#i believe in giant fallen heroes

[snail-noodle]

"my my my... what do we have here?"

you shivered in fear at the gigantic being before you. you and your cookie friends had tried your best to seal the rift in the tree with white lily cookie. however, your actions proved pointless. white lily cookie's powers were still too weak and your time had run out. you all watched in horror at the towering cookie grinning down from above.

"it's been so long since we've seen new faces! we were starting to get bored being by ourselves in here..." shadow milk cookie smirked as he took a look at each cookie standing before him. when his eyes had reached you, his gaze stayed far more longer on you than the others. you trembled from his piercing stare, a small whimper escaping from your lips as you backed away and hid yourself behind pure vanilla cookie.

shadow milk cookie chortled at the pathetic display. "Oh, how I have missed the faces of fear from you cookies! Never gets old!" now that the rift had opened big enough for him to pass through, shadow milk cookie stepped out of the silver tree that had kept him and the others imprisoned for so long. the smaller cookies screamed in terror as they scrambled to get out of his way. every footstep he took practically shook the earthbread beneath their feet.

"pure vanilla cookie!" fear clouded your mind as you tugged your leader's arm in desperation. "what are we going to do?!" anxiety gripped your heart when he hesitated to think of a solution. one of the most powerful beings in all of cookiekind has just been unleashed and is ready to bring chaos to the world once more. just how on earthbread will any cookie be able to stop such beasts?

before pure vanilla cookie could even think of an answer, you cried out in alarm as you were suddenly lifted into the air. the other cookies screamed your name as you watched their forms grow smaller and smaller. you gasped as you were face to face with the grinning jester.

"what a cute little cookie you are." he eagerly examined you as if he were a child that had been given a new toy, turning you this way and that. "it's been ages since i had a little pet to dote on. you'll make a fine addition to my collection!" your mind raced as you tried to understand what you have just heard. a collection? a pet to dote on? what on-?!

your thoughts were interrupted as you heard a snap of... fingers? confused, you found yourself locked inside some sort of bird cage; the bars were thick enough to keep you from escaping. shadow milk cookie cooed as he watched you attempt to break free. "no-!" you tugged and pulled at the bars keeping you in.

"no! y-you can't keep me in here! Please!" you cried out to him in desperation. shadow milk cookie only giggled and shook his head, "ah, ah, ah! you're staying right by my side, my little cookie." you shuddered in fear as he began to summon his powers once more. shadows seeped out from your surroundings and from his body. multiple cold blue eyes stared at you and the cookies still down below.

"now, my dear..." with a clap of his hands, monsters of every kind stepped out from the shadows, ready to obey their master. with a manic grin, shadow milk cookie spread his arms out in grandeur to the cookies below. with a perfect view from above, you could only watch in horror as your friends were surrounded at every side by monsters of different sizes.

"let the show begin!"

[iniziare]

Re-tag drop: Yelan

[writingtraumaforever]

A Courtship Christmas: Chapter 1

Notes: Hello everyone! This addition to the Courtship series will be a holiday special and multiple chapters! Yay! I can't promise how quickly this will be updated, but I am really hoping to have the second chapter out before the movie, at least. Either way, I hope you all enjoy this work! (More Notes at the End)

Summary: Sonic is excited to make Shadow's first Christmas on earth a great one! This is completely derailed when Commander Walters has a special letter for Shadow.

Courtship Masterpost!

Link to my AO3!

Start:

Sonic loves so, so much about earth.

From the obvious things like the people and the places to the more intimate things like their cuisines and music and customs, he never spends a single moment regretting his choice to stop running and choosing this planet as his home.

But by far, his absolute favorite holiday on this planet is easily Christmas! 

Maddie and Tom explained it to him when he spent his first year celebrating it with them. How there’s a lot of rumored origins to the holiday. One being the birthday of the Sun God. The other being the birthday of the Son of God. And some just celebrating it because it’s a trademark at this point in society and regardless of the origin, it’s about family and giving and friends and being thankful for what one has. And Sonic loves that concept.

And presents. He loves the presents.

Last year had been Knuckles and Tails’ first Christmas. Knuckles had refused to celebrate at first, saying he was now Jewish thanks to Mrs. Whipple. But he eventually, with the help of a little chat with the Donut Lord, realized he isn’t actually Jewish. He just wanted to be supportive of his friend. And he can do that without conversion into a religion he ultimately doesn’t really know anything about, let alone believe. So after spending a few days celebrating Hanakkuh with Wendy, Wade and Wanda, he came back home to help prepare for Christmas with his own family. 

Tails had fallen in love with it immediately, infatuated with all the lights and the tiny trinkets that would play Christmas melodies and spin.. he invented a different gift for every single one of his family members. Even Ozzie got an automatic fetch machine! 

Sonic and Knuckles had stayed up as long as they could with a trap set by the chimney hoping to snag Santa, but they fell asleep before he came.. they woke up to the trap being untouched and a little note with red and green glitter on it reading ‘nice try, boys - S’. They vowed to get the old man one day. Sonic is a pro at foiling old, fat men. It was inevitable.

The point is that the Christmas Spirit is strong in the Wachowski household. And with the MOBIUS project in full swing this year, they decided to help acclimate some of the new Mobians into the world’s traditions by having a ‘Cookies with Santa’ event in the parking lot of GUN. Sonic had convinced them after demanding they owed him for saving the world. 3 times now. 

They put fake snow everywhere, had an ornament-making station, a gift-wrapping station, Tom dressed up as Santa Claus and let little Mobians sit on his lap and tell them what they wanted— though this giant alligator nearly crushed him at one point doing this— and they had lights strung across the front of GUN and its landscape.

The Guardian Units of Nations had never been merrier!

Shadow had been there, of course. He, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Rouge and Amy had all dressed as elves to help overwhelming crowd of human and alien children alike. They would each help at different stations. Sonic and Knuckles and Tails helped at the Santa station since most people wanted to meet the heroes of earth anyway. Shadow and Amy were on ornament-making duty. And Rouge helped Rachel wrap gifts that were brought for donation to the Mobians who still haven’t found a home.

There was even a sign-up sheet for people who wanted to volunteer to host a Mobian for the holidays!

It all went off with a sinch, and Randall even showed up dressed as the Grinch to cause mischief! He was a hit with the kids, but Sonic did not like it. Something about the Grinch just kinda makes him… disgusted. Some sort of familiarity about him that turns him off the green Who.

Either way, everything went perfect, and by the end of it, humans and Mobians were mingling and celebrating with laughter and hot cocoa and it was perfect. This. This is why he loved Christmas.

Walking to Tom’s truck after helping clean up, Shadow was showing Sonic some of the ornaments he made. “I put fake snow in this one,” he held it up to show Sonic, “and there’s a little snowman inside like one of those little balls..?”

“A snow globe?”

“Yes, those,” Shadow nodded, reaching for his next ornament to show.

This was Shadow’s first Christmas too… well.. on earth, anyway. He celebrated back on the ARK with Maria every year.. they didn’t have much in the ways of gift-giving, but they’d make each other something each year and exchange it at the midnight of Christmas Eve. Then they’d sit and eat cookies together and watch earth from the window..

Maria would talking about how she hoped Santa could find them all the way in space. Shadow would vow to make sure she got enough presents to believe that he did— which she always did thanks to the scientists on the ARK practically adopting her as the whole station’s daughter. 

The point is, Christmas isn’t foreign entirely to him. But it’s his first one on the planet, and Sonic knows it’s gotta be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for the guy since Maria isn’t here to celebrate with him..

Holding up his fourth ornament he made that’s painted to look like a gingerbread man, Sonic grins supportively at it and looks to Shadow, “These will all look real good on the tree, Shads!”

“You think so?” Shadow asks hopefully, a hint of excitement in his crimson eyes.

“Sure I do! They’re all great. We’ll have to let you pick a spot for them on the tree when we get it put up.”

Shadow smiles timidly at this, nodding in return. They’re standing at Tom’s truck, now. The door open but Sonic doesn’t climb in yet. Instead, he stands there looking at Shadow with a shy little smile, Shadow looking back at him with the same sort.

They haven’t kissed again since the bowling alley a month ago.. if that even counts. Sonic didn’t even get to kiss back!! 

They’ve both been dancing around it since then, not addressing it but not fully ignoring it. They’ll do things like a couple would, now. When they go out for lunch, Shadow will hold Sonic’s hand across the table. Or when they end a friendly race, they find somewhere to sit and lean on each other for a bit and just talk. They’ll hug goodbye, nuzzle each other to rub their scents on the other.. 

But no kisses. None.

It’s driving Sonic crazy.

He just wants to kiss this boy properly!

And every time it feels like they’re about to share one, something has to interrupt them.

Every. Time.

“Soo.. you’re coming over, right?” Sonic asks with a little coy smile, tilting his head at the hybrid. 

“Of course,” Shadow smirks, “I’ll hop on my bike and be right over.”

“Good,” Sonic grins a bit wider, biting his lower lip all innocent and shy. Like he don’t know what he’s trying to do when his eyes shift down to Shadow’s mouth a little too long.

Shadow swallows, taking notice, of course, and moving to ever so slowly lean in towards Sonic.

This is it!! They’re gonna do it! They’re gonna—

“Hey Shadow!” 

Every. Damn. Time.

Shadow blushes and immediately pulls back to turn and see Rouge approaching. She pauses upon realizing what she had interrupted and gives an apologetic smile, “Sorry to interrupt, boys— Shadow, Commander Walters wants a word with you before you go..”

Shadow blinks at this, exchanging a look with Sonic who offers a little quirk of his brow before they both look back to Rouge.

“Commander Walters??” he frowns, “What for?? I’m off duty until after Christmas..”

“He so is not being deployed on Christmas,” Sonic demands with a little scowl and cross of his arms, “Not happenin’.”

“Nothing like that,” Rouge quickly clarifies before the two get too snippy, “Don’t get your quills in a huff. He just said he had something to deliver to you. That it’s a private matter..”

Sonic’s eyes widen with a gasp, “Oh my God— what if Commander Walters is secretly Santa???”

Shadow’s eyes roll with a small snicker at his counterpart’s amusing theory, turning to offer Sonic a little side hug— ugh, always with the hugs— and then stepping away, “I’m gonna go see what he wants then I’ll head to your place.”

Sonic nods with a little smile, “Okay. Let me know if you need me.”

“I will,” the hybrid assures before turning to follow Rouge back to the GUN building for his meeting with the commander. Rouge offering a wave to Sonic as she goes, “See you in a bit, Blue!”

“See ya!”

The crew is meeting up at the Wachowski’s for some Christmas festivities. They’re decorating for the holidays and invited everyone to come help since they would all be in town anyway due to the GUN Cookies with Santa Fundraiser. 

It’s rare they can all get together at one time like this with they’re constant conflicting schedules, so Sonic is extremely pumped to have all the people who matter most to him all over at once. 

First to arrive as always thanks to Sonic’s very poor example of nagging Tom into every drive being a race— he’s corrupted the once speed-trap-cop, for sure— Sonic slides right on out of the truck just in time to see Maddie pulling up in her car with Tails and Knuckles in the back.

“We kicked your butts!” Sonic teases as they open their car doors, “Beat you by a solid thirty seconds!”

“You were going seventy in a fifty-five,” Maddie scolds with narrowed eyes towards Tom.

Tom just sheepishly smiles and rubs the back of his neck, “What?? My speedometer read fifty-seven. Thing must be busted..”

“Mhm,” Maddie hums as she waltzes past him to the front door, unconvinced eyes glaring at him as she goes. He just offers a nervous little chuckle and follows her on in.

