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cybernaght · 4 years ago

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Guardian rewatch: Episode 9

This episode starts with Zhao Yunlan being a bloody good boss. I’ll talk about how the opinions of others must have affected this man’s perception of himself a little later on, but in this scene it is important to note that Zhao Yunlan is supportive, caring and loyal. Wang Zheng comes to him in tears, asking for permission to leave and see the home she had just remembered, and he not only supports her verbally, but drags his entire team on the trip with her the very next day. Sure, he has are ulterior motives, as he strongly suspects one of the Hallows must be around the same area, but I maintain that Zhao Yunlan would have insisted on going with Wang Zheng regardless.

There are complications to this trip; namely, Wang Zheng is a ghost energy being and can neither be in sunlight, nor leave the SID really. Thus, the plan to take her on the trip includes buying a doll. The implication is that Wang Zheng can be somehow placed inside it, and thus be able to move, but the details of how this is done are actually curiously hazy. I’m not sure if censorship is the reason for muddled writing, but there really is very little explanation for the ghost in a doll situation.

Guo Changcheng is tasked with securing a makeshift body for Wang Zheng, and the boy, eager to act fast, and without much to work with in terms of instructions, ends up buying this.

We can only thank the Universe for the role of Wang Zheng not being played by a blow-up doll for three episodes straight.

Zhao Yunlan instantly realises that being places inside this thing might be a little bit upsetting for his subordinate, and lashes out at Guo Changcheng with an excellent “Is the thing above your neck a urinal?” This snaps Zhu Hong out of her mirth, too; she rushes to her friend’s side to offer emotional support, and will remain there for the entire episode.

I love this blocking, in which Zhu Hong is the only one who feels comfortable approaching Wang Zheng in a situation where she is seemingly being mocked by her male colleagues, as Zhao Yunlan and Guo Changcheng look on, unable to offer a meaningful apology.

The evening prior to this Shen Wei is musing over ancient map of the region. His costume is arranged deliberately so you can see the Pendant of Pining hanging around his neck.

I am really wondering when this was shot, because it looks very out of place. The costume differs from Shen Wei’s usual attire, including chinos and an uncharacteristically ill fitting shirt. His hair looks so wrong I am wondering if this is styling, or a different haircut entirely. And, since we’re on this train of thought, his eye colour is so off I genuinely spent quite a bit of time examining the shots in order to figure out whether he’s wearing contacts. I don’t think he is, by the way, but the colour grading makes his warm syrupy-brown irises look almost olive green.

During the scene it is revealed Shen Wei’s only worry in regards to leaving the city and rushing into what could be trouble is a possibility of Zhao Yunlan encountering danger in his absence. It is easy to see that Shen Wei here firmly associates his own worth with his work as Hei Pao Shi, and his own needs with Yunlan being safe and sound. You could trace this thought process back to the mountainside conversation ten thousand years ago, and to years of loneliness and isolation that followed. While, frankly, equating self-worth with comfort of other it’s not necessarily so unusual, and neither is equating it with one’s work, Shen Wei’s disregard for his own life is still horribly upsetting.

The morning after, Zhao Yunlan with his team and Shen Wei with his students move out of Dragon City. Destination - North-west. I have to ask though, why is Shen Wei taking his students with him? I get that it’s a cover but also: he can totally just teleport where he needs to and do his stuff as Envoy, can he not? It’s fast, efficient, and can all be done during the night without arousing any suspicious.

As it happens, Shen Wei goes by car, which breaks, and causes him to instantly cross paths with Zhao Yunlan. What I like about this meeting is that we see it from an outsider perspective, as we drive into the scene with Lin Jing, Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng.

“Is that Professor Shen? This must be their destiny. They keep meeting each other wherever they go.”

Zhao Yunlan confesses that he feels like Shen Wei bugged him and pops up everywhere he goes; Shen Wei counters by saying that in this case Zhao Yunlan who followed him. Zhao Yunlan can just laugh awkwardly. It’s kind of adorable how the two men just basically admit that they’re stalking each other, and are both kind of okay with that. Shen Wei then introduces the other man to his students as his good friend.

Zhao Yunlan, having already figured out that he is not likely to get any answers from Shem Wei, goes on a charm offensive with his students. I think this is the first time Shen Wei sees Zhao Yunlan using his jovial manipulation on others, and he is not particularly happy about what he is witnessing. Below are the series of facial expressions he wears every time it happens throughout the episode.

The way I read it, this could equally be jealousy, or the daunting - and incorrect - realisation that Zhao Yunlan is being like this with everything that moves. He could be even beating himself up for falling for this man’s charm now that he sees that Zhao Yunlan using the same wide smile as a tool to placate, gain trust and access information. In his mind, this is a further confirmation that he is not in any way special in Zhao Yunlan’s eyes. Again, Shen Wei’s supposition cannot be further from the truth. But you could imagine how he may have come to make to this conclusion.

In this particular case, Zhao Yunlan uses his charm to get some information out of Jiajia, and ends up hearing the direction of their expedition.

Shen Wei nervously adjusts glasses in the shot which is not even his close-up. It’s lovely, seeing how good of an actor Zhu Yilong is. Good actors don’t need to be directed to to most of the little things their characters would do, and don’t have to be told what their character quirks are.

Shen Wei very politely shuts Jiajia up when she starts talking about the earthquake, asking her to get out of the sun, despite this not being a hot day.

“Chief Zhao, you are really good at making people talk.”

As he is making this observation, he is offering Zhao Yunlan his water, because the man mentioned that he may be thirsty, and hydration is important. Should I once again be obsessing over how their fingers are touching here? Perhaps not. I am, once more, doing it anyway.

During the conversation that ensues here, Shen Wei reminds Zhao Yunlan that he was asked not to leave the city, and makes one more attempt at forcing them to part ways after the car fixing is done. Chief Zhao is having none of it. He reminds Shen Wei that no promises were given, and suggests they work together and protect each other instead. It’s interesting how their end goal is similar: they want to keep each other out of harm’s way. But for Zhao Yunlan, who works with a team, this implies sticking together. For Shen Wei, who has been alone for what could have been centuries (we are never given a timeline for when his magical coma ended), this implies being as far away from each other as possible. Many things about their relationship will change - but this one will never do.

Zhao Yunlan proceeds to charm his way into driving Shen Wei’s car. He is after all very good with people, and he’s not afraid to use this skill to keep himself near the Professor.

Next, we have intercut scenes depicting conversations in two separate cars.

Lin Jing is driving Zhu Hong, Guo Changcheng and Wang Zheng in the jeep. There, Guo Changcheng tries his darnedest to offer exceedingly moody Wang Zheng apologies and consolation, but his weak attempts to very little to lighten the young woman’s dark disposition. In the meanwhile, Zhu Hong is seething with resentment and jealousy. She notes discontentedly that Zhao Yunlan once again chose to go and spend time with Shen Wei, hypothesises on why Shen Wei is unmarried, and then goes into a long-winded rant about Zhao Yunlan being an uncaring person. Lin Jing reluctantly participates in this conversation, but he does not look very much like he cares for it.

I have mentioned in my previous recap that those around Zhao Yunlan comment on his crassness, and now I am wondering how much this creates a vicious circle for the man in question. He may have heard - from his father, from his previous romantic partners, from his colleagues - that he is a failure, a boorish, unloving and superficial man who only does things to chase clout and carnal pleasures. It is difficult to not internalise that, and Zhao Yunlan may have just grown to see this as an unshakeable truth about himself.

As for Zhu Hong’s part in this, it is easy to call someone not responding to your advances an uncaring jerk. It does not, however, necessarily make them one.

Curiously enough, the only person speaking up in defence of Zhao Yunlan here is Guo Changcheng. He notes that he considers Chief Zhao to be a nice person; despite only being with SID for a month, he is able to see good intensions behind the bristles. No doubt, this is another case of Xiao Guo being incredibly empathic.

In the other car, Zhao Yunlan is driving Shen Wei and his students. Here, we see the chief continue to crack jokes and use his bountiful charisma to find out more about their expedition. Presumably, this has been going for a while, and Shen Wei’s patience finally runs thin when Zhao Yunlan states that their research must be very important. “Thank you for the compliment”, states Shen Wei flatly, according to subtitles.

According to my dictionary however, what he actually says is, roughly, “Chef Zhao overpraised [us]” (“赵处长过奖了”), which even with my very basic comprehension of Mandarin, I can see as overly formal and clearly dismissive.

Zhao Yunlan seems to be taken aback, and a few seconds pass before he composes his features into one of the chuckles he uses as a mask: it is loud and wide, but does not quite reach his eyes, sliding off his face almost instantly. In the passenger seat, Shen Wei is slowly and deliberately readjusting his own mask.

We cut to Zhu Jiu trying to secure assistance of a whole bunch of Youchu he drags out of the cave. It goes even worse than his other plans do, with the beasts grumbling and effectively refusing to do any work whatsoever.

Zhu Jiu’s ineffectiveness is actually pretty sweet on rewatch, and I am starting to kind of appreciate Wan Naichao in this role. It’s not that I find his performance particularly good, but between the costume, the wig and the script, he does not have an awful lot to work with, and he nonetheless appears to have so much fun hamming it up to his heart’s content. He is not intimidating by any stretch of imagination, but he is surprisingly, albeit ironically, watchable. And, honestly, I would rather watch an actor being hammy and enjoying it than visibly longing for death on set.

After passing a checkpoint through a combination of Zhao Yunlan’s connections and ever-present charm, the now joint SID/DCU expedition shuffles around in cars once again. Despite their destination being allegedly twenty kilometres (or about 12.5 miles) out of town, it takes them a whole day to reach it. Who knows, maybe the Seastar’s measuring units are different.

This time, it is Lin Jing driving, with Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan having relocated to the back. We see that Zhao Yunlan has got a cold again - which could theoretically be from being so close to the hallows. He sneezes, and Shen Wei microexpressively overreacts.

Then, Zhao Yunlan unceremoniously arranges a pillow on Shen Wei’s shoulder and settles in for a nap. Does he remember napping on Shen Wei’s shoulder a few nights prior to that? Because he might do, considering how comfortable he feels with this casual close contact.

After a momentary panic, and a comment about flu meds, Shen Wei not only lets Zhao Yunlan do it, but also rearranges his pillow several times to make it more comfortable for the other man. I have no hot takes on this apart from just... those two. I love those two. How are they so adorable.

The car enters CGI fog, and promptly get stuck. To make matters worse, Lin Jing says he does not have a phone signal and asks Shen Wei to check his phone. “He does not have a mobile phone”, deadpans Zhao Yunlan before Shen Wei even opens his mouth.

Finally, Zhao Yunlan’s head vacates Shen Wei’s shoulder, and the professor leaves the car to scout the area. Jiajia tries to follow, but Zhao Yunlan dissuades her and goes after Shen Wei himself, catching up just as the other man is starting to scry the surroundings with his powers.

Zhao Yunlan enters the scene quoting poetry to highlight the beauty of their current location.

Shen Wei instantly tries to send him back: partly to continue using his dark energy, and partly, perhaps, out of genuine worry. In response Zhao Yunlan notes that Shen Wei is the only one who can order him around. This is not all done in cheek: it’s actually kind of true. Even before finding out that Shen Wei is powerful and ancient, and imposing, Zhao Yunlan is readily listening to him, and following his lead.

As a precursor to returning to the car, Zhao Yunlan takes his jacket off and drapes it over Shen Wei’s shoulders, despite the other man’s loud protestations. Again, Yunlan has got a cold, and he is visibly filling the chill air later in the scene. He has no way of knowing that this jacket will become a catalyst for his suspicions about Shen Wei’s alter ego, so there can’t be any other reason for him forcing his jacket onto the other man apart from a desire to make sure he is warm and comfortable.

Shen Wei stares at Zhao Yunlan in absolute wonder.

It is easy to believe that the idea of someone wanting to look after him is foreign no Shen Wei: we know from the text of the show that before Kunlun no one has shown him any consideration, and seeing Shen Wei now, it is not difficult to imagine, heartbreaking as it is, that no one has done it since.

Jiajia’s scream cuts through the air, interrupting the scene. As the two men take off in the direction of the sound, Shen Wei grabs Zhao Yunlan by the elbow as they run out of the shot.

When they rejoin Jiajia and Lin Jing, she girl stammers a few words about ghostly presence that she witnessed, and Lin Jing confirms her words, sharing his knowledge about ghosts seen in this area. Zhao Yunlan reprimands him for speeding feudalistic and superstitious concepts. Just remember that their HR manager literally is a semi-corporeal dead woman. This line is such a blatant and somewhat tongue-in-cheek appeasal of the censorship, that it sounds delightfully silly.

The group finally reach the remote village they were heading to. As everyone files out of the cars, they notice a strange looking crow nearby - clearly Ya Qing is checking in on them. Lin Jing proceeds to tease Xiao Guo, saying the young man in unlucky. Chu Shuzhi is looking disapprovingly at this comment, but it’s actually Zhu Hong who shuts it down. She does use this excuse to make an impolite jab at Shen Wei, noting that the misfortunes are someone else’s fault, while looking at her romantic rival from the corner of her eye.

Shen Wei graces the screen with another one of his “why does the snake woman hate me?” faces.

It’s quite amusing that as the group starts walking towards the guesthouse, Zhao Yunlan sends his people off while he himself deliberately lingers in place, so he can walk with Shen Wei, sneaking a hand across the professor’s back.

Just as the company enters the premises of the guesthouse, they find a human skull. Of course they do. But the reason I am including this here is to point out that Shen Wei’s reaction is to cover Jiajia’s eyes. Zhu Yilong does not do it in all of the takes used in the scene, which indicates to me that this is an in the moment acting choice.

Shen Wei then leads his students away to give the SID a chance to investigate. While Lin Jing and Zhao Yunlan do just that, Wang Zheng sinks to her knees and starts praying to comfort spirits of her ancestors. Hilariously, this goes unnoticed for a while.

After completing some preliminary checks on the skull, Zhao Yunlan suggests they park the investigation for the night, citing that he does not want students and their teacher to get ill as the reason for doing so. Da Qing notes that this is more considerations than he shows his subordinates. I don’t think he means it, but it’s a lovely little jab at Zhao Yunlan’s unmistakable crush.

Inside the house, everyone settles in to hear Wang Zheng’s tale of the Hanga tribe. What follows is an massive exposition dump. She sets up as “some things she heard from rumours”, but considering how forlorn she is throughout this tale - and that she was praying earlier - it is pretty obvious that she is of the Hanga tribe herself.

Again, I love the blocking here. Zhu Hong is keeping her shoulder in front of Wang Zheng, protecting her from the strangers (and Shen Wei) that they are sharing the table with. Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing are watching from afar, and Chu Shizhu is perching above them on the stairs. The composition is easy on the eye, and implies that the SID men are ready to protect those at the table from all directions.

Soon, they are interrupted by a villager pretending to be a ghost, and a reluctant village head explains that the outsides may not be welcomed because there has been a murder here in the recent days. Zhao Yunlan and Zhu Hong leave to investigate the crime scene. As they do so, Zhao Yunlan catches the woman gazing upon him in adoration, and freezes uncomfortably, for a second before laughing it off.

He should really force himself to have an uncomfortable conversation with her, but he won’t do it until pushed.

In the meanwhile, Zhu Jiu is having more luck riling the actual ghosts up than he did with the Youchu. After some hesitation - and some baseless threats from our unfortunate villain - the Hanga tribesmen launch an attack against the guesthouse.

Just to note: their masks don’t look anything like the masks Wang Zheng drew. Considering that the guesthouse parts of the episode was likely to have been shot together, I don’t see any explanation for this as it pertains to production.

Chu Shuzhi and Xiao Guo leap into action to fight the ghosts - and the young man actually successfully fends one of them off. They are soon joined by Lin Jing, who leaves Shen Wei in charge of looking after the students and Wang Zheng inside the house. The ghost woman energy being asks to be let outside because she guesses correctly that the ghostly warriors are here for her, but Shen Wei refuses to let her go. The reason he states for denying her is that “Zhao Yunlan would never agree to it.” He knows that the other man would never put his crew in danger - and adopts the same attitude.

Shortly after, Zhu Hong and Zhao Yunlan arrive on the scene.

Here we see for the first time Zhao Yunlan’s painful flashback to his mother’s death, followed by him freezing with the gun in his hand. Zhu Hong does save the way by snatching the weapon away from him and firing it, but she also goes on full offensive afterwards, berating the man. Hers is not a kind response at all, and this type of a reaction is likely to be the reason Zhao Yunlan has not felt comfortable talking about his tragic past, perhaps even seeing it as something to be ashamed of.

After the ghosts disappear, Zhao Yunlan stays outside with his team, and uses the Dial in attempt to locate the other ancient item which he knows is somewhere close.

Shen Wei, on the other hand, tells Wang Zheng about the totem hidden in a cave, and asks her for any information on the matter.

His interrogation does not get him anywhere, but he does get suspicious enough to refrain him from drinking the drugged water she offers everyone present in the very next scene.

It is clear from this shot that after toasting with warm water, everyone goes to down their cups - apart from Wang Zheng and Shen Wei, who lock eyes over their cups for the second.

Having escaped her protectors in the night, Wang Zheng heard towards the cave in which Sang Zan’s spirit is kept, Zhu Jiu hot on her heals, and we witness the first of many flashbacks to her life and death.

Next up, Episode 10: Death By a Thousand Flashbacks.

—

Notes.

The next post here will actually be some thoughts on the Lost Tomb Reboot which I have spent this Easter Weekend binging. And if this post is more Zhu Yilong-centric than usual, this would also be why.

