#attack of the Gaia minion

[wereh0gz]

For more angst within your Sonic Unleashed Bad End AU, may I propose to you: After years of aimless wandering Sonic now looks more like a Dark Gaia minion and Shadow doesn't even recognize him at first and they get into a scuffle. Then when they inevitably bring him up to Angel Island he gets all these scared and distrusting looks. Doesn't help that he already feels super guilty about everything...

I already have a design in mind (it's mostly just regular werehog but with a sick tattered cloak and scars and also he looks like he's having the worst possible time of his life and hasn't bathed in 7 years) but I like the way you think.....

[poppitron360]

I know that I have to, at some point, post my Leo Villain Arc AU.

Currently I am in a perpetual state of “Lemme just proofread it one more time-“ But if I don’t post it now, it will never get posted. I’ve been working on this off and on for about a month.

Summary: Takes place after the events of TLH- Leo deals with the aftermath of revealing his powers to the camp. In a confrontation with a few other campers, he finally lashes out and they get a little more than their comeuppance. Frightened by his own abilities, Leo runs away from camp, and Jason and Piper have to find him and stop him before he hurts anyone else- by any means necessary. When the time comes, Jason can’t bring himself to hurt Leo, and he pays the price. Piper has to then finish the job.

Please ignore any plotholes- I wrote it for the angst not the story.

Cw: Talk of suicide, talk of abuse, depictions of self-harm, major character death, blood, swearing, bullying, just all-round nasty stuff- I didn’t hold back on this one.

Word Count: 8,043!!! (Eight chapters in total, but not of equal length)

Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?

Leo has a villain arc AU (Dark! Leo)

I- Leo

Leo was avoiding people.

Okay, so he wasn’t avoiding all people. Jason ate lunch with him on the stands of the Chariot Tracks as they looked out across the springtime trees beyond. No. He was avoiding the other campers. He couldn’t deal with the weird looks they gave him when he ate at the dining pavilion. It had taken a lot of courage to reveal his powers to the others in Cabin 9, his siblings had been mostly cool with it, if a little weirded-out, but the other campers had been less accepting. Nobody had said anything to him yet, but he knew they were all thinking it. He was a freak.

“So, Piper’s been putting her hair up more as the weather’s getting hotter,” Jason said. Leo was only half-listening, but he nodded between bites of his burrito. He appreciated Jason’s company, and he understood that Piper was a big part of his life, but the constant girlfriend talk made him nauseous. Still, it was better than talking about monsters or Gaia or the impending Apocalypse.

Jason faltered, and the conversation stopped when Leo heard the familiar drooling voice and signature vocal fry of Drew Tanaka and two of her cronies. Leo hated that girl. She was less of a threat now that Piper had taken control of the Aphrodite cabin, but she was still a bitter and sneering bitch. Piper had been too nice. If Leo had his way, he would’ve taken a leaf out of the Heathers book and just put Drain Cleaner in Drew’s Hangover Cure.

Jason scowled at Drew as she walked out onto the course. Leo tried his best to shrink behind the terraced seating in front of them, hoping she hadn’t noticed him. But of course, she had. Her two minions sneered at him, baring their perfectly white teeth.

“Well, well, well,” Drew drooled, placing a manicured hand on the railing and advancing up the steps of the bleachers. Her cronies flanked her, one on each side, like an attack formation, “If it isn’t the arsonist.”

Leo’s stomach dropped. Jason snarled in his terrifying raised-by-wolves way. Drew’s friends snickered, but Drew kept her eyes locked on Leo.

“Why aren’t you eating lunch with the rest of the camp, huh? Is it because you know nobody wants you there? Even your dirty little siblings know you’re a freak. I mean, I thought I’d seen the worst of those filthy little Hephaestus kids, but this…” she looked down at him with her piercing eyes, “this is a new low.”

Leo scrambled out of his seat. Drew smirked, like his anger was amusing. Maybe it was, considering how he was at least two inches shorter than her. She backed away, slowly but confidently, as Leo advanced.

“Face it, freak,” She said, “You belong in Tartarus with all the other monsters.”

Leo’s hands balled up into fists. Jason tried to grab his wrist, but then yelped in pain and pulled back. Leo’s skin glowed white hot.

“Leo, stop it,” Jason pleaded, “Don’t listen to her, she’s trying to provoke you.”

Drew was still walking backwards down the aisle of the bleachers, smiling. Leo kept advancing, his body was smoking. His fists caught fire.

“Oooh, fire boy’s getting feisty,” She was walking quicker now, “I’ve done some research on your name, I have my ways of finding things out, y’know. And I uncovered a little secret of yours. Something you failed to mention to your siblings when you told them about your powers?”

Leo’s whole body was aflame now. Drew cackled.

“What are you gonna do, kill me?” Her back was pressed up against the wall of the stadium, an amused glint in her eye, “Just like you killed your-“

And the world erupted in flames.

II- Piper

The first thing Piper had registered was two of her siblings running scared out of the Chariot Stands, yelling something about a fire. Then she had heard the screaming.

She’d rushed in, shaking her can of hairspray that transformed into a fire extinguisher (a gift from Leo). What she saw filled her with fear and dread.

Drew was on the floor, backed up against a wall, shielding her face with her arm. Leo stood in front of her, surrounded by flames. His eyes were deep and dark and maniacal, his hands clenched tightly into fists. He was advancing slowly towards her, Jason stood helpless just out of reach of the flames, pleading with him to stop. Drew was screaming. Piper aimed her fire extinguisher at the scene and sprayed. Foam went everywhere, smothering the flames. When she was done, the bleachers of the racecourse were blackened and smoking, the chairs around her charred.

“Leo, what have you done?” Piper whispered, staring at him in horror.

“My face!” Drew cried, clutching the left side of her face, “He tried to fucking kill me!! My beautiful face!!”

Piper scowled at Drew, and then turned back to Leo. For a second, she caught a spark of pure hatred in his eyes, but then they welled with tears. At the sight of the shocked expression on her face, he seemed to realise what he’d done. His face contorted in remorse, and he tried to take a step towards her, but she felt herself flinch and back away in fear.

“Piper, I…”

Suddenly, the sound of voices made their heads turn. Chiron, and the other campers, led by Drew’s two cronies, were marching into the stands.

Piper turned to Leo.

“Go,” She commanded. There was no gentleness or sympathy in her voice, just a stern coldness, “Run. Now.”

And he did.

“Stop him!” One of the campers called, and began to chase after him, but Jason stood in their way, he kept his ice-blue eyes on Chiron, as if daring the centaur to scold him.

“He’s getting away!” The camper protested. Jason didn’t move.

“Let him go,” Chiron instructed, “Let us focus on repairing the damages.”

They took Drew to the infirmary. She was alive, you could tell by the wailing, but her face was badly scarred. Chiron held Jason, Piper, and Drew’s two friends back to ask them what happened.

“Me and Leo were eating lunch in the stands when Drew came up to us and started insulting Leo,” Jason explained. As he talked, he never broke eye contact with Chiron, giving him an aura of confidence, “The things she was saying- it was like she wanted him to flip out. She was trying to get a reaction out of him.”

“That’s not true!” One of Drew’s friends, Chloe, complained, “Drew just wanted to talk to the boy, when all of a sudden he started throwing fireballs at her face.”

Chiron turned to Piper, “And what did you see?”

“I only came in after Drew was attacked,” Piper explained, “But Leo wouldn’t just explode like that. He’s not a monster. Drew was probably using charm-speak on him to make him attack her- that way she could use it as leverage to turn the camp against us.”

“That’s an unfounded accusation,” Chiron said, “But I’ll admit, I am rather sceptical that Mr Valdez would attack her unprovoked. Jason, what was it she said to him?”

“She called him a monster, and said he belonged in Tartarus,” Jason said, “Then she… brought up the death of his mom.”

“That Valdez boy killed his own mother in a fire and then ran away!” Chloe said, “Drew was concerned at his failure to inform his siblings about that-“

“Because it’s a personal thing!” Jason yelled, “You shouldn’t expect him to give detailed outlines of all the traumatic things that ever happened to him!”

“I’m sorry for not feeling safe with a murderer around!”

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!” Electricity crackled around Jason. Piper wondered if he’d gotten taller somehow, but then she looked at his feet and noticed he was levitating a few inches off the ground.

“We should track him down and make him pay for his crimes!” Drew’s other lackey suggested. Chloe nodded in agreement.

Jason glowered at them, lightning crackling some more.

“You’re right,” Chiron said.

“What?” Piper and Jason protested in unison.

“It’s not safe to have a powerful Pyrokinetic demigod out on his own, afraid and dangerous,” he explained, “For Leo’s own safety, we need to bring him back to camp.”

“We volunteer,” Chloe said.

“No,” Jason replied, ““After the way Drew treated him, I don’t blame him for running away. And frankly, I don’t think it is necessarily safer for him to be in a place that would shun him instead of teaching him how to actually control his powers,” he stared at Chiron, but he took Piper’s hand and squeezed it.

“But Chiron’s right. Leo’s afraid. If he sees you two coming, it’ll scare him away, which will only make things worse… But he trusts us. And we know him better than anyone. If anyone’s finding him, it’s me and Piper.”

III- Leo

Leo had lost control.

Dangerous. A freak. A monster that belonged in Tartarus. That was what Drew had called him. And she was right- he’d proven that much. He’d flipped out and almost killed her because he couldn’t do a little anger management. He remembered the terrified faces of Jason and Piper. His best friends had looked at him like he was unrecognisable. They had been afraid of him. Piper hadn’t told him to run out of the goodness of her heart, but as a warning. She was letting him scarper instead of face the consequences of what he’d done. Chiron and the other campers wouldn’t be so merciful.

Of course he had run. He always did. He always will. He had thought Camp Half-Blood might be different, but he’d ruined it like he had in all the foster homes, schools, even with his own family. He will never not be running.

He stared down at the valley beneath him. Camp half-blood gleamed in the spring sun. Next to him, a cliff ran along the edge of the Long Island Sound.

Gods, it would be safer for everyone if he just jumped.

He hadn’t had thoughts like that in a while, not since he was a kid. But he approached the edge of the cliff and looked down. The tide was out. He imagined his tiny body slamming against those jagged rocks, the waves coming in and carrying him away. He could be at peace. And everyone he loved would be safe from him.

No. He couldn’t think like that. He had to keep moving.

He’d kept an emergency backpack in Bunker 9 in case he needed to split. He’d been hopeful he didn’t need it, but obviously he had been wrong. He took it off his shoulder, and double-checked its contents. Inside, he had a spare change of clothes, a refillable water bottle, some cereal bars, a blanket, a map of New York, five dollars in cash, and his second-favourite screwdriver. If there was anything he didn’t have, his tool-belt would provide.

He made the trek halfway to Queens, before it started to get dark and he decided to hitch-hike. He was hesitant to at first- he wasn’t exactly in a position to interact with people- but he needed to get into the city before nightfall. He tried his best not to get carsick as the driver drove down winding outer-city roads.

Sitting alone in the back of a stranger’s car gave him time to think. His whole life, he’d been manipulated by the Gods. By Hera and by Gaia- trying to shape him into the perfect chess-piece for their stupid game, moving him around, bending him into the right piece for 20 moves in the future, toppling over all the other pawns at once. Okay, maybe Leo didn’t really know the rules of chess. But his mom had died as a result of the Gaia’s meddling, in conjunction with the narrative he was being forced into by an ancient being, planning around his future. Was he expected just to sit here and let her?

He’d always tried to do the right thing, never lose control, never get angry. When people gave Leo shit, he was supposed to just take it on the chin and bear it, because if he lashed out-

Well, he didn’t wish the fate of his mother on anyone, not even Drew Tanaka.

But Gods, it had felt so freeing to not have to keep it in anymore. To let it go.

Leo looked at his hands. He could do it again…

No. He couldn’t. But still, something had changed inside. And that terrified him. What scared him the most was how much he’d… enjoyed it. It was exhilarating. He’d fought back, defended himself, proved himself not to be messed with. He’d felt powerful. So powerful, even Jason had been afraid of him. Leo had to admit, the thought made his skin tingle with a strange feeling- not quite pride, exactly, but close.

Leo looked out at the bustling city streets of NYC. His goal had been to get away from Camp Half-Blood. But now, where would he go? This was the first time he’d ran away actually knowing who he was. He wasn’t just a scared little boy anymore, he was powerful. And he had a taste for revenge.

IV- Jason

This wasn’t a quest, Jason had decided. Quests were noble and brave. No. Finding Leo was a wild goose chase.

That kid had experience in running away.

“He’d probably go somewhere where he’d feel safe. Where is safe in New York?” Piper asked.

“Maybe a workshop? Or… scrapyard? Somewhere with machines?” Jason suggested.

“Think. This isn’t the first time he’s run away. Where has he been in the past?”

Neither of them had an answer. Leo really never talked about his time on the run. He’d mentioned a few things, sleeping in a sewer, hiding in alleyways to avoid the cops, eating out of dumpsters. Grim stuff. It had always shocked Jason how much he’d been through.

The Hermes cabin had been their best bet for advice on missing demigods. Travellers. They had told him every possible route into the city, the best places to go to hide. Scrapyards had been a good idea, they’d said. Lots of old cars to steal, things to make. And, for a massively overpowered son of Hephaestus, a lot of fun toys to play with. That was their best bet.

Jason got out a map and circled all the possible places Leo might go. They studied it for a few seconds, discussing which points to systematically hit first.

Piper looked at Jason, a sad yet serious expression in her multicoloured eyes.

“Jason… If we can’t… If we can’t stop him…”

Jason didn’t meet her gaze. He knew what she was saying. He hoped she didn’t say it.

“If we can’t convince him to come home… if he becomes dangerous… you know what we have to do, right?”

His skin tingled with electricity.

“How can you say that, Piper? How can you even think to suggest-”

“I don’t like it either. And, believe me, I am praying that it doesn’t come to that, but if it does… we need to be prepared to make that call. I am prepared. Are you?”

“No, I’m fucking not,” Jason roared, angrily, “You’re asking me if I’m prepared to kill my best friend? No. The answer is no.”

“Jason-“ Piper’s eyes scanned Jason’s face, worriedly, pleading with him to see her reasoning, “You always want to see the best in people, and I love that about you, but I don’t wanna see you get hurt because of that.”

“Leo would never hurt me,” Jason told her, but he didn’t entirely believe it. Something about the look in Leo’s eyes as he had attacked Drew made Jason’s skin crawl. Vicious, wild, and maniacal. Jason had a horrible feeling that if he had stood in Leo’s way, Leo would not have stopped.

He thought about everything that kid had been through. Orphaned at the age of eight, manipulated by the Gods, abandoned by his family, forced to grow up alone on the streets, bouncing around foster homes, treated as a freak by what was supposed to be the only place that was safe for him, and probably a lot more- Leo never really talked about his past, but Jason got the sense it had been harsh and brutal. From what Jason could remember, he’d grown up in the demigod world, fighting monsters and facing death and danger. But the mortal world could be dark and cruel in ways Jason couldn’t even imagine. Subtler, more twisted ways. In a sense, he had been sheltered from that, facing the more explicitly terrifying monsters. Leo had been exposed to those tender cruelties in full force- no wonder he was filled with so much bitterness and resentment. Jason didn’t blame him for wanting to get back at the world.

But would he really go as far as Piper feared?

Jason had to believe he was still worth fighting for. That he was still in there, buried under layers and layers of pain and resentment. That there was still hope.

The first three places were dead ends. Nothing. No Leo.

Dusk had fallen by the time they had arrived at the fourth place.

An abandoned landfill site- mostly cars and old machinery. Heaps of junk towered above them, piles of corrugated iron sheets as high as small buildings. Everything from empty tomato-soup cans to out-of-order JCB diggers. They split up- Piper taking the east side, Jason taking the west. The sunset backlit the mountains of scrap, making the shadows loom over him.

