#and so when he woke up one of the first things he said to sonic was ‘you’re alive!’

[mama-qwerty]

Sonic 3 Review

Okay guys, I'm still gonna do some breakdowns of scenes and characters (feel free to keep sending in asks if you have something specific you want my take on), but wanted to get my thoughts on the movie out there.

Keep in mind that I came into Sonic through the movies, and have never played or watched any cut scenes from the older games. I have no idea the actual plot and specific details of any of them, just a vague "this happened in some game or another" in the broadest of senses.

So I didn't come into Sonic 3 with any preconceived ideas about what should be in it regarding Shadow's story. The movieverse is a separate universe (as are all Sonic media, in my mind), so even if there were some things that were different, I took them in correlation with what's been established, or what can be done under the rules and physics of the movie's world building.

Obviously spoilers ahead:

All in all, I found the movie fun, and it told a good story with good characterizations. The action started quickly and kept steady through most of it. We had an exciting introduction to Shadow at the very beginning, when he woke up and chose violence, and it was a good way to start things off.

Yeah, it was a little goofy in some parts, but this is a movie made to appeal to children, so Jeff and Co. couldn't go all into the angst for the whole thing. There were some parts I would have done differently, or omitted entirely, but if you look at the more weird parts of the movie as kind of along the same lines as Boom (especially for the dance number in the laser hallway) you can roll with it.

There were many moments that tugged at your heartstrings, and a few very powerful moments that I've already talked about. There is a much more emotional impact in this one that was missing from the first two, as our boys struggle with their actions and how they affect others. They were all handled very well, with each having a good role to play in the story.

The climax was great, and it was exciting to see Sonic and Shadow working together.

As I said, all in all, a really fun ride and my whole family enjoyed it a lot.

That said, let's look at a few of the points that I see some complaining about, and my take on them.

Not Enough Wachowski Family Moments

Okay, this one I will kinda agree with. We got a teeny peek into their dynamic is a family at the beginning, right before Rockwell showed up to whisk the boys away to clean up their mess. It would have been nice to see them all interacting more, to see how Knux and Tails have fit into this dynamic.

Devil's Advocate - There's only so much screen time available, and we know they're a family. We don't need to be bludgeoned over the head with fluffy scenes of the boys doing chores and having group hugs and all that. It would have slowed the narrative, and in the end, all that would not further reinforce the idea that they've come together as a family any more than their camping trip and celebration for Sonic's "B-Earth-day" already established.

Shadow's Origin Change

In the movieverse, Gerald claims that Shadow came to Earth encased in a meteorite. His energy readings were off the scale, so they took him to a facility to study him. He was not originally created by Gerald, and was simply an alien come to Earth and then taken to be studied.

Devil's Advocate - I have no opinion regarding this change, as the movieverse is different from any other media. They've already altered backstories where they needed, to make things at least somewhat 'realistic' and allow the boys to exist in 'our' world without major complications of Sonic just running around as a child fighting Eggman, and Knuckles being the last of his kind and having thousands of years separating him from his closest ancestors. (Not to mention the size change of the Master Emerald - having one the size of a VW Beetle would have been a little hard to hide or cart around.)

Having Shadow arrive kinda like Stitch is fitting in this version of the Sonic verse, as going into a lengthy explanation of how Gerald could manage to create a space hedgehog from scratch, when Angel Island may or may not exist, would have pushed suspension of disbelief a little much.

Maria's Not Sick

I thought the whole "Gerald takes her with him everywhere" thing for Maria seemed a bit flimsy, especially since she wasn't sick and in need of him to find a cure for her. They were in a super high security facility and there's this girl who's just allowed to wander freely simply because she's the granddaughter of the lead scientist?

I would have liked to see more of the reasoning behind her being there. And more of Maria and Shadow's relationship, especially from Shadow's side.

Devil's Advocate - Despite my comments above, I actually liked that they didn't make Maria's defining factor be her illness. She was a character in her own right, and befriended Shadow out of her own kindness, and not simply because he was created to cure her, and thus they were kinda forced to be together. She reached out immediately, and essentially kidnapped him from his tests to show him how to have fun. She showed him kindness, not because he was supposed to be her 'cure', but because she saw this little boy, all alone, and treated as a thing by the scientists, and took it upon herself to show him that he was more than that.

Too Much Gerald and Eggman Screentime

I will admit that sometimes it did seem like they were focusing a little too much on the Robotniks. We were subjected to a montage of Eggman living out little moments of childhood 'milestones' with Gerald, and that aforementioned dance number in the hallway was reminiscent of the dance battle in the second movie. Kinda silly.

Devil's Advocate - I think these scenes were to delve a little into Ivo's character a bit. It was established in the first one that he was an orphan, and through the second it reinforced the idea that he thought he didn't need anyone. He pushed people away, built his walls, and hid behind his bots. But now that he's faced with an actual blood relative, who seems to want him around, all those walls came down and we saw the hurt little boy within Ivo. This only made it hurt all the more when Gerald turned on him. And damnit, I actually felt bad for Ivo in that moment.

The Master Emerald/Chaos Emeralds

There is some confusion as to how these things worked. At the end of the 2nd movie, Sonic very distinctly sent all the chaos emeralds away. Knuckles reformed the Master Emerald without them. But in this movie, Sonic went Super with the Master Emerald, and somehow the chaos emeralds were still within it.

Devil's Advocate - Yeah, I got nothin'. 😆 Not sure if there was a deleted scene explaining that or something, but it seemed a pretty glaring continuity error.

But, whatevs. We go with it. 'Cause dis is how we roll.

And as an aside WHY DO YOU HATE WADE, JEFF??? Seriously, there were so many other ways to handle that scene, and you did THAT to him?? UUUGGGGHGGHGHGHGHh

Sonic Didn't Call Tom and Maddie "Dad and Mom"

Okay, yeah, I agree with this one. He called Tom 'Dad' at the end of the 2nd, meaning he finally accepted them as his parents. They call themselves a family. And yes, I will accept that he may slip back into their names during lighter times, when it's an emotional scene, he should call them "Mom and Dad". Such as in the cave and when Tom was hurt.

