#the only thing i like in this drawing is tree

[obeymeluv]

Being Clever with the Fae (Malleus x Reader, Lilia x Reader, Sebek x Reader)

Pre-established relationship implied. You tell the Diasomnia boys that your world planned for ways to outsmart faes. You pull your trick but you're not sure who won.

Warning: Pepaw Bat's gets a little spicy so be careful.

I'm taking liberties with Sebek's part because he's a neutral for me and I don't know that much about him.

You and Malleus had talked about fae folklore more than once. He was delighted to know fae had something of a presence in your world but was wildly horrified at the misinformation. Out of everything you told him, only a handful were correct:

Don't give your name unless you trust that fae because names have power

Iron will hurt some fae but not all. Iron is more harmful to nocturnal fae than day fae.

Being rude to fae may be the end of you altogether

Partaking in fae food means you open yourself up for a wager

Yes, fae like to play tricks. Expect them and be wary.

Stepping into a fairy circle will summon the fairy who made it.

Just about everything else was wrong. That's why he and Lilia were teaching you what not to do if you came upon the various fae in Twisted Wonderland. Thus far you'd only managed to memorize what herbs kept smaller creatures at bay and how to curry the favor of the various faeries that helped out at NRC. Your current assignment from Lilia was filling out a map of different fae territories and classifying them as 'safe' for humans or 'unsafe'. Each territory had a tree they would love to craft from or loathed to be near and you were expected to know that, too.

Strange stuff but apparently it was important.

They liked to break up the bigger chunks of information with smaller, digestible things like etiquette so it felt more manageable. Malleus was currently instructing you on how to part from a fae in a formal setting as to not incur their wrath.

"Again, Child of Man," he's bowed down until eye level with you, one hand holding yours.

"Light shake, eye contact, nod, slide foot back, squeeze the hand, turn." he's parroting your motions until you turn away. He, instead, draws himself to his full height and observes as you pretend to walk away.

"Excellent," he nods. "But ensure you don't slouch while leaving. It will make some feel as if you don't hold them in high regard."

"That's so--" you roll your eyes. He simply lifts his brow as if to question your mild frustration. You puff your cheeks out and he laughs.

"We can be a bit particular." he agrees.

"To a fault." you smirk.

"Oh?" he's intrigued, eyes twinkling.

"Yeah," you smile. "In my world the fae were known for being literal with their word so you always had to keep something clever in reserve."

"Do tell," Malleus' grin goes from practiced and polite to genuine. A hint of fang shows.

"It's kind of specific though. Depends on that old joke about fae wanting to come for the first born."

"That's not really a joke," Malleus crossed his arms. You can't tell if he's offended or not. "We like the younglings. We're always looking to bring more around to the fae ways. In fact, fae make fantastic guardians because--"

He had a lot to say and you felt the beginnings of a lecture creep up. In some way you felt like you were in trouble. To save yourself, you said, "Just pretend. Then I can show you what we do."

Malleus pretended to make a deal with you. It looked a bit intimidating and official with the magic pulsing in the rickety floorboards of Ramshackle. They were groaning. Shadows danced along his face as pieces of his signature thorned briar wove around your joined hands. "In exchange for the repairs around Ramshackle, you will give your firstborn to me."

You pull him in, his green eyes searching curiously for any hint of what's to come. "Sure! How soon do you want to start working on that? Or do you want to wait a little while?"

All at once the floorboards fell quite. The hum of magic died with a rattle that broke the briar into tiny pieces. A few fell at your feet, the others shooting off into various directions.

Oh. Did he not understand? You thought it was clever! Maybe he was too sheltered to--

His laugh is kind of a snort at first but then you hear it honest and lilting. The hand holding yours slides up your arm and snakes around your waist. You're lifted until your hands find purchase on his shoulders and your legs wrap around whatever they reach. Your heart goes from your chest to your throat when his gloved hands slide down to your thighs as he walks you to your sad couch.

"Now is fine," he's careful to hold his weight above you, silky hair spilling around you and tickling your cheeks. His eyes are bright and boyish, a deadly compliment to his kissable lips.

Well, that technically backfired but if this were a real situation you'd make out just fine because he'd chosen to make out with you instead of curse you.

------ ----- ----- ----

Lilia wanted to focus on physical protection as much as written knowledge when it came to handling fae. You still couldn't wrap your head around the idea of him being a general but he had old photos, a weird mask, and a massive magearm to prove it. You'd picked up quite a few self-defense moves and practiced them regularly. He wanted them to be second nature to you. So here you are, in a designated training room within Diasomnia.

"You just want to cuddle me," you teased, in the familiar position of him being behind you with an arm around your neck. One elbow was planted in your shoulder, the other clasping it at the forearm to make a little prison for you. He gave a reprimanding squeeze, ever mindful of the pressure since you were fully human. Lilia gave a huffy laugh, trying to relax his smile into something more stern as he wove his fingers into your hair. You flinched at the tug and slapped his arm lightly.

"Focus," he couldn't deny himself the simple pleasure of whispering into your ear. If you asked him, it was to throw you off balance and distract you. "What could you do now?"

You thought about just leaning back into him, pressing against him, but you knew that wasn't what he meant. Capitalizing on this moment of closeness, the stillness, to huck him over your shoulder and into the floor crossed your mind but then you'd have to give him a back rub later.

Not that you minded that, either.

"We could make a deal," you leaned back to whisper in his ear even though it hurt your neck a little. You could tell by the way his bangs fluttered that he'd jerked in surprise. Was that a little pink on his cheeks? Before you could nip his pointed ear, Lilia leaned you forward and took his elbow off your shoulder, opting to hold you in a bearhug instead.

"Acceptable in this situation," he managed, clearing his throat when his voice cracked a little. "Although this exercise is supposed to be combat related."

"So make the terms. I can't negotiate a deal that doesn't exist." you try to break his hold, shimmying your shoulders and sliding your feet to see if you could slip away. He lifts you off the ground with an ease that doesn't seem possible with his short, lithe body. You hang there against him as he thinks.

"Your life for that of your firstborn."

A bit dark, wasn't it? Kind of rude, really, you thought. But, your train of thought continued to ramble, he did find Silver somewhere so it didn't seem too unusual that he'd want a kid. Either that, or he was messing with you because you told him that whisking away kids was something fae were known for in your world.

"You can't have a firstborn with your clothes on." you joke.

"That's not true because I found Silver with my--" Lilia drops you when he realizes what you've said. You weren't expecting him to drop you and didn't catch yourself, hissing as you land on your knees. Before you can start complaining or poke fun at him for being an old man he's locked the door. You're bowled over as he rushes over to you, pinning you on your back as he peppers kisses along your throat and collarbone.

He's several bites in and you’re halfway undressed when you think you hear a knock at the door. Lilia begrudgingly peels himself off of you, licking blood from the corner of his lips.

"Father? Are we not going to train today?"

"M'fraid not, my boy," Lilia turns his attention back to you, opening your legs to slip between them. "But you'll be getting a new sparring partner in about nine months."

His red eyes are glowing. They're absolutely beguiling.

"Do they come with therapy?” he hears Silver mumble as you look up at him through your lashes.

