#both can be viewed as romantic or platonic

[love-byers]

we all know about the parallel of mike hugging karen when he feels like he's lost will, but i've never seen anyone talk about the other parallels in the s1 and s3 heroes scenes. there are more than you think!

will's fake body being pulled out of the quarry VS will (+ the others) pulling out of the driveway for california

a close up of mike looking at both

mike leaving the scene on his bike after 'losing' will

in one, he has no hesitation. he gets his bike and doesn't look back. not at wills fake dead body, not at el (which would be odd if he knew he was in love with her then...), not at dustin and lucas, not at anyone. he keeps moving forward.

in the other, he is full of hesitation as the other bike away, not looking back. mike stays back and takes one last look at will's house, looking nervous, before hesitantly tearing his eyes away and biking off, trailing behind dustin lucas and max.

do i really need to explain the implications of that....

mike entering the wheeler house visibly upset after losing will, and karen immediately noticing

mike seeking out a hug from karen, something he rarely does

mike hugging karen

note how both clips end with mike moving/sinking deeper into the moment. i'm not sure what the best way to describe this is, but im talking about mike shoving his face into karen's shoulder in the s1 scene and his eyes flicking down in the s3 scene. i know it seems like it doesn't matter, but it does. sprinkling things like that in as a director is purposeful! it's showing how mike is processing the events. in s1 he sinks deeper into karen's comfort, further breaking down because he thinks will is dead. in s3 he doesn't do that. he is extremely still, eyes not moving as he is in shock. then his eyes do move at the last moment, showing he is further processing whatever event has occurred, transitioning from shock to really processing whatever happened.

raw emotion vs icy shock.

and oomf @reo-bylerwagon who is a film major told me that the way the camera tilts upward in the s3 clip is used to show that a realization has occurred, or that something new is being revealed. does that not PERFECTLY line up with:

1. the way mike seems extremely shocked as though he has realized something huge

2. the fact that LITERALLY over that moment is a hopper voice over where he says "to turn back the clock, to make things go back to how they were"

and 3. the way he behaves in s4 (being weird about touching will, rink o mania, etc.)

so yeah, these are definitely parallels through and through and it's really interesting. mike has lost will in both, but in different ways. his reactions say a lot about how he's processing the events and how he views them/his relationships.

also reminder that this is not delusional in the slightest because heroes has only played twice and it's in these two sequences.

and to anyone thinking "well they're just trying to show that mike deeply cares for will, just not in a romantic way!"

......

why in the fresh FUCK would they eat up SO MUCH screen time to show that mike platonically cares about will, rather than use that time to develop his relationship with el and, i don't know, show that he loves her??? why would they feed into will's unrequited love like this??? spoiler alert: THEY AREN'T.

that would be doing WAY too much for a relationship that will end in an amicable split so one can get married and one can get over his deep seeded love for the other and navigate the (extremely homophobic) world alone.

like yall are very clearly not writers or creatives in the slightest 💀💀💀 any writer (or anyone with the faintest creative/analytical bone in their body) will immediately understand why that's fucking dumb and makes no sense. yall are just heteronormative af and instead of admitting that it's greatly affecting your perception of the characters you double and TRIPLE down until you sound like a homophobic disaster

also

season 1 - heroes plays (when mike feels like he lost will)

season 2 - heroes does not play

season 3 - heroes plays (when mike feels like he lost will)

seasons 4 - heroes does not play

season 5 - heroes will play...? perhaps the original david bowie version? and byler will finally kiss as though nothing could fall and the shame will be on the other side? and they can be heroes? just for one day?

so yeah anyways byler endgame

[severinewrites]

Finding Independence Without Love

Musings of independence with the absence of love feat. Moominvalley

Dependency is common in some relationships and could happen in both platonic and romantic relationships. We see our partners/friends as a source of happiness every time we feel down. Our clinginess strengthens when we have a special person in our lives, thinking of them as a person without flaws or perfect. This can be an unhealthy way of how we act or think in our relationships with other people, we can’t expect they’ll satisfy our needs immediately, it’s like you are viewing them as the top of our pedestal, admiring them a lot.

I am saying this from my perspective as a young adult, I’ve experienced the first time feeling disappointed in my ex-crush when I hear he likes someone else. It hurts a lot to hear from the person you’ve admired for so long like someone other than you, I mean, it’s a universal experience, right? Getting disappointed or rejected, you start to get mad at yourself like hitting, pulling your hair, or even slapping yourself for not getting chosen, you feel like an idiot for being delusional thinking you’re the “one” for them. It’s a tragic feeling, I know—but I tried to forget about them, not as a friend but as a “crush”.

