since he is one to feast on information and likes to learn about all type of topics.

The Shadow: She is... Fascinating to say so... But at last she is quiet.

Mitch Carson

For Andrei: This feral man will view Andrei as straight up enemy and he won't hesitate to turn the Russian into a raw steak, considering all that mass muscels and blood. If Andrei knows what's good for him, he better keep off Mitchs territory or else he will be the new target for crossbow practice.

Mitch: *growls, all body muscels ready for him to strike*

For Amaria: Considering her small body stature, he might be intrigued by her but still cautious, like a feral animal of the deep dark woods. If she brings him human flesh or bones for him to chew on... She Might.... Just might turn Mitch into a feral lap dog that will maim anyone who dares to touch Amaria.

Mitch: *growls then purrs at her, tilting his head to the side curiously*

Gerome Montana and Axel Friedrich

For Andrei: Army friends? Maybe? They might share some drinks some army stories. Three mercenaries sharing bloody ideas of killing. I guess. They might be on neutral relations with Andrei, but since they are in Miami and Andrei hates the heat... I doubt it. Down for a one night stand after drinks? Perhaps.

Gerome: Haha Cool Russian Crazy Dude!

Axel Friedrich: His personality is a bit too much. *groans*

For Amaria: You don't see such deadly women that often and they might find her very intirguing, but that's about it. Plus.... I don't know if she would like Miami with the heat and all that.

Gerome: Beautiful badass woman! Sexy!

Axel: *facepalms at Gerome* I suppose I can appreciate a woman who can handle such big weapons like a machete.

Damiano Liberato

For Andrei: He finds him very disgusting with no taste at all and Andrei simply makes Damiano have a horrible taste into his mouth. He cannot stand camo!

Damiano: Isn't it enough I have to stand my creator and her camo army clothing!? Now this man! I cannot believe Richard can be close to this disgusting brute. Ugh.

For Amaria: Very beautiful woman but a shame that she has no style into dressing up. Damiano finds the Kulokova siblings too.... Dirty.

Damiano: A lady shouldn't dress like that. Pants? Seriously... Just no.

Bambi Miller

For Andrei: She thinks he is a pretty cool dude with whom to share drinks and maybe have some knife throwing game. Plus, she thinks she thinks Andrei is pretty badass with his faux hawk. They might have some fun nights with drinking vodka and throwing knife at people.

Bambi: Pretty badass Russian stud. *giggles* only my knife is bigger than his. *winks*

For Amaria: Bambi thinks Amaria is very pretty and she appreciates women who can stand up for themselvs and beat the guys around. Plus her machete is so cool.

Bambi: She is very beautiful... Its true what they say that Russian women are very gorgeous.

Xaviera Lah-Mo

For Andrei: He is her ultimate and only love, so of course she simply adores Andrei. It comes natural. He is her precious and wild Wolf.... And to think that the first day they meet, Xavi wanted to throw his ass into the blizzard outside. Andrei is her soulmate and the only man she has feelings for... And the only man she won't shot with her sniper rifle into his balls.

Xaviera: He is the light of my life, the man that make me be strong with each passing day.... My wild and handsome Wolf..... My beautiful soulmate. My everything.

For Amaria: Being Andrei's sister, Xaviera cares for her and tries to calm Andrei down to think clearly when she is around. Xaviera tries to be the refere between these two without getting between their fights. Both Xavi and Amaria use a sniper rifle and Xavi would love for her sister-in-law and her to have a shooting practice together. Just enjoying some quiet time.

Xaviera: She is a hard person to understand if you don't see through her soul, you need to take your time to understand her because she means well... She is not as bad as one might think. She is just misunderstood like we all were at some point in life.

Akshay Lah-Mo

For Andrei: Andrei is Akshay's best friend and soul brother to say so; they fight, they bicker, they drink, but at the end of the day they are best friends and always there to watch eachothers backs. Akshay might seem that he hates Andrei, but if he really hated him, Andrei wouldn’t be alive.

Akshay: The mutt? Yeah... He is a good man... When he isn't his usual idiot self. *grunts*

For Amaria: Akshay knows she is Andrei's sister and that their sibling relation isn't that good. Akshay hasn't really interacted that much with Amaria but if he has to say his opinion he would say that he is beautiful and misunderstood... And very deadly for such a small woman.

Akshay: It really shows she is the mutts sister... She can maim you and your corpse would just misteriously disappear.

Decebal Avram Chirilă

For Andrei: Decebal has lots of fun with Andrei and they are two knuckleheads and daredevils. Andrei had done so much for Decebal that none has ever done and the Romanian is very gratefull for it, hench his loyality towards the Russian. Decebal didn't expected to get along with Andrei that good but he absolutly adores him... And the moments they fuck.

Decebal: Ohhhh! Vodknockers!? He is like a fun and crazy little brother... He sure has a temper which is funny. Haha *smirks* His libido matches mine and he has a great cock *laughs*

For Amaria: Decebal knows that she is the way she is because of her past and he isn't one to judge or make fun of her believs and such. Everyone can believe in whatever they want. What's the problem with that? Plus, he thinks she is very gorgeous.

Decebal: Oh? That wild woman? She is very beautiful, like hella beautiful that she could put an army of women to shame. *laughs* But seriously now... Just like Xavi said... She is only misunderstood. *soft smile*

Alexander Chirilă

For Andrei: Alexander simply feels very uncomfortable in the same room as Andrei and it doesn't help that the Russian was Alexanders first. Alexander finds it so so frustrating that Andrei has no sense of other peoples personal space, especially his.

Alexander: Oh God.... Not him again. He has no respect, he is an absolut degeranted wanker who doesn't understand the concept of personal space and he frustrates me so so much it makes me so angry. *blushing red face and huffs* But.... I suppose... Like my big brother said... He can be nice... Only I never saw that!

For Amaria: Alexander enjoys that she is quite and she seems to have some concept of other peoples personal space. Plus he is glad she isn't like her big brother... Who acts like a sexual offender. Amaria kind of reminds Alexander of one of the tallest mountains, surrounded by mist... Especially that certain quietness.

Alexander: I suppose she is alright... She seems like a very strong one with a certain specific will... And she is pretty..... B-But not like that! *blushes*

Nadia Nikolina Chirilă

For Andrei: She thinks she is a good man, on certain topics but on other hands.... She views him as a stupid kid with disgusting behaviors and most important.... A coward. If he thinks he is so mighty, why not take someone his own size or bigger, not some small and innocent woman. Andrei is only lucky because of Decebal..... Or else he would have been castrated the moment he meet Nadia. Period.

Nadia: *looks up from her painting* He is a stupid child.... But means well... On certain moments.

For Amaria: Nadia thinks that Amaria is a very intirguing and gorgeous woman, small but with a fierce spirit that will cit through you just like her machete... Nadia appreciates greatly a woman who won't take anyones shit, especially a mans. Amaria reminds Nadia of a pit of big sharp deadly ice icicle, that she saw the first month she moved into Greenland. The pit looked so so beautiful but if you stepped to close you would fall into said pit and a painfull horrible death will follow.

Nadia: Beautiful and Deadly... Such a majestic combination. *paints a womans shadow with mountains into the background*

[a-simple-imagine]

Run Away With Me

Synopsis: Every moment shared with Charlie Weasley is an adventure all it’s own. How you wish to spend every moment together and all it takes is to run away. 

Pairing: Charlie Weasley x fem!reader

Words: 6.3k+

A/N - Every year I post a story on my birthday and today’s the day I turn a year older. Usually these stories are pretty sad but this year I wrote something a little softer so here is my birthday present for you guys, I hope you enjoy it. 

1. A Stolen Kiss

A bright-eyed and clueless young student, excited to be attending a school of magic. Nobody else in your family had magic so it was a big surprise when you received a letter alongside a weird lady who looked like she just stepped out of the early 1920s. Sat between your parents, the older woman explained the entire situation much to your excitement and your parents' confusion.

 Diagon alley had been your first experience of all things magical; it had been like stepping into another world instead of just any old street in London. There were book shops lined with all kinds of books, some were bigger than your head while others were tiny. A shop that sold weird and kinda gross jars full of who knows what. There was a place that only sold brooms but according to the list you had read like a hundred times, first years weren't allowed their own brooms. You spent what felt like a lifetime at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions getting fitted for robes. Your parents were utterly fascinated by all the different styles and kept asking questions that made the experience so much longer than it really needed to be. You'd never had a pet before, but after a lot of begging they let you pick out a cat; he was a small Persian cat. Not quite a kitten but not quite fully grown. Checking off each item as you went along, you were exhausted by the end of it. There was even enough time for a trip to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour where you had enjoyed a cone of strawberries and cream with sprinkles on top. All that was left on your list was a wand. Peeling gold letters rested over the door of a shop that read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. Stepping inside it was a tiny little store with no costumers. Thousands of narrow boxes lined the walls all the way up to the ceiling. It didn't take long for the weird old man to give you a wand that felt warm in your hand. Unlike the other disasters that came at the result of you waving various wands, a stream of red and gold sparks shoot out the end of this one like a mini firework. The wand chooses the wizard whatever the hell that meant. All ready and packed for Hogwarts, you were really giddy to go. Your mother cried as she waved you off to boarding school but you couldn't sit still. The train ride took hours and it was a little lonely considering you didn't know anyone but as soon as you entered the castle you knew it was exactly where you were meant to be. The building was massive and practically oozed magic and mystery through each brick. The pictures, much to your surprise, were moving on their own. Hogwarts had four houses and each student had to sit on a tall stool, put on a funny talking hat which would decide ultimately where they belong.

The very first friend you made was Nymphadora Tonks but only because she was in all of your classes and by some twist of fate you always ended up seated together. She was a sweet girl with pink hair and a talent for mischief. There was never a dull moment with you two. Then there was Charlie Weasley. Ever since that brisk day in October when he had ridden in clumsily on his white horse to save the day, the two of you had been the best of friends. You were still getting used to all your different classes. Potions class, however, was proving the most difficult. Too many ingredients and types to get used to. Not to mention Snape was just... mean. The task had been to prepare a simple Wiggenweld Potion; a powerful healing potion that can be used to heal injuries, or reverse the effects of a Sleeping Draught. The book was open on the desk as you carefully followed the instructions until.... poof. All the confidence you'd gained since arriving disappeared as Snape scolded you in front of everyone for messing up. Charlie had swooped in to take the blame landing himself in late-night detention. On the other hand, you got to leave with your tail between your legs and a few house points shaved off the total. And yet even his small act of kindness wasn't enough to capture your affection at least not at first. For the little version of yourself was infatuated with another Weasley. An older Weasley.

The nerves of a handful of students could be felt by anyone sat in the great hall for breakfast. Tonks is sat beside you running butter over a piece of toast. Stifling a yawn, Charlie takes a seat across from the two of you sporting a jumper of Gryffindor red and gold.

"Good morning," You flash your cheeriest, half-asleep smile bringing your spoon of Cheeri Owls to your lips. "Nervous?"

"A little," He was looking especially pale today suggesting he was more than just a little.

"You should be," Tonks perks up. "It's only the last game of the season and all hope rides on the seeker,"

"No pressure then," Charlie huffs out a dull laugh. The boy excelled in his position as the Gryffindor seeker but there was no way to determine how he'd play today when he was carrying the hopes and dreams of his teammates and entire house.

"You should eat something," You suggest, pushing a bowl of assorted fruit forward. There was little you could to make him feel better except take his spot but that wasn't allowed. You also probably wouldn't be that good. "Might make you feel better?"

"I'm too nervous to eat," He insisted but he still took an apple; rolling the red fruit between his palms.

"Win or lose you're still number one in our heart, right Tonks?" Elbowing her gently, you shovel another spoonful of 'O' shapes into your mouth.

"Sure," she shrugs. "If you want we can jinx the other team's seeker? I've been practising."

"Or... how much time do we have? I can get one of the older students to brew some Felix Felicis." You play along. "Nothing like a little liquid luck to win a game."

"You both know that's not allowed," Charlie took a large bite of his apple.

"When has Tonks ever cared about rules," Sometimes you wish she did care, you probably wouldn't have ended up in detention so many times alongside her.

"Thanks but no," he took another bite. "We have to win fair and square."

The conversation drifted from nerves to lost spells and planned practical jokes. Charlie seemed to relax a little the more he spoke. Maybe all he needed was a distraction to cheer him up.

"We need to take a trip to Hogsmeade" Tonk announces. "I'm out of dungbombs."

"Urgh- you and that silly joke shop." You can't help but roll your eyes but it was all good-natured. Despite hardly ever buying anything yourself, you spent an awful lot of time at Zonko's infamous little joke shop. "I could do with a trip outside the castle though. You should come too Charlie and maybe... you could ask Bill if he wants to come?"

"You're still gushing over Bill," Now it was Tonks turn to elbow you playfully, her lips curling up into a tantalising smirk.

"I do not gush over him," you state firmly, brows knitting together in a frown. You didn't appreciate being made fun. Bill was older, wiser and always made time to show you kindness. He made your little heart flutter whenever you saw him and Tonks took every opportunity to tease you about it. "I just thought It'd be nice is all. Wouldn't you agree, Charlie?"

"If you want him to come, ask him yourself." He responds, taking a large gulp of his juice.

"She won't because she has a crush."

"I don't have a crush Nymphadora- stop it," It was infinitely more embarrassing talking about this with Charlie sat at the table. "Don't ask him then, I don't care."

"Yes you do," Placing her arm around your shoulder, she pulls you into her side. "Because you're in love-"

"I am not!" You snap, pushing out of her grip.

"I'll see you guys later." The two of you share a look as Charlie disappears without another word. It was probably just pregame nerves.

"You know what? I think I'll get some frogspawn soap too and put it in the prefects' bathroom." Typical Tonks.

You'd come to learn through your time at Hogwarts that Quidditch was the most popular sport among wizards. And each house had their own team who compete for a trophy and bragging rights. Today was the final game thankfully. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Apparently, it came down to these two a lot. As the Gryffindor team filter out of the changing rooms, you slip inside to find Charlie sitting on a little bench.

"Guess who?" You sing-song, slapping your hands over his eyes but only briefly. He turns to look at you with an almost sour expression.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to support you," you reply soft, offering a smile he couldn't even see as he turned away.

"You're not supposed to be in here," Had you done something to upset him? Surely not. This was the first time you were seeing him since breakfast so there hadn't been a moment for you to mess things up and yet, his voice held an icy chill.

"Guess Tonks is rubbing off on me?" You jest, looking around the room. It was empty apart from you two. Bags and clothes scattered across benches or half shoved into lockers. A chalkboard stood in the corner with drawings you couldn't understand. "I just wanted to see how you were doing before the big game, is all. We were worried about you."

"You were worried about me," He repeats slowly, looking up at you. "I thought you hated quidditch."

"I still do," Your shoulders rise in a little shrug. "It's silly. Doesn't matter how hard the team works or how many goals it's pretty much all decided by how good the seeker is so why even have goals?"

"Score enough goals before the snitch is caught and anyone could win," He perks up. "You just don't understand how good and exciting it is."

Your lips curl up in appreciation for Charlie Weasley and his love for quidditch. It didn't possess the sparkle that came along when he talks about dragons but it was still nice to see him liven up. "Then go out there and show me how exciting it is,"

You stand under the spotlight of his gaze as he seemingly takes in your choice of attire; wearing the Gryffindor colours with pride to show your support. You even let Tonks paint your face after she promised not to draw genitalia. "Do you really think we're gonna win? What if I mess up and everyone hates me?"

"Then you mess up and everyone hates you," You shrug a little. "But that's not gonna happen and you know why?" His head shakes slowly. "It's because you're the best seeker at this school Charles Weasley." You place your hands on either side of his shoulders. "And I believe in you."

"How does that help me?" With your index finger under his chin, you force him to meet your eyes.

"Because I'm never wrong."

"That doesn't sound right." He tries to look away but you stop him.

"But it is," You offer a reassuring smile; one full of determination. "You've got this Charlie. So come on before you miss the game entirely."

The cheers outside were seemingly growing louder by the second. With a deep breath, Charlie stands up, grabbing his broom. "You're staying to watch, right?"

"Of course. Tonks is up in the stands too." Taking his hand, you lead the way out of the tent. "Consider us your good luck charms." Charlie brings the both of you to an abrupt stop before you even reach the opening of the tent, pulling you back to him. "What's up?"

The peppering of freckles that covered Charlie's face was even more vibrant against the rose pink blush. You squeeze his hand a little hoping it makes him feel better. And then it happens. The crowd grows silent in your ear but only for a moment as Charlie's surprisingly soft lips crash clumsily against yours. "For good luck," his whispers; his hand slipping from yours as he leaves you dumbfounded.

"He okay?" Tonks asks as you return from your trip.

"Yeah... still nervous," You reply, sitting down beside her. "It's his first big game after all."

"Are you okay?" The crowd erupts into cheers as the Gryffindor team flys in first. You're almost too embarrassed to look for Charlie; worried about what you might find so you keep your head down. "You look like you've just seen a troll or something?"

"Mhmm," you hum, forcing yourself to watch the Slytherin team as they enter. Why had Charlie kissed you? Did it mean he liked you or was he just messing around? Your head swirled with possibilities.

"You want a sweet?" Your friend offers as the game finally starts. It takes you a second to register but you smile, reaching into the little bag she was holding only to come to a stop.

"They're not gonna burn my tongue off or something are they?"

"No," Her chuckle sounded a little too innocent but you trust her for some reason. Taking a piece of confectionery out of the paper bag.

"Charlie... kissed me." You announce, throwing the sweet into you mouth; face scrunching up when they turn out to be sour. Ten points to Slytherin as they take the lead.

