#promise ill be back tho!!

[ravensmadreads]

BESTIES!

[rinnstars]

4 walls!

in which itoshi rin builds a wall between him and the world and youre the only one with the key

itoshi rin x reader: fluff, drabble + not proofread + likes and reblogs are appreciated

to the world, itoshi rin is somehow cold, emotionless, unaffected - the way his face is fixed in the dead-panned face as though carved into it by a sculpture, the way he doesnt bother responding or dignifying jabs or comments as he walks past the desks, the way his eyes linger on only his goals over the people that surrounds him. to his first football club, he is nothing short of a disappointment, always compared to his genius of a brotehr, nothing short of dull, always hiding his report cards whenever exam season arrives, nothing short of cold, his mouth barely spoke a word during his stay there. to his classmates, he is just an average joe - just another classmate not focused in class, too busy focusing on his dream world wrapped in the football magazines he has stacked underneath his table, just another guy, albeit way more quiet and responsive than most students, just another mediocre and average student, with grades that just passed the mark to move on to the next and with abysmal club attendance.

yet, to him, he knows he is the opposite of all the things they say - he knows he’s rather soft hearted, a cry-baby at the slightest tone change, he’s rather insecure, each comparison to his brother only digs the knife slotted against his heart deeper into the already gory mess of an organ it has become over the years, he’s rather passionate, driving him to continue persevering against all odds, against his own belief and reality, against his own blood. but he rather it stays that way - maybe its better to not let them see the real him, to not let them too be disappointed at the real reflection that stares back at him in the dirty mirror, to not hurt himself more by giving them the full him.

and so he builds a wall. he builds a wall made of bricks and stones, block by block until he is trapped in his own making, until he no longer can get hurt or even see the outside world outside of the house he has essentially trapped himself in, until he wont get hurt anymore - not by his club members, not by his classmates, not by his brother. and he tries to convince himself, he likes it better this way - without others, there wont be another sae - he wont have to witness his own heart ripped out and thrown on the grassy patch of field another time, he wont have to go through nights of sobbing uncontrollably that leaves his pillow gross and wet by the time morning rolls around, he wont have to feel as though he lost a loved one to death as he occasionally open his drawer that features a photobook of him and his brother still grinning without a care in the world without knowing what would have happened next with dried tears stains that dirty those photographs.

and yet, its with you, rin thinks his walls are entirely down. to him, youre the key to the complicated lock in his heart that he without a doubt passes to you. you’ve always been beside him, even when his eyes were fixated on sae that has always been in front of him - beside him in class where you two slacked at the back of class playing your phone and him reading soccer magazine underneath the table as you two occasionally bicker whilst laughing, beside him on his bed right on top of the messy blankets he knows you dont mind with his arms around you like its second nature to him, beside him on that bus whether to and fro school or even to his training facility that takes practically hours to get to as you drool on his uniform that he doesn’t have the heart to let you know even after all these years.

you’re the bright star and sun that melts away his icy cold castles and mountains of walls as though they were nothing, rin thinks. the way you beam at him whenever you see him right at the bus stop, waving your hands excitedly as your footsteps springs towards him and he feels like he’s in those cliche romance mangas you talk about, almost seeing those cherry blossom trees and hearing that love song that repeats in his head whenever youre oh so close to him. the way you listen to him, nodding along even though half of what he’s saying are nonsense word jumbles practically sews and patches his broken heart back, warming his once ice cold atmosphere. the way you do things — passing him those sugary sweet candies that tastes just like you, letting him copy off your homework while you both laugh quietly at the back of class makes him wish this could last forever, the way your hands so gently combs through his emerald hair makes him melt into a lovesick puddle right in your hands as he looks at your eyes that he swears the whole galaxy is inside it.

and maybe youre like those hero’s and magicians he’s watched in those cartoons when he was a little kid, you must be. so enchanting: how you manage to coax him out of his room time and time again to go to wherever you want, hell rin thinks he would even go to the very end of the world if you simply asked. youre like the fire element to his ice element in those stupid games, the sun and the moon from those posts he reads about your favourite love mangas to catch up to you, the golden retriever and the black cat trope he hears you rave about, the “lalala” and “okokok” tiktok trend and everything under the sun. if youre not a secret extraterrestrial creature that he bets you are, the equivalent to his new found destroyer ego to make a team together to destroy the earth or something like that he jokes, maybe just maybe you two were destined by fate.