During my Christmas break, I struggled to cope with my feelings, so I doomscrolled YouTube for 10-12 hours for 3 days straight without reaching out to someone because I needed to isolate myself from what happened, trying to forget it ever happened. Then, I stumbled upon a show called “Moominvalley” on my for you page, I decided to watch the clips, and guess what? I fell in love with it quickly even though it’s been 3 days since I knew about this show. Moominvalley is a comforting show, and what intrigued me about the show is the character Snufkin, an easygoing and carefree enjoys thinking about things and always comes and goes as he pleases, going on adventures. Like Snufkin, I enjoy solo trips, I'm not a big fan of trips with my friends (depends on my mood but I prefer solo to groups) since I do treasure my alone time a lot, able to think about stuff or explore everywhere without any people around trying to drain my energy emotionally and physically. With my solo trips, I'm able to reflect on many stuff without any distractions. Just because I enjoy being alone doesn't mean I don't feel lonely… I have friends who care about me a lot—including my ex-crush but despite them being overall supportive and approachable, I can't help but try to push them away from me—isolating myself, especially what happened between my ex-crush and me, I can't face them anymore something that leads me to isolate myself from them and my friends, not wanting help or comfort from them anymore. I shut myself from them, I don't want to make things complicated. Snufkin really relates toMoninn on a deeper level, making him my kin since he does push away friends, has abandonment issues, fears getting attached, is sad on the inside, and struggles to talk/chat with someone.

Through the show Moominvalley, I’ve learned the hard way that even the people you deeply love and admire, you need to accept that you can’t control how they feel or act, because well… they are humans, right? They deserve to feel or act what they want, even having feelings for somebody they like, even if it’s not you. It’s sad because that person made you feel alive or wanted, through the physical touch, words of affirmation, and more—makes me so special to them. Maybe that’s the reason why I fell in love with them in the first place. This also relates to the relationship between Moominttoll and Snufkin, Moominroll being clingy and a bit obsessed to Snufkin makes him admire him because of his adventures but unlike Snufkin, he tries to avoid any attachment to Moomintroll, resulting him to leave everytime to get some alone time or to isolate himself in his adventures. Moomintroll is also one of the characters I've kinned too, him being so clingy towards Snufkin reminds how I acted towards my ex-crush but not as obsessive, just right. Moomintroll has longings for Snufkin, always wanting to be in his side everytime, like how I've wanted to be in my ex-crush's side whenever I have a chance too—but sadly they found someone they always want to be close with… I'm glad for them but I tend to feel lonely without them around, yearning for some message or conversation from them—nothing is the same anymore as before… but that's life, there will be changes, whether you like it or not.

Therefore, I still need time for myself and watch more Moominvalley to find my purpose in life outside heartbreaks. Even I would love to talk/chat with them, it’s time to use this vacation to take a break from them for a while, giving myself time to grow as an independent person—not needing their comfort or help and focusing on my passion for writing, like what I am doing right now. Sometimes, we need to depend on ourselves, without needing anyone to fix us. That's what I did to cope.

To end this, I would like to add a quote from Moominvalley from the character Snufkin, he once said:

“You can't ever be really free if you admire somebody too much.” - Snufkin (Moominvalley 2019)

This quote explains we can't really be free if we admire that special person too much, draining your energy mentally and emotionally. I wish I've heard this show during my childhood then I wouldn't have to deal with heartbreaks all of the sudden. But I guess things happen for a reason. Moominvalley is truly a masterpiece, especially the creator itself Tove Jansson, the one responsible for making this beautifully crafted show for us to love and enjoy, making us learn meaningful lessons.

We humans seek longing, wanting be loved by that person we admired but I know we're better than that—I’m better than that anyways! We know that those people we love are humans too, so why waste our time waiting for approval from them? We could try to look after ourselves and be a independent with or without them—needing no love from them at all! Love can wait but not with hopes and dreams, our passions in life are much more important than some hopeless romance. We don't need that person we deeply admire to take over our lives, we should move forward and never look back! It's such a shame not to take a chance to do what you're passionate about when we only live once.

With Moominvalley, It's possible for us to grow to independent individuals thriving to make the world a better place! With my strong love for writing, I could write freely, writing down my musings, feelings, and emotions. I’m grateful to be alive where the world is filled with endless possibilities, where you can be free from everything! Be who you want to be, explore everything until you find your purpose—that’s the beauty of independence without love!

“It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, never grow indifferent—lose your invaluable curiosity and you let yourself die. It's as simple as that.” - Tove Jansson (Fair Play 1989)

[d4rk-x-w0lf-17]

i'm fucking sick. i just remembered that each time that n reached out to the girls that he loved, asking them to let him help them and it just got him hurt in the end

[homkamiro]

Sudden scoutling because I feel like it

[fogmoo]

Here’s the finished painting of Padparadscha and Rutile ❤️🌼

[Image description: Two versions of a digital painting depicting Padparadscha leaning on Rutile's shoulder. Padparadscha is asleep with a peaceful look on their face, while Rutile looks tired and annoyed, looking at Padparadscha's chest, full of holes and cracks. The light comes from behind Padparadscha, and spreads in rays, almost like an halo. One version has slightly more pink colors than the other, which is more orange.]

[stealingyourbones]

Submitted Prompts #98

Danny and Raven are both hybrid supernatural creatures. Which means, they end up meeting during a couple of pagan celebrations.

