#i hate being too poor to go to your own country

[querida]

i was in costa rica in my dream. i ate something that tasted like cas and started the whole routine of reminiscing sadly over the fruit until i remembered i could just go out and get some. i ran like crazy as i grinned so widely my mouth hurt, rounding corners with chaotic speed that bordered on dangerous. i got to my wallet and keys and told my mom i would be going to the closest pulperia. i woke up before i could buy any fruit.

the devastation i felt when i woke up and realized i'm not in costa rica was so jarring compared to the elation i was feeling in my dream. i haven't been back since i was 17 and i miss it dearly. not being able to simply taste a flavor that doesn't exist in this part of the world is so..... idk, it feels weird and insane and sad. like, wdym i haven't had access to a flavor? it's like not having access to a color or a sound, wdym it's not something i can just experience whenever? i guess this dream is a sign i've been gone too long. whether or not i can go back is entirely dependent on a scholarship i applied to. hopefully i get it.

[walking-loather]

Will never forget being a kid and telling someone i was south african only to have them ask:

"Did you have clothes in africa?"

"Had you ever had a bath before coming to Australia?"

"Did you live in a house with walls and bricks?"

Like. Yeah, I guess we were 8... But also i feel like a lot of people's understanding of "Africa" has never really progressed past that point.

[yuri-is-online]

Why So Rude? (Or Yuu's BF Asks Crewel for their Hand in Marriage and What Happens Next Will Shock You)

For legal reasons, this is a joke. I have been dealing with a health issue of sorts (i am not dying so no worrying ok? just v annoyed) so writing longer stuff is escaping me at the moment, enjoy some crack while I take a breather. More can be found on my masterlist here.

NO (FLOYD, Rook, and Malleus)

Crewel has been in denial about this "relationship" since it started. Not that his disapproval is really going to stop Floyd, but Crewel 100% refers to him as "Yuu's ex boyfriend" much to the confusion of... everyone who hears that. They do find some common ground in their shared interest in fashion, but Crewel has never forgiven him for his behavior in his class OR his "stealing" Yuu's heart.

Rook on the other hand he didn't have too much of an issue with until he realized just how familiar he seemed to be with his home for someone who had supposedly only been there to visit you. The twenty page letter he wrote to confess his feelings to you didn't help either once he saw the few lines where Rook wrote about the beauty of your finger prints, but he knows his disapproval means very little to someone as obsessed with romance as Rook.

Malleus... is the King of a country genuinely hostile to humans and Crewel thinks he is a little too obsessed with Yuu for his own good. He is also not a fan of how condescending Malleus is towards his disapproval, but it's an issue that will be worked out eventually. They are fighting out of love for the same person, your safety and happiness is all they really care about at the end of the day.

No, but as a joke (Sebek and Jack)

I don't think he has anything against him really, he just wants to see how important tradition and the opinion of his elders actually is to him. When Sebek begins to plead his case because he does not wish to put a wedge between Yuu and their father figure, but cannot deny his feelings for Yuu Crewel's more than happy to "change his mind." He knows you will be happy and well looked after.

Jack is a solid partner, and he is a wolf beastman who speaks of Yuu as his soulmate, his one and only, his eternal life partner and- well. Crewel just can't resist a bit of teasing, he's always been so serious and easy to fluster about these sort of things. The sheepish look on his face when he realizes Crewel has been teasing him makes it very worth it.

I can't stop you can I... (Leona, Kalim, and Rollo)

While Crewel has faith that Leona has what it takes to save his home- he lives in the Sunset Savannah. That is really far away from the Queendom of Roses ( ; ω ; ) have some pity on your poor father he can't travel that far all the time it's bad for his skin. The pressures of being the partner of royalty is something he worries over, but a smug promise from Leona to protect you soothes his worries somewhat.

The flippant way Kalim talks about the assassination attempts is not the way Crewel wants to hear about attempts on your life or heaven forbid your death. Kalim is very sympathetic to this, he has no real argument against how ignorant he was in the past, but he isn't a child anymore. Just filled with a childlike love for the world and determination to make it better. It is hard to say no to that.

Rollo is too much like Trein. His request for your hand in marriage feels like something that the old man would cry tears of genuine joy over, so of course he hates it. Unfortunately he also knows how much this teen grandfather matters to you or whatever so the answer will be yes. At least he has an excuse to visit Fleur City more now.

Give me one good reason. (Azul, Jade, Idia, and Lilia)

Azul was such a good student that he should have zero complaints that you started dating. But he also isn't blind and dislikes being pandered to, which is very much what Azul is doing here. He does wonder briefly if this is a cultural thing and he is being insensitive, but he is still exasperated enough to not immediately say yes. The strange twinkle that comes to Azul's eyes at the prospect of negotiations makes him wish he had though.

Speaking of not being blind, what does the Leech family do and is it legal? Survey says probably yes, but Crewel remembers dealing with Jade's parents while he was in school and has no desire to feed his child to the shar- err eels. Jade immediately begins to sniffle, oh how could Crewel say such bad things about him? A poor innocent eel and blah blah blah. If Jade wasn't such a good partner he'd be cooked.

Crewel understands and appreciates the effort Idia has put in to his personal growth and he has no desire to shit on that... but S.T.Y.X. and the secrecy around it is no joke. He wants to continue having a relationship with Yuu and as soon as Idia reassures him of that he has no more objections.

Lilia is an old man, a war criminal, and a father. Of course Crewel has seen how he was able to live as a student while at NRC but his own credit as a father would be under fire if he didn't object mildly. Lilia has some fun with it and has a bit more respect for him for objecting. So long as the eventual answer is yes.

Yes (Riddle, Trey, Cater, Ruggie, Jamil, and Epel)

While Crewel does have some red flag concerns concerning Riddle's mother, he has no real objections to Riddle himself. He is a perfect gentlemen and the correct amount of nervous to be asking the question. He gets full marks, as if there would ever be any other outcome.

Trey is that sort of solid option that parents really love, but he also has that tight personal relationship with Crewel from his Science Club days. He lives in the Queendom and is tight with his own family there are few better places for Yuu to be.

While Cater isn't Crewel's favorite student, he doesn't hate him or the Shaftlands. He is also not entirely unconvinced that him asking is for a magicam trend but! He has no real major objections. He is more than ready to have two kids, as soon as Cater is willing to admit he could use a stable father figure.

I don't think that Ruggie would even suggest marrige unless he's obtained that stable, high paying job he so baldy wants and has moved his Granny out of the slums. It's the perfect time to ask for permission to propose, and while the Savannah is still super far away (r.i.p. Crewel's skin) he is much more supportive of the two of you and how far you've come.

Similarly to Ruggie, I don't think Jamil would propose to Yuu unless his personal issues with Kalim and his position with the Asim's had been sorted. He wants to actually travel on his honeymoon, and Crewel is very willing to suggest the Queendom of Roses. Jamil's ego is absolutely stroked by how Crewel had zero objections but your adoptive dad doesn't get to see how smug it makes him, Jamil saves the smirks for when you say yes.

I think that Crewel seems to like all of the first years, and Epel is no exception. Sure, his request starts out well put together and polite but devolves into a dialect that leaves Crewel with no idea of what he's saying, but he has a general idea. Of course Epel has his blessing, Harveston sounds like a lovely place for Yuu to live their life in Twisted Wonderland and Epel a perfect person to keep them safe and happy.

He already planned the wedding (Ace, Deuce, Silver and Vil)

I know what you're saying. Crewel approving of Ace? Of course he does! He was in his homeroom class, and Crewel has a soft spot for trouble makers from the Queendom, he was one after all! Sure he might have had some problems with him when you first started dating, but now, when he is deathly serious saying he wants to spend the rest of his life with you? Crewel has been waiting for this since he fist saw carrot head yanking your chain.

Deuce is a much easier sell, Crewel was always a bit harsh on his intelligence, but only because he ran a tight ship and wanted him to reach for the stars. Well he has, and he has you to support him through it, Crewel is so proud of both. He and Dilla have absolutely been hypothetically planning this for years.

While Silver's curse did not endear him to Crewel for his first two years of schooling, he really grew on him when you started going out. He's glad that you've found someone who loves you as much as Silver does, really he is. Unfortunately this means he has to plan a wedding with Lilia, something they both have been doing since you started going out and never talked about. Don't worry! They only intend to fight a lot little bit.

The instant you started dating Vil Crewel entered his mother of the bride era. The permission asking was less Vil wanting to be polite and more him coming up with a way to distract him and convince him to focus on designing the clothes. Thankfully it works and no one other than his dogs have to know just how insane the prospect of his two favorite students marrying made him.

[tragedyofdevotion]

disregard

Yandere Neuvillette x reader

Mentions of torture and blackmailing

Implied nsfw, not explicit

I hate you.

I wish you died.

These are the words you swallow up everyday as you wake up and see him looking gently at you.

You ignored him and his damned lovesick gaze in favor of the more important task to do: to get out of bed.

Despite the impression he gave as a respectable gentleman, he was never restrained during his nightly routine with you, always leaving you bruised and tired and legs too weak to stand properly. After all, a dragon will remain a beast, an animal, no matter what kind of titles as he accumulated in living among humans, pretending among humans.

The Iudex, a beloved Chief Justice of the Fountaine, a symbol of Fairness.

Under his watch, no instances that might go against the ideal of the country is allowed.

But even before you personally knew him in this way, you could not understand the trust people had on him.

If he truly valued justice, will he allow the trials to be used as entertainment for the public as if it was some kind of theatrics?

Would your best friend's father be wrong accused and meet untimely death?

Would the true culprits behind your father's death be running amock while your best friend is trying the most that she could to prove her father's innocence?

No, they wouldn't.... if Neuvillette truly valued justice and tried to find the truth behind the incident like the blonde traveler who finally uncovered the real culprits of the incident.

You hated Neuvillette for pretending something he most certainly wasn't, a human with humanly emotions.

So, you were never a fan of his.

However, back then, you weren't fully aware of how much of injustice he was willing to commit to secure his lover treasure.

As you pull back the bed sheets and tried to get up, he offered to help you, like a lover facade he is dead set on continuing.

But you ignored him, and got up on your own wobbling and shaky.

Your body was littered by his artworks of kiss marks, bite marks and hand prints. But he admire them on you as if you are the goddess of beauty herself.

"Good morning, my love."

He said his voice sweet and sugary unlike the tone he made when declaring your lover guilty for a murder you were sure he never committed.

In exchange for securing your boyfriend a safe and peaceful life in meropide fortress, you had to jump into the jaws of the awaiting beast. (So, the rumors that the Index was good friends with the Duke were true. Or at least, they were close enough to be partners in crime in making your life miserable.)

You again ignored his voice and put on your dress to cover up your body from his disgusting gaze and walked into the bathroom.

You wonder if your best friend is still trying to find you. The poor girl has just lose her two most trusted subordinates. You want nothing more than to run to her and hug her tight to say that you are okay, you are fine, you are not going to leave her.

You felt arms around your waist, hugging you from behind. The person, predictably, was none other than your husband.

You pushed away his hand and continued washing your face.

In the mirror, you could see Neuvillette looking at your reflection with puppy eyes begging for an ounce of affection.

Oh, just how much you want to poke out those eyes with a knife.

But you refrained from actually doing it because

1. He is the Hydro Sovereign whose strength rival that of Archons so your attack would probably be ineffective.

2. If you so much as point anything sharp in his general direction, your boyfriend has to face the tortures that would make grown adults to faint just by hearing it.

(You once tried to attack Neuvillette using the power of your Anemo Vision but not only did it not work, the Duke made you watch your boyfriend being tortured in front of you.)

After freshing yourself up, you ate the breakfast as silently as the morning before.

If there was one good thing about Neuvillette, he has to go out for the whole day.

So, if only you endured the most agitating breakfast of him staring at you as you eat, you will have the monster out of the house.

"I will be going out. I will try to be home as soon as I can."

You opted out his voice and laid back down on your bed and pull up covers to get some sleep to compensate for the loss of it last night.

You heard him going out of the room to go to the court for whatever trials awaiting him.

It rains in Fountaine today, too.

[anna-does-a-fandom-thing]

nothing serious.

professor! anakin skywalker.

a/n: hiii! so, @fuckmyskywalker came up with the idea for this concept, and I've decided to write my own fic on it! LOVEE me some starwars boy. But put him in a SUIT?? drool worthyyy.

tw!: smut. lots of smut. ahem. p in v sex, sort of breeding kink? it's small but it's there. use of the name pet!! unprotected sex! do not attempt! dumification kink? also miniscule but there. big big sir kink. Anakin loves asserting the fact that he's the top here.

Disclaimer: 18+ only please! I'm not responsible for the media you consume as an adolescent!

description: Attending the most sought after university definitely was the best decision you'd made regarding your college career, but one perverted professor almost makes you want drop out entirely. Anakin Skywalker, was in no short terms, egotistical and a hard-ass. At least that's what you knew, so why is he asking to see you after class?

Ah, Corscuscant University. One of the most popular STEM universities in the country. The same STEM university you attended. Being a biology major, it was a no brainer for you come here. When you arrived as a freshman Corscuscant felt like your dream school, but like every dream, reality had set in. Your painful reality was Anakin Skywalker; your math professor. Professor Skywalker was one of, if not the most attractive man you had ever seen. He knew he was good looking, too. Almost every person in school had a crush on him, one of those people being you. That's not to say you didn't find him annoying as hell, but you could appreciate a good complexion when you saw one. Despite his good looks, it didn't change the fact that Anakin Skywalker was an egotistical hard ass, whose courses were next to impossible.

It was easy to ignore his big mouth and jabs at any poor soul unfortunate enough to get a question wrong in the beginning, focusing on your studies and logarithmic equations. However, as the class began to get more difficult, your counselor started suggesting attending his after school lessons. Something you couldn't be bribed to attend. But alas, hell hath no fury like a college counselor.

The good thing about Anakin's tutoring is that it's only on Fridays. The bad thing, is that it's a ghost town most days. if he's lucky, Anakin might get 2 or 3 students. So by the second semester, it became just you and him.

Anakin Skywalker was now aware of your existence. He was aware you sucked at math, and he was probably aware of your attraction to college professors who made even Pythagoras hate math. So now here the two of you were.

Just earlier that morning, you'd been notified that the tutoring had been canceled, so your plans for the evening were to go home and sleep. But, before you can walk out of the classroom, Professor Skywalker calls your name. Leaning against his chair, he looks at you piercingly. "Come to my office as soon as possible. We need to discuss your grade in my class."

"Yes professor. " You stuttered, sending a questioning glance to your friend. You walked towards Anakin's office, knowing he'd already be in the room. You hesitated to enter, dreading whatever miserable information he had to bestow upon you, in private. You noticed while peering into the room that he's got a paper in his hand. 'please don't be mine,' you pray.

Once you entered, you moved to stand in front of his desk. "Are you free to stay awhile? I have some questions about your last exam." He says, seeming relaxed. You DID have plans, no, you were not free. Ugh. You guess you can't deny your teacher, so you nod politely. "Great to hear." He says, motioning for you to walk around the desk.

Anakin rolls out his seat, and moves to stand. Now standing in his personal bubble, per his suggestion, you fidget with your hands. "So, what about my exam? Did I fail it, sir?" You start to get worried. "No, no, nothing like that. You actually made top of the class once I graded it." Anakin praised. "I'd actually like to offer you some extra credit."

Anakin motioned for you to take a seat on top of his desk. "What kind of credit?" You asked, now level eye level with his chin. "Just some extra course work and a few more sessions in the week." Anakin shrugged, almost distracted. You hesitated, "I suppose I can, uhm, do that." Anakin smiled at your stutter. He placed his hand under your chin and lifted it to meet his eyes. "You're certainly obedient. I like that." You felt your brain screech to a halt. "Excuse me, what?"

Is Professor Skywalker hitting on you? This has to be a dream. You look up at him, and lo and behold, he's staring right back. He looks hungry, like you're a delicious piece of meat. "You behave when and how i tell you to. Has anyone ever told you that's attractive?" Anakin clarifies, placing both of his hands on desk, trapping you under him. You bristle at his statement. "Sir! that's inappropriate!" Anakin just laughs, and leans in. He says, quietly, "That's alright, pet. It's only inappropriate if someone finds out. I don't intend on telling a soul."

You feel your nose subconsciously scrunch up in confusion. "Pet?" Where did that come from? "You're my little teacher's pet, aren't you? It'll be our little secret." Anakin places one hand on your thigh, the other further along the desk to prop himself up. You can feel his hand wander to your hip, and you're not sure you want to stop him. You didn't know someone's hands could feel that good, with his feather like movements. You're about to let him continue, until you remind yourself that you didn't lock his door. Anyone could walk in.

"Wait, not here. Someone will see." You try to push Anakin away, but he grabs your wrist to restrain you, gently. "Yes here. I can't stop myself." Anakin ducks his head below your chin, and places butterfly kisses along your throat. You hold it in, but you want to moan at his touch. Anakin pulls away, "I'm going to give you your first extra credit assignment. Answer these 3 questions."

