#sonic > flash confirmed

[razmerry]

AS USUAL I'M RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING

[cnnmn0400]

The recent DC collab reminds me that Scourge quotes the Joker in that one Archie panel. Rip Anti-Sonic, you would have loved this collab

[skirter01]

AU: Dukes got a strange new teacher, Jason has a weird neighbour, Dick helped a poor civillian with two broken legs, and Tim's got a bad feeling about the knew Wayne Enterprises employee. Who knew they'd turn out to be the same person? Or... Dannys stuck in Gotham, how, why, when? To be confirmed, although, he's positive its something to do with a certain time-turning asshole. But now he's got bats on his tail and a serious case of the munchies. Good thing Sam and Tucker learned early on to slap a tracker on his phone.

----

Smol Teaser

Dick stumbled forwards, chain rattling around his foot as it pulled taunt. He hit the deck.

“No!”

Duke closed his eyes – and for a moment, he wondered what it would’ve been like if he’d just stayed home like he’d planned to – as Danny descended, mouth split into a feral smile and scythe in motion.

Then, “Bang!”

Dukes’ ears screamed as something exploded, a sonic boom erupting somewhere to his right. A fiery green blast flashed through the air, smacking into Danny like a sledgehammer and sending him hurtling into the concrete pillar in a blast of dust and debris.

Duke took in a sharp breath, eyes fettering over where the teacher landed. His eyes locked on Dick, who was staring over his shoulder from his place on the floor.

“Ha! Bullseye!” Duke startled at the voice and whipped to his right. “I am literally a God.”

Had he been transported to Men in Black right now? Because there was no other explanation for what this was right now. The owner of the voice was a young African American, with neat cornrows and dressed in a suit straight out of MIB, save for the sunglasses which were substituted for a slick pair of black framed glasses.

With a huff, the newcomer hefted an enormous smoking bazooka to rest between his shoulder blade and collarbone. He looked over the room with a grin. “Worry not ladies, knight with shining armour reporting for duty.” He proclaimed with a cheeky grin and a wink, patting the weapon’s steel side fondly, “No, need to thank me. Just doing my job.”

There was a click, and the stranger froze, “Who in the hell are you?” Jason growled through his modulator, stepping out of the shadows to the left of new guy, pistol aimed for a head shot.

The stranger’s eyes slid, acknowledging Jason’s gun from his peripheral. “Sure…” He drawled cautiously, ‘shoot the man with the bazooka. Do it.”

Jason pulled out his second gun. Head titling in challenge.

New guy grinned. “Geez, calm your tits. Names Foley, Tucker Foley.” He reached into his blazer pocket, pulling out a badge. “FBI”

The FBI?

Jason lowered his pistols. “The fuck is the FBI doing in Gotham?” Duke would like to know the same thing.

Tucker shrugged, “Shits and gigs” he said, dropping the bazooka from his shoulder, and catching its nose on his foot before he propped it up against the closest wall. He swivelled, jabbing a finger over at the downed spectre. “Mostly that troublemaker though. Do you mind if I–actually, why am I even asking you?” He stalked over to the cracked concrete pillar and jabbed at foot at Dukes downed teacher, shifting his lifeless body “Oi, Danny.”

Duke didn’t know how to break the news. “Um, Mr. Foley? He’s not–Well, he was killed by something, we don’t know what exactly. I don’t think he’s–yeah…Sorry.” Ever so eloquently put.

Tucker raised a brow, “Are you trying to tell me he’s dead?”

Duke resisted the urge to point out that this Tucker guy did actually shoot him into the wall with a bazooka. He was dead before anyway, but still.

“Obviously,” Jason grumbled, crossing his arms. “Some occult thing.”

“Right.” Tucker’s face twisted into a slight frown, and he nudged the body again. “Danny, stop foxing and get up.”

There was a groan and Duke took an involuntary step back.  

Tucker prodded Danny again. “C’mon, up and at ‘em.”

“5 more minutes.” Danny rolled over onto his side. “M’kay?”

Dick’s mouth was wide open at the scene. “Are you serious right now?”

Danny popped his head up, hair and face covered in dust, his eyes narrowed. “You’d think coming at them with a scythe would scare them off, right Tuck?”

“I told you it wasn’t going to work.” A feminine voice came from the doorway, and a woman stepped into the room. “But please, feel free to be disappointed.” She was dressed in back cargo pants, and a cropped purple tee, dark hair neatly braided down her back. She leaned against the door, “You missed our anniversary.” She said pointedly towards Danny.

Danny dropped his head back to the floor. “Can we go back to when I was just a lifeless corpse?”

Tucker gwuaffed. “You’re already a lifeless corpse, there’s nothing to go back to, stupid."

[suprababka]

Hi, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you or making this sounds like asking a free commission. Could you please make them react if we accidentally butt-dial them about singing how we like their looks and want to be more like this

Hiii!👋 Thank you for the request, I like it! And don't worry, it's totally alright :) I'm sorry for taking this so long🥲 I guess I changed a little bit the plot, so please let me know if it's something you didn't have in your mind🙏 In my smau, the Reader immediately writes them after accidentally sending a voicemessage and boys' reactions to it :)) If something is not right, please let me know, and I'll fix it. Have fun!💕

Accidentally butt-dialing them while singing about their good looks

T/W: a tiiiiiiiiiny bit of swearing ;)

A/N: Ayooooooooo, season 3 in 2025 is confirmed!!!🔥🔥🔥

And sorry again for not being active, I had an intense wave of deadlines... But good news! I quitted my job and will be more free from now on😉 Ah, I missed you guys😌

Thanks for all the likes, comments, reblogs and following me! I really appreciate your feedback and support, guys!🥰🫶

You can check my masterlist to see more of my other works.

Prepare for possible OOC!

(Sorry if there are any mistakes!)

And, most importantly, enjoy!!!

Saitama & Genos & Speed-o'-Sound Sonic

Garou & Metal Bat & Amai Mask

Flashy Flash & Zombieman & King

[big-cheesy-productions]

Sonic Movie 3 Spoilers

I've seen people upset about Maria's death because she wasn't directly shot, and I just need to emphasize:

Those soldiers were very much intending to shoot her. They knew they were kids and were going to shoot anyway. That soldier fired his gun with the intention to shoot Maria. Walter's intervention caused the shot to miss.

And to be fair, the games/shows/etc. never explicitly show her be shot (Edit: that one video from SA2 where she has 2 gunshot wounds in her back? That's fake. That's a mod. She does not have wounds on her in that scene. All we hear is a gunshot before flashing back to that memory). It's heavily implied, but never directly, explicitly shown. They couldn't show or even imply her getting shot in order to keep their PG rating (Jeff Fowler confirmed this), but the intention is very much there: GUN killed Maria, one way or another.

I have some minor nitpicks with her death, such as no last words or promise, but I understand why they didn't do that for both the rating and the plot the movie was going for. Having him forget her promise wouldn't make as much sense in this context without Gerald altering him memory. It does work in the movie, I just wish we got a longer scene.

My major nitpick is that they don't go further into exploring GUN's involvement and morality in the movie. Team Sonic questions it a bit, and I think we're supposed to infer that Walter's made changes to the organization after what happened, but they kind of drop the GUN stuff halfway through.

Point is, GUN was still very much the direct cause of Maria's death in the movie.

[catiecat1320]

New Fic!!

To ten million fireflies (I'm weird cus I hate goodbyes)

[3162 words]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63434476

(Embeds are broken TvT)

Synosis:

There's a weird bridge over the pit of grief that Shadow has been stuck on since he failed to die in the Eclipse Cannon's explosion. As much as he wishes to cross it, he finds it grows wider, deeper, the more he runs. One day, Sonic finds him. And for all the stupidity that the hedgehog has displayed, he seems to know exactly the remedy that Shadow needs.

(AKA, Sonic takes Shadow to his cave and helps him process Maria's death by painting a mural of her)

Title from Fireflies by Owl City!

Read Below🔽

For as little as he knew about hedgehogs on Earth, Shadow was fairly certain that they don’t belong in trees. By that same logic, he shouldn’t be in a tree either, especially when he could barely climb it.

The rough bark tore at his gloves as he pulled himself up higher, his only goal to get off the ground. Put distance between the thing causing him so much distress, or at least the thing he thinks is causing it. He’s desperate enough to hope it’ll work.

He doesn’t stop until he’s sitting on the highest bough, breath stuttering with exertion as he hugs the trunk for stability. The waxing moon, its broken half a jagged sneer, looks down on him and he screws his eyes shut.

This high above the world, he hopes his mind stops trying to get him to believe in the unreal. It was tiring to deal with.

He was stupid to believe that. The world bends to fabricate a gentle touch, wind blowing a branch to brush his head kindly as if it could comfort him. The tree wraps its arms around him and coaxes him to lay his head against her body. It’s almost real when she sings, soft and protective, a lullaby that soothes his soul and hurts his heart.

