#they will pay for what they did to amy in the final seasons

[finalgirljpg]

i think about this more often than i should

[nightfurylover31]

Thorn's and Nine's arcs are identical.

I realized this even before we got season 3. But after it, WOW, the similarities increased big time! What happens with Nine in that final season mirrors what happened when we first met Thorn.

Both started off antagonistic towards Sonic when he met them, thinking he meant harm. Yeah, that was pretty common in the show, but they were the ones Sonic fought one-on-one right away. Even if the fights were brief.

They had moments of peace, but things were tense at times. Of course we have Nine for the main plot, but Thorn was the warm up.

Both go completely mad with Prism power. As soon as Thorn saw the Shard, she took it from Sonic and went to attack the Scavengers. When Nine misunderstood Sonic's intentions, he took the Shards to complete the Grim. To the point they both would endanger others to get what they want and do what they thought needed to be done.

And you want to talk about cinematic parallels?

Of all of Sonic's friends, it's hardest to see him getting into actual battle with Amy and Tails. But here he is. Fighting variants of two of his best friends. It really hurts. 🥺

But neither are evil. Thorn and Nine have deep problems. Nine has been bullied and hurt his whole life. He became cold and bitter towards the world. Even a slight betray of trust sets him off. Thorn tried to get the Scavengers to not take so much from the jungle, worried about hurting their home, but no one listened. She felt that forcing them out was the only option, even if it broke her heart.

Even so, there are some moments of waverings. Sonic kept trying to reach out to them, to talk to them.

And it seems to work. Sonic tried convince Thorn she could express how she really feels and talk things through with the others, and that Nine, despite everything that happened between them, Sonic still saw him as a friend. He starts getting through to them... UNFORTUNATELY, this is when the others attack. And that once again breaks their trust in Sonic.

Even when Thorn and Nine are on full force assault, there are brief glimpses of them with some remorse. Thorn completely closed off all the entrances into the jungle and Nine witnessed Mangey and Sails' "sacrifice."

They were briefly shaken, but went back to there resolves. They continued fighting for their worlds. No matter what the cost. That whole mindset the world was against them still going strong.

But then the final revelation comes. They were hurting the very thing they were trying to protect.

Thorn just wanted to protect the forest she loved, and Nine just wanted a better life to not be hurt. But in that madness of power, they lost themselves. Blocking out the sun caused the plants to wither, and constant use of the Prism decayed almost the entire Shatterverse. The guilt, the regret, it all hits them hard.

But even after all they did, Sonic still stands by them. He believed in Thorn and Nine when no one else did. Everyone said they couldn't be trusted, he didn't listen. It came back to bite him, but the pay off was still there. He believed there was enough of Amy and Tails in them, even if they aren't the same friends he knew. It took while, but he was able to get through to them, by talking it out. At the end of it all, it feels like Nine and Thorn are the counterparts Sonic became closest to through this adventure. They had some of the hardest trials, but Sonic gave them the help they needed.

[lonely-space-ace]

Okay Okay Okay Thoughts:

(If you don't want spoilers look away now)

I actually really like that Ruby's mother is ordinary. Other people have said it better than me, but I love the way rtd writes companions who are at the end of the day completely ordinary, but become extraordinary because they choose to help people. (Clara and Amy are great, but the whole 'girl who waited' and 'impossible girl' thing can get old pretty quick)

THAT BEING SAID making a character be so freaking close to Lucie Miller and then making it not Lucie Miller is just mean HOw Dare- (I say, having never listened to her audio stories. its the Principle of the thing)

Still not over the 13 year old with a machine gun what the hell Kate

Sarah Jane and Four, I cry

mixed feelings about the episode as a whole, not entirely sure the build up payed off

love love LOVE the memory Tardis

Mel with Sixie's coat and Seven's vest I am Sobbing

Donna is going to kill the Doctor when she finds out Rose died (granted the whole world died but still)

RTD wrote a companion exit that wasn't tragic??? In this economy???

You cant hype susan up that much and then not show her you just cant rtd she better be in series fifteen I SWEAR-

Mel Bush is amazing. Send Tweet.

Okay back to Ruby girl I love you and the ending was sweet but everytime she calls Louis or whatever her 'real mum' I want to punch something CARLA SUNDAY IS THE GREATEST WOMAN ON THIS PLANET

honestly despite being the big season finale it felt kinda slow to me, I think its definitely the weakest episode of the whole season, (which, granted, this season has been incredible and every episode has been an 8/10 at least, this just didn't feel as good as the rest of it)

Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa killed it with the acting

FOR THE THOUSANDTH TIME WHO THE FUCK IS MRS FLOOD

Hey rtd did you give kate lethbridge stewart a boyfriend??? During pride month??? come here I just want to talk

I feel like there's gonna be a lot of negativity around this episode, and I don't want to add to it, because despite its issues I think it was overall a decent episode, its just that it was just a decent episode coming off an incredible season with a lot of hype it didn't fully live up to. mid-season it would have been fine, in some ways it just didn't stick the landing (but in others it did).

Idk despite my issues with it I did enjoy it overall. Ncuti is amazing and I can't wait for the next series :)

[astra-galaxie]

★☆☠✿♦▼ for russell crane please? i'll throw in a chocolate bar as well :)

Make it a Reese's peanut butter one, and you've got yourself a deal!

Russell's headcanons are coming up in 3… 2… 1!

★ - sad headcanon

Russell was closer to his mother than his father growing up since Caroline was less involved in the Utopians than Jupiter. When Russell left the Utopians, he tried to convince his mother to go with him, but Caroline was afraid to disobey the Utopian leader. Russell promised to come back for his mother once he had the means to support them in the real world. But sadly, Caroline died a few months after Russell had left the Utopians. Since the Utopians were so isolated, no public obituary was released for Caroline, and only those in the Utopians knew of her passing and could attend the funeral.

Russell didn't find out about his mother's death until years later when he had gone to the Utopian temple to save her. He was crushed when he was told Caroline had been dead for years and was angry he was never notified. The Utopians told him he had no right to know about what was happening in their world since he abandoned them. He wasn't even allowed to know where she was buried, but he assumed it was in the Utopian cemetery, a place outsiders were forbidden from entering. The closest Russell could ever get to visiting his mother's grave was at the bars of the locked gate.

Russell vowed to one day take down the Utopian cult to avenge his mother and all those who have suffered in some way because of them. He didn't want anyone else to go through what he did. He spent years working to build a life for himself and his mother, only to have his hopes crushed right after he thought he had succeeded.

☆ - happy headcanon

This is a slight continuation of the sad headcanon: after the Utopian Cult was dissolved, Russell was finally allowed to visit his mother’s grave once the cemetery had been opened to the public. Jupiter took Russell to Caroline’s burial plot, and the two brought bouquets of her favourite flowers. Russell cried when he saw his mother’s grave, and his father held him as he was finally able to pay Caroline his respects properly. The two spent a long time at the grave reminiscing about Caroline, and Jupiter told Russell about her final days and how she had hoped their son was happy in the real world. Caroline only wanted Russell to be happy, and her greatest dream for him was to find people who would love him as he deserved and to be free to forge his own path.

Even if he wasn't there for his mother when she died, Russell is grateful that his father was with her till the end. Knowing she wasn't alone when her end came gave him some peace. Finding out Jupiter regularly visited Caroline’s grave was one of the first steps in helping the father and son rebuild their relationship. Russell knows his father loved his mother, and to hear that Jupiter didn't abandon her for the Utopians after her death gives him hope that they can become a family again.

☠ - angry/violent headcanon

While he's never been a fighter, Russell is known to have his angry moments. He uses psychology to verbally attack his opponents, hurting them mentally by targeting their weaknesses. He's made people cry with just his words, and those who have witnessed Russell use psychology as a weapon know not to cross him. With just some carefully selected words, he can make even the most confident person feel more inferior than a flea.

✿ - Sex headcanon

(Why am I not surprised you asked for this one?😉)

Due to his sheltered upbringing, Russell is a little clueless when it comes to sex. He learned about the basics after escaping the Utopians, but he had more important things to do than figure out how sex worked. Plus, sexual education wasn't high on the list of things the Utopians taught their newer generations. As of the timeline of season 2, he’s still a virgin since he was never able to connect with someone in a way he felt was necessary to take that step. Amy is the first person he’s ever thought about being intimate with, but he would never rush her or their relationship to have his first time. He values Amy too much to treat her like that and wants both of them to be ready and consenting when they decide to take their relationship to the next level.

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

Similar to Evie Holloway, Russell likes making up his own riddles for people to try and solve. He makes riddles of all types and themes and posts them on a secret blog he has for people to read and comment their answers. He also posts theories about cold cases and the psychological profiles of criminals. All anonymous, mind you, and never anything official from his work; he would never post an actual profile he did on one of the killers they caught. He has a fair number of followers, from other psychologists to people who simply have an interest in the world of crime.

▼ - childhood headcanon

His favourite story as a child was Rapunzel. It was his mother's favourite story as a little girl, and she told it to him as a bedtime story most nights. Since the Utopians limited what literature their members could read, even the children, Rapunzel was the only story Caroline knew by heart. Therefore, the Utopians couldn't stop her from telling it to her son. Russell loved listening to his mother tell him the tale of a princess trapped in a tower waiting for someone to save her from Mother Gothel. He felt like it symbolized him and his mother, two innocent people trapped by the Utopians, waiting for the day they would be free to live in the real world.

I’m sure you cried reading some of these headcanons, Issy! Hopefully, they’ve helped give you some inspiration! I know how much you enjoy getting ideas for Russell.😉

Now, on to my next request!

[lyrarizi]

After rewatching sonic prime alot of times i can finally give my honest reveal:

Season 3 really dissapointing

S1 and S2 were really great tho!

S1: "2nd fav. season" (don't got much to say abt it 🙃)

- sonic his charactertisation felt kinda weird, he ignored his friends and is impulsive to the max

- sonic realising what he has done was kinda sad

- nine was AWESOME

S2: "fav. season"

- i liked the aspect of sonic going on a chase through the shatterverse to collect the shards

- the pirates were ASSHOLES!

- forest part never got me hooked so much

- good fights not too many and the pace went well (for me)

- CHAOS SONIC THE SILLY ❤️

- i wanted more chaos sonic he was a dark mirror of sonic himself and it was really intersting

- Once again nine was a fucking badass

- the betrayel was executed well ig

Sonic was really ignorant to nine but nine got his own faults too

But the line: "like the real tails would, I am REAL!" was so raw and the pain i can only imagine nine felt in that moment...

S3: "least fav. season ofcourse"

- i enjoyed evil tails very much

- episode 1 was fantastic but shadow being pulled out of the picture was bullshit

I also wanted a longer reaction to the betrayel of nine, i saw a comic dub of sonic having a panic attack. Now i know that is far too many of emotions for sonic to be allowed, but atleast they could've showed some tears and panic

- the fight episodes got bland real fast.

Just fighting the same ol' robots again, they get defeated, nine repairs them, the same again

- i did like episode 6 tbh...

The fight of the iconic duo and later the iconic trio was my favo fight in the season

Beautifully crafted

- episode 7..... where to begin?

To begin with: nine his redemption was forced and executed garBAGE

Sonic just went from, this motherfucker needs to PAY for his action to, aw im sorry i saw 1 palmtree and i understand why you wanted to murder me.

Aside from that i almost liked the rest of ep7

The race against time with sonic to save him from certain death was really wholesome

The Amy's were fucking cute and knux carried my sonknux heart ❤️

Shadow rescuing sonic was beautiful and i LOVED it very much

BUT! sonic should've had more emotion to seeing his friend again.

That cliffhanger was totally unnecessary and we know now that is just a symbol for sonic and his friends running into a brand new adventure

Couple other notes:

- voice acting was fucking awesome!

@mactheactor killed it (i want him to be the main sonic tbh

he is up there in my top 3 VA for sonic with @snapscube sonic aka penny parker and jason griffith (1st: penny sonic, 2nd: devon sonic, 3d: jason sonic)

he got the cockiness and the teenager vibe of sonic like jason and ryan have for example

he has all the talent and passion, emotion for the voice and it felt like i actually heared sonic himself)

- animation was really good!

i am not trying to bring the series down!!

i am just saying my thoughts but the series is amazing and should definitely deserve a watch if you like sonic things or if you just like action or multiverse thingies

That was my review of sonic prime i love to hear yur opinions on my review and what you agree and dont with ❤️

[linnetagain]

List of random Season/skating/Bloodweave thoughts that I don’t know justify their own asks but that I thought you might like to hear anyway:

Chapter 1, Karlach asking Astarion about pay: “Vroomvroom: so you’ll suddenly do a really shit job in week 5 then? :P” YOU CHEEKY LITTLE BUGGER, YOU (I love it, A+ foreshadowing)

I stumbled across Ryan Dunk’s “Freddy Mercury on Ice” skate, and his butt was weirdly distracting. I’m very aspec, is this what the allosexuals mean when they say a pair of jeans makes their butt look good? Why do I keep looking at his butt, shut up and let me watch the skate

The “middle finger” skate Astarion did while Gale was in the hospital was to Looking at Me by Sabrina Carpenter, right? I’m basing this on its order in my mega playlist, I can never remember what chapter things happen in and I do not have TIME to reread the whole thing again, no matter how enjoyable it would be. Anyway. I finally listened to Looking at Me yesterday, and then listened to it another 37 times. Holy cha-cha music, I was not expecting the mariachi trumpet sound. So sassy, I love it. (I did ballroom for about a year and half in high school, back in yonder years of 2011-2012. I was on the standard team, but sometimes I still get beat over the head with the urge to Do Something Latin by certain pop songs). But, more to the point, I LOVE the lyrics for this story moment. For all Amy’s strategizing about song choice and how they need to handle the narrative with Gale’s hospitalization, I think Astarion freaking nailed it—you think they’re looking at (Gale)? They’re looking at me. Media tries to make a big deal about Gale’s collapse, or Astarion’s response, or the fact that he’s showing up to Hessie’s school, or any potential leaked footage of the Mystra Kerfuffle backstage, or anything Cazador tries, or ANYTHING—Astarion draws their gaze instead, whether they want it or not (just look for the broken necks). I can’t remember the exact names of the maneuvers you can pick when you level up a fighter in-game, but there’s one that will force nearby enemies to attack you instead of your allies. That’s what this reminds me of.

Cool factoid about me: I got to go on a field trip in 1st grade to a nearby ice rink during the lead up to the 2002 Olympics, and we got to watch a skating pair rehearse their routines. After some research, I THINK it was the French ice dancing team, Gwendol Peizerat and Marina Anissina, who won gold in one of their events. The routine I got to watch was probably one of these! Honestly, the thing I remember most is the dude’s luxurious hair XD

Heads up: I am going to attempt to draw Gale & Astarion in contrasting skating costumes, drawing from male/female costumes, but making both of them gender non-conforming/androgynous. Gonna try and give Gale his long skirt. I’ll report back.

Imagine, if you will, all of Gale’s official music videos going forward incorporating dance/skating choreography from Astarion. I remember a gazillion years ago, when Lindsey Stirling was on a “dancing with the stars” type webshow where all the stars were YouTubers, her music videos going forward all credited her pro dance partner as the paid choreographer. Ice skate music videos. Piano on the ice rink. Gale singing (lip-syncing?) while skating. Outdoor skating on location. Maybe Gale skates with him, maybe it’s just Astarion, maybe it’s just Gale! Who knows. Ice skate music videos.

I have had this vivid image for… weeks, honestly, I can’t remember which chapter of my first read-through triggered this, of their final skate being some kind of dope mashup of Golden and Always You, with Astarion’s back and arms and Gale’s chest exposed, with gold body paint highlighting each of their scars. Because kintsugi. I figure Astarion would be the one to design and make/customize the costumes, cuz I do not trust Volo even in the slightest with something like that. Maybe it would pair with Cazador being publicly denounced and/or arrested, like a “do these look like they came from a fall to you??” I don’t know. Maybe there’d be a secret third song that Gale has yet to write that the other two would morph into, something triumphant to resolve the story of the skate/the songs, where Golden is kind of hindsight bittersweet and Always You is a pining song.

Ugh. I wish I had filk powers and could make Gale’s songs real. YO, FAN COMPOSERS/FILK MUSICIANS, I HAVE A PROJECT FOR YOU GIFT-WRAPPED AND READY TO GO—

By any chance, do you have video examples of the particular moves that the boys use in their skates? Both Astarion’s TikToks and their competition pieces. For reasons. No, shush, no guessing.

I found some really cool skating vids to share, but my YouTube is being a BUTT so perhaps that shall be a separate ask. Welp.

HEHEHEHE

Ice skater's glutes are INSANE. I know in canon Astarion has a itty bitty tush, but in season that man is CAKED.

