#and the conversation between team dark and team sonic at that one rival fight too.

[futuristichedge]

Knuckles. You say this after seeing Shadow (who was presumed dead after falling to earth in a firey ball of flame) for the first time in who knows how long. And you're making jokes about him being a ghost.

[realperson022]

I have something. Is it big? No, but I thought it's worth sharing (probably).

Title: Starry-Eyed

Rating: Teen

Summary: Sonic didn't know why this happened every time Shadow turned super, but he was far from against it, even if it came at the expense of his falling this time.

*not finished*

For the first time in three days, it had been a soundless early morning—no Eggman attack, tinkering Tails, or incoming emergency calls from the Restoration HQ. Still and quiet, Sonic knew it, awake or not, as his face snuggled into the pillow and his body relaxed into the thrumming warmth at his left—wait, what?

Emerald eyes blinked open instantly, staring at the bold green numbers that stared back from the nightstand alarm. 

It was 6:22 AM.

Too early, his body complained, but his sleepy mind was waking up already, processing the concept of sensing overflowing amounts of chaos energy next to him. It certainly wasn't coming from him, having gone months without turning super for a while, and last he checked with Tails, Team Dark had borrowed their red chaos emerald, meaning one thing only.

"Mornin', Shads," Sonic sighed, turning onto his other side to stare playfully at his striped rival, who was currently donning his shimmery gold super form. 

Super Shadow smiled at the hero, all teeth. 

Very sharp teeth. Sonic had noticed them somewhere into their fifth meeting, like this every time Shadow went super. He guessed it was a side effect, along with the other stuff. A blush crept up the blue hero's face as he remembered precisely what other stuff usually entailed.

"Morning," the striped hedgehog replied, shifting his position to bump foreheads with Sonic, striking red ambers becoming hooded.

The hero chuckled softly, his eyes fully open and staring into his rival's. It had been nothing but whiplash for Sonic when he found out that, contrary to Shadow, this version of the Ultimate Lifeform wanted to be touched. Since he learned this, they decided to tentatively approach the new things that soon became habits from the golden being in Sonic's bed.

Another silly happening, too—Super Shadow preferred to confine their meet-ups to the hero's bed. This contradicted how Shadow typically found open settings more suitable when annoyed about meeting Sonic on the most random days.

"How was the mission?"

Super Shadow hummed, scooting closer to wrap an arm around Sonic's waist, sliding his head down and nudging at the blue hedgehog's chin. 

Unable to resist the warm comfort of his rival's small embrace, Sonic offered more of himself to the other, smiling when a purr rumbled deep from the hybrid's chest.

"The usual, you know," Super Shadow mumbled, fitting his face in the crook of Sonic's neck.

With this, the hero felt soft lips brushing the sensitive skin and fur, and Super Shadow's breathing sent goosebumps down his neck and chest. 

"Usual?" Sonic questioned, mirroring his rival by sliding a hand over Shadow's side, too. The next purr from the golden hedgehog let the hero know it was fine. Apparently, it's more than acceptable because Super Shadow pressed himself closer to Sonic.

They were a cocoon of warmth, wrapped up like this, and Sonic savored it because he knew the moment all the chaos energy drained from Super Shadow, it'd be over. 

"Mhmm, fighting Eggman and winning."

The hero only frowned at the mention of Eggman, gradually drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness. It was always hard to keep track of his conversations with Super Shadow; something about the heat the hybrid emitted made Sonic's body relax and mold into the perfect shape to fit right into the striped hedgehog's side. 

Super Shadow purred again, his vibrations making the blue hedgehog sigh. "I always win. That's why it's the usual."

Drowsy, Sonic's eyes began drooping, still listening to his rival. 

"Of course, you'd say that," the blue hero chuckled, his breath tickling the other's ears. "But that's a lie when it comes to me, remember."

At this point, Sonic felt like floating in soft clouds with the sun beaming down. It was a dream he was falling into and always did around Super Shadow's presence. He once joked about Shadow's altered shimmery version being some sandman for him when he only got a confused face.

It turned out that while Super Shadow willingly came, talked, and hugged Sonic until they both fell asleep, the memories never stuck with the standard Shadow, waking up distraught and awkwardly taking his leave upon seeing Sonic and himself in the same bed.