"He what?"

"He... kissed me."

2. Together

Who was Bill Weasley but a distant playground crush after that day. And your time of classrooms and magic lessons came swiftly to an end; how bittersweet it felt to leave a place you loved dearly. A once naive little girl stepping into the unknown now called the Wizarding World Home. Now you would go on to be a healer which was simply a magical doctor although your parents strongly disagreed with the comparison. However proud they were of you there would always be some part of them that wished you had chosen to become a lawyer or 'real' doctor.

Bathed in the warm embrace of the setting sun, you ponder the tranquility in a bed of green grass. The youngest Weasley lay beside you, struggling to keep still as often children do. She was similar to her brother in that way who now paced back and forth a mere few steps away. The invitation had been for dinner but you arrived a little early. The burrow was always such a welcoming place like stepping into a home you used to live in many moons ago; it was cosy and warm and there was no doubt that many lived there. You found your house to be almost the opposite, it always looked like nobody lived there. Immaculate. Polished. Cold.

"Will you stop pacing, you're making me nervous." You call out to your boyfriend, opening your eyes only to squint at the bright light. "What's wrong with you?"

Charlie comes to a stop as you sit up; Ginny mimics you in sitting up but the boy's eyes stay on you. The longer he stared, the more the pit in your stomach grew; what exactly hid behind his blank expression. He normally possessed such a playful warmth but it seemed to have vanished as of late. Plucking a stray purple flower, you enclose it in the palm of your hands. "You know I love dragons right?"

"Of course," Since meeting him, he had probably managed to slip dragons into every conversation you had ever had. It was at a point where you knew far more about dragons than you ever really cared to know. Many found his obsession annoying because that's what he so obviously was, obsessed but you found it enticing. Charming, even. Opening up your hand, a small butterfly with deep plum-purple wings flutters into the air and onto a giggly Ginny's nose. The innocent glee of a child; how those days were gone for you. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Promise you won't be mad?" It would be foolish to make such a promise when there was no way to guarantee your reaction. Whatever it was must be bad, if he was this worried. Your shoulders rise a little then fall.

"I make no such promises- just tell me."

Charlie took a breath that travelled on the wind to your ears before he blurted out.  "I'm moving to Romania."

"Okay," Is your first reaction while your brain tries to make sense of something it didn't want to hear. "Wait- what?"

"Charlie is moving away to work with big scary dragons," Ginny announces playfully, baring her little hands like claws.

The once small pit grew into a mighty black hole of uncertainty and sadness that threatened to swallow you whole. There had been conversations shared between friends of Charlie wanting to move away to a foreign land, just to finally see a dragon but you had never taken it at face value. Always so convinced it was but a dream rather like those of when you were little and you wished to be a vampire. Technically back then you didn't know they actually existed but still, even now it was never going to come true. Eyes cast upon the second eldest Weasley, he kicks up the grass with his hands buried in the pockets of his pants. "It's the nearest Dragon reserve."

That was something you already knew but it didn't make the decision, at least in your eyes, any less confusing. Instead, it prompted water to well up in your eyes for this was something that affected not only him and his family but your life too. "I... I don't know what to say,"

"Hey Ginny, can you go check if dinner's ready yet?"

"No- why can't you do it?" The bark behind her words was very in character for the fiesty young Weasley. Blinking away the tears, you plaster on the best smile you can muster.

"If you go check on dinner I promise we can play a game later, okay? Exploding snap maybe?"

"Really?" She eyes you suspicious probably because it was a promise you had broken before. Not always for the right reasons but this time it was genuine. Charlie clearly wanted this to be a private conversation or perhaps he was just saving you for the inevitable moment where she asks why you're crying. Ginny scrambles to feet when you nod and skips off towards the gravity-defying house. It still amazed you that the building hadn't fallen yet. Rising to your feet you brush yourself off.

"You know I want nothing more than to work with Dragons and this is the only way I can do that," There was no mistaking the serious tone that came along with his words. It didn't matter what you said there was no changing his mind but you wouldn't do that anyway. It seemed cruel to even try to get him to give up on something so precious and you would never want to do that to him. "I have an opportunity to do something I love and I won't waste it to get some boring job at the ministry."

"I don't expect you too..." You wanted nothing more than to tell him to stay; beg him even. You were fighting against the selfish little devil that was stabbing you in the heart. It was a dull, deep pain in your chest. You wanted Charlie to follow his dreams, you just never expected them to not include you. "It's just a lot to take in."

"I know," The red-headed boy walks ever so slowly over to you, taking both hands in his. His hands had always felt a little rough ever since Hogwarts. You used to complain back then and insist he needed to moisturise but over time you had grown fond of the familiarity. How you wished this tender moment could last forever because it very well might be your last. You're caught off guard when he yanks you forward. You stumble into his chest where he wraps his arms around you like the big teddy bear he was. You breathe in every inch of him like it was the last time. The intoxicating aroma of an early walk in the woods; that fresh earthy smell that really makes you appreciate where you are. You could almost picture the pine trees.

"I feel like I'm losing you," Your words but a whisper, lost on the breeze.

"You're not," His grip around you tightens and suddenly your in the air, spinning around. "You could never get rid of me that easily.

"Charlie," You fight back a smile as you return to the ground; burying your face in the nook of his neck. "What's gonna happen to us?"

"About that-"

"Because I don't know if I can do the whole long-distance thing? So do we break up?" The tears threaten to fall once again as you pull back to get a good look at him. You never wanted to forget the emerald of his eyes or each and every freckle that called his body home. The unusual scare that adorned his eyebrow that was always amusing to look at. If that was his true purpose to break up with you then there would be no stopping the tears when they finally burst through the damn.

"No, I-"

"Because that's a little mean Charlie, you could have at least waited until after dinner. Should have done it first actua-"

You words become mumbled by the palm of his hand which he's placed over your mouth like a seal of protection. "Shush for a minute."

It's hard to resist so you simply don't; sticking your tongue you deliberately lick the palm of his hand but it seems to not phase him whatsoever.

"I'm not breaking up with you, silly," You meet his gaze. "I was kind of thinking you could come with me?"

Reaching up, you yank his hand away. "To Romania?  You've got to be joking."

"Why not?"

Did you even know how to answer that? There were so many reasons why one should not just up and leave to go live in a completely different country with the boy they dated through high school. "I can't just up and leave my family- my mum will be devastated."

"I'll talk to her about it," Charlie hums softly, placing a delicate kiss upon your forehead. "Your mum loves me and she wants you to be happy."

"Dinner's Ready," For such a small girl, Ginny had one big mouth. There was no mistaking her call. However, this whole situation now felt a little... off. Could you even sit through dinner without it all becoming weird?

"We're coming," Charlie yells back; offering up his hand which you reluctantly take and he leads the way back to the house. "You want to be a healer right? You could do that in Romania."

"I guess," You weren't exactly worried about not finding a job.

"You don't have to decide right now," He tells you before you have a chance to speak up again. "Just think about it. I mean the invitation is there and for what it's worth, I'd really like you to come."  

3. Creeping doubts

It took a lot of convincing but despite everything you decided to follow Charlie into the Unknown. Your parents weren't thrilled with the decision but they respected it; they were just worried about what would happen if something went wrong. And as their only child, they would obviously miss you. A lot of time was spent at the burrow that summer before moving to Romania; you were beginning to feel like an honorary Weasley only with the experience of having been a muggle for the first eleven years of your life. It was but a three-hour flight to Romania and your mother had sobbed at the airport. It made you think back to your first time stepping onto the Hogwarts express, leaving your parents behind to go to a magical boarding school in Scotland. It was a peculiar thought but a nice one. One you wished to cherish. Now in a foreign land with no support system behind you other than a boy you had been dating for years, you were ready for a new adventure. And there was officially no doubt in your mind that you would do just about anything for Charlie Weasley.

"It's not much," Charlie sets his suitcase down on the table. "Best I could do, for now, I'm afraid."

"It's fine," It was an old apartment in a building full of what you assumed were muggles. There was a small living room area with an ugly pea-coloured couch nestled against one wall. Beside it was a small coffee table and on the other side of the room was a TV, you weren't convinced actually worked. Then there was the kitchen which was attached to the living room. It had a fridge, a cooker and some cupboards. The only other room was a bedroom that literally only housed a bed in at the moment, then there was a door that leads on to the bathroom. It definitely wasn't much but a crappy apartment was just part of the experience, right? At least that's what you were telling yourself. "it'll feel like home soon enough," You had everything you needed to make this place feel like home right in your suitcase; oh the joys of magic. Patting yourself down, you search for the key to easy unpacking. "Uh... have you seen my wand?"

His head shakes and wears an amused grin. "You remembered to bring it right?"

"Yes," you huff. "I was gonna unpack," Falling back against the wall, you slide down onto the floor which you imagine hasn't been cleaned in a while considering the dust. "It's gonna take so long without my wand- which may actually be in the suitcase now that I think about it."

"Did you forget I'm a wizard too?"

"You do it then," You drop your head back against the wall. "I'm starving."

"actually have you seen my wand?"

You giggle to yourself "You're an idiot,"

"Hey- you lost your wand too." His shadow lingers over you as he comes to join you against the wall. Taking up a seat beside you, your head falls to rest against his shoulder.  

"Can we get pizza? I saw some of those leaflets when we came in so we could order some?"

"Whatever you want, my love."

As time ticks on the pizza box is left discarded in the kitchen as the two of you retire for the night. Who knew not actually unpacking but simply thinking about it while eating pizza on the dirty ground could be so much work. You struggle to hold back a yawn as you snuggle up to him trying to absorb as much of his body heat as you can. All that lay across the two of you were a blanket and this building was next exactly the warmest. "Do you think we'll be okay? "You ponder aloud; it was a question that had been on your mind since agreeing to follow him to Romania. For not many people stay together with their high school loves. What if things fall apart now that you're in the 'real' world? What if this was all just a huge mistake?

"What do you mean?" Always such a simple boy; you wonder how he deals with his anxieties. Did he actually not know what you meant or was he merely putting on a brave face? A once proud Gryffindor suggested that he always looked to be brave above anything else.

"Do you think we'll be okay?" You repeat as if that somehow answers his question but it must have done something because even in the darkness you can just tell he's smiling.

"You worry way too much." Charlie laughs.

"You don't worry enough,"

He lays a kiss upon the top of your head, his hand moving up and down your arm. "It used to be the other way around."

"I was young and reckless back then. "How you missed the days where you ran around the halls of Hogwarts with reckless abandon. Well, not entirely reckless that was more Tonks but things had definitely felt simpler back then.

"You're still young and reckless now, I just have to hear you stress about it afterwards." Charlie taunts, pinching your arm. You recoil at the sharp pain.

"Shush."

"Being in Romania doesn't change anything," He expresses; his voice sounding louder in the quiet darkness. "I loved you back home and I still love you now. I'm really glad you decided to come with me."

Hoping to distract yourself from every worrying thought that clouded your brain you decide it's time to change the subject. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"Getting to work with Dragons all day every day? that's like dream come true."

"A dangerous one," Dragons were perhaps the most vicious creatures around other than humans. As captivating as they were and as much as charlie adored them, you couldn't help but worry about his safety. It seemed no matter the topic this evening you'd find a way to stress yourself out.

"I'll be fine, I'll have you there to patch me up," That he will for you had taken on the role as a healer willing to help out with all the injuries that inevitably come from dealing with dragons. You wouldn't admit it but you weren't quite convinced you were up to the task; you had never actually dealt with dragon-related injuries so this was like diving headfirst into the ocean when you only just learned how to swim in a training pool. "and if not- well, we had a good run."

"Don't joke about that," Nuzzling against his chest, you finally let your eyes close. Today was the start of forever with the one and only Charles Weasley and here he was joking about his ultimate demise.

4. The perfect day

It's peculiar how life can just fall into place. Your odd little world of dragons and leaky apartment buildings just became the norm. You had come to love your work at the reserve, Dragons were actually incredibly cool up close. Not to mention getting to see Charlie work with them after years of never shutting up about them was truly a sight to behold. Every day, it was like taking an excited little boy to his first day of school. His eyes simply lit up whenever he was at work although it was hard explaining his injuries to the neighbours when they were being nosey. You also had to be careful when using magic since you were basically living with muggles and it would be a headache if they ever found out.

With your site blocked by a thin piece of fabric, Charlie guides you carefully forward with his hands skillfully placed upon your arms to steer. This was the first day off the two of you have shared in a long time. Little information was given about your destination other than it being a surprise. With Charlie that could mean just about anything which wasn't always a good thing but you trusted him enough to believe he wasn't leading you into a dragon's den or something. A gentle breeze nipped at the skin of your neck and the ground felt soft under your feet. The gentle singing of a symphony of birds filled the air and the sun beamed down with remarkable easy. All this suggested you were somewhere withdrawn in nature. Charlie had always been one for the great outdoors. There were countless times you had found him sneaking in or out of the forbidden forest back at school.

"Am I going to like this surprise?" You inquire; your anxiety building with each step. You would much prefer to simply know what was going on rather than experience some dramatic reveal especially today of all days. Every year the boy seems to forget that he agreed not to make a big deal.

"I sure hope so," You practically slam into him as she comes to an unexpected standstill. "Because I don't think I can return it."

"Return what? Oh god- can I take my blindfold off?"

As the flimsy fabric skims the length of your face to settle loosely around your neck, your eyes take a minute to adapt. You don't know quite what you were expecting but this was not it. Before you stands a small cottage surrounded by nothing but a wide-open field full of a rainbow of wildflowers. It was a beautiful little house with as much charm and beauty you'd expect from a place out in what seems like the middle of nowhere. It could be described as the perfect place to settle down.

"Surprise!" He was redder than a cherry tomato when he stepped into view. Both arms in the air as a sign of celebration but you were just rather... confused? Whose house was this and why had he brought you all the way out here?

"I don't get it?"

"We've been here for a while now so I thought we should get our own place or like, a better place. One where we don't have to worry about anyone else." His confidence appeared to develop with each word but his face was still powdered in a deep shade of pink. S this was your house? He'd decided to up and move without even consulting you? "So I got us a little cottage in the middle of nowhere. It kinda reminds me of the burrow only, y'know, smaller."

"It's ours?" His excitement is clear on his face and he quickly takes your hand. Pulling you along with him. "And that's not all."

"There's more?" Surely a whole house was enough. You were quite proud of Charlie for picking such a beautiful little place. Come summertime, you could already see yourself sitting among the flowers painting little pictures. You also wouldn't have to worry about muggles. Coming up on the front door, your boyfriend delivers you a little golden key. And with just a tiny degree of fear about what could be on the other side you unlock it. Much to your astonishment and disappointment, nothing is behind the door except the hallway leading inside. Charlie enters first and even as you follow, you half expect someone to jump out.

"I know I agreed not to make a big deal but how could I not?" He opens a door at the end of the hallway that leads to the kitchen. It's not a massive space but it's assuredly not small either, the whole place was already furnished but you recognise the surprise was truly what sat on the table. It was a two-tier cake covered in blue frosting including the words Happy Birthday scrawled across the top followed by your name.

"You... baked?"

"Mum sent it actually," Charlie chortled lightly as he wanders up behind you. Tossing a package of red with multicoloured polka-dots onto the table. "Sent this along too. Reckon it's a jumper or something."

"That was nice of her," You weren't sure of how to react to it all. Birthdays had never really been your thing but you appreciated that Mrs. Weasley had gone out of her way to make you something special.

"And from me..." He trails off and the sound of tiny tracks echo off the walls attended by an adorable yelp. Up to your feet slides an ash grey puppy who was more legs than anything else. It had bright blue eyes and floppy ears.

"You got me a dog?"

"I got us a dog- thought we needed a pet around here. I debated getting a crup but that'd be a disaster if your parents ever decide to visit." Crups were notorious for their dislike of muggles. You never understood why but he was right in his decision. The gesture was sweet but rather odd all things considered but still you smile. It was hard to be mad at something so cute and you weren't just talking about the dog. The puppy sits at your feet, wagging its little tail a mile a minute. There was no denying how adorable it was and at least it wasn't a dragon. Or a murtlap for that matter, those things were ugly. "You don't seem happy... do you not like him? I can take him back?" Kneeling, your hand drifts over the soft fur of the puppy's head. In response, the dog jumps up in an attempt to lick at your face. Your smile grows as you try to get away. "I think he likes you."

"What's his name?"

"Whatever you want? He's a Great Dane by the way." The puppy had calmed down a little and you stare as you ponder the perfect name for an ash grey Great Dane. "How about... Arlo?"

"Arlo?"

"Mhmm," You hum standing up straight. "And I'm plenty happy if not a little overwhelmed. You know how I feel when it comes to my birthday."

"I do," He nods casually. His palms snake around your waist drawing you flush against him "But I never want you to forget that someone cares about you- that I care about you so bloody much."

"I know you do," You give him a quick peck on the lips. "And I'm thankful for that and for all of this."

"Arlo is the perfect name, Happy Birthday" Your lips connect in a beautifully slow embrace that fills your body with warmth and as he pulls away, his forehead comes to rest against yours.  The dog barking as it explores the kitchen. "I'm just so grateful that you decided to run away with me."

[swordandboardllc]

All You Will Ever Need To Know About Writing Horses, Part 1.

Trust me, I’m not exaggerating with that title. Before I became a full-time writer, I spent my days teaching riding lessons. I went to university for Equine Sciences, and spent my teenage years apprenticing under a marvelous horseman who taught both working cowhorse and fixed ‘problem’ horses.

Note: if a term isn’t defined, feel free to ask for the definition in the comments. It likely isn’t a term you would want to use in a fantasy setting, but further education is always awesome!

