#the beginning of blue's route is also complete

[godsamael]

*shaking and covered in blood* i finally finished LFS 2's common route how are you guys doing?

[junipers-archive]

Sweater

Word Count: 600

Includes: fluff! the team finds out about reader x Spencers relationship when you show up to work wearing one of his sweaters

"Y/n." It was Penelope, she was whispering conspicuously as you entered the office heading for the conference room.

"Goodmorning!" You answer quickly as you were already running late due to your much needed coffee run this morning.

She begins to trail after you. "Y/n."

You stop, now wondering what's wrong, especially as all the heads in the room begin looking towards you as you walk in. But it isn't until Derek speaks up that you're hinted as to why,

"So you and pretty boy finally did it?" Oh no.

You mind races trying to figure out how he knew. Did Spencer tell him? You'd agreed not to tell anyone at first so you wouldn't cause absolute chaos. But it's been sixth months you guess it's be perfectly reasonable if-

"Your-your Sweater...its Spencers." Penelope elaborates, calming you rampant mind, all at the same time making it spasm.

You look down silently at what you're wearing, its almost identical as your regular getup, but because you were really running late this morning you'd grabbed a sweater from the couch in your shared apartment on your way out.

Completely missing the fact it was Spencers. It had been a soft cobalt blue color crew neck, one of his favorites with little designs lining it in navy...and also one he wore quite often.

You stared in both disbelief from how you'd manage to grab the one he used most consistently and also at your own stupidity and how you'd failed to notice the whole car ride here.

You look up bewilderedly, to find your colleagues staring at you all in varying ways, Derek was grinning, Rossi was smirking, Penelope had taken to a worried/excited look, Emily was respectfully trying to hide her smile and even Hotch was pretending to read the papers in front of him to avoid eye contact.

You attempt a reply calmly but stammer despite yourself,

"I-I-we-um"

closing your eyes to focus your thoughts and breathe, you open them to find Spencer your lovely boyfriend entering or rather staggering into the room.

He had taken the long route so you'd show up at different times,

"Hi! Sorry I'm late-I just-I-What-why's everybody looking at me like that?"

Everyone shaking their heads and smiling to themselves ignored his question as Penelope began to brief all of you on the case.

You hope the subject will be forgotten.

But of course it won't be, and surprisingly its Hotch that asks once the case had been explained and he'd called wheels up,

"Are you two dating?"

Everyone was still seated, waiting for something to be said, and you could see the pleasure in all their faces as he uttered the question.

Spencer swallowed though, not having become aware of the situation even after you'd tried to pass him a note like some third grader.

It had read: I'm wearing your sweater!

To which he'd simply responded with, I'm sure no one's noticed.

Having of course not been aware of your previous interaction with the team.

"We-uh-well-" he tried to begin

"Yes. We are dating." You had to confirm it, knowing if you didn't it would only make matters worse in the long run.

To that Hotch gave his lopsided smirk, "I'm Happy for you, but I'm not thrilled to do the paperwork."

The team of course having heard, errupted in giggles, reminiscent of child like giddy as they finally took it as their cue to leave.

And as they filed out Spencer received several pats on the backs and "good going reid" from Rossi and Derek as you yourself had been berated with questions from Emily and Penelope and "I swear to god if he hurts you-"'.

But as you both shyly retreat, gather your things and exit you agree that the best reaction had been from Hotch as he whispered quietly before he left,

"Well I guess I have to let you room together now."

[diremoone]

layers | geto/gojo.

— short story

you’re their favorite kouhai, everyone at tokyo and kyoto knows this. they also know that if anyone or anything were to touch or harm you in any way, they would feel the wrath of the most powerful duo. and one day, someone is dumb and foolish enough to do exactly that.

note(s): this isn’t a full complete drabble with a complete ending, but it’s something I’ve enjoyed writing. flop or no flop, this was a fun piece to write :D But tbh I’m thinking about deleting it and redoing it, or adding more. or maybe a part two lmao??

****

Trees were nothing but a blur of green to your vision. The car was going fast, way too fast for you to make out anything but the simple colors blue and green.

You blinked several times, shaking your head to keep yourself from dozing off. You were tired, so very very tired from such a long and exhausting two days of being on a First Grade mission that turned out to be a bigger issue and much more than it was worth.

They should’ve sent backup with me…

You leaned your head against the back of the backseat. You closed your eyes for just a moment, then opened them again for just a few seconds. The process was rinse and repeat; the only way to keep yourself awake.

Don’t fall asleep. Don’t fall asleep. Don’t… Just… don’t…

“Hang on, Miss [Last Name]!” frantically spoke the driver. He was probably looking in the rear view mirror, seeing you laying back on the seat with your eyes opening and closing. More so of the latter.

You heard the sound of a dial, then the voice of your driver hurriedly speaking into it. Problem was, you couldn’t understand a single word he was saying. It was all so… incoherent. Funny enough, it sounded like you were underwater.

Your head lolled to the side again, eyes half open with nothing but the same blur of green outside the window. Your hand was still over the wound, covering it with as much pressure as possible until you got to the school.

Unless you passed out first.

You could only imagine your upperclassmen holding this over your head as a joke for the rest of your life.

If you got to a medic in time, that is.

——————————

Everything had been fine. Just fine.

Great, in fact, he muses.

Him and Geto had been getting some ice cream to satisfy his sweet tooth, while Shoko complained that he was eating too much while munching away on her own ice cream like a damn hypocrite.

“What should we do now?” Shoko questioned.

“Might as well head back to the school,” Suguru suggested. “It is getting late and—”

“You’re no fun!!” Satoru complained. “Why are you so by the book?”

The black-haired male gives his childish friend a look of both amusement and exasperation. Of course Satoru was going to be like this. It was in his nature to be as anti-rules as possible. Especially if it meant pissing off the higher-ups.

“Alright, we’ll go—”

Shoko holds up a pointer finger to halt the conversation. “Aha, hold up guys. Sensei’s calling.”

“Maaaan! What now?” Satoru whines.

Just as the white-haired male goes to complain some more, he realizes Suguru’s expression changes. And that he’s not looking at him anymore — that he’s looking at Shoko now. So Satoru does the same, and now he sees his brunette friend’s face sheet white, eyes growing red like she’s about to start crying.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll be there.”

She clicks the phone off and looks to Geto, the whites of her eyes beginning to become red.

“Shoko?”

“We need to get back to the school. [Name]-chan’s hurt.”

The two males freeze, eyes going wider than saucers. But that reaction doesn’t last but two seconds, and Suguru’s pulling out his fastest Cursed Spirit he’s got and finishing the rest of the route back to school on it with his friends.

He and Satoru turn to look at one another, and Suguru knew his heart was the only one beating wildly in nothing but terror.

The three of them watched as the car pulled up; they landed as soon as the driver got out of the car.

Satoru’s and Suguru’s breaths hitched the second they landed beside the car.

Anger. Rage. Was there even a word to describe how they felt?

The red of your blood became the red of their rage — the red being the only color that they could see.

“Shoko, can—”

Her hand is already placed on your left side, her Reverse Cursed Energy pumping through your body. But the damage was done.

Your head rolled to the back of the seat, right hand limp on your stomach and left hand open, hanging loosely over the edge of the seat. Blood covered your palms, all the way up the inside of your forearms and up to the crook of your elbow.

And how pale your skin was. Was anyone supposed to be that shade of skin color? Of course it wasn’t. They knew that already. You weren’t supposed to ever be this way. Their adorable kouhai that was just too sweet and too nice for the world they lived in was never supposed to end up like this: sickly pale, blood pouring from the wound in your stomach and knocking on death’s door.

Shoko finishes healing you after what seems like forever. In reality, it’s only just a few minutes. But in those few minutes, both Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru come to a full understanding of something: they realize that you mean a lot more to them than just being their cute little kouhai. They can’t imagine you living in a world without you in it. Every thought of you not being there didn’t settle with them. They hated it. They weren’t able to envision coming to school without you passing by them in the halls. Seeing a world where they visited your headstone was unacceptable.

So many thoughts, so much anger, all accumulated within a matter of minutes that drives a permanent mark into their hearts and minds: that a world without you in it is not worth living in, and they love you too much to see anything else bad happen to you.

Suddenly, Yaga Sensei appears before them. Shoko moves out of the way so he can grab you, haul you into his arms and carry you to the infirmary where they have painkillers and other medicine. Shoko follows him, but Satoru and Suguru remain behind.

“Suguru?”

“Hm?��

“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”

“That we need to kill someone?”

“And that’s why you’re my best friend.”

———

Taglist: @vagabond-umlaut • @torusbabygoat

not the gojo x student reader you guys wanted ik ik but I wanted y’all to read this anyway so sue me 😭😭

[anarchy-and-piglins]

After a mere half hour spent in the same room as these people, Philza has already been reminded of why he doesn't normally answer a summons.

The constant staring annoys him to no end. He supposes it's to be expected, what with his country's reputation for being a complete enigma. The Antarctic Empire is one of the lucky few nations that operates entirely self-sufficiently, producing all their own resources. They do not trade with other countries often. In fact, the mountain ranges that border the very south of their peninsula do not offer any convenient trading routes to begin with. And since that same treacherous terrain also cuts the empire off from the continent in such a way that passing through becomes a challenge in wilderness survival, they're mostly left to their devices. Some folks still believe Phil's nation is a myth, a story conjured up by fairytales.

