#clockwork.rewrite

[journey-of-daydreams]

Can you do an affectionate reader with rewrite like the reader see rewrite in there kyokai form and instead of being scared the readee tells rewrite that they love them no matter what they look like (3 rings)

absolutely.

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

After seeing Rewrite glitched out again, and them dodging it completely again, you decide to simply assure them without prying further.

Type: Oneshot Genre: Fluff (Slight Horror) Content Warnings: Aggressive Body Language Stage: 3 Rings Note: Contains use of a pet name

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

Something is wrong.

Rewrite wasn't around. Unusually so, they had been quiet today.

And suddenly, you feel a terrible pressure from all around you. Like the universe is closing in on you. It's hard to breathe.

The world around you lags on itself. The clouds repeat the same movement over and over, snapping back in place every few seconds. The sound of the wind blowing crackles and breaks jarringly.

...Something is happening to Rewrite, you're sure.

You immediately start to look for them, but you only take a few steps when you quickly see something towering in the sky. A broken, unnatural, twisting form you can barely comprehend. Red, endless voids break through the model of... Whatever it is. Like shattered pieces floating in the sky.

You're apprehensive and uncertain... But unafraid. You know nothing can hurt you in this place.

You take a step closer out of curiosity, and it moves in response. It turns, jankily and inhumanly, parts following each other like a model that's not rigged properly. Once you see something that resembles eyes... It takes you a second to register you're looking at Rewrite.

And as quickly as you could process it, a sharp buzzing sound hits your ears and a dense fog surrounds you, obscuring Rewrite from view. You flinch and stop moving, uncertain of what's going on. A frightening thought crosses your mind.

Did Rewrite somehow revert back to their unstable, two ringed form?

If so, you have to get to them. You have to do something. You immediately start heading towards where you last saw them.

You take several paces forward, yet... As you approach, the fog slowly lifts on its own.

You pause, taking note of your surroundings. The flowers are spinning with their little idle animation, the clouds are moving without interruption... You hear birds chirping in the distance.

Rewrite is nowhere to be seen.

"Sonic?" You call out cautiously, referring to them as their other name just to be safe. You remember how much they'd protest being called Rewrite in the past... If they did revert and fell back into that mindstate, you don't want to risk upsetting them more.

Yet, there's no response. Rewrite doesn't appear, making you feel even more uneasy.

What's going on?

You look around for any sign of them once more. There is none. You're alone.

You... Don't know what to do about this, besides wait for something to happen.

So, you turn around, and make your way to the lake.

...

The journey there is quiet. Too quiet for comfort. The wind blows and the sun shines down on you, it slowly drifting through the sky as it slowly sets. The sky grows more orange as dusk comes.

You sit on the bank of the lake, watching the sun's reflection in the water as it descends.

Rewrite's absence has been concerning. Usually they're desperate for your attention, rarely leaving you alone for more than a few hours... And whatever you saw, something is clearly going on.

You want to talk to them about it... But you know they don't like talking about negative emotions. Back when you asked them about what happened when they got two rings, they didn't exactly have a pleasant reaction. They haven't brought it up since.

You rarely see them in such a glitched, broken state. So you're not sure what causes it, and even less sure if anything can be done to help.

"Hello, friend!" A sudden voice startles you out of your thoughts. You whip around, and it's Rewrite, standing there, as if nothing happened. Their model looks normal and no longer glitched out.

Your eyes immediately snap to their rings. You count how many they have.

One. Two. Three.

Relief hits you.

"Rewrite!" You call out, shooting up to your feet as quickly as you can; You quickly go to hug them, and they return your embrace. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Of course I would be!" They exclaim confidently.

"I know, I never doubted you..." You affectionately state, pulling away from them so you can look them in the eyes. You hold onto each other's arms. "Where have you been?"

"I've been busy with very pressing matters!" They explain cheerfully. "But it's fine now! All's A-okay!" They wink and throw up an okay hand sign for extra emphasis.

"I'm glad to hear that." You state sincerely. As much as you would like to ask about what happened, you're pretty sure they wouldn't react well. "Are you back, then? Ready to hang out again?"

"You know it!" They exclaim, throwing their arms up in a cheer. "I have many ideas! So very many!"

Abruptly, they hold their hands out to you. 3 small, familiar red and white balls are in their palms... Pokéballs. "Choose one!"

As Rewrite explains the starters—complete with images popping up over their head to showcase them—you begin getting sucked into a new game, conveniently distracting you from what you saw.

...

The two of you are now in the middle of a Pokémon game, complete with an odd, mish-mash of a Pokémon world in Sonic the Hedgehog's artstyle.

Rewrite has dressed up to fit the occasion; As in, they now don a red and white baseball cap in addition to their normal gear. All of the Pokémon—or, monsters, as Rewrite is vehemently saying they're called—are knockoff versions of normal Gen 1 Kanto Pokémon, complete with "unique" names such as "Millipie" and "Pidgo".

You chose the Fire-type starter, which is clearly based on Charmander. Naturally, Rewrite chose the Water-type based on Squirtle. The Bulbasaur knockoff got sent to oblivion, according to Rewrite.

It was your idea to name the starters. You named yours "Flamester". Rewrite named theirs "Awarisu".

"Awarisu? That's cute." You state. "Is that a Japanese word? What does it mean?"

"Yep! 泡リス。 Bubble squirrel."

You snicker. "Squirrel? Squirtle isn't a squirrel, Rewrite."

Rewrite puts their hands on their hips. "I know that! It's a metaphor! Obviously!" They cover Awarisu's "ears" with their hands, as if shielding Awarisu from your cruel words. "大丈夫だよ 泡リス、彼らはそんなつもりじゃなかったんだ…" They mutter as they lead Awarisu away… You chuckle at their nonsense.

While you and Rewrite fight monsters together, your mind wanders back to what you saw.

Rewrite has always been incredibly dodgy about these moments. The times where you see them glitched out. It's happened more than once, and it's enough of a pattern to make you wonder what's going on. They always pretend it never happened.

Like they are now.

You eye Rewrite, who's focused on a wild Pigdo you're battling at the moment. The two of you are in the middle of battling it together. It feels a little unfair, but Rewrite insists on joining your battles.

You wonder why Rewrite is so avoidant about this subject. Does it make them feel insecure? Do they not like the way they look? Is it actually painful for them, and they don't like remembering it?

Given Rewrite's tendencies… Maybe they care what you perceive them as. Maybe they feel ashamed.

You wish you could tell them you don't judge them.

…You're pulled out of your thoughts as you get the final hit on the wild Pidgo, knocking it out. You hear a little level up jingle echo… Flamester and Awarisu both just leveled up.

"Nicely done, Flamester!" You call out to him, patting him gently on the head. Flamester caws at you. Rewrite mimics you, patting Awarisu on the head with a cheerful, "Good job!"

You smile at them. "This is fun," You express, knowing Rewrite loves any positive feedback. "I missed playing Pokemon! It's nice playing it with you."

Sure enough, Rewrite's shimmies to your side and wraps an arm around your shoulder. "Fantastic! I knew you would like it!" They sway back and forth eagerly in an excited motion, moving you along with them.

Then, they start walking forward, leading you along a dirt road. "But we're not done yet! We have to defeat the gym masters! Onward and up, as I always say!"

They don't always say that.

They unhand you and skip ahead, Awarisu waddling along behind them. You run after them, Flamester trailing behind.

…

You eventually manage to catch up to Rewrite, and their pace slows so they walk alongside you. The two of you are walking along the trail, a small skip in Rewrite's step, as you can see.

They seem to be in a good mood. Maybe… Maybe now is the time.

"Say, Rewrite…" You begin. Rewrite immediately turns their attention to you, their head rotating to look at you as they walk. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

Rewrite's head tilts and one of their eyes narrow, simulating confusion. "Yes! I talk to you all the time!"

"Yes, I just mean… About the hard things. The emotional things. Anything you might be struggling with…" You suggest, carefully watching Rewrite's expression. They stop walking and their posture straightens. You stop in front of them and turn to face them. Notably, Awarisu and Flamester stop several feet behind the two of you, both of them watching the two of you.

They stare at you for a second, as if processing what you're saying. They're still and barely moving. It makes you a little uneasy; You can tell something is going on in their mind, but you can't tell if they're getting angry or not.

…They don't respond. So you speak again.

"...You don't have to talk if you don't want to, of course." You assure them, gently. "I just want you to know I don't judge you for anything… Bad you might be experiencing." You explain to them as vaguely and softly as possible, hoping they understand what you're talking about.

Their head tilts downward, as if trying to more directly stare into you. Or maybe, more directly letting you know they're staring into you. A warning, maybe.

"And I don't think any lesser of you." You swiftly add, hoping it would ease the tension they're showing.

"Why would you?" They ask, tone flat and low.

You furrow your brows, a bit confused. "...Why would I what?"

"Why would you think lesser of me?" They repeat with the same tone, their posture unchanging.

You stare into their eyes, pondering the possible intentions behind this question. What they're looking for. Reassurance? Trying to see what you know or what you've seen? You're not sure what answer they want.

…But, for the first time, it feels like a very vulnerable question. The first time Rewrite has willingly shown any sort of emotional vulnerability. It tells you that they do care about what you think of them. So you think very, very carefully about your next words. Rewrite stares motionlessly at you as you do.

"...I wouldn't. I promise." You assure them. You walk closer to them. They loom over you dangerously… Yet, fearlessly, you pick up one of their hands in yours, gently holding it in front of you with both hands. Their whole demeanor softens.

"I love you no matter how you look, alright?"

The second those words come out, Rewrite's model flickers. Your hands tingle from their glitching, but you don't let go.

They're frozen, and don't speak for what feels like an eternity.

Instead of saying something, they let go of your hand, throw themself at you and aggressively wrap their arms around you, hugging you so tightly that they lift you off the ground. You're pretty sure you would've been knocked over if they didn't hold you.

"I love you too! ひまちゃん！" They gleam, and this time you actually recognized some of the Japanese they used. You definitely heard a -chan in there. Your heart flutters a bit, and it takes you a second to recover from the mood whiplash.

"...What did you just call me?" You ask lightheartedly, curious.

"ひまちゃん 。" They repeat. They still haven't released you from their vice grip. "Because you're cute, like a sunflower!"

It takes a second for you to take this information in, since they definitely skipped the step of telling you whatever the nickname translates to.

…Rewrite then spins you around and gently places you on the ground. But, doesn't actually let you go. In fact, they're now nuzzling their head onto the top of yours. They really like what you just said.

Looks like you guessed right. They did need to hear that.

The game is paused for several minutes, due to Rewrite being too distracted by their need to smother you to be able to continue.

[journey-of-daydreams]

HQG WKLV DJRQB [Rewrite & Reader]

You witness something you're not supposed to, and Rewrite falls apart at the seams.

Type: Oneshot Genre: Horror, Angst Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Abuse, Manipulation Stage: Active 2 Rings

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

It was an ordinary day, like any other.

Except, Rewrite wasn't pestering you for once. They were bothering either Ekiduna or Miles instead, you imagine. So you took the opportunity to go for a walk, hoping it would be peaceful enough to clear your head.

The sun shines down, the warmth settles in your skin. Clouds lightly dot the sky. The wind blows gently. The flowers, trees, and bushes animate gently in the wind. The flowers in particular spin around cartoonishly. It's almost endearing, despite the circumstances.

You absentmindedly walk towards the lake, hoping to sit next to it and enjoy the sounds of the waves… But you're brought to a complete halt when you see Rewrite there already. Instinctively, you hide behind one of the cliffs, hoping Rewrite didn't see you.

They're standing near the edge of the lake, over… Ekiduna, who was lying in the grass.

You stare at him, watching for any signs of movement or life.

But there are none. He's dead.

A twinge of fear, sadness, and despair all fill you at once. Yet, a small voice in your head reminds you:

He's fine. He's okay. He'll respawn. This happens all the time.

Rewrite has killed Miles on multiple occasions. He would respawn every time, in an endless cycle of torment. As unfortunate as it is, it wasn't unusual. Surely, the same would happen to everyone else, right?

…Though, Rewrite hasn't killed Ekiduna before.

Why start killing him now?

You watch in confusion, peering around the cliff wall. Rewrite's back is turned towards you. And slowly… A red, spinning ring slowly ascends from Ekiduna's body.

You... recognize this. Before you got trapped in here. When you first played this game... The same thing happened when Miles died. A red ring emerged from him.

What's happening? Why didn't this happen every time Rewrite killed Miles?

Despite the feeling of wrongness and the impulse to leave, you can't bring yourself to step away.

You feel like this is important. You have to keep watching.

Rewrite raises a hand, and taps the ring with a single finger. It disappears in a flash of light and reappears on their wrist. They look down at it, rotating their arm to admire it from different angles.

「うまくいくはずだったのに…」 They mutter quietly. You briefly think they're speaking to you, but their voice is too quiet to be directed at you.

Their model flickers for a second, as if blipping in and out of reality… And so does the ground around them. You start to look around anxiously, trying to figure out what's going on.

「…ど、どうして… まだこんなに空っぽなんだろう？」 Their tone of voice is oddly hushed and broken. A sense of wrongness fills you. You're definitely eavesdropping on something you shouldn't be.

Without warning, Rewrite's head snaps towards you. Your heart drops and you back away, noticing them shiver where they stand, and you think you see them collapse, but;

Fog closes in all around you all of a sudden, completely diverting your attention to your surroundings.

The ground under you… Colorful strobing, flickering, breaking. It's glitching. A loud buzzing static hits your eardrums. It cuts in and out rhythmically, like an alarm.

What is that?

Your brain is confused. There's too much to focus on. You back away even more, barely able to see through the fog. Yet, you can still see Rewrite through the fog; They're protruding from the fog in an unnatural way, their model visible through the fog as if it's not rendering properly.

And they're staring right at you.

Their model is breaking apart. Their colors flicker and crackle, and they become a distorted, incomprehensible glitched mass. The world around them glitches with them, objects disappearing and appearing. Everything is breaking.

You should be running.

Adrenaline fills you as you scramble to turn around, making a mad dash in the opposite direction. Every step sends an electric, pulsing shock up your legs. Something is very wrong.

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A horrible, jumbled screech rings out from behind you, like a malfunctioning speaker. Like screaming.

You feel a pressure of static prickling into your back, dangerously close, as if trying to grab you.

You can barely breathe. You don't know if your body can keep up with this pressure.

You can barely comprehend an odd beeping from behind you.

「待って！止まれ！止まれ！」 Rewrite yells something you don't understand.

The buzzing static sound in your ear fades, just slightly. The distortion is lagging behind you, you think? The world is becoming more stable. The grass under you is green once more.

As you keep running, slowly, the static dissipates completely.

Only then do you finally dare to turn around.

Rewrite is several meters behind you. They're twitching violently. Parts of their body glitch in and out, flashing and being replaced with objects you don't recognize. Their limbs keep snapping off their body and duplicating.

The rocks and bushes near you, closer to Rewrite, glitch in and out of reality. Small chunks of grass flicker and flash different colors. It's noticeable, but not as bad as it was when you were close to them. It's like they're emitting an aura of corruption.

What's happening to them?

Your eyes are drawn to the two red rings on their wrists. They emit a foreboding red glow against their body. Their hands—half a dozen hands, you realize—are covering their eyes. Through their fingers, they stare at you with dark, oddly shaped pupils.

As you stare at them, their hands move to hold the side of their head and they shake their head violently.

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An oddly soft, garbled sound emits from them. Quieter than all the rest.

...And then, with a crooked, broken gait, they walk away. The glitching of your environment dissipates as they leave.

They're leaving.

...What the hell. What the fuck. What. what. what.

…

…

…

You don't remember when you started the walk back to the forest. It's like your legs are taking you there without your input. All you can think of is hide. Hide in the trees, away from Rewrite's eyes.

You know it won't protect you. But you feel more obscured. More safe.

Maybe you could find one of the others, if they're still alive.

Walking through the fog is nerve wracking. You can't see very far ahead of you. You constantly cast glances over your shoulder and all around, constantly expecting to see Rewrite following you. You can still see them through the fog, and every time you check, you can't tell if they're getting closer or further.

A terrible thought crosses your mind.

They could be following you, and keeping their distance.

Why? What are they doing?

You quickly turn away and keep walking. You have to keep moving.

As you walk, you notice how awfully quiet it is. It's unnerving. All you can hear is your own ragged breathing and your heart pounding.

No wind. No birds. No music.

You stop, and watch, and listen to the world around you.

…You don't hear anything.

You don't see anything moving.

Nothing is happening.

Nothing is happening. There's no sound. The flowers aren't spinning. The sun, which you can see shining through the fog, isn't moving.

Whatever's going on, it's not just affecting Rewrite. The whole world is frozen.

All you hear is your own ragged breathing and your heart pounding.