They get to talking, and realize they get along really well. So, since on Raven's side of things, she still hasn't met the Titans yet, Team Phantom just essentially adopt her. Sam adores her new goth friend. They help her feel normal, and she gives them precious advice on magic and how, sometimes, defeating an enemy comes at the cost of their life, because they might not give you much of a choice...

Soon, Raven meets the Titans, while Danny goes along his usual business of keeping Amity Park safe. They keep meeting up for celebrations, birthdays and random meetings for no reason other than a slightly feral sense of "I missed your presence at my side" they all have with each other.

The Titans are very curious on why she keeps disappearing every year at the exact same time, but all they know is the bare bones "magical meeting of magical entities that practice magic".

Until one day, when Raven almost tore Titans Tower apart while desperately trying ANYTHING to contact a friend who seemed to be "gone, and nothing can reach him. What did that idiot do?!?!?!" They are...justifiably concerned...and Robin smuggles the Batplane out of it's hangar so they can help their friend, who's always so composed, actually get to Amity with some backup in case things are going wrong.

Nothing would have prepared them for the SMOKING GODDAMN CRATER in the ground where a town should be. Raven can't reach past the Veil. The way seems to be blocked (since Amity, in the Ghost Zone, has the Ghost Shield up and running) and her powers are going a little wonky and unstable, random rocks lifting and orbiting her and the town limits as the Titans investigate as much as they can.

Until, with roaring thunder, Amity is thrown back into it's proper spot. But something's wrong. Phantom is easy to feel. He's always been a shimmering beacon in Raven's senses, but right now he feels...subdued, and yet swelling with new power...

It's not until Twam Phantom goes to meet her, that raven realizes what's wrong. She knows that Crown, and the Ring her friend is cradling in his hands. Ectoplasm is staining his hands, his suit, and, most noticeable, his teeth.

He looks like he'd rather be anywhere than here, and Sam goes in for a hug, and tells Raven they're calling a "Code Panda" (because pandas have a startlingly high chance of abandoning their Cubs before adulthood, and are generally idiots).

Robin volunteers to destroy the portal when they're ready to go, while the rest of the Titans start closing ranks around the seemingly traumatized teenage hero in case he needs help. The most he reacts is to let Raven float to him and hug him as he whispers a soft "Hey Ray...I had to follow your advice..."

(I imagine that Raven's own experiences would help Danny come to understand that, even if his Rogues can be reasoned with, there will eventually come a time where a new one might not. So they have to be prepared for that eventuality. So Danny treats Pariah's Core like one of those chewing gums with the liquid in the center of it, when he realizes the Old Tyrant King isn't going to go quietly, nor will he listen to reason. And hearing his parents talk about how Phanton would have to be exterminated soon before he "got too powerful" leads Danny and his friends to get out of Amity ASAP. Luckily, they have a friend who's very happy to have them around. Is this an "Everlasting Trio+the DC character they fell for" thing? Not necessarily, but my brain pictures them as starting to date while Raven got busy with the Titans, and when they're all together, they platonically drag Raven to their cuddle pile, where they romantically confess their shared feelings for her. But it's really up to interpretation of whoever reads it.)

[pinkmirth]

they’re such idiots . . .

[bloo-the-dragon]

so *points at mer au eclipse and ruin* these bitches gay, obviously

but im curious as to like. how do they view each other. do they see themselves as human labels of relationships? do they kinda have their own word for each other or is it just "yeah im stuck with this fucker for the rest of my life and while i may act like its a horrible thing i really dont mind and even prefer it bc honestly i doubt we'd be able to survive without each other"

honestly they give an "idc wut its called we're bonded for life" vibe /silly

HJGFGH Oh definitely it's a 'bonded for life' kinda deal, literally as well as metaphorically. As for what to call it, well it's not romantic nor is it platonic - Queer-Platonic is the closest/best term for it and that's generally how i refer to their relationship! It's very much it's own special thing, and it differs greatly from typical human relationships. (Honestly if they were humans it would probably be super unhealthy lmao)

From Eclipse's perspective he doesn't really give any label to what he and Ruin have. At the very beginning it was a sort of mutual roommate situation that developed overtime into them becoming so much more, to the point that - as you correctly said - they would no longer be able to survive without the other.

Presently Eclipse is aware that Ruin is now his counterpart and has fully accepted that (again there's a story behind this happening that i hope to one day share should i ever manage to finish the fic gfjkg) but as far as an actual term goes? Hell if he knows, but he's content either way, even if he does grouch a lot!

For Ruin, it's more simple - to him Eclipse is his mate, his bonded, his partner for life. Now again this differs greatly from human and even your typical animal forms of relationships (especially with the mated for life deal) and it still falls very closely under the qpr catagory. Mers don't actually mate in the sexual sense (genderless beings and all) so for them to bond for life is to quite literally bind/tie their soul to another making them as one almost.

So long story short, it's a queer-platonic partnered for life kinda deal! Neither of them have any actual labels for it, it's just a 'we're attached at the hip and we ain't letting go'. It's truly queer!

