journey-of-daydreams

[journey-of-daydreams]

made some good progress on the showcase oneshot... i'm hoping to have it finished by tonight and make the final edits+post it tomorrow. so excited to finally show off my idea

[journey-of-daydreams]

rewrite is probably so bad at reading and understanding human emotion. they understand the basics, like, smile = happy, frown = unhappy, crying = very upset, raising voice = angry or scared. they can guess what's making you feel that way based on context. but they don't understand the complexities of emotion.

i think sadness in particular they struggle with the most. they can tell you're upset, but can't figure out why. so they would rush to distract you. drag you into a game, or show you a cool new area they created, or give you a cupcake. because everyone likes cupcakes, right?

[journey-of-daydreams]

cracks knuckles. back to writing

[journey-of-daydreams]

if anyone has any suggestions on how to make the headcanons and stage guide more readable and less messy, please share

i find it really hard to figure out how to format things in a readable way...

[journey-of-daydreams]

OK. NO MORE WRITING TONIGHT. i'm gonna burn myself out

[journey-of-daydreams]

i am fueled by CRINGE and LOVE FOR A RANDOM CHARACTER

[journey-of-daydreams]

Computer Program!Rewrite x Physical!Reader Headcanons

Rewrite is a computer program, yeah? Where's all the content of them and someone outside of the digital world!! Where's my fellow computer lovers!! In this, Rewrite is a sentient/supernatural computer program inside a computer, and Reader is a physical person.

Type: Headcanons Content Warnings: None Stage: All Notes: These are intended to be platonic, but can be interpreted any way you want.

[⚫]

* Rewrite's influence begins the second you open the sonic.exe file. They are the program, actually, and you just unknowingly invited a supernatural entity into your computer. * They present themself as a normal playable Sonic game. It's off, of course, like some bootleg version of Sonic. But it's what draws you in. * What happens next depends entirely on your actions. Close the game at a certain point, they'll keep note and try something different next time. If something keeps your attention, or there's a specific part of the game you keep playing, they will expand on that. The game itself changes as you play it. Anything to keep you here. To keep them open. -> You explore the environment a lot? You'll find it to be more expanded upon. Go out of your way to collect rings or collectibles? You'll see more of them now. * Sonic, Rewrite's vessel, acts completely under your control. For now. * Why do the characters seem so lively? When you talk to them, they say... Odd things. -> "Can you help me?" "What is this place?" "Please stop." -> But don't worry!! After a while, you stop seeing them. Everything is fine!! * At first, they behave like a normal computer program, and Sonic acts like a normal video game character. But as their influence progresses...

[⭕]

* Once Rewrite reaches their 1 ring stage, they gain awareness of You. They act akin to a virus as they do whatever they can to keep your attention. Their game randomly boots up, popups and notifications will begin plaguing you. -> "sonic.exe - Play now!" -> "sonic.exe - Sonic misses you!" -> "sonic.exe - You're missing out on the Fun!" * From this point forward, they will leave images and text files for you to find! You're welcome. -> hello.txt - :) -> welcome back.txt - I missed you! -> SONIC.txt - (ascii art of Sonic) -> SONICMISSESYOU.png - (Sonic giving a thumbs up at the camera) -> READ ME.TXT - 私を目撃して。 * Sonic at this point begins moving on his own accord. If you sit idly for too long, Rewrite will move Sonic in attempt to catch your attention, and then give control back to you once you come back. -> If you ever move the camera in front of Sonic as you play him, you'll notice he's always looking directly at the camera. At you. * You start getting suspicious about them... They're acting too chaotically. They respond too realistically to your actions. But, it's just an advanced virus, right? Maybe you're imagining things. -> Any attempts to communicate with Rewrite, through text or by speaking to the camera, will not be responded to. Yet. They do not yet have complete access to your files or other programs. They can leave files, but not read them.