Yes it was Looking at Me!! I have so much fun choosing the songs

Gale is absolutely still working on that song he's been writing about Astarion and it's about to get a whole new angle (so, less sad and pine-y) and I love to imagine Astarion in the music video or choreographing it, haha!

I do have examples of specific moves but depressingly few of them have names - would you be interested in me linking the YouTube videos with the timestamps? Would that be useful?

I'm sorry I haven't responded to the rest of your points but it was either YES, GOOD, YES or I CAN'T ANSWER THAT WITHOUT SPOILERS so I hope you'll forgive me. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm it's so appreciated ily 💕💕

[art-by-jas]

"Goodnight, Doll."

Summary: With the holidays approaching, Alex and you must hire more workers. Finn teases Sonny about his barista crush. Sonny takes you out to dinner.

After being told to take it easy and rest and relax, Sonny finally took the advice, he put in for a few days vacation, which Benson immediately approved. The sergeant explained that while they had started a big case, the Chicago Intelligence Unit, Detectives Lindsay and Halstead, were there to help. Sonny felt a little guilty about the timing, given the high stakes of the case, but Benson assured him they would be fine and that she understood his need to prioritize self-care. With his vacation approved, Sonny left the station feeling relief and excitement. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken real time off, having been too focused on work to prioritize relaxation.

As he entered the hallway of his apartment, he paused to glance back at your door. Stepping inside, he dropped his bag by the door and hurried to the kitchen. His fridge was woefully bare, a consequence of his long work hours and habit of eating most meals at the station's break room.

Surveying the sparse contents - some takeout containers, a couple of eggs, and a six-pack of beer - he let out a resigned sigh. If he wanted to unwind properly this week, a grocery run was clearly in order. With a renewed sense of determination, Sonny grabbed his keys and wallet and headed back out, the setting sun casting warm hues across the city skyline.

The familiar sounds of shopping carts and the hum of refrigerators greet Sonny as he steps into the store. He grabs a cart and begins browsing the aisles, gathering essentials like milk, bread, and vegetables. The store was surprisingly peaceful, with few other shoppers around. Sonny relishes the calm atmosphere, a welcome respite from the usual hustle and bustle of the city.

As he passed through the produce section, a display of fresh flowers caught his eye. On impulse, Sonny selects a bunch of mixed daisies, the camellias in particular drawing his attention. Placing the flowers in his cart, he feels a flicker of nervous anticipation. He’s not sure why he had chosen to buy them, but the sight of the blooms had made him think of you, and he found himself wanting to bring you a small gift.

After finishing his shopping and paying, Sonny exits the store feeling lighter and more at ease as he heads home.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

As the holiday season approached, your shop became increasingly busy, prompting you to make a difficult but necessary decision - you needed to hire additional staff to manage the growing workload.

After interviewing four candidates with Alex, you both carefully assessed their attributes. Jeziah, a 16-year-old boy, was lively but lacked maturity. Amy had a vibrant personality was a maybe. John seemed responsible, while Erin was efficient yet somewhat cold. Kiki had a positive attitude, but her tendency to gossip concerned you.

As you reviewed the interview notes in your office, you felt overwhelmed by the daunting task of selecting the right candidates to hire.

Alex glances at you, clearly sensing your hesitation. "What are you thinking, boss? Did any of them strike you as a good fit?"

You take a deep breath, biting your lip as you consider the question. "I'm not sure," you admitted.

Alex nods in agreement. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. It's not an easy decision."

The work schedule has Martha arriving for the next shift at 3 PM, followed shortly by Sean. Several other employees would clock in after them. As your shift neared its end, you began wrapping up loose ends, tidying the counter area, and restocking supplies for the incoming crew.

Hearing the bell over the door jingle, you glance up, your heart racing -It’s Sonny wearing casual clothes, jeans, and a plain grey t-shirt. His hair was a little messy as if he'd just woken up, and he had a hint of stubble on his jaw. Seeing him walk in with a man beside him, they talked, sharing a laugh as they strolled further into the coffee shop.

Sonny greets you with a warm smile, approaching the counter, the man beside him trailing a step or two behind before he glances at the menu board, his brows furrowed in concentration.

"Hey," Sonny says, giving you a casual nod. "Sorry to drop in unannounced like this. We just needed a little caffeine boost." His voice was deeper than usual, with a hint of gravel in it, and you find yourself drawn to the sound of it. Blinking, you regain your composure, replying with a friendly smile of your own.

"No need to apologize," you reply, your voice steady despite the flutter in your chest. "Happy to have you. What can I get for you guys?"

"Hmm.. Why not be festival, I’ll try one of the pumpkin pie lattes, what about you?” Sonny glances at his friend to answer you.

“An Americano, please,” The man requests.

You nod and jot down their order on your pad. "Coming right up." Turning to the espresso machine, you began to prepare their drinks, the familiar motions helping to calm your nerves a bit. As you continue to prepare their drinks, Sonny glances back at his friend, who is standing behind him.

“Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” You ask with a smile.

"Right," Sonny grins, "this is Finn. One of the detectives I work with"

Finn steps forward, extending his hand towards you with a charismatic smile. "Pleasure to meet you," he says.

His eyes are bright and friendly, and his grip is firm as you shake his hand. "Likewise," you respond.

The coffee machine finishes brewing and you pour the drinks into cups. Adding the finishing touches, you slid the drinks across the counter to Sonny and Finn.

"Here you go, guys," you said, offering them a smile. "One Americano and one pumpkin pie latte."

Sonny picks up his coffee, savoring the aroma, before taking a sip. Finn did the same, a satisfied sigh escaping him.

"This is damn good coffee," Finn says, nodding in appreciation.

Sonny shoots him a look, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Told you this place was worth the trip." he winks at you. Finn chuckles and takes another sip while eyeing the pastries on display.

"I'm gonna check out the food," he states, wandering over to the display case. Sonny watches him for a moment before turning back to you, a shy smile on his face.

"Sorry about him," he says, chuckling softly. "He's always hungry. Especially after a long night."He brings the coffee cup back to his lips, taking another sip before setting it down on the counter between you. There is a slight pause before he speaks again, his gaze lingers on yours.

"So, uh, how've you been?" he asks, his voice soft and casual. "It's been a while since we've seen each other."

"I've been good," you answer, a small smile on your face. "Things have been pretty busy here lately. And you?"

Sonny shrugs, his broad shoulders moving underneath the thin fabric of his shirt. "Oh, you know, the same old. Work, work, and more work. But today's my first day off in a while, so Finn and I thought we'd come by and grab some coffee before he has to go in later." He looks around the café, his eyes taking in the cozy atmosphere and the other customers scattered around. 

Just then, Finn appears at his side, holding a large cookie in his hand, 

"Man, I’m going to go broke, everything looks so good," Finn says.

You chuckle, “Why thank you, Finn, I appreciate it. You know what first one is free,”

“No, I can’t, c’mon, how much is it?”

“Seriously, a friend of Sonny is a friend of mine,” You smile at the other detective.

“Okay, if you are sure, Thanks,” Fin states with a grin.

You glance at the clock, noting the time. Sonny looks up from the cookie, his eyes locking on yours. He seems to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

"You know, since it's my day off, I was wondering if you'd be interested in hanging out? Maybe getting lunch or something?"

A flutter of excitement stirs in your stomach at his invitation. You hadn't expected him to ask, but you found yourself nodding almost immediately.

"Sure, I'd love to," you respond, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. Sonny's face lit up with a smile, relief clearly etched on his features. He glances at Finn, who is now eyeing a slice of cake with great interest.

"Great," he says, his voice a bit brighter now. "We can figure out the details later. I'll text you."

You nod, feeling your heart rate pick up a notch at the thought of spending more time with Sonny. "Sounds good," you reply.

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

As the two detectives walk outside, Finn shoots Sonny a knowing look before nudging Sonny lightly.

"You dog," Finn teases, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Sonny rolls his eyes but does not suppress a smirk. "Shut up," he says, giving Finn a playful smack on the arm.

"You couldn't resist, could you?" Finn persists, elbowing Sonny in the side. "Had to come back and see your little barista crush."

Sonny's face flushes a little, but he tries to play it cool. "She's not a crush," he protests, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We're just friends."

Finn raises an eyebrow, a smug expression on his face. "Just friends, huh? Is that why you were stuttering and blushing like a schoolboy when you asked her to hang out?"

"I was not stuttering," Sonny retorts, his face turning even redder. "And I wasn't blushing. It's hot out here, that's all."

"Yeah, hot in November, sure…” Finn laughs but relents, giving Sonny's shoulder a gentle punch. "Alright, alright. I'll lay off. But seriously, I'm happy for you, man. You deserve some happiness in your life."

Sonny's expression softens, and he shoots Finn a grateful smile. "Thanks, man," he says, the tension in his shoulders relaxing a bit. "I just hope I don't mess it up."

Finn claps him on the back. "You won't. You're a good guy, Carisi. And she seems to be a great girl. Just be yourself, and things will work out."

`. ݁ ⋆.˚ 𓆉°❀⋆  ݁°𓇼⋆ ˎˊ˖ .ೃ࿔*.˚˖𓍢ִ໋`. ݁ ⋆.˚ 𓆉°❀⋆  ݁°𓇼⋆ ˎˊ˖ .ೃ࿔*.˚˖𓍢ִ໋

When Sonny arrives home, he heads for the shower to freshen up. As the warm water cascades over him, he can't help but replay the scene in the café in his mind. The way you had smiled at him, the sound of your voice. He tried to remind himself to play it cool, to not come on too strong. You were just a friend, after all. But the memory of the way your eyes had lit up when he asked you to hang out made his heart race. 

As he got out of the shower and dried off, he mentally ran through different ideas for places to go for lunch. He wanted it to be somewhere casual, somewhere you would feel comfortable. He just hoped he wouldn't mess it up.

Gimme a min, a cup carrier decided to give out on me as I handed it to a customer. Covered in coffee -_- Let me take a shower first and I’ll be right over :)

Sonny saw your message and couldn't help but chuckle, he quickly typed out a reply.

Ouch, that sounds like a mess. Take your time though, no rush. I'll wait.

He sits down on the edge of his bed, trying to distract himself with his phone. But his mind keeps wandering back to you, wondering what you'd wear, how you'd do your hair. He shakes his head, scolding himself for being so damn smitten. To pass the time, he changes into a fresh pair of jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt. He runs his fingers through his still-damp hair a few times, trying to style it in a casual yet presentable way.

Sonny practically jumps at the sound of the knock ten minutes later, his heart pounding in his chest as he quickly gets up from the bed and goes to the door. He takes a deep breath to steady his nerves before opening the door, and his breath hitches as he sees you standing there, looking fresh and beautiful in a simple t-shirt and jeans.

"Hey," he says, his voice coming out a little huskier than he intended. He smiles, trying to act casual even though his body is buzzing with anticipation. "Ready to go?"

You smile back, "Yeah, I'm starving," you reply, your stomach growling as if to emphasize your point.

Sonny chuckles, "Well, let's get you fed, then," he says, gesturing for you to exit first.

He shuts the door behind him and leads the way down the hall, his mind racing with a mixture of excitement and nerves. As you two walk side by side, he’s acutely aware of how close you are, how he can practically feel the heat radiating off your body.

He struggles to find something to talk about, "So, uh..." he begins, racking his brain for a decent conversation starter. "How was your morning? Was the shift okay before the spill incident?" He cringes inwardly at how lame the question sounded.

You laugh softly, apparently unfazed by his awkwardness. "Yeah, the rest of the morning was pretty uneventful, thankfully. But I did give the customer a free drink to make up for it."

Sonny nods, relieved that you hadn't seemed to pick up on his nervousness. He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to keep them from fidgeting.

"That's good," he says, pausing for a moment before adding, "So where do you want to go for lunch? I'm cool with pretty much anything."

You think for a moment before answering, "Hmm, I've been craving a burger all morning. Do you like burgers?"

A grin tugs at the corners of Sonny's lips at your suggestion. "Burgers sound perfect," he agrees. "There's a place a couple blocks from here that has really great burgers if you're cool with walking a bit."

You nod, falling into step beside him as you walk together towards the burger joint. The sun was warm on your skin, and a gentle breeze occasionally rustled through your hair.

Sonny is quiet for a moment, as if lost in thought. After a few minutes of walking, he suddenly speaks up.

"You know, I have to say," he begins, his voice soft, "You look nice today. I mean, you always look nice, but today especially."

A blush creeps up your cheeks at the compliment, and you smile shyly. "Thanks," you reply, glancing over at him. "You look pretty good yourself."

Sonny's heart skips a beat at your words, and he smiles back at you, feeling a flutter of excitement in his stomach. As you continue walking, the conversation flows smoothly between the two of you. Sonny finds himself relaxing more and more, enjoying the easy banter and the feeling of your presence beside him. The whole world seemed to shrink down to just the two of you, the noise and chaos of the city fading into the background.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Finally, you arrive at the burger joint, and the smell of frying meat and melted cheese drifts out through the open doors. Sonny holds the door open for you and follows you inside. The place was bustling with activity, but there was a relaxed, carefree ambiance to the place. Both of you are greeted by the hostess and are shown to a small booth tucked away in the corner. As you sit down across from each other, Sonny notices the way the sunlight streaming through the window makes your eyes sparkle.

You take a look at the menu and begin to scan the options, while Sonny tries to tear his gaze away from your face. He picks up his own menu, pretending to look at the choices, but he can't seem to focus on anything except the way you were biting your lip as you read.

"What are you planning on getting?" He asks, trying to distract himself from his growing attraction towards you.

"Hmm," You tap your chin with your finger. "I'm thinking of getting the bacon cheeseburger, extra cheese, and extra bacon, with some onion rings on the side."

Sonny chuckles, amused by your decadent choice. "Extra cheese AND extra bacon? You're a woman after my own heart," he teases.

You shoot him a smile. "Hey, you only live once, right? Might as well go big or go home".

Sonny raises an eyebrow, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Oh, I'm all for going big. You haven't seen me at an all-you-can-eat buffet."

You laugh, "Is that a challenge?"

Sonny leans back in his seat, a smirk playing on his lips. "Baby, I'll challenge you to anything," he says, his voice low and silky. He couldn't help but notice the way your eyes darkened at his words. A flush crept up your cheeks, and you try to hide it by pretending to study your menu again. Sonny watches you closely, enjoying your reaction to his flirtation. He was feeling emboldened now, his earlier nerves almost forgotten.

The waitress comes over and takes your orders, and Sonny asks for a burger and fries as you request your order. As the waitress walks away, Sonny leans back in his seat, a smug smile on his face. "So, tell me something interesting about yourself."

You laugh, rolling your eyes good-naturedly at his smugness. "Oh, you want the good old 'tell me about yourself' question, huh?"

You think for a moment before replying, "Well, I'm not that interesting, honestly. I grew up in a small town, moved here for college, and never left. I like to read and write and draw in my free time, and love watching true crime documentaries."

Sonny listens intently, genuinely intrigued by your responses. "A small-town girl, huh? I can totally see that. You have that wholesome vibe," he teases, grinning mischievously.

He leans forward, resting his forearms on the table. "Let me guess, you're secretly a huge fan of 'Unsolved Mysteries', aren't you?"

You chuckle, shaking your head. "Guilty as charged," you admit. "I have been known to binge-watch entire seasons in one sitting."

Sonny's eyes sparkle with appreciation, his smile widening. "See? I knew I liked you for a reason," he says emphatically. "I'm always looking for someone to discuss good old Robert Stack." You laugh, enjoying his enthusiasm. 

The waitress comes back with their orders and sets down two large and delicious-looking burgers in front of you. Sonny's stomach growls loudly at the sight of the food, and you can’t help but chuckle at his unabashed hunger.

He immediately digs into his burger, taking a large bite and letting out a satisfied moan. "Oh, my God," he says around a mouthful of food, eyes practically rolling back in his head. "This is heaven. Pure, delicious, greasy heaven."

You laugh incredulously, shaking your head at his shameless lack of manners. "Seriously? I've never seen anyone get so excited over a burger before."

You delicately take a bite of your burger, closing your eyes in pleasure as the flavors hit your tongue. "Okay, I have to admit, this is pretty damn good."

Sonny swallows his mouthful, a contented grin stretches across his face. "See? I told you," he says, winking at you. He takes another bite, trying to speak through a mouthful of food. "So, tell me more about your love for drawing. Are you one of those people who can draw a perfect photorealistic sketch of an apple or something?"

You snort, waving away the notion. "I'm no Da Vinci, that's for sure. I mainly doodle in my sketchbook when I'm bored or feeling inspired."

You shrug, taking another bite of your burger. "It's just a hobby, really. Not something I'd ever consider doing professionally. But it's relaxing."