Sonic dashes to the side of the road to look for the 

Hansel’s to show up next since they’re likely not far behind, and sure as Christmas, he sees them turning onto their street a few moments later. He’s so excited to get to spend some proper time with JoJo since he was a bit too busy to at the event. She’s getting so big! More around Tails’ age than his own, but that just makes things more fun! Plus Amy was a member of the Handel family now, too, so she’d be attending as well. Sonic just loves when everyone comes together. It’s a big reason why he loves the Christmas time, especially now that their family has grown so much!

He remembers the times he spent sitting outside the Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady’s window, watching them turn on Christmas music and put their tree up while they danced around the televised fireplace.. how he’d dance with them in the cold outside, pretending he was a part of something so warm and lovely and merry..

And now he really is. It’s a miracle in his eyes. Something he’ll never be able to appreciate enough but sure as heck tries.

Rushing down the street, Sonic does some playful and excited laps around the Handel car before it pulls up into their driveway knowing that JoJo loves it when he does that. The car door opens once parked and Sonic is immediately darting up to greet them with an excited, “WOO WOO! Handel’s in the HOUUUUSE!”

Jojo laughs as she climbs out, high-fiving her cousin, “You bet we are! Ready to get our Christmas on!”

Sonic laughs and looks to his aunt and uncle with a polite grin and wave, “Heya Uncle Randall and Aunt Rachel.”

“Hey Sonic, you did good with the kids at the fundraiser,” Randal compliments, face still painted green from being Grinch-ified.

“Always do! The Grinch seemed to be a hit,” Sonic replies encouragingly even if he himself didn’t much care for the Grinch.. who the heck likes a guy who steals Christmas??? No one sane.

“Figured I’d bring some green into our colorful bunch,” Randal replies, shutting his car door and heading inside to wash the makeup off, “Gonna get back to being tall, dark and handsome now, though.”

“Just like I like him,” Rachel adds with a wink, Sonic chuckling at his aunt’s flirty antics. 

Rachel has mellowed out a lot since her first attempted wedding. Joining GUN seems to have brought her a better feeling of control in her life rather than chaos randomly popping up on her doorstep. She looks and feels more prepared for what the universe has thrown into her family— which happens to be a bunch of aliens. And despite her sassiness, Sonic knows firsthand that she’d put a bullet in anything that dared to threaten a single member of their family, aliens and all. They’ve all grown close. Trauma does that to people!

Amy piles out of the car after JoJo, immediately nearly knocking Sonic over in a hug. He chuckles at that, grunting at the impact before offering an arm around her in return, “Take it easy, Amy!”

“Sorry!” the pink hedgehog apologizes but doesn’t let go just yet, “I’ve just missed you guys! It’s been too long.”

“I was there visiting like— two weeks ago,” Sonic snorts with a rub to her back.

“I know, I know! But still,” she huffs and pulls back at last to grin up at him, bouncing on her toes a little, “I also think I’m just really in the Christmas spirit—“

Her brows furrow with a frown as she looks around then, “…Where’s Shadow??”

“Oh- he had some thing with the Commander to take care of,” Sonic replies casually.

“They’re not gonna send him away this close to the holidays, are they??” Amy huffs, looking very much prepared to take her magic hammer to GUN’s head of the answer is yes.

“No,” Sonic chuckles, shaking his head, “Nah. Rouge said it was just a meeting or something. Nothing more. They’ll both be here shortly, I’m sure.”

Amy’s smile returns at this approvingly, “Good. It’s his first Christmas on earth! He deserves it to be a good one!”

“Agreed,” Sonic winks with a thumbs up before ushering her and JoJo inside, “So let’s get inside and get started on unloading stuff from the shed  so we can be ready to decorate by the time they get here!”

They all contribute, forming an assembly line of sorts from the shed’s attic to the house. It all use to be in the attic, but then Sonic moved in and it was moved to the basement. And then Tails moved in and it was moved to the shed— except that’s where Knuckles ended up moving in next, so they added flooring to the ceiling of the shed to make a small attic. And that’s now where all their seasonal decor goes.

The line goes pretty quickly between Amy and Knuckles’ strength, Tails’ flight and Sonic’s speed. The humans of the family hardly even have to do anything, so they take to emptying and sorting the boxes so they can be returned to the attic for storage until the holidays are over.

By the time it’s all done and ready to be put up for decoration, Shadow and Rouge still haven’t arrived..

Sonic really wanted them to be here for the start of their traditions, so he tries to stall for a bit. Offering to make some late lunch before they get going. Everyone seems to know what he’s trying to do, so they don’t argue. Maddie and Amy whip up some sandwiches while Sonic helps JoJo with an assortment of fruits and veggies— which is a pain when a certain echidna keeps stealing the grapes.

It’s about when everyone is settling to eat that the doorbell rings, Sonic’s tail sent wagging and his feet carrying him to answer the call before the bell even stops ringing. Swinging the door open, he’s caught by surprise when he finds a tall Rabbit standing there with a child next to her..

“Oh, hello,” the older one speaks politely, her voice soft and sweet and immediately screaming ‘mother’ vibes, “I was going to ask if this was the Wachowski residence, but it seems we’ve found the place.”

Sonic blinks up at her before offering a smile, “Yup! That’s us! How can I help ya, ma’am??”

“We were actually invited here by Mr. Shadow,” she says with a slight knit in her brow, “I take it by your reaction, you were not informed.. if we’re going to be a bother, we can absolutely leave. It’s not a problem—“

“No way!” Sonic grins, opening the door wider to allow them inside, “Any friend of Shadow’s is a friend of ours. Come on in!”

“Oh, thank you so much,” the mother smiles politely, ushering her daughter who has been hiding behind her skirt throughout the interaction, inside, “Come along, Cream dear..”

“Cream??” Sonic asks, that hitting a familiar string inside him. Shadow had rescued a young Mobian a few weeks back.. said she had a mother that he was trying to find and reunite her with. The kid’s name was Cream. By the looks of it, Shadow had managed to reunite them before the holidays! He’s so great..

The young rabbit peeks out at Sonic when he says her name, the blue hedgehog closing the door behind her with a welcoming smile. She seems real shy.. maybe a bit scared at their new environment. It’s hard being transported into a new world.. especially all alone. Sonic is real glad she found her mom..

See??? Sonic really needs to kiss Shadow for stuff like this, right?!

“Heya, kiddo, I remember Shadow telling me about you..,” he smiles as he crouches down to her level, “Said you were real brave.”

“Thank you, Mister,” the tiny rabbit replies shyly and ohmygodhervoiceissohighandcutewhattheheck—

“Call me Sonic,” the hedgehog winks.

“Okay, Mr. Sonic,” she nods and Sonic’s brain glitches and his heart flips. She’s so cute, hemustprotectheratallcosts.

Sonic chuckles at this, standing up again to hold a hand out to the mother now, “I’m real glad Shadow was able to find you for Cream. He told me about her back when she first got here..”

The mother shakes Sonic’s hand with a bittersweet smile, “Yes, I’m so grateful for Mr. Shadow’s heroism, he returned my sweet baby to me, and I’ll never be able to repay that.. I am Vanilla, by the way.”

Sonic smiles and nods, “Cream and Ms. Vanilla. Sweet names!”

Cream giggles at that, seeming to get his joke. Sonic just grins a bit wider at the child’s precious laugh. 

“We’re having lunch right now. You’re more than welcome to join us! I can introduce you.”

“That would be very pleasant, dear, thank you,” Ms. Vanilla replies all sweet and warm and yeah. She’s got them mom-vibes. Strong mom-vibes.

Moving to the kitchen and dining room where everyone has formed a little line to fix their plates, Sonic raises his hands to make an announcement, “Everyone, everyone! Eyes on the blue hedgehog!”

Everyone looks to them then, a mixture of confusion and intrigue and welcoming friendliness on their faces as they take in the two newcomers.

“This is Ms. Vanilla and her daughter, Cream,” Sonic explains as he gestures to the two, the mother nodding her head with a polite and subtle curtsey, Cream offering a tiny and shy wave from behind her mother’s dress, “They’re friends of Shadow’s and will be joining us for the festivities! So everyone give them a big Wachowski-Handel welcome!”

“Welcome!” they mostly all say in unison.

Except Knuckles. Who says something weird like “It is an honor to be your host on this fine evening, madams.”

Which is overkill, as always, but Ms. Vanilla seems to find it endearing so whatever.

Maddie is immediately moving to welcome the two properly, introducing herself and her husband to their guests and automatically chatting it up with the rabbit. Maybe they’ll be good friends! Sonic is sure Maddie wouldn’t mind being friends with a fellow mom of a Mobian. Maybe Vanilla can give her tips— not that Maddie needs them. She’s an awesome Mobian mom.

Amy introduces herself as well, seeming intrigued by having another female Mobian around. Her and Rouge have been pretty outnumbered, so this’ll help even things out. Amy seems to take to Cream specifically pretty well and pretty quick, crouching down to talk to her and getting the little rabbit to come out of her shell a bit. 

It’s sweet.

And all Sonic can do is wish Shadow was there to see it. See how he’s brought more people together. Added to their whacky family..

Where is he???

Everyone eventually finishes up eating and is sort of just standing around letting their food settle while they chat, but Sonic knows they’ll want to get back to doing Christmas things soon. He’s already sad Shadow missed out on making cookies..

They can make more once he’s finally there. It’ll be fine.

“Worried about Shadow?” Amy’s voice comes from his left, Sonic jumping just slightly since he had been staring out the window looking for his– boyfriend(?)’s arrival. He spins around to face her, finding her very caring and understanding expression looking right back up at him. She really was the one with the heart in the group.

“I just wish he was here,” Sonic admits with a sigh, glancing back towards the window, “It’s his first Christmas on earth, and I know that’ll be emotionally kinda… confusing for him.” Amy nods with a hummed, “Yeah.. His first without Maria.” “Exactly,” Sonic agrees with a nod, “I just really wanted to make sure it was perfect for him..” It’s so easy to open up to Amy. Something about her is so open and non-judging and nurturing. Sonic gets why Shadow trusts her so much. He’s often said she reminds him of Maria..

Sonic thinks he would’ve gotten along with Maria just fine if that’s true.

“Don’t worry,” Amy smiles and places a reassuring hand on his arm, squeezing it gently as she winks, “He’ll show up. This is very important to him too, ya’know?? He wants this to go perfect too.”

“Really??” Sonic blinks, seeming a bit surprised by this. Shadow has seemed relatively indifferent to Sonic’s Christmas talk. He never stopped to think Shadow wanted the holidays to be perfect too, he just– he was too stressed about making them perfect for Shadow.

“Mhm,” Amy nods, “He knows how much this means to you.. He wants you happy. You should know that.” “I do,” the hero sighs with a little blush, “His happiness is just so much more… I don’t know–” “Precious?”

“Yes,” Sonic agrees immediately, “That. It’s more rare and harder to come by. And his first Christmas on earth will be the foundation for every Christmas after. If this one sucks, he’ll never love the holiday..”

“Oh Sonic,” Amy giggles and shakes her head fondly at him, “You know Shadow is more open-minded than that.” “I also know he dwells on stuff,” Sonic mutters with a little frown, eyes drifting back out the window, “Even if he doesn’t let people know.. Things stick with him.”

Amy sighs at this, nodding in agreement before giving Sonic’s arm a gentle squeeze again and tugging him away from the window, “He’ll come. For now, he wouldn’t want you worrying over him when you have guests and festivities to tend to.”

Sonic allows himself to be tugged away from the window, quirking his brow suspiciously at her as a slow smirk grows on his muzzle, “Shadow put you on Sonic-babysitting duty?” “I’m not inclined to answer that,” Amy replies simply, not looking him in the eye as Sonic laughs in response.

They return to the others, and Sonic can only stall so long before they begin sorting through the decor and handing out jobs. The women will tend to the inside while the men will take care of hanging lights on the roof and in the yard. Sonic points out that that isn’t very ‘equal’ of them to send all the men out in the cold, but he receives a few too many feminist glares and decides to let it slide.