in another life, you would be the witch to find an abandoned familiar he thinks - warming and melting his icy exterior with both your warmth you exude and too the hot soup you always cook for him whenever he’s running a cold. in another life, you would have been the hero to have helped him out of whatever villainous organisation he finds himself trapped in in his rage and fear with your warmth and that bright cheshire grin of yours anytime. in another life, you would have been the bright and well-liked royal of the castle who finds him, a lonesome and attempting knight and make him yours he thinks. he’s sure of it — where yours and his constellations are always beside each other, where your palm fits perfectly with his like two puzzle pieces merged together, where yours and his heart and ribs and guts are shared together.

so for now, rin will sit here right beside you, enjoying the warmth you exude as he places his head right on your shoulder, smiling at your yelp at surprise and attempts to push him off back to his side of the bed: youre the only one he would let in to see the raw him, and he hopes he’s the same to you too, the one you can truly always shine the brightest with.

[milkbreadtoast]

choose your protag..... YOU COULD WRITE A SUPER LONG META ESSAY COMPARING/CONTRASTING THESE 2 BUT I WANTED TO MAKE A SHITPOST FORGIVE ME🤧✌️

[cherrirui-official]

"You know... You didn't have to take that with you."

"But I promised him I'd take him out to see the ocean one day."

[angelpuns]

Update on my health that no one asked for: mmmmbad

[skunkes]

Ugly and unfinished bc painting takes fucking forever and i got bored but the sketchbook does handle gouache well yaaay

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 173 spoilers and thoughts but it's mostly just me getting tonal whiplash but not in a bad way i actually like this and more below the cut

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sorry i keep doing this (i.e. yelling about the very last panel of the ep instead of going chronologically) but i wanted to show this last panel first,,, idk how many alilloyd fans there are on tged-tumblr (tgedblr?) but i believe they'll be very happy about this panel and probably the next ep or so LOL

she's there for him again YAYYY YAYYYY but also what how did she get here WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?? HELP??

hopefully whatever happens after this will help alicia and lloyds relationship feel more balanced (rn its like fine but it definitely doesnt carry the same weight as llovier to me, simply bc we dont really see alicia and lloyd relying on each other in the same way javier and lloyd do - idk how else to put this but the "power balance" in their relationship feels different than lloviers if that makes sense, bc so often lloyd is doing things for alicia and that's just It yknow?)

anyway back to the top! we've got some really really nice panels of lloyd i just really like these in general,,, i like when he looks determined and serious and focused,,, it is cute

also explicitly mentioning this while also showing alicia IN the unfrozen time bubble with lloyd DOES make me worry a lil bit,,, what if smth happens,,, does fate still affect them when Most of the time across the world is frozen?? im scared,,, but also excited for more alicia lloyd scenes i can explain why in a bit,,, but also scared,,,

tyrant alicia looks cool as ever tho holy shit im VERY glad that the artist gave her a full set of armor and everything, so often we see fantasy stylized women's armor that really doesn't protect anything at all but alicia's armor is really nice and clean i like it,,,

also another panel of lloyd being cringe and javier being embarrassed,,, they're so stupid i love them . LET LLOYD BE CRINGE LET HIM BE FREE

this bit w artanis and the family was also super duper cute,,, little sillies,,, like treats,,,

seems like everyone will be safe for the time that they are frozen,,, thats good!!! at least i hope i am understanding this correctly

also thinking a LOT about these two panels bc,,, not only bc i really like how he looks in the second panel here, but also,,, well as i was reading this i hadnt realized that lloyd would be going off by HIMSELF to the mountains,,, i thought javier would go with him (bc he always does,,,)

i talked abt this when i reacted on twitter but like. javier asks if he's going by himself and lloyd goes "yeah it's fine" and javier doesn't question it, we don't see him objecting or anything,,, bc of course, lloyd will stay safe. that's what he says, so that's what'll be true. javier is also perfectly aware that lloyd can't be harmed by monsters, he's a sword master and has his singing. so the knight lets him go, bc this is a lloyd with a plan, and javier trusts his lord. but also it seems like javier doesnt really realize what exactly it is that lloyd is subjecting himself too. idk if he realizes that every time lloyd freezes time THATS whats freezing his heart; all the knight knows is that lloyd is dying, but the engineer has a solution so surely it's okay (it's not, lloyd is DYING IN THE COLD). jesus fuck

like i imagine if javier realized what exactly it is thats causing lloyd to Die is the exact stuff he's doing to stop fate and save everyone, he'd object immediately and try to find something else,,, but lloyd you fucking MARTYR u dont even say anything abt it and u GO OFF ALONE IN THE COLD WHAT ARE DOING WHAT ARE YOU COOKING. GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!! MARTYRS ALL OF YOU!!!