Just keep moving. You have to keep moving.

You take another step forward, and keep walking.

A rock near you glitches out of reality for a second. You freeze and look behind you, where Rewrite was, expecting it to signal their approach.

But behind you... You don't see them.

You stop and look around frantically, trying to figure out where they are.

You turn back around, and see them in the distance, in front of you now.

…

They're cutting you off, aren't they?

Your blood runs cold. You stare at them, watching, seeing what they're doing.

Their figure starts getting smaller.

They're moving away from you.

Is it safe? Can you go back to camp?

…You don't want to move closer.

You stand there, motionlessly, watching Rewrite leave. As if any movement will somehow draw them closer to you.

…

Only once they become a small figure in the distance, do you feel safe to take another step forward.

Quickly, familiar trees come into view. The forest.

You made it.

An odd feeling of relief washes over you. Miles is probably nearby, you can probably find safety here. You can find your guys' picnic blanket and rest there. You can think of what to do there.

It's fine. You're fine.

As you start walking towards the picnic area, you come across Miles, laying in the grass.

He's not breathing.

…He's fine. He'll respawn. Probably. Just keep moving.

You keep going. You come across another Miles. His arm is missing.

You look past him. You see another Miles. His body is warped and distorted. You can't tell how many limbs he has.

You see another one hanging in a tree. One hidden in a bush.

…

There's corpses all around you.

Rewrite did this, didn't they?

Something terrible is happening. This isn't normal. Rewrite doesn't kill to this extent.

When did they have the chance to do this?

You immediately start to back away and look out into the fog, observing closely.

This must have just happened.

Have you just wandered into a trap?

You frantically scan around, looking for any sign of them.

You spot them. Not too far in the distance. They're no closer than they were before. You're only a little relieved.

What the hell are you supposed to do now?

You can't do anything about this. You're completely powerless against Rewrite. You already were powerless against them, and now, when they're like this?

A heavy feeling in your heart, you simply sit down on the picnic blanket, legs tucked to your chest.

The red, checkered pattern gives you a small feeling of comfort. You try your best to ignore the body near you. Try your best to not think about the fact Rewrite is probably about to try to kill Ivo next.

Your mind wanders back to the scene you stumbled across. Flashes of Ekiduna's corpse enter your mind. Rewrite murmuring to themself. Collapsing.

You weren't supposed to see that.

Ekiduna was killed. And that ring… This started because of the ring, right?

Rewrite has only had one ring this whole time. Except, once, they didn't.

When you first played the game. Before you were brought into this world. Rewrite—or Sonic, as you knew him as at the time—had no rings. Yet, once Miles died and... a similar red ring spawned from him. And when you woke up here, Sonic looked different. He had a red ring on his wrist.

You remember thinking, "Huh, that's weird." and then you never thought about it again.

He's had it this whole time. And now, he has a second one, and something is happening. Things have gotten worse.

Is that what's causing this? The rings? It doesn't make a lot of sense. Yet... What else could it be?

If the rings made things worse...

Would taking it away from them stop this?

You look back out into the distance, staring at Rewrite. They're still there. You could probably catch up to them.

...That's a stupid idea. Of course they can't be removed. You would be stupid to even consider that.

You slowly start to stand back up.

It was worth a try, wasn't it?

No. No, of course not. You would get killed for even trying.

Yet, you're starting to walk towards them anyway. You're not sure why.

You're just... curious. You'll just think about it.

You wouldn't actually do something that stupid.

If it fails, you'll die.

If it works, it will save you, Miles, Ivo. This madness would end.

You start picking up the pace. You're running now. You need to catch up to them before they reach Ivo, if that's where they're going.

You've distracted Rewrite before. Ekiduna once had you distract them while he searched for a way out. They can be appeased. They can be flattered. You've done it before. You've flattered your way out of punishments and threats from them.

You can do this.

But not when they're like this!

What the hell are you doing?

You can see them now. You're catching up to them. Random rocks, trees and debris are starting to glitch around you. You're getting closer.

Dread and fear fills your heart, threatening to burst.

This is a terrible idea.

But you have to do something. You have to. You can't just stand here and watch this happen.

You start crossing into a rocky area as you reach them. They were going towards Ivo, you realize. Chunks of terrain under you flickers and flashes different colors.

To your surprise, you actually reach them. How? Why? Were they waiting for you? Are you going right into a trap?

It's too late to question now, because you see them. And they see you.

They've stopped, and they're watching you. You stop too.

Their eyes pierce through you. Their oddly shaped, human-like eyes are striking. There's a faint static sound in the air. Their glitching and distorting fills you with fear. Anything could happen.

Alright. Deep breaths. Just... Just keep their attention on you. Don't let them leave.

"Hey, Sonic..." You breathfully start, tone of voice very high pitched and soft as if talking to a rabid cat that could attack at any second. "You, uh... You've been busy."

Rewrite says your name in a hushed whisper... A voice you've never heard from them before. You perk up, surprised.

"You are stupid." They add with a whisper.

Well, that's... A start.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." You agree between bated breaths. I don't even know why I'm here, you think, but don't say. This is stupid. This is a stupid idea. Even they think so. Why are you doing this?

Yet, you stand firm, unmoving.

You have to keep trying.

You notice something in front of you. Between you and Rewrite, there's a notable divide in the terrain. A line, between unglitched and glitched terrain. As if that's where their distortive aura begins and ends.

.-- .... -.-- / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / .... . .-. . ..--..

You turn your attention back to them. They're emitting odd beeps again. From the pattern, you realize it's… morse code? What the hell? Why are they speaking in morse code?

Regardless, you don't understand them. You just have to ignore it and hope for the best.

"...You've been acting differently." You state the obvious. You observe them closely, trying to gather anything you can from their movements... But their twitching and glitching is so random and unpredictable, you can't hope to glean a mere idea of what they're thinking or feeling.

You can't even tell if they're about to attack you.

...Still, Rewrite doesn't respond to your statement. Is that good? Bad?

You inch forward, careful not to cross over the line of glitched out terrain, but getting close enough to touch it. They don't react to this, so you speak again, choosing your words carefully.

"...Do you know what's going on?"

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A sudden, distorted screeching sound plays from them, and oddly, they move back and away from you, spasming even more violently from the motion. They're about to run?

"Wait!" You call out without thinking, moving forward to follow them.

This... This is weird. Are they afraid of you?

...Do they know you're trying to take their ring?

You stop chasing them, holding out your hands defensively. "It's... It's okay. You're okay." You try to soothe them. The words feel immensely wrong. They're not your friend, why are you trying to comfort them?

...To your surprise, they seem to settle a little. Their glitching hasn't stopped, but it's softened now. And now they're just... watching you. Curiously, maybe?

...You test it with another, larger step forward. You take a single step into their space, stepping onto the flickering terrain. The ground inside it sends a tingling sensation up your leg, like electricity. It's uncomfortable.

You watch them and their movements again. They're… not even looking at you. They're staring at the ground, still twitching. Hunched over, looking oddly small. They're... Calm, maybe?

God. You can't tell.

They're not saying anything. But they're not screaming at you again.

...You just have to keep trying.

You take one more step forward, this time, stepping fully over the line. A loud, buzzing static washes over you, filling your eardrums. A strange, odd pressure comes over you, like a weight is being put on you.

It's fine. You're fine. You're not dying. Your heart is beating in your chest. Hard, and fast. But you're fine.

...God, what the hell are you doing?

"I told you not to follow me." They abruptly whisper, catching you out of your stupor.

Did they? You wonder. Is that what they were saying in Japanese before? Christ. You wish you understood it.

"...I'm sorry. I had to." You respond despite not fully understanding what they're talking about.

...Did they try to warn you? Are they trying to spare you?

No. They're just… That can't be it.

Focus. You almost lose yourself in the thought and have to refocus your attention on why you're here.

The rings.

You oh so subtly eye their rings from the corner of your eyes. While they have multiple duplicate limbs, only two of them have rings. Their limbs are jittering around, teleporting... The rings never stay in place.

Your heart drops. You didn't think of that. This is going to be difficult. 

Of course it is. Stupid. Stupid. You're going to get yourself killed.

You watch their movements more closely, trying to think of how to do this. Their hands disconnect from their wrist, you notice. Maybe, you can hold their hand in place, and…

As you're planning, you hear something new. Murmuring. Rewrite is whispering to themself. The same thing, over and over.

「いやいやいやいやいやいやいやいやいやいやいやいや」 

Their body twitches and shivers, and one of their hands is wrapped around themself... As if trying to soothe themself.

For once, you feel like you're looking at someone in need of help. The disturbed mind of a human being, breaking down on the spot.

They're not human... You knew that.

You just... didn't think they were capable of suffering like this. A twinge of empathy settles into you, and you almost want to try to comfort them… But you shake it off.

They're not your friend. They've trapped you here. Killed your friends.

Yet… You don't fully understand them. You've never seen this side of them.

The words come out before you can stop yourself.

"I'm sorry… It's going to be okay."

Rewrite freezes for a split second. Then, their head limply rotates slightly to look at you. Their eyes have completely disappeared. Their smile is so wide it stretches off of their model.

"What gam̸̮̈e are you playing?" They ask, their voice getting louder and glitching out as they speak. "Don't be stupid. -̶生きたまま食べて-̴̱̌やるよ。」

You're frozen in place. They continue staring at you for an uncomfortable period of time.

That... Sounded a lot like a threat.

And their glitching is starting to get more violent, you notice.

Yet, they go back into a limp position. Staring at the ground, and not you.

They're losing patience. Or you're running out of time? You don't know. You can't possibly know.

But their behavior changing means you're pushing your luck. You can't risk it.

You have to act fast. You have to do something before they do.

You have to start moving now.

Damn it. Damn it damn it.

You take the two steps forward it takes to close the gap between the two of you. You think you notice Rewrite flinch, but it's hard to tell. They're still glitching violently.

Stupid stupid stupid. What the hell am I doing?

You focus on one of their hands with the rings. It's laying limp at their side. You can reach it.

There's no way it's that easy.

You have one chance.

They're going to kill me.

You have no other choice. As quickly as you can, you grab their hand—they immediately and forcibly return your grip, and an intense, searing pain shoots through your hand. Yet you hold their hand in place, and with your other free hand, you tightly grab the ring, and pull it away from them as hard as you can.

Truth be told, you expected to not survive this.

But you're holding a free red ring. It gives off a numbing, tingling sensation in your hand.

In front of you, Rewrite's model collapses, reforming itself into the familiar, blue form of Sonic. The glitchiness around them seems to collapse into them as well, the environment returning back to the orange, unaffected color.

Your hand is still grasped in theirs. And it's searing. Burning, as though you had been stabbed with a burning, red hot knife. You struggle to free yourself, but their grip on you is too strong. They don't react to your movements.

They're not moving at all. Their smile isn't even visible. It's like they're frozen... Or... Rebooting.

It takes a long second for their eyes to finally blink, and then immediately lock onto the red ring you stole from them. Their pupils dilate dangerously. Instinctively, you move it slightly behind you, as if you could hide it out of sight. You briefly notice the fog slowly lifting around you.

"You were losing it," You desperately tried to explain. "Y-You were destroying everything. I had to."

As you speak, their eyes dart to the hand that's holding yours and back at the ring. You're a bit unsettled how you can see the gears are turning in their head. Even more unsettled that they won't let go of you no matter how much you try to pull away.

After what feels like an eternity, their eyes lock onto yours. Their smile returns, and their pupils return to their normal, oblong shape.

"You've made a stupid mistake," They begin, their tone lifeless and robotic. They almost seem angry. "But it's okay. You can make it up to me."

That sentence fills you with dread.

Their free hand raises, palm upwards.

"Give it to me."

You hesitate, your eyes widen. You didn't do all of this just for them to transform back. "But you'll-"

"Don't argue. It's not for me."

Your heart is pounding. Rewrite stares through you, palm still outstretched, their grip on your hand unyielding. You can't escape.

You have no other choice.

You place it into their hand. Their fingers curl around it and they tug on the hand that's holding yours, pulling your arm forward.

They press the ring against your wrist, and... It phases through it, sending a painful, tingling sensation through your arm. They cusp your hand in both of theirs.

Then, your whole arm goes numb. The searing pain slowly fades, and then vanishes completely.

What's it doing to you?

"There we go!" They say, some of their chipperness returning, apparently happy with this. They release your hand, still holding it in the palm of their hands, and-

"What the hell?" You utter. You're injured. There are cracks in your hand that you can see through, like your model is sliced apart. Inside, there's a red, pulsating static.

Your eyes flicker up to Rewrite. They're staring down at your hand still, face unreadable.

"What the hell is that thing doing to me?" You pull your hand away from them, tone alarmed. You stare more closely at your hand. It looks like it should be painful. Agonizing. But you don't feel any pain.

"It isn't the ring."

You stare at them exasperatedly. Their eyes have met yours.

…It dawns on you. Earlier, when you grabbed their hand. That burning pain was them doing this to you.

Just how badly did they hurt you?

...Do they feel bad?

You stare into their eyes, trying to read their expression.

It's the same, empty smile they always have.

"Does it hurt?" They inquire with a point to your hand.

"N-No. It doesn't." You stutter, surprised they care enough to ask. Maybe they do feel guilty... "It did, but…"

"Wonderful!" Their eyes close cheerfully. "That means it is protecting you. This is my gift, to you."

They then grab your hand with both of theirs and lean closer to you. "Keep it safe for me, won't you?"

"S-Sure..." You uncertainly agree. You open your mouth to question it more, but they speak again before you can.

"Thanks a million! You're a sweetheart." Their arms quickly wrap around you as they pull you into a hug.

"...You're welcome." You respond from their clutches, confused and with a million questions.

What was that? Is Rewrite okay? Are you okay? What's the ring doing to you? What did the ring do to them?

…What did Rewrite do to you?

"Rewrite, what-"

"I'm Sonic!" They immediately interrupt you with that retort, pulling away from the hug. "Forget about that, we have a celebration to celebrate! Meet me and my friends in Mystic Forest to join the party! Don't keep us waiting!"

Before you can even respond or ask what they're celebrating, they're already zooming off, disappearing into the horizon.

They're trying to distract you, you darkly realize. For your sake, or for theirs?

…Are you in greater danger than you were before?

Was this a mistake?

All of this uncertainty settling into your core, you look more closely at your injured hand.

The red ring adorns it, glowing faintly.

You gently try to take the ring off. But it doesn't budge.

You try to rip it off. You wince as a sharp pain shoots through you, and… It doesn't budge.

You're stuck with it. With this injury. With the knowledge of what happened. With the consequences of this encounter with Rewrite.

What did you get yourself into?

[journey-of-daydreams]

You're My World [Rewrite & Reader] [Platonic]

Rewrite isn't just the Sonic vessel you see in front of you. aka a small exploration of the fact Rewrite is a program and the whole game is technically a part of them.

Type: Imagine/Oneshot Genre: Fluff/Character Exploration (i think (i honestly don't know)) Content Warnings: None Stage: 3 Ring

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

You don't realize it at first. Rewrite presents themself as just the Sonic vessel; They maintain eye contact, stare at you through it, interact with you through it. They seem to have the desire to always be around you.

It's clear they have some control over the game world. They are capable of teleporting you and other vessels, they can build and control the environment, create and teleport objects. They're very intertwined with it, you can easily see that.

They ask you what you think of a new area. Seeking your approval. After some thought, you give a small bit of honest, negative feedback. Maybe it's a snowy area, and you don't like snow... Or maybe it's a desert, and you don't like the heat.

Rewrite seems to take it well. "Oh! Okay! I'll fix it." But internally, they're seething. Offended. Hurt, even.

You have no idea you just insulted them.

They destroy it all and try again.

They also oddly seem to know where you are at all times. Even if they weren't there. You don't notice it at first, since they don't bring it up often... But they will eventually.

"I saw you visiting the rocky hills again today!" Rewrite comments as you approach. "You like that place a lot, huh?"

You look at them, confused and concerned. "You were there?"

Truth is, they don't need to look at you through their vessel. They already can see you everywhere you go. They can feel where you are. Because they are the world itself.

Their vessel looks at you simply to show that they acknowledge you. They know humans do that to show attention. So that's why they stare. To show you that they see you, and care.

They know you don't fully acknowledge them as the world itself. Your brain doesn't comprehend it. And they know you likely don't feel any affection for that part of them. They know you need someone to see, to latch onto, to feel attached to. So they make sure their vessel is always around you, so they're always on your mind. So they can feel and see that part of you, that you wouldn't show to other parts of them.

The times where you're most at peace, where you're sitting in the grass, watching the lake, feeling the warmth of the sun shine down, listening to the breeze, watching the clouds... They notice those little moments. Where the world around you goes quiet, where they go quiet, and they're willing to give you a moment away from their vessel to breathe. Because for once, just maybe, you're regarding them, and all the things they've created for you.