#guardian #zhao yunlan #shen wei #weilan #rewatch #recap #ill advised attempts at psychoanalysing the characters

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pepperful-qt · 4 years ago

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hi can u write smth on like headcanons on what type of person would tsukki tendou iwaizumi and kenma crush on 👁👄👁

ooh funfun. this is something i do a lot for characters i write about to make the reader character realistic, so this is right up my alley :3 this focuses primarily on personality rather than physical types (with a small exception)

*just a heads up, this is LONG

the type of person they crush on w/ Tsukishima, Tendou, Iwaizumi, & Kenma

*****

Tsukishima

for Tsukki it wouldn’t necessarily be someone exactly like him, but they’d have definite similarities

they’d earn his respect before they’d get his heart

hands down this person needs to have a thick skin. i think generally Tsukki doesn’t outright insult or harshly tease (like with Hinata & Kags) the people he really cares about or has affection for (look at his relationship with Yamaguchi), but he is blunt and sometimes unintentionally snaps or is just straight up mean

if someone is easily affected by that, it’s a no go, sorry

not to say they couldn’t get their feelings hurt, and he would feel bad especially if his crush had already developed, but initially there would need to be a resistance or retort to that kind of thing. they’d understand that his words come from a place of both honesty and care, and any lashing out is just a result of stress and unresolved emotion

yeah he’d be attracted to intelligence and wit

part of me just thinks he enjoys mental stimulation and someone who can make him think not only piques his interest in the person but also makes him enjoy and look forward to spending time with them

at the same time, being able to enjoy comfortable silence is important too

and wit. he’d definitely tease someone he has a crush on though and i’ll tell you why

he has two goals: get them flustered or get them to smile/laugh genuinely

he’d love someone that can tease back, and makes him work for a reaction

and--this is important--makes him smile and laugh

speaks fluent sarcasm

not a pushover, and not afraid to call him out when he goes too far

they probably have weird habits or specific tastes or something, which he picks up on as the perceptive guy he is occasionally he uses them as fodder for teasing

they’d be someone with layers ha shrek or with personas they switch between easily, like going from sweet to stone-faced roaster

to tack onto the mental stimulation, you know how Yachi said Tsukki treats everything logically and approaches his blocking like a difficult test question? to an extent the same would apply to that person

he’d be figuring out how they tick, what makes them laugh, etc, and in the process of that it turns into a different kind of interest

it takes him a bit to figure out why exactly he likes seeing their smile or spending time with them, or why he cares so much

a certain subtle air of confidence

i think Tsukki would appreciate music taste

someone who is caring and generous, but doesn’t make a big deal out of it

they’d quietly offer help to a classmate if they noticed they’re struggling, or bring back an extra drink for him from the vending machine like it’s the most casual thing in the world

someone that cares about themselves, but not obsessed with themselves

to quote a favorite song of mine: sweet with a mean streak (not mean really, but not afraid to bite back)

* * *

Tendou

simply put, it wouldn’t be any average person

there would be something about the person that initially caught his eye, something unique that makes them stand out just a little

examples of this could be: a sharp tongue, a book or manga they always have on their desk, a keychain, dyed hair, wearing headphones all the time (he wonders what they’re listening to)

these would be things that make him interested and start paying attention to the person, eventually even striking up a conversation

in terms of personality, I think he’d enjoy someone with a sense of humor. obviously we know he can get along with most people regardless of that (ushijima) even if not everyone understands him, but someone that isn’t thrown off by his dramatic personality and responds in kind would definitely excites him

he likes to chatter, so a good listener and/or someone that’s a good conversationalist would be great tbh

and i’ll just say it, if this person is a manga/anime fan, or just knowledgeable on pop culture in general immediate bonus points. shared passions are great

an acknowledging smile or greeting, especially before they’re acquainted, actually goes a long way bc he has a history of being shunned and mocked by his peers. just that simple kindness which is unfortunate that not treating someone like that would be seen as kind is really important to him before he realizes it

a huge thing i think for him is feeling comfortable being himself around them. that itself allows him to be more open with his emotions and actually develop a crush

so going back to humor and a teasing relationship, it would need to be the type that doesn’t insult things like looks or anything like that. he has a history of insecurity that is still probably present, even if he’s mostly dealt with it, but again, being comfortable is huge. tasteful and dumbass humor only

someone who’s not afraid to say what’s on their mind. he appreciates that kind of directness, and finds it entertaining to an extent

there’s also a certain unpredictability and spontaneity with this person that keeps him on his toes and excites him. he loves a challenge

he’d love someone who shamelessly compliments him. truthfully it’s a bit of an ego thing, but in a specific way:

for Tendou, volleyball is his safe haven. that’s where he grew his confidence and skill and made his friends, so it feels nice for him to have someone appreciate the things he’s good at and cares about when he’s worked so hard for it

and he loves looking and feeling cool, and being showered in compliments is a great confidence booster heyhey seratonin

he’d love to make them laugh

if they compliment something like his looks, humor, passion, etc that will always really touch his heart. he’d brush it off with an “i know right~?” but in reality he’s freaking out because those are important parts of his self that have really been ignored or unrecognized by most people

this person would become another safe haven where he feels accepted and confident, and genuinely enjoys being around <3

* * *

Iwaizumi

the first thing i thought of for Iwa is someone authentic

a person who is true to themselves and the people around them

he despises fake people. those types were usually the ones always confessing to Oikawa or improving themselves for him. he just thinks it’s wrong

a nice laugh. i don’t mean pretty and refined necessarily, but one that is genuine and contagious and unforced

maybe it is a naturally pretty or refined laugh, but what matters is that it’s a laugh that is theirs, not for anyone else. that’s what’s attractive to him and makes his heart speed up when he hears it

a person who is thoughtful, considerate, and compassionate. like Tsukishima, he appreciates the quiet type of kindness

but he finds it amusing when they get just a little flustered when another person points it out

another little thing, but he’d probably find someone who’s a bad flirter absolutely adorable

he’d appreciate someone emotionally intelligent and perceptive

this is a person that is usually aware of how others are feeling and is able to adjust themselves to be the most effective in that situation

for example, they can adjust their own behavior to make someone feeling nervous at ease or defuse an angry person getting out of hand

this means their advice and comments are taken much better

tbh i could see him liking someone both reserved or incredibly expressive

so they could be the type that’s an extroverted hard-to-hate ball of sunshine, or a calm individual who’s respected and whose presence is appreciated by everyone

either way, he’d notice it

this is really the exception to the ‘disliking fake people’ thing

and he’s a hot-headed, tough-love kind of guy. his caring nature is often hidden behind that behavior

so he’d admire that kind of social ability and understanding

another thing that i immediately thought of for what he’s attracted to: passion and ambition

what their passion is is less important than the fire in their eyes when the topic comes up, or they talk about their aspirations and huge, sometimes unattainable goals

this doesn’t mean they have their life figured out, but they care both about the future and living in the moment

this is just a hunch, but he’d probably be more inclined to like an athlete or someone that takes care of their body and physical conditioning

someone who challenges him to be better. someone who understands what it means to be proud and understanding your own imperfections at the same time

a vocal supporter

whether it’s yelling his name from the stands when he makes a spike, or encouraging him to follow his passions after high school, or bragging about him to their friends, having someone unapologetically express their belief in him just makes his heart soar

but really, he likes someone who can cheer him on and tell it like it is when he needs it. he’s a pretty tough cookie so he doesn’t mind bluntness (actually prefers it)

i see him liking someone who can surprise him too

the kind of person to hit him up at midnight to go for a drive under the stars or have a dance party in the park to music from a bluetooth speaker

a passionate, authentic, and level-headed adventurer

* * *

Kenma

i’ve written so much Kenma recently lots of these traits are probably obvious lmao

first things first, he just needs to be able to vibe with them

it sounds obvious, but it’s really important. just being able to exist and not feel pressure to be someone he’s not is huge

another boy who loves comfortable silence, or someone who can talk and not mind him being minimally responsive sometimes because he is listening he’s just quiet

he’s an actions>words type of person though

so if they ask about his passions and actually show interest in him that’s great, and he notices, but following through is even better

examples: remembering his favorite flavors, engaging in conversation about the game he’s playing then the next day asking if he beat that level he was stuck on, asking how the tournament went when he mentioned how tired he was from consecutive preparatory practices the week before

things that show they do pay attention, and they do care

someone who looks out for him

this comes in many forms: bringing him a drink and snack bc you know he’s been up all night binging a new game and is probably dehydrated and hungry, or gently guiding him by the arm when he’s got his nose in his game and would definitely walk into traffic, or taking over in a conversation when they recognize he’s just hit his social quota

again, actions>words

along with this interest in him, trying to playfully get him to smile or get a reaction out of him would be annoying at first, but eventually would get him more and more flustered

sound contradictory to what i said before about him needing to feel not pressured? it is a little bit. he doesn’t get it either

really it’s the fact that this person wants to show the way he already feels

okay like Tendou, i feel like i have to say that if they play games or at least are knowledgeable about them, or even want to learn about them, it’s immediate bonus points

it’s one of his two loves. they don’t even have to be good at games as long as they can engage or listen to his rant about the history of a series or how the game mechanics differ between two different platformers and why one may be considered smoother gameplay, but it’s actually more restrictive--

you get it

someone who just casually checks in. “how are you doing?” then moves on and doesn’t make a big deal, but will listen if he needs to vent

like Iwa, he likes someone who’s straightforward and genuine

and like Tendou, there’s something about them that is unique that he latches onto

needs someone “interesting” that always brings some new experience

like Tsukki, he likes mental stimulation why do i keep using the others as examples lmao

they need to have a sense of humor. may surprise you, but he is bffs with Kuroo, and someone witty is someone who’s interesting

he’s always got a lot on his mind, he’s always thinking

they’d need to be someone he feels comfortable conversing with and sharing his thoughts with, and is a good and responsive listener

some sort of intellectual capability

when he gets to the point where he actually seeks out their company, he starts to realize his feelings

and when he does, he’ll feel more nervous initiating interaction (afraid he’ll say or do something wrong)

they need to be someone who will take the initiative and seek him out too, and that would only intensify his crush

*****

this turned into more of a character analysis,, oops?

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yarrowleef · 4 years ago

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Read Darkness Within all in one sitting last night and then passed out so here are my scattered thoughts i wrote down as i read, (afterthoughts in parenthesis)

Darkness Within Spoilers, obv

UGH GOD THE SECOND HAND EMBARRESMENT FROM SQUIRREL FAKE FLIRTING WITH ASHFUR IT HURTS

Just remembered Sandynose died and got a small boost of happiness (will Hawkwing and Plumwillow ever be allowed to talk again now? I mean probly not b/c they aren’t protags and non-protags don’t rly have friends but I can hope. Sorry, Hawkwhing and Plumwillow’s short-lived friendship in Hawkwings Journey was one of the last times I felt something)

Ghost fleas lol

Mothwing: i’m rude now. (but more importantly, Fuck Tigerheartstar for forcing his son to be around the cat that hurt him so badly, like he HAS to know how upset everyone is regarding Shadowsight and his accidentally helping the imposter, and he’s making him be the sole one to tend to him??? There is NO REASON Puddleshine couldn’t have done it. You think Puddleshine is going to try and murder someone?? )

Oh no don't make this a traveling book, and a ROOTBRISTLE traveling book this is going to be insufferable

BACON AND EGGS

Lightleap Is Good (Hey didn’t Shadowsight have another sister? lets be real we all knew Pouncekit was going to end up as the forgettable 3rd one)

Bristlefrost’s crush continues to feel unnatural to me. It’s like she’s grasping at straws romanticizing the most generic things.....wow....I love how ur just so...bare minimum competent....being polite to the loner we came all this way to ask for help like any somewhat reasonable person would....How admirable...I love the way you just *clenches fist* exhibit some basic traits of loyalty and skill that literally every warrior has (I s2g I’m this close to head canon-ing Bristle as a clueless aromantic who doesn't understand what romance is actually suppose to feel like so she just looks at feelings of low-bar admiration and assumes “oh I guess this is that “romantic attraction” everyone’s always talking about? guess I must be in love???” because both her crushes have felt out of nowhere and like. Idk fake/forced sounding like she’s just telling me that that she’s In Love Now while I continue to not actually feel it at all from her end. I know it’s just that I hate the way Erin’s write female characters in love but this head-canon makes me laugh)

Got scared because I thought they were going to villainize Spotfur for not wanting kits for a minute, but also excited at the concept of maybe exploring a female character that doesn’t want to be a mother, but it turns out she was just pulling a Sparkpelt and actually DID want the kits all along and was only hesitant because she’s sad. Shrug oh well. (the only female character in warriors that was distinctly upset about pregnancy and motherhood was Lizardstripe and as we all know she was eeeeeevil and abusive and “overly ambitious” because why else would you not come around to being happy about motherhood?? YES I’M STILL SALTY ABOUT YELLOWFANG’S SECRET, BAD BOOK) Whatever it’s fine so long as Spot doesn’t lose her rebel leader spirit forever and default to “soft mom” personality for the rest of her life, I gotta have hope because I actually like Bristle and Spot’s current relationship. Also I am actually very grateful they never made Bristle resentful at Spot for getting with her crush, as lots of middle grade/YA media has a very bad habit of demonizing female romantic “competition” and its super gross, so I rly do like that Bristlefrost is so protective and caring towards her instead. )

This series is trying to tell me that Rootspring is actually Big but I refuse to accept that. he has dumb scrawny bitch energy and we all know it

Sunrise: “Thunderclan may be better with a new leader” lol go off (i mean........they right tho...It’s unfortunate that the tension in this whole plot is a bit dampened by the fact that i DO in fact want bramble to die v badly. I don’t even have special hatred for him, I’m just bored of him.)

Yes Lionblaze beat the shit out of Ashfur

*HOLY SHIT THAT’S FUCKED!!!! (I wrote this in reference to the ghost summoning scene, this was all I could manage at the time, that scene was WILD and I am VIBING WITH THE HORROR OF IT ALL)

* Brashfur: Oh yeah? Could Ashfur fake THIS? *stands up with slightly better posture* Shadowsight: oh damn you got me there...... (asdfhhfhhgh im sorry that was really funny, how did that prove anything?? ONLY A ~REAL~ WARRIOR COULD STAND UP STRAIGHT WE ALL KNOW ASHFUR IS INCAPABLE OF GOOD POSTURE!)

End of the book: *LAUGHING NERVOUSLY* WHAT THE FUCK??? (I thought he was just gonna kill Squirrelflight right there holy shit can you imagine the RIOTS that would ensue in the wake of all this Squirrel/Bramble discourse I was so scared for a second.

But it’s fine, she just....went to super hell instead......Warriors has come so far lmao WHAT IS HAPPENING

Final Notes:

*On Mothwing, I don’t think her behavior struck me as “CHARACTER BUTCHERING” as much as it did for other people? I mean.....Warriors fans will say that literally any time a character does ANYTHING less then perfectly nice I think her actions just seemed that much harsher because we are reading from Shadowsight’s POV, and Shadowsight is taking everything 10x more personally right now (understandably so, but Mothwing isn’t inside his head) she wasn’t trying to hurt him. Also... like... Shadowsight DID get his name too early. It’s not Mothwing’s job to put his feelings above everything else, she’s not even his mentor, Puddleshine on the other hand, as his main mentor, I don’t understand what his deal is ignoring Shadowsight, that’s not how you help an apprentice but I suppose I chalk many of his mistakes up to also not being the most experienced medicine cat (he barely even had his own mentor.) Maybe he’s distant because he feels guilty and actually blames himself for not guiding Shadowsight better?? the two of them haven’t communicated about it yet so idk

any way I give Mothwing a pass to be a little short tempered right now as a cat who has had her abilities periodically questioned all her life no matter how hard she works or how much experience she has, just because she doesn’t vibe with the spiritual cult side of the clans, I can understand why she’s a bit defensive of being questioned and frustrated watching so much hurt happen Yet Again due to reliance on StarClan visions over common sense, and I for one still stan her for slandering StarClan and refusing to accept Mistystar’s bullshit banishing like everyone else. Sometimes a character is at the end of their rope and can’t manage to be 100% nice 24/7 and that’s maybe not inherently bad writing? idk just my hot take. At a certain point we all gotta reckon with the fact that our perception of most popular supporting characters in heavily colored by fanon and we can’t always get mad at the authors for not adhering to it

*The sisters magic shit is my fav worldbuilding warriors has had in AGES, I love the way it’s described and it actually feels like it adds something to this world. I love this horror imagery with the ghosts, very excited for that.

*still won’t be thrilled if Ashfur is working alone, because his motive doesn’t make sense right now. I mean the trying to get Squilf thing, sure, whatever, but the “I will make everyone pay for what they did to me”???? cause like?? Who??? they didn’t do anything to him?? Ashfur’s grievance was very specifically JUST Squilf. He has no other cause for revenge, he had no other beef or complaints about the clans to my knowledge? The cat that killed him is dead, and she’s like, the only other one that I could see as having “wronged” him?? I guess he also didn’t like Firestar much according to Graystripe’s Vow (and on account of how willing he was to kill him w/ Hawkfrost) but Firestar is ALSO dead. I don’t understand his angle. Will have to see last 2 books to judge i suppose.

*All in all I am interested to see where this is going!! but also the pacing as I feared is becoming a major issue. It’s better then ending the main conflict on book 3 like Vision of Shadows did, but omg. Hardly anything happened in all these pages. I realized I was over half way through and nothing about the situation had actually CHANGED or advanced at all in all that time. Similar to the past 2 books which I believe could have been combined, this plot felt like it should have been the first half of a book. Discussing whether or not to kill the imposter isn’t much of a standalone plot, it’s just the set up to a plot. Finding the sisters didn’t need to be a whole long thing, the debates about the Imposters fate didn’t need to be repeated 10 times, all those chapters illustrating that “Shadowsight is sad” were also drawn out, repetitive, and interchangeable, we probably only needed 2 or so chapters showing his struggles to get the necessary information across. It felt like a lot of padding, it was really slow and I did a lot of skimming. I am still very interested in the overarching plot and mystery behind the ghosts so that kept me reading but man this “will they won’t they kill him” plot did not justify it’s own whole book. Alas this is a persisting issue that will never be resolved while they continue to force 6 books into 1 series that doesn’t need 6 books. I’m sure the writers are doing the best they can with these unfortunate constraints but still, it’s a wonder this slow padding isn’t more of a detriment to their younger readers that the books are supposed to be marketed to.

#warrior cats #the broken code #darkness within #the darkness within #darkness within spoilers #wc tbc #tbc #is that enough tags #yarrow speaks #wc criticism #long post #the broken code spoilers #warrior cats spoilers

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elle-imagines · 4 years ago

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Hello! I just want to say first that I adore your blog. I hardly ever find someone who also loves to do deep character analysis and I love it 🥺 Can I request headcanons of Sasuke with a delicate yet formidable s/o? Maybe add in nsfw if it's not too much trouble? Thank you!

Thank you so much for your kind words, it means a lot to know you like analysis, too! I hope to continue meet your expectations in the future now that I’m back. I love my Sasuke, so I got carried away. It’s a bit long!

~1500 words

NSFW below

SFW

When the two of you first met, he looked over you. He thought you were too gentle and meek in the way you carefully wrapped your kunai or leapt softly from branch to branch. He disregarded the warmth of your voice even when others were rough with you. Before you two got to know each other, he never appreciated fragility. His life never shown him it, so anything of that nature creates a feeling in him that brings discomfort. Or more specifically irritation, curiosity, and a hint of longing for gentleness he wish he experienced.

It began when you offered to clean his weapons. It was a task he could neglect at times, his mind on strategy and ruthless ambition. He agreed, and something urged him to keep you company. He wrote it off as wanting to watch your handiwork, not the pull towards your tame energy that pacified him. Your presence created serenity, a gentle silence as you worked clove oil into his blades while he watched a few birds perch comfortably on an uprooted tree. He thought he’d feel satiated, but peace, serenity, and gentility are scarce resources in his world. He sought this normalcy you provided for him. He was just Sasuke to you, and beyond his unrelenting pursuance of this path he took, he found moments where he only wanted to be a man for once. Just Sasuke. Just with you.

Your meetings continued over time, a respite from violence and anguish, in a secluded area overlooking a creek. You begin to bring meals when you notice him eating less. You brought tomatoes, molded onigiri, and cabbage, while Sasuke met you with a few fish he caught earlier. Every time he ate, he felt gratitude at eating home-grown vegetables he used to indugle in as a child. This sense of nostalgia and normalcy you brung urged him to begin a romantic relationship with you.

He began to know you, no longer overlooking you. He observed the way you grip things like a shinobi would, the lowering of your eyelids when someone was being abrasive. It’s almost as if he could hear you calculating, analyzing others and predicting their next move, your feet subtly shifting in a defensive stance under your dress. When you accompanied him to fight, his heart throbbed faster at the sight of your prowess. Your adaptability. Your cunningness. Your formidability. What was most threatening, if not eerie, was your ultimate control of every part of you, mentally and physically. Every word, every swing of the blade, every small nuance you did was with purpose. You knew just the amount of agony, just the amount of threat to let lay on your tongue, just the right wordplay to use to create doubt in an enemy. Your formidability came from your deliberation. Your formidability came from perseverance before those perceived to be more powerful than you.