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

i just wanna see more of these two dorks interacting omg >:'D <333

[peridoxikal-redux]

I just have a lot of feelings about the Builder

[accidentallyatekneecaps]

Saiki and teruhashi have matching sanrio keychains

I'm right

[ghostly-below-dark]

HEAVY TF2 TUMMY ‼️‼️‼️

H..heavy tf2 tummy anon…

SORRY IM SHIT AT DRAWING MEN AAAA @heavytf2tummy

[emily-mooon]

Here’s a cute headcanon:

Stacey and Neil make bracelets for each other and also swap and wear the ones they own.

[rainswept]

therapy (alternate title: talking about white boy for 50 minutes straight)

[m0on-shro0m]

SO MITSKI RELEASED HER NEW ALBUM AND AS I WAS LISTENING TO IT, “I’m Your Man” STARTS PLAYING AND YA KNOW, JUST VIBING UNTIL THE LYRICS START JUST BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF ME!

WHY?

BECAUSE THIS SONG IS JUST SHOVING MY LOVE OF ENCHANTINGDUOT/REEBARK IN MY FACE AND POINTING AND SCREAMING AT ME AND IM SCREAMING BACK AND URGE OF TEARS ARE IMMEDITALLY A HABIT NOW

SO NOW I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AND I WILL FUCKING LISTEN TO THIS SONG AND SHOUT MY TREEBARK/ENCHANTINGDUO HEART OUT

[piko-rose]

Been feeling emotional lately and I wanted to write something based on my headcanon about Sonic and Amy's relationship. (This can be platonic as well if you want to view it that way. I don't mind!)

TW: Self-hatred, implied suicidal thoughts, and parental death (mentioned)

Quick note this takes place right after Frontiers and when Tails, Knuckles and Amy returned and also before The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.

-

"Amy? I know this is probably a dumb question to ask, but..." He paused, ruffling his quills to find better words to ask. He really doesn't wanna sound completely stupid.

"I highly doubt that." Amy chuckled, looking away from the sunset to face Sonic. After taking care of some Badniks in the city, they needed a breather. She never knew that Sonic out of all people would invite her to watch the sun set in the horizon but is she complaining?

She gets to spend time with him, as usual, and got to watch the sunset. It's a win win.

"Whatever it is you want to ask me, I'm here to answer." She puts her hands together and smiled widely.

Gosh, why is she so darn sweet? The answer's obvious, but...

Sonic looked to his right for a moment before opening his mouth.

He feels incredibly uncomfortable, but it was too late to turn back. No matter how much he hates to ask, he needs to know.

He hopes he was right.

"Do you still love me?"

"..."

They both stared at each other. One waiting for a response, and the other caught off-guard by such question.

"...What?" She muttered, flabbergasted.

Sonic, you are you idiot, he scolded himself.

Amy tried to speak, but she was just so surprised. Eventually, she just, burst into laughter. Sonic was startled but the sudden laugh attack.

He never heard her laugh like this before. The loud little giggles and the occasional snort. It was kind of funny. He sort of laughed along with her, despite feeling like a dummy.

"I-I'm- HAHA! I'm s-so sorry, Sonic! I-I didn't mean to la-ha-haugh!" Amy tried to breathe but the laughs just keep coming. "Heheh, it's alright, I guess." Sonic chuckled, looking away from the wheezing hedgehog. He did sound stupid there, didn't he?

Amy took a few deep breaths, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Sonic crossed his arms, wishing he never asked that pathetic question. "So, the question was dumb?" He quietly asked, hoping that Amy won't respond to that one.

"No! No! Of course not, Sonic! it's just..." Amy took another deep breath. Opening her eyes, she can tell that Sonic was looking off to the distance, arms crossed and everything. She can tell he looked hurt somehow.

Reading the room, she became soft and approached him. "I promise you, I wasn't laughing at you." She spoke. "I just... Wasn't expecting you to ask me something like that."

"Honestly... Me neither." He shrugged, still looking away. "I thought is was obvious, so why ask?"

"...What's obvious?"

Sonic turned to face Amy, slightly surprised to hear that. "I... I thought you... Don't- I mean-! No, no, of course you still do-! But I don't know that-! But I know you, and I- ...I shouldn't worry about this kind of stuff." He rubbed his arm.

"I don't know, I was just... Thinking about some things lately and..."

Amy frowned. "Sonic...?"

"I'm sorry. Just... Just pretend I didn't say anything. It was dumb of me to ask. I shouldn't worry about that or anything relating to love." He spoke out the last word, trying to sound all grossed out about it. "I don't know what's up with me."

"Sonic-"

"I didn't mean to bother you, alright? I'll leave now." Sonic was about to run off when a hand grabbed him by the arm.

"WAIT!"

Sonic turned to see Amy, her grabbing a hold of him with worry in her eyes. He can tell she doesn't want him to leave.

She doesn't want him to leave her.

"Sonic... Of course I still love you." She said with a small smile. But the smile didn't last too long. "I just never thought you'd care about that."

Sonic blinked.