Huge peak, black and huge, Jason thought.

Huh. Since when did he know Wordsworth? He didn’t have that many memories of his past, but he didn’t figure himself a literature geek. He thought about that poem, though. A man being so shocked by the vastness and power of nature that it kept him awake at night- “A trouble to his dreams”. He kind of related that to what Leo must’ve been feeling- terrified by something that was beyond his control. Tempted by the allure of power, only to realise how frightening the reality of it actually was. The poem starts with the man thinking he’s superior to nature- that he can command and control it. Then, when he sees the mountain, he realises his mistake. He realises his insignificance against the vastness of the peak. He realises that it was not him controlling nature, but in fact nature controlling him. He turns back, but the experience scars him. It haunts him for the rest of his life.

Jason shook his head. He couldn’t let his mind wander. Leo Valdez was not an epic poem- he was a scared, lost, and extremely dangerous teenager. There was nothing poetic or mysterious about the shit he’d been through. And comparing thee to a summer’s day would not help Jason find him.

He picked his way through the undergrowth of landfill, searching for a sign of life.

And then he saw it- a shape of a person in the passenger seat of a car. He saw the bounce of the curly hair, the long, bony, twitching fingers tapping on the dashboard. Aside from that, the shape didn’t seem to be moving. Just… waiting.

Jason saw Piper emerge from behind another large pile of trash. He waved her over and pointed to the car. Piper nodded. Jason approached. Leo didn’t look up, or give any indication that he saw Jason. Jason put a hand on the driver-side door and opened it.

“Leo?”

Leo was sitting, facing forward, tapping his fingers on the dashboard of the car. He didn’t answer. Jason sat down in the driver’s seat and closed the door.

“Leo, listen to me,” Jason pleaded, “You have to come back with us. I know it wasn’t your fault what happened at camp- but they don’t know that. You have to come and prove to them that you didn’t mean to hurt her. We can fix this.”

“I’m not going back, Jason,” Leo said, quietly, still staring through the front window, “You can go home.”

“But they’ll listen to you if you come- you can convince them you didn’t mean it. We’ll help you.”

“But what if I did mean it?” Leo turned to Jason, his eyes dark and hard and serious.

“Leo…”

Leo’s eyes flashed with anger, then he turned and looked through the window again.

“I’m not going back,” He repeated, his tone final.

“Leo, I know that you’re probably feeling a lot of emotions right now. You’re hurting. You’re… wait- what’s happening?” Jason felt the car start to move underneath them- inching forward sluggishly over the broken tarmac. Jason turned to Leo, “Leo? What-“

Without a word, Leo grabbed the handle to the side door and walked out of the car. Jason tried to open his own door, but he heard a click. It was locked. How was Leo doing this? Then he remembered during their quest- how easily Leo had deactivated the traps to Midas’ mansion. How he had known how to fly that helicopter just by listening to it. If Leo had some sort of telepathic ability with machines, he would be able to control the car without even touching it. That was frightening.

Jason watched the scene through the front windscreen. Piper was pleading with Leo. He could hear her voice, but her words were muffled. She tried to grab Leo’s wrist, but he shook her off. They were directly in front of the car now- Leo tried to walk away, towards the exit, but Piper was standing in his way. The car kept inching forwards like it was rolling down a very gradual hill. He was close enough to make out what Piper was saying now. Jason could hear her yelling, “Then why did you wait for us here only to refuse to come back with us?”

Leo pushed past her. Piper followed. She reached for his wrist again, but he pulled away, pushing her backwards in the process.

The car crept forward.

“Where are you gonna go, Leo?” Piper called, “What place is gonna take you in if not Camp Half-Blood?”

Leo flicked his wrist, and there was a metal clang! Piper stumbled and fell to the ground, right in the direct path of the car. The hem of her jeans were caught in some elaborate bear trap, scattered among the scrap that littered the floor. Katoptris clattered to the ground and skidded across the tarmac, just out of reach of Piper’s grasp.

Jason realised with horror that the car was not stopping. It began to pick up speed- faster, faster, it was barreling forwards now. He tried slamming on the breaks but it was no good. The accelerator was held down without his foot even on it. Piper was in front of the car. She screamed. Jason knew that she had no time to get out of the way. Leo’s lips twisted into a smile. Jason closed his eyes. Oh gods… Piper…

And then he heard tires screeching. He felt the car skid to a halt. Piper was still screaming. When Jason opened his eyes, Piper was on the ground, the front of the car was inches away from her trapped leg. The engine still revved like an impatient lion, wanting to cut to the kill.

“Promise to let me leave, Jason,” Leo said, his voice firm, “Promise you will let me go and you will not follow me.”

“Leo… don’t do this…” Jason pleaded.

“PROMISE ME OR PIPER GETS PANCAKED!!” He bellowed.

The engine revved again.

“Okay… okay… I promise… but Leo…”

“SWEAR IT ON THE RIVER STYX. BOTH OF YOU. AND SWEAR THAT NO-ONE ELSE FROM CAMP HALF-BLOOD WILL FOLLOW ME EITHER.”

Piper pleaded, “Leo, they’re out for your blood, we can’t stop-“

“SWEAR IT.”

The car inched forward, slowly. Piper caught her breath, and squeezed her eyes shut. Jason tried to get out of the car, but the door wouldn’t open.

“Leo. Stop it,” Jason begged, “This isn’t like you.”

“Isn’t like me?” Leo scoffed, “The dangerous freak is finally showing you just how dangerous and freaky he actually is. Or did you think I was just an innocent side-character? Your sassy comedic relief? You never thought I’d actually do something, did you?”

“Leo…”

“No, go ahead and save the girl. I’ll be waiting off-stage for my cue to be the funny best friend. I’ll tell my dumb jokes. Nobody actually gives a shit about who I really am. How I really feel.”

“That’s not true, Leo,” Piper assured him. Her voice was surprisingly calm for how much danger she was in.

“You don’t really believe that, or you wouldn’t be charmspeaking me, huh, beauty queen?” Leo’s eyes danced with malice, “No. The only person who ever cared about me WENT UP IN FUCKING FLAMES!!!!!!”

The car sped backwards, away from Piper. The tires screeched on the tarmac. Then it proceeded to drive towards her, picking up speed. Jason did the only thing he could- he put a hand on the dashboard, and sent a bolt of electricity through the body of the car. Luckily, it did what he wanted, and didn’t explode. It short-circuited the vehicle, giving Jason time to get out of the car before Leo could force-lock it again.

“Leo, I know you’re angry. I know you have a lot of resentment for the world-“

“YOU DON’T FUCKING KNOW ANYTHING!!” He yelled, “You had your happy reunion. Both of you. Jason found Thalia, his long-lost sister. Piper rescued her dad. You both have people- family- who care for you. My only family… my only blood relatives kicked me out, cast me aside, and blamed me for the death of my mom.”

“That’s where you’re going?” Jason said, “Back to Texas? To get revenge on your Aunt?”

Leo said nothing. That was answer enough.

Jason took a tentative step towards Leo, but Leo’s eyes gave him one quick flash of malice and then he turned and darted past a pile of scrap, squeezed through a gap in the surrounding fence, and disappeared. Jason wanted to bolt after him, but he couldn’t leave Piper. He walked over to her and examined where the fabric of her jeans had been caught in the trap. Luckily, the metal teeth had not caught her leg. Jason picked Piper’s dagger off the ground and cut into the denim jeans, slicing off the corner that was stuck in the trap. Piper wriggled free.

“Another perfectly good pair of jeans, ruined!” Piper complained.

“Oh my gods, how will you cope?” Jason replied, helping her up, then he turned serious, “Are you okay?”

“Physically, I’m fine. But seeing Leo like that…”

Jason remembered what Piper had said about Leo, about him becoming too dangerous, and he knew she was right. Leo had just tried to kill them. He was on his way to kill someone else. They had to stop him. Even if that meant…

No. Jason couldn’t. There was some part of Leo still left there. He had to believe that.

“Come on,” Jason said, “We’ve got a rogue demigod to find.”

V- Leo

Leo had done a lot of thinking on the long bus ride to Texas

The ride was meant to take six hours. Leo hadn’t had the money to pay for it, but luckily he had quick fingers. He felt bad about pickpocketing, but strangely not as bad as he should have felt. That filled Leo with dread. It felt like his emotions were freezing over, becoming closed and calloused just like the skin on his hands. Numb. Desensitised. He was doing bad things, making dangerous choices, but he no longer cared. He was going to kill someone, and he wouldn’t even be sorry.

He studied his arms. Scabbed-over cuts, faded scars, bruises new and old.

He remembered the bullies in the foster homes, cornering him and beating him up. Kicking and pummelling him as he crumpled to the floor. He remembered thinking, as he lay there, I deserve it.

He remembered his abusive foster mom, [this is cannon, mentioned in BoO], the look in her eyes as she hit him.

Slap! I deserve it.

He remembered running away, surviving on the streets for weeks with nothing in his stomach but bile. The agony of hunger blurring his vision, making it hard to think straight. Still one thought remained clear, I deserve it.

He remembered the knife in an alleyway, dragging the cold blade across his skin, blood trickling down his arm. I deserve it. I deserve it. I deserve it. I deserve it.

He remembered the confrontations he’d had at Camp after he’d revealed his powers. They’d cornered him, too. Throttled him and punched him. He’d let them. He’d curled up on the asphalt of the basketball pitch, thinking: I deserve it.

He’d tried to hide the bruises from Jason, but Jason still noticed them. He’d been outraged, shouting at Leo, “You could’ve stopped them! Why didn’t you?!”

Because, Leo had thought, I deserve it.

All these things had left him scars. Every mark on his arm a painful memory of the things that had happened to him. Every single one of them he deserved.

And now…

Oh Gods, what had he done? He had tried to kill his two best friends. He had actually, genuinely wanted to hurt them. Wanted them dead.

What would they think of him now? Would they forgive him? No, he knew they wouldn’t. They’d try to stop him. They’d try to kill him.

I deserve it, Leo thought.

Leo knew he was unfixable. Broken beyond repair. No rescue. No salvation. So if he was throwing his hopeless little life away, he might as well take someone else down with him.

There were people out there who deserved it, too.

Leo clenched his fists in anger just remembering everything Aunt Rosa had done. She had called him terrible names, yelled at the social workers to take him away, turned his whole family against him. She had ruined Leo’s life- abandoned him and left him in the hands of the worst people. She was the reason for all those scars on his arm.

I deserve it.

Yeah, well, she deserves it too.

Six hours until Texas, and Leo had already been awake for the past thirty four. He decided to close his eyes and sleep.

The nightmares came at him, fast.

He dreamed of the night his mother was killed. The low, cold, sleepy voice of Gaia as she told him of what was to come. He remembered the flames caressing his skin as his hands caught light. “They cannot stop me from breaking your spirit,” She had said to him. For years, he had dwelled on that line. For years, he had kept up appearances- kept up the Mask of the jokes and the sarcasm.

He remembered the sleeping face of the woman. Her shifting, dirt-like clothes. He was always the life of the party, the class clown, the comedic relief. He’d made everyone believe he had kept his spirit- that he’d never lost it in that fire. That it was more than just shattered remnants of happiness.

He remembered her coming towards him, advancing slowly and drowsily. He could not let anyone see that his spirit was broken. Not his friends. Not Gaia. Not even himself. Because he believed that if he let that Mask down for even a second, then she’d won.

He remembered the fear he had felt when the door had locked itself. The utter dread that rose in his stomach. Always positive. Always happy. Happy lil’ guy Leo. But the weight of that Mask had been crushing him. Now he’d shown his true, terrifying colours. And gods, it was like a heavy load had been lifted off his shoulders. He wasn’t afraid of being judged. Of bullies. Of monsters. He wasn’t even afraid of Gaia anymore. He wasn’t gonna be weighed down by the need to pretend just because some goddess thought she could control him. She was no different than Drew Tanaka- whispering cruel insults just to provoke him- and Leo had burned her putrid little face off.

He was there again. That night. Fire rose up, threatening to rage and roar. This time, Leo didn’t stop it. He let the flames engulf him and he actually smiled. He remembered the walls of the workshop blackening and crumbling. He remembered the ceiling falling down around him. For the first time, he’d seen that night as a display of his power- he had burned an entire building down at the age of eight, without even trying. He’d spent the next seven years suppressing his abilities, squashing it down, never giving in to the temptation of lashing out. Now, knowing the extent of his powers… imagine what he could do with some practice, maybe some training. The world had wronged him, but he was powerful. And he was gonna get it back.

He remembered the police sirens singing quietly in the distance. The flashing lights revolving silently across the world, washing it in red, blue, red, blue.

He was angry. He was gonna kill her. He was gonna fucking kill her.

Leo woke with a start. He felt the heat in his body rising, and quickly tried to squash it down. Luckily, there was no-one sitting next to him, but the stench in the air and on the leather seats at the back of the bus smelled incredibly flammable. Leo’s skin was scolding hot to the touch. He looked up at the no smoking sign, and chuckled at the irony of it.

Outside the window, the bus was pulling into a depot, manoeuvring into a space. He heard, or rather, felt, the tires underneath him slow to a halt. They had arrived.

VI- Jason

Texas was six hours away. They could get there quicker by plane, but they didn’t have the money for a ticket. They couldn’t even afford a coach, but luckily Piper had a solution. With a quick help from the Human Spark Plug that was Jason, they managed to get the car that Leo had tried to pancake them with up and running. Piper had gotten private driving lessons from her dad in the run-up to her sixteenth birthday. She’d put them to good use when she’d joyridden that BMW. They just prayed that she looked old enough to not be asked for a license.

It had taken them an hour to get out of the New York traffic, costing them valuable time. If they really were on their way to save a life, Jason hoped that getting stuck still behind a taxi cab for fifteen minutes didn’t cost them that. From what he’d heard about Leo’s Aunt Rosa, Jason figured she was a nasty and unpleasant piece of shit. But that didn’t mean she deserved to die. Besides, it wasn’t her that they were trying to save- it was Leo. Taking a life changes someone. He wanted to stop Leo before he went down that path. Jason couldn’t lose Leo like that.

“How’re we gonna stop him?” Jason asked, the long, winding upstate roads twisting before them.

Piper sighed, keeping her eyes on the road, “I tried charm-speak in the scrapyard. It didn’t do anything. He’s too far gone- too stuck in his own head to listen to reason.”

“There’s gotta be some way we can get through to him. There’s gotta be hope.”

“But what if there isn’t?” Piper’s voice cracked slightly, “What if…”

“We’re not having this conversation again, Piper. We’ll find some other way.”

Piper looked like she wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth shut.

They drove for several more hours before they arrived in Huston. Daylight rose up as they entered the city. Neither of them had slept. The streets became progressively more packed and winding as they delved further into the city.

The only question was- Where was Leo? How were they gonna find one scrappy twig of a boy in a big city like Huston?

Luckily, as they drove down the busy streets, a fire engine raced past, sirens blaring. Piper and Jason exchanged looks. It very well might not’ve been Leo, but it was their best lead. Piper stepped on the gas, and they went after the engine. Several cars honked at them angrily, but Piper ignored them. She sped up, going through a red light.

The car skidded to a halt when Piper saw that the firetruck had stopped outside a building. Smoke was pouring out of one of the ground-floor windows, but it wasn’t alight yet. Jason sighed with relief when he saw that a crowd of people- he guessed most of the inhabitants judging by the size of the apartment complex- standing safely outside. No-one looked badly hurt, but there was no Leo.

They got out of the car and moved closer towards the crowd. Nobody stopped them in the chaos.

“A teenage boy,” Jason head one of the residents say to the firefighter, “Stormed into our neighbours apartment. We heard yelling, then we heard the fire alarms.”

“What did this boy look like?”

“He was skinny, looked about fifteen, maybe sixteen- he had dark hair and his clothes and face was covered in dirt.”