Devil's Advocate - Yeah, no, I can't argue with this. You can't have him call Tom 'Dad' in the last movie and then never touch on that again. The boys didn't even call each other 'brothers', for crying out loud! The perfect place to do that would have been the cornfield, and it was still 'friends'. THEY ARE BROTHERS YOUR HONOR AND TOM AND MADDIE ARE THEIR PARENTS

~~~

I'm not saying the movie was 100% perfect. There were things I found silly, or unnecessary. Things I would have done differently.

But taking a step back and looking at the full picture, and not just the individual brush strokes, it was entertaining, fun, and had more than a few moments that I found really powerful, much more than either of the previous ones did.

I'm excited to see where they go in the next one. Things are really ramping up.

[eggmansplatformboots]

theyre that couple that say goofy lovely dovey things like ‘marry me?’ before making important decisions as like their ‘i love you’ or whatever and then will fight to the nondeath over small inconsequential things eg sonic put shadows eyeliner in the wrong fucking cabinet!!

[magicdefendorwolf]

Can I request for; Jing Yuan, Yanqing and Gepard falling asleep with their partners only to wake up to an empty house not knowing the partner is just out for groceries?

Where were you?

Characters:Jing Yuan,Yanqing and Gepard x reader(separate)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Jing Yuan

The last thing he remembers was falling asleep on the couch with you all cuddled up in his arms

So why couldnt he find you when he woke up???

I mean he woke up alone and assumed you must be somewhere in the house but nope

He searched the whole house and called your name but no response

But he wasnt panicked since there were no signs of someone breaking in,he would've heard them and woke up

So he looked around the house again,nothing once again

So,okay,maybe he's panicking just a tiny bit

If you left somewhere you would've told him in some way right?

But then he heard the front door open along with some shuffling so he rushed there to find you standing in the doorway

He asked where you had been and if you were alright scanning your body for any harm,but all he found was some groceries that you had set down beside you while you were taking off your shoes

And thats when it clicked to him that you just were out for groceries

He asked you why you didnt tell him or leave any notes

"Sorry,i didnt think you'd wake up by the time i returned." You replied with a small smile while rubbing the nape of your neck

He sighed and started helping with groceries while telling you to leave a note or something next time

Yanqing

He had finally settled down to sleep with you curled up next to him

And finally he was waking up,he had such a good sleep,but when he sat up you were nowhere to be found,so he did the next logical thing and assumed you were around the house somewhere

So he went looking for you

Well obviously he was unable to find you,and he was doumbfounded by it

Like you had fallen asleep with him just awhile ago,and now you werent in the house??

Okay now he was definetly letting his fears get the worst of him

He was running around the house like he was sonic or something searching for you

He had already checked every single room and place you could be in two times

Welp time to check a third time

While he was in the middle of searching for the third time he heard the front door opening and slowly made his way there only to find you placing some groceries on the counter

"Wait you went out to get groceries and didnt even tell me?! I was starting to seriously worry!" He said with a pout while he approached you

"Huh? What do you mean? I left you a note." You said confused

"Wait! Really?? Where?" He asked and you'd point to the place you left a note telling him you went to the store

In all of his running around he hadnt seen that note?! But how???

Well it'll remain a mystery

Gepard

He fell asleep without wanting to,he just wantef to cuddle with you and talk about your day,but nope,he fell asleep

And when he woke up it was hard not to notice the empty space beside him

Okay he's instantly alarmed,like the first thing that he's feeling is worry,but then he calms down and goes searching for you

When he doesnt find you anywhere his worry increases

He'd check the whole house while calling your name

He may aswell have a heart attack from worry,the only thing calming him down is seeing that no one has broken into the house

And then he hears the front door creak open

He goes to check it out carefully but the moment he turns the corner and sees you at the door with groceries he immediately calms down

He just goes up to you and hugs you

You're confused because all you did was get groceries

But with him being the head of the silvermane guards he's worries someone might do something to you to get to him

Even if there may be few people who would actually do that he's still worried over the possibility

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Thank you for your request and i hope you enjoy!

[sharpedgedfool]

Hey there! Hope you don’t mind me popping into your inbox more often lately, but I’ve just been pondering Sonic and Shadow in your AUs a lot and had some questions about them—can’t imagine why (glances over at your AO3 account) /j

1- how does Oliver eventually come to trust (or at least not hate) Sonic in the museum au? I assume it takes a while and involves the two of them spending a lot of time together on their archeological investigation?

2- in the fae au, is it unhealthy for Sonic/Wild Cherry to be pushing himself to wake up in the wintertime? And how does it feel for him the first time he wakes up so early in the cold? (I’d also love to know how he first meets Shadow/Black Ice but I don’t want to ask too much at once…)

3- I know you said you have some ideas for a sequel to your fleetadow fic, would you by any chance be interested in sharing anything about that?

(And of course, feel free to say “you’ll see” in response to any of these if you don’t feel like answering or if they’re too spoilery! I’m just very interested in all of your story ideas /gen /pos)

Hii, I don’t mind questions at all!! Any excuse to ramble about my silly ideas, I’ll just rapid fire answer below (I'll hide it under a cut cause it got a bit long lmao)

1. That’s part of the story yeah! It’ll take a while, but they’re gonna get to know each other over the course of the investigation, the ruins go deep. I can’t say much cause I’m still trying to write it, but I’m excited to see what people make of what I’ve got planned so far! Sonic’s gonna prove his hero shtick isn’t all bells and whistles, and Shadow’s secrets quickly become unavoidable despite his efforts, it's sort of him they're investigating after all, and by the time he realises it's way too late to turn back.

2. It's not really a severe risk to their health, it’s more so just hard for Fae to control their nature; in this case the whole dying/regeneration process usually isn’t something they have any power over, and it usually relies on the cold to naturally let them know when to wake up, kinda like a hibernation type thing. Sonic’s been trying to wake up a smidge earlier for decades now, but its just sheer determination and a bit of luck on his part. If he woke up mid-winter it'd be a bit of a problem, but he just wakes up a few days shy of spring. I have their first meeting scripted out, I was hoping to turn it into a full comic but I’ve not had the time yet so we’ll see. I’ll maybe just write it out instead at some point haha.

3. I’ve been scheming away at that too, the sequels gonna have a bit more focus on Fleetway and Sonic and how they manage to handle their coexistence now they’ve found some common ground, Shadow’s the catalyst for them to get along but he’s not around to play referee all the time. Amy’s gonna get some time to shine too in this one, but its mainly focused on Sonic, Shadow and Fleetway again. I have another fun twist in mind but I’m still working on the outline so I don’t wanna say anything for certain in case I change my mind mid-way through - the endgame is something cheery tho I promise, I like a happy ending!

Thanks for the questions!! Bother me about my aus anytime haha :)

[writingtraumaforever]

Uncontrolled Chaos: Chapter 8

Notes: Oh boy oh boy oh boy— Sonic is experiencing his first gay panic.

Summary: Sonic visits Shadow at GUN, and it does NOT go how he expects.

Chapter Select!

Link to my Ao3!

Start:

Sonic hated GUN. They were sketchy and saw the world in black and white while simultaneously working in the gray at all times. They always had ulterior motives and rarely did they line up with Sonic’s own. They were the epitome of ‘at all costs’ in the worst way.

Not to mention they fuckin’ locked him up once for thinking he was Shadow!!

They’re all blind!!

Bottom line, he didn’t trust them. But they have always kept their eye on Sonic. Always wanted him working for them, wanted his power and abilities. To make him into their toy soldier..

Sonic needed his freedom. He hated feeling like he had to answer to anyone other than himself.

He never understood why Shadow would ever choose to work with these people.. especially after what they did to that girl he cared so much about..

Arriving at the GUN headquarters, Sonic was allowed access thanks to Rouge’s security pass and immediately felt all eyes on him.

He followed the bat down the endless halls. The place was so bland, he didn’t know how people survived cooped up in here all the time. It screamed ‘corporate’.

Employees turned to eye him as he waltzed by, the blue blur holding a casual grin with his hands behind his head nonchalantly with his stride. He ignored them, coming off unbothered. But he never once let his guard down.

Rouge led the way straight to an elevator after a moment, scanning her badge once inside and pressing a button labeled with a ‘+’ symbol. He was guessing it was the medical wing. His eyes drifted up as the elevator doors shut, finding a camera in the corner of the ceiling peering down at him. He smirked at it, winking and sticking his tongue out at it, satisfied with his immaturity.

Rouge’s eyes roll and Sonic swears he hears her sigh ‘men’. But hey. She thinks he’s a man. He’ll take it.

The elevator doors open and Sonic is immediately met with the strong scent of antiseptics and medication. His nose scrunches a bit as he tries to adjust to the stench, following Rouge down the hall and letting his arms drop to his sides now as he looks at the endless medical rooms. One wouldn’t even know they were at GUN and not a public hospital if they woke up here.. it looked just like one.

That was unsettling to Sonic for whatever reason..

Just added on to the deceptive streak GUN seemed to have.

That, and he just doesn’t like hospitals in general.

Walking with Rouge, it’s hard to imagine Shadow is in a place like this. Hard to imagine Shadow laying on a medical bed all weak and frail—

Then again, Rouge said he was fine. Just acting funny.

So he shouldn’t be weak or frail at all.

Still, no matter what was going on, Sonic didn’t plan on ever letting Shadow live it down.

Scientists and doctors walk around freely on this floor, all eyeing Sonic as he passes through. It makes his insides twist uneasily a bit.. the idea that some of these people would jump at the chance to cut him open and see what’s pumping inside. What makes the fastest thing alive tick..

His attention is snapped back to Rouge when she stops at a door and turns to him,

“Alright, this is him.”

Sonic looks at the door a moment. Just a plain, wooden door with the number ‘601’ on it.

“Let me go in and make sure he’s awake, then I’ll let you in,” she says simply, Sonic giving a nod at that to show he understands.

Rouge nods in return and then looks to the door before opening it and peeking inside. He can see the side of her face as it slides into a smirk, watching the bat eye who he assumes is Shadow on the inside.

“Hey, Grumps. You feeling any better??”

Sonic’s ears twitch at the familiar gruff ‘Mm’ of confirmation that was none other than the Ultimate Lifeform. What catches him off guard is the immediate, “Has Sonic come yet??” that followed.

Sonic blinks a few times, a brow quirking as he taps his foot impatiently outside the door. Suddenly itching to see Shadow for himself..

“Actually, he’s right here,” Rouge responds, sliding inside the room more to allow Sonic inside. Sonic steps in and lets his emerald eyes fall immediately on ruby ones.

And he’s not at all prepared for what he finds.

Typically when Sonic and Shadow see one another after a long time, Shadow is all moody and annoyingly serious and ready to fight whatever has brought them together. He always looks at Sonic with either reluctant respect with the mutual understanding they’re the only ones who can take on whatever they’re facing, or with absolute disdain that he’s even ran into him.

It’s neither of those this time.

Instead, Sonic finds immediate relief in Shadow’s gaze. He watches the ebony hedgehog’s tense form instantly droop, eyes softening and— most shocking of all— a small smile slowly growing on his lips.

“You’re here,” he breathes, pure solace in his words.

Sonic is a bit dumbfounded for a moment, blinking at Shadow before offering a little grin back and a thumbs up, “Of course I am, heard you needed me.”

Shadow looks a bit skeptical of Sonic’s response, his smile twitching a bit and his eyes showing slight confusion for a moment before he clears his throat and looks to Rouge.

“Thank you for letting him know I was here..,” he sounds so grateful. As if all Rouge had to do was let Sonic know his location, and Sonic came running.

Little does he know, she just about had to beg him.

Rouge just offers a shrug in return, “But of course. Whatever you need.”

She then looks to Sonic, exchanging a glance that held a silent conversation in it.

‘You see?’

‘Yup. I get what you mean now.’

