#knuckles would fit better as the tail but

[artilite]

the brainworms got to me..!! i had to draw him before i exploded

[amazingdeadfish]

It's the Spookie Month

[sonknuxadow]

im gonna miss deven mack sonic and ian hanlin shadow and kazumi evans rouge so bad i will not lie

[artzee534]

"Boost your spirit off the ground I'm a spark that won't go out We can go much higher now Gravity can't hold us down

We're only at the beginning of this one way dream"

EDIT: added in a version with new shading!

[aparticularbandit]

I'm surprised we're getting Shadow before Amy given that Amy was the one who unlocked his full Maria memories and led to his changing his mind on world destruction. Amy was a surprisingly important part of that game.

I know they can adapt around that, but.

By the way: I can accept Shadow because of what a big deal he is with the fandom. It honestly shows remarkable restraint that they waited until the third film to introduce him.

But so help me if the films introduce Silver before they introduce Amy, I will be very cross with Neil Moritz. (•̀⤙•́)

[shadowdaddies]

Hello girly, there is so little fics about Tarquin, so can I please request a Tarquin x mate!reader. Where she is a quiet and kind female, it would be cool if she was a "lesser fae" (like she has a tail or horns). She loves him and doesnt really want a role in court, she just wants to be there for him. Maybe the high lords dont know much about her, and there is a High Lords meeting and she randomly appears (maybe pregnant) and just some fluff, and Mor, Feyra and Viv being happy because there is another female to be frainds with

ahh I love this, there's definitely not enough fics for Prythian's Most Eligible Bachelor™. Thank you for the request!

Less is More

Tarquin x Reader

warnings: this does get a little steamy at the end

Taking practiced, steady breaths, you forced your pounding heart to slow and plastered on a confident smirk as you took long strides through the open doors.

Your hand was slick with sweat against Tarquin’s, your mate giving a reassuring squeeze while he guided you to walk slightly in front of him. Were you a weaker faun, you would have been smothered by the table’s gazes burning into you, but you were not weaker. You were a “lesser faerie” - or so that was your title given from the old High Fae - but you were High Lady of the Summer Court, and remembering that put the strength in your spine you needed as you took your seat.

Tarquin took his place next to you, turquoise eyes swimming with pride as he drank in the attention from the room. He feigned nonchalance, pressing a kiss to your knuckles before resting your hand atop his against the table. “Ah yes,” he laughed softly, raising your joined hands in display for the group of High Lords and Ladies. “Allow me to introduce my mate, the High Lady of the Summer Court.”

You smiled, unable to control the blush that bloomed upon your cheeks as Feyre gave you a polite smile and nod, Rhysand and Kallias both granting quiet congratulations. 

It was Viviane who smirked, reclining back in her seat as she loosed a dramatic sigh. As the second High Lady in Prythian’s history after Feyre along with what you’d heard of her, you liked the female already. “It’s nice to have another High Lady at the table. Perhaps soon enough, each court will recognize their females as equals.”

Her icy blue eyes sparkled with amusement at the sight of flames on Beron’s fingertips, the High Lord of Autumn’s focus having never moved from the horns on your head, perfectly framed by your royal crown.

Conversely, Tarquin’s own stare never faltered, watching Beron with a predator’s gaze. He knew better than to bait the other High Lords - Tarquin found it better to rule as himself, a kind yet firm leader - and you admired him impossibly more for it.

“Welcome, High Lady. Let us begin,” Helion purred, his smooth voice emanating a deep power that seemed to bring Beron out of whatever anger-filled haze he was lost in. Murky brown eyes whipped to Helion, who returned the acknowledgment with a slight arch of his brow.

“Beron, if there is something you wish to lead the meeting with, please do so,” Helion drawled, his demeanor remaining cool despite noticeable efforts not to look past Beron to where the Lady of Autumn was seated. You made a mental note to ask Tarquin about that later, focused on keeping your chin high for the moment.

Beron’s eyes flicked between you and Feyre - the lesser fae and former human at the table - but wisely he remained silent. “Continue, Helion,” Beron ground out, and you had to bite back your smile at Rhys and Feyre’s wicked grins, darkness recoiling from where it had been ready to strike.

You sat through the meeting, listening to male egos battle each other over petty squabbles, only interjecting as you and Tarquin found necessary. It was easy to find where you would fit in with this group. While it was clear Autumn would never accept you and Dawn was ambivalent, you felt a fast kinship towards Night and Winter - unsurprising, given those courts were who your wise mate was most drawn to.

As soon as the meeting ended, Beron quickly cleared, leaving the Lady of Autumn to scurry behind him. Your heart hurt for her, her eyes tired as her eldest son seemed to be the only person who paid her any mind. The other High Lords dispersed, only Night and Winter lingering behind with Tarquin and you. 

“Finally, that’s over!” the Night Court’s emissary, Morrigan, practically squealed as she maneuvered around the table to you, enveloping you in a warm hug. 

A surprised laugh escaped you at her kind and gentle touch, the dichotomous nature of the Night Court’s leaders jarring despite Tarquin’s advance notice.

“So, would you tell us the story of how you and Tarquin met?” Viviane pressed, her arm looping through yours as Feyre fell into step alongside the both of you. You were surprised at how easy it was to talk with them - both High Fae from such different backgrounds - but you felt beyond blessed by the Mother for not only allies, but new friends through your role.

The crescent moon was high in the sky, stars twinkling impossibly bright when you felt the heavy need for sleep weigh upon you. You hadn’t even noticed your eyes struggling to stay open until familiar hands draped a jacket over your shoulders, and you stirred to see Feyre, Morrigan, and Viviane all slowly rising. 

Bidding each of them a good night, you leaned into Tarquin’s warmth, savoring the calming scent of coconut and sea spray while he pressed a soft kiss to the top of your hair. He led your to the shared room in which you were staying, closing the door gently behind before peeling his jacket from your shoulders.

A whine escaped you at the sudden cold, and your mate chuckled, arms wrapping around you fully this time. Enveloped in his warmth, you settled against Tarquin’s chest and swayed to a silent melody, the rhythm of the ocean.

“You were incredible tonight,” he murmured against your neck. “You are always incredible, and yet you always blow me away with your grace and wisdom.” 

He pressed another lingering kiss to your shoulder, working his way up to hover near your ear. Teeth tugged lightly on the skin of your earlobe, your mind growing dizzy with the sensations when he whispered, “I am so thankful, and honored, to have you as my mate and High Lady.”

Feeling the weight of the crown against your horns, you couldn’t help but tease him. “Horns and all?” but Tarquin’s eyes grew darker, turquoise eyes like a brewing sea storm. 

He pulled your head to his toned chest, tongue flicking out against one of those sensitive horns. You mewled at the motion, the scent of the room changing with the fervor of arousal growing. 

“Especially these,” he breathed, hoisting your legs around his hips before turning to toss you onto the mattress. You bounced against the silken sheets with a giggle, watching your mate lift his shirt over his head while his gaze raked unabashedly over every inch of your figure. 

“Every part of you is perfect,” Tarquin whispered, white hair aglow in the light from the window, eyes shining with mischief as his body slid sinfully against your own. 

“I love you,” you whispered, legs wrapping around his waist as you pulled him in for a passionate kiss. He once again kissed his way down your body, this time peeling away the fabric of your dress as he did so. Your consciousness drifted away at his touch, carnal feeling and deep emotion invading your senses while the only thought you could manage was that “forever is not long enough with this male.”

[yandere-romanticaa]

Dabi is such an interesting character to me. I find it so fascinating how he says that he does not care about some things, how he could not give a single crap about anything that's going on. With his easygoing attitude and flat tone, no one could blame you for thinking that way.

It was one of the many reasons why you wanted to break up with him.

Falling for Dabi to begin with was beyond unexpected. The man positively reeked of trouble. The second he stepped foot in your favorite coffee shop, you know that the only thing that guy could bring was chaos. The way he carried himself was a dead giveaway, even if most of his face was covered. You had no idea that he was a wanted criminal at the time and perhaps that was one of the reasons why you approached him to begin with.

Besides, life was just dull. Nothing was going on in your life, no sparks, no excitement. Every single day started to feel like the same shade of grey, the old colours of the world morphing into something so forgettable that it made you want to pull out your hair. So what if talking to this guy was a possible mistake?

It was better than nothing, you told yourself.

You can still recall his strong smell - smoke with a hint of some cheap cologne, perhaps a vain attempt to cover up that third metallic smell which couldn't be hidden no matter how hard he tried. Beneath that dark hoodie of his you could see his lips twitching and just as he was going to tell you off for bothering him, you introduced yourself.

The rest was, as they say, history.

Dabi was a bit of a weirdo but you didn't mind. You enjoyed his quirks and even liked to compliment his appearance from time to time, which made the villain wonder just how sick in the head you really were.

He never made any moves to shoo you away though.

And that stone cold fact was something which the League would often make fun of him for it. Dabi would usually end their jabs and jeers with an annoyed scoff and just leave the bar, hands in his pockets but no one was buying it.

Dabi wasn't sure if he wanted you near those clowns. The thought of someone else oogling you, in the same manner as he did, set him off. Dabi started to make the effort of seeing you more, whether or not you knew he was actually there was up for debate. He stuck to the shadows, tailing you day and night and he would reveal himself only if he saw fit.