Tears slip down his muzzle before he registers that he’s crying. Attempts to choke down his tears only prompt them to fall faster, and soon enough he’s sobbing for no reason at all.

He lets go of the trunk to swipes at his face, the night air he’s rapidly drawing into his lungs stinging as much as the swaying leaves snapping at his face does. He shudders— bad move. In an instant, his balance is thrown off and he pitches backward, too late to readjust his position.

With a panicked yelp, he grabs at anything nearby, only succeeding to break a few twigs too weak to hold him. His fall is rather painful, the tree limbs that’d helped him climb up now his enemy as he’s smacked around like a kickball to meet the ground he was so desperate to escape.

The ground, in turn, greets him by knocking the remaining air out of his lungs. For a moment, Shadow could do nothing but lie there, barely breathing, tears still trailing through his fur, pain radiating through his body. 

He’ll heal; he’s always been good at that. It’s the way the broken moon taunts him through the gaps in the towering trees, the way the silhouetted branches claw at the nightscape in his vision, the way the stars still shine just like they had 50 years ago, that causes him to shove his palms against his eyes and let out a guttural wail.

He isn’t sure how much time passes before someone comes upon his pathetic form. He knows they’re real by the footsteps pausing on the grass, the hesitant exhale as they search for the right words. At that point, he couldn’t care less about keeping his usual serious persona. He just wanted peace. 

“Go away.” His voice is far weaker than he hoped, rough from excessive crying. He thinks it’s still pretty threatening, all things considered, but his words seem to mean nothing. The mystery person walks right up beside him and sits down.

It’s Sonic, isn’t it?

Of all people. He isn’t sure whether to be annoyed or be glad. His suspicion is only confirmed by the sound of nervous tapping, indicative of the hedgehog who can’t sit still.

He presses on his eyes so hard, flashes of color replace static black. “Go away, Sonic,” he forces through gritted teeth. “I know it’s you.”

There’s an impressed huff. “You know I can’t do that. I heard you, y’know. You’re hurt. I wanna help.”

“I don’t need help.”

A soft warmth wraps around his wrist and tugs at it, a gentle suggestion to stop trying to force his eyes out through his ears. Shadow begrudgingly lifts one hand and peers at Sonic through a cracked eyelid.

Everything’s blurry, but it’s hard not to make out the distinct silhouette of the hedgehog leaning over him, and even harder to ignore the green eyes glowing with hints of neon blue. He thinks Sonic smiles at him, but that is hard to tell in the dark.

“So, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he mutters. He moves to cover his open eye again, but a surprisingly strong grip stops him. 

“Tell me the truth,” Sonic whispers, that childish lilt of his the only thing stopping his tone from veering into forceful. It’s enough of a threat to be unnerving, however, and Shadow can’t stop himself from clenching his free hand where it rested on his head.

He takes a deep breath. “I’m just… missing her. That’s all. Now leave me alone.”

“C’mon, Shads,” the other pouts, back to his annoying self. He shakes the wrist he has in his grasp, causing Shadow’s hand to flop around. “I’m serious. I wanna help.”

“You can’t help everyone.”

“But I can help you.” Sonic shifts where he sits at the same time he folds his fingers into Shadow’s. The rather intimate action confuses the latter, and that was the only reason he obliged when Sonic urged him to sit up.

He can’t deny that seeing the blue hedgehog brighten made him feel better. “Fine,” he breathes, hoping that whatever they were going to do wouldn’t take too long. His agreement is awarded with a toothy smile.

“Awesome! C’mon, I gotta show you something.” Sonic pulls him to his feet, walks 180-degrees around him, then meets his gaze. “It's just this way. I think. You’d think I’d know where the place I lived in for ten years is, but it’s actually really well hidden. I did a good job hiding, if you’d believe.”

Their hands are still interlaced as Sonic walks him through the forest, rambling quietly as he guides them over stray tree roots on an arguably convoluted path. At some point his voice melts into background noise to Shadow, its pleasant cadence soothing his turbulent mind like a blanket on a cold day. It reminds him of how tired he was, having consistently woken himself up over the past few nights and thrown off his circadian rhythm.

He almost doesn’t notice when they stop. If it weren’t for Sonic’s hold slipping out of his, he wouldn’t have known. With his hand suddenly empty, Shadow snaps to attention and looks up to a reassuring smile. “You ready?”

Crimson eyes flick around their surroundings before settling back on emerald. “You just led us to a different part of the forest.” A pause, considering past words. “You…”

“Lived here? Yeah.” There’s an edge of melancholy to Sonic’s voice that Shadow has only heard when they sat on the moon, back when it was still whole. “Before Tom and Maddie got to me, I lived in this cave.” He beckoned the other to follow before he ducked into a well hidden entrance.

The dirt beneath them was packed tight from years of a hyperactive hedgehog bouncing around on it. Its surface was just smooth enough that some of the moonlight peeking in from another hole in the natural ceiling reflected off it, creating a dim ambient light on everything else.

It was enough for Shadow’s eyes to adjust to the dark and still be able to see clearly. Enough to notice that the place was quite barren except for the two hedgehogs in it and the plants slowly reclaiming the space. It didn’t seem lived in, much less lived in by Sonic. He’d expected… something more akin to Maria’s blanket fort. Cozy, filled with toys and other fun distractions, overflowing with personality.

Sonic must have noticed his less than impressed reaction and nudged him, taking him back to the present. “I know what you’re thinking. Sonic? In this tidy space? Impossible.” The bad impression of Shadow’s voice lightened the room in a way both were grateful for. “Okay, it used to be a lot more cluttered, I’ll admit. Tom and Maddie took everything out when I moved into their— our, now— house.”

Sonic took his hand again, gently guiding him over to a wall overtaken by jutting tree roots and draping greenery. “It makes more space for this I suppose.” He brushed aside the plant cover to reveal a colored drawing in a childish style. In the dark, it was hard to make out some of the details, but the stars of the artwork were clear— an owl and a hedgehog, sitting side by side on a crude loop-de-loop. The hedgehog was familiar though the owl was not; however, Shadow could infer who they were from what he knew.

“You and… Longclaw?” The name caused Sonic’s smile to pull tight with an emotion Shadow didn’t recognize, but it settled just as quickly, just as easily, leaving only traces in emerald eyes and a shift in his voice.

“Yeah. I made this back when I first lost her.” Sonic rested a thumb on the owl’s heart, as if he could still feel it beat. For a moment, there was silence, the reflecting kind, good for thinking. Shadow watched Sonic closely.

“Anyway!” The blue hedgehog pulled back, breaking the quiet. Excitement once again bled into his voice, swirling with whatever was there before to create a blend that was… well, there weren’t quite the words to describe it. “This is what I wanted to show you!”

Shadow blinked. “I… don’t understand.”

“You’re missing her, right?” Sonic gives his hand a gentle squeeze. “Making this helped me when I lost Longclaw. I think it might help you too.” 

“But…” Shadow falters, the already weak protest dying on his tongue.

He’s just trying to help.

At his hesitation, Sonic tugs his arm again. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Think about it, alright? I gotta get the things we need anyway.” He gives Shadow’s hand an assuring pat before the latter could protest, then disappears in a blur of neon blue.

Shadow’s breath hitches, quickening by the moment. As much as he argued to be left alone before this, he really needed the company. Being left in a cave in the dark, by himself, was not the situation he wanted to be in.

He didn’t realize he was backing up until he hit the wall, chips of old paint flaking off where his tensed quills nicked the crude mural. A moment of panic seized him as he pulled away as fast as possible, as if he could lessen the damage already dealt.

“I— I‘m sorry,” Shadow mumbles. Irrational as it may be, he felt bad for the two figures painted on the stone, as if he’d hurt them, as if they could feel pain. He screws his eyes shut as he presses against the adjacent wall and sinks to the floor.

That only made things worse, the cold stone sliding in his quills like water, like the fluid in the stasis chamber, and the static black swirling in his vision only reminded him of that time. A punishment, for something he hadn’t done, filled with memories of a time that no one would remember after he was freed. A girl, a man, and grief and anger and—

“Shadow,” a voice calls. There was a hand on his knee, and it was warm, kind. His eyes snapped open and he hissed at it.

Sonic flinched, recoiling. “It’s just me. Are you…? That’s a stupid question, Sonic. Guess I shouldn’t have left, huh? Sorry.”

“No,” Shadow blurts. “Don’t… I’m— I’m sorry. Not you. I just… I can’t. I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Or it will be. You probably don’t believe that; just know I forgive you hm?” Something’s pressed into his palm. He looks down to see a can of… spray paint? He meets emerald eyes quizzically.

Sonic smiles and nods up at the wall he’s leaning against. “Trust me on this one?”