Sonic’s gaze returns to Shadow who is already looking back at him, smiling all soft again and his fingers fidgeting on his lap as if he’s wanting to touch..

Sonic has no idea what to do with that observation.

“You been worried??”

Sonic flinches slightly at that. Looks behind himself. Looks back to Shadow. Points at himself.

“Me??”

An amused hum comes from the ebony hedgehog— closest thing Sonic has ever heard to a laugh from him, mind you— and he tilts his head at Sonic, “Who else??”

“‘Bout what??” Sonic asks cluelessly, seeing Rouge shift her weight and cross her arms out of the corner of his eye.

Shadow’s smile shifts again, a bit more uncomfortable or unsure, “Uh—About me..?”

Sonic purses his lips. Shrugs a bit awkwardly, “I dunno. Not really?? You’ve always been pretty good at takin’ care of yourself, dude.”

Shadow’s smile is gone now, a small frown replacing it as his ears twitch as if they might fold back on his quills.

This doesn’t settle well in the pit of Sonic’s stomach.

“But hey. I’m real glad to see you’re okay, Faker,” Sonic smiles, trying to be a bit more caring.

Which is something he never thought he’d have to be with Shadow but okay.

Shadow doesn’t seem too comforted by this, but his frown lightens ever so slightly, at least. He nods a bit and then looks down at his hands a moment.

Then he looks back to Rouge.

“Now that Sonic is here, can I go??”

Rouge blinks at him.

Sonic does the same.

“Uh.. I—“ Rouge seems unsure how to answer that, looking to Sonic for help, but he just shrugs. She looks back to Shadow, “We’re not holding you hostage here, Shadow.. you know that, right??”

Shadow purses his lips and looks at Sonic with this helpless little look in his eyes, and that’s when Sonic sees it.

That fear Rouge had been talking about.

He’s scared.

Sonic doesn’t know why, nor does he think about it when he rounds the bed to stand near Shadow’s side to place a hand on his shoulder, “We’ll get you out of here in a jiffy, Shads. But maybe we should make sure you’re okay first??”

“They already ran scans,” Shadow replies immediately, his hand moving to rest on top of Sonic’s on his shoulder and—

Woah there buddy are they holding hands???

Whatever Shadow says after that is completely lost to both Rouge and Sonic as they stare with baffled expressions at Sonic and Shadow’s connected hands on his shoulder.

Shadow pauses when he notices this, looking from Sonic to Rouge. Then Sonic again.

“…What??”

“You’re… touching my hand,” Sonic says a bit awkwardly, an uncomfortable smile on his muzzle as he points to their hands with his free one as if Shadow doesn’t see it for himself.

Shadow deadpans.

“…And??”

“It’s just- er… Why???”

“..Why wouldn’t I??…”

Shadow blinks at Sonic.

Sonic blinks back.

Both looking equally confused by this entire interaction.

Rouge is trying not to find all this amusing despite how unsettlingly out of character Shadow is being.

“This.. is an interesting development.”

[mind-empty-just-fictional-people]

Hello I absolutely love your writing! I wanted to ask if I could request a Soldier Boy imagine? Specifically one where the reader is Black Canary. She’s an incredible fighter, has her loud ear piercing sonic scream & the bad ass bodysuit with the fishnet tights! He’s basically smitten & wants to go out with her. Although she hesitates for sometime because of his reputation he manages to convince her. But we also see him admiring her when she’s working out/training and when she’s saving people/being a hero. Thank you💕

A Compliment A Day

masterlist

pairing: soldier boy x black canary!reader (female supe)

summary: soldier boy gives black canary a genuine compliment each day to show her he’s capable of being a good person

rating: R for language

word count: 1.6k

warnings: soldier boy (he’s a warning for this one, but he does get better), language, workplace harassment (?), i think that’s everything

timeline: set in an au a few years after season 3

author’s note: anon thank you for requesting!! i’m hoping this is what you were looking for! 🫶

It had been years since Vought came crashing down and Neumann was put behind bars. Supe Affairs had been running smoothly, and from the ashes of Vought arose a group of Supe’s who called themselves ‘Avengers of Justice’.

They were determined to keep their fellow Supe’s in line before S.A. could take them god knows where, as well as keep the average citizens safe.

You were the informal leader of this small group. Mainly because it had been your idea in the first place, but also because no one dared go against you. Everyone knew you were holding back your full potential when it came to your powers. The last time you used them almost at full blast, was when you single handedly destroyed Vought Tower. One screech and the empty building collapsed; also temporarily damaging everyone’s eardrums in a two mile radius. (The damage only lasted a couple days, and reports showed that a few people even had better hearing afterwards.)

You were also the leader because you had saved most of the Supe’s who followed your commands.

Soldier Boy was one of them. When you learned he’d been put back under you were determined to get him back. And you did. You managed to free him and get him the hell away from the Feds before anyone realized you were in the building.

He was incredibly grateful, and at first he showed it in the most inappropriate ways.

For example, the first thing he said to you when he woke up and you were saving him was, “Wow, you’ve got great tits, miss.” You slapped him in the face before you both fled.

You didn’t stand for about half the things he said. You kicked his ass several times before he fully understood why you got so offended by the comments.

“Thank you for saving me all those weeks ago, Tweety Bird,” was the first non-sexist, nice thing he said to you. Although, the nickname made you want to scream and break his eardrums.

“No problem Army Man,” you replied with a forced smile.

He’d never admit it, but he genuinely liked how tough you were. How you didn’t let him get away with anything; his dirty dishes in the sink, his dirty socks in the living room, and many more everyday things that he never used to worry about.

But you kinda annoyed him too. To him, he was The Man of the house (well, old clock tower apartment, turned watchtower for Supe’s who worked with you) and you were supposed to respect him. You were a woman, it was your job to make him dinner, not the other way around!

The first time he said these misogynistic thoughts out loud every single Supe at the base looked at him like he had three fucking heads. You were pissed as fuck and demoted him to clean-up duty for two weeks. Suddenly his dirty dishes in the sink came back to haunt him.

He shut his mouth after that.

**

“Canary, we’ve got a live one!” one of your Supe’s informed you as you walked into the apartment. “Campbell down at Supe Affairs is claiming the Supe killed these people on purpose, we beg to differ.” You hit play on the video in front of you.

“Well that clearly wasn’t his fault!” you scoffed, watching as the Supe seemed to emit a force from himself but looked terrified at the outcome. “I’ll call Hughie and sort this out. Is the Supe already in custody?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Soldier Boy said. “I called the cum guzzler and he insisted that this Supe had malicious intent.”

“Please tell me you did not call the head of Supe Affairs and call him that?” you groaned. Soldier Boy just grinned. “God damn it Soldier Boy! Now I have to call the bastard and grovel.”

“Sorry,” he piped, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. “It kinda just… came out.”

“Well, you live and you learn.” You shrugged then eyed him. “Well, you live anyway.”

“Hey! I’d like to think I’ve learned quite a lot given the fact I was raised in the fucking thirties! I’ve been working with you for two-and-a-half years now and it’s been how many months since I called you a bitch?”

“Check the whiteboard, Soldier Boy, it’s been two weeks since you last hit on me.”

“I still think singling me out with ‘Days Since Last Soldier Boy Incident’ is a form of discrimination.”

“It’s not when you’ve personally insulted every single one of your co-workers,” you laughed.

“Insulted?” Soldier Boy furrowed his brows, seeming somewhat hurt. You picked up on that and decided to drop the conversation.

“Look, just listen in when I call Hughie and learn how I talk to him without pointing out the fact I could break his spine, okay?”

“Okay,” Soldier Boy huffed.

**

You were lifting weights in the gym room (a section of the “apartment” converted into a makeshift gym) when Soldier Boy came in to join you.

“Hey, did you mean what you said earlier?” he asked. You put the weights down and looked at him, silently asking what he meant. “When I try to compliment you… does it actually sound like an insult?”

“Soldier Boy, the last time you ‘complimented’ me, you said that my fishnet tights made me look fuckable. That is not a compliment.”

“Yeah it is! I’m saying they make you look good!”

“Alright, I’m gonna do you and every woman you come in contact with in the future, a huge favor. If you really like someone, try complimenting something other than their looks. For example, tell them you like their sense of humor, or their taste in music. Do not go up to a co-worker and say they look fuckable.”

“So, instead of saying what I’m thinking right now about your gym clothes, I should say that I think it’s incredible you can bench over two-hundred pounds even though strength isn’t really your superpower?”

“Yes! Thank you, Soldier Boy.” You smiled a little.

“Well, then get used to hearing really specific compliments from now on, Tweety, because you asked for it.” He smirked then left the room.

“It’s Black Canary, Army Man!” you called out to him.

**

True to his word, Soldier Boy complimented you on literally everything but your looks the next few weeks. He made sure to give you (at least) one genuine compliment each day in hopes you’d see him as more than a barely tolerable co-worker.

One you really enjoyed hearing was; “I like how you can keep a couple dozen Supe’s under the same roof without them killing each other. I think that really says something about what a great leader you are.”

He said that after two Supe’s had fought each other over breakfast cereal and you managed to calm them both down. At first you thought he was being sarcastic but when you looked at him, you realized he was completely serious.

Another one that stuck out was; “This may be ironic, given the fact you could deafen anyone you come in contact with, but you are an incredible listener, Tweety Bird. You’re really easy to talk to and you give great advice.”

The nickname was growing on you.

But your absolute favorite and the one that made you swoon (you would never admit it though) was when you and Soldier Boy had been too late to a crime scene to save a handful of hostages. The two of you were seated on the roof of a building nearby; you had tears running down your face and he looked at you with such compassion.

“I know it might not seem like it right now,” Soldier Boy started, reaching out to touch your hand gently. “But you are an incredible person and you do not deserve everything you’re putting yourself through right now. You are strong as fuck and what happened here was not your fault. You’re a fucking hero, Tweety Bird, and I love that about you. But you’re human too and I love that even more.”

You slowly turned your head to look at him, tears still clouding your eyes.

“Thank you, Soldier Boy,” you whispered. “I know I usually don’t take your compliments very well but seriously, Army Man, thank you.”

“Anytime.” He smiled, not looking away from you. “Can I say one thing about your looks right now?”

“Sure, I think you’ve earned it given the fact you’ve gone three weeks without saying anything,” you laughed a little.

“Your dark eye makeup is running like crazy right now-”

“Wow, way to kick me when I’m down!”

“You didn’t let me finish! It’s running like crazy but you still look so fuckin’ pretty.” He smiled wider when you nodded in acceptance. He stared down at your lips as you smiled.

“If you’re thinking about kissing me-”

“Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna try anything, I know I’m about one wrong word away from my ears bleeding.”

“Well, I was gonna say go ahead and kiss me but-” He cut you off again but this time with a kiss to your lips. “Wow you’re good at that,” you mumbled when he pulled away after a moment. “I think I understand your cockiness now.”

“I’d love to take the credit, but that was definitely all you, Tweety.”

“Maybe we just have perfect chemistry,” you whispered and leaned in for another kiss.

“Guess we won’t know without a few more experiments, huh?” He kissed you a third time.

“I’m free all night, Army Man.”

[hugsandchaos]

Breakfast, Bitches

Summary: The story where Modern!Shadow makes Boom!Team Sonic breakfast after a sleepover. You can say it’s because he cares about them, but he says it’s because Meh Burger is very unhealthy and he’s not letting them eat it for breakfast. Because he cares about them.

Quick Notes: This is my first time writing Sonic Boom after over a year ago, which I think I’d like to leave in the past like something I can look back on and say “Oh I was still practicing back then, don’t take it seriously”. I think I did pretty good, but tell me if you think it needs more comedy or shenanigans, I just didn’t think many were necessary since it’s early morning. This is based off @zumbieve‘s Isekai’d Shadow AU, which I thought was really cool!

Word Count: 2,322

Something smelled good.

That was the first thing Sonic noticed when he woke up a few minutes ago. Something smelled good, really good. Good enough to pull him from sleep and motivate him to sit up. In doing so, he was confused not to feel the same familiar movement of his hammock. Instead he felt a soft blanket separating him from the floor. A quick look out the window and Sonic realized how early it was, and that he was in Tails’ living room.