Yup, that was Leo alright.

“He’s still in there,” the witness said, “I-I didn’t see him or our neighbour come out.”

Jason thanked the god of eavesdropping on people giving valuable exposition, and grabbed Piper’s hand. Before the firefighters could stop them, they rushed into the building.

Jason ran down the hall. One of the doors was ajar, and thick smoke was pouring out of it. Jason pulled Piper inside.

Leo was standing there, his body aflame, looming over an old woman, cowering on the floor. Leo was approaching her, slowly.

“Say you’re sorry, Aunt Rosa!” Leo yelled, “Say you’re sorry for everything you did to me.”

“Leo, stop!” Piper cried, and for a second, Leo did. But then he shook his head, and kept advancing.

“Say you’re sorry!” He commanded.

“I-I-“ The woman stammered. Leo’s fire burned brighter. Piper rushed forward and grabbed Leo’s Aunt by the shoulders and pulled her out of the way. She pushed her towards Jason, who grabbed her and shoved her towards the door. She ran without looking back.

Leo turned to face him. He was still wearing his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, which was now tattered and scorched and ripped. He glowered menacingly at Jason, fire danced in his eyes. Some twisted muscle in the corner of his mouth curled into a smile, as he sent two lines of flames racing towards Piper. Jason ran and pushed her out of range of the attack, just before walls of fire closed in around him. Heat hit him in the face with an unbearable force. Searing pain. Jason felt the strength seeping out of him. Leo was advancing slowly down the alleyway he’d created with his flames.

“Leo, please,” Jason begged, “You don’t want to do this. Please, I know some part of you still cares.”

At Jason’s pleading the corner of Leo’s mouth twisted into even more of a cruel smile. It wasn’t Leo’s smile- that flash of that playful grin, the mischievous twinkle in his eye, the cheeky little dimple at the corner of his mouth. No. This smile was cold and menacing, and it was disturbing how genuine it was. Leo was enjoying this.

Jason’s skin blackened and blistered. He wanted to cry out in pain, but Leo’s hand shot out and closed around his throat, cutting off what little oxygen Jason had left in the smoke-filled room.

“JASON!!” Piper yelled

It was now or never. Leo had Jason pinned against the wall, but Jason had the physical advantage over him, despite the energy seeping out of his muscles as Leo throttled him. He could muster up enough strength to overpower Leo, bring his sword down on his skull, end it all here. His vision was clouding fast, and Jason could feel his empty lungs screaming for air. If he didn’t act now, he’d quickly lose consciousness. But something made him hesitate. He let his sword clatter to the ground. Leo kicked it aside, keeping his eyes locked on Jason. Jason raised his hand, and touched Leo’s cheek. The last thing he saw was Leo’s dark eyes, cold and cruel, as the life drained out of Jason’s body and the fire swallowed him whole.

VII- Piper

Piper couldn’t see. Smoke filled the room and stung her eyes. She could just make out the vague silhouette of Leo holding Jason up by the throat- pinning him against the wall. She saw Jason struggle, gasping for air.

She called his name.

She unsheathed Katoptris and rushed forwards, but the heat from the flames was too much to bear, so she staggered back. She stood there, helpless, as Leo chocked Jason to death. She saw Jason drop his sword, and Leo kick it away. It skidded to a halt at Piper’s feet. What the fuck was Jason doing, letting go of his weapon? Leo was gonna kill him! She saw Jason reach out towards Leo, then his limbs went slack.

“NOOOOOO!!!!!!” Piper screamed.

Too late. She watched in horror as Jason’s limp body disappeared behind a column of flames. Piper picked up his sword with trembling hands, as Leo turned to face her.

She couldn’t believe it. Jason was dead. And Leo- Leo, his best friend, his closest companion, had killed him.

No. It wasn’t Leo. The man that stood in front of her was barely recognisable as that scrawny kid she’d met at the Wilderness School. His pointed facial features were darkened in the fire-lit room, the muscles around his mouth were contorted into a deranged grin. The look in his dark eyes was of pure malice. That. Was not. Leo.

Jason was dead. Whatever it was that stood before her had killed him. And it needed to pay.

It advanced towards her, but she was ready. She held Jason’s sword firmly in her grip.

As she slashed the blade across its chest, she saw that warped smile falter and for a moment, she caught a glimpse of Leo’s fearful expression. Then the light in his eyes died, and he crumpled to the ground, lying still.

He didn’t turn to dust like a monster.

He just lay there. Blood seeped out of the gash in his chest. So much blood.

Piper stood there as the world blurred around her. She felt someone grab her and rush her out of the building, but it all seemed like it was happening to someone else. The paramedics ran to her side, tending her burns. Firefighters doused the building in water. She replayed the moment she had killed Leo over and over again in her mind- that flash of remorse as the golden blade struck across his skin, blood trickling from the wound she’d made. So much blood. Oh gods, there had been so much blood. How can a body that tiny have so much blood?

She could’ve found another way. She could’ve saved him. If she had just hesitated-

No. Jason had hesitated. Leo had not. And now Jason was dead.

She knew it. In her heart, she knew it.

She knew that there was no hope of the firefighters finding Jason’s body as anything more than a blackened corpse. No rescue. No salvation.

Leo hadn’t been a monster. He was just a scared little kid.

She thought about everything he’d been through, everything he’d seen. He’d done terrible things. He’d let the power corrupt him. Let the anger and the pain take over until it consumed him. He was not controlling it. It was controlling him. He surrendered himself to it, believing he himself was not worth enough to be saved. It was better to submit. Leo could not see the good in himself, so threw himself into his power and let the cruelty take hold. Deep down, Piper knew he was just scared. He was just a kid- a barely fifteen, 5’1, runty little boy. Leo was badly damaged and broken and hurting. He didn’t ask to be born into this cruel world. To lose his mom, his hope, his home, his everything. He didn’t choose this life of torture and suffering. He didn’t want to be a half-blood.

He did not deserve it.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

A few author’s footnotes for the end:

I know Drew is a more complex character than that, but I needed a someone to bully Leo and she seemed like a better choice than to just create one.

I did start suddenly talking about Wordsworth there- I’m a huge literature geek and I really wanted to make that connection. I started writing a mountain and suddenly my brain jumped on the whole “Power of nature controlling you” metaphor.

About the car telekinesis thing- I’m pretty sure in MoA or something he actually moves some gears through a brick wall, just by putting a hand on it, which gave me the idea that he probably could drive a car with his mind if he was angry enough.

Also, I’ve just read the ending of BoO (I wrote this fic while I was still working my way through HoO), and we don’t talk enough about how in the battle against Gaia (also Ik I probably spelt her name wrong, I listened to the audiobooks, ok?) Leo was so powerful his body was actually made of fire- like Jason describes how you could see the flames inside him illuminating his skull!! Y’all say Percy is the most powerful demigod, but nobody fucking talks about Leo!! Percy didn’t even kill Kronos himself, he just handed Luke the knife. Leo DESTROYED MOTHER EARTH!!!! And, as I’m pretty sure mentioned in the story, he’d been suppressing his powers his entire life. Now he can finally let loose, he gets to be actually scary.

And not just with his fire as well- Leo is easily one of the most talented Hephaestus kids with machines, so much that he’s able to communicate with them. I wrote that scene in the junkyard to allow Leo to be fucking terrifying.

Aaaaand writing that just now, I’ve realised that might be my own automatophobia (fear of freaky animatronics and shit) being projected through my writing. Wow, the things you learn about yourself through fanfiction.

Also, everything I wrote about machines is probably SUPER inaccurate. I know nothing about them.

Similarly, I have never been to Texas or even America so I have no clue if any of my descriptions were accurate

Idk why I put “He didn’t want to be a half-blood” at the end. But I think it’s an interesting parallel to the themes explored in the first series with Percy and Luke- to be so wronged by the world that you just want to get back at it. But Luke had been wronged by the godly world, Leo had been wronged by the mortal one (but also by Hera and Gaia).

I’ve wanted to write this fic for a long time, and started getting ideas even before finishing tlh- but it was a post by @malrie that inspired me to start actually writing it, linking that here.

Also ty to @lavenderfairiez for helping me proofread some bits I wasn’t sure about and giving me some advice

This IS lowkey inspired by Shakespeare’s “Othello” (Like I said, literature geek)- a guy goes evil bc of the shitty way society treated him and everyone dies in the end. It’s a great play.

Vague undertones of Valgrace bc I couldn’t help myself, but it can be interpreted however you want. I didn’t ship Valgrace when I started this, and in fact I think I began writing it the day I began writing my first Valgrace fic, which then led me to start shipping them. Most of this was meant to be written platonically, but now I’ve made it a bit gay. Ooopsie daisy.

Also, sorry if you’re crying now. Actually, I’m kinda not sorry. I’m like Rick after writing the end of MoA.

[estellardreams]

Guardian of the Night

*Attacks @emthimofnight again!*

Okay, but seriously. This image was so clear to me that I NEEDED to draw it. I wanted to know if there was ever a Werehog Stellar before and tried messing around with that, and then it jumped from that to adding Camellia into the mix so... Werehog gf protects cat princess against dark gaia minions.

Thought it'd be neat. Hope you like it! :D

[cattyanon]

In regards to my newest AU of which I have dubbed Gaia Bat Sonic AU, here's a list of pros, cons, a mix of both, and attacks he has in the form:

Pros: Flight, night vision, echolocation, limited electrokinesis, slight super strength, and can sense other Dark Gaia minions within a certain range.

Cons: Sunlight burns him, too much light hurts his eyes, negative feelings amplified a lot, Dark Gaia energy flowing out a portion of his body that can enhance negative emotions of those who inhale it, and he has a tendency to screech like a bat when talking. He's also super embarrassed by that last one.

Both: Smaller, sensitive hearing, and a constant electric aura that he can turn into an attack.

New Attacks: Supersonic Screech, Shockwave, Electric Bite, and a Lightning Ball Shot from his tail.

Will update the list if I think of anything new!

[diamond-draws]

Sonic Worldbuilding: Dark Gaia

Like the lore in Sonic Unleashed shows, Dark Gaia awakens periodically to break apart the planet and plague in eternal night as Light Gaia (Chip) stops him, Dark Gaia is sealed into the core to sleep for thousands of years the cycle continues.

There is no exact backstory regarding the two deities, many have theorized that they are relative to Chaos but there isn't really anything to back the theory up.

The minions of his can actually be created by him and controlled with his own evil will, his premature awakening though rendered him unable to control his minions when he broke a part.

His minions can also influence Mobians but not in the same way as humans, while the method for terrorizing humans takes a psychological approach what they do to Mobians is more physical, legend says that a mobian bitten, scratched or stung by one of Dark Gaia's minions are inflicted with his own energy which activates only in the dark of night by then the infected mobian is turned into a ferocious creature with only the instinct to attack anything in sight.

The affected mobians of course go back to normal when Light Gaia defeats Dark Gaia of course.

This was what happened to Sonic in the beginning of the game but luckily Sonic was able to retain himself and not given in to the murderous instincts.

His transformation was less shown as well as normally Were-mobians would appear more feral, each were-mobian would appear differently depending on the animal family. For a few examples reptiles or amphibians will change into the likes of either a dragon or some kind of dinosaur, Canines carry even more werewolf-ish traits than others, bats become cunning and vampiric while still being completely feral, insects or arachnids are by far some of the most terrifying as their form is almost unrecognizable from who they once were.

[the-heart-of-a-monster]

Wait... It was Shadow talking, wasn't it?

He knew the only way to defeat the Big Mother from Shamar was to make Sonic fight it, because he saw how easily Sonic can tear through the Dark Gaia minions and absorb their energy. And now he's asking Sonic to "consume" in order to "fix" him... because Shadow is being corrupted by the same thing that creates those minions, Dark Gaia

Wait.. SONIC NEEDS TO ATTACK SHADOW TO CLEAN HIM FROM THE GAIA STUFF?!? OHHH WAIT THAT SOUNDS WORST THAN THE ARGUMENT WAIT WAITWHAT

good connection

[ask-teos]

They're a bunch of prejudiced fakers! The way the FF treat others that aren't like them is so cruel!! Such as the earth shattering incident back when Dark Gaia was released! Those poor Dark Gaia Minions and Lycanthropes, they just wanted a home! And they just mistreated them all!

// TRANSCRIPT

Relic: Oh! Queenie! Is that you? Hello!

Shadow: Huh? 

Relic: … Oh yeah, you and Rouge were elsewhere during that, weren't you-?

Wilma: Whether or not this person is a familiar, I agree with them! I remember being told that it was just a me thing, but I was never once attacked by any of Dark Gaia's minions! 

Relic: See? They ARE friendly! If you're friendly to them, you'll get the same in turn!

[themurphyzone]

Pinky Unleashed Ch 15

AN: Welcome to the beginning of the Africa arc! Yes I know the title isn't that creative but it's a song title so I can use it.

AO3 Link

Ch 15: Africa

“Satellite reports have confirmed the entire continent of Europe has shifted back onto the Earth’s mantle. Scientists continue to theorize on the cause…” 

“A volcano erupted on the island of Java at approximately 10 pm local time. Evacuation efforts have been compromised due to the strange monsters…” 

“THE TIME OF RECKONING IS FINALLY UPON US! FALL DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND REPENT!” 

Brain punched the off button, regretting his decision to listen to the radio while piloting the Hurricane. There were only so many news reports about the apocalypse he could handle before driving himself to the brink of insanity. He needed to either listen to the white noise from the engine or put together a personal playlist of songs that had nothing to do with the world ending.

There wasn’t anything interesting outside to look at either. The navigation system’s screen displayed that they were somewhere over the Sahara Desert, an enormous, desolate wasteland even before Dark Gaia ripped the planet apart. No city lights below them, nothing to indicate any sign of civilization anywhere close to them. 

The Hurricane was suspended in an endless void of darkness, the only obstacle preventing their motley trio from plummeting into the barren landscape of sand and stone below. 

Brain checked the fuel gauge. He’d expended more fuel and strained the Hurricane more than he wanted during their hasty escape from Dark Gaia’s minions in Rome. 

It’s logical to watch our fuel, he told himself, even when he glanced at the gauge again thirty seconds later after his last check, feeling somewhat paranoid that he didn’t do it properly the first time around. We absolutely don’t need to crash in the Sahara Desert at night, with no supplies to survive in an extreme climate and far away from any human settlement. 

He wasn’t proud of his complete dependence on Pinky when those poorly informed animal activists cast them into the jungle. They barely survived that incident, only made worse by Snowball’s involvement. 

He never thought he’d voluntarily go back to the wilderness, but he didn’t have a choice. They had to find the isolated Temple hidden within the rainforest, no matter what dangers they’d have to face. 

Even though they were able to start with some supplies this time around, Brain still didn’t feel prepared. Supplies could be lost after all. 

We could end up as a predator’s snack, fall into a river and drown, or wander aimlessly and never find the Temple. And if we can’t find safe shelter at night, especially one where Pinky can fit, we’ll be vulnerable to monster attacks.

There weren’t a lot of options for natural light under thick foliage. They’d be relying on Chip’s necklace and flashlights to ward off any monsters. 

And Pinky's strength, if we aren't able to run away first. 

So many horrific scenarios and outcomes ran through his mind, making it difficult to focus on piloting the plane. 

It wasn't only their ability to put the world back together he was uncertain about. 

He had no idea what to do about Pinky either. 

His companion was entirely too quiet when he should be chatty and too somber when there should've been a stupid, silly grin on his face now that his new friend was traveling with them. 

Where was the mischief? The noise? Why wasn't Pinky sticking his big red nose into things he shouldn't be getting into and teaching Chip to do the same? 

His gaze fell upon the tiny plastic world that hung from its chain on the windshield. The world was suspended against a starless, pitch-black void, alone and wandering without any of its celestial companions at its side. 

