#THIS IS A PERFECT LIFEFORM …. ITS SO CUTE

[sonadowwiki]

Hi, I was wondering what is your guys' opinion on the third Sonic movie?? I personally liked it a lot :)

It's good to hear that you liked it. For ourselves, Shadow was quite cute on how much of a child he was. He is much different than game Shadow where he is very ignorant and child-like despite his power. It made him very kind in his own way and he was just easily manipulated by Gerald because he didn't know better or what else to do, much like in Sonic Adventure 2.

(Read More Below. Includes Spoilers.)

It's nice that he was willing to do something to make a difference for his mistake from listening to Gerald. It's also interesting that Shadow is not artificial this time around. He was most likely born of natural causes like Sonic, Knuckles and Tails.

I'd have to say that Shadow is very different from his game self by a large degree and it really makes one think of when they stated that they wanted to make Shadow accurate to the games to do him right. I don't see that here and he is very, very different. 90% of his characterization is quite different and even other characters, like Maria, are very different. From what the movie tells you, she wasn't even sick and was just around while Shadow was being experimented on (for some reason). It also makes no sense why Gerald had absolutely no care for Ivo despite him being family as well.

In all, though, I would say it is a very ill paced movie and that a lot of things make no sense. Sadly, this movie is much like Sonic x Shadow Generations where there are employees who aren't good that touched it and ruined its pacing, what's in it and put things in for an agenda or things that make no sense. A lot of fan demand was implemented into the movie and it made things make no sense.

For example:

Shadow on a motorcycle is cool, but there was no point to it.

Shadow held a gun and shot it at Sonic, which never happened in any video games, so that is also inaccurate despite them claiming to want to be accurate to the games.

The inclusion of the Chao Garden felt unnecessary, especially since it was just put in there to satisfy a single employee's obsession with them.

I find it a missed opportunity to mention how messed up it was that Gerald attacked children, but it makes no sense why he did this to random children when the same was done to Maria. Instead of learning not to do it to others, he does it to children too. But I guess that shows how evil he has become.

Walters died like nothing and just very suddenly. He didn't even get to explain himself or redeem himself because he was just so suddenly killed in nearly the beginning of the movie.

Walters was replaced by someone else who wasn't even in the previous movies, to represent G.U.N. It wasn't even Randal or Rachel who became in charge instead to have those characters implemented more instead of a new character out of nowhere, and they didn't even make a true appearance themselves despite being perfect to be shown for the story and from being important characters in the previous movie.

Walters suddenly knows about Shadow despite him seeming to not know about him in the second movie and all of a sudden now he was involved with that project when he was younger.

Shadow is treated like an artificial lifeform by being in a tube with liquid despite him being a living creature like Sonic, Knuckles and Tails. How can he breath in that liquid? Why does he even have limiters?

Tom and Maddie's relationship was butchered despite them caring for each other a lot in previous movies, even to the point of almost dying with each other out of love. In this movie, it was ruined entirely by Tom suddenly saying he wants to get rid of her despite all he did to protect her? It's inaccurate and inconsistent. It also ruins the message of the parents loving each other and spreading that family love like they did in previous movies.

Knuckles only used the Flames of Disaster once despite the TV show making it something important to obtain. He didn't even call out the name for it and just used it once to break something.

Tom gets hurt by Shadow all of a sudden despite that not being necessary and it is due to Tails' machine malfunctioning, but no one blames him or gets mad at him. Instead, they get mad at Shadow. It's also strange that it even malfunctioning at just that time so that Tom can get hurt.

Sonic suddenly gets mad despite him being able to keep his cool for so long just to make an excuse to make Sonic and Shadow fight each other on hateful terms, which wasn't the case in Sonic Adventure 2 even.

The meaning of turning Super in the movie lost its meaning, just for an unnecessary fight between Supers that never happened in the games either. In the previous movie, turning Super was out of love, but this time, it was out of anger at first. Later, it was out of just doing the right thing. It being used out of anger at first might be because the Emeralds were in the Master Emerald and the Master Emerald made it possible to use them without a good cause like in the second movie, but it's still strange because when Ivo used it, he turned green and was able to use the Master Emerald, not the seven Chaos Emeralds. So why were the Emeralds even back in the Master Emerald and why did they break out just to be used this once despite Sonic not being able to use it so easily in the second movie? Inaccuracy to the previous movie and inconsistent. Even in the games, turning Super is never done for reasons such as anger or revenge. It was always meant to be used for justice and for the greater good out of the miracles and care for others. It's not meant to be a weapon, it's meant to symbolize hope.