But do you really know what you're looking at? Do you recognize them in the world around you?

Probably not.

So they approach you as Sonic again.

[journey-of-daydreams]

Your New Life [Rewrite & Reader] [Platonic]

You can't ever tell what Rewrite is thinking. Whether there's hidden meanings underlying their words, or if they truly mean what they say... You don't know. But you know it's getting worse. This is intended to introduce the concept of this depiction of Rewrite.

Type: Headcanons/Oneshots Genre: Mostly Horror (A Little Fluff but it's Scary) Content Warnings: Psychological Abuse Stage: Early/Mid/Late 1 Ring (With a preview of 3 Ring)

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

    * Ever since you got stuck in this place, your life has been nothing but chaos. Sonic, as it calls itself, demands your full attention, never allowing you a moment of peace. You're not sure why it took a liking to you... Or if it even did. Maybe this is the way it normally acts, or maybe you're imagining things.

In the middle of a sparsely forested area, you sit alongside Miles, Ekiduna, and Sonic. The sun shines down on you gently, birds are chirping, and a soft breeze cools you and rustles the leaves around you.

It would be peaceful in any other circumstance. But knowing you're trapped here, at the whims of the figure standing in front of you, you're nervous.

Miles is trying to keep himself occupied by building a small structure out of leaves and twigs. He's clearly on edge as well, his eyes constantly sparing glances up at Sonic.

Ekiduna, meanwhile, is pacing around, agitated. He had tried to leave earlier—hoping to search for a way out, no doubt—but Sonic picked him up by his collar like a cat and plopped him back into the immediate area, citing that they're having "quality bonding time" right now and he "can't just abandon his friends"... Right.

You turn your attention to Sonic, and notice him watching you. You give him a thin, polite smile and immediately avert your eyes.

You don't like it when he puts his attention on you. It's like he's expecting something from you, and you can never tell what. Maybe he wants you to do something, or maybe he's looking for a specific reaction.

You watch Miles, observing him as he's become intensely focused on carefully and oh so gently sliding a stick into place. His structure is resembling a house at this point. You're honestly surprised Sonic hasn't destroyed it by now, with how much he loves to torment him.

It takes you a second to notice that, out of the corner of your eye, Sonic is... still watching you. You focus your gaze on him, and he doesn't look away. A feeling of unease washes over you.

He's been staring at you.

"W-What?"

"Nothing!" He innocently says, lightly raising his shoulders, almost as if shrugging. It's only then that he looks away and puts his attention on Miles, who freezes the instance Sonic's eyes are on him.

...Oooookay.

    * But at some point, they start getting more... Direct. And it becomes even harder to dismiss their behavior as "nothing".

"Isn't it beautiful?" Sonic dreamily asks, staring out into the distance of Green Hills.

"Yeah..." You immediately agree as your gaze follows their own. Green Hills was bright and colorful, with its neon striped grass, and orange cliffs. But the cloudless skies always stood out to you. "I just don't like-" You begin, but;

"But I like you." They interject, immediately stopping your train of thought.

You look at them in surprise and confusion. They haven't said anything like that before. Their expression hasn't changed from their usual, empty smile. You can't get a read on them. Were they offended? Was that a joke? Were they messing with you?

...They're staring at you now, motionless, awaiting a response. Their unchanging, cheerful gaze is starting to unnerve you. What the hell were they trying to do?

You get the feeling you need to think carefully about your next words.

...

"...Thank you." You say cautiously, yet deliberately.

Their head tilts, their ear twitches, and they give you a thumbs up. That answer must have pleased them... probably.

    * It's difficult to tell if it's genuine. Rewrite has shown they enjoy toying with others; Both physically and mentally. Why wouldn't this be another game of theirs?

You hate this game. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

You're wandering through Green Hills, in the most densely populated area with cliffs. You're hugging the cliff faces, trying to keep cover and protection from Sonic's field of view. Even though he's not around, you're not safe.

You're playing a game. Tag. The one that Sonic has the greatest advantage in.

"But! But! You get my generosity! You have a 60 second head start! Run, and once time runs out, I will find you." He chipperly explained when the game started... But it sounded like a promise.

You won't get a turn, of course. Only Sonic got to be "It".

You're alert, keeping an ear out for any sounds indicating Sonic's approach.

Sure enough, faintly, the familiar zooming sound of Sonic's run. And it's getting louder. He's getting closer.

Even though you don't see him yet, you feel the need to pick up the pace. Make sure you have escape routes, that your cover is good enough to hide you.

The squealing of his run stops... And a second later, starts again. Was he changing direction? Actively chasing someone?

You swivel your ears around, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from... But it's like the sound is coming from everywhere. You can't tell where he is.

You make it to the corner of a cliff, and the buzzing of his running stops again. You slowly peek around, and...

It's Sonic. His head snaps in your direction.

Shit.

You quickly duck back and make a break for it. Behind you, you hear Sonic start chasing after you.

Just keep running.

You bolt into an area with dense cliffs, hoping to lose him and find a forked path. Your heart is pounding. You're giving it your all.

Brown, checkered cliffs fly past you with a blur on both sides. Your eyes dart from side to side, trying to find another path. And ahead of you, emerges from the fog:

A dead end.

Your heart drops. You slide to a halt.

Shit. Shit.

You turn around and your eyes urgently scanning around, trying to find another escape route. But the only one you see is the way you came.

Sonic emerges from the fog, and your gaze locks onto him. He stops several feet away from you, slipping into his idle finger-wagging animation.

He stares at you, and just stands there. Waiting.

He knows he's already won. You know he's already won.

You stare at him for what feels like an eternity, awaiting your fate.

...Yet, he doesn't move closer. Doesn't say anything. His silence is alarming, and you don't dare take your eyes off him.

"A... Are you going to tag me?" You question, voice shaking.

"Are you going to tag me?" He mockingly mimics your inflection, but his robotic voice is unable to match your fearful tone.

You squint at him, your panicked brain struggling to grasp the underlying meaning of his words, but at least knowing he's being pretty smug right now.

For a brief moment, you risk averting your eyes to look around one more time for another escape route. Yet again, you see nothing, but the very path Sonic is standing in.

You fix your gaze back onto him. He still hasn't moved any closer. The game is at a standstill.

...Ah.

He's toying with you. If you want the game to end, you have to be the one to accept your fate and approach him.

Asshole.

    * Yet, there are periods of calm; Periods with the faintest hint of sincerity. Ones that make you wonder, if deep down, there's truth to it.

In the dead of night, crickets chirp electronically around you. A campfire sits in front of you, emitting a faint glow; but notably, no warmth to protect against the chill in the air.

Miles sleeps next to you, a soft breathing noise emitting from him. Nearby, Ekiduna was resting behind a tree, silent and not moving... Possibly asleep, but you can't be sure with him. Sonic lays not far from you and Miles, laying back with his arms resting behind his head to prop it up. His eyes were closed, giving the impression he was asleep, but his smile remained plastered on his face. It was unusual to see him still, let alone sleeping. Though you wondered if he even had to sleep.

You watch him closely to see if he was actually sleeping, listening and watching closely for any signs of breathing, or anything.

One of his eyes suddenly open to look directly at you and a chill runs down your spine.

"Hello, friend." Sonic greets you in a hushed whisper you've never heard from him before. You're surprised he even had the ability to speak quietly. "Need something?"

"Um- No," You stutter, feeling awkward as though you were caught doing something wrong. "Sorry."

He mimes a laugh but nothing comes out, like a voice file that failed to load. He springs into a sitting position, his limbs wobbling from the movement.

"If you're bored, we could go for a walk!" He offers, tone still hushed yet cheerful at the same time.

"...A walk?" You repeat cautiously, not fully believing it's just a walk.

"Yes." He states with a small nod. You expect him to offer further explanation, but he doesn't.

"That's it?"

"We could play a game too!" He adds with a glitchy tilt of his head.

"No, no, a walk is fine." You politely decline with a forced smile, remembering the last "game" he made you play... 

"Perfect!" He sang, catching you off-guard, and it hits you that he took your wording as agreement. He springs up from his sitting position jankily and unnaturally and starts trotting away.

"Wait, I-" You object, but he ignores you and is already walking away.

You're pretty sure he'd be angry if you didn't go with him. As terrified as you are to be left alone with him, you can't risk getting on his bad side.

Against the anxiety in your core telling you not to, you follow him.

---

You're lead to an open clearing near Green Hills, just outside the forest. There's a few plants nearby, the one catching your attention the most is a sunflower. Crickets are chirping all around you, and you hear the faint rustling of leaves the wind.

Sonic stands with his head pointed to the sky, watching the stars. Your gaze follows.

Dozens, maybe hundreds of stars dot the sky. You can't deny it's pretty... Though, after a second, you realize they're all the same white color. Another reminder that the world is digital.

Still. The peace settles in. It's... quiet. You realize Sonic hasn't said a word this entire time, which is frankly strange, since he doesn't usually stay quiet for long.

You observe him as he stares up at the sky for several seconds. You can't help but wonder what he's thinking, to be this quiet.

He averts his attention from the stars, and looks at you.

"This is boring. You have bad taste." He states, referring to the fact you chose this over the game suggestion.

The abrupt change of tone throws you off. You can't help but smile bemusedly at him. "You're the one who suggested it!" You respond without thinking, immediately regretting your argumentative tone.

"You chose it," Sonic closes his eyes and shakes his head, hands on his hips. "Over my game! And now you're arguing with me! Unbelievable." He pauses. His eyes open to stare through you, shooting an icy cold fear through you... His pupils have changed. They're smaller. Human.

"I should punish you."

Your eyes widen. Your heart drops. You have to salvage this. "Wait- I'm sorry, I-I didn't think-" You stutter out, but you're interrupted with low-pitched giggles emitting from him that don't match his voice. His whole demeanor lightens back up.

"I'm joking, silly! You should see the look on your face!" He exclaims joyously, laughing as if it's the funniest joke he's ever told. The tension only slightly leaves you're body, now replaced with an uncertain unease.

He's... just messing with you? He's not actually angry?

You force a laugh. "Haha, yeah, you... Totally got me. Good one." Your heart is still thumping in your chest.

He stops laughing and his expression goes back to his usual empty smile... And, then, without a word, he starts walking back to the camp. He gives you a friendly, assuring pat on the head as he passes by.

...What the hell.

You watch him as he leaves, face dumbfounded.

    * No matter what the truth really is, you're trapped here, at the mercy of their whims. If you want to survive, you must play along. Even though you don't understand. Even though you have no idea where your complicity will lead.

They're floating in the sky with their arms crossed, gazing out into the distance. You stare up at them with shock and uncertainty. Their quills are sharper, their whole demeanor is... Different. More confident. The instability and distorted appearance they had before is gone.

They gained their third ring, you notice. You can guess where they got it from. The last survivor, besides you, is gone.

You're honestly, truly alone with them now.

As the dread settles into your very soul, you hear them speaking in an unusually soft voice. Not to you, you don't think.

「ついに……初めて、心の平和を…見つけたような気がします。」

Their tone of voice is more varied, more human than it's ever been. You don't understand what they're saying, and it scares you a little. Just what are they thinking? They sound calm, at least...

They abruptly turn towards you, their movement distorted and unnatural. And suddenly, in a pixelated flash, they appear directly in front of you. You jump, expecting them to attack.

Instead, they gingerly take hold of both of your hands into theirs, their eyes piercing into you.

"I'm so happy to finally see you, friend."

[journey-of-daydreams]

How would (three ring) rewrite react to tge reader being injured or hurt? Especially if they were to get injured during one of their games or by rewrite themself

yes.

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

The two of you get too ahead of yourselves in a game of tag, and it leaves one of you hurt.

Type: Oneshot Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort Content Warnings: Leg Injury Stage: 3 Rings Note: This oneshot contains platonic cuddling.

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

Rewrite had accidentally hurt you in the past, once. It was such a long time ago, but you remember it very clearly.

When you had taken the ring from them.

Your hand has long since healed. Also due to Rewrite. Afterwards, you noticed they were particularly gentle with your once injured arm. The one that once wore the ring. Always holding it gently, or preferring to pull you by your other arm, or even outright avoiding touching your once injured arm completely.

Guilt, you wonder?

Regardless, now, they had the power to keep you safe. They had full control of the game world now, even your vessel. Any time you thought you were in danger, or were about to be hurt, Rewrite would swiftly whisk you away from danger, or stop it altogether.

You felt invincible, honestly.

And it happens so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that neither of you knew it could happen.

You're playing a game. Hide and tag. One of Rewrite's favorites, of course.

Currently, it's your turn to hunt them down.

Except, you almost immediately spot 3 familiar, red glows at the bottom of a river. They're standing under the water, their blue form blending in with the crystal blue water... But every other color of theirs sticks out like a sore thumb.

You smile as you approach them. They innocently watch you as you approach, animating idly.

You kneel down, stick your hand under the water, and poke them, officially starting the chase.

They feign surprise, an exclamation point appearing above their head, and they quickly spinjump out of the water with a large splash, spraying water everywhere. You recoil back as you get soaked.

And sure enough, you hear them zooming away.

"Catch me if you can!" They shout, their voice growing more distant as they speak.

Now, to win, you just have to catch them and tag them a second time.

Sounds unfair, and it would be in any other situation... But Rewrite promised to limit their running speed to the same speed as yours.

So you quickly stand up and give chase.

Rewrite disappears around a cliff. You pick up speed to make sure you don't lose them, your heart starting to pound in your chest.

Once you catch up, you turn the corner… And you're instead met with Rewrite just standing in the middle of two cliffs, waiting for you. Once you lock eyes with them, they give you a cheeky, enthusiastic wave.

"Hiii!" They greet you.

"Hi." You say back dully. And then proceed to lunge at them.

They jump back, gasping offendedly. "So rude! Attacking a friendly face that just wants to chat? Someone should teach you some manners."

"No time for talk... I'm only here to tag." You joke back at them, hands raised in a threatening, claw-like manner.

"No you're not. Goodbye."

A wall materializes between the two of you. It blocks your path.

"What-" You stammer, genuinely surprised. "Rewrite! That's cheating!"

"No it isn't!" They call out from behind the wall. They're still there, not even trying to run. Of course. "You said running too fast was cheating! I'm not doing that."

"There's more than one way to cheat and this is one of them!" You retort.

"I beg to differ."

"Just lower the damn wall."

A second passes. The wall starts to shake violently... Clanking sounds erupt from it. Slowly, veeeery slowly, it starts to lower.

Rewrite's ears poke out from the top of it as it lowers... And then, their eyes are revealed.

You stare at each other.

Before the wall can fully lower, you make a mad dash towards them, vaulting over the not-fully-lowered wall.

"Whoa!" Rewrite exclaims, turning around and fleeing.

You don't catch them just yet. Your breathing deepens as you try to keep up.

They turn to the left, and then head up a ramp, leading you up on top of the cliffs.

They get to the edge of one of them and turn their head 180 degrees to wink at you as they jump off the side.

"Stop that!" You yell at them between labored breaths. You follow them to the edge, jumping off without thinking: The fall is larger than you expected and you land on your feet awkwardly, staggering.

Rewrite is ahead of you, their head still turned 180 degrees just so you can see them smiling annoyingly at you.

"You little-" You start, regaining your footing and taking several steps towards them. But as you try to, you struggle to get stable footing, and you stumble, almost falling over... And a dull pain starts to creep in.

Confused, you look down, and see:

Your lower leg is bent.

Panic and confusion almost immediately sets in. You stumble backwards as a sharp pain starts shooting through your whole bone, and you grab it in a panic.

Rewrite giggles at your reaction, not realizing what's going on, but their laughter abruptly cuts off once you shoot them a look of physical pain and emotional hurt. Almost immediately, they jitter to your side with inhuman speed—a distorted, glitched afterimage appearing behind them.

Swiftly, Rewrite places their hand over your injured leg. You hear an odd, distorted sound, and a flash of light appears around your leg... A staticy, electric numbness fills your whole body, completely drowning out the pain in an uncomfortable way. And slowly, both the numbness and the pain fade.

Rewrite slowly steps back, now standing several feet away from you.

You're sitting on the ground, mind buzzing, trying to catch up with what just happened. Your leg looks just fine now, as if nothing happened. As if it was all your imagination.

But your heart is pounding, and your lungs ache from breathing so heavily.

You look up at Rewrite, who's staring down at you in turn.

...They're frozen, unmoving. Their smile is gone. That definitely, actually just happened.

"Does it hurt?" Rewrite abruptly asks you, eyes flicking down to your leg.

You take a second to adjust your leg, rotating it at different angles, testing it. You flex it too. Sure enough, it doesn't hurt anymore.

"No, it doesn't," You start, and immediately Rewrite staggers over to you, movement glitching and jittering, and they wrap their arms around you.