Getting the Details Correct: Why Does It Matter?

Immersion, first and foremost. Horseback riding is not an uncommon hobby, especially among fantasy readers. While some readers are fairly forgiving of issues, it’s one of my personal biggest pet peeves. So to make it easy for writers, here are all the major details most people don’t know, don’t get correct, etc etc.

The Basics: horse 101

Anatomy

Hoof & Leg

Horses stand on what is the equivalent to the human middle fingernail. The leg is the equivalent of the finger. That’s why horse legs are spindly and fragile.

hooves need to be picked out by their caregivers (riders or grooms) at minimum before and after riding. Debris can get caught in the grooves of the hoof (or in the shoes) which can lead to injuries (think of if you had a piece of gravel jammed under your fingernail and then had to type with it)

Mouth

Horses have a space between their incisors before their molars, which is where the bit fits in their mouth.

The older the horse is, the more ground down their teeth are and the harder it is for them to break down forage.

Eyes

Horses have horizontal pupils, though their eyes are dark enough you don’t normally see them. Because their eyes are on the sides of their heads, they have blind spots directly in front of their nose, below their neck, and behind their tail.

Horses have terrible depth perception. They aren’t colorblind, but they are dichromatic (unlike humans who are trichromatic) and see blues and greens. No reds.

Tack (Gear)

Halters & Lead Ropes/Shanks

Rope or leather that goes around a horse’s muzzle, along the cheeks, and then behind the ears and below the jaw. Depending on the time period and culture, these can be plain and simple or highly decorated.

Arabian halters are usually styled differently as a thing chain that goes behind the ears, sometimes across the brown, down the cheeks and around the muzzle.

Halters do not have anything go into the horse’s mouth and the lead rope attaches underneath it. Halters can be left on when the horse is being ridden (under the bridle) and the lead rope can be tied around the neck or attached to the saddle if there is a place for it.

Bridles

The general style of a bridle is similar to a halter, except that instead of having a piece that attaches around the muzzle (a noseband), the cheek pieces attach to the bit.

Reins attach to the bit and then go back to the rider. There are two main types of rein: split reins and loop reins. Loop reins are one single piece of leather (or two that buckle or tie together in the middle) from one end of the bit to the other. Split reins are two pieces of leather, one for each side of the bit. Managing split reins can be very difficult for beginner riders (I always tied them together to make a loop rein or just gave my students loop reins until they mastered the basics).

Bits

There are too many different types to break down and this isn’t for the faint of heart to play around with. If you really want to get into this level of detail, comment and I’ll give you more info!

Bitless Bridles, Hackamores, Riding Halters, etc.

Lead ropes can be made into loop reins and the halter can be turned into a bitless bridle in this way. The average, well started horse will understand the pressure cues being given this way.

Saddles

Modern day saddles come in two main types: western and english. Both of these riding styles have ancient roots. Western saddles are bulkier, with a horn in the front. English saddles are smaller and lightweight.

Many ‘working saddles’ have a built up pommel area in the front of the saddle (in front of where your thighs would be if you were in the saddle). Consider what sort of setting you have, what kind of tools horses are being used for, etc. in your worldbuilding to figure out what kinds of saddles make the most sense.

Cinch/Girth

Cinch is the western term for the band that goes underneath the horse’s belly and keeps the saddle in place. Girth is the english term for it. As long as you keep consistent, either word is an acceptable term to use. To tack up properly, you need to “tighten the cinch”.

Stirrups need to be adjusted between riders that have different leg lengths. So if you have an extremely tall character and an extremely short one, please take a moment to adjust the stirrups before they sit in a saddle the other was riding in.

Saddle Blankets

Saddle blankets go underneath the saddle as a protective layer between the saddle and the horse. Western style saddles have lambskin on the underside of the saddle to have additional padding for the horse, but still require a blanket.

English style saddle blankets (saddle pads) are smaller and thinner than the western blankets as the english saddle is smaller and lighter.

"“Are you sure you are?” Loralee asked, glancing dubiously at Jin’s tack. Loralee handed her mare to Jin before double-checking the amira’s saddle. The cinch tightened an inch. Loralee buckled the clip and retied the knot before taking her mare back from Jin."  -- Chapter 8, The Dying Sun by L.J. Stanton

Diet & Care Needs

Obligate herbivores with one stomach, horses need frequent small meals to keep their gut-fill at appropriate levels. Large meals several times a day is harder on a horse’s body.

Horses primarily eat roughage (grasses). They can also have their diet supplemented with different grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Fun fact: horses don’t get drunk off beer.

Personality & Body Language (They Aren’t Dogs)

Horses are prey animals first and foremost, unlike dogs, and react to the world through that lens. It means there is a high likelihood of horses spooking at nothing, or at dark spots on the ground. They tend to be cautious at water crossings unless trained. They can be loyal, but they certainly don’t do things like wag their tails happily.

Whinnying and nickering aren’t anywhere near as common a behaviour as movies and television would have you believe (once again, prey animals). Horses will shriek, whinny, and nicker to communicate with each other for different reasons.

Blowing (exhaling loudly) in combination with lip licking is a stress relief/self soothing behaviour.

Horses greet each other by sniffing noses and smelling breath. A horse will do the same with a person or an animal that comes up to it (like a dog or a cat).

Pinned ears are a threat and sign of imminent danger. Pinned ears are usually followed by nipping, biting, shrieking, striking, and/or kicking

Striking is with the forelegs, kicking with the back legs.

HERD DYNAMICS

Lead Mare

decides where the herd stops to graze, drink, etc. etc.

helps decide whether or not spooking is necessary

Lead Stallion

protects the herd from predators and competition

Mares

make up the rest of the herd. These may be a group of sisters and aunts, but mares will come and go from herds as other stallions harass/steal mares, so they aren’t always related. Liking the stallion has a greater bond than family.

Bachelor Bands

colts (male foals) are kicked out of their birth herds when they reach sexual maturity. For safety, they will often form bachelor bands. During mating season, these bands may break up or splinter depending on whether there are herds with mares nearby.

Gaits (speeds)

Walk (4 beat)

Trot (2 beat, diagonals)

Canter/Lope (3 beat)

Gallop (4 beat with hang time)

See Part 2 in two weeks for Riding!

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[thekitsune]

MikaSasha Week Day 8 - Wedding/Future

And my submission for today! Okay a quick note, this submission is a continuation to my submission for yesterday’s prompt that I just uploaded. Please read it first so you can understand some of the references in this.

Also, there are a few characters in this that I plan on drawing, but I ran out of time thanks to work. So, I will try to draw them and have them up tomorrow. Sorry, they were suppose to be the extra bonus submission for today :( I really wanted to end the week off with posting them. I hope you all will be okay with waiting until tomorrow to see them.

"Mama! Mama! Mommy wanted me to come get you!" a young brunette girl shouted as she ran over to an older woman in her late 20s or early 30s. The girl was a small four year-old with long brown hair and large, bright blue eyes. She was wearing a simple white dress with the stitching of some kind of potato character on the front. The older woman smiled as she bent down to catch her daughter and lift her up in her arms. Who was this woman, she was Mikasa Blouse, proud wife of Sasha Blouse, and even prouder mother of three. One such girl was this bundle of joy, Mina Blouse. Named after her and her wife's friend who sadly passed away back in the day. She was surprised when Sasha suggested the name, but she was more than happy to honor their friend like that.

"Mina, honey, what did I say about running outside barefooted?" Mikasa asked her daughter who looked away shyly.

"That my feet will get dirtsy," Mina muttered while looking away like she was caught stealing one of her mommy's snacks. Mikasa smiled before planting a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"Mommy will let you get away with this just once, but be more careful in the future," Mikasa told her before tickling her stomach making her giggle. Walking back to their house, a nice sized house near Sasha's family's ranch, Mikasa smiled as she saw her son trying to get one of their horses to listen to him. The horse though decided to whack him in the face with its tail before trotting off. The boy sat on the ground with a pout before smiling as he spotted his younger sister and mother.

"Mom! Mina, you little pipsqueak where did you run off to? Mama wanted me to look for you," he stated which caused Mina to pout before sticking her tongue out and making a face at him. The boy was Nico Blouse, Sasha and Mikasa's only son. Named after family friend, Niccolo. Mikasa wasn't too happy when Sasha suggested the name, (Sasha liked the name, but she didn't want it to be exactly the same so she shortened it. Mikasa...was jealous and thought Sasha secretly had feelings for him until Sasha whacked her in the back of the head and told her to cut it out. Her heart only belonged to Mikasa) but over time she grew to love it. (However, Mikasa always told Nico to never call Niccolo, 'Uncle Niccolo,' totally not because she was still jealous of how much Sasha loved his food, but because...well she was still thinking of why)

Nico had short black hair and a small scar on his cheek from a wolf that had attacked him when he was younger. Sasha had managed to save him from taking too much damage before Mikasa rushed in to kill it. After making sure Sasha hadn't pushed herself too hard as well as didn't get hurt too bad, the two took Nico back home and checked him for injuries while also calming him down. The boy was shaken, but he was inspired to become a great hunter like his mama was before her injury.

"If mama wanted you to find your younger sister, honey, why were you playing with the horse?" Mikasa asked her son who froze before looking away, "Honey?"

"I...I...I'll go tell Mama that you found Mina, Mom!" Nico shouted before turning and running away as quickly as he could. Mikasa sighed before continuing on her trek back to the house. Mina happily nuzzled into the crook of her neck as she continued to the house.

"Kaa-san?" Mikasa stopped once more and looked over. A girl who looked to be the spitting image of her as a child stood there in front of the door. The only difference between the two was the fact that she had a streak of brown hair going down her long black hair and she had golden-brown eyes. She wore overalls, a white long sleeved shirt, and red boots along with a pair of work gloves.

"Yes Yumi?" Mikasa asked her eldest daughter. Yumi Blouse, named after Mikasa's deceased mother, the girl was hard-working and helped out with all the chores at the house along with her grandparent's house. While she didn't want to grow up to be a hunter or farmer, she was more than happy to help her family. She was their first bundle of joy, and she made sure to be a responsible older sister for her younger siblings. She was the only child to inherit Mikasa's Japanese ancestry and has embraced it even more than her Kaa-san going so far as to use terms they learned from their Japanese allies back in the day as well as sewing Japanese clothes and making Japanese cuisine, much to her Mom's joy.

"Mom said that she had something special planned for you so I'll take Mina with me. Armin-ojisan and Annie-obachan are going to take us out to shop while Nico is going to continue his cooking training with Niccolo-san," Yumi told her Kaa-san while taking off her gloves, revealing the Ackerman symbol on the back of her right hand. Mikasa looked over at the house with wonder, curious at what Sasha had planned, before handing Mina to her eldest child. Mina nuzzled her older sister while cheering about getting to spend time with 'Uncie Armin and Auntie Annie.'

After making sure that Yumi and Mina headed down the right, and safe, path to Armin's and Annie's house, Mikasa continued on into the house. Opening the door, she was surprised to see her beautiful wife, Sasha Blouse, standing in front of a large feast while wearing her more festive clothes. "Happy Anniversary, Mika," Sasha simply stated causing Mikasa's eyes to water lightly before she moved forward and embraced her wife.

She never would have thought that things would turn up this way all of those years ago when she first began training to fight Titans. She had always planned to just protect Eren and be there for him and Armin for the rest of their lives, but then she met this girl, this wonderful, kind, beautiful girl who made her want to dream about more. Wanted her to wish for more. She began bonding with this girl, she began caring more and more with this girl, she began loving this girl, and for once, she didn't think about only protecting Eren and Armin until her eventual death, she began thinking and dreaming about a happy life with this beautiful girl.

Then a mere ten years ago, she nearly lost the love of her life by a gunshot. Through a miracle, she managed to pull through, but not unscathed. No longer able to help them in the war, hunt, or work on the ranch, Sasha was confined to doing simple and easy tasks that wouldn't put too much stress on her heart. After the end of the war, the world entered a more peaceful era which finally allowed the two to marry each other. And then a year and a half later, they were graced with their first child. A year later, they were graced with their second. And three years later, they were graced with their third bundle of joy. Their children brought them an even greater joy and made their lives even better.

Walking over to her wife, she gently kissed her before pulling her close, "Happy Anniversary, Sasha. I'm sorry I didn't remember." Sasha just giggled before kissing her back.

"It's fine honey, I know you're busy with the work around the house. I wish I could be more help, but I'm happy that I can at least cook for us and help with the kids," Sasha told Mikasa who pouted before picking her wife up bridal style and kissing her again.

"Do not feel bad about not being able to help with the hard work. You can't help your injury. I will work as hard as possible if it means that you will continue living long and healthy," Mikasa reassured her wife while spinning around to the dinner that Sasha cooked, "Now then, why don't we enjoy this so we can move on and have some fun before the kids come back."

Blushing bright red, Sasha chuckled as she lightly punched Mikasa's shoulder. "You sly dog, you. Are you trying to seduce me?" Sasha teased her wife who just leaned in and replied with a husky voice, "Depends, is it working?"

Feeling her blush deepen, Sasha buried her face in Mikasa's shoulder while Mikasa just chuckled and continued to the dinner.

Yeah, they earned this peace and happiness. And she was happy to keep it for as long as possible.

[a-dragons-journal]

My Experiences of Nonhumanity

I get asked about “what makes you/people in general feel you’re/they’re otherkin” a lot, and while the answer is far from simple and my experiences are anything but universal, I figure it deserves a write-up once in a while. A friend asked about it a couple nights ago, so I wrote up a huge long message on Discord, and decided to rewrite it into a Tumblr post for posterity. This’ll be a long one, folks; hit J on desktop to skip.

It’s worth noting ahead of time: none of these things are required to be otherkin, and none of them automatically mean you’re otherkin. In fact, most of them are little more than mildly “weird” quirks when they occur in isolation, and only start to push outside the range of “normal human experiences” when many of them occur together. You can’t look at someone (including yourself) and say “they like collecting things, they must be dragonkin!” It’s not that simple. You have to take the individual as a whole even as you examine each specific experience in more detail - don’t lose the forest while you’re studying the trees. This is just a description of my personal experiences.

Shifts

- Phantom shifts/supernumerary phantom limbs: Probably the most obvious thing and the hardest to brush off, although I still managed to do so for years. Phantom shifts, aka supernumerary phantom limbs, are the experience of feeling limbs or body parts that do not and never have physically existed. In my case, the most common phantom limbs to show up are my wings and tail; other body parts, such as digitigrade legs, horns, snout, and paws/talons, also make appearances less frequently. While my phantom limbs almost never attempt to replicate tactile sensations/interactions with the physical world, they’re often defined by very vivid proprioception (ability to tell where your body is in space, mainly via muscle stretch receptors), and I can tell where each part of the limb is at any given time - it’s not just a shapeless sense of “weight,” or it wouldn’t be phantom limbs. I can also move them at will, typically. My phantom shifts are typically spontaneous and involuntary, but they’ve been induced artificially a couple different ways as well, though I can’t typically do it at will.

- Sensory shifts: Still not something I’m totally sure I experience, but there are definitely times my sense of smell becomes insanely strong compared to usual even for me, which fits the definition of a sensory shift.

- Astral shifts: While I’m far from an adept astral traveler, when visualizing “traveling” within my own mindscape, I shift form fluidly between human and dragon - although I almost always have wings at the very least.

- Cameo shifts: Mentioned only because it’s relevant to my phantom shifts. I realized at some point that the reason I get cameo shifts of canine/feline ears sometimes is because they usually show up when they’re pricking/flattening to express emotion, and the muscles that move to do that action are basically the same as the ones that do those actions with the crest that runs down my neck, and because of my obsession with cats/dogs/horses as a young child and because that’s not a particularly strong phantom shift for me usually, I connected the dots a little wrong and created a false association.

- Self-image: This isn’t technically a shift, but it’s going here anyway because it doesn’t really fit in any other section either. My body image/self-image is weird. I know, consciously, what I physically look like. However, my instinctive self-image is... hmm. What I “expect” to see doesn’t always match up with what’s actually there when I look in the mirror. Teeth are a huge point of fixation for me for some reason; I always expect them to be larger, sharper, stronger. I expect my neck to be longer, my face to be... different. I expect scales in places. I expect claws. Even knowing consciously that of course it won’t be there, it’s still strange sometimes that it’s not. There’s sometimes some mild disconnect when I see myself. (Sometimes not. But sometimes.)

Homesickness

(Or, the sense of missing something you’ve never had - not of “I want/want to be [x], and it makes me sad/upset that I don’t have/am not that,” but of “I should have/be [x], and it is fundamentally wrong that I do/am not.”)

- Flight: I have always wanted to fly, and for a long time I thought everyone ached for the sky the same way I did. Most people don’t, as it turns out. Yes, everyone’s fantasized about flying, but most people don’t feel bones-deep, crushing, physical pain in their chest thinking about it. Most people don’t lift up onto their toes instinctively straining for the sky. I’ve felt that aching longing for it for as long as I can remember.

- Connection to dragons: For as long as I can remember knowing about dragons, I loved the idea of them and even when I was very young, when I’d only really been exposed to media where they were the great evil for the hero to defeat and received no more character development than “evil, destructive, fire-breathing beast,” I was always on the dragon’s side and wanted to learn more about them. That hasn’t faded. I’ll watch an absolutely terrible movie or TV show that I otherwise loathe if it has good enough animation and sound design on the dragons. (Looking at you, Game of Thrones.*) I would commit arson to see one of those Isle-style dragon survival games actually go through and finish production. (Holding out hope for the Dragon Game Project on YouTube; go check them out if you haven’t already.) I’ve also used dragons to represent myself for pretty much as long as I’ve had an online presence - years before I ever heard of otherkin, I was calling myself Dragonheart.