Releasing his arm, Amy backed away and adjust her headband, feeling nervous. Sonic walked back up to her to fix her headband.

They both looked at each other.

Amy looked down at her feet, feeling sad. "I... Never thought you actually cared."

Sonic's ears pinned. "I- Of course I do. I just- I just don't feel the same. You know that. Right?"

"I've always known."

There was a longer beat.

"Even as a kid, I've always known I can be very loud with my emotions. I just love to express myself." She said. "Throughout the years, I just wanted to follow you, and show you how capable I can be. That I can be... Your hero someday, or be... Useful."

"Whoa, whoa. Hold up. 'Useful?'" Sonic repeated the last word in shock. "What are you talking about, you've always been useful- You are the toughest hedgehog I know close to Shadow! Why would you think otherwise?"

She giggled sadly. "I don't know, I just... You always run away from me, even if I wanted to say something that isn't romantic for once. I'm not just a fangirl, you know."

"Hey, I knew that since forever. I know you mean well."

"Then why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me that you liked me in the first place? Even if it's not, like, 'I feel the same for you' kind of like?"

"I..." Sonic was stuck, not knowing how to answer that. He really didn't know.

"If you said anything, maybe... I wouldn't have tried so hard. To convince you that I'm not just a little girl or whatever... That I... Actually have a purpose."

"Wait, what?" Sonic's ears went up for a moment. "'Purpose?' Amy, what are you actually talking about? Why are you saying all this?"

"Doesn't matter..." She mumbled, turning away.

"I think it does??" Sonic said, voice a little louder, wanting to get her attention. "Are you saying that you're not worth being part of the team? Because, lemme tell you right now, that is NOT true! I am grateful to have you here, Amy Rose!" He tried not to sound so demanding and harsh, but he just wanted her to listen.

"Never, EVER, think that you aren't worth being in this team! For years you ventured with us, becoming stronger and braver every time. Do you have any idea how proud I am of you?"

She didn't say anything. She could only look at the grass, holding her hands together.

"Heck, if it weren't for you, Shadow would never have helped us! You even befriended a robot and saved a Flicky's family for Pete's sake! You've done so much for not only us, but for the whole world, Amy."

She stayed silent.

"I can't believe you would think otherwise, after all of this time. Why? Why would you think that...?"

There was still no response from the light pink hedgehog. She just looked at the ground, refusing to face her hero.

"Amy... Please look at me... Why didn't you tell me any of this...?" Sonic spoke softly, taking a step towards her, almost placing her hand on her shoulder. "Is this why you were so quiet lately? Why you didn't go to your usual chases, or talk about our future?"

Amy blinked a few times, fearing he would quickly get the hint.

"You think that... You're not worth my time? Or anyone's time?"

She shuts her eyes.

"I thought you'd be better off without me..." She quietly croaked.

His eyes grew.

I thought you'd be better off without me?

Better off? Without Amy??

...Why??

"Amy, why the hell would you think that?!" He shouted. "For the past couple of days, I've been thinking about us when we were younger and how much you've changed. Ever since we defeated Infinite, I noticed some changes. You stopped chasing me around with that hammer of yours, you didn't even ask me out. I can't even remember the last time that happened."

Amy held her own arm.

"I can't even remember the last time you said you loved me."

She held her arm tight, almost scratching it.

"I thought... You, were better off without me."

Amy spun around with a gasp, tears glossed on her sea green eyes. "WHAT?! No, that's not true, Sonic!"

"I thought you've had enough of me. Back then, I thought I was too harsh. I knew you were nice and bubbly and have a big heart, but you just... Love me so much."

Amy looked away again, feeling upset at herself.

"Almost every time we came across each other, you want to go out or you wanna talk about our future together or whatever. I thought it was so weird. I'm not a romantic kind of guy, and I thought you were so..."

He stopped himself. He never wanted to finish that sentence. He doesn't want to say anything like that about her. He never wanted to, even when they were younger.

"...annoying?" Amy finished.

A small gasp escaped his mouth.

"N-No. No!" He stuttered. You're not annoying-!"

"YES I AM!" She screamed.

He jumped from Amy's shriek that echoed around the fields.

"What's make you think that I don't do any of those things anymore, Smart Alec?" She barked. "During the first few months of the Eggman War, I realized how extreme I really am to you and how all lovey dovey I can be and how obnoxious I was to you."

"You are not-"

"I'm not finished. She spoke up.

"Hearing word that you were presumably... dead, I was just... Not having a great time. At all." She held her arm again as she continued.

"During the time, I looked back at my memories with you. They were so bittersweet and wonderful to look back on, until... I truly understood how annoying I was to you, and possibly to a few people. I don't care if we were younger, it was still recent."

"Amy-"

"I was already feeling upset because of your loss, but opening my eyes on the person I became meeting you, I... I wanted to be stronger than that. More, special, than that. I want to be someone people can actually look up to. Someone people can actually love."

"Now listen here-"

"I AM NOT FINISHED, SONIC." She demanded calmly.

Sonic, running out of patience, just sighed. and listen.