Really, all Shadow could think of is how weird it is to reassure someone and prompt something completely unrelated in the same breath. Sonic works in mysterious ways, he supposed. Maybe…

He let himself be guided to stand, fingers curling tight around the aerosol can. The blank wall before him is daunting and he realizes that he has no idea how to work the spray paint’s mechanics, much less how to actually create something worthy of Maria’s memory.

A hand wraps around his own, and Shadow looks up at Sonic in surprise. All that greets him is an encouraging smile. “You gotta take the lid off first, silly.”

A blush floods into tan cheeks as Shadow pulls the cap off the can, in part due to embarrassment, the other part due to the fact that his and Sonic’s bodies are flush as the latter guides the former through the motions of spray painting.

“You press this little thing and then the paint comes out! But be careful cus it comes out of this little hole here and if it’s aimed at you, you’re going to get covered in paint. Trust me, it’s not fun...” 

As Sonic’s rambles derail into something unrelated, they slip into Shadow’s subconscious, the words no longer comprehensible. He could focus if he wanted to, but it’s so nice to just let it blur. Shadow finds himself basking in its melody.

He almost doesn’t realize when Sonic steps away to let him work, a phantom touch still lingering by his side. It’s not unwelcome, far from it. He finds comfort in the way it follows his every movement, from wide swoops to small dots.

Sonic occasionally hands him another color. He thinks he requests it, but he doesn’t remember ever saying anything out loud. That’s comforting too, the knowledge that the other hedgehog is standing by, ready to help.

As he painted in a human figure, he could almost hear the phantom on his shoulder giggle. His heart squeezes as his hand does on the nozzle. Maria…

Long, straight hair, with a headband decorating it. Blue gray eyes, one marked with streaks of gold. A patterned shirt, because she loved to dress brightly among all the white lab coats they saw every day.

He could see her clearly even after 50 years. There’s a twinge of sadness in him as he realizes he’s likely to be the only one left that remembers her in such a way, with so much love.

Sonic hands him the black paint. He shakes the can and pops the cap, raises his arm… and stops. 

He can’t bring himself to draw his own figure in. Not beside Maria. Not after what he’d almost done to the world she cherished, the world she showed him, the world she called home.

He isn’t sure why Sonic clasps his shaking hand, but he knows when he meets emerald eyes that there was nothing but kindness in that gaze. Shadow swallows thickly. 

He knows that look. The same one Maria never failed to give him. The same one he thought he’d lost forever in that explosion 50 years ago. The same one he stared into on the moon.

“I’m sorry,” he chokes, unsure who he’s addressing it to.

“And I forgive you,” Sonic, Maria, the Earth and the stars, say back.

Gently, slowly, Shadow presses the nozzle and paints a hedgehog to sit beside the girl who gave him everything. Sonic’s right there when he turns around, ready with the red can for the highlights in his quills.

He does not care as much for his own appearance as he did Maria’s. At least, when he stepped back to take in the full picture, moving to stand beside Sonic, it did not seem out of place.

And oh, everything. His handiwork was not the prettiest, though he would say that for the first time he’s tried something like this, it turned out alright. Perhaps one day, he’d be able to do Maria justice with a better version, but something told him that she wouldn’t mind this one.

“It’s so pretty,” Sonic comments earnestly. “Much better than mine is.”

“Don’t say that,” Shadow whispers. He glances at the adjacent wall, at the old memorial made by a hurting child. That child stands beside him now, years older and all the wiser, acting as a lighthouse on the dark waves to a ship enduring the same storm he had. Shadow could not be more glad that he’s here.

Sonic tilts his head in curiosity, opening his mouth before thinking better of it. He meets Shadow’s intense stare with an awkward half-smile when he realizes he’s been caught. 

“What is it?”

He laughs, breathy and hesitant. “It kinda reminds me of… of us. On the moon y’know? The way we sat and watched the sun come up… Okay, not really when you think about it. It’s just… um. Let me stop talking. Heh.”

Shadow studies his painting with new eyes. It’s supposed to be of the time Maria took him outside and they sat in a patch of flowers, looking up at the stars. Looking deeper at it… it is reminiscent of his and Sonic’s talk on the moon. 

“I suppose it does.”

Sonic blinks in surprise, mouth practically disappearing with the way it pinches. It stays like that for just a second before he breaks into a smile. “Yeah. Yeah! I know what I’m talking about. Um. Do you… feel better?”

The way he looks at Shadow is so… so hopeful. Something about the slight shine in his eyes, reflecting the patch of moonlight, something about the soft smile with a gap for teeth to peek through, something about the way Sonic acts just pulls at Shadow in all the right and wrong ways. His composure crumbles.

His knees hit the floor and Sonic surges to catch him, stopping short when a sob claws its way out of Shadow’s throat. His hands find themselves on his face, catching tears as they fall.

He wants to respond to Sonic. He wants to say yes. It had helped. He did feel better. His voice refuses to cooperate with him.

Soft arms wrap around him, and he finds Sonic kneeling in front of him, giving an awkwardly loose hug. He’s nervous, Shadow realizes.

Without another thought, he pushes forward, falling against the other hedgehog. He shoves his face in the crook of his neck, his now empty hands feeling for Sonic’s back. Sonic, in return, hugs him something fierce.

Shadow can’t tell how long they stay like that, him crying desperately into the other. It’s a while before he has the mind to speak, attempting to force out words in between shuddering breaths. “I’m… I’m sorry. I’m…”

“No. Don’t,” Sonic cuts in, rubbing his back gently. “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay.”

“...thankful,” Shadow amends, squeezing his eyes shut. He nuzzles the blue fur that muffles his words and suppresses another sob.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

[cc-cobalt-1043]

Lightning:

Sonic woke up to the whistling of the wind outside.

Grumbling he turned over in his bed trying to get back to his peaceful slumber.

He heard a loud bang of thunder as well as a slight whimpering sound made by the wind.

Wait a minute...whimpering.

Blinking his eyes he looked around and saw a trembling lump curled up on Tails' bed.

A yelp as well as a bit of a orange and white tipped tail confirmed the lump was Tails.

Sonic got up and tiptoed over to Tails' bed.

"Tails, you okay bud?" Sonic whispered.

Tails peeked out from the blanket covering his small body and looked at Sonic.

"It's scary." Tails mumbled.

"What is bud, the rain?" Sonic asked.

There was suddenly another loud bang of thunder as well as a bright flash of lightning and Tails squeaked in fright hiding under the blankets.

"Oh, the thunder is what's scaring you." Sonic and and Tails nodded.

"I know it's silly but it just scares me." Tails said

Sonic gently put his hand under Tails' chin and glassy cyan eyes met emerald green.

"Hey, it's not silly to be afraid of something, I'm afraid of deep bodies of water remember." Sonic said.

"But you still saved Knuckles from drowning, yet I can't even ignore a storm." Tails said miserably.

"That doesn't mean I wasn't scared, heck I was terrified, I saved him before it was the right thing to do not because I was trying to be brave." Sonic said.

"Oh." Tails mumbled looking down again.

Sonic gently stroked behind Tails' ears the comforting action getting a small purr out of the kit.

"Cmom, let's go downstairs and camp out in the living room, it's less loud down there." Sonic said scooping up the very small and very light fox kit in his arms.

They headed downstairs and Tails was thankful to find the storm was less loud than it was in the attic.

The two cuddled up on the couch and Sonic was about to drift off again when Tails spoke again.

"Thanks Sonic." Tails mumbled eyes closed and one of his ears resting on Sonic's chest listening to his heartbeat.

"No problem little bro, now sleep." Sonic said stroking Tails' bangs affectionately.

Sonic stayed awake until he heard Tails' breathing evened out as the kit drifted off, a soft snoring sound confirming he was now in a deep sleep.

Chuckling Sonic fell asleep himself, determined to shield his little brother from the storm outside.

[lilwoofs]

I know it’s been a while but the more I think about it the more I think nothing from the flashbacks in dark beginnings were actually real. Of course there’s the big ones; in the journal it said that ark workers were the ones that calmed emerl down, not shadow (also Maria seems surprised about shadow fighting in shadow generations, but in dark beginnings she asks him to defend them) , and shadow didn’t seem to know he was black arms until shadow the hedgehog 2005 (though he did have memory loss, but even in shadow generations Gerald revealed to shadow and Maria that he made the deal with black doom and Maria seems surprised, that lines up with shadow being surprised in SH 2005, (and also Abe seems to act like it was a secret that he happened to see as a child)) so it just doesn’t make sense for Maria and shadow to have had that conversation. Not to mention so many other things are glitching and out of order (though I think it was confirmed that black doom came back because of the black arms larva on the ark, so it being there was real, even if they might’ve not actually seen it like how the ‘memory’ shows)

It seems like shadows current memories are the ones spilling onto old ones, Maria never confronted him about being black arms (because she most likely never knew) but shadow does know now and maybe that’s seeing a what if. He knows of emerl, and now he’s so used to fighting it’s kinda like a dream, where everything that he knows is getting mixed up.