Dabi wasn't sure why he was doing this, wasting his time with some weak little civilian.

When the day had ended and the sun was setting, Dabi would lazily walk back home. His mind would be rushing with thoughts of you, his knuckles in a tight grip as he kept them hidden in his deep pockets.

He could kill you whenever and however he damn well pleased.

Dabi had the terrifying ability to snuff the life out of you, and that thought gave him a rush of adrenaline, dare he say confidence.

Your life really was in his hands.

You often felt the need to explain away Dabi's red flags - he's just tired, that's why he's so cranky! Oh, he got mad that you went out with someone else? Well, um... There are so many bad guys out there, it makes sense that he would be worried. Because that is what a good boyfriend did - worry about his precious baby.

Dabi was smart (even a little kind) enough to keep his burn scars hidden away from you but the ones on his face were impossible to conceal. The villain would often find himself enchanted by your gentle touch as you'd trace your delicate fingers across the rough flesh, a stark contrast to the sheer softness you radiated.

He was often torn between two options - does he keep that softness safe or will he sink his fangs deep in your neck, claim you all for himself?

Day after day, the second opinion started to sound so much more appealing.

Dabi's love was all over the place. There would be times when you would hardly ever see him. No calls, no texts, no nothing. For all you knew he could have been dying in a ditch somewhere and you'd be none the wiser. You tried countless times to open up to you about his job but he would just shut you down in record speed. He would never get annoyed or angry with these questions but that did not ease your worries.

And with the prying eyes of friends and relatives, it got even harder to keep yourself so delusionally in love.

None approved of your relationship with Dabi. You shed countless tears due to their harsh protests, which often meant that you would run away straight into the arms of the main issue. Dabi would hold you in your bed, his arms wrapped tightly around you. His shirt would be covered in your tears and snot. Perhaps he would grumble about it later but not at the moment.

He was not a good person, but he did not want to be a complete monster towards you.

After these incidents, almost everyone who was ever close with you would start dropping like flies. All died violent, brutal deaths with the main cause usually being severe burns inflicted on the victims of various parts of their bodies. Sometimes the scarring was so deep that even days later the corpse would radiate heat, the disgusting smell or rot forever sticking to your nostrils.

To describe the experience of being forced to identify those bodies as "traumatic" would have been the understatement of the century.

The walk back home was excruciating, perhaps even a little otherworldly. There was no left in the world who cared for you anymore, no one you could run to for safety and comfort.

The only one who you had left was Dabi.

Maybe, it wasn't so bad, being with him that is. Yeah, he could be a little mean sometimes but he would always make it up to you. Dabi would call you his doll and pepper your face with gentle kisses, which often made you giggle. Sure, not knowing what Dabi was doing at the dead of night made you worry so much that you would sob until the cracks of daylight but that was okay because he would always cross the threshold of your home in one piece.

You only had Dabi to worry about, and that was... Odd to manage.

Gone were the walks with friends, meals with family. There was no living soul on this Earth which cared about you, wanted to see you happy and thrive.

Dabi was the only person left in your life.

And that was when the horrible realization hit like a bucket of ice cold water.

Dabi was the only person you had left.

Every single complaint, he had memorized them, each and every one. You knew that this was the case as he would sometimes bring up the most random things you had said months after you said them to begin with, proving the fact that he actually was paying attention.

The door opens with a powerful slam which startles the man. He asks you what's the problem but all hell breaks loose.

You scream, shout, cry. You accuse him of every possible crime he could have committed and he says nothing. Dabi sits on the sofa, his legs crossed as his cheek rests on the palm of his hand. You go on and on and Dabi doesn't bother to stop you.

Not until he lets out a deep chuckle.

Took ya long enough, he said to you. The tips of his fingers ignited with blue flames, a silent threat to keep you from screaming. You couldn't even bolt towards the door and there were no other escape routes.

He finally had you where he wanted you.

Dabi wasn't stupid. He knew that you planned on dumping him for a while now. He could not allow that, not now. Not when you had forced your way deep into his heart and made a home there. Dabi had nothing in this world and he made sure that you had nothing either.

Now, you had each other. And to him, that was more than enough.

[fortemelody]

AHHHSHFBTKFNTLFKGNFMDM SONIC 3 TRAILER SONIC 3 TRAILER SONIC 3 TRAILER IM LOOSING MY SHIT RN

here’s some things i noticed/wondered/loved:

- i think in that scene where tom is on the ground yelling for sonic, he is wearing a special forces suit. maybe he upgraded from cop to working with gun?? if so i think that’s a really good use of his character actually! he wanted to save a life and raise a family above all else yes, but he still got his previous dream of doing more serious cop work!

- shadow just. has a big ass portal?? like holy shit he’s just suckin the life outta earth and ig that’s one way to do it (or maybe it’s just a ring and i’m stupid idek)

- i’m sure we’ll learn more about this in the actual movie so i’m not too worried, but i’m super confused at the very beginning scene. apparently sonic didn’t change his heart…but he did tho? like he learned what being a true hero meant in the last movie. tbh i feel like that’s enough but hey i’m not against more character development for our boy so!! (also that bit where he’s like “in my lungs” was actually really funny to me, ben schwartz’ awesome delivery caught me off guard)

- GERALD ROBOTNIK ALIVE HUUUUH?! tbh i would’ve preferred if maria was alive, i feel like that would be an interesting dynamic. but also ig that would make it harder for shadow to learn anything so i totally get it. anyways i’m just glad they’re putting a little twist on the story, it keeps it interesting. they already sorta did that with the knuckles and iblis thing actually! (even if that show sucked ass and although that probably wasn’t intentional 😭)

- even tho bro only got like… 3 lines, i really think keanu fits shadow. he’s very soft spoken in comparison to the rest of the case which feels nice. also he’s like the “really bad” guy so ofc he’s not gonna be yappin on and on like sonic or robotnik and he’s gonna take things uber seriously.

- where was my girl maddie :( i think she was only in like a singular frame. hope shes in the movie a somewhat significant amount. i heart pretzel lady!! could live without wade tho like pls im so sick of his bowling soap opera 💀

- FAT ROBOTNIK FAT ROBOTNIK FAT ROBOTNIK!!! after fucking 3 movies they finally fulfilled jim carrey’s wishes!! let the man get creative like please i love jim carrey sm aughdfhfnfmschxj. also love how we got so much stobonik content within that short scene like jesus come get y’all’s food

- shadow at one point says something along the lines of “when we’re done, there won’t be anything left.” maybe i’m reading WAY to into this but what does the “we’re” part mean?? is he working with others? i feel like this is either gonna be team dark or some new movie exclusive character(s). edit: someone made a valid point that he’s actually probably referring to gerald (look at reblogs!)

-CHAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lowkey wonder if the room therye in is like an amusement park or somethin like that

- no sign of amy :( but honestly my prediction now is that she’s gonna be the post credit scene teaser cus they always do a new character reveal there. first tails, then shadow. and honestly now i think it might be better that way so shadow can have a chance to breathe and show his story in full. i’m pretty sure i vaguely remember colleen (tails’ VA) being kinda mysterious about amy’s appearance when asked, and also the fact that it was confirmed that this isn’t the end of the movie franchise/universe. but ig we’ll just have to wait and see!

so sorry i stated this yesterday morning to give my initial thoughts but then got busy and completely forgot to post/finish it. and today i started (and am close to finishing) a very long edit of the trailer, so be on the look out for that too!

genuinely i feel like this movie is gonna somehow be even more record breaking than any of the previous movies and i am so here for the hype 🙏

[kittydoremi]

Opinion: I don't really want Amy or Rouge to be in Sonic 3 that much, or at least I wouldn't mind if they weren't in it.

1: The 2nd movie already felt so crowded with all the characters it had. Tails and Knuckles were fighting for screentime, and Tails' developmemt ended up feeling super rushed and forced. I'd like if the third movie just focused on developing Shadow so it doesn't have a similar problem.

2: As far as Amy goes... I think it would fit better if Sonic gave the speech to Shadow, not her. Sonic has spent a long time on Earth getting to know humans, and has formed close bonds with several of them. If he did the speech, it would be alot more impactful then if Amy just appeared on Earth and did it in the same movie. If she were to appear in a movie, I'd prefer it to be in a possible fourth one that adapts Sonic CD.

[tojigasm]

PLEEASSE DO JAKE SULLY X HUMAN READER SMUT

HE WOULD BE HUGE

Screaming and crying and throwing up, I need Jake so bad rn

He's so much heavier and so much thicker – Resting all his weight on you as he ruts into you, chest to your back and arms pressed into the ground beside you.

He's got you on your hands and knees, stuffing blankets and various pillows from around the lab under your knees. Stroking a hand down your back as he slides two fingers in and out of your cunt.

"please-" your voice is tiny, face hot with tears against the soft pillow as he strokes a finger along your gummy wall, "Please," you sob, mind in too much of a fog to know what you're truly pleading for.

"yeah?" Jake sneers, voice teetering on the verge of patronizing as he pulls his fingers from your heat, "jesus christ," he pulls back to sit on his haunches, gripping the plush of your thighs as he presses a kiss to your pussy with a deep hum.