- Dragon-like creatures: Snakes, crocodilians, and dinosaurs all fall into this category - all of them give me a similar heart-and-breathing-pick-up, aching familiarity to dragons. They’re not perfect, but in a snake’s scales and a crocodile’s bellows and a dinosaur’s spectacular reptilian size I see echoes of us and I have always loved them with a passion, even before I quite knew why.

- Dragon/”monster” noises: Sound generators, creature sound design, real animal noises, etc. that are meant to be monstrous and that most people find unsettling or even frightening, I find comforting and relaxing. Alligator bellows, “monster noise” soundscapes, etc. all apply here.

* No shade on anyone who likes Game of Thrones, I’m just not a fan. :P

Behaviors/Instincts/Urges

- Hoarding: I’m still not sure how much of the crystal thing is "monkey brain say Shiney Colorful," how much is a witch thing, and how much is a dragon thing, but some of it is a dragon thing.

- Territorial/possessive nature: I can get... extremely territorial over my stuff and my home. This can extend right into being ridiculously protective of my people too, although I do try to rein that in to a reasonable amount. This also extends into games like Capture the Flag, because put me on defending the border during middle and high school and I got frighteningly territorial. (Fun fact, this extends to spiritual protection stuff and it has almost gotten me in trouble a few times on that front.) The other main side effect is my brain trying to claim completely inappropriate things as “mine,” like every piano I have ever touched or, that one time, the entire city of Portland.

- Prey drive: Going on a walk in the woods with me will always be an exercise in stopping every twenty seconds because I heard a small animal move in the brush and froze instinctively to track it. Prey drive ranges from "okay I can indulge this enough to track-stalk-chase without actually intending to catch-kill-eat" to "this is entirely inappropriate and needs to Stop Right Now" depending on the day and the situation - sometimes it’s fairly low-key and innocent, but sometimes it's also being confronted with the sudden and completely serious/genuine thought of grabbing someone or something by the neck/around the body with your jaws and hunt-prey-kill-devour when it's completely inappropriate and kind of disturbing or even sickening. It’s one of the more annoying things, although it’s not like it’s severe enough that I’m an actual danger to anyone - it’s just a gut thought that gets filtered out at the conscious level without significant problems. This also bleeds into games (I get... maybe a little overenthusiastic during tag) and even watching TV shows or gaming videos - most of the time at least part of me is rooting for the hunter because I relate to them as a fellow predator, even if the audience is supposed to be rooting for the prey - I mean, protagonists.

- Basking/heat-seeking: Probably only partially a dragon thing, but despite the fact that I hate heat in general, radiant/sun heat and heat from a heated surface are both fantastic feelings provided the ambient air temperature isn't too high. I'm guessing this is at least partially a reptile brain thing.

- Height-seeking: Give me a chance to climb up on top of something - a rock, a cliff, a chair, a table, a bunk bed - and look out over everything else, and I'll take it in an instant. Getting to climb up on the roof is the best thing that's happened to me this entire quarantine.

- Flight instinct: Being mildly leery of cliffs not because I am afraid of falling, because I'm really not, but because there's always some part of my brain that goes "jump, fly, this is a perfect takeoff spot" and I have to squash that before I do something particularly stupid. This manifests in other ways, but that's the most dramatic (and annoying) one. This is also one of the things I noticed as definitively not normal long before my awakening. (The Grand Canyon was fun.)  Similarly to the prey drive thing, it's not like I'm actually in danger of throwing myself off cliffs, it’s just - there's a not-insignificant part of my brain that thinks "hey we should go run and jump off and take a quick flight," in the same way I might also casually think "hey I should stroll across to the corner store for a bag of chips" before I consciously decide whether or not to do that. It’s the exact same type of thought process, despite the fact that one of those things is something I might do on any given school day, and the other is, you know, physically impossible.

- Combat instincts: I get in a fight and my pure instinct is to bite or claw, not kick or punch or whatever it is humans do instinctively. I have those reflexes now courtesy of Krav, but I had to train them in - if you’d thrown me into a fight before, I absolutely would have resorted to claws/nails and teeth immediately (and I still will, when pressed into a corner). Sometimes, unfortunately, this goes off completely unwarranted, either in an anger situation that does not deserve a physical response, or for no apparent reason whatsoever. It's one of the more problematic things, but once again - it’s not like it’s a compulsion, just a gut-emotion thought that gets filtered out at the conscious level.

- Scent focus: Who knows how much of this is environmental influence and how much is instinctive, but I always have and still do focus on scent more than most humans seem to. I can identify people by scent, I seem to pay more attention to it than most people do. I also seem less bothered by natural body smells than most people do, but considering the responses when I asked around in the otherkin community once about that, unclear whether or not that's connected.

- Nonhuman noises: I make just a bunch of weird nonhuman noises, and always have. Growls, hisses, croons, hurrs, throat-clicks, chirps, etc. I've never met any human who does them instinctively like I do except my half-sister (whom I didn’t meet until a couple years ago), and she was just as surprised to hear me do it as I was surprised to hear her do it.

- Affection: Face-rubbing, light head-bonking against someone’s shoulder/body/head, and love nips/bites are all perfectly acceptable ways to show platonic affection, to dragon brain. Human society disagrees. The instinct to do these things is so strong that I definitely do give into the first two with people I’m close with, and I have physically had to catch and restrain myself when I was about to unthinkingly bite/nip someone’s skin because I wasn’t paying enough attention.

- Movement: Moving on all fours just feels better than moving on two legs, even though it’s objectively physically uncomfortable because humans aren’t built for that. I also have the instinctive want to be a lot more flexible than I’m capable of being, in ways I’m not capable of being - curling all the way around something or someone to squeeze them tight in the coil of my body, turning my head a hundred eighty degrees because my neck Should Be Longer.

- Expression: Baring one’s teeth when frustrated, irritated, or angry is not a particularly human instinct. I realize it’s something a lot of primates do do, but. *gestures at society* Humans ain’t one of them, at least not anymore. Even in Krav Maga, which is a self-defense style that focuses on being vicious and “dirty fighting” to survive a real street fight, every single time I have a new partner (and most times I have a partner I’ve worked with before) and I get tired enough to get snarly, they respond with some variation of “god that’s scary”. See also: gesturing at things with my nose because it should be long enough to make that a much more dramatic gesture than it ends up being.

- Den/lair/small spaces: I never feel safer than when curled up in a tiny alcove just big enough to comfortably fit my body curled up into it. The only position I’ll prioritize over it is getting up onto a high space.

Past Life Work

Unlike every other bullet point on this list, most of these didn’t apply until I started actively seeking them out, because, you know. Past life memories are like that.

- Past life regressions: I’ve got a tag for these, but tl;dr I take anything I learn from a past life regression or similar meditation/visualization with a whole spoonful of salt, forget “a grain,” because I know for a fact my brain is very good at making stuff up with these types of exercises. Unfortunately, they’re the only way to get information on certain things, like appearance.

- Tarot: Got a tag for that too. I use tarot to ask questions and confirm or reject suspicions.

- Spontaneous memories: I don’t have many, but they’re clear as day when they do appear. I don’t count something as a “true” memory unless it includes senses I can’t reproduce through imagination - smell and touch, mainly. Mostly these are quick flashbulbs, nothing cinematic or anything like that.

- Noemata: Again, I don’t have much in the way of noemata, but what I do have is persistent and consistent. I know things about my wing shape and flight style despite not having really experienced that in detail during past life regressions. That particular set of noemata has been confirmed to fit with real-world physics and bat wing shapes (the closest wing type to mine that exists or has existed on Earth).

[openheart12]

Hi, yes, hello beautiful! Can you write a fic where MC accidentally sends Ethan her entire fanfic folder by mistake 😂🤣

How To Get Away With Fanfiction

I’m reliving my embarrassment 😭 but it is done and idk wtf happened with this lmao. This is also to make up for earlier kmjhygfd

Only tagging @ao719 @oofchoices @loveellamae @burnsoslow because no one else should have to read this unless they click on the read more and if they do... god bless. And thank you to Maroe for helping me come up with some of these ideas!

It had been a long day at work when Dr. Gertrude-Sue Claws made her way home to do the one thing that relaxed her; writing fanfiction.

She had thought of the perfect idea for Spirit and Rainbow Dash and her fingers flew across the keyboard.

There was something about the multi colors in his mane and tail that drew him to her. He lived by the phrase, “hump ‘em and dump ‘em,” which he planned on doing with Rainbow Dash, but not without consent because horse jail wasn’t fun. He had heard the horror stories from his human friends, Kurns and Bryce.

“Rainbow Dash,” he neighed.

“Spirit…” She neighed back in response, she knew all about his...extracurricular activities. He was the biggest fuck horse out of the herd. Ever since Rain had died from drowning, god bless, he hadn’t been the same. It was also why he paid more attention to Rainbow Dash because she had Rain in the first part of her name.

“Let’s do this,” he smirked with his horse mouth.

“Fine…” She turned her back to him as he reared on his hind legs and mounted her, letting out a series of neighs.

She laughed silently to herself before moving on her Owen Hunt fic and she knew how much she was going to enjoy this one especially.

Owen was walking through the halls when he saw five women stalking towards him like cats, one even had whiskers drawn on her face. “Anitah with the h, get him!” He heard one of them command and watched as she came up to him, kicking him in no man's land. He felt them drag him into an empty exam room.

“MAROE! You got the chainsaw?”

“Nah bruh, Bears and Rams were in charge of that,” she explained.

Anything but Krista, cocked her half shaved eyebrow at Burns and Ella. “Y’all got the chainsaw?”

“No, but I have the cream for the burn I’m about to inflict,” Burns snickered to herself at her own joke, the others joining in before getting back to business.

“Burns, Ella, go scope out the cafeteria for some good food because I can’t kill in good faith on an empty stomach and as me and Ella say, we always get food first,” Anything but Krista said, turning her attention to the two people left, throwing them both a knife. Then proceeded to stab Owen numerous times, but making sure not to hit any major organs yet.

“We need a blender,” Anitah with the h announced.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Anything but Krista and MAROE said at the same time, looking at each other and bursting into laughter at the jinx.

“If that was making a human smoothie, then yes. We’ll show him that no one messes with Derek Christopher Shepherd,” Anitah with the h said smugly, pulling a blender out from behind her back and plugging it into the wall.

“You...you pulled that out of your jacket?” MAROE asked in a surprising tone.

“Y’all don’t keep blenders in yours?” Anitah with the h asked as if that wasn’t common, but it was good to know that she was always prepared.

Suddenly, the walkie talkie came to life, “Team Bears/Rams to Team CA, what y’all want from here? Over and out.”

“Team CA to Team Bears/Rams, we want CookOut. Over and out.” Anything but Krista responded. “It’s about time y’all tried a little piece of heaven,” she looked at Anitah with the h and MAROE.

“That’s a negative ghost rider, the closest CookOut is on the other side of the country. Over and out.”

“Well you better get on your way because you two also need to try a little piece of heaven, we’ll save the good stuff for when you get back. Over and out.” The trio resumed their slice and dice game, taking a short break to play Choices because the latest chapter of The Nanny Affair had just been released and even Owen wasn’t going to keep them away from Sam Dalton.

A couple hours later, Burns and Ella arrived with the food, handing out their respective trays to their respective orderers, they were able to keep the milkshakes from melting by their cold hearts.

“Ahhh gimme my milkshake,” Anything but Krista snatched it from Burns’ hand, earning a slap on her hand from her adoptive mother and a threat of taking away her pony...again.

“Yooo this shake hits different,” Ella exclaimed.

“You could even say that it slaps,” MAROE added making her squeak.

“It’s the one good thing North Carolina has to offer for me,” Anything but Krista chimed in, fist bumping Anitah with the h because the struggle was real. The cows really did outnumber the people, they just hoped that there wouldn’t be a cow revolution because that would be awful except the yeehaw folk would probably survive since they did have a song called “A Country Boy Can Survive.” 

“Burns, we left you the honor of picking the perfect weather for us to dispose of the body which is more like liquid at this point. We need rain, thunder, and lightning to erase all of the evidence. Watching “Forensic Files” has finally come in handy. And Ella, we need you to pretend to be a nurse or something to help us get out of here. I’ll be honest, I haven’t thought that far ahead…” Anything but Krista admitted, but they expected that from her so they already had a plan in place.

“If anyone happens to see Derek Shepherd, I ask that you tell me,” MAROE added.

“Not if I find him first,” Anything but Krista said.

“He’s like fifty four years old…” Burns said being ever the good adoptive mother.

“Then I call Spencer Reid!” Anything but Krista exclaimed.

“I have Lucifer then,” MAROE challenged knowing that would get under her skin. 

“Children, calm yourselves.” Burns shook her head.

“Hey, I’ll be eighteen in like a number amount of months,” Anything but Krista said.

“I’ll be eighteen before you,” MAROE said, sticking out her tongue.

“I’Ll Be EiGhTeEn BeFoRe YoU,” she repeated, placing her hands on her hips and doing that Spongebob meme. After thinking of a better comeback, she grabbed her knife she used on Owen earlier and plunged it into MAROE’s back.

“Et tu, Brute?” MAROE said with shock in her voice before her body crumpled on the ground.

“Yes, bye bitch.”

The other three just stared as the blood drained from her body before turning their attention to Anything but Krista. They were the epitome of 👁👄👁.

“What? She wanted to “due” anyway. And at her funeral we can play “To Be So Lonely” because well she will be lol.”

“Anywaysss, we gonna get food or what?” Ella asked as she covered Owen’s body with a sheet.

“Wings?” Burns suggested and they all agreed. After arriving at the restaurant, they were very shocked to see MAROE sitting at a table waiting for them.

“It’s the trying to kill me for me,” she said upon taking their seats, glaring at Anything But Krista specifically.

“It’s the stealing my fictional husbands for me,” she retaliated.

“It’s the acting like children for me,” Burns' authoritative voice came.

“Sorry,” they both murmured as they looked over the menus to order their food. The rest of their lunch going smoothly, their victims already forgotten about. Don’t mess with hangry chicks who hate Owent Cunt.

“So who’s next?” Anitah with the h asked.

“Ahh you’ve gotten the first taste of blood and now you’re addicted,” Burns observed. She would make for a good profiler for the FBI at Quantico. She would have a cool nickname; Cunt Punter.

“Why not just kill everyone we hate?” Ella questioned.

“That’s a great idea! I say we kill Guy and Vanessa,” Anything but Krista suggested.

“And Landrat!” MAROE added, the whole group agreeing, finishing their lunch before getting to their killing spree.

Gertrude-Sue was laughing at her made up characters and story when she received an email from Ethonk Remy to send him a folder that she had. Goggle Drive was acting stupid so she didn’t realize that she had shared her fanfiction folder with her boss before it was too late. She saw a little giraffe pop up in the right hand corner telling her that he was already viewing what was inside the folder.

“Holy donkey claws,” she cried out loud, smacking her hands against her face.

Meanwhile, Ethonk was going through her folder when he came across a document and his eyes went wide. “What are they doing with the dog?” He said to himself.

Wonder pets, wonder pets

We're on our way

To help a friend and save the day

We're not too big

And we're not too tough

But when we work together, we've got the right stuff

Gooo wonder pets yaaaaay!

The phone

The phone is ringing

The phone

We'll be right there

The phone

The phone is ringing

There's an animal in trouble

There's an animal in trouble

There's an animal in trouble somewhere

“What the hell are Wonder Pets?” He continued inspecting the different documents ranging from murder of one Owen Cunt, horses having sexual intercourse, Wonder Pets stuff, four kids and a dog where they did questionable things with each other, a sponge and a starfish were high on marijuana, a game where Gertrude-Sue had made him and her a family that looked way too realistic for his liking, two bunnies who kept hopping around with one of their little brothers, and multiple documents about Matthew Gray Gubler, Tom Holland, Tom Ellis, Patrick Dempsey, and Harry Styles which were all quite disturbing.

He took out his phone to call her. “Hey uh, Gert, what is this?”

“Oh well you see, the funny thing is that I accidentally sent you the wrong folder so if you could just pretend like this never happened, that would be fantastic. Okay thanks bye. I’m sending you the right one this time.” And she hung up, ready to throw herself off a cliff at her stupidity.

One thing was for sure, she would never make this mistake again.

[opinionated810]

Fluffy A-Z: Johnny

A: activities (things you’d do together)

Johnny’s very daring so I can see him wanting to do things like skydiving, scuba diving, etc, together. If you’re not too into that kind of adrenaline rush, I think he’d still enjoy going to an amusement park or doing anything else that’s fairly active. I think he’d enjoy something like the tandem bike ride he and Yuta went on during the 24-hour relay. He seems to like learning “new thangs” (see what I did there? 😜) as well, so I could see you doing some things like on JCC - taking an art or cooking class, learning to salsa dance together, etc.

B: beauty (things about you he finds physically appealing)

I think he’s stated before that he’s a sucker for a good smile. He’s always smiling himself and I really think he looks for people who are as upbeat and optimistic as he is. That’s why I really feel like the first thing he’d notice about someone is their smile, and why it’s his favorite physical attribute of yours.

C: cuddle style

Johnny is sometimes seen as a bit scary but I think he gets really cute when he wants to cuddle. I think he’d pout and use a cute voice if he was trying to convince you to cuddle with him. When you give in, he’d wrap his arms around you and pull you as close as possible. Johnny is capable of just cuddling for hours on end if he’s in the right mood. Sometimes those cuddles will lead to something more sexual. But just as often, those cuddles end in the two of you falling asleep in each other’s arms.