The sun was still barely rising. The sky was a shade of blue with just enough light to barely make out the small fox sleeping nearby. Sonic smiled a little and yawned. For a moment, he considered going back to sleep. He could hear the others snoring quietly nearby. No, he had to investigate. As comfortable as the moment and makeshift bed was, he wanted to figure out what smelled so good. The blue hedgehog began standing up. He moved slowly as to not disturb anyone, and because he was still a little tired. Once he was up, he rubbed his eyes and looked at his feet. He stepped carefully over Tails, the maneuvered around Knuckles, who was asleep on the hanging couch with his legs hanging off? Sonic knew better now than to question, but… Why?

He turned to the direction the smell was coming from. It was coming from his kitchen, and as he paid more attention, he also heard the faint sound of sizzling and someone humming a tune. Sonic’s heart picked up and he was suddenly much more awake. He moved as silently as he could to feel for the light switch. Once he found it, he flipped it on to see who it was. The sudden glare of the light made him squint, but his eyes adapted pretty quickly.

“Shadow?!” Sonic exclaimed. Don’t worry, not the edge lord one. The short one.

Shadow briefly turned to him, a spatula in his hand while the other held the pan steady.”Good morning to you, too.” He said half sarcastically. He turned his attention back to the pan. Sonic, confused and curious, walked over to see what it was he was doing. Since this Shadow was shorter, he could look over his shoulder. Three pancakes were on the pan, placed far enough apart not to touch and have some space between them. Sonic realized that the smell that woke him up was Shadow cooking. He looked at the dark hedgehog with slight confusion.

Since meeting him, this different version of Shadow has been… an experience. He was distrusting of them at first, like they were of him, but both sides learned to trust each other. They even gave this Shadow a nickname incase of the awkward scenario in which the two Shadows meet; Shads. Original, right? Despite their original thoughts, this Shadow was actually a great addition to the group, and an excellent friend. In his own way, more often than not.

He’d been invited to the sleepover, and even though he didn’t talk much, his presence proved to make that evening a little more interesting. Sonic remembered that the best part was how he reacted when they found out how often they ate Meh Burger after ordering some last night. He looked disturbed and said that wasn’t healthy to eat that kind of food so often, and Knuckles joked that Meh Burger practically wasn’t food at all. Shadow didn’t understand it was a joke at first, but it wasn’t entirely wrong. Meh Burger really lived up to its name.

Shadow nudged the spatula under one of the pancakes and flipped it.”Check the plate over there.” He said, pointing to his left.”I made enough for almost everyone to have three,” Shadow swiftly turned around and glared at Sonic, “only three,” He turned back to the flip the second pancake, “and this last batch is almost done. Go ahead and get some, but keep the others in mind. They’re not awake yet.” He said. Sonic looked in the direction the dark hedgehog was pointing. As Shadow said, there was a plate of pancakes on the counter.

Sonic walked over to them and took a deep breath in through his nose.”Oh, that smells amazing.” He said. He couldn’t help but smile a little. He noticed the bowl of scrambled eggs and plate of bacon right of the pancakes.”You made eggs and bacon too?” Sonic asked, genuinely surprised. There seemed to be enough for everyone. When he turned around, Shadow had flipped the third pancake.

”Yes. It took me more time than I’d have liked since I had to leave to buy the ingredients, cook the bacon, pancakes, eggs, and then come back with them. I forgot to cook the last three pancakes, so I’m doing that now.” He said. He glanced outside, and so did Sonic. Streaks of pink broke through the light blue, a sign that the sun was finally close to rising above the horizon.”It was still dark when I started. Now that I’m almost done cooking, all there is to do is clean up.” Shadow added.

Sonic looked around the kitchen incase he missed anything when he first turned the light on, but he couldn’t find whatever mess Shadow was referring to.“I don’t see any mess.” He said.

“The dishes I used.” Shadow responded.

Sonic scanned the three options again. How long did it take for him to make it? And why?“Why, though?” Sonic asked as he turned around. Shadow was putting the three pancakes onto a plate and paused to give him a confused look. Immediately, Sonic raised both hands as if in surrender.“Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate it! But I don’t understand why.” He said.

Shadow came closer with the plate holding the last three pancakes. Sonic reached out to grab one, but Shadow gave him a stern look that made him laugh nervously and put both hands behind his back. Shadow stepped beside him and held the plate in his hands at an angle to let the pancakes slide perfectly onto the plate with the rest.“I used them, so I clean them.” Shadow replied. He turned around and grabbed the pan and spatula to start washing them in the sink, which looked cleaner than last Sonic remembered.

“No, I mean the food.” Sonic elaborated.

Shadow grabbed a nearby sponge and started with the plate.“I woke up pretty early and couldn’t fall back asleep. I got bored, so I looked at the time and decided it would be a good time to start breakfast. Also, because of habit.” He replied. He spent a moment scrubbing it, then grabbed a nearby washcloth to dry it. Sonic turned back to the pancakes. Surely one bite wouldn’t hurt. He picked one up and took a bite out of it.

For a second, he could practically feel a sparkle in his eyes. It tasted a little like heaven, with a bit of strawberry. He quickly ate the food in his mouth.”Oh my gosh, this is great!” He exclaimed, then proceeded to try to stuff the rest of it into his mouth. He made a few admittedly gross sounds that he knew made Shadow cringe. Sonic heard a small yawn and turned around to see Tails leaning against the counter for support, still sleepy.

“What’s great? And why are the lights on?” He asked tiredly. He rubbed his eyes as he began walking over to Sonic.

“Shadow made these pancakes.” Sonic replied. He took one from the plate and handed it to Tails.

He took a small bite and smiled.“These are pretty good!” He said, sounding a little less tired. He turned to look at Shadow, who was standing his toes to reach the higher cabinets Tails kept his plates in. Tails himself needed a stepping stool or to hover to reach them, but both brothers still found it funny that Shadow had to stretch a little. Both brothers tried to keep their laughter under control.”Thanks, Shadow!” Tails said. He was doing a better job at keeping his laughter down than Sonic.

Shadow turned around.“You’re welcome. Also, what’s so funny?” He asked.

Sonic waved a hand.“Nothing, nothing.” He said, trying and failing to get his laughter under control.”Just a small thing we remembered.” He said. Tails snickered at the joke. Shadow gave them a pretty disappointed look and turned back to start washing the pan and spatula.“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you have a short temper.” Sonic said.

“It’s morning, Sonic. Everyone has a short temper in the morning.” Shadow said.

Tails’ snickering was cut off with a yawn and he leaned against Sonic again. Sonic gave him a side hug and Tails continued eating his pancake with slow bites. It was a habit or something between them to have at least one hug in the mornings, and more often than not, Tails would almost fall back asleep leaning against his big brother.“I bet you especially?” Sonic teased.

Shadow chuckled softly at the joke.“Well, you’re not wrong.” He said. Sonic paused. Shadow chuckled. He just chuckled. Holy crap, that chuckle was somehow so nice to hear! Sonic wanted to hear it again, but it felt like his mind was running all over the place after hearing that. How was he this excited over hearing that laugh?”Anyways, I’m going to be heading out pretty soon.” Shadow said, interrupting Sonic’s thoughts.

“Wha — Already? But the others aren’t up yet! And you haven’t eaten breakfast!” Sonic said. He was suddenly determined to get Shadow to stay just a little longer.

Shadow put the pan and spatula away. He turned to them looking a little less grumpy and a little more confused.”I already ate breakfast, and I was under the assumption that you’d want me to leave after.” He said. Sonic sprinted to stand next to him, and Tails almost fell over, but caught himself against the counter. Sonic reached a high cabinet and opened it to grab a plate. He was definitely getting his second and third pancakes, and some bacon. And eggs, with ketchup, obviously.

“No way, man! Last night was cool, and today we’re going on a boring hike through the forest!” He said with an odd amount of enthusiasm. He grabbed a second plate and handed it to Tails when he walked back to the counter with the food.

Tails put his unfinished pancake on his plate and went to get some more food for himself.“Wanna come with us?” He asked hopefully. If Sonic wasn’t already smiling at the promise of actually good food, he’d be smiling at how Tails was acting.

Out of the whole group, Tails was the most nervous around Shadow. The first Shadow was a jerk to all of them, Tails especially for some reason. Hearing about that “fox hunting” comment made Sonic want to do things he’d probably end up arrested for. Plus, he’s still a kid, so it was no wonder he didn’t want to be near him at all in the beginning.

Last night changed that a bit, though. With some more time to talk, the group had learned a couple things about Short Shadow’s world. When Shadow explained what a motorcycle was, Tails wanted to hear more, and Shadow seemed almost happy to share information about them, including his own. Sonic had no clue what they were saying after five minutes and honestly found it a little boring, but Tails seemed so happy listening to Shadow talk about the different engines and whatnot, so who was he to interrupt?

Sonic probably wouldn’t say it out loud, maybe, but he was honestly proud of Tails seeing him start to trust this second Shadow.

Shadow hummed.“Well, I don’t have much else to do, so exploring the island a bit more might be interesting.” He said.

“Turn the light off!” Amy groaned. The three of them looked over to where she was sleeping on the couch. She was trying to cover her head with the blanket to block out the light. Sonic glanced outside. The sky was now a mixture of pink, blue, and some yellow.”Wait, what’s that smell? Did someone make breakfast?” Amy asked. She sat up and lifted a hand to cover her mouth when she yawned.

Sonic got his food and some silverware. He walked over to the couch and sat down to eat.“Yep, and get this; Shadow made it. You’ve gotta try it, it’s really good.” He said. He used his fork to pick up some scrambled eggs covered in ketchup and ate them. It could just be the pretty much daily Meh Burger after so long, but he thought this food was amazing.

“Shadow made breakfast?” Knuckles asked. Apparently, he was awake, too. Still hanging off the other couch a little, but awake. He fell to the floor with a thud when he tried to get up.

Amy rubbed her eyes and smiled. She turned around to look at Shadow.”That’s really nice of you, Shadow. It smells amazing. Thank you.” She said. She got up off the couch to get some breakfast herself. Sonic heard another yawn from the opposite side of him and looked over at the somehow still intact blanket fort Sticks made the night before. Soon, Sticks emerged, her fur looking a little like a small mane with it all out of the ropes she used to tie it.

Shadow gave a small scoff in the kitchen.”It’s normal breakfast food. If you consider this amazing, then you’re eating more unhealthy garbage than I thought.” He said.

Sticks pointed at him.”Hey, don’t insult garbage like that!” She said. Sonic could see the eye roll from Shadow, and he was focused on eating. Whatever was said next was lost from Sonic’s ears. Forget Meh Burger, this food was even better than their milkshakes! Could Shadow make better milkshakes? Or better chili dogs? That, Sonic had to find out. Maybe he’d ask during lunch!

[denaliwrites]

When the Crypt Doors Creak

Tenth Doctor x GN!Reader

Summary: The Doctor takes you to the most popular haunted house attraction on Earth after finding out your favorite holiday is Halloween. Turns out he might have ulterior motives for the trip, though.

Soundtrack: Grim Grinning Ghosts by Creature Feature

Requests: Open!

Warnings: Jumpscares, Canon-Typical Peril.

A skeleton dropped from the ceiling, its cheap plastic teeth chittering mockingly when you let out a bleat of terror. The Doctor shot you an amused look, apparently unfazed.

"Does nothing frighten you?" you asked, stepping around the skeleton with a miffed whine.

"Oh, plenty frightens me," he sighed, sidestepping a haphazardly placed dummy meant to look like a bloody corpse.

"Like what?" You startled at the sound of a mournful howl echoing around you. Eyes shot to the Doctor for comfort, but instead found him giving you a shit-eating grin.

"Nothing that can be found in a haunted house on Earth in the year 2375," he assured you.

The two of you rounded a corner. Immediately you yelped, confronted by a giant robot with round, hollow black eyes. Somehow, that seemed even creepier than glowing electric eyes.

The Doctor stopped beside you, staring up at the robot with a perplexed expression. "I stand corrected," he said after a moment. "So that's what the TARDIS scanners were picking up."

"What, this thing frightens you?" you asked in disbelief, though internally you admitted that it frightened you too... You were unsure why. You were so busy thinking about it that you missed that he hadn't actually brought you here for a fun outing.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and gave the robot a quick scan. "Well, at least it's dormant," he said to himself as he read the scan. "But this is wrong. You shouldn't be here..."