So Phil coming all the way out here for Dante's attempt at diplomacy must be quite the sight. Most people will die without ever having seen the king of the Antarctic Empire, no wonder they have a hard time looking away.

That won't stop Phil from getting some satisfaction every time one of these pompous nobles cowers if he so much as flexes his wings and turns toward them. He's currently locked in a bit of a staring contest with a man across the room. Phil doesn't know if he's another royal or random noble, but he does know he can't stand the look on this fucking guy's face.

At one point the man smiles more broadly, as if pleased that Phil caught him staring. He bows his head a bit, with Phil half-heartedly returning the courtesy, tucking in his wings to keep them from flaring automatically with the gesture. However, this leaves Phil's elbow to bump into somebody trying to slide past him.

Phil didn't expect anybody to be there, the entire crowd had been giving him a pretty wide berth all evening. He's even more surprised when he sees it's a child, maybe ten or eleven years old. His fancy clothes and intricately braided pink hair with golden jewelry betray him as a prince.

"Sorry," Phil says. He reaches out to steady the boy, but the kid flinches and steps back at his attempted touch, pulling his sleeves up over his wrists. "I didn't see you there, are you okay?"

The boy looks up at him and instead of answering, his blue eyes widen a bit. "You're the emperor of the Antarctic Empire," he says. The statement is delivered in a deceptively neutral tone, especially for somebody of such a young age. Phil is used to more dramatic reactions.

"I am. Call me Phil. What's your name?" Phil smiles gently at the boy. He always had a soft spot for children.

Again, he doesn't receive an answer. Instead, the boy's gaze moves across him for a moment, pondering. He grins slightly, but it's a strange sort of expression. Almost private. As if nobody else is supposed to see. "You're shorter than I thought you'd be," the boy says. Before Phil can blink or respond, he's disappeared into the crowd.

Phil is very much left completely flabbergasted.

Curiosity ever the greatest motivator for him, Phil walks up to the man who was staring at him earlier. The guy pales three shades at seeing Phil approach him, maybe thinking his rude behavior is getting retribution after all. But Phil couldn't care less about this man anymore.

He wants to know who the boy is.

"The child I was just talking to, do you know who he is?" Phil asks, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"Who- Oh, he's nobody, sir." The way the man blunders and becomes overly formal brings Phil little pleasure. "Prince Techno. From the Blade family."

"From the Blade family? What is he doing so far away from home?"

"He's King Dante's ward." 

Phil glances over to where the man is looking, in the direction of Dante himself. Techno is standing next to the king, head bowed a bit and seeming pretty disgruntled to be there. But when Dante lays his hand almost delicately on the nape of Techno's neck, the boy flinches again and forces a neutral expression on his face.

"You know how the Blade family is," the man says grimly. "Ferocious beasts of war, all of them. It's a wonder Dante has managed to secure an allyship. They even got close enough bonds to leave their son in Dante's care."

Thinking about the summons, about how Dante was a nobody three years ago who since managed to overthrow several small countries by using superior weapons and strategies - those the likes of which only the Blade nation is known for - makes several things click into place. Allyship? It makes sense. A lot of sense.

Then what is the uncomfortable feeling that seems hooked into Phil's gut?

(Maybe it's because of the flinching. Or because of how Techno seems to move around like a ghost. Or because when he pulled up his sleeves, Phil was sure he saw the faded blue and purple of bruises on the boy's pale skin.

The Blade family runs their kingdom in a similar way to the Antarctic Empire. They don't make allies. Only enemies.)

"Are you staying for the peace conference, sir?" the man is brave enough to ask, now that Phil has broken the ice. It's probably a question for many of them. Despite Dante's ruthless way of overtaking other countries, Phil's empire isn't threatened by him. He's only here as a formality. He has no reason to stay, no stakes in this game.

Dante pulls his hand away and it's like Techno can finally breathe again. Phil's eyes meet his for a moment, then the boy looks away.

"I think I'll stick around to see how things unfold," Phil says pleasantly.

[jellyfishoreo1206]

WE ARE NOT SEEING ENOUGH OF MIRAGE GUYS

So I'm taking matters into my own goddamn hands-

Meeting Mirage ;)

Either Noah or Mirage might be a little OOC, but I'm giving it a shot

Takes place after the movie, with fem pronouns

Enjoy!

-------

Dude, where the hell are you?

Y/N was currently sent a page to Noah, her best friend of 3 years. He was suppose to pick her up from work, as her car broke down and is still getting fixed at the mechanics, but it was well over 20 minutes and he still hasn't showed. He was suppose to be there at 7:30, and now it's almost dark.

I'kl be there in 10 minutes! Domething just csme uo

Several typos, whatever the hell is happening over there is really making him either rush or panic... actually those are both kind of in the same sense.

Letting out a sigh through her nose, Y/N quickly typed out a response.

Yeah, yeah. Better keep to your promise, Sonic.

Not even letting him respond, the H/C-nette shoved the device into her coat pocket. Sure it may be the beginning of the summer, but she get cold easily.

And I mean very easily.

"Man, I really need a hot shower right now."

10 minutes breezed by quickly, seemingly in a blink of an eye. About to page Noah again, Y/N stopped in her tracks when a honk sounded in front of her.

Looking up, her eyes widen in complete surprise at the image in front of them. Her best friend, Noah Diaz, in a fucking Porsche. Well, it looked like it seen better days, but still.

"Yo, you gonna get in or are you just gonna stand there looking so surprised?" Noah shouted from inside the car, a smug look on his face.

Snapping out of it, Y/N got inside the car, buckling in her seatbelt.

Once the seatbelt clicked, Noah started the car onto the route back to Y/N's apartment complex. 5 minutes in and the two are making small talk and all that before Y/N asked him a question.

"So, what happened?"

"Hm?"

"To the Porsche. Looks like Frankenstein's monster."

Noah let's out a small chuckle at the comment, "Oh uh, some guy sold it to me for a good price. Because it was all banged up and stuff. Couldn't even start."

"When did you get it?"

"Got it 2 months ago, still has some kinks that need to be fixed. But we've made some progress." He patted the dashboard in a comforting way, a somber smile on his face.

"2 months ago? Weren't you in Perú during that time? Also is Reeks helping you fix the car?"

"Yeah. I think I made a pretty good decision going there..also Reeks is just helping me get the parts, I'm mainly doing the fixing."

"Mm, pretty good job so far. I could help with the paint job? The blue and silver seems to be fading out, but I think it a fresh coat will make it look gorgeous."

After she finished that comment, the car felt like it heated up a little. Not too much to notice, but just enough.

"By the way, what did you do in Perú again?"

"Oh, to study for a job I was doing..got to see some of the landscapes and all that..and nearly died-"

"What was that?"

"Wha-nothing! Don't worry about it at all."

A silence fell between you too, an awkward silence to be exact. He's a little more fidgety than usual.. probably from exhaustion. It's something he does whenever he's very tired. Man, he must be more exhausted than usual.

"Sorry I called you so late, like right after your new job and stuff. It must be tiring."

"Nah I don't mind, you're my best friend after all. Just returning the favor when you babysat Kris last minute." Now Y/N absolutely loves Noah's family. First time she met them, it felt like a bond just, instantly clicked within. So from that day on, she makes a little time out of her day just to visit the Diaz family, especially Kris. He was so sweet, and like the little brother she never had. So whenever Noah or his mom were busy, she babysits him, and brings some food so they can enjoy together.

"I don't mind babysitting Kris at all. He's like a little brother to me anyway."

"Yeah, that's Kris. Best little brother I could ever ask for." A soft smile comes to his face, maybe he should bring some food from that burger joint his family likes, before he goes home so his mom doesn't have to cook tonight.

"Yeah..Hey do you mind if I put in my playlist?"

"Go for it."

Grabbing a mixtape from her pocket, she inserts it into the slot right above the radio, turning the knob to hear what was currently playing.

The familiar rhythm of Virgen by Adolescent's Orquesta brings a smile to your face, increasing the volume as one of her favorite songs plays through the car. Every so often, she would sing along to the lyrics, taping her fingers against the door.

What Y/N didn't know, was a certain Autobot mech was observing her in the passenger seat mirror, noticing the small things about her that seemed to have caught even more of his interest. The moment she got in the car, Mirage had to admit, she was PRETTY. And the compliments she said? Wooo that was feeding his ego.

And she was drop-dead gorgeous, in his optics, he doesn't even know her one bit and he's on his knees just from the sound of her voice. Oh her voice, don't even get him started on her voice. Most purest thing he has ever heard since he had stepped foot on Earth. Got her filling his tanks with a fluttery feeling, or as Noah sometimes likes to refer to, butterflies. What a weird thing to say. (Ngl, I head cannon Mirage to fall in love FAST)

After those few thoughts, the mech started observing her other features. Her eyes, hair, lips, cheeks, hands, even the smallest of moles/freckles that were dotted across her face. Oh and when her smile plastered her face, Mirage felt his spark beat faster.

She was a beauty, a beauty in her own category..

Sadly he wasn't able to admire her much longer, as they stopped in front of her apartment, the sky now completely dark. About to open the car door, the lock clicks, preventing Y/N from getting out. Thinking nothing of it, Y/N goes to unlock it, but it keeps repeatedly locking itself. With a huff, Y/N turns to Noah.

"Dude can you stop that shit?"