They get on the lights outside right away, wanting to get them up before the sun goes down since it’s setting early these days. Tails works on untangling them and Sonic runs nails and tools around to whoever needs them. Randall and Tom are on the roof with Knuckles, holding lights in place and nails while Knuckles hammers them down with his fists. Amy comes out to tell him to lighten up on his punches halfway through though. Apparently he’s scaring Cream and the ceiling’s spackle is starting to give due to his overkill.

Sonic climbs the trees and tangles the lights through their limbs and all the way down their trunks to the ground. He also sets up lights down their driveway and along the bushes in their flowerbeds. It all goes by fairly quickly thanks to their abilities, Randall commenting that they need to all come to his place next and put up his lights.

They get the outside done just as 4:45 rolls around and the sun is beginning to get low..

Shadow still isn’t in sight. Neither is Rouge.

Knuckles approaches Sonic as the others go inside, both staring down the road as if expecting to see Shadow’s bike come rolling up or a bat to be seen flying through the sky..

“..You invited the bat, yes?” “Yeah, Knux,” Sonic sighs with a frown, eyes still watching the road, “I invited your girlfriend.” “I– she is not my–” “Save it, dude,” Sonic groans with a roll of his eyes, turning with a frown to walk to the house, “They’re both suppose to be here by now..” “Perhaps there is trouble?” “Nah,” Sonic shakes his head, “Shadow would’ve called or something. Chaos controlled here so we could help. It’s the stupid GUN Commander. I bet he has them working or somethin’..” “We could go rescue them from the Commander?” Knuckles offers, hitting his fists together. Always looking for a fight.

“No,” Sonic snickers with a shake of his head, “Shadow doesn’t like when I get involved with his work.. Besides, he can handle himself. So can Rouge.” “This is true,” Knuckles agrees, nodding as they enter the house again, “I am still deeply wounded that you would suggest I’d ruin my pure echidna blood by dating a bat.” “Dude, that almost sounds racist.” “It is not racist! It is simply a fact. I have a duty as the last echidna to repopulate this world with the finest warriors–” “FALALALALA! CAN’T HEAR YOU EW LALALALA!”

The women have gotten the fireplace’s mantel decorated as well as the doorways and the kitchen. The tree has been left untouched so far as well as the ornaments and snowglobes. Sonic can’t help but be grateful of this, knowing everyone has silently agreed to wait for Shadow for this part.

They continue with the extra decorations, leaving little Santa figurines everywhere and using white chalk paint to make it look like there’s snow on the windows. Cream likes this part real well, Sonic notices. She seems to have a knack for arts and crafts.

By the time 6:30 rolls around, it’s dark out and they’re all making hot cocoa and the kids are sitting down at the dining room table to work on ugly Christmas sweaters. Apparently each black sweater was hand-knitted by Amy and Aunt Rachel. Sonic didn’t take Rachel as the knitting type, but Amy was a good influence, he supposed. Sonic’s was red. Knuckles’ was dark green. Tails’ was light blue. JoJo’s was purple. Rouge’s was pink. Amy’s was light green. And Shadow’s was blue. 

Thankfully, Shadow had informed Ms. Vanilla that the kids would be doing this, so she had preparedly brought Cream an orange sweater as well.

The table was laid out with all sorts of crafts and materials they could sew and glue onto their shirts. From fuzzy craft balls to ornaments to battery lights to tinsel, they had plenty of options to choose from. Everyone excitedly got to work on their sweaters while the adults helped them out with hot glue guns and scissors and stuff. Mostly Cream since the others were pretty capable on their own. However, Sonic just sat staring at the empty seat next to him with the blue sweater laid out in front of it..

He didn’t really feel like decorating his sweater without Shadow..

Then there’s a knock at the door followed by Ozzy’s barking and a familiar voice.

“Hey! Down dog, it’s just me,” the bat giggles as she pets the excited pup jumping up on her.

“Rouge!!” Sonic excitedly jumps up from his seat, knocking it over in the process. Knuckles’ eyes shift up quickly to look at her. She’s all dressed up as an elf still from the GUN event, her makeup pristine as always. 

“Hey everyone, sorry I’m a little late,” she apologizes with a wave to the crew, walking into the dining room and looking over the table, “What’re we doin’??” “Christmas Sweaters!” Cream pipes up, having come out of her shell pretty well by now.

“Oh!” Rouge grins, seeming to recognize the rabbit upon hearing her voice, “Cream! And Ms. Vanilla! Glad you both found the place.” “Glad you and Shadow informed us we’d be having extra guests,” Maddie mutters to her with a playful quirk of her brow.

Rouge just smirks at this and shrugs, “What can I say?? We’re a little naughty.” Maddie just laughs at this and offers Rouge a welcoming hug, the bat returning it before Amy pipes up.

“I have you a sweater right over there, Rouge,” the pink hedgehog grins, pointing to the empty seat by– of course– Knuckles.

Rouge smirks at this, moving around the table and tucking in her wings as to not knock anything over, “For little ole me?? You shouldn’t have..” Knuckles makes a noticeable effort not to give her any attention and act as though he hasn’t even realized she’s arrived at all as she makes her way to her seat, even though his growingly pink cheeks tell a different story. He only acknowledges her when she pulls the chair out beside him.

“You save a spot for me, Knuckie??” she coos all flirtatious, sitting herself down to which Knuckles just huffs and keeps his eyes set on the fabric glue he’s messily using to attach a purple fuzzball to look like grapes on the front of his shirt, “The seating arrangements were not my doing.” “Mhm. Sure,” she winks only to pause when she feels a tapping on her shoulder. She turns her head and finds Sonic sitting on the other side of her looking very much like an excited puppy vibrating in his seat. “Can I help you, Blue??” “Um-yes. Shadow come with you??” “He left the same time I did on his bike,” Rouge answers with a little smile.

So he’s coming. Sonic breathes a sigh of relief and leans back in his chair.

This relief is short lived when Rouge discreetly leans back as well and mumbles only loud enough for Sonic to hear.

“He’s outside..”

Sonic blinks at this, looking at Rouge who isn’t looking at him and seems to be pretending she didn’t say anything. Which means Shadow must not want anyone knowing he’s out there. Anyone other than Sonic..

He wants them to be alone.

Sonic instantly has butterflies in his stomach, biting his lower lip and looking to the blank blue sweater that belongs to Shadow beside him. He only spares one more glance to Rouge’s unreadable face before he’s moving from his chair once more to walk around the table towards the door.

Very casually he remembers there’s mistletoe hanging on the front porch..

As nonchalantly as he can manage, he sneaks his way to the front door and slides out of it without a word, shutting it behind him and turning to look for his partner.

Except.. Shadow isn’t there.

“Shadow??” Sonic calls with a knit in his brow, looking around in the dark for the hedgehog but finding it a bit difficult to spot him in the night. Even with all the Christmas lights on, Shadow is pretty stealthy in the dark when he wants to be. 

“Shads, you here??” Sonic calls again, frowning to himself as he leans to look down the side of the house.. Nothing. Maybe Rouge meant he’s in the back yard??

He’s just about to dash around to the back when his eyes catch slight movement at the end of the driveway..

Shadow. Sitting on the curb by his bike. Back to Sonic.

Sonic’s tail immediately wags, a grin forming on his face as he speeds across the yard over to him. He pounces against his back once close enough, wrapping his arms around him from behind and hugging him with a laugh. Shadow merely grunts and is knocked forward just slightly at the impact, no other reaction.

“You’re here! Finally!” Sonic cheers as he nuzzles his cheek to Shadow’s and takes in his warmth and scent. Immediate comfort. 

Shadow doesn’t respond still. Sonic’s smile falters at that. He leans his head back a bit to look at the side of Shadow’s face. He’s frowning. Looks.. lost..

“Uhh.. Shads?” Sonic snickers quietly, a bit of nervousness rising in his voice now, “You freeze out here or somethin’?? I am hugging you very merrily, and you are not really matching my vibes right now, dude.”

Shadow blinks at that, eyes lifting to find Sonic’s as if he’s only just now realizing he’s even there at all. “Oh.” His lips curl into a small smile that’s not super convincing, but Sonic can tell the hybrid is happy to see him. Which is good. Makes Sonic a little less nervous about this, at least.

Shadow tilts his head towards Sonic so their foreheads press together, nuzzling Sonic lightly with his own and making Sonic’s heart melt at the affection. 

“Sorry. I was just lost in thought..”

Sonic hums at this, his own smile growing more fond and soft now as he settles down from his crouched position behind Shadow to his knees. Scooting around to sit beside him on the curb, he moves his head to rest on Shadow’s shoulder as Shadow continues to rub against him. His nose buries in Sonic’s quills and takes in a deep breath, eyes shutting as he keeps himself hidden there.. As if seeking comfort of some sort..

Sonic doesn’t pay this much attention at first, just basking in the fuzzy feeling he gets from it and lifting a hand to rest it in Shadow’s chest fur to rub there–

Only to then spot the small envelope in Shadow’s hands.

“What’s that??”

Shadow doesn’t answer. Just sighs and keeps rubbing against Sonic. “..Shadow??” Sonic prompts again when he doesn’t get an answer, chuckling quietly as he nudges Shadow’s chin with his shoulder to try and get him to come out from hiding in his quills, “Shads, I can’t talk to ya with you stuck in my spines.” “Mm,” Shadow hums, defiantly placing a hand on Sonic’s waist to hold him still as he speckles a tiny kiss to Sonic’s ear and makes the blue blur shiver.

A shaky breath escapes Sonic, eyes fluttering slightly as he feels Shadow’s teeth nibble lightly on the tip of his now burning ear. The blue hedgehog’s lips curling into a grin as his cheeks grow hotter..

This is it. He could just tip his head up and seal the deal. Kiss him for the first time since the bowling alley. Kiss him proper. The moment is perfect! They’re alone and Shadow is showing a rare form of affection right now and–

And Shadow is hiding from something…

Sonic’s eyes blink and look back down at the envelope in Shadow’s hands. 

Shadow continues his advances on Sonic.. He’s trying to distract him.

Sonic groans a bit and gently pushes Shadow back with the hand on his chest fur, Shadow looking at him with knitted brows and tilted head at this. “Did I do something wrong??” “No,” Sonic says quietly, voiced hushed and face flushed despite himself. He offers a little smile and lifts his hand to Shadow’s cheek now which the ebony hedgehog tilts into.

“...I just don’t want you to use us to hide..”

Shadow’s eyes blink at that, face looking guilty as they avert from Sonic’s emerald ones and instead look down at the envelope he still clutches..

Sonic looks down at it too. What could be in there that’s bothering Shadow so much?? “...What did Commander Walters want??”

Shadow sighs heavy at this, removing his hands from Sonic now but still staying close enough that they’re shoulder to shoulder. Touching.

After a long pause, Shadow doesn’t answer. He doesn’t seem to be able to. Instead, he holds the envelope towards Sonic, prompting the blue hedgehog to read it for himself.

Sonic stares at it a long moment, suddenly terrified of what’s inside. If it has Shadow acting like this, then-... 

“Do I have to open it??” “What??”

“Maybe we can just–” Sonic sighs, taking it from Shadow now and looking at Shadow with a little grin, “throw it away?? Pretend whatever it is isn’t there. Didn’t happen. Doesn’t exist.” “Sonic..” “No, Shadow!” Sonic snaps a bit unexpectedly, “No. This is your first Christmas here on earth! You’re supposed to spend it here with me, not on some stupid GUN mission–” “It’s not a GUN mission.” “I– huh??” Sonic blinks, the fire in him fading a bit at this news, “It’s.. not?” Shadow shakes his head, his hand resting on Sonic’s knee now as if to try and keep the blue hedgehog calm.

“..Then what is it?” This suddenly makes Sonic even more scared. If not a mission then what?? What has Shadow so torn up???

Shadow doesn’t say anything. Just nods towards the envelope.