also lloyd saying he's happy god fucking dammit. he has a goal and he's close to achieving it and all his loved ones are safe,,, that's probably the best feeling in the world to him that's the reason why he does like everything,,, it's just to protect what he cares about,,, this tiny lil smile i am going to shake him in a box

"lucky! this is perfect" AS HE'S DYING LLOYD YOU. YOUUUU YOU OYUU SHAKES YOU STOPP IT YOU FUCKING M. MARTYR!!!!

why is he like this. well okay i know why but like what the FUCK. i am pelting ten billion stones at him. risking his damn life AGAIN to protect everyone. leaving javier at the estate and not telling him what the deal is so that javier can be protected too bc thats where artanis is,,, all his loved ones in one place to keep them safe I HATE IT HERE /j

DOUBLY LOSING IT AT HIS FIRST THOUGHT, THE MOMENT HE GETS IN TROUBLE, IS TO CALL FOR JAVIER. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD TO THAT I JUST THINK THAT SAYS SO MUCH ABT THEIR RELATIONSHIP

"ah, im dying! the first thing i think is not how to solve this myself, nor is it of my parents or of my skills, but of my longtime companion who has always been there for me and thus will help me when i call for him! and i think of him immediately!" points accusatory finger LLOVIER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay i was gonna end the post there but i scrolled back up to review and realized i forgot to actually explain why i am excited for more alicia lloyd scenes so that's gonna go here now i guess LMFAOO

i really really hope that alicia and lloyd have a closer, more quiet moment to talk about their respective lives and history with losing loved ones and feeling isolated as a result. i WAS gonna talk abt that in a dedicated alicia post but i guess itll make a cameo here too lol

bc if u think abt it, suho and alicia both went through very very devastating losses. they both lost the lives of the people who cared for them most, and in very very tragic ways (suho's parents committed, and alicia's parents were slaughtered / alicia's brothers put her in a 'kill or be killed' situation). it's really unfortunate, it's life-altering, and it follows you,,, and then the isolation that comes after that makes it all even worse.

of course, we see suho very explicitly going through throes of isolation through endless work, endless school, and the sheer struggle to just survive to the next day by himself, with no family to support him. obviously, we don't see alicia explicitly having this experience, but i think it'd be reasonable to believe that after the death of her family,,, it was just her. she lost her parents and her brothers, and now she's the only one with the magentano name, and you can't exactly have an empty mantle now can you?

she probably didn't really have anyone to talk to about this. probably just a bunch of old coots on that board of nobles, who have to help her with this "being queen" thing, u cant exactly talk abt ur trauma to people who are technically working for u, who care more abt their status in the kingdom than anything else. and at such a young age, too... like yeah she's surrounded by people technically, but how many people around her actually care for HER, and not for her new status as crown princess? and then as queen? like no wonder tyrant alicia comes to be because of a betrayal from kyle, no wonder she's worried abt letting lloyd into her heart. she's probably been worried about betrayal from a loved one all her life bc of what her brothers did,,, that must be so isolating, and lonely.

so yes, i think alicia probably went through a long bout of isolation, too. and i think alicia and lloyd should Talk about it and have a heart to heart and go "jesus fuck we went through it,,, but we have found people we can rely on. and isn't that wonderful,,," and then alilloyd will have a wonderful leg to stand on yay

i WOULD go on longer about alicia in this rant but i wanted to save it for the post i was planning,,, i couldn't help myself this time though, bc it seemed relevant LOL

anyway i'll see u guys next week,,,!!! very curious to see where things go from here,,, pantara arc pulling shenanigans left and right!!!