You try to focus on his words and not the pooling heat between your legs. "Yes sir." You're pretty sure Anakin noticed you squeezing your thighs together like no tomorrow, and he's just saying these things to rile you up. He quietly moans at your obedience. "Good girl, keeping doing that." You look at him, "What, calling you sir?"

Anakin nods, giving your hip a squeeze. "Yeah, baby. It means you know who's in charge here."

Clearing his throat, Anakin begins. "Now, question one. are you aware of how tempting your body has been to me?" You can feel your cheeks lighting on fire. He's certainly been bold. "N-no sir."

"That's okay, beauty, I'll show you. Question two: will you let me kiss you?"

Oh fuck. You knew that was coming. Oh well, you only live once. "Yes sir." As soon as the words left your lips, Anakin had cupped your cheek, pulling you into a passionate kiss. Anakin was a good kisser. You'd figured that was probably true a while ago, but now? To feel him? It was overwhelming. He pushed against your mouth, using one hand to lift your leg against his hip. Using the new angle, Anakin deepened the kiss causing you both to moan against each other.

You can feel Anakin get more and more aggressive in the kiss, to the point he's pushing the desk a little. You pull away from him for a moment, causing him to chase your lips. "Anakin.." You start, but he cuts you off with a growl. "Who, pet?" You should've expected that one. "You, sir. You're pushing the desk apart." You correct yourself quietly, murmuring your concerns into his ear. Anakin frowns in thought before donning a sultry grin. "I've got a better place for us to continue, dear pet." Before you can question him, Anakin wraps your legs around his waist and takes your mouth in a kiss. He lifts you from the desk before walking towards the couch in the corner of his office.

You yelp as Anakin gently throws you onto it, and you're once again locking lips.

"Mm, sir.." You moaned into his mouth, feeling him crawl on top of you. Anakin smiles, looking down at such a pretty sight. "Such a good girl, pet. You gonna spread f'me?" Anakin tapped your thighs, and you pulled them apart at his request. Anakin settled himself between your legs. "For the last question, pet," Anakin pulls up your skirt and hooks his fingers into the hem of your underwear. "How badly do you want me to fuck you?" Feeling your heart speed up, you replied shaking, "So badly, sir. Please."

"Good girl. you've earned yourself an A+." He rasps, sitting up and undoing his belt. Craning your head, you watch as Anakin unzips his trousers. You almost gasp when he pulls out his dick. You're not even sure you can take him, with how large he is. "It's alright, pet, no need to look scared." Anakin cooed, kissing your jaw. He lifted up your skirt, and pulled on the hem of your underwear. Discarding them, you were now bare for his eyes to see. "We'll go slow, baby." Anakin reassured you, lining himself up with your entrance. Gently as Anakin could be, he pushed into you. Whimpering, you felt tears well up in your eyes. It was both painful and overwhelming, and you instinctually pushed at his chest. "Relax, little pet, relax." Anakin grunted, already being squeezed like a balloon waiting to be popped. Anakin finally bottomed out, after what felt like forever. It felt so good. "Tell me when, darling." Anakin refused to move until you gave him a sign. Taking several deep breaths, you nodded. "No, pet. give me words. Use them, baby."

"Please, sir."

"Please what, my girl?"

You knew Anakin was getting impatient, but you were so overwhelmed with pleasure it was hard to form words. You him growl in your ear. Feeling his hand touch your soft flesh, Anakin gripped your waist and moved without warning, "I'm not going to wait anymore, little pet." You couldn't help but let out a guttural moan. Holy shit. He was so big, and you've never felt so filled in your life. "Sir..!" You cried, pulling him down and kissing him. Anakin begins to kiss you passionately, pressing you into the sofa. His mouth meets yours in a loving and desperate kiss as he starts to move faster, causing your loud whining to be muffled. If you weren't blissed out, you'd die of embarrassment at the lewd noises the two of you created. Anakin, on the other hand, loved it. Feeling him speed up, you pulled away from his mouth and almost screamed. You knew you were close, and you told him so. "Sir, please! Close, close, please.. mm," You were practically crying from how good he felt. "I know pet, I know." Anakin replied, grunting when he felt you squeeze him harder. "God, keep squeezing and I'm gonna burst, baby, fuck."

Hooking his hands under your thighs, Anakin lifted them onto his shoulders, pressing you in half. The new angle made your insides burst with pleasure, making you scream. "C'mon pet, you can do it." Anakin encouraged, hitting all the right spots harder. "Cum for me baby, cum all over my dick, yeah?" His words sent shivers through your spine, and your eyes rolled. It was too much. The coil in your tummy snapped, and you finished with a moan.

However, Anakin didn't stop. Despite your release, Anakin moved even faster. "No, no, sir! I can't!" You cried, already overstimulated to high heaven. "Don't be selfish pet, i know you can do it," Tightening his grip on your thighs, Anakin grunted over, and over, and over with every thrust. "Don't want my cum, baby? huh? Don't want your teacher to fill you up till you're full?"

Too fucked out to use your brain to respond, you squeezed around him again. It was too much for you, and now, the last straw for him. Letting out an animalistic growl, Anakin buried himself as far in you as he could, bottoming out fully. Your tummy felt so warm, being painted with his load for what felt like forever to you.

He collapses on top of you, panting softly. "Such a good girl f'me, baby. M'so proud of you." He coos at you, still out of breath from the intensity of the moment. After a few seconds, Anakin lifts his head and chuckles. "Poor thing, too dumb to respond to me?" He gives your thigh a gentle squeeze. You whine at his teasing, pouting at him. He leans to your ear and whispers, "Don't be shy, baby. You did so good f'me."

[cosmowgyral]

Falling into Sin with the Black Tiger ~ Gilbert's 4th Birthday

▪︎ A Story from his POV

This is a fan translation so please don't expect it to be 100% accurate. Creative liberties have been taken. All content belongs to Cybird. Reblogs are appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

NSFW/MDNI

I thought the beast of destruction was a greedy creature.

Countries and people alike, can go to any lengths to get what they want.

Despite my self-confidence, I didn't realise it until I was asked, "What do you want?"

I hadn't really thought much about what lay ahead after obtaining everything.

Emma: Gil, aren’t you going to sleep?

After returning to my room from the ballroom, I was gazing aimlessly at the sky when Emma, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up.

Gilbert: I thought I’d bask in the afterglow of my birthday a little longer.

Emma: Then I’ll join you.

She embraced me from behind and the cold night air turned into warmth.

(I noticed that you weren’t sleeping and was waiting for you to join my company…..)

(If I say it out loud, I might get into trouble.)

Gilbert: You should go to sleep.

Emma: I can’t sleep.

Gilbert: Even though we did all sorts of things?

Emma: ……

Just by lightly tracing the hand that had been hugging me, Emma began to get flustered.

The corners of my mouth quirked as I felt the quick increase in heartbeat from my back.

(Maybe I went too far.)

--*flashback from the dining room*--

Emma: Mmm….aahh…your fingers…nghh

Gilbert: You want me to take them out? But I’m not moving them.

Emma: Nnn....you’re lying….

Gilbert: You know I hate lies.

Emma: Aaaahh

Gilbert: See, you’re acting on your own again.

Emma: No…Gil….you just bit my breasts.

Gilbert: It’s cruel to blame others.

Emma: A…ahhh...

--*flashback ends*--

(But it couldn’t be helped. She had a face that was saying “please eat me”.)

When we returned to my room from the dining room, or when we took a bath to wash our messy bodies….

I liked Emma’s reactions, how she tried her best to respond despite being embarrassed, and so I ended up being a little too mean.

Emma: Maybe because of all the things that happened to me…I can’t sleep at all.

Gilbert: You’re right. It’s no wonder you can’t sleep if you’re this anxious.

Emma: …So you can hear my heartbeat.

As Emma tried to move away feeling flustered, I grabbed her hand and pushed her down onto the bed.

Pressing my ear against her soft chest, I could hear her heartbeat more clearly.

Gilbert: It’s becoming faster again.

Emma: That’s how much I love you.

Gilbert: Hehe, thanks?

(The date has changed and so my birthday is over now.)

(You give me what I want every day.)

(I know you’re the only one who will never betray me, even without any threats or domination.)

As she caresses my hair in a pampering manner, the drowsiness is overshadowed by a sinful feeling.

When I poked the bulge visible through her negligee, a sweet sigh escaped from Emma’s mouth.

Emma: What are you doing?

Gilbert: It was right in front of me.

Emma: …Not now.

Gilbert: Because it will come back again?

Emma nodded without understanding a thing.

Gilbert: If you really don’t like it, I can stop….

I pulled up the hem of her nightgown and stroked my fingers between her legs.

It was so wet that it couldn’t have been caused by simple teasing, and it immediately swallowed my fingers.

Gilbert: Is this why you can’t sleep?

Emma: Ahh…again..

Gilbert: It’s a problem to be loved this much, isn’t it?

If I expose Emma’s weakness deep inside her belly, her poor, tormented lower abdomen will soon start dripping with her honey.

Gilbert: Does this mean ‘I love you’?

Emma: That’s….right…

Gilbert: Heehee, I see.

(No matter how many times I experience your ‘love’, it always feels good.)

I massaged her breasts over her negligee, also moving my fingers inside her to scoop out her arousal.

The love I sensed in her warm gaze was genuine.

Even though I’m such a terrible man, Emma always loves me.

(You asked me to be selfish on my birthday this year….)

(I thought my last selfish wish in life was to meet you.)

(I made up a reason to go to Rhodolite and get involved with Emma, even if it meant ruining her life.)

(I had never thought of anything more selfish than that, and I could never think of anything else.)

When I kissed a breathless Emma, she put her hands behind my head as if welcoming me.

I was moved by the way she kissed me, as if conveying that she wasn’t opposed to this at all.

(….Now that I think about it, it seemed obvious.)

(It’s only recently that I’ve started thinking about my future.)

When our lips part, a thread hangs in the dim light.

Emma: You too, Gil….

Gilbert: Hmm?

Emma’s hand rested on my cheek, and I was smiling kindly, too kind for a villain.

Emma: You act like you love me.

Gilbert: Hehe, isn’t that obvious?

Gilbert: I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t love you.

I pull out my fingers from inside her and help her sit up.

Emma seemed to understand my intentions immediately, and blushing bright red, she climbed on to my lap.

(I’m spending time now that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.)

(And if you plan on staying here from now on….)

(Maybe it is a good idea to take some time to think of my own future.)

(Most of my memories are already made up of blood and corpses, painted all black…)

(The memories we make give me hope for the future.)

Emma lowered herself on me, and hugged me tightly.

Emma: Haah…Gil…

Gilbert: You’re okay with moving on your own again?

Emma: That’s…not true…

Emma said “that’s not true”, but as she moved her hips she lets out a small shriek.

It seemed she had moved unconsciously, and again, I couldn’t help but laugh.

(When I’m with you, I feel so happy.)

(…I’m sure Emma knows very well what it means for me to be happy.)

I secretly watched Emma bustling about preparing for my birthday, but this year too, I couldn’t keep a smile on my face.

I imagine Emma had her own thoughts about giving her blessings to the great villain.

Even so, I didn’t sense any hesitation.

She had already made up her mind to celebrate this blood-soaked man.

Emma: I think…you’ll be asked…'what you want to do’ next year as well.

Emma: So please, give it…a lot of thought.

Emma: I’ll make all your wishes come true.

Gilbert: Does that mean you won't be listening to me until next year?

Emma: If you have one now…please…ah

I intentionally move my body and Emma’s expression changes again.

I never get tired of her expressions filled with ‘love’.

(For now, all I can say is….)

Gilbert: I’d love to go on a date with you again.

Emma: Like…the other day?

Gilbert: Yeah. I like spending casual times like that.

Emma: Me too.

Gilbert: After that….

Bodies intertwined, lips pressed together, heartbeats synchronized, and then our gazes meet and we smile together.

Gilbert: Will you celebrate my birthday next year too?

(And commit many more sins…)

(Will you fall with me?)

[Chapter 3] [Masterlist]

He loves her sooo much omg, I really LOVED this story. I'm so glad he's happy.

Also when he said he went to Rhodolite for her....god, I just hate to imagine him going there for her, only for her to end up with the other princes (in other routes). Even though Silvio's my favourite, I feel miserable.

[finnydraws]

Bowline (B.B/Reader)

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Reader (slight jake/reader)

a/n: big shout out to @vivwritesfics who helped me with figuring out the plot in my head and finding a name for Jakes soulmate, I probably wouldn't have gotten back into writing fan fiction with them

Word count; 2574 (!!)

description: Bowline knot: a fixed knot used to tie a square sail to the bow of a ship to keep the sail from being taken by the wind.

Nobody said having a soulmate was easy

genre(s) Soulmate au, angst, slight hurt/comfort, rebound dating

warnings: implied age gap (rooster is canonically 38, reader can be read as anyone 20-25) implied sexual content, rebound dating, cheating, canon character death 

Bradley doesn’t remember when his string finally attached to another person. He remembers being a kid and asking his mom why it was short, hanging limp from his ring finger and so close to him he could see the end, but no soulmate. She would always console him, tell him the universe was just taking its time on his special someone. His mother didn’t like to talk about her own string however, at least not after his father died. If he asked her though, she would regale him with stories of her short time living with her soulmate, how when they first met Nick had attempted to tie the string into a heart but failed so miserably Carole spent the first two hours of knowing him trying to unknot it through her laughs. She would never tell him how when she looked down to see the frayed end of her string her heart almost stopped in the grocery store. All Bradley remembered was looking down some time in his teens, and suddenly having a person on the other end of it, suddenly having a person fated to love him. When he entered the naval academy he hated that string. Hated how he was so scared of leaving whoever was on the other end like his mother, forever staring at that damn torn string and mourning a person they might have ripped from them too soon. Learning to fly only made him hate it more. He was too cautious, too distracted by the tug on that damned tug to fly properly at first. His first deployment was the worst, the string getting pulled so taut that he thought it might cut his finger. His flying got better after that deployment but his thoughts about soulmates were only solidified.

He hated soulmates.

This wasn’t fair. Why is he being forced to love someone he's never met? Why is he fated to think about how every time he gets in an aircraft, he could hurt them as bad as his mother was? Bradley probably spent days of his life trying to untie that cursed string.

You never had that apprehension, from the moment you were born the string stretched into the unknown, moved, was alive. You grew up experimenting with that poor little red string, trying to see how tightly you could pull it, how far you could run before you felt even a smidge of movement. In middle school, when the first boy showed you any interest, you demanded he show you his string before you would date him. And when you saw no red on his finger, you told him you didn't want to waste anyone's’ time when you weren’t destined to be together. Your string only pulled tighter on your finger after that day. To you your soulmate wasn’t the same burden Bradley saw you as. His existence being a gift for you to unwrap when the universe felt you deserving. So, you decided to do whatever you could to make yourself ‘worthy’ of your soulmate. Going to the naval academy straight out of high school and entering the United States navy as an aircrewman mechanical officer and spending any and all time you could doing anything to help those around you. Tutoring, volunteering, anything you could to learn more about people. Anything you could to bring you closer to him.

It was always interesting when you felt the string fluctuate between tightening and going lax on your finger, every deployment forcing you to think of where in the world your soulmate could be. When stationed in a country besides your own you wondered if that string would even loosen. On the deck of the ships you've been on would it tighten as you spent months on the sea?

Some deployments were weirder than others, you would swear up and down that the whole time you were on the ship your string would stay loose enough to slip from your finger if you wanted to. You never tried. On those deployments you tried to pay extra attention to who was on the ship with you, you tried to see if you followed the string if you could find him more than once only to come up empty. This surprised you at first, it's a finite space, surely someone would have the other end, would the vast sea hide the string? Pull it underwater and out of your view, even if it hadn’t on any of your other deployments? But no, every time you would leave the ship alone, not having noticed the string tightening as the pilots took off. Not wanting to think your soulmate was avoiding you.

But he was. The second he discovered you were his soulmate, Bradley informed any friends he could trust to understand his stance on soulmates and created a system. He had a look out at all times, someone there to warn him you were near, or distract you long enough for him to make a quick get-away. His whole system crashed when he arrived back on deck after the uranium mission, everyone was too busy celebrating his and Petes survival for anyone to notice your eyes zeroing in on the red string on his hand. At first, you’re ecstatic to finally have the missing piece to your puzzle, the giant keyring finally producing the key to your lock.

It's only then you notice him actively avoiding you. You count at least five times before the ship docks back in San Diego

The first is immediately after you find out he’s your soulmate. He catches your eye and slinks off in the dispersing crowd, removing his helmet at some point to blend in a little better with the other sailors and pilots.

The second is later that night, you approach him on the way to eat and get cut off by Jake, who insists on standing so Bradley is just out of your line of sight no matter how many times you try to side step him. You don't pay attention to a word he says, you don't respond either, but the heartbroken look you don the second you realize Bradley has slipped from your grasp nearly makes Jake give up on his quest then and there.

You almost catch him the third time, running into him by accident as he leaves the shower talking with a sailor you can’t remember the name of. He pretends not to hear you calling out for his attention. Pretends like you're not calling out for ‘the man with the mustache’ since you don’t know his name. The sailor he's speaking with questions him on it but Bradley excuses it as having not heard you.