Still hanging on though. My world isn't broken just yet, Snowball. But…for how long? 

The thought wormed its way inside his mind and remained there even though he tried to dismiss it. 

Pinky was still himself, aside from his worrying lack of energy at times. But he wasn't going on mindless rampages unless there was an active threat. 

That had to count for something. 

He still tried to eat things that weren't edible. He still never pondered what Brain pondered, and he still talked nonsense when he could. 

Pinky was still stupid and ridiculous and sweet at times but mostly stupid and ridiculous. 

What was he doing now? It was entirely too quiet back there, especially while he had a new friend to influence. And a quiet Pinky worried him more than an energetic Pinky. 

With a sigh, Brain activated the autopilot and emergency system. 

Sitting here wasn’t doing him any favors. He needed to get up and move around, do something other than staring at dials and numbers all night. 

He also needed to check on Pinky…but mostly he needed to stretch his legs. 

The Hurricane could fly itself for a while, provided the journey was uneventful. Its navigation system was flawless. But if there was mechanical trouble or they were attacked, then Brain would have to be prepared to take back control. 

Brain jumped off the chair, somewhat clumsily since he’d been sitting down for so long. Nobody was around to notice though. 

Which was a relief. After all, he did have an image to cultivate as the future ruler of the world. 

As he entered the back of the plane, he wished that he’d brought a flashlight with him. He didn’t feel secure without one. Only the lights close to the cockpit were on, while the farthest walls enveloped in shadows. 

And something was moving back there.  

His fur stood on end. 

Did they truly shake off the monsters during takeoff? There was a slim chance one had gotten past their defenses, waiting to strike when they least expected it. Their options of escape were limited in the air. 

Pinky didn’t come running to greet him as he normally would’ve done. Chip didn’t come to offer him chocolate or prattle about something new he discovered. 

This is stupid, he told himself.

Children feared monsters in the dark, not future emperors of the world. 

But he couldn't control how fast and shallow his breathing became, nor the dread that set in when he heard someone breathing back there. 

He crept closer, wondering when exactly he became an idiotic horror movie character who moved towards the danger instead of away from it. 

The blankets laid out in front of him muffled his approach, and he was fully prepared to duck under the covers in case the monster noticed him. 

Then Brain's foot hit something smooth instead of fabric, and he jumped, instinctively hiding under the folds of the blanket. He clapped his hand over his mouth, worried that his stifled gasp had alerted the monster to his presence. 

He curled into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible, hardly daring to breathe. 

He covered his ears so he didn't have to listen to the monster try to worm its way inside his head, coaxing him to give up his goal and submit to Dark Gaia. 

But he couldn't block out all the noise. 

"Did you hear something, Pinky?" a voice called out. 

It was Chip. But his tone was strange. He didn't sound like he was afraid for his life. 

Still, Brain tried not to make a sound. For all he knew, Dark Gaia minions had the ability to mimic voices and were trying to lull him into a false sense of security. 

A soft, almost melodic whine accompanied Chip's voice. 

Brain's chest tightened at the noise. 

That was Pinky's voice. No creature who wholeheartedly belonged to Dark Gaia could ever sound so sad and concerned, nor could they ever replicate that melody so perfectly. 

Are you there, Brain? 

He didn't need words to understand what Pinky was asking. It was difficult to rationalize, but some part of him just knew. 

He felt the ground vibrate beneath him, and though he tensed at first, nothing tried to rip his covers away or snatch him up. If anything, the pawsteps felt more hesitant and cautious instead of terrifying.

Then the pawsteps ceased. 

But Brain knew Pinky was close by, though he was keeping his distance, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. 

He didn’t hear any sounds that indicated the presence of a threat. 

It’s safe. It’s just us. 

Brain mentally counted to three and slowly peeked out from behind the covers, though he was prepared to retreat if he needed to. 

Pinky was sitting several feet away, and though his tailtip began to wave the moment he saw Brain, his head was bowed low, blue eyes haunted by something Brain couldn’t see. Chip hovered above Pinky’s head, his camera held to his chest. 

Confused by Pinky’s expression, Brain threw the covers off. Whatever was bothering him, Brain needed to get to the bottom of it now or Pinky would never be able to focus on their mission once they made landfall in the Congo. 

"Don't hide in the shadows like that, Pinky," Brain scolded. "It's not good for you." 

Nor did he want to confuse Pinky with a monster because he couldn't clearly see his friend, though he kept that thought to himself. 

But Pinky's eyes were fixed on a point behind Brain, his ears drooping and his posture hunched. Confused by Pinky’s fear when there was no immediate danger on board, Brain turned around to see what he was so afraid of. 

It’s just a harmless fear that can be overcome with a pep talk, Brain tried to reason, although deep down, he knew that it wasn’t a fear that would go away on its own. Just like when he was afraid of the cleaning cart because it made so much noise.

There was a photo lying facedown on the blankets. Cautiously, Brain turned it over. As he touched its smooth surface, he realized this must’ve been what he stepped on earlier. He felt rather foolish for being frightened of something so harmless. 

Except…it wasn’t the harmless image Brain had believed it to be. 

In his hands, Pinky was just a dark outline with a threatening aura, blank white eyes glaring viciously and his gleaming fangs bared at the camera lens.

Out of context, it was the image of a monster from a nightmare. There was nothing else in the frame to explain why Pinky was in such a dangerous state. 

To an outsider, Pinky would look vicious and terrifying. Only Brain knew the truth. 

Nobody would ever realize that Pinky only lost control when something was threatening his friends. If the world saw this image, they’d believe Pinky was truly what this image portrayed him to be. 

They couldn’t hear Pinky’s whimpers nor see him wilt like a dehydrated flower whenever he was reminded of his transformation. They couldn’t see how afraid he was in the hours leading up to sunset, nor just how much of his heart he still had despite Dark Gaia’s influence. 

This photo of Pinky wasn’t reflective of the Pinky standing before him now. 

Brain ripped the photo apart, making sure the pieces could never be assembled to hurt Pinky again. 

Chip’s camera was the only item on the ship that was able to produce such an awful photo. Why he’d taken the photo at all was a mystery to Brain, but he didn’t care about figuring out why. 

“Chip, get rid of that camera now,” Brain demanded.  

Confused, Chip’s fingers only tightened around the camera. “But the professor bought this for me….” he protested. 

That didn’t mean anything to Brain. Professor Pickle didn’t understand the power of modern technology, and how a single leaked image could ruin somebody’s reputation for life if it ever got out. 

If a single photo of a transformed Pinky got out, it could lead to people ruthlessly hunting him down, and that was the last thing they needed. And Snowball was sure to take advantage of people’s distrust as well. 

The only solution was to destroy the camera. 

Chip dropped to the ground, ears back as he hesitantly held the camera out. Brain felt an odd pang of guilt for quashing Chip's interest in photography, yet it was necessary to prevent any hunters from pursuing Pinky. But before Brain could take the device, Pinky's paw came down between them. 

"What the-Pinky!" Brain protested. 

Pinky growled sharply at him, positioning his body so that Brain would have to go through him before he could get to Chip's camera. 

He didn't seem to notice a confused Chip hanging onto his hind leg, nervously peeking out during their argument. 

"I don't want our mission to be jeopardized by bounty hunters coming for your pelt!" Brain snapped. 

Pinky's nostrils flared, a displeased puff coming out of his nose. 

Brain wanted nothing more than to tear that stupid camera to pieces and mail it to a scrapyard. Chip's new hobby was nothing but trouble, causing Pinky's distress twice since they got back to the plane. And as an indirect consequence, Brain was forced to shift priorities to dealing with whatever troubled Pinky. 

But Pinky wouldn't allow him to rip the camera from Chip's hands. Even though Pinky had the physical strength to tear apart the camera himself, he was too forgiving for such an action. 

Pinky didn't budge an inch. He could be irritatingly obstinate when he wanted to be, and not even Brain could change his mind once it was set on something. 

It was a losing battle from the start. 

Brain crossed his arms. He refused to admit his defeat out loud. 

"I'm laying out several ground rules for your photography habit, Chip," Brain sighed. 

For the first time since they'd taken off, Pinky and Chip relaxed. Pinky's tail swished, his ears perking up again. 

Maybe I should've given in sooner if I'd known Pinky would react this way. 

It was a strange thought, one that he'd rather not dwell on. 

"You're really letting me keep my camera?" Chip asked, wings flapping in excitement. He finally stopped hiding behind Pinky. 

"As long as it doesn't become a distraction," Brain said. "And you will refrain from taking pictures of Pinky at night. We don't need the wrong person getting their hands on those images." 

And I won't have to devote a large portion of my attention to figuring out why Pinky's upset. 

Chip tilted his head. "What exactly would the wrong person do if they found my photos?" 

Chip didn't understand the nastier parts of this world. Brain wasn't sure if it was a side effect of his amnesia or if he genuinely had no experience with humanity. 

Brain looked away, feeling Pinky's worried gaze on him. 

"...they'd hunt him down. Try to take him away," Brain quietly said. "They'd lock him in a secure facility and experiment on him if they don't try to shoot him on sight first." 

Pinky whined, his large paws twitching in discomfort. 

Brain didn't want to scare Pinky more than necessary. But Pinky and Chip needed to know the consequences. 

"It's easy to trace where a photo was taken with modern technology," Brain continued. "And they'd believe Pinky is exactly how he appears in the photo." 

They don't know he snacks on lint balls like potato chips or that he can't count to three but has somehow memorized who's dating who at any given time in that mind numbing soap opera The Old and the Tireless. They'll never see how irritating he really is…and they'll never know how he once sacrificed his soul for me. How he'll do anything to make somebody he cares about happy. 

Chip's wings fluttered indignantly. "But Pinky only acts like that because we're being attacked! He's just trying to protect us! And he's super nice the rest of the time!" 

Pinky whined in confusion, surprised by Chip's bold words. 

"Well, it's true!" Chip declared emphatically. "I'd never be able to get my memories back if I was by myself! I still can't remember much, but because of you, I know that my necklace can open the Gaia Temples!" 

Brain still didn't know how Chip had acquired an artifact with an ability to open the Temples, or how he was able to read and translate the ancient engravings at all. 

That mystery would have to wait until they landed. 

"But more importantly, I'd still be alone and I'd never know the wonders of chocolate if I hadn't met you! So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm really happy we met!" Chip grinned.

Though Pinky was surprised at Chip’s heartfelt declaration, he gave him a tiny smile. 

"At least you have your priorities straight," Brain said, and neither of his traveling companions noticed the sarcasm in his voice. “But you finally understand my point.”  

Chip nodded. “They don’t understand Pinky like we do.” 

Brain didn’t understand Pinky at all sometimes, but he simply nodded at Chip in agreement. But before he could move onto another important matter, he stumbled as a wave of dizziness overtook him. His vision suddenly became obstructed, and Chip sounded like he was trying to speak underwater while there were at least four or five Pinkys surrounding him. 

Are we being attacked again? Brain tried not to panic, unsure why his senses were suddenly failing. Can Dark Gaia cause vision failure? 

There was no end to Dark Gaia’s arsenal of nightmare-inducing powers. 

All five Pinkys suddenly disappeared from his line of sight as he lost his balance and fell on his bottom. Just when Brain wondered where they’d gone, a single Pinky returned with a package clutched in his large paw. The package crunched in Pinky’s large paw as he set it down in front of Brain. 

The package contained cheese crackers, mostly whole except for several Pinky had accidentally crushed in the back. 

Suddenly, Brain’s stomach rumbled, and he wondered if this was how a dog felt in Pavlov’s experiments when their mouth watered at the promise of food. 

“I can’t eat now, Pinky, though I appreciate the offer. I came back here to prepare you two on what to expect in the near future-” Brain began, though he hadn’t eaten since they left Rome and his stomach was beginning to pay the price.  

But Pinky clamped his hands against his ears and turned his back on Brain. 

I’m not listening to any plan of yours until you eat. Troz!

Even when Pinky couldn’t talk, he was still finding a way to sass him!

Chip quickly copied Pinky’s posture and clamped his ears too, though it took him a moment to remember that he needed to show his back to Brain.

“You don’t need to copy him!” Brain snapped. That was just excessive! 

“Did you hear something, Pinky? Cause I didn’t!” Chip hummed. Pinky shook his head, a ridiculous grin on his face. 

Annoyed by how much he preferred Pinky’s stupid smile to his pitiful frown and their patronizing tones, Brain quickly found two small pillows hidden in the mass of blankets that were suitable for throwing. 

But they wouldn't have any effect if Pinky and Chip were facing away from him. 

Brain quietly moved the pillows into throwing position, making sure that Pinky and Chip would regret not keeping an eye on him. They'd both have to learn to watch their backs. 

Then he quickly crushed part of a cracker in one hand, including part of the plastic covering. 

The unsuspecting morons turned around, never realizing that Brain tricked them. 

Brain aimed for Pinky's nose first. It was large and red with a white shine in the middle, the quintessential target. The pillow hit its mark, and Pinky went cross-eyed trying to see what hit him. 

Given Pinky's large size, Brain expected that the pillow wouldn't have much effect beyond temporarily confusing him. But Pinky always excelled as a decoy. 

The real target was too busy laughing at Pinky's cross-eyed expression to notice the pillow hurtling toward him. Chip didn't even have time to comically express surprise before he was knocked out of the air and onto his stomach, his eyes swirling dizzily with the pillow on his back like a turtle's shell. 

"Heehee look at all the yummy stars…I wanna eat 'em all up…" Chip mumbled, giggling to nobody in particular. 

With his need for retribution satisfied, Brain sat down to eat the cheese crackers, figuring it wouldn't hurt to humor Pinky. 

The Hurricane's emergency alert hadn't gone off yet. Though Brain didn't want to be complacent in case a life-threatening situation occurred, he knew that he needed to procure the energy needed to deal with an emergency situation now rather than regret it later. 

As Brain snacked on the crackers, Pinky pushed a box of trash that once contained food and other items to the wall. 

Before Brain could question Pinky on whatever idiotic thing he was planning to do, Chip flew in with a roll of tape in his hands. Pinky reached into the box and pulled out an empty candy wrapper, carefully holding it steady while Chip taped it to the wall. 

Pinky carefully moved his fingers around the wrapper to avoid touching Chip. 

That candy wrapper wasn't the only item taped to the wall, Brain realized with horror. There were plenty more that were certainly never meant to be hanging on someone's wall, plane or otherwise. 

"Just because you have the Ultimate Decorator achievement in Sam's City doesn't mean you're an expert with interior decor in real life," Brain complained. He was starting to regret giving Pinky all the creative freedom he wanted. 

"Pinky-" Brain said, fully intending to inform Pinky and Chip that they needed to take their trash off the walls. 

"I'll find you some stickers or items that are actually meant for decor once we get back to civilization," was what came out of his mouth instead, for some unfathomable reason. 

Pinky made a hopeful noise. 

Brain groaned, dreading the idea of a little girl's cartoon characters decorating the Hurricane. 

"Yes, even the glittery My Tiny Zebra stickers…" 

Pinky yipped with excitement. 

The things I do to prove he's the furthest thing from Dark Gaia spawn in the world…. 

He tried to focus on procuring enough energy for the journey ahead rather than the impending future of overly cutesy technicolor zebras decorating the Hurricane. 

He hadn't realized how famished he was until he'd started eating. His last meal had been a bowl of spaghetti from the university cafeteria right before he started maintenance on the plane, but that was hours ago. 

Pinky always made sure Brain didn't skip meals when he became too fixated on a project. And he could be ridiculously stubborn about it too. Even in this unfamiliar and dangerous world, it was a trait he hadn't lost. 

Perhaps it was pathetic that he was constantly looking for indicators that Pinky's personality remained the same at night. That he wasn't convinced by sight and actions alone of Pinky's mysterious ability to resist Dark Gaia's influence. 