Sasuke knows you.

Sasuke knows your hands. Your hands, coordinated and fastidious in needlework and mending, warm and gentle in consoling an upset friend and caressing him into willing distraction. Those hands, as he observed, have also disarmed men more powerful than most with a complex hold. Blades fly from your hands with a flicker and a bend of air. A surge of chakra halves trees and shatters bone. His lips lift warmly at the feel of your calluses. He knows your hands. He knows the ruin and tenderness they could bring.

Sasuke knows your voice. He hears the radiance and softness you use with him and your friends. Even the lack of you speaking, holding your tongue when necessary, is a tactician’s move. He knows your voice can betray nothing, whether detailing a report to your superiors or debating for better support and protection for genin students. The fluidity of your voice can bring a council member down a notch, incite hesitancy in an S-Rank criminal, and soothe a child’s tears. This is the voice that hides fear under a mask of penetrating perceptivity and intellectual prowess. You sound as gentle as the ocean, but can morph into a persistent wave that will erode the strongest boulders into weak gravel.

Sasuke knows your walk. You’re gentle on your feet like he is, barely disturbing the ground beneath you even when you’re tired. He’s grown fond of seeing you reach on the tips of your toes for something, or land quietly on a branch. He has seen that walk change into one that makes a shinobi falter their fighting stance. No, there is not the sound of foreboding thumps on the ground at your approach. But, the swiftness of your arrival and departure, taking the consciousness of enemies before you is a bit more frightening because of something called underestimation.

Sasuke knows your eyes. The gentle squint because of your raised cheeks. The lashes he feels against his skin at night. Their openness and curiosity as they look into his eyes. Those eyes show acceptance and happiness towards him, and he is aware of the appreciation you furtively show to his physique. Those eyes pick up on the strain behind his own, giving unsaid comfort for thoughts he cannot express. He also knows the extent to which it absorbs surroundings. Holstered weapons on passersby, the rigidness of someone’s shoulders, the exchange of illicit materials near your preferred market. You remain quiet, meeting eyes with knowing that one more person knows something secretive.

Your delicacy mirrors his roughness, as the sun’s warmth soothes the moon’s frost. Your hands, as they rest on his back, mend and unfold muscles he didn’t know he tensed. In contrast, the directness of his voice as he corrects your stance while training you and the strength behind his sparring shows you his sincerity in helping you. As you both dress each other’s wounds, your touch is as remedying as your chakra, bringing him back to memories of his mother nursing scraped knees busted lips. His touch is heated and solid, firm but attentive, and brings you comfort in knowing you are protected willingly by a man who knows you don’t need it.

NSFW

With delicacy comes attentiveness and gentle handling, everything Sasuke needs when it comes to personal intimacy. Although having seen sexual activities at red light districts and dubious markets he encountered as a fugitive, he still has a rudimentary idea of sex. Based on what he saw, the depravity of it in these areas (and spotting a few paragraphs from his former sensei’s infamous book), it affirmed that it did not interest him more than it did most of his life. Even before he left the village, he had a dim interest in sexual topics thrown around before class, and dismissed the passing of lewd magazines during Warring States History class.

He finds people to be beautiful in the same way you find nature beautiful, not really ogling at breasts or legs. He appreciates your beauty in a whole way rather than specific parts of you.

Ideas of becoming intimate with you surfaced after a while, but he was hesitant to bring it up. It’s more likely you brought it up first and you both discussed it (though awkwardly).

He is nonchalant to the idea of sex, but he does have a steady libido which he equates to scratching an itch and releasing stress. Sex for him would be to give and receive sensual affection, and learn about each other in a different aspect.

Sasuke likes to have a routine when doing many things, including sex. He learns that you like his fingers to comb through your scalp, his staring at you from between your legs before beginning to taste you, how he holds your face in his hands. Predictability in this setting is best for him, so you make sure he is comfortable every step.

I feel that he is much more responsive to your hands massaging on his erogenous zones than directly on his sex. Trailing your fingers softly on his thighs, whisper against the folds of his ear, or kissing the insides of his wrist makes him shiver. Caressing him and embracing him closely gives him the most pleasure than outright handjobs.

Sasuke appreciates your patience with him. A lot. The lack of expectations you hold on him and the calmness you exude gives him peace.

Both of you don’t mind chasing non-penetrative release. Oral sex, slow grinding on his hips, and massaging is perfect for him. Mutual masturbation is an intimate way for him to watch you pleasure yourself and learn what you like from your movements.

Your gentility and skill at perceiving his small tics furthers your dynamic in the bedroom. You work slowly, watch him clench his jaw when you mead the muscles of his thighs. When he accepts your offer for oral pleasure, your deliberate slowness is what sends him over the edge. You look at him knowingly, calculating how to bring the most pleasure and understanding what he likes. You know the sensitivity he has when you cup him gently, or the sharp breath he takes when you hum while sucking repeatedly.

Sasuke enjoys you holding him after you two have sex, the air smelling like heat and salty sweat. You embrace him gently, affirming to him that you will always have him and care for him. As he holds you, you feel his endearment radiating off of him. Without words shared, you know he loves you, as you love him.

#sasuke #Sasuke Uchiha #uchiha sasuke #uchiha #Naruto Shippuden #naruto #naruto headcanon #naruto headcanons #Headcanon #headcanons #naruto imagines #free write #writing #imagines #imagine

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jackedspicer · 4 years ago

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a bio for my xiaolinsona! she’s a work in progress so i’m bound to come back and change it. trivia and more in depth information is under the readmore :)

continued trivia:

she’d show up somewhere near the start of season 4

she’s used a LOT for slapstick. in fact she’s mostly a comic relief character

she’s guided mainly by emotions, is right brain oriented, and is a hands-on learner

there is a running gag where she frequently has bandaids on her fingers, hands, arms, or anywhere really

she’s a massive funk junkie. LOVES disco. she’s also a great dancer

when she comes up with xiaolin showdowns, sometimes she’ll base it off of fun recreational activities or things that seem harmlessly mundane, like mini golf..... tic tac toe.....dance-off...... rock paper scissors..... the showdowns themselves obviously end up being high-stakes and lethal as they always are, except they’re based off of goofy premises

she’s probably musically accented by grunge that’s slightly funky

when it’s funny, she occasionally will use huge words or make jarringly philosophical statements, eg patrick star’s “the inner machinations of my mind are an enigma” cut to footage of milk spilling

shes a lot like charlie kelly. in general. any charlie moment is just. Her. she’s a wild card and screams every line and huffs glue and tries to get the honey out of a hornets nest outside of jacks house because she thinks hornets make honey and she likes ghouls and she genocides the rats in his basement and sleeps ass to ass with him and is illiterate

she likes to do arts and crafts but they almost always come out as abominations. she’ll occasionally borrow some of jack’s tools to construct her latest atrocity, and she’ll refer to them by a wrong/made up name while she’s at it. “the hacksaw duey”, “the electric hole puncher,” ”the automatic pizza cutter”, etc. yes the projects and the bandaids have a direct cause and effect relationship. please refer to this video (and this channel in general)

youtube

imagine her sitting at a table and just doing this in jack’s lair... this video alone can be used to sum up so much of her. the technique. the bandaids. the blatantly wrong information that’s said with such conviction. the dark turn towards the end of the video. “superfluous protrusion.” the way it ends

continued trivia pt. 2, taken from my instagram

(i’ll get into this more further down the post)

fighting style because this is xiaolin showdown:

she has a very nimble, disorienting style of combat. using pokemon stats as an analogy, her highest would be speed by far, followed by attack, with her lowest stats being defense and special attack. this combined with her unrelenting nature makes her an excellent distraction and a general nuisance, but she doesn’t fare well in prolonged head to head battle.

favorite shen gong wu:

monkey staff, mikado arms, fancy feet, neptune helmet, hoduko mouse, woozy shooter (on herself), tongue of saiping, longi kite, indigo pyramid (on jack (cause it’s funny))

*the shen gong wu she’s most skilled with in battle are ones that trip up her opponents and cause status ailments. kinda like a prankster

backstory/analysis:

at her core, she’s a jolly, optimistic, humorous person, but her unruly, isolating childhood put a blow on her psyche. much like jack spicer, she’s been virtually alone her entire life - she was rejected by peers and adult figures alike since earliest childhood, and her home life was turbulent at best.

to ease the pain, at some point, she took on resenting and judging those around her as a means to cope. she has a holden caulfield-esque defense mechanism in play where if everybody sucks for this reason, or that reason, or those reasons, then she has justification for detaching herself from others, and she can derive her only source of self esteem from being better than them. this hurts far less than the devastating truth that she cannot connect with people on account of feeling so worthless and estranged from other human beings that she could never have the chance to be cared about by anyone. deep down, she’s in desperate, thrashing need of support and genuine human connection, and she has a warped perception of how she can achieve that.

she’s taken up evil as a hobby because it nurtures her desire to be destructive and, again, just like jack spicer, she engages in it as a way to feel seen. all press is good press, and the best way to make the headline is to cause some damage. what sets her apart from him in this regard, though, is that she takes all of her pain out on her enemies (in this case, the xiaolin monks) because she can’t stand how well off they are - instead, on the basis of their acceptance of one another, she sees them as goody two-shoes phonies who ought to be knocked down a peg. while evil to jack is both a means of getting much needed attention and a convoluted way of spending time with friends, to sid it’s a way to vent frustrations and a way to, well... still garner attention, but also spend time with a friend, except the friend is jack.

the other half of the reason she partakes in petty villainy is that it’s just... fun. she only got wrapped up in all this because she’d been restlessly putzing around somewhere remote, found a neat doohicky she planned on keeping, and when one thing led to another she wound up in a xiaolin showdown against jack. experiencing the chaos unfold revealed a golden opportunity she couldn’t pass up, so she asked jack to let her come with, debuting their partnership (i talk about this in further detail at the end of the post). goofing off and doing evil with him is so much fun to her! it makes her feel alive, a sensation and state of mind she never could fully achieve before.

noteworthy relationships:

jack:

they have a team rocket thing going on. not in terms of their interpersonal dynamic, but rather their role in the story, how much of a threat they pose as, their schemes, and even their overall attitude are reminiscent of the iconic duo; they’re petty, recurring villains with hearts of gold who aren’t above occasionally siding with the good guys.

even though they both are on the same tier of comic relief and general foolishness, the metaphor i like to draw is that jack is the left brain and sid is the right brain.

their personalities have such chemistry and they’re both so goofy that they effortlessly sync up. everyone thinks it’s REALLY annoying

they’re best friends! they actually care very deeply for one another, even if they might have funny ways of showing it. they may be evil, but they’re mutually the only and closest friend the other has ever had, and with that carries a lot of weight. think of it - the first person you meet who hasn’t been nothing but awful to you likes you and wants to be around you. What a concept

while their relationship is platonic, there are several gags implying a romantic element, even though nothing is ever outright stated. kisses on the cheek, bashfulness, other characters making fun of them (“where’s your DUMB little girlfriend?” “..........she’s not DUMB!!!!!”), domestic references (“am i sleeping on the couch”)..... it’s left ambiguous because it’s hetbait plain and simple. somebody asks them what they even are and they say Partners In Crime wym. jack asks sid What Are We and she fist pumps the flat of her own chest twice, throws a peace sign and says We’re Bros

their nicknames for each other include but are not limited to “jackass, jacky-boy, jack-o-lantern, smarty pants, wiggles, spack jicer, spack, mr spack, spackle”, and “shortstack, pipsqueak, sid the kid, champ, funky monkey, foxy (in a funny way, he’ll say it like Whatcha Up To Foxy ? while she’s like making a mess doing an arts & crafts abomination or just vibing bein her weird lil self.... it comes from a place of playful sarcasm and affection) (champ, funky monkey, and foxy are courtesy of @currentlyfallingthroughspace)

to piggyback off of the left brain vs. right brain metaphor, “heart vs. brain is how they think, right brain vs. left brain is how they act, and two halves of a heart represents their natural dispositions” is how my aforementioned friend put it. they both have a lot of heart and are ooey gooey on the inside, but the difference is that sid can grasp the intricacies of emotional/psychological matters while jack can’t (actually knowing how to EXPRESS this is another topic). it’s in the same way that jack can effectively plan ahead, use logical reasoning, and know where to go and how to get there, but sid is shabby in this department. “one is aware but doesn’t address it until it’s too late, and one can’t see it and doesn’t ask until it’s too late.”

another feature of potential conflict in all incarnations of them is the juxtaposition of sid actually being more down to earth than jack in the grand scheme of things. jack has the potential to go completely overboard, and whether or not he demonstrates the ability to catch himself on the event horizon will ascertain the outcome.

deep down, neither of them are truly evil, and they bring this out in each other as they ultimately contribute to the redemption of one another. how this actually happens is a lot rockier. sid has the intuition and self awareness to become increasingly cognizant of the fact that she engages in schemes as a way to bond with her friend, and, over time, she’s able to recognize that she’s simply been acting out, and she consequently softens up over time - but jack is much denser in this regard. he doesn’t consciously pick up on the same things she does and still believes that she’s drinking the koolaid as much as he is. the crucial dissonance in what matters most that had been incubating under the weight of things left unsaid emerges in a major falling out that challenges the nature of their entire dynamic and respective moral codes. i had a lot of help from the same friend with the following series of events and it’s really something that ought to be gone into detail on its own post, but a whirlwind brief summary is that jack becomes desperate from losing over and over so he comes up with this sinister plan that’s just too far, sid tells him to stop, they get into a nasty fight, sid leaves and makes it clear she’s not coming back, she goes to the xiaolin dragons for help, jack goes on an evil rampage but also loses his grip and has this mental breakdown because he lost the one person who’s ever cared about him (or so he thought), sid has the same brutal separation pangs but it doesn’t change the fact that jack is still doing what he’s doing, sid gets a firsthand view of a fight breaking out between the monks while she’s working with them and has a moment of clarity when she observes how they resolve it in such a healthy way, as they continue to work together and help her through the whole fiasco she realizes they’re not so bad, an entire excruciating series of events that’s genuinely too large to fit on this post unfolds and it ultimately ends with jack actually having to team UP with the good guys to stop what he started, and it ends with them breaking down, apologizing, and beginning their redemption BUT not without the illustration of several lessons that arose out of the complications of the entire thing...... the overarching lesson that’d been entrenched in their entire dynamic from the start, albeit corny, is that caring and being cared for was all they ever needed, and they learn to cultivate that within each other right under their own noses. it would be fun to have them stay as recurring villains forever, but seeing how much good is in their hearts is enough to make you wonder how they were ever evil.

xiaolin monks:

she thinks she hates them, but she doesn’t really. while her opinion of them is marked by resentment and distaste, she also holds them in high regard. a part of her wishes she could be friends with them, but the mental landscape she’s paved for herself doesn’t reveal that as an option. in her mind, she’s already been rejected by them. so why try?

the way she takes her pain out on them - people who had nothing to do with her traumas - can be summed up by the spinel su quote, “why do i want to hurt you so bad? i’m supposed to be a friend. i just want to be a friend.”

she gets chummier with them upon her redemption. out of the group, she gets along best with clay and dojo :)

bonus origin episode

this would be the imaginary early season 4 episode i mentioned at the beginning of the post. it’s more of a loose string of ideas tied together with reckless abandon but hey. the episode would open with jack feeling lonely and down on his luck to establish the theme that he kinda needs a friend (”wuya’s gone, chase trained his cats to get surly with me if i show up, my evil dream team won’t answer my calls....”). his sulking is interrupted by a shen gong wu alert and he’s like. whatever. i don’t need them. i’m still gonna do this on my own. even if it’s. ˡᵒⁿᵉˡʸ. fastforward to the scene i described where sid is putzing around with her doohicky (which i’m considering might be the neptune helmet) all by her sad miserable lonesome when suddenly some flying bloke in a trenchcoat who looks like he hasn’t seen the sun in years shows up telling her she’s got something he needs. she of course responds with something along the lines of “you know what? why don’t you try to take it from me since you want it so bad, mr big stuff,” triggering a xiaolin showdown. this is around the time the xiaolin dragons show up too late - but they’re grateful for somebody having been there to fight jack in time, even if they have no idea who they are. she has no clue what’s going on, but whatever it is, she LOVES it. she goes buckwild. she has a time. jack, on the other hand.... well, understanding how badly he needs that wu is certainly throwing a wrench in it, but he can’t help but feel like he’s having a bit of fun too. well, up until he loses. post-showdown, the monks kinda count their chickens before they hatch so to speak and they rush over to this new kid with a shower of praise, thinking they have a friend on their side. instead, she cuts them off, shouts to the guy who’s gathering his bearings (or lack thereof) - “hey! jack was it?” - and playfully tosses her shen gong wu in the air, catching it. “you look like you need this thing way more than i do. tell you what! take me with and i’ll let you borrow it,” is what she follows it up with, implying she wasn’t really that invested and only saw the whole thing as a fun game. jack and the monks are flabbergasted. what’s more bizarre is she did in fact ask to join him, something nobody’s ever done out of their own volition before. she talks about how boooooooooooring it is here and how that was soooooo much fun and to pleeeeeeeease take her with. he’s really iffy about it and doesn’t know if it’s such a good idea. he tries to make himself look cool, telling her “as IF, shortstack..........im afraid The Jack Rides Alone................................................. but-” and ultimately buckling because he can’t deny that it would be nice to have someone around.

#IM PROBABLY GONNA COME BACK AND CHANGE SO MANY PETTY THINGS BUT I HAD TO RIP OFF THE BANDAID #xiaolin showdown #xiaolin showdown oc #xiaolinsona #draws #btw her last name is question marks because i havent come up with anything yet #i have utmost confidence about this i literally think of her and jack as a duo even though shes not a real character #also it's important to add that i hope it goes without saying that a lot of her qualities arent direct translations of my own #her qualities are based on my own and are in some cases translated to represent how it would manifest in this narrative #sonas are tools u know. not being like THIS IS LITERALLY ME!!! cause its a bit different #for example my own opinions of the other characters and her opinions of the other characters differ. u kno for tha story #xiaolinsonabio

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free--therapy · 3 years ago

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How to Deal with Social Anxiety

Social anxiety tells us two lies, says Boston-based clinical psychologist Ellen Hendriksen. The first is that the worst-case scenario is bound to happen: We will be rejected; people will point and laugh; we’ll be humiliated. The second is that we can’t deal with that worst-case scenario or the ups and downs of a socialized life that come with being human.

“I have a history of social anxiety, and I was actually nervous to disclose that in the book,” says Hendriksen, referring to How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety. The book details her scientifically based, judgment-free approach to social anxiety. “I thought revealing a struggle would make people pull away as if it were contagious. But when you disclose something about yourself, more often than not, someone will disclose something very similar to you, and that creates a bond. If I had a nickel for everybody who came up to me and said, ‘I have social anxiety, too…’”

A Q&A with Ellen Hendriksen, PhD

Q: What is social anxiety? How do you know whether you have it?

A: Social anxiety is self-consciousness on steroids. It is the perception that there are things deficient about us that—unless we work hard to hide or conceal them—will be revealed, resulting in our being judged or rejected.

We can all relate to the experience of looking in the mirror in the morning and seeing some kind of physical flaw that we feel self-conscious about. Maybe we have a big pimple, or maybe we’re having a bad hair day, or maybe we think we look weird in these pants. So we try to conceal that thing. We might put on some extra foundation, or wear a hat that day, or change our pants. But if we can’t do those things, if we go out into the world with our pimple or our bad hair or our weird pants, the resulting feeling is similar to social anxiety.