"What is it?" you asked, blinking up at the thing.

"Nothing you need to worry about right this second," he tried to reassure you, his hands guiding you by the waist away from the robot.

You continued through the haunted house, but you could tell from that moment that the Doctor's mind was elsewhere. You tried to catch his attention a couple times, but he was fully engrossed in his thoughts. And, occasionally, his sonic scans.

Around another bend, you came across a different robot. This one was much cuter upon first glance, but something about it drove you to stand far away. The Doctor, however, approached without hesitation and did another scan.

"This is all wrong," he sighed, turning to look around the room. It was dark, and at least you were having trouble making anything out other than the dummy ahead of you. "Where are they getting these things?"

You edged the room, trying to keep as far from the thing as you could. "Doctor, I want to leave," you moaned, hands desperately searching the dark wall behind you for an exit.

He didn't seem to hear you, continuing to scan and talk to himself. The last thing you saw before accidentally falling through an exit door was the doctor scratching the back of his head, and the last thing you heard was him saying, "You shouldn't be here."

You weren't sure how long you fell, or when you landed. You'd gone unconscious at some point. All you knew was just that you woke up in some sort of cell.

"Hello?" you called out, rattling the bars in various locations in the hope that they might give. You were disappointed to find that they were pretty solidly in place.

"Hello?" you tried again.

This time, you were answered by footsteps that echoed across the walls as they got closer. "Ah, you're awake," a displaced voice said, and you got the distinct impression that whoever had spoken was not a particularly nice individual.

Though, maybe the whole "being locked in a cell" thing should've given that away.

"I was wondering when the hypnosis would wear off." With that, the source of the voice stepped into view. You were surprised to see that it was just an ordinary guy -- well, a rich guy, going by the fancy suit he wore and the way he was immaculately groomed, but. Otherwise, perfectly ordinary.

"Hypnosis?" you asked, trying to think back to when that could've possibly happened.

"Yeah. Nothing particularly strong or damaging. Needed to get you from Point A to Point B and you were... well. Uncooperative."

It was then you noticed a fresh cut on his lip. Nice.

"Well, I'd say sorry," you started, your voice mocking, "but I'm pretty sure kidnapping is a little higher on the list than punching the guy trying to kidnap you, as far as grievances go."

"Mm," was all he offered by way of response, starting to pace.

"What am I doing here, anyway?"

"Oh, yes, let me just tell you my whole grand plan so that you can formulate some clever way to stop it."

Ouch. Okay. He had you there.

"Don't know what kind of idiots you've been dealing with, but I'm not falling for that bullshit."

"Oh, I wouldn't call it bullshit," the Doctor's voice came suddenly from somewhere to your left. You turned, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Curious, this one," he continued, referring to you. "Asks all sorts of great questions."

"You call that a great question?"

"Well, give it a minute. The hypnosis is probably still wearing off."

"Uh, Doctor, where are you?" you asked, as if you hadn't just been insulted by one man and complimented by another.

"See, that's a good question. Where am I?"

"You're the one that's supposed to answer that, Doctor," you sighed, eyes still scanning around trying to find him.

"See, the thing is," the Doctor started, and you heard the sound of a switch flipping. "That Cyberman, and that Dalek. They're just dormant. Not dead."

You had no idea where this was going, but by the look on the face of your captor, you knew that he knew exactly where the Doctor was and what he was doing.

"And, well. All dormant things wake up eventually, don't they? Hmm, I wonder what this button does."

The sound of an alarm filled the room, and a robotic voice began instructing patrons to evacuate the building.

"Well, at least you had the decency to give them a chance to get out. Couldn't afford the lawsuits?" the Doctor asked, something in his voice rather cruel.

You looked to your captor, almost laughing at the panic on his face.

"Now, you managed to capture a Dalek and a Cyberman and who knows what else is in the parts of that maze we didn't see. What do you think they'll do, now that I've turned off the machine keeping them under? I wonder..."

The man made to leave, but the Doctor stopped him with a tut. "Let my friend go, Jeremy."

Jeremy (apparently) hesitated, then threw the cell key to you and ran for the exit.

"Oh, good enough, I suppose," the Doctor sighed.

You let yourself out of the cell and turned towards the exit "Jeremy" had run through.

"Ah-ah," the Doctor chided gently. "Not that way."

"Why not?" you asked the air around you, looking around for any other way out. There was none.

"That's where all the monsters are gonna be."

Oh, right.

"Then where am I supposed to go?"

You heard him make that weird sound that came from the back of his throat. "Well. The TARDIS, obviously."

"The TARDIS isn't here, Doctor."

"Sure she is. Look in the loo."

You blinked stupidly for a moment, then turned and, indeed, found a restroom sign. Stepping through the door, you were met with the beautiful deep blue wood of the Doctor's ship.

"Have you been in here the whole time?" you asked the open air.

"Come in and find out, won't you?"

You stepped inside to see the Doctor smiling at you from the console. You ran to him and threw your arms around him. He hugged you back, holding on tight as he buried his face in your hair.

"I'm glad you're okay," he murmured, placing a kiss to your temple.

You pulled away from him, softly clearing your throat. "Shouldn't we help Jeremy? Or, at least, get rid of all those 'monsters.'"

"There's no helping Jeremy now," the Doctor sighed. "And all those monsters will self-destruct or go live out the rest of their lives in solitude once they realize they're all alone."

"That's... sad. Shouldn't we take them back to where they belong?"

The Doctor looked contemplative and sad for a moment. "No."

You wanted to press him on that, but something told you not to. Something about the haunted expression on his face.

"... Can we go to a normal haunted house?" you asked instead. "One in my time."

"You wanna do that again?" he asked with a stunned laugh. "You were terrified the whole time!"

"Doctor, that's the point!"

[guardian-of-da-gay]

It's Not Your Fault

Sequel to You're Still Alive in My Mind

Read on Ao3

For Whumptober 2024 Prompt 20: "It's not your fault."

tw: depression, repression, desecration of corpses, suicidal thoughts

“It’s not your fault.”

That’s what the Wachowskis kept telling him.  What Wade said every time they caught a glimpse of the destruction.  It was that other echidna.  He’d made Knuckles do those things.  Knuckles wouldn’t have hurt anyone, wouldn’t have destroyed those towns, wouldn’t have attacked his friends and family.

The men from G.U.N. didn’t tell him it wasn’t his fault.  They asked .  Did he remember?  Did he mean to?  How did he feel about it?  Did he regret it?  Did he feel guilt? Remorse?

Knuckles told them nothing.

He remembered.  But it was like a dream.  Everything had made sense at the moment, but now it didn’t.  He remembered doing those things.  He remembered doing them and being happy about it.  Happier than he had ever been before.  Probably happier than he would ever be again.  But he didn’t know why. 

He’d found satisfaction in vengeance before, but never joy in wanton destruction.  Victory felt good, but violence and death were practical and impersonal.  He didn’t delight in them.

So yes, he remembered doing those things.  He had meant to at the time.  He had been happy to do them then.  Now he wasn’t.  He didn’t feel anything.  Everyone else was expecting regret, guilt, and remorse, but Knuckles felt nothing.  Absolutely nothing at all.  Just tired.

He’d felt something briefly.  When he first woke, he thought he was having a nightmare.  He was the last of his kind.  All his family, tribe, species were dead.  Their rotted corpses lay strewn out as far as the eye could see.  Knuckles had felt so much he could barely breathe.  He’d squeezed his eyes shut and prayed he could wake up from this horrible dream.

Wade found him.  He hugged Knuckles and told him everything would be okay now.  The nightmare was over.

Knuckles believed him so he opened his eyes.  But the nightmare wasn’t over.  It was just real-life now.  His people were all dead.  Their corpses had been used by the only other surviving echidna for his own ends.  That echidna was dead now too.  And strangers were everywhere, collecting his people’s bodies like they were scraps of trash on the side of the road.

By the time they reached Wade’s car, Knuckles stopped feeling.  They were still there, locked behind a dam.  If he released them, he would drown.  Talking chipped away at that dam, so he didn’t.  The Wachowskis greeted him, but he didn’t know what to do with their happiness.  He had none left in him.  He let them hug and fuss, but he had nothing to give back.  They mistook his silence for guilt, and so they kept reminding him: “It’s not your fault.”

They couldn’t comprehend that he might be grieving.  That he’d lost his people for the second time and now their bodies were in the hands of strangers.  Were they taking care of them?  What if their masks fell off or their beads snapped or their armor slid off their bones?  They needed those in the afterlife!  Would they put them back on the right person?  Would they pick them up?  Would they care?

The answer was no, of course.  People either hated echidna or didn’t care about them at all.  And most of them had no personal reason to feel that way.  These humans did.

So Knuckles wasn’t surprised when Commander Walters informed them his people were going to be burned.

The Wachowskis had a lot to say to this announcement, but he could scarcely hear it over the roaring in his ears.  Tom and Maddie sat on one side of him.  Sonic and Tails were on the other.

Knuckles stared down at his fists.  His gloves were frayed now.

“... should be buried in their people’s customs.”

“...quick disposal.”

“This isn’t up for discussion.”

“Is the US government really going to…?”

“...welcome to create a change.org petition….”

“Oh, you did not–”

“These are aliens, Mrs. Wachowski–.”

“Knuckles.”  Maddie turned to him so suddenly that Knuckles started.  He looked up into her angry face.  “What do you want?”

Commander Walters raised a hand to interrupt and Maddie shot him a venomous glare and held up one finger.  Her audacity shocked him into silence.

“What do you want, Knuckles?”  Maddie asked, more gently.

Knuckles wanted to disappear.

“Is cremation how the echidnas usually did things?”  Sonic asked.

Knuckles shook his head.  They should be returned to the earth, the echidna’s second home.  Being left on the battlefield was less favorable but still honorable.  Being burned into nothing was not abhorrent… but it was not their way.  But what could Knuckles do?

What did it even matter?  What was one more scrap of injustice in the patchwork of misery that was his life?  His people had been reviled across the galaxy for centuries, driven into extinction.  Of course their culture would be disrespected long after all but one of them were dead.  Of course they would be destroyed so thoroughly that there would be nothing left.

Nothing was ever fair for him.  He couldn’t change that.  Why should this be any different?  Why should the Wachowskis be able to change things?  The universe didn’t bend to their wishes just because they cared for him.  Walters certainly didn’t.

“The fact of the matter is, we don’t want to waste resources burying our dead enemies when we have living people whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed.”

That was met with an uncomfortable silence.

“We could lay them to rest?”  Tom tried.

“There’s nearly ten thousand bodies.”

Another quiet pause.

Maddie touched his hand.  Knuckles stared at it numbly.  “Could we… could we at least lay Knuckles’ father to rest?”

Walters held out his hands.  “There’s nearly ten thousand bodies!  Finitevus must’ve been collecting them from all over.  Our scientists have dated some of them at over six thousand years old!”

“Those would be…” Tails said anxiously.  “Pretty culturally significant, right?  Really old human bodies are important.  You want to just burn these?”

Walters folded his fingers together.  “We have to ensure nothing like this can happen again.”

“You already have!”  Sonic said.  He was the only Wachowski on his feet.  “Finitevus is gone!”

Walters eyed Knuckles.  “Someone else could take up his work.”

“Says the guy who is determined to become part of a villain origin story.  And no, I’m not talking about Knuckles!”

“Easy, Sonic,” Tom urged.  Sonic shot him a betrayed look.  He saw Knuckles watching him and his face fell.  “Knuckles?”  He asked.  “Won’t you say something?”

He should.  He knew he should.  He would regret saying nothing.  But unfortunately… “Nothing I say matters.”

All the Wachowskis looked at him.  It was the first thing he’d said since Wade had brought him back.  Since his emotions had gone away.  They were shocked into silence for a moment.  Then the moment was gone.

“That’s not true–”

“It is true,” said Walters.  “The decision has been made.  This meeting is just to inform you.”

Maddie opened her mouth to speak, but Walters interrupted:  “The United States government doesn’t officially recognize the existence of aliens so we don’t officially recognize their human rights…  Which they aren’t.  So they don’t have any.”