He pounces on you again. It was a brilliant, filthy tactic. He's not exactly mad about it. You've earned favor with one fae, at least, and he will protect you from the others.

----- ----- --- ---

Sebek is a hard worker. He's a product of his environment; he has Baur's straightforwardness, Lilia's dedicated regimens, and his mother's impressive teeth and jaw strength. Lilia thought the best way for you to learn some of the self-defense tactics was to fight someone your size.

Sort of. Sebek seemed to be the better choice since Silver was too sleepy to be a constant threat. And, in Lilia's mind, you should have an easier time fighting a half-fae versus a full fae.

You never noticed how muscular Sebek was until you were under him. He's got corded arms and you can see the muscles of his shoulders flexing under the Diasomnia shirt he chose for the exercise.

You've never seen him in casual clothes! He actually looks very nice. Not as buff as Jack but sturdy in his own way; his chest is broader than you imagined. A solid man.

More than capable of being Malleus' body guard.

You groan as he knocks the air out of you a little. He's on top of you, pressed into your back. He's got one foot braced against the floor, leaning his weight into you. Your arms are pinned at your side courtesy of the one he's snaked underneath you.

When did he flip you over? Asshole, you scrunch your nose in frustration as your cheeks begin to burn. He's an asshole that means well and won't go easy on you, though. He makes sure you learn. You try to inch out from beneath him but he angles his shoulder down and grabs his own wrist, dragging you back to him.

"You're supposed to do something in this situation!" he grumps, "You know how to break this hold!"

You do, but he's heavy and it probably wouldn't work. And he's had a literal lifetime of training versus your handful of months. You've tangled your legs together and used his half-lean to put him on his back. Your kicking like a tipped-over bug and almost free when you remember that his fae half is crocodilian and you might have triggered his death roll tendency.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Sebek's pupils change, the dark of his eye slitting and boring into you. His throat strains like he's growling but you don't hear anything. It trembles against the back of your neck and you're reminded in that moment of just how much bigger he is than you.

How he folds around you and encompasses you.

He opens his mouth, teeth glinting and sharp. "You've bested me," you admit, swallowing thickly as his teeth hover near your shoulder. "Make your deal."

You somehow turn yourself around in his unrelenting squeeze.

Sebek huffs as if he's insulted and you swear you see his teeth dull. His pupils begin to fill out. He's usually loathe to acknowledge his human side, as he'd much rather be full fae, but it serves him in this instance. "I'm not a true fae. Such a thing wouldn't work on me!"

"You have to pretend! Lilia's teaching me how to deal with the fae! You just won't hurt me as much. Maybe." you dare to flash that teasing grin at him and Sebek nearly tears into his own lip because he doesn't know what to do with that wiggly feeling you give him.

Him? Hurt you? Not on purpose. It would go against the core values his grandfather AND Lilia taught him! Any fae caught abusing their spouse would be drawn and quartered, made a public display of. Any human man who chose to do so was no man at all!

Sebek's face feels almost painfully warm. He can feel the heat spreading from his cheeks to his ears. "In an act of benevolence inspired by the great Prince Malleus, I shall spare your delicate human self in exchange for a child. Is that the cliche rubbish you desire?"

Some of his once slicked-back hair has fallen down on his forehead, between his eyes, as if it's disappointed in you too.

"You think our child would be cliche rubbish? Cliche Rubbish Zigvolt? That does NOT sound good! I'm naming the firstborn, you're just helping make it."

"Wha--but I--that's not!" Sebek doesn't know what to say and he hasn't been trained for this. He's careful not to shove you away but untangles himself like a thrown ragdoll. He rolls over sharply, totally fine with hiding his face in the floor. His green hair is in disarray and his arms are limp, stretched out to either side of him.

You laugh, climbing onto his back and raking your nails down it gently. He makes the noise. You're not sure what it is but you've heard it before. It's deep and somehow soothing. He relaxes underneath you as you continue to scratch his back, throwing in a squeeze to his muscles every now and then.

It's not until you're in what would be the small of his back (if he wasn't build so solid and thick) that he raises his head, folds his arms up, and rests his chin on his hands. "You're safe." he can't bear to turn his head and look at you right now. If he did, you'd see how...how...weak and mushy he looked. Sebek snorts through his nose, arching his back in surprise as your hands slide all the way up until you flop on his back and your arms hang off his shoulders.

"Thank you, o' kind Zigvolt!" you hug his neck. "This delicate human appreciates it!"

"And I...appreciate...you." he mumbled slowly, the words a little foreign to him. More scary than foreign, honestly. That heartwarming shyness evaporated in an instant when he pinned you and began a stern lecture about how you should NOT offer to conceive a child with ANY OTHER FAE and what YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE INSTEAD.

You weren't surprised by this. Sebek lectured Silver all the time and Lilia said he was a very informed pupil. You, too, would be informed as it didn't seem like he was letting you go anytime soon.

[supercimi]

This drabble is inspired by this art by @dharmaart

Old friend

The passing times and years has taught me, many lessons.

Some cruel, other kind, all the time, every time.

There was always a lesson to be taught, be it with people, places, plants and especially with animals.

Although, I wouldn't know what any of it looks like, but I learned to guess its shape. However much I could

My hands would cradle every inch. Sometimes, I would hug what I could, if simply to gauge its size.

This method proved great with people and animals, but. It was pretty useless with some plants and constructions

Flowers felt incredibly soft while trees felt incredibly harsh, but much like constructions, I couldn't make out their proper size nor shape

Also, I can't gauge how big a house is by hugging it! I'm no giant!

But, what made me the happiest, is how easy it was to picture you my friend.

Your long mane and stout back, your goofy face and lively ears.

Although we couldn't speak the same language, I got you, and I felt that you got me as well.

Learning how to care for you was pretty hard, but not harder than getting to know you.

All those puzzling brushes you needed were nothing compared to your mischief!

Whenever I would pat your back, you would simply move until I was patting your head!

And whenever I needed to pick your hoofs, you would keep pulling them back every five minutes!

My dad told me that since you learned you could pull it back from me mid grooming, there was no stopping you from that trick, and he was right!!

Still, despite all those challenges, I cared for you myself!

At first, I needed someone to guide me through it, but time after time, I slowly got the hang of it, even if I couldn't see a thing.

All my life, I lived in dimmed night, I couldn't grasp any shape no matter how the others describe it to me, even when I cradled or hugged or touched whatever they described, it was simply a vague fog to my mind,

The only thing i could picture, is you.

Maybe it was all those times i needed to brush your mane, or the many times i walked by your side on the grounds, or even the playful moments when you would roll on the ground and gently tug me to your side.

Somehow or someway.

I knew how you looked like,

I was never someone to dabble in creative stuff, especially drawing, but just for today, i decided to draw how i pictured you to be.

As hard as it proved to be, I also found out how easily you come to mind. It made the process a little easier on my clumsy hands.

Even if i never saw you, even if i can never touch you again,even if we can't play together again.

In this piece of parchment, your memories will always stay. And last but not least, thank you, old friend.

For staying with me all this time, for trotting around with me all this time, it's okay now, it's alright now.

I still can't fathom having a partner other than you, but... little by little, I'm moving on

In my heart, i still pray that someday, a maybe far away someday, or who knows maybe a very near someday?