D: deal breakers (relationship deal breakers for him)

For Johnny, someone who is very pessimistic or someone who complains about everything would be a definite deal breaker. He’s very optimistic himself and I don’t think this would be a difference that could be overcome. Dealing with someone who complains all the time would be too emotionally and mentally draining for him.

E: education (what and how you learn from each other)

One of the things that makes Johnny really endearing is his outlook on and zest for life. I think that just by being around him, you would naturally absorb some of that energy. He also has a very optimistic outlook on life that’s really infectious - you’d never really know you were learning to be more like that, but it would definitely rub off on you.

F: first impression (the impression he gives off on your first date)

He comes across so confident that even if he was a bit nervous (not that I think he would be) I don’t think he’d ever show it. He would be so charming and friendly and he would make sure that you were both relaxed and having a good time. He’d keep it pretty casual on your first date so that neither of you felt any pressure and could just get to know each other a bit better and have some fun.

G: gifts (things he buys for you)

I think Johnny is more into spending time together than in giving you gifts. However, I also think he’s really good at remembering little things you say in your conversations. So if he randomly came across something that you mentioned liking or wanting, he would buy it for you as a way of letting you know he’s listening to you and thinking of you.

H: happy (when he’s the happiest with you)

I think Johnny’s the happiest with you when you’re both doing something together that’s a bit out of your comfort zones. It would make him so happy that you trust him enough to push some of your boundaries with him by your side (and vice versa). I really, really think that’s something he appreciates in a romantic partner because it builds so much trust and shows that you’re willing to take a risk for him.

I: introduction (when and how he introduces you to the people in his life)

Johnny would introduce you to everyone in a really natural way. There wouldn’t be any big event or meeting to introduce you to people. If you happened to be hanging out at the dorms when other members are there, he’d introduce you without any hesitation (even very early on in your relationship). Because his family is in the States, it might be a bit different. But he definitely wouldn’t hide your relationship from them. He’d bring you up casually in conversation so when you did meet them it would be no big deal.

J: jealousy

I actually don’t think Johnny is a very jealous person. Possessive, yes. Jealous, no. It would take a previous huge breech of trust to make him jealous. He wouldn’t get involved with someone he didn’t trust so I don’t think he worries too much about that. I’m sure he has some jealous moments (who doesn’t?), but they’re small and quick to come and go.

K: knew he was in love when ...

With Johnny, I don’t think there would be one singular moment where he was like, “yup, this is it”. I think it would be a build up of all the little moments from your relationship that make him realize his feelings for you. He would be in love before he realized it and wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with you.

L: love language

For giving, Johnny’s love language is quality time. There’s nothing he’d rather do than spend time with you even if it’s in small doses because of his (or your) schedule. Just carving out an hour here or there would be his way of showing you how committed he is to you and your relationship. For receiving, I think he’d like quality time (as mentioned above), words of affirmation, and gifts. Johnny gives a lot (his time, his effort, his attention, etc.) so I think he would really appreciate someone who just acknowledges and appreciates the things he does for them. I also think he’d really love getting small, meaningful or cute gifts from his partner for no reason. It would just show him that you’re thinking of him.

M: make-out session (his favorite type of kisses)

I feel like Johnny really likes kissing. A lot. And i think he enjoys a variety of types of kisses - from really deep and passionate to silly and sweet. But I think he really loves quick, random kisses (lips, cheeks, forehead - doesn’t matter where) when they are least expected. Whether it’s him or you doing the kissing, I think he loves the surprise of a quick, innocent kiss whenever the mood strikes you. In a way, those kinds of kisses show more vulnerability than deeper ones, and I think he appreciates the trust and innocence of those.

N: nicknames

I think Johnny would stick to calling you “baby” most often. He might give you a funny or teasing nickname based off an inside joke, but he’d only call you that when he wanted to tease you or get you riled up. Similarly, I think he’d like you calling him “babe”.

O: odor (what he smells like)

I’ve seen a few posts about the fragrances that NCT uses and most say that Johnny uses more fresh or watery scents (not sure where they get their info, though). I don’t think he wears cologne on a daily basis, though. So most of the time I think he just smells natural and like his laundry soap, shampoo, or aftershave. 

P: pda

I honestly think that he’d be fine with most pda (not a heavy make-out session, though). Johnny seems to be the kind of person that does what he wants most of the time. Not that he doesn’t care about everyone’s feelings, but he just realizes that he needs to do what makes him happy, and that would include holding your hand, hugging you, or giving you a kiss in public when he felt like it. No need to hide the fact that he loves you.

Q: quirks (odd things he does)

It’s not so odd, but I can see Johnny just watching you (not in a creepy way) at random times, like when you’re reading or cooking. There will be some habit or quirk of yours that you’re unaware of that he finds really endearing and it just makes him want to look at you to see if you’ll do it. I don’t think he’d point out your quirk for fear that you’ll stop doing it.

R: romantic gestures

Johnny seems like he’d be pretty romantic on a daily basis. He likes the small, everyday gestures that show you how he feels rather than large, grand romantic gestures. He’d make you pancakes in the shape of a heart and bring them to you in bed. He’d let you pick what movie to watch. He’d hold your hand at random times. He’d rub your back or feet. He’d send you a text when he heard a joke you’d like or when he saw something that reminded him of you.

S: saying I Love You (who says it first)

While I think that he’d fall in love first, you’d need to say it first. I have no reasoning other than it’s just a gut feeling I have about him.

T: tail (what kind of pets and animals you’ll have)

I picture him with a couple of dogs, maybe one cat. But that’s about it. I don’t see him wanting a farm with horses, goats, or llamas. He wouldn’t really see the point of fish or turtles (unless his kids begged for them). I do think he really likes dogs and would want to adopt some. I can see him saying he doesn’t really like cats but would secretly be a big softie for one (especially if you really want a cat).

U: upbringing (what kind of dad he’ll be)

When Johnny has kids he’ll be the best dad! He’ll be so active with them - building cushion forts, having sword fights with paper towel rolls, reading them stories, playing hide and seek, costume parties (just imagine him in a tiara having a tea party with his daughter and her stuffed animals ... 🥰). I think he’ll be the “fun” parent. While I think he’d have rules for his kids, he’d let them get away with minor stuff on occasion just because he would find them so cute while they were being naughty.

 V: vacation style

Personally, I think that Johnny would be so fun to travel with! He’d be up for almost anything and wound’t need to plan everything out ahead of time (though he’d be fine with a loose schedule/plan if you needed one). He’s more of the explore-and-see-what-we-can-find type of traveller. He’d love just walking around a city, getting lost, and being surprised at what he finds. I think he’d also really like doing active and/or adrenaline pumping things like surfing or bungee jumping. I see him more as a city guy than a country guy.

W: wild card

We all know how much Johnny enjoys photography and videography. So it should come as no shock that I think he’d try to take your picture all. the. time. He’d love watching you do everyday things (see Q above) and would try to capture those on film. After a while, I think it would be kind of a game between you - he sneakily tries to take a photo of you and you try to catch him and ruin the photo by sticking your tongue out at him. But those would be his favorite pictures!

X: eXtremes (the two extreme sides of his personality in a relationship)

I think that, for the most part, what you see is what you get with Johnny. He’s very easygoing with most things. Even if he has a different opinion about something, he’d oftentimes let it go because he knows that some things aren’t worth arguing/debating. However, I think there are some things he feels very strongly about. In that case, he can be very stubborn and will never give in. And in some cases when you’re arguing about it, I think he can get quite angry if you refuse to even recognize his opinion or tell him that his opinion is wrong.

Y: yes (how often he gives in to you)

I feel that with Johnny, he’d give in to your wants about 50% of the time. He’s very opinionated and sure in his wants and beliefs so it would take a very convincing argument to get him to give in. However, he’s also very reasonable and likes making sure that you feel heard as well. For something small (like where to eat dinner) he’d make you work for it by playfully or cutely begging even though he had every intention of going with your idea anyway.

Z: zzz (sleeping style when you’re together)

He’s the big spoon most often when you’re sleeping together, but I think Johnny also likes snuggling with your face in his chest. As long as he’s holding you in some way, he’s happy.

NEXT UP ... NSFW A-Z: Jaemin

[chouhatsumimi]

@soxrox12​ sent me an ask related to my post celebrating 3,000 followers! : “Congrats on 3k followers, your blog is absolutely amazing!! Could you recommend a Kanji based on my studyblr, @hannahsox-studies?“

I would love to recommend you a kanji! In fact, I got a little bit carried away, and am going to recommend you several unusual kanji!

Ok, here come six different kanji, only one or possibly two of which you might ever actually come across:

I was really excited to see that you’re homeschooled and self-studying Japanese, and around the same age I was when I started studying! So I tried looking for words that would reflect that excitement, and couldn’t quite find the perfect one. But I did find this one, which I don’t recall seeing before:

唆 - kunyomi: soso.ru, sosonoka.su  onyomi: sa     meaning: tempt, seduce, instigate, promote

My first though was of the give name 俊輔 (Shunsuke), although that kanji is a little different- it means “sagacious, genius, excellence”, which would have also been a good choice. 

It seems like most of the words that use 唆 fit pretty well with the English word ‘instigate’.  

示唆　shisa　“suggestion; hint; implication“

示唆的　shisateki　“suggestive; pregnant (e.g. pregnant pause)”

教唆　kyousa　“1. instigation ​2. incitement  ​ Law, etc. term“

教唆煽動　kyousa-sendou　“instigation and abetment”  (the third kanji means ��fan’, so like ‘fanning the flames of wrongdoing’ or something)

and the verbs

唆す　sosonokasu　“to instigate; to tempt; to entice; to incite​“  and

唆る　sosoru　“to excite; to incite; to stimulate; to arouse; to tempt; to stir up”

(not quite sure what the difference is, but I feel like that’s for a different post)

see also: 悪事を唆す　akuji wo sosonokasu　“to entice a person to do something wrong” Anyway, that didn’t quite cover what I wanted it to from looking at your blog. I wanted a kanji with the fire radical 火 in it, so I found a whole bunch of interesting ones that aren’t used very much, just for fun!

炙　kun: abu.ru  on: sha, seki   meaning:  roast, broil, toast, cauterize

炙る　aburu　“1. to warm (e.g. one's hands over a fire); to dry　2. to toast; to grill; to broil; to roast; to scorch”

This one you might actually see, especially at a restaurant or sushi place that serves fish. 

See the bottom row- lightly cooked salmon  (Photo from here)

The kanji is also used in one more way:

炙り出す　aburidasu　“1. to bring into the open; to reveal; to uncover (e.g. evidence); to bring to light”　although you might just see it as あぶり出す

see also: 炙り出し　aburidashi　“invisible writing revealed by applying heat; writing done in invisible ink”

炬　kun: (none)  on: ko, kyo　meaning: torch, signal fire

炬燵　kotatsu　“kotatsu; table over an electric heater (orig. a charcoal brazier in a floor well) with a hanging quilt that retains heat”

As you’ll see in the image below, ‘kotatsu’ is almost always written in hiragana.

Photo from Rakuten (click link for more pictures of kotatsus)

What they don’t tell you about kotatsu is that old-style homes in Japan often have a depression in the floor that you put the kotatsu over, so you can let your legs hang down when you sit at them!   *They also don’t tell you that your apartment might have a trapdoor that could be used as a vegetable cellar and/or co-opted into a kotatsu area...

See also: こたつむり　“someone who curls up under a kotatsu all winter; kotatsu bug; kotatsu snail​“  A play off the word for snail, ‘katatsumuri’ !!

萩　kun: hagi　on: shuu　meaning: bush clover

萩　hagi　1. bush clover; Japanese clover (any flowering plant of genus Lespedeza)​　2. dark red exterior with blue interior (color combination worn in autumn) 　　(That second definition might also be getting its own post)

I might be a little biased because 萩 (Hagi) is also the name of a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where my host sister from my exchange later went to get her nursing degree. The city is also famous for pottery. 

お萩　ohagi　rice ball coated with sweetened red beans, soybean flour or sesame　　https://www.thespruceeats.com/ohagi-botamochi-2031326

鍬　kun: kuwa, suki　on: shou, shuu　meaning: hoe with long blade at acute angle

鍬　kuwa　hoe (tool)

That’s cool, but more importantly...

鍬形虫 / クワガタ(虫)　kuwagata(mushi)　stag beetle

similar to a 甲虫/カブトムシ　kabutomushi　rhinoceros beetle, but arguably the kuwagata is more common. 

Kuwagata on the left, kabutomushi on the right. Photo from here.

Ok, finally time for the last kanji with 火 in it! Last but not least!

鞦　kun: furan.ni , shirigai　on: shuu　meaning: swing

(This is just altogether a very strange kanji! But the radicals mean ‘leather’, ‘two-branch tree’, and ‘fire’, so I can kind of see where they got it from.)

鞦　shirigai　crupper　(I had no idea what a crupper is; apparently it’s “a leather strap fastened to the saddle of a harness and looping under the tail of a horse to prevent the harness from slipping forward”)

鞦韆　buranko　swing; trapeze　Like the kind on playgrounds. I will GUARANTEE you that you will never see this word in kanji, it’s always ブランコ. The word ‘buranko’ probably comes from ぶらぶら burabura, which means “dangling heavily; swaying to and fro; swinging“.  Take the ‘bura’, add on a ‘ko’ meaning ‘small thing that does the thing’, and voila, you get a word for swing!  (Btw, the second kanji appears to mean ‘swing’ as well, but doesn’t show up in any other words on jisho.org) Well, that got very long, but these were really interesting kanji to investigate! I hoped you enjoyed and/or learned something, and I wish you the best with your Japanese studies! 

If you’d like a personalized kanji post, check out my follower spree here!

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Lambs to the Laughter

"So uh, is there something we can do for you?" Sonic asked Vector, as he leaned to his side against the cavern wall. He was still surprised that the crocodile of all people came to Viridonia out of the blue, along with his crew. The others were naturally just as curious.

"Well, we didn't come all the way here just to look for you, if that's what you're thinking," Vector explained quickly. "We were actually taking a vacation here, since we figured we could do with one! Hardworking detectives need some R&R too, after all!"

"No one's been coming to us lately anyway," Espio dryly added, arms crossed.

"Shhhhhh," the annoyed crocodile whispered, with a finger at his mouth. He turned back to the group. "Anyway, we soon learned about this big monster going around terrorizing the people, and that Dr. Eggman was here too. Now, I'm an easygoing man, but I couldn't sit by while that moustached monkey is afoot. So we decided-"

"YOU decided," Charmy cheekily corrected.

"...WE decided to get to the bottom of it and figure out what's going on. Unfortunately though..." Vector scratched the back of his scaly head in embarrassment. "Despite our skills, we've been having difficulties so far. Been one step behind every step of the way, cause of... well..."

He nodded towards the hedgehog. Sonic took a moment to realise the implication, as shown by his confused glance with Tails. But the moment it clicked, his gradually smiled sheepishly. He shrugged along with it.

"Well, Sonic isn't my name for nothing," he chuckled mildly.

"Now you guys are always in the center of Eggman's schemes, right? So we reckon that if we stick around with you, our chances will be greater."

"Otherwise we'd be clueless!" Charmy beamed.

"Charmy, geeze!"

"Well, that's fine with us, Vector," Tails smiled earnestly, yet slightly awkwardly, having attempted to conceal his begrudging amusement at the detective's frustration. "Any help is good help. Right, Sonic?"

"Right on, little buddy," Sonic agreed, with a thumbs up directed at the fox. He turned his head. "How about you, Trudy? You okay with them tagging along?"

"Of course," Lutrudis answered casually and without hesitance, despite her initial perplexment at the newcomers' presence. She walked closer to the Chaotix, and smiled at them. "Long as their hearts are just, you won't see me dismissing these... characters. I'm Lutrudis, by the way." She bowed respectfully towards them.

"Pleased to meet ya, Latruedish!" Vector announced proudly, with his hands on his hips, and a toothy grin. Espio looked subtly horrified by his teammate's abysmal pronunciation. Tails likewise cringed internally. The smile on the horse's own face did not falter in the slightest.

"So doing detective talk for a sec," Sonic started semi-jokingly. "Got any leads on where we should head to first?"

"Yes actually," Vector boasted. "Before we came here, we had deduced the very probable likelihood that Eggman may be heading for... Merry Villa."

"Merry Villa?" Lutrudis questioned, as one of her ears lowered. "But that's not an huge monument or anything, that's just... the theme park. Why would Eggman head there? I mean, I know the doctor has a history with theme parks, but that can't be the only reason, can it?"

"You are severely underestimating his preferences," Espio mused, as he polished one of his shuriken.

"Yeah, he's got an obsession with them... a major obsession with them. I would know..." The tone in Sonic's voice indicated his memory had recalled a certain amusement park of the past that the doctor created... his tone also indicated he swiftly wanted to forget about it.

"So let's gooooo! I wanna see it too!" Charmy immediately flew out of the cavern in a frenzy of ecstasy, to which an exasperated Vector followed him, who was in turn followed by Espio. Sonic was about to follow suit, but he turned to Lutrudis with a smile.

"Maybe we'll have some fun there too," he suggested, before he walked out. As Tails waited patiently for Lutrudis, the latter glanced at the crystals all around her, each of them still brimming with different energies. Her body language initially conveyed a hint of hesitance, a doubt that it was her position to use them. But she recalled her friends' words of wisdom, and after putting her doubts aside for the sake of the now, she opened up her backpack...

---

"Are you sure they'll be alright in there?" Tails asked in reference to the bag full of excited Chao that was twice the size of Cream, which the young rabbit was nonetheless holding onto with surprisingly little effort.