Sonny nods, taking a moment to finish off his burger before responding. "Hobbies are important," he says, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "It's good to have something to help you unwind and relax. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "So what do you draw? Landscapes, people, animals... what's your go-to subject?"

You think for a moment, contemplating your preferences. "I'm not sure I have a go-to subject. I like drawing people, but I also enjoy drawing nature, buildings, animals, anything with texture and shadows." You take a thoughtful bite of onion ring, chewing slowly as you continue. "I just doodle whatever strikes my mood at the moment, honestly. Sometimes it's a person, other times it's a landscape or a still life."

Sonny listens intently, feeling an unexpected pang of admiration for your creative pursuits. "Wow, that sounds really impressive," he says, his voice a touch softer than before. "I've always been jealous of people who can draw or paint. I can barely manage stick figures." He chuckles self-deprecatingly, running his hand through his hair. "But what I lack in artistic talent, I make up for in other areas, I suppose."

You arch an eyebrow, teasing him. "Oh yeah? And what areas might those be?" You bit back a smile, enjoying the banter between the two of you.

A cocky smile spreads across his face. "Oh, I have many talents, doll," Sonny drawls. 

You try to hide your flush by taking a long sip of soda, but Sonny's smug smile tells you he'd noticed the effect his words had on you. He reached across the table and grabbed an onion ring from your plate, popping it in his mouth, and winks.

You feign outrage, pretending to swat at his hand. "Hey, hey, hey! Get your own onion rings, buddy."

Sonny grins unrepentantly, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry," he says, not sounding sorry at all. "I just couldn't help myself. These onion rings are amazing."

You roll your eyes but can't help but smile at his cheeky behavior. "You're lucky you're cute," you say, trying to sound stern.

Sonny's grin widens at your compliment. "You think I'm cute, eh? Careful, doll, you might make me blush."

Sonny chuckles, a wicked twinkle in his eye. "Oh, so you think I'm cute, huh?" he teases, leaning back in his seat and resting his arms behind his head.

You shake your head, trying to keep a straight face. "Don't let it go to your head," you warn. 

Sonny feigns innocence, placing a hand over his heart. "Me? Let it go to my head? Never," he replies, his voice dripping with mock sincerity.

You laugh, shaking your head again. "You're insufferable, you know that?" you say, but there was no heat behind the words. You were starting to find his confidence flirting a bit endearing.

Sonny rests his chin on his hand and gives you a crooked smile. "But you like it," he responds, his eyes sparkling. "Admit it."

You opened your mouth to protest, but then closed it again, realizing that you really did like it. His confidence and cheeky charm were strangely attractive, even if you didn't want to admit it to yourself.

"Maybe," you finally concede, a small smile playing on your lips.

Sonny's grins again, his blue eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "I knew it," he states, leaning back in his seat again. "You can't resist the Carisi charm."

You roll your eyes, trying to hide your smile. "Oh, yes, I'm completely helpless in the face of your charms," you voice dryly, knowing full well the effect he was having on you.

"What about you, tell me something interesting about you," you ask.

"Well, I grew up and still am very much Catholic, played basketball and little league in high school. I'm O-negative, so if you ever need a transfusion, I'm your guy," Sonny continues telling random facts about his life.

As Sonny tells you more about his upbringing and his hobbies, you can’t help but feel more and more intrigued by him. There was something genuine and endearing about his willingness to share these random details about himself.

"O-negative, huh?" you say, smiling. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I worked in homicide, and I was a patrol officer before becoming a detective in Staten Island's SVU." Sonny continues.

He reached for another of your onion rings and pops it into his mouth, winking at you. You swatted at his hand again, but this time with less conviction. "Hey, those are mine!" you protested, but you couldn't help the small laugh that escaped your lips. The waitress comes over, leaving the check at the edge of the table. Sonny quickly glances at the amount before pulling out his wallet.

"Here, let me get this," he says, pulling out a credit card.

You are a little surprised by his quick move. "Oh, you don't have to do that," you protest. "We can split the bill."

Sonny shakes his head, waving off your protest. "Nah, I got this," he declares, giving you a look that brooked no argument. The waitress comes back and takes the card, leaving the two of you alone at the table again. Sonny leans back in his seat, studying you with a thoughtful expression on his face.

You fidget a bit under his gaze, feeling a little self-conscious. "What?" you ask, a hint of defensiveness in your voice.

Sonny smiles, his gaze softening. "Nothing. I just like looking at you, that's all," he replies, his voice a low rumble.

Your heart skips a beat, and you try to hide the effect his words have on you by averting your gaze. "You're laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?" you say.

Sonny laughs, unperturbed by your attempt to downplay his compliments. "Maybe a little," he admits, shamelessly. "But I only say what I mean, doll."

You roll your eyes, but you can’t help the small smile that tugs at the corners of your mouth. "You're impossible, you know that?" you express, but there is no real heat behind the words.

Sonny grins, leaning forward in his seat. "What can I say? You bring out the impossible in me."

His eyes flicker up to the waitress returning with his credit card before looking back at you. "Ready to go?" he asks, rising to his feet and holding out a hand.

You accept his hand, feeling a shiver run down your spine as your skin makes contact with his.

"Yeah, let's go," you voice, standing up and smoothing out your clothes.

Sonny squeezes your hand before releasing it, instead placing a hand on the small of your back as he guides you out of the restaurant. As you step out into the crisp night air, a brief shiver runs through you, the cool temperature a stark contrast to the warmth of the restaurant. Sonny notices you shiver and, without a word, slips off his jacket and drapes it over your shoulders. The material was warm and smelled faintly of his cologne, and you instinctively snuggled into the comforting scent.

"Can't have you freezing on me," he comments, his voice a low rumble.

"Thanks," you mutter, pulling the jacket tighter around your shoulders. Sonny slips his hands into his pockets and starts walking, falling into step beside you. 

As you stroll down the busy city street, a comfortable silence settles between you. Every so often, you stole a side glance at him, admiring his profile in the soft glow of the streetlights. He catches you looking more than once, and each time he flashes a cocky grin, knowing full well the effect he was having on you. 

The night air still has a chill, but with his jacket around your shoulders and the warmth of his presence beside you, you feel surprisingly warm. You try to ignore the butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

The apartment building comes into view, its familiar brick facade a welcome sight. Sonny glances at you as you approach, then slows his pace as you reach the steps leading up to the doors.

The elevator dings and the doors open, pulling you both back to reality. You step out onto the floor of your apartment doors opposite each other.

Sonny turns to face you, his expression unreadable. "Tonight was... fun," he smiles, his voice a little rougher than usual.

"Yeah, it was," you agree, "Thanks for dinner."

Sonny steps closer, closing the gap between you. Before you had time to react, he cupped your face with both hands, tilting your chin up to meet his gaze. Your heart leaps into your throat as Sonny steps towards you, his hands cupping your face gently. His warm fingers brush against your skin, sending little tingles down your spine.

As you meet his intense gaze, your breath hitches in your throat. You can feel the heat radiating off his body, and you can smell the faint scent of his cologne.

"Sonny..." you whisper, your voice barely more than a breath.

The loud voices of the kids down the hall break the moment between you and Sonny. You both jump apart, momentarily startled. You let out a shaky breath, feeling a sting of disappointment at the interruption. You look up at Sonny, trying to gauge his reaction. He looked equally annoyed, his face set in a scowl as he watched the rowdy kids run by. As the kids disappear around the corner, Sonny turns back to you, a small frown still on his face. "Sorry about that," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kids, am I right? I should probably let you get some sleep," he speaks, his voice a little rough around the edges. He glances over his shoulder at his own apartment door, then back at you. 

You nod, feeling the same pang of disappointment at the thought of the evening coming to an end. "Yeah, I probably should," you reply, trying to sound casual. Yet, you both stand there for a moment, neither one of you quite ready to say goodnight just yet. The silence stretches between you, filled with an unspoken tension. You could feel the heat of Sonny's gaze on you, and you felt inexplicably drawn to him, like there was more to say, more to discover.

Finally, Sonny speaks up, "Goodnight, Doll."

"Night, Sonny." You give him a small smile before you turn to enter your apartment, Sonny does the same to his.

As you close the door behind you, you lean against it and sigh. Despite the interruption from the rowdy kids, the evening had been one of the best you'd had in a long time. Something about Sonny fascinated you and made your heart beat a little faster. You wander over to your couch and collapse onto it, replaying the evening in your mind, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

Masterlist

[w0lp3rtinger]

Sneaking Santa

WOOO!

I was part of the Secret Shadamy Santa! This secret gift was for @Mikudecora!

I give a lot of credit to @killingthecringe, who helped me edit this.

You can also read it over on DeviantArt!

Happy belated holiday season! P.S.- Both @shadamyheadcanons and @lambpaca call Shadow’s chao Rosie. Both have influenced me greatly, as you can see XD I thank these two for the lovely brain food.

---

Amy whined, covering her face with her hands as her head lolled back. “I don’t know what to get them!” 

“Girl, I keep telling you, just give them money.” 

“Nooo!”

“Then I can’t help you.”

Amy huffed, letting her hands fall into her lap as she shot a glare at Rouge. The orange light of sunset made the apartment of black and white decor glow, and the gold trimmings Rouge had scattered about seemed to burn. It was fashionable, classy, the exact sort of apartment owned by a woman who recommended cash for a Christmas present.

Amy still wasn’t sure why she thought Rouge would be able to give good advice about this. 

“Shadow’s your friend, aren’t they?” 

Rouge cocked an eyebrow at that. “I’d like to think so, seeing how they live here.” 

“So, wouldn’t you know something about their interests and hobbies? Or something they’ve said they need?” 

“Yes.” 

Amy sat up straighter, “So why don’t you tell me what those things are and-” 

“No.” 

“Oh come on!” 

Rouge rolled her eyes. Kicking her feet up and onto the coffee table between them, she pulled a nail file from the end table by her elbow and began filing her nails. “Shadow is so particular that nothing I could assume they would like would be guaranteed a successful gift.” 

“It can’t be that bad.” 

“Amy, they took twelve minutes testing pens at the stationary store before they finally bought a pack.” 

Amy pursed her lips. “T-... twelve minutes?” 

“Yeah, and that’s the low bar.” Rouge smirked, “Another time, they went to four different stores to find socks that they liked. Won’t tell you how long that took, but I’m sure you can imagine.” 

Amy gripped her knees, shaking her head as she did so. Rouge laughed. “How’s that gift of cold hard cash looking now?” 

“Not doing it, Rouge,” Amy ground out. “Not doing it.” 

Amy ran her tongue along her teeth as Rouge rolled her eyes. She watched as Rouge flourished her nail file before starting on another finger. 

“Listen,” Rouge said with a huff, “You got the short end of the stick when you pulled Shadow for the Secret Santa. And I won’t lie and tell you that I’m sorry because I’m not. I rigged it. Thought it would be funny, and it is still absolutely funny, but the way you’re moping and whining is starting to get pathetic.” 

Amy hit her knees with her fists. “I’m not whining!” 

“You sure?” 

“Yes!” 

“Could have fooled me.” 

With a sigh, Amy shook her head. “No, I’m not whining because I haven’t given up yet, and I’m not giving up until I’ve run out of time or options… whichever comes first.” 

Rouge pursed her lips. “Jeez… rather die-hard of you, considering it’s just a Christmas present.”  

“It’s- Rouge, it’s because it’s Christmas that I gotta try extra hard!” 

“Sweetheart, they don’t even celebrate Christmas.” 

“But if they’re going out of their comfort zone to do a Secret Santa, and they work so hard for a holiday they don’t celebrate, it’ll be even worse when they don’t get a present they actually like!” 

Rouge snorted, waving her hand lazily even as Amy glared. 

“Rouge, have you ever gotten a gift from someone you think should know you, and it’s bad? Like, it’s just a bad gift?” 

Rouge raised an eyebrow at that, shaking her head. Amy sighed as she slouched into the couch. 

“It’s… awful.” 

Amy chuckled, watching as Rouge pursed her lips tightly. 

“A person who knows you should know what to get you, even if it’s just…time.” Amy said, gesturing between them, “Like- the promise to pay for dinner the next time you guys go out to a place you like. But when someone gives you something that’s totally not you? You have to wonder if they know you, and that sort of… hurts.” 

Rouge cocked an eyebrow at that. “Can’t say I relate.” 

“That’s because everyone just gets you gemstones.” 

“I’m an easy lady to shop for.” Rouge said with a shrug. “Or steal for. I’m not picky on how I get my gifts.” 

“Ugh, you would say that. I don’t even want to know what advice you’ve given Shadow for this Secret Santa thing,” Amy said as she rolled her eyes. “But… Do you know who they got?” 

“Yes.” 

Amy opened her mouth only for Rouge to hold up a finger. 

“No, I am not telling you.” 

“Rude,” Amy huffed, “Why?” 

“Ruins the sport of it.” 

“Why are you like this?” 

Rouge smiled, “A girl’s gotta have a hobby.” 

Amy ran a hand through her quills as she scoured the carpet for answers only to catch her eye on the very edge of a book sticking out from under the couch. Using her foot, she slid it gently out from the darkness where the dying sunlight coming through the window caught the gilded title. 

Amy cocked her head, picking up the book. “They like classical literature?” 

“What makes you ask that?” 

“Well,” she turned the book cover towards Rouge, “You don’t really strike me as someone who would read, ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,’ no offense.” 

Rouge shrugged as she went back to filing her nails. Amy couldn’t help but let her attentions drift as she admired the cover, letting her fingers fall over the well-loved cloth binding.

Amy had never really thought about it before, but somehow, it felt right that Shadow would enjoy these children’s stories. The atmosphere and softness of them, as horrifying as some of the older ones could be, suited them in a way she could not form into words. 

Amy paused. 

“Rouge,” she said, “What would you do if I asked to go into Shadow’s room?” 

“What for?” 

“To, um-” she looked at the cover again, away from Rouge, “to put this book back. I’m sure they didn’t mean to leave it out here.” 

Rouge leveled her with a look. “They always leave their books under the couch. Try again.” 

Amy pursed her lips then, looking out the window. “I just… had the thought… that there’s a lot to Shadow that they don’t often really showcase.” 

“Yeah? And water’s wet. So what?” 

“So the one place that a person usually lets themselves relax and be them is their bedroom.” 

Rouge smirked. “Oh, so you want to go snooping and see if you can get some ideas for their Christmas present?” 

“It’s not snooping!” 

“It’s snooping.” 

“Just- ugh-” Amy forced herself to relax her grip on the book, lest she break its spine, “Can I go in or not?”

Rouge pointed over her shoulder with the nail file, still smirking at Amy, “Second door on the left.” 

Amy stood up from the couch, then paused, “They… won’t be mad, will they?” 

“At you? No.” Rouge shook her head, her smile curling in that mischievous way Amy had learned meant trouble.

“Will they get mad at you?” 

“Oh, that I don’t care about.” 

“You sure?” 

“Pinkey, I’ve no idea when they’re getting back, so I suggest you quit your quibbling and get moving.”  

Amy squeaked, jumping to attention before bolting for Shadow’s bedroom door. She could hear Rouge laughing behind her as she fumbled the doorknob and slipped inside. 

The room was dim, almost dark, and the smell of lavender and lemon wood polish hit her like a wave. She blinked frantically as she tried to get her eyes to adjust. The only light available was the frail beams of sun that wormed their way around closed curtains, but slowly, slowly she could begin to see the room before her. 

“Woah…” 

Amy took one step, then another, looking about her as she did so. The bed was small and built of dark wood, but stacked high with thick, heavy blankets in muted colours. She couldn’t help but touch one, her white gloves stark against the soft heather green, and from where she stood, she could see the very edge of the sheets poking out at the top of the duvet, smiling at the line of yellow roses there. However, that was nothing upon realizing that at the foot of their bed was a small cradle, filled with a thick blanket. 

“They got Rosie a bed?” Amy gasped, her free hand coming up to cover her mouth as she squealed. “Oh chaos, how cute is that?” 

After finally pulling herself away, she got to inspect the matching nightstand, who’s lower shelf was filled to the brim with notebooks. On top sat a bright yellow notebook, still in use with a pen tucked in as a makeshift bookmark, next to a study lamp and clock. Across from the bed stood two bookshelves, also dark wood, also absolutely packed with books and little odds and ends. Everything there was arranged in neat rows and stacks, all placed with a purpose Amy could not fathom. There was no dresser, but there was a closed closet door, tucked into a corner that led to the space behind the bed which was covered with what looked to be an amalgamation of cork boards. 

That’s when she turned and gasped. The wall where the door stood had a mirror that was surrounded with calendars, notes, and tacked-up paper. It was all organized, somehow, but not in a way she could readily understand. She squinted at the cramped cursive and frowned. 