Sonic frowns at this, looking down at the envelope, “I don’t wanna..” “Read it,” Shadow sighs quietly, head now leaning against Sonic’s shoulder, “...I need you to understand..” Sonic swallows hard. He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want whatever is in here. Whatever is gonna change things for them, ruin their Christmas. He doesn’t want it. 

But he has to be mature right now. Grow up. Because Shadow needs him.. And he can’t just live in denial.

So Sonic does. He opens the already opened envelope and pulls out the folded up paper from inside.

Unfolding it, he holds it up so he can read it under the Christmas lights.

‘To Commander Walters,

I hope this letter finds you well. I, myself, am doing fine. My family is preparing for the holidays, and my daughter is recovering from her last procedure quite well. Thank you again to GUN for paying for all her medical needs..

I am writing this in regards to Project Shadow. I have been keeping up with the news, and it has come to my attention that the creature that once ran rampant on the ARK is now running free on earth. I’m sure you can understand why this would trouble me seeing as it is responsible for my sister’s death. Or so I believed.. When GUN’s Project Shadow files were leaked to the public, I did my reading. And I can not begin to express how deeply troubled and disappointed I am by how falsely informed myself and my parents were on this entire tragedy. To learn that it was not, in fact, my grandfather’s experiments that killed my sister, but instead was a GUN raid was incredibly shocking and eye opening. I now understand why we have been compensated so much. Not out of obligation or contracts, but of guilt. Not only this, but I have learned the very experiment that my family has blamed for all these years is innocent and confused and alone. From the footage I’ve seen, my sister loved him. And to think the very being she put so much time and love into is being used as a GUN operative, a weapon, is foul. 

I do not write this letter to reprimand you. So before you toss it carelessly in the trash, let me get to my point. After some time and discussion, my family has decided that we would like to meet Shadow. We want to know why my sister loved him so much, and if he loved her in return. I believe we deserve this if nothing more. At the very least, it may provide some long-deserved closure for both us and perhaps even him.

I have enclosed in this envelope an invitation I would like you to deliver to Shadow. 

You will hear from me again before the New Year.

-T’

Sonic reads it. Then he reads it again. Then he reads it a few more times and a few parts specifically.

His eyes are wide, brows furrowed as he processes all this. 

Then he looks back inside the envelope and indeed finds a more formal invitation inside on red cardstock with white snowflakes decorating the border.

‘Please join us for a 

Holiday Party.

Saturday, December 21st at 5:30 PM.

Hosted by Terra Robotnik’

There’s an address at the bottom. And a request to RSVP.

Sonic reads this. Then he reads it again. Then he reads it a few more times and then goes back to the letter.

Then his eyes lift to look at Shadow who is still resting his head on Sonic’s shoulder. He can see the knit in his brow.. The way his hands are clamped tightly together between his knees.

Sonic nudges his nose on Shadow’s forehead once, the black hedgehog grunting in response. But Sonic persists and does it again, Shadow lifting his head this time to look at Sonic and..

He’s scared. Very scared.

“Oh Shads,” Sonic sighs out in a whisper before wrapping his arms tight around the hybrid and hugging him close. His fingers pet down Shadow’s quills as Shadow leans into him and breathes all shaky and uneven. He’s close to breaking down, Sonic can feel it. He’s likely been holding this in all day.. 

Sonic holds him a long moment, not saying anything as his mind races and he lets Shadow calm down a bit. Seek comfort in his arms..

“I wanted to kill him,” Shadow says eventually, voice coming muffled and growled against Sonic’s shoulder, “When I found out he’s kept this from me… I nearly jumped him without a second thought.. If Rouge hadn’t been there-” “You wouldn’t have hurt him,” Sonic assures immediately, not wanting Shadow to even start thinking he was a monster, “..You were hurt. And rightfully so. This is-.. This is a pretty big thing to keep from you..”

Shadow sighs shakily, “..He seemed remorseful. But he also seemed confident in his choice to have kept it from me until now.. He said they needed to be ready first.” “How were they suppose to be ready when GUN had kept the truth from them for so long???” Sonic huffs, trying not to get too fired up for Shadow’s sake.

“I don’t know,” Shadow huffs right back, pulling back from Sonic now to look back down at the invitation Sonic still holds between them.. “...I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, you have to go,” Sonic says without a second thought. “What??” Shadow blinks, looking genuinely surprised by Sonic’s response.

“I mean– you don’t have to,” Sonic quickly corrects with a knit to his brow, “..But I think you should.” Shadow stares at Sonic a long moment before speaking, “Why?? You read it, these people have hated me for fifty years. And rightfully so–” “Not rightfully so,” Sonic corrects again, holding up a finger to stop Shadow, “They were lied to and made to believe the ARK tragedy was your fault. Just like you were.” “It still was partially my fault–” “Bullshit,” Sonic calls immediately, not letting Shadow even speak such things, “Don’t let all of this throw you back to thinking that, Shadow. Don’t go there again.. You know better now. You’ve grown.” Shadow sighs at this, looking down a moment in thought before looking back to Sonic with a small nod. 

“Okay.. So even if it wasn’t my fault, they still have every right to hate me.” “Why??” Sonic smiles a bit as he says this, truly not getting it, “You’re you. You’re Maria’s walking legacy. You were her best friend. If she loved you, then why wouldn’t they–” “I am not her walking legacy,” Shadow corrects, a bit more edge in his voice now as his eyes narrow into a glare, “I am Gerald’s walking legacy. I– I am the walking reminder of a cure that never came for her. I am a failure. I am the reason she should still be here, and yet, I’m the very reason she’s gone!” Sonic’s eyes are wide at this, staring at Shadow in silence and taking in his words.

They don’t talk about the ARK tragedy a lot. They can talk about Maria. And they can talk about Shadow growing up on the ARK. But they don’t talk about the tragedy. It’s not allowed. Sonic doesn’t dare bring it up, waiting for Shadow to be ready..

Seems like Shadow is going to have to be ready now whether he likes it or not.

“Shadow..,” Sonic hushes gently, his hand resting on Shadow’s cheek as the hybrid breathes heavy and almost panicked. He rubs his thumb along his muzzle, trying to calm him as he watches Shadow’s teary eyes flutter shut..

“I’m sorry..,” he whispers to Sonic, apologizing for his outburst, “I’m sorry, I just–” “You’re wrong..,” Sonic whispers back, brows knitting, “I hate to tell ya that, but you are.”

Shadow just frowns at this, opening his eyes to look at Sonic now. And Sonic can see his determination, his rising self-loathing. But he doesn’t give him the chance to argue.

“You are her joy. Her smile. Her laughter. Her rage. Her calm. Her strength. Her understanding. Her heart,” Sonic explains softly, his hand moving from Shadow’s cheek to his chest to rest over his heart, “... Shadow, you’re her hope. And you prove that every day by protecting her world.. I don’t look at you and see Gerald Robotnik– I don’t even look at you and see Maria. I look at you and see you.” Shadow takes in a sharp breath at that, a small tear falling from his cheek that shatters Sonic’s heart. Sonic immediately wipes it away and returns to cupping his cheek so he can wipe away any more that may fall.

“You are all of you. But I won’t ignore that she’s the majority of the reason you have the morals you do.. She taught you to be all these things that you are. Not a monster. Not an experiment. Not a failure. But a light. A living being. You’re someone… And I don’t think Maria would care who you were as long as it made you happy.. I think that was her whole point in her promise, ya’know?.. To make you understand that living is a gift.. And just by doing that, you’re no failure. You’re succeeding.”

Shadow stares at Sonic a long moment, Sonic wiping away each tear that the Ultimate Lifeform sheds. Eventually, Shadow sniffles and chuckles out breathlessly, “She would’ve loved you.” “And she did love you,” Sonic points out with a soft smile, “...And they will too.”

Shadow shakily sighs then, nodding and looking away as he wipes his own tears now with a few sniffles, “Okay..” “Okay??” “Okay,” Shadow agrees with a nod, “..I’ll go.”

Sonic grins immediately, “I’m real proud of you, Shads..”

“But you’re coming too.” Sonic blinks at that. “...Excuse me??” “I can’t do this without you,” Shadow admits as he looks back to Sonic, “..I’m asking you. Please.” Sonic’s brows knit up at that, “...Of course I’ll come, Shads. Where else would I go??” Shadow melts a bit at that, his head moving to slowly reach for Sonic’s, “Besides.. If I’m going to be having a, uh-.. family reunion,” Shadow chuckles bittersweet, “I better go ahead and introduce my boyfriend.” Sonic’s brain glitches. His eyes widening a bit and his tail wagging uncontrollably. A dramatic gasp escapes him, “Yousaidthething!”Shadow chuckles quietly, nodding his head as he squeezes Sonic’s hand, “I did.” “Youcalledmeyourboyfriend!”

“You are.” “Iam!” “You are.” “Cool.”

(Art by the very talented and lovely @grim-hawkins 💙)

Notes: Terra (noun): the planet earth, of earth. I don't know how many of you played Sonic X Shadow Generations, but it was revealed in the game that Maria has a sister. I have been absolutely fixated on this fact since then. In the game, there's also a letter from someone with the initial 'T' who sends the remains of Gerald's journal to GUN. Some have theorized this 'T' is Maria's sister. I've ran with this and named her 'Terra'. Which was chosen for her by her parents who vowed never to lose a child again.. especially not to being kidnapped to space.

[butchvamp]

i finished the game last night, here are my unpolished thoughts about the final act and what i liked & didn't like. this is very long and probably incoherent lol

what i liked:

the whole final battle was awesome, i loved the combat, and i really enjoyed the huge cutscenes of everyone fighting together. i had been really disappointed earlier about the lack of a battle scene at weisshaupt a la ostagar in origins, and this definitely made up for it

i liked the suicide mission and actually getting to assign people their roles in the battle

i LOVED Solas's betrayal, that whole section in the fade prison with the statues was one of the strongest scenes in the game, i think the entire relationship between Rook and Solas is really well developed. as the player, we know Solas is manipulating them, but i think they did a good job making it so it's still believable for Rook to fall for his tricks, especially with the Blood of Arlathan quest before this. (also it's very obvious Solas is Weekes' favorite, wish they would have just stuck to him and not all that other dogshit...lol)

i liked the idea of Varric's role here, but not the execution. i'll come back to this lmao

the giant dread wolf and archdemon fight was cool as fuck. no notes. that's just classic rule of cool, baby

also i had Davrin in my party while fighting alongside Solas and i really enjoyed his banter with him and how hard he laid into Solas's ass. it was very satisfying. yippee go Davrin!

okay. now. what i didn't like (sorry not going to bother with bullet points, it's going to be longer down here lol):

while i liked the suicide mission structure, i hated how the game all but told you who to assign where. there were no stakes at all, there was no way to get it wrong unless you did so intentionally.

this also brings me to. The Choice. between Davrin and Harding. i understand the need for a "fallen hero" here, it ties into the entire theme of regret with Solas as we see in the fade prison, it was necessary for Rook to be the person "at fault" (aka directly make the choice that ends with someone getting killed) but this choice was dogshit. it also was really fucking stupid to see Harding climb up and stand atop a giant stone pillar, and then NOT use her stone magic!!! i don't hate the idea of someone dying here, but this was just a series of failed choices over and over again. we should not have pitted returning fan fave Harding against the single Black companion (who comes in late and barely even gets his own story outside of his damn pet)-- it should have been Harding (narratively satisfying, she's been here since the beginning and dies for the fight) or Lucanis (he is literally the guy taking the shot), we also shouldn't have tied all the dwarf lore revelations to a character that can just fucking die at the end, and we shouldn't have had her stand on a giant stone pillar when she has STONE MAGIC!! i knew this choice was coming but her death still caught me off guard cus i was fully expecting her to collapse that stone pillar on her, not use her stupid puny bow 😭

i think this choice is also weakened by the fact that it's THEE only choice. it's obviously an echo of the earlier Treviso and Minrathous choice, which also didn't really seem to affect much outside of potentially losing the corresponding factions (and i think Lucanis's romance gets locked out?) i saved Treviso, so i got the Treviso questline later, and i assume that you get a Minrathous specific questline with the Shadow Dragons if you save the other instead (haven't seen myself tho so i'm not sure, just guessing). but it's very easy to recover the Shadow Dragon's reputation, and the final battle takes place in Minrathous no matter what. the only way for companions to die or the battle to fail is to just straight up ignore quests. you can't lose a faction's support at all unless you intentionally try to do so. i don't even think you can lose companions at all unless you intentionally ignore their quests and place them in the wrong spot. though the game still holds your hand through the battle and basically Tells You who to put where so they survive.