I pray that we meet again

Maybe then, i will be able to actually see you. To play with you and hug you, to give you all the scratches that you so love.

For all eternity, but, until then.

Goodbye, old friend.

A study of a horse drawn with pencil on paper

[cloverandstuff]

WIEGE TEASER ANALYSIS

The Teaser doesn't seem to match with the other Teasers, in a very specific way. It doesn't have a single lyric.

Usually, with every single other Teaser, we get some singing. Either a few words at the end, or just faintly in the background (In Round 6 TEASER)

However, in this Teaser, the only semblance of words we get is from the morse code playing on top of the very calm music in the background.

It spells out -

.- .-.. .. ...-

-which translates to 'ALIVE'. This is played out twice.

<which i found out thanks to this post>

Now we go back to the actual video. It seems to start off roughly a short time after the end of FINAL, where Hyuna and her team had stormed the stage.

Hyuna is in the focus of the shot. Not the gun, not the person behind it. Just Hyuna. Everything else is blurred out. This makes it obvious this is Luka's POV.

We cut to Luka, who has a gun pointed at his head. (Probably by Isaac, judging by the hand). Luka does not seem to care or even pay any mind to it. His eyes are fixed on who we can only assume is Hyuna, visibly flushed and smitten.

Next is a very quick sequence of clips from their childhood. It doesn't seem to be only Luka's childhood, because Mizi, Sua, Ivan, and Till are all there despite being in a different batch.

But this could be joint training, or some kind of other program. They were all in their childhood, and were in the 50th and 49th batch, so it wouldn't be impossible.

It flashes from a view of Sua and Mizi talking and laighing with each other, Sua holding a piece of paper. This might be because they were undergoing their singing lessons. The rest of the people are not detailed.

Then it cuts to a view of manly Hyun Woo, with Hyuna being visible but not fully in view. They both are the focus of shot, with no one else even being visible.

We next see Luka from a distance slightly short than him? He seems to be looking at someone with a very wide smile, and his fingertips are purple. While initally, i thought this was after Luka had killed Hyun Woo, there isn't any blood visible on him. But he does have some rough patch on his head, so maybe after a fight?

But with the theme we have with the rest of the clips, this might just be a clip of Luka while he is playing with others. (Most likely, Hyun-Woo and Hyuna)

Next, we see Till drawing a landscape on the walls, with Ivan just observing him. They are again the main focus of the shot, and there is no one else visible.

The reason I'm specifying the main focus and the way others are blurred is because i believe these are all shots from certain people's perspectives. Its also possible that these might be from the perspectives of the cameras hidden in ANAKT GARDEN.

I could be entirely wrong on this, but I did initially look at this clips and think they all looked oddly very candid. Like it was all in the POV of someone observing.

Now we come to the final clips, which shows Luka sitting under a fake tree all by himself. The video seems to want to make this a point, seeing how every other child seems to be in a group. He is a lone, and it's important.

He seems to be counting on his fingers, rather clumsily and slowly. This might show how;

A. Luka slow at learning basic things when they don't relate to his performance training.

B. ANAKT GARDEN is not good at teaching the children anything besides ALIEN STAGE practice.

C. Luka wants to learn counting and is rather stubbornly learning it despite it not being taught.

(A and C can coexist)

Then another set of hands reach out to Luka, two pointing fingers pressed against each other. They aren't slow or hesitant, though. They very siwftly enter the frame.

Now, there are two possible people this could be. It's either Hyuna or Hyun-Woo.

Now it's probably Hyuna, since this new video seems to be focusing on them. It would only make sense that Hyuna would be the next set of hands.

But considering how vital of a role Hyun-Woo seems to play in both their childhoods, I don't think it's impossible for it to be Hyun-Woo. He seemed to play the role of initially being the glue in the trio's friendship, being the one to convince Hyuna to become friends with Luka.

The art style seems to be similar to that of FINAL, though the colours seem to match up far more with the short flashback in it. The colours are brighter and more pastel in shades.

The video might feature a lot more flashbacks than any of the other Alien Stage videos. And while the focus would be on Hyuna and Luka, it seems to lean far more to Luka.

'Wiege' also seems to translate to a germanic word meaning Cradle. This seems to support the idea that this will be a more flashback focused video.

I am scared and excited. There is no telling what ALIVE might be foreshadowing.

[tangerineliqu0r]

Then It is a Good Dream

(Gil-Galad x reader)/(Sauron/Annatar x reader)

You were the only member of the envoy sent to warn Lord Celebrimbor of Sauron's disguise to make it to Eregion. Unfortunately, Sauron beat you there. You feel bound to Eregion by duty and find a welcome reprieve from the darkness in your dreams.

if you prefer reading on ao3

Warnings: smut (p in v, breeding, oral f receiving, dream sex?), noncon, manipulation bc its Annatar, Sauron is evil so so evil, reader is not winning

authors note: I definitely have more of an ending in mind for this if anyone is interested in a second or third part, it did end rather abruptly but I wanted to keep it under 5k

You arrived in Eregion on what felt like the hundredth day of rain. You were wounded and sopping wet, and your long hair stuck to your sallow cheeks. The journey from Lindon had not been easy. Orcs had slain the other elves with you, and you had managed to escape, though not without damage. You had been sent along as a guard for those carrying the message because you knew the truth of Halbrand’s identity. Now, you had one arm wrapped around your torso, holding yourself together, but just barely.

You stumbled in through the gates, searching for a familiar face among the guards who had run to you in alarm. Of course, you and the others had been warned of dangers on the roads, with orcs becoming ever stronger and present in the lands. The warning did not matter now, though, only the information you carried. Beyond the fear of death, you worried more that Sauron had already reached Lord Celebrimbor, in one form or another, to convince him to forge more rings.

You could not focus on the guard hauling you inside, your mind still swimming with worry for Lord Celebrimbor. Your mind was hazy with blood loss and the reminder of your duty.

When you woke, the first thing you noticed was the thick bandages wrapped around your torso. The second was that someone had washed and brushed the muddy mats out of your hair. Their efforts to return you to some semblance of care brought life you didn’t know you still carried back into your body. You had believed the wound would be fatal and had tirelessly traveled with no thoughts of your health and only of delivering your message.

“She should be awake now my Lord.” The sound of voices draws your attention to the door.

When the door opens, the kind face of Lord Celebrimbor graces your vision. He looks at you rather pityingly before your attention is drawn to an unfamiliar elf behind him. Golden hair drapes his shoulders, and he is dressed in dark robes. His face is unsettlingly calm. He stands behind Lord Celebrimbor with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the Lord with a blank gaze.

“My Lord Celebrimbor,” you greet him, attempting to sit up, though your weak body is wracked with a cough as you do.

“Be still, child; rest. Our healers have tended to your wounds. You are safe now.” He approaches your bed, resting a calming hand on your shoulder, though you know it is to prevent you from trying to rise again.

“I come from Lindon, bearing news, my Lord.” You start again, this time steadying your voice. “The rings have been successful; the great tree is healing.” Your eyes flit between the unnamed elf and Lord Celebrimbor, and you sink deeper into the heavy sheets as you speak, letting the weight dissipate from your body. You hope that to all present, it conveys your relief at telling them the news.