"Yes, Tails," Cream replied happily. Lutrudis was personally unsure about bringing the Chao along with them to a place where Eggman might be, but it was either that or leaving them on their own in the castle, and Amy had already insisted with great enthusiasm that she and the rabbit come along to check out this Merry Villa. The horse trusted that her friends knew what they were doing, since they've been on more adventures than her.

They were running through the quiet streets of Lime Shores, albeit not at their highest running speed, as Sonic finally remembered that not all of his friends were as lightning fast on their feet as he was, and he didn't want to take a toll on Lutrudis' sensitive legs. The town itself was drastically different than how Sonic was used to it. Far from the turquoise he was accustomed to seeing in the daytime, the starry night gave the buildings a sheen of purple and pink. It clearly wasn't a simple paint job, as every last building was altered in the same way, and they looked even more translucent. Could this have a connection with the Ethereal Zone's lingering effects too...?

Whatever the story was, it looked incredible. The blue hero mentally cursed Eggman for disrupting their intended vacation time in such a beautiful region, and made yet another mental note to himself to check this all out for longer after the villain was dealt with.

"You think cute couples can get in free at this one?" Amy joked in Sonic's direction, though not without sounding a tad hopeful. Sonic simply smirked.

"As if we won't get in free regardless," he snarked playfully. "We've never NOT got into these things for free... Casino Night, Casinopolis, Casino Park... It's kind of amazing, now that I think about it."

"Well, you ARE the hero of the world. Maybe they understand that they'd all be suffering under Eggman's rule if it weren't for you?" Amy smirked in return.

"Or maybe they suck at their jobs," the male hedgehog laughed, and Amy laughed along with him.

Meanwhile, Lutrudis tried to strike up a conversation with the Chaotix, in an effort to get more acquainted with them. "So you guys don't like Eggman either?" she asked as she glanced up at Vector.

"Nope," Vector stated firmly, eyes straight ahead. "He's a scoundrel."

"He's corrupted," Espio added.

"He looks weird!" Charmy finished, and made a weird face of his own to go along with it. "With that pink nose and those whiskers on his face!"

"Well, I quite agree that he's a menace." Lutrudis was still pacing herself to decrease the chances of her body overexerting itself. "And you help Sonic out on occasion, to defend the world against his horrific tyranny? That's very noble, and commendable." She let out another friendly smile.

Vector paused. He soon realised that their actual reason of wanting Eggman to pay up for an incident years ago might not sound particularly dashing, and he didn't want to bust his first impression.

"...Yeah. Sure."

"Ooooh, is that it?" Cream pointed, still not affected in any way by the weight of her bag full of Chao. The rest of the group were so deep into their conversations that they hadn't realised they were already there. Lutrudis checked for each of their reactions, and outside of Espio's low-key intrigue, they were all dazzled.

"~Chao!~" Cheese cried happily.

"That's it, alright," Tails muttered in amazement. "That looks..."

"AWESOME!" Charmy completed the fox's sentence without asking.

"This is perfect for us!" Amy beamed, and hopped slightly in excitement. "Way better than Eggman's glorified death traps! What do you think, Sonic?"

"Uh..."

It really was something else. His adventures had sent him through countless amusement-related facilities in the past, made by Eggman or otherwise, but for one that wasn't devised by the scientist, it certainly had just as much unique grandeur. Behind an impressively-sized archway, with the title carved into it, were the expected rollercoasters, big wheel, challenges... all complimented by giant marble structures and walls, the latter of which were decked out in a selection of funky patterns with paint. The hero couldn't guess if there was any symbolic meaning to them, but partly because he was also distracted by the many spherical trees throughout the park, each of them boasting different coloured leaves from red all the way to purple. The cobblestone on the ground was practically polished, and the grass alongside it was a faint, bubblegum pink.

Of course, some of this was harder to notice among the crowds upon crowds of ecstatic citizens running around and having the time of their lives. But Sonic noticed all of it regardless, and if the glint in his eye hadn't given it away, he was undoubtably impressed with the showing.

"At least we're getting in free after all... like always... Hey, while we're here...!" His attention compromised, he ran up to a rotund mole, who was standing beside a Test Your Strength challenge.

"Really?" Espio scoffed. "Right now?"

"Yeah, aren't we kind of... looking for Eggman?" Tails wondered in confusion. "Not that I don't like the look of this place, but..."

Sonic wasn't paying attention to them however, as his eyes were focused intently on the prize at stake: a real necklace in the style and pattern of a flower crown. He knew Cream would love the look of this, and he was determined to win it for her.

"May I?" he asked the older mole, as he picked up the hammer required for the challenge.

"Go right ahead, sir," he replied in a posh accent.

The hedgehog chuckled to himself, as he tightened his grip on the hammer. Everyone else gathered round, some more reluctantly than others. He prepared himself, he aimed at the target on the ground, he threw himself back, and with lightning speed...

WHACK!

...He didn't get it.

"What!?" Sonic barked angrily. "How the heck was that not strong enough!? Is this rigged?"

"Anyone else want to try?" the posh mole asked, not answering Sonic's question. His moustache hid the amused smirk on his face.

"Me!" Amy called out as she raised her hand. "Got experience with hammers, you know," she winked playfully. The mole nodded wordlessly, and handed the hammer over to her. Sonic was still visibly annoyed at the implication that the guy who beat numerous ancient entitles was apparently not enough for this simple carnival challenge.

Amy readied herself, with a closed eye, and her tongue sticking out. Espio was rolling his eyes, and Vector put his hands in his pockets rather awkwardly. With a lot of energy, she gave it her all...

"Yah!"

WHACK!

...Still no victory.

"Aw, come on!" she complained. "I totally put everything into that one!"

"Anyone else...?" the mole asked again. He was not too subtly entertained by these proceedings. "Perhaps you, madam?"

He looked in Lutrudis' direction. She blinked, and turned to Sonic and Amy. They both shrugged. Turning back, she nervously walked up to the mole, despite her obvious lack of confidence. Might as well try it for Cream's sake, right?

"Don't be shy, you might have what it takes..." the mole chortled lightly. Lutrudis laughed unconvincingly at his reassurance, but slowly took the hammer from him anyway. She walked up to the target on the ground, positioning herself as carefully as she could. Her tail flicked slowly back and forth as she focused. She closed her eyes tightly, as she prepared to strike...

WHA-BOING!

She opened her eyes, taken off guard by a very different noise. She looked at the moustached mole, who looked as though he had seen a ghost. She turned to everyone else, who all shared the exact same expression. Wondering what they were all looking at, she glanced at the top of the machine... or rather, where it used to be. It was now on the ground, broken, along with the meter itself.

She stared at the ruined machine blankly, only blinking a few times. She then stared at her hands, which were still gripping onto the hammer. She looked at the machine again, with the same blank emotion. Incredibly slowly, she shyly gave the hammer back to the mole, whose gaze was still in the same place. She stood beside him, with her hands behind her back. Her eyes glanced to the side.

"So uh..."

Without a further word from her, he handed the necklace over to her. His head still didn't turn, nor did the bewildered look on his face.

"Thank you, sir..." Lutrudis mumbled nervously, before she turned to Cream to give the prize over. As soon as she saw it, and realised it was for her, the rabbit jumped for joy and hugged the horse's legs. Lutrudis in turn simply pat her on the head, smiling contently. The rest of the group, Sonic and Amy included, walked away from the scene one by one, still notably shocked by what just happened. As Cream skipped along to catch up with Amy, Lutrudis stopped for a moment, and walked back to the elderly mole. His face was still exactly the same, and it seemed nothing would snap him out of his shock at this rate.

"Keep the change," she awkwardly muttered as she placed a twenty note into his pocket. She walked off without another word, somewhat quickly at that.

---

Merry Villa Zone

Act 1: Parade Plaza

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Splats - "These may be the hoppiest bunnies I've ever seen. They're also the most malicious, as they have full intention to flatten you with their springs. Cute as they begrudgingly are, they don't hold a candle to Cream."

Dribbler - "The basketball kind, not the... you know... kind. Anyway, those bumpers they're so fixated on aren't just for show, for they're capable of using their slam dunking expertise to do you in. I sincerely doubt they wish to welcome us to the jam."

Buyon - "More bunnies! But these ones are even less adorable than Cream, not to mention their peculiar talent of extending and defending themselves with a gelatinous substance, thereby rendering themselves impervious to your attacks until they shrink back down. You would think they'd stay like that forever with such a defense."

Glider Pawn - "Purple as the night, Glider Pawns serve their namesake by riding atop their bat-shaped contraptions. They hang around in the air like a pungent smell, and their pumpkin-themed grenades show no mercy. Apparently, they're not too fond of arachnids."

Mimento - "These lanky boys take their business to a new level, as their hand miming somehow deflects you if you try to swipe them, as if they were using a shield. Your best bet is to catch them from behind. The doctor ought to be ashamed for giving monochromatic people a bad name."

Unicrusher - "There's no one riding them, but these unicycles can roll along just fine, and their spiked wheels do little to slow them down. Perhaps we could get one of the spikes to pop them?"

Welcome to Merry Villa, the brightest park in the land, and an adrenaline junkie's dream for no extra charge. (Suppose Heavy Rider would be up for it then.) The sights and spots may catch your attention, but you better not gawk for long if Eggman is around, and that's assuming he's alone. But you are the fastest around, so maybe you could get away with it...

The fancy, multi-layered fountain in the center highlights the considerable deco of the park, with a few parkgoers tossing a ring into it to make a wish. What could they be wishing for? To become a billionaire? To cure all the world's diseases? ...To not get killed by robots tonight? You can go right in the fountain and take those rings for yourself if you really want to, though Lutrudis will advise against it for moral reasons. On the other hand, Vector will strongly suggest it for monetary reasons.

The tall lampposts along the pathways illuminate the area nicely, but so do the grenades of the meddling Glider Pawns. If you defeat them quickly enough, you can briefly ride atop their gliders yourself, before they eventually explode. Note that they only go straight ahead though, meaning they turn about as well as you did back in Soleanna. (Relax, the illusion that you don't remember that one died ages ago.) You can also interact with the workers in oversized mascot suits, which includes possums, jackrabbits, and bobcats. Their appearance seems to be somewhat derivative... and the kids seem to be weirded out by them too.

Bobcat Mascot: There's no need to be afraid, boys and girls! What could possibly go wrong?

Sonic: Your career, apparently...

You can also run up and along the mildly psychadelic patterned walls, which are occasionally separated by small streams of water. And then there's the rides themselves. Climb up the big wheel (or fly, if you're Tails) to get a good view, race along the rollercoasters for shortcuts, scale the swinging pirate ships to nab some hidden items, and watch out for dodgem-manning Egg Pawns. Note that if you take a route involving an especially speedy or momentum-based ride, Lutrudis will always take a detour, as those kind of rides wouldn't do her body any favors.

By the way, yes, she noticed the merry go round. Yes, she noticed it had horses. Yes, she knows Sonic noticed them too.

Lutrudis: Go on then. What witticism do you wish to share about them?

Sonic: Well, they're not as pretty, I guess!

Lutrudis: ...???...

If you climb the big wheel, you can actually see some of the other zones in Viridonia, hiding far away in the background. And not just the ones you've already explored, but a few examples of new territory as well... including a mountain even greater in scale than Zephyr Mountain, covered completely from top to bottom in snow. As beautiful as it looks, you can't help but sense something foreboding about it...

Aside from the aforementioned Glider Pawns, Buyons and Mimentos will prove to be the biggest annoyances of this Badnik selection. Luckily, you've dealt with Buyons in the past, and the strategy for them before works just as well here, so just wait for them to shrink. Mimentos don't cause any damage themselves, but they have a knack for standing near obstacles that will hurt you. All the more reason to use your head when dealing with these jokers.

The end of the stage is signified by the presence of a tunnel. A rather pretty tunnel actually, that's teeming with waterfalls and flowers. Wait, you don't think this could be...

---

"A Tunnel of Love!" Amy gushed merrily. "Not even Twinkle Park had one of these! Let's try that out!"

"All of us...?" Espio muttered awkwardly. He didn't think his expert ninja training would come to this, though it wasn't as if he had anything better to do at this moment in time.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Cream complimented cheerfully, and the numerous Chao on her person were voicing their approval as well, in their famously distinctive language.

"Seems kinda girly though..." Charmy thought, clearly not as impressed with it as he was with the rollercoasters. "Like Vector's singing."

"I heard that!" the crocodile complained.

"Can we, Sonic? Pretty please?" Amy made sure to master her best puppy dog eyes for maximum effect. Sonic rolled his eyes, though it was obviously in jest.

"Whatever, no harm I guess," Sonic shrugged as they all got on the nearby boat one by one. In another stunning display of the hedgehog's luck with parks, no one was there to demand a fee from him. The boat itself was - somewhat predictably for this occasion - shaped like a large gondola, and it had no trouble with housing eight anthros. And Chao. Tails was at the front, followed by the Chaotix, then Amy and Cream, then Sonic and Lutrudis.

As their little ride through the tunnel started, they immediately noticed that the roof of the tunnel displayed huge constellations, and other forms of dazzling astral projections. Neon purple lights shined throughout the "night sky", which reflected off the water and flora. Amy and Cream were immediately hooked, as was Tails.

"Man..." Vector let out quietly.

"Okay, this is pretty rad," said Charmy, having retracted his previous sentiment.

Everyone was deeply focused on the spectacle, and Sonic himself was no different. It almost reminded him of his experiences in the Chaos Emeralds' ever changing pocket dimension. He turned to Lutrudis to see her own reaction, and he saw the purple reflect off her brown eyes. He noticed this for perhaps longer than necessary.

"This is the first time I've been here," she commented, her eyes still looking up. Her arms were resting on her knees. "Never thought it would look like this."

"Really? Your first time? You've never been to the park in your own region?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, shocked by this claim. He looked around himself, taking the scenery in once more, before turning back to her. "Not a fan of places like this?"

"Oh no, it's not a taste thing," Lutrudis answered. "It's not that they're not made for me. Rather, it's... the opposite." She rubbed her arm with a little unease, clearly uncomfortable with having to remember the countless ways her life had to be made needlessly complicated through an undesirable situation. "I can't really get much mileage with most rides..."

Sonic continued looking at his friend. Though he understood her words immediately, he also sensed through her troubled body language that this wasn't just limited to parks.

"Don't take this the wrong way Trudy, but... you don't go out much, do you?" he asked out of concern. He really hoped she wouldn't be offended.

Lutrudis glanced at the others. She looked at Amy and Cream's unrestrained glee at the tunnel's beauty, and smiled, though it appeared bittersweet.

"No, not really. I know where everything is around here, but outside of my immediate area and the town, that's pretty much me." She chuckled. "I don't suppose the guardian of the Master Emerald would sympathise."

Sonic chuckled in turn, though that passed quickly. For someone who has lived the life that he has, and continues to live, it was obvious to him from his friend's tone that she desperately wanted to change this aspect of her own life, but felt unable to do so. All because of an illness beyond her control.

"You know... there's still a lot of places in the world," the hedgehog pointed out innocently. He didn't seem to realise he had scooted closer to her. "In all shapes and sizes. Surely there's many that would suit your needs, even if others don't."

Lutrudis paused to contemplate his suggestion. She appeared to be unsure about it, but after finding solace in his famous green eyes, which once again failed to show any sign that he didn't mean what he said, her ears slowly lowered.

"You really think there's more out there for me...?" she questioned.

Sonic simply nodded, with a warm look on his face. Lutrudis, very gradually, returned the hero's smile, not noticing that her hand was now slightly on top of his. If Sonic noticed it, he didn't show it, nor did he complain.

"Looks like this is the end of the path!" Tails called out, as he pointed towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Thank god, I was starting to get seasick," Vector muttered, his face having turned slightly blue.

"In a love tunnel...?" Espio queried.

"S-Shut up..."

---

Act 2: Toy Towers

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Spiker - "Pointy, aren't they? But they're not. By violating common sense and bouncing on them, you will find that their spiked form is but a clever ruse. It's rather a shame that they tend to hide alongside real spikes..."

Ringleader - "Their blocky arms may look tough, but their danger actually comes from their underside, which can detach from the main body and slice you up like a particularly gruesome boomerang... Bonza...?"

Guards - "These... uh, guards, come in threes, and though they may be smaller than a mouse, they've got bombs hiding in those trumpets. Even though they can still play the trumpets just fine..."

Slitty - A slinky may be for every girl and boy, but if they're this sharp and hazardous, they're hardly a joy. Be cautious with stairs and ledges, as they like to hang around them... or drop down from them, to be more accurate."

Boxfiend - "It's a box, and there's a fiend inside... Brilliant. The striped jesters within are eager to pound you into dust with their oversized boxing gloves. Might want to watch your ear..."

Blocker - "Now the ABC's are trying to kill us. What will they think of next. Depending on which letter their face is, they can either open up to reveal a flamethrower, or they can... give you rings...? Was this an intentional design choice...?"

Returning Enemies: Dribbler

Sonic: Toys...?

Tails: Lots of them!

Cream: I like this place!

Espio: I don't.

Yes, it would seem that the Tunnel of Love brought us to a place where everything is made from toys. And I do mean everything, including the very ground you step on. The grass and the trees look as though they're made out of paper, and the towers made of different colored blocks are a size worthy for a giant's son... or Eggman, if you want to argue about what constitutes for a child.

Anyway, there's a whole bunch of gimmicks here, which naturally work in tandem with the motif going on here. Basketballs bounce along the ground, which you can jump on to gain height for trickier jumps, though you can also get crushed if you're underneath. You can jump even higher by bouncing on the giant trampolines, but you can also bust them if you strain them too much. Bonus points can be gained by scoring a bullseye on the dartboards... with the dart in question being you.