[johnslittlespoon]

hii happy pride month, have a little 'you're a dog (i'm your man)' chapter four snippet as an apology for radio silence <33

“Did I wake you?” Gale asks, glancing at John apologetically, but John looks up from his effort to avoid muddy puddles to shake his head. Gale supposes it’s a silly question; John sleeps like a rock, dead to disturbances made by anything other than his own brain.

“Just my sixth sense,” John says, shrugging and shooting him a small smile. Gale snorts.

“You got a radar for me?” He teases, and John smiles wider, eyes crinkling.

“Built in,” he answers matter–of–factly, raising a hand and making a fist over the center of his chest before dropping it, returning his vigilant gaze to the uneven ground. Gale stares for a moment longer, floored not for the first time by John’s apparent obliviousness to the weight of his sentimentality.

Even knowing John how he does, it’s always unexpected coming from someone who a stranger might assume to be brazen and surface–level; John’s loud mouth and wandering hands do him no favours in that regard.

But Gale does know John, like an extension of himself half the time, and still he manages to render him speechless. The way his heart flutters as the sentiment hangs in the air makes Gale want to reach down his throat and squeeze it until it never beats again.

[luigixfanxayjay]

i finally did it.

after almost 60 entire hours of gameplay... and numerous mental breakdowns...

i completed brothership. and BOY do i have far too many thoughts.

some thoughts and game review in tags (SPOILER WARNING AHEAD)

[skitty-kirby]

A collection of experimental Skitty drawings I've been working on since early May- sorry for the lack of art lately, chronic illnesses have been taking toll but I'm glad to have made something that finally showcases how a couple of Skitty's attacks/Pokémon moves work. It feels really nice to try some new things and to push my Kirby poses/expressions. And right before ArtFight too! :D Read under the cut for more info on how her attacks work:

Generally speaking, she uses her retractable claws, tail, + a variety of kick and grab/throw attacks in battle; but oftentimes she'll use compatible yet quirky variants of Pokémon moves too. Essentially, Skitty's Pokémon moves come with a catch- they use up a lot of her stamina and overuse of particularly strong moves can actually cause her to pass out. Not only that, but some function differently due to the fact that she isn't entirely a Pokémon. For example, Thunder Wave, a move she likes to use in order to quickly paralyze a foe, doesn't function as a Special Attack. Instead, she has to make physical contact for the move to work as intended- causing her to use her claws in combination to ensure the foe cannot escape before the electricity takes hold. All of her moves are overall weaker than an actual Pokémon's as well. Though, she doesn't have a limit of moves she can "know" at any given time at least.

[boarloved-art]

many many ocs in my life but i think abt yooyeon and faiza a lot recently, i love u doomed reincarnation yuri!

[fairyhaos]

good morning!!!!! just a heads up that starting from today (01/04/2024) im gonna be a lot more inactive ^_^ my exams will be coming up in less than 2 months so it's absolutely imperative that i focus on studying for those.

im not gonna disappear suddenly tho!! it'll probably happen over this week n ill just gradually be here less and less. i have a few original works lined up, and i might pop in to refill my queue or answer asks, but eventually ill be logging out and going completely silent <3

don't miss me too much gays!! it's not goodbye from me just yet, just a heads up that it'll be happening soon 💗

[xxplastic-cubexx]

I was extremely skeptical going into rogue the savage land bc 1) Rogue objectification and 2) Rogneto but I actually thought issue 1 was alright! Not my favorite thing ever but way better than I was expecting (the bar was so low though). There wasn't romance (there was kind of one panel of ~eye contact~ but that's it) and despite the covers, it wasn't just Rogue tits & ass shots the entire issue. We'll see how it goes from here but I'm encouraged by Seeley saying he wasn't interested in their romance. The marketing around the entire series has been nothing but "ooooh half naked Rogue" and "ooooh Rogue and Magneto steamy jungle romance" but the actual content inside was decent and had some good character depth.

ill NEVER be a fan of the savage lands outfit in general i think that'll always leave a bitter taste in my mouth BUT NO YEAH when i skimmed it in the shop i was actually interested ..... the advertising team for this issue really were prioritizing the wrong things 💀

[hexwhore]

Bri come back😞💔

i'm not allowed to play on tungle.com until i finish my homework writing :(((((

[fatuismooches]

NOOOO NOT MY SON😭😭😭😭😭 I'M LITERALLY CRYING. WE NEED THE NEXT PART IN WHICH HE WILL BE ALIVE.😡

*hugs you* I'M SORRY!!! 😭😭💖 HE'S OKAY I PROMISE!!! WE'RE IGNORING THE CANON FR!!! Zandy's alive, Reader brought him to Sumeru, he actually made friends and played with the Aranara, Dottie slowly learns how to be a father, life is good for our son. 🙏

[indigo-ghost-girl]

Spoilers for parts of Sonic Frontiers...