Lord Celebrimbor lights up at the news. His soft smile turns broad, and you cannot help the soft quirk of your lips in response. The unnamed elf with him smirks slightly before schooling his features. Lord Celebrimbor seems to notice your gaze and clears his throat before speaking. “This is Lord Annatar, my lady. He is a messenger of the Valar, a maia here to grant us his wisdom in the times to come.” He smiles at the elf looking at him with a deep kinship.

“The Lord of Gifts.” You speak slowly and your eyes flit back to the tall, fair-faced elf. Yes, this was him. You were sure of it. His eyes were cool, empty, and unsettling, his features too perfect. He was not the Lord of this Kingdom, yet he seemed to command the very air in which he breathed. Yes, you were sure that this pretender Annatar was Halbrand and, in turn, Sauron. And unluckily, it looked like he had Lord Celebrimbor wrapped around his pretty finger. The High King Gil-Galad had been right to send you along with those who had carried the message.

“Rest now, my child. Heal.” Celebrimbor is happy with the news you have delivered. Neither man notices the wariness in your voice. The two of them chat together softly as they leave your room. They speak of the forge, and Celebrimbor seems especially excited about your news and its prospects for his future work.

You lay in your bed alone when they are gone, finally able to breathe and think freely. You knew, based on the few observations of the interactions between the Lord Celebrimbor and Annatar, that you would not be able to free Lord Celebrimbor from him. His trust had been freely given. He had no reason to mistrust Annatar, and you feared that convincing him otherwise would be impossible. You worried for the Lord of Eregion, but you pushed him from your mind.

Instead, you thought of kinder things. You thought of Lindon and your King there. While Galadriel commanded the Northern armies, you commanded those of the South. You had entered his service before the second age had begun and had not left since. Your closeness with the High King was uncommon, though you were grateful for it. You were thankful for the comfort and security he provided. Now, you missed that closeness more than ever. You longed to be back in Lindon, wrapped in his sheets rather than locked in Eregion, in such close proximity to evil.

You missed him more than ever. You missed the sweet taste of his lips against your own and the feeling of his silken hair woven between your fingers. You longed to feel his skin against yours once more. And yet if he could advise you now, you knew he would encourage you to stay steadfast. He would implore you to stay in Eregion and keep a quiet watch over Lord Celebrimbor and Eregion’s other inhabitants, for it would not be safe as long as the deceiver walked its halls wearing a kind face. And so you would stay.

You rested for a week before the healers permitted you to move about Eregion freely again. Once you were allowed, though, you were readily invited by Lord Celebrimbor into the forge. Long had you known the Lord of Eregion, and even he knew you would grow restless quickly. You wished for nothing more than to return to training, return to the wilds, return to killing orcs, but the healers had forbade you from training for another week at the least, and you were now bound to Eregion by both duty and honor. So you assisted Lord Celebrimbor in the forge, little as you could.

“Fetch me my hammer, would you my Lady?” Lord Celebrimbor’s voice carries through the forge from his workbench to you. You follow his instructions with an easy demeanor. You were glad to be helpful in doing anything, and even more so to the Lord. You handed him the tool with a soft smile, glancing over his shoulder as he worked. You tried to be discreet but he noticed anyway.

“These are the latest designs for the rings, Lord Annatar has been helping me perfect them.” He sends you a soft smile, seemingly searching for approval. For an elf of such esteem, you understood how Annatar had so easily wormed his way into the man’s heart.

Your eyes flit over the pages, seven of them, you note. “They are beautiful, my Lord.” And they were. His work, despite being tainted by Annatar’s hand, was still one to marvel at. You look in awe at the pages, leaning over his shoulder. “May I?” You ask, reaching out a hand, wishing to examine them in greater detail.

He smiles brightly and stands ushering you to the seat, which you readily accept. You finger through the pages of work slowly, admiring both the beautiful strokes of charcoal and the designs they make up.

A sickly sweet voice reached your ears, though it was not Lord Celebrimbors. “Do you have much experience in smithing, Commander?” It is Annatar, the deceiver.

You look away from the pages, your fingers stilling as you glance over your shoulder to the man who has approached you and Lord Celebrimbor. “No, my Lord Annatar. I have not. But Lord Celebrimbor’s designs are beautiful all the same.” Your vision is drawn back to the pages.

“Who will carry these rings, my Lord?” You question Lord Celebrimbor. You see a glance pass between the two lords. “I apologize, my Lords, I do not mean to intrude upon your work. I will take my leave.” You stand from the table abruptly, suddenly aware that you are the other, not Lord Annatar.

“No, no, my dear child,” Lord Celebrimbor stills you with a soft word, “These are for the Dwarf Lords.” You are shocked at his admittance, and by a quick glance towards Annatar, you determine he is equally surprised, though he quickly schools his features.

You nod and consider your words carefully, knowing that they will likely determine if you are welcomed back into the forge. “If they are anything like the Elven rings, they will bring strength and security to the Dwarven cities.” You thumb through the pages again as you speak, doing so slowly as if to display awe.

Even Lord Annatar smiles softly at your words, and from that you know you’ve spoken well. Celebrimbor laughs heartily and clasps your shoulder with an excited smile.

“Yes, yes, exactly! We can give them the same ward against the darkness as we have found.” You are almost saddened by his joy. You know these rings cannot be true. To see such a great smith, so admirable a person, yet unknowing of what he would create, wracked your heart with pangs.

Lord Celebrimbor does not request your help again while you are in the forge. Instead, he lets you observe him as he works, and you notice, that Annatar observes you. He was rightfully wary of your presence. He had revealed himself to Galadriel and you had come from Lindon carrying a message from the High King himself. By all truths, he should be suspicious of you.

You are broken from your thoughts by Lord Celebrimbor’s voice. “Tomorrow we will begin forging them. But! Tonight we will celebrate the finishing of the designs.” Lord Celebrimbor is talking excitedly to Annatar, and both men are smiling.

Annatar looks away from Lord Celebrimbor to you, and you try not to shrink under his scrutiny. He speaks before you can question his observation of you. “Will you join us, Commander?” His tone is easy, but you do not trust it. Though you cannot deny him either.

“If the healers permit it.” You bow your head slightly to them.

“Nonsense! You will be under no great strain, and some wine and laughter will do you good child.” Lord Celebrimbor cuts in, quickly dismissing the only excuse you had to avoid their celebrations.

Later that night you had somehow been convinced to partake in both laughter and wine. You had more of both than you should have, given the circumstances. However, Lord Celebrimbor had refused to give you an easy night. Instead, he roped you into all the smith’s celebrations.

You had stuck to Lord Celebrimbor’s side for most of the night, watching the way the other smiths fawned over Annatar and listening to the great smith speak about whatever he wished. When he disappeared from your side and was replaced by Annatar, you were less than pleased.

“Why do you linger alone?” He sat next to you with a composure that none other in the room possessed, for they were all taken by the copious amounts of wine they’d been drinking.

“I do not belong here.” You realize, too late, that you have also had too much to drink to be speaking to the deceiver. You stiffen at your own words, your face blank if not a little sad.