On another note, have you secretly entered a cartoon universe (that isn't your own)? It might feel that way, because you also have to deal with falling anvils, walls that don't actually exist, and stacks of dynamite lighting up on seemingly their own accord. Who could possibly be causing all this... magic?

Sonic: Did anyone else hear a weird... laugh?

It's this level where the Chaotix will really get to help you out. In areas where there's a lot of basketballs, Espio can fire his shuriken to pop some of them, which gives you a little more leeway. Vector, if you desire, can use his music to knock down some towers, which can reveal some hidden goodies. And Charmy can take care of some enemies in the air if you're busy dealing with them on land. Of course, the others in your group can still help out as well.

"~Mmm hmm hmm!~"

Tails: There it is again! That laugh!

Amy: Come on out and show yourself, coward!

Lutrudis: Wonder what they find so funny...

Around the halfway point, you'll arrive in what appears to be an elaborate mini-golf course. There's no ball though, so I guess you'll have to stand in for it. There's plenty of smooth slopes to get your speed going, but be careful as you roll under narrow windmills, and avoid the holes that count as pits. There should really be a safety inspector for this.

The further you go on, the more the oddities ramp up. Some of the walls will suddenly try to flatten you, enemies will start appearing out of thin air, and at one point, even Sonic himself gets a different coat of paint, his fur now being green with black on top.

Sonic: HEY! Change me back right now, whoever you are! Or else...!

Magician: Only if you win, my blue comrade. But I fear this resulting match, will become quite sad!

Sonic: Oh great, it's you...

BOSS: Heavy Magician

Magician is a talkative robot.

Magician: You shall not evade my tricks, for this time the doctor's victory will stick!

She also likes to rhyme.

Magician: Are you daring to have a go? Try as you might, this will be your last foe!

A lot.

Magician: Don't see fit to be so coarse, for there are many things I could do to your horse!

Lutrudis: Thanks for making me feel involved, I guess...

The witch-like fiend tends to fly all around, waving her erratic hands all the way. Though she's not afraid to fire a drop of magic directly at you now and then, she favors using the environment against you. In addition to making enemies appear and altering the walls to squash you, she also summons falling anvils, and she can knock the block towers herself at the expense of your own wellbeing. Unsurprisingly, she also hides a lot of the time, which includes making herself invisible.

The key to beating her is by out-tricking her. She may fly around, but she's usually close to where you are. So if, say, you activated one of the squashing walls, and waited till the last second to escape from it... you might just get her squashed in your place, which will deactivate her invisibility cloak for a brief period. Give 'er the ol' one-two spin, and the cycle repeats.

...For a while. But she sees your ways eventually, and thus she decides to change tactics. How? By doing what every annoying boss worth their salt does... by cloning herself. You now have four copies of Magician to deal with, and you gotta figure out which one's the real deal. How do you do that? By noticing something off about their design? By noticing a difference in speed?

Nope. You just need to wait until the real Magician blabbers in rhyme again, thereby giving herself away, as the clones don't say anything. As punishment for her vice, you can keep up the beatdown, and after eight hits in total, the rascally robot will fly away, but not before one last ominous message...

Magician: Your strength and speed may be worth a crave, but when you see what we have in store, you will share a pretty grave!

---

"At least my fur's back to normal," Sonic muttered, as it restored itself to its usual blue. "I'd like to see her try that again..."

"What did she mean about us sharing a grave?" Cream asked fearfully. One of the Chao in her bag tried valiantly to pat the side of her head.

"Don't listen to her," Amy put her hand on the young rabbit's shoulder. "She's just trying to scare us," she added confidently. Just after she said this, her ear suddenly twitched madly. She appeared to feel a strange and unexpected sense of euphoria, judging from the strong look on her face.

"Is it just me, or do I smell something really tasty?"

The rest of the group exchanged glances of varying confirmation, until Amy pointed to where she thought it came from. Another tunnel from the looks of it, although this one had no water. Just by getting closer to it, her ear twitched again, even faster this time.

"DEFINITELY through here," she stated, with a hint of hunger lust.

"Don't you think this might be a trap?" Tails asked hesitantly. He looked behind him to see if anyone was following them through the tunnel.

"Indeed, we haven't encountered the doctor in this facility yet," Espio mentioned.

"Who cares? I'm hungry!" Charmy reasoned.

Lutrudis raised an eye at the bee's apparent lack of self-preservation, though that's not to say she wasn't amused. She looked into her backpack, which - in addition to her usual arrows - was now filled with the mystical crystals from her cavern. Was it really a good idea to bring them along...?

"No trap would get past us. Besides, even if it is, we can take it on no prob-"

Sonic cut himself off upon witnessing the sight in front of him. Everyone else was similarly speechless, and Vector was practically salivating. Standing tall and proud was a land made almost completely out of tasty treats, and colorful delights. Checkered walls were made entirely of chocolate, hills were made of ice cream, rivers were made of strawberry milk, candy canes were planted here and there, bridges were made out of ice lollies... tempting was an apt word to describe this place. Why there weren't more people here remained a mystery.

"This is gonna be bad for my diet," Vector confessed.

"You don't have a diet," Espio countered.

"Fine, hypothetical diet."

"I can't resist..." Amy weakly muttered, before pouting sadly. "But I know I have to..."

"I feel you," Sonic replied, similarly fighting the temptation for the sake of finding Eggman. Lutrudis simply clenched her chest with her arms to fight against her own hunger. Tails had to be pat on the back by both Cream and Charmy as he puffed out in exhaustion at the prospect of there being mint candy.

---

Act 3: Confectionery Factory

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Gingerdread - "Horror movie material right here. With their candy-colored ice picks, these grinning treats could skewer you if you're not careful. Pray tell, why must the doctor corrupt something so sweet?"

Caramelt - "These sentient blocks of chocolate look harmless enough, but getting close to them will cause them to separate and extend themselves through molten caramel. Way I see it, if you can't eat it without it burning your mouth off, it has simply failed as an edible."

Gobshocker - "They're blue and round just like you, Sonic. But they're twice your size, and they can charge themselves with electricity. Won't be eating that one, then..."

Jellybomber - "They've got a lot of jellybeans in their glass cases, but don't get your hopes up, they're just explosives. Doesn't matter which colour they fire, they're all made with the intent to blow you to kingdom come... Maybe the red ones aren't too bad though...?"

So I guess Viridonia is pretty lax about getting sued...

But who could blame the heroes for their temptation? This is every diabetic's greatest dream. And there's so much to choose from, so there's bound to be something for you! Candy, chocolate, ice cream, killer robots, the list is endless!

Naturally, there's a lot of gimmicks here as well. Giant muffins take the place of trampolines, you can spin up candy canes, and cake frosting works exactly the same as ice, though fortunately the latter sections are rarely next to anything especially dangerous. Licorice can be grinded on, and the strawberry milk is free to swim around in... and your character will remain pink for a few seconds after they come out, much to their chagrin. And if you search hard enough, you can find candy based on Sonic's own face! Complete with gumballs for eyes...

Sonic: ...I look nothing like that.

If you're able to run on top of one of the giant lollipops, with a little help from Lutrudis' whip, you can get it to fall on its side and whack another lollipop on the way down, which will cause that one to fall and whack another one, and the conker effect resumes until the last one crashes down onto a gate concealing a bunch of extra lives. Other tricks include pushing protruded chocolate blocks on the walls into their slots for more points (which Amy will occasionally sort out herself courtesy of her hammer), and just like in the jungles of Tricky Tropics, you can use the confectionery against your enemies should you possess the high intellect to do so. What's the best way to get rid of a Caramelt? By dunking them with ten times more caramel!

Strangely enough, the trickiest obstacle aside from the robots are the bridges made from ice lollies. You see, they work just like ice as well, but the speed changes depending on which colour you're currently sliding on... and the bridges consist of all the colours, meaning one moment you could be sliding normally, and the next moment you're suddenly sliding at faster speeds. Here's a handy checklist for which colours are which:

Purple and Pink > Slow

Cyan and Blue > Moderate

Yellow and Green > Fast

Red and Orange > Might as well be Mach Speed

So be careful. Otherwise your golden ticket will be for nothing. Did I mention that Gingerdreads sometimes occupy the bridges as well? At least they're affected by the different speeds too.

Towards the end, which is signified by a whole pack of Gobshockers, Heavy Magician suddenly appears again to knock all of you into a nearby chute. The good news is that it's just more strawberry milk. The bad news is that it's a current.

Vector: Yaargh!

Tails: Hang on guys!

Sonic: It's like the dam all over again!

Magician: ~Mmm hmm hmm!~

This one is a little harder, because not only is the path notably more diagonal and confusing, there are also floating Jellybombers, whose ability to pelt you with candy-colored bombs has not been impeded by the current. There's also a few more obstacles to avoid alongside them, like cherries and chocolate blocks. But if you persevere in one piece, you'll make it out alive. Literally. You're outside now, though still within the park. As you clean yourself up after that strawberry bath, you can spot some fancy lights in the distance, and a giant tent among them...

---

"Everyone okay?" Sonic asked, as he got the rest of the milk out of his right ear.

"Yeah... I think," Amy replied, slightly knocked out by the prior affair. Cream checked frantically that every Chao they had was still safe and sound in her bag, and to her relief, they were. Espio was trying to wipe the pink off of his horn, to debatable success, and Charmy was cleaning Vector's back. Tails used his twin tails to fan the rest of the substance off of Lutrudis.

"Well at least we're out of there now," Tails thought, though a hint of his hunger remained. "Any longer in there, and I would have acted on my impulses," he joked.

"Maybe you SHOULD have acted on them!" an unexpected voice called out to them from a very loud radio.

"Eggman!" Amy got into her usual defensive position with her hammer, even though the doctor wasn't technically present. "So you ARE here after all!"

"Of course," the arch villain confirmed. "Gotta check out rival theme parks after all! This one isn't bad, but I could make it so much better! And did they rip me off with that little candy factory of theirs...? How predictable for them to steal from my genius."

"Alright doc, where's the money?" Vector put up his dukes, and Espio and Charmy rallied beside him. "You KNOW I'll never let that go until we get it!"

"Money...?" Lutrudis questioned.

"Oh, get over that already, you mediocre detective. I said I'd give you it once the world is mine, yes? Ever consider that getting in my way delays that? Hmmmm?"

"Where are you, Eggman?" Sonic demanded firmly. He knew the scientist was up to something from his far too casual tone, and he didn't like it.

"You really want to know? Right here! In the Big Top! I've got a show of my own prepared, and I'd be grief-stricken if you missed it. Come inside... if you dare! Ho ho!"

The giant tent they could see even from a distance was a spectacle. It stood tall and wide, with red and white stripes, along with dozens upon dozens of bulbs around the outside perimeter that lit the place up nicely. Not that it needed them, since the surrounding area was also filled with lights, as well as smaller tents colored blue, with purple patterns. The spotlights shot up to the night sky, like a laser through butter.

The group looked at the main tent with a look of doubt, which they then exchanged with one another. Espio was already polishing his shuriken again, just in case.

"This is probably a bad idea," Lutrudis said what everyone else was thinking, the innocent Cream included. The horse's right foot was kicking the ground a little, possibly out of anxiousness.

Sonic nodded, though his look of determination remained. "But the only way our goose chase can end is when we get more words out of him. He's got arrogance the size of a moon, he'll blurt out something sooner or later."

"And he'll give us our money sooner or later..." Vector added through gritted teeth, and clenched fists. Charmy offered a look of sympathy.

---

Act 4: Cirque de Spectre

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Boo - "Eggman isn't a witch doctor, is he? Because these don't look like robots to me. And yet, given that they'll attempt to grab you and halt your movement, these paranormal hoodlums appear to be in league with him anyway. Why, though...?"

Pierrot - "As if clowns didn't have a bad reputation already. These fellows are quite versatile, as they can juggle with skittles, carry around a hammer twice their size, or balance themselves on a big shiny ball. All three tactics deliver the pain regardless, so beware."

Juggle Saw - "This crabby duo shares a buzzsaw with each other, which they'll hand over to one another after a short period. I think that might count as cheating in regards to juggling, but I'm hardly a circus connoisseur."

Jackalope - "These names certainly come from a right jackanape. Carved from metal rather than fruit, these pumpkins alternate between emotions. They take it easy with their bouncing if they're sad, but if they look happy, they go extremely fast... you're still the king of speed though, Sonic, don't worry."

Leo - "It's okay, it's only a robot lion... actually, that might be worse. Either way, they're quick to pounce on you, and they tend to do it in small packs. Good thing there's just as many of us, wouldn't you say?"

Gumbo - "Goodness, those are sizable elephants! Not only can they use their long ears to blow you away, they can also shoot a gooey substance out of their trunks that will briefly immobolise you... and it kind of stinks a bit, but at least it isn't fatal."

Returning Enemies: Buyon Unicrusher Boxfiend

At least Eggman had the decency to indulge in his circus fantasies while the planet isn't being invaded by aliens this time. Pumpkins litter every corner, white gates are closed off, and lights flash on and off in different patterns. This place may have not been built by the villain, but he's set up shop here nonetheless, as evidenced by his takeover of the big top and the usual robots running around causing mischief.

As Lutrudis already noted however, it's not just the doctor's goons you're fighting this time. The Boos have appeared to menace our heroic anthros once more, and while they've had a history of lounging around Eggman-occupied establishments, here they seem to be actively working for him as opposed to remaining a neutral third party. You can tell this, because they have no compunctions about teaming up with the robots to knock you down. What did Eggman do to them...?

Sonic: Not the first time he's enslaved ghosts.

Lutrudis: So not even the dead are safe from his tampering. That filthy beast...

They act exactly as they did all the way back in the A.R.K. incident. Luckily, they haven't improved either, so a quick spin or tail whack will be enough for them to disappear. Most of the robots are actually the bigger problem, particularly the Gumbos and Leos. And yes, those two do come together often, meaning it's very easy to get Gumbo's gunk on you, and immediately follow it up by Leos pouncing away at a now helpless you. The Badniks are getting smarter still with their strategies, but keep a collected head, and you'll do fine.

As for the environment itself, you can grind on certain corners of the tents, and should they see you, the spotlights will summon more robots for you to deal with. If you can't be bothered with that, you and Vector can team up to break them. There are also loads of floating red and white barrels, which you can use to gain more momentum, although Sonic seems to be rather iffy about them, for... whatever reason...

More daring obstacles include fiery hoops, the latter of which slowly turn around in the air, and rarely stay still. Venturing within the blue tents will treat you to trapezes that you can use, but watch out for Juggle Saws on the roof, as they might cut the wire with their sawblade. If it comes to that, there is mercifully no bottomless pit below... just a whole bunch of enemies, mostly Unicrushers. But you've got your friends (and the Chaotix) on your side, so we're even. And do watch out for the knives that go flying towards boxes, lest you want a death that isn't a trick.

As you get closer to the red tent, you can slowly start to hear a bunch of gibberish... familiar, high-pitched gibberish... It's definitely not coming from the doctor...

---

"Alright doc, we're ready for your little... game?"

No sooner than he went inside the tent was Sonic already caught by surprise. That same surprise reached everyone else's faces, though Espio looked only mildly confused. The tent looked as you expected, as brightly lit as the outside, and sure enough, Eggman was right there, on a throne high above the arena, with Orbot and Cubot at his sides. For reasons only known to himself, he was inexplicably wearing a black suit and top hat, complete with red cuffs and a stripe above the brim.

That wasn't what they were shocked about though. The screaming and pleading made that obvious. The audience, if you could call them that, were all watching behind bars, trapped in the tent for the purpose of watching Eggman's little show against their will. Notably, Eggman showed no emotional reaction to their relentless cries for help.

"Oh thank god, it's Sonic the Hedgehog!" a male giraffe noted, his neck poking through his bars. "Save us from this crazy man!"

"He's been playing his theme song for hours!" exclaimed a hippo, depressed from knowing the words of I Am The Eggman by memory despite wanting to forget them.

"And one of his robots shocked my mate Jerry!" a grieving ape explained. "I saw it with my own eyes! You've gotta stop that fool, Jerry was a good man!"

"Hmph," Eggman thought, as he crossed his arms. "Fool this, crazy that... Seems I can never get my deserved respect from you lot."

"What's respectful about enslaving innocents?" Amy questioned out of anger. Her hammer was ready to make contact with the doctor's cranium the moment the opportunity presented itself.

"Why do you do these things, Dr. Eggman?" Cream asked in addition, clearly upset that he continued to spread malicious intent rather than repent.

"Chao?" Cheese mused.

"Release them right now, Eggman!" Sonic insisted, as his spikes bristled.

"Uh, no?" Eggman blew a raspberry at his nemesis, complete with his hand on his nose. Cubot laughed at this. "Yeah, like I'm going to just do as you say. Keep on dreaming, hedgehog."

"Isn't that what you expect from everyone else?" Charmy pointed out. Both Vector and Espio looked at the bee in surprise, as they weren't used to this kind of reasonable logic coming from him.

"Wait a minute," Eggman suddenly paused, after noticing the bag on Cream's person. Whether he deliberately chose to dodge Charmy's query was up for debate. He could spot a familiar water dropped shape tucked in at the top of the bag.

"Chao," he muttered. His tone shifted. "You brought them here? Where you knew I would be?"

Cream froze in fear. She felt as though she was put on the spot. She didn't know how to answer the doctor, and she couldn't deal with feeling stupid. Said feeling increased by the second, and it was getting to her. Before she could mentally hyperventilate any longer however, Lutrudis stepped in front of her defensively, with her bow out.

"You're still not getting them," she bluntly stated. "They're not your tools."