"You're fine." They whisper to you, their voice unusually soft. "You're fine." They repeat, their face burrowing into your neck as they start leaning into you.

You wrap your arms around them back, struggling a bit to stay sitting up because of how much they're leaning on you.

"Yeah, yeah I am-" You assure them. They seem to start putting all of their weight on top of you, because now you're struggling to not get knocked over. "It's okay... Just don't smother me please." You say, trying to sound as lighthearted as possible.

Rewrite adjusts to shift their weight off of you, just a little, and they look up and into your eyes. As if trying to read your expression.

So you give them a small, reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, I promise. Whatever you did healed me. It's okay." You assure them softly.

Their smile flickers back onto them. They lean their head gently against your shoulder. You take that as a sign to lay back, Rewrite wordlessly following you.

"...Let's just rest here, please." You say, quietly. Rewrite nods in silent agreement.

As you both settle, Rewrite moves to gently stroke the top of your head, soothing you. You try to focus on your breathing, your heartrate only now slowing.

One of your hands rest on their back, and your other hand strokes their quills. You focus on the soft, smooth texture of their fur.

The two of you stay silent like this for some time, your beating heart calming. You think even the world around you feels more gentle; A soft, gentle breeze flows around you.

Rewrite stays silent, their head turned away from you, calmly stroking the top of your head.

It's a good rest, after what just happened.

...

You think about what happened. It feels so distant, even though it just happened.

"Thank you for healing me." You earnestly mutter.

"Of course I would." They respond, voice low and calm.

You briefly consider your next words.

"...And thank you for letting me win." You muse, the smallest hint of taunting in your voice.

Rewrite's face shoots up, their eyes locking with yours. You tense up a little, surprised by their intense reaction.

"そんなの当たり前だよ！That's the only way you could have won, with you being so slow." Their chipperness returns as they taunt you, their smile wide.

"Oh, shut up. I'll kick you off of me." You lightly bite back.

"Nooooo..." Rewrite wraps their arms around you in protest, making it clear they will not let you go if you try. 「ごめんなさい~~~~…」 Their voice oddly echoes and the last syllable gets drawn out.

You dramatically sigh, as if you just lost a long, terrible war... Even though you didn't fight them at all. "Fine... You can stay."

"Yay!" Rewrite cheers and immediately drops their head back onto your shoulder and unwraps from around you, returning to the head-patting position they were in before.

And then, a comfortable silence falls over the two of you again.

...

After this encounter, you think you notice all the cliffs are shorter than they used to be... Or maybe it's just your imagination.

[journey-of-daydreams]

The Descent - Affection Headcanons [Rewrite & Reader] [Platonic]

The progression of Rewrite's affections towards you is subtle... Up until it isn't. aka The Descent (into affection)

Type: Headcanons Genre: Fluff Content Warnings: None Stage: Late 1 Ring, 3 Ring

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

[⭕]

* Rewrite's gestures of affection start off so subtle, you don't notice them at first. You could pass them off as coincidences, or Rewrite just being themself.

* They're really insistent about spending time with you and getting you to play games with them. If you ever reject them, they'll get melodramatic about it... or angry, depending on the circumstances. You could even say they're clingy about it. They want your attention and want to see what you do. It's easy to pass it off as them just toying with you, though.

* The very world around you changes for you, ever so slightly.     -> It seems the world changes every time you go searching for a possible exit, almost getting more winding and maze-like every day, with new nooks and crannies. Rewrite does this because they believe this is fun for you. Because if it wasn't, why would you keep doing it?     -> Once, you spent a long time longingly staring at a sunflower that reminded you of home. The next day, there are even more flowers.     -> You offhandedly mention you like birds to Ekiduna. You think you notice far more birds around, but surely, that's just a coincidence. Rewrite wasn't even around to hear your conversation.

* If you ever start showing signs of sadness or just thinking too much, they'll immediately try to distract you. Usually with games, or chaotic shenanigans. They don't know how to comfort you, so this is the best they can do for now.

* Before they start getting more direct and obvious, the biggest tell of their affinity for you is the gift giving. They see it as them giving you a "blessing". It might seem small to you, but to them, it's a very big deal.     -> They'll experiment with things to see what you like most. Gems, stuffed animals, money (even though you have nothing to spend it on, but they don't think about that), food/candy. They'll carefully scrutinize your reaction to figure out what kinds of gifts you like most.     -> Your previous establishment of you liking flowers? They're giving them to you now. They would make you a flower crown if you liked them.     -> They'll remember every detail they learn about you. Your favorite food, favorite animal, favorite flower, favorite anything. They'll give you something related to anything you tell them.

* They get more direct with their affinity for you as time goes on. "But I like you!", they'll directly say. Hard to deny what they mean at that point.

[⭕⭕⭕]

* Once Rewrite obtains their 3rd ring, their affectionate behavior absolutely SKYROCKETS. They lose all subtlety and begin directly complimenting you, telling you they love you, and become notably more touchy feely. Hugs are frequent. Praise is frequent.     -> They'll mimic any kind of affection you give them. Lean against them once, they'll start doing that to you. Hold their hand once, they'll start going out of their way to hold your hand more often.

* Their gifts become grandiose now that they have full control over their game world. They'll give you whole statues, fountains, lakes, gardens, change the stars to make them prettier for you. Most of the time you don't even have to ask, they've just observed your behavior to figure out what you would like the most. But if there is anything in particular you do want, all you have to do is ask.

* Judging by their FNF performance you just know they'll serenade you if you've shown any interest in music. Particularly if you frequently hum or sing to yourself, that's all it takes for them to do it.

* Even if you don't speak Japanese and don't understand what they're saying, they will often say affectionate things in Japanese. They say your confusion is "cute".     -> 「あなたは完璧です。」     -> 「あなたは俺にとってすべてだ。 」     -> 「絶対に離さないから。」     -> 「俺のこと、愛してるよね？」

* They're actually slightly better at comforting you at this stage. While they're not empathetic and can't offer comforting words, they'll happily hold or cuddle you until you feel better.     -> If you ever get particularly homesick, they will create a replica of your home in the digital world, and offer to live in it together. How they know what it looks like is another question entirely.

* You better not talk poorly about yourself in front of them. They would be absolutely flabbergasted. You? The subject of their affection? But you're perfect! They'd only love someone as perfect as you!! The second you talk badly about yourself they are on a monologue about how great you are.     -> This is probably the one thing they are good at when it comes to soothing/comforting you. They won't ignore a single negative comment about yourself and will vehemently defend you every time.

* If you enjoy physical affection, they're weirdly adamant on being the one to be in control. They must be the one to brush your hair, or hold you, or be the big spoon. They'll avoid being in a situation where you're the one doing it to them. It's a pride/ego thing. It would take some convincing for them to let you show them physical affection like that.     -> You can give them verbal affection all you want though. They love flattery.

* They become pretty overbearing, and way more clingy in this stage. They'll follow you around and pretty much insist on being around you 24/7. If you're an introvert or just need time alone to rest, they wouldn't really understand, you'd have to directly tell them that you need space.     -> If you ever tell them to tone it down, or, god forbid, tell them to leave you alone for a little bit, they would be genuinely offended/upset. They'll probably disappear for a while—from spite or genuine hurt, you wouldn't be able to tell—but, eventually... They'll come back and notably be less intense about it. They want you to like them, they want your praise and approval, so showing any sort of negativity towards their behavior will actually affect them at this stage.

[journey-of-daydreams]

Mission Accepted [Rewrite & Reader] [Platonic]

Feeling particularly downtrodden today, you go to Rewrite in an attempt to distract yourself. Surprisingly, they notice and attempt to help. Well... They're not good at it, and it's kind of frightening, but they try.

Type: Oneshot Genre: Fluff/Attempt at Humor Content Warnings: None Stage: 3 Ring

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

You're in Green Hills. The sun shines above you, but there's a light fog in the far distance, giving it a slightly darker atmosphere. Wind gently blows around you, birds are singing, flowers are blooming. The green fields stretch far and wide. Occasionally, in the distance, your view is obscured by a cliff face or a rock. Yet, no one else is around.

Everything is so empty and lonely.

Today was rough. Your mind is buzzing with unwanted thoughts and feelings. Things you wish you could get away from. The thoughts swirl around in your head, unresting. You can't seem to get your mind to settle.

In a weird, backwards way, you want them here to fill the void. Their presence is often overbearing and overwhelming, yet sometimes... It's welcome. Maybe it would distract you. Maybe they'd make you laugh.

Maybe you just don't want to be alone.

You know they'd come as soon as you called their name. They've done it before; All you had to do to summon them was say their name. Sometimes when you accidentally mentioned them by name in conversation and they'd appear, which was always startling.

But this time was different. This time, there was a weight to it. This time, you

You take a deep breath to prepare yourself.

"Sonic?" You call out into the nothingness.

Without a moment's hesitation, as if they were already watching, they manifest directly in front of you with a pop.

"Hello, friend!" They wave so enthusiastically their arm disconnects from their body.

"You rang for a game? A picnic? Karaoke? A race?" They ask with a rhythm to their words, very clearly eager to get the games started, now that you've invited them.

"Oh, I'm up for anything." You remark, a little unenthusiastically. ...Anything to get my mind off this, your mind thinks, but the words go unspoken.

Rewrite goes quiet, exaggerating a tilt of their head that their whole body follows. They squint, looking you up and down.

"You look like a cat dragged you through the river, friend," They comment. "What's your deal?"

Your expression immediately drops. You were hoping they wouldn't notice. You're surprised they did, really. Normally, they don't.

"It's nothing." You dismiss, averting your eyes and hoping they wouldn't pry further.

"You're lying." The tone is oddly flat and serious. It catches you a little off-guard. "You don't have to lie to me. I'm your friend, remember?"

"Right." You acknowledge with a sigh. "I just... Don't feel good. Emotionally." You explain, tone now quiet and soft. "I didn't want to talk about it, just wanted to stop thinking about it."

"Is that why you called me?" They ask. You nod lightly.

"Oh!" They hum, their model flinching slightly as if surprised. Their hands then clasp together. "That's wonderful!"

You stare at them.

"What." You mutter, deadpan. You weren't sure what reaction you were expecting, but them calling your misery "wonderful" wasn't it.

"You want my help! 本当に私のことが好きなんだね！I'm so happy!" They start bobbing back and forth in a bit of an odd, excited dance. "We really are friends!"

You think about their words for a second. "Oh." You state, relieved that they're apparently happy that you're coming to them for help as a friend... Or something. That's way better than what you thought.

Your mind wanders to their last comment. Friends?

Now that you think about it, you haven't actually referred to them as your friend before. They've always called you their friend, but you've never returned the same sentiment. Before, you would have never called them a friend. But now...

They have been honestly trying to appease you and keep you happy. It feels like they've been trying to make up for their past. They don't like reminders of their past actions, you've noticed... As if they're ashamed about it, maybe? Maybe they really are trying to be your friend.

After some serious thought, you speak again. "...Yeah, I... I guess we are friends."

Rewrite immediately perks up at this. "You're so sweet!!" Their arms shoot over to you and wrap around you, pulling you into a hug. The sudden momentum knocks the wind out of you, but you still smile at their reaction. Did hearing you say that really mean that much to them?

"Now!" They exclaim as they drop you from their clutches. "You called me for my help, yes? You want Doctor Sonic to heal your sad mind, yes?"

You raise your eyebrow at the 'Doctor Sonic' comment. "I mean, that depends. How are you going to 'heal my mind'?" You question, genuinely curious what that means.

"Mission accepted! Be not afraid, I am at your service!" They throw you a wink and an enthusiastic salute. They then put a finger to their chin, and tap their foot in a "thinking" animation.

You blink at them. They didn't answer your question at all. Still, you give them an intrigued smirk. It looks like they're planning something. Knowing them, it will be interesting.

...It also could be another hide and seek game. Hopefully not.

Suddenly, an exclamation point appears over their head and they make an "aha!" gesture. They trot closer to you, gently grab your hand and move it into a palm-upwards position.

They're about to give you something. You watch, transfixed, and a little afraid for what it might be.

"Here! A gift!" They drop a scared, confused Flicky into the palm of your hand. It wobbles on its feet like a newborn, looking confused as if it was just summoned into existence.

"Ah-" You stutter in surprise, quickly moving your other hand to support it so it doesn't fall. You're not sure what to think about this unexpected gift at first... Sonic watches you with hands on their hips, apparently proud of their gift.

As you stare down at the bird, it meets your eyes and chirps softly.

"That's cute." You comment approvingly.

"So you feel better?" Rewrite questions immediately, not giving you a single second for your emotions to settle.

"Well, I-" You smile awkwardly, unsure of how to politely tell them this wasn't nearly enough time to feel better... And that a single bird really doesn't help your mental state much. And also you're not sure what to do with the bird now.

"I mean, I like the bird. I feel the same, just with a bird now."

"That's no good! My job here is not done!" They exclaim, "There's still some lingering degression in you!"

"Degression?" You question.

Rewrite stares at you for a second, processing your question.

"...Depression." They correct themself. "Shut up, don't correct me." They demand as they poke you in the forehead.

"I wasn't!" You insist with a lighthearted smile. "I swear, I was just conf-"

"Shhh." They abruptly interrupt you with a shushing sound, emphasizing it with a finger over their own mouth. "I'm focusing."

You close your mouth and furrow your brows in annoyance. Focusing on what? They're just standing there.

As if on cue, they hold out their palms upwards to the sky. A light shines down on their hands. Sparkles start to form from their palms, and an object begins to manifest. The twinkling gets more intense, and then:

From the center of the light, a single ice cream cone manifests.

Two scoops, and it's your favorite flavor...

They grasp the cone and hold it out to you as an offering, but the bird is still resting in your hands. You go set the bird down, but as soon as you do-

"NO!!" Rewrite practically yells with intense urgency, startling both you and the bird. You freeze, holding the bird more tightly so it doesn't fall.

"Wh-What?!" You ask, alarmed by the sudden urgency of their tone.

"The Flicky will lose its effectiveness if you stop touching it! Think! Think!!" They're still yelling and gesturing wildly.

"Well, I- I can't hold them both at once!" You stutter, confused by whatever 'effectiveness' means, but too scared by their intensity to even think about questioning it.

"Sit down!!" They order with a finger pointing to the grass. Confused, you do so without question, sitting criss-cross in the grass, still balancing the bird in your hands.

Rewrite then sits directly in front of you, takes the bird out of your hands, and swiftly places it in your lap. They place the ice cream cone into your newly freed hand.

"There." They state, their tone of voice now completely calm. They're completely relaxed now. Unlike you, you can feel your heart thumping in your chest.

That... was really jarring. You need a moment to calm down.

As you take a moment to breathe, Rewrite watches you, scanning your expression. Their eyes dart from your eyes to the ice cream you're holding, and you realize they're waiting for you to try it.

You lick it once.

"Do you feel better?" They immediately inquire.

You can't help but chuckle, mostly out of bewilderment. "You really need to give me a moment to relax first."

They squint at you, but go silent.

"Thank you." You acknowledge with a smile. They're doing as you asked: Giving you a moment of silence and rest. This is something you've managed to get them to do for you on occasion. You're frankly shocked they can manage to sit still and quietly for a period of time… Though, they're not always patient about it.

You start licking your ice cream in peace. At least, as peaceful as it can be with them staring at you. You decide to ignore it and avert your eyes. Them staring at you ceaselessly and very intensely is just normal for them.

Your attention is caught by the bird cheeping from your lap. You look down at it, and it's looking up at you expectantly. It cheeps again. You can't tell what it wants.

You give it a little scratch on the head. It closes its eyes at the touch, shifting in your lap and laying down. You smile at it… It seems to have settled down itself, after Rewrite's screaming.

...Honestly, that whole... Situation has distracted you from what was bothering you, even if just for a little. Though, you're pretty sure being startled out of your thoughts isn't actually helpful.

You wonder if Rewrite intentionally made that huge scene to try to distract you, or if they were really that worried that the bird would lose its "effectiveness" on you... Maybe both. They are pretty weird sometimes.

…Okay, actually, they're pretty weird most of the time.

You're licking your ice cream in thought when you notice Rewrite's head tilt at you. Slowly, they stand up... and wordlessly start walking away.

You watch them curiously. They walk to the nearest patch of flowers, stop over it, and start gathering them. They collect the flowers in their hand, and...

Your heart skips a beat.

They're going to give them to you? That's... actually really sweet.

You continue eating your ice cream as they work. They're moving unusually slow... Well, slow for Rewrite, at least. They're moving about as fast as a normal person would, which is unusual for them. They're usually very erratic and quick on their feet. It seems very deliberate, though you're not sure why they'd do something like this. Maybe out of respect for your quiet time.

...

After about a minute of just watching them, they snap their head in your direction and begin walking towards you, holding something behind their back. You perk up in anticipation.