He keeps his sharp eyes on your dewy ones, pressing kisses to the insides of your thighs as he teases his way back to your cunt. And you can see how much he's enjoying this - enjoying how seemingly helpless you appear, how easily he can manhandle you and how you struggle to fit his fingers.

"Oh, you taste so fuckin' good, sweetheart," he purrs, tail swaying gently and tongue curling against your folds softly. He reaches a hand forward to link with your much smaller one, his calloused thumb massaging circles into the soft of your tiny knuckles.

He flicks his tongue over your clit and you cant help but whimper, fluttering your eyes closed at the heat of it and Jake's not having it.

"Uh uh," he pulls away, chin soaked in your jucies, "eyes on daddy, baby."

you open your eyes again just in time to see Jake raise his brows at you. And you know what that look means, once is a warning. if he has to do it a second time, you'd better not plan on cumming or being able to sit for a least a week.

Jake shifts his focus to your heat thats spilling onto his hands as he spreads the lips of your cunt apart, "Pretty lil' pussy," he praises with a gentle kiss to your clit, "look at that."

He strokes the pad of his thumb over the entrance of your cunt softly, testing the stretch of it as he dips his digit into your wet heat, "So tiny," his voice holds a sort of inspection-esc tone to it, pulling a soft giggle from your lips.

"What's so funny?" he smiles warmly, "huh, baby?"

And when you go to reply, your jaw's immediately dropping in a silent moan as he switches his thumb for his index and middle fingers, scissoring your cunt open with an amused chuckle.

"Oh-" you struggle to keep your eyes open, eyes fluttering as he rubs the pad of his thumb over the spongey stretch of your gummy walls, "daddy-!"

Jake kneads his palm over the plush of your waist, "Let daddy do the work, baby" he flicks his tongue over your clit again, massaging your tense thigh with the grip of his hand, "relax fr'daddy, honey."

youre still tense beneath him, sobbing into the thick fabric of the whool blankets, "cant-" your voice is watery as you teeter on the edge of release.

"You can." his voice deepens a bit, looking you over with a softened look, "cum when you need to, daddy wants you to feel good."

that reassurence soothes you and Jake hums as his fingers slip deeper into your cunt, "there you go," voice muffled against your heat he licks over your folds, tyeing pace with his fingers.

Jake lets you writhe a bit, pulling back to kneel beside your bent waist, he dips his middle and forefinger into you once more. Curling his fingers upwards you bite into the pillow with a broken sob.

"daddy," you warn and he speeds up at your cracked voice, pulling a pitched moan from your lips, "Daddy, daddy, daddy-" your brows furrow and your lips part as you gush over him with a sob, "Oh my god!"

Jake pulls his hand from your cunt, forearm soaked in your heat, he dips his hand between your thighs to rub at you calves, not missing the glistening slick that's ribboned down your plush inner thighs and damped the blankets below you.

Youre still panting into the wet fabric, soaked by your tears and drool when you feel Jake curl himself over you; thighs on either side of your trembling ones and hands planted into the ground beside your head.

He reaches back to drag his swollen tip against your soaked folds before he ruts the length of his cock along your sopping cunt with hiss.

"Jesus, you're wet," he tests you a bit, gently pressing the fat head into your small hole before you're whimpering and clutching at his large wrist.

"Slow, slow." you pant softly, thighs still trembling beneath the heat of you both.

Jake nods at that, "I know. I know, baby, m'gonna go slow."

it takes a few tries before the tip of his cock is past your velvet folds. The thick of it is so large you feel full already, pulling yourself back to ground in the comfort of the silk pressed against your cheek.

Jake slowly begins to push into you and the girth of his cock makes you jolt. You try to focus on the greens, blues, and greys strewn throughout the blankets as Jake slowly presses into you.

"Just a lil bit more, sweetheart," he reaches his hand under you to rub at your clit softly, amber eyes sharp as you relax at his touch.

"Atta' girl," Jake praises from above as the lenght of him slowly sinks into you and you feel so full you could sob. your small hands dig into the thick of the comforter and Jake lets you soothe in the fullness before he's gently sliding out somewhat to push back into you.

"doing so good, kid." Jake's hand slips from your clit to cup at your chest, pulling you upwards as he sinks into you again, tip of his cock pressing into your cervix almost immedialty. "Fuckin' christ," Jake groans, hand falling from your chest to the floor beside your head as he momentarily presses his hips into the plush of your smaller ones.

The weight of him has you drooling, your knees threatening to buckle under you - Jake notices the shivers and trembles, pushing himself to the hilt inside of you, heavy balls resting up against your folds.

"Hgn- ah!" You gasp "S'too deep, too deep," you whimper, reaching your hand back to press against Jake's knee. He grabs your arm before you can reach him, pressing your hand back into the comforter as he fucks into you.

sobbing into the silk pillow, your tears spill over your cheeks, kicking your legs upwards in a chill. And its fucking vulgar, the pap-pap-pap sound of his balls hitting your tiny little cunt but you can't help to absolutely keen in it all.

"Shh..." Jake soothes, pressing soft kisses to the top of your head - you're panting wetly beneath him, clit throbbing in the hot air.

Jake moves to shift to a better angle, his cock slipping against the spongey patch of your cunt

"oh!" you cry, walls pulsing immediately, clenching around his cock and twitching. You reach for his hand beside your head, wrapping the soft of your hand around the length of his thumb and Jake nearly cums on the spot.

Jake's panting above you, cock throbbing in your heat and tail curling around your slicked thigh as he slows to pull your hair out of your face gently. "Hi baby" he smiles warmly, stroking a hand over your head as he checks in on you, "y'okay?"

you're not slow to nod with a watery smile, grasp on his thumb tightening as your eyes meet his amber ones, "You look so pretty daddy."

Jake chuckles at that, "yeah baby, ya'think daddy looks pretty?" smirk adorning his worn features.

you nod again and he leans down to press a kiss to the top of your head, "thank you, sweetie."

pulling back, he cups your hand holding his thumb, massaging soft circles into your skin, "So fuckin' tiny, Jesus," and it's almost as if he can't comprehend how you're taking him right now, how you're so soft beneath him and how fragile you are. he often forgets after spending so much time with the Na'vi.

Jake swivels his hips gently to see the way your eyes roll at the stretch of him, moaning and shivering in his hold "Oh shiiit..." a hiss rolls up his throat.

And Christ, He wants to ruin you, keep you fucked dumb on his cock ti'll you're reduced to nothing but a drooling mess; wants to fill you up, wants to fucking fill you ti'll he's filled your mind, ti'll you're choking on all that he gives you

Nodding into your forearms, tears stream down your cheeks, wetting the silk covers, "Please, please lemme cum, daddy," you're sobbing into your arms, choking on your tears.

"You're okay, baby." the tip of his cock grazes your cervix again, "cum when you need to."

you're nearly limp beneath him, legs trembling and threatening to give out, so Jake cups his forearm under your tummy, using his thumb to run circles over your clit while you writhe against the comforter.

"M'so close, daddy," you whisper into the hot air of cabin, too tired to look back at him.

"I've got'cha," Jake coos, circling your swollen clit again.

When you cum, Jake has to catch you as your knees give out and your body rides out the waves of your orgasm - walls squeezing and clenching around the thick of his cock.

He struggles to keep himself upright, pleasure so intense he can barely focus. The heat of your cunt pulls him in so deliciously that he cums with such a guttural groan - ears flat against his hair and pearly canines bare in a hiss before he's nipping into the soft of your neck.

You whimper at the bite, letting out a broken squeal when he pulls off to lick at the indent, gently pulling his length from your swollen pussy.

Jake doesn't miss the way his cum spills out of you, thick and hot against your soft little thighs. The sight of it brings him to his knees, holding your hips up by your trembling thighs as he stuffs his mouth to your cunt with a heated moan. He presses a kiss to your clit, helping to lower you to lie on the strew of blankets.

He settles down next to you, propping himself up on his elbow to look you over, gently running the backs of his knuckles over your shoulder and waist.

You're still panting softly, trying to catch your breath and your mind and ground yourself all at once and it's just too much.

And it's almost as if Jake can sense it as he cups your chin softly, "Y'okay down there?"

you nod shakenly and then suddenly you're crying choked sobs and Jake's gathering you in his arms, making sure to nestle you into one of the blankets before he's soothing you in his hold "C'mere, honey." voice gentle and deep as it settles you.

He lies with you as you calm, gently massaging the tense muscles of your thighs and back all the while pressing kisses to the back of your head paired with soft whispers of praise.

In the morning, he holds you close at the entrance to the lab as he leaves. Kneeling down, he presses a kiss to your forehead, "Gonna be a good girl fr'me while m'gone?" Jake pulls back with warm smile.

you nod, blanket from the night before still wrapped over your shoulders, giggling when he ups your chin with a flick of his hand before he's making his way back into the forest, promising to be back in the soft of eclipse.

[spiral-lemur]

OK THE ANNUAL’S OUT AND I JUST NEED TO BABBLE ABOUT STUFF SOOO SPOILERS AHEAD READ AT UR OWN RISK ETC ETC ETC

OK STORY NUMBER 1.