In sonic adventure 2 we see a flash back (and even though shadows memories aren’t the best in this game, it’s so soon after it would’ve happened for him that I think it’s safe to say we could trust it) that showed shadow expressing that he wants to go to the earth, even saying something like ‘maybe if I go there I’ll find out what my purpose is’

So it makes sense that shadow, having now been to earth and it not doing much, would be concerned about not being about to fit in on earth, and the beginning part shows that, instead of him saying he wants to go down there he’s expressing doubts about being able to fit in, it’s similar to what happened, but also contradicting, which is why I think it didn’t exactly happened as they showed it.

(And I think that makes a lot of sense because the after credits for dark beginning in the PlayStation has shadow again talking to Maria about his concerns fitting into earth, but this one seems more like a hallucination in the present day then a flashback (not real at all because they’re on earth and she disappears afterwards) further showing that this is an issue he is having NOW. And though it could’ve been an issue in the past, I think all together it makes more sense this way)

(That could also mean the very start with Maria running wasn’t just done to be mean, but could’ve been done because that’s a strong memory’s of present that shadow has, again leaking into this ‘flashback’)

[gofancyninjaworld]

OPM Manga chapters 195-6 Review

Right, let's do this. I had intended to review chapters 195 through 197, but if I want to write this to a usable length, I need to be a little more brief.

Summary

195

Man, what's a ninja gotta do to nurse his aching head in peace? No sooner does Sonic settle down for a nice sulk with a big bag of ice and water on his head than those two turkeys, Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame, pop up with the intention of attacking him. Before Sonic can do anything about them, they're taken out by two other ninjas who introduce themselves. They're followed swiftly by several others. Collectively, they're the Tenninto, and they plan to kill Blast and Flashy Flash and rule the world under the tutelage of That Man. They task Sonic with luring Flash out to this hiding place on the morrow so they can execute him. Then they vanish, leaving Sonic to think on their words.

Quite the collection!

Elsewhere, back at the Hero Association, we've met the great man himself. After his initial surprise, Saitama thanks Blast for getting him out of the hole, to which Blast replies that not only was it no bother, but Saitama's appearance had saved him the trouble of seeking him out. Saitama's remarkable strength had caught his eye.

Real recognise real.

Hearing that, Flash interjected that if Blast was interested in his disciple, then he'd have to take a number -- Saitama had a prior engagement. Saitama denies this, but before that goes anywhere, Sicchi jumps in to say that Blast has confirmed that he was the one who defeated Garou. Saitama replied that he really didn't remember, which set Sicchi off on a rant about how imperative it was for him to remember. As Saitama continues not to get it, we are treated to a flashback of the conversation between Sicchi and Blast.

Without a doubt, the Earth had been in trouble, Blast told Sicchi. However, he had no idea how strong Saitama really was: it appeared unfathomable. While they did need to find out what Saitama's deal was, he did not seem like a bad guy, so he could just be left at liberty for now. This was a relief to Sicchi as he was sure that Genos would turn him into an ashtray if he laid a finger on Saitama. More pressingly, was the end of this monster Association trouble and Garou the aversion of the prophesized crisis?

Fathoming Saitama? Good luck with that!

Not even close, Blast said. Worse was yet to come.

By the pricking of my thumbs, something evil this way comes. Like my ex.

196

We carry on right where we left off. Flashy Flash is tired of talking about his disciple and asks Blast to talk to him about God. Blast looks at Flashy for a moment. He then tells the ninja to forget about fighting god, for he would surely die. Flashy Flash doesn't take this line down. He wants, no needs, to chop God up with his sword. Saitama unwisely asks why, and we're treated to a flashback.

Go home, kid. This isn't your bag. That's what Blast wants to say.

Flashy Flash recounts how, in the Village he had been raised in, he and his friend (he doesn't mention Sonic by name) encountered a cube and the village leader, who had been entombed in a recovery capsule. Flashy Flash surmises that 'That Man' was granted Power by God, and thus, the Village was a faculty to turn out minions for God under the guise of running a first-class school for assassins.

Flashy Flash doing his best Inspector Closeau impression.

Blast doesn't applaud his powers of deduction, but what he says next jibes with it. 'That Man' is his partner, named Empty Void. They had been searching for cubes together, and he had been seduced by God. Blast felt responsible for failing to stop him and regretted the young lives lost in the village as well as their many victims. It was his problem to solve.

So you let him get away? Flashy Flash asked.

Blast winced but explained that he'd been able to wound him severely.

Awfully specific number, no? It's almost like he knows something...

So you let him get away, Flashy Flash states, adding that Blast's softness was unfitting for the top hero. Never mind, he would find God himself, he said, squaring up to Blast.

Saitama breaks the tension by asking Blast what he wants to do with his partner. Just then, over a tannoy, there is an announcement that experimental procedure preparations were complete. Blasts invite Saitama and Flashy Flash to watch. Below them, three monsters -- ex-martial artists from the Super Fight -- were strapped upright to boards. As they watched, the monsters were blasted with powerful electric shocks, causing them to scream and writhe in agony. The experiment was stopped to avoid killing the monsters, and they collapsed limply on being released from their restraints.

You could call this a tense situation.

A failure, Flashy Flash says. Just then, one of the monsters, Hamukichi, crawls back and straps himself in, asking for the procedure to continue. He couldn't face the children at the dojo like this. The shocks recommence, and while he can't take it for long, it seems that the separation of the monster cells has begun.

If you're a believer in redemption through pain, then demonsterization through extensive electric shocks definitely qualifies.

Sicchi noted that it corroborated what Bang had reported, that demonsterization depended on the will of the person. Flashy Flash thanks for a moment and adds that this is a very risky experiment. Could Void even be captured alive?

Just then, something catches Blast's attention. Shouting 'oh no!', he smashes his fists together. Outside, the Hero Association building is surrounded by a bubble of light and Pops out of existence. Clouds swirl around it as air rushes in to fill the sudden void. Suddenly, the ground is torn up by multiple slashes, and crevasses open up. Once the attack passes, the building pops back into existence. On top of the building, another light bubble appeared and disgorged blast, Saitama, Flash, Manako, and Sicchi.

Now you see it, now you don't.

Everyone looks around in shock other than Saitama, who is merely mildly interested, and Blast, who is unsurprised. This is Void's dimensional slash, he explains to the others. Looks like Void is fully recovered now.

Do you think you can win? Saitama asks Blast. Well, I do have some ideas, and I haven't been doing nothing in the interim.

Cocky or quietly confident? Only more chapters will tell!

Meta below the cut.

Meta

You expect an artist not to draw?

I don't need to rack my mind too hard as to why these chapters have been revised. For 195, having Blast and Saitama not recognising each other despite Blast having gotten the latter out of a hole was weird, and it was a bit of a missed opportunity if Sicchi had not asked Blast for his version of events. For 196, I'm no fly on the wall, but the idea of Murata penning a page full of words from a dying ninja hyping up the Village Leader without evidence probably did not sit right with him. If he's so amazing, let me SHOW IT! And boy howdy has ONE delivered a storyboard to fit. It's as ONE has said in an interview elsewhere, the nice thing about working with talented artists is that you can do more with your story.

Saved for later

We may have lost the story of how Manako was derived from Psykos, but we still have the allusion to it in her declaring herself as never having been human. It may return someday. Very little is wasted; things are mostly repurposed.

Humility comes hardest of all

Today has been another good day for Flashy Flash getting shook. He went with the intention of teaching Saitama a thing or two, but it hasn't quite gone to plan. Not only has he been rudely reminded of how weak he is compared to Saitama, but the minion of the God he wishes to slash up has turned out to have a power that he cannot begin to comprehend, much less oppose. Will he be humble? Not a chance!

Maybe this slashing God up plan could do with some revision...

In contrast, Saitama is as unruffled as ever. His only irritation at this juncture has been getting a long story when he didn't want one. Everything else is mildly interesting.

Yeah, I know I haven't named the ninjas. I will have to mention them later: they did introduce themselves, but we know that they're not long for this world.

Threads

On to more interesting things, then. I really have to say that I love how the long-running themes, some of which had seemed to be throw-away devices, are now coming back into play. Take the martial artists for one. It would have been absolutely fine if we didn't know anything about what happened to them: being monsters, we would presume them killed. So it's really interesting to see that at least three of them have been captured alive and are being experimented on with the objective of turning them back into people, seeing as they didn't originally want to become monsters but were coerced into doing so.

It's also very interesting to me that another throwaway, which was the people who Super S had captured and tried to brainwash into becoming monsters, all reverted to being human again after Bang knocked her out. It seems that his report has been critical in giving the Hero Association the idea that it was worth trying to reverse (at least some cases of) monsterization instead of just killing monsters or using them as pets or other inhumane things, like weapons practice.