“They write like they went to catholic school,” she muttered, barely making out the details of an appointment for a bike inspection. The hand holding Shadow’s book folded close to her chest as she leaned in. “It’s a wonder anyone can read this…” 

She bit her lip, looking towards the door as she did so. Drumming her fingers against the book, Amy hopped from one foot to the other before quickly rushing towards the bookshelves. She traced her finger along the wood as she read the titles, only to be distracted by the little trinkets blocking her view. She blinked, smiling as she picked up a slip of paper and squinted to make out the print. 

“Is this a movie ticket?” 

Amy flipped it over, surprised to find more of Shadow’s cramped handwriting. 

‘September 13th, 20XX, 1400

Spirited Aloft

All present

Movie good

Popcorn was soggy, terrible

Amy laughed at your joke.’ 

She quirked an eyebrow, unable to help but smile that Shadow still wrote down the specifics of the film even though they were printed on the ticket. Then, she paused, mouth parting slowly as her brow furrowed. ‘Amy laughed at your joke,’ she mouthed as she reread the words. 

Was Shadow talking about when they threatened to shove Sonic in the popcorn machine if he didn’t stop talking during the film? Amy stifled a giggle as she remembered how irate they had gotten. To be fair, she had been pretty frustrated too. She couldn’t remember how Shadow had phrased the threat, but in the moment, it had been so funny she had actually choked on her drink. 

Guess that meant something to them.  

Smiling, she put the ticket down, only to frown at how they had phrased the comment. 

‘Your joke.’ Not, ‘my joke,’ but, ‘your joke.’

Amy’s eye caught the notebooks near the bed again, then back to the door. 

She paused, listening intently. The grip she had on the book in her hands caused the binding to creek. Still, she heard no no sound from outside. 

Amy swiftly moved back to the wall by the door, the paper fluttering from her speed as leaned in to read. 

‘Dec 6th, 20XX 0300. You have a meeting with Towers. FOLLOWUP: Meeting was about Previous Mission. Notes Given. Notes Recorded in Journal 7, Page 125. Read before Next Mission. Next meeting will be Jan 4th.’

‘August 4th, 20XX 0800. You took your chao, Rosie, to the park. You learned today that she does not like the green chao with seal-like features. For future reference, keep them apart.’

‘September 23rd, 20XX 1900. Amy Rose’s birthday party. You have her gift wrapped and in your closet next to your socks. 

DO NOT FORGET. 

Notes will be recorded in Journal 7, page 162.

FOLLOWUP: You have Amy Rose as your Secret Santa Gift Recipient. Refer to Recorded Notes on page 162. New Notes will be on Board 1. Followup to follow post-Christmas Part, Dec 24th. ’ 

Amy hummed, holding the note about her birthday carefully by the tips of her fingers before letting it go, watching as it flitted against the wall before going still. Once again, she eyeballed the journals by their nightstand. Why would they record notes on their birthday? What notes were they taking now, since they were her Secret Santa? 

Amy bit her lip, then shook her head. No, no she would not do that to them. She would not read their journals, though it was becoming terribly tempting. However… 

Amy drifted towards the closet door, where the cork boards had been nailed into the wood. There, at the very top of the door, was a heavily covered pinboard with a large number one written on the frame in the upper left. Various scraps of scribbled notes had been pinned, scribbled out, and pinned over. Amy squinted as she leaned in to read, but there wasn’t enough light in this dark corner of the room. 

“So dark!” she hissed through gritted teeth, “And I really don’t have time but-!”

There was a squeal by her ankle and she froze. Looking down, she was met with the wide-eyed gaze of Rosie, the chao’s sharp teeth glinting in the low light. 

Amy placed a shaking finger to her lips as her ears strained to hear what was going on outside the door, only for her stomach to feel as though it dropped through the floor when she heard Shadow’s voice. 

“Rosie,” she whispered, “sweetie, I need you to be very quiet.” 

But Rosie was not quiet. Rosie squealed again, giggling as she flew up into the air and did a loop around Amy’s head. Amy tried to catch her, but Rosie dodged the grasping hand in favor of flying straight for the now slightly cracked door. 

Amy hissed through her teeth, eyes wide as she tried to run tip-toe to catch the chao. She made a desperate last grab only for Rosie to push the door open and-

Amy dodged to the side, uselessly trying to hide, and her shoulder hit the light switch.  

The light was blindingly bright and painful. Amy yelled as she threw the arm holding Shadow’s book over her face, flailing as she tried to hit the switch off. She could hear a high-pitched whine growing louder and louder the longer the light stayed on, the greater the panic that bubbled up within her. She whined and squinted through the light to try to find the switch. Her eyes watered while she squinted through the glare. 

Then, all of the sudden, she heard a click, and the light was off again. 

“Why are you in here?” 

Amy froze. She turned slowly only to come face to face with Shadow who was standing right behind her, watching her with those hard eyes. Rosie sat on top of their head, still giggling as she watched Amy, with a face that said the chao knew exactly what trouble it had caused.  

She took a step away, giggling nervously. 

“I-,” she fumbled, holding their book out in front of them, “This was under the couch. I figured you’d want it somewhere safe.” 

Shadow blinked slowly, taking the book from them. They drummed their fingers on the cover, the sound causing a shiver to crawl up Amy’s spine. Shadow’s brow furrowed for a moment, and Amy watched as their eyes slid from hers to their room behind her. She saw them chew the inside of their lip, shuffling where they stood as though suddenly too nervous to look at her again. 

Her heart sank and she sighed, tightly shutting her eyes as she covered her face with her hands. 

“I… also was looking for clues about what to get you for Christmas.” 

Shadow said nothing. The silence stretched. Amy’s hands began to shake. 

“I’m so sorry!” The words came in a tumbled rush. “I just wanted to get you something nice! Something you’d actually like! I know Christmas isn’t really your thing, and with the crowds- There’s nothing worse than a shitty gift from someone who should know you better and I want to make it worth it and-” 

“H-hey,” their voice sounded strangely small. “It’s fine.” 

“It’s not fine!”

She heard Rosie coo gently, and felt the chao headbut her hands. Amy relented just enough to take Rosie from the air and hold her, but still, she did not open her eyes. 

“Amy-” there was a pause, then a huff, “Would you look at me?” She scrunched her face, but all the same, slowly opened her eyes. 

“I really am sorry,” she mumbled, still pouting. “And if I can make it up to you, please let me know.” 

For a moment the two of them stood in silence. Then, much to her surprise, Amy saw Shadow laugh. 

It wasn’t much. In fact, it was probably the quietest laugh she had ever heard. The smile that normally was restrained to their eyes and never the rest of their face turned the corners of their mouth up as they rolled their eyes, shaking their head as they did so. A light almost fluttering sound she could only assume was their laugh echoed in their throat, gone in an instant as they  coughed into one closed fist. 

“You… probably know by now that I have you for Secret Santa.” 

Amy pouted. “Yeah… more because Rouge said she rigged the game than anything else, but yeah.” 

She could see Shadow grit their teeth. 

“Oh?” 

Amy nodded. Shadow pinched the bridge of their nose. 

“Why am I not surprised…” they huffed, shaking their head. “Listen, why don’t you tell me what you’d like, and we’ll call it even.” 

“...That’s it?” 

Shadow nodded, “That’s it.” 

“But-” 

They held up a hand. “I’ve been trying to figure out something since November, and I’m running out of time and patience.” 

Amy couldn’t help herself as she giggled. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been in the same situation trying to figure out what you might like.” 

“I don’t need anything.” 

“Oh really?” Amy put one hand on her hip, the other still holding Rosie, “Oh, Mr. Ultimate Life-Form doesn’t need anything? Well what if little old me doesn’t need anything either?”

She grinned as she watched Shadow’s eyes narrow, one of their ears twitching. 

“Cream told me you were looking to purchase a pressure canner. If you don’t give me an answer, I’m going to assume she’s right.” 

“Don’t you dare! Those are expensive!” 

Shadow crossed their arms. “I never said I’d get it new.” 

Amy opened her mouth, then closed it as she rocked on the heels of her boots. “Okay, fair… and yes, yes l was looking to get one of those.” 

“Excellent. Merry Christmas in advance. Now please leave.” 

“Hold up!” Amy held a finger under Shadow’s nose, watching as they went cross eyed trying to follow it, “I want to know what to get you, too!” 

“Isn’t that what you broke into my room for?” 

“Yes, but I couldn’t get any good answers!”    

“Oh well,” Shadow said, a smirk slowly sliding across their face as Rosie laughed again.

“No! Come on! You have to tell me!” 

“I don’t have to tell you anything. Now leave.” 

Amy squinted, eyes darting between them and the light switch on the wall. The smirk fell from Shadow’s face as she reached a hand out towards it. 

“Don’t you dare,” they hissed.  

“I’ll do it. I’ll turn the light back on.” 

“You will not.”

“Try me.” 

“Threatening me? In my own room? Over a Christmas gift?” 

Amy puffed up her chest. “I say that’s a good enough reason.” 

“Careful, you’re starting to sound like Rouge.” 

Even as Shadow sneered at her, Amy could see the way they looked between her and the light switch. With a huff, Amy dropped her outstretched hand to support Rosie who had decided at this point to try and climb onto her head.

“What even is wrong with your lights anyway?” she said, looking towards the fixture in the center of the ceiling. “It’s like they’re built to kill.” 

“Voltage issue,” they grumbled.

“Haven’t you asked anyone to fix it?” 

“Doesn’t matter. Stop changing the subject.” 

Amy crossed her arms. “I mean, it does. It’s hard on the eyes.” 

“I’m fine.” 

“But-”

“I like low-lighting, alright?” Shadow rolled their eyes as they shook their head. “I’m fine. Now, please, leave.” 

Amy pouted, opening her mouth to retort only to pause. The gears in her head whirled as slowly, her furrowed brow lifted and her mouth curled into a smile. She leaned in, grinning ear to ear. 

“I think I know what to get you for Christmas.” 

Shadow squinted at her, pulling back ever so slightly. “You do?” 

Amy nodded as she giggled. “Can I run it by you? Just to double-check?” 

She couldn’t help but notice how Shadow looked away, and for a split second, she swore she saw a look of nervousness flash across their face even as they nodded. 

“How about I get you some nice hanging lights?” she said, pointing at the ceiling as she did so. “Like a couple sets of nice energy efficient string lights, where you can change the color, the brightness, all that stuff! So no matter how you’re feeling or what you need, they’ll work for you!” 

Shadow seemed to freeze. It was at this moment Rosie started squirming, Amy’s vision momentarily blocked by her tiny hands wiggling for Shadow as she cooed. Slowly, Shadow took her, letting Amy be free to clasp her hands at her chest while she bounced gleefully from foot to foot.  

“You’re not saying no-oo~!” 

Shadow blinked, shaking their head a little as they seemed to come back to themself and look up from Rosie. “That… does sound nice.” 

“So you think you’d like that?” 

Shadow nodded, and Amy could not contain a shriek of glee as she hugged them, jumping up and down. “Yes! Yes yes yes! Aaaaah I’m so happy! I’ve been so worried- I wanted to get you something you liked so badly!” 

She laughed as she let them go. “Sorry, okay, I- I’ve taken up enough of your time. I’ll get out of your quills!” 

Shadow, eyes wide, only nodded. Amy couldn’t help but lean in for one more hug, squeezing tightly as she squealed with glee before rushing out and towards the apartment door. 

“Thanks again, Rouge!” she said as she rushed through the living room. 

“For what?” She called out, lifting her head from the couch.

Amy didn’t bother to reply. She just laughed as she closed the door. 

[americanwh0resstuff]

You look good, open casket good…

Chapter II, Time of the season

Amy takes up Blaine’s offer, against the pleas of her coworkers…

Word count: 2,028

Slight smut warning, next chapter will be full on ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Time of the season

“Please Ames I’m begging you, he’s not a nice person, don’t get involved with him!”

Ravi pleaded with her, following her around the morgue like a lost puppy.

“Why? What did he do? It can’t be that bad? I mean you met my ex… can’t be worse than him?” She joked but not a single laugh was heard, instead she was met with stern looks. Ravi didn’t want to tell her, what would he say ‘oh yeah he killed a bunch of teenagers, turned multiple people into zombies, oh yeah he’s a brain/drug dealer!’…no, she’d just ask why they didn’t get Clive to arrest him, and there was no time to explain everything.

“I’ll just drop by, it couldn’t hurt? I probably won’t even take his offer, wouldn’t want to leave you…” she smirked at him, packing up her things for the day before leaving for home.

“I’ll see you Monday, don’t worry about me!” She waved at Ravi and left through the bay doors, shouting a quick “bye!” To Liv.

The air was cold and wet as the rain hit the pavement, autumn was Amy’s favourite time of year, the weather, the falling leaves, the endless horror movies and not to mention the Halloween (which at her play was all year round) decorations…

She smiled as she opened her car door, a beautiful 1967 Ford Mustang in olive green, her dream car. She’d saved up for it all her life, and when she moved to the US she knew she had to have one, she could deal with not affording dinner or not having curtains in her apartment, if she had that car.

The radio was blaring loud as she drove home, old rock songs playing, music by the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Zombies playing to set the mood, it was a perfect fall day.

She genuinely felt happy, no more stress from her relatives, old relationships, old jobs… she was starting anew, living the life she wanted. So there was no surprise on her neighbours face when she walked into her apartment lobby, whistling and walking with a spring in her step. “Good evening Ms Danes!”

When she finally sat down in her sofa, feet up, tv on, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the business card given to her by the admittedly attractive man who was sitting on an autopsy table earlier. Now that she thought about it, I guess it was kinda weird that Ravi was looking at him instead of him going to a usual doctor, but hey in America, who could blame him for not wanting to pay a fortune to get his blood pressure checked?

‘Blaine DeBeers, owner of Shady Plots funeral home, where we lay your loved ones to rest the right way’

Huh shady plots, bit on the nose…

She pulled out her phone and called the number on the back, slightly nervous from Liv and Ravis protests, but she couldn’t keep working in the morgue forever, she needed a real funeral home to truly show her craftsmanship, somewhere where families can come to see their loved ones without having to bear witness to slashed up victims and loose organs.

It only rang twice before he picked up “Blaine DeBeers, how can I help you!” She unconsciously smiled, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

“Hi this is Amy, the mortician from the morgue.”

“Oh Amy! Great I didn’t think you’d call” she could practically hear his smirk over the phone, which only made her more nervous, why did she feel this way?

“Did you not?” She joked “What a confident businessman!”

They talked for a bit, Amy telling him about her experience in Glasgow medical school before changing her major to mortuary school, how she worked in Hastings as an apprentice mortician before finally working in a quaint little funeral home on the sea front.

“This all sounds great, but uh- do you want to grab dinner tonight? Make it a business meeting, we can really get into the details.” She grinned in surprise at his offer. Fiddling with the cuff of her jeans.

“Yeah that sounds good-great! What time?”

They agreed on 8 o clock, it was now 5:30 so she had enough time to shower off the smell of formaldehyde and get into something nicer.

For the latter she decided on a long, silk, black dress with a slit going up the side, with a button up white shirt underneath to keep it somewhat casual, she wore her black Mary janes and carried a coffin shaped bag, yep she was that into her job.

She kept her makeup simple, black eyeliner and some fluffy fake lashes, and a dark plum lipstick to contrast her bright green eyes. She curled her hair and wore her favourite perfume, it’s been a while since she’s felt this nice.

She got into her car and drive to the agreed upon place, somewhere called “Ritos” some local Italian place, that was fancy enough for a business meeting, but still laid back enough to be crowded on a Friday night. She looked around for a bit before parking up and walking to meet the pale haired man, who was already waiting outside.

“Oh I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long!” Blaine smiled at her, taking her hand in a firm yet soothing hand shake.

“Don’t worry about it, I just got here!”

They made their way inside, Blaine pulling out her chair for her, she marvelled at the dark green walls, mauve velvet chairs and dark wool tables, plants hanging above the bar and waiters walking around in fancy suits, it was nice, comforting but still striking.

“So what brought you to Seattle?” He asked her while a waiter brought them two menus, smiling at them both before walking off to the dimly lit bartender, already asking for two wine glasses.

“Well…i guess just fate, the owner of my last business passed away, he was very old and he didn’t have any family to take it over, I didn’t feel ready yet and so I lost my job, I met Ravi in college and we talked and he mentioned that he was now working in a morgue, and I just needed to get away from everything, I just packed up and left, I was sick of my life there…” she looked down at her menu, studying the drinks.

“Sounds like an adventure, couldn’t have been easy… want a bottle of wine for the table?” He interjected himself.

“Oh actually, I don’t drink… recovering addict.” She said the last part quietly but Blaine heard, he nodded and smiled.

“Don’t worry they do a great non alcoholic wine here!” She looked up at him and smiled, usually people giver her strange looks or pressure her to drink whenever she says she doesn’t, but he listened, he respected her choice and didn’t push, she liked that.