Part 1

Part 8 WIP

The air of the morning was soft, gentle. Rays of warm sunlight warming the two friends as they lay knelt among the grass. On any other day, these friends would think this a perfect opportunity for a picnic. To an outsider looking in, they would think it foolhardy not to. However, the tense, hollow atmosphere suffocating this lonely island made such thoughts impossible.

Amy’s arms felt numb. Her everything felt numb. All except her heart. It ached. The pink hedgehog knew how much Sonic hated to be trapped. But... he was strong and he would last… because it wasn’t permanent. It wasn’t, permanent.

Tails’s fingers ached. The muscles in his arms and hands worn thin. He wiggled his fingers as they lay among the grass, trying to relieve the stiffness in them. The corners of his eyes burned, having zeroed in his attention on the screen, racing against time. He shut his eyes, counting to twenty, trying to ignore the nonsense jumble of code that tumbled behind his eyelids.

The sound of huffing and hurried footsteps filled the silence.

“So… is he in?” Knuckles asked, stumbling to a stop next to them.

Tails opened his eyes, staring blankly at the space in front of him. “Yeah…” He confirmed, swallowing.

The fox shook his head sharply, snapping himself out of his daze. “If Sage was correct, we have anywhere from two minutes to five, we need to hurry.”

Tails stumbled his way to the keyboard, he frowned. The barrel of tech had begun smoking and Tails picked up the distinct smell of liquid metal and burnt rubber, the chemicals irritating the back of his throat. By the looks of things, that eldritch creature had used its last few seconds in this reality; to fry the computer. His shoulders slumped, there went the chance of salvaging any code.

The fox stiffened, a horrible vulnerability piercing right through his heart, like a cold, sharp metal needle. ‘When that thing gets out, it’ll make a beeline for me.’

He took in a deep breath and released it to the count of seven. ‘We have to focus on the now.’

Knuckles offered a hand to Amy, she silently took it, letting him pull her to her feet. She felt lighter without her rings and rose a little faster than she expected, wobbling a little when she settled on her feet.

Tails picked up the radio tentatively, carefully checking the temperature first to see if, it too, had been fried. It was cool however and he shakily brought it to his ear.

“Eggman, you still…?” the radio continued to buzz. The fox gulped, exchanging a worried glance with Amy.

Tails tapped the side of the radio with his finger, the static dissolved. The young fox fought to hear the radio over his throbbing head, beating in sync with his heartbeat. “E-Eggman?”

“My Leg! He tore off my leg!” Screamed the voice from the speaker. “Med-egg-bots, I require medical attention, get over here NOW!” He commanded.

The fox pulled the receiver from his ear for a moment, taking a short, deep breath.

“Of course,” Knuckles sighed in frustration. Amy relaxed, much to her petty dismay.

“I’ve trapped them in cyberspace, we only have a few minutes.” Tails reported, “What’s the status on Sage?”

“I don’t know!- Med-eggs get over here!”

“Remember what she said, We need to get to angel island together, fly down here so we can-” Tails reminded.

“He tore my leg off!”

Knuckles snarled, snatching the radio from Tails, “We know! Eggman, fly that thing down here before I knock it out of the sky for you!” barked the echidna.

“In a few minutes,” Eggman waved off.

“WE DONT HAVE A FEW MINUTES!” Knuckles roared. The red echidna shoved the radio back into the fox’s hands, almost pushing him over in the process.

Amy reached out, supporting his back before he fell. “Knuckles,” Amy scolded.

“Sorry,” Knuckles mumbled, stomping a few metres away, eyes fixed on a large fragment of stone, once part of the now ex- giant structure.

Tails peered up at the floating battleship, then to the red echidna winding up for a punch.

“Knuckles, aim for the red engine,” he advised.

“Right.”