"I tried. I really did." She continued. I tried so hard to get over you and focus on the war. I tried so how to stop loving you, but... When I tried, I just... Felt worse, somehow."

Tears came in once more when she looked at Sonic.

"It hurts me knowing that I have to force myself to give up on the one person who made me who I am today. I didn't want to do that, but I thought if I did, I'd be a better person."

"Ames..." Sonic muttered out her nickname. A nickname he came up with on the spot, unknowingly. His eyes were soft and sad.

"But I just... Couldn't. You just 'died,' and I don't want to do that! I don't want to stop loving you because you were the first person I met after-! ..."

She quickly stopped herself before going too far.

"After what?"

Welp, too late.

"...After I lost my parents." She said quietly, beginning to cry.

Something hurt in his chest. Very badly, after hearing that. She never talked about her parents before. Now he knows why.

"They were always there for me when times of tough, and they helped me even train with my new hammer, which my daddy made for me. Of course now it has some upgrades thank to Tails, but it was still nostalgic to me. They loved me very much and would do anything to keep me safe."

Crossing his arms and leaning slightly, Sonic sighed, listening to her story. He felt awful.

"I was only seven when I lost them. I was way too young. I hated thinking about it, but I remember them telling me to keep running and protect myself no matter what happens. Then I just, ran off. Leaving my parents with those robots."

Sonic gasped quietly. He knew what kind of robots she was talking about.

"I wanted to protect them from those robots but I felt so scared, even with my hammer. I didn't know what to do. I just ran away. Like a coward." She clinched her fists tightly, wanting so badly to kick her younger self in the face.

"Ever since, for almost a whole year, I blamed myself for the doing the one thing I wanted to do. Keep my family safe, in thanks of keeping me safe. I was by myself ever since. Though, I tried to find a new family. A new place. A new home, anything to make me feel happy again. But... No one would take me..."

Replaying the memories of strangers ignoring her plea from back then, to even some kids befriending her, only to leave her in the dust when she was in trouble, continuously stab her heart every time.

"No one. Literally no one would take me in. I was a loud, weak, sobbing mess to every person who had every right to walk pass by."

It hurts Sonic hearing her say that about herself.

"But as time goes on, I kept on walking. On my own, hoping one day I'll find my place. My new family. I found these tarot card one day and they cheered me right up. They were right up my ally. Then, one card... Heheh, you know exactly what was on that card."

He smiled slightly. "Sure do."

"It was how we met. On Little Planet. Then I met Tails and Knuckles. And ever since, I truly believed I found my new home. You guys, but especially you. You were the first person that I met after I lost my home, and I couldn't be more happier."

She smiled widely. "Not only did you change my life, but you saved it as well. That's just one of the many reasons why I love you!"

Then, she stopped, her smile fading away instantly. "But... When I got older, I became more aware of my actions and wanted to deal with it. But sometimes I set aside those worries, because, that's what you do best, right? No worries at all!"

"Yeah..." Sonic "agreed."

"But it never truly bothered me until we lost you. For months, I was having a horrible time, while trying to be there for the Resistance, being stuck between not wanting to give up my love for you, or just stay the way I am and not change at all. I feel... Stuck. And worthless, knowing that I don't know how to change for the better."

"Don't say that. You're not worthless." Sonic spoke. "You shouldn't kept all of this to yourself during that time. Did you at least talk to someone about it? Cream, Rouge, anyone?"

"No. I was too busy working and checking up with the rest of the rookies during the war." She continued. "Plus, I didn't want to worry anyone if I did anyway. They were worried about you, so what's the point?"

"Everyone was there for each other during that mess! You know darn well they'll be there for you when you need them most!" Sonic corrected in a harsh tone. "And we were there for you since forever! You really think your feelings don't matter?! You really think I don't care about you??!"

Amy was slightly scared by Sonic's yell, but she knew he wasn't being rude. "I-I..." She stuttered. "I don't know!"

"..." Sonic sighed was again, but sounding tired and fed up with the way Amy is treating herself right now.

"I really don't know. You were gone, everyone else was busy, I don't want to get in anyone's way, and I don't know if I should give up my love." She said. "Everything was going so fast in my head and I hated it. Every second of it. I just want my worries to go away. I just want you to get out of my head! I just want to be happy! I just-!!"

She gripped harder on her arm. Sonic quickly held onto her arm, wanting her to release it carefully. "Amy, stop! You're hurting yourself!"

"I just don't want to be alone again!" She sobbed. "I just wanted a family again!" I just want to be reminded that I'm important after so long! Why can't I have this?! Why can't I have any of this?! Why am I trying to hard when I'll just lose everything all over again?!"

"Amy, STOP IT!"

"Why can't I be better?! Why can't I change?! I just... I JUST WANT TO BE BETTER FOR YOU! FOR EVERYONE!"

"AMY!"

"WHY CAN'T I DO ANYTHING RIGHT??!"

"AMY ROSE!!"

Sonic yelled out her name loud enough for Amy to finally hear him. She looked up to see his face, full of anger and fear. He was letting out shaky breaths.