"It's not me I swear! Li-like I said, Mir-! The car was all banged up when I got it, still got a few bugs in it.." And as subtly as possible, kept kicking right above the pedals. Not to harshly, but to get the message across to stop messing around.

Finally after what seemed to be forever, the car doors unlocked, with Y/N getting out of the car, making sure to grab her tape. Running a hand over the hood, not noticing the shudder of metal, Y/N waves goodbye to Noah before entering her building, already getting excited for her hot shower.

When Y/N was out of sight and earshot, Noah turned to the radio, somewhat pissed.

"Mirage, what the hell was that??"

"Whaaaat? I did nothing wrong. Also, ouch. Do you have to kick me that hard? I'm still recovering y'know." You could hear the teasing smile on his face, pulling the recovery card whenever.

"Mirage you can't do that."

"Why not? Not like she noticed anything."

"You just can't!"

"Aww but I wanna keep admiring la angel bonita un momento más."

"..what."

"I wanna keep ad-"

"I know what you said, but, seriously?"

"You gotta introduce me to her one day, Sonic."

"Mirage she's going to freak out!"

"Mm but what are the chances she won't? Pleaseeee? I won't stop bothering you unless you say yesss~" He coos in a sing-song voice.

"Nu uh, ain't happening. Just because you're acting like a kid doesn't mean you're getting it."

"Fine. But whenever you give her ride home, I'll just keep locking the doors."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Noah leaned back into the recliner, pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration. Whenever Mirage says he'll do something, he will follow through. He's ambitious like that. So either; Stay with the no but have Mirage be a brat for who knows how long, or, just get it over with.

"Sooo..Is that a yes?"

He was quiet for a bit, before letting out a sigh,"Fine, fine! Yes, it's a yes."

"Hell yeah, baby! Oh I already have so many places to meet up for dates-"

"DUDE."

------

So that concludes my first post! I like how this (somewhat) turned out, but it's a first. I've made some edits to this and the second part will be out soon, so I'm sorry for keeping you guys waiting!

Part 2 here!

[tenebraevesper]

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic Prime, Character Analysis - Part 1)

Welcome to the first part of my personal elaboration on the topic of why ''Prime!Shadow is peak Shadow!'', or in other words, why Prime!Shadow is one of the best written iterations of Shadow's character.

Will I try to make proper arguments for his character writing? Of course. Will I also be biased as hell just because he's my favorite character? Absolutely!

So, if you can handle both of that, we should dive in!

Before I start, I suppose I should give a brief overview of Shadow's character and how he had been handled through the years. The general consensus seems to be that Shadow was at his peak as a character from Sonic Adventure 2 to Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) (as well as Pre-Reboot!Archie Comics during Ian Flynn's run), being someone who was deeply traumatized by the death of his sister Maria Robotnik, had his memories manipulated to get revenge on humanity, only to sacrifice his own life to save the world Maria cherished, losing his memories in the process and trying to carve out his own path, only to finally solidify his role as a protector of the world, even if his methods aren't always the most peaceful ones.

So, where does the idea of edgelord Shadow come from?

Yeaaahh... let's just say that Shadow's own game, Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), didn't do him any good in the character department, because it seems that all that people remember was that one time SEGA decided to give Shadow a gun and let him deal with an alien invasion. The confusing story routes didn't help either.

In time, Shadow's character went from a complex and layered character to something akin to Vegeta (no offense Dragon Ball fans!), much to the disappointment of everyone who understood character before he underwent this transformation. Also, I'm not counting Boom!Shadow in this because Sonic Boom is a different universe and its own thing, but I won't argue against the fact that Boom!Shadow's characterization as a complete jerkass didn't do Game!Shadow any favor either. That's not even mentioning the Sonic IDW Comics, where Shadow had many mandates tied to him that even the writers found it annoying to write him (although with the most recent arc where Shadow was shown, it seems that the mandates have loosened a little).

Of course, I might be missing out on some information, but this is the general gist of the history of his character. So, when Sonic Prime revealed that Shadow would be one of the major characters, you can bet that I was nervous about how he would be written and I decided to keep a close eye on his characterization; and honestly, I went from genuinely pleased to excited when I realized that Shadow was being written as a very compelling character. Not only that, but he also appeared to have gone through subtle character development over the course of the show.

Starting from the very beginning, I'm certain that you remember how Shadow's first appearance was basically him punching Sonic at the end of Episode 01: Shattered, a very impactful first impression that left us with more questions and headaches. The following episode, Episode 02: The Yoke's On You, gives us more details in regards to why he punched Sonic, seemingly out of the blue.

Shadow's proper introduction kicks off with him searching for the Chaos Emerald... and I have to ask, when was the last time we even saw Shadow genuinely smile? Was in the Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games franchise? I don't really remember.

In any case, being clearly happy about finding the Chaos Emerald, he speeds off, only to suddenly sense that something is wrong and is met with a giant blue pulse of energy (released during Sonic's fight with Dr. Eggman) and a vision of Sonic using the Paradox Prism energy.

''Sonic!''

This expression just screams ''Something bad is going to happen and it's Sonic's fault! I'm going to kick his ass before he does anything stupid!''

We then follow Shadow as he searches for Sonic, clocking him square in the face for something he hasn't done yet. Eh, I'd say that this one wasn't really deserved.

Even before Sonic starts explaining his relationship with Shadow, we immediately get an understanding of Shadow's character. He is serious, works alone, quite fast and powerful, prefers to fight over talking things out, is willing to do anything to protect his home and clearly has a history with Sonic. Sonic proceeds to add how Shadow is his biggest rival, a buzzkill and that he totally roller-skates.

''They're air shoes!''

Did... Did Shadow just break the 4th wall? Did he just make a joke? Dude, not even Boom!Shadow got to do that and Sonic Boom was the epitome of wall breaking!

Yeah, let's just say that my jaw dropped when I heard this, realizing that Shadow's character in Sonic Prime will be different than what we got used to see.

So, after knocking the Rings out of Sonic (I mean that literally), Shadow questions him about what he has done, with Sonic pointing out how Eggman is the bad guy, clearly confused about why Shadow is attacking him.

''You literally shook the world!'' ''That's because I'm good! And powerful apparently! Jealous?''

After a bit of teasing from Sonic, he and Shadow get into a race, during which I had noticed something. While Sonic keeps teasing Shadow (and also having fun fighting him), Shadow tells him to stop and listen for once.

''Clearly you're angry, which is normal,... but I'm supposed to be on a bit of a mission here, Shadow!'' ''What mission?'' ''None of your business.''

Sooooo, have you noticed it too? Because there is something very telling in this interaction. If you haven't, I'll let it play out until the end. Anyways, to continue, Shadow knocks Sonic into a rock, with Sonic confirming another aspect of their relationship.

''Ughh, I know, we're fighting again. Don't worry guys, I'll calm him down.''

We now know that this certainly wasn't the first time they had a fight and it won't be the last time. Sonic points out that, whatever beef they have, they aren't going to settle it this way. While Sonic is right, I will admit, I had to gush over the excellent animation and fight choreography. X3

Sonic then hears an explosion from the cave where the Paradox Prism is and tells Shadow that he needs to get to his friends, only to get punched for his troubles.

''Learn to focus!''

Now that the flashback is over, what exactly is going on between the two?

First of all, the main thing I have noticed is that both Shadow and Sonic seriously have a problem with communication. Shadow knows Sonic is about to do something stupid, and from his actions (aka choosing violence over talking) he is trying to prevent Sonic from doing whatever he was about to do. It does paint Shadow as a bit of a jerk, but Sonic isn't completely innocent here either.

An observation I had made was that Shadow probably knows that if he tried to just talk to Sonic, Sonic would either blow him off and run away or just tease him back, which was confirmed when Shadow asks him on what kind of mission he is with Sonic responding that it's none of his business. I imagine that there were previous events where Sonic was doing something stupid and Shadow tried to stop him from making things worse, and that violence was indeed the answer to Sonic's antics.

If Sonic had explained to Shadow what the deal is, I'm certain that Shadow would help him out. Perhaps Shadow could've told him about his vision, but going by Sonic's behavior, Sonic would probably not listen to him.

This brings me to my second point - this moment establishes that, if there will be character development for Shadow, it will be mainly through his interactions with Sonic and them learning to work together and listen to each other, something I'm really excited to talk about in later episodes.

The flashback continues in Episode 03: Escape From New Yoke, where Sonic does the old ''Hey, look behind you!'' trick and Shadow falls for it, hook, line and sinker. Sonic knocks him into a wall and speeds off to where his friends are fighting Eggman, leaving Shadow to recover and follow him.

I do like how Shadow just shakes his head here. Even if he doesn't say much, you can clearly see what it is going through his mind. He's angry at Sonic, but acknowledges that this is just typical for his blue rival.

in Episode 07: It Takes One to No Place, we see that Shadow manages to reach the Paradox Prism cave, just as Sonic is about to shatter it.

''Chaos Control!''

Unlike Sonic's friends and Dr. Eggman, Shadow manages to use Chaos Control, preventing him from being shattered just like the others.

''Sonic!''

Instead, he finds himself floating in The Void. I'll leave what happened to him in The Void for the next part, but what is important to note is that he cannot enter the individual Shatterspaces, but he can communicate with Sonic every time the latter gains enough speed to use the Paradox Prism Energy.