With one swift punch, Knuckles sent the ancient chunk flying. The chunk tore through the protruding metal engine like cold butter through bread. With the main engine down, the smaller engines struggled to keep the others afloat. The ships autopilot went into emergency landing mode, floating down to settle on the small cluster of young trees nearby, crushing them into splinters. Amy cringed as she saw the panicked seagulls zoom out from under the trees, seconds before being crushed.

The three hopped into the hole in the side of the ship, metal bent outward as you would expect from paper pierced through by a pencil, presumably created when Metal Sonic tackled the red hedgehog into the ocean.

“Where is your Eggmobile?” Tails enquired as they approached.

Eggman was laid back in a small metal bed that seemed to have been folded out. Around him fussed two egg-shaped robots, each with their own little white hat, Eggmans eyes and signature grin plastered on their faces. They had a red cross painted on their chests. The white robots were focused on wrapping the stump of his leg in bandages.

“You just crashed my ship after I helped you! And I just lost my leg; I would have thought you of all creatures would feel some pity!” He exclaimed.

“You and your stupid machines are the reason we are in this mess in the first place!” Knuckles growled, stomping over.

One of the medical bots stopped its task and rolled over to Knuckles on its singular wheel. “Do not distress the patient,” it said flatly, voice static, raising its pincer arms. Knuckles promptly bashed its face in, flinging it into the opposite wall.

“You don’t deserve any pity.” The echidna growled, spinning on the doctor, cracking his knuckles.

“Knuckles stop,” Amy reached out a hand between the pair, “We don’t have time for this.” Amy pulled out her hammer, sliding herself between the fuming echidna and the wining doctor. “Show us where your eggmobile is.”

Amy’s gaze flickered to his right leg; her green eyes caught the light leaking in from one of the many holes in the wall. She loomed over the human, the shadow of her hammer falling over his face, “Unless you want to lose the other one.”

Eggman’s head retreated into his coat collar, suddenly the pain in his leg wasn’t at the forefront of his mind.

…

Sonic hurt. No matter where it was, his heart, his mind, his body: it didn’t matter. He just hurt.

But one thought broke through it all, the one wish of simply, “Get away,” had been repeating in his head. Over and over, that determined mantra, driving him to separate from that thing, ever since he had lost control of his limbs. To get as far away as possible.

Yet nothing he had tried had worked. No amount of screaming or struggling or fighting back did anything.

And it hurt.

His skin was on fire as a new ring reattached itself around his neck. That thing was furious. Sonic could feel its anger smouldering his insides as if it were his own. A desperate struggle for freedom.

Burning agony, that stopped so abruptly he lost all consciousness.

Then he came too, he became acutely aware of how numb he now felt. Physically at least.

…Everything was black.

He felt a strange ethereal push. It was like a rubber band, pulled so far it was ready to snap. That snap meant freedom. The ethereal feeling continued to push him, like a million hands on his back, all working together to break him through a tight, silicone wall that bent and warped.

Snap!

Light flooded Sonics vision. He gasped.

Sonic found himself crawling away. Finally, finally able to move of his own free will. Sonic staggered to his feet, stumbling forward. After a few clumsy steps he tripped on his own shoes, collapsing beside something black in the corner of his vision.

He heaved, nothing leaving his throat but a strangled wheeze. His fingers grasped at nothing, phasing through the lush holographic grass under him.

Sonic knew he wasn’t completely him when he caught sight of the translucent, light blue state of his quills. But that wasn’t at the forefront of his mind as he pulled his arms out from under him and began half crawling, half dragging himself away from the black shape.

The air around him shifted, a hot buzzing static began to grow. The heat fiercely licking away at the air.

“They... returned us here,” came a voice. Sonic jumped, spines spiking outward dangerously, head snapping back.

What met his eyes was a strange, morphed thing, a collection of deep red and purple shapes. It bubbled and span, morphed and moulded. It took shape, gaining arms and legs. Sonic squinted his eyes, something of an annoyed jab pierced his chest as the blob began to seem eerily familiar. Glowing neon rings formed themselves around the blob’s wrists, small strings of broken chains dangling loosely from them. It took the form of that of a silhouette of super sonic. Two neon purple lights pierced through the void of the blob, so intense they were white. The white lights settled on him.

Sonic pressed down hard on his fear. “Course, they did,” he smirked hopping to his feet. Sonic made a show of dusting himself off casually.