By the fourth time you try and get his attention you've nearly given up. You learned his name and callsign from an aviator on deck not aware of his plan on avoiding you his whole life. Bob feels terrible for you when you inform him what’s going on between you and his friend, and readily gives you the information, making a mental note to chew Rooster out for hurting an innocent person, for never explaining himself. You approach Bradley when he’s just barely sat for dinner, expecting him to stay seated at least, but nope! The second you call his name He stands and leaves. What hurt the most was the sad looks his friends give you as you stand at the end of the table, doing your best to keep your bearings and not cry in front of the dining hall.

The last time you count him ignoring you it’s about an hour later, when he catches you crying and trying to pry the string off your finger, begging whatever higher power to give you a soulmate who would love you back. Begging for answers to what you did so wrong to deserve this.

He doesn't comfort you.

After that night you stop counting. You stop trying to speak to him, just stare at the string and hate it, hate who's on the other side. It isn’t until several months after the deployment you see him again, out at the hard deck flirting with a girl in a skirt that hugs all the right places, in a shirt that makes her chest pop. Rooster isn’t looking at her eyes. The brandy in your hand is downed quickly while you ignore the sting of a drink meant to be sipped. You really try to hate her for the way she was able to get so close to your soulmate. Closer than you’ve ever been.

It could have been the alcohol, or the heartbreak that spurred you to find a rebound, you aren’t quite sure. All you could think was finding someone to dull your pain, to be your firsts, to hurt him like he hurt you. Your brain, ever the genius, lands on Jake. Before you can change your mind, you steel your nerves, bee line for the all-American man, and pull him out to the beach by his wrist. He seems to be just as drunk as you feel because as soon as you stop his hands are on your hips, and he's asking, “what can I do for such a pretty girl?” he practically purrs in your ear as his hands start to wonder at your sides.

You aren't expecting your own quiet voice to respond with “take me to bed pretty boy, make me forget.” you lay your own shaking hands against his biceps leaning into his chest and hold on tightly, afraid if you pull away even a little bit you’ll lose him too. Jake is all too happy to agree, pulling you to his truck and taking your firsts, the entire time you try not to think about Bradley, or the red string on your finger shackling you to him forever.

This dance with jake goes on for months, the two of you do on a date that ends at the hard deck, you hang onto him all night while you steadily get more drunk (if this bothers rooster he doesn't show it) and when you feel that the two of you are drunk enough you beg him to take you home and sleep with you. The whole time he does you try not to think about how badly you wish it was your soulmate sleeping with you. After about 4 months of this the pain of Bradley not wanting you starts to fade enough that you can start joking with the pilots at the hard deck, you’re more comfortable staying sober in the presence of Bradley, more comfortable thinking of Jake as your boyfriend. You make some great friends during this time; Bob and you get along so well that you begin Friday night movie nights. With Jake and you beginning to rebuild your opinions on love. You’re happy with him for about a year before he meets Rosie.

There’s nothing off with your relationship with Jakes after he first meets her, he takes a little longer to answer your texts, sure, but then again, he always took forever to answer. He doesn't invite you out to the hard deck as much but then again you don’t always have to be with your boyfriend. You actually don't notice anything is off until Bob calls you from the hard deck and asks you nicely to join him for a drink. It’s when you arrive that you notice something off, hanging off Jakes’ arm is the perfect, glowing woman. The two of them seem so perfect together that you already know why Bob called you over. You appreciate him for uncovering the truth for you, but this appreciation doesn’t fix the sharp pain in your heart at seeing the happy new couple.

You barely even hear the shout of your name as you swiftly walk out the doors of the Hard deck and onto the beach, you barely notice that it's Bradley running after you and not Bob. When you do notice him, you anger starts to simmer in your stomach and you turn on your heel to face him “What, Bradley. What could you possibly want from me now.” you bark at him, not waiting for his response. “YOU’RE the one who didn't want ME, remember? I tried to get to know you, I tried to be it for you. And you didn’t want it. And now I'm trying to be alone just like you wanted and yet, here you are!” By this point the anger in your stomach is boiling over, spilling into your soul and slowly infecting it. You let out a loud, drawn-out groan “It's not FAIR, what have I done! What did I do to you?” The yelling is hurting your head, you thought you ran out of tears to cry over Bradley years ago but here they are, threatening to spill over. “Why don't you love me? I'm supposed to be yours…” your voice breaks, and so does the dam. Tears flow from you freely now and you drop to your knees sobbing.

“It's not you.” he softly promises to you “When-” Bradley takes a deep breath before beginning again “when my dad died, it broke my mom. She couldn't truly be happy without him, no matter what we did.” Bradley begins to silently toy with the red string as he speaks to you softly, like a wounded animal he risks spooking off. “At first, I didn't have to worry about leaving anybody behind, I didn't have a soulmate, so I always planned on flying. But then I looked down one day and there it was, going all the way to you.” The word vomit from Bradley isn’t seeming to stop, he explains everything to you, from how his mom felt after the death of his dad to the fear he felt when he first started flying. How if he flew too far the string would tighten and all he could think about was putting this faceless person through the same thing his mother went through. The entire time he’s tying a knot in the string, untying it, and retying the same knot.

“This is a bowline knot.” he states after being silent for a moment “Mav taught me it. Sailors used to use it to keep the wind from blowing the sail away. I'm not very good at it.” he laughs softly and begins to wipe the drying tears off your face “I'm not good at relationships either. But I'm willing to try. I want to try not to get blown away in the wind.” he inches closer, peering into your eyes. “Will you let me try? Will you let me make it up to you?” you can’t muster up the strength to speak, instead nodding your head. Bradley leans in, just a little further softly kissing you while cupping your cheeks. It's not what you thought kissing your soulmate for the first time would be like, there were no fireworks or life changing revelations. It wasn’t overly Passionate, like you would never get this chance again, you weren't used to the feel of his mustache yet. It was just a kiss, an awkward kiss, but it held so much promise, promise to stick around, to work it out. It was like he was trying to communicate all the emotions he didn't know how to articulate to you. So much that you're inclined to believe him.

[elsa-fogen]

Ok, Rosie headcanon for you!! Might be a slight AU but whatever lol

I like to imagine that Rosie is actually REALLY old. Died in the 1400s or something (maybe for being a suspected witch 👀) , and she just sort of kept up with the times until she found a period that suited her (getting there on that). This also ties into Cannibal Town/Colony name thing!!

Idk how much you know about American history (I know if I didn't live in this crazy country I'd know nothing by choice lol), but in the late 1500s Roanoke Colony was established where North Carolina is now. They struggled with supplies and relations with native people so the founder left to get supplies/help etc; when he came back 5 years later everyone had disappeared without a trace, no graves, bodies, only the word "CROATOAN" carved into a rock. It's a mystery nobody has solved since.

BUT.

WHAT IF.

They ran out of resources, right? What if food ran so low that people began to resort to cannibalism? And things were going so badly that some desperate person tried to summon a demon, anything to help them?

And Rosie, twisted and dark as she may be, took her own sort of sympathy on the poor, struggling colony of Roanoke, and took them all down to Hell as her own colony of souls: Cannibal Colony, leaving Roanoke empty without a trace of its inhabitants. From then on, she just sort of adopted any cannibals who fell into hell as part of her little town, so long as they assimilated and didn't cause trouble. She owns all their souls, yes, but they have some level of peace and security knowing she'll take care of them.

With the "updating culture" thing, I also headcanon that she liked to keep up with the times and stay current until sometime after slavery ended, a little before Alastor arrived (depression era) she didn't like where modern times were headed and just sort of...stopped progress, like a time capsule. Modern times started progressing too fast, and she didn't want everything to be forgotten in the rush to the future, especially the way the human world was looking with the depression. She did rename them to Cannibal Town eventually, since it was more than just her original Colony that gave her Overlord status.

I love Rosie 👁👄👁 sorry for the giant text block lol

P.S. Your art inspires me so much!! And your characterizations are *chef's kiss* I feel like your blog is consistently one I can come to to get canon-accurate character content without facing an onslaught of r********e (finally someone who can't stand it as much as me! Sending all the love 💓

oH WOW! This is really damn good and interesting headcanon! You almost convinced me to change mine to this (well, i like the idea of Rosie being SUSPECTED witch gshssh angssssst yessss). I realized that actually I don't have much that keeps me from just accepting this. Only 2 things

one is that she in her life was fighting for women's rights, and keeps doing it in hell, but i guess she still can even being older.

second one is more important. Rosie and Alastor are roughly same age (30-40 age gap is nothing in hell, were age gaps can be thousands of years) and this is one of the reasons they get along, i think.

Plus in my plot Rosie being a relatively young overlord plays significant role...

But as i said, you headcanon really cool! Maybe i'd use it for some new AU haha

P.S. Your art inspires me so much!! And your characterizations are *chef's kiss* I feel like your blog is consistently one I can come to to get canon-accurate character content without facing an onslaught of r********e (finally someone who can't stand it as much as me! Sending all the love 💓

GAHYHHHAFGS THANK YOU! I'm really happy to know that i'm not alone on this hate board hsbfsdhfj

Here you can be safe, never ever you'll see anything positive about this ship on my blog 😂 (no offence to those who likes it) Love you too 💖💖💖

[mueritos]

i hope we continue to see more protests within the US military. i see a lot of leftists and folks who are anti-military who have such an open disdain for the people who are in the military, yet neglect to considering the conditions this country makes to produce ideology, poverty, and the illusion of choice to make all kinds of people choose to enlist in the military. You ever see those videos of ROTC kids recording each other asking why they joined the military and everyone's like, "healthcare", "it helped me go to college", "I was bored" or "free ptsd lol". I hate to remind everyone but folks who are in the military are people, too, and they are the same victims and perpetrators of violence as the rest of you, we have all been shallowly conditioned to view each other as enemies just because one person is wearing army greens and the other is not.

some of the biggest anti-war advocates are those who engaged in war. Veterans who genuinely believed they were protecting the US against "terrorism" come back with blood on their hands, and they choose to realize that it was US imperialism that forced them to carry out violence, instead of doubling down and shielding themselves from the fact that they too are capable of atrocities... This is a class of people who are intentionally conditioned to be as poor and as ideologically aligned to US imperialism so that the military has a never-ending pool to send their youth to destroy other country's youth. The only people I have ever heard say "do not join the military" are those who ARE military.

This is in no way to ever excuse or explain away any of the atrocious war crimes and violence this industry and its people have committed against others. What I am saying is that we absolutely cannot cast aside the individuals who have been victimized within US imperialism, even if they are wearing army greens. I was speaking with my Palestinian classmate last week and another classmate--a member of the US air force-- walked up to me and struck up a conversation. My military classmate showed me her new bird, bid both of us goodbye, and left. My Palestinian classmate asked me if I was close with her, and I said we talked quite often, and she said, "I never met a person who's in the military. I still hate the military, but I never knew that they did, too. I didn't realize that they were also victims."

If my Palestinian classmate--one who is actively watching her own community die--can understand that it is not individuals who are the problem but it is in fact systems, US imperialism, white supremacy, capitalism...why can't we all? And she has EVERY reason to hate any individual military member. A lot of online activism just creates more barriers. if your optics look bad, complicated, or contradictory, you are cast aside. Everyone has got the be the perfect activist, you can never make a mistake or share a half-baked thought, you should always believe every word from a marginalized persons mouth (because being marginalized doesn't mean you're not entrenched in white supremacy too!) and you should never question what you see...Do you know what you sound like? The very imperialists who are convincing poor whites to vote against themselves. Perfectionism is white supremacy. Black & white thinking is white supremacy.

I'd rather have a military member who genuinely believed in the US imperialism machine but was disillusioned after being deployed as my comrade than some leftist who cherishes the performance of "being a good person". I don't want "good people" in our movements. I want humans who care. I want humans who make mistakes and who learn from them. I want humans who accept the messiness of a person. I want humans who hold others accountable and allow themselves to take responsibility for their actions. I want people who change for themselves and others.

fight systems, not individual people. we can change each other, but if we're too preoccupied looking like the World's Perfect Activists, we will only consume each other alive. Connect to your fellow humans, forever and always.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Honey, I’m Home! ~ Alhaitham x Liyue!Reader

“Girlfriend?! You?!” Kaveh’s face showed nothing but utmost shock. “I don’t believe a word you say! Nobody would! I mean -- You?! There’s no way any sane woman would stay around you!” “I am not one to respond to baseless provokation, however, I have to point out that you directly insulted my partner intellect and mental well-being, to which I cannot remain silent - Though, I suppose you are intoxicated and there’s little I should care about. No word coming out of your mouth is ever worth taking into account to begin with.” Alhaitham, much to his mate’s irritation, didn’t even raise his gaze from the book he was reading. “Hey, you--! You’re SO insufferable!” the poor architect growled in anger. “Since when? You never told me about her, and we’ve known each other for enough years! You’d have let it slip somehow - Or, at least, your arrogance would’ve!”  “Your impression on my personality has nothing to do with any kind of potential slip you think I might have had. As a matter of fact, the existence of a significant other had never been a secret to begin with. You just never asked, therefore, I had no reason to go out of my way and brag about my perfectly accomplished life, considering not only your living conditions, but your infinitely tragic luck. I did not want to bother with you crying again, out of nowhere.” Kaveh threw a random book at his mate’s head, which annoyingly enough, he masterfully caught without as much as blinking. “GAHH, I HATE YOU SO MUCH!” the man whined, slamming his face into the table. “FINE! TELL ME! ENLIGHTEN ME! WHO IS THIS MYSTERY WOMAN THAT MANAGED TO IGNORE THE INFINITE AMOUNT OF NEGATIVE TRAITS AND THAT STUPIDLY ARROGANT AND UNAPPROACHABLE FACE OF YOURS?! IS SHE BLIND?!” “There is nothing wrong with her eye function. In fact, she often compliments my appearance.” the scribe pointed out. “We have been together since a year before we presented our graduation thesis.” poor Kaveh spit out the beer he was drinking. “HOW LONG?!” he was absolutely convinced he was lying. “There’s NO way that is, in any way, true!” “If you don’t believe me, there are plenty ways to search for proof on your own. The only thing I would have to warn you about is not to use your usual barbaric ways of speaking to her, if you manage to find her. You will scare her away.” Kaveh couldn’t help but glare at Alhaitham, though, considering the amount of unceremonious yelling he just did, he couldn’t refute much. “Fine, whatever - Tell me about her. How you met. Something. Anything relevant. I’ll see after if I believe you.” Alhaitham had to fight the smirk off his face as he hummed in amusement - It was so easy to get a rise out of this fool. “Y/N is originally from Liyue, although you can say, after finishing her Amurta course and graduated, she would spend about half a year back home to take care of her family and help with the medicine aspect of the country.” Kaveh’s eyes suddenly shot open and he gasped. “Hold up! Is this the Liyue friend that Tighnari mentioned? They were in the same Darshan and -- They worked on their thesis together a lot and -- And Cyno too, on enough occasions -- Is that her?!” Alhaitham shrugged his shoulders, though he knew it was the truth. There were a lot of references that one must use in the bibliography, and the practical percentage of her thesis she did on the comparison of Fauna and Flora from Sumeru and Liyue was done for the most part with Tighnari. Y/N often mentioned the fennec boy being her only friend for the many years she in Akademiya. 

Alhaitham knew, no matter how nice of a person you were, if you had a unique brilliance, the common flock of mindless sheep were bound to be rude to you. He was no stranger to the endless amount of insults he received from many, although, in almost the same ponder, he also had many more compliments of all kind, be that on his intelligence, on his work, or... His looks especially. Tighnari and Cyno were no strangers to this kind of treatment, but at least they had each other - For the most part.

Back then, having a new student, from another country no less - A country with a rich history, though not as much focus on studies as Sumeru - A new student that, through thorough examination, was able to start her Amurta studies not from the first year, but skipped about a half of the years required to graduate.

From the get-go, Y/N was a bit of an odd one, and the students of Akademiya were no less lenient with her, nor did they bother teaching her about cultural differences and what not. Alhaitham, too, noticed something strange, but it was different from everyone else. Was it that he never heard her speak, even once? Or that, were it not for the amount of gossips and bullying he witnessed, she’d have been walking the halls of the House of Daena like an invisible ghost, unseen, unwanted, unneeded by all around her?

Or, perhaps, it was that there was a large amount of books that she was reading - Manuals, text-books, works, thesis of all kind, from different Darshan courses even - And for the most time, she’d read them all outside, in the forest, far away from the Akademiya; As far away as possible, if need be.

And despite the awful treatment she received, and the amount of diligent hard-work she was putting into her courses, she never seemed to frown or let things affect her. She wasn’t smiling either, and her tiredness was showing - Still, it almost looked endearing; A brilliant woman, so effortlessly beautiful and graceful in everything she did, wearing a passive, demure smile on her face, even if none wanted to appreciate it.