Social anxiety usually falls into one of four categories:

The external self. There’s a whole category of perceived physical flaws—we’re ugly, we’re fat, our skin is blemished.

The symptoms of anxiety themselves. We may believe that it will become obvious that our hands are shaking, or that we’re blushing, or that our voice is trembling.

The fear that our social skills will be judged inadequate. We’re boring, or we’re annoying, or we have nothing to say, or we keep going blank.

Our entire personality. The anxiety here is that it will become obvious that our entire personality is somehow defective or inadequate, that we’re stupid, or that no one wants to hang out with us, or that we’re incompetent.

Social anxiety can blossom as many different flowers, but they all come from the same perceived root that there is something that needs to be hidden. But these perceived flaws are not true at all. At most, there’s a grain of truth in a perceived flaw—like maybe we do blush, for example, but not to the extent that we think—plus it doesn’t cause the amount of attention or rejection we anticipate.

Q: How is social anxiety distinct from generalized anxiety disorder?

A: If there were a Venn diagram of general anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder, many people would fall in that overlap. General anxiety disorder is characterized by worries: There’s worry that feels uncontrollable and skips from topic to topic. We might start with, “Oh, I’ve got a headache this morning,” to, “Oh my god, maybe I have a brain tumor.” Then: “If I die, how would my family support itself?” And so on. It might skip from your job to your social life to your health to global warming.

Whereas social anxiety is centered on this fear of the reveal: The fear that something theoretically deficient about you will become obvious to everyone.

Q: Does social anxiety ever work itself out? Or is it always something that needs to be worked at to be overcome?

A: It depends. Social anxiety is driven by avoidance. Avoidance might be overt: We might not show up at a party, tell our best friend we can’t participate at her wedding, or not tell anybody it’s our birthday at the office. Avoidance can also be covert: We could show up at a party but spend all our time scrolling through our phone. Or we could tell people it’s our birthday at work, but then make sure that we basically hide from everyone, all day, so they don’t make a big deal, etc.

Either way, through overt or covert avoidance, what results is a buildup of a dearth of experiences. We don’t realize that we were safe all along, or that our imagined worst-case scenarios don’t actually happen. If we keep avoiding as we move through life, then the anxiety will not resolve itself. It will be maintained by our own avoidance.

However, social anxiety does often get better as people age, because generally we can’t avoid everything. Life happens. We will often passively absorb experiences and realize they weren’t so bad. For example, maybe our boss makes us give a talk, and even though we dreaded it and secretly hoped it would be canceled, it goes fine, and we realize, “Oh, maybe I can do this.” All in all, it depends on how much we engage in avoidance and how much we are willing to try the things we’re afraid of despite our fears.

Now, actively working on social anxiety can turbocharge that growth and change. I advise people to select a few things, big and small, that they would like to work toward and actively try to not avoid those experiences but actively search them out. It feels awkward, but the key is to start small and work your way up. You can start as small as you like—you don’t have to cannonball into the deep end.

Q: How can you help a friend with their social anxiety?

A: Unfortunately, what usually happens when somebody discloses social anxiety is that their friends tend to ask less of them. The friends tend to try to accommodate to make them feel comfortable. Which I get; which is lovely and heartwarming and I appreciate that they’re trying to make their friend feel better. But what happens is then they decide, “Oh, now I can’t invite this person to the party.” Or “Now we can’t go to new places.” Or “Oh, my cousin is coming to town, so my socially anxious friend probably wouldn’t want to meet her.” In protecting their friend, they end up enabling them.

What I tell friends to do, in contrast, is to be a champion. That means hearing their friend’s fears and working with them to see what they want to strive for. How do they want to stretch and grow? See if you can help them with that.

It’s important not to dismiss their fears, such as, “Don’t worry—you’ll be fine,” or “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” We don’t want to minimize their very real fears. Instead we can tell the truth and say, “You’re strong and you can do this.” Or “The scariest moment’s right before you go in. Let’s give it a shot.” Or “Last time you stuck with it, you felt better after just a few minutes. Let’s see if that happens again.

"In sum, let them be in the driver’s seat, but also ask how you can help.

Q: What are things socially anxious people have in common (besides social anxiety)?

A: Social anxiety comes bundled with some really good traits. People with social anxiety often have really high standards, so they hold a good work ethic; they’re conscientious; they often can read others’ feelings. (Well, sometimes we overread them.)But in general, we’re pretty empathetic; we’re helpful and altruistic; we’re often good listeners. We work hard to get along, because if you roll back caring too much about what people think of you, what you get is simply caring about people. In terms of living a happy life, the greatest thing you can do is connect with others by being kind and warm. People with social anxiety are extremely well-suited to do that.

Plus, it’s important to emphasize that as we work on our social anxiety, as we try to conquer our fear, those good traits don’t go away.

Read More of the article and Q&As here

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another-sonic-blog · 5 years ago

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LockScreen

(ShadAmy) One Shot

11k

Synopsis: Shadow doesn't know he has a crush on Amy although it is very obvious to everyone else. One day, they take an adventure together that might change their fate.

Everyone seemed to know knew what was going on between them.

Amy didn't show it as often, but Shadow?

He couldn't be more obvious.

After the war with Eggman ended, the Resistance had come to an end and the Restoration took place. Many things happened, some people left while others stayed. Mobians felt inspired seeing Sonic and the famous Team Dark go in heroic adventures and

they started to create groups to help protect the world from Eggman.

Team Dark came to the Restoration HQ once in a while just to get intel information or if they didn't have anything else to do, they would request a mission.

However Rouge was very perceptive and she was aware of the soft look the black hedgehog would give to the pink one.

Even he wouldn't realize it, but Rouge knew that Shadow wanted to go to the Resistance more and more often just so he could see her.

"Why don't you go by yourself this time?" Rouge asked the black hedgehog. Team Dark was currently at their shared apartment, planning what to do next. "I was planning on taking a small vacation on Angel Island."

"As if Knuckles would let you,"

"That's why he isn't going to know I am going."

Omega entered the living room and as soon as he did, Shadow directed his attention at him.

"Omega, let's go to the Restoration HQ and request a mission," Shadow said. He was standing next to the sofa, arms crossed and an angry look on his face.

"Request: Denied,",Omega said.

"Why?"

"I'll be doing maintenance to my system with Miles,"

Shadow sighed as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. Seeing his current annoyance, Rouge proceeded with her plan.

"We have been taking missions for two weeks straight! We come back from one and you want to another one right after!" said Rouge. "Don't you also think you need a break?"

"I don't need a break, I am the Ultimate Life Form-"

"Or is it because you want to see a certain pink hedgehog?"

Shadow perfectly knew what she was talking about. However, he didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"I don't know what you are talking about, I am just doing my job-"

"This ain't job honey, we ain't getting paid," said Rouge. "Just admit that you like Amy."

"I didn't even know that was her name," Shadow responded.

"My detector says: Shadow is lying,"

Omega stepped in as he took a sit in front of Rouge. He, just like Rouge was very perceptive. However, everything he knew was due to the reserved facts he had in his memory system. Temperature, voice range, face and body reactions, if any of these things changed it meant something.

And of course, Omega knew that Shadow had something going on between the subject, Amy Rose.

Whenever they would go to the Restoration HQ to ask for a mission, Shadow would be doing the talking which is unusual since Rouge always does the talking.

However, Shadow will stand in front of them as if to prove that he is the leader of the famous Team Dark. Whenever he was standing in front of Amy, he straightened his back to look taller although he was only five inches taller than the pink hedgehog. He pushed his chest forward trying to show off his nonexistent muscles. Whenever he would talk to her, he will deepen his voice trying to sound more attractive to her.

There was no question about it ... Shadow was trying to copulate with the pink hedgehog.

But of course, he didn't know that.

Shadow would never admit that he felt betrayed by his robot friend, he knew Omega was just as blunt as Rouge. "I am not lying."

"My detector says otherwise, body temperature, face gestures, among other things says that you are lying. If you would like I can print you out a report," said Omega.

"Don't even bother Omega," said Rouge as she crossed her legs. "Shadow wouldn't know what romance is even if it punched him the face."

Shadow didn't know if he should feel offended or not. After all, Rouge was right, he didn't what romance was nor even cared about it. It's not like he felt any of those primal emotions towards anyone.

"Correct. According to my previous reports, Shadow has feelings but he doesn't seem to realize he has them," Omega said.

"Are you with me or against me?" Shadow asked annoyed.

" ... I am with Rouge on this one."

Shadow raised his hand, signaling he had given up on the conversation. Still, a little tingling feeling on his heart bothered him. Was it the betrayal of his robot friend? Or the fact that they indeed were right? Maybe both?

"Glad to know I have a team that supports me."

And with that, the sarcastic black hedgehog left.

Alright, Shadow wasn't expecting this. The moment he entered the Restoration building he thought it would be as lively and ... annoying like always but it wasn't that way. It was empty and he began to wonder if his trip over here was even worth it at all.

He reached the Main Room of the Restoration and as the automatic doors open, he could see pink fur moving around the room.

Shadow entered and it seemed like Amy hasn't noticed his presence yet. She moved from side to side across the room and typing on her computer. Shadow watched her from the door, waiting to be noticed. He didn't know but he was enjoying the sight, her intrigued face, the way she moved her body and her mannerism was kinda like a spell.

"Ahh!" Amy screamed a little and her body jumped as she finally noticed the presence of the black one in the room. "Shadow? What are you doing here?"

It took Shadow a few milliseconds to get out of that spell to finally be able to formulate words. "Where is everyone?"

"The agents have been working really hard and I gave them a small vacation so they can go to their towns and visit their family," said Amy as she calmed herself. "But you haven't answered my question-"

"And you?" Shadow asked as he got closer to her.

"What?"

"Why are you still here?"

The question surprised Amy. This must have been the first time Shadow has asked something about her. "I can't leave the Restoration alone, maybe someone requests for help. That's why I stayed."

Amy waited for Shadow to continue asking questions but instead, he only looked at her as if he was waiting for her to give explanations.

"So, what about you?" Amy asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you had any mission request I could take," he responded.

"Well, we are empty for the week," Amy said. "I do have a mission but I don't know ... It seems dangerous and from what I see Team Dark is not with you. I don't want you to go alone."

"I am more than capable on my own," Shadow said. "Just give me the details."

Amy sighed in defeat, she went to her computer and Shadoe followed from behind. She began to type on the keyboard and Shadow was surprised at how skilled she was. He was good with technology as well, especially when it came down to the smartphone he was always carrying and of course only when it came to 50s technology which most of the time it was not very useful.

"In a city, a mystery gem was found-"

"A Chaos Emerald,' Shadow interrupted as Amy began to read the file.

"Not quite, let me finish," Amy said a bit annoyed. "A mystery gem was found although at the beginning it seemed harmless, interactions with the city folks have caused distortion in reality."

" ... The Phantom Ruby?" Shadow asked.

"Most likely," Amy responded as she closed the tab where the information was and looked over to Shadow who was unusually closer to her. She didn't blame him, after all, he was focused looking at the computer.

"The file contains coordinates of the exact location of the gem but I don't know, it seems a bit sketchy," Amy said as she opened another tab on the computer. "We don't know who provided this information, they didn't provide a name nor way to contact them."

"I'll still take the mission, just tell me the location and I'll be on my way-"

"I don't think so sir," Amy smiled teasingly. This was a clear payback for the last time he cut her off. "I won't let you go alone, I think it's either I go with you or I won't give you the location."

"I thought you said you couldn't leave the Restoration," said Shadow, he raised an eyebrow more intrigued than annoyed.

"This is a really important mission, so I am willing to be flexible with this place. Besides if anyone needs help I'll get notified with my wrist communicator." Amy showed Shadow what seemed to be a watch but instead, it had a small screen with small buttons and apps. Like a mini-computer sort to say.

Shadow didn't know what was stopping him. Maybe it was the small voice in head telling him that he didn't want to Amy in any type of danger. He still can keep ger at bay if he picked his words carefully.

"Whether you want it or not, you will slow me down," Shadow said. He moved away from Amy's computer and gave her some space. The last thing he wanted was to offend her and see that hammer of hers.

Amy smiled at him, such a smile that only showed when she knew she had the upper hand. "I wouldn't say so, my dear friend."

"I am not your friend," Shadow said.

Amy's smiled banished and instead she felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

"Of course ... we are not," Amy whispered. "Let me show you something."

Shadow could swear something punched him right in the heart. Was it guilt? No that couldn't be, he only stated facts after all. Amy and he only talked a few times. Mostly it was because of the missions and ... Well, that was basically it.

They walked through the Restoration halls as silence dominated them which was strange for Shadow. Whenever he was with Amy, there was always positivity and this calm atmosphere around. But it was different now, and even if it had been just a few minutes, he didn't like it.

"What I said earlier ..." Shadow said. "I didn't mean -"

"It's alright," Amy said as she walked in front of him, still not facing him. "It doesn't matter."

Shadow always thought that he might be getting sick or he had some type of heart disease. He knew that was impossible because of his immune system wouldn't let him. There was only one possible reason that his heart stopped for a second.

Amy's indifference.

She didn't care ... if they were friends or not?

They reached what seemed to be Tail's workshop. It was impressive all the technology and machines the little two-tail fox can create. His attention was drawn to the pink hedgehog again, who seemed, for a second, too excited to show him the thing she was pointing out.

Shadow knew exactly what it was. A motorcycle was covered with a huge blanket but still, the silhouette of it remind intact. He thought that whatever Amy wanted to show him, he will act surprised ... or act as if he was.

"Ta-da!" Amy said as she pulled out the blanket reveling a black motorcycle.

Alright, there was no need for Shadow to pretend that he was surprised because he actually was. It's been a long time since he had seen such a magnificent motorcycle. A shining black, the tires where clean and the metal that made out the entire engine was a beautiful silver.

It was as the bike was begging to be used for the first time.

"Well," Amy said. "Let's get going!"

There were many things that Shadow didn't know about Amy and what one them was that she knew how to ride a motorcycle.

His mind wandered off, maybe one day they could ride a motorcycle together.

"Like as in separate bikes of course! I wouldn't want her near my bike nor putting her arms around me!"

Shadow puts the thought away as he watched Amy riding the motorcycle. He ran next to her, and without noticing it he kept his eyes on her. The wind moved through her quills as she enjoyed the rush of adrenaline it came when riding. A soft smile plastered in her face and Shadow could swear she had little stars in her eyes. Her skin glowed under the moonlight and time had stopped for him the more he stared at her.

It didn't take long for Amy to feel eyes on her. She turned to her head to look at the black one who was looking at her with angry eyes.

"Why is he staring at me? Is he angry? annoyed?"

Amy tried to decipher him to fail. May be she should say something and ask him the reason of the disgusted look on his face.

"Shadow-"

There was no need as the next second Shadow was sent flying off the ground.

Amy pushed the break of the bike and immediately dropped it. She ran where Shadow had landed, his face still on the grass.

Shadow had always been careful. Always. He didn't know what was about Amy that distracted him. The only thing he knew was that he had stepped into a hole in the grass and at the speed he was going, it made him fly in the air.

When Shadow was finally able to pull his face out of the ground, his ruby' eyes met emerald ones. Her green eyes showed concern as she examined his body. She let out a gasp as her eyes landed on his right foot.

His body was in the right position, but his foot wasn't.

"I am alright, give me 5 minutes and my foot will recover," Shadow said as he straightened himself.

Amy looked at him in the eyes once again, "I think we should rest for the night."

"Are you sure you know where are we going?"

"Yes, we should get there in the morning,"

Shadow thought that would be the end of their conversation. He really wished it was. He knew a lot of things but the thing he didn't seem to comprehend was the certain annoyance he felt towards the pin hedgehog at the moment.

Maybe because she was the reason he got distracted. The reason for his evident confusion and the reason for his strange behavior.

He didn't like it. He just didn't like anything he didn't understand.

And he just didn't like Amy Rose for that solemn reason. He still didn't understand how in Mobius Rouge and Omega thought that he has some type of 'unware feelings' for the pink one.

And even so, Shadow watcher her every move. Under the tree, they were taking cover, Amy softly wrapped Shadow's right ankle and foot into a white cloth.

Before their small adventure started, Amy had brought with her pink backpack which had some food and first aid kit. Things that mortals like her would need. Something that Shadow would have never thought he would use.

But he did.

Not like he needed to, but Amy was too stubborn to let this pass. His ankle was alright, he was good to go and keep going but the pink hedgehog had something else in mind.

Another thing he didn't like. Why was she capable of making him do things he normally doesn't want to?

It was silent between them and only the wind and the night creatures could be heard. Shadow watched how Amy was ever so careful not to inflict any pain on him as if he ever felt anything in the first place. She finished wrapping his foot and once again Amy felt eyes on her.

She looked at him and their eyes met for a fraction of a second. Shadow instantly moved his head away as to pretend he wasn't looking at her. Amy backed out and she sat down next Shadow, sharing the tree under them.

Maybe it was time to go to sleep and-

"Hey, Amy, this is Sonic how are you doing?"

The silence was cut off by Amy's wrist communicator. The blue one's voice came like salvation to her. It was one of those days where he would call her, just to make sure she was doing ok. Their conversation didn't last for too long but even with that, Amy couldn't help but thank Chaos for the perfect timing.

"Hey Sonic, I am doing fine, how about you?"

Shadow didn't know it was. Sonic's annoying voice or Amy's sudden change of heart that made him the tips of quills frazzle with disgust.

"Great to hear that, I'll be passing by the Restoration HQ in a couple of days. I don't want you to be alone, so maybe we could spend some time together?"

Shadow kept looking at the pink one and of course, that look on her face showed again. Her green eyes shone and like a high school girl, she blushed and stutter a bit.

"Su-u-re! I'll be here waiting for you!" said Amy as she had her wrist communicator close to her mouth.

"Great, I'll see you in five days! Take care!"

Beep.

Amy giggle to herself and she touched her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment. Shadow let out a loud growl as he rolled his eyes in disgust.

"What are you angry about? Amy asked as he looked at his reaction. "Jealous that Team Dark doesn't call you?"

"Team Dark does not have time to get involved in such ... frivolous actions."

This time Amy rolled her eyes.

"Come on, you three live together. Rouge doesn't mind affection nor Omega," said Amy. "I am sure they would like to call you once in a while if only you weren't so ... serious."

"Are you saying that you know my team better than I do?" Shadow asked, without noticing his body got closer to her. They were seated on the grass and to their surprise, they were comfortable with the proximity.

"No, what I am saying is that Team Dark is softer than they realized," Amy gave him a teasing smirk. "And out of the three, you are the softest."

"I tried to destroy a planet, have you forgotten that?" Shadow asked.

"But you didn't," Amy said. "I knew from the moment I met you that you were good at heart."

"You met me?" Shadow asked. "We met ... at the ARK?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember you hugging me at Prison Island because you confused me with the faker," Shadow said. "But I don't remember seeing you at the ARK."

Amy had never talked to Shadow about what happened in the ARK. She thought that no further explanation was needed. That there was no need to recall the past. The silence filled the air and at that moment Amy knew that Shadow indeed didn't remember at the ARK or the moment they shared.

"Well not really meet, more as I saw you from afar!" Amy said in a hurry. She didn't know why she wanted to hide it but it was probably for the best now.

"Are you sure-"

"Did you know that we were fated to meet?"