I really thought those monsters were dead back then. Good to see they've got some value.

Multi-dimensional fuckery

Not so long-running, but equally important, Blast and Saitama have recognized each other. It would have been strange for Blast to have no idea of how strong Saitama really was. The fact that he has learned something about this means that the story is likely to take some more interesting twists and turns. It is also good to see that the secret meeting regarding god continues to yield results. I suspect that the only reason Sicchi discussed Saitama with Blast was Genos's unbelievable story. Seeing that some of it has been corroborated is good to see. Other things haven't been left to hang as long: the ongoing threat of the prophecy is still alive and well, as Void's attack shows. The ability to attack from another dimension is a terrifying one. Weapons can appear anywhere, even within oneself, and there is no such thing as being hidden, at least not in a three-dimensional space. Garou may have gotten the power from God and learned how to make dimensional gates from Blast, but he didn't have the time to consider fully what he could really do with it; Void has had that time.

I know many people are impatient to see just how big a fight between Blast and Void can be, but all in good time. OPM is not necessarily about the fights, even though it can deliver on the spectacle when it wants to. More important than who punches Who and what fancy technique is used, the questions of how long Blast has known Void, how long he has known about the Village (some of those ninjas are in their fifties -- Void didn't start this place up just because of 'God'), and why he wants to save Void remain to be answered. I'm sure that some of those answers are not going to be edifying.

[000marie198]

It's done. Phew *passes out* here, please accept this little prologue, I've planned a multichapter for this.

Here's my entry to Nine Tailed Travel Guide Through the Multiverse. Juuuust short of time running out. Takes place in Synergy Au

.

.

Unsynched

The sea lit up in a thunderous white flash, lightning striking the mountaineous waves with vengeance, their turbulent surface swallowing million tiny craters and being struck by million more.

Rain fell in torrents, bulleting streams of water speeding downward lit by the blinding flashes every few seconds. Wind screamed and wailed as it hunted within the deadly storm, one of the bigger ones this area had seen since the Rift.

At the edges of a secluded shore, the rumbles of thunder sounded muffled inside a locked up facility, the safety of reinforced hangers and labs failing to hide the chill caused by nature’s wrath. Even as the world slept peacefully, most of the staff was on high alert. That included the operators dutifully running continuous scans at their respective stations.

A large computer set up at the radar control station began to beep in alert, one of its monitors displaying a red dot pinging offshore over the regional map. The agent stationed by it reached for the controls, slipping a headset over his ears to report what the monitor displayed.

“Commander, we've picked up on an energy anamoly fifteen miles west.”

“Another beast?” The gruff voice on the other end inquired almost immediately.

“Negative,” the agent responded, “this signature does not match the one given off by the Breachers.”

There was a pause on the other end, likely due to the other consulting about their next course of action, before another voice crackled through the comm links.

“We are at Hanger 5, prepared for deployment. Allow clearance for investigation.”

“Commander?” The agent prompted for confirmation.

“Send off The Tempest,” the first voice ordered. “We cannot take any chances.”

“Affirmative.”

An intensifying hum sounded from Hanger 5 as mechanisms powered up and the reinforced gates slowly rose, the icy claws of the storm reaching in with a vengeance.

……….....................................

Expecting to appear on solid ground as he had the past few times he walked into a new world, Nine hadn't anticipated the portal to deposit him thirty feet high, in the middle of the ocean.

A startled yelp escaped him, quickly turning into terrified scream as rain, wind and lightning blinded his senses, flashes preceding blasts of thunder that shook him to the core.

The world was an earthquake and he was at its epicenter.

His heartrate sped up as he fell. Loud beats thudding through his veins mirrored the thunder’s claps like symphonic war drums. Pupils shrunk into pinpricks and something buzzed across his fur, skin, flesh– every single cell.

Adrenaline.

He was familiar with adrenaline. With its fight or flight instincts.

He had honed them for years to choose fight. With practice and struggle, pain and blood, a lifetime of suffering. Nine squeezed his eyes shut and let them take over, trusting them to keep him safe.

Seven metal tails clicked apart and spun, two organic ones joining them and the kit slammed to a halt midair, the harsh shift in momentum barely shocking him. Black waves below and grey clouds above sandwiched the wind and rain that tried to push him down but he held on, though barely.

Raising an arm to block the droplets, Nine squinted through the shower, flinching as more strikes lit the stormy horizon. He needed to find someplace to land. Now. Being in the air increased the risk of his metallic appendages attracting lightning.

Just stabilizing while hovering in same place was difficult enough, if he couldn't find land soon- he pressed his lips, glancing down at the MTC- he'd have no choice but to leave this universe unexplored.

For the first time in many multiverse adventures, he wished Sonic and Tails would show up. He had internally complained about it before but he could really use some help right now.

Well, no matter, if they couldn't find him, he'll do it himself. A harsh gust pushed at him from the side, Nine grunting as his tails strained to fight against it. Right, he'll try to find them after he was sheltered and not under the mercy of a heavy storm.

Reaching for his yellow handheld, he turned mid air so his back was to the rain’s direction, shielding his front just enough for him to huddle over the device and activate its wave scanner, trying to find a satellite signal he could hack.

In any other case, he would've shot down the thought immediately, considering he's been through universes where such technology didn't even exist, but Nine had checked the readings of this particular world before deciding to teleport here. It seemed to be advanced in technology just as much, if not more, than New Yoke. And it had a strangely strong reading, similar to the fixed Green Hill did compared to the other shatter spaces. He'd looked forward to exploring it.

If only he hadn't ended up in the middle of the storm.

“C'mon, work,” Nine muttered with frustration as the device took longer than it usually did to pick up a signal, the weather hindrance still playing its part.

Finally, it pinged with an alert, the fox not taking another moment to jump on the frequency, launching codes to bypass firewalls and access the available GPS and maps. As he pulled up the one which showed his location, he paused, brows furrowing up in confusion.

“What?”

The live map had his coordinates, which made sense considering he connected through the database, but it also showed location of another signal, heading straight towards him.

He felt the air trmeor with a deep rumbling thud, it's sound blending with the storm’s so well, he hadn't realized it could have a different source.

Nine froze, his fur pricking up as another rumbling thud sounded, louder. Closer. The lightning that would accompany the thunder impossibly staying static, not flashing off within milliseconds.

Nine was not alone.

He held his breath as waves rose like curtains, a deep groan vibrating the moist air like whales’ songs after a last thunderous thud. Glaring beams shone down at his back, framing his sharp shadow flickering with the waves as he hovered with his handheld gripped tight, the other signal blinking right behind his own.

Swallowing back his growing fear, Nine turned around, finding himself face to face with a gigantuan mech’s dark visor, piercing beams from its shoulder pads focused directly upon Nine.

.......

To be continued in Unsynched

[flightyalrighty]

tails….. IM SORRY I CANNOT GET OVER TAILS. THE CUTE CHILD. THE FOX BOY. SONIC’S BEST PAL. WHY????…. I know you can’t confirm if Tails or anyone of that matter truly dies or not but answer me this… Will we see tails at all in the story? In a flash back or a memory…? ANYTHING? on a gravestone even?! I need to know…. WE ALL NEED ANSWER! IM LOSING MY MIND I THINK THE BUG IS GETTING TO ME NOW TOOOOOO GAHHHHHHHHHHH

Maybe!

[shaddytheguyislazy]

Omega confirmed for Dark Beginnings

Emerl confirmed for Dark Beginnings

GUN Commander confirmed for Dark Beginnings

The ARK raid obviously happening in Dark Beginnings

Now all we need is for Rouge to flash her tits at the camera, and every 2005 Sonic evangelist can die happy.

[lightninghikaru]

Ohhh! Since someone has already asked for the idw and prime role swap, what about the role swap for the movie? The movie did a slightly different take from the game. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the sonic movie. But if you have, perhaps the beginning scene of how Shadow escapes Prison Island except this time it’s Sonic. It’s different from the game since Eggman isn’t the one to free him, and Shadow ends up breaking out in a fit of rage and with G.U.N following him it turns into a whole brawl in the city of Shibuya. And perhaps the scene where Shadow meets Sonic while trying to catch the ‘rogue alien’. Obviously with your twist on it, since the characters still have their similar personalities, I’d love to see it!

God, now I have to think about this logistically… Okay this AU technically has their backstories fundamentally the same. Gotta make some foundation to play off of… SO! That means movie one is a few years after Shadow’s comet crashes on earth. I’d say Maddie found him instead of Tom because why not? Tails was a disciple of Longclaw's descendant and goes to Shadow for help after Knuckles discovers he had the map to the Master Emerald. (Brief explanations of movie one and two) 

Longclaw would have died but Sonic gets caught by GUN 50 years ago and emotionally attaches to Maria once she comes into play. Same thing they harvest his Chaos energy and combat training (they are playing with the idea of making him a super weapon along as a battery) When GUN kills Maria with his own energy he goes off like an EMP and he is put on ice because he can’t control his grief and keeps exploding. 