''Sonic, it's broken! It's all broken!''

Sonic is at first freaked out, thinking he's just hallucinating. I suppose that explains why Sonic keeps ignoring him in any subsequent appearances, despite Shadow trying his best to contact him and trying to explain him what to do, like telling him how he's lost in The Void and for Sonic to keep moving and to not stop (which also leads Sonic to find out how he can travel between Shatterspaces).

I suppose this can also be interpreted as ''Sonic leaves Shadow on read''. X3

Once Sonic accidentally gets out of No Place in Episode 08: There Is No Arrgh In Team, he is confronted by Shadow, who is absolutely furious. Not that Sonic notices, given how he had a really rough day himself.

''Shadow? Ugh, I don't have time to deal with whoever you are. I just wanna go home.''

''Home? Home doesn't exist anymore BECAUSE OF YOU!''

Considering what Sonic had done, yeah, this punch was definitely deserved.

As I said above, the first eight episodes are here to establish Shadow's character, his relationship/rivalry with Sonic and his own flaws (mainly the lack of communication on his part, choosing to fight Sonic instead) and it is clear that in order to overcome those flaws, he will have to work with Sonic (calm down Sonadow shippers, we didn't get there yet), something I'm excited to explore in the second part of this analysis.

#Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic Prime, Character Analysis - Part 2)

#Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer (Masterlist)

[vaguely-concerned]

BEHOLD! The list of evidence for my bold claim that Pan and Freddie dislike each other ferociously on sight because they are, in some key ways and despite appearances, very similar people: 

- First instinct upon seeing Grace sad is to try to make her laugh to cheer her up. (See: Freddie’s very first lines in the game starting off as she means to go on, and about half the things Pan ever says or does lol. In the last scene with him before The Trial you can even tell him you’re there just because you wanted to talk to him and have something cheer you up.) General sources of levity and fun and play in Grace’s life if you seek them out. 

- They react with similar anxiety to the idea of Grace being really angry with them (Freddie’s surprised/dismayed “Why are you angry at me?!” in the red route of ‘I Can Teach You’, the millenia-old god of the wild hiding behind a tree for ten minutes because he thinks Grace might be about to yell at him lmao <3)

- Both of them seem to have similar interpersonal insecurities in general, judging by the enforced choice between them in ‘I Can Teach You’ (I love you both so much but oh my god. is this a constructive use of time or energy under the circumstances lol), softened and alleviated by the fact that at the end of the day the most important thing to either of them is that Grace is happy. It isn’t possessiveness, but there is an element of underlying ‘Hey. Hey I am your favorite right?? 🥺’ insecurity there that trips them both up to begin with. Once you play the game and go back to look at this scene again knowing everyone’s real motivations, they’re even coming from the same place deep down — genuine fear for Grace’s safety and wanting to help her. (Freddie uncomplicatedly out of love🥹, and Pan at that stage probably more out of a guilty sense of responsibility, though he does seem to take a shine to Grace herself pretty quickly as well. Also he demonstrably isn’t, uh. Completely wrong in saying Freddie’s involvement in this whole mess is likely to end in tears, even if he is being a real dick about it) 

- If you don’t choose either in ‘I Can Teach You’, they both show up within minutes of each other to watch Grace’s back in the Medusa quest anyway. One brain cell ping pong and no one notices because they keep trying to swat each other with the racquets whenever Grace glances away for a second

Sidenote but flirting with both of them one after the other in that quest is fucking hilarious, they’re just taking turns ‘Really? Right in front of my salad?’-ing directly at the camera (...listen I feel that there is a chance that as long as they kept Grace between them the whole time there could be a thing here. I think a possible universe out there where it happens at least once does exist if one cared to go seek it out. That’s all I’m saying.) 

- Seems a bit obvious but what else am I here for: both very drawn to Grace no matter what main trait you choose. Whether this is true vice versa is of course player-dependent, but it is one way you can play the game. 

- Incredibly similar defensive reactions to being picked on or sniped at (and no hesitation whatsoever in subjecting each other to exactly that immediately anyway haha) 

- A bit dark when you think about it, but they both express the sentiment that it would be better for them to step in and die if it means Grace lives. (Freddie very directly of course ;______; and then in ‘It’s time’, Pan in ‘The Trial’ and the little talk you have with him later in Athena’s office.)  

Matching ‘ride or die’ instincts once awoken, is what I’m getting at. Freddie gets extra points for sheer longevity and constancy, Pan gets extra points for getting there in a week. You’re both unhinged (affectionate) 

- They’re the only ones among the main cast wearing green, right? I think I’ve got that right? Well, Charon does too, I suppose, but he’s a bit more peripheral. (Persephone and Aphrodite wear blue-green, but that seems more associated with death and the underworld and the river of grief everyone keeps using as a metaphor throughout the game.) Somehow I find the idea/metaphor that once you get Pan out from under like three layers of bullshit he’s the same colour as Freddie (who is inarguably The symbol of devotion and steadfastness in this game no matter your choices) quite sweet. 

- Nerds. You know I am right. Slightly different kinds of nerd (Freddie is distinctly geek-flavoured and Pan collects rare books for sport sort of distinction), but still. Oh my god. Freddie should get the whole cast together to play D&D in the Reliquary post-game. It would be absolute carnage. It would be glorious hilarity. *GASP* no wait not the Reliquary, let’s go to the Underworld so Charon gets to play too. For the love of all that is good give this to me now please I need it 

- The only two people who think Freddie losing control of her powers and causing a dance number at a funeral is hilarious

In short this is a recognition of the self through the other (derogatory) situation for both of them and neither of them decides to take that with any dignity or grace (ahaha) in the slightest, I love them very much,  thank you and goodnight 

[ghost-bxrd]

So I was rereading your Owl Song series for the like. 5th time and when I saw this line, “"NO!“ It almost shouts, taking the owlet by his shoulders to stare intently into his eyes, “Nev-er. Jason is you. Ne-ver talon. Never."" I was hit by an idea.

Can u imagine an au where instead of Jason coming back to life by Superboy Primes punch it's by the Court? Batman didn't get all of them and they've been rebuilding, they had been looking to get Dick back and hey! What better way than turning Jason into a Talon as well.

Oooo yes! I think this has been brought up before!

@cyrwrites also did an awesome drabble about Dick thinking Red Hood is a talon (but before finding out that Hood is Jason), so definitely give that a read! I totally come back to it every other day because it’s that good.

But if we go down the route of Jason becoming a genuine talon? Oh boy, ooooooooh boy. So there’s possibility 1, where Jason keeps his memories and fights the court every step of the way until he manages to escape. Or 2, Jason forgets everything and the court turns him into their weapon.

Maybe option 2 would be more likely, with Jason and Dick clashing on accident and Dick managing to subdue Jay and then teaching HIM how to be human again and the two of them just chirping and hooting at each other—- BUT, honestly I think option 1 would be much more interesting.

Jason wakes up and he remembers. And everything still hurts and the people surrounding him are sticking needles in him and his vision shifts until the colors bleed away and back in wrong and he’s both cold and hot at the same time and he wants to call for Bruce, for Alfred, for Dick, but his screams are slowly morphing into bird like shrieks and oh, oh, Jason— Jason knows what’s happening. Knows for sure when he manages to free one arm and sees the veins on his skin shot through with black, necrotic electrum.

But Jason’s smart. He’s smart, and he endures, and if this is the Court then at least he’s still in Gotham. So Jason plays along. He’s good. He remembers how Dick used to act at the very beginning and Jason’s always been good at acting, and gods he’s going to get out of here and go home but first he’s got to sell this act and sell it good.

And it works. It works. The Court is ecstatic about his “fast progress” and before long he’s sent out on his first solo mission (with a couple of ‘babysitters’) but Jason grew up in the Alley, and he was Robin, escape artist is practically in the job description, and all hopped up on electrum? Yeah, it’s easy to ditch his babysitters (Maybe slit their throats if we wanna go bloody) and book it for Batman’s closest patrol route.

But for whoever’s patrolling that night? There’s suddenly a strange talon dropping down in front of them, cooing and trilling and struggling to form words but— but it doesn’t matter. The talon is clearly asking for help, is still clearly a child, and no Bat would ever turn down a child in need.

(Dick breaks down completely when they pull the hood off Jason’s head and his little owlet stares back at him with eyes that should be blue but are now a glowing gold.)

[rollinouttahere-writes]

I was thinking about this AU where Kaku runs off with Lucky and decided to share my brainrot with the class, here you go:

Despite Kaku's fears that they would be hunted by the government until the day they died, they actually give up fairly quickly. Kaku disappeared during a Buster Call. The possibility that he died and was blown to bits is hardly unreasonable. There is a bit of a search for him given the lack of a body to confirm his death with, but after they catch up with the rest of CP9 and see he isn't with them, he's dismissed as being dead. Cipher Pol agents are so broken in and brainwashed that the World Government never even considers the possibility that he deserted. As long as Kaku stays away from locations that are frequented by the Marines/World Government, he'll continue to be considered dead.

His fellow CP9 members also assume him dead when they're unable to find him. It's shocking to them, but it's also not hard to believe that a cannonball could have taken him out after he was defeated by Zoro. It's not until they catch wind of Lucky's disappearance that they begin to question it. Kalifa and Lucci remember how fond Kaku was of her and find it more than a little suspicious that both of them vanished at Enies Lobby. But... There was a Buster Call going on. Maybe she was killed, too. That much fire power would have easily destroyed any bodies left behind. They question if he's still alive and with her, but they're never able to confirm it. They keep it to themselves when they're sought out for CP0. If he is alive... then they want him to have his peace.