Her words came out naturally, trying to stop the black one from asking any more questions. Although the wording didn't come out as she wanted, she was telling no lie.

"Days before we met in Prison Island, I read my tarot cards and they told me that I was to meet a hedgehog that was going to change my fate," Amy said. "In the beginning, I thought it was Sonic so that's why I went there. But it turns out ... It was you who I met."

Shadow stayed quiet as to let her know to continue her story and she did. "Of course I met Sonic later but I don't know ... I still think it was you who I was fated to meet that day."

Amy looked back to Shadow and she blushed again as she realized the black one's stare on her.

"But you know, tarots can be wrong!" Amy said. "They said I was destined to be with Sonic but as you can see, I haven't gotten any luck."

There were days in which Shadow wished he didn't know about the love Amy had for Sonic.

Of course, he knew, everyone knew.

Seeing her like this really pulled his strings in all the sense of the word. Amy was aware of the fact that Sonic was never to reciprocate her love and she accepted that. Even with all the love she had, and the current sad look on her face ... she still went after the blue one.

"I don't understand ..." Shadow asked. "It seems like you are in pain, whenever you think of him ... so why love him?"

Shadow knew more than better than to care. He didn't know what was going on his head to even dare to ask her such things. He honestly could care less about her life or just her in general.

But here he was, willing to listen.

"Honestly, I don't even know," Amy said. "Sonic and I even have different goals in life."

"What do you mean?"

Amy sighed, she looked up to the starry night. She couldn't believe she was about to have a heart to heart conversation with Shadow nonetheless. But it wouldn't hurt to try ... right?

"To put it simply," Amy started. "I want to have a family in the long run. I want a partner that will slow down for me once in a while. I don't want my kids to have an absent father and Sonic values his freedom."

Amy looked back to Shadow to see if he was still listening and he was.

"I know it's a bit crazy to think that we ever going to get married but at least for me, I wouldn't date anyone unless I see a future with them," said Amy. "I love Sonic the way he is, I love the way he is as free as the wind and I even love the way he doesn't love me."

Amy made a pause and she was surprised to see that Shadow was still paying attention to her.

"I wouldn't change anything about him, and even when we have different goals in life ... I don't know why I still love him," Amy said. "I guess the heart wants what it wants."

"So, you don't want to change Sonic," Shadow said. "You want Sonic to change only if he wants to."

"Exactly, if Sonic wants to slow down for me that would be great ... If not, I won't make him."

It went silent again. They didn't realize, but at some point, they were laying on the grass. Their backs and bodies relaxed as they enjoyed the smell of flowers around them. Watching the stars together, Amy proceed to ask more questions.

"What about Shadow? Do you have any goals in life?"

The question caught him off guard. Of course, he thought about it before. He had come to two conclusions one that sounded more logical than the other.

"I am immortal," Shadow said. "I don't need goals."

"But you can still have them," Amy smiled at him.

Shadow stood quiet, Amy had shared something intimate about her. Maybe he could try. to so as well.

"Just keep saving the world, I guess," Shadow said.

"Really? Nothing more?" Amy asked. "I know you are more ambitious than that."

"No, that's it."

"So, let me get this straight," Amy turned her body to the side to get a better look at Shadow. Her right hand touched her cheek to provide support. Her body laid to the side and her legs touched each other.

"You are going to create a better world for the people so they can be happy but ... What about you? You have many, many years ahead of you and you don't have any goals you want to accomplish? I don't know, maybe a family?"

"That's not a problem, the problem is attachment," Shadow said. "Why be attached to someone when one day ... they will die? I have experienced that before and I don't want to experience that again-"

It was Shadow's turn to look at Amy. However, he regretted it the moment their eyes met. She had that sad look again. Shadow didn't know what angered him the most. That she pitted him or the fact that she actually seemed concerned about him. A sincere look of hurt on his face for his behalf.

"But of course, I don't have time to think about such things. I don't need them nor want them," said Shadow as he tried to light up the mood again. "Besides, who on their right mind would want ... this?"

"This?" Amy asked.

"Me," Shadow said. "Who would want me?"

Amy really tried her best to not let any emotion show in her face. She knew that the last thing Shadow wanted to be was to be pitted. However, Amy couldn't help herself. Shadow referred to himself as 'it' and the thought alone hurt her. He didn't think of himself as a living creature but as of a subject that didn't deserve love.

"I would," Amy said bluntly.

Shadow's eyes widen in surprise and to not let anything interpretation Amy continued.

"I mean, I think if I had never fallen in love with Sonic then ..." Amy made a pause. " I think I would have fallen in love with you."

"We never talk," Shadow said. "What makes you think that you will fall in love with me?"

"I don't talk to Sonic much either but I still love him," Amy smiled. "I've seen the things you have done. You saved the world, you care for people and you appreciate your team even if you won't admit it."

Amy paid attention to Shadow's mannerisms. She had noticed before that Shadow acted differently towards her, in quiet a sense she couldn't decipher. He would walk slowly in front of her and he would look down on her as if he was trying to dominate her. Now, it was different, he was more relaxed than before.

His eyes looked relaxed and a new look was plastered on his face. He looked ... content.

"Your actions are enough to make a girl fall in love ... I don't doubt it," said Amy. "If I hadn't met Sonic, then maybe you will be the one I will be chasing after ... can you imagine that? Hahaha!"

It only took that last sentence to let Shadow's thoughts run wild. He imagined it too well, to an extent that it even scared him. But it was there, a clear and sunny day. He imaged himself walking through the streets of Seaside City. Suddenly he hears his name being screamed cheerfully by no other than the pink hedgehog. He rolled his eyes and pretended to be annoyed but a side of him wanted her. He let his guard down as he felt her hands wrap around his arm.

"Should we go on a date, Shadow?"

"Shadow?"

Her voice brought him back to reality and he shook off the thought as soon as it entered his mind. Of course, that could never happen. At least not on this lifetime. Not now, not ever.

Not like he cared anyways.

He didn't care about Amy, nor her words.

Nor how good it made him feel whenever she said them.

Again, that unknown feeling. Again ... he was angry.

"I will never imagine that," Shadow said. "Let me make this clear, Rose-"

"Amy, call me Amy."

"I'll call you whatever I want, now listen," Shadow said. "I don't want anything in life, especially if my life has anything to do with you."

Amy didn't know what she said for Shadow to change so suddenly. She thought that they were finally having progress in their 'non-existent' friendship. She was waiting for him to say it. To deliver the final blow.

"Right, I forgot," Amy said, "We are not even friends."

Thre was something that Shadow couldn't catch on. Was it guilt again? No, that couldn't be. He couldn't be bothered with such feelings, especially if that feeling of guilt had to deal with Amy.

But there was a part of him, in which Shadow just couldn't see Amy hurt. In every sense of the word. He hated how Sonic easily made her sad but he also hated the fact that he was doing it as well.

So why couldn't he stop? Why were his mind and body pushing her away even though there was a small part of him wanting to get closer to her?

"But it's ok!"

Amy's voice broke his trance and her cheerful self began to show.

"I don't care if you don't see me as a friend," Amy said. "I still think you are my friend and I will love you regardless of anything!"

Shadow always had something to say but this must be the first time he was utterly speechless.

Amy's face shone, maybe even glowed in the moonlight. Her eyes would put to shame any gems he has ever seen and her genuine smile made his heart stop. She was utterly beautiful and it took Shadow long enough to realize that. A part of him was attracted to her because of her physic. Maybe he could get closer to her as long as he doesn't develop any feelings. Which he was sure he wouldn't. He never would, no he wouldn't. Not now, not ever.

Shadow sighed as he looked at the stars once again. "I don't need your friendship nor love."

Amy smiled at him and once again his heart stopped and that happy unpleasant feeling raised within him.

"Well, it will always be here in case you ever need them."

It was a long day at work. After coming back from a mission to dave the world, Shadow was content to finally reach home. A place he wasn't familiar with but surely it felt right. There were a lot of pinks which really threw him off but he didn't for some strange reason. It was if someone else had lived here before and he just barged in like a guest. He didn't feel like one, this was his home and he was sure of it.

When he opened the door, he was glad to meet that distinctive smell of food, which although he didn't need to eat, he appreciates it. He heard mumbling, a sweet song that it was all too odd and familiar at the same time. His eyes adverted to what seemed to be the kitchen and although he could only see her back, he knew at that moment who it was.

"Welcome back, honey," Amy excitedly went to greet him as she placed her arms and hands around him. "Did you miss me?"

She kissed him a passion and with such feeling Shadow had never felt before. It was all too strange but he just couldn't shake off the feeling of how right it felt. He instinctively held her waist and follow what felt natural to him. Their kiss deepens and the moment Shadow let out a small moan, Amy knew it was the moment to stop.

"Wait, we can't do this here," said Amy. She looked upwards were the stairs were and then turned her attention back to Shadow. "Last time we woke up the children, remember?"

He didn't know how to feel, what was this feeling rising in his heart? Was it confusion? Probably? Was there a small tint of happiness? ... Maybe so.

Many feelings were going through him but there were a few he could recognize. Disappointment, envy, and anger. Anger was especially predominant because he knew this was all a lie. A taste of paradise he could never have, something so beautiful that he wasn't worth it of.

"Shadow .... are you ok?"

Strangely enough, it was she who felt comfortable with. He had to admit that there was always a part of him in which always wanted to see her more. He was curious about her, and a part of him was attracted to her beauty but anything more than that? No, he didn't love. He honestly couldn't care less about her. It was his primal instinct that wanted to be with her and it was becoming too strong.

It was only an attraction.

That's it.

Rouge and Omega had everything packed up and they were ready to leave their apartments for a well-deserved vacation. It was early morning and Rouge gave one last look at their apartment, just to make sure everything was turned off. She walked around the kitchen, where she found Shadow's favorite bag of coffee. It was opened and she closed it with a pin to make sure no insects would get inside. Her mind went to the black one and how their last conversation went.

"Glad to know I have a team that supports me."

Rouge sighed as she turned to face the red robot. He was in the living room and with a concerned face, Rouge approached him.

"Hey, Omega ... Do you think we were a bit harsh with Shadow yesterday?" Rouge asked. By now, she knew Shadow a bit too well. His comments don't usually bother her but she still needed the comfort of some sort.

"Proceed to explain," Omega was a robot of a few words, but he still could process many things. Although he was still trying to understand Mobians and affection, he was very willing to learn.

"Yesterday, when we were saying that Shadow has a thing for Amy," Rouge made a pause. "He was very angry and annoyed. I've teased him before like this but I had never gotten such reactions."

Omega was smart. His memory storage was almost infinite and the information varies. He had storage books, articles and movies even. The movies section could vary too, action, drama, romance. He remembered this particular movie he watched with Rouge and from that, a lot of deduction was made.

"According to my investigation," Omega began, "Shadow acted angrily because he can't seem to recognize his feelings. Amy Rose confuses him and everything Shadow can't understand makes him angry."

"So, what you are telling me," Rouge rubbed her forehead, trying to assimilate the facts. "Is that Shadow the Hedgehog got angry because he has a crush on Amy Rose? And he doesn't know he has a crush on her?"

"Affirmative,"

A few seconds of silence passed and then Rouge burst into laughter. She placed a hand on her chest as she tried to calm herself, her lungs already hurting from laughing so hard. She wiped her tears as she sat down on the sofa, facing Omega.

"How didn't I noticed before? I mean I was just teasing him before, but now that you mention it ..."

Rouge drafted into a memory. Almost too sweet for her to ever think that it was Shadow's doing.

There was one time in which Team Dark had stayed at the Resistance after a mission. While talking in the Main Room, Amy had expressed her sadness at how the war had destroyed the many flowers around the Resistance's building. In the room, it was only her, Omega and Shadow.

In the following days, Rouge received a call from Amy. Rouge was cooking and had Amy on speaker. They talked about many things but what caught her attention was when Amy told her about the flowers that had suddenly bloomed around the Resistance and that it was more beautiful than ever.

Rouge turned for a fraction of a moment and from the kitchen she saw Shadow in the living room, watching TV and from afar she could swear ... that Shadow had a small smile on his face.

"It's so obvious! How didn't I see it before?" Rouge talked to herself as the realization hit her. "I mean I know Shadow has been interested in girls before and even gotten intimate with a few of them but ... actually, liking someone? I had never seen this before."

Omega saw Rouge with amusement and simply said, "Should we call Shadow and tell him about our discoveries?"

"Yes, we should call him later on but right now I need to go bother a certain echidna and you need to go to Tails to get maintenance," Rouge stood up from the sofa and walked towards the door where her suitcase waited for her.

"I'll call you later Omega, please take care!"

She exited the apartment with shades on, a devilish smile plastered on her face. "I am so going to tease him!"

One moment Shadow was sleeping and the other he was riding a bike, well Amy was driving. Now there he was, his head laid on Amy's back and his hands were wrapped tightly around her waist. The sunlight woke him up and he wondered if it wasn't because of the sunlight, how long would have he kept sleeping?

"Well, you are a heavy sleeper," Amy said. "I tried to wake you up but didn't even flinch. I had to carry you."

"You carried me?"

Shadow made another mistake and that was looking at her. She was beautiful from afar but up closed?

She was astonishingly beautiful.

He could see her dark under circles, her messy hair and the small imperfections on her skin. Her moles on the back and even the small freckles in her face. He could smell her as well, flowers ... vanilla ... fruits ... it was sweet but soft and Shadow couldn't get enough of it.

"Of course I did!" Amy said she wasn't looking at Shadow but on the road. "I am a strong girl after all!"

She was strong indeed, and when it came down to force, Amy probably was as strong as him. Shadow noticed that his hands were still wrapped around her small waist. His hands ever so sightly touched her tights. Shadow passed down saliva as he tried to keep his mind away from such ... unnecessary thoughts.

"When were we getting there?" Shadow asked the thoughts went away.

Amy smiled and said, "We are here."

Startown was known for how quickly it grew after the war. With an initial population of 3,000 settlers and now 7,000. It was on its way to becoming a small city. Small houses, buildings, and shops were across the whole town. It was very lively, families walking down the streets, couples holding the hands and children paying around.

"Who shall we talk to now?" Shadow asked, knowing that at this point, Amy knew better about the situation than him.

"The town's Mayor." Amy said, "If there's anyone who may know of 'distortion of reality' in the town, it must be him."

They arrived at the town- hall where they were taking in immediately. The government officials were quick to recognize them and accepted their presence. They were now on the board office, waiting for the mayor to appear.

"So, once we get the Phantom Ruby-" Shadow said but Amy cut him off.

"If, it turns out to be the Phantom Ruby," Amy said.

Shadow let out a small growl, a bit annoyed. "If it is the Phantom Ruby, what are we going to do with it? Destroyed it?"

"Of course not! We should give it to Tails so we can study it. Maybe we can use for good," Amy whispered to Shadow as she noticed that the government officials were entering the room meeting.

"The Phantom Ruby should be destroyed it's dangerous."

"We can use it for good, it can't be that bad-"

Amy shut her mouth the moment the Major entered. It's not like she was intimidated by him, it was more out of respect than anything else.

"Thank you for coming today," the Mayor, an old-looking rat sat on his chair as he looked at the two hedgehogs. "Now, if you may inform us of the reason for your visit."

"We received an anonymous email saying that in your town there was 'distortion in reality', we believe-"

"Whoever said sent you that email must be mad." The Mayor raised his voice as he interrupted Amy. Shadow immediately sent him a death glare for being so disrespectful. The Mayor continued, "Nothing is going in my town. Now if you excuse me, I have a very busy schedule and-"

"She's not done yet," Shadow stood up from his seat. He already wasn't liking this guy and most of the time his senses never failed him.

Amy placed one of her hands on Shadow's arm to calm him down. "No, it's ok Shadow. We are done."

"Please, don't leave like this. Stay as much as you like, we even have a ball tonight so please, do stay," the Mayor turned to his assistant, who was next to him. "Please give our guests invitations and make sure they are ... taken care of."

At this point, Amy didn't know who was angrier. Her or Shadow. They were left with nothing, except the two invitations for the ball tonight.

Amy and Shadow walked in silence for a couple of streets and to light up Amy's disappointment, she opened up the ball invitation.

You are invited to

20XX Foundation Day Masquerade Ball

Come celebrate with us Foundation Day

with food, music and beautiful decorations.

Amy could be less impressed. This was a ball dedicated to the townspeople, and although she could careless, something caught Amy's interest.

10*N,30*E 15.23556,-30,67890

Coordinates.

It seemed like they were going to stay in town for a little longer.

Now Shadow and Amy found themselves in a hotel room. Shadow was waiting for Amy to explain her sudden change of heart. She literally dragged him to the nearest hotel without saying a word and he was starting to question her right sense of mind.

"Alright, spill it," Shadow said.

"Sorry, but I am sure you knew that they were following us," Amy said.

"Yes, but that still doesn't explain why you dragged me into a hotel room," Shadow was next to the window but he looked at the single bed. "What are we gonna do? Sleep?"

"The last thing we are going to do in this room is sleep,"

Amy regretted her words the moment they left her mouth. She didn't mean to say it in ... that sense but it seemed like Shadow did. Amy noticed his change, he looked away in embarrassment. His stance softened, and she could tell his mind was going wild.

"Because we are not going to be staying long!" Amy said she was embarrassed as well. "We are going to the ball, get the Phantom Ruby and leave."

Shadow was still looking at the bed, he knew he was attracted to her ... but he didn't know it was that much. His mind was getting the best of him and he shook his head as he tried to get rid of the thought.

"And how are we going to do that?" Shadow asked.

"The assistant of the Mayor gave me the coordinates through the invitations, they are hiding something and we need to find out what it is," Amy walked towards the bed as she sat down on it. "So, get ready we are going to a ball."

Shadow didn't know when was it when he stopped hearing. Was it when she sat down on the bed? Maybe so, but his mind just couldn't stop. Just the mere thought of it drove him while. Her soft moans as she is under him, his growls as he dominated her. Both of them combined in a sweet rhythm as they mess up the bed with their movements.

"Shadow?" Amy asked again, "Are you alright?"

Shadow shook his head as he let go of the thought. "Yes, what makes you think I am not?"

Amy thought that his actions were cute, she had never seen such side of Shadow before. She let out a giggle and said, "You are waving your tail."

They spent the rest of the day getting ready for the ball and creating a plan. Nonetheless, everything went pretty smoothly. Shadow went to get a suit while Amy went to get a dress. It worked as confusion for the people who were following. Which was exactly what they wanted, for them to think that they were just a couple going on the ball.

It was already 9 p.m. and Shadow was just waiting for Amy to get out of the restroom so they can go with their plan. Shadow laid on the bed as he rested for a while, he closed his eyes. Maybe he could sleep for a few minutes and-

BEEP BEEP

Of course, he can't get two peace minutes of sleep. He looked for his phone in the right pocket of his pants. He felt it vibrating and immediately took it out. He looked at the screen and sighed at who was calling him.

Rouge.

"What do you want?" Shadow asked as he answers his smartphone, he rolled his eyes even when he knew the white bat wasn't looking at him.

"I just wanted to check up on you," Rouge said from the other side of the line. "Did you take on another mission?"

"Yes, and right now I am really busy," Shadow said annoyed. "So, if you don't have anything else you say, I need to leave-"

"Since when do you like Amy Rose?"

Now, Rouge was entering dangerous territory in which Shadow didn't approve. A million thoughts were going through his head, especially denial.