Were all women from Liyue like this, he wondered? Most Sumeru women he had the displeasure of conversing with were so obnoxious and emotion-driven; Oft times, he even wondered if the inspector examining them did his job well enough, because he himself could see no ounce of anything clever in their bleak, dark minds of theirs. No that the men were any different, but they had the courtesy of avoiding him like the plague, to which, Alhaitham was grateful. He never cared for idle chatting for no reason.

Hence why, he needed to concoct a proper conversation reason, otherwise, there would be no sense to start speaking with the new student.

Luck had always favoured him for some reason, and instead of wasting his time with needless research, it was Y/N herself who came over to him. She nodded her head at him as a courtesy greeting, and introduced herself as Y/N from the Amurta class. She explained that, although her thesis was based on biology, she had plenty of interests in many other areas, and having heard him as the most remarkable student from Haravatat, it was a no brainer that she’d come to him requesting aid for some book and course recommandations.

Though his reply was a simple yet positive one, informing her that, once he gathers some time, he will see what he could do, she offered him a grateful, princess-like smile, and this time, a brief courtesy, before leaving. For a split second, Alhaitham had to wonder if this Y/N had any amount of noble blood in her lineage - No woman could act so perfectly elegant all the time without some proper training from before you even begin breathing into this world.

Regardless, Alhaitham found himself completely abandoning his work for a whole day in search of accommodating Y/N, and when he searched for her with the piles of books he had for her, all of them old, dusty and tattered, she was outside, under a tree, reading a story to a little fox. Such odd behaviour - Though the fox seemed to enjoy it, as it was purring in her lap as it was being stroked. It was quite the sight for sore eyes, he had to admit.

“Ah, so fast, you needn’t! You are far too kind - There is no way to repay you for your kindness. Allow me to treat you to some tea and a meal tomorrow, please.” Alhaitham shook his head, sitting down next to her. “There are few people actually interested in proper research and academics. If someone came to me, willing to learn, there is no reason why I should decline.” he answered simply. “I do not require any reward. Simply put, I did it because I wanted to. However, if you want to repay me, then tell me - Why do you read so many books, when a lot of pointed information can be found out by simply asking through the Akasha terminal.” Y/N smiled at him enigmatically. “That is a question to which I cannot provide an answer. Not because I am unwilling to disclose the information - In fact, it’s quite silly, rather. The reason behind my silence is that... Due to this device you are wearing, if there is anything that I tell you, whether you wish to share this information with anyone or not, the whole network of people using the Akasha device are going to know, by simply asking. The people wearing this device cannot control the information they disclose - It is actually quite frightening, I might say.” Alhaitham’s jade-like green eyes peered deep into her own; They were so gentle and warm, almost resembling those of a fawn, yet even he could discern the tint of sorrow and loneliness pooling behind them. “You almost sound like a criminal speaking like that.” at the faintest hint of a crystalline chuckle, Alhaitham’s heart skipped a beat - Just one, of course, he simply wasn’t expecting such a sound as a response to his words. Was there something amusing in what he said. “Well, I suppose, considering nobody taught me the laws of Sumeru, there is little I can say to refute such a statement. Who knows, perhaps, in my ignorance, I might have managed to stray away from the right path. Regardless, what I can say is - I am forced by conjuctures to personally gather the information I am seeking. Whatever you wish to do with that information, it is up for your own interpretation, and I am unable to either approve or disprove it.” the man couldn’t help but scoff a little, though he came up with an answer easily.

Somehow, this pretty little princess was just about as much of a fairy as he was, and she, for some reason, managed to trick her way into not wearing a Terminal - Or she made it malfunction. Either way, it would make perfect sense.

“Fascinating as it is to guess, I am no philosopher, I am a researcher who bases his work on the factual, not on stories. I will not lose time coming to an uncertain conclusion.” for some reason, his words made the woman next to him chuckle again, for the second time in less than half an hour. Interesting. “Then, may I be so bold as to ask for your aid again, should I require again some kind of help oh some kind?” the woman asked, seeing as he got up, picking up the large pile of books, yet he seemed to have no intention of handing them other. “If the time allows me to take a detour from my work, then I suppose I see no reason not to help.” he answered briefly. As Y/N stepped in front of him, placing her hands over his own, in an attempt to burden the heavy weight of knowledge, he simply stepped past her. “Just show me where to get them. You may be ignorant of Sumeru’s own law code, but I doubt you would be foolish enough to ignore the laws of physics and even delude yourself that you could carry them yourself and reach home without as much as one of them at least being damaged.” he spoke, walking ahead. 

Y/N couldn’t help but blink in surprise at the rather adorable and gentlemanly reaction of the otherwise stoic in inabordable man, however, she couldn’t help but smile in amusement, catching up to his pace and leading the way. “Judging by your your looks, there is no way you weight more than these books, therefore, given their mass, Newton’s law says that an object can only move another if its mass is greater. A single kilogram equals to exactly 9,81 Newtons. With this knowledge, we have to exchange the parameters with actual numbers, in the Law of Force, which says that Force equals the multiplying of the mass and acceleration of said object; And since acceleration is measured in meters per square second --” he continued ranting on and on about the laws of physics and the approximates he took, only to feel a hand powerfully slap the bottom of the book stack, making them all fly aimlessly in the sky - And be caught with the aid of Y/N’s Dendro vision powers. Y/N was smiling like an innocent child, though, with the way she was fighting back a smirk, it only made her look like a playful, mischievous vixen. “Alhaitham --” she said, a hand covering her smirking mouth. “Has anyone ever told you how adorable you are when you’re rambling with no sense?” the man couldn’t help but be rooted to the spot, completely unresponsive.

What did she mean? Him, ranting idly, for no apparent reason whatsoever? That was completely unlike him - Surely, she must be mistaken - He was trying to educate her; There is reason in everything he says. “Come along, I recently brought over some fantastic bamboo dew tea -- Oh, and I suppose, if you’re interested, I have some sweet Osmanthus wine also, the finest batch. Mr. Zhongli himself vouched for the quality, and there’s no other like him, a true connoisseur in everything fine.” with a delicate hand wrapped gently around his wrist, Y/N guided the speechless man toward her home - A pretty, tall house made out of wood, vines and leaves of all kinds, all of it, carved inside a grand tree. With a wave of her other hand, she created a staircase out of liana, allowing them to get up to the top-most part of her house, where her library was. “It isn’t much, but I hope you feel comfortable enough during your stay.” still, Alhaitham couldn’t utter another word as he went to sit down on the couch. Though he couldn’t help himself and analysed every inch of the chamber, he could still faintly feel the slight rise in his cheeks’ temperature, biological and physiological truth which irked him greatly, as it gave away the speed with which his heart beat, and, consequently, the fact that, despite his ration-based life, he was somehow able to be weak before the effortless charms of a woman like Y/N, who made him act like a fool.

But unlike him, Y/N seemed to be his own personal anti-thesis; Y/N seemed so calm and friendly, so warm and with just the right amount of conversation lines that didn’t border on the obnoxious type of talkative. In fact, Alhaitham might even have to admit, he didn’t mind the sound of her voice, in fact, he might as well admit that he found it rather pleasant to his ears. In only she’d know the stimulant effect her presence alone has on his heart’s rhythm, as though someone had secretly injected him with adrenaline... There must be something to be done about this.

As he asked her about her thesis, he swore, he could see sparkles in her eyes - Her infinite amount of love and dedication for the flora and fauna of both countries was insurmountable - Y/N was writing her thesis out of passion of the living beings, not necessarily out of sheer interest in research, though everything that she’s assimilated clearly set her on the right path. In must have been some kind of miracle that his plan on working on a thesis with that good for nothing Kaveh from  Kshahrewar; Simply, he erased his name from it, and moved on to a singular part of the research, though he had to admit, the environmental conditions weren’t the brightest - The subject, at least, was highly fascinating.

“Would you be interested in writing a project together?” he found himself asking all of a sudden. “A senior had previously proposed a thesis subject that interested me, alas, due to differences of opinions and views, the project fell through. The topic of my half of the thesis was the decoding of the ancient runes from the Ruins of King Deshret's Civilization.” “That does sound like quite the intriguing thesis, and I have to admit, I would also be interested in researching the history of the old civilization... But I’m not used to the harsh environment of the desert, I... Am not sure I would be a proper asset to the team.” Alhaitham hummed in understanding - Even Sumeru people had a hard time dealing with the desert, and knowing the landscapes and the weather from Liyue, he could see the reason behind her reticence. Still, he was passionate not only about this project, but about spending quality time with the woman before him, doing what they know best to do - Study. “As long as you’re willing to join the project, I can deal with accommodating you during the practical field research, as I’m more familiar with the country.” despite her skepticism, Y/N couldn’t help but accept, completely uncaring about any risk whatsoever. As long as she was able to spend time with the man in front of her, everything was going to be fine. “Alright, Alhaitham. Let’s make the most outstanding project the Akademiya has ever seen.” her positive outlook was a rather welcome change of pace, unlike Kaveh and his constant wish to either bicker with him, or complain.

For the rest of the years it took for both Alhaitham and Y/N to graduate, they went on a vast number of adventures - Considering the amount of time it took for them to reach the graduation, it was only fair that they extend their thesis for three major regions - Deshret’s desert area, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata’s Sumeru forests and Rex Lapis’ Liyue - Each of them, with their own distinct and fascinating manuscripts, writing styles, flora, fauna and civilizations that have been rapidly evolving throughout the years. Their project ended up truly being one worthy of envy, but not without merit.

The amount of times they got lost in the desert or had to fight mercenaries and treasure hoarders, got trapped inside pyramids, ruins and underground catacombs, had to solve puzzles and decipher codes, decode runes and languages lost to time, found relics and fossils, cave paintings and old manuscripts describing never-seen and never-heard before wildlife from all over the two countries.

“Are we ever going to find a way out of this mess of a tomb? I feel like a grave-robber that’s about to lose her sanity from the lack of food and water.” Y/N dramatically joked as she used her vines to propel herself up to some suspended platforms and activate some intricate mechanism that was going to open up the door - Hopefully, at least. “We haven’t done all this for all our work to be thrown down the drain.” as the door opened, he readied his sword to attack the activating perpetual robotic monsters, and together, they would fight - Yet Alhaitham especially felt a sense of protectiveness over Y/N - Whether it was over the fact that he’s practically responsible for her life, as he got her into the project... Or perhaps it was the fact that he feared anything happened to her. She was a talented healer, and she often used her vision power to shield him from imminent danger or mend some of the wounds he got from direct confrontation against multiple enemies that came in waves at once.

Though they had lots of practical field trips that involved a ton of travelling, the simpler parts of theoretical research was often done in far calmer environments, be it either of their homes, or a neutral place, namely the popular tea house, so they could also catch a bite. Unfortunately, Puspa cafe often hosted a ton of Akademiya students, and that more often than not meant some of their own classmates, that due to exceeding envy, ended up ruining their pleasant leisure time. Just like that one time when a junior from his own Darshan of Haravatat came over to their table - Masterfully and tactically chosen to be the farther-most, retreated from the majority of the people and in a corner away from the prying eyes - And put her hands on her hips, frowning down at them.

“What are you doing here?!” the stranger asked in a rather irritated voice, yet neither of the two even bothered raising their gaze and acknowledge her presence. “Hey - Don’t ignore me, you -- Gosh, you’re so rude.” still, no answer. “Alhaitham~! Why do you waste your time around such a boring woman? She’s no good, y’know? You don’t need to help her with her studies - She’s a plant lover from Amurta - Nowhere near our above-brilliant Haravatat intellect!” the girl whined, hoping to get the man’s attention, yet once again, she was met with no response. Infuriated, the girl threw herself on the couch next to him, clinging onto his arm and cuddling on his side. “Alhaitham~! You are my senior! You promised to help me with research. In fact - Let’s do our thesis together!” Much to her indignance, the stranger was shrugged off the sofa, and received an irked glare. “I have no idea who you are, nor am I interested in your identity, but I would like for you to stop bothering our study session, otherwise I will be forced to ask the patron to kick you out of the cafe for disturbing other customers.” the flabbergast expression on her face would have been amusing, were it not for her disgusting hostility. “Wait, no -- You can’t do that, I -- Alhaitham, don’t you remember me? I’m your Junior, Emiya! You gave me a book about deciphering ancient texts a month ago, remember?” she tried to plead, but was met with a firm, negative reply. “And you -- You have to stop parasiting him already! Do your own work, for once! Can’t you see you’re inconveniencing him?!” Y/N said nothing. “Say something!” “The Phoenix does not lose sleep over the idle chattering of mice.” Emiya’s eyes widened in complete confusion, though Alhaitham couldn’t help but let out a breath of amusement. She fancied herself an Empress, how lovely. “Wh-What?! You make no sense -- Hey, you’re in Sumeru, not in Liyue anymore, y’know? Get it right already.” for the first time, Y/N rose her gaze to meet Emiya’s; the junior shuddered slightly, realising the cold passiveness of her intimidating demeanour. “I don’t know what kind of delusions you like to feed yourself, but I would ask you to leave our table, unless you wish to get permanently banned from Puspa. I would like to return to the research I was doing for our thesis, until you so rudely interrupted our tireless work. Unlike you, we are not so carefree and leisurely.” Y/N curt voice had a frozen edge, intimidating the girl. “Well, whatever! Go back to your stupid grass work. Alhaitham and I have more intelligent research to conduct - And some practical research, perhaps?” Y/N had to turn her head slightly to the side, demurely hiding her mocking chuckle. “I believe it unethical, stealing one’s project partner. Alas, willow blossoms go in dreams, only to find sorrows hidden on the moon.” Emiya’s eyes were wide, and her jaw to the floor - Her mind had gone numb from stupidity. “You pride yourself with being a Haravatat student, yet you fail to comprehend even the most forward of poems. I have no intention of associating myself with mediocre people.” Alhaitham dismissed the tearing up girl with a bored wave of his hand; Y/N and him had to look away from each other to avoid chuckling, “So... I actually found this interesting Zaytun Peach wine recipe -- And I have some Glaze Lily flowers and Sweet Flower to make tea - I’ve got this snow kept for special occasions - I find tea made out of melted snow to have the richest aroma.” Y/N said, disclosing the contents of the book she was reading; The farthest away from being a research-based book. “The history of the Guili plains and the Guizhong ballista are also rather intriguing. I would be interested in finding out the blueprints and the thought concept behind it and its making.” he hummed in acknowledgement, enjoying reading about the past of Liyue and what similarities and differences exist between it and Sumeru. “Do we have any more of that special delivery Dandelion Wine from Angel’s Share?” “Of course! Master Diluc just recently had a few bottles delivered to me through his brother Kaeya, who was on an errand here in Sumeru. He didn’t stay long for catching up, but he brought the goods, so it’s fine either way.” with a shared look, the two got up and moved their leisure reading back to Y/N’s home, delighting themselves with the most quality wine that Teyvat had to offer. “That’s a fine deal.”

At some point, just a year before their graduation, Alhaitham was going to purchase some alcohol to celebrate a massive breakthrough he had in his research - And consequently, escaping yet another death-nearing experience - His ex-project partner, the senior architect student from Kshahrewar, spotted him. This blond man with a volcanic personality ended up shredding his joined thesis in a fit of frustrating rage, only to end up gluing back together out of regret, once he ended up all alone, bankrupt, and realising his once friend’s harsh words were actually viable advices that he should have heeded long ago.

There was no reproach in his words - Alhaitham had nothing to gain out of making Kaveh feel even more humiliated by his own failures, brought upon him mostly by his overly empathetic nature. He had to admit, bit of this precious and rather naive selflessness he could very often see in Y/N, which only made him feel more afraid that there might be some brainless deadbeats upsetting her or taking advantage of her benevolence.

Still, interestingly enough, after getting drunk enough to spill out all of his grievances, Kaveh found himself speaking of some rather interesting rumours. “Ever heard of the flower fairy rumour?” he asked. “They say once a month, at midnight, there’s this mystical being, beautiful as no other woman, and she dances on the sheen of the lake.” “You don’t seriously believe such ridiculous children stories, do you?” Alhaitham scoffed, raising the beer bottle and drinking a bit, yet his eyes never once left the blond. “I believe it more than the Wisdom Seelie, the children of the forest or the Aranara.” the architect grumbled. “How ridiculous.” still, he couldn’t admit, Alhaitham had his own suspicions on who this might be, and his professional curiosity had him want to come to a concludent answer. “Honestly, if that flower fairy is real, she might be the only living being capable of liking someone as arrogant and insufferable as you. No human woman could ever stand you.” Kaveh hiccuped as he sneered at his refound friend. Such a proposition sounded so much like a challenge, that Alhaitham found himself internally accepting.

Thus, every night for a whole month, Alhaitham hid behind a tree and investigated the lake area for any signs of this supposed fairy - And finally, his hard work came to fruition. From the direction of Y/N’s home, followed by an array of forest animals, the glowing silhouette of a gorgeous woman playing a sorrowful tune on the flute piqued his attention. Indeed, it was Y/N, just as he suspected, yet now he could see why she would be mistaken for a fairy. Wherever her barefeet would step, flowers would grow. Her long, light pink dress, flowy and embroidered with the finest gold thread, made her look like a lotus bloom. Her long hair of the most beautiful shade was embellished with royal-looking jewellery, and even her make up, so soft and delicate, yet so feminine, made her face look prettier than the moon itself.