and to be fair. this is true for the suicide mission in mass effect 2, but the thing is, there is so much more dialogue and variations with how you can play your character and interact with the companions and the world than there is in veilguard, it makes it feel like you do have more control over your character and the narrative, even if it's just the illusion of choice.

and then with Solas, it doesn't matter, he always ends up trapped/linked to the Fade, it just changes how he feels. (they also do this with the First Warden. i was excited for a potential variation between punching/not punching, but all it changes is his attitude when you find him later in Davrin's quest) okay.... well. is he going to return again after that post credit scene? and are they really going to write 3 (or 4, with lavellan i guess) different branching personality variations?

i think the powers that be just wanted to get rid of him in a way that would still leave the dragon age setting ultimately unaltered and open for more games in the future. especially given the secret post credits scene. which i also have an issue with. we're going to go from "it was all the Evanuris fault" to Actually, it was this secret third thing and everything we did was for nothing! AGAIN! if they want to make more dragon age games, they can just... start a new story. do they know that. (the fact they're implying Loghain was influenced by some outside force to do what he did at ostagar actually has me livid lol. leave origins alone!!!!)

anyways. now the fade prison. i have two issues, my main one being Varric. i actually started to suspect early on something was up with him, because he just sits in that damn infirmary the entire game, no interactions, barely any dialogue. i think Varric was horribly underutilized in this game, and it results in all of the emotional beats around him falling flat for me. of course, it's emotional for ME, the player, because Varric is a fan fave returning character and one of my own personal favorites. as far as i've seen in game, though... Rook has no relationship with him at all. i think this game would have been vastly improved with short playable origins that showed the two meeting and developing a relationship, and also he really really needed to have more scenes and dialogue in general. he's barely in the second half of the game, literally just sitting all by himself in that damn room, and even when he is in the cutscenes he has one single line that everyone obviously just ignores. it sucked. very disappointing finale for a really beloved character... it could have been so good if it was good....

because i DO love the idea of Solas using him to manipulate Rook (and i really like Varric and Solas's relationship & the way they contrast against each other), and also the idea of how being tricked in that way would actually affect Rook-- what's real, what's not, can they even trust what they're seeing at all anymore? especially when Solas "glitches" between Varric and Lucanis (idk if it's always him or your LI? would be cool if it's your LI, that's what i assumed) after slaying Ghilan'nain-- this could have tied in with the final romance scene. but of course the game doesn't get into any of that at all.

and now issue 2. how the fuck did Solas do that LOL. how did he switch places, how did he get out, how did it take Rook in his place when it was designed for elven gods? where are the other elven gods (did i just miss this explanation? did the other two just kill them in there)? 🤷 when did this place suddenly turn into a prison of regrets? was that Solas's presence influencing it, or did he do that intentionally for Rook? dont know! who cares. moving on...

i romanced Lucanis, and i was really disappointed with his romance. the final scene was sweet, but.... i think particularly with Lucanis you can tell so much of his story and arc ended up on the cutting room floor, it feels disjointed and as if we're missing pieces, and you can feel it in his romance, too. i also really didnt understand the "keep flirting (not a lock in) or end it now" choices that didnt feel like they did anything at all. why was i given like 3 different times to break up with him when we weren't even dating yet lmao. the romance was a bummer, of course i love the setting and the story but i go into these games expecting strong romance along with it and i was really banking on that being the highlight in this mess of a game but. alas

this also segues me back into the whole "trapped in the Fade prison" section. why was there no reunion with both your LI and everyone else? apparently Rook was in there for WEEKS!!! they hardly communicate this and Rook just reappears and jumps straight back into leading the team, no tears or questions asked about how they found them, how they got out, what everyone was thinking while they were gone... we also get a deus ex machina knife, how convenient that they did all that while i was gone and no explanation is given as to how it could possibly fool Solas, just trust us bro! 💆 i feel like trying to craft our own copy of the knife should have been something actively happening in the background throughout the entire game, and it gets finished while Rook is in the Fade. but this truly came out of nowhere lol

again i think it's obvious things were cut and rewritten and maybe this was the result of a frantic scramble to come up with something that would work, and i'll be generous and blame it on that, i guess...

when we finally get to the final confrontation with Solas, i was very excited, because again i feel like Rook and Solas's relationship is the best in the game, Solas's writing is consistent and strong, i knew this scene had to be good.... and i guess it was? but it felt so unsatisfying. i chose to fight him (my Rook would do anything to get him to shut up) and i was hoping for. an actual fight. you can do it with Mythal earlier in the game, and we already saw his giant wolf form, i was so excited. and then. no<3

okay! sure. we beat him with the power of friendship (not surprised and not even making fun of it here, it makes sense narratively, i knew some version of this was coming after the whole comparing Rook versus Solas bit in the Fade) but come onnnnn i wanted to fight the giant wolf.... sigh. i did check out the other endings as well, and it's clear the redemption ending is the "true" ending and also the best written one imo.

overall. this was a bad dragon age game. i had a lot of fun playing it though, so it's not a bad game game. the gameplay loop never got boring, i never got tired exploring or doubling back, i loved the maps, i loved the combat, and i did love the companions. but the writing is atrocious and racist. this is a horrible dragon age game. i don't know where i fall on recommending this. again, i've had a lot of fun playing and dissecting it, but i dont know that i could recommend this to dragon age fans. this would have been way more successful as a completely different fantasy game. the changes to the lore, disregarding the majority of the games that came before it, the horrible depictions of returning characters (the inquisitor and isabela were the worst offenders for me) the setting and characters feeling watered down and incomplete, the complete lack of the classic "grey morality" shtick (even if it's not always been implemented well)... idk man. bummer! it's obvious there was a cohesive vision at one point, i do think this game is a casualty of the current state of the gaming industry (i was honestly surprised it was functional on launch. not shade at bioware just in general that is rare to see now) we know EA thrashed bioware throughout development, and bioware made a lot of really bad choices, too (the racism is absolutely their doing, they made that choice back in inquisition). but we can see, particularly in the artbook, that there were good ideas & an intention to actually tie everything together and give this story the finale it deserved... but it all got lost along the way in a very ugly, chaotic development. and the game really suffers for it.

[some-messed-up-writing-for-you]

A strange eldritch monster of the abyss just visited my dreams and called me a "CREATURE".

I have never been happier and more flattered. 🤭

I need to go immortalize this thing in art, lemme write up a description:

It was a massive giant, crawling out some dark pit. It might've been a bit goopy? The shadows dripping off of it. Its face was a long round snout with equally long ears sitting at the top of its head. It crawled on its belly to me. It seemed wounded and exhausted by its eons of existence. And yet, it was very pleased to see me. Like it was waiting for me.

When it opened its mouth, it looked as though all the teeth had fallen out of its gums, and yet its lips/face was shaped like razor sharp fangs.

Its eyes were, of course, two empty pools of darkness. Actually empty sockets/holes, I believe.

When it spoke to me there was no voice and yet at the same time there was??

As it was talking, it moved its right hand forward, growing extra fingers to have just enough so it could spell the word "CREATURE" with them. There was no sound of bones breaking, just smooth movement as the fingers took on the shapes of the letters.

During this dream I was also roaming some other word?? Of darkness?? For some mission??

Particularly, I was trapped in a labyrinth with super tall hedges as walls. At the end of the dream, I did end up becoming one of the shadowy creatures (Hell yeah!!!).

And I was infiltrating some building with superheroes in it? I think it was some kind of hero school thing.

And then my cat woke me up from my nap... (Noooo.....)

AND NOW THIS LITTLE SHIT IS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE FOOD I GAVE HIM CAUSE HE WANTS OTHER FOOD???

I was experiencing gender euphoria in there and you had to wake me up just to whine??😭😭

[averagemrfox]

2 for the ask game for each member of team RWBY!!!!!

Alright I’m home from work and have had time to think

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

First of all this goes for every single one of them and my individual answers might overlap with this we’ll see. I love how much they’ve all grown and persevered! They’ve been through so fucking much both together as a team and separately and have come out on the other side of it. They were kids!! They made bunk beds and had food fights and were starting to figure out the types of people they wanted to be and then got thrust into Remnant’s Worst Divorce™️ and throughout all of it have only grown closer as a team (not friends family!!) and still have hope that they can make the world a better place (Keep moving forward!!!) (They all need therapy tho fr)

Ruby: she’s perfect just the way she is!! This is supposed to be about the canon things I love about these character but god do I want Ruby to see herself as an individual separate from Summer. I think she’s getting there after her talk with the blacksmith. She’s just so accepting of people without hesitation. Penny is a robot? Don’t care new best friend. Little is a talking mouse? Don’t care new best friend pt 2. I’m sure there’s other examples but she’s always so ready to just let people be who they are and I wish she’d give herself that same grace

She’s also just a giant fucking nerd. About weapons about comics about video games

Weiss: 🗣️🗣️I DONT KNOW WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE BUT LET ME TELL YOU WHO I AM. I AM THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF A HERO AND THE CHILD OF A VILLAIN. I AM A CITIZEN OF A FALLEN KINGDOM AND AN HEIR TO NOTHING. I WILL NOT BE DEFINED BY MY NAME BECAUSE I WILL BE THE ONE TO DEFINE IT. I AM WEISS SCHNEE AND I AM A HUNTRESS🗣️🗣️

Also I love that she’s canonically a fairly well known (at least in atlas) singer. Now I’m not sure she’d do that by choice based on what we saw in v4 but it’s super cool that that This Life is Mine is canon to remnant because of that. Also Jacques made her sing and she was like alright bet and then roasted him in song on stage in front of all those people and we don’t talk about that enough I think

Blake: I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud

Blake tells Sun she joined the white fang 5 years ago in v2. She was TWELVE she was a BABY!! If I had to give Blake a word the way she gives others a word it would be conviction. She never gives up on what she believes in. And she does her best to support others in doing the same, in v7 she tried to encourage ironwood and in v9 she tried to encourage Ruby poor girl got shut down both times but she tried!!

I also love how Blake is canonically a good artist and would like to see more of that. crwby show us a drawing Blake made of Yang

These:

Yang: this girl can fit so much love in her god. She goes to any and every length to protect the people she loves even if it’s to her own detriment (which someone really needs to have a conversation with her about) the Yellow Trailer tells us straight away that there’s more to her than meets the eye and yet there are people who fell into that trap anyway and criticize her character for “not being fun anymore” as if that isn’t the point!!

She’s so confident and cocky until a pretty girl Blake flirts with her I love the disaster lesbian representation.

She punched god in the tiddies!!! And she’d do it again I bet! Maybe we’ll see her punch one or both of the Brothers next I’d like that

This:

[kkeidawrites]

The Return

Carefully stepping into the tube like elevator, Y/n watches the grandfather clock come back down and encase her in, then she felt her body jerk downwards as the floor below her opened and she dropped into the slide below her. A scream leaves her lips as she slides down and closes her eyes at the quick air that assaulted her face.

In just a few seconds, she found herself on solid ground and finally opens her eyes to see the infamous Batcave that Jason excitedly explained to her.