The waiter returned with the bottle and poured them each a glass.

“Cheers, to new adventures!” Blaine raised his glass and winked at her, she couldn’t help but blush when they clinked glasses.

The rest of the night went smoothly, talking about work and personal stuff, they had a lot of laughs and really seemed to click, why was Ravi so I sit at not to involve herself with him? She didn’t understand, but frankly at this point she’s forgotten all about his warnings, she was instead just enjoying her night.

Around 12 they had eaten and Blaine happily paid the bill, against Amy’s insisting that she’d pay her half.

“It’s on the funeral home.” He laughed, shooting her a playful look.

“Want to see where you’ll be working?” He asked, walking out into the cool air, watching her light a cigarette.

“So I’ve got the job?” Her eyes were wide and she smiled. “Thank you so much you have no idea how great this is!” She restrained from jumping up and down in pure joy.

He smiled back at her, leading her to her car, telling her to follow him to shady plots.

She could barely contain her excitement while tailing him, she rang Ravi to tell him the good news but he didn’t answer, most likely sleeping, he never went out, never even on weekends.

She left him a voicemail instead.

When they pulled up to the beautiful Victorian home she couldn’t stop staring, the porch lights glowing an orange light and the windows were slightly stained pink, giving them a beautiful shine.

“You like it?” Blaine’s voice broke her from her trance as he took her hand. “Come on.” He lead her to the front door, pulling out his keys and opening the wooden front door, motioning for her to go inside.

“This place is gorgeous! I don’t know what to say!”

“It really is…” Blaine’s eyes burned into the side of her head, eyes blown with lust. He’d been holding back all night, not wanting to scare her off. Sure it was a little forward of him to invite her to shady plots as a ruse to sleep with her, but I mean, he couldn’t help it, and plus it wasn’t like he was lying to her, she got the job, if not only for her looks but for her undeniable qualifications.

He lead her around the house, showing her the viewing room, the morgue and finally his office, that’s where he planned on ending the night.

“So what do you think?” He smirked sitting down behind his desk, leaning back and gripping the arm rests, his eyes now only focused on the slightest sight of Amy’s leg through the slit in her dress.

“This place is amazing, I’m so happy you hired me…” she trailed off, still admiring the interior.

“Not as happy as I am I bet.” He joked but the slight growl in his voice was unmistakable. He couldn’t stop staring at her, her legs were pale and perfectly shaped, from her skin but muscled calves to her thick thighs, tattoos still scattered all over them, he couldn’t help but wonder what other tattoos she had, maybe in less… visible places. Her lips were full and plump, so soft and kissable, and those eyes, those unbelievable eyes, they were hypnotic, she must have this affect on everyone, how could anyone not go crazy looking at those beautiful green orbs.

She shifted in her seat, noticing his staring and feeling slightly uncomfortable, she wasn’t used to this attention, but she liked it.

Blaine searched for an excuse to get her closer to him, looking around the room before his eyes settles onto his small office window.

“Come here, there’s a great view of the city from here…” she followed him as he stood up and walked towards the small window, moving the drapes away just enough for her to see the lights of the skyline sparkle in the night.

She silently thanked the architect for making these windows so thin, as she was practically so close to him that he could smell her perfume, now hours old, radiating from her.

“Wow, it’s beautiful…”

She gazed out to the horizon, but Blaine’s gaze stayed on her.

“Amy?”

“Yeah?” She looked at him, eyes darting from his to his lips, she’d felt it all night too, this undeniable tension between them, a connection that was more than potential coworkers.

His hand reached for her chin, tipping it up before leaning down and kissing her, soft, slow and caring, her hands made their way to his neck, fingers twisting in his short hair. They pulled away, slightly breathless, looking in each others eyes in comfortable near-silence. Just the sound of the record player in the background.

There was a mutual understanding between them as Blaine walked backwards towards his office chair, still holding her before sitting down, pulling the gorgeous woman onto his lap.

She initiated the kiss this time, pulling him in tightly while his hands explored her body, settling on her hips, massaging them gently while her kisses became more needy and biting.

They both knew what would happen next…

[power-rings]

Till Death Do Us Part Chapter 3: Talk To Me

A/N: Yeah I actually finished the next chapter already. Hadn't been this eager to write in awhile. So enjoy the next chapter, everyone! If you like listen while you read along, this is what I was listening to while I wrote!

Weeks turned into months since Shadow and Amy had spoken, they would occasionally see one another in the city; or at the school when Amy dropped off the children. Throughout the awkward silence Amy couldn't get her mind off of him. How was he doing? Was he mad at her? Random thoughts popped in her head concerning the dark hedgehog. She also wondered how his Chao was doing, Echo certainly was a cute companion. It seemed like they were the perfect match for one another. At least Shadow wasn't completely alone; not that he minded. 

Honestly, she missed him. Every once in a while, she lay in bed staring at the last conversation via text message, and she'd start typing but froze in mid-typing.  Instead, Amy would end up shutting her phone off to get some much deserved rest. Anytime her phone would sound off the day after that, she hoped it was actually him. Amy stood at the kitchen sink daydreaming while her dishes were soaking. She jumped back into reality when Lily came rushing downstairs, "mom! We gotta get to the game!" Oh yeah, Lily started playing soccer a couple weeks ago. She was pretty good for being unfamiliar with the sport. Her friends played alongside her, and she  adored it. Amy probably loved watching her as much as Lily enjoyed playing. She also had a great coach on the field, it was her uncle Knuckles. He also would coach football in the fall, if he was needed. Deep down Knuckles preferred teaching football when given the chance, but the previous coach for soccer had to move all of a sudden, and the school was in dire need so Knuckles was hired on the spot. 

The game ended around 9pm that evening, the home team taking another win for the season. In reward, Knuckles took the players out to celebrate to get pizza and some ice cream. About 11pm that night, they said their goodbyes and departed back to their homes. Amy was relieved that tomorrow was the start of the weekend, so her and the kids could sleep in. 

The following morning, Amy woke up around 10am that morning to find her children curled beside her. When did they join her last night? She couldn't remember, nor did she mind whatsoever. She held them close and tight against her; soaking up every moment with them. Eventually by noon, the three of them got out of bed and had a late brunch at Vanilla's Cafe. She never made the family pay their bill whenever they ever ate there. Vanilla claimed it was because Amy works there, but the pink hedgehog knew otherwise. Amy was tickled to see Cream coming from the back of the cafe to greet them. Amy and Cream hadn't been able to catch up with her clothing line going so flawlessly. Her nearby boutique was booming with business. So much so, that Cream had to close to restock the shop. This was why Cream was relieved she finally hired some help there. She couldn't have done this alone, that was for sure. 

Vanilla closes earlier on every other Saturdays to make sure they have enough inventory, and to go through their finances they've collected. After a busy lunch hour, the older rabbit turned the Open sign to closed. Other employees were working in the back to fulfil some online orders, and then boxed the contents up, and bagged each of them before heading out to the destination that was sent to them the day before. Vanilla asked Lily and Mach if they could assist her with some other duties around the cafe, they were more than happy to help so they jumped at the opportunity. Amy and Cream cleaned off their table, and made their way behind the counter to clean up and do a count of items they were needing for the upcoming order. "I saw you and Shadow together." Cream suddenly broke the silence. Amy almost dropped the container of cream cheese that she pulled from the huge fridge. "It was a long time ago, but... are you and him a thing?" Cream's eyes widened, when she met Amy's jade eyes. 

The pink hedgehog felt her cheeks growing hot, but Amy shook her head, "No. We're not anything, Cream.  I felt... lonely.. so he walked me home after work." She jotted down something on the notepad in her hand. Cream nodded, Amy breathed out in relief when her friend didn't continue to ask more questions. Cream knew her very well, if Amy wanted to talk more about whether anything was going on, even if just a hint; Amy would definitely tell her. Cream quickly changed the subject, talking about her upcoming clothing projects, but mentioned she was gonna focus on selling out what she designed already. Especially since her next project was focused on fall attire. Amy was so proud of her, the younger rabbit lost count of how many times Amy had told her that. Of course she didn't mind the compliments, and the encouragements without her she wouldn't even be a clothing designer. Once they gathered their list and sat together checking things off. This helped Vanilla tremendously. Once the children sat with them, they all enjoyed a hot cup of tea, and chatted for hours.

-

Weeks flew by, filled with soccer games, meetings with teachers, pizza nights, and movie nights to name a few. Near the end of August the family took a trip to the mountains, all of them were there for week out of school, and work. Knuckles, Rouge and their family, Tails, Cream and her mom as well. The cabin was full of laughter, and chaos. It was like the good days... when Sonic was with them. While the children played amongst each other, Mach and Knuckles' son occasionally getting into trouble for roughhousing, eventually pairing off to join Knuckles and Tails at the pool table. Amy was standing outside on the balcony admiring the stunning view of the mountains before her. "Hey sugar." Rouge greeted, slipping outside of the sliding door of the cabin. She gave Amy an warm arm hug. "You're missing him right now, aren't you?" Amy almost wondered if she was actually talking about Shadow. She quickly pushed that thought out of her head. 

"Everyday.." She leaned into her shoulder. "Earlier this year I wouldn't even come along with you guys." Amy gave her a pained smile, and Rouge returned it.

"You're making progress, girlie." The girls distanced themselves. "Sonic would have been proud of you, Amy. He would want you to live your life, even if he couldn't... enjoy it with you." Amy's ears pinned back in sadness, and her eyes stung with fresh tears. The two embraced in a teary hug. Pushing such emotions behind them, they joined the others inside the coziness of the cabin, they gathered together to play some tabletop games, video games, dancing games like they use to do as kids, the room filling with laughter once more. When the children went to bed, the adults decided to play a game with alcohol shots. They wouldn't drink enough to get wasted, but just for the hell of it. Amy on the other hand after 6 shots she felt funny, thankfully they ended the game shortly after and started to get ready to head to bed. Some of them taking turns having a quick shower or a bubble bath before going to sleep.

Now alone in the dark bedroom, Amy glanced at her phone her finger hovered over Shadow's contact number. Just text him. It won't hurt. Invite him for coffee on Monday. Amy sat at the edge of her bed, her fingers tapping away. She simply sent him a "Hello", and then shamefully laid her phone down on the nightstand, tucked herself under the comforter. She was out like a light within 20 minutes.

-

Around 9 the following morning, she peeled her eyes open, and her ears twitched in annoyance to the sound of her alarm going off. She reached for her phone to turn the racket off, she rubbed at her eyes,  trying to focus on the notifications that displayed on her phone. One of them was by Shadow. Her face turned hot all of a sudden. She scrolled to open his text message.

Morning. His message read, it showed that he read her message around 1 that morning, and he didn't respond until about 7 that morning. Perhaps he was doubting talking to her, too? She was relieved he even texted at all. 

She bit her bottom lip, and started texting back. "Are you gonna be free on Monday? Would you like to have coffee at my house?" Amy inserted a emoji of a coffee inside the text. She almost wanted to admit that she missed him, but that would be pushing it. To her surprise, he was already typing back. While she waited for his response,  Amy quickly got off the bed, and started to find something to wear for the day ahead. She overheard commotion from her friends, Cream and Vanilla was probably prepping breakfast for everyone. Her phone made a noise, and vibrated to indicate she received a text.

...Sure. He responded back. All that wait for him to reply with one word? Damn, Shadow. She texted him the time to come by on Monday, and then rushed out the door to meet her friends for breakfast. Her mind felt fuzzy. What was she doing? She didn't want to hurt her daughter's feelings, or give her the wrong idea when she told her months ago that Shadow wasn't going to be around more often. It was just catching up over a cup of coffee. That's all. She told herself over and over in her head. While she was fighting with these thoughts, unaware to her friends, they talked amongst themselves, and devoured the delicious breakfast prepared for them. Amy stayed pretty quiet at the table. Only making small talk every once and awhile. Once everyone was finished up, Amy, and Lily helped with the dishes, and Mach stubbornly helped sweep any messes on the floor around the dinning area. The big group of friends gathered some of their belongings and headed out into the shopping area downtown. It was a nice change compared to the shops back at home. Amy found a new handbag, while the kids found some candy, and Mach found a toy or two that he wanted. They stopped for a snack after noon that day, before hitting some more stores. They found a familiar mountain overlook where they recaptured some pictures that they once took here years ago.  When they returned with handfuls of bags, they all slouched on the couch to catch a movie. While the movie played, Rouge, Amy, and Cream, started packing up their things. They will be heading back home early in the morning. Once everything was packed up, and the children's belongings were packed away, they relaxed in the hot tub together. Catching up some gossip here and there. It felt like things were back to normal once more, Amy gave a sigh of relief as Rouge and Cream talked amongst themselves. 

They returned home bright and early that Sunday morning, Amy went through the children's belongings and started a load of laundry, while they snoozed on the couch together. Amy had to stop by the store so she could get some groceries and some other random needs. Lily and Mach tagged along, picking out things they wanted for the school week ahead of them. Mach got bored so he ended up riding in the cart and begged his mom to let him play on her phone, which she didn't allow. They left the store, stopped for a quick bite to eat and headed back home for a lazy evening. Mach had to catch up on some last minute homework that he had forgotten to bring during his vacation, while Lily drew on her sketchpad. The nightly routine went smoothly from there, and they wished eachother a good night. While they were in a deep slumber, Amy was wide awake for several hours... thinking about Shadow visiting in the morning. He would be coming by after the kids were already in school. She texted him one last time that evening, but he didn't respond back until midnight saying he was busy at the moment. Amy respected that, and rested her head while her mind continued to race.

Monday came and Mach put up a fight about getting up and going to school, Amy was concerned she was gonna have to literally drag him out of bed, and out the door. It was a frantic start of the week. Lily already went ahead with her friends at the school, Amy watching closely before turning to go back home because Mach forgot his lunchbox, once home he quickly retrieved it from the kitchen and walked back to the school with his mom. His teacher and Amy spoke a few words, and Amy kneeled to his level telling him to respect his teacher and follow her instructions. He wanted to roll his eyes, but thought against it, so he just nodded before joining his classmates. Waving bye, Amy departed the school. She made a quick errand before returning home, it was just after 9:30am by now and Shadow was waiting outside her house. Startling her slightly. "You really shouldn't leave your front door open, Amy." He warned. Amy slapped her forehead, walked passed him going inside her house. 

"It's been a crazy morning, ok? I wasn't that far." He grunted in response, as he inched further into the house. "Mach forgot to do his homework, so we were up late, and then he left his lunchbox this morning." She laughed, "don't you just love Mondays?" Shadow raised a brow, not sure if that was a hypothetical question or not. "Sorry, I know I was running behind. I didn't realize I ran out of coffee and some creamer."  Amy knew she had forgotten something at the store on Sunday. Mom brain. She unpacked everything, and tossed the plastic in the recycling bin. While Shadow sat down at the bar, she sat down a thing of cookies she made earlier that morning. He watched her prepare some coffee. She felt his gaze on her back, and shivered. "Any creamer for you?" 

"Just black coffee."

"Boring." She said with a grin, as she poured out the freshly made pot of coffee into a mug for him, he got up to retrieve it from her. Their eyes briefly met, before she turned to make a cup of joe for herself. 

"How was vacation? I thought I was the one known for silent treatments." He muttered the end of that sentence, as if he didn't mean to say that outside of his thoughts. Amy shot him a look, she reached for the handle of her mug not noticing how hot it had gotten. 

"I had fun- OUCH!" Amy's squealed, she let go of the cup and it shattered to the floor, spilling the contents all over her shoes, and her floor. Shadow quickly responded, and put his cup back on the table. Amy glanced at her hand, thankfully it didn't look too bad. Her gloves probably protected her from too much damage to her skin. She bent down, "can you grab that broom...?" Before she got it out of her mouth, he was gone to retrieve the broom, she picked up a bigger piece of the shattered cup. She dropped it on the floor and backed up. Taking note that this was indeed Sonic's cup. She didn't realize she grabbed that cup for herself, she just now noticed that the mug on the counter was still there. It read "wifey" on it. While Shadow was trying to get the pieces up with a broom, she started bawling. 

Shadow stood tall when he noticed she had been crying. What just happened? Did she get burned? He wondered. "Let's get your boots off..." He said, trying to soak up the liquid with a towel. He encouraged her to let him help her with her wet boots, but Amy jerked away. 

"I am so damn clumsy!" She screamed out a curse, beating herself up for this little incident. She stubbornly wiped at her tears, and walked over to the remains of the cup that Shadow had scooped up in a dustpan for her. She picked up the piece that had part of the "h" engraved on it. She slammed her fist on the counter, and cried harder, her body shaking with grief. Hands touched her by the shoulder, as she was brought away from the counter. 

"It's just a cup." Shadow whispered. His left hand ran down her arm. "We can get it fixed. Or a new one.." 