He raises a brow at you but nods. “You are from Lindon, yes.” You think for a moment while he speaks. Perhaps you could gain his trust after all. You had watched him speak to each and every elf in the room tonight, charming them with pretty words, and they were all too welcome to it, due to his fair features and the wine they consumed. You knew he was gaining their trust and surely making sure none of them were threats to him. And now, he was trying to do the same to you.

You take a long drink of your wine, before letting your eyes turn to him. You understood why the others had fallen for it, his disguise, for it was a pretty one. An endearing smile graces your lips when you speak, “Ah yes, I do miss Lindon, though it is the people I miss much more.” Your mind flits to your High King and your cheeks burn red easily.

A slight smirk graces his features and with that, you are sure that your feigned drunken honesty is beginning to work. “Ah- someone waits for you in Lindon, anticipating your return.”

“Yes, I am bound to Lindon, by more than duty, my Lord.” You look down and reach for your wine glass, taking another sip before returning your eyes to his empty ones.

His eyes go to your hands, which fidget in your lap as if to draw his attention. “Though, you are unwed, are you not?” He raises a slender brow once more.

Your blush deepens further, and this time it is not due to your design. Even the tips of your ears burned red. “I am unwed. Though I am bound to another.” You clasp your hands together tightly, fiddling with your fingers to steady yourself. Elves were not known to bind themselves to partners and remain unwed. Yours would be a scandal should it be known. You knew you would never wed the High King Gil-Galad, nor did you wish to. Both of your perspectives on the matter were a rarity, and yet the two of you were content on finding comfort in each other and remaining each other’s closest friends.

He hums contemplatively and per your glance, he looks shocked. Your revelation has silenced the deceiver, though you are sure his silver tongue will not be stayed for long.

“Such devotion is admirable, Commander.” He replies and you know he is appeasing you. No true messenger of the Valar would support such a union. Any further reply he may have is halted by Lord Celebrimbor’s return.

“Ah, I am glad to see my two closest friends conversing so happily.” His cheeks are flush from the wine, and you cannot help but be amused, laughing as he joins the two of you. The three of you converse late into the night, and all the other smiths have retired when you stand and bid the men goodnight.

When you return to your rooms, you slip into your cool sheets with a lightness you have not felt in moons. You, for once, do not worry about Lord Celebrimbor or exposing your true intentions for being in Eregion. Rather, you think of Gil-Galad. You fall asleep with kind thoughts of your king dancing in your mind.

When you wake, you’re shocked, first, by the radiant light shining into your room, and second, by the realization you are in Lindon. A familiar, regal voice fills your ears and your fëa sings at the realization. Gil-Galad.

“Commander.” Your eyes find him, bathed in sunlight, his hair shining chocolate in the morning light. You spring from your bed at a speed you only possessed prior to your near-fatal injury, wrapping him in a tight hug. You bury your face in his hair, breathing in his scent, your fingers tightening in his robes.

The rumble of his chest, as he laughs, warms you in a way you did not know you craved. “What have I done to deserve such a greeting my Lady?” A large hand under your chin tilts your head back and brushes through your hair before gently cupping the side of your face.

You lean into his hand, turning so that you may kiss his palm. You press tender kisses to his hand, speaking softly against the soft skin as you do. “You have granted me a kindness and visited my dreams. I am far away and yet you are here, in my mind.”

He smiles softly, wistfully. “It is a good dream, is it not? I have long hoped I would wake in Eregion with you. It seems you have wished the same of Lindon and of me.”

You cup his cheeks softly as he speaks, your eyes searching his face. You try to account for every line and freckle gracing his cheeks, tracing them with feather-light touches as you do. “I would recount your every feature so that they are ever present in my waking mind.”

He smiles with a gentleness he is not usually graced with. You speak again, knowing your time is limited. “Come to bed, let us rest in the sunlight. We cannot be dragged away by duty here.” You take his hand, pulling him into the soft sheets with a practiced ease. He allows it, intertwining his fingers with yours.

He responds as he climbs into bed, following you, and giving you all of his attention. “You speak the truth, my love. Duty will not take us here.” You were glad for that. In Lindon, neither of you was ever indisposed for long. There were always duties to be upheld, whether they were kingly or those of a commander. Now, you were free from interruptions, save waking.

No sooner than both of you are settled in bed, does he have you atop him, pressed tightly against his chest, as he presses kisses into your hair. “You… the halls of Lindon feel empty without you gracing them.”

You sit up to observe him as he speaks, and the way he looks upon you, with such reverence, sets you alight. As does the gentle weight of his hands upon your hips. He follows your ascent though and captures your lips in a kiss. It conveys that which a thousand pretty words cannot, the longing, yearning for the closeness you once shared. You gasp into his mouth as his grip on your hips tightens, letting his tongue mingle with your own. He tastes of honey and pears, and you wonder if you taste of the deep red wine you had drunk so late into the night.

When the two of you part, your lips are but a breath from touching again, and the two of you pant, breathless from your unwillingness to part. You whisper, your words ghosting over his lips. “Gil- you feel so real. Your light shines so brightly, even here locked away within our dreams. My fëa sings at our reunion. I-”

He cups your face tenderly, affection clouding his eyes, as he gazes into yours. “Speak to me, dearest, what do you want.”

You consider him for a moment, before speaking. “I know this is only a dream. Yet, I cannot help but want you. I wish to feel your closeness, Gil. In this time, more than ever, I need you.”

He smiles again, brushing your hair from your face as he does. “You need only ask, dearest. I know this is only a dream, but I cannot fault you for that which I crave as well.”

You kiss him then, this time though, the two of you do not part at breathlessness. When your lips part, his find your throat, pressing open-mouthed kisses and bites to it, that are sure to leave marks on you. When he finds the most sensitive spot where your neck and shoulder join he sucks and bites at the tender skin there, marking you as his. Your eyes close and your mouth falls open in a heady gasp. You do not feel his hands leave your hips until they are in your hair and closing around the tips of your ears, rubbing gentle teasing stokes down their points.

“Gil!” You gasp at the touch. He was usually reserved in touching that erogenous zone, as it was seen as very intimate to all elves. Despite the two of you sharing a bed often, he had only twice before felt so strongly as to breach that intimacy.

“You are so beautiful, even more so when you are gasping my name.” He smiles and his hands still for a moment before they go to your sleep shift. Sheer as it was, he wanted you bare. He looks to you for your consent though. “I want to see you. May I?”

“Please.” Your voice is thick as he pulls it from your form, baring you to him. You are quickly pulling at the ties of his robes, wishing at this moment for nothing more than to feel the heat of his skin against yours. And once his robe is discarded with your shift in a heap on the floor, you feel it. He is burning hot, and the fire of his skin sets you alight.

You roll your hips against his tentatively, testing the waters. Your thighs bracket his hips tightly, squeezing him, as you try to contain your need. His hands go to your hips and begin to guide you, moving you against his quickly hardening cock. A groan escapes his lips as your folds catch on him, making his cock shine with your wetness.

In one quick movement, he has you beneath him. You lay on your back and he sits on his haunches between your thighs, spreading your legs with his thighs, pressing them open wider, until you are completely open to him.