Placing the flute inside her sleeve, Y/N stepped on the mirror sheen of the lake that seemed to sparkle with zircons from the silver light of the celestial body up on the dark night sky, and accompanied by what no doubt was an old Liyue melody, Y/N performed a dance, so enticing, so fluid, like a willow tree in the gentle breeze of spring. Every move she made, every little twitch and tweak of her joint, her body, all of them were perfectly calculated, even the amount of green dendro magic that made her performance even more alluring and worthy of being mistaken with a fictional mythical being.

By the time she was done, Alhaitham was leaning back on a tree, applauding. From the shock of being discovered, Y/N’s cheeks flared red with warmth and embarrassment. “Of course it had to be you who would find me out.” “It was actually a senior of mine who mentioned the rumours of this supposed flower fairy. I had my suspicions, and I felt compelled to have them approved or denied.” the corner of his mouth slightly twitched upwards in a smug smirk. “It seems my intuition hasn’t failed me yet.” “Tian na!” Y/N found herself softly shaking her head, a gorgeous smile gracing her features as she stepped on the soft grass next to him. “Fate sure has the weirdest ways of bringing people together.” Alhaitham found himself scoffing in distaste at the sheer notion of destiny. “Don’t use such foolish words. We are humans, and we create our of path in life. It is our actions and choices that define us, not the biblical or religious concept of a life already chosen and woven for you since before you are conceived and brought into this wor--” before he could continue rambling on about his own views on fate, Y/N reached up to pick his chin, bringing him down to her level, and with one hand on his shoulder to lean up, she captured his soft lips into a kiss that left him speechless from surprise.  “For years we have been friends, yet I cannot tire of how adorable you are when you’re so flustered that you end up ranting over the weirdest things.” Alhaitham wanted to scold her for doing something so uncharacteristic and unexpected, wanted to refute her claim of him ranting over ‘weird’ things - Or simply, the idea of him ‘ranting’ was ridiculous - Somehow, instead of all that, his body moved on his own and his brain took a short break, and the otherwise stoic man found himself cradling dearly Y/N’s form in his strong arms and sharing a much more loving and intimate kiss that seemed to allow the river of emotions to flow and come undone and expose itself in all its glory and vulnerability.

“You are bulshitting me because I’m drunk.” Kaveh growled at his friend. “You just randomly remembered those stupid rumours about the fairy thing and use that against me.” “I already told you, it’s not my job proving to you that I’m speaking the truth.” Alhaitham simply took another gulp of his beer. “But you said the fairy was just a stupid joke! And you never mentioned working on a thesis with someone else! Or having a friend, let alone a girlfriend! Hell, I thought nobody liked you! I still do!” the architect pointed an accusatory finger in his face. “I refuse to bother replying to your ridiculous disbeliefs anymore.” the scribe huffed, ready to take out his headphones and tune out the noise pollution that Kaveh was providing. “HEY, DON’T IGNORE ME! GIVE ME ANSWERS! I DON’T BELIEVE THAT STUPID STORY--” just as Kaveh shot up to his feet, slamming his hands onto the table, the front door was opened, and a beautiful woman entered the living room. “Honey, I’m home~!” her crystalline voice chimed, making Alhaitham smirk smugly and putting back his headphones in his belt pouch. “I brought some Osmanthus wine and moon cakes!” Kaveh’s eyes bulged out of their orbit and his jaw was to the floor, watching the beautiful woman plop down on the couch next to his friend and sharing such a tender kiss with him. “Oh - You must be Kaveh! I heard so much about you! I’m Y/N. Alhaitham’s fiance. I came to Sumeru from Liyue and enrolled in the Amurta Darshan course and graduated with a joined thesis written with him.” “F-F-Fi... Fi... Ance...?!” the blond fell back on his seat. “I-I thought you said... Girlfriend...” “I actually used the word ‘partner’, to be precise. You simply assumed, and I didn’t bother correcting you. If I were to correct every wrong supposition you’ve had since we’ve met... Well, I have better things to do with my time.” Alhaitham declared, his arm around Y/N’s waist, pulling her subtly to lean on his side, planting a kiss on her temple, purposely annoying his friend. “S-So... You mean... She -- And the Fairy -- And Tighnari’s friend -- And your Thesis partner -- They’re all the same person?!” the crestfallen expression on his face only made the beautiful lady hum in amusement. “Yes, I suppose that is me - I should thank you for the nickname - I think being called a Flower Fairy is highly flattering. Here is my gratitude.” with a graceful swish of her hand, Y/N created a flower crown on the architect’s hair. “...You may be lovely, but I swear, you almost have the same kind of mocking cruelty as he does, hidden behind a pretty smile.” Kaveh groaned, getting up and stumbling towards the other chamber, where his bedroom was. “HEY, HOLD UP! IF YOU’VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR SO MANY YEARS, WHY HAVE I NEVER SEEN YOU OVER?!” “No thirds wheels allowed on our dates.” seeing that annoyingly taunting smirk, and the implication behind those words, Kaveh let out another frustrated groan and shot into his room, not wanting to see either of the two anymore. “Perfect timing as always.” Alhaitham praised, pulling Y/N onto his lap. “Yes, well, I have to admit, I was getting cold out there, leaning on the door and waiting for you to finish that story already. Regardless... I think it’s adorable that Kaveh didn’t pick up that the reason you were so intrigued to continue speaking to me was because I fooled the Akademiya not to wear that Akasha device.” Y/N laughed lightly. “One of the many.” he said, bringing her flush against his chest. “Or perhaps, one might say, I was trapped under the charming spell of a certain flower fairy.”

[quixtrix]

dolph was always meant to be doomed; something of an analysis

i'm on my third rewatch of captain laserhawk, and on this one i've been focusing more on the little details that you don't get on your first or even second time watching it. i've noticed little things, such as pey'j helping and then going on to shield a hybrid who's dressed similarly to jade in the third episode. but i've also noticed bigger things, such as alex and dolph.

keep in mind that this show is just filled to the brim with political messaging, it was purposefully designed that way. so when someone mentioned on here that alex was an accelerationist, it explained a lot. we don't know much about alex in terms of his backstory, we only know he helped dolph after dolph attempted to mug him and they ended up falling in love. it's also implied that alex and dolph have been repeatedly reported on the news as terrorists more than we've seen, with rayman referring to them as being the usual suspects when the kaiju attack happened, despite dolph literally not even being there when alex did that shit. they're known to do this shit, and we know alex is a charismatic guy. it's not too far fetched to say once or while dolph was falling in love with this gayass white saviour saint that alex talked him into this shit for alex's own purposes. because yes, he has a cause, but he's also a bit in over his head, maybe with power. he's aware of the power he has over dolph, how he actively uses the 'i love you' card multiple times when they're together and when they're not together. he just had a bit too much confidence in his hold over dolph, but to be fair, alex, you were topping some indulgent mob boss for your cause (because let's be honest of course your sources would be tight if they were being fucked for it) then continued fucking said mob boss and got caught with your dick out by your ex who you think you can get back with. alex uses people as tools, he just doesn't put his shit in the right places at the right times.

i'm getting off track, but the point i'm getting to is that alex most definitely saw dolph, a man who clearly has some jacked up eden tech smacked onto his twink ass, at his lowest, and picked him up like a shiny new toy. he was always going to use dolph. but how come dolph is so easy to use? he's starved for kindness. he's the stray dog that comes up to you at restaurants to act all nonchalant because 95% of the time he gets neglected, but the second he gets offered scraps, he shows how hungry he is. we don't know much about his childhood, and what we do know is under the lenses of literal eden propaganda. we do however know how people get like underneath the hand of eden.

everyone say thanks to rayman, who concidentally, is dolph's foil. both of them worked under eden as their lap dogs, one as a propagandist and the other as military, but dolph had gotten out of the hold the propaganda had on him while rayman's barely shaking it off. both of them are also portrayed as poor little tragic immigrants and the impoverished stand ins both in universe and story wise. they're the feel good picking yourself up american dream stories that people can feel inspired by or feel proud about the country with. dolph had a photo with a kid holding a doll of him. before he became ex military, he was definitely the guy they paraded around as a previous lost cause that eden helped. red, who's as political as his assigned colour, bitches about identity politics in that one off line for a reason. he also jus hates brown people fr he kicked me down a flight of stairs

now we can assume that dolph had picked himself up out of the propaganda machine somehow. he realised he was used and he didn't want that shit. he's attempting to get himself his own life, for fucks sake. he jus happened to get lead on by the wrong guy, which then lead him to get used by eden AGAIN. this time not only in a physical way via soldier work, but emotionally too, with sarah easily manipulating him with what? a sob story and helping him out, maybe being friendly with him along the way.

he wants a normal life. he wants a goddamn normal life. he jus continues to be selected as a tool.

you can see how fucking starved he is for kindness. you ever think about the fact that in his dream life, he sees jade and pey'j? he knew these people for less than a week, yet they get a place in his dream life. most notably, jade gets a speaking role in his dream life. the only other person who speaks, besides marcus, is alex, someone who had known him and shown kindness to him. jade has also shown kindness to dolph. she's the friendliest face there in the ghosts, being the first one to check on dolph when he wakes up, offers an explanation to him, and also makes an effort to include him in her little shenanigans with the video and all!! dolph was all emo alpha wolf and all, but despite his constant cold shoulder, she was kind!!

there was someone who was more than kind though; bullfrog. because bullfrog actively looked out for dolph, despite his constant pushback against bullfrogs advice whenever they weren't separated. and in the end, it's bullfrogs kindness and compassion that hits dolph the deepest. dolph gets out of his depressive state to go back for bullfrog. he cares about people, he goes out of his way to do shit for the people who show him the slightest bit of kindness. he backed up sarah after one good conversation with her to marcus for fucks sake. dolph is just a guy who keeps getting used though. he's so loyal to anyone who looks his way that it's a fatal flaw that ends up with his head blown up. he's a shakespearean tragedy at the moment. i hope in the potential season 2 that he gets to have more moments where he gets to be his own person. not defined by an organisation or a person or a cause, but what he chooses to define himself by. he's on his way there. he jus deserves to be allowed to live for himself. after all, he has already met his end of that story. he can make a new one.

anyways if u reached the end of this im down to discuss this :D i also did get a few points from other people on here, but let me know what u think nd all

[mochidolls]

now introducing . . . corporate!rafe !

uhhh, so this is a byproduct of binge watching industry for the past like two weeks… mdni por favor / brief mentions of masturbation & fingering + bot

now he’s not the y’know traditional multi millionare ceo of a big real estate firm daddy’s company who fucks his secretary from time to time (close enough but not quite).

corporate!rafe is a stocks bro —neck-deep in crypto, efts, and the kind of investments that make everyone else’s eyes glaze over. he’ll mansplain the basic principles of capitalism over lunch like you didn’t just close a deal worth more than his annual bonus. (rafe: 0, you: 1)

rafe’s favorite pastime is reminding everyone that he clawed his way to the top. him. not ward cameron’s money. not ward cameron’s connections. him. never mind that his “humble beginnings” included a trust fund the size of a small country’s GDP and a private boarding school education.

rafe is terrified of being nothing without his wealth and status. the dude is genuinely afraid that without the recognition, the promotions, the stock portfolios, he’ll be just another rich kid with a hollow sense of identity.

this is what drives him to undermine you: if you’re successful, it forces him to confront his own feelings of inadequacy, and god forbid, that cannot happen.

corporate!rafe has icanfixyou syndrome. in his silly little goofy brain, he is the one who has control, not you. the problem is, you’re fully aware of what he’s doing, and you’re only more determined to get under his skin. he keeps failing to win you over, and he doesn’t know how much it pisses him off. you don’t need him. he can’t stand it.

rafe has no idea how to flirt. his version of courting you is begrudgingly fetching your coffee order and getting it completely wrong. you like a hazelnut latte with just the right amount of foam? congratulations—you’re now the proud owner of a black americano that tastes like shit and the depths of a black hole. grim, i know.

and please don’t start to fantasise about him fucking you in the most nefarious of ways. quite frankly he was all too repulsed and blinded by the sheer eager need to be simply better than you to even imagine you in that light.

that is…until the hotel incident.

to summarise (and quite frankly not waste your time): HR’s genius solution for “team bonding” was sticking you two in interlinked hotel rooms. pure hell. he leaves his damp towels everywhere, his skincare products are obnoxiously expensive (and you definitely didn’t try his moisturizer when he wasn’t looking), and you’ve caught him singing jack harlow in the shower. loudly.

rafe had bare witnesses too many nip slips to be considered ‘normal’ around you. thus his little fantasies about you began.

you wore a bikini (a bit revealing for a work trip, but i mean…c’mon you’re in mallorca!) the bikini was a choice—your choice. rafe spent the entirety of the beach day trying to look anywhere but directly at you. that night however? a poor pillow suffered, fucked mercilessly and bred into (room service are going to have a ball cleaning that up!)

but…let’s not kid ourselves here, you weren’t less of a pervert yourself.

one single fateful night with his stupid gold heirloom ring glittering in the moonlight, lead to you clutching one of his beach shirts like a feral animal, babbling and praising his name into the soft cotton and wondering if the gold signet ring on his hand could double as a vibrator.

you think it’s a joke that everyone around you sees this mild rivalry between you and rafe? it’s not. it’s a full fledged fucking war. every small win you get, he has to match it. your first big client? rafe’s out there trying to snag a bigger one, even though it’s none of his business.

he hates that you’re quietly, secretly thriving, and the fact that he can’t quite figure you out drives him insane. you’re not his type. you don’t need him. he can’t stand it. he’d rather see you fail than admit he’s even a little bit impressed by you…maybe a little infatuated too.

your relationship with rafe fluctuates between clear disdain and ‘i want to fuck you and have your kids’ ism. he’ll try to play the role of “cool, unattached guy,” but everyone can see how much he carnally wants you.

he’ll make snide comments like, “i mean, it’s not like i’m some guy you’d bring home to meet your parents, but sure, you can always pretend i’m a secret you’re keeping.”

when rafe knows he’s gone too far and messed with you too much, he’ll offer you an apology— “look, i’m not sorry for calling you out, but i can tell you’re a little sensitive about it. so... i’m apologizing in the way that doesn’t undermine either of us. happy?”

he steals your favorite pens; you "accidentally" unplug his monitor before meetings. his powerpoints are aggressively over-designed, and you make sure to point out every typo during team calls. HR doesn’t even bother with your complaints anymore—they just schedule you for the same meetings so they can watch the fireworks. it’s childish, really.

on the surface, rafe oozes alpha male (threw up a bit there, excuse me). but underneath all that bravado? he’s a fucking miserable mess. he constantly checks his portfolio every 5 minutes to make sure his money is still growing. the real kicker? he’s terrified of you being smarter than him, which is why he’s always trying to “one-up” you. he knows you’re not impressed by his stupid wealth, and that drives him crazy.

[robotmechagirl]

A text conversation with my parental figures:

Me: “Got a bread machine at a thrift store with my girlfriend 😌

Found myself a love for making bread

It brings me back to watchin' you bake bread and make pizza dough. I remember you would freeze the dough to have an easier time makin' meals later.

It's such a vibe and it makes me feel happy because I can express my care for other people with fresh baked bread now.”

Aunt: “That's great [DEADNAME]. It's really good to know you have some good memories”

Me:

-Image depicted is a drinking glass-

“"Oh look! Sand!"

It's what you sound like right now :/“

Aunt/Uncle:

“I don't get it”

Me:

“Maybe pictures don't show for you via text.

Sent an image of a glass, the type you would hold drinks in, such as water.

Calling me by "son" and my dead name is like calling this glass sand. :/“

Aunt/Uncle:

“[DEADNAME] you didn't die. You have always been [DEADNAME]. You can't make me believe in a fairytale. Something you made up in your brain.

If you told me I have to start calling you Andre and Start looking at you and treating you as such, because you are an 8 foot tall giant I couldn't do that either. I refuse to get down on the floor and look up to you like you are a giant. You are no more an 8 foot giant than you are a girl. I cannot see you that way. I cannot treat you that way. I don't know how far you are planning on going down this rabbit hole. But you better be damn sure you have done all the research. Once things get cut off there is no going back! I raised 6 boys and 1 girl.”

Me:

“The fairytale is thinking that I'm this image you've built for me based on your own misconceptions about the world. 😩

There's a butt load of medical research, literature, and history that you could read to understand the phenomena that is the existence and validity of transgender people. It would benefit you to learn it because ya clearly don't have an inkling about the subject given your piss poor analogies.

But I can't expect y'all to read it because y'all have told me ya can't even be bothered to read your own holy book. The hypocrisy at tellin' me to reread it is wild to me.

Y'all are so trapped by your ignorance ya can't even see I'm thriving over here and how much good it's done for my mental, emotional, and physical health.

I wanted very much to have a healthy relationship with my parental figures, to let y'all be part of my life, but y'all are proving to be toxic as fuck. Quite frankly I don't need it and am content to disconnect to leave ya to your own business. This grown ass woman has her own life to live ✌️🕊️”

Aunt/Uncle:

“We have read the Bible. And even your "research" isn't in the Bible. We will always love you [DEADNAME]. We just don't agree with you. You are the only one disconnecting from us because we don't agree.