Amy abruptly turned to around fully to face the male hedgehog, "no! It wouldn't be the same!" She pushed him away. "It's gone. Just like him..." Normally, Amy would wonder why grief would hit her like this. She was doing great! Or at least she thought so. "I wish it was me who died, Shadow..."  She slumped against the counter. Her face red from all the crying, and her eyes bloodshot. "Why couldn't it have been me?" She brushed her bangs away from her eyes, staring at the floor.

Shadow didn't have an answer for that. He always wondered why Maria had to die, instead of him. But, that was a question that would never get answered. "Maria always said when someone died... they were sleeping. Perhaps.. Sonic needed to rest." Shadow words were barely audible. "Perhaps, it wasn't your time because... you have more to do here." Shadow looked away when her teary gaze met his, he rubbed at the back of his head. He hated confrontation such as this. Battles he could do any time of the day, and brush it off but having a deep conversation like this was a different ballgame. 

Amy sniffled, "Sonic sure did carry a lot on his shoulders." The pink hedgehog exhaled. Maybe Shadow was right? It was easier to think about death after what he said. "Lily and Mach would have been without a mother. I couldn't even imagine..." Amy's heartbeat seemed to have returned to a normal pace, and she started to relax. Shadow offered to fix her a cup while Amy went to remove her shoes, and let them dry outside. She turned down the offer; for she couldn't stomach drinking coffee right now. For the rest of the evening, Amy and Shadow sat in silence scanning through the channels provided on the television. When they saw something that caught their attention, halfway through the film Amy fell asleep on the couch. Shadow quietly got up, and made his way to the exit. Double checking to make sure her front door was locked before leaving. 

--

Later that evening, Amy decided to pick up a shift at the cafe to ease her mind and help her friends. Cream actually ended up getting sick after they returned from their vacation, so Vanilla needed help with closing up the cafe. A few costumers lingered while reading a book, and sipping slowly on their coffee. Amy of course didn't rush them. They'll be closing at 9pm tonight, so they had an hour at least. The bell at the door rung when a familiar face walked inside. Amy doubled back when she witnessed Shadow walking in the cafe. He glanced at the menu, while she quickly put the mop away, so she could greet him behind the counter. "Hey you." Shadow scoffed at her greeting. "What would you like today?" Her costumer voice taking over.

"I... didn't plan on buying anything." Amy rolled her eyes and started wrapping a couple pieces of fudge up for him. Encouraging him to try it, at least. His brows furrowed, but he presented his payment anyway, but she waved it off, then returned to her cleaning. Before unwrapping the treat,  Shadow dropped some cash into the tipping jar. He took a bite of the chocolate fudge, as if he was a picky child trying something new. Amy looked over to see him walking over. Her eyes went to a box in his hand, how had she not noticed that before. She wiped some sweat off of her brow, and pushed the mop aside. 

"What ya' got?" She motioned towards the box under his arm, from behind Shadow she witnessed the couple get up to leave. They waved bye, and thanked her. She took a sip of water, waiting for Shadow to respond. Before he did, he ate the remainder of his fudge.  

"It's for you." Amy blinked in surprise. Without her trying to turn this gift down, he handed it to her. Amy glanced around the cafe, not like she should be worried because the cafe should be closing soon and the other employee with her is working on a 5 layer cake. She opened the flap of the box to reveal something wrapped securely in bubble wrap. While she took the item out of the box, Shadow inhaled the peanut butter fudge that he had. It appeared to be a mug. It was a black mug with letters engraved on it that read "A-hole." Amy blinked at the other hedgehog in confusion. "You can keep it at your place, if I visit for coffee."

Her lips spread out into a warm smile as she admired it, "ok. Thanks I guess?" Amy shouldn't be expecting anything romantic, at least. It wasn't like there was anything romantic going on, anyway. She wrapped it up and put it away. "It's nice and all, but it shouldn't say that..." She knew he was trying to be humorous because on her contact list he is listed under "Asshole", her eyes softened and she inched closer to him, their bodies touching when she him into a hug. "you're not an asshole, Shadow. At least not to me, anyway." She could feel his heart beating faster almost so fast she thought it would pound out of his chest. Amy felt warm against him, her cheeks growing hotter the longer she held him in an embrace.  When their eyes met again, she could have sworn she saw redness building on his cheeks. Amy pinched his cheeks, "so...take it back." Someone behind them in the cafe had coughed, making the hedgehogs part from eachother. Ciara looked to Amy in surprise. 

"Oh! I'm sorry... whose this fella, Amy?"

Amy laughed nervously, and distanced herself further from the male hedgehog. "Oh, just a good friend. That's all." Her burning cheeks said differently, a friend wouldn't make you feel this way, right? "Shadow, this is my coworker Ciara." Shadow acknowledged with just a nod in her direction. Ciara nodded back in acknowledgement, her smile turning into a playful grin. Shadow whispered that'll he'll be leaving now, and within seconds Shadow was gone. 

Ciara grinned back at the blushing Amy, "I didn't know you were dating now." She walked behind the counter to remove the remaining treats from the display. Some of which will be taken home with them, or given away.

"We're not dating." Amy sighed. She felt defeated. 

"Really?" Ciara looked at her, conflicted. She wasn't convinced whatsoever. But, this wasn't her business. "If you say so, Amy. " Ciara smiled back at her. "Is there anymore cleaning that needs to be done?" She looked around the room. 

Amy swallowed the lump in her throat, "this table should be the last one." Her coworker nodded. 

"Amy, if he makes you happy. Go for it." Ciara stopped infront of the booth that Amy was cleaning.

The pink hedgehog slumped into the booth, "I can't. There's no one that can replace-"

"Who would be replacing him? Honey..." Ciara sat with her. "No one will ever replace your dear husband. I'm sure if you go further with this Shadow character, he would know that."

Amy gave her a faint smile, then looked down to her feet. "Lily saw him, and I can't do that to her. I can't just bring a strange guy into our lives like that." Amy glanced out the window, watching the rain patter against the window. "It feels way too soon."

"I'm sure she can get use to him, and start to love him for who he is. She doesn't have to see him as a replacement for her dad. But, if she sees that HE makes you happy, I'm sure she would learn to accept him, so will Mach as well." Ciara hugged her close, Amy gave a deep sigh. "If you feel like its too soon, take your time. Don't be trying to make little brothers and sisters for Lily and Mach, now." Her pink friend gave her a look, and Ciara laughed. 

"Chaos..." Amy hid her face, and quickly got up from the booth. "He... does make me happy, Ciara. He has brought me out of my emotional funk." Once the table was cleaned off, Amy walked over to collect the tip on the counter, noticing the cash that Shadow left. She smiled. "But, he's not exactly a very open kind of guy, though. He's so hard to read. Much harder to understand than Sonic was." She locked up the cash register, and disposed of any receipts from the day. 

Ciara switched off some lights in the cafe, then walked back over towards Amy. "What guy is, though? If it doesn't work for you, then it's not meant to be.  I wouldn't hide him from your children though, if things get serious. That'll hurt even worse, and hurt their trust for not only you but your new fella." Once the lights were completely turned off inside, Ciara opened the door to move the sign and placed it indoors. Amy followed her with a set of keys, and exited with Ciara. A few blocks down they made their way to an old couple that owned a store that sold all sorts of fruits, veggies, and various home grown items. After each shift if they had anything from the cafe, they always brought them free treats. Everytime they wanted to pay for it, but their money was turned away. They made some small talk, before leaving. They visited a couple more stores down the street, gave some out to the staff at the hospital, until they were empty handed. They paused at the bus stop. "I'll see you in a couple of days, ok?" Ciara hugged Amy. "Don't forget what I said, ok? You deserve happiness, Amy. If this Shadow guy provides that happiness ... don't miss this opportunity."

[litcityblues]

Doctor Whoquest Part Twelve: Our Smithels Now Have Ended

I think there are a number of key ingredients that give Matt Smith a real shot at taking the top spot of Nu-Who Doctors. The writing, the music, and the acting all just click perfectly, and while I think it takes every Doctor a series or two to really dig into the role and reach the peak of their powers, as it were, Matt Smith brought a different kind of energy to the role and with this, his final series, he went out at the absolute top of his game. If there is a Doctor who thrives at capturing big, epic, myth-making moments for this franchise and absolutely owning them, it's this one and he had some absolutely top-notch material to work with for his final season.

I don't know if Russell T. Davies has big plans for the franchise as he takes the reins again, but he didn't seem opposed to spin-off shows to grow the universe a bit so I have to put in a plug: The Paternoster Gang is just sitting there. It's perfect. It practically writes itself. You could even tie it back into the origins of the Torchwood Institute, as that came out of a Series 2 Episode with Queen Victoria. There's just so much potential there. All we need is for someone to actually make the thing happen. (Hell, you could even do a 'limited series' thing if you didn't want to commit to a full show.) But seeing more of The Paternoster Gang is a hill I will always die on!

I have yet to see the 60th Anniversary Specials-- but I have a good feeling about them based on both The Centenary Special (Jodie Whittaker) and the 50th Anniversary Special in this series, which was as close to perfect as you could possibly ask for. Tentative Verdict: Nu-Who is good at big specials.

This season is, once again, split into two parts-- with Amy and Rory taking their final bow as companions after the end of the 5th Episode and then Clara Oswald showing up to take over as the main companion in the back half of the season. I loved the way they introduced Clara- setting up a mystery that the Doctor is preoccupied with for most of the back half of the season. If you didn't know Clara was coming on as a companion watching this, her first appearance (as Oswin in 'Asylum of the Daleks') pays off beautifully by the end of the season.

Three Episodes I Liked

'The Name of the Doctor'/'The Day of The Doctor'/'The Time of the Doctor': You could do these separately or all together so I view them more as a trilogy of episodes that separate ones and for a Doctor who thrives in big, epic moments, these are the perfect end to Matt Smith's run. From the moment in 'The Name of The Doctor' when Clara goes into his timeline to rescue him from The Great Intelligence and pays off something that's been building the entire season, to the revelation of a previously unknown Doctor (John Hurt) and what he did during the Time War ('The Day Of The Doctor') and having three Doctors on screen at once! To finally, finally, the 11th Doctor meets his fate at Trenzalore where the crack in the wall and the Silence and every strand of 11's mythology that's been built over the past three seasons gets tied up neatly into the perfect bow. Smith's final bow was perfect. The lightning-fast change into Capaldi followed by the 'I've got new kidneys. I don't like the color'-- you can't ask for a better way to hand off to the next Doctor and what an epic end. Just about perfect.

2. 'The Power of Three': This underrated episode because it explores something from the Companion's point of view that doesn't really get touched on: when do you choose between 'The Doctor Life' and 'Regular Life'-- I also liked the fact that there was a year-long arc to this episode that they called 'The Slow Invasion' and that it also forced The Doctor to kind of see what 'regular life' was like for his friends. Ultimately, at the urging of Rory's Dad, they stay as full-time Companions.

3. 'Hide': A haunting is never just a haunting in Doctor Who and this one was especially creepy the twist at the end is nice and finding out the Doctor's true motives for the visit to the haunted mansion was also a nice twist. (Plus, it sets up the concept of a pocket universe for important developments later on in the season.)

Two Episodes I Didn't Like

'A Town Called Mercy': While I appreciate that the Old West isn't the usual setting you see in Doctor Who, this episode was largely just okay for me.

2. 'Journey To The Center of the TARDIS': I'm of two minds about this episode as well. On the one hand, interesting plot point. On the other hand, did we just construct an episode to have the Doctor confront Clara about her past lives and his connection to him and then for it not to matter in the slightest because everyone's memory gets re-written? Seems like a waste of an episode to me, but it wasn't bad either.

One Episode To Consider

'Dinosaurs On A Spaceship': Much like Snakes On A Plane, the title pretty much encapsulates the entire episode. There's a spaceship and there are dinosaurs on it-- seems like it should be silly, but in fact, it turns out to be fun, kind of weird, and a little bit awesome all at the same time.

Overall: Hey, do you all remember when I pointed out that Amy had her baby stolen and should have been way more traumatized than she appeared to be by the end of the previous Smith Season? We open the season 'The Asylum of the Daleks' with Amy and Rory on the verge of divorce! We find out why, of course, when Amy reveals that because of what happened to her at Demon's Run, she can't have more children, so she can't give Rory the kids that he wants. In the end, they decide that they love each other more than that and fix themselves a bit, but I'd like my previous complaint to be stricken from the record, your honor. They doubled back and talked about it! I like that.

Where does Smith fit into the Nu-Who pantheon? Before I wrapped up Capaldi, I think he might have been my favorite but now... I think Capaldi might still be my top choice, but Smith is just behind him and Whittaker might be just behind them-- ranking these Doctors is so weird when you think about it because there are aspects of all of them that I've liked so far and aspects that aren't so good. You can appreciate the Whittaker Run for taking big swings, even if they wound up being glorious trainwrecks while acknowledging that the writing wasn't as good as it could have been for some of it. You can appreciate the Capaldi run for any number of things, but point out weak points here and there as well. I loved Smith in the role. He has the best first episode of any Doctor in Nu-Who and his final three episodes provide the perfect bookend. Whether it's the writing, the acting, or just pure happenstance, this run thrived on big, epic, mythmaking moments and turbocharged the franchise in many ways, making it bigger, more cinematic, and generally proving itself well adept to handle, big, epic moments. It's a contribution that can't be understated to the continued success of Nu-Who.

My Grade: 9/10

[spammreviews]

FUTURAMA SEASON...WHATEVER SEASON THE MOST RECENT ONE IS, REVIEW

I don’t hate this recent season of Futurama. It’s got a lot of good spots, but it also has some pretty glaring issues.

The first episode starts out alright. There’s a few cute meta jokes, the parody of Black Mirror was very funny, and Fry’s existential crisis about life passing him by felt rather relatable and seemed like something he would go through.

Then, Fry gets stuck in the chair. The show then decides to completely ditch what it had just set up as the central focus of the episode, Fry’s existential angst.

After that, we get this whole charade of the gang bringing back All My Circuits, complete with even more meta jokes that all get tiring pretty quickly. This whole situation also asks the audience to really stretch our sense of disbelief and ignore a huge amount of contrivances. The gang’s solution to the Fry chair making no sense. The explanation as to why they have to make live episodes of All My Circuits extremely quickly breaks the logic of the show so much it takes away all dramatic weight that trying to save Fry’s life would otherwise have. Why didn’t they just show Fry reruns?

Also, after the whole charade, it seems like Fry is dead, but then he’s not. In fact, it turns out that everything the gang did in the final act of the episode was meaningless. I get that they were trying to be funny by playing with the audience, but it’s just unsatisfying, and it makes the episode feel kind of pointless.

Oh, and also, the show just straight up refuses to explain how The Professor solved the issue of time freezing besides from two throw away lines, nor does it explain what it means the characters. We also don’t really get much of a resolution on Fry’s existential angst, as he spends most of the episode catatonic. He has this line about Leela being the reason for his life or something, which is nice, but this isn’t something the episode builds up. When you write character arcs, you want the character to learn lessons from the events which occur, not just randomly decide to have different viewpoints.

Leela going to these extreme lengths to make Fry happy seems really interesting, but it doesn’t really amount to anything more than her immediately realizing it’s bad. Once again, it’s not a really well done character arc, or much of a character arc at all. It’s a character light switch, where she jumps from one viewpoint to another extremely quickly. I legitimately think that Leela struggling to please Fry is a smart path and in-character place to take her, but it’s dropped as quickly as it’s brought up. That’s really frustrating.

Oh, and also, this episode felt overstuffed. It tried to give every character a moment, and as a result, it didn’t have enough time to give any of them an actual story.

Speaking of interesting set ups with little pay off, the second episode.

Now, this episode sets out to do two things that I really appreciate: Pay off the setup of Kiff and Amy’s kids, and add depth to the character of Amy. I would say it successfully does the first one.

Accomplishing the second one is a much more difficult task from a writing standpoint. Now, if one was writing this episode, one would probably want to have Amy be forced to confront her flaws and learn from them in order to be a mother, right? Now, it seems like the episode wants to do that, but it kind of doesn’t. I’ll get to that in a moment.

First off, I would just like to say that this episode is kind of miserable. Amy cries about six times. Obviously, Futurama has its sad moments, but it's always one moment, generally at the end of an episode. The entire back half of this episode is just Amy going through hell.

However, my biggest problem is that this episode keeps on changing its focus. First, it seems that the central conflict of the episode will be about Amy’s parents not liking the kids. Then, they leave the episode. So, what was the point of all of that noise about them not liking Kiff? I guess it was kind of funny, but it was also kinda pointless. Then, it seems like the conflict will be about Amy and Kiff struggling to raise the kids. Then, Zapp appears and suddenly Kiff has to go on a B plot. Keep in mind that this happens about halfway through the episode. This kind of pacing might work for a more comedy-driven episode where nothing matters, but this episode is very clearly trying to be dramatic and emotional.