It was even more embarrassing for the hero to chase down the black hedgehog after the first time to explain that it wasn't like that. No, it was an unconscious part of Shadow's mind that awoke when transforming into his super form; the odd part was figuring out why it was that this led to seeking out specifically Sonic. Answers were never found; instead, the rivalry between both hedgehogs grew strained. 

For that, nothing needed to be said for both of them to understand why. 

So now, on occasion, Sonic woke up to Super Shadow waiting in his bed. Sonic took care of him while the chaos energy slowly drained from the hybrid. When it did, Sonic pulled away from the black hedgehog before he regained consciousness and waved goodbye at him with a silent nod.

It was a sad sight to see. 

To know what it could be if Shadow didn't always carry himself around with defensive walls, it was devastating never to have that, only glimpses of it. 

That's why the blue hero didn't try to force Shadow with this but gave reasons for what his rival's life would be like if he just let that vulnerable side of himself be free. It was an arduous task that even Sonic found challenging to beat at times, but he went a long way with his friends’ help. 

He didn't linger on those old thoughts too much, though. He needed to cherish the little moments he could have with Super Shadow, knowing it was all too good to exist in reality. 

But another thing had Sonic coming out of his soundless thinking, the hand around his waist sliding down until it was on his hip. 

"What—"

"No, it's not a lie." The hero was pushed onto his back and stared up to see Super Shadow's face slowly come to hover over him. 

Sonic wouldn't lie: Shadow was among the most beautiful people he had ever met. 

However, Super Shadow could rip Sonic's heart out right now from his chest without the hero knowing simply because he'd been too distracted looking into those two magnetic red-amber eyes. 

It was unbelievable, considering Sonic had fought gods before and came out on top. 

"I always win, even when it comes to you, Sonic."

A stuttering breath escaped fawn lips, letting that red gaze flick over to them and back to wide emeralds.

Super Shadow's other hand came over to press over the blue hedgehog's cheek, gloved fingers not strong enough a barrier to keep the golden hedgehog's warmth from fueling into Sonic's face. It had to be that, right? The chaos energy leaving a trace of heat over his muzzle? Right?

"Being with you, it's the greatest win of my life."

The confession came as a surprise to Sonic - more than really - but the kiss...oh, that was ethereal. 

Sonic had kissed princesses and been revived by some of them, but kissing Super Shadow was like swallowing fire and feeling it burn him inside out. Only for his rival to whisper his name against his mouth to breathe life into the hero again, reigniting a new flame; it was beyond anything Sonic had ever felt. He liked it a lot. 

The blue hedgehog let himself be molded again, arching into his rival's touch as he circled Super Shadow's neck with his arms. Sonic brought him closer, repeatedly wanting to feel that sensation until he was suffocating from the smoke and fire. It was the strangest thing how Super Shadow made his bed feel like a sacred oasis and deathbed all at once. Perhaps it was one of his secret powers, manipulating the energy flowing through his veins and around him to mess around with another's subconscious. 

It was predatory behavior, cunningly leading a blind lamb to the cave's mouth where the unknown smelled both exciting and terrifying. 

Except at this moment, when Super Shadow was fully straddling Sonic and pinning his wrists to the bed to drown the hero in kisses full of teasing tongues and fearsome fangs, it was surreal because the bells ringing loudly in the back of Sonic's head, telling him he was running low on oxygen fast, were useless to the temptation that his rival was offering him. 

For once, it felt good to die.

[gensproductionbook]

Game Design Doc

Battle of the Bands

Game Logline: An 80’s synth pop duo gets more than they bargained for when they decide to compete with a rival band that has an extremely devoted fan base.

Platform and Genre: A sci-fi, action, and music RPG meant for PC. The game concept is similar to Jem and the Holograms and as for game mechanics, it sort of resembles Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and Street Fighter. The game is targeted towards mostly teenagers, but it can also appeal to adults who might have lived through the 80’s.

Game World: The game takes place in 1984 in the 2-dimensional, pixelated city of San Francisco, California. The game world is realistic but with fantastic elements such as aliens implemented. There are six levels and they are differentiated by a different color scheme and a different boss at the end of each level. You alternate between the two of your main characters for each level. The soundtrack for the game is mostly 80’s synth pop music.