Kaku's highest priority after he escapes with Lucky is to get out of the Grand Line. He knows that bouncing around the four Blues will be the best way to evade detection.

It takes Lucky about a year after her kidnapping to completely cave and settle into her life with Kaku. By that point, she is convinced that the Straw Hats have abandoned her. The hurt morphs into resentment and she goes from sad to bitter. She's so mad that she drops the nickname Lucky and reverts to using her real name again.

Lucky's tendency to latch onto any scrap of affection given to her benefits Kaku immensely. She's hurting from her perceived abandonment and clings to him like a lifeline. She was already close with him before the year mark. After it, they're acting like a normal happy couple. Kaku's sweet words and gentle touches leave her wrapped around his finger quickly and she becomes very clingy and dependent towards him.

After the year mark, she is a lot more open to Kaku's desire for children. Instead of changing the subject, she starts engaging with him on the topic. By the time the Straw Hats reunite, Lucky and Kaku could very well already have a child. Kaku wouldn't have a preference for adopted vs biological children, he's happy with whatever Lucky prefers. But if they take the adoption route, it comes with the risk of him bringing home the entire orphanage because he couldn't choose.

A reunion between Lucky and the Straw Hats would be messy. She isn't willing to listen to them or believe that they didn't abandon her. She is especially resistant if her and Kaku have a child together at that point because she wants to maintain her happy family and resents the Straw Hats for trying to break them apart.

This would be the only scenario where she truly sees their yandere tendencies. She finally sees how far they're willing to go now that they're making her do things against her will by separating her from Kaku. She's scared and feels stupid and naive for never seeing this in them before. Any attempts from the Straw Hats to bond with her again and prove that they never meant to abandon her are met with a cold shoulder. She's afraid to engage with them and just wants Kaku back. It would take months for her to start to trust them again, but she would still want to leave and go back to Kaku and becomes more and more distressed when they won't let her.

Bonus: Luffy would get very emotional upon learning about cat Ace. Even when he's frustrated with Lucky for being so stubborn, it warms his heart to know how much she also cared about Ace. He finally makes some progress in mending their relationship when he starts telling her stories about Ace from his childhood.

[blues-sues]

It had been a year.

Though part of her suspected it had been longer. It felt like an eternity.

Sometimes she felt like the only peace she could truly find anymore were these night walks with her son.

He'd been born a few months before it happened. Yet he didn't understand a thing, of course. He was merely a child.

One who tugged now on her wrist, with a distressed whine as he looks over his shoulder, brows furrowed.

"Stain? What's wrong?" She turns her head to look down at him in concern. She knew her son was extremely prone to having sudden rushes of anxiety. She'd hoped the soothe bell around his neck would improve it, but it had only lessened a small amount.

"Scarf!" Once the word escaped him, Pigment had never turned as fast. Looking back on it, she's not sure why. Perhaps part of her hoped her father remained out there. But she knew the answer all too well.

It had been a year.

Fate was a despicable thing, taking her father. She'd thought maybe she'd stop having hope that he'd come back. She knew he was gone. And she knew she wouldn't see anything as she turned around.

"Stain, there's nothing there. You needn't worry." She tries to comfort him but the young Mewtwo doesn't take his eyes off the tree. Her frown depends.

She gives his hand a gentle squeeze, but he still doesn't avert his gaze, instead beginning to wave one of his arms, his legs beginning to bounce as he rocked on his feet. "There! There!" He squeaked out, scrambling to hide behind her hip. Pigment breathes out.

"I'll check, okay? Just to be sure." She offers. Stain looks up at her, his eyes wide before his chin lowers in the tiny symbol of a nod. Releasing his hand lightly, she glides herself closer to the tree, peering her head around it.

"I told you, nothing's there."

And nothing was. She wasn't sure why he'd been so panicked. He's rather skittish, but still, not enough to be startled by well..air. She decides to come to the conclusion that perhaps he saw some sort of other 'mon on its night route.

"Ma! Saw Scarf!" He's waving both hands now, his fur spiked as he looks around with nervous glances. A strange detail to keep bringing up. Her heart sinks as her own mind recalls a scarf, her hand drifting up to clasp at the bandana over her shoulders.

A swift shake of her head as she leans down and lifts Stain into her arms, tucking his head against her chest.

"It's alright. I'll protect you."

And so, a hum emerges from her. A tune that once it reaches Stain, it causes his eyelids to flutter downwards, a tiny yawn escaping him as his trembling slowly starts to cease.

Perhaps she should've checked behind the tree twice.

A shadow looms there now, his eyes narrowed as his fingers grip the fabric he wears. The blue was now much darker. His fingers now claws.

He'd changed after death, he'd noticed. So had the world, it appeared. After all, it had been a year.

How foolish of he to think it could all stay the same.

_______

End.

Woop that was a long one. I came up with this during school.

I'd had the general idea for a while after seeing some of Tc's asks about what if Scarfy died and decided to do a little something.

My backgrounds aren't top tier but the flowers in the front are Forget-me-nots.

For clarification: this isn't supposed to be bashing on these characters for not recovering in a year after Scarfy's death. It's meant to show that grief lasts a long time. And sometimes it takes time to completely settle. Pigment is still sort of coming to terms with it, part of her struggling to believe he's truly gone.

These characters belong to @xxtc-96xx !!

Also, in this, I made the choice that after a Pokemon dies, they become y'know a ghost. Or in Scarfy's case, a ghost fusion. He became a Haunter fusion since Pig technically has Gengar blood and I'm pretty sure Stains would-be fusion is a Gastly.

I might do more doodles and such about this, but here's the first! I genuinely really like this idea and may or may not have gotten some inspiration from Ghosting by Mother Mother.

[petorahs]

what are your headcanons about Juliana and Florian?

oughhghghg where to begin

Both

-Juliana (Jules for short) and Florian (Flori, Flor, etc) are twins! Juliana is the older one. This is inspired by the fact that... they look so similar in their official art! All the recent protags all do but these two take the cake. It's so funny to me. -they look so similar in fact, that they could be body doubles! but that's totally wrong and unethical they'd never... right? -I like the HC that they're both from Galar (their mom having Skwovet and using a British term early-game, the Galarian pokemon stickers in their room, etc). They're both Paldeans, but were raised there before moving back to their hometown with mom.

-Fun thing about Scarlet/Violet is that they're such huge games that it's totally justifiable to have dual protags doing different things. Because of this, I decided to have Juliana handle the 'battle-heavy' routes like Victory Road while Florian, who is more research-focused (and has main character syndrome) features more in The Hidden Treasure arc. -I can't decide on who really does Starfall Street yet, but I'd like for Path of Legends to be the both of them helping Arven since it's the most plot-heavy and has to do with endgame. -Don't ask how but both Koraidon and Miraidon exist at the same time and the twins are their trainers. -In my recent art of them, you'll notice Juliana and Florian's eyes get all blue/crystal-like! this is an effect of their time in Area Zero/being exposed to that much Terastal energy. just them though, no one else...

Florian

-additionally, Flo's hair turns from a purply-brown to pink post-game because he's named "Haruto" in Jp, meaning spring. this carries over across all languages! I wanted to evoke a sense of a blossom coming to life over the course of his journey.

-hates battling because his sister will always be better at it than him, so he vastly prefers pokemon catching instead. (Galar's League-focus/prominence made him sickkkk. he was glad to move) -helped Jacq complete the Paldean, Kitakami and BB pokedex because of that. they're tight, the both of them. -his smile never reaches his eyes, early-game. -he is not naturally kind, nor does he see himself as the 'hero' of the story (that was always Juliana, not him), but he fakes being a main character to make people think he's just as good (this is also a byproduct of Galar's culture tbh) -that's why he seems like the more extroverted of the two, but really, he's just as quiet as her behind doors. -tbh even the fact that he has one beauty mark under his eye instead of two like his twin sis bothers him... blud thinks he'll never be enough! -Koraidon's trainer

-after meeting Kieran, Florian tried to be kind from a genuine want instead of to impress people. he wanted to be the 'hero of the story' that Kieran saw him as... and not because he needed to be out of his sister's shadow. Kieran made him want to try. -like the only way I see him winning during BB League wasn't because he was the main character who always wins, but because winning was the only way he could be friends with Kieran again. -his arc will conclude when he learns to be kind and do things out of selflessness :) which is why he takes a Tera Blast during the Indigo Disk's climax, the ultimate act of selflessness. help. sorry man it was for character development...

Juliana

-The actual main hero of the story. Really insanely strong in battles. like just straight up a beast -Juliana's names mean "youth", so she stays the same, forever a young battle prodigy Florian tries to match (but can't...). Also, youth to me can mean the future, which is why she's the Miraidon trainer! -Another reason why she's Miraidon trainer is because she can't express herself how she wants... she can't emote easily and speaks monotonously, like a robot. -Her arc would conclude when she learns that the people worth keeping in life are the ones that get her even when she doesn't feel "normal" :]]] true treasures. -big eater -read once that having beauty marks under your eyes means you'll have "trouble in love" and tried to scrub hers off... really envies Florian for having just one and thinks Flo's some kind of romance genius. goes to him for love advice one day and it freaks him out (he's having just a complicated time as any teen!!!)