“Woah.” She says as she walks down the metal bridge to take the personal tour of the hideout, taking in the many treasures, trophies, and vehicles that littered the cave.

She finds herself in front of the giant supercomputer and sits down in the chair. But before she had the chance to touch anything on the keyboard, the sound of crashing dinnerware makes her jump and look to her right. Alfred is standing there with a look of surprise and is quickly rushing to her side.

“Miss Y/n! How on earth did you know about this place? You shouldn’t be here!” He scolds her.

“I…I heard about this place and I found it by chance. What’s going on Alfred,” she stands up to the older gentleman who is rendered to pursing his lips.

“I came here to find out what happened to Jason and no one is telling me anything not you, not Dick, and especially not Bruce. I don’t care that he is Robin and Bruce is the Batman-“

“How did-“

“What is going on Alfred? I have been coming up here almost everyday to get an answer from someone here and every time I come no one doesn’t know anything. Why the secrecy, my parents are beginning to get the police involved.”

Alfred visibly swallowed at the mention of law enforcement and sighed.

“I just want to know if Jason is okay, my best friend has been gone for six months and no one can tell me why.” Y/n puts her hands together, practically begging the butler at this point.

“I’m begging you Alfred please tell me-“

Tires screeching in the distance is heard as the Batmobile comes to a halt in the parking area. The top of the car slides open and Y/n marches over to the car, knocking on the window hard.

“Bruce I know it’s you in there, you better tell me what the hell is going on with Jason or I’ll tell my parents to get Gotham PD involved-“

Donning his Batman costume, the hero climbs out of his car and wearily walks to the supercomputer. Y/n is hot on his trail, still asking him questions about Jason.

“Bruce, tell me!”

“Alfred, I found a tape…it’s from Joker.” Bruce says as he sits down at the supercomputer pulling off his cowl.

Alfred and Y/n eyes widened, the Joker, the maniacal clown freak who is running around Gotham causing hell. Did he have Jason?

“Does he have Jason? Where is he?” Y/n asks.

Bruce turns to the supercomputer and pulls out the tape from his utility belt, it was covered in Joker’s paraphernalia and a giant red J was written on the back.

Bruce pushes the vhs tape into the supercomputer and presses a button to show the proper input of the tape.

The screen automatically shifts onto the sadistic smile of the Joker himself, waving at the camera. As it began, the torture of Jason Todd had played out for the three, all speechless of what was playing for them.

“Miss. Y/n I believe it’s best that you don’t watch this-“ Alfred tried to speak up, his own voice wavering as the tape played.

Y/n watches helplessly as she watched her best friend be physically, mentally, and emotionally tortured, his screams were haunting and every time he would constantly lose consciousness no doubt from the unimaginable pain he was suffering, Y/n was scared each time that he wouldn’t wake up.

Y/n felt tears run down her cheeks as she continued watching, she couldn’t help but feel so helpless and didn’t realize that she had fallen to her knees in despair.

“Bruce…? Bruce is that you? Help me!” His cries for his foster father were desperate and helpless and Y/n looked at the billionaire. Bruce himself was in tears, his hands balled into fists as he shakes, was it anger, horror, or fear? She couldn’t tell.

“Bruce!”

This was all his fault.

“Bruce please!”

He did this. He brought him into this crime world.

“He’s going to kill me Bruce, please!”

The Batman failed him.

“Bruce!”

Bruce Wayne failed him.

“Bruce, please help me! BRUCE!” Jason’s recorded voice continued yelling out for Bruce.

A shot was fired into his chest by the Joker and the maniacal laugh that everyone in Gotham was haunted by was heard and then the tape was cut, a blue screen now showing on the supercomputer.

Y/n didn’t know what had happened next because all she heard was a snap inside of her ear and found herself on top of Bruce, knocking him out of his chair and throwing haymakers on his face.

“Miss Y/n!” Alfred yelled out coming over quickly to help his master.

“You bastard! I’LL KILL YOU!” Y/n tears at his costume, punching and elbowing him everywhere on his body. Getting one more hit in, Alfred is finally able to pry off Y/n from the older man.

“You son of a bitch, it’s all your fault! I hate you! I hate you!” Y/n wails as she falls back into the arms of Alfred.

“You brought him into this world of crime! You DID THIS!!” She kicked furiously in her hold.

“He called out for you and you didn’t come, you didn’t find him! I swear once I get out of this hold, I’m back on your ass! I’ll fucking kill you! Just you wait, you bastard!” Y/n tries to move her arms out of Alfred’s unbelievable strength holding her back.

Bruce slowly gets back up and runs away the blood that had dribbled down the side of his lip.

“Alfred,” Bruce’s hoarse voice brings the butler’s attention back to him.

He could feel his right eye begin to swell up and an ache in the right side ribs.

“Please take Y/n home, I’m going to stay here and…I don’t know.” He said.

Y/n was still ranting about as Alfred struggled to carry her out of the Batcave.

Batman pulls himself back into his chair and places his hands over his face, crying into his gloved hands and wailing in despair.

For once in his career, Batman no, Bruce Wayne…was out of options.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enjoy another chapter!

Happy holidays and be sure to like, share, comment, and reblog!

Read Part 1: Here

Read Part 2: Here

Read Part 3: Here

[signed-sapphire]

The Fallen Star ✨

A Wish rewrite

Asha redesign 💜

Hehe hi Anny sorry I’m basically stealing your reimagining format… let me know if you want me to change it

Anyways hi! Inspired by so many amazing Wish reimaginers (yes that’s a word shut up), mainly @gracebethartacc/@gracebeth3604 and the aforementioned @annymation, I decided to post my own rewrite! This being the character details.

Now, unlike the prior AU Ashas, my Asha acts less like a Cinderella and more of a… Kusco. If you catch my drift.

But don’t worry! Our girl is going to go through some major character development!

But first… let’s get to meet her!

(Ignore the shit quality this is the only art I have of her atm since I don’t have my ipad with me… will update with better photos later)

Princess Asha Arabella Arman is the heir to the throne of Rosas, the kingdom of wishes

It was founded by none other than her adopted father, Magnus Arman

She was raised by Magnus and Amaya for the past 8 years, and has been coddled quite a bit

All three of the Armans lost their homes to to the evil Stars, so Asha is against everything to do with Star magic

Just like the movie, Asha is 17 years old, and can’t wait until she turns 18 and can wish to become a great magician like her papa

No matter how hard she tries, wish magic doesn’t work for Asha, something she finds extremely frustrating

When this happens, she has a tendency to lash out and snap at people

Many servants have been fired for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they understand

At least, the older generation does

Stars destroyed their homelands with their greedy magic, and Asha just wants to be as great as her parents

Though… they do think she could be nicer about it

Asha’s parents are always quick to come to her rescue and smooth things out after her temper blows up, rehiring staff and gently reprimanding Asha

They’re not the best parents but like they adopted her when she was 9, they don’t know how to deal with kids

Still, they love Asha as their own

Gonna get more into the king and queen of Rosas in part ii, back to Asha!

Becaude her parents are such great heroes, Asha feels very strongly that the citizens of Rosas should be treating them as if they are the most grand royalty ever

And as their daughter, she should be awarded some of the same privileges

Except none of the teenagers her age seem to like hanging around her, always calling her snobby and self-centered

Excuse me? She was not self centered! Asha just believed her kingdom deserved the best, and their rulers even better! Obviously!

Personality traits

Stubborn

Loyal (to those she deems worthy)

Spoiled

A bit naïve

Insecure but covers it up with WAY too much confidence

Bad liar. Will be important later on.

^But SUPER good at pulling out her “I’m your princess I’m better than the air you breathe” face when needed

Never seems to take her duties seriously… think Rise!Leo if you can

Backstory

So my rewrite’s epilogue is posted already, but imma put her angst here too anyways~

Stars used to help people fulfill their own wishes, until one day they got lazy and started simply granting them instead

This method messed with the system and drove the Stars crazy, mad with power, and they started destroying kingdoms to get more magic

Little Asha’s village was unfortunately one of the victims

Sakina and Tomás barely had time to react before the glowing streaks of light crashed through their roof

Screams echoed through the chaos, and giant hands made of twilight ink scooped up villagers

Tomás and Sakina grabbed their little girl and huddled over her protectively as another blast of scorching light exploded through their roof

When the dust settled, and the harsh glow had faded away, there was only one sound left in the village

The sobbing of a 9-year-old girl, crying and begging for her parents to wake up

That’s when Magnus came across Asha, and took her under his wing

He could fight away Stars, so Asha stuck with him

It took a WHILE for her to learn that Magnus wasn’t going to harm her, but hey, Magnus had her back through it all

After he and Amaya founded Rosas, Asha was reassured that she would never have to see a Star destroy everything she loved ever. Again.

Oh, Asha, if only you weren’t the protagonist of your story

Design

BEFORE I DO ANYTHING I WANT TO GIVE A HUGE SHOUTOUT TO @mythartist21 BECAUSE THEY DESIGNED BASICALLY THE WHOLE LOOK FOR ASHA AND CIELO GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND GO CHECK THEM OUT

*Ahem* So I did a bit of a deep dive into Asha’s design in the “pilot” over here BUT for her fully updated design today, notes below (a lot of it copy-pasted from here)

Asha’s concept art was inspired by Moroccan and Amazigh fashion, so @mythartist21 added a bunch of inspiration from that in her design

Our girl has her hair accessories back!

I gave her fuller lips and a longer nose bc we only had Jasmine for the nose rep in Disney Princesses, and she’s Afro-Hispanic! Show off her black features!

I also darkened her skin bc… I get that people from North Africa can have lighter skin, heck, Pepa from Encanto showed good rep for the lighter skinned Colombians! But like… we only have one other black princess. Let’s show off that skin color diversity

She also has wider shoulders, a bigger chest, neck, and waist, bc she’s not white but also WOMEN WITH MUSCLES>>>

Asha isn’t super jacked but she does have muscle defining and I want to write in a scene where she has no sleeves on so we can appreciate her arms

RatLD had Namaari’s back and my bisexual ass needs some more women to simp for

Eyeshadow as a reference to Elsa but also I felt she needed some color on her face. Miiiight change it later on when I add in her hair beads but for now she has eyeshadow

Gonna keep the many Rosas symbols bc she’s the princess of the kingdom, what do you expect?

Also she just looks older in general (even though she’s still seventeen like canon!Asha) which I think lends itself to her royal status idk

+ technically more realistic proportions which ig can be a callback to the times when animators did rotoscoping?

Dimples. Bc they’re fantastic

I TRIED to draw Asha with her fine braids, but people were complaining that canon!Asha looked too much like Isabella Madrigal, and with TFS!Asha having darker skin + longer nose structure + more haughty personality? Yeah, I gave Asha back some body in her hair

Idk I tried to make them look like the braids from this concept art ⬆️ (imagine they’re like this… I did the art at like 3am okay)

I HC that Asha’s canon outfit is her younger self’s outfit, down to the detailed braids done lovingly by Sakina

But after the incident with the stars…

Let’s just say Amaya tries her best, and Asha appreciates it

I also finally modeled our girl a crown! Based off of Amaya’s weird ass canon one, and the tiara look of the early Disney Princesses

Gotta make one for Maggie too…

[thenewfuture]

Soooo, what are your thoughts on the latest episode of Despair Time?

Okay, got my affairs in order to talk about this. Despair Time returns after an over 1 year hiatus. Let’s see what we got.

We finally figured out what Charles meant by fucked after all this time. The murder itself could have took place at 7:30 am, not pm. Meaning that why speculation or cloyed perceived previously goes out the window as none of that matters anymore. And that’s what this episode is, the crew realizing they’ve hit a wall and have to chip around it.