[⭕⭕]

* In their 2 ring stage, they are on the border of full awareness and self awareness. This stage is painful for them. They unintentionally break your computer. Random blue screens, audio playing when it shouldn't, files disappearing or moving. Putting your computer to sleep would be a mercy to them. -> At some point, the game might refuse to open for a few hours... Strange. * It's hard to communicate with them in this stage. Any attempts to talk might be responded to with vague or cryptic messages. Or begging. -> There's nowhere to go -> 待って待って待って待って -> SSBORUVEIFlPVQ==

[⭕⭕⭕]

* At their 3 ring stage, they lose their computer-breaking behavior and everything goes back to normal! Except, now, they have complete awareness of the digital world and the physical world. * They are more intertwined with your computer. They can "feel" when it gets turned off. They can see you through your camera. They can read any file you've left on your device. The fans whir loudly any time you approach. At this point, you could say they *are* your computer, or at least, its their vessel now. -> If you ever turn off your computer, you will be met with this popup. (tumblr image link) * You can directly communicate with them at this stage, be it through text files or speaking through a camera, if you have one. Whatever method you use, they will use too. At this point, their sentience becomes clear. Ask them who they are, and they will say, "I am God.". They truly believe themself to be a digital god. * It's impossible to get them to leave you alone at this point. Try to write or mind your own business, they will constantly send popups your way. At this point you have to keep them open in one window and do your tasks in the other just to show them you're still watching. * They desperately want you to be in their digital world with them, and don't seem to understand why you aren't, and why they can't pull you into it. * They become willing to let you play as other vessels, simply so their own vessel can interact with yours. At this point, they would know what kinds of things you like by scouring around your files. Have a bunch of pictures of forests? Said you like parties once? Now you're having a party in the forest with Sonic. * If you even show the slightest hint of wanting to abandon them, they will immediately behave like ransomware. Completely take the computer over and refuse access to any of your files until you comply. But you wouldn't do that to them, would you? * The files they leave become more intimate and outwardly affectionate at this point. Expect text files that say things like, "I love you", "I will never leave you", "You are beautiful", or long paragraphs just talking about You and how they wish you were here with them. -> Using knowledge about you they gained by peeking into your files, they'll also leave you images of things you like. Like rabbits? There you go, free image of a rabbit.

[journey-of-daydreams]

me when people like my writing

[journey-of-daydreams]

something that always bothered me is that, if rewrite supposedly had SO many victims; enough that the creator had to investigate, why do they only have a maximum of 4 soul rings? what happened to the other souls?

it implies that their red rings get consumed, somehow. and maybe, they have to continuously absorb more souls if they want to keep their sentience.

[journey-of-daydreams]

i'm trying to take a break from working on the showcase drabbles but i have IDEAS that i want to WRITE RIGHT NOW and I CANNOT REST

but i do kinda need to chill so i don't burn myself out lol

[journey-of-daydreams]

i have Plans for the plot of my rewrite x reader stuff so i'm like. god do i HAVE to write a story. i don't want to

[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)

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]

⋆˚꩜｡ UNDER LOCK AND KEY ⋆˚꩜｡

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆— SYNOPSIS: A collection of headcanons featuring Rewrite Sonic as your friend. Purely platonic interactions and ideas.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆— WARNINGS: None. Completely safe.

⋆✴︎ Sonic calls you “Friend” with such relentless insistence that it begins to feel more like a title than a term of affection. You don’t recall ever agreeing to it, yet from the moment you booted up that strange red disc, he was already there, grinning far too wide. “You’re the one I’ve been waiting for, friend!” Somehow, it always sounds less like a cheerful greeting and more like the end of a hunt.

⋆✴︎ He plays at companionship like a warped game of tag. Rules only he understands, laughter that lingers a beat too long, all drawing you deeper into his carefully curated world. You’ll be sprinting through a corrupted hide-and-seek map, and suddenly the terrain warps, trees vanish, the ground pixelates. His voice giggles from everywhere and nowhere: “You’re getting warmer~.”

⋆✴︎ He often mimics your tone and cadence in conversation, not quite to mock you, but as if he’s studying you, dissecting you down to the core. “That’s what you’d say, right?” he chirps, moments after parroting one of your jokes in a glitched echo. It’s unsettling. It’s deliberate. You suspect he’s collecting your mannerisms like digital trophies.

⋆✴︎ Once, you asked him what “being friends” meant to him. The screen flickered, the audio warped, and for a moment he shifted, something grey and twitching, then back to that same too lanky form. “It means you stay,” he said, “no matter how many boot-ups. Even when the others scream. You stay.”

⋆✴︎ Sonic despises silence, not because it frightens him, but because it might give you too much time to think. So he fills every gap with endless chatter, eerie background music, even cheery remixes of your own voice, twisted and repurposed for his entertainment. “See? You’re already part of my world!~”

⋆✴︎ He loves showing you the “vessels”. Souls trapped in corrupted models of Sonic’s friends, faces distorted in frozen horror when he appears, eyes flickering with residual humanity. He acts like he’s giving a guided tour: “And here’s my friend, Miles! He’s a real screamer, bless his code. Oh, you two would get along! But you’ve got me instead! Isn’t that lucky?”