Its feet shaped void, rose from the digital ground. It stared at him. The lack of any facial features on the him shaped blob, challenged his brief composure. Sonic couldn’t tell if it was staring at him or staring at the place he just so happened to be. The blue hedgehog clenched his fists, suppressing a shiver.

A faint rumbling noise began to make itself known and Sonics uneasiness developed into mild panic. Sonic gave the imitation an apprehensive stare, taking a few steps backwards. Its neon dots followed his movements.

“No matter,” It said soullessly, “They will know their error soon enough.”

It leapt for him; hands outstretched for his face.

Sonic disappeared in a boom, speeding away into the landscape.

As he ran, Sonic slowly began to realise what his friends had meant by, “dreamlike,” now. He was floaty, his shoes were touching the grass of this mock green hill but it didn’t feel like it. The blades didn’t rustle under him. The legs under him felt much of the same, almost as if he were a digital ghost.

It was disorienting, like his brain was struggling to tell up from down. He had his vision but that was it. It was reminiscent of the effects of the phantom ruby; sending his sense of gravity spiralling.

Sonic scowled, he despised it, it made the nauseous feeling he kept pushing down into his stomach harder to contain. It rose and wavered, higher and higher as it threatened to overwhelm him. Sonic brought a gloved hand to his mouth.

Come on Sonic pull yourself together! He scolded himself.

Sonic took a small detour, dashing into the cover of a small tunnel in the wall. He slid to a stop in the cool shadows.

The hedgehog took a moment to breathe. He was... detached but still so incredibly nauseous.

Sonic gulped: he felt sick. This whole situation was sick. That ancient eldritch thing, was sick. It had sat by and made him watch as it had tormented his friends. Threatening them with his voice. Burning them with his hands. Throwing them around like ragdolls with his powers. Like it was all some kind of- sick game.

He fell to his knees. His mouth forced itself open, his digital stomach bubbling and slushing around inside him. It suddenly clenched tightly. The hedgehog dry-heaved, being that there was nothing to come out.

But that just made it worse. There was no end. No relief. No aftermath.

He knew that thing had been playing with his friends. Toying with them! He had felt it holding itself back. Even now he couldn’t help but feel he was being watched.

Sonic found himself having to fight against his body’s confused instincts. Cyberspace was meant to store memories, having the accidental aftereffect of storing souls. It wasn’t made to be lived in by sentient creatures. He wasn’t built for this dimension. His soul was still reacting as if he were alive and in his own body, copying what it had come to expect.

His stomach clenched about four times before Sonic managed to swallow, cutting off the reaction.

Rage and terror puddled itself in his gut as his skin crawled, head spinning.

Crack!

He leapt up at the sudden noise, hairs and spines on end. The crack had been quiet but it had sent the hedgehog into a small frenzy.

In his panic he stumbled backwards, something crunched under his left foot. His blue quills flung around as his head span around. Nothing was behind him other than the checkered wall of rock. His cloudy green eyes flickered around frantically, before they zeroed in on the broken remains of two white claws on the grassy floor.

“Oh... heh heh,” Sonic awkwardly laughed.

A blue bullet shot from the cave.

His left leg fell out from under him, something rolling under his foot. Only just managing to catch himself before he fell, the hedgehog stumbled to a stop. He tossed his head back to see what had tripped him up.

A leg.

A leg still wrapped in the shiny black leather boot, decorated with silver buckles. It sat in a small puddle of crimson, slowly leaking into the distorted grass.

Sonic gulped, eyes glued to the disembodied leg. He couldn’t look away. No matter how much his stomach squirmed. A sick satisfaction niggled in the back of his mind. He felt a warm something dripping from the corner of his mouth.

That sickly feeling was back, dangerously close to locking him into another dry heaving cycle. Sonic shook his head, tearing his eyes away. He violently wiped his mouth, refusing to look at his gloves.

“I require your assistance.” came a calm, yet still somehow demanding voice.

Sonic startled. Spines raised. He span in a blue of blur.

The black silhouette lowered down before him. Sonic’s body tensed, lowering, fingers splayed in preparation to fight.

“Mortal, return to your body,” It stated. “We cannot leave separated as we are.”

Sonic rose his fists. Perhaps he could keep them both here long enough for Tails to prepare whatever plan they had been talking about.

“Make me!”