Maybe a simple mind provided natural immunity or resistance? But if that were true, humans wouldn't be so easily affected. 

It was difficult to reconcile that Pinky, a fool who was ecstatic at the promise of My Tiny Zebra stickers and became way too invested in the domestic lives of his Sam's City characters, was the same Pinky who'd been protecting him from monsters while struggling to keep Dark Gaia at bay within his own body all this time. 

It would only make Dark Gaia more determined to claim Pinky entirely. 

I can't allow that to happen. Pinky serves me and nobody else, not even a primordial, planet-destroying entity. 

Brain crushed the last cracker in his hand. He'd reached the end of the package, amd there were only crumbs left. Now that his hunger was satisfied, he could finally focus on the next step of their journey. 

"Pinky! Chip!" Brain called. "Get over here so I can debrief you on what to expect once we land!" 

Brain had learned from experience that the wilderness could be brutal and unforgiving, even without the combined threats of Snowball and Dark Gaia. There were many natural hazards for even the most experienced adventurers, and plenty of animals that would love to dine on two mice and a flying chihuahua. 

Last time he and Pinky were trapped in the jungle, Brain had been completely unprepared for the lack of technology, the harsh terrain, and overabundance of animals trying to eat him. He'd been forced to rely on Pinky and his inexplicable knowledge of wilderness survival. 

Brain didn't want to be hopelessly dependent on Pinky like that ever again. 

Brain needed to be the leader of the group, strong, confident, and fearless as he marched into the unknown with his followers right behind him. There was no room for weakness. He couldn't falter for a second. 

If anything, Chip was the rookie at jungle survival. They'd have to make sure he didn't mistake some strange plant for chocolate or run afoul of any predators seeking lunch. 

He felt a little better, knowing that he wasn't the beginner at wilderness survival anymore. Even if he didn't have Pinky's proficiency, he still knew enough to get by. 

And Brain had several hours to prepare and adjust his plan accordingly, unlike last time. 

Pinky immediately dropped the cookie wrapper he was trying to hang and padded over to Brain. He sat down on his haunches, ears perked towards the smaller mouse. He was ready and eager to listen, and Brain appreciated that. 

If only Chip would learn to do the same. He was still buried headfirst in one of the boxes containing food. 

Brain impatiently stood up, ready to yank Chip out tail first if he didn't comply in the next five seconds, but Pinky beat him to the punch. 

Pinky's tail lashed in a rare show of impatience as he picked up the entire box and brought it over to where Brain was waiting. Chip yelped when Pinky set the box somewhat roughly on the floor, legs flailing briefly before his head finally popped out. Predictably, there was chocolate smudged across his mouth. 

“Glad you’ve finally found the time to join us,” Brain said sarcastically.

“Huh? Oh, of course!” Chip exclaimed. He pulled the rest of his body out of the box and sprawled out on top of its contents. “What are we doing exactly?” 

Brain sighed. He wasn’t sure if he could put up with his companions’ stupidity through six more continents. 

“We need to be prepared for what’s to come,” Brain said. “Rome and the Congo Rainforest are drastically different environments from each other, and there are plenty of dangers in a rainforest under normal circumstances.” 

Chip shivered. “Wh-what kind of dangers?”

“You could fall off a cliff or into a rushing river,” Brain replied. “Malaria. Losing your way and never returning alive. Plenty of animals who would devour you like a chocolate bar. Not to mention…quicksand.” 

Pinky shrugged, as if being tied to a pole as sand filled his lungs wasn’t a horrible fate at all. 

Brain had saved Pinky just in time, but it was one of the closest calls they’ve ever had. He wasn’t keen on a repeat of that experience. 

Chip's eyes widened with fright. "I don't wanna become a chocolate bar! They're tasty and all, but I'm the one who's supposed to be eating them!" 

Then he understood the metaphor. Good. 

They needed Chip's ability to open the Gaia Temples, and he couldn't do that if he was being digested in some predator's stomach. 

Pinky made a sympathetic noise, but Chip just glanced at him blankly, unable to discern his vocalizations. 

Brain sighed. "He says he'll weave a hat for you once he finds the right plants. Somehow, that's supposed to help you feel braver." 

Chip blinked. "Um, if you think that'll help…." 

Like Brain, he wasn't seeing the correlation between wearing an accessory and bravery. 

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Pinky knows what he's doing when it comes to surviving in the jungle," Brain said. "You'll survive…even if there are no stores where you can easily buy chocolate." 

Upon hearing that bit of concerning news, Chip dramatically fainted. 

"Pinky, you'll be our lookout for this expedition," Brain continued, ignoring Chip's antics. "Keep an eye out for any danger or natural supplies we might come across. And you'll be responsible for keeping this one out of trouble. We'll need him to open the Gaia Temple, preferably in one piece." 

Pinky nodded.

Brain took several crumpled wrappers that fell from the box and arranged them into a pattern. "I'll be in charge of navigation. I'm the only one here who knows how to read a compass anyway." 

Pinky shrugged as if not being able to read a compass wasn't a big deal. Chip, who'd recovered from his fainting spell, just looked confused as he tried to catch up to the plan he missed. 

"It's likely we'll have to venture far from our landing site to locate the Gaia Temple," Brain said. He pointed to a large wrapper to stand in for the Hurricane, then to three smaller wrappers that represented their group. "The last Temple was sealed in a catacomb and well-hidden from anyone not actively searching for it. We can assume the African Temple will be similar. So keep an eye out for any unusual markings, or for something that doesn't look like it would belong in a rainforest." 

Brain hoped this Gaia Temple wasn't located underground again. He'd had enough of caverns and labyrinths to last a lifetime. 

Chip fluttered his wings. "Okay, I can definitely look for unusual markings. But how am I supposed to know what does or doesn't belong in a rainforest? I barely know what a rainforest looks like!" 

Pinky tapped the green soccer-themed blanket with one large paw before bounding over to a heap of blankets that hadn't been spread out yet. Carefully, he nipped a rainbow patterned blanket and dislodged it from the rest of the pile. 

Chip tilted his head, trying to understand Pinky's explanation. "So a rainforest is green and…colorful?" 

"His explanation is just as simple as he is," Brain sighed, though Pinky was approximately thirty percent correct. "But that should be easy enough to remember for you. And rare as it is, Pinky is onto something." 

Pinky proudly puffed out his chest. 

Brain rolled his eyes. "Don't let that stick in your fluff-filled head, Pinky. I'm only saying that rainforests are naturally green and vibrant. It's not a guarantee, but surroundings and objects less colorful and more eroded from time might indicate a Gaia Temple. And since the last Temple was well-hidden from the outside world, it’s likely this structure will be the same.” 

The Temple would be naturally secluded from humans with a dense rainforest surrounding it. Who knew how long they’d be wandering through an untamed jungle? Even if they brought supplies from the plane, they could easily run out or lose them. And if someone needed medical attention, they’d lose a lot of ground.  

Then there was Dark Gaia. Its minions would be lurking around at night in search of hapless victims. 

In the jungle, there would hardly be any sunlight to touch the ground, nor were there any artificial light sources except for the flashlights they were bringing along for their venture. 

Anything could happen down there. No contingencies in the world could prepare them for every possibility. 

I can’t fail this objective. We have to get to the Gaia Temple. I’m the leader of this motley group. I need to be able to get us there! 

Pinky and Chip watched him expectantly as they waited for more details about his plan.

But Brain barely had one beyond wandering in the rainforest while trying not to be eaten, injured, or killed, and hope they stumble upon the Temple through dumb luck or divine intervention. 

I can’t tell them my plan only consists of trying not to die. They’re depending on me. I can’t show weakness in front of them.   

“Um, Brain? Is something wrong?” Chip asked, exchanging a concerned look with Pinky. “You’re still telling us the plan….” 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Brain insisted, cursing himself for being too obvious about his lack of a coherent plan. 

Pinky remained quiet, but he gave Brain a look that hinted he knew exactly what Brain was thinking. 

Brain quickly stood up and marched towards the doors of the cockpit. He’d left the navigation controls alone for too long already, nor did he want Pinky reading his mind and learning that the so-called plan was actually a jumbled heap of bullet points with no semblance of order.

The world was chaotic enough. 

And Brain needed to keep as much control over their current situation as possible. 

o-o-o-o-o 

Blank white eyes gazed down at him, unseeing and indifferent to the small mouse trapped in front of him. 

Brain’s limbs were trapped by a thick black sludge, forcing him to his hands and knees. The sludge threatened to pull him in so he’d never see the light of day again, and he struggled to keep himself from slipping any further. If he faltered for a second, he’d drown. 

There was nothing to grab onto, nothing he could use to pull himself out. Nothing but an empty void surrounded them.  

“Pinky…help…please…” 

Brain tried to reach for Pinky, but he lost his balance on three limbs and fell face-first into the sludge. He gagged, a foul taste entering his mouth. 

But Pinky didn’t rush to his aid, didn’t move or give any kind of indication that he’d heard Brain. 

Maybe this creature wasn’t Pinky at all, and Brain was just seeing the one he needed to see the most. Maybe it was a monster who’d come to watch Brain suffer for its amusement. 

Before Brain could completely give up his hope for rescue, those blank white eyes changed to a radiant sky blue, the only splash of color within this void. 

“Pinky!” Brain cried, relieved that his struggles weren’t in vain after all. He was finally saved! He and Pinky could flee this hellscape together! 

Though Pinky’s dark fur rendered him nearly invisible, Brain saw the outline of a large paw reaching for him. 

Brain raised one sludge-covered hand, trembling as he tried to move towards Pinky, towards freedom. 

But his hand only grasped empty air. Pinky’s paw disappeared. Those sky blue eyes, the only comforting light in this lonely place, vanished. 

And Pinky was gone. 

Swept away in Dark Gaia’s clutches like the rest of the world.  

Abominations and monsters laughed in Brain’s face, mocking him for ever believing he could escape their Master. There was nothing anyone could do, no point in trying to save the world. 

Everything they’d accomplished was for naught. It was all hopeless, a futile battle Brain could never hope to win. 

And Brain was falling…falling…

Brain’s eyes flew open as he abruptly sat up, panicking when his surroundings changed yet again. 

It was brighter than he was expecting. And his body was only against the dry fabric of a chair, not disgusting black sludge. The engine rumbled beneath his feet, the buttons on the control panel lighting up and flashing different colors.

Brain slumped in his seat with a heavy sigh. 

“Only a nightmare,” he whispered to himself, running his hands down his face repeatedly so he’d be awake and alert to pilot the Hurricane. 

He didn’t remember falling asleep. Maybe he closed his eyes for a moment, but that was all. Regardless, it was a lapse in judgment and anything could’ve happened while he was asleep and not prepared for it. 

They could’ve run out of fuel, flown off-course, or Pinky could’ve mistaken a panel of wiring for floss and knocked out one of the backup systems if he wasn’t stopped and reprimanded in time.

Worried about a possible malfunction, Brain quickly set up a diagnostics check on every system in the plane, his fingers drumming anxiously against his leg as he waited for the final result. 

The fuel tank was half-full, so refueling could wait until they landed. The damage check returned with minor damage to the tail, but it wasn’t particularly urgent. There wasn’t anything that needed Brain’s immediate attention, so he turned to the GPS and tapped the screen to affirm their position. 

The plane icon was positioned over a map of Africa. Brain zoomed in, and to his surprise, they were over the southern part of the Central African Republic, and rapidly approaching the border of the Congo. 

Curious, he glanced out the window. They’d placed the Saharan desert behind them, and now they were over a tropical rainforest that stretched out as far as the eye could see. 

The Gaia Temple could be hidden anywhere in this biome! We’d have better luck finding a needle in a haystack!  

Part of him had hoped the Gaia Temple would've stretched towards the sky so he could land the plane a short distance away, face the Temple's challenges while they were well-rested, claim the gem, restore Africa, and leave for the next Temple immediately. 

But life never let him take the most efficient course of action. 

A sudden knock on the door startled Brain, and he gripped the chair tightly, wishing he had some sort of bludgeon to defend himself with. He really needed to start keeping one under the cushion for easy access. 

Perhaps a bow and arrow or stun gun would work better if I want to protect myself from injury. A bludgeon would be too close range.

Brain hastily climbed off his seat and searched for a loose object to use as a makeshift weapon. Anything would do. He couldn't afford to be picky right now. 

"Knock, knock!" a voice called from behind the door. 

Brain froze as he dug out a small screwdriver from one of the panels. 

"W-who's there?" Brain called out fearfully, pointing the sharp end of the screwdriver at the door. His hands were shaking and they couldn't stop. 

"Pinky!" 

"Pinky?" Brain repeated. 

It was just a very good mimicry of Pinky's voice. It had to be. 

Until Brain caught a glimpse of the blue sky outside the Hurricane's windows. He could even see the clouds floating below the plane. 

It was daylight. 

Dark Gaia was inactive. Pinky was a normal mouse again…if one applied a very loose definition of normal. 

But he could speak, even if ninety-eight percent of everything that came out of his mouth was total nonsense. 

"Braaaaaiin, you're supposed to say Pinky who!" Pinky sounded completely exasperated with him. "I know you're super science-y and serious and cranky, but I thought you knew how a knock knock joke worked! Do I need to read stuff out of Jokes for Dummies again?" 

Of course. Brain should've known Pinky's unique brand of inanity couldn't be replicated even if a mimicry perfectly matched his pitch and cadence. 

Brain hid the screwdriver in a panel and forcefully smoothed out his fur so he'd look more presentable and less like he'd woken up from a nightmare. 

"That won't be necessary, Pinky," Brain replied. "You have permission to enter, as long as you don't push any buttons." 

There was an invisible button that Pinky was likely to push even when he wasn't actively trying to, but Brain could withstand that annoyance for a while. 

He tried not to dwell on how much he needed that particular annoyance right now. 

Brain opened the door, and Pinky was waiting for him with several protein bars in his arms and a small water bottle with a green silly straw next to him. 

"I brought breakfast," Pinky said, grinning like the fool he was. 

It was like the events of last night never happened. 

Like he hadn't spent a significant amount of time hiding in the shadows, too afraid of himself to do anything but hide away and hope nobody noticed him. 

At least, that's how it would appear to the outside observer. 

There was no narf, Pinky's tail was dragging along the ground and not swishing all over the place, and his fur didn't appear as glossy as it normally did. 

"Protein bars?" Brain said, taking note of the breakfast Pinky had brought with him. 

He didn't comment on Pinky's appearance. That wasn't important right now. 

"To keep your energy up," Pinky said. "We don't know when we'll be coming across anything to eat down there. So we'd better load up as much as we can now!"

Brain didn't protest. Some food in his stomach would probably help him be less paranoid about invisible attackers. 

“Do we have any coffee?” Brain asked as he ripped open one of the chocolate protein bars. Chip’s enthusiasm for chocolate must’ve been rubbing off him. 

He’d used up his entire supply of coffee during his solo flight to Rome. Caffeine was the only barrier from his nightmares of the world being torn apart and losing Pinky. 

Pinky frowned, pointing to the water bottle and silly straw he’d brought with him. “Er…no, we don’t have any. We have hot chocolate packets with marshmallows though…” he said, sensing Brain’s disappointment. “But you should really be drinking more water since we’ve got a looooong walk ahead of us.” 

Brain sighed. “Did Chip bring back any food that doesn’t contain chocolate?”

He was getting burned out on chocolate, though Pinky and Chip could eat it all day long without problems. But Brain’s palate was much more refined and sophisticated, and he didn’t want to be eating his fill in cheap candy bars. 

“Well, he brought those crackers you ate last night. There’s some cream cheese in the fridge,” Pinky suggested. “And onion bagels too.”

Brain quickly finished his protein bar. “Now you’re talking,” he said, about to brush past Pinky in search of that promised cream cheese. But Pinky cleared his throat, and Brain paused briefly to drink some water before he ran to the fridge. 