Gerald's strange obsession with Maria is borderline creepy and makes no sense. What was it about her that made him specifically obsessed with her, especially since she wasn't sick? Why did he care only for her and not other family? He only thought to use Ivo, which once again, makes no sense.

The movie tried too hard to tie in with things that are in the Sonic x Shadow Generations game, such as Gerald's obsession with Maria and the flower scene between Shadow and Maria. If that game was touched by bad employees, was badly botched, and had inaccuracies beyond comprehension, then it makes sense why this one does too (which makes it bad in it's own way).

Sonic strangely was able to convince Shadow and Shadow to Sonic, of working together out of nowhere. They were fighting and Shadow was trying to steer Sonic in the right direction despite things, which was nice and interesting, but the talk between them seemed so out of place or strangely paced.

If we talk about accuracy to the games, Shadow wasn't the one to fall to earth in the movie like he did in the games, Sonic was. Shadow was shown to be better than Sonic in keeping the Super power.

Tails' sudden inclusion to be better or more useful is strange since there was no buildup for it since the second movie. He was a coward and bad at doing things, he even badly messed up in the second movie much like in this one, and suddenly, without explanation, he was more useful or capable. Though it's not bad he is, there being no explanation is the issue.

Despite Shadow's sacrifice, and seeming to be dead, Sonic didn't care about his actions or it didn't impact him a lot like it did in the games. Instead, it felt shallow, and in the credit scenes, that was made even more clear as he acted the same without seeming to learn anything from the whole experience.

Since Ivo and Gerald are dead, the ending credits for one of the scenes makes no sense. Who made them then? Who would control them? And it can't be Stone because it showed that he had a change of heart too after seeing Ivo's brave sacrifice to do the right thing. So the inclusion of that ending credits scene at all is very out of place and makes no sense. You can tell it was just shoved in there for an agenda by employees who are very bias for who showed up. They stated this biasness of theirs for a long time, even before the movie released to the public. And yet again, it is an example of listening to toxic fan demand and trying to force things to work despite it not.

Shadow even knowing how to fight and being more powerful than Sonic and Knuckles comes out of nowhere since he wasn't created to be the Ultimate Lifeform. He is just a being from another part of the universe and suddenly knows how to fight or use powers others can't. It's also missing the iconic Chaos Control Shadow can use. Instead, he just teleports around without a reason as to how he can. There's also no explanation as to why he can use Rocket Shoes as a creature that isn't artificial. Who gave it to him and why did they? What made them think he could use them like rocket shoes to skate? It also doesn't explain his limiters. Why can he use these things or do these things like game Shadow despite him being a natural creature? And since he isn't artificial, a big chunk of Shadow's meaning as a character is lost. One of his main messages is supposed to be that despite being artificial, he has a heart and can care for others, just like a natural person. That is lost in this movie and ruins a lot of the aspect of Shadow's kindness being endearing. Originally being a cure and as an Ultimate Weapon is changed and it doesn't show that Gerald was smart in genetics as well like in the game. Shadow's so different and so much of his original concept is gone that it even makes you question why Shadow Generations was created the way it was to introduce Shadow's story again because nothing from his original story was kept. Therefore, it doesn't really tie in with each other, which is strange despite the both of them supposed to be tied in with each other. Why are so many things the opposite? Why were so many things changed to something completely different that basically almost everything wasn't kept at all despite him being based off of game Shadow? It's strange.

If anything, I think this movie could have been made much better and if it was possible to redo it, I think they should by taking out a lot of things and by making it make more sense, even in a story aspect. Listening to fan demand never ended well, just like it didn't with Sonic Frontiers' 3rd update. It was a mess, controls were horrible, the idea of things were lazy (Tails just threw a wrench) and horrible, things were made unnecessarily hard despite games being meant to be played by anyone and the story was a mess as well since agendas were shoved. But just because they want momentary artificial clout and attention, these minor amount of fans are listened to and end up ruining something that could have been miles better. What's worse is that these minor fans are not even true fans like they think they are, they are just loud. The majority of them will bully those who don't agree with them, employees included, and don't even pay for a majority of things. Things they ask for are cringy, edgy, don't make money, don't make sense, aren't interesting and will further make the series lose money, just like the previous two years before this year. What they asked for, was a disappointment and didn't sell well. What they ask for, doesn't make money, and they need to wake up and realize that already because the more they ask for these things selfishly, the more the series will plummet into the red numbers.