"I don't and I will appreciate if you can drop that-"

"It's so obvious! I mean, I am not saying that you love or anything like that! It's probably just an attraction or even a small crush, but still!" Rouge let out a small giggle. "Who would have thought you like pink hedgehogs?"

Shadow was done. He didn't want to hear it anymore. He had come to terms that yes, he was attracted to her physically. But as much to develop feelings for her? No, absolutely not. A crush? Never.

And he was just tired that his teammates were pressuring him on having feelings he definitely didn't have.

"Listen to me Rouge," Shadow said with a growl, "I will never, never have such feelings for Amy-"

This was the second time Amy has left him speechless. She came out of the restroom wearing a long dress that accentuated all the curves in her body. Small heels made her just a little bit taller, the neckline showed just the right amount of cleavage letting the rest for the imagination. Instead of her classic small gloves, she was wearing long ones that passed her elbows, making her elegantly beautiful. Her hair was accommodated into a small bun and she let out small strings of quills making her look chic.

Shadow didn't give it a second thought. He ended the call with Rouge and discretely opened the camera app. He pretended to be using his phone but in reality, he took a picture of Amy without her noticing. In all honesty, he didn't know what part of him told to do so, but he was glad he did. He wanted to keep all of her beauty to himself and for now, his phone will be the only one to keep that secret.

"So, how do I look?" Amy said as she did a little turn. Her back showed and Shadow didn't think he could control his current blush.

"I've seen better," Shadow said as he stood up from the bed. "Let's get this over with."

The plan was simple. Go inside the ball, make sure they go by unnoticed. Input the coordinates in the GPS and follow them. Reach the room, Shadow will get in while Amy covers him by the door. Shadow retrieves whatever it's inside and they leave the ball without a hint that they were there.

Everyone was wearing a mask, which Shadow hated because he didn't know who to mentally punch in the face. He had his reasons, a lot of males were looking at Amy, looking up and down at her body. Shadow knew very well what they were thinking because he thinking the same thing as them.

But Shadow tried to restrain himself ... and they didn't.

Amy felt how Shadow placed a hand on her waist and moved her closer to his body as they entered the ballroom.

It was beautifully decorated, red curtains fell from the ceiling and a chandelier shone the entire room. Chatter filled the room and the music complemented the elegant atmosphere. Some Mobians danced while the others talked and others drink. A waitress offered Amy a drink and she accepted a glass of champagne. Shadow looked at her amused.

"I didn't know you drink," Shadow whispered on her ear and it sent Amy a small shiver down her spine.

"You have to pretend to enjoy the party, Shadow," Amy said. "There are still following us."

Amy was right, they needed to wait for a while to make sure the people who were following thought they were only there to party. They diverted to make their job a bit more difficult. Amy went to the buffet while Shadow went to the bar section to get a drink. He followed her with his eyes and his quills frazzle up a when he noticed male approaching Amy.

They were talking a little bit too close to Shadow's liking. What he disliked the most was the fact that Amy was enjoying the small talk. He had never seen Amy been so ... flirtatious. Was she like this when he was with Sonic? She giggled and even touched his arm.

And that male was just getting the best of him. He placed his hand around her waist as he pretended to take her to the dance floor. What really ticked him off was that the guy dared to touch one string of her loose quills and placed it back where it belonged.

This was it, Shadow was going to go and punch that guy on the face-

"Did you fight with your girlfriend handsome?"

Shadow's attention was now driven towards the female seated next to him. From what he could tell, the female was a blond hedgehog. She was wearing a short red dress, a diamond necklace that ended on her bosom. Long legs and high heels, a perfect combination. She was the epitome of sensual.

"I don't have a girlfriend," Shadow said as he took a sip of his whiskey.

"Then, why are you looking at that pink hedgehog so ... eagerly," The blond hedgehog asked.

"Not your business," Shadow replied.

The female hedgehog let out a small giggle, "How rude, I was going to help you get her back."

Shadow knew this female was interested in him to pass by time and maybe even release some sexual tension. But if Amy was having fun with the male wolf then he can have fun as well, couldn't he?

Shadow got closer to her and he let out a smirk. "What is your plan?"

The female placed her drink on the counter as she moved her body closer to the black hedgehog. She placed her hands on his bow tie and began to untie it. She was happy to find the white chest fur that was underneath the suit and she smirked at him seductively.

The female kissed his cheek and as she parted she said, "We can start with this."

Amy wasn't jealous. She was angry at the fact that Shadow was kissing to be the most beautiful girl in town without any worry about their mission. She tried her hardest to leave the handsome wolf boy that was accompanying her. He was insisting a lot on taking her dancing but Amy had to deny when she noticed Shadow was very ... occupied.

She reached the bar and awkwardly, she approached the kissing couple. Amy tapped on Shadow's shoulder and he rapidly moved away from the blond hedgehog.

"Can't you see that I am occupied?" Shadow said sarcastically, he was pleased to see that Amy seemed to be angry.

Amy wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her angry, instead, she played his game.

"I was occupied too," Amy said as she placed her index finger on her lips. "But you know I am professional too and I need to finish my job."

Shadow didn't know what to get angrier at. The fact that Amy was implying that she was making out with someone or the fact that he had lost in his own game.

"Seems like you will be busy babe," The blond hedgehog said as she moved away from Shadow. "I'll be leaving but if you want to meet again, give me a call."

The girl handed out Shadow a small paper that contained her phone number. He accepted it and placed it on his pants pocket, lastly, he smirked at her while she left, placing one last kiss on his cheek.

"Can we start with this already or are you going to look for someone else to make out with?" Amy asked annoyed.

"Says the one who was all over that wolf-boy earlier," Shadow said sarcastically. "Where did all the love you had for Sonic go?"

There were many things Amy let go of. Shadow's rudeness, his indifference, and sarcastic remarks. But one thing she couldn't let go was her being questioned of her love for Sonic. If there was one thing she was sure of in her life was how much she loved him. And she was not going to be questioned by the likes of Shadow.

"Let me make this clear," Amy said as she got closer to Shadow. "There are many things I can stand ... but I won't let you question my love for Sonic. I love him and I won't be doubted by someone who has never known what love is."

The assertiveness in her voice made Shadow's heart tumbled in fear in the possibility that it might break if she continues. She looked away, he would be lying if he says that he doesn't feel anything. But on the contrary, he felt many things at the moment. Mostly disappointment. This is what he gets for spending so much time with her. There was only one hedgehog in Amy's heart and that was Sonic.

Shadow let go of the thought. Good thing she made things clear.

"Let's start with the mission already," Shadow said as he stood up from his seat.

Seeing Shadow's look of disappointment made Amy's heartbreak into little pieces. She regretted being so assertive towards the black hedgehog and she made a mental note to apologize to him once this is over.

Once they made sure that the people who were following them didn't do so anymore, they followed the GPS and it took them to a room that was taken care of by two guards.

It was easy to take them out, Amy with her hammer and Shadow with his force, they hide their unconscious bodies in the other hall.

"It's your turn, go ahead," Amy said as Shadow entered the room and Amy stood by the door. Shadow nodded, this should be easy to him knowing that he was a top spy. When he entered the room, he was content to find that the thing they were looking for was there. Indeed, the Phantom Ruby was there in all of its glory and there was no doubt the Mayor was using it for Chaos knows what.

This was very easy for Shadow. The townspeople were amateurs and clearly, they didn't know how to guard a power gem.

The Phantom Ruby was inside in a circular glass container and underneath it were laser detectors. A very easy job for him, he used his rocket shoes and fly above the layers and he reached the container of the Phantom Ruby.

"Hurry Shadow, I think someone is coming!" Amy said from the door, loud enough for him to hear.

"Almost done," Shadow said as he picked up the glass container and with the other hand, he grabbed the Phantom Ruby. He instantly felt a power wave run through his body, very similar to a Chaos Emerald. "I got it!" Shadow said.

He flies back towards the door where Amy was placed himself behind her.

Amy noticed that two guards were coming their way and Amy began to panic. She took grabbed Shadow by his tie and took him out of the room. She pushed him against the wall and to Shadow's surprise ...

She kissed him.

Their lips didn't move but Amy kept her eyes close as Shadow had them open in surprise. They were really close, her chest against his and her arms wrapped around his neck. Shadow decided to close his eyes and he deepened the kiss. Now, it was Amy's turn to be surprised. He placed one hand in her waist and the other at the back of her head, making her be as close as she could to him. He was enjoying this too much and Shadow realized he was entering dangerous territory. One that he may not want to get back from.

"Hey!"

Amy pushed Shadow away in embarrassment as he directed her attention to the guards.

"You can be here, have your act in another place," the guard said as he walked towards them.

"Our apologies, we will be leaving."

Shadow grabbed Amy by the hand and he dragged her out of the area. They entered the ballroom again and Amy couldn't let go of that kiss.

But right now it wasn't the time. It wouldn't take long before the government officials discovered that the Phantom Ruby was missing.

Shadow kept holding Amy's hand and as fast as he could they exit the ball. They walked to the parking lot were Amy's bike was waiting for them. This time Shadow was going to take the initiative and be in charge of riding it.

Amy climbed on top of the motorcycle. She placed her arms around Shadow and he turned on the bike.

As fast as he could Shadow drove the bike across the town, Shadow never thought that he would be in such a situation. Amy kissed him and he kissed her back, his heart was racing and he didn't know if it was because other cars began to follow them or because of how tightly Amy was holding on to him.

Then gunshots were heard.

They were aiming at them and although Shadow didn't mind he was scared that one of them might reach Amy.

"Amy, I am going to place you in front of me," Shadow said.

"You what?"

Shadow kept driving as he extended his right hand and moved his body towards the same direction. He grabbed Amy by the waist and using his strength he moved Amy right in front of him. Now they were in a hugging position. They were facing each other and the closeness made Amy blush instantly.

This most be the second-worst decision Shadow has ever made. Amy's legs soft were on top of him. Amy's hand was holding onto his shoulder's and if their faces were just a few centimeters apart.

Amy had to admit that Shadow looked really look. He had a concentrated look on his face, his eyes were focused on the road and his arms were strong around her as he kept driving the motorcycle. Maybe that was the reason she was staring at him for so long.

Another gunshot was heard and Amy went back to reality. She just couldn't let Shadow get hurt. She took out her hammer and with her good reflexes, she diverted each bullet that was aimed at them.

"Can we agree on something?" Amy asked Shadow as she kept using her hammer to dodge the bullets.

"What is it?" Shadow asked as he made a turn, they were almost out fo the town.

"Let's never do a mission together ever again."

Shadow let out a small laugh without thinking too much about it he nodded. "Deal."

Shadow smiled devilishly as he thought of an idea. He made another turn, which caught Amy off guard. They were already out of the town but the cars were still following them.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked.

"I am taking a short-cut," Shadow responded.

"You what-"

Amy turned her head and noticed that Shadow was driving them towards a cliff. A very, very tall cliff.

"Shadow, stop!" Amy screamed. Was this hedgehog crazy? There was no way they were going to survive this. Well, maybe him.

Shadow looked at Amy who was hugging him tighter. "Do you trust me?"

"No!"

He rolled his eyes and he whispered to her ear. "Well, maybe after this, you will."

Shadow drove the motorcycle as fast as he could. He felt Amy hold on to him for her life and he was surprised to see how well their bodies fit together. Perfect for each other.

The road was no more and Shadow reached the end of the cliff, the motorcycle ended up flying in the sky and it began to fall down. Shadow hear with pleasure Amy scream in fear and with that, Shadow knew it was time to end the act.

"Chaos Control!"

"AAAHHHH!"

Amy opened her eyes slowly and stopped screaming as she realized that she was safe on land. "Did we die?"

"If that was the cause, I would be in hell," Shadow said. Amy was still in front of Shadow on top of the motorcycle.

Amy looked around her area, she knew her surroundings. She turned to her left and right in front of her was the Restoration building. "Did you ... did you use Chaos control?"

"Yes," Shadow replied.

"With the Phantom Ruby?" Amy raised her voice as she got angrier by the moment. "How did you even know that was going to work?"

Shadow was amused at the sudden anger and he even found it cute to an extent. "The Phantom Ruby has the same energy as a Chaos Emerald, so I just deducted it could work."

Amy crossed her arms around her and she let out a pout. "Would you mind telling me about your plans next time?"

"Would you mind telling me when you are going to kiss me next time?"

It was late but even under the moonlight Shadow could tell Amy was blushing a thousand shades of red. She looked to her side as she tried to escape him. Unfortunately for her Shadow was still holding on to the accelerator and brake with one hand and with the other he was holding the handgrip of the bike. She was trapped.

"I-I- panicked! I only did it so the guards didn't suspect od us!" Amy defended herself. The position she was in was very uncomfortable. She was still in front of him. Her legs on top of his and she had her hands around his waist to keep her balance.

"We could have taken them out, just like we did with the other guards," Shadow got closer to her face, only a few centimeters away from her lips.

They were really close to reliving that moment they shared a few hours ago. Shadow's eyes closed and although there was a part of Amy who wanted to return the action, she pushed him away

She looked nervously to the other side as she noticed that Shadow was parting away from her. "Do you have the Phantom Ruby?"

Amy tried to change the subject as quickly as she could. She didn't like the face on Shadow's look. Again, that disappointed expression but most of all ... he looked hurt.

"Yes, it's on my pants pocket," Shadow responded as he let go of the grips of the bike. Letting go of Amy and of his grasp if she wanted to. This was the thing he was most scared of. Getting attached.

If there was one thing he found out on during this small trip was that indeed, he was attached to Amy.

And maybe ... just maybe ... he could have the tiniest, almost nonexistent crush on her.

Amy's hand reached Shadow's pants pocket. He didn't move and with her hand, she looked for something round that assimilated the Phantom Ruby. She grabbed the first thing she felt, she pulled it out of his pocket and to her surprise it was Shadow's phone.

"Oh, sorry, here hold it-"

With the moment, Shadow's phone turned on, reveling the lock screen.

Amy's heart began to beat faster and everything made sense to her. She didn't know if Shadow was aware of his own feelings. But at this point, Amy knew what Shadow felt for her. His actions and this was more than proof enough.

She looked up to meet Shadow's red eyes. Which were as beautiful as ever, their bodies were close and they shared their warmth in this cold night.

It was more than obvious that there was something unknown blooming between them.

Shadow's phone lock screen showed Amy something that his heart desired. Although Shadow will never admit it out loud, his heart raced the moment Amy looked at him with those emeralds eyes of her. Maybe his phone's lock screen showed him something obvious or it reminded him of the reason why he was here.

The lock screen had a picture of her.

A/N: Rebulls ... RED BULLS EVERYWHERE!

#Shadamy #shadow and amy #shadowxamy #Amy Rose #amyrose #shadow the hedgehog #amy #sonic fanfiction #sonic fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #shadamy au #shadamy fanfiction #shadow

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bittervitter · 5 years ago

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ang0mang0′s “copycat” claims

I didn’t want to have to make another post about this, but since people on sonicfan799 / thatAnge / @ang0mang0′s Tumblr profile are getting riled up about this ridiculous drama that should have died ages ago, I figured I’d defend myself. Some people who are trying to support me have been saying incorrect things too, so I also wanted to clear that up. This crap has been going on for months, everyone is sick of it by now. Instead of being brief like I did for other social medias, I’ll be as detailed as possible this time.

[1] “she’s copying/imitating/heavily referencing from my art style!!!”

Like people have said a million times, no I’m not. And nor is anyone else. Just because someone draws the Sonic characters in a similar style to you does not automatically mean they took, copied or “stole” those ideas from you. You don’t own the concept of buff, fluffy bodies or chubby muzzles. COINCIDENCE, as much as you hopelessly deny it, is very much a possible thing- even in crazy situations such as this. There are several other artists who have similar art styles by mere coincidence. IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE. As examples, these Instagram artists have similar styles: @ azulytoons and @ indigonite0 / @ magenta_mel and @ zer0finix / @ himemikal and @ natirix. NONE of these artists are “stealing” or referencing from each other- they just have similar art styles, and that is perfectly okay! They draw completely different things with completely different mindsets. The world does not revolve around you, ang0. Not everyone knows who you are, so some people who use the same traits that we do don’t even know we exist.

Also, to anyone unaware, an art STYLE is not merely how one chooses to portray a character. An art STYLE is also what brushes you use, how you sketch, how you line, how you colour, how you shade, how you choose to portray certain objects or ideas- basically your entire fucking understanding of how something’s supposed to look and how you LIKE it to look. It’s not just “chubby faces, poofy curly hair, buff bodies”. It’s everything in a piece AND that.

[2] “she’s tracing my art/ redrawing my ideas!”

Literally no. People have constantly asked you to provide evidence and you refused to. All you did was scream “but it’s so obvious, just look at it!” or “are you dumb? use your eyes!” and several other insults. If you want to prove a point or make someone see something, GIVE. EVIDENCE. The only person who actually provided “proof” was pin_kpeach, your ever so loyal whiteknight, but her “proof” only backfired and proved that the both of you are extremely delusional. In the drawings of ours that she layered over each other, next to NONE of the lines lined up. It looked like a clustered mess of scrap, and the reason for that is because IT WASN’T TRACED. In the one or two drawings where ONE. SINGLE. PIECE. actually lined up was entirely zoomed in to make it seem as though the whole thing was traced. No, honey, that’s not how you provide proof. That’s how you pull a muscle by reaching so desperately to lie about me. The rest of the drawings in those pictures didn’t line up at all, and one- or I believe both- needed to be titled to line them up in the first place. You could say that some people trace things and resize or rotate them, but if I were as dumb as you persist to say, then I wouldn’t have done something like that. Either way, one aspect of a drawing lining up is a common thing for people who have similar styles because- well, I just said it. THEY HAVE SIMILAR STYLES. If they draw something the same way, well fucking duh, it’ll match someone else’s drawing almost exactly sometimes.

[3] “she’s too petty and too much of a liar to credit me! saying the art isn’t hers will hurt her oversized ego!”

Ahaha no. The only one here with an inflated ego is you, ang0. You call me the egotistical one yet you act as though your life is falling apart just because someone else draws like you on the internet. Stop acting like a special snowflake, you are not the only one on this planet with an art style of that nature. I don’t credit you because crediting you makes no damn sense. Why should I credit someone who’s had absolutely no impact on my work whatsoever? What in the hell did you do for my drawings that makes you deserve so much credit? Did you sketch it? No. Did you line it? Nope. Did you colour or shade it? Not a chance. Just because I came up with a design for the characters that happens to look like yours does not mean I owe you jack shit. You cannot. own. a style. Get over it.

[4] “she worsened my depression and is the reason I can’t draw anymore! I have no motivation when there’s some idiot copycat stealing all my art!”

I don’t want to sound like that kind of person, but you worsened your own depression. You painted this false picture in your head and continue to hang onto that belief like your life depends on it. I haven’t done ANYthing to you. You came to ME with these stupid claims back when my art looked LESS like yours, before I even knew who you were. You’re making yourself feel horrible because you, for some paranormal reason, refuse to believe that you’re not the only one with that kind of style. This is why people call you childish, you’re like a whiny baby that can’t accept another child having a toy similar to yours. I can’t even decide whether I should say “grow up” because you’re older than me- not to mention you’re an ADULT.

[5]”she constantly sends her whiteknights to attack me, harass me and send me threatening messages!”