“So beautiful…” He trails off as his fingers ghost over your stomach and then your thighs, avoiding the place he knows you want him more than ever. He caresses down your thigh and your calf and repeats the same over the other leg, at an agonizingly slow pace. When he drags his hands back up to your center, you consider begging and he knows it. “Use your words for me, dearest, tell me what you want.”

A whine escapes your lips before you find your words, “I need you to stretch me out on your fingers, my king, please.” The plea in your voice is enough for him and when he begins by slipping two large fingers inside you with ease your back arches off the bed. He curls them inside you, reaching for the spot he knows will make you drip wetness for him.

When he finds it, he grins. He watches the way you move underneath him, writhing in pleasure, begging for more. “Gil- please- I cannot wait any longer. I need you. I need you inside me.”

“So impatient, dearest. Do you crave the feel of my cock inside you that badly?” He teases you gently, slipping his fingers out of you. You reach up and capture his wrist between your slender fingers before bringing his hand to your mouth. You lick and then suck your wetness off his fingers. He is quick to lean down and capture your lips, tasting your cunt on your lips with a groan. With that, he pushes into you, slowly, tortuously. The stretch is as straining as you remember if not more and you’re suddenly reminded of why he usually took his time opening you up. His cock was much like his stature, imposing. He did not lack in girth or length and the stretch was bordering painful every time.

You rest your forehead against his, and he waits watching your eyes carefully as you focus on relaxing to accommodate him. When it seems like you have regained your composure he begins to move. He rolls his hips, driving his cock even deeper into you, leaving both of you gasping in pleasure. He starts slowly, kissing your throat as he opens you up. You gasp and whine at the intrusion, in near bliss at the feeling of being joined with him once more. Your eyes stay locked on his as you speak, your hands clutched in his hair. “Gil- you are- by the Valar Gil.”

He takes your broken words as encouragement and picks up his pace, lifting your legs over his shoulders, sending him impossibly deeper into you. Your head falls back now, and you babble incoherently as he plows into you. Your eyes finally snap, open when one of his hands slips between the two of your to rub rough circles on your clit. He is unrelenting and your babbling has morphed into loud moans. “Gil- My King- Please-.”

“Fuck- so tight- so wet, you’re driving me mad.” He begins to speak in broken sentences, and you know he is close. He does not let up though, pounding into you relentlessly.

“Please- please- fill me with your seed, my king. Gil- please.” You know the words that will drive him over the edge and your cunt clenches tightly around him as you speak. You feel the hot spurts of his seed coating your womb as he finishes inside you with a drawn-out moan. He pumps into you a few more uneven times, making sure you’ve taken all he can give. He pulls out of you but does not let your legs down, instead lowering himself to your cunt.

His hot breath on your folds, makes you clench and tremble with anticipation. A little breathless he looks up, meeting your eyes before speaking, “I’m sorry dearest, I can’t help myself when you speak such enticing words.” He presses a soft kiss to the inside of your thigh before he dives in like a man starved. His tongue begins a steady rhythm on your clit and his fingers are back inside you before you can anticipate them. Your gasps and moans of his name fill the room.

He keeps a steady pace, each curl of his finger punctuated by his name on your lips. Your vision goes white hot when his lips wrap around your clit and suck, his fingers never letting up. You finish with a cry of his name, your legs trembling over his shoulders. He continues sucking on your swollen bud until you put a hand on his shoulder to push him away.

“Ah- Gil, please, I cannot take any more, please.” He relents, letting your legs down from his shoulders and coming up to capture your lips in a deep kiss, collapsing on top of you, as if he has suddenly lost all strength.

“Gil!” You laugh as he lays his head on your chest. You can see his feet dangling off the end of the bed. Your fingers trace intricate patterns on his back before you wind them back in his hair.

“You are incredible.” He speaks, and you find his eyes upon yours once more.

“As are you, you have no idea how much I have missed this, how much I have missed you.” You speak with a wistfulness that is only made by separation.

“Don’t I?” He speaks and it is punctuated with a poorly concealed yawn. You are sharply reminded that your time remaining is limited when you feel a yawn bubbling in your throat.

“Come up here, let us fall asleep in each other’s arms. We can pretend, if only for a moment, that this is our reality and not only a dream.” He smiles gently before crawling up and wrapping you in his hold. His strong arms cage you against his chest and his long hair drapes over your shoulder tangling with your own. You do not know how long the two of you lay like that, breathing together until you drift off.

You are woken by sunlight streaming into your room. This time, though, the first thing you notice is that you are in Eregion, in a bed that is not quite yours, with the wound on your stomach screaming in pain. You sit up in bed with a sigh, memories from your dream still fresh. The second thing you notice is the undeniable dampness between your legs. You were not surprised by this but rather how wet you seemed to be. Your hand dips under the sheets and you slip two fingers between your folds, gathering some of the wetness before bringing your hand back up. You are shocked at the blackness that coats them. Pitch black seed coats your fingers and you feel the bile rise in your throat immediately.

You are out of bed and hunched over the nearest waste basket spitting up bile within seconds. Your wound screams at you as you wretch, unable to stop.

“Such a convincing visage was it not? Much like the one you’ve been putting on for the past week.” The honeyed voice of Annatar carries through your rooms.

Your eyes find him in horror and disgust. He stands at the end of your bed, watching you with a sick curiosity and a sadistic smirk. “You are foul. Deceiver.”

“Am I? Now, dearest, let us not be rude. I thought your fëa sung at our reunion.” He repeats your words to him with a wide smile gracing his cold face. You wretch into your wastebasket once more.

[voidspiraling]

I gotta get this done before Valentine’s Day

Omg omg guys r u ready for pain an heartbreak this Valentines!!!?!?! I’m not. I just saw the teaser and I’m freaking out!!!!!!!!

I’ll keep this short cuz we’re gonna get the full video anyways I just wanted to point out a few things.

The first scene is MiziSua!!! They’re in a class it seems talking to each other and looking cute. It seems to show a mundane everyday scene from the garden. The thing that stood out to me is the shadow cast against Sua. It’s overall a bright scene but the shadow cast on Sua hints at the darker aspects of Alien Stage. It could also show how Sua is in a dark place, and how she sees Mizi as her sole light. You can tell because of how bright Mizi’s hair is at the right part of the image. Sua is turned facing the right direction and away from the shadow. Like Mizi is the light at the end of the tunnel. Tunnel vision on a single person isn’t healthy but you can see from this picture that this where MiziSua is the happiest.

The second scene we are shown after this first image is the twins!! This shot is more closer in fact you can barely see the background. This to me shows an intimate scene between family where you just focus on your time together. They’re both shadowed by the bright light behind them showing how ephemeral this moment is. It reminds me of a flashback in a movie to show innocence and purity of a character. But overall generally cute and wholesome.

The next scene tho….

Oh man this scene is so eerie. So what my eye was drawn to was the corner of the room. Now whenever we see images of the garden it seems more open and almost warm. We usually see them from the perspective of the other characters so the garden looks big and comforting even though we know that everything is fake. The trees are fake, the fish are fake, the fake flowers have cameras in them. So we know the garden isn’t a safe place. But this shot of baby Luka shows that the garden really is just another cage made to look pretty. It felt like my safe space transformed into a horror scene XD.