Then, this episode seems to be about Amy trying to take care of the kids. Now, that’s a good place to have Amy’s character be. Amy is an immature character, and she needs to become more mature to raise her kids. However, she is actually being pretty mature in this episode, it’s just that she’s in a situation which would be stressful to everyone. Then, the episode seems to be about Amy being jealous of Leela and lashing out unfairly. That also seems like it could work well, as it actually has Amy being immature. However, the episode has zero time to flesh it out. Amy snaps at Leela on two separate occasions and then half-heartedly apologizes. That’s it. Despite being important to the plot, Leela never has anything to do, and doesn’t go through an arc or anything. She is reduced to a simple plot device.

Then, the episode veers in a different direction once again. Amy and Kiff have to fight to keep their children from being given to Leela. That would maybe feel intense if there were actual stakes. However, so what if Leela becomes the legal owner? She could still just let Amy and Kiff have them. Also, Kiff and Amy could just ignore the cultural rule. Their home planet is light years away.

However, at least this gives Amy the opportunity to step up to the challenge and go through some good old-fashioned character growth. Then, the plot is resolved when the midwife asks Amy if she loves her kids, and Amy says “yes”.

So, Amy learns nothing. We knew she loved her kids! Of course she did! She also overcame nothing. She had to say something she would have always been fine with saying. As such, she doesn’t go through any arc whatsoever. This flies in the face of basic writing. In stories, you want the characters to be faced with obstacles, and then change in order to overcome these obstacles. Imagine if, in Groundhog Day, Phil got out of the time loop by just driving away.

Also, as I said previously, this episode does way too much jumping around, going from conflict to conflict, so not a single one is meaningfully explored. One brief montage is not enough to sell me on the bond between Kiff, Amy, and their kids. Yeah, I get that she loves them, but l don’t feel the bond between her and her children. I also need the kids to have more than four lines each.

The other emotional episodes, like Luck of the Frying and The Late Phillip J Fry, had characters going through these arcs with the emotional moments being the payoff of these arcs. Amy and Kiff don’t get this. They’re very likable characters, but they don’t have any internal struggles.

However, I will say, I thought the thing with the tardigrade guy was very funny. The joke about him hating bears got a good chuckle out of me. I actually do feel like this episode was overall fairly good in the comedy department.

Now, while I wasn’t a huge fan of those two episodes, I do feel like the third episode is a significant improvement, simply because it tries to do a lot less. The main emotional core of this episode is the relationship between Hermes and his son, and that part of the episode is done alright. Hermes’ son goes through a decent and satisfying character arc which makes sense within the story's own logic.

It helps that this was a much more chill episode. Every character went off on their own little side quest, and that was fine because this episode wasn’t trying to be much more than a fun time. The song Bender sings is very fun, and the climax at the end was hilariously over the top. Mostly, the episode just has time to breathe. There are moments of stillness where the characters are just allowed to bounce off one another, and it’s nice.

The hot streak continues. The parasite episode, Parasites Regained, was also fun. In fact, I’d say I actually really liked it. It actually had a pretty satisfying emotional moment at the end, simply because the episode took the time to build up the bond between Leela and Nibbler, something which I think the Kiff and Amy episode failed at. The plot also didn’t feel all that contrived. Sure, it was silly, but it had an internal logic to it that didn’t stretch my sense of disbelief. Plus, the Dune parody was creative, I appreciate that they didn’t do the exact same thing with the parasites as before, and the comedy was overall very good. All around, I have no complaints about this episode.

However, I will take the time to point something out. Every single one of these episodes has at least one plot line and minor character being brought back from previous seasons. The first episode has Calculon, All My Circuits, and The Robot Devil. The second episode has Kiff and Amy’s kids and Amy’s parents. The third episode has the robot mafia and Roberto and Herme’s son. The fourth episode has the parasites and the shrink ray. The fifth episode has Mom. The sixth episode has robot Santa and Amy’s parents and the time traveling device and the two dumb cops. The seventh episode has Barbados Slim and L’Barbara and Hermes’ son and the ramshackle prostitute lady.

Do you see what I’m saying? That’s a lot.

The fifth episode, the Amazon one, is also good. Bender’s arc made sense for him as a character, it did kind of make the same mistake as the first episode, where it removes Bender from the story half way through, but you can still see why the experiences he goes through would change his outlook.

It was also fun to see Fry and Leela being together and just chilling.

The sixth episode, the christmas one, was also fun. Zoidberg is the greatest fictional character of all time, and he was in this episode. I would have appreciated it if they mentioned his girlfriend. I get that she could not be in this episode for plot reasons and because Emilia Clarke is expensive, but they could have just had some line where Zoidberg was like “Ah, my girlfriend is going to Europa to see her family, and she didn’t want me to come because they’re allergic to shellfish or whatever” or something like that.

Other than that, it was fine. Bender and Zoidberg worked really well off of each other, and it’s always fun when two stupid people screw up and then have to cover their screwing up in stupid ways. Overall, it was another more chill episode where the character’s just gotta hang out and get into wacky shenanigans.

I suppose it was also kinda contrived, what with how easy it was to kill Santa, but the whole episode was so clearly set on just being zaniness that I didn’t really mind. I guess I believe that playing fast and loose with reality is alright if it’s an episode without any drama in it. It can be quite hard to take a character’s conflict seriously if the way they got into the conflict was absurd, but if the character’s conflict was never supposed to be taken seriously, then it’s fine.

The seventh episode, the corona virus one, had problems. First off, there are four “relevant” episodes in this season. That’s too many. Yes, old Futurama had “relevant” episodes, but not this many, and I think that’s something to be grateful for, as those episodes are often on the weak side. I like the Lucy Lui episode, but it’s not a certified hood classic or anything, and I don’t think there are any big fans of the proposition infinity episode.

The other problem with this is that they were uncreative with a lot of the jokes. Like, the zoom meeting was just…a zoom meeting, and they had the usual jokes about zoom meetings. As has been said by many others, it would have been a lot more funny if they had something more futuristic, like holograms, and then they made jokes about that. For the past three years, I have heard a bazillion jokes about zoom, and a bazillion jokes about people wearing masks incorrectly, and a bazillion jokes about the covid test being uncomfortable.

However, there are some things I appreciate about the seventh episode. I thought it was clever of them to change it to Explovid, and I feel like they should have applied that creativity to the rest of the episode’s references. I also really liked Fry and Leela’s plot line. I think this season absolutely nailed their relationship, understanding their dynamic and why these two people need each other.

However, let’s move back to complaints eith Episode Seven. I agree with what other people have said about L’Barbara, this episode took the thing about her being in love with Barbados Slim waaaaay too far. It’s just kinda…I don’t wanna say “cringey”, but it made me cringe. There’s too much second-hand embarrassment.

But, I will say, I did really like the way this episode looked, with the design of New New Orleans being very clever.

Moving on, the episode where Zap gets cancelled is…fine? I appreciate the fact that they added new characters for Zap’s re-education. My biggest problem was that I was just…not all that interested in either of the plots. The jokes were fine, but not good enough to carry the episode. There weren't much stakes either, we don’t really care if Earth gets the gas thing or not, nor do we care about the weird squishy people. There’s only a sense of danger until the later part of the episode, and by then I was kind of checked out.

It also suffers from another problem this season has, being way to on the nose. Zap having to wear a red "C" on his chest feels a bit too much, and they didn't have to have him quote Trump by bringing up "locker room talk".

The episode after that is The Prince and the Product.

It's easily the strangest episode of futurama ever. A point is being made about corporatism and advertisements, and how it strips stories of their meaning. Unfortunately, it does that by giving us a purposefully awful story. Seeing Leela ditch Fry for someone she doesn't know is meant to be unsatisfying and frustrating. However, I don't want to be unsatisfied and frustrated.

Also, the three different anthology segments were just...to random in their execution. There was no rhyme or reason, just nonsensical bit after nonsensical bit. After a while, I just got tired.

However, the last episode is legitametly great.

This episode deals with the theory that we all live in a simulation, but it takes a very creative and clever approach to it. The Professor creates a simulation, and then the people in this simulation create a simulation, and it's turtles all the way down.

The episode then ties this all into the character of Bender, and him having feelings of deficiency due to being a created being. I've always liked the way Futurama deals with robots. The robots in the show don't want to be more human, as they're all basically human. However, they are beings with intelligent design put into them, and that can lead to conflict and delimnas.

Also, I can't think of a single sci fi story other than this which asks the question "What would a robot think of simulation theory?"

In conclusion, the season is not awful, but I feel like I would be more willing to forgive its faults if the circumstances were different. “Meanwhile” was such a perfect ending to the show, and yes, this season has been wrapping up a few hanging plotlines, but it's not like I was dying to see how the parasites would come back. Can't we just let sleeping robots lie?

But hey, if you like this recent season, good for you. I am not intending to invalidate anyone's opinion.

[arthurdrakoni]

Season two of The Dial-Up is a worthy follow-up to season one. This time, the future comes calling.

Season one of The Dial-Up was short, sweet, but still an excellent audio drama.  I was eagerly waiting to see what season two would bring.  Well, the wait is finally over.  Season two of The Dial-Up is here, and so is my review. 

To recap, season one of The Dial-Up followed a tech support worker named Lewis. He wound up having an Internet phone call with a dude named Callum. Not too unusual, except that Lewis was in 2022, and Callum was in 1999. They chatted it up, compared their lives, and prevented a minor catastrophe from happening. Lewis decided, on Callum’s advice, to quit his dead-end job and go see the world. Unfortunately, money doesn’t last forever, and Lewis had to go crawling back to his old job. It sucks, but it pays the bills. Well, Lewis is having another cross-temporal conversation. Only this time he is chatting with a woman named Dana from 2052. Dana needs Lewis’ help to prevent a massive earthquake from striking Glasgow. 

Philip Catherwood promised us a fantastic second season of The Dial-Up, and he certainly did not disappoint. I had wondered if something like this might happen. We already got a caller from the past. So, it would certainly make sense for the future to come calling.

Philip Catherwood allowed me to listen to the first two episodes of season two before anyone else. He only requested that I tweet out a spoiler-free Twitter thread about my thoughts. Philip did this because of my role helping promote The Dial-Up, and being a key listener. Thank you for that, Philip. Also, sorry that it took me so long to get this review out. I was working on some personal projects. Hopefully, said project will be out soon. 

Craig McDonald Kelly returns for another fantastic performance as Lewis. I loved how Craig portrayed Lewis’ dorkier side now that he is in Callum’s shoes. Perhaps, Callum managed to rub off on Lewis. I must also give praise to Amy Alexander’s performance as Dana. You can see shades and echoes of how Lewis was in season one, but Dana has enough differences to make her interesting. 

Now, with all the focus on the future, this season of The Dial-Up makes several predictions.  I felt some were more on the mark than others.  For example, we learn that Britain will be getting a space program in the future.  Wait a minute, Britain already has a space program.  It was founded back in 2010.  On the other hand, I do think that climate change getting worse is a depressingly realistic possibility.  Just look how many people refused to take Covid seriously.  I also think the part about movie theaters not dying out, but significantly reducing in number, also tracks.  Don’t know if eating bugs will become commonplace by 2052, but I certainly hope it does.  Bugs are quite tasty. 

Season two of The Dial-Up is a worthy follow-up to season one.  I’m eagerly looking forward to what season three will bring.

Have you listened to season two of The Dial-Up?  If so, what did you think?

Link to the full review on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-audio-file-dial-up-season-2.html?m=0

And if you haven’t checked out my review of season one, here’s the link to it: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-audio-file-dial-up.html?m=0

[spvilers]

LITTLE WOMEN & CONFESSIONS — R. ROTH

ღ summary; you and rachel have a sleepover like usually, but this one is going to change everything.

ღ pairing; rachel roth x fem!reader

ღ warnings; mentions of vomiting

author’s note; season three rachel was literally so gorgeous wth

“WHY ARE YOU looking at me like that?”

Rachel quickly shook out of her trance. you were laying on her bed in the starfish position, looking at the wall above you.

Rachel chuckled, to overplay her nervousness, “You can’t even see me, how would you know if I was staring?”

You smile to yourself, “Because I know you.”

Rachel can hardly fight the blush that makes its way on her face. You see, ever since Rachel figured out her feelings for you last week, she’s been on the edge around you. She thought you didn’t notice, well at least she hoped so, but of course, you did.

You just know her all too well.

Three months ago, you and Rachel made a promise to have a sleepover every two weeks and you kept your promise but for the last weeks, you both were so stressed that you had to cancel the last one. but you were both glad you had time for each other now.

And even though she was glad she can finally spend time with you now, she felt like she had to vomit because she planned on telling you about her feelings tonight.

She literally had the whole thing planned out with a little help from Kori, Gar, and Dawn, first you two would order pizza, then watch Little Women because you two just love that movie, and then at the part where Amy tells Laurie “Well I believe we have some power over who we love…” she then would turn to you and tell you that she likes you.

It did not go that way.

The two of you ordered pizza and settled on her bed to watch Little Women, and for the first time, Rachel did not pay attention to the movie, she paid attention to the girl that sitting very close to her, your shoulders were touching.

Rachel watched the way you quietly yawned to yourself, the way your hair framed your beautiful face, the curve of your lips, and your eyes that, even from the side, held a thousand stars in them.

Soon enough Rachel missed the important Amy scene because she was too fixated on you, and man, did she curse herself for it. After the movie ended, you both settled into the bed and stared up at the wall above you.

You were so glad that Rachel wasn’t able to hear your heart beating, you didn’t even know when your feelings for her changed, but they did, drastically.

It was just like, one morning you woke up and were like Oh my god ! I’m in love with Rachel!

Of course, the first person that knew was Donna and then Dick. You couldn’t even try to keep a secret from them if you wanted to, they always found out.

You guys had it all planned out, you would order pizza and then watch Little Women and when the part comes where Jo is like “I just feel like women…” you would turn to her and tell her about your feelings.

But of course, being the coward that you are, you didn’t. You were too busy trying not to look at Rachel and to stop your hands from sweating so much. The whole movie you could feel Rachel eyes on you and you asked yourself if she knew what was going on.

Now you were both laying on Rachel’s bed, no words exchanged between the two of you. Her purple L.E.D. lights being the only thing lighting up the room. It was complete quiet.

That was until Rachel sighed and turned her head to you. Out of instinct, you turned your head to her too, you were so close your noses were almost touching. you thought you saw Rachel‘s eyes flicker down to your lips but that was probably just wishful thinking.

“Hey.” you whispered, a small smile playing on your lips.

Rachel smiled too and your stomach filled with butterflies, “Hey.” she whispered softly, she liked having you this close.

But as quickly as the moment came, it was gone again and Rachel's beautiful smile formed into a frown and she stared up again.

Your brows furrowed in concern. “What’s wrong?” you shuffled closer to her.

Rachel sighed, “I’m such an idiot.” she closed her eyes, “I was supposed to tell someone about my feelings today, but of course I completely messed up and chickened out.” she sat up now, still closing her eyes.

Wait a minute. Rachel has told you about her day, and she didn’t meet anyone except you today.

Does that mean-

Before you could think about it any further you sat up too and blurted out the question, “Who do you have feelings for?” your heart was beating so loud again that you feared she could hear it.

Rachel sighed yet again. “You. And I’m sorry if messed up our friendship-“

You quickly shut her up by placing your lips on hers. Rachel's eyes shot open at the sensation but quickly closed again and began to melt into the kiss. After you two parted your rested your foreheads against each other and smiled.

“I like you too, Rach.” her smile widened. “Actually I was supposed to tell you today too, I had the whole thing planned out with Dick and Donna but I was too scared.”

Rachel chuckled. “I had the whole thing planned out too, with help from Kori, Gar, and Dawn, I was supposed to tell you when we were watching Little Women at the scene with Amy and Laurie where she says ‘I believe we have some power over who we love’ but i was too scared too.” your smile grew and you placed another sweet kiss on her lips.

“Wait, wait, wait-“ Rachel parted from you. “Does that mean that we’re together now? Like you’re my girlfriend?”

You smiled and nodded. “As long as you’ll be mine.” Rachel nodded happily and quickly placed her lips on yours again.

[goodassmotherliker]

War: day 83. Women-produced TV shows are the second greatest invention of humanity after the Javelin.

In my pretty dark media field, it's hard to have a watching experience one could describe as more or less immersive. You work, try to volunteer and donate to the army. At the end of the day, you also have the privilege (believe me, it is a privilege indeed) to spend a couple of hours with the Marvellous Mrs Maisel and Lenny Bruce, the courtesy of Amy Sherman-Palladino and her masterful scriptwriting.