Sonic bristled.  “Are you serious?  I helped you guys save so many people, isn’t that worth anything?”

“We are allowing you to keep a super weapon.”

“Wha–The Master Emerald has nothing to do with it.”

Again Walters looked at Knuckles.  “Correction: we are allowing you to keep two super weapons.”

The car ride home was quiet except for the occasional sniffle from Maddie.  Tom had tried to offer some consolation, but she’d cut him off with a quiet, but heated: “Not now Tom, I’m furious .”  And no one wanted to follow that with anything.  So she cried in the front seat while Sonic slowly deflated into his defeat in the back.  Tails wouldn’t stop holding himself.  Tom just seemed determined to get them back to their temporary lodging.

They stopped at a red light and Tom glanced back at him.  “Are you okay, Knuckles?”  He asked.

Knuckles meant to say nothing, but words appeared in his mouth before they appeared in his head:  “Did you know they built a shrine where Longclaw fell?”

It was possible for silence to have a tone and that statement caused it to shift just slightly.  

“W-we could build a shrine here,” Sonic said, his voice strained.  “For your people.”

Knuckles wanted to ask who would visit such a shrine?  Who cared that his people were gone other than him?  The Wachowskis?  Certainly not Sonic.  Maybe the people from the towns the legion had destroyed.  Maybe they would come to spit on their memory.

But those words would chip away the dam.  So he said nothing and shook his head.

They returned to the temporary Wachowski home.  A hotel room many miles from the ruins of House Wachowski and Green Hills.  Tom said that they would go back and rebuild, but they would probably have to find other, more permanent, temporary lodgings soon.

The hotel had little privacy except for the bathroom, where Knuckles was not keen to spend much time, and the balcony, where everyone could still see him.  He chose the balcony.

He sat and stared out between the bars of the balcony’s railing.  A foreign city spread out before him.  All cities were foreign to him.  The only ones he had ever grown comfortable with were all destroyed now.

The door rattled as it slid open and shut again.  Knuckles did not turn to look, but he recognized Maddie’s footsteps as she approached.  She sat beside him.  He still did not look her way.

“I’m sorry for losing my cool back there,” she said.  “I… I should’ve asked you to speak more.  It’s your life.  Your people.”

She paused expectantly, but Knuckles had nothing to say to that.  It seemed so clear now that he had never had any control over his life.  He certainly had no control over the fate of his people.  Why should things be any different now?  His lone voice couldn’t change anything.  Walters had already made up his mind.  Short of attacking him and somehow stealing ten thousand bodies, there wasn’t anything Knuckles could do.  There was never anything he could do.

“Please, Knuckles…”  Maddie’s voice wavered.  “Please, talk to me.  Talk to me , Knuckles.  What are you feeling?  Do you feel sad?  Angry?  Guilty?  We keep telling you it’s not your fault–”

“That is not the problem!” The words burst out of him before he could stop it.  Something was bubbling up in him.  He had to keep a lid on it.  He had to.

Maddie just looked relieved that he’d said something.  “What is the problem?”

Knuckles wanted to say nothing.  But he could see the endless field of corpses every time he closed his eyes.  Not a nightmare.  Real.  His tribe lost for a second time.  And now they would be destroyed until no trace remained.  It was too much, the dam was buckling.

“I was dreaming.  A good dream.”  He started down at his fists, clenching and unclenching his hands. “Then I woke up.  Now I’m here where everything hurts.”  Oh.  He had not meant to say ‘hurts’.  He wanted to say ‘is horrible’.  ��Hurts’ was on the other side of the dam.  ‘Hurts’ was a drowning word.  He was making it worse.  He made everything worse.

Maddie touched his hand.  

“Physically or emotionally?”

He grit his teeth.  His eyes burned.  It took all his strength to hold the flood back.  “ Everything. ”

“What can I do for you?  What do you want?”

He stared at the hands that had done so many bad things without his permission.  The only other echidna using him and then dying.  He thought of his father thrown on a pyre by strangers.  He squeezed his eyes shut and gasped for breath like he really was drowning.  He didn’t want this.  He didn’t want any of this!

He pressed his face into his fists and breathed like each breath would force the emotions back down.  Maddie did not press.  She allowed him to sit like that for a long, long moment.  Long enough for Knuckles to wrest some semblance of control over himself.  When at last he lowered his hands, he found her watching him, hopeful and expectant.

He answered her honestly:  “I want to sleep forever, and never wake up.”

[silly-star-kitty]

Here’s the main boy! :3

Some things about him that are from his old artwork -w-

Sonic He/Him

-scar is a sort of reminder of what possessed him

-most of his memories got completely erased

-practically is a little kid now

-sees tails as his big brother

-he spent hours running in circles when he first woke up (which did not help tails stress)

And also some things that I’m writing now :3

-Sonic will be called ‘Mercy’ or ‘Mercy.Exe!Sonic’ when taking about other Sonic’s as to not confuse people -w-

-he remembers all of his friends and has a really special connection with tails

-he always tries to ‘fight’ knuckles despite tails telling him not to

-speaking of relationships with the other characters!

-

Amy thinks sonic is really adorable now that is so small! And gives him pretty flowers she finds when walking around!

Sonic still sees Knuckles as a rival of sorts and is pretty good friends with him still :3

Sonic doesn’t know much about silver but he thinks he looks cool! He wants silver to teach him telekinesis/psychokinesis (I’m not sure which?)

Sonic thinks shadow is very cool! He likes hanging with the others but no one else can match his speed :<, But shadow can! Which is why he likes him so much! And he has these cool ring thingys around his wrists! He wonders why shadow can’t take them off?

Sonic has met this robot version that looks a lot like him once! He said his name was metal! The rest of his friends arent allowed to know about the other hedgehog friend that he saw with metal though he doesn’t know why :(, his spiral eyes are pretty why can’t his other friends know about his pretty eyes :<?

But he never tells secrets! He always keeps them! So his promised secret from metal is safe with him :)!

He also talked with eggman! He’s a lot nicer now! And he now he knows that eggman is metals dad! :D

[aprocessionofthoughts]

Liminality

Ectoberweek 2023 day 26- Students start to go missing. At the same time, the Guys in White go quiet. TW- kidnappings mentioned summary- Amity Parkers have always been strange, especially after the portal. But everything was fine. At least until kids started to go missing.

ao3 masterlist

Amity had always been strange, and after the portal the young people especially so.

It had started small, some people’s eyes would glow, others would have fangs or pointed ears. But then some had started to develop some low level powers.

The Hanaby twins developed telepathy, but just between themselves. The Rosin girl became able to eat anything without detriment to her body. Her parents discord this when they found their three year old daughter eating gravel in their driveway. There was a kid who glowed. One who had an extra pair of arms, while another grew small horns. And after Pariah Dark where they were all sucked temporarily into the Zone, more powers began to develop in the youth. A boy woke up floating above his bed. A baby was born with an extra pair of arms. Thankfully it was a home birth, and the midwife was an Amity resident. Paulina developed immunity to fire, Dash super strength, Kwan small force fields, Star invisibility, and Mikey basic clairvoyance. 

There were a few who were notably more powerful. The Manson girl was said to be able to control plants, and the Foley boy had a form of technomancy. 

But the Fentons… The Fenton girl was said to have enhanced empathy and the ability to manipulate emotions along with the power of suggestion. And the Fenton boy had the basic ghost abilities along with a sonic scream. No one had ever heard it, but there were rumors that he had helped Phantom defeat Pariah Dark.

But because of all the ecto-contamination the GIW had been prevalent in Amity. Thankfully, the Fenton adults had finally changed their minds about ghosts when it was their own kids who were now counted as permanently ecto-contaminated. And since the Amity Parkers and their own powers now, and those who didn’t were more than willing to help fight to protect their kids, they were able to drive the GIW out. 

The GIW had only been quiet for about a month, before the first kid went missing.

EVeryone had been worried of course, but they hoped that the kid had just gone with friends or was exploring the woods. The child had impenetrable skin, so he should be okay for a while. But when one day turned into two that quickly became a week. The whole town was searching. But there was no trace of the boy. Those with x-ray vision didn’t see him in the woods, and those with psychometry (the ability to discern things by touching an object) couldn’t find anything either.  

And then the second child went missing. The town went to the individuals with clairvoyance, but they admitted that they had seen nothing and that their abilities felt blocked. This led to further investigation where it was discovered that most individuals with abilities felt weaker. 

There was obviously something wrong. But no one could find any answers. The town was in an uproar. Some families tried to leave, only to find that each time they approached the border they’d forget what they were doing and turn around and go back home.

And kids kept disappearing.

tbc

[son1c]

falling stars bonus chapter cuz it's been on my mind all day

falling stars fic masterpost

Sonic spent the first 5 seconds after he woke up blissfully unaware that anything was wrong. When 6 seconds rolled around, however, he started to get the feeling that maybe something was a little weird about his current situation. It was the pillow that gave it away–the thing was just too darn fluffy. It was unnatural. And by the time 7 seconds passed, he cracked his eyes open, and was greeted by a familiar room that did nothing but confirm his suspicions.

It was the hospital room from before. The simple fact that he recognized it was part of the problem. Because he had spent all of yesterday not recognizing anything, and he was kind of hoping it was just a bad dream. So, now that he had woken up and wasn’t magically transported to a world where he didn’t have amnesia… 

Well, it was a little undeniable.

But whatever. He could put that on the back burner for now, because there was one more thing that was bugging him. And this one was a bit more urgent than the whole “I can’t remember who I am” thing. And it was that, aside from himself, the room was empty.

He might have a faulty memory, but if there was one thing he was positive about, it was that he hadn’t been alone when he’d fallen asleep this morning.

So that begged the question: where was Stripes?

With a not unsubstantial amount of effort, Sonic sat up. Then, he noticed a pair of gloves folded neatly at the bottom of the bed. They were light blue, and sitting within arm’s reach on top of the thin sheet he was covered with. Wait, he didn’t remember crawling under the covers–

Sonic shook his head. Just add it to the list of things he didn’t remember, and move on, he thought.

After he grabbed the gloves, he put them on. The light blue felt… different… but it was nice to cover up some of the bandages, at least. So, he didn’t mind too much.

His broken leg ached horribly, so he tried to be as mindful of it as possible when he scooched forward. He got as far as the bottom end of the bed before stopping, both of his legs now hanging down over the edge. From there, he leaned forward, peeking around the corner and toward the door. It was still closed. Okay. He looked the other way, toward the window. It was still open. Hmm.

With a frown, Sonic sat back. He thought about how, unlike himself, Shadow was able to move around without any issues. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Even with all the craziness earlier, Sonic had still noticed the other hedgehog’s slight limp. But still, he was in way better shape than Sonic was currently. So, if he wanted to…

If he wanted to…

Sonic stared out the open window.

A slight rattling noise suddenly caught his attention. The sound was coming from above, and when Sonic looked up, he saw the bolts holding the air vent to the wall slowly becoming unscrewed. Before the metal cover could fall to the floor, however, a gloved hand reached out and snatched it. And then Shadow’s head appeared from inside of the vent, and he looked down at Sonic.

“Oh,” Shadow said. “You’re awake.”

Sonic couldn’t help but grin. “That’s a pretty cool entrance, Stripes.”

Shadow dropped down from the vent. It was only after propping the metal cover up against the wall that he turned back around to face Sonic and said, “The door didn’t seem like a good idea.”

Sonic snorted. “Still cool,” he said. Whatever worries had been coiling in his stomach before were gone now. He was wondering, though… “What made you wanna go all Mission Impossible?”

Shadow glanced at Sonic’s leg. “I was looking for something to help with that,” he said, “that I couldn’t find in here. Those bandages won’t hold up as a support for long. But this should.” He held out something to Sonic, a black brace suited for a Mobian-sized leg.

Sonic started to get excited. As grateful as he was that Shadow had been carrying him around up until this point, he definitely didn’t want to be a hedgehog-shaped tote bag forever. “Good thinking,” he said.