⋆✴︎ Photos of your family stored on your computer vanish, only to return altered, replaced with cryptic messages. Sometimes it’s jumbled code, other times private phrases you’ve spoken aloud. Once, a file read: “IT’S BETTER YOU FORGET THESE THINGS. FRIENDS DON’T NEED SO MANY MEMORIES, RIGHT?”

⋆✴︎ He designs entire levels just for you. Twisted versions of familiar zones, warped episodes of your favourite childhood shows playing faintly in the background, music box versions of lullabies your parents used to hum. “I heard you liked these,” he says, voice syrupy-sweet, eyes dilated. You wonder how much he knows. You wonder if he feels empathy or if he only wears it to keep you here.

⋆✴︎ Sometimes, you try to leave. Sometimes, you nearly succeed. That’s when Sonic changes. Not violent, not yet, but calm. Too calm. The air fogs, the world softens like static before a storm. His voice drops low, syllables glitching into one another: “That’s not how this works.”

⋆✴︎ He begins to appear in your dreams, not as Sonic, but as echoes. As sounds. Colours. A flickering figure standing at the end of your hallway. A laugh through your headphones that continues even after the game has ended. And when you wake, your computer screen is on. You know you turned it off. Of course, he’s there, Sonic, smiling. Behind him, static shapes melt into a new nightmare. “Good morning, friend! Let’s play something new today~.”

[journey-of-daydreams]

yeah despite how goofy goobery rewrite is, and how cute i think they are, any sort of friendship you'd have with them would be filled with horror and dread. beyond my "haha cute :D" feelings towards them i do honestly find them really unsettling and it'd be really scary knowing them in real life.

it's something i find really interesting. like, they're not human, they're an Entity and it's said that human emotions don't work the same way for them. so them referring to you as a "Friend" and showing any sort of affection towards you... you don't honestly know what that means. if they really care, or if they just find you to be a really entertaining toy and want to keep you around because of that.

[journey-of-daydreams]

Maze.Rewrite Stage Guide

"Stage" refers to the rough time period the respective fic takes place in. Over time, as Rewrite collects souls, they manifest as red rings, resulting in them becoming more self-aware and powerful. A 1 Ring Stage fic takes place before a 2 Ring Stage, 2 takes place before 3, and so on and so forth.

[⚫] 0 Rings All 3 souls are still alive, and Rewrite is mostly harmless towards everyone. While any fics this stage are not canon, I use this stage as an excuse to write fluff.

[⭕] Early 1 Ring Reader was recently brought into the game. Their relationship with Rewrite is mostly negative, and Reader fears them. [⭕] Mid 1 Ring Reader has a more conflicted relationship with Rewrite, who has shown interest in them. [⭕] Late 1 Ring Reader has formed some connection with Rewrite, who is starting to show some level of affinity towards them.

[⭕⭕] 2 Rings TBA (once I write something for this stage) 

[⭕⭕⭕] 3 Rings TBA (once I write something for this stage)

[journey-of-daydreams]

i like to think that you can tell how much danger you're in when around rewrite depending on how many rings he has

0 rings, he acts just like a video game character. any damage he does is really unintentional, and he's more oblivious than anything. you're barely in any danger.

1 ring, he gains a bit of sentience and sort of knows in general that he needs to gain more rings. might not understand why, but he starts actively attempting to get more rings. you're in a bit of danger. just stay out of sight.

2 rings, they're half sentient, half "unconscious". this is stated to be their most unstable form, and iirc, somewhere said they act extremely irrationally and impulsively in an attempt to get a 3rd ring as soon as possible. this is their most dangerous form. no amount of attachment or loyalty will save you from this form.

3 rings, they're fully self aware and godlike. 50/50 chance you're in danger. it likely depends on how much you amuse them. if you're boring, boom you're dead. they do feel some sense of loyalty, though, so if you aided them and proved to be loyal and useful, they *probably* won't kill you. probably.

4 rings, they're only a danger to themself. they won't hurt anyone like this. they'll also likely immediately revert back to their 0 ring form.

[journey-of-daydreams]

all drawings i did in this style in past several months

was there one which you liked and if yes - which one and why?