Another thing that’s scary is baby Luka himself. Now normally Luka looks angelic and elegant. He looks so beautiful and soft in all the other videos. But even though he’s a baby here I can’t find him cute. The sweaty and dirty face paired with his purple fingertips looks creepy. But what really scared me were his eyes. This is the most emotion I’ve seen on him his wide pale eyes and his outstretched hands and his flushed face, it feels like he’s about to do something with dire consequences. Maybe this is before he gets into that accident with hyunwoo? Whatever it is it’s so unsettling.

Alternatively it could be that what he’s reaching for is shown in the next and final scene I wanna talk about.

IvanTill my babies!!!!!!! We only see the back of their head tho 💔 but it’s ok I can still feel the cuteness coming from them! Look at how small Till is he has to stand on his tip toes to draw ;-; I love him so much. And man the really upped the colors in this teaser his hair almost looks cyan :0 it feels almost fairytale like.

Anyways let’s talk abt what this could potentially mean. So here we see Ivan looking intently at Till drawing on a white wall with a pencil. Till is reaching as high as he can to draw on the wall. And he moves from the left to right, this scene has the most movement and is also the only scene where we don’t see their faces. They’re also farther away from the viewer it feels like an outsider looking in.

Considering that Till is drawing on the wall I think this ties into my earlier post where I compared Tills wall mural to freedom. In this scene we don’t see any part of the fake garden instead we see art of a real garden, a garden created from Till’s imagination.

I think this is what Luka wanted to reach for, freedom and creativity. IvanTill have always been distinct in this way as they show how escape is possible and how humanity thrives even when outside forces tries to removes it from you. Till shows this be always rebelling and always staying true to himself in his art and music. Meanwhile Ivan is always so human in the way he loves Till. Even though he knows how to thrive in the system he still risks his safety to comfort Till when he’s passed out. He throws the match to save the one he loves even though he knows it’s futile. They’re both so tragic and human it makes me cry every time I see them together sigssisbjssbjabxhxgcgdjsis.

Last thing I wanted to mention was that there’s a lot of motion from left to right in the teaser. I think this conveys moving forward into a hopefully brighter future. Maybe there will be a happy ending after all?

[the-city-kitty]

I probably will elaborate more at some point but in lieu of that for now pls accept my humble offering of a scene with no real context.

Maria stopped short, peering through the tree line. Trekking through the woods was slow going, but they figured it would be better to stay just out of sight of the roads but not too far that they couldn’t see anyone coming up behind them. But it was taxing nonetheless if the way her stomach suddenly seized up and cramped just at the sight of the building in the distance was any indication.

“Maria?” Shadow looked up at her, curious as to why she’d stopped moving.

“There’s a roadside diner up over there,” she said. She pointed her chin vaguely in its direction, guiding Shadow’s eye line.

His brow furrowed.

“You haven’t had any food since dinner, and that was before the….” Shadow trailed off seeing the solemn look on her face. She was still looking somewhat longingly at the building in the distance.

“You should go in and get yourself something. And it will be good for you to sit and rest for a while. Don’t worry about me, I can stay hidden out here. I can even scout back and make sure we’re not being followed.”

Maria just shook her head.

“One big problem with that idea,” she made a show of digging her hands into the pockets of her stolen jeans and turning them out, showing off just how empty they were. “No money, no food. Let’s just keep going.” She started off again only to be stopped when Shadow grabbed her arm.

“Maria, you need to eat. Can’t you just… what’s that phrase?”

“You mean ‘dine and dash?’ I guess I could” she considered. “That’s if I don’t get turned away right at the door.”

“Why would they turn you away?” Shadow asked sincerely. Maria pointed down at her muddy and dirt caked feet.

“No shoes. It’s a whole thing, ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service.’”

“Hm,” Shadow grunted. He thought for a moment. “… I may have a solution.”

*-*-*

Walking out from the tree line, Maria blinked as her eyes adjusted from the relative darkness of the trees to the harsh brightness of the rural Oklahoma landscape. Shadow’s clunky air shoes fit poorly on her feet and she more so trudged rather than walked up to the diner as she tried to get used to them.

The building itself didn’t look like a diner, and she probably wouldn’t have known it was one if not for the incredibly large hand painted sign propped up on wooden posts declaring it as such. From the outside it just looked like a farmhouse, and it probably was one once upon a time.

It had a second floor, probably where the proprietor lives, that had its own entrance accessible via a wooden staircase. On the opposite side was the garage and an old beat up truck parked in the driveway. The “yard” was big enough to serve as a parking area, but currently there weren’t any cars parked out front.

The jingle of a bell attached over the front door signaled Maria’s entrance. Even if it hadn’t, the metal in the soles of Shadow’s shoes made a very obvious clunking sound against the linoleum floors of the diner’s interior. She couldn’t help cringing at the sound. So much for trying to make a stealthy escape when she’s done here. Luckily the sound didn’t seem to draw the attention of the only other diner in the room. The man stayed resolutely focused on his sandwich.

Just about the only parts that made the diner seem like, well, a diner was the linoleum floor and the counter separating the kitchen from the dining room. The tables and chairs seem to have been collected from all over, not a one matching the other. She supposed it made sense for a place this far out in the sticks.

Behind the counter was an older woman watching a tiny rabbit ear tv set up next to the cash register. The woman gave Maria a sideways glance as she walked up to the counter.

“What can I get for ya?” She drawled.

“Um, can I get toast, with scrambled eggs and ham please? And a glass of orange juice?” Her order placed, Maria started to look for a seat closer to the door.

“Young lady?” The woman’s voice interrupted search. Maria turned back to her and was pinned to the spot by the way the woman was looking her up and down.

“Do you think I don’t recognize a runaway when I see one? I know you don’t have money.”

Maria struggled to defend herself;

“I’m not- technically I- I’m not a- okay no I can’t pay but I’m really hungry so maybe I could do something to repay you instead? Like, um, I could wash the dishes for you?” She finished weakly.

“Whose dish? Yours?” The woman scoffed, gesturing vaguely at the mostly empty room. The man still wasn’t paying attention to their conversation.

“I’m not gonna go bankrupt feeding one runaway girl, so sit down. I just didn’t want to watch you scramble out the door and make a fool of yourself.”

The tension whooshed out of Maria, who sat down at the counter now that she didn’t have to ‘scramble out the door and make a fool of herself.’ She occupied herself by watching the little tv on the counter while the owner made her food. There wasn’t anything particularly entertaining on, just a local news station, but it was something. Occasionally she glanced out the window, searching for a spot of red against the endless beige. Shadow remained hidden, just as he promised her he would, but he’d also said he’d stick close by to watch out for trouble.

The plate of food landed in front of her, along with her juice. Maria just barely contained herself from shoveling it all into her mouth, she really was hungry.

Maria ate and sipped and listened to the weatherman drone on. She was already starting to feel some of her energy come back to her, and soon she and Shadow would be on their way again. Speaking of….

“Excuse me ma’am,” she said politely. “But do you know how far it is to the nearest town?”

“About five miles west.”

Maria nodded.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a map, would you?”

“Sorry, sweetie, afraid I don’t. I think you’ll be able to get along without one for now though,” she looked over Maria’s shoulder. “Excuse me a moment.”