Gerald is still the one who hacks GUN to release Sonic. He explodes again, taking out power within Prison Island and giving him the chance to escape. Sonic gets lost in the city and GUM eventually tracks him down But he holds them off easily. 

That’s where Team Shadow comes in! Shadow only agrees to assist as long they receive confirmation that GUN will leave him and his family alone. He knows they are trying to find the Master Emerald. 

Now it begins… 

The three land to the ground, Shadow teleporting there and Tails flying Knuckles down. They all access the situation. Seeing the streets littered with destroyed tanks and weaponry. Soldiers and civilians were running away from all the carnage. 

“What happened here?” Knuckles asked, looking around. 

“GUN tried to fight something they obviously couldn't handle.” Shadow said. “Stay alert and keep your eyes open. Tails, anything?” 

Tails looks over his handheld with a surprised expression. “Whoa… these readings are off the charts. They look similar to yours.” Tails said, 

That wasn’t good, though something at his level of power would explain why GUN was eating dirt right now. 

There’s a loud crashing sound followed by a flash of blue before a tank is sent flying at them. Shadow goes to protect Tails as Knuckles stops the tank with sheer strength. Beginning to show off, Knuckles shifts the weight to hold the tank with one hand. 

“One million percent.” Knuckles gloated, tossing the tank aside. 

Shadow noticed a silhouette of someone approaching from the smoke atop the tall pile of wreckage. 

That’s when they all saw him.

A hedgehog, similarly, sized to Shadow but his fur the most vibrant blue he’s ever seen. The major difference was this strange Hedgehog's quills were curved downward instead of his upward ones. 

“Shadow… He looks just like you.” Tails said, shocked, 

“Impossible!” Knuckles said. 

Piercing green eyes glared down at them before there was a glint of surprise for a moment. “Well aren’t you a colorful bunch?” The stranger said, 

“Why do you look like me?” Shadow said accusatory. Was he from a comet like him? 

“Like you? I think you got it wrong there Stripes. You look like me. I think you should answer that first.” Sonic said, 

“I’m asking the questions around here, Hedgehog,” Shadow said with a snarl. 

The new Hedgehog rolled his eyes, “This is a waste of time. I’ll give you one warning. Walk away before you get hurt.” He said. 

“We don’t want to fight you.” Shadow said, pulling out the indestructible cuffs his younger brother made. Shadow sees the blue hedgehog visibly tense to the sight of the cuffs before he puffs angrily. 

“Actually Shadow, I would like to fight.” Knuckles whispered, 

“No,” Shadow said, gently pushing Knuckles’ face away from his own. “Would you be willing to come down here and talk?” Shadow called out to the Hedgehog again, he’d like to know if this stranger could tell him who he is. 

“You jumped out of a GUN Helicopter.” The Hedgehog snarled, “There’s nothing to talk about.” He turned away ready to leave, 

“Alright then, Enough!” Knuckles charges in, 

“Knuckles, no!” Shadow yelled but it was too late. 

“Let us talk with our fists!” Knuckles said, jumping into the air to swing an attack at the stranger. In a flash of blue, he moves faster than any of them could register. To the untrained eye, the Blue Hedgehog would appear to have blinked beneath Knuckles. 

He’s struck into the air, kicks hitting faster than he can register. One final strike knocks him into a convenience store. 

“Knuckles!” Both Shadow and Tails yell running over to him. 

“Are you okay?” Shadow asked. The two of them help Knuckles get back to his feet. 

“No, not really… Ow!” 

The strange Hedgehog stood in the street, waiting for them to do something. 

“Who is this guy?” Tails asked. They all get into a battle ready stance, unsure if he would attack again. 

“He is much more impressive than the Hedgehog I fought previously.” Knuckles said as Shadow snarls at him. 

“Knuckles focus! He can’t take us all at once!” Tails said confidently. 

But his confidence is quickly shattered as the stranger grabs Tails by his namesakes and throws him to the side. Dashing to Knuckles and striking him out with a fist of electric energy. Then slamming Shadow into the remains of a car. 

“Don’t try to follow me.” The blue Hedgehog said, throwing Shadow to the side and running down the street. 

Tails gets up and moves closer to Shadow wincing as he grabs his arm. Noticing Shadow looking in the direction The stranger went. “Shadow, I know that look… Going after him is a bad idea.” 

“When has that ever stopped me?” Shadow said running after him, 

He had to stop this Hedgehog. He could be the answer he’s been looking for. Did he also come from a comet? Does he have his memories? 

“Looks like you’re not good at listening.” he said rolling his eyes. 

“I have questions.” Shadow said, dodging a strike at him. The blue Hedgehog caught him off guard before but now he was prepared. 

“I have a question for you too. Who does your highlights?” He said with a laugh after hearing Shadow growl. “Oh, not one for a lot of words huh? That's alright I can fill in the blanks. Because we’re just getting started!” The stranger shoves Shadow before running up ahead. 

“The more you talk, the harder I want to hit you.” Shadow said, taking a swing at him but he easily dodges. This hedgehog definitely had professional combat training. Even with the somewhat lighthearted energy he was always prepared. Perhaps that’s why he acted so cocky. 

Their sparks of energy clash, gold and blue striking all around as their race took them up Tokyo tower. Breaking through the top as they take a swing at one another. Their energies melding before exploding out and blasting them both back. Causing all of Tokyo to go dark. 

[ella-exoticbutters]

Lizzie - A failed assassination. She just wanted to help her husband, the only one who stayed, the only one early, to her slumber party. A task that eventually led to her doom, her insanity, one may say.

But now here she was, dying in a way she lived. Embarrassingly. She caused her own death, tripping over the edge of the end island. She was alone, she didn't want to accept her fate. It was just too ironic... Just like her last death in this damned universe. If she accepted this way to go, maybe it would've been a peaceful death. The void numbed your senses after all, no more pain, no more suffering. But how embarrassing this was, tripping into the void, throwing the ender pearl too late. She just wanted to help, she wanted to take one of Scott's lives to help with the task of her beloved...

Did anyone even realize she was dead besides Scott? Joel must be worried...

...The deafening sound of thunder boomed from the ender portal after lightning crackled out. Confirming the death of the first.

Jimmy - He was ecstatic, his curse was broken! He wasn't the first dead! No grief for the one who swore to protect him in a previous life. None at all. He was too focused on the fact he was free, finally free after so long. It felt like an internity since he felt this light, this free to do everything.

This, this feeling didn't last long... Or perhaps it did?

It was chaos near the end of this session of secrets, a wither casting destruction upon this land. A warden who viewed all as foe.

Jimmy was helping, he was attacking the Wither! He was so certain he wouldn't die, not yet. His curse had been broken after all, he was free! But that damned Warden got in his way, blasting him into a hole. 1½ hearts left...

He needed to get away, he needed to live. But he was outmatched, too slow. He, he didn't get away quick enough. The warden, again, blasted him. And everything went black. He died. The second one out.

...Lightning crackled, filling the sky with light. The thunder confirming the death of another, the second one out.

Mumbo - Perhaps, he may have been the only one to accept his fate. He was also out there on the battlefield, he was being chased by the Warden.

Jimmy was near him, and he saw it. He saw him get blasted into the sky and into the hole by the Warden, but he couldn't see. The darkness effect blinding him too much to see what was happening around him. Jimmy cried out, he was at only 1½ hearts. He knew by sound that Jimmy was running away, which was smart.

Then, he heard it. The sound of the Warden's sonic boom again, in the direction of Jimmy. But that's not what made him freeze for a second, but instead it was the light that flashed, and the deafening sound that followed. Mumbo put two and two together immediately, Jimmy was dead. Another one of his fellow reds was gone. Jimmy was the second to die, and Mumbo knew deep down this was probably his end too.

His fight or flight activated as he sensed the Warden's attention go towards him. His ears were ringing from how close the thunder was but he booked it. The pain from the first sonic boom hitting him seemed like nothing. He had been at full health, he could probably survive another sonic boom! Maybe he could escape, for Lizzie and Jimmy, he could live on.

But, he was stopped, stopped by his own fence posts that were there originally to troll Martyn. He smiled, and accepted his fate.

The Warden closed the distance.

...The lighting and the thunder following soon after confirmed the death of Mumbo. The third one out, the one who died with a smile...

[son1c]

festival time :3c

falling stars fic masterpost

The construction zone was long and winding. Sonic and Shadow's race took them all the way through it, and the farther in they got, the more metallic their surroundings became. Green steel dominated everything, and hazards were abundant. Whatever they were building here was still far from finished.