Ok wow. No it’s fine really. Go ahead. Go ahead and BREAK MY FUCKING HEART right off the bat. They don’t even know later in they’re subconsciously Still following the path Starline mapped out for them by still aiming to replace Sonic and Tails. Like yeah this time Eggman is on the chopping block for real which would make Starline lose his gay little mind but GODDDDDDD

Also it’s really funny that the general perception is that Kit is the more mellow of the two. Appearance wise? Yeah. Mannerisms? For the most part yeah. But deep down this little guy is FUCKED UP.

Like every so often the comic just reminds you “see this cute little guy? he can and will drown you for nothing more than surge’s happiness if he sees fit.” Lil dude does NOT care. Genuinely curious as to how this plotline will develop later on since Kit is clearly misguided. Yes he wants to help Surge and she’ll be happy for a while with this arrangement…as long as she doesn’t find out. What happens when she finds out though? I doubt she’ll be very happy to know all her “accomplishments” were part of a carefully constructed narrative set up by the very person who was meant to support her. I’m just RRRRRRRRGGHRGGHHHRTHHHHHH about them yknow? Also I think it’s interesting that this is set sometime after issue 75; very curious about what “he had to drag them out of there” means for the safety of Restoration HQ and I’m even more curious about where Surge and Kit are right now. Are they still there? Bunking somewhere else? What happened with them and their ties to Clutch and Mimic? Lots of questions to wait and find out. Very excited to see how this goes.

Now for the Knuckles story; admittedly this one isn’t spinning around my brain as much because of the other two stories, but it’s still a lovely read. It serves as some insight for Knuckles’ thoughts about his current life and relationships with his friends and it brings a good ol’ smile to my face.

The art FUCKS as usual when ABT is involved. Like this page? This page right here. Gorgeous. Would be a very fun redraw I think. And I feel it says a lot about how Knuckles feels about these characters without having to say anything which is nice. Rouge, for all the trouble she gives him, also gives him an outlet to blow off some steam and a reason to keep up with his training(aside from Eggman of course), and she obviously wouldn’t be there if he didn’t respect her to some degree. Sonic is someone Knuckles views as a worthy rival, but he’s also a treasured friend alongside Amy and Tails. They may clash, but he knows that at the end of the day they’ve got his back, and he’s got their’s. The Chaotix are a little trickier to pinpoint, but they’re here for a reason. I believe they add a dash of excitement and companionship to his life. They might be a bunch of clowns, but they’re HIS clowns and he cares about them just as much as everyone else here. He knows he can depend on them when it comes down to it, which is what I believe the Master Emerald was trying to get at here.

Also Sonknux enjoyers got a little snack here. A little treat even. But it’s nice to see that just like these guys are still on Knuckles’ mind, he never left THEIR minds either. It’s nice to see that they aren’t just trying to get his help for something and just giving him a friendly visit because 1.) We get to see Knuckles and 2.) The dude could use a day where they don’t bring trouble to his doorstep LOL

Also what the FUCK happened to the Tornado guys I JUST said you weren’t bringing trouble to his doorstep you better keep it that way—

And then it ends with the gang catching Knux up to speed on their latest shenanigans. Like I mentioned earlier I think this story serves as a look into how Knuckles views his current situation, and it’s very heartwarming in my opinion. I think this sequence really sums up the big takeaway from this story:

sorry the quality is ass it’s hard to do these things on a phone

There was a moment where I thought that bright light echidna was Tikal, and I’m a little disappointed it wasn’t. It’s still nice but if it’d been her, you’d best believe I’d have a lot more screamy words about it. It’s not a bad story at all though, and if you’re a Knuckles fan who loves digging into his deeper thoughts I think this story is a good read for you. Also YIPPIEE KNUCKLES CONFIRMED FOR ISSUE 80!!!

Now for the story that I(and I’m sure many others are) am currently foaming at the mouth the most over. It’s no surprise at all that a look into Mimic’s backstory would be something I eat the fuck up as a massive fan of Tangle, Whisper, and everything relating to them. But holy WOW this story had everything I could’ve wanted and I will be using this as fuel for my Diamond Cutter Autism™️

Okay, starting off with him being an actor before joining the Diamond Cutters. This may not seem as relevant to people compared to literally everything else in this story BUT you guys. You guys. When I tell you I lost my shit. Why? BECAUSE I FUCKING CALLED THAT SHIT.

This excerpt is from a (now scrapped) fic where I tried tackling a possible redemption arc for Mimic. We hadn’t had any backstory for Mimic so I’d tried making one up that tied into his shapeshifting. I ended up scrapping the whole thing because Mimic kept getting worse/more irredeemable as a character and I didn’t feel like trying to keep it going; and I feel the need to bring up that Tangle and Whisper would’ve never fully trusted or forgiven him(like. at all), he just would’ve gotten over trying to kill them by the end. I swear I wasn’t aiming for a “you did this horrible shit but it’s ok you feel bad about it so we’re buddies now :3” type deal. Anyway, that useless bit of info aside, I wrote this thing back in 2022. It’s not EXACTLY the same way obviously, but seeing this after having written him as a former actor made me actually stop and gape for a second before scrambling to find that old draft. I guess I could just SMELL the washed up actor on him. And yeah maybe it was the most plausible thing, but I’ve been given an inch and just this once I’m going to run this mile in circles.

After the whole acting thing, the war started, Mimic wanted to show off, left some other teams for dead, etc etc and then he met THEM.

This…houghhhhhhhhh

Do you think Whisper ever thinks back to this day? Do you think it’s ever crossed her mind that if she’d never invited him, her friends might still be alive? Do you think this thought eats her alive on bad nights? Whisper honey I am so fucking sorry. It’s not your fault, you couldn’t have known how fucking shitty this guy really was. You didn’t deserve that.

FUCK!!!

Ahem. It’s really bittersweet looking into how these guys acted not just as a team, but as friends. We got a better look as to how these guys were personality-wise and it just stings knowing that this little found family is no longer here because one of them just couldn’t handle vulnerability. Smithy was like an older brother—wise, but just as goofy and playful as the rest of them, and just as ready to tease his little twerps. Claire was like an older sister; similar to Smithy, always looking out for the others, but just as ready to make fun of them. She was probably the straightman in a lot of their antics, but with that loving “oh, you” sense to it. Slinger was the goofy, cocky younger brother. Ready to go for the biggest thing he could find, and usually needing to be saved from his own ambition. He’d make up for that trouble by bringing in a lifetime supply of laughs for all of them. And Whisper…honestly I’d go as far as saying Whisper back then was just like Tangle is now. Optimistic, eager, bubbly. I wonder if that might be why she gravitated towards Tangle rather than the other characters she was friendly with; even before their miniseries. I’d show more images for this part but apparently I can only use 10 images on a phone and my computer still isn’t up so that’s just SWELL. For the last image I’ve got, I’ll just use this:

It just stings so HARD when you really think about what was taken from her. We might have gotten the Whisper we know and love because of it, sure. She may not have met any of the people she holds dear now if it hadn’t gone the way it did. But the fact that she had this little family, the fact she loved them so dearly, the fact she’d put so much trust into them—only to have it ripped away in one selfish decision? That’ll hurt forever. That’ll haunt her for the rest of life; it’ll haunt me too. God the Diamond Cutters sting so good.

Now let’s get Mimic’s little monologue in here. Ahem.

“I got what I wanted. Did I just crave validation? Was it ever about the spotlight? I can’t be myself around them. They don’t know what I’ve done…friendship is supposed to feel good. Solid. Like a foundation…so why does it hurt so much? They don’t see I’m a walking contradiction. One look p-past my facade and I’ll be thrown away! I can’t afford to be so fragile. I look back at my acting days with a soul-wrenching truth staring back at me. The more things change, the more they stay the same. It’s a rehearsed charade! They are all mirrors, saying what I want to hear until they get what they want. They can’t be trusted. I refuse to play this game anymore.

The moment an opportunity to be rid of these nuisances came, I readily took it. The Diamond Cutters would be gone from this world and mine. I could clear my mind and never feel such visceral pain from their fake smiles. Attachment was erased, like weeds pulled from a garden, as they perished. The pain inside nearly vanished, a good sign for my healing journey. Yet…there was a single, terribly annoying headache left to deal with. I can’t fix what that team did to me until I shatter every last one. Only with this knife, will I finally be cleansed.

I can’t think straight tonight. What is the point of reflecting on all these memories? Am I afraid? Or am I just…tired? Soon, that pain deep within myself will be washed away. And this can all be a bad, bad dream. I’m selfish, arrogant, and colder than a frozen lake. I enjoy the chase, watching others struggle, and I love that about me! I know what I am, so…who are you?”

Man…a LOT to unpack here.

Mimic is a coward. There’s certainly vitriol to my words, but it’s also just a fact based on the evidence we’ve seen. He’d been burned so many times chasing the spotlight in the past, he’d grown to view it as conditional. No one ever truly valued his contributions in his eyes. He was just another part of an act, and when that act was over, no one would need each other anymore—so whenever he felt done with putting on the “show” of contributing to a new team during the war, he quickly cut ties. Some ways more permanent than others—we’ll never know for certain if he got those people killed like the Diamond Cutters, but he certainly didn’t care if he did. The show was over. It didn’t matter.