And my analogy isn't any more piss poor than yours”

Me:

“"I know you are, but what am I?"

Is what you sound like

And nah, you don't get to be hateful and say that you love me. It doesn't matter your intentions, you're acting shitty. I'm disconnecting because you're acting shitty towards me and I have way too much self respect to accept this treatment.”

Aunt/Uncle:

“I am not being shitty to you. I am allowed to disagree with you. It is a free country. We do love you whether you believe it or not”

Me:

“You're not acting like it 😩

I'm okay with you believing differently. What I'm not okay with is the shitty behavior stemming from those beliefs and I reserve the right to disassociate from the toxicity.

I'm not gonna pretend to be someone or something I'm not just because you can't unpack your own biases.

If y'all want to still be a part of my life you're gonna have to meet me where I'm at with this. Otherwise, señora”

Aunt/Uncle:

“We will pray for you [DEADNAME]. We love you”

Me:

“Lies and pettiness

I don't need your prayers

Focus them on yourselves”

Aunt/Uncle:

“Good bye”

Me:

“Bye”

Below is the image from earlier:

[lostsyren]

this could be me like totally over analysing things as per usual but it’s so interesting in the scene with just rafe topper and ruthie where rafe talks down his relationship with sofia, where i feel like you can tell he’s almost begrudgingly hesitant before he says “just because we hook up doesn’t mean she’s my girlfriend” and the way he processes it too before uttering those words where the way I interpreted it was as if he was preparing himself to flick the switch and convert facades to the persona ruthie and topper want him to be, exuding a careless laid back personality who looks down on pogues.

I feel like the mannerisms and tone of that scene was purposely acted by drew to implicate that he didn’t really mean what he said and stated it for the sake of saving face which is his own problem to fix, but idk what it is about it though about his reluctance to say that she’s his girlfriend publicly in front of Hollis or Ruthie and Topper I wanted to know what your opinion on it is because he clearly cares about her deeply, there’s so much proof of sofia being his emotional and spiritual confidant, almost as if she’s his moral compass, there’s a reliance there from both sides and he does bring her to places but I guess not enough to tell everyone their status because of her socioeconomic status? Is it just down to him still not getting over the whole pogue v kook thing? or is that Sofia is so sacred to him and he doesn’t want share that? I mean I know he eventually says it in episode 6 (I replayed that part an unhealthy amount of times🙂‍↕️) and the writers are lazy as hell so they probably just forgot about it so it probably isn’t even that deep but I’m just bored out of mind bc this show isn’t going to come back for at least a year🙃

I love your interpretation!! And there’s no such thing as an over analysis!! I totally agree. I love your ideas of it being like a switch he turns on, donning the facade of a kook who hates pogues, when in reality I don’t think he cares. Rafe is opportunistic, he hates pogues only when it’s in his interest (like in s1 where he would bully them for fun, blame them for his mistakes but was fine with Barry when no one else was around). It’s the same with Sofia– he doesn’t care that she’s a pogue, he only cares if she’s good to him (and there’s a whole other conversation to be had why he chose Sofia of all people in the first place– the country club bartender, but I’ll talk about that another day😭)

I’ve talked about this in other post, but I think when rafe and Sofia are alone, the markers of “kook” and “pogue” dissipate– they’ve carved out their own little bubble where Rafe isn’t a murderer, a failure, a mess and Sofia isn’t a poor bartender, an older sister responsible for her family.

When they leave that bubble, that’s when those markers return.

“I mean your girlfriend right?”

“Sofia? What about her?”

He acknowledges she’s his girlfriend, he views her as his girlfriend. But when Ruthie is disdainful, that’s when he changes his tune.

“Just cause we hookup doesn’t mean she’s my girlfriend”

He narrows his eyes, looking away from Ruthie, inhaling deeply, about to take a sip– he knows he’s being deceptive, he knows what he’s saying isn’t true.

Sofias reaction is interesting here because she doesn’t seem affronted– she seems disappointed and hurt. It’s like she knows he won’t claim her in front of his friends, like he didn’t claim her in front of Hollis.

“Wait has she moved in yet?”

Sofia perks up, interested. The territory of the future is something she’s unexplored with Rafe. She loves him, she wants to be with him, she wants a future with him. And she can finally find out if he wants the same. Because rafe exclusively lives in the present when he’s with her– that little bubble they created only existing in the now.

“I’m not living with a pogue– I have standards”

And that’s when she looks hurt and angry– her offence at that statement clear. Rafe has introduced the marker of “pogue” into their relationship. She thought he didn’t care, she thought he was different. (“You’re different, I like that”) but he’s not, she finally realises. Any prospect of a future with him crumbles, as she realises she will never live up to “the standards” he has.

Whereas when Rafe says this, he closes his eyes, looking almost drunk (which he probably is). This state of stupor indicates the fictitious nature of his words. The staging of the scene is interesting too– his back his to her so she can’t see his face.

Perhaps if she could, she’d see the facade, but the implication to sofia is he’s turned his back on her– in every sense of the phrase. And him being before Ruthie and Topper, on the other side of the table is like he is performing for them, staging his kook persona. I don’t know why he is clinging to that though, it’s clear she’s not just a hookup, (they’ve been together for nearly two years and they’re attached at the hip) so why is he still attempting to perform? Maybe he doesn’t want their relationship to be scrutinised– if he admits to commitment, then there’s something which exists that he could break. And he doesn’t want what he was with Sofia to break. He just wants to exist in their bubble, away from markers like “pogue” and “kook” and “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” which is why I think he proposed.

He wants to cement it– Rafe’s an all or nothing type of guy, so marriage before admitting she’s your girlfriend is so him. And there’s Sofia, struggling to keep up with his many faces.

Thank you lovely for sending in your thoughts!! Love seeing all your different opinions!! <3

[cutegirlmayra]

Sonic AU I suppose. Keeping up with the storybook game spirit Sonic is now Robin Hood, his friends are the characters (Tails Little John, Knuckles Friar Tuck and Amy is Maid Marian). You know the scene where Marian begs for Robin's life? Yeah go with that and fluff up the sonamy and action. And when Friar Tuck is kidnapped Prince John (uhh I guess Shadow?) Keeps Maid Marian under house arrest so Sonic saves her too.

I’ve had an idea to do a Sonic Storybook series, but I won’t be doing that in this prompt ^^; I’ve lost a lot of motivation and confidence in my writing, so I’m treating it more as a ‘hobby’ recently. When I feel up to it, who knows what I could create again?

(I hope you don't mind, I did my own thing xD Which Robin Hood are you referring to? There are MANY adaptations so I was a little confused xD)

Prompts are permanently down and out! Sorry -shrug-.

Prompt:

The false king Jet rippled a wave of tappings with his impatient fingers against the wooden armrest of the competition’s throne, situated above the peasant audience as he slouched in boredom.

He grinded his beak together, his other hand gripping the edge with animosity… He didn’t care about the rest of the archers… Except maybe Storm and Wave, who were undercover and acting as though normal woodsmen, cloaked and hooded to remain anonymous.

“He should be here by now…” He tapped his foot anxiously, shaking his knee.

Sheriff Shadow smirked, side-stepping somewhat to lean down to Jet’s lowered, annoyed stature.

“Patience, good king Jet…” He may have been addressing Jet in private, but his eyes were like the hawk’s, also scanning the line of archers for their quarry…

“He wouldn’t miss this competition for the world…” He stated, assuredly. “If I know him, he’ll be here.”

“He isn’t one for easy sport!” Jet spat out, then looked over to Amy, a victim in her own home. The true King Silver was off to war, and she was forced to take the simple pleasantries of the boisterous parties and lavishing expenses of Jet’s whimsical spending and ravening on and on about being ‘king’ now that Silver was MIA.

“You and I both know… He’ll be here… if not for the test of skill… then the test of merited devotion.” He narrowed his eyes at Amy, knowing she often proclaimed Sonic and her’s affections for one another as though a threat to Jet overspending the country’s money.

“I’ve been robbed, ransacked, and humiliated too many times by that blue speed demon or… hedgehog.” Jet slowly rose up, trying to actually look courageous even though he wasn’t. His hate lingered on every word that escaped his crisp beak, wrinkled from how many times his beak hit the carriage backboard by his entourage getting raided. “The true will of that ‘free wind’ will be snuffed out if we prove that our ambush actually works.”

He looked to Shadow, “Don’t fail me… I’m already cross with you, Sheriff Shadow… You’ve been duped by that hedgehog in getting the people’s taxes to my castle… I’m one feather away from ending your whole career.” He flicked one of his head feathers and then used that same hand to lean his head on, looking out into the crowd of miserable on-lookers.

They were dried up in their pocket books, poor in both money, spirit, and quality of life.

However… one hope did remain, a light unto them.

A blue streak of light, to be exact, with a red robin low-riding in its gales.

“... He’ll know we’re after him.” Shadow leaned back up, his hands behind his back and also… waving his fingers in anticipation to fight his rival again and exact his revenge. “That’s the biggest temptation yet.” He smiled.

“Tah!” Jet looked over to Shadow again, “I haven’t seen you this ‘smiley’ in a while! Since I egged on that hedgehog by stating you-” He pointed to him, “Would be betrothed to Maiden Amy.” He then swiped his point to Amy, who wasn’t trying to listen in on the conversation, but couldn’t help it.

She flinched slightly, but kept her eyes forward. ‘I know he’ll save me.’ She thought, looking to the forests around the quiet town…

‘Friar Tails told me to wait for Little Knuckles… That he’d send me word on when Sonic Hood could rescue me… but with all the guards doubled for the… ugh, wedding arrangements.’ She rolled her eyes, ‘How are they able to get any word to me? Oh, Sonic…’

She put her hands to her lap and took a calming breath, ‘I just have to believe in you… I know you’ll protect the realm. Silver would most earnestly agree that your efforts are for righteous justice… against this untrue king.’

She then looked up, taking one beat to glare at Jet before her eyes looked at her hands as she turned them to prayer. Her eyes shook in dear love and devotion, for both the beautiful vigilante, and for her Cousin’s kingdom.  ‘And I can wait… for the sake of our beloved and oppressed people… I can hold out a little longer.’ She dipped her head to a small, faint tear.

It was in that moment of deep longing that a light caught her eyes and flickered there multiple times.

She blinked, letting the teardrop go along its downward descent on her cheek without opposition, trying to get the blinding reflection out of her eyes.

She squinted, but her hand finally found obstruction to the reflective trick, and gave her eyes rest enough to see it was the doing of a ranger on the tourney roll call line, fiddling with his equipment.

A green hood… but brown spikes of a porcupine…

They were actually sticks, pointed to look like a porcupine’s silhouette.

The figure’s metal arrow was causing the flickering lights to attract her eyes, as the man looked as though ‘adjusting’ the arrow on his bow.

Her eyes lit up. Was this his signal? His sign!?

‘Oh, Sonic!’ She put her up by her mouth, now back together again, to symbolize how she felt he was back in her life once more. Her eyes now sparkled with none other than the light of hope that he was, to all the citizens that revered his gallant efforts for their sakes. ‘You did come for me!’

It was obvious it was a trap, but Shadow and Jet knew better… they knew that would entice him even more… since they hadn’t let the Maid Amy out of the castle since the announcement, and since the wedding day was approaching… their ruse would be up if he didn’t directly attack their fortress.

Instead, since they saw no sign he was coming to storm it yet, they grew impatient–well, Jet did–Shadow was… more than willing to concede to marrying her, after all, it would give him the ultimate power over the realm… being so close to a King’s maiden owned.

That’s all Shadow really wanted, to be the Ultimate authority, have all the power to do as he pleased.

If this ‘King’ Jet only cared about using his power for parties, Shadow could quite literally make the whole of the realm his stomping grounds. Who wouldn’t feel even partially ‘a king’ with power like that..?

Jet was a coward who just wanted to revel in wild partying, to enjoy all the high life could offer him, since he was always jealous of Silver’s birthright. Being the bastard son of the late king, he had no bloodright to the throne that was legitimate, adopted only on the whim of the kindhearted King of the Realm–Silver’s late father.

Silver was now MIA in status, which was Jet’s doing, as he had supported the foreign enemy of the Realm with a promised arrangement. Capture and kill the King, then he’d work well with them in return for their allowing him to be stationed in the land as the new King… though, wonderfully hospitable and generous to them forever more…

A puppet… really.

It would set both Shadow and Jet high in society if they could pull it off… since Amy was a cousin to Silver, and the two shared a great friendship and bond, she was often given the world and even had a dowry the size and measure worthy of a Princess.

If Shadow married her, not only for her renowned beauty mingled with tales of her tenderheart, but he’d have half the Realm gifted to him from their own King Silver’s plate and fed his more than plenty share of spoils from his own spoon… along with the friendship of the new king, Jet… Shadow would be able to do all he pleased…

An official, more than a Sheriff… he could be General over the armies…

Eventually, why not be king, as well?

Nah, he’d let all the hatred go to Jet. “It’s the new king’s fault, I’m only following orders.” He would say when swiping the precious few rings left from a townsfolk or two… or three… or four or five, six, seven…

Ultimate greed… the two were two peas in a pod, but Amy cherished the good-hearted nature of Silver, and much like him, she knew their two hearts would be united in the good spirited patriotism of Sonic Hood, the Robin’s Boom.

They nicknamed him that as he was so swift, his red shoes would make it look like a small robin was creating sonic booms whenever and wherever he stole from the rich to give to the poor, knowing they were being cheated out of their livelihoods and honest living by the false king Jet’s heavy taxation for his grandiose parties.

The porcupine tipped his green hood down, and she knew her love had come to do more than just save her… but continually save every person in all the Realm from such serious crimes as Jet’s and Shadow’s merciless hunger for power and wealth.

To gain from the people’s sufferings… was not how a true king lived.

Sonic looked up just barely from the hood, his brown mask matching the spikes, to make his appearance truly different for his little charade. But this whole competition was a facade, one he was excited to expose and defeat.

No one could catch him, he was as free as the wind itself.

Holding up the arrow, the figure seems to be well-pleased with the shine on the sharp metal, a beautiful steel triangle.

He pulls back the string, at the same time, the corners of his mouth bend like the tension on the bow, a cocky smile.

It’s at this moment that Maiden Amy recognizes it, and her eyes widen somewhat before cautiously looking to Jet, and leaning back in her chair.

She hadn’t noticed, but she was leaning forward in anticipation and eager interest… That could have blown Sonic Hood’s cover…

However, Shadow and Jet were also curious about the lineup, their topics of conversation had ceased, and a ‘dead air’ filled the grassy field near the town… where the tournament was now underway.

A man called out the order, “And… Shoot!”

Perfect.

Jet’s and Shadow’s eyes both bounced up, as though attempting to follow the speed of the arrow.

It wobbled once hitting the target.

“Load..!”

Sonic quickly pulled out another arrow and positioned it perfectly, slowing himself down to match the other participants, especially Storm and Wave’s skills…

“Pull!”

His nose lifted on in calming inhale, and his eyes could almost picture his own body speeding towards the bullseye…

“And… Shoot!”

Wave and Storm flinched at the sound of whistling, looking as they took their eyes off their own objective and ended up with a lower score because of it.

No matter how much Sonic tried to ‘sandbag’ himself to blend in, his accuracy and speed with an arrow was second to none.

Sonic Hood once told Little Knuckles that an arrow felt like an extension of his own body. While he ran faster than the eye could see, he could still shoot an arrow, and go even beyond what he felt were his limits.

An arrow was like an old, reliable friend, he had stated. Because it could keep up with him, and when he needed to stop running for whatever reason, an arrow would keep going…

In that sense, he felt an arrow was the truest form of freedom for his soul. It sang through the air and he almost wished it didn’t have to pierce anything.

As a young boy, he would race his father’s arrows. To see it lodge itself through the first arrow he launched, and split it perfectly in the middle… even to jam itself through the target and pretty much obliterate its brother before it…

Sonic took no pleasure in that.

He slowly lowered the bow, as though in respects to the first fallen arrow… and forcing the second one to have to end its momentum in its once–joyous–flight.

To Sonic, the action of casting an arrow through the air was the fun part, not hitting the target.

To have a target… was a regretful thing… but one Sonic Hood had to dutifully accept once he saw the misery of the townsfolk… all over the nation… they were suffering because of a false king.

Now, Jet had paid off the rest of the contenders, telling them to purposefully score low, but seeing Wave and Storm completely miss the bullseye… his eyes shrank in shame and humiliation…

He grinded his beak, “His arrow… was so mesmerizing… it’s wind even lured their own eyes..!?” He was twitching in rage. For you see… Jet also loved a moving arrow.

Though… The two’s only difference… was that Jet also enjoyed the kill shot.

He liked to be praised for how swiftly he could send an arrow flying into its target… to have Sonic Hood command the stage was like watching King Silver have all the power and only do goody-two-shoe things with it!