It was quieter than he was expecting in the back of the plane, but he assumed that was because Pinky’s partner in mischief was currently nestled under a blanket with only the tip of one ear poking out. 

Pinky walked over to a trio of backpacks he’d set up by the wall. “Chip’s a super deep sleeper. I was trying to wake him up earlier to see if he wanted the fudge or the s’more flavored protein bars in his pack, but he must be having a good time in dreamland.”

All three backpacks appeared full. There were even small canteens attached to the sides, likely already full of water. With the exception of a few navigation tools and the Earth Gem that Brain kept in the cockpit, their supplies were all ready to go. 

Pinky must’ve been packing for the trip since he’d transformed back. 

“I put plenty of protein bars and trail mix in our bags,” Pinky admitted. “Plus extra water, flashlights with spare batteries, bug spray, a small cooking pot, camping gear, and a first aid kit!” 

Well, at least they were more prepared than last time. It was a start.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Pinky,” Brain admitted. “We won’t have to waste time once we land.” 

Pinky rocked back and forth on his toes, soaking up the praise. “Well, I wanted some rope in case one of us falls down a cliff or something, cause that’s always what happens in movies, but we don’t really have any material for that. But if we find some vines or tough plants, I could definitely weave one for us to use!” 

Brain would leave that task to Pinky, as long as he didn't slow their trek down for every strange and exotic plant they came across. 

For now, he had his eyes on the cream cheese. 

Brain was about to pull on the rope tied to the door of the mini-fridge when he noticed the door didn't fit quite right. It was partially open along the top with strange grooves lining the sides. 

Despite his misgivings, Brain tugged on the rope. He didn't really care about the physical state of the fridge as long as he got his cream cheese. 

He barely had enough time to roll out of the falling door's way. He was fortunate that the only object that hit him was a small magnet of the Roman Colosseum. 

"Brain!" Pinky shouted with worry. His face was paler than a ghost's, and there was an oddly guilty look in his eyes. 

Like he knew exactly what caused the malfunction. 

"I'm fine, Pinky," Brain quickly assured him before Pinky had a nervous breakdown. It was already difficult enough to calm him down at night. Brain didn't need Pinky freaking out during the day too. 

Especially when his wilderness survival skillset would be needed. 

Pinky scuffed his feet against the ground, avoiding eye contact with Brain. 

"However, you won't be, depending on your explanation on how the fridge got into this sorry state," Brain said, crossing his arms as he waited for Pinky to start explaining. 

The interior of the fridge was even worse than the outside. The shelves were lined haphazardly, open containers dripped everywhere, and the lights had been knocked out of place. 

Pinky gulped, ears drooping as he placed his hands behind his back. 

"Um…I was really, really hungry?" he said. 

Brain raised an eyebrow, not satisfied at all with that response. 

"And that warrants breaking the mini-fridge?" Brain snapped. Pinky had only created extra work for him since he was the only one with the mechanical skills to fix it. 

"P-poit…" Pinky anxiously rubbed his arm. 

Brain wanted to bop him like usual, but some part of him couldn't bring himself to do so while Pinky was already upset with himself. He believed Pinky hadn't broken the fridge on purpose, but couldn't he tell Brain had more urgent matters to attend to than fixing things he broke? 

With a sigh, Brain turned towards the fridge instead. 

"Pray there's something left for me to salvage," he said over his shoulder. 

I'm letting him off the hook far too easily…

There wasn't much left. Pinky and Chip's ravenous appetites had demolished the limited amount of food and juice boxes they'd packed from Rome. 

Haven't those imbeciles ever heard of rationing? 

They wouldn't be able to replenish their cheese supply for a long time. Even enormous corporate grocery stores couldn't expand all the way to the isolated Congo Rainforest. 

Brain climbed up to the second shelf, slipping on a puddle of apple juice and nearly tumbling to the shelf below, but he caught himself in time and hauled himself up. 

He shivered from the chilly temperature of the fridge, but he was willing to bear it since he was craving cream cheese more than anything else. 

But all the cream cheese tubs he found were either ripped apart, empty, or squashed. And Brain wasn't desperate enough to lick the cream cheese off a tub that Pinky already stuck his muzzle in. 

Yet. 

Then he spotted a small gray tub in the back, wedged between the shelf and wall. 

"Yes!" Brain shouted, running over to claim his prize, an unopened tub of cream cheese that had survived Pinky and Chip's feast. It must've gotten wedged while they'd been helping themselves. 

Brain smiled like a fool as he quickly freed it from its confines. It took a rather unusual amount of self-control for him to not rip open the lid right here and eat it with his bare hands. 

But before he could exit the fridge in search of a bagel to spread the cream cheese on, there was a deafening explosion that rocked the entire plane.

Brain heard screams, but whether they were his own, Pinky's, or Chip's, he couldn't tell for certain. 

He lost his footing as the world tumbled around him. The emergency alarm blared, a constant wail of imminent danger that Brain couldn't shut off until he reached the cockpit. 

His fall was mercifully short, albeit painful.

What's going on out there? I only stepped away for a moment!

The Hurricane's engines were flawless! There was no way they could've suffered a sudden mechanical failure!

There was only a dim flicker from the fridge light, and to Brain's horror, he found himself trapped under the fridge. 

Brain threw himself at the wall, grunting when pain only flared in his shoulder and did nothing to free him from the darkness and the chill. He shivered as he glanced over his shoulder, the plane shuddering violently and causing him to slip again.

He wasn’t afraid of the dark. That was just a silly, childish fear. Yet his breathing hastened, and if he could see properly, he would have seen misty clouds form in front of his face. 

Something’s back there. 

He couldn’t dismiss the paranoid notion that something was observing him, that there was a pair of slitted eyes behind him, that a clawed hand would snatch him and there was no hope of escape…

His voice wouldn’t work. He couldn’t call for Pinky. Nobody was coming to save him. 

Brain banged the wall with one shaky hand. But he only heard the emergency alarm, only felt the Hurricane sputter and groan. 

He fell to his knees, his hand weakly scratching the wall. 

Just when he was about to give up all hope of escape, the fridge shuddered around him, and a sliver of light flooded in. 

Brain shielded his eyes, confused by the light’s sudden appearance until he saw a pair of pink feet and a long, skinny tail. 

“Brain!” 

Though Pinky’s voice was strained, it pushed Brain’s fears to the back of his mind. 

“Oof, this fridge is heavy, Pinky! How are you doing that?” 

Brain heard Chip panting, though he couldn’t see him. 

“Just keep holding it from up there, Chip! Hold on, I’ve…gah, I’ve almost got it!” 

Suddenly, Pinky’s entire body came into view. Brain could only stare in shock at Pinky, who stood on his tiptoes with his arms above his head, head ducked as he lifted the fridge with a Herculean burst of strength. 

Brain wondered if Pinky’s body was experiencing a sudden rush of adrenaline or if Dark Gaia had a passive effect on his physical strength during the daytime. Even if it was only a fraction of what Pinky could do in his nightly form, lifting an entire fridge was no normal feat for a mouse. 

“Come on, Brain!” Pinky urged him as he struggled to hold the fridge up. “You’re the only one who can figure out what’s wrong with the plane!" 

Pinky was right. This was no time for hesitation!

Brain hastily crawled out from under the fridge, nearly stumbling when the plane lurched once again. He gave Pinky a grateful nod once he was completely free, and despite the severity of the situation, Pinky returned the gesture with a smile. 

"Come to the front, both of you!" Brain shouted, raising his voice to be heard over the blaring emergency alarm. 

Why did he make that siren so aggravating to listen to? He'd have to lower the volume once he had the opportunity so it didn't drown everything out. 

Pinky immediately dropped the fridge and hurried after Brain. 

“Ow! Hey, wait for me!” Chip yelped, beating his wings as fast as he could to keep up.  

Their surroundings were bathed with red flashes of light as they rushed into the cockpit. The buttons on the control panel were flashing wildly, many of the dials pulling to the caution or danger zones of what they measured. 

Brain quickly climbed onto the pilot’s chair, flipping a panel next to the wheel and inputting a code onto the small keypad. 

“Zero-nine-zero-three-nine-three…come on, come on…yes!” Brain shouted in triumph when the manual override finally took effect. He feared the autopilot system wouldn’t disable so easily in this attack. “I’ve disengaged autopilot and successfully re-established manual control!” 

Chip shrieked and clung to the headrest of the chair as the explosions continued. “No idea what you’re talking about, but if that’s a good thing, I’ll take it!” 

Now that he was in control of the plane, Brain could move onto determining the identity of their attacker. Unfortunately, the sky was filled with smoke, decreasing their visibility by an enormous margin. Forced to rely on the radar, Brain only caught a glimpse of a small object hurtling straight towards them on the radar screen before a round, white object crashed into the windshield and bounced off. 

Brain flinched at the sudden appearance of the mysterious object, and his moment of distraction almost proved fatal when he jerked the handlebars too far. His stomach plummeted alongside the Hurricane as they lost five thousand feet in altitude within seconds. With his companions’ screams in his ears, Brain scrambled to flip switches, push buttons, and pull up on the handlebars until the Hurricane finally leveled out. 

The metal creaked and groaned around them, the drastic fall only putting further strain on the framework. 

The controls hadn’t given out on Brain yet, but they only had so much time left before systems started failing. 

Now that they were no longer in the smoke cloud, the skies were clear except for a few small clouds. But it still wasn’t clear what attacked them, nor did anyone know what bounced off the windshield. 

Though Brain tried to divide his attention between the radar, controls, and their surroundings outside, he found that it was practically impossible to switch focus under these circumstances. Adjusting the controls to compensate for the Hurricane’s damage caused him to unwittingly move the wheel, resulting in the plane sliding left and right, and in one instance, taking a particularly steep nosedive upwards. And when he tried to focus on locating the attacker, he missed the complete shutdown of the left wing engine. 

Frantically, he pushed buttons and toggled the switches to try and bring it back online, but his inputs only resulted in error messages. 

Chip’s shriek was the only warning Brain had before something enormous and white flew right in front of the Hurricane, and their slight tilt as a consequence of losing the left engine was the only reason they didn’t have a full-on frontal collision. 

Before Brain could correct their position, something heavy slammed into the Hurricane’s left wing, causing the entire plane to tilt onto its right side. 

Unable to grab the chair in time, Brain was thrown into the wall alongside Chip, whose face was white as a sheet. He couldn’t lift his limbs from the wall, and he was reminded strongly of a centrifugal force experiment he’d been forced to suffer through. 

Gravity pressed down on every molecule of his body, and a horrible vision of the window breaking at this altitude and sucking them out flashed through his mind. 

Although Chip had wings, he was too panicked to attempt flying. 

Pinky clung to the handlebars controlling the plane, shifting his weight to the left and rebalancing the plane. 

"Ugh…" Chip groaned, flopping down on the floor once he was unstuck from the wall. A green tint spread across his face. "I can't take much more of this…" 

Hopefully Chip didn't vomit on the controls. Dealing with his regurgitated breakfast was the last thing Brain needed. 

Now that the plane was balanced, Brain was able to climb back onto the pilot's seat. But when he tried to reclaim the wheel from Pinky, the taller mouse just shook his head and pointed to the radar. 

“Don’t worry, Brain!” Pinky assured him, and Brain’s worry only increased from there. "I've played Pilot Whale Simulator before! I can fly this plane while you do your smartypants stuff!" 

“What?” Brain yelled in complete disbelief. He knew Pinky had some difficulty discerning between reality and fiction, but this was ridiculous! "Your absurd video game has no basis in reality, Pinky!" 

But Pinky only shrugged off his concern. "Well, everyone knows whales can't pilot planes cause they only have flippers, but…NARF, HOLD ON!" 

Pinky jerked the wheel to the left again, and this time, they were able to make a wide, sweeping turn to evade the attacker. 

With their new distance, they were able to glimpse their foe for the first time. Instead of zipping around to confuse them like it had before, the rippling white mass distanced itself from the Hurricane. 

It looked like a plane. Except it didn’t move like a plane at all. 

No airplane was that maneuverable or agile. 

Nor were they made up of individual, mechanical units that broke off the wings and reattached to the nose, reforming into a long, sharp spear that was pointing directly at the most damaged area of the Hurricane-

"It's aiming for the left wing!" Brain shouted. With the engine and part of the paneling knocked out, it was their most vulnerable spot. The Hurricane wouldn’t be able to take another hit in its current state. 

One more hit and they would plummet to certain doom if they didn't burn alive first.

Nowhere’s safe. We can be attacked in the day or night, air or land, anywhere at any time. 

The panic Brain had kept at bay returned with a vengeance. Why didn’t he prepare the Hurricane with more defensive measures? He’d prioritized speed so much that he only shielded the Hurricane from natural causes for wear and damage. 

Their lack of offensive and defensive capabilities would bring their journey to a fiery end. 

Before Brain could cover his eyes so he didn’t have to watch the attacking airplane run them through its spear-like nose, he noticed Pinky was watching the plane with a deadly calm. For once, his blue eyes were focused and determined.  

Brain didn’t have a chance to ask Pinky what he was planning, because whatever thought was running through his sponge-soaked head right now was surely a bad idea. 

“Sh-shouldn’t we try to get away if they’re just going to sit there?” Chip stammered. 

But Brain knew they’d never be able to escape. 

“We can’t outfly that thing,” Brain said, nervously tapping at the radar screen like it would miraculously help in this situation. “The Hurricane’s taken too much damage.” 

“But we can’t fight it either!” Chip insisted, yanking on his ears in worry. “This isn’t like battling Dark Gaia monsters! At least Pinky could punch those into mist!”

The enemy’s thrusters were activating, a red blaze illuminating the back of the plane. 

This is it. Once it moves, we’re finished. 

But Pinky merely watched the plane, a strange air of confidence around him as his fingers tightened around the wheel. 

The enemy hurtled towards them, its spear aimed for the opening in the Hurricane’s left wing.

Pinky shoved the handles forward, and Brain's internal organs scrambled themselves while the plane pitched downwards and tilted sideways at the same time.

The airplane passed above them, the speartip only hitting empty air. Now that they were in close range, Brain saw that all the individual units of the airplane had the Microsponge logo printed on their sides. 

And with a sinking heart, Brain added another complication to their plan. 

Snowball. 

He had to be the reason Microsponge products were here in the heart of the jungle, so far from civilization. 

But their current circumstances didn't allow Brain to dwell on what Snowball's agenda could be, or if he was even here at all. 

Pinky forcefully twisted the handles to the opposite side, and the Hurricane's wingtip struck the underside of the Microsponge airplane.

The Hurricane shuddered violently as it slowed down due to the impact, the sharp wing cutting through the individual Microbots and severing their connections like a knife through butter. 

"Brain, give us a little more speed!" Pinky shouted, the handles shaking in his grasp while he forcibly maintained that position. 

Despite his shock at Pinky's reckless and foolish action of purposely instigating a midair collision, Brain had just enough presence of mind to divert all power to the right engine and force a burst of speed from the overworked thrusters. 

The Hurricane shot forward, completely disemboweling the Microsponge plane from nose to tail, resulting in countless explosions. 

I hope it doesn't char the metal…

Chip leapt into the air in celebration. "We showed that bad plane a thing or two!" he cheered. "I was terrified out of my mind, but that was seriously cool, Pinky! Where did you learn all those neat tricks anyway?" 

Pinky grinned widely, and for once, he actually looked like himself instead of a despondent, exhausted mouse. 

"That's how you beat the final boss of Pilot Whale Simulator!" Pinky exclaimed. "The belly is its weak spot, so you have to angle yourself just right to slice through!" 

"Whoa…" Chip said, awestruck by Pinky's skill. 