Then the Diamond Cutters came along. The show was going well, it was a broadway smash! Then the actor’s nemesis began to creep in; imposter syndrome. Mimic knew deep down, he didn’t deserve this success. How many people did he really cut down as he chased the spotlight? How many people had seen his previous work? How long until that all came back to bite him? He didn’t know. It terrified him deep down, judging from the moments of hesitation he’d shown in his monologue. Surely it began to gnaw at him more and more towards the end. He can’t trust them, his smiles were fake so they all had to be faking too, right? There was no way there was such a thing as genuine friendship, teamwork, or any of the like. If it didn’t exist in his world, it couldn’t have existed at all. It began to be kill or be killed; and Mimic intended to be the one doing the killing. So he cut them down too.

But Whisper survived. Whisper was a present reminder of the horrible, selfish things he’d done. As long as she’s around, he can never fully ignore what he’s left behind. He can never truly run away from all of it. So he has his sights set on her; killing her will surely solve all the pain within himself. It has to. It has to.

And he still hesitates. Maybe it’s the way suppressed guilt is manifesting itself, maybe it’s being overly cautious, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t care. Perhaps once there was a time he could’ve gone back on everything and reinvented himself, but it’s gone now. And he’ll run away from that possibility for the rest of his life. He just has to get rid of that last poster before he can move on to his next big show.

Or I could easily be reading way too much into it but who cares I’m having fun this way! Really enjoyed this story—easily my favorite of the three if you couldn’t tell from all that word vomit. This annual might just be my favorite of them all so far, and I’m excited to see how these characters continue to develop as the comic runs on. That’s just about everything I can think of to say, so that ends my babbling. Thanks to everyone who read this far! I don’t normally get so wordy but this annual really just activated something in me.

[smallpwbbles]

my main issue with people saying paramount hate women for not including amy or rouge i n the movie...well

rouge could show up but we haven't seen her in the trailer yet

amy......theres not really anywhere to fit her in the movie without cramming it, she would be a better fit for the 4th movie

i understand the complaints, but storywise.....theres not much place to fit them

Like the complaints about rouge and Amy are VERY valid and I will not downplay their impact in SA2 cuz I am very much a rouge and Amy fan and I’m not gonna pretend I don’t want them in the movie verse.

I just don’t want them crammed in movie 3 for inclusivity, cuz it seems packed enough as it is, even in movie 2 Tails got shafted basically to focus on a knuckles and while they did the best they could with the time for Tails I would hate if they did that with Rouge and Amy

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Has this already been done? Arven, Penny, and Nemona with The Loyal Three.

Nemona is the Brawn, Penny is the Brain, which makes Arven the Beauty.

If you meant the saga of Reader introducing the Scarvi Trio to Legendaries, here it is <3

........

"How dare you bully sweet old Ogerpon?! You punks should've picked on someone your own size..like me!"

"Oh no.."

"Maybe you should've left that part of the story out, [y/n]."

"I probably could've worded it better, but I didn't think she'd freak out that much." Sighing, you turned away from Penny and Arven, looking to see Nemona scowling at the Loyal Three, giving them the reprimand of a lifetime.

Never before have any of you seen her get so....angry.

She was almost never angry at all. Not even after you've defeated her in battle over and over again did she lose her cool.

Perhaps you should avoid using the word "bully" to describe Pokémon. She was definitely acting like she was back in her early student council president days.

"I guess it makes sense why [y/n]'s friend Carmine called you the "Lousy Three"..because your attitudes were just plain lousy-!"

"Alright, Nemona. That's enough. I've already given them a lecture over it..and then some." You whistled for the trio to come to you, and they were rather quick to run over and hide behind you.

They seemed somewhat grateful that you rescued them, although Okidogi was quick to snarl as she approached, the fur on his tail becoming bristled. He cracked his knuckles with anticipation, clearly looking for a fight.

Munkidori kept trying to grab ahold of his arm, trying to discourage him from doing anything rash (such as starting a fight, which is what you specifically told them all not to do). But the larger Pokémon just huffed and tried shaking off his grip.

Fezandipiti, in the meantime, just turned his attention to Arven and Penny, trying to look anywhere but the embarrassing scene unfolding in front of him. He did like seeing their surprised faces, smirking and even stroking a wing over his head to show off.

You just shook your head, wondering how you were going to deescalate this mess yet again.

After your short trip to Kitakami, you've returned to Paldea with four extra companions: all of them being legendaries with a story tied to them.

One that turned out to be quite false.

You explained how Ogerpon was mistakenly considered the "bad guy" for many generations while the Loyal Three were deemed "heroes" who sacrificed themselves to save the village...but in reality it was the opposite.

They attacked Ogerpon for her masks and killed her trainer, and she fought back and defeated them all, yet she was scorned rather than praised, going into hiding for many years since.

After the trio was revived somehow, you went on to retrieve her masks and eventually captured them all, although of course they were anything but "loyal" and thought you were just lucky.

Not to mention they continued to annoy Ogerpon every time your back was turned, stealing bites of her sandwiches and throwing the toy ball in her face like they were playing dodgeball.

You only intervened after she nearly destroyed the picnic table with her cudgel in a fit of anger..clearly an obvious set-up by the trio who thought you'd be mad at her.

But you saw through their plan and got fed up, reminding them who exactly kicked their asses.

You didn't hold back at all.

Munkidori was quickly humbled, recalling that he got beaten up first in front of his two friends...so he apologized to Ogerpon right away. His future sight forewarned him of the consequences of acting out of line again, so he encouraged the others to do the same.

Fezandipiti, being the sassy and vain bird that he is, rolled his eyes. Although he valued his looks and would rather not get dirty from another battle with your Pokémon. He's suffered through enough of those to know it's just not worth it. So he promised to never bother Ogerpon again.

Okidogi, however, had the toughest time letting go of his pride. He refused to apologize at first, acting immature and snapping at the other two for going "soft". But he only turned over a new leaf after you threatened to stop giving them all mochi.

You meant it as a joke, although it was super effective in making the stubborn poison/fighting type panic and apologize to her, willing to do whatever you wanted from there on.

That day, you quickly learned that just like Koraidon/Miraidon..you held power over some mighty Pokémon.

Not with any special items or ancient relics, but with ordinary food.

So with the Loyal Three finally in your control, now seemed to be the perfect time to properly introduce them to your closest friends in Paldea.

Although...you weren't expecting Nemona to scold them like you did, nor did you think she'd still have such an intense staredown with Okidogi.

"Nemona." You warned again.

She snapped out of her trance and looked to you, frowning a little. "Sorry about that, [y/n]. It's just...whenever I hear a sad story about someone getting bullied just for defending themselves..I get heated. Especially if it's between Pokémon."

"I understand." You gave her a reassuring smile, before you reached up to pet Okidogi's arm. "Don't worry, big guy. When I said she was great at battling, I didn't mean with words."

He only snorted in response, but otherwise remained silent as his haunches relaxed.

"I promise you're gonna absolutely love her strategies. She helped me become a great trainer....I learned a lot from her."

"...you did?" Stars formed in Nemona's eyes at your praises, both hands going to her chest as her smile grew. "Awh, [y/n] that's so sweet of you!"

'Well it's true, but-"

"Hold on." She interrupted, staring at the doglike Pokémon. "Does Okidogi actually wanna battle me???"

His ears perked up, and he smiled and nodded his head, to which she gasped with excitement. "Oh can I please battle him, [y/n]???" She clasped her hands together. "I wanna see what he's got!"

"Of course." You chuckled.

"Wait, what's happening?"

"Nemona's gonna try to fight a Legendary? You sure that's a good idea?"

Turning around, you were met with the confused and concerned looks of Penny, Arven, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti.

But seeing them all standing there gave you another idea, causing a bigger grin to form on your face. "I got it..how about you guys have a battle with them, too? It could be a great way for you all to get to know each other!"

"Huh, that sounds like something I'd orchestrate...but I'm loving the idea!" Nemona agreed, before she and Okidogi rushed to get into their battle positions.

"Okay, so she and Oki got a battle of the brawns going on. Which leaves..." You spun around and pointed to Penny, then Munkidori. "...you and him to have a battle of the brains!"

"I'm not sure about that," she mumbled. "You have that much confidence in me?"

'Of course I do. You fight well with your Eeveelutions, so I'm sure you'll be able to outwit Munki somehow."

"Mmmikay?" The poison/psychic blinked, although he seemed to take that as a challenge and huffed confidently, looking to Penny.

"......alright. Let's do this, I guess." She sighed in defeat before the two went to do battle somewhere nearby.

You then looked at Arven. "Well uh...this is a little awkward, but-"

"Fezandipiti and I are gonna be the "battle of the beauty"...of course." He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "I haven't freshened up my battling skills since the tournament, but I wouldn't mind a little practice."

"Yip-ippy!" The birdlike Pokémon trilled, flying over to a random spot as Arven quickly chased him down, Mabosstiff not too far behind him.

Now that it was just you and Ogerpon standing side-by-side, she turned to you with a look of confusion. "Pon?" She took out one of her masks, tilting her head.

"Oh no. We've already had our battle and I got to learn so much about you." You chuckled, gently patting her head between the horns. "But if you want...maybe they can battle you later and see how your masks work. How about that?"