It's the early sixties, and the most horrible war in the history of mankind has just ended (but not for us, ha-ha). American society is progressing politically and economically, but the stereotypes are here to stay. As an artist and as a woman, Midge Maisel is aware of them and would not stay quiet. She is extremely well-dressed, loud, controlling, emotional, enigmatic, and sexy as hell.

Just like Midge, Lenny Bruce is boldly, uncompromisingly himself. Despite belonging to very different, isolated worlds, they are united by their uncensored art and creativity rather than by romance.

When I first saw Lenny on screen, I thought he would be a total and complete asshole. Depressed seasoned male artists in the guru status have always been a big red flag for me. This one, however, was written by a woman and therefore is less unbecoming.

As I scrolled online trying to shake off the spleen, I saw many people comparing Lenny to the Hot Priest from Fleabag. What an awkward protestant clergyman and outspoken Jewish comedy star from the 50s could possibly have in common apart from the good looks? Well, they both have been written by women and did the hottest thing possible: paid attention. The concept of paying attention is so novel in modern scriptwriting that we linked them without giving a second thought and went nuts.

That's what makes the final love-making scene in season 4 mind-blowing. In six years, Lenny Bruce will die on the floor of a Hollywood hotel, blacklisted, naked, and overdosed, but right now he is giving the softest kisses to his soulmate, who is more important than God.

To my regret, you can't indulge in Marvellous Mrs Maisel and its profoundly staged stripper gigs forever. The more you hide in the universe of Upper West Side apartments and downtown comedy clubs, and perfect dresses, and big tits, and men, and sexy men, and sex with sexy men, the harder the reality of your existence comes stabbing you in your guts. The reality of war, rocket missiles, broken hearts, and disfigured bodies. This show is beautiful though and is nice to look forward to apart from our inevitable victory and triumph. I hope I will live to watch the final season.

P. S. I've just heard about ten explosions outside. Production team, please hurry up with the fifth season.

[thefanficmonster]

A Little Childish

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: FLUFF

Summary: Corpse and Y/N go to visit Y/N’s parents for New Year’s. Corpse was promised good food, good company and A LOT of snow. Needless to say, the place didn’t disappoint - quite the contrary actually, it exceeded any and all expectations he had.

Requested by @waterflowersposts Hi there! Sorry for how long it took for this fic to be written :( I hope the final result makes up for the long wait! I also thought it would be appropriate to post it during the holiday season, so I hope you don’t mind. Hope you enjoy the read and I’m looking forward to hearing your feedback and any more requests you may have. Stay safe! Happy Holidays! Love, Vy ❤

I watch as Corpse is basically floating from one room into another in our shared apartment as he’s throwing random articles of clothing in his open suitcase. I have already packed my bags, knowing full well what the appropriate attire is for where we’re going.

I look away from my laptop when Corpse comes in for maybe the sixtieth time today, this time carrying a white tee causing me to chuckle. “Corpse, I know it’s very trademark for you, but the only way you’ll be wearing that when we get there is under a sweater for some extra warmth. I’m not looking forward to having my boyfriend freeze in my parent’s house.”

He smiles, looking at the shirt in his hands, and shakes his head, “Fine, guess I’ll do without it for a week or two.” He throws it in our room, not even bothering to check where it’ll land before he comes to sit down next to me on the couch, “Keep in mind, you have set my expectations pretty high up there. If I am not waist deep in snow the second we step off the plane, I’ll be disappointed.”

I give him a side glance, a smirk playing on my lips. Must say, taking on challenges you know you’re gonna win is the ultimate high-and-mighty feeling. “Honey, you’ve got a big snowstorm coming.”

                                                               *  *  *

All throughout our trip - I’m talking the drive to the airport AND the flight over - I have kept my eyes glued to Corpse, observing as his eyes sparkled more and more with each foot we got closer to our destination. He has told me the most snow he has seen was less than an inch and I immediately felt it was my duty to change that by introducing him to the magic of Canada - my home. My parents own a getaway cottage in the mountains of Calgary where we used to go every holiday season. My earliest memory is playing in the thigh-deep snow with my older sister and crying whenever our parents had to drag us back inside. 

The West Coast of the US was a rather odd surrounding for me, having grown up surrounded by snowy mountains, experiencing Christmas with no snow whatsoever was a true let down and underwhelming feeling. Since Corpse and I started dating about a month after Christmas time last year this will be our first time spending the holidays together and Corpse was more than enthusiastic to visit Canada when I mentioned how much I enjoyed my winters there. We couldn’t go for Christmas, but we’ll be there for New Year’s Eve and the first two weeks of 2021 and I am really excited. I have been dying to see my family that has actually expanded since the last time I visited - my sister has had yet another baby, making her and her husband parents of three very energetic toddlers. The six year old twins - Ashley and Alex - and the three year old Andrew. Or, as I like to call them: The 3 As.

I have warned Corpse about them like seven times despite the fact that he’s already familiar with their energy, convincing him that if that’s more than he can handle we’ve still got time to cancel the trip. He didn’t bat an eye though, each time telling me not to worry and focus my attention on reliving the moments I’ve missed so greatly instead of making sure he was having a good time.

“If you’re there...“ he said, “I’ll sure as hell be having a good time.“

One step out of the airport and he’s already mesmerized. His eyes are shiny reflecting the glow of the snow all around. It’s gonna be funny to see his reaction when he witnesses the real deal - the snow in the mountains. This compared to that is a pathetic excuse.

“I know it’s not waist-high, but that’s because they shovel it and melt it.“ He is looking around, not paying much mind to my words. The utter amazement and disbelief on his face just makes me want to wrap my arms around him and kiss him. He’s simply adorable! I see fragments of the child in him swimming up to the surface in the form of temptation - temptation every kid feels when they see snow: Dive in and lose track of time. “Wait till we get to the cottage.“

This manages to catch his attention, “You weren’t kidding.“

I laugh at my precious kiddy boyfriend. “Whoa there, Corpsie. If your mind is already blown, I’m worried about how you’ll react to the real deal.“ 

I have a feeling I know exactly how he’ll react cause I react similarly - I set the child in me free. After all, no parent can tell you to stop playing and go inside when you are a 23-year-old.

                                                             *  *  *

Walking up to the cottage from the cable-car station has to be the first time I’ve breathed with my lungs’ full capacity in the last five years. The sharp cold air screams ‘home’ to me like nothing else ever did. I am still surprised as to how my sister prefers summer. My family jokes I’m a winter wolf in disguise and I think they’re right. I do like to roll around in the snow much like a wolf. No judgement! Having a few extra years added to my age doesn’t change everything.

“Oh. My. Fucking. God.“ If I could take a shot every time Corpse has repeated this phrase I’d be dead due to liver failure. He is absolutely stunned. And I’m pretty sure he hasn’t blinked at all. Who am I to talk - I haven’t either. These mountains keep getting prettier and prettier, I swear. Taking my eyes off them would be a crime.

“Told you. I wish we made a bet, I could’ve made some easy money.“ I tease him, gently bumping my elbow against his as we walk up the trail.

“I’m glad I didn’t propose such a thing. That would’ve been fucking stupid of me.“ Judging by the tone of his voice, he is not really present in this conversation, so I decide not to let it go on any longer.

Not that I could’ve done differently, seeing as how barely three seconds latter I see three smiling faces coming at me at max speed.

Oh boy.

“Auntie Y/N!“ Ashley and Alex arrive first of course, wrapping their arms tightly around my waist. Little Andrew stumbles his way to me as quickly as a three year old possibly could.

Without wasting a second, I put my bags down and crouch so I can hug them properly. “Hi my babies! I haven’t seen you in so long.” Their hugging strength surprises me and warms my heart at the same time. The twins pull away, leaving room for the little duckling in a jacket two times his size and weight. “Hi Andrew! I nice to meet you! I’m auntie Y/N. Mommy and daddy have told you about me, haven’t they? If not I’ll kick their asses.”

“Y/N, I swear, I’ll tell Amy you’re teaching her kids swears at a very early age.“ Corpse says teasingly, stealing the attention from all four of us.

“She curses like a sailor, these kids probably know more swear words than I do.“ Ash and Alex run straight out of my grasp and to Corpse, proceeding to hug him around the waist as they did with me. They met Corpse when my sister and her husband Finn visited me back in the summer. They immediately fell in love with him. I specifically remember Alex telling me I have a ‘really cool boyfriend‘ and he only uses the word ‘cool‘ when he really likes something or someone. Corpse was honorably declared cool by Alex and that still warms my heart till this day.

“Hi guys, long time no see!“ He too crouches down to hug the little demons that immediately cling to him like koalas.

I scoop up the bundle of clothes with a face and stand up, balancing him on my hip. “Let’s attempt to get inside, shall we?” With my unoccupied arm I grab the handle of my suitcase.

Corpse nods and follows my lead, picking up the bags he also left in the snow. Ash and Alex bolt it back to the house while we struggle to follow, lowkey embarrassed by the pace we’re walking with.

Andrew struggles against me, reaching out towards Corpse. I look at them both apologetically. “You’ll meet Corpse when we get inside, darling. Chill out.”

“Y/N!“ My sister’s voice steals my attention. She emerges from the house, followed by the twins, a huge smile on her face. Her eyes land on Andrew who has calmed down is now resting his head on my shoulder sleepily, “Oh I’m so sorry about them, Y/N. I didn’t know they would charge at you the second you stepped foot on the property.“

Amy motions for me to give her her son but I hand her my suitcase instead. When she takes it I use my now freed arm to hug her as tightly as I possibly can with one arm and while balancing a baby on my chest. “It’s ok! I couldn’t have dreamed of a better welcoming.” I release, giving her a big smile.

She loses interest in me and goes to hug Corpse, taking a bag from him as well before giving him a hug. “Oh my God, Corpse, it feels like it’s been forever. I’m so glad to see you.”

“Happy to see you too, Amy.“ My sister has never liked a single guy I’ve dated. EVER. Corpse is the only one she warmed up to and that’s a huge deal to me. Corpse’s happiness when I told him that was something I’d pay to have filmed just so I can watch it every time I’m feeling down.

“Let’s get you both inside, you must be freez-“ She cuts herself off, rolling her eyes at me, “Of course, you’re not.“

I laugh and blow her a kiss as we keep carrying onward.

“Um, guys?“ Corpse’s voice makes me pause and turn around. He’s still standing in the same spot, looking- unsettled, I guess you could call it.

“What’s wrong?“ I walk over to him, taking his hand in mine.

His hand automatically gives mine a reassuring squeeze, “Nothing really, it’s just that...I’m meeting your parents for the first time and-...What if they don’t like me?”

I open my mouth to go off and start stating the obvious that they indeed won’t like him. They will LOVE him. It’s impossible not to love this man! But my sister beats me to it when it comes to stating the facts.

“Look, Corpse, they already love you. Heck, sometimes I feel like they have known Finn and you longer than they have known Y/N and I! They speak so highly of you and haven’t even met you - that should tell you more than enough about how they see you.“ She waves her hand towards the cottage, “Now walk in there and blow them away.“

Honestly, I’m glad Amy beat me to it. I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

And just like that, hand in hand, Andrew still in my other arm, we walk in.

                                                             *  *  *

Corpse is officially the main attraction, stealing the spotlight from Amy, Finn and I - something the three of us are incredibly thankful for. Amy was right with every word she said - my parents are absolutely in love with Corpse. Luckily for Finn and Amy, the 3 As are all over him as well. Especially Andrew. The second someone sets him down he just waddles his way over to Corpse who picks him up and settles him in his lap while he answers my parents’ questions. 

When the kids were finally talked into taking a nap, Corpse and I snuck out to have a little walk in the snow and, of course, take some pictures. I made it my personal goal to make as many artsy and aesthetic photos of him as possible. His favorite - a hand only pic of him holding a snowball - was my idea and I think I have never felt prouder of myself.

“I am definitely posting this one.“ He says, turning the phone so I can see the screen. I give it a quick glance, thinking he’s talking about the hand pic but do a double take when I realize it’s a picture of me that he has taken without my knowledge.

I actually look rather decent, so I give him a green light in the form of a big thumbs up, “As long as you post the hand one too.”

“Hey, Y/N!“ We look back at the house which isn’t far from where we are right now. Amy is hugging the jacket tightly around herself as she approaches us with fast steps. “You know where we haven’t been in like forever?“

I raise an eyebrow and shake my head as I rack through my brain trying to dig up what she’s referring to. It could literally be any place on this mountain!

“Hello! The Waterless Lake? Ring any bells?“

Oh...it sure does.

Brief explanation: it is a huge circular dip in the ground which fills with water when the snow melts and becomes a lake but empties by the time winter comes back around. That being said, when the snow is still not melted, it’s an absolute wonderland to play in. I suddenly remember all the barrel-rolling Amy and I did there as kids and feel really nostalgic.

“Oh God, yes! I miss that place!“ I say, snapping out of my reminiscing trance. “Let’s go while it’s still light enough.”

“Finn is making dinner right now, or trying to at least.“ She rolls her eyes, turning to Corpse, “But it’d be our pleasure if you tagged along, Corpse.“

Corpse shakes his head, “I’ll politely decline. You ladies can reminisce and chat in peace, while I’ll be helping Finn in the kitchen.” He gives me a quick peck on the lips before excusing himself, “Have fun!”

“You too!“ We call back to him in unison.

Amy gives me an amazed, wide-eyed look, “He can cook?”

I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly, smirking, “Oh, you have no idea.”

She laughs, linking arms with me as we begin walking our way to the Waterless Lake. The place probably has a different name or no name at all, but we named it that as kids and never told our parents where it was. It’s our spot, and it is very surprising Amy offered Corpse to accompany us there.

“Sis, you are very lucky. I hope you know that.“ She tightens the hold on my arm with hers, pulling us closer together.

“I tell myself that every time I look at him, Aims. I am fully aware.“ I say dreamily, recalling all the times I’ve spent with Corpse. Almost one full year and I could never imagine that year, nor the upcoming ones, without him.

                                                                *  *  *

Upon returning, we’re met with the most wholesome scene I have ever seen - Corpse and Finn are making snowmen with the 3 As. It seems like they’ve been at it for a while, considering there is an army of snowmen of different designs, shapes and sizes all at different spots throughout the perimeter of the clearing in front of the house.

“Oh dear Lord.“ Amy mumbles, “I had a feeling this would happen.“

The five snowman-builders don’t even acknowledge our presence when we approach them. Ashley and Alex are running around with Finn, looking for sticks to use as the snowmen’s limbs while Corpse is helping Andrew gather as much snow as possible for the body.

I don’t realize there’s a huge smile on my face up until the point I’m trying to say something. Nothing comes out, though. My words are being muffled by all the overwhelming emotions that have taken over - collapsing my senses. 

With a roll of her eyes, my sister opens the front door, taking a step into the house. The second the door opens, however, I get a whiff of the delicious smell coming from inside. Best guess, and probably the right one - this is Corpse’s doing. 

If I wasn’t already hungry, I sure as hell am now and I’m in no mood to be in that delicious food’s proximity without attacking it. 

“Come on, guys! Dinner time! Get your butts inside!“ I call out to them from the doorway.

Corpse turns to look at me with the sneakiest smirk I have ever seen. He narrows his eyes at me, “You have done the very thing you despise!”

It takes me approximately three seconds to connect the dots and scrunch up my face, picking up all the snow I can an forming it in a snow ball, throwing it at Corpse. Growing up doing this exact thing has given me great aim, therefore I hit Corpse square in the chest.

“Oh you’re so in for it now.“ He laughs, picking up snow to form his own snowball.

“Snowball fight!“ Ashley yells, ditching the sticks to make a snowball for herself.

“Oh no...“ I poke my head in the hallway just as a snowball hits my upper arm, “Aims, I need your help!“ 

Before Amy can respond, I run to take cover behind the nearest snowman that, luckily for me happens to be one of the larger ones. I hear Amy call out my name when she exits the house, followed by a surprised yelp from her when three snowballs hit her. “You are all dead!”

While she is fighting blood and fire (well, water really), I am making ammunition for us both to use. I’m on my eleventh snowball when snow showers me from above as though it has fallen from a tree branch.

“Hiding, I see.“ I am still in shock, hair and upper body covered in snow, when I hear Corpse’s taunting voice.

My vengeance instinct kicks in having me grab two snowballs and turn to throw them at him. To my dismay, he’s faster then me and doesn’t allow me to even get my arm at an angle where I could throw properly. Instead, he turns me back around and picks me up with ease, one arm wrapped around my waist, another grabbing two of my prepared snowballs from the ground.

“Let’s show them who the bosses are.“ I see him wink at me from the corner of my eye and it takes me little to no time to catch onto what he’s insinuating.

In short, with joined forces, we took out the opposite team in no time - like a true couple 😉