"Tada!" They exclaim proudly once they reach you, whipping out their gift: A flower crown.

It's made out of sunflowers, daisies, and a single blue flower you don't remember seeing before. They must have created that one, just for this.

They gingerly place the crown on top of your head, as if you were the most fragile thing in existence.

Out of nowhere, they pull out a tiny, shrunken down version of the exact same flower crown, and place it onto the bird's head. It chirps approvingly.

"You both look wonderful!" They wink and give you a thumbs up.

You give an honest, warm smile at the sight. This is sweet. They are trying pretty hard, even if they don't understand.

You have to admit, it does make you feel nice inside. Despite everything, they're watching out for you, as best as they can.

Rewrite is standing over you, examining your reaction. You meet their gaze and smile up at them. They tilt their head back at you.

"Well? How about now?" They inquire once again.

Your eyes soften and you look down thoughtfully.

"Yeah... I do feel better now.

...Thank you."

From where they're standing, a victory jingle plays.

"Mission success!" They announce with a cheeky thumbs up.

[journey-of-daydreams]

Invitation to Nowhere [Rewrite & Reader] [Platonic]

After a "kind" "invitation" to a picnic from Rewrite, he becomes more interested in your mental state than you'd like.

Type: Oneshot Genre: Mild Horror Content Warnings: Hunger Mention Stage: Early 1 Ring Notes: Rewrite is referred to as "Sonic" in this, as Reader is not fully aware of their identity yet. This is also early in Reader's and Rewrite's relationship, so their interactions are mostly negative. (sorry to those looking for fluff)

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

You're exploring the stretches of Green Hill. It seems your surroundings change every so often, and so you've taken it upon yourself to explore daily. You hope that in doing so, you would find an escape, or a weapon, anything to protect or aid yourself in any way.

As you're walking next to a small pond, you hear it: Faintly, in the distance, an unfortunately familiar squealing: The sound of Sonic running. You stop dead in your tracks and swivel your ears around, trying to catch the source of the noise.

It's getting louder. He's approaching.

Fear starts to rise in your chest as you look around, trying to spot him before he catches you off-guard again. Sure enough, you see him and his wide smile, making a bee line for you.

You take a deep breath and brace yourself. There's no point in running.

He catches up to you and stops like he just hit a brick wall, losing all momentum in an instance. He pulls his signature "finger-wagging" pose that you've grown to hate.

"Hi, friend! Are you ready?" He beams enthusiastically.

"...Uh- For what?" You question warily.

"Great!" He shoots a thumbs up at you. "Let's go!"

Before you can react, he grabs you by the shoulders and lifts you up over his head. You shriek involuntarily. "Wait! Wait!"

He doesn't wait. In fact, he zooms off into the forest, carrying you over his head like a squirming cat. Trees, ferns, rocks and greenery whiz past you. The forest gets darker, and darker. The sky slowly fades from sight. You have to stop squirming just so you don't get hit by a wayward rock.

Suddenly, he stops on a dime, and the abrupt halt knocks the wind out of you. He gently places you down and gives you a pat on the head.

Slightly dazed, it takes you a moment to process the... unusual sight ahead of you.

In the middle of the dark forest sits a campfire and your two friends; Miles and Ekiduna. Miles looks up at the two of you as you approach, shifting uncomfortably at the sight of Sonic. Ekiduna is scarfing down on what appears to be a boiled egg, not looking up at you two. They sit on top of a red checkered picnic blanket, plates scattered around them. Far too many plates for just 4 people, in fact.

You glance at Sonic, who was standing with his hands on his hips. Proudly looking at the scene he set up, you assume, though it's very difficult to read his expression thanks to his permanently smiling face.

Locking eyes with you, he gives you a tilt of the head and pulls a frying pan out of nowhere. "Waffles?"

"Uh- Sure." You decide it's best to go along with whatever the hell is going on.

With a nod, Sonic chucks the frying pan at the campfire. It jitters around before magically re-orienting itself into an upright position. He plops down in front of the fire, back turned to you, and puts a yellow, circular blob into the frying pan. It instantly simmers as smoke rises out of it.

You decide to take a seat next to Miles.

"Hello," He quietly says as you sit.

"Hi." You give him a smile back. You turn to Ekiduna, who nods as his "hello" at you.

"Nice to see you again. Despite the, uh... Unfortunate way you were brought here." Ekiduna subtly gestures at Sonic.

You huff a tiny laugh. "It's fine." You would joke about it, but you don't dare say anything negative about Sonic within earshot of him. You don't have nearly the same bravery as Ekiduna does, talking against Sonic right in front of him.

Oddly, though, Sonic seems to ignore the 3 of you when he's in the middle of something, as if too preoccupied to care. You and Ekiduna have learned to take these opportunities to chat and move about... Though, you won't pretend Sonic can't still hear you. Surely, he must be able to.

You turn your attention back to the "waffle" cooking on the fire. Sonic was starting to sway his leg impatiently. Still, you notice the yellow blob slowly flattens out... Slowly, a faint, familiar grid-like pattern starts to form.

Of course it does.

You turn to Miles, who was staring at a random square on the picnic blanket. You would talk to him, but the poor thing is always too scared... And, to be honest, doesn't seem entirely... Lucid. He doesn't seem to register that this is just a digital world, and never talks about the outside world. You honestly wonder if he's just an NPC, but you don't think it would be polite to ask someone that.

Ekiduna, on the other hand, is a survivor like you. Long ago, he was brought into this game too. The two of you have found solace in talking to one another, about your past lives, and what's going on... and have whispered in the darkest of nights about potential ways to escape. In his time here, he hadn't yet found one. He hopes that you're able to help him, and you've been trying your best.

A small ding! that plays from the campfire brings you out of your thoughts. Sonic proceeds to grab the waffle—or, two waffles stacked together, as you just noticed—and his arm detaches from his shoulder and floats over to place it on your plate.

"...Thank you." You say politely.

"No problem!" He chirps enthusiastically.

You notice Ekiduna reaching for one of the waffles, and you shoot him a soft glare, bemused he's just... Trying to take it, right in front of you, without asking. Before you can say anything, Sonic slaps his hand away.

"Hey!" Ekiduna flinches back.

"Nuh-uh! You had your share!" Sonic insisted, wagging a finger disapprovingly.

"You gave me a single egg-" Ekiduna starts to protest, but is shut up when Sonic jumps closer to him, looming over him. Miles flinches and stares at the two, expecting something to go down.

Ekiduna leans back, eyes agape. "Ok. Fine." He crosses his arms, sulking. Sonic relents and backs away, seemingly pleased.

You feel bad, honestly. Everyone here is capable of feeling hunger, tiredness; You're pretty sure Ekiduna is hungry, if he's trying this. You wouldn't mind sharing, but... Shouldn't risk it in front of Sonic. You'll share later, when Sonic isn't looking.

Sonic lets out two harsh, electronic clicking sounds meant to resemble tongue clicks. "Rude Ekiduna. Stealing! At a time like this? How could you?"

Ekiduna rolls his eyes.

"Bye-Bye. To Green Hills you go!"

"Wh- Huh?" His eyes widen. Suddenly, Sonic grabs Ekiduna by the collar of his cloak, and Ekiduna yells in defiance, only for his voice to be cut off by both of them disappearing into thin air. Miles lets out an alarmed noise, stands up, and runs from the scene.

Oh shit. You thought it was resolved. Is Ekiduna going to be ok? You stand up, ready to take action. Maybe you should-

Yet, as quickly as he left, Sonic reappears with a *pop*.

"Hi, friend!" He waves enthusiastically and sits back down as if nothing happened. He's either ignoring or doesn't notice your stare of shock.

"...What did you do with him?" You nervously question, voice wavering.

"Relaaaaax." Sonic's hand twitches back and forth, as if it's meant to be a dismissive wave of the hand. "He's gone back to the starting zone."

"G-Gone back?" You question what that means. You know where the starting zone is, but-

"Gone back to the starting zone." He repeats with the exact same tone, akin to a record replaying.

"Did... Did you hurt him?"

"Nope!" He starts fiddling around with the plates, moving them around without real purpose. You're not sure why.

You watch him skeptically, not believing he wouldn't have harmed Ekiduna for his resistance. "...Really?"

He stops his plate shuffling and looks at you with his usual smile. "You're asking a lo-ot of questions." His voice glitches out, but his tone of voice is as playful as ever. You can tell that's a warning to stop.

"...Okay. Awesome." You try to calm your heavily beating heart.

"So cool!" He gives you a tone-deaf thumbs up. You shake your head in bewilderment and squeeze your temple with your fingers, trying to decide what to do.

It's... probably best to just sit back down. You know going along with Sonic's nonsense is a good way to appease him and keep him from retaliating. Later, you would go check on Ekiduna and Miles.

So, against every ounce of your being telling you to get out of there... You sit back down, avoiding Sonic's gaze. As you sit, you feel his eyes boring into you, unsettling you. You can't tell what he's thinking. Maybe he didn't expect you to stay. 

You decide to stare at your waffles to avoid his gaze. You hadn't even taken a bite out of them this whole time. Though, honestly, you don't think you wanted to.

What's wrong with them?

You pick the plate up to take a closer look at it. They look fine. You sniff it, and-

The scent of real, toasted waffles hits you.

You can't help the sad smile that comes on your face. It smells like home, you realize. It's not often you feel sensations that remind you of the real world. You're not sure why you can feel these kinds of sensations in a digital world... Sight, smell, touch. But you can. And truth be told, it haunts you. Reminds you of what you lost.

"What's with the glumdrum, bud?" Sonic abruptly asks, pulling you out of your thoughts. You turn to him, and- He's laying on his side on the grass, his head propped up on his hand. Okay.

It takes you a second to realize you didn't hear him move, and, he's actually closer to you than he was before. Great, so he can move silently. Another reason to be wary of him.

"It's... nothing. I'm thinking." You say dismissively.

"You don't like waffles?" He continues to inquire with a head tilt, his hand glitching off his wrist for a split second.

"Wh- No, it's not that, I just..." Your words fall apart on themselves, knowing he wouldn't take any protest of yours seriously anyways. He wouldn't let you go just because you say you miss your home, he'd probably just laugh at your misery.

"We can play a game instead!" He suddenly jumps up with emphasis, excited by his own suggestion.

"Nono, that's- No, thanks." You rush to reject the offer. Any game of his is more deadly than fun, and frankly, you're not in the mood.

"Awwwww." He slumps and gives an over-dramatic, sad bow of the head that almost feels genuine. It's an odd, pouting look you've never seen on him before. It's off-putting, especially since he could easily drag you into a game against your will if he was this upset about it.

You're... Honestly taken aback by this behavior, his sudden questioning and interest in you. Just what was he trying to do?

You can't find the words, and you look back down at your food. Yet, Sonic doesn't move. In fact, he doesn't stop staring at you. Every second that passes becomes more and more uncomfortable.

"...W-What?" You ask, somewhat hesitant to break the silence.

"I made you the cool waffles and you're still so boring. What gives?"

You scoff, a bit confused by his wording. "You were trying to cheer me up?"

"No," He states bluntly. His inflection suggests he was going to say more, and you wait... But he doesn't speak again.

"...Well, sorry my sadness isn't entertaining, I guess." You mutter bitterly.

"Hmmmm..." He hums over-dramatically, tapping his finger to his chin in a 'thinking' pose. "You're lost, aren't you?"

You squint at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You can't find your way home." He sits in front of you in a crisscross position, his eyes never moving from you. Your expression drops and you look back down at your plate. You didn't think him of all people would be questioning you about this.

"I know. I've seen it happen many times." He closes his eyes and tilts his head up as if reminiscing.

"You don't know anything about me." You retort before you can stop yourself.

"Yes I do." He simply asserts, though you don't believe him. Before you can argue, he continues.

"A lot of souls get lost in this place. You're not the first, and not the last." He says in a low, muted and out of place tone. You give him a discomforted look, surprised by his sudden shift. He's looking directly into your eyes again.

So you've hurt a lot of people then, you think bitterly. You didn't know this, actually: How many people got stuck here. You were under the impression it was just you, Ekiduna and Miles... Just how many people have died here?

"Why do you all run to find the same place that no longer exists? Sinking yourselves further and further into the abyss."

"Why are you telling me this?" You question softly.

"Maybe, if you stop running," He slowly reaches a hand towards you, "-the place you're looking for would find you?" And points at your heart, emphasizing the 'you' as he speaks. You lean away so he doesn't touch you.

You don't say anything. You can't. You simply stare at him. He stares back, his empty smile unchanging and his pose unmoving.

"...

I don't understand."

"Oh well!" He offhandedly shrugs, his tone of voice and posture snaps back to cheerful. All of his previous solemnity vanishing in an instant. He grabs a whole rotisserie chicken that you don't remember seeing before and puts it on a random plate. "Let's dig in, shall we?"

...You're not sure what to say. This whole experience was... bewildering.

You find it hard to eat the rest of the day.

[journey-of-daydreams]

How would you think Rewrite would feel after the reader were the one to finally initiate affection for once? As stated previously by you, Rewrite is very affectionate during their 3 Ring stage, and we didn't see much of Reader seeking them out as much to have their attention. What if for once, Reader was the one to actively seek out Rewrite just for physical touch? Like a hug or imagine this. A headbutt. Gentle or not, he'd be confused but still appreciative because of the attention still, lmao.

do you think because of the headbutt and if it were aggressive (not hateful!!), rewrite would take that as a sign to headbutt the reader even harder but tenfold??? AGHHH i love him, they're so silly!!!!!

this inspired me to write about this thank u

i haven't thought of scenarios for how the reader reacts to rewrite's affections (whether reader reciprocate it or not), because i think that really depends on the person. so let's think of a reader who reciprocates.

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

Rewrite's behavior towards a Reader that shows them affection and goes to them for it.

Type: Scenarios Genre: Fluff Content Warnings: Horror and psychological abuse mention; Scenarios tagged accordingly Stage: 3 Ring (mostly)

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

* Their reaction towards you showing them affection for the first time depends entirely on what stage they're currently in:     -> Option 1 [⭕] (Late 1 Ring) : If you started doing this in their 1 ring stage, Rewrite's reaction is very subdued and less intense... But their behavior in this stage would change. They would go along with it. Instead of being subtle and only saying they "like" the Reader, they would mimic any affection you show towards them. Because they mimic your affection, it becomes even harder to tell if they're genuine, or just doing this to draw you in further.          ↳ It also becomes even harder to tell when it starts escalating. The shift where they go from "Haha I'm gonna ruin your day!!" to "I like you." is very subtle, so having them constantly being affectionate by default makes it impossible to judge what they're really thinking and feeling.          ↳ While they don't have the full self-awareness to understand why they like the attention... They know they like it. They would be disappointed if you ever stopped showing them affection for whatever reason.     -> Option 2 [⭕⭕⭕] (3 Ring) : In their 3 ring stage, Rewrite's reaction is completely different. They would be absolutely ecstatic the very first time you ever show reciprocation for their affections. At this point, they would be pretty clear about their affinity for you, so having you reciprocate in any way is a big deal. They'd celebrate on the spot.          ↳ You actually want to be around them? They show excitement and eagerness to immediately drag you into a game or somewhere to hang out. If they were doing something else, they drop everything to put all of their attention onto you.          ↳ You felt sad and sought them out for comfort? Their happiness at this is really jarring and concerning at first, until you realize it's because you sought them out like a friend would.          ↳ Hug them for the first time? They dramatically pick you up and spin you around.

* Anon. Anonnnn you also got me thinking, if the first gesture of affection/fondness Reader ever showed was a headbutt... Rewrite wouldn't know what that means. Headbutts are meant to hurt others, so why was that one gentle? Why do you seem so calm? Was that a failed attack against them?? Are you showing them an uncommon sign of fondness?? But they've never seen that in humans...     -> They completely fail to understand your intentions and they hate it. They need to feel in control of this situation, and not being able to judge what you meant by that? Not being able to tell how you feel about them? They'd be very. Very. VERY unsettled by the loss of control.     -> You would have no way of knowing any of this. They would not tell you. You'd have no idea how much that gesture fucked with them. At most, their flattery towards you would ramp up in an attempt to regain control of the situation.

* They will not reject or judge any form of affection. In fact, any affection you show them adds further fuel to their own methods of showing affection. They will mimic and return anything you show them. It doesn't matter how niche or "weird" you might think it is; If they realize it's a way you show affection, they will return it.     -> Giving them cool shiny rocks? Biting them affectionately? Writing them poems? Just smiling at them fondly? Purring at them? Yes to all of those. They don't judge.     -> Headbutting them in particular like Anon said: Yes. Yes they would take that as a sign to headbutt Reader back. Rewrite would match the gentleness of it, yes, but if you do that and they saw you aggressively headbutt someone once, just one single time... They will get "affectionate headbutt" and "aggressive headbutt" confused and think you like being aggressively headbutted.