I’ve said several times to my followers NOT to harass you or your followers or anyone against me in this mess at all. I do not send anyone after you. People say things to you out of their own free will and with their own words. I can’t magically know when this happens, why they decide to and I especially can’t control anyone. I’m sorry that my friend Koro sent you all those DMs and horrible messages wishing a lot of very bad things onto you and your family- I asked her several times before and after not to do that, but I didn’t have a clue she did it until after the fact. Either way, don’t go around assuming that I put people up to this or I intentionally ask people to do these things to you. Why in the hell would I do that? What good does that do? All I wanted to do was talk things out but at this point, you don’t even take me seriously, so I can’t even try anymore. The few times we did talk you refuse to see my point of view and just see me as a liar. What the hell am I supposed to do then?

[6]”all vio does is lie, she’s so fake all the time, lying for her petty ego”

I’m not even sure how to respond to this but I thought I might as well bring it up. No matter what I do or say, ang0 sees me as nothing but some retarded liar that can’t help but lie their way around everything, even though I’ve been nothing but genuine all this time. It’s why I can’t even communicate with her anymore, because “shut up, stop lying you copycat” is all I get in response basically.

[7] her insane hypocrisy

Ange and pin_kpeach have said numerous times that I’m rude or insult her, and there have been times where I’ve been mean out of anger, but I know for a fact I apologized for it in DMs. Ange apologized too. I don’t remember ever insulting her after that, but ang0 doesn’t ever stop ridiculing and insulting me with almost every comment she makes on the drama. If she really was sorry, she wouldn’t have done it again, but I guess she said “fuck it” and just continued anyway. Pin_kpeach likes to say I’M the hypocrite for saying Ange is harassing me yet being rude to her a couple times, yet they do they exact same thing, but even worse?? I try my best to be as civil as possible, but ang0 and pink don’t waste a second calling me and my supporters all sorts of colourful names just because they don’t agree with her claims. In fact, here’s a list of every single thing ang0’s ever called me:

retarded, retard, stupid, idiot, dumb, low IQ, mentally ill, crazy, talentless, skill-less, copycat, art thief, (dumb) cow, fuckhole, asshole, bitch, wanna-be artist, unreasonable, clown, fake, liar, hypocrite, delusional, dick, stalker, bittershitter, dumbass, immature

There’s probably more than that, but that’s as much as I can remember. Not hard to forget when she repeats them almost all the time.

[8] gatekeeping ideas

Ange and pink act as if two people drawing a character in the same outfit automatically equals “du bist kopying mein style!!”. I can’t even begin to imagine the mental gymnastics you need to do in order to believe a thought process like that is logical. She thinks that anyone who draws Amy in a dress with a white under-skirt or white ruffles underneath is nothing but a copied idea from her. She thinks that me drawing Amy in a green tank top, blue backwards cap and blue sports shorts is copying her drawing of Amy in a green unidentifiable top (you could only see her back, she didn’t seem to have straps) and blue sports shorts with a slightly different design is automatically copied from her. The poses, shading, angle and idea behind the drawing were COMPLETELY different- but nonono, “this is stolen because the outfit is the same!” They also use the excuse of the whole chubby faces, curly hair, blah blah blah- see point [1] as to why that’s BS.

[9] her perception of my followers/supporters

Aside from Koro, I don’t know if anyone has seriously threatened or harassed her. Her followers comment on my posts, my followers only comment when she brings up the drama or whines about it. She insults my supporters when they don’t agree with her and act like they’re a bunch of immature brats who are wrong while she’s the high and mighty mature one seeing through non-existent lies. I’m used to her making fun of me, but I’m sick and tired of her insulting people who have nothing to do with the drama just because they don’t agree with her. Like, seriously? You call everyone immature and stupid yet you’re the one insulting people non-stop just because they realize how ridiculous and childish you’re acting. That’s why “childish” has become a popular adjective for you, ang0. BECAUSE YOU’RE BEING CHILDISH. CONSTANTLY. You get pissy, insult others and put people down but whine and cry the next minute because you constantly like to play the victim. Speaking of which...

[10] the victim card

I have absolutely no idea what ang0 goes through in real life, but there is no excuse for how she’s behaved during this drama AT ALL. Ange constantly defames her own artwork, calling it shit, calling it every bad name in the book, but doesn’t hesitate for a minute to gatekeep her style as if it was the best thing in the world. She says it’s because she “worked her ass off” and doesn’t want people just stealing her hard work. Okay, but you do realize that other people put just as much work into their own art, no matter if it looks like yours or not, right? She demands that people change their style to stop looking like hers, acting as if that can be done in a matter of minutes, because people having similar styles makes her uncomfortable. Well, surprise motherfucker- welcome to the internet. No one is original and everyone is original at the same time. People are bound to come up with similar ideas and you’re just going to have to deal with it. But despite the similarities, people are still original in their own right. If you believe that people can change a style so easily, why not just change your OWN style? Because you worked your ass off? Well, THEY WORKED THEIR ASS OFF TOO. So don’t act like you’re the only one who’s put effort into their craft. Art is hard, and that applies to EVERYONE- even professionals.

You blame me and other “copycats” for all your problems, blaming us for worsening your depression, ruining your passion for art- when you’re the only one who does this to yourself. Yes, there have been genuine art thieves in your life, and people who have stolen your art- but what I’m talking about are the people like me who DON’T steal your art or are merely inspired by you. People who say “you should be happy they’re inspired!” aren’t saying “you should be happy they’re copying!”. They’re saying that you should be glad that your work is so inspiring that people create their own unique ideas based off your own. Inspiration doesn’t require credit unless they’re purposefully taking a massive part of the original. But being inspired by a hair style or even a pose isn’t stealing. It’s inspiration, that’s it. I’m not inspired by you at all, but I can at least appreciate your art- even if you think I’m just being fake.

[11] ang0mang0′s history and why this shit doesn’t even make sense

Ange has said publicly and to me in detail about how she’s been accused of the same “art style theft” in the past. From what I’ve gathered or heard, people used to accuse her of copying a popular artist called myly14 who’s Sonic art is pretty much everywhere. Whether it be in edits, MVs or whatever else. Looking at her old art when she went under the name sonicfan799, her art does look similar to myly’s, but ang0 insisted that she didn’t copy myly and didn’t even know who she was. She legit said “it’s not my fault my art looks like someone else’s”, so basically- it was coincidence. She said she changed her art style because she “isn’t an asshole and didn’t want to make the other artist uncomfortable”, even though art style theft isn’t a thing and no one needs to be forced out of a style just because someone else already draws that way. I have no idea what myly’s stance on that situation was, but the fact that it happened just proves how stupid her current claims are.

Ange says that her style is “too complex” to be coincidentally similar to someone else’s, even though the fact that it’s happened 30 times (according to her) just proves that no, ang0, no it fucking isn’t. Your style isn’t complicated at all. Detailed sure, but no style is too complicated to be similar to another’s. Being complex doesn’t make something any less likely to be identical to another complex style.If you didn’t copy myly14 in the past, what right do you have to accuse me of the same damn thing? If I really am copying you, then you have to admit to copying myly, because you can’t just lie about your past and then shit on me for doing the same thing. So it’s either you stop this nonsense or you drag this drama down with you to your grave and admit you copied myly14.

Another thing, myly14 didn’t even have a “simple” style. The fact that her art was almost instantly recognizable and popular meant that she had a signature style that stood out. Yes, she used a lot of the original Sonic style’s anatomy, but her stylization of said anatomy, her shading and the way she composed her pieces gave her a signature style. The most stylized thing I could see was how she drew muzzles, and guess who drew muzzles in a similar way as well? You did. People saw how your way of drawing faces and some parts of the body and thought it looked liked myly’s. The similarities in your anatomy, and not your shading or colouring, was what made people think you copied her. That exact same thing is happening between me and you. My shading, colouring and composition is entirely different from yours, but some parts of the anatomy are similar.

If you really didn’t copy myly14, you have absolutely no. fucking. excuse. to accuse me of the EXACT. SAME. SHIT. that happened to you.

You never needed or deserved to be pressured out of your old style just because people thought it looked similar to someone else’s, and that’s why I refuse to change my style now. Because it isn’t. fucking. fair. To ANYONE.

[12] how I feel (this is copied over from my DeviantART)

At this point I've grown used to what she has to say, but it still hurts. She thinks that I'm some kind of cartoon villain maniacally laughing behind a computer screen every time I post something because she's so deep into her belief that I really copy everything she draws and that nothing I've never posted has any true effort put into it. She genuinely believes she owns all my art and that I devote my entire gallery into recreating her image or some crazy shit like that. It sounds really dumb, but from what I've read from her poorly constructed comments and rants, that's basically what she believes.

She thinks I don't care at all about how all this affects her or anyone at all, but I do. It doesn't just hurt me in the sense that she makes me feel awful with all her insults, but I just feel so bad for her. I feel guilty in the sense that I couldn't do anything at all to help her, not that "shes prolly feeling guilty and made that april fools joke to let out some guilt!!". (If you don’t know, on April Fools Day, I changed my Instagram bio to say “clown” and call myself “the ultimate copycat” as a joke.) That was a really stupid reaction from her by the way... who the hell comes up with that? Now that she's going away for a month, I feel even worse because all I wanted to do was try to make her come to her senses and end this mess. I thought I could talk some sense into her- that didn't work. Her delusions are so strong, she's like a brick wall. I thought I could ignore the drama- that didn't work. She "clowns" and talks about it so annoyingly often. Not to mention people do things on their own to stir shit up. I thought I could support her regardless and maybe try making her feel better about her art- that didn't work. She thinks I'm fake and that everything I say is a lie. Because of me, she probably doesn't believe other people too- and that makes me feel even more terrible.

No matter what I do, I'm automatically the villain and she's the tortured, helpless artist that everyone is against because "everyone is dumb, supporting a copycat" and she's just "used to it, because she's dealt with so much shit already!". It's so ridiculous. If she would just try to actually better herself or the situation, she wouldn't feel so horrible all the time. Like... for god's sake, she relied on a video game to make her happy- that's not healthy, and just like I suspected, it didn't fucking work.

more of how I feel

Because of ang0, I just feel like garbage. My self esteem and confidence in my art was already low. Thanks to her, I don’t feel original (or as original) anymore- and I’m afraid to show many of my new or old ideas because she or her whiteknight pin_kpeach may spring out and say “copycat! stolen! you’re not original!” and a plethora of other insults. I can barely sketch or draw Sonic content without panicking and feeling worthless because all I have is her words and her opinions stuck in my head. She blames me for her demotivation and shit like that when she’s done the same thing to me. She thinks I don’t care about her or her art, when I do, but when I say that, she calls me fake. In reality, ang0 couldn’t give a damn about me and I’m pretty sure she’d be happy if I were dead. She has said before that she doesn’t care if I killed myself soo... there’s that. Anyway lemme not drag my feelings out too long, I just thought I’d say it to anyone willing to listen since her immediate response would’ve been “fake, liar” etc, etc. I really don’t want anyone to feel bad for me or anything like that, I just want people to listen and understand. That’s all.

a final note

I’m really thankful- like, REALLY thankful- for everyone who’s been on my side throughout this. I don’t like picking sides, and I’d hate to make people do so, but there doesn’t seem to be any in between to this at all. It’s either you believe I’m copying her or you don’t. Most people don’t- thank goodness for that- but some do. And there’s nothing I can do about it. At this point, whatever man.

Please please PLEASE do not harass ang0. Don’t threaten her, don’t insult her, don’t do anything rash or fucking illegal. It’s all fair game if you want to POLITELY SPEAK to her, or try to start a discussion, but please don’t do anything stupid. And especially don’t do things in my name. If you want to debate with me or her, do research first- don’t just jump to conclusions or make assumptions.If you want nothing to do with this drama, then simply don’t say anything- just be aware of what’s going on, that’s all I ask. So nobody gets the wrong idea on either side.

Sorry for this being so long, I think I’m done for now.

Thank you if you read the whole thing.

[9.4.2020]

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divineknowing2021 · 3 years ago

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curator interview

Suzanne Kachmar: Tell us about yourself? School, work, play?

Natasha Kuranko: I’m a tender-hearted 27-year-old adult who refuses to stop dressing like a child. Currently, I am unemployed though I’ve made a small gig for myself selling thrifted clothes online. I'm a full-time student at Norwalk Community College working towards my associates degree. My free time is best spent riding my bike, reading a book, visiting museums, or catching up with a friend. It makes me chuckle a bit thinking about how eccentric my taste and appearance can be, but overall I prefer to lead a relatively simple existence.

SK: You worked as the gallery manager at Franklin Street Works. How long did you work there, what was your job like? What did you do?

NK: I worked at Franklin Street Works for just under 4 years. It was an incredibly nurturing environment. The artwork I was exposed to there provided me with the motivation and tools I needed to become a better person. Whether an artwork was intimately revealing a struggle unfamiliar to me or pulling back the curtain on oppressive structures I too was inflicted by, my critical thinking skills and will to be compassionate (for both myself and others) was constantly being asked to grow. The executive and creative directors of FSW at the time I was hired, put a lot of intention into creating a work environment that functioned on open communication, care, respect, and mutualism. They trusted me with responsibilities despite my lack of formal education in the arts and were always available if I needed guidance. They taught me to be confident in my abilities; I don't think I'd have half the aspirations I do today if it weren't for either of these women.

If I wasn't walking a visitor through an exhibition, I was likely busy reaching out to local community groups with overlapping interests to an exhibition's theme, writing letters of appreciation to patrons, updating our CRM database, preparing for an upcoming event, or snacking on cherry tomatoes from our back patio vegetable garden. My favorite work happened while we were bittersweetly deinstalling one exhibition and installing the next. I find the process of repairing holes in walls oddly calming and symbolic of healing, plus nothing beats the precious feeling of holding an artwork in your hands.

SK: What have you been doing since FSW closed and during Covid 19?

NK: The pandemic put a halt to some crucial fundraising efforts for FSW forcing us to close permanently. Unlike many people, I was fortunate enough to qualify for unemployment and not be burdened with food or housing insecurity. My focus has been on my physical, mental, and spiritual health. I see the culture of today as being very tiring, constantly asking us to perform success and prove ourselves. It's easy to get caught up in this pressure while allowing traumas or feelings of anger, sadness, and grief to accumulate. It's been nice stepping outside of that mindset and giving myself the time to process and move on from bad things that have happened to me. I just wish more people could be given that opportunity. It's a bit cheesy to say, but life is really beautiful; I think this pandemic has helped open a lot of people's eyes, including my own, to how lucky we are to be alive.

SK: Tell us about the exhibit you produced. You proposed and defined the concept, curated the art and mounted the exhibit, bringing your other work experiences to City Lights Gallery.

NK: diving knowing is a group show featuring 19 artists. Most of them are either self-taught or in the early stages of their career. The submission process consisted of me posting a call for art on my Instagram and reaching out to a few individuals I had already established a relationship with, asking if they wanted to submit. I felt so moved by all the work I had access to just through my personal network. A handful of artists in the show are close friends of mine. It's really amazing to see all their artworks getting along with another in one space.

I was invited to curate this exhibition for women's month. I wanted to develop a theme relevant to women's issues and my personal experience as a woman, which wasn't centered around biology or would risk excluding trans and non-binary artists. I was thinking about how commonly the voices of women, and other marginalized groups, are devalued or ignored and how over generations, this has pushed us into a more perceptive mode of being. Intuition is a really radical concept; there's a lot of power in recognizing the knowledge you already have inside you and not depending on an external authority to validate it. It was a long train of thoughts and feelings, but basically, I wanted to celebrate something I've found to be so crucial in my own life and learn more about how it exists in the life and work of artists.

SK: What's next? What are your ambitions or plans as an artist, creative, arts professional?

NK: My next, or current step, is finishing up my associate degree at Norwalk Community College. What I go on to study after that will depend on where I am accepted as a transfer student. I'm looking at schools offering majors in curatorial or archival studies but I'd also be totally satisfied getting my masters in education and teaching elementary school somewhere. Far as my ambitions or plans as an artist/creative/arts professional goes... I'd love to refamiliarize myself with guitar and get back into songwriting. My dream is to open up an alternative art space, with a similar value system as FSW, that doubles as a vegan fast food joint. Though that probably won't be happening for another 5-10 years. One of the names I've been playing with for the space is "beans on bread."

SK: Is there anything else you want to tell us or announce?

NK: No announcements here! I would like to thank every artist who submitted and everyone who supported me throughout this project. Knowing there were people in my life with curatorial experience who were willing to provide guidance if needed saved me from a lot of sleepless nights!

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raeynbowboi · 5 years ago

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How to Play as Thomas Sanders in DnD 5e

Yes I know I posted my Star Butterfly post saying it was my last DnD build for a while so I could take a break, but guess I’m a liar because I had a slow work day so here we are. A while ago, someone asked me to make a build for Thomas Sanders, and at the time, I honestly dismissed it, telling them that I didn’t think it was possible. I thought trying to cram five characters into one PC wasn’t really doable, but I’m going to eat those words and tell you all how you can talk to yourself about your feelings. However, this one will be a little different, because each Side could also be its own build, so I’ll be discussing how to build Thomas, Logan, Patton, Roman, and Virgil.

Thomas Sanders

Race: Human Background: Entertainer Class Glamour Bard: As an entertainer with a love for singing and acting, I thought it most appropriate to have the primary class for all five of them should be a Bard. While Roman could work as a Glamour Bard, as he’s flirty and romantic, I felt it fit Thomas the best. Thomas clearly likes the attention or he wouldn’t do his Sanders Sides videos, and the Glamour Bard does exactly that, making themselves the center of attention and messing with emotions, which seemed to fit with Thomas’ personality and the premise of the series.

For spells, as a level 20 Bard, Thomas has 26 spells. 4 Cantrips, 16 spells, and 6 Bard Magical Secrets, which gives room for 6 spells per Side. Logan’s spells would prioritize finding information or using one’s mind to attack with psychic powers, Patton’s spells would protect and heal his allies, Roman’s spells would focus on charms and buffing his allies, and Virgil’s spells would focus on causing fear, panic, or illusory pain to enemy creatures.