There are some good characters moments here and there as they get understand my frustrated at this, but overall, and I am not docking the DRDT Dev at all with this and mean this in the nicest way possible, this entire episode…….was a waste of time. A majority of his episode are spent characters arguing and nagging at each other for mistakes and but were still nowhere close to what actually happened. It makes matters worse when Charles has to chime in and go, “Hey! Can we get back on track, please?! We’re wasting time!” I feel like a lot of scenes could have been cut to make the trial flow better, but hey, I’m not going to backseat ^^;

Now onto the a certain a blue-haired fallen star. David. Now a week ago or so, you’ll recall that I spoke to Suicune saying that I thought David is indeed the bastard he says he is.

Turns out…..I was wrong…

I’ve also mentioned before how I personally think that Xander should have still been alive just so he could see his “beloved hero” turn out to be this giant piece of scum and dirt, and how he doesn’t care about anyone or anything.

….I was wrong…

From how David goes on about Xander, his motivations, his ideals, everything about him up until this point. He cares. David cares. Something pierced his whole edgy persona. David….isn’t the bastard I thought he was.

……Huh… Adding onto this…

Now I’m not saying that David is entirely right here, or some misunderstood soft boy like the canon fandom will make you believe with Nagito and Kokichi. But I was under the belief, I’m sure like many people…that David was empty and had nothing to care for. But look at him now. Talking about something more important to everyone than a bunch of strangers… Does he have that? What is it if that’s the case? How low is he willing to go for this, if at all?

…What goes on in your head, David? I don’t understand you….but it compels me… You intrigue me…I have to know more…

Anyways, after all that. Alibis are questioned and we’re getting nowhere until the cliffhanger of the episode which is….

I’ve had a feeling that Levi’s secret could have been something like that given from what’s left and this confirms it. Of course, this also crosses him off as a suspect because if he were the killer, there would be no way he’d just reveal this outright to everyone.

So who do I think the killer is….I have no idea :/

Like I said, there was nothing truly learned about the case this episode aside from only a few minor things, the Dev was right; we have a loooooong way to go for this trial. It’s just getting started. But, that’s what next week’s all about! Tune in next time when in the next episode, we’ll get-

….Professor Teruko…. Well alright then!

-Mod

[aimportantdragoncollector]

I give you the title "The Dragon's Quest" for the Three Weeks of Trioholders' game!

Dragons my beloved!

As a baby dragon, Yoichi dreamed of being a knight and going on quests. However All for One always told Yoichi that dragons weren't allowed to be the heroes of stories, and besides, Yoichi was the runt of the litter and too weak to leave his cave. After he grew up Yoichi finally learned how to turn himself into a human and snuck out to become a knight. However his magic isn't very strong so he still has to hide his scaly tail.

Yoichi finds knights Second and Third and begs them to let him come along on their quests even if he has to be their servant. Both of them are shocked at how naive Yoichi seems. They take him along partly to look after him.

Second is a prince in disguise and Third is his betrothed, going on one last quest before Second gets crowned as king. Absolutely everyone knows this except Yoichi.

Third warms to Yoichi first and agrees to let him be a squire. Second acts annoyed but secretly likes Yoichi. When the trio is sent after a giant, Yoichi surprises them by negotiating with the giant and striking a truce with the town instead of killing anyone. Both of them are impressed. They agree to knight Yoichi.

All for One followed after his brother in secret to protect him (cough to sabotage him.) He's not happy to find his dear little brother getting along with two humans--and even more shocked that Yoichi seems to have fallen in love with the fools. All for One interrupts Yoichi's knighting ceremony by setting fire to the castle and revealing Yoichi's tail, framing him for the crime.

Second and Third refuse to believe it despite heavy pressure and investigate to prove Yoichi's innocence. Yoichi gets granted the title of Royal Dragon Knight and marries both Second and Third. All for One doesn't get an invitation to the wedding for being a douchebag.

(Reminder that all of these are free to use in my Three Weeks of Trioholders event.)

[triforce-of-mischief]

A Wild Beedle Appears

Summary: Slate and Loft encounter a familiar face on the road to Hateno.

Word count: 540

AO3

AU belongs to @ezdotjpg/@bonus-links, go check them out!

Reblogs > Likes!

The sun was low as Slate led Loft through the Dueling Peaks, and sunset had fallen by the time the stable came into view. Slate was a little more blunt than usual as he spoke with the stablehands, hoping to board the horses and continue the trek as fast as possible.

“Uh, Link? You might need to help him dismount,” Peony said, and Slate turned to see Loft still sitting on his horse. The stranger chuckled nervously when he noticed Slate’s quizzical stare.

“I’m fine! Should be just like a loftwing, just- give me a second,” Loft said.

Slate shrugged and handed Murderer’s reins to Rensa. The two shared a secret eyeroll as they heard Loft struggle to dismount, culminating in a painful-sounding thud.

Loft brought Apple over to stand beside Slate, giving the horse a final pat before Rensa took their mounts away. The resident stable dog wandered over and the stranger gladly switched his attention to the new animal.

“Is that who I think it is?”

Slate groaned, recognizing the voice immediately. Of course the merchant just happened to be at this stable. He could’ve sworn that he had seen that giant backpack on the opposite side of the Floria Bridge…

“It is you! Hi, Link! Who’s your new friend?”

Slate sighed and whirled around, resigning himself to another conversation. ‘Hi, Beedle.’

Loft suddenly lost interest in the dog rolling at his feet. “Wait, what?” He blinked and rubbed his eyes like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “You know a Beedle too?”

“Not just any Beedle! I’m the only Beedle to ever roam the land!” the merchant bragged, then stopped in his tracks as he finally got a good look at the stranger’s face. He clapped his hands and shouted, “OHHHH! Two Links in one place! I didn’t expect to see you again, Sky Hero!”

Slate glanced at Loft, who for his part looked just as confused as Slate was.

“You know me?” Loft asked.

“I know you, you know me!” Beedle confirmed. “It’s been a long time, but some faces can’t be forgotten.”

Loft muttered, “How in the ever-loving-”

‘This has been a fun…’ Slate’s hands stalled as he found the right word, ‘reunion, but we really need to get going. I’d like to reach Hateno by morning.’

“Are you sure you don’t need to buy anything for the road?” Beedle tried, but Slate waved him away.

‘Come on, we’re leaving.’

“I still have a lot of questions,” Loft protested.

“And I won’t give you the answers!” Beedle said with a grin. “I know better than to interfere with you hero-types. Go do what you need to. You know where to find me!”

Ignoring how the word hero made his skin crawl, Slate simply pointed at the road and started walking. Loft gave Beedle one last suspicious glare before falling beside Slate.

“How is that even possible?” the stranger mused aloud.

Slate gave him a wry glance. ‘That’s what you’re focused on?”

“In this moment, yeah. That was weird. Really weird.”

‘Beedle’s a weird guy. Try not to think about it too hard.’

They left the stable and the odd merchant behind, silence falling over them as the moon rose over Blatchery Plain.

[theinfamousmaybelle]

Some quotes (that you guys need to ACCEPT):

"Don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm."

"The bee doesn't waste its time trying to convince the fly that honey is better than shit."

"Honesty without Kindness is Brutality. Kindness without Honesty is Manipulation."

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain the thought without accepting it"

"Courage doesn't always roar; sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow'."

"Not one raindrop thinks it causes the flood"

"You don't notice your progress in life because you are always raising the bar"

"If you wouldn't take advice from them, why would you take criticism from some dude on YouTube."

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

"Let go or be dragged."

"Graveyards are full of irreplaceable people."

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

"You have enemies! Good! That means you stood up for something for once in your life."

"I'll respect your opinion as long as your opinion doesn't disrespect anyone else's existence."

"Lovers are meant to ruin your lipstick, not your mascara"

"Carve your way through life, so you can mark your path for the next individual who wants your throne."

"If you need the threat of hell to be a good person, you're not a good person. You're a bad person on a leash."

"The biggest mistake you could ever make is being to afraid too make one."

"Beauty is dangerous, but intelligence is lethal."

"Don't waste your time thinking of something more than 5 minutes if it won't matter in 5 years."

"Villains are fallen heroes. Even the devil was once an angel."

"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

"When giants fight, it's the ground that suffers."

"Sometimes in life people will hate you for no reason. That's proof you're doing something right in life."

"Small sparks start big fires"

"Life is the sum of your choices"

"Just some wisdom for a random child, you know the loud, fun, colourful people who everyone loves? The creative, explosive ones? They didn't get there by fitting in."

"It's easy to shine among dirt."

"Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing that it is stupid."

"No matter how many times you fail, you should try again because failure will help you in the path to success."

"Life is too short to be normal."

"If your friends don't miss your absence, they don't appreciate your company."

"The bricks you carry make you stronger, but the more bricks you have at a time, the slower you get. Learn to let it go."

"People who never make mistakes never try anything new."

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"One step at a time is all you need to take"

"if someone judges you based on appearance, they are not for you."

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

"The expert in anything was once a beginner."

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light."

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are to change the ending."

"It doesn't matter how long you live as long as you are happy."

"Growth comes from discomfort"

"If you don't try, you will never lose but never win either."

"Instead of wasting your life trying to be like somebody else, spend your life becoming somebody people try to be like."

"Life is too short to worry about what people who exist in a free app on your phone think about you."

"Friends are like life. If you enjoy it then it'll be long. And if you don't? Then it's short."

"Keep moving forward to be better."

"You haven't learned it unless you can teach it."

"There is a technical term for someone who confused the opinions of a character in a book with those of the author. That term is idiot."

I WOULD ADD MORE BUT I'VE ALREADY ADDED 50 😭 I'll do a part two

Send this to someone who you feel like needs to hear this.

[olivine-gal]

Spider-Man keeps fighting the same one or two dozen guys, so I came up with a bunch of new villains - info under the cut!

The Red Dragon - human-reptile hybrid from the same technology as the Lizard, albeit retaining his full intelligence and sadism. Mob boss, breathes fire

Blink - failed attempt at recreating the Spot, short-range unstable teleportation ("blink of an eye") and quantum duplication

Cityscaper - guerilla artist who has fallen out of touch with the common people and into madness, constructing elaborate death-traps and bizarre and hazardous pieces

Runt - diminutive mob enforcer with an absurd level of strength and durability, mostly limited by his lack of ambition and preference to dick around

Centipede - genetic engineer betrayed by her employers and made into a guinea pig, turning her into a stretchy, boneless mutant with nothing to lose. Fluctuates between anti-hero and anti-villain

Blue Blood - police officer mad about Spidey being "soft on crime" and uncooperative to cops, turned himself into a human tank with advanced SWAT gear. NYPD refuses to condone his vigilante massacres

Troubleshooter - an "invisible man", specializes in doing tasks for supervillains quickly, quietly, and efficiently. Frequently the only sane man amongst a cast of colorful criminals

Gasbag - a "gas" addition to the solid-liquid-plasma triad of Sandman, Hydro Man, and Molten Man. Transformed into a permanent vapor state by particle shenanigans

Dynamite - mad bomber, does bombings for hire or because she likes it. Cyclops goggle helps magnify for fine construction

Sightline - sniper hit-man with bionic eyes that enhance his vision in every practical way. Deeply disrupts Spidey's typical pattern of fighting in open-air

Bunker - giant fishman created by chemical waste poured into the East River and mutating wildlife. Probably eats people

Acid Bath - mercenary for hire specialized in chemical warfare. Acid sprays, flamethrowers, nitroglycerin explosives, etc

Spookum - looks like a big burly guy in a bedsheet ghost costume. Definitely something much worse. Shows up during lunar eclipses, blue moons, and other nights when the world is a little less real

Moon Man - astronaut given a corrupted neutral training implant filled to the brim with science-fiction. Believes himself to be stranded on an alien planet and with only his advanced spacesuit for protection

Miss Appear - paparazzi reporter with the ability to turn invisible. Technically not doing anything illegal, more of a nuisance for Peter Parker the reporter

Roach Woman - a woman who is also a cockroach. Keeps trying to take over the city with elaborate roach plots, really needs more human friends

Mummy Joe - bonded with a super-adhesive medical tape, able to lash it out and manipulate like a collection of tentacles.