Beside Maria, the other customer walked up to the register.

“Are you ready sir?” asked the owner.

“Why yes.” He replied.

“How did you find everything?”

“I think I got what I needed.”

Maria didn’t pay too much attention to the niceties of their transaction, instead turning back to the last few bites of her food. The directions she got were vague but at least it was something. Hopefully she can find a map in town, which if she wants them to get there before dark she better start heading off too. She’ll say her thank you and goodbye just as soon as the other customer has left.

But he’s… really taking his time with finishing up the transaction.

‘Doesn’t this guy have someplace to get to?’

…

‘How’s he gonna get there?’

Heat prickled the back of Maria’s neck and all the way down her spine. Her breakfast threatened to come back up. Out of the corner of her eye she finally looked at the only other customer in a roadside diner with no other cars parked outside.

Just as soon as she’d bodily launched herself away from the counter, fully intending to make a foolish scramble for the door, she was held in place by the unmistakable click of a hammer being pulled back.

The man, the agent, had a pistol aimed at her. Behind the counter, his partner produced a sawed-off and pointed it in her direction as well. Maria put her hands up.

“Now, Miss Robotnik, let’s not do anything rash,” the man said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then why do you have a gun pointed at me?” Her voice came out wobbly and childish. Her eyes were hot.

He glanced at his weapon, seemingly considering it for a moment before he shrugged and laid it down on the counter. A bit of an empty gesture considering his partner was still pointing the shot gun.

From his pocket he produced a pack a cigarettes and a book of matches. He stuck a cigarette between his lips and lit it, taking a drag before he continued:

“You know, I always thought it was reckless and irresponsible for Gerald to bring you around everywhere with him like he did. If he really loved you he woulda kept you somewhere far away from all this nonsense.”

“Don’t talk about my grandpa like that!” She said, incensed.

He picked up his gun again. He didn’t point it at her again, but she still went stiff.

“Your grandpa is the reason you’re more afraid of these things,” he gesticulated with the gun, “than that monster he let sleep in the same room as you. That thing? That thing is actually dangerous. You’re wearing those fancy shoes Gerald made for it, so it’s gotta be close by. All I want is for you to tell me where.” He puts his gun back down and gestured for his partner to lower her weapon as well. Her eyes remained steely even as she did.

“No. I won’t. You’re wrong.” Maria argued. “You’re wrong about Shadow. I’m not some stupid little girl, I know he’s powerful but that doesn’t mean he’s dangerous. He wouldn’t turn his power on anybody. He wouldn’t.”

“‘Won’t’ is not the same thing as ‘can’t,’ sweetheart.” He replied patronizingly. “It was that power that killed your grandfather.”

Maria swallowed hard as bile rose up in her throat again. She didn’t say anything back. The man smiled ruefully.

“Ahh, that was a little mean, but I just want you to understand the situation here. Like I said, we don’t want to hurt you, hell, agent Margot here has shown you some good hospitality here, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Well the eggs were a little under salted,” she snips.

“Hmm, was it that lightning wit that made Gerald favor you over your cousin?”

Maria blinked, she hadn’t heard about Ivo in years. What did he have to do with anything?

“You know he’s in a foster home in Cincinnati? No, you probably didn’t know that. But, we pull the right strings we can get the two of you placed in a good home together. Isn’t that something that you want, Maria? To be with your real family? That alien is going to bring you nothing but trouble, we can protect you, Maria.”

Maria fidgeted, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

“I- I-I don’t,” she stammered. “I don’t know what to do.” She let her face screw up, a couple of tears leaked out.

“It’s going to be alright, Maria,” the agent said. “All you have to do is tell us where it is.”

“I- He’s…” she looked past both agents, over their shoulders. “No, Shadow! Don’t!” She shouted. Both agents turned and pointed their guns at the empty air behind them. Maria kicked her right leg out as hard as she could and was rewarded when the ill-fitting shoe flew off her foot just as she hoped it would. Although she had definitely been aiming for the agent’s head, the shoe overshot, sailing over both agents and instead tipping a pan full of oil over on the stove, right onto the still lit burners.

‘Maybe Margot shouldn’t have been so committed to her hospitality.’

There was a loud whoosh and a blast of heat. The flames rose up swiftly and hungrily. They quickly caught onto the wooden ceiling.

While the agents were stunned Maria turned, making a break for the door. But the imbalance with only one shoe threw her off, and she fell. She quickly picked herself back up, she glanced behind her to see if the agents were aware of her escape attempt, but they were already gone. They must’ve fled out another exit only they knew about. She made to start running again, but between one blink and the next, she was out of the oppressive heat of the burning building and back outside, yards away.

She knew she could always count on him.

“We have to go!”

He nodded in agreement.

“One moment.” He blinked out of existence and just as quickly reappeared tugging his right shoe back into place. Maria starts taking off the left to give it back to him just as there’s a distant crack, and something whizzes by and impacts the dirt just behind them. She screamed when another followed soon after. Still missing but definitely closer that time.

The two agents were giving chase in the beat up truck from the house. Agent Margot leaned out the passenger window with her shotgun.

“Go!” Shadow yelled.

They ran back towards the tree line where there would be more cover, and while luckily neither of them fell the imbalance was making it hard for either of them to run at full speed. Bullets pelted the ground behind them. Each one getting closer to hitting than the last.

Shadow grabbed onto Maria’s right hand.

“Three-legged race!” To anyone else it would sound like he was spewing nonsense, but Maria understood him instantly. She tightened her grip on his hand, making sure it was secure. They surged forward, synchronizing their steps until her left was moving at the same time as his right. Sure, she was a little more used to doing this in roller skates, but as the air shoes activated she found the feeling wasn’t all that different. It was just skating on air.

With a burst of speed that left yellow light trails in their wake the two zipped through the tree line. The roar of the engine and the sound of gunfire faded into the distance as Shadow and Maria raced off, leaving the agents in the dust.

ah fuck it now I’m kinda cooking with this Maria Lives au (actual name tbd) because yeah to a certain extent it’s mostly just what amount of shenanigans a 14 year old girl and a superpowered alien hedgehog can get up to living on the road on the run from the government but after that last ask I’m like, “wait, Ivo would be like 12 at this time” soooo like…… two genius cousins (cuz I refuse to believe that Maria got skipped out on being just as smart as her grandfather and cousin) and a superpowered hedgehog confidently bumble their way into taking down GUN? Somehow?

[drenched-in-sunlight]

i love the DLC man

[puppppppppy]

GUH

@chipper-smol

[itty-bitty-sunshine]

Happy holidays <3

They are fine. Probably

[smile-files]

mommy let you use her ipad, you were barely two

and it did all the things we designed it to do

now look at you, look at you!

(objectober 2024 day 10: internet)

[gothic-hotchreid]

i NEED season 2 rn

[i-will-go-with-you-five]

Runner Five is feared for a reason… she is absolutely terrifying when she wants to be

[yurki-posts]

He couldn't affort wine so he bought grape juice

[cave-monkey]

Six Ears, and being left.

[sysig]

I am not immune to any cutes - including Rick and Morty cutes, unfortunately (Patreon)

[crowleys-bentley-and-plants]

And so now everytime i see a black lily i think of you