He stood up in defiance, because he himself–and all those in attendants, even Shadow–had watched the arrow and forgotten a moment why they were there…

For that one, split second… that whistle had captivated all the hearts of everyone present, even those that despised him.

To Sonic, he eerily referred to this as the arrow’s ‘soul’ attracting all to watch its jubilee at taking flight.

Again, it wasn’t about hitting the target and receiving praise for himself–like Jet glorified in.

It was… to simply watch and participate in the arrow’s first winged ‘zip’ through the open space… nothing tethering it… nothing stopping it’s due course.

“Whheee!” Sonic Hood jumped up in joy, acting like an old man Porcupine. “I hit it again!” He did a small little jig, but the jig was up.

Jumping from one leg to another in a goofy way, it was clear this ‘old man’ wasn’t so ‘hunched back’ after all… the way his hidden ‘quills’ were meant to be disguised as.

“S-... Seize himmm!!!!” Jet threw out his finger after it twitched a moment, unable to move as though all were respectfully waiting for the arrow to stop moving first… its spell still lingering on them.

Jet sweated, feeling his pride attacked more than the cleanly sliced target and its first arrow drawn into it, but Shadow also zoomed through the air as though by Jet’s very command, he had also released him into the air.

“SOOONNIICC!!!” In rage, Shadow went to grab him, but by then, Little Knuckles’s fist shot out from underground, jumping just at his torso up to wham Sheriff Shadow right in the chin, knocking him up and then another swift jab to match his uppercuff to knock him prone to the side.

“Alllriighhtt!!! ‘Bout time you stopped messing around!” Knuckles looked energized, as his tunnels suddenly collapsed, showing an intricate pathway system to help the villagers escape through.

Friar Tails was helping them walk down, before rushing to Maid Amy, “I figured you were looking for us!” He cheered, and she happily took his hand after clutching her heart, overjoyed at seeing him again.

“Good Friar Tails, I have never been more relieved!” She walked down the platform before hearing-

“Chaos Control!”

Time froze, and Sonic Hood’s disguise was thrown off.

His team had planned to ransack Jet’s caravans while having him be the distraction, as well as get the townsfolk that Jet forced to watch this tourney back to safety…

However, with Shadow pausing time, that wouldn’t be the case.

Shadow drew his Chaos Sword, empowered by an Emerald, changing the flaming light to that of the emerald’s power… He then charged Sonic,... Who drew forth his own Chaos Sword–which prohibited him from being subjected to the time halt–countering Shadow’s advance.

“At last,” He gritted against the fast-moving sparks from their blades cracking through space and time with their velocity and intense duel to the death. “Once I rid the realm of you, Maid Amy will finally be mine!”

He swiped his sword out to have Sonic crash back into the ground, “Ultimate power… land, kingdoms, and heck, even all the Chaos Emeralds will be mine! Who needs to collect gold when the very world is yours to conquer!?”

Sonic shook his head, getting up, “You think… One maiden’s hand will just… give you the world?” His hand held his wobbling head to try and straighten out his vision, as Shadow dived down and landed smoothly, but with great power already at his hover-shoe heels.

“She’s no ordinary maiden… wouldn’t you agree?” He held his hand up and gripped it into a soft fist. “All that remains… is to deliver you up to the hills of mourning,... to have the church bells ring in your sad honor… The honor of one who tried to defy a new world!” Shadow pulled back his sword, reeling it to then launch towards him when-

Sonic fires an arrow, which zooms past Shadow’s forehead, through the gap in his quills…

Time begins again… And Shadow, although shaken, begins to laugh.

“The one time your aim wavers…” He found that incredibly humorous, smirking only to see Sonic lower his bow with a confident grin.

“Huh?” He turned around, “What!?

“Do you even remember who I am?”

The sound of a metal crown spinning around and around against the arrow’s stem, sticking straight into Jet’s mocking throne seat, as his own head cowers below the arrow that almost struck his head’s plumage.

Comically far down on his seat, he shakes like a chicken, bumbling as though he can’t even speak after being that close to death itself.

“You… You were aiming to knock off his crown?” Shadow turned back to Sonic, who had already gotten over his headache from the fall, and cockily threw up a wagging finger, winking to him.

“Should you really be that incredulous, Sheriff? Knowing that crown never belong on his head, anyway.”

Shadow gritted his teeth, “This wasn’t about him!” He swiped the air with his Chaos Sword, summoning spears behind and around his body in the air. “This was about Maid-!”

“I’m only here to stop injustice. The wicked ways of an imposter calling the throne his own.” Sonic gestured out a hand, cutting off the proud Hedgehog, who’s eyes shook at how dismissive Sonic was to her…

Did… Sonic not actually fancy her, then?

Was… Was Maid Amy’s affections really just one-sided?

“If that means keeping a real chaotic jewel like Maiden Amy out of your hands as well… Shadow, then so be it!” Sonic put the bow around his body, slinging it to his shoulder, and took his Chaos Sword again in both hands.

Jet came back up from ducking, turning to the side of the spinning crown as Sonic Hood’s arrow rested lodged in his wooden backboard of his throne… he tried to pull it out, but it was perfectly wedged between the gaps of the jewels and metal framework of the crown.

In vain did he try and ‘pick’ off the jewels, but also lusted for the gold the crown was forged from, and not being able to get the individual stones out, he settled at just commanding his men to lift the throne and got off of it, not wanting to lose that luxurious crown originally owned by King Silver.

After more fighting, and Jet just trying to salvage what little funds of tax money he had remaining, Sonic realized that Shadow was relentless…

Everyone had escaped… it was time.

Sonic rushed ‘round about the area, Shadow on his heels, skating after him as he put his Chaos Sword back and took off his bow once more.

Pulling out an arrow, he looked at it sorrowfully, “Sorry about this… old friend.” He spoke to the arrow as though it had a soul, mounting it to the proper place as he pulled back the string.

He jumped and turned to Shadow, who jumped in response, swiping his sword multiple times to try and ‘deflect’ any arrow launched at him, since Sonic had already dodged most of his exploding Chaos Spears.

Sonic saw his opening… “Goodbye… My friend.” He shot the arrow through Shadow, perfectly timing the swipes of his erratic sword maneuvers to avoid Sonic having such an shot guaranteed at all.

Though, it did not kill him, it knocked the Chaos Sword out of his hand, which allowed Little Knuckles–who emerged from his concealment under the ground, stalking the two fighting forces of good and evil–and swiped the Chaos Emerald from it to then bury back into the ground.

In this way, he ensured Shadow could not stop time again… that, and Jet’s forces were now all stuck in the collapsing dug-outs Little Knuckles had made in case they were to escape, which they did try to.

Jet pounded the caravan, throwing his own tantrum as Wave and Storm rubbed their bruises but knew talking to him would only get them bonked on the head during his ‘tyrannical’ fit.

Storm had wrestled Knuckles and failed, and Wave lost track of Friar Tails as he did the sign of the cross and unleashed what looked like trip-wires to keep her from following them and the villagers through the caves.

A clever little Friar… the church usually didn’t associate with new technology… but the brave little fox found holiness in even the modern ways of thinking and engineering.

For that, she kinda respected him.

Storm was surprised that even with the height difference, Little Knuckles had fought him like a true warrior. Gloved fist to gloved fist, but felt the sting of his jabbing spikes on his punches, and commended the man for fighting above ground and even throwing him to it before giving him a proper bow of respect in combat and taking off.

The two were just glad they escaped with their lives…

Wave could have taken Friar Tails in hand-to-hand combat, but Maid Amy was more powerful than she expected! When she went to catch the sly yellow fox by one of his two mutated tails–one of the reasons he was orphaned at the monastery he grew up in–the fair maiden had jumped and slammed her hammer into Wave from the darkness of the cave.

Without any sound to make herself known, Wave was taken completely offguard. Not only was she now covered in dirt, she had also gotten the wind in her songbird lungs knocked right out of her.

When Jet wasn’t in such a state… though she knew that may take longer than a day for him to get over this defeat from Sonic Hood, she would tell him of Maiden Amy’s unexpected brutality with that hammer of hers, and how she helped the citizens rush down the tunnels and steal back their gold from Jet’s men. Most of Jet’s men either fled, deserted, or were knocked out by the Merry Men at Sonic’s beck and call.

She could now confidently tell the ‘King’ that the noble pink hedgehog was absolutely in league with Sonic Hood, even though Jet may have suspected as much from her love for him.

“To kill a coward is not an honor I want nor get to have.” Sonic looked to Shadow’s injured self, him gripping his bleeding hand while on his knees to the ground, Little Knuckles coming up behind to knock him out with a heavy blow, but Sonic held up his hand, steadying him away.

“Since you are a noblemen, I’ll let you and Jet receive the courtsey of a fair trial by the good King Silver. To scold you with his mighty roar of justice instead!” He held up his fists, and from the forest came the souls of those he had just liberated from Jet’s unrighteous tyranny.

“All hail King Silver!”

In the distance, Jet shuttered, hearing the cry as the multitude of poor citizens raised their fists skyward and cried out the same very chant off Sonic Hood’s goodly lips.

Jet was intimidated by the power Sonic held over the people, the way he could sway hearts just as well as he could possibly shoot through them.

He takes a trembling hand to his head, remembering his close-call with death, and summons all his outrage to his throat, swallowing heavily before turning up in his now wrecked ‘retreat wagon’.

“SHADOW!!!” He cried out, screaming as though to defy the heavens, “KILL HIM! I don’t care how! Kill that hedgehog!!!” He stomped the ground, hitting and kicking his fallen carriages.

Shadow gets up, panting…

He hates Sonic… but looking to see Maid Amy cheering on Sonic Hood’s goodness…

Her face… It's so bright with love for him.

His alien blood boils…

He pulls out the sword that no longer has the chaos energy infused into it,... and drops it.

“A hilt is nothing… without the Chaos rushing through it… However…”

Shadow pulls out… A second Chaos Emerald from his back-quills!?

The Crowd gasps in fright, all starting to retreat in fear back into the forest now, taking double-looks as they fear their hero’s life may be in jeopardy once more.

Did they celebrate too soon!?

What will become of their defiance now?! What mercy is there against Jet’s overwhelming fury coming from a distance?

“You have a lot of Chaos Emeralds.” Sonic smirks, as Sheriff Shadow sneers at Sonic Hood’s lack of fear in the face of death.

‘He mocks me… He thinks me not even worth being afraid!’ He shoved the Chaos Emerald into the proper spot on the hilt of the blade, having the blade now grow and glow the color of the new emerald.

“All the better to now end you with, Sonic! Hah!”  While the two swordfight yet again, Jet rushes over with his militia, paid off knights who now serve his bidding for the spoils or with threat against their families they’re trying to keep safe…

Friar Tails pulls Amy back, “Maid Amy!” He cries out, struggling to hold her back, “You can’t intervene in a man’s duel!”

“But..! My Sonic! He’ll be hurt!” She tries to defy the little fox, but is too kindhearted to march out and fight his strength, which she knew she could, if it meant dragging him into the fray as well. “Let go of me, good priest, I don’t wish to get you involved in my act of love!”

“This is not love, but madness!” Tails cries out, “As the good book says, to lay down one’s life for his friends is noble and just, but least you are tempted, maybe think of how your own life be threatened!” Tails happily adjusted the scripture to try and preserve the fair maiden from the battlefield.

“Besides! If you get captured again, they’ll really have you marry the Sheriff this time!” He warned, as Jet turned his hole of an ear to the fox’s words; Not much of a religious man, but his interest was peaked on why that meant so much to him… he spoke as though that could ruin some sort of ‘plan’...

Like a fool, Tails continued to cry out his words, having the clever bird hear…

“Even King Silver couldn’t order the heavens to change his power then! Once bound on earth, sealed in heaven!”

Tails desperately pulled back, even hooking his tails around a tree and having two villagers step in to pull her back, as Amy finally relented in her cause to wane her strength and let the three sigh in relief.

Jet, enthused by the idea that if King Silver came back, he couldn’t fully punish him with an ‘out’ of sorts, immediately leaped into the air and rushed to Wave and Storm.

At first, they were worried he’d smack them, but was pleasantly surprised by his jubilee at grabbing their arms, feeling them stiffen up straight for impact, and then blink in confusion at his rushed, cunning words.

“We mustn’t let Maid Amy get away!” He cried out, which–with the name of his desires spoken aloud–Shadow’s ears turned to Jet, momentarily stopping his assault on Sonic’s Chaos Blade and listened…

“Because now, I–King of the Realm–will marry the fair girl and inherit all that the silly King cannot take from me, should he return!”

“What!?” Eye twitching, head now reeled up at such deceitful lying… “She was promised to me!” Sheriff Shadow turned his full attention now to Jet.

Sonic Hood stood with a tip of his toe on a tree, balancing with his arms waving about in circles to keep him balanced there upon, before taunting Shadow with childish mockery. “What’s wrong, Shadow? Don’t you know a thief will always stay as one?”

Sonic was having fun with the battle, he hoped Shadow wouldn’t quit it here…

However, using his skills and wits, he looks down to his Merry Men and nods.

With the signal given, and Shadow momentarily distracted, the Merry Men throw hooks with rope tied to their ends up to Shadow, pulling him down and tying him up. “N-No!” Sonic speeds down to swipe the remaining Chaos Emerald, and looks to Friar Tails.

“Get Amy out of here!” He throws his hand to the wind, and Tails immediately nods in obedience, the villagers all helping to drag her away.

“Oh, but… Sonic! My Sonic!” She cries, but he just smiles a little awkwardly to her, a bit of sweat dripping down the side of his face.

“Oh, Amy…” It’s a fond reprimand, as though he does care for the girl, but can’t indulge her ‘yearning’ for his attention at the moment.

Turning back, he witnesses his men currently dog-piling Sheriff Shadow to overwhelm his awesome might, trying to hold him down and bind him with the rope.

“Hate to leave you dissatisfied, Sheriff, but Amy–and the kingdom–need me!” He waves him slightly off with a salute and wink, sheathing his Chaos Sword as the light dims and the blade drops as it does so, and departs the decent distance to confront the false King Jet.

However, Jet holds up his own Chaos Emerald.

“No!” Sonic screeches his robin-red colored heels to a halt, as Jet teleports…

“Grk!” He bites his words back, looking around but unable to see where Friar Tails had disappeared to with Maid Amy.

“Knuckles! Little Knuckles!” He stomps the ground a few times, hard as rocks, as Little Knuckles’s head slowly rises up as he keeps stomping directly on his cranium.

Little Knuckles flinches at each hit, raising ever the more slowly before turning his now red with frustration gaze to Sonic. “I’M RIGHT HERE, HOOD!” He cries out, punching off his annoying foot that hit in a continuous stride up till that point.

“Did you really not notice me!? The ground rising up from below you!?”

“I… did notice the distance waning.” He smiled, cheerfully apologetic but it wasn’t enough for the echidna, who just crossed his arms, still upset.

“We have to find Maid Amy. Jet has a new plan to-” But before Sonic could relay his message, another brilliant flash of color and Jet was standing before Sonic with Amy in his grasps, an arm around her shoulders and an arrow’s head pointed to her neck!

All the world grew still… Jet’s hawk-like eyes had seen through the deep underbrush of the forest, through the shaded leaves and found the fleeing, soft pink color of Amy’s quills to then teleport through Chaos Power to her…

An unfortunate gift, his incredible eyesight… one even Sonic couldn’t replicate.

Even Shadow stopped struggling a moment, as the men held him at his knees and looked to see the shine of light, and the situation before them.

Sonic pulls another arrow to the ready on his bow, holding it up to hopefully parry any ‘arrow-made-dagger’ attempts on Maid Amy’s life.

“Drop. Your. Hand. Sir.” He threatened, slowly… and with all the dignity of one that must be in love… or at least, Amy thought as much…

“If you don’t release her, I’ll shoot!” Jet cawed back, like the coward he was… but it did make Sonic pause his pulled string forward…

His eyes met Amy’s… a soft memory of childhood sweethearts remaining there. Of an aloof back woodsmen and a fair noblewoman… a tender kiss on the cheek that he scoffed at and rubbed off, bidding her a harsh departure and stating they would probably never meet again… even though the boy climbed the king’s tall hedges have ‘her’ catch glimpses of ‘him’ as he ‘just so happen’ to speed through the area while his father would sell their hunts at the marketplace.

Such beautiful, emerald eyes… the kind that even an arrow would shake its head at, not wanting to be fired anywhere near her in fear that those embolden eyes of courage would slightly quiver with fear.

Even the bow croaked in its wood, creaking out a pitiful wail to not be released, and to not have the young, beautiful maiden think less of it.

But before Sonic Hood could make a call, another arrow flew by his head, just as his had done when facing Sheriff Shadow.

Jet was knocked back, an arrow piercing his shoulder as his attention was solely on Sonic… and not who was behind him…

Sonic loosened his grip on his bow and arrow, softening its string and turning back to the once foe behind him…

His Merry Men were on the ground, knocked out… the ropes slid off the black and red figure’s body… not just by his own natural fur coloration, but now by the blood of his endless fight with the men and Sonic’s arrow having cut his hand.