-Heavily inspired by Pokemon Special's take on her. like look at her she's so cool.

[isephierreo]

Byleth's Design

This post is a full analysis of Byleth's design, their Enlightened One class, and other things I found interesting about them. (I will also mention the Ashen Wolves house, but I will focus on the design of the house itself, not its characters.)

Hair

Byleth's hair is modeled after a wolf hairstyle (ウルフヘアー), and although the wolf hairstyle may not symbolize a particular thing, the word for wolf/wolves is according to lore "the beasts who guard the Blue Sea Star". 

Outfit

Male Byleth, Bishop, and Priest class all wear armor that covers the shoulders and upper chest.

EDIT: After searching, the name of the type of armor worn by the Byleth and clerics is Gorget.

while Female Byleth wears a nun's collar.

This indicates Byleth's connection with the church from the beginning.

The pattern on Male Byleth's chest is a stylized of the crest of flames, with the 3 tears below and the 3 rhombus in the middle together forming the pattern on his chest, and the tear above are the one on his back.

Or it may be a stylized form of the Sothis tiara.

Speaking of the Sothis tiara, the pattern present on the sleeves of their coat is also a stylized form of it.

The pattern on Byleth's back is a triquetra, the triquetra has so many meanings, which vary from culture to culture, that I fail to see what it stands for with Byleth. The closest meaning to Byleth and the Three Houses concept I found for triquetra is that it is "three-cornered and connected deeply with the power of three".

Of course, no need to explain about the Byleth's pendant. (Just a little explanation: the green part is similar to the Flayn and Seteth pattern but mixed with P4. Same thing with the pink part, it's a mix between P4 and P1.)

In general, the main color in Byleth's outfit is gray, which symbolizes a lack of emotion, and that represents Byleth's emotional state at the beginning of the game. Gray is also a symbol of neutrality due to being a shade between white and black, and in the case of a basic Byleth's outfit, black is a dominant color, while white is a subdued shade (in the case of Male Byleth, white is not visible, though under his armor), but when they become the Enlightened One, the roles of black and white are reversed. This is closer to the concept of yin and yang, where the black yin is darkness and the white yang is light, but the essence of each has the color of the opposite side.

On their arms, the Byleth wear silver armor. Due to the purity of silver so high that it reflects like a mirror, it symbolizes seeing the true self in our depths. All of this points to Silver Snow, Byleth's own route, who they are discovering more about themselves and their Nabataean heritage. As for the reason that silver is only in their arms, it is because the arms symbolize acceptance and embracing life experience.

As I already mentioned in my previous post, the white and pink in Byleth's outfit are the colors of the ribbons of Sothis' hair, symbolizing their association with her. Besides, the color of their dagger is the same as the colors of her dress, blue, black, and gold.

A little note: many might think that the Byleth's dagger cross-guard is the same as the house leaders insignia inverted, but in fact it is completely different, at least within the game model. 

(The house leaders insignia itself differs from one work and design to another related to the game, and it can only be noticed after an audit.)

Enlightened One

One of the most notable things about Enlightened One is definitely the color purple, whether it's the crest of flames or the signature color of Byleth, Sothis, and the game itself. Purple is the color of the Sahasrara, also known as the crown chakra, is the seventh energy center in the chakra system. It is the highest point in the body and acts as a bridge between our physical selves and nirvana. Notably, Enlightened Byleth's tiara contains purple, unlike Sothis and Rheas' tiara. 

Like the Nabataeans, the Enlightened One's design has stylized parts of Sothis's design, as well as Rhea's.

A velvet scarf, in particular, is worn in the same style as religious or sacred-role characters in the franchise.

There is also a similarity to the dancer's design. This goes with Emblem Byleth being a dancer in Engage.

Especially since Sothis's design is more like a dancer. And the tiki's design itself looks like dancer.

Enlightened One has a pattern on the back under the cape, which is probably the crest of flames. This goes with Seiros and Dimitri, who also have their crest on the back under their cape. Claude doesn't have his crest in his Wyvern Master design, but he does at least have one in his Barbarossa's quiver. The only one without a crest on the back is Edelgard, which instead has an empty heart, which may indicate a stark contrast to Byleth.

Fencing Style

Byleth's style of carrying a sword is similar to that of the greatsword, which requires it to be carried on two shoulders due to its heavy weight.

The development of such a style is most likely due to training to wield a sword at an early age.

Although Byleth's animation is similar to the other characters' animation of wielding a sword, Byleth have a distinct animation in their final strike.

While all characters jump up to strike, Byleth hold the blade opposite to the ground and then direct it upwards during a lunge. It's like dragging a heavy sword across the ground to deal a fatal blow, and that's one ways to use the greatsword.

But when the Byleth became enlightened one, their sword-wielding style became lighter and more graceful.

They spin as if it were a dance, then counter a straight line strike with balance. They hold their left hand in a fist at their hearts as it glows as if they are praying, and then they release it with the faith power they have gathered.

The armor on Byleth's right arm is somewhat similar to the Immaculate One.

This indicates that the Byleth's right arm, which holds their weapon, represents the Immaculate One, an ability Rhea/Seiros has rarely used to end dangerous situations in battlefield. While Byleth's left arm, unarmored and unarmed, indicates Rhea/Seiros's ability to end wars with her bare hands with minimal casualties, as she did with Nemesis.

Going back to the Ashen Wolves, everyone is surely aware of the contrast in the colors of the Academy and Abyss students' uniforms. As I mentioned in my previous post, the colors of the Academy uniform represent Sothis, while the colors of the Abyss uniform represent Byleth. White, silver, black, gray, purpue. This refers to the concept of dualism, which is commonly used in the Final Fantasy series.

[lemmonlimonn]

i present to you... MY PIKMIN AU!!

"S.D spacial"

An interplanetary delivery company, known for its quality, success and speed, also for its great rivalry with "Hocotate Freight".

Within the company there are 4 essential positions so that performance and speed are efficient and accurate. Within these are: Green, Blue, Red and Orange. Each of these positions has an important meaning for the company. :

(I clarify that everything is written with a translator, if there is something written wrong I am sorry :[ )

"Sections"

Green

(Office Workers)

The green ones (office workers) are in charge of receiving calls from deliveries or loads that you want to transport. Depending on the type of material you want to transport, they will give you 3 options: Van, Truck or Spaceship. Therefore, it is important to specify when calling, how much your load is, and if you have your weight in Kg exactly, much better, the faster they will call you a transport suitable for your order.

Van: small or medium packages

Truck: Zinc sheets, earth, wooden boards, everything necessary for construction. Fruit or food shipments in large quantities. Also possible are 4,500KG is its minimum, and 11,800KG is its maximum.

Spaceship: Only small and medium-sized packages can be made: Boxes of fruits or vegetables, Boxes of screws or nails, Boxes of etc., etc., etc., you can carry everything as long as they are in boxes that can be transported by human force.

This section may work independently or on its own, but you still need to establish communication with the blue ones. green ones communicate new orders to you for confirmation and completion.

Blue

(Documentators)

This section is in charge of making the documents, noting the route, recipient, and taking the order information to the reds so that they take the loads to their proper transporters to start the delivery process.

Example:

Product: 3 bags of Giyano dog food

Buyer: Collin

Recipient: Erma Shepherd

Planet: Giya

Transport: Spaceship

Pilot: Darenwill, Orange #2

*Ticked*

This section works with the Orange section, since they must have a complete report at the end of the day of the package's journey, from Hocotate to the planet, or delivery location. And at the beginning with the Green section, to confirm where the package will be picked up for transportation.

Red

(Hard work)

The Reds (heavy load workers), this section is in charge of carrying the loads to the spaceship, truck or van, depending on what type of load it is, more personnel from the red section will be needed. This section works with oranges and blues.

Orange

(Pilot)

The Orange are in charge of piloting spaceship, driving trucks or vans. They work with the Blues and Reds, those are their priorities. Each of them must have a certificate and a driver's or pilot's license, otherwise they will not let you enter the Orange section.

If you want you can join! making your character like any of these 4 sections ^_^

[prototypelq]

Pan thoughts because I am normal TM about him:

- Unless Grace shows her interest in him (aka romance route / Let's Dance), Pan is almost absent from the story.

He only appears twice - in the beginning, and at the end for the trial - cause that's a formal procedure all gods have to be present for. There are four optional encounters: if you come meet him before the Reliquary, he'll ask to complete a favour for Asterion, another encounter is handing in that the favour, Medusa encounter, plus the final meeting before the trial. Freddie is present with Grace for the most of the game, Apollo - has at least 6 encounters, even if you don't play the game with him (apartment, Underworld, Aphrodite's Party, Hades, Trial), Persephone - 3 encounters (Underworld, Hades, Trial). Back to Pan - none of the gods really speak about him. Except Persephone and Apollo, who are trying to both dismiss and point fingers at him at the beginning. After that, none of the gods ever mentions Pan again.

It's almost like he is very much an outsider among the pantheon, probably right until he needs a favour, or somebody needs his favours.

- It's kind of logical that Pan is the outsider in the pantheon, if you think about it thematically. All the other gods have clear niches they control and keep in order. Nature is anything But order, in fact, if nature is anything - it finds order only in constant struggle or the constant redefining of scale, in Change. So yeah, a god of Dis-order could very much be antithetical to other gods of Order. If Calliope was looking to shake things up, then he would certainly be one of her first choices for allies in her quest.