The motobug swerved around cones and barriers, and even weaved in and out of stray beams whenever it felt like Sonic could fit. They had lost sight of Shadow awhile ago, but his dusty footprints were illuminated by the tall street lights lining their path, so they knew he wasn't far ahead.

After leaping over a small gap in the lattice floor, Sonic spotted something crumpled on the ground up ahead, and made sure to snatch it as the motobug drove past. It was a poster.

Eventually, the construction zone came to an end. Shadow was waiting for them at the foot of a flashing billboard. In big, shimmering letters, it read: WELCOME TO STARLIGHT, THE CITY THAT SHINES IN THE DARK.

"You certainly took your time," Shadow said, his smirk from before still on his face.

"Hey! Not my fault Buggy wanted to do a little sightseeing." Sonic stuck his tongue out at Shadow, teasing him. The race had put him in a good mood, even though he had lost.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Blaming the robot for your defeat, hedgehog?" His smirk faded, and his attention fell to the poster in Sonic's hands. Then, he asked, "You picked up a souvenir?"

Sonic shrugged. "Eh, it's not much. Just figured it shouldn't be left around as litter." He smoothed out the poster, looking it over curiously. When he read through it, a smile appeared on his face. "Looks like we showed up right on time! These guys are having a festival right now!"

"Let me see that," Shadow said. Sonic handed him the poster, and then Shadow confirmed the blue hedgehog's statement. "The Starfall Festival?" he murmured. It didn't ring a bell, but according to the advertisement, this would be the 100th annual celebration.

"Can't go wrong with a festival," Sonic said. "There's always food, drinks, and fun! Sounds like a real bash to me--we should totally check it out!"

Shadow rubbed his thumb thoughtfully over the poster. Sure, it sounded like fun. However, "Fun isn't my priority," he said. "I'm more concerned with the truth. About myself--and about you, as well."

Sonic considered this. The motobug beeped, also considering. Sonic reached down and scratched its cheek, causing the motobug to beep again, happier this time.

"Well," Sonic began, "if there's one thing I know about parties, it's that most people like 'em. So, there's bound to be a bunch of people at the festival, 'specially one as big as this. Maybe someone there will know something about what happened to us?"

Shadow was satisfied with that answer. He figured that Starlight City wasn't too far from where they had originally woken up, and so the likelihood of them encountering someone who had information about their situation was non-zero. At the very least, that crater they had found themselves in and the damaged forest that surrounded it was sure to have made a lot of noise. Enough noise to have been heard from the next city over, if they were lucky.

But first, they would need to get inside the city. And that proved to be a problem when, after walking up to the security checkpoint, the lady at the counter paled at the sight of them. She pointed a shaking finger at the robot Sonic was riding on, and said, "No, no! I won't allow it!"

Sonic and Shadow looked at each other. The motobug chirped nervously.

"You got a problem with robots?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow.

The security officer reeled back. Only her eyes were visible now, peeking out from over the top of the counter she was hiding behind. She seemed unwilling to take her eyes off the motobug. "Yes! Yes, when they're… those robots."

Sonic made a face. Then, he looked down at the motobug. The robot looked back up at him with its wide electronic eyes.

After giving the little robot a reassuring pat, Sonic asked the lady, "What's wrong with them?"

The security officer's nostrils flared. Her fear retreated to make room for anger, and she stood up to her full height--though she remained behind the safety of the counter. "Those little beasties are the reason why I can't sleep at night!" she spat. "They're like locusts! If they'd never come to our town, I wouldn't have to deal with all the jackhammers trying to rebuild everything!"

Shadow remembered his reservations from earlier. He frowned at the motobug before turning to the lady and asking, "Your town was destroyed by robots like this one?"

The lady's eyes flashed. Her wool, which was already very puffy, puffed up even more at the question. "Destroyed?" she repeated, her voice dripping with hatred. But then she sighed, and her death grip on her clipboard loosened slightly. "No, no," she said, sounding tired now. "Not destroyed… but almost. Pest control took care of it--or so I thought. Guess they missed one."

Shadow's eyebrows furrowed. That would explain why they had found the robot alone, deserted in the middle of the construction zone. And why it had been terrified at the sight of them. It was probably thinking they were there to finish the job, and exterminate it.

The motobug tapped its claws together anxiously. Shadow saw this, saw Sonic still riding on its back and as such, able to rest his broken leg, and decided to drop whatever reservations he still had about the little robot.

"It won't do you any harm now," Shadow said seriously. "We will make sure of that."

Sonic flashed the lady a thumbs up. "If you guys can rebuild, so can this little guy. Turning over a new leaf starts with being given a second chance, right?"

Pressing her lips into a hard line, the security officer looked down at the motobug. It spun its antennas in a slow circle, its eyes pointed at the floor. It looked so different now from how she remembered it--all caught up in a swarm of hundreds, thousands of them, their sharp metal pincers smashing through windows and breaking down doors.

They had almost ruined the festival. Almost.

"You hedgies better not make me regret this," she muttered. Then, she set down her clipboard, and pulled out a big yellow sticker from a drawer behind the counter. It was in the shape of a star. "Put this on it," she said, holding out the sticker to Sonic. "It's a pass. For the Starfall Festival."

Sonic grinned. He took the sticker from her eagerly. "Thanks!" he said.

Shadow watched as Sonic peeled the sticker off the sheet, and then stuck it on the motobug's forehead. The little robot looked up at it curiously, and to itself, it wondered what Eggman would think of the sparkly new decal. But it was best to reserve its meager processing power for the blue hedgehog, so it quickly stopped wondering.

Gesturing towards the city, the security officer said, "Head to Main Street for the directory, we've got a few extra events this year for the anniversary. There's a bulletin posted around somewhere too. Oh, and"--she cast a cold glance at the motobug--"if I hear anything about your beastie, I'll get pest control on the phone before you can say 'vermin.'"

With that threat in mind, the motobug drove Sonic to Main Street with Shadow walking alongside them. The city unfolded in front of them, big and bright and exciting. There were twinkling lights strung up on every corner, guard rail, and street lamp. More than that, there were people everywhere; some of them were holding sparklers, some of them were enjoying a yummy treat from one of the festival's many vendors, and some of them were painting murals of the night sky on the ground.

It was a welcome change from the oppressive emptiness of the ghost town. Even though the abundance of noise set Shadow on edge, it felt good to be heading towards a goal again. This time, the goal was a vendor, and the hedgehogs had the straightforward mission of finally getting some food.

The directory in the middle of Main Street showed them the way. And after turning a corner, they found themselves in the middle of a grassy pavilion.

The pavilion was filled with games, rides, and most importantly, food. Sonic urged the motobug towards the closest one, a chilidog vendor. The smell wafting from the cart enamored Sonic and made his empty stomach growl loudly.

The vendor chuckled at this, his blotchy red cheeks softening with a smile. "Enjoy," he said as he handed Sonic a fresh chilidog. He didn't ask for payment--the festival goodies were always free.

The gooey cheese, the tall stack of chili, the perfectly toasted bun… it all came together to create the most beautiful work of art that Sonic had ever seen. He was sure that it would've tasted amazing even if he wasn't starving, but his empty stomach cranked up the deliciousness factor to 11. He barely held himself back from eating it all in one bite--but he knew it would be really embarrassing if he choked on it. So, he ate it in two instead.

"Stripes, you gotta try this!" Sonic said, his eyes sparkling like a hundred million diamonds. Yes, he was really that excited about it.

Shadow looked uncertainly at the chilidog the vendor was holding out to him. He wasn't smitten with it like Sonic was. He was finally starting to get a little hungry, though. So, he took it, and took a single mousy bite. Sonic waited intently for his reaction, and was somewhat disappointed when all he could say about it was, "It's edible."

Sonic's disappointment was forgotten, however, when Shadow handed him the chilidog.

"I must admit," Shadow said, the tiniest hint of amusement in his voice, "I wasn't expecting to uncover a truth about your past so soon."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?" Sonic asked, already done eating the second chilidog and looking happier than ever. His face was a disaster, his cheeks covered in cheese and chili.

Shadow grabbed a napkin and dropped it on Sonic's head. "You're a mess."

Sonic snorted. "I was hungry!" came his indignant reply. He still took the napkin, though.

They continued on through the pavilion. There was a vendor for everything from spaghetti to ice cream to spaghetti ice cream, but none of them appealed all that much to Shadow. That was, however, until they came across a stand selling cakes. The irony was not lost on him, but when he cut into the slice of coffee cake and saw no green slime pour out, he figured the joke ended there. And it did--the cake had a bitter edge, and he found he liked the taste.

Meanwhile, Sonic tried his own slice of coffee cake and hated it. He had better luck with the more savory cheesecake.

By now, a few people in the pavilion had started staring at the motobug that Sonic was using as a scooter, and so Shadow quickly threw his plate away and ushered his companions out of the pavilion. The street they stepped onto was tighter than the wide open pavilion, with booths set up on both sides of the street. Festival goers had to squeeze past each other to get to the more popular booths.