"Hmm....pon!! Ponni!!!"

"Haha, I thought so. Until then, we'll be their cheerleaders."

[theknucklehead]

Sonic Central released a direct recently, and one of the announcements was a comic crossover with Sonic and DC Comics.

I'll be honest, DC Comics was very low on my list of crossover options for Sonic, but it is one that I think has potential.

We'll have Sonic as the Flash (naturally)

Tails as Cyborg

Knuckles as Superman

Amy as Wonder Woman (Personally I think Blaze would be a better fit)

Shadow as Batman

and Silver as Green Lanturn

[blu-ish]

Something I just thought about when looking at Sonic’s techniques in frontiers is how they almost seem Silver inspired.

It’s been well established that Sonic has some form of aerokinesis and all of these attacks can be explained that way, but this was the first time from what I know of him using it to create forms of concentrated wind energy.

This brings me the idea of Sonic occasionally training with Silver to master these abilities as silver’s psychokinesis seems to work similarly. I definitely don’t see Sonic ever being able to pull off the levels of control Silver has to lift a whole island or something. Although I can see the blue blur being able to give wind a direction.

Sonic the airbender HSBSNSJSHSB NO FR THO I ADORE ALL THESE UNIQUE TYPES OF WIND ATTACKS. I can definitely see the Silver inspo.

Sonic’s whole power is mainly wind manipulation, (because of his speed, it makes sense) but recently (especially with the Sonic movies) it’s almost become more electrical. (Again, fast as the wind, quick as lightning type thang.)

Not like one is inherently better than the other, but I do like the idea of chaos manipulation in the forms of power that fit each individual character.

Sonic’s being wind, being that he’s quick (DUH LMAO) but also unpredictable, his abilities compliment that by creating cyclones and the like.

Same thing can be said with the other characters like Amy, Knuckles, and Tails in frontiers.

But if you compare Sonic’s power to someone like Shadow (for example), you can tell Shadows control over chaos (while artificial in nature) has the same level if not more destructive capabilities compared to Sonic’s which we can only assume is something he’s learned to control naturally like with his speed. (His flaw being his stamina, he burns way too much chaos energy compared to Sonic, which is why he’s not able to hold super form longer than Sonic naturally, especially when his rings are removed.)

Shadow uses chaos manipulation to create powerful strikes, like with his chaos spear or (same with Sonic) with the help of a chaos emerald, teleport. But his true power withheld by his inhibitor rings, to stay in control.

Silver is similar in a way, he uses some sort of chaos manipulation to use his own power of telekinesis. One that his inhibitor rings (again similar to shadow) help him control, if not, concentrate his power.

I can definitely see all the hedgehogs giving each other pointers about their chaos energy, (even in the form of moves) Silvers powers (while there’s still not much we know about his origins, then again same can be said with Sonic lmao) he definitely would be the one to have the most control or have to since his chaos manipulation takes more concentration. (Definitely would be amazing to see how his powers grow and shift over time PLEASE MAKE HIM PLAYABLE PLEASEEEE GIVE US A SILVER GAME— *gets shot*)

Chaos energy/manipulation is something I always found fascinating in the Sonic series. And Sonic’s move set has limitless potential because of it hsjshshs, LOOKING AT YOU SMASH BROS /aff

[lloydskywalkers]

Quick question, if you don't mind me asking, will there ever be more fics with Lloyd, Rachel and Brad? You don't have to answer if you don't want too. :)

ASDFG I do not mind at all omg my silly oc :'D I have...tentative plans for them depending on how november goes, but in the meantime i did have this one floating around?? reworked it a bit to fit the timeline but here's some shenanigans

(working title is "Lloyd and Brad clown-to-clown communicating: He’s the biggest mess of parental issues I’ve ever seen. Not me, though. I can fix him.")

also somewhat necessary reference for this fic:

There are probably better places to hang out than fifteen stories up the Ninjago City municipal building — or whatever this one is — and definitely better places to hang out than outside said building on a tiny wooden platform suspended by wires. 

And yet here Rachel is, sitting on a hijacked window cleaner platform that Lloyd’s insisted is perfectly safe, while Brad goes out for awkward lunch with his awkward mom one awkward building over. 

It’s not stalking if they’re doing their own thing. Which they are, thank you very much. 

“Fat pink blob.”

“Close,” Rachel snorts. 

“Kirby knock-off?”

“Hey, rude, Jigglypuff is unique,” she retorts. 

“Jigglypuff,” Lloyd repeats, delighted. “That’s even better.”

Rachel waves the Pokémon card with an air of superiority. “Jigglypuff is a balloon Pokémon, normal and fairy type. It can lull enemies to sleep with its singing.”

“Is it related to the Clefairy one?” Lloyd asks, one leg swinging over the edge of the platform, as if there’s not a good fifteen stories of empty air beneath him. 

“No, Pokémon aren’t related,” Rachel rolls her eyes. She pauses. “Well, I mean…I don’t know?”

“I thought you were the expert here.”

“I never said I was an expert on Pokémon genetics, cut me some slack.”

“Betrayed,” Lloyd sighs. “Next you’ll be telling me that Pikachu is a rat.”

“He’s not a rat, he’s a mouse, and I did tell you!” 

“Pikachu is Pikachu! How can he be a mouse!” 

“I can’t believe you’re still worked up about that,” Rachel huffs, propping her chin on her hands. 

“It’s the principle of things,” Lloyd says. “I’m uneducated, or whatever you said. Cut me some slack.”

Rachel rolls her eyes. As offended as Lloyd’s been by Pikachu the mouse, distracting themselves with Pokémon education — which is necessary, Lloyd’s such an obvious Pokémon target audience — has been a decent success, if she says so herself. 

So far, Lloyd’s been particularly fond of Charmander, his mouth quirking at the little fire-tailed creature. Rachel went ahead and gave him a Charmander and Squirtle pair, which successfully got a laugh from him. He’s also gone for Mimikyu—

“You would like that one.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

And Greninja, of course—

“I’m legally obligated to, look at the name—”

“Basic, loser—”

But she hadn’t seen Skiploom or Misdreavus coming.

“They’re cute,” Lloyd says. “And Misdreavus looks like you. When you have bad ideas.”

“When I have bad ideas — hey!” Rachel sputters. “Well, that makes sense then, ‘cause Skiploom looks like you.”

“Why, ‘cause it’s green?” Lloyd scoffs. “You can do better than that.”

“Fine,” she huffs, shuffling through her binder. “You would be…Dragonair. Or — ooh, wait, here—”

“Wooper?!” Lloyd stares at the cartoony blue blob and its oversized head in consternation. 

“It looks just like you,” she says, lips twitching. “Look at its happy little airhead smile—”

“It looks nothing like me!”

Lloyd’s laughing now though, his leg swinging back and forth enough to rock the platform. Rachel’s not normally one to be scared of heights, but her knuckles do turn somewhat white as she grips the cables. 

The whole window-washer thing does make a little more sense, now, seeing how at ease he is up here. 

Lloyd’s told her he took the window job because it was the only place in Ninjago he hasn’t caused enough significant structural damage to that would still hire him. The way he’d pulled them up this high without hesitating, though, she can’t help but wonder if there was more to it than that.

Lloyd’s the opposite of people scared of heights. Where others might shrink back in fear at the looming distance between them and the ground, Lloyd seems to come alive at it. Every gust of wind, the clear blue of the sky unfolding behind him, Lloyd breathes a little different — a little easier, a little lighter. 

“He’s not really human, remember?” Brad had reminded her, once. “Well, okay, he’s part-human — but there’s the whole Oni and dragon thing, you know?”

Which makes sense, she guesses. If Lloyd’s part dragon, it’s no wonder he misses the sky.

“There are so many,” Lloyd says, as they flip through her collection. “And you don’t even have ‘em all?”

“Not nearly,” Rachel says. “There are a lot of rare cards, or ones that are super hard to get, rainbow versions and shiny versions and stuff.”

“Like Starfarer collector’s comics.”

“Yeah, pretty much, I guess. Make something shiny and it’s worth more.”

“You’re telling me,” Lloyd murmurs beneath his breath. 

Rachel tilts her head, studying him. She’s been getting better at clocking those little remarks, now that she knows to look for them. Self-sabotaging slash self-deprecating moments, something him and Brad share in common. 

“You can’t just like the basics, though,” she says. She’s not sure the story behind this one, so distraction’ll have to work, this time. “C’mon, pick a poison type or something.” 

“I don’t even know what half the types are,” Lloyd huffs, but his expression eases as he flips through the plastic-sheathed pages. He pauses over her collection of ground types, tapping a card. “This one’s cool.”

“Oh,” Rachel says. “That’s Cubone. It’s one of my favorites, even though it’s a sad one.”

Lloyd stares at the pudgy, dinosaur-like creature. “Sad how? It’s cute.”

“Well, the skull it’s got on its head is, uh, its mom’s,” Rachel said. Lloyd’s head snaps up, expression wounded.

“What.”

“I said it was sad!” Rachel says. “It’s a lonely Pokémon.”

“They literally named it lonely?” Lloyd’s looking heartbroken by the second.