Great, Now look what she did. He's upset. And it's all her fault.

"God... What am I even doing... I should've have told you that stuff, but I just have to be honest..." She sniffled, looking down. "I really can't do anyth-"

"Stop." He barked. "Stop it. Right now."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Don't you ever say those things again! You hear me?" He grabbed her arm up to get her to face him again. "Don't EVER say that again!"

"I-"

"EVER!"

Her lips quivered, and broke down into sobs again. "I'm sorry, S-Sonic. Please don't be m-mad at me."

"Amy, why didn't you tell me how you were feeling lately?! Or anyone?! Why would you keep this from us?! Why would think that you're not important?!"

"... ..." Amy just cried softly, refusing to say another word.

"Why would you ever try and give up on your love for me after all this time?"

"Because you don't love me."

...

...

The only thing that could be heard over the silence was Amy's heartbreaking cries. Sonic's head was racing with so many things to say but he just... Couldn't.

He held his hands on both of Amy's arms to try and comfort her, not knowing what to do with all this information.

He felt stuck as well.

"I'm sorry-"

"Stop saying that. It's not your fault. Okay?" He rubbed her arms in a little circle. "It was never your fault."

She was hiccuping more quiet sobs, still refusing to look at him. "I-I'm sor-ry, S-Sonic..." "No, no, no." Sonic spoke. "It's not your fault, Amy... You didn't do anything wrong, okay...? You just didn't know what to do..."

"I'm sorry..."

"You've done nothing wrong. You have nothing to be sorry about. You were brave back there and you still are. You are strong and you have a heart of gold. The biggest heart I've seen in fact." He continues on, rubbing her arms to comfort her.

"You've done so much. For us, and me. I am proud of you. We all are. Always. You are an amazing hero, Amy. You have no idea how important you are."

At that moment, the words she longed to hear, she broke down into louder sobs and fell to her knees, not being able to control her crying anymore. Sonic comes down to his knees and held her. Tight.

He hugged her.

He hugged her, for a long time.

He began rubbing her back, hushing softly.

"I want you to hear me, okay? I want to hear what I'm gonna say." He said. He couldn't see it, but he knew Amy nodded her head slowly. He took in a deep inhale...

"Amy, just because I don't feel the same, that doesn't mean I don't care. Okay?" He goes on. "But I do love you in my own way. I've always thought you were the most happiest, energetic person I've met in a long time. And even though I'm not the biggest fan of romance, I still enjoy your company."

Amy's cries has calm down at this point.

"We were younger. We were kids. I didn't understand that whole 'love' shtick and thought it was all yucky and stuff. But getting older, I know it won't change someone's life just to be with that someone. In fact, it makes that someone's life better. Some people aren't into relationships either, and that's okay."

Amy then sniffled loudly before Sonic continued.

"You are a great person, Amy, and you have no idea how lucky I am to have you here today. In a way, you pretty much saved my life too. You've came a long way to be the person you wanna be. I am proud of you. So, so proud of you. Okay? Don't forget that."

He rubbed her back again, soothing her cries and calming her down much better.

"Don't think that you're feelings don't matter, alright? I care about everyone's feelings, including yours. Regardless if I love you the way you love me, I'll do anything to make sure that frown goes upside down. I'll do anything to make sure you're happy."

He broke up the hug for a moment to face her, seeing all the tears dripping down her face like a small waterfall. "And another thing... I'm sorry if I made you believe that you don't matter. Like I said before, I've been thinking about how different we were towards each other and... I feel like I should make it up for you."

"Sonic..." Amy said hoarsely. "Don't say that. You weren't 'harsh' to me. We were young, like you said."

"I know, but..." Sonic said. "Hearing all of this now, all of the thing you kept from me..."

He sighed.

"It's kind of funny that we both wished to be better for each other, huh?" He chuckled weakly. "But... Listen, Amy... You did change for the better, both for yourself and for me. You've done so much right instead of wrong, alright? And after everything that happened, and after all this time, you still love me. That's pretty crazy..."

"Of course I do." She giggled quietly. "You've done so much for me. During that time in the war, it was a big struggle for me. I wasn't sure if I should keep going. Like, at all..."

His emerald eyes grew for a second. He caught what she meant by those last words. "Amy..."

"But... All I can think of was you. Your smile. Your bravery. Your big heart." Amy softly touched Sonic's chest where his heart is.

"For a while, I could only think about our relationship, but the last few months of that time, you yourself, and as an wonderful person, is all there is in my mind. If I give up, I think you wouldn't like that." She said, once again, holding her arm.

"No. I wouldn't." He held her arm gently and rubbed with with his thumb. "Don't tell anybody this, but back at the Death Egg, it was just basically me and my thoughts, and sometimes those stupid allusions that pop up to mess with me every month or so." He laughed.

"What?" Amy grew concerned.