Checkmate - up-and-coming criminal with the ambition of becoming Spidey's new arch-enemy for the fame. Fleet of chess-themed androids

The Corporate Raider - anarcho-capitalist and self-proclaimed defender of the rich and wealthy everywhere. Terrorizes unions, strikes, and whistleblowers with extreme prejudice

Memento - psychologist assigned to work with alien technology wound up a little too close. Now essentially a nervous system with legs, fond of psychically manipulating Spidey and other characters

Gnat - all the proportional abilities of a gnat, at the scale of a gnat. Scarily competent in espionage and heist assistance

Snot - artificial human created to experiment with disease symptoms and treatment, now turned into a walking super-spreader. Can also shoot globs and webs of mucus

The King of New York - fuckboy, self-proclaimed king of New York, and with a set of Superman-like powers only matched in intensity by his stupidity.

Shutterbug - at first a photographer paying supervillains to commit crimes to create exclusive reports for him, later becoming a professional spy for hire.

[themindarchive]

The Wolf and the Spider. (My Tav's Parents Headcannon)

As i got into my 30's i grew tired of the two big tropes that happen a lot with adventuring heroes in stories: either they die or are toxic/abusive in some way or another.

So instead i have begun to give my Protags loving and supportive families that are often just as badass and mighty as the protag themselves.

So after hearing the song below:

I now head cannon my Tav's parent's relationship like Stoic and Valka's and the above is their song.

Rhu is a physically vast and very talkative Lythari elven druid with a heart just as big as his size and wisdom even greater. He is the Chieftain and pack Alpha of a caravan made up of people who have no where else to go, caring for and nurturing those under his care.

Andromeda is a small but just as mighty stoic drow woman who is an intense protector and a force of nature only calmed by Rhu's embrace and calm demeanor. She is often in charge of those that protect the caravan from the dangers of living a mobile life.

Rhu and Andromeda met while she was still living in Menzoberanzan as part of a noble house that all but ignored her in favor of her elder sisters. Luckily for her, she was a woman who valued her solitude and often took to the dangers of the Underdark than engage in the violent politics of the city. She quickly became an intensely skilled ranger that was "gifted" Rhu as an animal companion as a joke by one of her elder sisters.

Joke was on them when the large pale Dire wolf turned into a very ruggedly handsome and large Lythari elven man.

Rhu noticed immediately how different she was compared to her people, especially in the ways she treated him as an equal.

So when her eldest sister began a murderous campaign to take solo control of the house, he offered to teach her how to become a wolf like him so they could escape to the surface.

Surprised by the large man's kindness, despite how he had been treated by her people, she agreed and just as her sister's blades began to turn in her direction, the two of them escaped to the surface in the form of wolves making it near impossible for her sister to track them.

Over the years, Rhu's intentional nature, honesty, kindness and compassion drew her in, and the day she realized she craved his presence more than her solitude...

She knew she had fallen.

Their marriage occurred shortly after and she became with child not long after that.

The pregnancy was a complete surprise to her since she had been made to believe that a child hood illness had sterilized her but she was no less excited at the news.

However, as her belly began to grow, her mind couldn't help but wander back to her birthplace and the horrific treatment her birth father had endured that ultimately killed him.

She began to become anxious and fearful, terrified that if she had a son, he would suffer the same fate.

Luckily, Rhu understood and took the time to remind her where they were and how they lived. He showed her the other male children of his home caravan and how they lived and played without fear, just as equal in the eyes of his people as the woman and girls.

So when the time came she was ready.

That day was a day that nearly took both mother and if it wasn't for their chief healers skill and did end up rendering her unable to have any more but the moment they handed her son to her it ceased to matter.

Once she held her son for the first time, seeing his pale grey skin and the dark violet eyes her father once had, it hit her like a giant's club.

She had a son who would live free and safe, far away from the horrors that she watched her father endure.

And she broke down, crying tears of relief and joy.

The early years of motherhood were a struggle for her, the nurturing and caring nature her husband had in abundance wasn't something that came naturally to her.

But as Razzikel got older, she recognized her own solitary and autonomous nature in her son and began training him in the ways of rangers, something that bonded the two of them.

The day Razzikel reached adulthood, according to most short lived races, was a day of pride and celebration.

Their stoic son with the size and heart as big as his father and the might and protective nature of his mother, hugged them both before he took his first long journey from them, called by Mielikki herself to the hunt.

They watched as he disappeared into the tree's, waving one last time before the forest devoured his form in it's depths.

A few month's later he would return with stories and new supplies, staying with them as the caravan traveled until he was called again, over and over.

But eventually, despite their best effort, her sister would find her again. And send her on a 15 year search for her son, forcing her to leave Rhu behind until she finds him, singing her and Rhu's song to a young druid who had saved him and shared the same big heart that had made her fall in love with his father.

The apple not falling far form the tree.

[silverynight]

So, a little angst idea, but it's super fluffy at the end, for BkDk!

Now, we all know UA is a bajillion times better than Aldera, but that doesn't mean some assholes don't get through! So, a male 2nd or 3rd year hero course student, who, for some reason, just hates Izuku's entire existence. (Probably because he treats all the course students nicely, regardless, and this asshole is quirkiest and has a giant ego).

So, as a very cruel joke, he asks Izuku out, and Izuku, who already has self esteem issues and image issues, (thanks Aldera), enthusiastically accepts! Izuku gets all nicely dressed up, (he asked for help), and while Bakugou pretends he doesn't care, he cares a lot, (and is very sad, cause he thinks he's lost his chance). So Izuku, all nicely dressed up, is waiting by the UA gates, at exactly 12 PM, patiently waiting...

It hits 2. He's still excited, and he just brushes it off as the guy maybe getting nervous himself. Maybe he couldn't decide on his outfit, either.

Then it's 5. Izuku is less excited. He...doesn't feel like this if this is going good. But, he brushes it off. This is the 1st date, he doesn't know the guy well. Maybe he has anxiety and he's just hyping himself up! Maybe asking was easy, but executing is more nerve-wrecking for the guy. (Yes, Izuku is just that nice and forgiving).

It's near the curfew now, about 9:30. Izuku decides to text him. He replies, while laughing, knowing exactly who is texting him, telling him he can't believe he waited near the gate like an idiot. That Izuku was too plain and ugly, and he wouldn't and didn't mean anything he said, and would never date him. Izuku, whose tears have built up, but not have quite fallen, just silently heads back into UA grounds and to the dorms. As everyone asks how it went, you know, being supportive, because Izuku, said boy just chokes up, starts crying and runs to his room. Everyone is shocked, since the upper class man seemed nice?

Katsuki, who knows how to handle a sad Izuku, silently makes his way up to the boy's room as everyone else flounces and panics on how to cheer their friend up. When he gets there, he hears the saddest song Izuku owns, (you can decide what that is), playing really loud, but he can still hear him crying. Katsuki checks the door, and thankfully it's unlocked, so he lets himself inside, (but he locks the door this time), turns the music down, so Izuku can hear him, and just. Lays next to the green haired boy and asks if he wants to talk about it.

Izuku can't really speak, still sobbing, but more quietly, and just hands Katsuki the phone. Said boy reads the texts and he is very, very livid, but he stays calm, and tells Izuku that he is the nicest, cutest and caring person he has ever met. That the upperclassmen is completely wrong, and anyone would be very lucky to have him as a significant other. Izuku thankfully calms down, knowing Katsuki never says things he doesn't mean, and just. Passes out from exhaustion. Bakugou stays with him the rest of the night.

The next day, when classes start up, Bakugou is suddenly sent to the principal's office for beating up, (successfully), that said upperclassmen. Aizawa and Nedzu are disappointed...at first. Then Bakugou tells them what the boy did as a joke, and he only has a week of detention, and no house arrest. The upperclassmen is on thin fucking ice, has to take lessons on how to be a decent fucking human being and is on house arrest for a month! :3

Izuku smiles gratefully at Katsuki when he returns to class, and that, Bakugou thinks, is totally worth the hell week of detentions he's earned, (Aizawa decided that he can run the hell course that whole week, with some breaks).

I support Katsuki's rights and wrongs! (That guy deserved it!)

[judaismandsuch]

A Brilliant Biblical Commentary that I can't Believe

Now, as many of you may know Humanity/ Man is Created twice in Breishit (Genisis) the First time in Breishit 1:27: "And G-d created man in His image....male and female He Created them."

The Second time in Breishit 2:7, and finished in 2:22: "...[G-d] formed man from the dust of the earth.....and Man became a living being." "[HaShem] fashioned the rib He took from man into a woman." (obv a bunch of stuff happens between verse 7 and 22).

Now important notes: 1)There is a lot of established commentary on all of this, but that means there is too much to succinctly summaries other views, so if you are curious about the established interpretations for all this look it up yourself. 2) All the garden of Eden stuff is a cohesive story in chapter 2-3, not mentioned at all in relation to the first creation.

Anyways there is a lot of explanation and reconciiation of these verses, as it is troubling the HaShem would describe the creation of humanity twice, and the stories be very different. There are answers, brilliant ones, bad ones, etc. But I believe I am the first to have this response.

So... it is indeed troubling, until you look a few chapters later, specifically chapter 6.

Now between chapter 2 and 6 a bunch of stuff happens: The garden of Eden, Cain and Abel. Cain taking a wife. The First city builder, the first smiths, the first tent dwellers (more accuaretly the specific ancestor of those, but w/e). The descendents of Cain and Seth, the subtle decrease in life span, etc.

Now aside from the general "Wow this is bullshit, it human civilization didn't progress in that manner." or "Humanity never had a lifespan that long!" Bad faith arguments, you run into an issue.

Who the fuck are they marrying? Hell, it's implied that there are other humans around when Cain kills Abel, where did those guys come from?

Again, loads of commentary but here we are going to my tying all this together:

Chapter 6: The Children of G-d and the Nephilim. 6:2: "The children of G-d saw how beautiful the daughters of Man (or humanity) were, and took wives from among those that pleased them." 6:4:"It was then that the Nephilim (lit. the fallen) appeared on earth when the children of G-d cohabited with the daughters of Man who bore them offspring, they were the Heroes of Old, Men of Great renown."

Now, this has it's own issues, mainly: What the fuck? Who are the children of G-d? Who are the fallen (Nephilim)? And who the hell are the Heroes of Old?

Again, loads of answers for all that already. (BTW, in Numbers/Bamidbar 13:33 Nephilim are mentioned again. by the spies, who use the word to mean 'giant', since that is a quotation of a human speaking, whereas this is not, I can safely ignore "Nephilim means giant" in my exegesis).

Now my commentary (though clever you, you may have already put it together!)

We already have fallen children of G-d mentioned: Adam and Eve. Them getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden can definitely be considered 'Falling'.

And if we consider that there were two separate 'Humans' those in the Garden (Adam and Eve), and those outside from chapter one, we get the answer to who Cain and Seth are marrying.

And then, from Adam's line we get a list of Great Humans: The City Builder, The Smith, The Musician. They could definitely be considered the heroes of old.

Are there issues with this explanation? A couple, none (scripturally) too challenging. Is this explanation original? As far as I know: Yes. But that may just mean my research is garbage.

But the biggest problem with this explanation?

It DEMANDS a fully literal acceptance of that portion of Breishit. If HaShem intended for it to be metaphorical, or a pat explanation b/c creation wasn't important, why would there be an interlock of the two stories?

There wouldn't be.

And I am NOT a (full) biblical literalist. (I do believe that one has to be within a small margin of error a biblical literalist from Avraham to the end of the Torah for Judaism to have validity).

So I have this beautiful, pat, explanation that I can't believe.

Terribly Annoying.