* Because of how egotistical they are, they absolutely adore when you flatter them or give them verbal affection. This is their favorite form of affection to be given. Flattery gets you everywhere with them.     -> In particular, treating them like a god or referring to them as God is a really quick way to get on their good side.

* If you're a naturally affectionate person and show other people affection as well, they will get jealous and upset. How dare you show your affections to someone unworthy? Only they should be allowed to see that side of you!     -> 私は完璧なんだよ、分かるで��ょ？     -> 私あなたにとって十分じゃないの？      -> 私のこと、忘れさせない。

* If you enjoy playfighting in particular: You've just unleashed a terrible beast. Rewrite gets really creative with their play attacks, and are very good at ambushes and trickery. They will also utilize their control of the game environment. They'll let you win, but only sometimes.     -> Swordfighting with sticks? They'll throw theirs at you. Trip you with it. Whack you with a levitating stick. Gently poke you from behind when you least expect it.     -> Pushing each other into lakes? They'll drag you down with them. Turn the ground underneath you into water as you're walking. Graciously pick you up, oh so kindly giving you a ride, only to drop you into a lake.     -> Tackling each other for fun? They will fly at you from behind. Drop onto you from the sky. Suddenly emerge out of the ground. Nowhere is safe.     -> (Horror Mention) This is the only kind of affection that's risky to show them. You have to be careful with how far you take it, and avoid scenarios where they could accidentally hurt you—you don't want them to get play aggression vs real aggression confused and for them to think hurting you is okay. They wouldn't know when to stop, and might confuse your struggles to escape as part of the fun. You do not want them to think your screams mean you're having fun.

* (Horror/Abuse Mention) Directly showing Rewrite affection/letting them know you're fond of them is actually incredibly risky, but could be very rewarding. Rewrite greatly values loyalty and devotion, so showing that to them is a great way to make them value you and want to keep you around. But... It shows them they have you wrapped around their finger, and it puts you at the mercy of their sadistic whims. They would better know how to hurt you. You're playing a dangerous game here.

[journey-of-daydreams]

Do My Words Reach You? [Rewrite & Reader] [Platonic]

After seeing Rewrite in their Midareta form, you try to talk to them about it. Keyword: Try. aka Rewrite really doesn't like showing vulnerability.

Part 2 of HQG WKLV DJRQB.

Type: Oneshot Genre: Angst, Horror Content Warnings: Physical Threats, Abuse, Arguing Stage: Post 2 Rings

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

You're at a "celebration" of Rewrite's inside the forest, alongside Miles and Ekiduna. You're not sure what the celebration is about, and you don't care to ask. Balloons float up in the air yet fairly close to the ground, defying physics. A stereo plays upbeat music. The sun shines down warmly. There's a cake on a table, a few slices already taken out of it.

There's an unspoken tension in the air.

You remember what happened very clearly. Screaming. A buzzing static in your ears. The very world around you falling apart. Rewrite falling apart with it. You did something stupid to stop it, and now… You're different.

Your attention briefly snaps to Rewrite. Their back is turned to you, and they're either talking to or simply staring at Miles.

They haven't spoken to you once, since what happened.

This all happened merely an hour ago… You think. It's hard to tell how much time passes in this place. But it's not easy for you to simply move on and forget about it when reminders are all over the place.

The red cracks in your hand… You try not to look at them. Every time you do, you feel out of place. Out of yourself. It's disorienting having such a digital, otherworldly injury on yourself that doesn't cause immense pain. It feels wrong. But luckily, it's easy to ignore, as long as you don't look at it.

The new ring on your wrist, however, has been hard to ignore. Every time you think you can tune it out and ignore it, it glints in the sunlight, or you brush it up against something, or you just catch a glimpse of it… Bringing it back to the forefront of your mind. Reminding you of what happened. What you saw. What happened to Ekiduna.

Your attention snaps to him. He's eating a piece of cake. He's unharmed, alive, and without a single wound visible on him. He's apparently unbothered by what's going on.

Visions of his corpse flash in your thoughts. You try to shake it off as you approach him.

You have to talk to him.

Once he sees you, his eyes widen and he threateningly points his fork at you.

"You can't have any of it, it's mine!" He yells, protectively hiding his slice of cake behind him.

"I'm not after your cake," You assure him, stopping so you don't get too close to him and his cake. "I just... wanted to see if you were okay."

"What?" He gives you a confused look, his aggressive fork pointing relaxing only slightly. "Yeah. Why?"

Your face reflects his confusion. "...Do you remember what happened?"

"You're gonna have to be more specific." He squints at you, suspicion in his eyes.

"What they did to you." You gesture at Rewrite. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Rewrite isn't even looking at the two of you. You briefly watch them, only for a second, noticing that they're staring at Miles instead.

"Sonic?" He questions, his tone of voice very confused. "What, you mean what he does to us all the time? You're so weird." He gives you a side eye and then proceeds to walk away, glancing back at you every so often.

You watch him intently as he leaves.

He doesn't remember.

You rub your face in exasperation, trying to take this realization in. You briefly consider trying to talk to Miles instead. But when you turn to him; He was already watching you, and as soon as you meet his gaze, he flinches and averts his eyes, pretending not to see you.

Christ. It's hard to deal with this atmosphere. Things are changing in a way you don't like.

Your hand subconsciously goes to mess with the ring on your wrist. You explicitly avoid looking at your injured hand. Your fingers tingle as they touch the smooth surface.

Considering what the ring did to Rewrite… Could it be doing something to you, too? You've been keeping an eye on yourself and your body and your thoughts ever since you had it, trying to see if it could be doing something to you. But you can't tell if you're just being overly paranoid or if it genuinely is affecting you.

You've felt very on edge since you've had it.

You've tried removing the ring several times, to no avail. You even tried breaking it, but the force sent shockwaves of pain and a sense of wrongness throughout your whole arm. You decided not to try that again.

You can't help but steal a glance at Rewrite.

You can see their face now. They're not looking at you, still. Which, oddly, feels more alarming than all the times you caught them staring. You got used to the staring, and now that they've stopped?

It's wrong.

…

Memories of what happened flash in your mind.

Ekiduna dying. Rewrite screaming. Glitching violently. Everything breaking.

Rewrite hasn't spoken a word to you. Like they're trying to avoid it, or forget about it. And with how they're ignoring you, maybe they are. As much as you want to talk to them about it, you're scared to try to bring it up. You don't want it to be the final straw that makes them kill you.

You're already on thin ice.

But what you saw was frightening. It was concerning. Their screaming, the world itself breaking, their distorted glitching as if thrashing in pain…

Could it happen again?

You're brought out of your thoughts when you notice Rewrite moving into the center of the picnic. You realize you've been staring at them this whole time and they haven't once returned your gaze.

"Say, friends!" Rewrite begins, grabbing everyone's attention. "It's time to celebrate! Let's play a game!"

Ugh.

"It's a scavenger hunt! Try to collect as many eggs as you can in Green Hills! Don't be in last place!" They explain with their normal, chipper attitude.

As you're thinking about what that last sentence means, you're distracted by Ekiduna immediately dropping his cake—it falls off the plate and splatters against the ground—and making a mad dash towards Green Hills, hoping to get a head start.

...But he's teleported straight back to the party and lifted up by the collar by Rewrite.

"Nuh-uh! I didn't say ready yet!" Rewrite scolds, shaking Ekiduna by the collar like a ragdoll. Ekiduna groans and crosses his arms, but doesn't protest more.

Rewrite's arm disconnects from their body to float all the way over to you, dropping Ekiduna near you. Your eyes follow him, but he doesn't meet your gaze, instead just crossing his arms the whole time.

"Alrighty! You three have 5 minutes." Rewrite begins again. With a snap of their fingers, baskets appear out of thin air in front of all three of you. Ekiduna immediately snatches his, and you and Miles take yours with hesitation.

"On go! Three, two, one… Go!"

Sure enough, Ekiduna makes another mad dash towards Green Hills. Miles runs with pretty impressive speed in a different direction, not wanting to compete with Ekiduna. You almost start to head off too, but…

You notice Rewrite is still there, watching the other players. This is your chance to talk to them.

You cautiously put the basket down. An icy chill fills your veins as you start walking towards them.

Rewrite notices you approach, their eyes landing on you for what feels like the first time since your encounter.

"Didn't you hear? The game already started, stupid. Get going!" They announce, but their tone is lighthearted and playful, thankfully. You're relieved they don't sound angry, now that they're directly addressing you…

"I will," You assure them as you walk closer. "I just wanted to talk to you first."

"That's not going to help you win!" They retort, shaking their head and wagging their finger at you in a way that feels like it's meant to be demeaning.

"I know. I just..." You stumble as you try to find the words. "...How are you feeling?"

"I'm so very excited to see you beat my game! Aren't you?" Their voice absolutely drips with forced cheerfulness.

You give them a stern look. They give you their normal, empty smile back.

They're not going to talk about anything but the game when they're in game host mode. Maybe you can find an opportunity after the game.

"Yeah… Very excited." You simply agree. You'll just play along for now. Maybe it will help you get out of your thoughts.

You pick your basket back up and head off.

───{⭕}───

You explore Green Hills, your basket containing about half a dozen, colorful eggs. Some of them are surprisingly well hidden, some behind rocks or inside bushes. Some on top of cliffs that aren't visible from the ground level.

As you're exploring, you turn a corner, and come across Miles.

"Hey," You greet him, only to be met with Miles' shrieking. He jumps, dropping a fair amount of his eggs all over the ground, and makes a run for it as if you're going to chase him.

"Miles! Wait, I- Miles!" You call out to him, trying to get him to come back. "I'm not going to take-"

But it's too late. He's already gone. His eggs are scattered on the grass, abandoned...

"Goddamn it." You mutter under your breath, looking down at the pile of eggs.

…

Would it be wrong to take them?

Augh. You'd feel terrible if Miles lost because of it. Knowing Rewrite, the "prize" for last place is probably being drowned in a lake, or something. You don't want to be directly responsible for causing that. But you also don't want to be the one in last place…

Luckily you don't have to consider it for long, because you suddenly get punched in the stomach.

You collapse to the ground in pain, in shock from the sudden attack.

"HAHAHA!" You hear Ekiduna laugh hysterically. He dashes in front of you and scoops up all of Miles' eggs. "Your eggs are MIIIINE!" He triumphantly gloats. From the ground, you just barely manage to peer up to see him flee from his crime scene.

"EKIDUNA!" You yell for him. But of course he doesn't respond. "You bastard!" You shout at him as he disappears. A surge of anxiety fills you as you realize he probably just stole all of your eggs, but- As you look around, you spot your basket. You tilt it a bit to get a better look inside, and sure enough, your eggs are still there.

You feel only a little relief, but that feeling is immediately washed away from the pain you feel and the frustration of whatever the hell that was from Ekiduna.

"What the hell," You groan in pain, taking a second to recollect yourself. You're not used to Ekiduna being this aggressive. What's his problem?

As you push yourself up, your eyes land on the red, glowing ring on your wrist.

…What happened must've affected Ekiduna too.

Everyone seems to be affected by what happened. Miles is more afraid of you, Ekiduna is weirdly aggressive, Rewrite is ignoring you, even you feel like you're losing it.

Christ.

You clench your fists in frustration, pulling up tufts of grass as you do so; Something flickers around you and you hear a distorted sound that sounds exactly like the distortion when Rewrite was losing it and-

You're immediately alert and looking around frantically, heart rate picking up. Did something happen again? What was that?

…But the world is stable. And steady. You see the clouds moving. The flowers are spinning. The world is still bright and colorful.

It's… It's fine. You're just being paranoid. It's nothing. Focus. Just don't lose this game.

…

You push yourself up, pick up your basket, and keep moving.

───{⭕}───

You only have about a minute left to find any leftover eggs. You find a couple, and you have about a dozen eggs at this point… But you're a bit nervous. You're not sure how many the others have, and if it will be enough.

You hear a bell ring from all around, signaling the game is over. And then, you're immediately teleported back to the party site, a crackling sound filling your ears. Disoriented, you stumble on your feet.

You'll never get used to that.

"Time's up!" Rewrite calls out from in front of you. You notice Miles and Ekiduna are on either side of you, baskets also in hand.

You immediately look down at your basket and eye the other two's, trying to judge how many eggs you have in comparison. Miles, the poor thing, his basket is barely full… Meanwhile, Ekiduna definitely has way more than both of you.

…Ekiduna narrows his eyes at you and hides his basket. You shake your head at him. You're not going to steal them, the game's already over…

"Welcome back, my distinguished players!" Rewrite greets everyone enthusiastically. "Now, let's see how you all did." Their eyes land on Miles first, to your left.

"Miles, with your 5, pitiful eggs. As expected, from someone as pitiful as you." Rewrite sneers at Miles. His ears pin down in fear…

Rewrite calls your name next, making eye contact. Your heart jumps and your attention snaps to them. "- you have 11. Not bad at all."

A tension leaves your body once they look away.

"Ekiduna, who has a whopping 19 eggs. Wow! Incredible!" Rewrite claps approvingly, and Ekiduna gives you a smug look. Rewrite's eyes focus on Miles. "Looks like Miles is the worst, as always!"

Ekiduna points and laughs at Miles, who stays silent. He stares into the void, shaking… You really wish the two of them would stop bullying him.

"...I'm sorry, Miles." You quietly say to him. You feel bad for him, he's always the one getting punished and beat up. You wish you could comfort him, but… He doesn't seem very comforted by your presence anymore.

"It's fine…" Miles mutters, surprisingly not completely avoiding you this time. You look at him curiously, eyes wide. He very rarely speaks to you, or anyone else, for that matter.

"Are you sure?" You begin, eager to take advantage of this opportunity. "You-"

"No time for chit chat!" Rewrite immediately interrupts you. Miles vanishes jarringly with a pop, Rewrite not even moving to teleport him away.

"Wh- Huh?!" You quickly turn to Rewrite, surprise on your face.

"Don't worry about it!" Rewrite throws you a "reassuring" thumbs up and a wink. "He's just getting his reward for losing!"

You stare at them. They stare at you back, smile wide as ever.

…God damn it. You don't want to know what Miles' punishment is.

"What do I get for winning?" Ekiduna eagerly asks, completely uncaring about what just happened.

"Nothing." Rewrite simply responds.

Ekiduna stares at them for a beat.

"...WHAT?" He yells, eyes narrowed from anger.

"Well, you don't get drowned in the lake!" Rewrite offers, seeing his frustration. "That's a prize, isn't it?"

"Damn it! All of this for nothing!" He shouts, dropping the basket of eggs onto the ground. The basket falls over, and the eggs roll out and scatter. He picks one egg up and slams it onto the ground, deliberately cracking it. He storms away, disappearing into the forest shrubbery.

You watch him as he leaves, face stern. This is really weird. He's usually not so… intense.

"Wow, what a sore winner, huh?" Rewrite comments chipperly. Your attention turns to them, and finally, their eyes meet yours.

They're unoccupied. They're finally not ignoring you. Their gaze pins you in place.

"...Yeah." You agree, simply, unable to find the words with all of this pressure on you. You stare at them, watching their movements. They idly animate, their body waving back and forth lightly. They seem to be in a good mood, now…

Now's your chance. Don't screw this up.

Choose your words carefully. Don't piss them off more.

…But Rewrite speaks first.

"Isn't it beautiful? My gift, to you."

You look at them in surprise, noticing them staring at the ring on your wrist. You follow their gaze and lift your arm up to look at the ring closer. It has a deep, red color, and shines beautifully.

…But you can't get past the memories. What it stands for.

"...It is beautiful." You simply agree to keep them pacified. Your eyes flicker back up to them. Their gaze is transfixed onto the ring. As you put your arm back down, their eyes follow… And only snap back up to your eyes after a long second.

That's… odd.

But you have their attention. They're not leaving anytime soon.

You ready yourself. Now's the time to ask.

"Sonic, what… happened, earlier?" You gently and cautiously ask.

"Miles got drowned in the lake, and Ekiduna was angry he didn't win!" They happily explain. You can't tell if they deliberately misunderstood you or not.

"That's-" You stumble on your words, realizing for sure what happened to Miles in that moment. "...Not what I'm talking about." You correct. Rewrite notably tilts their head. "I mean what happened when you got the ring."

"Oh, that!" They feign surprise and wave their hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it!"

"But I am worried," You insist. "What was that? You…" You hesitate, just for a second. "You looked like you were in pain."

"Aww, you're worried about me? You're too sweet!" They close their eyes and put their hands on their cheeks, mimicking a flustered gesture… And then they very rapidly pat your head, repeating, "You're too sweet!"

…They're still dodging the question. Maybe you should ask a different one.