It was when they passed by an unpopular booth that Shadow's ears perked up. He heard the woman at the table mention something about real shooting stars. He motioned for the motobug to stop, and it did, parking itself in front of the woman's ornate golden table.

The woman flashed a dazzling smile. "That's odd," she said, her big glasses catching the festival lights like a kaleidoscope. "I know everyone, but I don't know you. Are you folks new in town?"

"Brand new," Sonic replied. "Gotta say, I wasn't expecting all this fanfare, but I'd never flake on my own welcome party!"

"Ha!" The woman leaned forward, her eyes glittering. "Funny guy. I like you." She slid over a photo album from where it was sitting on the other end of the table. Then, she pushed it forward, in front of Sonic and Shadow. "This festival has a lot more history than you might think. See for yourself."

Shadow flipped open the album. Inside, there was an old black and white photograph of the night sky. Although it was grainy, the focal point of the photo was clearly the white smudge in the middle--a shooting star? When Shadow turned more pages, he saw that every page had a similar photo, one for every year from the past 100 years.

And the one from this year…

"Weird, right?" the woman said. "Every year we've seen a falling star, but this year we saw two."

Sonic and Shadow looked at the picture. It was in full glossy color, so the details were easy to pick out, like how the two stars seemed tangled together. Their twin tails streaked across the sky in an array of colorful fire, plummeting down to the forest below.

The two hedgehogs shared a look. Then, Shadow asked the woman, "When was this taken?"

With a long, bejewelled fingernail, the woman tapped her chin. "That one? Hmm… Three days ago, maybe four." She sighed wistfully. "It's a shame you folks didn't get here sooner. It was quite the sight to see! And right after that hubbub with the moon, too."

Sonic's ear twitched. He looked up at the clear night sky, and stared at the broken moon. It stared back at him silently.

"The sky's been a busy place recently," the woman continued. "First the moon, then the space station, and finally that pair of falling stars. It makes me wonder if that little planet will pay us a visit soon, too. I guess only time will tell!"

Shadow was quiet. He was thinking about what the woman had said. It caused one of the echoes to get louder in his brain, bouncing down the empty hallways of his mind until it was all he could hear. The space station… he knew it. He could picture it. See himself, pressing his hand up against the window. Looking down at the pale blue planet below.

Gently, Sonic nudged Shadow's shoulder.

The dark hedgehog snapped out of the memory instantly. "What happened to the space station?" he asked.

The woman blinked. "Oh, I'm not sure. I think it's still up there somewhere." The strange look on Shadow's face gave her pause. Then, she added, "They've been talking about it on the news for awhile. I just don't care to listen, since most of the reports are sponsored by G.U.N."

Shadow frowned. That uncomfortable acronym again…

The woman placed a small sack on the table. "Well," she said, "thanks for listening to an old crow squawk. In honor of the centennial celebration, please take this."

Sonic grabbed the sack with interest. Inside were two golden earrings shaped like stars. Grinning, he clipped one on immediately. Then, he held the other one out to Shadow. Shadow, however, wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about the jewellery, and was about to say as much, when Sonic asked slyly, "What's the matter? Afraid of a little bling?"

Scowling, Shadow snatched the earring from him and clipped it on with a huff. "Of course not," he said. "Don't be ridiculous, Blue."

Then, Sonic waved goodbye to the woman at the booth, and the two hedgehogs continued down the crowded street. They were now headed towards the tallest building in the city, the one with the bulletin board posted on it. They could see the screen glowing bright white as they approached it, but it wasn't until they were directly under it that they could read what was on it.

Make a wish for the hero, Sonic the Hedgehog. Late, but never slow.

There was a blurry photo under the text. It was of a hedgehog, but his features were unclear thanks to the low quality of the picture. Shadow couldn't help but wonder why they chose that one. Maybe every photo of the guy was a blur of motion?

Sonic turned to Shadow. Then, he looked back at the bulletin board. "Hey, Stripes," he said slowly, "that guy looks kinda like you."

[viacursecasting]

Sonadow Scenario #76

Requested by anonymous

Savior.

Dammit...

Shadow panted from overexertion, wiping sweat from his brow. No matter how hard he punched or kicked, no matter how fast he fired bullets or Chaos spears, Mephiles was always one step ahead of him, blocking and evading every blow with ease.

At one point Shadow threw a punch, but Mephiles countered, using the agent's momentum to hurl him into the dirt. Shadow cursed, using what little strength he had left to prop himself up.

The crystalline foe let out a deep laugh, which reverberated eerily throughout the abandoned cave. "Have you forgotten, my dearest doppelganger? You and I are one and the same."

"We are nothing alike," Shadow spat.

Mephiles kneeled to meet his gaze, lifting the agent's chin with a clawed finger. "Then explain how I know your every move."

Shadow suddenly threw a fistful of dirt toward the villain's face, but Mephiles dodged that as well, grabbing the lifeform's wrist before throwing him over his shoulder.

Landing on his back with the wind knocked out of him, Shadow struggled to catch his breath, coughing so violently he tasted rust.

Mephiles loomed over his fallen form. "For ages I've had to endure your likeness. To never quite feel like my own person. Imprisoned in your image." Though he had no lips, one could hear his wicked smile.

"But this is where you belong," he declared. "In my shadow."

He conjured a jagged spear, readying to pierce it straight through Shadow's heart—

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the weapon was knocked out of his grasp.

"What the—?"

Before Mephiles could utter another word, he was rammed with brutal force into the cave's wall with a deafening crash!, leaving a crater.

The dust hadn't even settled before Mephiles was suddenly getting knocked around in all directions at light speed. He grunted as he tried to fight back, but his fists and projectiles met nothing but trails of golden light.

In a desperate last resort, Mephiles charged himself up, his crystals glowing radioactively, before he expelled hundreds of deadly shards with an explosive battle cry.

However, a radiant golden shield was formed, reflecting the shards back at the villain...

And into his heart.

Mephiles staggered back, bloodshot eyes wide with bewilderment as he stared at the makeshift dagger jutting out of his chest. He pricked it as if to confirm its existence, and his finger came away slick with onyx blood.

He chuckled lowly through the pain. "Well played..." he rasped as his body disintegrated into a puff of violet smoke, leaving nothing in its wake.

Shadow could hardly raise his heavy lids, but he felt an ethereal glow upon his face, one as warm as sunlight at golden hour. One second he was in agony, but the next he felt at ease, just knowing that the light was by his side. Only one person had ever made him feel like that.

"Maria?"

"Guess again."

That voice knocked a bit of sense into him. "Sonic?"

The hero's grinning face came into focus. "Stay still. I'll heal your wounds."

As Sonic got to work, Shadow couldn't help but fixate on the hero—his flowy quills that raised toward the heavens, his golden aura that outshone the sun, his rose-colored eyes that sparkled brighter than rubies. His power hummed like a reassuring melody. Not to mention his chiseled form...

Let's just say the agent didn't stop his eyes from wandering.

Even though Sonic only hovered his hand over Shadow's body, the warmth that coursed through his veins invigorated him, gave him new life. However, it wasn't enough.

He felt as though he could bask in the hero's golden glory for eternity.

"Breathtaking..." Shadow murmured.

Sonic ear perked. "What was that?"

Shadow averted his gaze. "You're taking... too long..."

Sonic let out a chuckle. "Well, he did do a number on you..."

As Sonic finished up, he helped Shadow get to his feet. However, Shadow felt lightheaded from the sudden rush of blood and stumbled. Sonic quickly reached around his waist to catch him as Shadow wrapped his arms around the speedster's neck to balance himself.

They locked gazes, heartbeats pounding incessantly in their ears. He thought he was imagining things, but Shadow could have sworn that the hero glanced toward his lips.

Sonic noticed the lifeform redden, so he motioned to back away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

But Shadow yanked him close, their lips meeting with a clumsy crash. They peppered each other with short, sweet pecks before slowly deepening each kiss, melting into each other's embrace.

Soon they found their rhythm, a waltz that was steady and even. It was new, yet somehow it felt familiar. Perhaps because they were used to each other's scents—Shadow's was flowery and exotic; Sonic's was citrusy and crisp. They had been in each other's arms before but only to carry the other to safety in the heat of battle. These caresses were full of care, of longing, with a hint of hesitation, as if they were handling glass.

It wasn't long before they grew accustomed to their touches, gripping a little tighter, to their whispered names upon wet tongues, moaning a little louder. Their breaths grew hot and heavy to the point where Sonic couldn't help but let out a whine, making Shadow groan against the other's muzzle, clutching him possessively.

The ends of Sonic's golden quills faded to blue, signaling his waning strength. "Shadow," Sonic breathed with a dreamy smile, "you're making me feel weak."

Shadow smirked, tilting the hero's chin to continue their lip-lock. "Then we'll be even."