- This makes it easy to understand how exactly Pan got tangled up in the whole mess. He span his web of favours, which were all small little things (probably), but it caught a prey so big Pan was stunned so hard, his agency basically went out the window, until the case was closed.

- Okay, now for the particular lines in different versions of I Can Teach You (aka Lost Girls, Time To Shine and Morning Fades), if, For Some Reason you haven't finished the game yet - please do. It's short and definitely worth your time, cause it's amazing. also I really need to talk about this so Big Tangent Ahead

I'll do these song by song.

Morning Fades - It's in the name of the song - Pan is... pretty much the only god who reminds Grace she is or a strict timer. Every other god, by some reason or another - drags her into their own problems, which she helps to solve, and only after that can she make progress in the case. You know. While being sentenced to death in a week. Grace has to solve the problems these gods have been brewing in for, at least, decades AND prove her innocence, so her sentence to death can be prevented. Pan is the only one, who reminds Grace, multiple times, that 'Time's a wasting', she needs to hurry, and doesn't take any more of her time than he should.

Morning fades and the day wastes away, Grace You can't wait, Grace, don't delay

Another line, that gives us a very clear insight into Pan is this line right here:

This Freddie is a friend you can use, but this isn't playtime Time to choose

You get this line only in the purest form of Morning Fades (aka all blue), in which Pan leads unsure Grace along through the song, but Freddie is ignored and she does a final solo to try to get through to Grace. Pan sings those lines with remorse, he values the devotion Freddie demonstrates, even if he did call her Lost Girl a few times throughout the song. But despite his own lines - previously they were Time To Play, now that time is over, cause the song is over. This is the time to solve murder of a goddess, and while Pan does not like dividing the girls, he sees there is no place for Freddie in this adventure, and thinks that it would be too dangerous for her.

There will be more evidence of Pan's personal motivation later, I have only just remembered the Green version of Morning Fades, and it's very interesting. This is the song where Grace tries to follow Pan's advice and direction in her first steps, then gets carried away by the song and her bestie into their own fun musical, all while ignoring Pan.

You think you don't need me, just cause' you can't read me

This line is quite straightforward - Pan knows he is acting shady, but reinforces that his intentions are genuine, if only the girls could see through their first impression of him.

Time To Shine - now, this version is interesting, cause here we have Grace who is rebelling against every possible notion of control, or even help, and Pan loves this song anyway. This song proves that Pan was honestly just trying to help (and quieten the misguided guilt he feels), so as long as Grace can use her power and has a mind sharp enough to find the proof the needs - he is satisfied. And he really is! It's clear from the get-go that Grace is independent, clever and fiery enough to handle everything herself, so he rolls along with her, confident in her abilities.

Actually, in this version he is quieter than normal - he throws a line about Freddie, but otherwise between the first Time to Shine and the star scene chorus he keeps silent - Grace wants spotlight, so he steps aside to hear her out.

Yes! This is your time! Time to shine!

It's also fun that, in his first verse he always Grace to hurry up, here instead he is getting so excited about her number that he throws in

Yes, a solo! Go for it, we got time! (solo) Grace, you're starting to comprehend Let me show you more, or show me the door!

He sings that line very excitedly, which is very silly and fun xD. It is to be expected then, that Pan joins in Grace's final Time To Shine chorus almost instantly.

Lost Girls - this song is very interesting, cause in this version the girls are pretty much dismissing Pan completely, and fully give into the song, they get carried away to have their own fun musical number. This time Pan has to ground them back into reality - in other versions he gets excited over the number, well, not in this one. This Pan is grumpy - his advice is being dismissed, he is not taken seriously, and he cannot fully deliver the message he wants to convey, or the lesson he wants Grace to learn.

Grace: Lost girls, lost girls, you all love your lost girls, A rescue that you can take home Pan: I won't say you need saving, you're not drowning, you're waving

In this first Lost Girls verse he is still being playful, but even in the beginning he has to placate with both hands that he is not a danger and only wants to help. But if Grace keeps ignoring Pan's advice, he starts to get more serious.

You're lucky I got to you There's people who'll come for you I'm hurt you're making so much ado You're lost and I'm trying to help!

Okay so, knowing the events of the game, I can't be the only one thinking of Aphrodite here, right? That's my best guess as to what Pan is referring. The girls keep on getting carried away, and he has to just straight-up state he only wants to help.

Interesting, that even after being ignored and rightfully grumpy about that, Pan is still willing to join into the trio singing together. He's also delighted by that solo is particular xD

I never knew I had that in me!

Even after half a song, Freddie still keeps freaking out about the whole 'musical' thing, and to that Pan says, with a literal facepalm:

You don't understand Nothing for Grace will ever be the same!

If Grace goes for the full song here and green ending, then Grace and Eddie happily continue singing their troubles away, and at this, Pan really gets frustrated. So much so, that he goes plainspeak, even though the Green Lost Girls solo seems to be his favourite moment in any variation of I Can Teach you.

Really? Now you're just being silly Maybe the Muse isn't feeling the gravity? Or do you refuse and, like ostriches, happily stick your heads in the sand? Grace, I could be your right hand Freddie, you'd better leave her alone Let me do what I do, or she'll sink like a stone

The way Pan keeps on insisting so hard that Grace needs someone's guidance has me thinking that either there have been accidents with new idols, who were unable to control their powers properly before, or maybe it was his own personal struggle with control over the abilities, and he was wishing hard for someone's help at the time.

It's also weird that he keeps on pressing that Grace needs assistance here, even after she has choreographed an entire musical number right before his very eyes, all without a hitch, and she is clearly a natural. For some reason the way Grace and Freddie get so much carried away scares him particularly? Then again, in the Time to Shine versions Pan is perfectly fine with letting Grace do whatever she wants, because she demonstrated skill and independence. In this version, she demonstrates the same things, but uses them to have a song with her bestie, and This triggers Pan for a reason. Interesting.

Kind of a similar situation happens with Green version of Morning Fades, actually. The end of the song has Pan start the usual Morning Fades chorus, but then the girls come in and literally steal the spotlight from him, and this forces Pan into plainspeak.

Pan: You think I'm the danger? You have no idea. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to hide, But do we make merry or should you get ready? Finally grow up and take it outside. Grace: So wait, are you saying you won't work with Freddie? Pan: She couldn't be less qualified

A stark contrast to the original full-blue Morning Fades, where Pan regrets dividing the girls, isn't it.

So Pan has mentally allowed a very specific fun-zone, meaning this one musical number, which he is happy and excited to engage in, but he won't let the girls get carried away with their fun forever, and tries very hard to ground them back if they do.

[respectthepetty]

*I'm going to be completely normal about Moonlight Chicken. I'm just going to watch and enjoy it. I'm not going to look deeper. I'm not going to think about..*

Moonlight Chicken's Symbolism and Background Noise

The series has several Chinese influences and begins on September 10, 2022, which an actual full moon fell on that day. It is the Moon Festival also known as Harvest Moon, Mid-Autumn Moon, or Mooncake. It is meant to be spent with others. In the lunar calendar, it's the mid-point of the year. We know this date from Jim's beer.

The brand of the beer is Full Moon, and he and Wen drink it throughout the first episode.

Jim and Wen discuss what is normally seen in the moon. Jim sees a woman (which there is legend about a woman and the moon, but it's too much for this space), but Wen states it's a rabbit. A rabbit normally represents the full moon because both symbolize longevity, peace, and prosperity.

That's why mooncakes are given during this time. They represent well wishes to the receiver and those shared with a long peaceful and prosperous life.

Ginger, which Wen shared with Jim, also symbolizes longevity as well as passion and strength.

Jim's green truck's license plate states frog in Thai. Frogs are a symbol of prosperity and good luck.

Li Ming, whose name means (bright) dawn, wears an Ohio State Buckeyes Football Shirt. Buckeyes are a type of nut and symbolize good luck (thanks college football for that nugget of info!).

However, this show is doing well with subtle foreshadowing, so Li Ming might run into some bad luck with driving (Heart around) without a license.

We get some foreshadowing with the DVD Wen picks up at Jim's. This movie is about two lovers who meet in Hong Kong after relocating there from other parts of China. Their lives take them on separate paths, only for them to reunite ten years later in America. The ending shows that they actually sat back-to-back on the train ride into Hong Kong over a decade ago. Aka, they were fated lovers.

Jim has an Idiot's Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business and Reader's Digest collection of books - Dick Francis' Comeback (about a man who gets entangled with a stranger on his route to his new job), Frederick Forsyth's The Deceiver (about a British agent who is set to retire, but one of the main plots is an affair), and Alexandria Ripley's Scarlett (which continues the story of Scarlett and Rhett from Gone with the Wind, who are estranged, but at the end, reunite). *Also, the condom package is amazing. The C of "condom" is actually the condom. I just think it's neat!

Wen has Eric Hall's Monster (which is about famous sport agent Eric Hall who was known for being a money monster). This is likely to be Alan's book because the apartment is filled with art, which is due to Wen being an art director. He was also drinking because of his job but didn't state anything specific about the reason.

Wen and Alan's apartment is more modern, while Jim's is more traditional.