"Alright, break it off, you two. It's too soon to celebrate. Pinky's little stunt only ensured that we can't stay in the air anymore," Brain declared after conducting a quick damage report on the internal systems. He pointed out the long line of code on the digital report. "See all that? Left engine at zero percent. Right engine operating at sixty-seven percent efficiency. Wear on the tail. Exposed wires on the left wing. Compromised structural integrity on the back and underside of the left wing. Our next objective should be minimizing further damage and finding a place to land. Deploying the landing gear…now." 

A switch lit up. 

At least the landing gear worked like it was supposed to. 

With Pinky distracted, Brain seized this opportunity to reclaim control over the Hurricane. 

He wasn't pleased that Pinky had damaged the plane with his unorthodox method of attack, but he couldn't deny that it was effective. 

The Microsponge airplane was no more. The individual Microbots that didn't explode during Pinky's attack were too damaged to be any threat. 

"You…certainly had some interesting tricks up your sleeve, Pinky," Brain admitted. 

Pinky glanced at his bare arms in confusion. “But I don’t have any sleeves on right now, Brain.” 

Brain couldn’t bring himself to bop Pinky for that remark. Not when their conversation was finally normal again. Nevertheless, Brain was the pilot for this flight and that meant Pinky and Chip had to get out of the captain’s chair. 

"Cease your tomfoolery and get into the co-pilot's chair. That goes for you too, Chip. Keep track of our surroundings outside." 

"Right-o! Brain that, Roger! Narf!" Pinky laughed, hitting himself in the forehead with his own salute before he finally climbed into his own seat. 

Chip copied Pinky’s salute, yelping when he also struck himself in the forehead. “Wait, who’s Roger?” he asked, zipping over to Pinky for an explanation. 

Pinky’s tail wagged, a surprising amount of energy radiating from him in spite of everything he’d been through. “It’s just something pilots say when they wanna sound cool! Oh, Brain! Brain! Look at how big and winding that river is! Egad, I’ve never seen anything like it before!” 

There was a river right behind the lab back home. Surely Pinky couldn’t have forgotten that. 

Still, the riverbank was clear of obstructing vegetation and covered a fairly large area. It would also give them a trail to follow through the rainforest once they landed. 

It was no runway, but it would have to do.  

"Then let's prepare for descent."

End AN: The Old and the Tireless is a play on The Young and the Restless. Idk I needed a soap opera name to parody and I have no idea what that show is about lol. 

No cream cheese or coffee for Brain. 

The little code Brain inputs, zero nine zero three nine three, is the debut date of Win Big, the episode where our favorite mice first take over our hearts! 

Brain has really developed a fear of the dark, but he won’t admit it because he’s trying to hold everything together as the brains (get it?) of the operation. There’s no way this and pretending he knows what’s he’s doing is gonna bite him. 

The joke with Pinky learning how to fly a plane from a video game was originally a meta joke about Pinky flying the Air Force One and Brain not remembering since it's an alternate timeline from Freakazoid. But the joke got a little meander-y so I cut it. 

So Microsponge is more involved now…hmm, wonder what they could be up to…

[maguro13-2]

Demons Unleashed ~ Origins of the Ink Demon Gaiden Pt.7

Lenalee Lee : Come on, you bastards of the night. I am an almighty powerful God with this muscular body and I'm also an exorcist, which is why I am not afraid to going to use it.

Maka : This could get really messy here!

Moirai : I agree. I'm hope i'm not sure if we could withdraw from this monster fest.

Lenalee Lee : Alright, creatures of the night. Prepare to get your butt...

(sounds of the Dark Gaia minions getting beaten up)

Lenalee Lee : Kicked?

(the Dark Gaia Minions disappeared after being beaten up by a hedgehog-turned werewolf)

Lenalee Lee : Hey, who's idea was it to interrupt the fight?

Allen : Hey, I think those weird nightmare fellas were beaten up by this other monster guy? I don't think halloween didn't started just yet. Hey, Werewolf guy! Lenalee Lee the so-called almighty God of Fitness has a few words for you.

Lenalee Lee : (clears throat) As the almighty God of Fitness, I have owe you my gratitude for stopping evil creatures that tried to threaten us and you have shown your purpose. I would like have a few words with you...(with a kawaii face) Thanks for saving my life. Mr. Monster guy!

Maka : Eh? Mr. Sonic, is that you?

Lenalee Lee : Ehh, what did you say? Who's Mr. Sonic?

Sonic : (growling like a werewolf)

Allen : Uhh, guys?

Kanda : What is it, man?

[vs. Titan & Big Mother - Kenichi Tokoi]

Allen : I think we should step back from this guy.

Sonic (as a Werehog) : (growling furiously)

Allen : DUCK! (the group evades the attack)

Lenalee Lee : What's gotten into this guy!? Why is this video game character attacking us!?

Maka Albarn : Mr. Hedgehog, What are you doing!? I mean, Mr. Sonic! It's me, Maka! Don't you remember! Hey, what's with all that extra fur on his body? Those spikey shoes, those claws, and those sharp teeth...WITH FANGS!? Did the Wolfman named Free did this to you!? I'm gonna get to the bottom of this!

Kanda : Whatever it is, somebody stop that thing!

Allen : I have no idea how that thing appeared in the night! That's the world's greatest mascot, ain't it?

Kanda : When did something happened to this speedster?

Maka Albarn : What are the odds? Am I seeing this, or this is some newly weird halloween trick? But it's too early trick-or-treat.

Lenalee Lee : Hey, Maka! I gotta finally figured what caused this blue hedgehog to turn into a Werewolf! It's confirmed from the satellite in the Sonic universe that happened after the Black Knight story.

Maka Albarn : What's confirmed from Sonic's World?

Lenalee Lee : It's a picture of his world being like this! It's core has been unveiled! It originated from the disaster of his world that took place tens of thousands of years ago!

Maka Albarn : What do you mean by that, Jumper. Oh no...

Moirai Albarn : Is that...?

Maka Albarn : It can't be! (the picture of Sonic's world is shown on her cell phone, as the planet it broken into seven pieces revealing it's core] Something must've happened to Planet Mobius! That's what caused Sonic to turn into a Werewolf! Hey, Sonic! It's me! Maka! The Girl you've known before as the one who was mistaken for my crimes! Remember, who I am!

Sonic (as a Werehog) : (growls angrily) Ma...ka!

*Image flashing*

Jet : a 14 year-old girl name Maka Albarn was framed for the attacks on the American and of course for Tokyo itself.

*image flashes back*

Sonic (as a Werehog) : GRRAAAAAGHHHH!

Kanda : Alright, fur ball! You wanna play fetch? I'll play fetch with you! Hey, Wolfy! Fetch this! (tries to attack Sonic with a counter strike, but he jumps to avoid) Hey, no fair!

Sonic (as a Werehog) : HRRRAAAAAAGGGHHH!

*DBZ/One Piece SFX : Wall Hit/Crash+Explosion*

All : WOAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

Lenlee Lee : Darn! This wolfy pack of arms is too fast and too strong! What's making the blue hedgehog to turn into into a...*Gasped* I get it! It was about something from tens of thousands of years ago in Sonic's world. His forefathers heard the the disaster that caused Planet Mobius to break into seven pieces, separating the two separate entities that became those gods as well, Light and Dark Gaia. Light Gaia was chosen Illumina to become the first ever mobian God to protect Mobius from The End that created it's deadly counterpart, the counterpart that we all known is the demon of the Planet's core, Dark Gaia. But unknown to the two gaia's, Dark Gaia himself spreaded his powers on the Hedgehog clan and were transformed into creature that combines the DNA of Hedgehog and Werewolf, the mobians calls these vicious creatures called "Werehogs". The Werehogs are the transformation of Hedgehogs that the have ability to strech arms and can use their claws as weapons for hunting!

Maka Albarn : Smart idea, Lenalee! I believed that it was someone who stolen a manuscripts from an old man named Professor Pickles and I realized that his Werehog DNA flows within his body! And the minions from Dark Gaia were it's spawns that spreaded over Mobius!

Lenalee Lee : Good thinking! I got it! (Allen holds Sonic from behind) Don't worry, buddy! I am an exorcist and I here to work on a cure for ya!

Allen : Do something while I'm holding him down!

Lenalee Lee : Prayers, give me strength! Let this divine beast turn him back to the way he was!

*DBZ/One Piece SFX : Finger Beam Charging*

Lenalee Lee : With this power from the light, I shall turn you back to the way you were. So then...DIVINE BEAST, TURN YOURSELF BACK FROM THIS CURSE! HAAAAAAH!

*DBZ/One Piece SFX : Grab+Energy Powering up*

Sonic (as a Werehog) : [screaming] GAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!

Lenalee Lee : Yes! I got you handed! You will never escape from the might of Lenalee Lee!

Maka Albarn : Alright! It's working!

Moirai Albarn : Way to Lenalee!

Lenalee Lee : No probs, ladies! An exorcist knows how to fight demons, vampires, ghouls, and werewolves! And I know to put this puppy on a leash! So stand back while me and Allen would make turn back into the world's fastest hedgehog again!

Allen : You don't say!

*DBZ SFX : SHOCK*

[Leo Leo! - Akihiro Honda]

Sonic (as a Werehog) : (howling)

*DBZ SFX : POWERING UP+AURA*

Lenalee Lee : What the--!? Hey, it cancelled my finishing move! What gives!?

Sonic (as a Werehog) : You think that you're gonna take me down with that kind of attack as an exorcist. Nice try, but I do not like to be taken care of by a Jumper like you! I won't go easy on you if you really wanna fix me! I said I don't need light, I can control both Day and Night by myself!

Lenalee Lee : Hey, is it just me, or does his voice sound familiar?

Sonic (as a Werehog) : And now, it's light's out for you, girlie!

Lenalee Lee : Not on my watch! Feel the power of KAMI!

*DBZ SFX : FIGHTING IMPACT*

Lenalee Lee : Let me guess. Someone broke the planet, the planet of your world.

Sonic (As a Werehog) : It was Eggman! He lured me into a trap while I was saving the day on stopping his armada one last time in space! Before he could make an instellar amusement park by the year 2010, he pretends that he could surrender like Dr. Wily was and traps with a mysterious device that triggered the activation of a giant laser cannon that he built. So he drained the emeralds power, broke the planet into pieces, and I became the creature of what has ancestor became, the Werehog! Mystery solved, ain't it?

Lenalee Lee : Your arch-nemesis did this? Why am I not surprised. It would've been a shocking truth that your arch-enemy turned you into a wolf! That makes sense!

Sonic (As a Werehog) : But I wasn't destined to be in this form if it hadn't been for you girls.

Lenalee Lee : Trust me on this one and you will set free looking into truth.

Sonic (as a Werehog) : Will see about that! Hope you getting your salad tossed, causing it's shredding time! (Does the spin claw attack)

Lenalee Lee : I can't even dodge an attack like this!

*DBZ SFX : SLASH*

Allen : WAAAAAAHHHH!!! *BLOOD SPLATTER*

Lenalee Lee : Allen!

Allen : WOLF SCRATCH!!! Don't worry, I have a Kingdom Hearts' Logic System! I haven't been using this since I bleeded out for action! Curaga! (heals himself) Heh! Too easy for me!...Huh? Did he just scratched me or did he just ripped my...*MGS SFX : EXCLAMATION MARK*

Allen : That was my favorite pair of (in slow-motion) CLOOOOOOOTHES!!!

*DBZ SFX : STRONG PUNCH X3*

Computer Voice : Conflict Resolved.

Sonic (as a Werehog) : You're pretty good. But right now, this fight between Cats and Dogs is over! See ya! (uses his stretching powers to leave)

Lenalee Lee : Hey, Mr. Hedgehog! Wait! Mr. Hedgehog...Come back.

Maka : He'll probably wake up somehow.

Moirai : For now.

Kanda : Oh man, Adam. Look what he did to your favorite pair of clothes.

[Crush the Game - Yutaka Minobe]

Allen : Darn it! How can a video game character turn into a Wolf? A hedgehog turns into a Werewolf? What kind of lame joke is that? It doesn't matter, I am going to get someone for ruining my favorite pair of clothing if it's the last thing I do! This time I'm gonna...(Lenalee pulls her ear) Ow! Ow! Ow! What are you doing!? That's smarts!

[A New Journey - Takahito Eguchi]

Lenalee Lee : I suggesting that we are leaving! We'll have to get you new pair of clothes. Thank you if you don't mind! (sees the sun rising meaning it's morning time) Oh, would you look at that? Sunrise. Well, I guess it's too early to say Good Morning.

Kanda : It's about damn time since that furball attacked us. Looks like we gotta get moving. Come on, you guys. Let's get back to Shounen Jump, our author is awaiting for us at the hospital.

Allen : Could you at least let go of me? I really need to get my hearings cleaned out. It really strings

Maka : You're more than to welcome to stay with us. Aren't you gonna come back to this place and feel free to visit us anytime.

Lenalee Lee : Of course, I will remind that. If I promise to stay at this town, but we gotta go. Our friends needs us. (releases Allen)

Allen : Owie, Lena...That's gotta sting. Just before you know it, I'm gonna get an ice pack for you damaging it. You had to get my gears pulling out. (allen and his group leaves, but Lenalee stops)

Lenalee : Hey, Maka.

Maka : ?

Lenalee : Take care!

Maka : Same here. (firmly handshakes)

Lenalee : No matter what the dangers lies within us, I'll be there for ya!

"Only a Kami itself can reign over Demons with power. They're nothing without this beautiful body of mine. A body that is the supreme being of Kami."

~ Stage 7 : Werehog Unleashed! ~

[freyayuki]

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Pandemonium Spiritus Quest Missions

The World of Illusions Spiritus: Pandemonium SPIRITUS quest in the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game comes with several missions.

Most of these missions aren’t time-limited. So after my initial clear of the aforementioned Spiritus quest as well as doing all the time-limited missions and any of the ones I could easily do already, decided to hold off on clearing the rest of these Pandemonium missions.

Now that I have a bit of extra time, tried to see if I can clear the rest of these missions already.

Spiritus Quest Information

Spiritus fights are listed as “quest level ???” so presumably, these are harder than Shinryu (level 300; currently the hardest type of fight in the game) quests.

Spiritus quests come with a Grade system. There are 5 Grades - Grade S, Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, and Grade D.

According to the in-game text:

Even if you aren’t able to defeat the enemies in the quest, by fulfilling certain conditions, you’ll be able to achieve grades that may be reported to clear the quest.

Reporting by itself does not clear the quest. A certain grade must be reached to clear with reporting.

To get Grade S, players need to: clear the fight within 65 turns, clear without any KOs, and take 10k or less HP damage. Getting Grade S will also automatically get you all the other grades as well.

To get Grade A, players need to: clear the fight within 100 turns, clear without any KOs, and take 10k or less HP damage.

To get Grade B, players need to reduce the enemy’s HP to 20%.

To get Grade C, players need to reduce the enemy’s HP to 60%.

To get Grade D, players need to reduce the enemy’s HP to 90%.

World of Illusions Spiritus: Pandemonium Spiritus Quest Missions Information

There are several missions or quests associated with clearing the World of Illusions Spiritus: Pandemonium Spiritus fight. These missions are permanent and they are as follows:

Achieve grade D or better in SPIRITUS difficulty

Achieve grade C or better in SPIRITUS difficulty

Achieve grade B or better in SPIRITUS difficulty

Achieve grade A or better in SPIRITUS difficulty

Achieve grade S in SPIRITUS difficulty

Complete CHAOS (quest level 180) difficulty

Complete LUFENIA (quest level 200) difficulty

Clear in SPIRITUS difficulty with only Green Crystal / Yellow Crystal / White Crystal allies

Clear in SPIRITUS difficulty with only staff or rod / fist / unique weapon type allies

Clear in SPIRITUS difficulty with only Final Fantasy II / Final Fantasy X / Final Fantasy XIII allies

So far, I’ve been able to clear all of the missions above except for the last one.