After slipping the brace onto his leg with only a moderate amount of pain, Sonic felt way better about their situation. He hadn’t realized just how miserable having a broken leg was making him until this very moment. Really, it almost made his memory problems seem like a nonissue by comparison.

“How does that feel?” Shadow asked.

“It feels like I could run a marathon,” Sonic replied.

Shadow frowned. “Don’t push your luck, Blue.”

Holding up his hands, Sonic said, “Just kidding. This thing would probably only be good for a half marathon, anyway.”

Shadow’s frown deepened, the joke totally flying over his head. But Sonic didn’t mind. He was just happy to have some of his freedom of motion back. With a sparkle in his eyes, Sonic asked, “Will you spot me? I wanna try to stand.”

Shadow started to say, “This is no time to be reckless,” but was cut off mid sentence by Sonic.

“Pleeeaaase?”

Scowling, Shadow averted his eyes from Sonic’s puppy dog face. “It’s your decision,” Shadow said, knowing that if he didn’t agree, Sonic would probably just do it anyway. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Sonic beamed when Shadow held out his hand. He took it eagerly, pulling himself up onto his feet as quickly as he dared. He put most of his weight onto his good leg, so the twinge in his bad one was kept to a minimum.

“Satisfied?” Shadow asked.

But Sonic wasn’t. Not yet. He dared to take a step forward, and the brace clacked against the hard linoleum floor when he did so. Now all he had to do was put his weight on it, and he would’ve taken his first real step since waking up in that crater yesterday. 

Sonic knew it was going to hurt. But he didn’t care, and after he took that one, small, painful step, all he could do was beam.

“Yeah,” Sonic said, giving Shadow’s hand a squeeze. “Now I am. Thanks.”

[midnightshard06]

Fictober Day 25: "It consumes me"

You can check it out on ao3 here if you prefer.

Summary: Shadow's first moments on the Ark are confusing and full of panic. He can't really blame people for how he's treated afterwards, but there seems to be at least one person willing to treat him differently.

AN: Early today cause I'm getting my copy of Sonic x Shadow Gens today and am very excited to play it lol

Set in my Lost and Found AU

Warnings: Nothing

Word Count: ~1050 words

The first emotion that Shadow experienced when he woke up for the first time was panic. Everything was too loud, too bright, and he felt a deep ache. Something was missing but he couldn’t tell what. With his clouded mind he did what had felt natural at the time, he lashed out. Whatever was around him was surely causing his misfortune so if he got rid of it he’d feel better. Maybe he’d even be able to figure out the sense of wrongness that seemed to settle over him. There were yells, talking he thought. Not that he understood what was being said at the time. Then there was a prick of pain in his arm and he could feel himself starting to go limp. He fought it of course but whatever had been done to him he couldn’t fight for long.

His vision seemed to clear a bit as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. Several people were cautiously approaching him and several more were being taken out of the room he was in. He was so confused.

It didn’t take long for Shadow to understand his situation. As well as understand how much worse he’d made it for himself with how he acted initially. Everyone around him seemed scared of him. Treated him as if he would go off again at the slightest provocation. Shadow didn’t quite think they were in the wrong either. Even he felt like he was constantly on the edge of wanting to lash out even when there was no clear cause. He was mindful to not dig his own claws into his arms as he grabbed them. What was wrong with him? Why was he like this? He’d started to understand what some of the scientists were saying. Things like “ultimate lifeform” “cure” “weapon” but the way that they said them had him doubting they were saying it positively. As far as he could tell they believed him to be a failure or at the very least a dangerous success. He overheard someone comparing him to a “biolizard” once. A prototype they’d called it. If his behavior was being compared to it he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to meet this biolizard.

For a while everyone gave him a wide berth. He couldn’t blame them. As much as he tried to keep himself under control it felt so hard. Not that he knew why. He could tell something was missing but any time he thought too hard about it he started to get a massive headache. That did not improve his moods at all. The unexplainable rage and wrongness, it consumed him. He just wished he knew the cause. Wished he could tell the people around him what was happening but his voice felt stuck in his throat. Of course he’d only just started to understand what they were saying, but he had no idea how to communicate back. Any time he tried to do it how it felt natural the headache came back. Eventually he stopped trying all together.

One night though things changed. It was late, presumably anyway based on how everyone was gone and the lights were out. He struggled to get comfortable in the small space he was being kept in but he didn’t dare try to complain. His ear twitched as the door to the lab opened. He didn’t expect whoever this was to approach him so he simply ignored it, pushing the part of himself that longed to reach out to the back of his mind.

“Hello?” A voice he’d never heard before called out. Shadow continued to ignore it, they were probably looking for one of the scientists. Not that they were here. Footsteps gradually got closer to him and he stiffened at the small gasp that came after they stopped. “Oh my goodness…” Whoever it was seemed to approach where he was being held. “You must be the one grandfather was talking about…” Her voice trailed off. Maybe if Shadow continued to ignore her, she’d go away. “I can’t believe they keep you like this.” She sounded… sad. That alone had Shadow twitching an ear in her direction. “So you can understand me.” She sounded pleased at the slight reaction. “I knew it. Can you look at me?”

Hesitantly Shadow turned around. Perhaps if he cooperated this whole exchange would go better. “My name’s Maria.” Maria smiled at him. “It’s nice to meet you…” She trailed off. “I don’t know your name. Sorry.” The scientists referred to him as “Project Shadow” so he’d taken to calling himself just Shadow. He didn’t like how it felt to be referred to by his “full” name. Not that he had any way of communicating this to Maria though. He just watched her as she looked at him patiently. After a few moments of silence Maria blinked. “Can’t talk?” Shadow looked down and shook his head. She nodded. “That’s ok. We can figure that out later.” Later? Was she implying they’d continue to see each other? Some part of him felt happy about that. Maria treated him far differently than any other person he’d encountered in his short life so far. It was refreshing and for a brief moment he felt he could ignore the consuming feeling of wrongness that seemed to permeate his being. He nodded at her and she smiled.

Of course this moment of calm was broken when the doors opened again. “Maria!” There was a tint of panic to the all too familiar voice. Gerald Robotnik, the head scientist as far as Shadow could gather, stepped into the room. “Get away from there! It’s dangerous.”

Maria looked between Shadow and Gerald, a frown on her face. “He’s not dangerous grandfather. I was just talking with him.”

“My dear it isn’t capable of holding a conversation with you. Now come here. I do not want to risk provoking Project Shadow’s wrath. Especially not with you here. I know you saw the aftermath of the first time.” Gerald took a step closer and Shadow did his best to stay as still and non threatening as possible. 

“Project Shadow…” Maria glanced at Shadow. “I’ll see you later… Shadow.” She said quietly, before going to her grandfather. Despite the cold that settled over the room once the two were gone, part of Shadow couldn’t help but feel some sort of warmth. Hopefully he’d see her again.

[lifblogs]

Waking Up

@ailesswhumptober Day 27 Before vs. After, Alternate Universe, "Well, there's a first for everything."

Fandom: The Bad Batch Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Word Count: 2448 Summary: Tech waking up on the Marauder pre-Plan 99 vs. Tech waking up on Pabu post-Plan 99 after being rescued by his family. READ ON AO3

Tech woke up. He checked his chrono after wiping the sleep from his eyes. Ah, perfect. Oh-five-hundred hours. He almost never wavered from that time. His body woke up to it naturally, even with all the traveling they did. The others weren’t up yet, but that was just as well. He needed time to check the ship, and their gear. There was also a project he needed to work on that could be beneficial for their mission.

The others liked to have caf first thing in the morning, and Tech enjoyed the warmth of it, but he didn’t need it as much to get his brain going.

He rolled out of his rack, and stretched. There was a clatter of metal against metal, and he immediately turned to the sound.

Oh, kriff. He’d forgotten he had fallen asleep working on a project.

Tech picked up the device he was making, and checked on each of his brothers, and then peered toward where Omega was sleeping. No one had woken from the sound. Though Wrecker grumbled a bit, he immediately started snoring again.

Tech took a sonic shower in two minutes, and was sitting down by the computers to check his gear and armor while eating a ration bar.

He was a bit tired of rations, but sometimes their blandness was easier for him to stomach than foods packed with flavor.

In ten minutes, all his pouches were packed with the supplies they’d need, and he was fastening them to his legs. His armor didn’t need much looking over since he had done it after their last mission two days ago, but the habit was drilled into him now. Probably for the best. Though, this time around his armor was suitable, with only a few new scratches from the last mission to be found.

He set to work checking over the ship and its systems.

The Marauder was fine. Mostly. There was some wear and tear on one of the fuel lines. He’d have to check it once they got to the landing zone.

With that all settled, Tech grabbed his crate of objects to tinker with, set them up by the computers and got to work.

The others were just beginning to wake up, Wrecker loudly complaining about Tech making so much noise.

“Calm down,” Tech told him. “It is oh-six-hundred hours, anyway.”

Hunter said, “I’ll make some caf. Tech, you want any?”

“I do not require such a stimulant, but yes. I find it enjoyable and wouldn’t mind a cup.”

“What are you working on?” Echo asked as he stood nearby, checking over his prosthetics as he usually did upon waking.

“A scanner of sorts. When complete it should be able to look for whatever we need: ships, lifeforms, electromagnetic frequencies, droids.”

Hunter leaned over at hearing this.

“Wait, wait, wait. I already do one of those.”

“You’re slacking.”

“I am not.”

Wrecker patted Hunter on the shoulder. “You’re doing a great job, Sarge.”

“Slacking,” Tech repeated.

“You’re not getting any caf.”

“That is fine.”

Tech looked up, not quite meeting Hunter’s eyes, but close enough. He hoped he could tell that Tech was just teasing him. The way his mouth turned up in a small half-smile let him know that he understood.

“Can I have caf?” Omega asked.

She tried this one every morning.

Tech shook his head, going back to his project. But he said “no” along with everyone else.

Omega came over and put her crossed arms on the console, leaning on it. Her hair was mussed still, and she was clearly still waking up.

“You tinker when you’re worried,” Omega said.

“Not all the time.”

She took the seat next to him, and stretched, accidentally kicking him in the process. He just shifted his leg. This was Omega, he didn’t mind.

“Are you worried about the mission?” she asked.

Tech looked at her. “Not at all. I know my abilities make me quite capable, and I’m good at adapting to different situations.”

“I’m worried,” she admitted.

“You’ll be fine.”

She looked around at all of them getting ready, and leaned back in the seat. “I suppose that’s true. Besides,” she said in a quieter but stronger tone that had him looking up and seeing a shine in her eyes, “it could be fun.”

He inwardly grinned, feeling the exact same way. Sometimes the danger and the strange things they were required to do were fun. He wondered if Omega had always been like that, or if she’d learned it from him.

Tech supposed it didn’t matter. His family had enough confidence and crazy to go around.

Tech woke up. He wasn’t sure if it was pain that woke him, or if it was the noise and bustle coming from the kitchen. What time was it?

Groaning, he turned his head, and looked at his chrono.

Ten hundred hours.

Kriff.

He groaned again, wiping a hand over his face, sleep still clouding his mind, nightmares trying to chase him into the daylight.

He closed his eyes, hoping he could go back to sleep for just a few more minutes, or maybe half an hour. The various throbbing aches throughout his body made that impossible. His head hurt, his face hurt, his hip hurt, his hand hurt, his back hurt, his abdomen hurt, his chest hurt.

It was so overwhelming that he didn’t want to move. Besides, moving hurt.

But if I get up I can take my meds.

Gone were the days of the painful injections from Hemlock. Now Tech had various pain pills: one to quiet the pain receptors in his nerves, another to relax his muscles, one to tackle inflammation, and another to tackle pain and inflammation on a long-term level and not just as needed.

Tech tried not to groan as he sat up, but the motion used muscles he was still trying to fix. As… as that thing Hemlock had made there hadn’t been any gentle care of his wounds—internal and external alike. He’d relied on pushing himself past his limits day in and day out, had relied on various drugs he was still learning weren’t good for him. But they had felt… amazing.