“Yeah, see, here—” In a totally smart and well thought-out move, Rachel hands him Cubone’s description. 

“When the memory of its departed mother brings it to tears, its cries echo mournfully within the skull it wears on its head,” Lloyd reads. His voice grows quieter as he does, his eyes fixed on the tiny creature embossed on the card. 

Stupid, thoughtless move, Rachel curses herself. Bad timing queen of the century—

There’s a reason they’re stalking Brad. There’s a reason they’re up this high, too. 

It isn’t like she knows what went on at Darkley’s, not all of it. But it doesn’t take a genius to guess that whatever kind of parents decided to leave their kids there weren’t the best. Or the most present. 

And she’d have to be really, really blind to miss the way Lloyd had gone stiff when Brad mentioned meeting up with his mother.

Lloyd looks down, to where Brad disappeared into the restaurant below. 

“I’m sure they’re fine,” she murmurs, uselessly.

Lloyd looks away. He’s drawn a knee up to his chest now, his cheek squashed up against it as he draws little circles over Cubone’s picture. 

“Brad said they get along, now,” he mutters. “That’s why they’re meeting up every month. To try and reconnect, or something.”

Rachel draws her own knees up to her chest, mimicking him. “That’s a good thing, right?”

Lloyd shrugs. He quickly shakes his head, amending, “No, you’re right. It’s a good thing. I’m being—”

He cuts off, looking out over the skyline.

“Selfish,” he murmurs. “Paranoid,” he adds, after a beat. “And unfair.”

“That’s a lot of lies to tell yourself.” 

“Except they’re true.”

“Stoppit,” Rachel scowls. “Now you’re calling me a liar—”

“Brad’s getting to reconnect with his mom and it isn’t about me.”

“Okay, well—” Rachel huffs. “Brad’s not here. It’s you and me and a bunch of Pokémon cards, and you didn’t even know what Pokémon was, which is a crime, because your mom left you at hell school as a kid—”

“Wow, okay, she didn’t — look, it’s—”

“You’re allowed to be hurt.”

“Am I?” Lloyd throws his hands up in the air. “I’ve already made things a mess with my dad, I don’t need to go and ruin stuff with my mom of top of everything,” he says in a rush. “I mean, she tries her best, too. People should get second chances, obviously, and like — she had a good reason, and — and it’s stupid that I’m even feeling this way in the first place, just ‘cause Brad’s having a great time with his mom and actually managing to talk to his parents without blowing up and — and oh my god I need to learn how to filter.” 

Rachel closes her mouth. 

She’d figured that was coming. She might not be a Lloyd expert, but ever since the world ended in Ninjago City for the billionth time — growing purple crystals all over yourself out of nowhere sucked, by the way — he’s clearly been off. And when Brad had mentioned hanging out in the city after meeting up with his mom, Rachel had known very well she was kicking a hornet’s nest by inviting Lloyd. 

Sometimes you gotta risk getting stung, though. To, uh…okay, turning into a bad metaphor here, but there’s a point. 

Lloyd buries his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry,” he says, muffled. “I wanted to hang out, and have fun, and — I’m terrible at being friends.”

“Three lies, you’re out,” is all Rachel manages at first. She shakes her head, reorienting. “Well, okay, you went over like, six sentences ago, but besides the point.”

She shifts her leg free, so she can gently kick his own. “You’re not a bad friend,” she says. “We are having fun. Sometimes you talk about the heavy stuff with your friends, too. That’s all.”

“It’s also all I’ve been doing. We should, uh, talk about your day now, or something—”

“You listened to me talk about Pokémon for an hour straight,” she says, gently. “That was really cool. Brad only lets me get like, ten minutes of rambling in.”

“I liked listening to you,” Lloyd says, glancing at up at her. “Except for the part where you said I’m a Wooper.”

Rachel breathes a laugh. “You are. Look at his dumb little smile.”

Lloyd’s lips twitch, a pale imitation of the smile she knows, but it’s a win she’ll take. 

“Have you ever thought about it?” she asks, hesitantly. “Talking to your…mom about things. How you feel. Actually feel.”

Lloyd’s face falls again, and he looks down to the tiny street below them. 

“I dunno,” he mutters. “I’m not sure what I’d say.”

Rachel chews on the inside on her cheek. She thinks of her own mother, of her frightened eyes always watching doors. Thinks of old books hidden beneath her bed, well-worn pages her uncle had read before the shouting matches had started. Thinks of the sting of people who don’t come back, while you’re left spending every day hoping more than anything—

“Brad’s out.”

Rachel’s head snaps to follow Lloyd’s gaze down — way, way down — to where the tiny blob that’s Brad is stepping out of the restaurant. 

Dragon eyes, she thinks. 

Or Oni? Which would have the better eyesight, in theory—

“You ready?”

She glances up. It’s as if Lloyd’s taken a pencil and erased the heaviness from his expression by force — she’d never be able to tell, if she hadn’t seen it herself.  

She has a thing or two to say about that, but they’re interrupted as her stomach drops at the wild grin that suddenly spreads across Lloyd’s face. 

“You know, we could just go down the normal way.”

“And be boring?”

“How’d you even keep this job,” Rachel mutters, sitting square on the platform with her binder between her legs, wrapping her arms tight around the railing.

“I didn’t,” Lloyd grins. “Three-two-one-go—”

Half of Ninjago City probably hears Rachel’s screaming. The other half gets to hear Lloyd’s wild laughter as he lets the platform plummet, speeding toward the ground in a free-fall, just to grab the cables and slide them to a stop at the last minute.

“I hate you,” Rachel spits through mouthfuls of hair. Her fingers feel forever fused to the railings. “Hate. You.”

“It’s like a roller coaster,” Lloyd says happily, stepping down from the platform. He holds a hand out for her with a lopsided grin. “It was kinda fun, right?”

Rachel pushes herself up on shaky legs, grabbing his hand as she staggers off the platform.

“Kinda,” she manages. “Kinda fun. In a crazy, maniac, sort of—”

“I thought that screaming sounded familiar.”

Brad, who’s somehow gotten across the block in the time it took to plummet fifteen stories down the building, shakes his head at them both. He’s still dressed in his nerdy blazer, his hair all gelled back, but thankfully his mom’s nowhere to be seen.

“What screaming?” Rachel wheezes. “I didn’t hear any screaming.”

“She almost passed out,” Lloyd says, grinning at Brad.

For that complete and utter betrayal, Rachel kicks him in the shin. “Traitor, what the heck!”

“Ow, ow, I mean she was totally chill the whole time—”

“It’s too late now, you already tossed me under the bus!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they could hear you seven streets over, anyways,” Brad says.

Rachel deflates. Lloyd pats her gingerly on the shoulder, then turns back to Brad. He hesitates, for a beat — as if scrambling for words — then asks, “How did things with your mother go?”

Brad barely manages to hide the face he makes. He’s lucky — it could pass as discomfort with the question, more so than who the question’s coming from.

“It was, uh,” Brad scratches the back of his head. “It was okay? Actually, I need to go say bye, so if you guys want to wait like, right here—”

The clacking sound of heels against the sidewalk draws near, and Brad stiffens. 

“Brad, dear, I hadn’t finished — oh!” 

Brad’s mother stops just behind him, her eyes wide. Brad’s expression twists, his arm halfway outstretched in an aborted attempt to hide Lloyd from her view. 

A very failed attempt, unfortunately. 

“You must be Lloyd Garmadon!” Brad’s mother says brightly. “I’ve been wanting to meet you for so long, your father’s diabolical work is simply exemplary—”

“Mom!” Brad hisses.

“O-oh, that is to say—” Mrs. Tudabone waves her hand. “I admire, how you’ve, ah, turned your life around for the greater good?”

“Um,” Lloyd says eloquently. He looks kind of like he does when a reporter corners him on the news, except like six times worse, because reporters usually know better than to bring up your father’s diabolical work right to his face — unless they want Nya to murder them on primetime television, or something. 

“Hi, Mrs. Tudabone,” Rachel steps in. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Ah. Rachel.” Mrs. Tudabone’s smile grows tight. “Always a pleasure, being subjected to the one who got my son to stop achieving detention.”

“Which is a good thing,” Brad stresses.

“Mm-hm.” Mrs. Tudabone looks unconvinced. “What have you got there, dear? A binder full of disgustingly charitable ideas? More of that toxic—”

“Mom, please.” Brad looks as if he wants to throw himself from a bridge.

Rachel clutches her binder to her chest. “Nope! Just, uh, Pokémon.”

“I’m sure.” Mrs. Tudabone turns away from her, back to face Lloyd again. “I can’t believe Brad never introduced us, after all this time. You two were always so close, back at Darkley’s.”

The expressions on Lloyd and Brad’s faces would be comically hilarious, if they didn’t both look excruciatingly awkward. 

“Between you and me,” Mrs. Tudabone leans in conspiratorially. “I think it’s ridiculous they expelled you. The son of Garmadon, kicked out? Unbelievable.”

Uh-oh. Rachel feels a little bit like she’s been landed in a soap opera, in the worst possible way. 

“I mean, it was pretty believable,” Lloyd says, sounding a bit breathless. “It ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me, so. Uh.” 