When Jim and Wen met at the restaurant, it is Saturday going into Sunday. In Thailand, Sunday's color is red, and its unlucky color is blue. However, In China, red represents good luck, and blue represents longevity. We see these colors often around Jim and Wen (scroll back up).

Jim was shown mostly in or highlighted by red the first episode with Wen in or highlighted by blue.

Even Jim's aprons are red. They say Hungry? with a little chicken peaking out of the pockets.

We also see the blues and reds around Heart and Li Ming. *peep the elephant tusks which are encasing the family and symbolize power*

The bottle Heart drops is Snake Bite Whiskey, and a snakebite shot simply consists of whiskey and lime juice aka it hurts like an actual snakebite.

Modern Thai Sign Language was influenced by American Sign Language (which was greatly influenced by French Sign Language). It seems as if Heart is telling Li Ming his face scared him, but I'm unsure of the last sign since that is not the ASL sign for surprise, scared, or angry. The second portion seems to consist of Heart saying YOUR MISTAKE, but once again, the second sign is different than ASL's mistake because of the breadth of the movement. *I love that this wasn't captioned because it allows the audience to feel Li Ming's confusion and Heart's frustration.

We end the episode back at night with another shot of the moon. As others have pointed out, the colors at night are more crisp and vibrant compared to the day.

But based on Li Ming's name, and the symbols, I think Moonlight Chicken is attempting a similar theme as Big Dragon - The Moon and the Sun have to meet at Dawn. These lovers won't work in their current situations. They have to compromise and find balance, which is why they met in the middle of the year. They have to meet in the in-between.

[ghostlychief]

Falling into Place

Pairing: Simon “Ghost” Riley x reader

wc: 1,600+

warnings: mentions and depictions of bruises from fighting; hurt/comfort; fluff

Summary: dancing with your big boyfie Ghost

AN: HELLO!! Ok, so i am a sucker for a slow dance scene, and i just had to write one with Ghost. This was inspired by @alienisticxo ‘s fic Before the Fever, and the last chapter was first of all, AMAZING, but secondly, it had a lovely dance scene between the Master Chief and oc (reader), and it inspired me to write a dance scene with Ghost. If you’re a fan of Halo or the Halo world/lore, I highly recommend checking out their fic!!

Also, I’ve decided that this is the Pockets of Peace couple, so do with that what you will lmao (but this doesn’t contribute to the main story line, just think of it as an extra drabble) You honestly could read it as a oneshot though, if you like. Ok, so yeah i think that’s about it and i hope you enjoy if you stumble across it.

-Lee <3

--

To say that this past week was brutal was an understatement. You were swamped at work in the beginning of the week with tasks, mainly completing an endless amount of workpapers, only to be thrown into a mission mid-week. Usually, you had more notice before you had to go on a mission, but every once in while, they would be sprung on you without warning. Definitely one of the downsides of the job.

If by some miraculous chance, you and Simon would get assigned to the same mission. This time, that wasn’t the case. Now, this mission wasn’t anything too serious nor dangerous, however, you did find yourself in countless hand-to-hand fights throughout, which left you with a series of bruises painting your body. The most noticeable, and unfortunately the worst ones, were found on your upper arm and shoulder, dotting your skin from your elbow to the beginning of your neck.

To the untrained eye, they look concerning -as in, “why aren’t you in a hospital right now?”- concerning. Nothing a little ice and TLC couldn’t fix. You were a seasoned professional after all, and part of the expertise that comes with the job is being able to mend your own wounds; you knew all the tricks.

The mission finished late Friday night, so when you were finally able to get back home, Simon was already asleep. Trying to be as quiet as you could, you took a shower and started icing your body, hoping that by tomorrow, the stains the bruises left wouldn’t be too gruesome.

You instantly felt the pain when you woke on Saturday, and you tried your hardest not to cry out. Luckily, Simon was on his morning jog, and you knew Saturday was his long route; he wouldn’t be back for a couple hours.

The events of the week seemed to have finally caught up with you. You were exhausted, sore, and heavily bruised. The bruises fully came to fruition, and they left a mess of red, green and purple hues, masking the true color of your skin beneath them.

A bath was needed, you decided. You drew yourself an elaborate bath, putting in all the bath salts and bombs you felt were necessary to help calm your nerves that sprouted from the week. You poured yourself a glass of wine, and put on a dewy face mask, the coolness of it felt amazing on your dry skin.

You don’t recall how long you soaked in the tub, all you know is that when you came out your fingers were as pruned as can be, and you didn’t feel your anxiety weighing down your chest, and you finally felt like you could breathe properly.

When you step out of the tub, you quickly dry off and do your lotion and skin care routine, taking extra caution around your injuries. You put on your favorite crop tank top, it’s sage green with a bow in the middle, and matching shorts. To cover your injuries, you slip on a darker, royal blue silk robe. You found this color always makes your complexion shine.

--

In the early evening, you find yourself sitting on the couch with Simon. It’s already dark out since it’s January, and there’s a steady rainfall outside, creating a calming atmosphere within your shared apartment.

Your legs are resting in his lap, and you both are reading, with soft sounds of music playing in the background, accompanying the raindrops. You’re still decked out in your pajamas and robe; Simon is in his signature black joggers and black t-shirt and you’re both snuggled under a warm, fleece blanket.

Suddenly, one of your favorite songs starts to play over the speakers; your ears perk and you close your book.

When you lift your legs from Simon’s lap, he glances over at you, but then proceeds to read his book. He feels you standing in front of him so he looks up from his book again, and there you are, just like he thought. Though, your hand is reaching out towards him, and you wear a sloppy smile on your face with your brows quirked.

“Wanna dance?”

Your question surprises him, and he just stares at you for a moment before responding, “Right now?”

You fight the urge to roll your eyes, and you shake your hand in front of him, “No. I meant when we go to my cousins wedding in March. Yes, right now.”

He actually rolls his eyes, but a shadow of a smile threatens to coat his lips and his warm hand engulfs yours as you drag him up from the couch. He’s now towering over you, and a familiar warmth spreads through your face, onto your cheeks. You never really grew used to the size difference between you and Simon.

“Do you even know how to dance?” He lets you lead him to the center of the living room, to give you both optimal space for dancing. His tone is curious, not at all mean or impatient, he was genuinely asking if you knew how to.

Shrugging you quip, “Not really, I was planning on just swaying, you know?”

He laughs at your indifference to the honed the skill that is dancing, and then he pulls you close to him, now taking the lead. One of his hands gently grasps your waist, and the other is still holding yours.

Smiling, he says, “Perfect, neither do I.”

You start dancing to the music, he’s leading you in a swift back and forth, side to side motion and to be honest, you guys aren’t doing too bad - for not really knowing how to waltz. Every one in awhile though, you accidentally step on his toes, but he pays no mind to it and just enjoys seeing you like this, content and happy in his arms.

Simon impresses you further when he spins you a few times, and you laugh each time you come crashing back into his chest on your return. While you guys were twirling around the room with little to no mind, the sleeve of your robe started to fall off your shoulder. It’s then, when your bruises start to show and you remember that Simon hasn’t seen them yet.

He knew about your mission and that you got in to a few fights, but this is the first time he’s seeing the aftermath it left on your body and he tries not to let his heart break too much at the sight. Regrettably, he can’t help it, and feels a pinch right in the center of his heart as he continues to look at your body, but he continues to lead you in your small dance around the living room.

Although the mood hasn’t turned somber, it certainly shifted into something more quiet, tender, and he slows down his movements.

The tenderness expands and is expressed explicitly when Simon leans down to kiss your shoulder where the bruises begins, he then trails his kisses down the expanse of your arm, and his lips trace over the bruises that have sprouted, and left a pattern of purple and red. As he’s kissing down your arm, you feel his hand that is still holding yours squeeze three times, a signal to you that he’s sorry this happened to you, and that he’s here for you now, to comfort you, protect you.

He leaves one last kiss on the top of your shoulder, then gently brings your robe back up to cover you.

When the song crests into its beautiful epiphany, you feel Simon’s eyes searching for yours. You glance up to find his already on you, intently studying your entire being. In that moment, you feel the same crest develop in your lower chest, making its way to your heart and you find it hard to express how you’re feeling in this delicate pocket of time you find yourself in with your lover.

The music continues to swell around you, seemingly sewing you shut into this small pocket of space you’ve both created, that just exists between the two of you. No one can find you hear, touch you, hear you. All that exists is what you and Simon have created in this moment.

He hums out an “I love you,” and you repeat it back.

You wrap your arms around his neck and lay your head on his chest. His head comes down to rest against yours, and every once in awhile, you feel a ghost of a kiss pressed to the crown of your head.

Now, both of his hands are holding your waist, as you both sway to the beat of the music.

You step on his toes again, and you lightly giggle out a sorry. You can’t see his small grin as he observes you because you’re looking down at your feet, trying your hardest not to step on him again.

His response to your apology is picking you up and placing you back down so that your feet are on top of his. It’s quite a silly position, but he continues to dance like this, swaying you back and forth, occasionally moving both of your legs with the movement of his feet.

It's a bit clumsy, but you love it. Even though you’re perched on top of Simon’s feet, he’s still astronomically taller than you, and you find yourself getting lost in him even more. Sounds of laughter fill your living room, occasionally drowning out the music.

You pick your head up from his chest to grin up at him, “We’re pretty good dancers, huh?”

He kisses your nose, “The best.”

--

Hope you enjoyed! <3