#he was a literal lab rat put on a wheel and all he was taught to do was /go/

[msrosey]

No Such Thing as a Friendly Ghost

Rant on the differences between Movie-verse! Shadow and SA2! Shadow real quick because I am suffering! Suffering!

So Movie-verse! Shadow is so absolutely grief-stricken it was killing me to watch.

Like. SA2! Shadow was grieving, but he was driven towards revenge from pretty much the beginning (adjusted memories non-withstanding). He was the one who went to Eggman when he was freed, he was the one who set up the events of the game. He had agency.

Movie-verse!Shadow...doesn't. He gets woken up and immediately just wants to get away. No blowing up the base, no searching for answers from the guys still in the glass watching room, just defending himself against the armed guys trying to keep him in and then immediately bouncing. And when they chase them, he fights some more - he doesn't go looking for it. He even says it to Sonic - "Why can't you people leave me alone?"

And he goes straight back to the old G.U.N. facility. Like, it's so clear he had no clue what to do! He just sits in the wreckage of the only home he ever knew, with no clear next steps, just. There. Gerald is the one to tell him what to do. Gerald is the one who pushes him towards to revenge, who tells him its the only way. And Shadow just...follows?

In the game it was clear that Gerald had to mess with Shadow's memories to make him think that this is what he wanted, what Maria would have wanted. In the movie it's clear that Shadow is just looking for someone to tell him what to do. He even joins Agent Stone for guac, just cause Gerald said to stay with him! That's unthinkable for Game! Shadow or IDW! Shadow, both of which are big ignore-plan-jump-into-the-fight characters. Movie-verse! Shadow is strangely, like, innocent?

Like, Shadow is grieving, so badly, but its devastating because he also doesn't seem to realize. Like there's this underlying confusion when he's not actively fighting, and it's clear he has no frame of reference for anything he's feeling? It's like if Sonic had lost Longclaw and then never been exposed to the Wachowskis or Green Hills, just festered in his own guilt until coming across Knuckles or the echidna tribe.

AH and this is already so long but guys, can we talk about how the moment when Shadow starts to realize Maria would not want revenge and he no longer had someone telling him what to do, he like. Immediately tried to die. Several times.

He taunts Sonic to finish him off, despite him having the upper hand multiple times in the battle! He returned to the Eclipse Cannon alone to keep it from blowing up!

Like, yes the latter was the heroic things to do, but there's something so self-sacrificing about both, especially when he could have gotten Sonic's help with the ship? The rest of Team Sonic's help. This Shadow has (somehow) innate Chaos teleportation abilities, you're telling me he couldn't just teleport Sonic back to the ship and get things fixed with Knuckles and Tails' all together? But he doesn't even try, and it. feels like it's all tied back into this intense guilt and barely hidden desire to just not be there anymore.

Also I just can't get the image of him in the blown up base out of my head. He's just...standing there. Walking the halls. Haunting it.

And I know Knuckle's mention of Casper being scary is largely comic relief, but he has a point. Someone who doesn't care about their own life anymore, who stays replaying awful memories trapped in their own head, and who sees no future where they're in is terrifying.

They can't be friendly, or kind. Not even to themselves.

[the-ferocious-kittyrose]

Voltron Pet Store AU

Shiro works with the cats - Shiro is 100% a goofy cat dad. He tries to act all serious and mature but everyone has caught him holding the cats up to the sky singing the circle of life at the top of his lungs at least once. One day they brought in a Black cat that had come from an abusive owner and his heart nearly shattered. She was sickly thin and only had three legs. He new instantly that he was going to take her home with him. It took a while for her to fully trust him but now they’re as close as can be.

Keith works with the reptiles - Keith grew up in a desert and spent his childhood chasing lizards and snakes. He carries his pet snake, Red, around while he works and shows her to the customers, some are afraid but others are in awe of her bright red scales. When he first started working there Lance avoided Keith at all costs, claiming no sane person would walk around with a snake around their neck, but after listing to Keith go on about her adorable eyes and cute lil puppy dog mouth, he decided he wasn’t so bad.

Lance works with the fish - Lance ALWAYS had fish when he was a kid and insisted on having a whole ass funeral whenever one died. He’s just mesmerized by their beautiful colors. He’s absolutely sure that there is a certain fish for everybody and is dead set on matching each kid that comes into his aisle with their perfect fish. He has a blue ring angel named Blue who was a gift from his uncle Blaytz. He has spent an ABSORBENT amount of money on decisions for her tank.

Pidge works with the birds - Pidge admires birds. She loves how clever they are. Everyday she comes running into work with a new article/video about some genius bird who learned to use a water fountain or vending machine. The rest of the crew doesn’t care quite as much as she does, but they play along because of how happy it makes her. She has taught her two parrots, Green and Rover, to put on little skits for the customers.

Hunk works with the dogs - Hunk + puppers??? To much pure energy for the universe handle. Hunk loves all dogs but he absolutely adores those huge dogs who have so much love to give but are just completely unaware of their own size. If he goes out being crushed by 100 pounds of love then that’s just how he goes out. One day a new yellow lab puppy came in and Hunk burst into tears because, “she’s just too cute!!!” No one was surprised when he adopted her later that week.

Allura works with the rodents - Rodents are adorable and Allura will die on that hill. She loves their cute whiskers and the way their little noses twitch. She always posts pics of the rats cuddling and the hamsters on their wheels in the group chat with a hundred heart emojis. She can’t stand to see Keith feeding the snakes mice, whether they’re dead or not. She literally has to go to the other side of the store. One day when she got home from work she heared tiny squeaks coming from her purse. When she looked she found four little stow always and just couldn’t bare to bring them back.