"Yeah, I am." You admit. "Could that happen again?"

"Nooo̶o." Their voice draws out, glitching out for a second. "No it won't." They point to the ring on your wrist. "Not when you have that."

So they do know the ring caused it. You instinctively move your hand to look at it, and they immediately and urgently pull their hand away, avoiding touching it. You stop moving and look at them curiously, a bit surprised.

Are they… Scared to touch it?

No… No, they've touched it before. It couldn't be that.

"You have a dumb look on your face." Rewrite abruptly comments. "You should stop that."

You furrow your brows and frown at their insult. Yeah, okay, it's definitely not that. But then why did they...?

"You're safe with my gift! Everything is fine!" Rewrite assures you, pulling you out of your thoughts. They put their hands on your shoulders, apparently trying to be comforting. "Relax. Stop thinking about all of that humdrum."

"I… I can't just do that." You object. The pressure of everything weighs down on you. Ekiduna, Rewrite, even Miles, all of them feeling more hostile than usual. The encounter you had. This goddamn ring on your wrist. The red cracks in your hand. Something is happening to you.

"Why not?" Their tone of voice is still so chipper and lighthearted, it's honestly starting to annoy you.

"You're acting weird!" You exclaim, getting more riled up by the second. "So is Ekiduna. And Miles. Everyone is." You explain, the unspoken implication that you're acting weird too. You honestly can't even believe you're still here, trying to talk to them about this.

"It's all okay, friend." They gesture with a finger pointing to the sky for extra emphasis. "You're just shaken up, right? After a good night's sleep you'll be jolly again in no time."

Oh my god, this is like trying to pull teeth. You exhale, getting a bit more frustrated.

"I can tell it's not just that." You insist. "I don't know if what happened scared you too-"

"I am not." They interrupt, tone dropping as if offended, their body glitching more than usual. You look at them incredulously, taken aback by their sudden change of tone. Their posture has become more neutral, their hands at their sides and their movement restrained now. "I have nothing to be afraid of. What about you?"

You stare at them for a moment, noticing the threat, but unsure of where they're going with it.

"...I am afraid." You admit. "I have a lot to be afraid about."

"That keeps you safe." They say, tapping a finger to their own head in a bit of an odd motion you don't understand. "It keeps your feeble human body from doing something stupid. Doesn't it?"

They pause… for a brief moment, letting you think on their words.

"You are weak. 乱れた。Flawed." They pause, staring into your eyes, their smile widening. "I am nothing like you. I am God."

You're frozen in place. This is… new. A bit unsettling. Ivo warned you they would do this, and warned you not to fight against it or deny it when they start. You just haven't heard this "God" talk from them before.

Rewrite has fallen silent, letting their words settle into you. Or maybe waiting for a response. Unfortunately for them, it's giving you time to think.

Ivo has told you otherwise. They're a digital entity, you know that.

…But they're not perfect. They've made mistakes. You've seen it.

…Your expression softens as you realize what they're doing. They're deflecting. They're in denial. Struggling to grasp for defenses that you'll believe.

They're trying to convince you and themself they're fine.

Their whole body freezes once this sympathetic expression falls onto you.

"What's with that face? そんな風にオレ様を見ないで。Stop it."

Their tone is flat and robotic, like they're not even trying to show any emotion anymore. You can tell they're upset.

They are upset.

"There's nothing wrong with having emotions." You begin, softly, trying your best to approach this gently. They don't respond, or even move, so you take that as a go-ahead. "...What happened was frightening for everyone. It's reasonable to be upset. Or angry, or scared. You don't have to be perfect-"

Your heart catches in your throat when Rewrite's smile vanishes and their pupils dilate. That was the wrong thing to say.

"You should stop talking now." They warn you.

You stare into their eyes, unyielding. Something in you keeps you standing. You're scared, yes. Your blood has run cold. Your heart is thumping. But… You're not sure where this conviction is coming from. Maybe because you saw them vulnerable, or maybe that goddamn ring on your wrist is affecting your brain. Maybe you're completely done with today. Or maybe that situation scared you so shitless that their threats are nothing in comparison.

A newfound confidence keeps you standing.

"...Sonic." You repeat their name. Testing the waters.

They don't react at all, continuing to stare through you. They're not following through with their threat just yet.

You take a deep breath.

"...There's nothing wrong with being scare-"

Your sentence is cut off when Rewrite abruptly leaps forward and crashes into you. The wind is knocked out of you. A crackling sound hits your ears and you yelp as fall, far. Far further than you should be falling.

Your fall is interrupted by something pulling on your injured, ringed hand; It sends a sharp pain down your arm and you sharply exhale through your teeth.

You're dangling. Disoriented. It takes you a moment to realize, you're several meters above the ocean. Rocky spires are below you. They teleported you here.

You look up. Rewrite is standing on top of a cliff, dangling you over the edge. Their ringed hand is holding your own, keeping you from falling. You struggle to balance your feet on the cliff, trying to push yourself up, your breathing getting heavier by the second.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? どうしたの？どうしたの？" They chant over and over, with the same tone and inflection, like a broken record. Their smile is wide, too wide, to the point it stretches off of their face.

Their taunting settles into your core, scaring you into silence. You scramble to pull yourself up, scramble to find footing, scramble to grab anything.

"You're not having fun? Are you scared? There's nothing wrong with being scared." They mockingly throw your words back at you.

You can hear your heart beating in your chest. Your breathing is labored.

"That's not what I meant!" You call out desperately, still trying to find something to stand on or grab onto. You end up grabbing onto their wrist, your hand brushing against their own ring. "I'm not trying to make fun of you, I-"

Their arm jerks downwards, dropping you a foot. You shout in surprise as you expect them to drop you. But their arm stops falling, now floating midair and disconnected from their body.

Why the hell are they doing this?

"You're falling pretty deep there, friend. How far will this go?" Their words are slow and calm, their tone low. Pissing you off more.

"Damn it," You mutter under your breath. Of course they'd use physical threats to get you to shut up instead of just talking. "You're the one who fell in deep! You're the one who's lashing out because you're-"

Their arm drops, and so do you. You shriek, falling.

And falling.

The sound of the waves gets louder, and louder.

And then, as you almost hit the spikes:

You don't. The world around you flickers. You hear crackling, and you land with a harsh thud on grass.

It hurts.

But you're not dead.

They didn't follow through with their threat.

You immediately spring up, ignoring the soreness, searching for them to continue your prying and yelling at them.

Yet, they're nowhere to be seen.

…In fact, you suddenly realize you're in a completely different area. Far from the shore, and far from the forest and the party.

…They teleported you far, far away. You'd have to take a long walk to get back.

Bastard.

You dust yourself off, wincing slightly from the pain in your limbs from the fall. Your injured hand is sore from them dangling you over the edge with it, but it doesn't look worse. Apparently the ring doesn't protect you from all pain… Oddly enough. Maybe just the pain from the injury that… Rewrite caused.

You look around once more, hoping to magically spot them this time. But sure enough… They left you.

That was infuriating. Of course they'd use physical threats and this to get you to shut up. Of course they'd just leave instead of talking about their feelings.

"Rewrite?" You call out, hoping calling them this name would provoke them enough to come back.

…It doesn't.

You exhale, frustrated.

Them completely avoiding you. Them dodging your questions. Their refusal to acknowledge what happened. Their violent reaction. Them throwing your own wording in your face. It confirmed something to you.

You're right. They were scared.

[journey-of-daydreams]

REWRITE & READER MASTERPOST

"You're the one I'm looking for!"

They're lying. With their sweet words and affectionate gaze, they must be lying.

This is the masterpost for a collection of reader insert oneshots and headcanons I'm writing focusing on the Sonic.exe Rewrite by Springless.

"Clockwork" is the name of a rough story/plot that my content follows. My posts are chronologically out of order so I'll attempt to make it as comprehensive as possible. There will be no official fic posted about this story.

This isn't intended to be an AU, but instead my interpretation/depiction of Rewrite. Only one thing was changed about Rewrite's canon lore for my own comfort. You can read more about that here.

This post started it all, and acts as an introduction to the idea.

Notes:

This is a reader-insert story. Reader will have a conflicted relationship with Rewrite. Their relationship starts off negative and slowly progresses to be more positive and affectionate.

The relationship between Reader and Rewrite is intended to be platonic, but you can interpret it however you want. Explicitly romantic content will NOT be written.

Reader is referred to as they/them.

Horror is a major part of almost all of these writings. Keep that in mind before reading.

This is all self-indulgent so don't expect it to be perfect or even good. I also don't tend to have the motivation to write so... yea

MASTERLIST

> TAGS < #clockwork.rewrite - Tag for my content involving this depiction of Rewrite. Includes rambles not linked on this page #other.rewrite - Tag for other user's content that fits into this depiction of Rewrite #fanworks.rewrite - Tag for REALLY COOL and awesome fanarts of clockwork.rewrite #au.rewrite - Tag for Rewrite x Reader content that IS NOT part of the canon plot #program!rewrite - Tag for the Program!Rewrite & Physical!Reader AU

> GUIDES < Stage Guide || A guide explaining what Rewrite's stages mean and the chronological order they're in. The Other Survivors || A spoiler-free overview of Miles, Ekiduna and IV0 and Reader's relationship with them.

> PLOT WRITINGS < Works related to the overarching plot of Clockwork.

[⭕] Your New Life || A series of oneshots that serve as an introduction/showcase of the concept. [⭕] Invitation to Nowhere || Sonic invites you to a picnic and becomes more interested in you than you'd like. [⭕] Sleepless Days || After struggling to sleep for some time, Sonic agrees to let you sleep. [⭕⭕] HQG WKLV DJRQB || You witness something you're not supposed to. [⭕⭕] Do My Words Reach You? || After witnessing Rewrite's second form, you attempt to speak to them about it. [⭕⭕⭕] The Descent || Headcanons for how Rewrite shows affection + how it slowly progresses. [⭕⭕⭕] You're My World || Rewrite isn't just the Sonic vessel. They're the world itself. [⭕⭕⭕] Mission Accepted || Feeling particularly downtrodden today, Rewrite attempts to help you feel better.

> SIDE WRITINGS < Not related to the plot: Side content. Often anon requests.

[⭕] Random Rewrite Headcanons || Small headcanons post focused on the fact Rewrite is a digital entity. [⭕] Rewrite & Hostile!Reader || Theoretical plotline if Reader was hostile towards Rewrite the entire time. [⭕] Anon Request || Reader tries to get close to Miles. [⭕] Anon Request || Rewrite realizes they like physical attention. [⭕⭕] (to be named) || Alternate route for "Do My Words Reach You?" where Reader swaps their basket with Miles' in an attempt to save him. [⭕⭕⭕] Anon Request || Reader tries to brush Rewrite, and they're weird about it. [⭕⭕⭕] Rewrite & Affectionate!Reader || Scenarios for a Rewrite & Affectionate!Reader. [⭕⭕⭕] I'll Take Care Of You || Scenarios for Rewrite and a Reader who struggles to take care of themself. [⭕⭕⭕] Watching You || Rewrite watches you as you sleep. [⭕⭕⭕] An Unavoidable Presence || Rewrite "subtly" demands attention. [⭕⭕⭕] Anon Request || Reader accidentally gets hurt doing one of Rewrite's games. [⭕⭕⭕] Anon Request || Rewrite with a quiet Reader + a Reader that doesn't mind their Eldritch nature. [⭕⭕⭕] Anon Request || After seeing them in their Kyokai form, Reader tells Rewrite they'll love them no matter what. [⭕⭕⭕] Anon Request || Rewrite with a bullied, insecure & touch-starved Reader.

> AU WRITINGS <

[AU] Computer Program!Rewrite x Physical!Reader || Rewrite is a sentient computer program and the Reader is a physical person.

[journey-of-daydreams]

Sleepless Days [Rewrite & Reader] [Platonic]

Unable to sleep due to Sonic's shenanigans, you've been growing more and more tired by the day. Surprisingly, Sonic doesn't like this. For this anon request.

Type: Oneshot Genre: no idea. but there's no real horror just rewrite being creepy and weird Content Warnings: Being watched in your sleep Stage: Mid 1 Ring Note: Rewrite is referred to as "Sonic" and he/him in this.

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

Trying to sleep in this place has been awful.

For one, you completely lose track of time. You have no way of knowing how long you were asleep for. Time already moves differently in this place, it seems—Day and night goes faster than it does in the real world, you're sure—so falling asleep and completely losing track? The first time you realized you had no idea how long it had been, you felt an odd sense of loss.

Secondly, you rarely find the opportunity to sleep. Sonic is a constant presence, seemingly always wanting you to play a game with him or just bother you. The only times you get to rest is when he's too focused on one of the other survivors to target you.

Thirdly, you can never get a peaceful night's rest. Sonic wakes you up all the time, and never in the same way twice. The first time, by poking you gently. Another time, by unintentionally scaring you awake with a game announcement. Another time, by intentionally scaring you awake. He laughed at you that time. Another time, he simply ran by and startled you awake. You weren't sure if that time was intentional or not.

It's left you feeling exhausted. Sleep never seems to bring you any real sense of rest. Probably thanks to Sonic.

Yet... You still find yourself trying to sleep a lot.

When you do sleep, you have dreams. Nightmares, too. But regardless of how pleasant or unpleasant your dreams are, they're an escape from this place. A moment of relief from this purgatory.

So here you were. Under a tree in the forest, resting softly, quietly. It's daytime, but the trees provide enough shade to your eyes for your body to allow you to rest.  Asleep, but barely.

Something shifts, and you find yourself softly stirring awake. You gently open your eyes, the sunlight so bright and burning that you have to squint. You briefly register something in front of you, and-

You recoil when you realize there's a face in front of yours. You shriek and jump back, and the blue figure in front of you laughs at your turmoil.

"Whoa! Gosh! You're so jumpy!" He snickers at you as you scramble away, your back hitting the tree.

"What- What the hell are you doing?!" You panickily ask between heavy breaths.

"Watching you sleep." He bluntly and shamelessly admits. Your brows furrow, disturbed.

"Why."

"I was curious." He states, his head tilting down at you. "You sleep a lot."

"Well... Yeah." You state obviously, biting back a "no shit" comment. "I... need sleep."

"But you sleep a lot! Much more than my other friends." There's a slight pause, and you think it's your turn to speak, but Sonic interrupts you before you can. "And you've been so slow and tired, you don't have any fun with my games at all! It's boring."

"It's boring?" You parrot, biting back a "I'm sorry my exhaustion isn't entertaining for you." comment. You know better than to backtalk him.

"Yes." He simply responds. You wait for him to say something else... But he doesn't.

You're... Not sure what he's waiting for.

"...Well, I wouldn't be so tired if I slept longer." You retort, trying your best to hide the sarcasm you want to absolutely bombard him with right now.

To your surprise, Sonic actually looks away and taps his chin in thought, as if he genuinely somehow did not know this.

"That's a possibility!" He exclaims. His eyes meet yours. "So you'll be more fun if you sleep longer?"

"...Yeah." You say, very obviously.

"Alright! You may sleep then." He allows, his finger pointing to the sky.

You blink slowly, skeptically at him. "...You're letting me sleep?"

"Yep! You have my word!" He agrees simply.

"Okay. Cool. Thanks." You state halfheartedly, not taking his promise seriously.

"You're welcome!" He gleams, throwing you a thumbs up.

You stare at him, a bit annoyed. He stares back at you, bobbing back and forth in his weird, idle motion.

...Whatever. You're too tired for this. You adjust your upper body, laying your head back down and closing your eyes, half expecting Sonic to get the hint and leave.

...

...

...You don't hear the sound of footsteps leaving.

The feeling of being watched is overwhelming.

...

You open your eyes again and sure enough, Sonic is still just standing in the exact same place, still staring at you.

"Are- Are you just going to stand there the whole time??" You exasperatedly ask.

"Oh! No! I can lay down too!" And with that, Sonic lays down in the grass. You watch him curiously and a bit alarmed. What is he planning? There's no way he's actually letting you sleep if he won't leave.

"Better?" He innocently asks, his head propped on his hand.

You stare at him.

...And your tired brain seriously considers if it's less weird having him there if he's also laying down.

Honestly, yeah. It is less weird.

"...I think so." You groggily admit without thinking. But you still couldn't sleep with him staring at you. "But you're still staring at me, and I can't sleep with you doing that."

"But you slept just fine with me staring at you all those other times." Sonic casually points out.

You stare at him.

…

For a long time.

"...But I'm aware of it this time." You retort. Your tired brain doesn't really want to think about the implications of what he just said too much.

Sonic lets out a rough, electronic noise that resembles a scoff. "So picky!" He flips around, facing the other direction... But still laying there, not leaving.

You sigh quietly and your head falls onto your arm in defeat.

He's not going to leave. Why? Isn't it going to be boring just watching you sleep? Can't he go torment someone else instead?