Logan: Mage Hand, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Psionic Blast Legend Lore, Synaptic Static, Intellect Fortress

Patton: Friends, Healing Word, Calm Emotions, Zone of Truth, Otil’s Resilient Sphere, Regenerate, True Resurrection

Roman: Vicious Mockery, Charm Person, Heroism, Enthrall, Crusader’s Mantle, Compulsion

Virgil: Mind Sliver, Dissonant Whispers, Fear, Ego Whip, Psychic Crush, Feeblemind

Logan Sanders (Logic)

Race: Variant Human (+1 CHA, +1 INT) Bonus Feat: Telekinesis Background: Entertainer, Researcher Class Lore Bard: Really, Lore or Eloquence Bard works great for Logan. Just in different ways. Lore Bards are more focused on knowledge and facts, while Eloquence Bards are good debaters who weaponize logic and reason. Whether factual or logical, any way you slice it, you’re still a nerd. Side Expertise: History, Investigation, Nature, Religion Spell List Basic Arcana: Light, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Magic Weapon, Magic Circle, Arcane Hand, Mord’s Sword Knowledge: Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Identify, Detect Thoughts, Locate Object, Locate Creature, Legend Lore, True Seeing Psionics: Id Insinuation, Mental Barrier, Mind Trust, Thought Shield, Psionic Blast, Ego Whip, Intellect Fortress, Synaptic Static, Telekinesis, Psychic Crush Variant Builds Knowledge Cleric Lore Mastery or Psionics Wizard

Patton Sanders (Morality)

Race: Variant Human (+1 CHA, +1 CON) Bonus Feat: Inspiring Leader Background: Entertainer, Courtier Class Eloquence Bard: Originally, I had Patton as a Valor Bard, but then while looking at Eloquence I started to realize it’s really a good fit for Patton. Aside from the Undeniable Logic feature name, the rest of the build is far more focused on healing, supporting, and calming one’s allies. So, Logan might seem like a good fit based on debating and logic, but in terms of how the subclass actually plays, it’s far more at home with Patton. Side Expertise: Acrobatics, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion Spell List Wards: Blade Ward, Shield, Warding Bond, Ostil’s Resilient Sphere, Globe of Invulnerability Healing: Mending, Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Lesser Restoration, Mass Cure Wounds, Heal, Regenerate, Resurrection, True Resurrection, Power Word Heal Feelings: Friends, Sense Emotion, T’s Hideous Laughter, Calm Emotions Helpful: Light, Faerie Fire, Feather Fall, Aid, Zone of Truth, Motivational Speech, Skill Empowerment Variant Builds Protection Cleric Banneret Fighter Redemption Paladin Abjuration Wizard

Roman Sanders (Creativity)

Race: Variant Human (+1 CHA, +1 STR) Bonus Feat: Actor Background: Entertainer, Noble Class Swords Bard: He’s a gallant hero, a noble prince, and the strongest of the four sides. Also, he likes to sing and owns a sword, so he checks off all two of the boxes required for the subclass. Side Expertise: Animal Handling, Arcana, Athletics, Performance Spell List Charms: Friends, Charm Person, Suggestion, Hypnotic Pattern, Geas Knight: True Strike, Branding Smite, Enhance Ability, Crusader’s Mantle, Circle of Power, Heroe’s Feast, Holy Weapon Dramatics: Unearthly Chorus, Vicious Mockery, Shatter, Enthrall, Irresistible Dance Royalty: Command, Speak with Animals, Animal Messenger, Remove Curse, Compulsion, Dominate Person, Dominate Monster, Mord’s Magnificent Mansion, Glibness Variant Builds Glamour Bard Champion, Cavalier, or Eldritch Knight Fighter Crown, Devotion, or Heroism Paladin Swashbuckler Rogue Archfey or Hexblade Warlock Bladesong Wizard

Virgil Sanders (Anxiety)

Race: Variant Human (+1 CHA, +1 WIS) Bonus Feat: Alert Background: Entertainer, Haunted One Class Whispers Bard: The Whispers Bard is perfect for Virgil, as both are fixated on attacking the mind, dealing psychic damage, and instilling fear in enemies. Side Expertise: Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth Spell List: Fear: Vicious Mockery, Bane, Dissonant Whispers, Enemies Abound, Fear, Ego Whip, Eyebite Darkness: Invisibility, Darkness, Shadow Blade, Maddening Darkness Mental: Mind Sliver, Minor Illusion, Mage Hand, Id Insinuation, Sleep, Crown of Madness, Phantasmal Force, Ray of Enfeeblement, Catnap, Confusion, Phantasmal Killer, Contingency, Mislead, Feeblemind, Psychic Scream Variant Builds Shadow Monk Gloom Stalker Ranger Assassin, Inquisitive, or Soul Knife Rogue Aberrant Mind or Shadow Sorcerer Great Old One Warlock

With the four sides, you could build Thomas in such a way that his spell list changes based on his mood, rolling a 1d4 after every long rest to determine how he feels that day. The sides could be their own characters, questing to save Thomas (or other people) by combating their emotional and psychological problems. Or it’s just a team of wacky bards who each have their own unique niche skills.

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anotherkpopvictim · 4 years ago

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Into a New World (Through the Gate) - BTS OT7 Fantasy Story Chapter 1

(Pic Source - Jaiho? (I found this on a pinterest but I don’t think it was this person’s) ((Edit is by me tho))

A/N: Hi, so, this is a multi-chaptered story that I’ve had swirling around in my head for a while. I’m not sure how many chapters it’s going to be, and I’m not sure how often I’ll update (especially because I have a few other stories I need to update first) but I will finish this story one way or another.

Happy Birthday, our Hobi <3

Relationship: BTS X BTS

Rating: T (for now)

Words: 2928

Hurt/comfort, fluff, fantasy

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Chapter 1: The Banishing

Worldbuilding Notes on Fairies:

The origin of how fairies came to be is rather unknown. Their attributes and used honorifics suggest they are of Korean descent.

Fairies can be creatures of trickery. Though not inherently evil, fairies possess the ability to manipulate easily if they so please (not all use this ability, though). While they can also sometimes use aura reading to detect whether someone is lying or not, a fairy’s downfall is that they themselves cannot lie. Despite this, they are talented at twisting words and finding loopholes in different situations.

A Fairy’s magic ability is similar to that of witches, but it is easier for them to learn as they are born with a close connection to magic itself, while witches spend years and years learning to connect with magic. Fairies are often good spies as they have their smaller form that can easily hide. Fairies are born with a given color - the color of their hair and eyes. These colors represent common personality traits (though not always 100% accurate from person to person, and not all fairies have all the traits the colors represent). A mix of two or more colors just means that the person has personality traits of multiple colors (i.e. a very dark blue would have traits of both blue and black).

(Link to the basis of color symbolism I’m using - https://www.color-meanings.com/)

Colors and their meanings:

(This part is optional to read, but I will be using this as a basis for fairy personalities in the story)

Red - The color of passion and energy. Red draws attention like no other color and radiates a strong and powerful energy that motivates us to take action. It is also linked to sexuality and stimulates deep and intimate passion.

Orange - The color of enthusiasm and emotion. Orange exudes warmth and joy and is considered a fun color that provides emotional strength. It is optimistic and uplifting, adds spontaneity and positivity to life, and encourages social communication and creativity. It is a youthful and energetic color.

Yellow - The color of happiness and optimism. Yellow is a cheerful and energetic color that brings fun and joy to the world. It makes learning easier as it affects the logical part of the brain, stimulating mentality and perception. It inspires thought and curiosity and boosts enthusiasm and confidence.

Green - The color of harmony and health. Green is a generous, relaxing color that revitalizes our body and mind. It balances our emotions and leaves us feeling safe and secure. It also gives us hope, with promises of growth and prosperity, and it provides a little bit of luck to help us along the way.

Blue - The color of trust and loyalty. Blue has a calming and relaxing effect on our psyche, that gives us peace and makes us feel confident and secure. It dislikes confrontation and too much attention, but it is an honest, reliable, and responsible color and you can always count on its support.

Purple - The color of spirituality and imagination. Purple inspires us to divulge our innermost thoughts, which enlightens us with the wisdom of who we are and encourages spiritual growth. It is often associated with royalty and luxury, and its mystery and magic sparks creative fantasies.

Pink - The color of love and compassion. Pink is kind and comforting, full of sympathy and compassion, and makes us feel accepted. Its friendly, playful spirit calms and nurtures us, bringing joy and warmth into our lives. Pink is also a feminine and intuitive color that is bursting with pure romance.

White - The color of purity and innocence. White is a true balance of all colors and is associated with cleanliness, simplicity, and perfection. It loves to make others feel good and provides hope and clarity by refreshing and purifying the mind. It also promotes open-mindedness and self-reflection.

Black - The color of power and sophistication. Black is an incredibly strong and intimidating color that exudes authority and makes us feel secure and protected. Often seen at formal and prestigious events, this mysterious marvel arouses and seduces our senses with its elegance and sexiness.

Gray - The color of compromise and control. Gray is neutral, conservative, and unemotional. It is practically solid as a rock, making it incredibly stable, reliable, and calming. It has a peaceful, relaxing and soothing presence. Gray avoids attention but offers mature, insightful advice to anyone who asks.

Brown - The color of stability and reliability. Brown is dependable and comforting. A great counselor and friend full of wisdom. You can count on its help if you need an honest opinion, support, and protection. It stabilizes us, helps us stay grounded, and inspires us to appreciate the simple things in life.

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Hoseok listened to his older brother babble on to the other five high council members, trying to manifest the courage to speak up to him about what had been weighing him down since the last meeting.

Minseok, his brother, was not a bad person. However, he also wasn’t necessarily a good person either. As the crowned King of the Fairy Kingdom of Aurora, he wasn’t the worst candidate in their long history, not by a long shot. Hoseok had watched him exile a butler after he brought him an indigo-colored robe instead of a dark purple one by accident, but had also seen him send fresh-baked loaves of bread to the orphanage nearby as a treat for the children. He was a man capable of coming up with creative solutions but sometimes allowed his power and authority to cloud his judgment.

An enigma, his brother most certainly was.

This was why Hoseok was so nervous to bring up the topic on his mind. He wasn’t sure how Minseok was going to react, though no one ever really knew. Nevertheless, he needed to give it a try, for the good of their people.

“King Minseok,” Hoseok addressed, standing up from his seat when a lull came in the conversation. He bowed politely towards his brother. “There is a concern of mine that I needed to bring up, brother.”

The older man with a head full of shocking dark purple hair and eyes the same color looked at him curiously. “Yes, Hoseok-ah. What is the matter, brother?”

Hoseok gulped against the lump forming in his throat and forced himself to speak. His brother was being kind right now, but he knew the man could turn on a dime. “The army, brother. They have been urging us for some time now to give the soldiers more time before sending them to war.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow, “We have an alliance with the jinns, a promise to fight with them against the demons.”

“I know, my King,” Hoseok replied. “But our soldiers are being slaughtered on the battlefield. If we could change the laws in place and give them a few more months of training to build up their skills-”

“So, what you’re saying is that I should spend more money and time on our soldiers when the war they are fighting isn’t to be a long one?” The King asked, interrupting Hoseok’s words.

It was predicted that the jinns were going to win the war with the demons, though it was a slow process. “We’ve lost thousands of our citizens, Minseok-hyung.” Hoseok urged. “Lives were lost when they could have lived if only they had more skills and endurance. The captains have been coming to us since they realized the pattern months ago.”

Minseok furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. “We already give so many resources to the military, we don’t have anything to spare.”

“We’ll find some, we’ll find a way-”

“ENOUGH!” Minseok boomed, standing up from the throne and slamming his hands down on the table. “The way the laws are written right now give our soldiers plenty of time to refine their skills before they are sent off to fight. More soldiers come back than don’t and that’s more than we could ask for. I will not spend another second on this unimportant topic when there are other issues to be resolved.”

“But, hyung,” Hoseok pleaded. He knew he should just shut up, but the worried words of the captains wouldn’t leave his mind. “Perhaps you could just allow some of the captains to tell you their worries personally. I really think that we need to-”

Minseok’s dark purple hair began to lift around his golden crown, glowing and sparking with magic. That was when Hoseok knew it was over for him.

“Hoseok-ssi, you know better than to talk back to your King!” his brother hissed.

“Hyung, my King, I’m sorry-”

“You’re banished!”

Hoseok nearly choked. “W-What?”

“I’m banishing you from Aurora. How dare you rebel against the King!” Minseok raged, motioning for guards to grab onto Hoseok.

Hoseok could see the anger in his brother’s eyes, the betrayal, and knew that there was no changing the crazed, overdramatic sentence given to him.

“Minseok,” Hoseok looked at his brother with one final plea, “Please don’t do this. I didn’t mean to offend you in any way.”

Minseok snarled, his bright purple hair starting to glow and move as his power began to build up inside of him. “You’ve betrayed the crown. You’ve betrayed me. There is no place in Aurora for you any longer.”

Hoseok bent his head, knowing that his brother had truly made his decision and nothing he could say would change his mind. His own shocking orange hair lay flat against his head, no spark of power anywhere to be found - a sure sign of any fairy’s defeat.

The five councilmen who were occupying the table with the two brothers sat in silence, eyes sympathetic as they watched Hoseok being escorted out of the room.

There were ten guards that led them towards the Gate that was situated just outside the castle walls, two of them holding onto Hoseok’s arms like he was going to even try to get away. He knew better than that.

A misty, swirling wall of fog lay just behind the golden bars of the Gate. Hoseok could only watch with a defeated look in his eyes as his brother opened the right door of the Gate and then turned to look at him.

“Jung Hoseok, you are hereby banished from Aurora under my authority, King Minseok of the Fairy Kingdom. Shall you ever choose to return, you will be greeted with death.” Minseok snarled out his brother’s sentence with such malice it made Hoseok cringe. Then the King turned to the two guards holding Hoseok’s arms and ordered, “Throw him through the Gate.”

Hoseok, whose heart was racing with fear in his chest, didn’t fight the two men at all. As he was forced forward, he shut his eyes tightly and braced himself. He merely accepted his fate as he was pushed harshly into the swirling fog.

Now, Hoseok had never traveled worlds before, so he hadn’t ever experienced what it was like to go through a Gate before.

At first, it felt as if he was falling at a great speed, the breath snatched from his lungs. Then, he suddenly felt himself slow down before dropping onto some sort of hard surface.

Laying on the ground, Hoseok was reluctant to open his eyes. He knew that he must be on Earth now, as Earth was the center of the worlds, but he didn’t know exactly where. He couldn’t hear much besides the ruffling of some leaves in the breeze and birds chirping happily. The temperature was slightly cooler than he was used to, and his attire of matching silk shorts and a shirt certainly didn’t do anything to keep him warm.

Taking in a brave breath, Hoseok opened his eyes and took in the scene before him. He was in a forest lush with tall, green trees. Pretty blue flowers bloomed in patches on the ground, bringing Hoseok a bit of relief. Surely the place couldn’t be too bad if there were beautiful flowers blooming, right?

From Hoseok’s limited knowledge of Earth, he knew that it was the center of the realms and welcomed those of all supernatural backgrounds. While most supernatural beings had their own realm to call home, there were a few that didn’t. Vampires, shapeshifters, and witches lived primarily on Earth. Creatures like jinns, goblins, demons, and yes, fairies, all had their own realm.

Gates only existed between Earth and these worlds, but they were plentiful all across the Earth. Most Gates were situated in Gate Stations (just like a train station) but there were some that were simply situated in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, it appeared that Minseok had to make things even more difficult for his brother by sending him somewhere obscure. Hoseok hadn’t had the chance to see exactly where he was sending him to. A childish move on the older man’s part.

“Well, gosh marbles!” Hoseok shouted into the trees as he stood up and dusted himself off. “What am I going to do now?”

Where was he to go? What was he to do? The Fairy Kingdom was all he had known his whole life.

“E-Excuse me?”

Hoseok yelped with a start at the sudden voice, his head whipping around to find the source. He caught sight of a young-looking man peeking out from behind one of the trees to his left. He had big, curious doe eyes and didn’t appear to be much of a threat, but Hoseok knew from experience not to let his guard down.

“W-Who are you?” he asked, kicking himself when he stuttered.

The young man came out from behind the tree, revealing his all-black ensemble; jeans, a leather jacket, and some army boots. Hoseok remembered reading that fashion was quite different on Earth, but he was still surprised. “I’m Jungkook. Who are you?”

(JKs look) (except no beanie)

“Hoseok,” he replied cautiously.

“Did you just come through the Gate?” Jungkook asked, head tilting towards said Gate right behind Hoseok.

“Yes.”

Jungkook hummed thoughtfully. “No one’s come through that Gate in years.”

“Oh...” Hoseok said intelligently. “Um, could you perhaps tell me where I am?”

“Well, I would assume you at least know that you’re on Earth, but more specifically, you’re just outside of Seoul, South Korea.”

“South Korea...” Hoseok repeated, wracking his brain for anything he knew about this place. He knew that he’d heard of it, but he wasn’t sure where from.

“You’re a fairy, right?” Jungkook asked, rather excitedly. “Many fairies seem to have Korean in their blood. So technically, you’re in your ancient homeland!”

Ah, Hoseok thought, that makes sense. Fairies were rather sheltered about things outside of their own Kingdom, so while Hoseok had heard that they were possibly descendants of Earth’s South Korea, he didn’t know much about it at all.

Hoseok blinked at the smiling young man before him, whose grin and scrunched-up nose made him look uncannily like a rabbit, not to mention his adorable front teeth.

“Ah, sorry!” Jungkook turned a little sheepish. “Ever since my Jimin-hyung came, I’ve really wanted to meet another fairy so badly!”

Hoseok didn’t have time to register that apparently, South Koreans used the same honorifics as fairies, as the more important part of the young man’s statement caught Hoseok’s attention. “You know another fairy?”

“Mhm,” Jungkook nodded his head dutifully, his shaggy dark brown hair bobbing up and down with it. “Jiminie’s color is pink. And he lives with us.”

“Us?”

“Me and my hyungs! There are six of us. We live just a couple miles away from here.” Jungkook answered with a fond smile.

“A pack, huh?” Hoseok gave the young man a once-over when he realized he had no idea what creature Jungkook was. “Are you...human?”

Jungkook shook his head before opening his mouth and pointing at some very tiny but pointy incisors that hadn’t been there a moment ago. “I’m a vampire, like my Yoongi-hyung. I was obviously a human, though, before he saved me.” Jungkook’s smile faded a bit as he seemed to get lost in a memory.

“A little vamp, I see,” Hoseok replied, feeling like he needed to lighten the mood. “How old are you?”

“I’ve been a vampire for seven years, and I was twenty-three when I was turned.” A pretty young vampire then. Hoseok had read about vampires who lived to be thousands of years old.

“Well,” Hoseok began with a gentle smile, “I’m one hundred thirty-eight, so I guess that makes me your hyung.”

Jungkook let out a sigh of relief. “Good, I don’t like being a hyung.”

Hoseok chuckled at the younger’s adorableness before he remembered where he was and what had conspired for him to be here.

Jungkook must have noticed his expression sadden because he gave a little gasp. “Hoseok-hyung, do you need somewhere to stay? I’m sure my hyungs wouldn’t mind housing you for now.”

Hoseok honestly questioned the young man. Who in their right mind invited a total stranger into their home? Jungkook the baby vampire, apparently. Hoseok doubted that he had any nefarious ulterior motives for inviting him, as fairies were fairly good at reading others and he didn’t sense anything from him, but it was strange nonetheless.

However, Hoseok really didn’t have anywhere to go or any money to get a place to stay. He’d been thrown out of the only world he’s ever known and didn’t know what he was supposed to do. And he was tired, just plain tired from the eventful day.

So, he gave the only answer he really could.

“I would love a place to stay, Jungkook-ah.”

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A/N: So...what did you think?

I’ve never written anything in the fantasy genre but I’ve been loving so many fantasy fics lately that I just had to take a try at it. I don’t know much about the specifics of the different supernatural creatures in legends and such, so these will mostly be of my own making, but with some common traits you probably know.

Please do not expect me to update this for a while, as I need to update a few other stories first, but I will not abandon this fic.

I tried to make it clear that Hoseok’s brother, Minseok, has an unstable mentality, and thus feeling like his brother betrayed him over something rather ridiculous and banishing him seemed reasonable to him.

Please leave comments and likes as they fuel my motivation to write exponentially <3 And if you have any suggestions now or in future chapters for what you would like to see, I would love the ideas and will try to work them into the story (though I don’t have much solidly planned just yet anyways).

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So far we know:

Seokjin - ?

Yoongi - Vampire

Hoseok - Fairy (138)

Namjoon - ?

Jimin - Fairy

Taehyung - ?

Jungkook - Vampire (30)

(I think you’ll meet the others in the next chapter!)

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