"Anyway, during the first few months, I was thinking about our friends and wondering, hoping, that they'll be okay without me. I think back to our childhood sometimes. When I first met Tails, Knuckles and you. Some weeks my mind focused on Tails and how he's doing right now. Sometimes Knuckles. And even the Chaotix. I was even wondering what was Shadow's problem with me and why he joined Eggman. Granted, I was worried about him too."

"Sonic..."

"Then I thought about you. You, Knuckles and Tails were the ones I thought about the most, because... You all mean the world to me." Me said, his voice cracking slightly.

Amy's eyes lit up like stars.

"I thought I was being too hard on you sometimes, looking back at our moments. I thought maybe I made you believe that I... Hate you. But I thought it was ridiculous cause you know me! I get along with pretty much a lot of people! But sometimes... It's rare for my worries to catch up with me but when it does..."

Amy held Sonic's hand. He took notice and was surprised at first but looked up to see Amy's smile.

Haven't seen that smile in a while.

"Sonic. You were never hard on me. You were such a sweet hedgehog and you still are, even though I can be too much sometimes. You didn't make me believe that. I did that to myself, haha..." Amy said, giggling and wiping away her tears.

"You know, we have a lot in common after all."

"Yeah. I guess we kinda do." Sonic chuckled.

"We both don't want to worry anyone or even ourselves." They both said perfectly in unison.

Realizing that, they both laughed together. "Jinx! You owe me some Chaos Cola!" Amy said, unable to stop herself from laughing again.

After a moment, Sonic stopped to hear Amy's adorable laughter. He smiled, relieved to hear and see her smile and laugh again after all that drama earlier.

"Aw, where have you been Amy's smile? I've been looking everywhere for ya." He then booped Amy's button nose. "Boop!"

Amy squealed loudly. He never booped her nose before. "Oh, my Gosh!"

"Agh! I'm sorry!"

"No, no, no, it's okay! I wasn't expecting that!"

They both continued laughing for a while, just sitting on the ground with all their previous worries and concern washed away like it never happened.

It really has been a while since they bonded like this. They both needed this laugh. They both needed all of this.

Eventually, they calmed themselves down and relaxed, looking at one another.

Amy smiled. "Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything."

He smiled as well. "You're welcome. Though, I should be thanking you too. For supporting me during my worst times. Your love and kindness means a lot."

They both back up on their feet and notice the sunset was gone. "Aw. It's over." Amy pouted.

"Hey, it's alright." Sonic said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "There's always next time! Of course, if you're not busy or whatever."

"Haha. Sure." She responded, her voice sounding much better already.

They both look out to the twilight sky, the sky being dark purple with a hint of blue and pink. "Also, uh, thanks for lending me a help back there with those Badniks."

"No problem! Anything to help out my darling Sonic!" She winked

"Pfft, wow, been a hot minute since you called me THAT." He said.

"What? Ya don't like it?" She teased.

"NO! I mean- Kind of- But it's not that I despise it!"

Amy cracked up once more. Sonic just rolled his eyes. "Whatever, dude." He laughed.

Amy sighed, feeling a whole lot better after what happened. She looked out to the horizon where the sunset was, then back at Sonic. "Thanks for taking me out here."

"Anytime. Been a while since I watched the sun set. Every now and then I like to slow down and just... Admire the most special things about life." He then said, looking right at Amy.

Her whole face goes red and her eyes grew huge.

"AAAAAAH!" She screamed, looking away and covering her face. "What? Was it something I said?" He teased back. "YOU ARE SUCH A DORK!" She squealed, causing Sonic to go into another laughing fit.

Sonic thought it will go badly when he asks a stupid question. It did, but only for a while. There were some tears but then everything was better again.

He hoped someday Amy can talk to him more about her feelings, and maybe he should tell others about his as well, since he doesn't talk about his time at the Death Egg that often.

And probably other stuff too.

He and Amy should hang out more often. He remembered that Amy's 14th birthday is coming up. He missed her 13th, so why not make up for lost time!

"Hey, your birthday is coming up soon. I'm going to assume that I'm invited?"

"Of course! I'm planning something very special, too! But you'll have to wait til the right date comes! It's a surprise." Amy winked again.

"Cool! I'll be there!"

She smiled widely, lucky to have met this blue hedgehog. "I know you will."

He smiled also, but rests his face for a moment to say, "Hey, can you promise me something?"

"Sure."

He held her hand.

"Whenever you feel down or if there's something you want to talk about, please come to me. Know that I'm always here for you."

She looked into the emerald green of his eyes.

"Always." He repeated.

Her eyes sting with tears for a moment, but she took a deep breath to relax herself.

She then placed her other hand on his, smiling. "I promise."

-

Happy Early 30th Anniversary To Amy Rose, One Of My Favorite Characters In The Franchise.

To those having a rough time right now, always remember that you are loved. You are special. I am proud of you. You've done so much and you're doing great.

Never give up, not even on yourself, because there a lot of people out there who care for you and love you. I have to remind myself this every day and I want to remind you too.

This year has been tough for a lot of people as of late but it's going to get better. It's gonna take a while but it's going to be better. I promise.

When negative thoughts hit, let is pass, and keep living.