"Oh yeah?" Eggman scoffed. "Says who?"

"Me," Sonic answered. He stood beside Lutrudis.

"And me," added Tails. He did the same.

"And me!" Amy said, as she went to the other side of the horse and rabbit.

"And us," Vector pointed at himself, with his two associates alongside him.

"You know, they kind of had you there when you asked that," Orbot pointed out, not even trying to hide his own amusement.

"Grrr, fine, so be it then!" He immediately went right back to grinning, as he took out a little bell. "Boo me all you want, ladies and gentlemen! You'll be speechless after I do... this!"

He rung the bell, which echoed throughout the tent. Not a second after, a flurry of wind started up from the inside, to which the heroes quickly held on to each other to keep themselves from flying out of the tent. The unfortunate prisoners were banging against their bars due to the wind, which they very loudly complained about. It soon became apparent however that the wind... wasn't wind. Rather, it was the entrance for a particularly spooky adversary.

"What the-!" Sonic let out in confusion. In front of them, out of the blue, was a gigantic ghost, with several of his followers by his side. His claws were bendy, his eyes were beady, and most jarringly of all, his tongue had all the colours of the rainbow. A certain echidna would have been all too familiar with this presence.

"BLARGH BLARGH BLAAAARRRRGHH!"

---

BOSS: King Boom Boo

Knuckles had an advantage back in the day, because it was still daylight when he fought Boom Boo. You do not have that advantage, and even if you did, there are no windows that could show him the light anyway. What's the strategy for him this time then? Your audience wouldn't know.

"What is that thing!?"

"But there's no such thing as ghosts!"

"DON'T LET IT KISS ME!"

First off, your friends will take care of the regular Boos (Espio is the best at eliminating them due to his speed and weapons), but if you help them out, you can get rid of them quicker. This actually works to your benefit, for although you'll have to avoid Boom Boo's blue fire and stupid laughter in the meantime, getting rid of the Boos means you can ALL focus on him. Of course, you still can't actually attack him, since there's nothing around to weaken him...

Unless... the crystals...

Lutrudis: Please don't backfire on me...!

In a moment of ingenuity, Lutrudis will get the idea to use her yellow crystals, which have electric capabilities. It might not be light, but it'll do. She might miss once or twice, but not as much as she would with the Paindozer. Her accuracy is getting better with moving targets, slowly but surely. With a direct hit from a crystal-imbued arrow, the king will be briefly paralyzed in shock, before he goes on a rampage around the arena. This is your chance for everyone and their dog to get a hit in, but beware, he's still electrified don't forget, so you need to time your hits to when he's NOT covered in static. Eggman is quick to notice the power of the horse's arrow, with an alarming intrigue.

Eggman: How... How did you do that...?

This process repeats two more times, but as you'll expect at this point, he changes things up halfway through. Not forgetting his other main ability, Boom Boo will dig into the ground and become a shadow, and will continue to hide in the ground and on the tent's walls unless you do something about it. All the while, the regular Boos will start using their master's fire to thwart you. It's at this point that Amy pipes up.

Amy: Maybe THIS will work...!

She will start hammering the ground with considerable force, which causes shockwaves. These shockwaves do not hurt you thankfully, although they can knock you on your derriere if you're clumsy, as evidenced with it happening to everyone else, particularly Vector. These shockwaves, if they reach Boom Boo's shadow, will not bring him out, but they WILL make his shadow bulge ever so slightly, for a brief moment. That's your cue to slam down on him, which will send him flying out of the ground in a panic. Lutrudis will then bring out the arrows again, and the routine goes from there, although the amount of Boos increase with each hit.

On his sixth and final hit, Boom Boo will absorb all the Boos in the vicinity to double his size, and he takes up the center of the arena. He'll send forth a very large pillar of blue flame from his mouth, and will go left and right with it, in different speeds. He won't let up for a good while, and it can be easy for him to catch you out, but eventually he'll tire himself out, with his tongue dangling from it. Lutrudis, somewhat begrudgingly because she doesn't want to feel like a sadist, will fire an electrified arrow at the tongue. As he goes absolutely ballistic, time yourself right and attack him right in the mouth. It's a critical hit, and he'll cry out in pain, explode wildly, and disappear as mysteriously as he entered. Well, what does Eggman have to say about this turn of events?

---

"Awesome job, Sonic!" a female sheep called out from her cage.

"Can I get your autograph... after I'm out of here?" asked a nervous otter.

"Not bad," Eggman dryly commented, clapping sarcastically all the while. He still had a smile on his face, which was seriously beginning to unnerve Sonic. He had seen it many times before, of course he had, but he could be counted on to lose it instantly and fly into a petulant rage the moment things went south. Why wasn't that happening this time? What was he so consistently giddy about?

"You know doc, I remember the days when you used to fight me all the time," the hedgehog said, trying his best to rile him up. His fists were still clenched. "Fought me in Green Hill, fought me in Emerald Hill, fought me in Splash Hill... What happened? Got cowardly on me?"

There was a glint in Eggman's glasses. Yet his grin stayed put. "Not at all, my blue foe. I've simply become a busy man, and while we're on that topic... you."

He immediately focused on Lutrudis, who slightly jumped at the sudden attention. Deep down however, she already figured out why he turned to her.

"Your arrows," he started. "Arrows don't do that. Not on their own. You've altered them, haven't you? And I think I know with what..."

There was a brief silence. Lutrudis and Eggman's shared glare remained for what felt like forever. Tails darted his eyes back and forth, waiting to see which of them broke the silence.

"Your suspicions are true," Lutrudis nervously, yet sternly replied. She saw no reason to hide or deny the obvious, since for all of the man's flaws, he was far from dumb. "And you're not getting those either. Not without a fight."

"Hmph," he scoffed again, looking at Orbot while he pointed at the lady like she was crazy. "And what, you think you're on the same category as the rest here? With that jello you call a body?"

Lutrudis' eyes froze.

He did not just say that.

The doctor's grin grew wider, knowing full well that he struck her hard. "Yes, that's right. I learned about your... situation, little pony. It's why you use those crystals, isn't it? Cause you know you're nothing without them."

She paused. And stuttered slightly. "That's not why..."

"Okay, you shut up right now," Sonic sneered at Eggman venomously, his spikes bristling up yet again. Amy was similarly fuming, and was gripping her hammer harder than ever. The Chaotix had no idea what they were talking about, but they disapproved of the doctor's comments regardless.

"Oh, but it's true though, isn't it?" He snickered briefly, as did Cubot, despite the latter not understanding the discussion in the slightest. Eggman continued. "You wake up every day, knowing that the world around you looks down on you, for offering nothing. Why settle for you, when they could settle for the gifted?"

"I swear Eggman," Sonic huffed, while being held back by a cautious yet sympathetic Tails. "If you don't shut your trap..."

Eggman leaned forward, as the light flashed on his grinning mug. He knew exactly what he was doing. "No one likes damaged goods, Lutrudis. Not even your supposed friends."

"Don't listen to him!" Cream cried out, who was clearly just as hurt by his remarks. "It's not true! You're not damaged like that!" Cheese appeared to be just as pained.

"What are you guys even talking about?" a confused rhino shouted. "We're waiting to be freed here!"

Lutrudis struggled to retort. She knew he was lying. She knew Sonic wasn't like that. She knew Tails wasn't like that. She knew none of them were like that. She knew better than to doubt them. She had no reason to doubt them.

But that's the thing. It wasn't them she doubted... it was herself. It wasn't a case of whether they were sincere, but rather whether she earned that sincerity to begin with. Did she really deserve their company...? Did she really deserve their companionship...?

"...Tell us why you want the Chao," she finally said, in an effort to change the subject, as well as to help her friends calm down. "And the crystals. The Wraith. The Ethereal Zone. All of it. What are you doing all this for?" Her voice was lower than usual, which matched the conflicted and distracted look of guilt on her face.

In a small burst of relief, the doctor did in fact change to that topic. "Still haven't figured it out, eh?" His smile increased in its smugness, and he crossed his legs stylishly. Evidently, he enjoyed being the smartest man in the room. He decided to humor his opponents' wish, for if only they knew how far this rabbit hole truly went...

"What if I told you that it's all... connected...?"

---

Back to Chapter 4-5 Interlude...

To Chapter 6...

[ahorseofeverycolor]

It’s Toy Time Tuesday! With...Shopkins Mermaid Royal Seahorse! Seahorses are still sort of horses so they can come onto AHOEC. Do you notice something different about the face? Shopkins has improved the pony/horse faces! They’re more horsey, and less pig, which is great. There will be a new section here “Talk Thursday” where this one will appear again for a comparison. Fun features: Look at the middle photo, the blue of the body is lighter there, because it turns white with heat or warm water. Also the fins are rubbery, but the ‘back’ photo shows they’re sort of day-glo. The pearls are really pearly, and her surprise petkin is the crown/hat fins thing...which is some kind of bunny? Shouldn’t the petkin be some sort of fish? The fins are to the back so that a shopkins lil shoppie mermaid can fit between them. The tail can’t move. The hair is clearly sculpted with good care, and the little dots under the eyes are cute. It manages well being ‘shopkin style’ with something totally new: a seahorse. You can buy this for about 7 dollars in March 2019 or so at Target or Walmart, so freely pick this up now if you want it. She is the only one on this release of the line. (I would like to see another, though)

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Got my Dream Car: 2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performante! (Pics and Review) via /r/cars

Got my Dream Car: 2018 Lamborghini Huracan Performante! (Pics and Review)

Pics: https://imgur.com/a/1qER434

2018 Lamborghini Performante Review:

This car is next level incredible.

Now that we have that covered, let me expand with a look at the past (Warning: very long post).

I have been fortunate enough to have driven and owned a fair number of awesome sports and supercars, and I think I have been on the car equivalent of what guitarists might call a "tone quest". I'm on a "Car Quest". Trying a bit of everything and figuring out what will work for me. In my experience, there is unfortunately no substitute for actually living with a car to know how you feel about it, a Test Drive only does so much. As much praise as a car might get in reviews, rarely are the people reviewing it from the context of ownership. So the cars I have owned in the past have greatly informed what I was looking for this time around.

I loved my 991.1 Turbo S, perhaps one of the best all around cars that blurs the line between sports car and everyday supercar. One of the easiest and most refined cars to live with, though at the cost of not being the most exciting on your average drive. I had come from an E90 M3, and though almost everything was a massive upgrade from the M3, I was particularly disappointed by the Turbo S's engine note.

The Ferrari 488 I had after the 911 was all excitement, perhaps to a fault. It taught me that a constantly "engaging" car may not always be the most fun to drive all the time. It could be a handful in the wrong conditions, and I also learned quite a bit about Ferrari as a brand, which wasn't to my personal taste. The R8 I traded the 488 in for, gave me a kind of this balance between those two worlds. It was immensely easier to live with and drive everywhere for a multitude of reasons. It boasted the everyday convenience of the 911 with a lot more excitement. The genuinely nice Audi cabin, seats and sound system paired with a NA V10 engine and a fantastic AWD system made that car one of my personal favorite cars I have ever owned and lived with. It felt like it could tackle almost anything with confidence.

Because I have a car problem, I wanted to see what the "next level" of supercar had to offer. I had driven the McLaren 720S largely expecting to find myself calculating ways to afford it after the test drive, but I found that car to be a bit overwhelming and perhaps even scary. The car is light, has an insane amount of power to the rear wheels, and is mindblowingly fast, even at speed! But it was a bit intimidating on the test drive, and I was worried that living with it might be a bit of a handful. I think if I were a better driver I might be less intimidated by that, but I think with this much power, in the real world there is a huge benefit to AWD. When you are driving around traffic, and navigating around other drivers and cars, having a car that feels solidly planted when you are managing this much power and torque is a huge benefit.

I genuinely love McLaren as a brand, and I really respect their business model and what they are doing to the market (even at the cost of their own used market), but I do feel like the cars are still a bit quirky and a touch unreliable still, but I think they are really close to making a really perfect car for me. That 600LT was damn close!

So this brings us to now, or let's call it last summer:

I went to test drive the Performante after my friend recommended that I check one out. I wasn't expecting too much, after all this has a tweaked R8 engine, with a marginal 20 or so extra horses and 30 lb/ft of torque. The car shares the same platform and they have similar AWD systems. I figured that as the glorified "Lamborghini R8" with a wing, it might be a bit more Loud and Italian, but effectively the same car.

The test drive, however, proved that wrong. The Performante absolutely blew me away and I couldn't stop thinking about the car. So I started studying the market and shopping, and waiting for the perfect time to strike. Eventually I found the spec I wanted on a pre-owned one at a price I was happy with, and I went for it. On a quick side note, I have to thank Lamborghini Dallas and Tactical Fleet for helping me work out this deal!

Anyways here are my very initial thoughts on my new to me Performante:

What an engine! Although as smooth and quick in response as the R8 and familiar in character, now sounds like it's being powered by a dying star, right behind your head. If the engine being too loud to live with is an 11, this is perfectly sat at 10. And for being slightly more powerful, the car somehow feels noticeably faster in a straight line. I can't imagine an aftermarket exhaust doing much for the sound honestly, it already sounds like one. I thought the R8 sounded amazing, but this is just a completely different level.

What it also feels, is notably lighter, and the 200 or so lbs shaved off of the R8's weight account for a bit of that, but the brakes must be the other half of that equation. This car feels a lot lighter and nimbler than its 3424 lbs curb weight might suggest. Keep in mind that's still 250 lbs heavier than the 720S, but this car can stop arguably more confidently on the road thanks to the fantastic brake feel. But that's not the best part.

The best part is the cornering. Now I haven't pushed this car near the limit so far, but I did take the R8 to the track and on some fast and fun spirited drives, and the way the Performante by comparison turns in and grips just on the road is just nothing like I have experienced to far. It remains so planted and confident in those moments that you just keep on wanting to push it. The steering is near telepathic, I don't know how much more direct steering can feel on a car before you just end up with an oversized go kart. To be fair, the 720S and the 600LT steering and feel were damn good as well in this category, with the 600LT actually being maybe a true 10/10 to the Performante's 9.9/10. And yes, the 600LT basically feels like an oversized go kart. In a good way.

This car is also somehow comfortable. Now I have read very polarizing things about the comfort seats' comfort, but at 5'10 or so and not skinny I'm actually very happy in the cabin. The ride is firm as one might expect, but given that I had the R8 V10 plus which forces fixed suspension, the Performante in Strada mode is actually a bit better at absorbing the bumps. Put it in to Sport or Corsa, though, and you will be able to tell if that nickel you just drove over was heads or tails.

This car, by the way, is so easy to drive. This is not intimidating. I feel like in Strada, anyone who isn't a car enthusiast could confidently drive this car. They somehow maintained that friendliness and ease of driving that the R8 gives you packaged in this fighter jet themed cabin.

One thing I would personally steer clear of, unless you plan on mostly tracking the car or driving it hard, are the Carbon Fiber seats. They look amazing (though they don't match the Forged Carbon in the rest of the cabin) but they are perhaps the single most uncomfortable sports seats I have sat in. Maybe they were built for small framed Italian men, but if you have anything close to broad shoulders, those will be absolutely crushed in to proper driving position as you drive. If you like driving in any position other than absolutely upright you will not be happy. By contrast, I think both Porsche and McLaren make substantially more comfortable sports seats that seem to offer just as much support and bolstering. Had something like those been available for the car, I might even have opted for those. The comfort seats are actually surprisingly supportive for what they are, and should be good for longer drives, so that's the way I went on mine.

By the way that forged carbon has to be one of my personal favorite accents on the car. The gloss front splitter and rear wing look like shiny black marble and contrast the car beautifully in basically every color. The inside satin forged carbon accents not only work beautifully Alcantara covered interior, but also stop any of those surfaces from blinding you when the light hits them. Good thinking. This is what happens when Germany and Italy work together.

With all of that said, no car is perfect, so let's cover some of the faults and downsides:

The cupholder situation is hilarious. If you opt for the 600 dollar travel/smoker package you get an ashtray and a single Porsche 911 style cupholder that comes out of the dash above the glove box. The front trunk is probably the smallest I have ever seen. You might think they are all small, but seriously check out how big they are on the 488 and 720S, they are almost...practical? Actually there isn't really much interior storage space other than some nets behind the seats and the glovebox.

The rear visibility is hilariously bad, though in a funny way, it's slightly better than the R8 with there being small vents on either the side of the rear glass that you can sort of peer through, but still, it's not great. Also the car sits low, and although these pretty much are always spec'd with lifts, you have to remember not only to use it, but to lower the car before you park it because it's bad for the lift to sit up for extended periods of time.

Also, this is a bit of a weird one, but I have noticed on the Gen2 R8 and the Huracan, the dead pedal area is quite small and not that far from the brake, you kinda have to get used to how that feels, because it's different from most cars.

The sound system is also not great, maybe I was spoiled by the genuinely awesome Bang and Olufsen system in the R8, but I have the upgraded Sensonum sound in mine, and it's just not that good, probably not worth spending the money on to be entirely honest, as in true Lambo fashion, it's an expensive upgrade.

Now these little issues genuinely don't ruin the experience, some of these are just things you deal with this type of car, just like the attention you know a supercar will garner. So it's down to a cost/benefit analysis with this car, but in my case it's an easy win for the benefits on this one.

I don't think I have ever instantly connected with or been as content with a car I have brought home, and for the first time ever, I find myself not really wondering about what else is out there for me. It kinda feels like I have finally found my own personal dream car.

This is not to say I won't trade into something else down the line, though it would be nice to have this for at least a few years. But i'll put it this way: Whatever car I will move to after this one doesn't exist yet.

tl;dr: 10/10 would recommend