Nay… Sheriff Shadow had fired the arrow into the fake soverign’s shoulder that held the destruction of Maid Amy in its power… and Shadow… Shadow wanted all power, even over Maid Amy’s fate if he could.

But denying Jet… meant denying all routes to power remaining… and yet… he still silently took out the men and fired the arrow…

Without so much as another double-take to Shadow, Maid Amy raced back to the forest, looking to Sonic for confirmation as he heard her scattered running and nodded to her that it was alright.

Maid Amy didn’t know what end Shadow would face… or if he’d fight Sonic Hood and it would be her love and possible happily ever after that would face its ruin… but she ran, discarding her nobility behind to join the Merry Men in the woods…

She added her jewels to the pile of the ‘retrieved’ goods.

She took off her earrings, leaving her only her dress as she displaced her bracelets of fine gold, her necklaces, and all pretty and dainty things to the villagers who were in need.

All the while, in that merry wood, wondering what befell Sonic Hood… and her strange rescuer, though it didn’t sit right for her to call the man that, Sheriff Shadow…

“Would he return?” She put her hands together, mirroring her prayer from the facade of a tourney, and looked to the ground. “Oh, my Sonic… my dear Sonic…”

Suddenly, as the campfire flickered, two shadows of familiar spiked quills appeared…

She gasped as so did the men and party members all around them.

Sonic Hood had an arm holding up Sheriff Shadow, injured and on the verge of collapse, helping him walk into camp…

No one was merry now…

“Our officer here has had a change of heart.” He stated, his own eye shut by design of his struggle with him. Other Merry men, cradling their own injured or bruised hides, also entered after Sonic… not a single one lost.

“I believe he’s proved this.” Sonic set Shadow down, allowing him to rest from being helped through the long trails in the dark woods.

“... Sonic… are you mad?” Little Knuckles, also behind him, pounded his fists together as he looked down to Shadow. “He may know the location of our secret hideout now! Along with his orders from the false King Jet, to kill us in any way he can fathom!”

The accusing point didn’t flinch Sheriff Shadow, sitting solemnly on the ground.

He did look up to Maid Amy… but to her, the ruby of his eyes reminded her of his lust for power through her, and… she luckily didn’t think much more of it then that.

She crept away from him, but listening intently to her beloved's reasonings…

Her face turned away, as Shadow admired her by the fire’s glow…

“He admitted the location of where they’re holding good King Silver.”

Now the camp was ablaze in silent awe. Every man’s back stood straighter, and they could not keep their patriot legs from not advancing forward, as though a signal fire had rang out in their hearts to fight for a noble cause yet again.

“He could be lying…” Timidly spoke the absolute bravery of the modern rebel, Friar Tails. He looked a little wary to Shadow’s countenance, as Shadow returned the stare, and made his hands come together, his head bend back and down, his ears twisting around to show uneasiness at the returned look. “Demons bear false witness all the time to men’s hearts… what makes such a mortal man any different?”

Shadow smirked, “Some call me immortal.” He then looked away, spitting out blood as some, more tenderly maidens’ hearts from the village gasped or shrieked at such a sight.

Mothers held their children, remembering the abuse of Sheriff Shadow’s greed in stealing their family heirlooms, their livelihoods away in his lust for collecting taxes and further power over them.

Shadow, briefly, before collapsing ever the more, admits himself only to Maid Amy. “I said and did all that you have seen… in love for you.”

She would not meet his gaze, but became like a marble statue of beauty to him… In no way did he mind her cold-shoulder…

Instead, he praised it as even greater strength of elegance, not knowing her true nature to be much more harsher and loud than the ‘quiet reverence’ he felt she gave to him now.

“However…” He hacked out his next words carefully, only turning his gaze when coughing to the ground, and wheezing and huffing out his heavy continued words aloud. “I also admit you… deserve… better than myself.”

Her eyes didn’t waver, but gently sparkled in the fire’s flickers…

Even now, she found a soft spot of her heart to allow his words to rest a moment… Her way of allowing him to apologize for his deeds, but not see it as a full pardon of his actions, either.

“Although… no one can be happy about Sonic Hood’s ‘forgiveness’...” He coughed out again, “I would beg at least this much… Maid Amy… that you accept my sincere repentance.”

She would not look at him.

He fell to his chest, his hands unable to hold himself up. “P… Please…” He begged before her, but Maid Amy would not turn her head.

Sonic’s eyes, instead, imparted some pity for the man. The fire also flickered in his eyes, a warm glow…

He closed his eyes and bowed his head, seeing all the dignity in the man stripped, and all darkness fleeing out of embarrassment for his pathetic portrayal… and yet, Sonic found the mercy to look to his kingdom’s people, and his merry men that followed him.

“He may be unwilling, but I’m imparting to him the duty of a Merry Man.”

The crowd held back their uproar… but every man’s face looked enraged by such a sentiment.

Little Knuckles just stared at Sonic Hood, before turning his head, “I accept Sonic’s words… as though they were King Silver’s appointed law.” He stated, and the respect of the people rested with that final look on the matter.

For they all felt it in their hearts, as well.

“Friar Tails,” Sonic turned to him, lowering his head, “Address his wounds.”

Although Tails was skeptical if this was a good, smart move or not… he did so… helping Shadow back to his feet.

“Even an evil man can become a patriotic country man again… once that bugle is blown, and the sound carries through whatever bad notion first killed its love in his heart… Now does it beat again against oppression, malice, and bears all good manner for brotherhood, honor, and light.”

Sonic’s words were like a sermon that all adhered too, though clearly didn’t wish to.

“You all know… we are considered ‘outlaws’ by our own beloved land… Is he not now one, too? Having shot the very man who promised him our kingdom’s riches? Going back on his word, now, do you believe that the imposter king would still grant him any mercy? That he–himself–knows that we are the only mercy left in this unfair world?”

Sonic gestured to Shadow, and sure enough… the people relented.

“Still sounds like a trap to me…” Little Knuckles murmured, but Sonic only whispered to his friend that it probably was… “But if it truly isn’t,” He then countered, holding the shoulder of his dearest rival, looking back at Shadow, “I’d like to trust that his arrow has changed its course… and his wind now resides beside us all.”

“You could read his arrow?” Little Knuckles knew that Sonic Hood could pinpoint who shot what arrow, and if they had meant it or not.

In some ways, they thought Sonic’s ability like a tarot card reader, but in this case, he could gauge the soul of a man by the trajectory and velocity of his arrow’s swiftness or tried aim.

“If what you say is true… and to your trained and spiritual eye… if his arrow was right for once… then… I shall concede.” Knuckles grumbled, folding his arms all the more tighter. “And… if you have stated he be a Merry Man now… I shall see to it that he is watched and trained by the King Silver creed and code of honor.

“Honor among thieves.” Sonic leaned against his friend, rubbing his shoulder into his cheek to try and lighten the mood, snickering gleefully.

Overhearing that Sonic considered his ‘arrow’ or ‘heart’ had changed, Shadow was deeply touched.

With all his wickedness… such that even Maid Amy could not look upon him… how was it that his greatest adversary would grant him lenience in these times of war?

‘Did he truly… seek no power?’ Shadow looked to him, knowing Jet will think his capture and possible ‘change of heart’ a mere set-up to lure Sonic and his followers into another trap… To learn of their camp’s location, and to betray them all…

‘No… Not again.’ Shadow grew strength from the light of the fire… his eyes were determined to keep his arrow straight and narrow… seeing the Friar patch him up, he shook his head and stood, gaining strength like the holy knights of old used to wield.

“Friar, I have stolen from you and your religion plenty of times… Is it not written, that if one’s eye offends them, to pluck it out?” Shadow pulls out one of his arrows, and holds it to Friar Tails.

“Good priest… Take this arrow’s head, and by Sonic Hood’s words, make me unable to betray myself and your trust in me…”

“W-What?” Tails looked flabbergasted, “What… what are you saying?”

The people looked to their old antagonizer, not believing it unless they see it.

“If there be a pillar in your own eye, pluck it out. I wish to be blinded. That way, my eyes will no longer lust after gold and silver… after ultimate power… to feed the greed that stirs in my heart no longer… I will shield my very heart from it every piercing me again.”

His arrow would fly, and like Sonic’s ideals, it would continuously fly forever… never being halted on this new ‘changed course’ as he called it…

Sheriff no more, he’d be blind to greed from now on…

“I will not have my lust for power darken me again.”

Amy… Now looked at him.

With that simple act, he felt his breath tremble at her mercy to allow the last thing he saw to be her accepting him…

A kind mercy… but Frair Tails pulled out a liquid instead. “This is a certain poison… it will not blind you, Sheriff, but it will sting to ever open your eyes for a couple days… Are you sure you wish to be blindfolded?”

He looked back to Friar Tails, “Burn my eyes of all wickedness… Friar.” He knelt, putting the arrow down and lifting his head for the liquid to be poured into his eyes.

Tails looks to Sonic Hood, who takes a deep breath in, but smiles and nods.

“If that’s what it takes… Give the man what he wills.”

Tails then administered the poison, which did as he had stated. Shadow didn’t dare blink, but winced against the pain… A cooling cloth was placed over his eyes, and as his hands came up to caress the soothing relief, he felt Amy’s hands… knowing them from his time of trying to woo her through his gain of power beforehand… all of which gloating and boasting didn’t tempt her in the least.

“Thank you.” He states through his hissed pain, as it’s her hands that tie a bandana across his eyes, keeping the cooling cloth there as well.

“You truly have proven… that you know your change may not last, and to avoid betraying us, have chosen to remove your temptation entirely… for that, Sheriff Shadow, I do believe Sonic Hood, that you are a changed man.” She stated, “But I will never love anyone but my Sonic.”

Her eyes turned to Sonic and he tilted his head in a bit of perplexity, not sure how to respond, he smiles goofily and scratches the side of his cheek, showing some silly shyness to her resolved affections for him.

Shadow lowers his head… Contemplating… “My heart is set on the things of this world, Sonic Hood…” He turns his head where he believes Sonic to be stationed, if he hasn’t moved… and no wind stirred… so he felt he hadn’t. “This is the only penitence I can prevail against to make my words, and your own, true to your men and this country.” He stands up, finding his balance, letting his fingers flex as though to make sure nothing is around him.

“King Silver may punish me more severely, this I can accept… but seeing Maid Amy not even bear to look at me… That I cannot bear to see.”

She didn’t speak, but all saw her roll her eyes.

For someone who bore her feelings outrightly and plainly for Sonic… it was amusing to others to see her so ungraciously mock another for doing the same.

Though, they agreed that Shadow earned no due respects, but still…

“Now, I have prevented myself from ever going back… and changing my course again.”

Sonic bows in agreeance to him, though knows Shadow can’t see the kind, gentlemanly gesture of respect. “I’ll hold you to that promise, Shadow.”

“You are nothing more than a woodsmen, now.”

Shadow felt that lasting remark from Sonic Hood sting far greater than his eyes were.

“May your arrow and sword always point towards that which is true… Just maybe not near Amy again.”

He laughed lightly as the men also joined in, and Amy put her hands to her hips, but also gave a smile to the humor.

“Though, I’m sure she’s grateful–even though the reason wasn’t sound–that you helped her out.”

She didn’t say anything, but mimed clapping at his ‘supposedly chivalrous’ act of still selfish love.

Sonic walked over to stand behind Shadow and put a hand to his shoulder, startling him a moment, but continued in a more serious tone. “Just like how a shadow shows in which direction the light is coming through… I hope you will point more wayward souls towards our true purpose… for the land we love, and the true king we miss… Shadow.”

He slowly drops his hand, and Shadow suddenly feels a swelling of patriotic pride in him.

He finds it humorous, and smiles. “Heh… So,... This is the power of which you use to move people?” He lowers his head in thought, and then raises it again, finding a new respect for him. “You do not tempt your men with power or gold… with wealth or even with women… but with courage to find liberty again in the kingdom of your forefathers…”

The Merry Men, villagers, Maid Amy, Little Knuckles, and Frair Tails all cheer.

“Here, here.” Sonic claps, “Rejoice! You have now gained such a power!” He teased, gesturing to the people who now were agreeing with his words.

“It’s a strange feeling… indeed.” Shadow listened to their cheers upon his own merited words, and find that to be the greater reward of pride and pleasure than anything ever offered to him by the world.

“Your arrow… still felled me, Hedgehog.” He states, and Sonic laughed.

Grinning, he patted Shadow’s back and shook his head, “No, old Sheriff, you put your own life on that quiver’s string… and you pulled till you were stretched so far back, that the only way left to go was forward.”

“I… let go. Heh.” Shadow found that analogy quite… satisfying.

Later, Sonic and Amy had a moment back when everyone was celebrating, dancing and drinking in merriment, as Sonic had named the group that in hopes this would be the old kingdom they once loved again.

Instead of all the sad tears that fell over their little plot of land in the world… he hated to see his people cry.

Around the campfire, Sonic Hood felt Maid Amy fall to face him back to back, having just danced around with the others, and coming directly to ask him a question.

“Why did you wait so long?” She inquired, “I was about to be married, you know?”

Sonic’s head rose slightly from admiring the colors in the flames… “Come on, Amy…” He scratched the back of his head, and she thought it rather cute, thinking he was embarrassed at his feelings for her.

But… he was actually quite nervous about what not many people ever got to see… one thing that he evoked in her–unfortunately–too often.

“You know I’m bad at making dates…”

Her temper.

Shadow heard strange sounds of a blunt objecting hitting another, some ruckus of destruction, then a woman’s loud and angry voice as the thrashing continued.

Perplexed, he turns to where he knows Friar Tails and Little Knuckles are, obviously keeping an eye on him.

“Is there another woman in the settlement? This one sounds… like a bear, perhaps?” Never in his life would he have considered the ‘angelic’ personage of Maiden Amy, the fair and ever kind, innocent and pure woman, to be what she really was…

A little rascal.

Awkwardly, the Merry men and the two beside him sweated with awkwardness, nervously laughing at his ‘blind’ description of his ‘Good, tender Maid Amy’ actually being the sole reason for this rampaging against Sonic Hood.

They knew her well enough, anyway… She had snuck out to see Sonic constantly during rumors of his raiding nearby…

But sadly, to avoid suspicion that she was in league with them, she would give her intel on Jet’s movements and Shadow’s plans, before sneaking back into the castle…

“YOU COULD HAVE BEEN LATE TO STOP ME FROM GETTING MARRIED! AUUGHH!!!”

Shadow, truly, couldn’t believe his ears.

He wonders if his image of the world is now ‘clearer’ from having his eyes locked up tight.

Without craving power… he now craved… to understand what the eyes could not see.

This fellowship… of friends.

END.

[creatureheart]

I think the thing I hate most about misanthropy is that no one is saying you cannot dislike or even hate humans for things they have done, do or did. Hate those who hurt you or who purposely go out of their way to hurt others/nature/etc. Hell I hate people like that too!

But the belief of misanthropy itself is ingrained in believing that the entirety of humanity is evil/bad in an inherent way and it is completely fucking untrue just as it would be untrue to condemn the entirety of ANY species as inherently evil for the actions of some.

Humans are not inherently good or bad because NO ANIMAL IS!

It’s the idea that the newborn, the elderly, the poor, the queer, poc, indigenous peoples, etc, the victims of things, are just as evil ridden and condemned to be a lost cause as the power hungry CEO or country leader that has no care for the world or other people.

It’s the constant focus on all the bad things that humans do, the ignoring of the vast positive impacts that are happening alongside. The dismissal of the fact that humanity is able to actually recognise the things they have done wrong and then step forward into correcting their mistakes. The countless organisations that humans have created to try and help both their own kind and those that are not human almost show that things like cruelty and hate are not inherent to the species, but things like that are always forgotten. Hate and cruelty are taught and to place blame for these things on all humans is just as cruel and unfair.

Misanthropy is tied to the idea that humans are a disease that needs to be eradicated in order for the world to get better. That an extinction of humans would be what’s best. But do you know what thoughts like that lead to? Eugenics and ecofascism. Because whether anyone likes it or not, these things are connected.

To believe that all humans are inherently bad means that it’s easier for you to turn a blind eye when bad things happen to humans because you believe they deserve it. In turn meaning you are dehumanizing them and stripping them of their right to exist and the dignity of being seen as they are.

You are no better than them. I don’t care whether you identify as nonhuman. To believe that your identity makes you immune to doing harm is such an ignorant take. If you honestly believe it to be true then I ask you to take a moment to think on why that is? Because EVERYONE is capable of doing bad and causing harm and to believe you are not is to say that you are not capable of recognising when you do actually harm someone or something else because in your head you can only do good.

Not to mention you have NO WAY of telling whether someone else is alterhuman or nonhuman just by looking at them. You are lumping everyone in these groups who don't explicitly state they are nonhuman or other. Adding onto this that there are so many who also identify as human or human adjacent along with their nonhumaness. There are those that identify as humans from fiction or other worlds. But you seem to ultimately forget about them because you forget that identity is fluid and chaotic and in the end you're just an outright asshole.

Just… rhfksgshkdbehd if xjed FUCK!

I’m so tired… there is enough fucking hate in this world and I am so fucking tired…