Characters and Story: The two main characters are Chris and Kris, an 80’s synth pop duo who just received their first record deal. Chris, with a C, is the guy; easy-going and chill but passionate about his music, and he plays the keytar. Kris, with a K, is the girl; she’s the more focused member of the duo, ambitious, equally as passionate about the music as Chris, and she plays the electric bass. The antagonists are a rival band made up five aliens disguised as humans. The backstory is: after finally getting noticed and receiving their first record label, Chris and Kris go straight to working diligently on their debut album. They put many months worth of work on the album and locked themselves in the studio and didn’t consume any media that entire time because they wanted their album to be 100% original. They’ve basically been living under a rock. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, they released the album. Despite all the hard work they’ve put in, they’re dismayed by the fact that their album sales are extremely low. They notice that a new rock band, that seemingly came from nowhere, released the #1 album. Chris and Kris quickly realize that all the teens in San Francisco have listened to the album and hae been behaving strangely. The duo finds out from their producer that the teens’ minds are being controlled by the top selling band which consists of the five aliens.

Gameplay is: Chris and Kris have to beat the aliens and stop them from taking over the entire country, but their main obstacle is that the aliens have an army of angsty teenagers to protect them. The thing is though, even though the teenager can attack them, Chris and Kris can’t fight back (because they’re just teenagers), but what they can do is get them to listen to their own music to revert them back to normal. If you end up harming a teenager then you lose points and eventually lose the game if you harm too many. For each level you have a specific objective such as: returning all the bags of money the teenagers stole from the bank, helping the pizza place deliver all of their pizza because they don’t want to get mugged by the teens. At the end of each level they face a boss, which is one member of the alien band. You can attack them with soundwaves from your instrument, swing a microphone at them like a lasso, and use a special team move. After the boss is defeated, you put your music on the speaker so that all the teenagers on that level are reverted back to normal. On the final level, you have to beat all five aliens at once.

Game Mechanics: On PC, it uses WASD and arrow key controls to move the move characters, interact with NPC’s and the environment, and attack. To converse with an NPC, you have to walk up to someone and press “W” to beginning talking with them, and you continue pressing “W” to get to another line of dialogue. You can tell the difference between an NPC versus a teenager because when you’re dealing with an NPC, attack/defense mode is disabled so all you can do is talk to them and the music is noticeably more chill. The teenagers are designed to look like stereotypical teenagers, flashy outfits, baggy clothes, and huge hair, and when you are facing a teenager, attack/defense mode is enabled and the music gets noticeably more intense.

The left and right arrow keys are used to move horizontally, while the down button is used to duck and the up button is used to jump or to climb stairs/get in an elevator if available. Press “Enter” to contact the producer using the character’s watch. The producer will remind you of the level’s objectives and give you helpful hints. “A” is used to switch from “attack mode” to “defense mode”. You can’t fight the teenagers so when you are facing them, it’s recommended that you switch to “defense mode” but when you are fighting the level’s boss, you switch to “attack mode”. When dealing with a teenager on defense mode, it is pretty much recommended to just find a way past them. You can jump over them, duck, or press “W”, “S” or “D” to block/dodge their attack. When fighting a boss, “W”, “S” and “D” are the fighting keys. Use “W” to attack with powerful sound waves from your instrument, use “S” to swing a microphone at them like a lasso, or use “D” once you’ve accumulated enough points to use the special move which involves Chris and Kris working together in a combined attack that does 4x the damage of a normal hit. You gain points from collecting vinyls scattered throughout the level and gain a little more every time you hit the final boss. You can press “A” to switch back to “defense mode” to defend yourself from the bosses attacks.

At every level there are a couple of save points so if you ever die, you won’t have have to completely start the game over from the beginning. Along the way, there will be food items like Pepsi, pizza, donuts, etc. that you can collect to restore some of your hitpoints. On the map, there is a music store where you can go to upgrade your instruments so that your attacks can do more damage. You can also stop at clothing store to buy clothing items that will increase your stats. For example: sneakers that will make you run faster and jump higher, anti-sunglasses (also called nightglasses) that help you see in the dark, a thick sweater so you take less damage, etc. Along with the vinyls, there are also coins you can collect that you can purchase these items with.

Deciding Factor: This game needs to be developed because it is a modern take on a retro concept. It is how a game from the 80’s would look if it were made now: there’s improved animation, cleaner graphics, and easy to understand game mechanics. This game is different than other games because of its nostalgic feel and its visual style. it will give kids an idea of how the 80’s looked and sounded, and it will remind adults of the ‘good old days’. It will be successful because it has compelling, well-rounded characters, a fitting soundtrack, an easy to follow story, and appealing graphics.