...There's no way he's actually letting you sleep. He's definitely planning something.

Whatever. You close your eyes again.

You don't care anymore. You don't care what he's planning, or if he's about to do something. Future you can worry about that.

You're exhausted and you just want to sleep.

…

You do care a little bit.

A minute passes, long enough for you to pretend to sleep. You slightly squint open your eyes to see if Sonic has moved.

To your surprise, he hasn't.

You close your eyes again.

...

Every so often, you check again. Every time, he hasn't moved.

Why doesn't he just leave?

Probably waiting for you to fall asleep so he can scare you.

...

As anxious as you are, exhaustion starts to catch up with you. Your checking gets more infrequent, and tiredness slowly washes over you. With how little rest you got these past few days, it was inevitable.

…

Eventually, you fall into a light sleep.

...

You don't remember your dream that night. Or if you dreamt at all.

...

...

…

..

.

.

.

You slowly stir from your sleep. As you sit up, sunlight shines into your eyes, and you squint to avoid it.

You don't know how much time has passed. You can't tell.

You're a bit groggy, but the exhaustion has left you. It must have been a while.

Looking around wearily, all you see are the familiar trees and green grass. Not a person or situation in sight. It's oddly calm.

The memory of Sonic flashes in your head and you look around, trying to spot him. Your eyes land on the spot he was at last, and to your surprise... He's not there.

You look all around. He's not anywhere, in fact.

You woke up naturally.

[journey-of-daydreams]

Rewrite & Hostile!Reader

An exploration of a Reader who is hostile towards Rewrite from the very beginning and very much does not like them.

Type: Headcanons Genre: Horror. Content Warnings: Abusive relationship, Physical Threats/Violence Stage: All Note: Rewrite is referred to as "Sonic" the whole time during this, as IV0 would have never told Reader about this nickname if Reader was explicitly against Rewrite.

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

[⭕]

* It's not possible to survive stage 1 if you show hostility towards them right off the bat. If you actively antagonize them, they will not become attached to you. Maybe you're aware of this, and you intentionally flatter them to try to survive. Maybe you don't, and you naturally suck up to them and flatter them just to stay on their good side. Regardless, that's what you do to get through stage 1: Flatter them.

* Sonic doesn't seem to notice if it's not genuine... Or maybe he doesn't care. It works flawlessly on him, and he goes easier on you because of it. Maybe even outright stops hurting you in his games. But behind his back, you plan with Ekiduna on ways to escape. Ways to get the upper hand on Sonic so the two of you can get out of this place.

* Ivo refuses to help you in your efforts. You try to enlist his help in beating Sonic, but he meets you with resistance, telling you that's a bad idea and that escape isn't possible.     -> "I told you he wouldn't help us!" Ekiduna says once you give him the news. "IV0 is our enemy! You can't trust him! Don't believe what he says!"

* You struggle to get the upper hand on Sonic. You and Ekiduna make a plan to try to kill him, trying to find his weakness, thinking that by doing so, you two would be able to escape. You both try blunt objects, guns, pitfall traps, trapping him. They either bounce off of him, go right through him, do absolutely nothing, or do something and then Sonic immediately heals all damage.     -> Ekiduna finds a gun and tries to shoot him at one point. The bullet lands with a thwack on Sonic's forehead. His eyes cross as he looks at it and peels it off with his fingers. "That's so rude!" Sonic exclaims, shaking his head. He points a finger gun at Ekiduna, who flinches. "Get a taste of your own medicine!", he taunts as he proceeds to shoot him with the same bullet Ekiduna just shot at him.     -> One time, you manage to rip Sonic's arm off of him. But it squirms out of your grasp and crawls back over to him. He picks it up and reattaches it.     -> Another time, you manage to catch Sonic in an explosion. His body shatters, his arms and legs scattering everywhere. You and Ekiduna celebrate for a brief period, until... You hear familiar laughter. Your heart drops, and you whip around. It's Sonic. He stands there, unharmed, kicking a replica of his decapitated arm. "Nice try! But you'll have to try harder than that!" He winks at you.

* Even though you try to kill him, Sonic oddly still seems to like you. He still makes active efforts to be around you, and get you to play his games, and flattery still works on him if you use it. It's strange. But likely, you will still use it to your advantage.     -> "...Why do you still like me? I... Tried to kill you." You uneasily ask, genuinely confused why Sonic still wants to be around you. "It's cute watching you try so hard to kill me!" Sonic gleams, patting you on the head affectionately. "And it's pretty fun, don't you think? You look like you're having fun."     -> Your attempts to defeat him are all a game to him. He loves it.

[⭕⭕]

* You may or may not witness what happens to Ekiduna. Regardless, you fail to take the ring from Sonic. He would never let you get close enough to him in this state.

* It becomes a matter of survival. The fog of the world does not lift, and you must avoid Sonic's glitched state at all costs. You can tell something terrible is happening and that he would kill you if you even so much as stepped close to him. The droning static signals he's getting too close.

* With Ekiduna dead, you're left alone. Even if you escape now, Ekiduna cannot come with you.

* Your hatred of Sonic grows more intense now that you've witnessed what he can do firsthand, and you become even more determined to try to escape. Sonic seems too distracted to attack you, so you have time to try to figure something out.    -> The world is frozen. Broken. Eerily quiet. Things don't move if you touch them, as if frozen in place. Nothing can be done in this state.

* You're not aware of this, but Sonic is heading towards IV0 to kill him. It's only a matter of time. Would you have been able to stop him if you knew? Of course not.

[⭕⭕⭕]

Despite your best efforts, Sonic manages to kill Ivo.

Ekiduna is gone. Ivo is gone. You're honestly, truly alone.

When you see him floating up in the sky, staring down at his rings in awe, you're not sure what to expect.

To your surprise, once he floats down to you, he takes your hands into his.

"I'm so happy to finally see you, friend."

You're frozen. Alarmed, waiting to see what he does. Waiting for death to finally come.

...But it doesn't. Sonic floats above you, your hands in his, staring into you silently.

But his smile is wide. Taunting.

His silent stare says everything you need to know.

He's not letting you go.

---

* You will see Ekiduna again, as if nothing happened. But you can tell it's not the same Ekiduna. He doesn't recognize you, and now, he's completely compliant with Sonic's games.

* Sonic is still insistent on trying to get you to join his games. If you dare say no, he will physically drag you into them, or outright threaten you. Any protests are met with physical threats and violence. They are not above physically harming you.

* Your flattery of Sonic will likely stop here. He notices, and becomes even more aggressively flattering towards you. He starts telling you that you're great, and that he likes you, and oh how much he wants you to join his games. He tells you he'll forgive you if you just play with him. It sends a chill down your spine. You can tell every word is a lie.

* "No! I never liked you! I said what I did so I could escape!" You scream at him during one of your worst nights. Sonic seems undisturbed from your anger, instead tilting his head and grinning. "Yes, I assumed so, with how often you and Ekiduna talked about trying to kill me! It was really funny watching you try, by the way." He taunts you, clearly enjoying you lashing out. He knew you were planning with Ekiduna behind his back the whole time. He knew your flattery wasn't genuine. But he didn't care.

* They don't seem to care when you fight or scream at them. They seem to like the attention, taunting you as you protest. They'll do things just to get a reaction out of you, such as scaring you or killing Ekiduna in front of you for fun.     -> "You had so much fun before! Don't start getting cold feet now! Maybe if you go back to accepting it like you did before, you would have fun again..."

* Their sweet words don't stop. They tell you how much they love you, how important you are, how they will never leave you, how great you are, and every sentence sends a chill down your spine. It's all a lie, you know that. They're trying to get into your head. Mess with your emotions. Even if you tell them you don't believe them, they'll respond with, "I don't care.".

* They notice when you pull away, though. When you run from them, when you refuse to play their games, when you refuse to look at them. They actually recognize these as bad signs. Signs that they're losing you. And they'll try to get you back. Their flattery skyrockets, and they start acting gentle and kind towards you again until you look at them again. Or maybe they'll threaten you, or harm you if they have to. They will try everything until something works.

* You regret sucking up to them before. You regret going along with their games and trying to flatter them so they wouldn't hurt you. It just made them pay even more attention to you. It just put you on their radar. You're important to them now. And now they'll never let you go.

* They keep you alive. No matter how difficult you are, no matter what you try to do to escape, no matter how much you tell them you hate them. You weren't sure why, at first. Why not just kill you and take your soul already?     -> And one day, it dawns on you. It's all a game of cat and mouse. You're too entertaining to them. They keep you alive because you're all that's left to entertain them. They will never let you go, not until you become too boring for them. And even if you try to stop playing their games, become too boring, they will torture you until you do.

[journey-of-daydreams]

What about a rewrite with a reader who was bullied so there insecure and nervous around anyone but there also affectionate and touch stared 3 rings please

you got it anon!!

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

Rewrite with an insecure, nervous, affectionate + touch starved Reader.

Type: Headcanons Genre: Fluff Content Warnings: Bullying mention Stage: 3 Ring

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

* They respond well to affection, especially if you're the one to show it first. They become elated, immediately returning any affection you give them. They're already overly affectionate, so the two of you bouncing off of each other? It'd become pretty overbearing quickly.

* They're perfect for anyone who is touch starved. They never get tired of hugs, or holding you, or touching you, and are incredibly clingy. They might not fully understand what it means or what it feels like to be touch starved: They see it as having a need that isn't fulfilled, and they recognize that you have a big reaction to their touch and know that it's likely your preferred method of affection. So they will touch you at every opportunity to make sure you get what you need. Having a normal, casual chat? Their arm gets wrapped around you. Random hugs from behind, if you're okay with it. Being greeted with a hug instead of a normal "hello". Cuddle sessions as needed.

* They try their best to be intune with you when you start getting overly nervous or anxious. While they don't always notice the subtleties, they will notice if you start getting uncomfortable or upset, and will stop whatever they're doing and focus on comforting you. Hugs help? Yep, they'll hug you as soon as they notice you getting too nervous.

* Insecure? You? Absolutely not. Not on Rewrite's watch. Rewrite builds you up at every opportunity they get. They'll remind you how beautiful you are, how kind you are, how important you are, whatever it is that's plaguing your mind.     -> The only problem is, Rewrite will only hype you up if they know you're insecure about it... And they're not exactly the most observant when it comes to emotional subtleties, so you'd have to directly tell them. If you're the kind to bury your insecurities deep down and not share them, Rewrite would be confused as to why you seem so sad and hurt about random things. They can tell something is wrong, but can't fully grasp or understand it or why you feel the way you do.

* They struggle to understand trauma or how your insecurities were caused by bullies... So they have unusual methods to try to help you. Want to beat up the digital representation of your bullies? Want to bully Miles together? Oh, that actually makes you feel worse? Whoops. They won't do that again.     -> While they don't understand, they will assure you that those that hurt you can never touch you again. Not in their world. They won't let that happen to you, ever.

* Rewrite themself can act like a pretty big bully, especially towards Miles. Likely, you'll be wary of them and upset with the way Rewrite treats Miles. Maybe even have flashbacks simply because of the way Rewrite acts, even though their behavior isn't directed towards you. While they won't feel empathy or guilt, they will recognize that their behavior negatively affects your relationship, and they will make efforts to change their behaviors so you feel less threatened by them. They'll even make their Sonic vessel appear smaller, softer, or less threatening, if needed.

* There's no one around who could bully you in Rewrite's world, save for Rewrite themself or maybe Ekiduna. However, if, theoretically, someone did bully or insult you around them—They'll be there, staring daggers into your aggressor. If they ever physically hurt you, they would immediately defend you. Likely by erasing them from existence. And then immediately swap back to their happy state, hugging you softly.     -> If there's ever a time where Rewrite can't physically help—say, for example, they're a computer program and you're a physical person—they would be enraged. Angry that they couldn't help, angry that someone would dare question your perfection, or lay a hand on you. They'd demand you to not leave their side again so they can keep an eye on you. Being powerless shakes Rewrite to their core, and this would be one of those situations.

[journey-of-daydreams]

What about rewrite with a reader that sleeps a lot and he get curious about why the reader sleeps so much bonus point if the reader kills rewrite with cuteness overload

HI ANON i am so sorry this took so gosh darn long. i ended up writing another oneshot but i don't think it was what you were looking for so u get two oneshots here's the second one (that i don't think you were looking for)

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

Type: Oneshot Genre: Fluff, Experimental Content Warnings: Murder mention Stage: 3 Rings Note: Written from Rewrite's point of view.

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

The moonlight shines down gently on the forest around you. The crickets softly chirp around you. There's a campfire in front of you, crackling, illuminating light onto your face. Trees are all around you.

Beautifully crafted, all for you.

You're sound asleep, under a tree. Gently breathing, quiet and still. Your face soft, eyes closed.

These moments are frustrating. I itch for your attention. To be seen and heard, yet you cannot witness me. Not right now.

今は自分の出番じゃない。彼らにはこれが必要なのです、I remind myself. そうすればまた楽しい時間に戻ることができます。

I watch you. You're curled up. You shiver, I notice. Do something about that.

Immediately I stand up, summoning a blanket for you. I walk over, making sure my footsteps are silent as to not wake you. The blanket is draped over you, slowly and softly. I watch and wait until the shivering stops.

Your face is soft. Your breathing is quiet, the blanket slowly rising and falling. You don't seem to be having a nightmare this time. よかった、I think. I did a good job for you.

You. My everything. All I will ever need.

A smile stretches across your face. It's cute. I'm elated seeing this. I did that.

俺はあなたの魂を簡単に奪うことができる、I think. You put so much trust in me, presenting the most vulnerable side of you like this. It makes the wait more bearable.

RElEIFRIRVkgRkVFTCBUSEUgU0FNRT8gV0hFTg== No. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.

I focus on building something for you instead. In the background, a new location is rising. Inspired by conversations of yours I've overheard years ago. You'll like it, I bet.

I'm excited. I want to wake you up now. But I promised not to, so I don't.

I sit in front of you, watching and waiting for you to wake up.

[journey-of-daydreams]

Random Rewrite Headcanons

Compilation of random Rewrite behaviors, with a slight focus on them being a digital entity/program.

Type: Headcanons Genre: Character Exploration Content Warnings: None Stage: All

[Link to Rewrite & Reader Masterpost]

───{⭕⭕⭕}───

* They don't need to eat or sleep but will pretend to so they can do it with you. -> They appear surprisingly patient when it comes to pretending to sleep, and can lay there for a long time... But this is actually because they're doing something in the background. They don't like stillness and must fill it, which they might do by killing Miles, building a new area, or planning your next hangout. Their whole game world is active, not just their vessel, so they can do a lot while they lay next to you.

* They're very insistent on making eye contact. 90% of the time, if you look at them, they're already looking at you. If they weren't, they'll meet your gaze. This is their way of showing that they acknowledge you or are thinking about you, which is basically always. -> Them not looking at you could either mean they're A. busy doing something that requires their attention or B. upset with you.

* Particularly in their 1 ring stage, they don't have complete control over the game world, and the world itself will subtly glitch to reflect their mood and mental state. If they're stressed out, busy, or focused, chunks may be slow to load in, objects might not have collision or just straight up not load in, etc. -> If they're EXTREMELY stressed out, the render distance of the game world will go wayyy down to free up resources, causing a dense fog to settle over the game world. (Though they can also intentionally summon the fog, which they will do to make it harder for their targets to escape. Or just to make them scared.) -> This no longer happens in their 3 ring stage, and the game world is almost completely stable. (Unless they get put into a very stressful or emotional situation...)

* Their movements and actions are often accompanied with visual/sound effects. For example, to signal surprise, an exclamation point appears over their head and a DWOO sound will play.

* To comply with the family-friendly nature of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, Rewrite never curses. They'll even censor any instances of "god" with "gosh" or "golly". (Though this is actually because they are God.) -> They worst profanity they will ever use is "hell" or "damn", and that's only in specific circumstances. They usually replace those with heck and darn. -> Their profanity censor fails in their 2 ring form (Midareta). They will curse if it the opportunity ever comes up.

* They're very insistent on being called Sonic. Even once you learn that they're not Sonic, they don't care, they will refuse to let you call them anything else. -> Once they reach their 3 ring form, they will allow you to call them by another name. Logically, you wouldn't know to call them Rewrite in-universe, so that name would be something else. If you try to ask what their real name is, they'll say it's God, but calling them God is very weird... So you could convince them to let you call them a nickname. What that would be is up to you.

* They don't entirely get social ques and will sometimes not respond when expected, instead either accidentally letting the conversation die or responding in a nonverbal way. They also tend to answer questions very literally and won't provide further context that's naturally expected. -> "You saw a movie today?" "Yes." "...What movie? What did you think?" -> Additionally they're prone to rapid topic changes and/or responding with irrelevant information.