Tech didn’t feel like this when he was on them.

For the millionth time he… missed certain things about what he was.

Now he was this: Tech. His mind got some things confused still, but he hadn’t hurt anyone in a long, long time.

To him it would always seem close, that his wrongs weren’t a thing of the past. And if they were it was as if he thought he’d committed the atrocities a day before rather than weeks and weeks ago.

Tech checked his leg before getting out of bed as he did every day; the last thing he needed was it falling apart on him.

He glanced at his cane, hating it. Sure, a cane was a useful tool, and he didn’t have a problem with others using one, but he… he wasn’t supposed to be like this.

He was supposed to be a soldier of the Grand Army of the Republic, part of Clone Force 99—the Bad Batch. He was supposed to be a mercenary, he was supposed to be a brother, he was supposed to be someone who could live on Pabu in peace.

He was supposed to be dead.

Instead he had a broken body, and was forced to live with it.

Tech almost broke down at the thought of standing up, his hip aching fiercely. He only used the cane before he took his pain meds, but sometimes he had to call for help.

Tech didn’t want to.

Today everything hurt more than usual. He supposed he had probably slept poorly. He was taking something for nightmares, but at the risk of having his blood pressure drop easily, so he couldn’t be on the dose he needed without fainting.

Tech still felt sticky and gross from his nightmares.

“If you do this,” he said to himself, “you can get your pain meds. You can’t get them just sitting here.”

He grabbed his cane, hating the clack of his two mechno-fingers against the strong, dark wood.

He cried out as he stood, everything hurting. He hobbled over to his bureau where his meds were, along with a canteen of water he kept for mornings like this.

Tech was relieved after taking them, even though one tasted a bit metallic.

It took him ages to work up the courage to use the bathroom and wash up.

Thankfully his pain meds mostly kicked in after he was done with his quick shower (his showers were either quick, or too long, stuck between hardly looking at his body, and staring for minutes on end, trying to make sense of this thing he was in). Dressed, ignoring his tens of scars, Tech knew he needed food for two of his pain meds to metabolize successfully. He would have to face his family, looking like this. It was a trial he went through every day. They didn’t seem to mind, but he did.

Tech didn’t need his cane as he made his way to the living space. Omega was trying to steal Hunter’s caf. Wrecker and Hunter were making breakfast. Crosshair was playing with Batcher in the way he did before giving her meals. Omega had said it was good for Batcher’s instincts. Tech agreed. And he quite liked the lurca hound.

He felt odd amongst this lively jumble. They could move fast, they were nearly pain-free (save for some of their scars), they were at peace, they were happy.

Tech felt like he was outside, looking through a locked window, feeling like he could never be a part of this, that his fall had never actually ended.

Omega rushed over and grabbed his hand, helping him to sit on a stool at the counter. Hunter put a mug of caf in front of him that Omega stole a sip from. Tech liked his caf sweet now, and he trusted Hunter to remember and get that right.

Tech took it from Omega, and had a sip.

It was supposed to be nice. It was supposed to be enjoyable.

Yet all he felt was that it was an act. He was pretending to be Tech, and he was sure he was failing at it.

Crosshair glanced his way, and their gazes met. Neither turned away from the other. Omega, now sitting on the table rather than at the table, was looking their way. She understood too.

Tech was the more badly injured out of all of them, but they had all been in Tantiss. They had all had months of pure darkness.

Sometimes Tech wondered if his family had rescued the wrong man, that Tech was still left behind in that desolate mountain and needed saving.

“What are we having?” Tech asked, trying to engage with them.

He leaned over, and saw eggs, bacon, and some sort of blue batter in a pan.

Wrecker was the one minding the batter.

“Ever heard of pancakes?” Wrecker asked him.

“I don’t believe I have.”

“Well, me either. Found them in a recipe book Shep’s letting me borrow. Lyana says they’re pretty delicious.”

“Omega, get off the table, and set it, please,” Hunter said, not once having turned around to even see her on the table.

She grumbled about it a bit, but set to it. Tech decided to help. He was too restless to simply sit and enjoy caf.

He paused to say good morning to Batcher while he carried some silverware in his good hand.

He almost smiled, almost felt joy. It wasn’t Batcher’s fault. She was a good hound. There was something broken in Tech.

He knew that physically the health of his heart wasn’t great, but it felt like more than that, as if his Fall—as if Hemlock—had destroyed more than that. Perhaps Hemlock had taken Tech’s happiness to the grave, and it would never return.

Tech hardly tasted his food, but pretended it was good. He finished all of it, even as he began to register only texture, and loathed it. He knew he needed to eat the full meal to have energy. His restlessness didn’t help either. He kept tapping his feet, bouncing his good leg, tapping his silverware against his plate, twirling his cup of meiloorun juice around and around, watching the bright liquid twirl.

He enjoyed cleaning up from breakfast far more, having something to do with this restlessness. But afterwards…

Most of his family had somewhere to be, had something to do. Tech knew he should start on his massages and exercises, but somehow he was now too exhausted.

He was surprised when Crosshair sat beside him, Batcher following.

Crosshair didn’t say anything, just grabbed the lotion and sunscreen he needed for the scars on his head, and began massaging it in.

Tech felt his right eye tearing up. He wasn’t sure about facing the whole day, but maybe he could do these things for himself. Crosshair’s silent support with his own task and vulnerability pierced Tech so deeply that to his surprise he found himself smiling just a little, even as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Crosshair glanced at him, and continued working on his scars, lifting an eyebrow as if to ask Tech when he would get to work on his. He reached over for the healing lotion they always kept a tub of in the living room, and held it out to him.

Tech paused.

“Come on,” he said. “You have work to do.”

And that scared Tech, made him more afraid than he ever had been before a mission.

Getting better was his only mission now.

This was part of that.

He didn’t feel like he fit in—even in his own body—and felt lost amongst the peace the rest of his family seemed to be feeling. The gap between them seemed so large that he sometimes thought he was falling all over again.

But here Crosshair was, reaching out for him, like he hadn’t been able to before.

Tech reached out in kind, taking the tub of lotion.

“Thanks.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Tech breathed easier with Crosshair there as he set to work on massaging his scars.

He wasn’t the same person he had been, and it broke his heart every second of every day.

Maybe he just had to be… this person, this one right here who sat with Crosshair. After all, it had all been for him. And here he was.

Tech was far from feeling whole, complete, but maybe a tiny piece fit back together in that moment.

[disabledrunner5]

Well, it’s my birthday!

I’m officially slap bang in my mid twenties now 😅 but more to the point, that means it’s also my Runner Five’s birthday!

So I thought it would be cute to show you guys what I imagine what my Five received from Sam when she woke up on her birthday that took place during season 6 and some headcanons:

Five woke up alone to this on her birthday ^

The map is shit, I mean there’s no mystery around where she was going or where she needed to stop but she wasn’t going to say anything. She liked how there was no mystery about it and she was 100% going to humour Sam by doing it properly.

The picture did have a comment on the back of ‘the pink thing is a worm’. But Five teared up when she saw the picture.

One of the stops was Runner 8’s statue which is where Five goes to think. She said good morning to the statue on her way round.

Anyway when she got to the comms shack Sam was there with a huge smile and a ginormous pastry spread picnic for breakfast. Five had no idea how he pulled that off since a) pastry isn’t readily available and b) the comms shack is kind of vital (she later learned they’d set up a back up Comms shack from a old van they used on the run from Sigrid)

Then their friends joined (bringing chocolate cake, this is before the chocolate factory got blown up in season 6) and they opened the presents:

Janine got her a Bletchley Park quiz book.

Jodie knitted her a Gryffindor beanie hat

Maxine and Paula got her a few survival bits and bobs, like a first aid kit and the most recent player handbook for DND.

Baby Sara insisted on giving her a teddy with a orange hoodie on it ‘because it reminds her of daddy’ so if Sam was away from Five all she needed to do was hug the bear. Five nearly genuinely cried at that gift. (Baby Sara is probably in her toddler years in season 6 but I imagine its a ‘Gavin and Stacey’ situation where Baby Sara is now a nickname)

Jamie got her a pair of brand new trainers, he’s the kind of England but he he knows what Five really needed.

Amelia unfortunately got her some cosmetics claiming she looked tired all the time which really rubs Five and Sam up the wrong way because of course she looks tired, she’s a runner!

Brett Valmont even sent her a gift which confuses her, he gifted her the eleventh Doctor’s sonic screwdriver that was used in the show. The actual prop (or one of them).

Peter got her the full boxset of Red Dwarf with special features, and I mean all of Red Dwarf up until the apocalypse started.

Veronica made her a real life working K9 model (lasers not included).

Then Five found out how Valmont knew it was her birthday, Sam had been given by him the actual ring that Catherine Tate wore in the Doctor Who episode The Runaway Bride, the bio damper ring. Sam asked whether he could give it to her as a proper engagement ring for her birthday and he’d agreed.

That is Sam’s present…well part of it, he had commissioned Maxine to work on a special module for Demons and Darkness for Five’s birthday!

So they spend the rest of the day eating cake, and playing DND (although Paula had to take Sara out for a while because restless toddler not good and Amelia excuses herself claiming she’s too good for dnd)

Five has a really good, and more importantly stress free day (well as stress free as playing dnd can get)

She couldn’t have asked for better friends to celebrate with.

[minli-daughter-of-wukong]

Okay so I just wanna talk about the dream I had earlier in the morning (it’s 7:04 pm as I type this) bc I’ve had it in my mind all day but it’s too dreams from two different moments where I woke up and went back to sleep.

So the first one was like a sonic theme in a way, where I was friends with Tails and all that but like, we (as in me, Tails, and I think my dad) were being chased by these delinquent boys who were probably around my age (I’m 22 female) or maybe slightly younger. Anyway so Tails finds something I dropped outside of a hospital that we went to bc apparently I needed to have another surgery (just had hernia surgery like almost 2 months ago now) and I tell him he should try to find somewhere far to take it (I think it was something they could track) or else they might find the hospital I was at and hurt people, well then a previous coworker of mine who I haven’t seen since she quit shows up and the nurse asks me if I am okay with her being there, which I say no, and out of the corner of my eye I can see her get offended and when asked why by the nurse I tell her I believe she’s connected with the boys (this is right before I report these boys) and don’t feel safe with any of them around (idk why). So the nurse and a different one talk to these boys and send them on their way and I guess I never get Tails to come back bc before I can I’m woken up by my alarm clock in my phone.

So the second dream was Moana themed where I guess I took the place of Moana and I’m really good friends with Maui, and there’s this girl (can’t remember her name) who’s like my childhood rival and she learns the hard way what I (again in Moana’s place) have learned over the time of being on the ocean. So me, Maui, and this girl start to get along and we start doing like races in a weird labyrinth maze thing that’s totally easy and Maui and I are like on a team, having fun and the girl and another girl beat us. I ask how they won our little race and they said they jumped over “Raw Materials” (an area at my job that our department calls) and I’m like “I KNEW we should have cut through there” while also showing that I’m not mad or anything. Soon we’re having fun with these magical flowers and I send all but 4 away, one for each of us (the extra girl became a part of our group) when I at some point looked at Maui, said his name, then tossed him something (that was supposed to take the place of his hook) and nodded with a smirk, he smirked and nods back as he then calls out the rival girl’s name and then I jump into the water (bc we were swimming or something idk while on our canoe) and I can hear Maui turn into a whale with his whale call, but somehow I just stay underwater and get caught in a curl wave, but I’m not scared, I’m having fun! Then I wake up before anything else can happen.

Anyway just wanted to share these and if anyone has any ideas as to how I could possibly make this into a coherent story I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thanks!