World of Illusions Spiritus: Pandemonium Spiritus Quest Boss Information

This quest has 1 wave with 3 enemies, the Ancient Guard <Spiritual> and his 2 minions, the Gaia Force <Spiritual>. The minions have 10 million HP each while the Ancient Guard has 200 million HP.

The Ancient Guard gains 1% FR gauge per player action. He has lots of abilities that deal HP damage.

The enemies have 100% physical BRV damage resistance. The minions also have 150% HP damage resistance except when they’re being launched.

The minions do ST BRV + HP damage every turn. This attack ignores BRV and HP damage mitigation and it delays their target by 1 turn.

Once the force gauge of the enemies reaches 100%, the boss will deal AoE BRV + HP damage. He will also give himself a buff that will increase the HP damage he deals by 50% and his speed by 100%.

The enemy’s force attack will also afflict your party with 5 turns of the following framed debuffs: -100% max brave down and -100% HP damage down.

All enemies will then enter 10 turns of force time with the following effects: they will all gain 100% of their max brave after taking a turn.

Once the Ancient Guard drops down to 89% HP, he will trigger “Healing powers heightened”. On his turn, this will cause him to cleanse all of his debuffs and restore his HP by 10% of his max health. This mode will be canceled once the boss drops down to 79% HP.

At the 59% HP threshold, the boss will trigger “Earthen power increasing”. This will cause him to resummon his minions. Both Gaia Forces will return with full HP. The boss will then gain 150% HP damage resistance except during launches.

If the player’s party takes 10 consecutive actions, the Ancient Guard will become immune to all HP and BRV damage until he gets a turn.

If the boss’s minions are killed, his HP damage resistance will be reduced by 150%.

Once the Ancient Guard drops down to 19% HP, he will trigger “Try to overcome this”. This will cause him to gian 400% HP DMG resistance except during launches. He will also become immune to turn deletes and delays, including via break.

The Ancient Guard will also use Forest Press+ every turn. This attack deals AoE BRV + HP damage that’s executed twice and which ignores HP and BRV damage mitigation. It will also paralyze everyone for 2 turns.

World of Illusions Spiritus: Pandemonium Spiritus Quest Series Mission Clear

For my series clear of this fight, my team was Cid Raines from Final Fantasy XIII (#ad), Paine from Final Fantasy X, and Lightning or Claire Farron from Final Fantasy XIII with Pandemonium as my summon.

My Calls were Rydia’s from Fnal Fantasy IV, Seymour Guado’s from Final Fantasy X, and Keiss’s from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers.

Paine, Raines, and Lightning are as fully built as possible with all of their weapons MLB, all of their Boards and such completed, etc.

Cid is currently equipped with my Level 5 of 5 Fist Ultima Weapon, Lightning has my Level 5 of 5 Sword Ultima Weapon, and Paine has my Level 5 of 5 Greatsword Ultima Weapon.

As a Green Crystal char, Raines also has access to the 3 Green Crystal passives that I’ve been able to unlock so far.

Before starting this fight, took a quick look at the in-game info for this quest to refresh my memory on how to deal with the mechanics and gimmicks here. Didn’t bother looking up a guide though. My plan was basically to just wing it. LOL.

Anyway, since all chars are boosted in the World of Illusions, got to start this fight with my force gauge already charged to 50%.

Started preparing for when my force gauge was fully charged by having everyone activate or refresh their bufffs and such.

Used Seymour’s LD Call to debuff the enemies and delay them by 2 turns. Used Rydia’s LD Call to give the party a buff that would let them evade 3 attacks. Used Keiss’s LD Call to inflict the enemies with a debuff that will battery the party based on damage dealt during launches.

Had Paine activate her BT+ finisher right away since one of the effects of this is that it will deal HP poison damage to the enemies each turn. It will also inflict them with an HP silence debuff.

When my force gauge was nearing 100%, had Raines and Lightning activate their BT+ finishers already.

The force gauge of the enemies here don’t charge that fast so it was only at 58.7% by the time my force gauge was fully charged.

Had Paine activate her FR then got to use a few Force Echoes before going into Raines’s Burst+ phase.

By then have 9 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 320%. The boss was down to 89% HP.

Raines can launch with every one of his moves. He can battery the party with some of his skills. He will always join the end of a launch he initiates, after which he will do a follow-up attack. While the effects of his BT+ is up, this follow-up attack will be even more powerful.

By the time Raines was about to cast Opposing Destiny, his finishing Burst+ move, have 3 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 845%. The boss was down to 11% HP. His minions had croaked it already.

Too bad Raines’s attack wasn’t enough to finish off the boss already. So after the end of his Burst+ phase, summoned Pandemonium.

Pandemonium’s on-entry attack left the boss with 1% HP. Have 2 turns of force time left and the HP damage bonus was at 930%.

It was Paine’s turn. Used her last Force Echo and this was more than enough to finish off the boss already, ending the battle on turn 8.

Got the score and all the other mission requirements which also got me all the Grades.

Glad to finally be done with all of the World of Illusions Spiritus: Pandemonium SPIRITUS quest missions.

Conclusion

So, what about you? Which chars did you use to complete the missions in the World of Illusions Spiritus: Pandemonium Spiritus quest? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account

[wereh0gz]

THINKING ABT FERAL WEREHOG AGAIN

I feel like his protective instincts would be in overdrive, especially after the scene where Tails is surrounded and almost attacked by dark gaia minions

I have this image in my head of him watching tails, amy, and chip like a hawk in the few moments they get to sleep while they're fixing the world. He stays up most of the night pacing around restlessly, if not fighting off monsters who cause trouble and could put them in danger

Eventually the exhaustion does catch up to him though, and when they're all in professor pickle's lab and he knows everyone is safe, he curls up on the couch and sleeps like a log. Chip cuddles up to him and amy and tails end up using him as a pillow, sleeping soundly until morning

[tantaniumflare]

The Dark Walker

They are infected Mobians by Dark Gaia's corruption

Mobians can be infected by Dark Gaia's creatures if bitten or scratched.

Very aggressive

Dark Walkers can be killed but can be cured by Light Gaia Shards

Attack anyone who is not infected

Often travel in packs of 10 to 20. Also travel with other Dark Gaia's minions as well

No stretchy arms like the werehog

[toadeyes-miqote]

The misadaventure of the Gaia Minion and the Toad Squad

----

Gaia will be taking over from Midgardsormr as my WoL's MSQ minion unless I need Midgardsormr back. Enkidu is still the Hildbrand quest minion.

One can pretend that this is her familiar sent to watch over Papa to put Ryne at ease.

If the minion hits anyone. Its probably Ryne or Gaia at the remote control.

[mayasaura]

Consider: Megamind AU with Heir!Gideon

When they were children (so old enough to remember each other) Glaurica cracked and blabbed about the Crêche Flu to her kin on the 8th. Jod pardoned most of the Ninth, barring the Father, Mother and Great-Aunts, but resettles its inhabitants. Meanwhile, in this process Gideon was discovered - in fact, let's say she stowed along to Harrow's audience with the emperor to argue for shutting the Ninth down completely - and became Kiriona Gaia.

Harrow was raised by an even more embittered Crux (who will serve as our Minion). They are outcasts on their new planet and target the majority of their ire at Kiriona, the Empire's darling.

No thoughts on who everyone else would be. Tbh this all sprung from rewatching Megamind with my tlt brainrot in full swing and going hm...legitimately powerful yet pathetic little goth with flair for the dramatic who never really wanted to destroy their rival...curious

Oh my god. No, this is greatest part: the versatility of this AU. They're both dramatic little goth shits who never really wanted to destroy their rival. No one ever paid enough attention to either of them for them to learn the difference between positive and negative kinds of attention. They both saw themselves as 'evil' or 'outcast' and decided to embrace it with both hands.

Like, we have to change almost nothing for Gideon to be Megamind. She doesn't look Ninth, she doesn't act Ninth, and she makes Not Being Ninth and having dramatic flashy clashes with the beloved superhero of the Ninth pretty much a core tenant of her personality. If you could get any closer to "Child raised in a prison cell for no fucking reason" than Gideon Nav, I'd love to see it. Then she gets away from the Ninth and finds out that most of what she was going for she doesn't actually want, because it was all about the chase. It was all about Harrow. Without Harrow to prove wrong, none of her schemes or goals or achievements actually fucking matter.

But I love this Glaurica Blabs AU. Gideon is discovered at the age of about ten, and John disbands the Ninth House for baby killing crimes. I think he keeps the Reverend Daughter fairly close, because he wants to see what becomes of this powerful creation powered by the souls of dead babies. He's fascinated. But everyone kind of knows that the Ninth massacred their own children now, so Harrow is a persona non grata. She still has her loyal retainer, who hates everyone but her, but aside from that she's pretty much isolated. Her sole purpose in life becomes making sure being a godling doesn't go to the newly re-named Kiriona's head.

This is where it gets really Megamind, imo. Because like Metroman, Kiriona really has nothing against Harrow anymore except that Harrow keeps breaking her stuff and attacking her with skeletons. Her problems are mostly about being a Prince now and how everyone has Expectations of her when she's really just a lonely awkward girl with a sword. Fighting Harrow is a welcome normal distraction from all the new problems in her life now that she's, like, important.

Anyway, Dulcie is Roxy, with a keen investment in the drama and a zeal for digging in and getting to the truth of matters. There is no Hal because that part of the plot literally does not work in this scenario, but also Ianthe is Hal. Dulcie and Gideon aren't involved, but Harrow thinks they are and she's jealous. Ianthe is into Harrow, not Dulcie. Dulcie is into no one, but if she were into anyone she has some complete nerds in a turtleneck and glasses to go on picnics with. Yes, Cam and Pal are Bernard But Real.

So the plot is, Gideon cracks under the pressure and runs away, leaving Harrow under the impression she successfully drove her off, and the instant regret sets in. Obviously, because this rivalry is gay and obsessive in addition to being a substitute for the love neither of them had in their childhoods, Harrow can't just grow a new Prince to butt heads with. This doesn't stop Ianthe from briefly trying to fill the void. Harrow goes to shake down Dulcie to find out where Gideon went, and ends up on a rollicking adventure to retrieve a wayward Prince who does not want to be a Prince anymore, thank you.

[aikoiya]

DP - Realistic Danger Levels & Casualties

I don't like it when people try to portray the ghosts as more harmless than they are or that Amity has never had someone die in a ghost attack or due to the GIW or Fentons.

Have you seen the property damage they cause?! Even if no one has ever been directly & intentionally killed or threatened by a ghost, which I highly doubt; I refuse to believe that people haven't died as a result of, like, debris falling on them or a stray ecto-blast hitting them or GIW/Fenton negligence.

I am also convinced that it's entirely possible for rapists or murderers or cannibals to come back as ghosts & continue their reigns of terror.

For instance, characters like Skulker, Fright Knight, Plasmius, Aragon, Pandora, Frostbite, Pariah Dark, Spectra, Vortex, Undergrowth, & Dan should have less of a problem with killing people due to their natures.

Skulker is a poacher. The kind that seems to have no problem with the idea of skinning a teen & mounting his head on his wall. He also appears to have a tendency to do the same with other sentient or at least humanoid ghosts. Why would he care if a human were to die if it allowed him to get his quarry?

Fright Knight is a knight & the freaking spirit of Halloween & fear! How is he not all over the horror genre?!

Plasmius is a corrupt businessman that didn't mind the clones he created destabilizing so long as he got his perfect son & is commonly hc'd to have used his overshadowing ability to coerce his business rivals into signing their companies over to him. I wouldn't put it past him to also overshadow people to have them put him in their wills & then kill them. I mean, it'd honestly be pretty pathetically easy for him to just phase someone into the concrete or a wall, then leave as they suffocate.

Aragon is an arrogant, misogynistic bastard that kept his kingdom in the dark ages for centuries. Considering how less than benevolent he is & the time period he's from, I imagine he'd had several people executed when he was alive just for displeasing him.

Pandora & Frostbite, while not evil, are both warriors & leaders of their respective societies. Sometimes, leaders have to make difficult decisions. Pandora should especially be prepared to kill even if she'd prefer not to considering the prevalence of death in Grecian literature.

Pariah Dark is a tyrannical dictator. 'Nuff said.

I wouldn't put it past Spectra to push people until they commit suicide. The idea that she wouldn't only so she could continue feeding off of people may have a certain point, but isn't fool-proof. Like in her premier episode when she was going to use Jazz's death to bring down Casper's spirits, if someone dies, she can just feed off the misery of others mourning for that person. This goes double for any other ghosts that feed off negativity.

Dan literally kills everyone in his own timeline, then comes to Danny's to kill his loved ones like the asshole sex god he is! Sorry, not sorry! His body & voice are magic.

Vortex enjoys causing natural disasters as part of his 'art' & we all should know how many lives are taken as a result of things like hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, & other storms.

Undergrowth is very anti-humanity as a result of deforestation & whatnot. I think the only reason he didn't kill anyone last time was to use them as minions, manual labor, & whatnot until they outlived their usefulness. I would be in no way surprised to learn that he was a faithful follower of Gaia.

As for the excuse that ghosts 'don't kill as a rule because they know that their victim could come back & get revenge,' while I can see that as being a rule among certain societies within the Infinite Realms, I still call bullshit. The ghosts we see terrorizing Amity spend their afterlives fighting anyway so why would they care if some rando they offed comes back to bring more aggression into their already aggression-filled afterlives?

As for humans, we’ve all seen how negligent the GiW & the Fentons can be with their weapons. While the Fentons weapons might not, supposedly, work on humans, they do cause damage to buildings & objects, meaning that damage can possibly end up hurting people anyway.

Then, there’s Freakshow, who used his staff to make ghosts steal & nearly managed to force Danny into killing someone. Twice, I think! Not to mention that Thanos bullshit he pulled with the Reality Gauntlet. He had no problems revealing Danny’s identity to the world, specifically, the GiW who have made it clear what they do to ghosts via “very painful experiments.”

Also, I don't like it when people insist that there is either no or very little crime in Amity due to the ghosts. People are stupid & they can get desperate. Murderers, rapists, drug dealers, thieves, muggers, & all that exists in every city. Every city.

There might be fewer in Amity Park, but there's no way you can convince me that it's all gone.

I mean, people IRL go out into blizzards to steal TVs instead of food & blankets. Why wouldn't cartoon criminals be even more inclined to do the same?

[the-heart-of-a-monster]

Hello! I stumbled upon your comic, and it's absolutely gorgeous!!! May or may not have lost sleep reading it overnight on a work day, but it was worth it. Hehe.

So I read through it again after catching up and couldn't help but notice Sonic seemed almost compelled to attack the Dark Gaia creatures the first time in ch 2 unprompted. Looking back on it, the creatures weren't really doing anything other than loiter around (so you planned them being generally peacefulthat early on? Subtle!) We only saw the creatures attacking ppl after that first encounter. And now it feels like we're fastly approaching Tails' witnessing Dark Gaia Sonic Werehog transformation. And each time he transforms, he gets worse (went from just absorbing them to drowning over one to straight up teething on one).

I see what you're doing. Saving whatever you have planned for the next step up to be the worst moment for Tails to find out.

I had no question, per say. Just wanted to appreciate your storytelling and this was one of the many subtle details I noticed after catching up and looking back on older ones. I always loved the werehog concept, and I'm so glad you took that idea and expanded upon it (look at Dark Gaia Sonic's design!!! It’s so sick! Why did you go so hard!? And I love how the third eye on his forehead seems to actually move as though it can look at things or "'close"").

Sorry for this long "ask" that was actually gushing. Just looking forward to see what you have in store! I hope it's more pain!

nooo no i looove super long asks like this they make me extremely happy!!!!1

also omg finally someone caught this detail!! yes!!! dark gaia minions have always been passive. ppl are just like

would one not expect an animal to fight back when its attacked or scared? when someone only experiences abuse theyre likely to adopt that bahaviour.