“Because we’re both good, upstanding people,” Brad grinds out. “Okay, mom? We’ve talked about this, like, a thousand times—”

“And I told you, Brad, you should have introduced Lloyd to us earlier,” she shakes her head. “I don’t believe a word of those headmasters, look what happened to them! I could’ve given you much better advice.”

“Well, that would’ve meant you had to show up once a year,” Brad’s mouth is set tightly. “Since, you know, I never really saw you, at all? Remember that part?”

“Oh, Brad, don’t do this again,” Mrs. Tudabone sighs. “You’re always overreacting about these things. Could you be a little less emotional? You did say you were old enough to make your own decisions now, after all.” 

Brad flinches, just barely visible. Rachel’s opening her mouth, but Lloyd beats her to it.

“He’s not overreacting, are you serious?” Lloyd’s eyes are just a bit too wide, his breathing just a bit too fast. “You don’t get to tell him that when you abandoned him—”

Lloyd cuts off abruptly, the color sliding from his face like water. Brad gapes at him. Rachel, catching the way Lloyd’s breathing starts hitching and Brad’s mom seems to be faring little better, takes one for the team.

“It was great talking with you, Mrs. Tudabone,” she says brightly, grabbing Lloyd’s hand in her own. “Unfortunately I just dropped fifteen stories down a building and I’m about to throw up everywhere. Please excuse us.”

Tugging Lloyd with her, she proceeds to book it.  

The harried voice and following footsteps let her know that Brad’s following, but Rachel’s too focused to catch what he’s saying. 

Get rid of the people, get rid of the noise, cut environmental triggers—

She drags Lloyd into the back alley and releases his hand. Lloyd’s already sliding down, crouched over as he breathes raggedly, head held between his hands. 

“Lloyd! Lloyd, where’d you—”

“Shh,” she hisses at Brad, crouching down next to Lloyd. “Yelling’s bad. Hey, Lloyd, you with us?”

He gives a reedy, whistling exhale. 

“Had…better moments.” 

“What are you talking about, this is a great moment,” Brad giggles half-hysterically, joining them on the aging concrete. “We’re just hanging out. On the ground, in an alleyway, where we’ll probably all get tetanus—”

“Zip it.”

Lloyd squeezes his eyes shut. “M’sorry,” he rasps. 

Rachel makes a noise of not-quite-hidden exasperation, but Brad’s the one to speak up.

“Don’t do that,” he sighs. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

Lloyd makes a sound that could be a laugh, if it was the saddest, fakest laugh ever.

“I yelled at your mom.”

“That wasn’t even yelling,” Brad says. “I’ve said way worse. She’s said way worse, actually.”

Lloyd shakes his head, disappearing beneath his hair again. Like coaxing out a stubborn cat, Rachel holds her hand out, and Lloyd’s the one to grab it this time. Brad brings his hand down on top. 

She stares at him. He winces.  

“It’s only awkward if you say something.”

“Then why’d you say something,” Lloyd mutters. 

“I didn’t wanna be left out.”

“Of the group panic attack?” Rachel says.

“Not a panic attack,” Lloyd says. “I’m fine.”

“You are so not fine,” Brad breathes out a laugh. Lloyd makes a muffled sound into his hands. 

Shifting in place, Brad continues, his voice softer. “Hey, for what it’s worth,” he murmurs. “Thanks. For…saying something to her. That meant a lot.”

Lloyd looks up at him from between his fingers. His cheeks turn a dusty shade of pink — which is way better than the ashy grey color he’s been, so he’ll probably be fine, Rachel notes — before he abruptly stands up, shaking his head. 

“Don’t thank me,” Lloyd says, looking a bit like a kicked dog. “I just — I didn’t help, really.”

“Lloyd—”

“Let’s get outta here, huh? This is kinda — kinda lame. Sorry.”

Brad stares at his back as Lloyd power-walks to the edge of the alleyway, his shoulders set in a rigid line. Rachel rises to her feet, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she tucks her binder beneath her elbow.

“You wanna bulldoze into this one, or should I?” she finally says. 

Brad turns to her, his expression scrunching up. Upset, Rachel recognizes. At her. 

“Why’d you invite him today?” Brad murmurs beneath his breath. “I didn’t want — I told you about the mom thing. I knew it was gonna end up hurting him and you invited him anyways."

Rachel looks down. “He wanted to come. Maybe he wants to work through his mom stuff like you are.”

“He never said anything like that.”

“No,” she says. “He didn’t say it, maybe. But his face did.”

Brad stares, from the lines of Lloyd’s back where he stands ahead of them, then to her again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means,” she glares. “Lloyd’s never gonna say what he wants. You gotta start reading between the lies.”

“You mean the lines?”

“I mean the lies. Start listening to what I say more too, huh?”

Brad’s expression grows muddled, and Rachel feels a pang of guilt. Lloyd’s not the only one with a mangled social radar, she reminds herself. Lloyd’s not the only one with a childhood of bad lessons and broken connections. 

But oh, it’s frustrating sometimes, being friends with two people so hopelessly tangled up in their own emotions, while hopelessly denying those emotions exist in the first place. 

She ignores the part of her that likes how easy that makes it, for her to slip by when she needs to. 

Well, Lloyd might catch her. Like recognizing like, and all that. 

In the meantime—

She draws up to Lloyd where he’s standing frozen, just where the shadow of the alleyway meets the bright sunlight of the street. 

“Hey, knock knock,” she says. “Wanna come out of your brain, now?”

Lloyd jolts, coloring. “I’m not in my brain, I - I was just waiting for you guys, we can get going now that—”

“It’s okay to be mad at your mom,” she says. 

Lloyd makes a wheezing sound. “I told you—”

“And being mad at Brad’s mom because you understand why it hurts doesn’t make defending him any less of a nice gesture,” she continues. 

“Wha— what are you, my therapist?”

“No, you’re just stupid,” Rachel huffs. She shoots a glare at Brad as he trudges up next to them. “Both of you are.”

“You’re the biggest hypocrite I know,” Brad mutters. 

“And you’re a dummy who should talk about your feelings!” She elbows Lloyd in the side. “Both of you! Please go off like that more often, you’re like two - two - bottle rockets, or something—”

“Bottle rockets?!”

“It’s okay to feel stuff, just feel it before you explode!”

“We’re getting weird looks,” Lloyd whispers.

“Oh no, you are not getting out of this just because of social norms—”

“Okay, okay, alright!” Brad throws his hands in the air. “Lloyd. You’re fine. I get mad too, so next time, let’s just — punch a wall, or something.”

“No,” Rachel glares at him. “That’s so bad for you! You’ll split your knuckles open and damage your fingers, and—”

“Okay, geez, we’ll punch a pillow or something, then.”

Lloyd gives a shaky laugh. Brad draws up closer, his outstretched hand freezing halfway there.

“Hey,” he finally says. “We…we got out, still. Nothing’s gonna change that. We made it that far. So if we just keep moving—”

He cuts off. Lloyd looks up, his expression softening, and Brad meets his eyes with something indecipherable written across his face. 

Lloyd seems to get it, though. 

“One awkward step at a time, huh,” he says.

Brad huffs. “Awkward about sums it up. Do you know how lunch went? I told my mom I liked escargot because I panicked and couldn’t think of anything else. Do you know what escargot is?”

“How do you know what that is?” Rachel blinks. 

“Ditto?”

“It’s snails,” Brad grimaces. “It’s gross. I ate six snails while my mom asked me what I’d burned down for fun lately. Then she remembered I’m supposed to be good, and she panicked, and we sat there in silence for thirty minutes with six. Stupid. Snails.” 

Lloyd’s hand is pressed over his mouth. Rachel bites the inside of her cheek desperately.

“Please laugh,” Brad says raggedly. “It’s funny.” 

Rachel lets out a breath of laughter as Lloyd snickers quietly. 

“Another awkward step down, I guess?”

“And it was terrible,” Brad complains. “Next time we hang out, let’s just go bowling or something, okay?”

“Can we do karaoke?”

“Absolutely not. I refuse to get humiliated like that again.”

“I think we should all go to group therapy together,” Rachel says. 

This leaves both Lloyd and Brad sputtering, but the heavy weight hanging over their conversation has lifted, and Rachel will take what she can get. 

But she’s also a bit petty, and would like the last word, so before Lloyd leaves for the monastery, she darts forward to tuck both the Cubone card and an accompanying Marowak card into the pocket of his gi.

Lloyd frowns, staring at the second card as he reads the description. A small smile breaks across his face, and he holds the card out to her. 

“Call for Friend is an attack?”

“Fully redeemable, any time,” Rachel presses the card back into his hand. 

“You got him into Pokémon?” Brad says. “Don’t do it, Lloyd, she’s blown half her savings hunting down those dumb shiny cards.”

Rachel elbows him. “The point being,” she says. “That you should call us more often. ‘Cause we wanna hang out with you.”

Lloyd looks up at them both, the card clutched tightly in his hands. He smiles, a bit crooked, but more genuine. 

“You got it,” he murmurs. 

“And next time, we won’t talk about moms at all,” Brad says. 

“And we’ll all go get escargot and watch Brad cry.”

“Why do I tell you anything, I swear—”

Lloyd’s laughter is well-worth any dirty looks Brad sends her the entire way home.