And that's not supposed to be the case. Employees are not supposed to listen to fan demand. In fact, it's against the company rules. So them doing that here more than once, it goes to show you what employees with what work ethics are working on these projects. And if they listen to the fans instead of the company, is that really an employee you want to say is a good employee? Even if what they're doing is bad, makes no sense and helps ruin the series/profits?

If the movie universe was going to portray things so differently, then they shouldn't have claimed that they were going to make it accurate in any shape or form. It's understandable that with a different universe, things will be different, but they lied by trying to say that it is anywhere accurate (even claiming that Keanu did research into Shadow's character to make him accurate), which is bad. You don't lie to your customers who actually pay for things, which aren't the ones they listened to since they listened to fans who are brats, who threaten the companies and don't even pay for the series in general (while demanding for as much free content as possible for their selfish desires).

My takeaway? It's better if you go play Sonic Adventure 2 instead of watching this movie in order to get a better story and message than the wreck this movie became. There are games that are even miles better than what this movie has become, and that's because those didn't listen to fan demand from fans that don't know what's good, don't know how the job works, aren't story makers and who are selfish in just wanting to see something for selfish reasons despite it making no sense. If you really look deep into the movie, realize what group of employees touched or tainted it, and notice how it went, it is obvious that there is biasness in this movie that goes exactly as how a certain group of fans who hate one ship and prefer another character/ship wanted and were listened to immensely. In that case, can you really take this movie as something good or as the company wants? Or is it more that like Sonic x Shadow Generations, certain employees put their influence in things and did it without permission, much like in the game mentioned (such as having the English dialogue different than the Japanese dialogue)? Too many things make no sense and follow fan demand despite it not being good. The most memorable moment was Sonic and Shadow working together as Super, but everything leading up to it was shallow or made no sense. Even the one shown at the end being shown despite all the marketing showing Sonic and Shadow this whole year, just to get Shadow replaced despite Sonic and Shadow being the top sellers for the series and having merchandise for them flying off the shelves, makes no sense since things for Sonic and Shadow are hot and it works on a profitable front. So replacing Shadow with a character that has been proven to not make money and someone who no one wants to see but a small minority, should reek of corruption, just like in previous projects that were changed for just that character or focused on just this non-profitable character. And it's because of this corruption that is so obvious to see that it should be clear why this movie makes no sense on so many fronts and has fan demand, which in turn, made the movie horrible in story telling and depth. It makes no sense to build up hype for a character, only to exclude him when he is making a lot of money and when he was introduced again for the purpose of including him more into the series. That's not how marketing works, companies wouldn't do that to customers that are paying a lot and were promised more content of what they are paying for, so that further shows corruption of just wanting to include things for an agenda.

In fact, there are proof that show of this corruption from a certain employee who has been influencing things in a bias manner for the character that showed up in the credits despite it not making sense. She even hinted at how she was going to strive to force things to focus on that character despite claiming that previous years already focused on her. And it is in those previous years, that character made the company go into the red, was a disappointment and made sluggish sales. Yet despite that and despite logic/reasoning, the character was brought back for no logical reason and due to selfish, petty and bias reasons. This employee even gloats about it on her Instagram by stating that the ones she works with to ruin the series are "the best." You can listen to the evidences here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by IMDbPro (@imdbpro)

And she states this despite the disaster the movie became as just explained above, and also even brings attention to an interview where it was admitted that they constantly changed things on a whim or to how they wanted it to be like. They didn't stop that from happening, and it explains why so many things not only make no sense, but also fulfill fan demand to a high degree. And because they believe that as a "#1 movie" they got away with these horrible story changes or shoved in demands, she decides to gloat about it as if they have done a good thing when this movie could have been miles better if they didn't tear it apart for their own selfish desires. And this is all done despite seeing the success of Sonic and Shadow together in not only popularity, but also in sales. She and those she works with don't even do their job, they sabotage the company on purpose, they ruin marketing, they ignore the positivity for the opposing side of their selfish desires (they ignore the positivity Sonic and Shadow have and only pay attention to those who demand or praise for what they personally like despite it not making money or it being widely disliked; they purposely have confirmation bias and gloat about it) and are purposely making the company lose money just because of petty selfish reasons.

They even put down the appearance for another character than Sonic and Shadow, like Silver, that was also demanded for by making excuses that he has almost nothing to make a year for him. Yet they picked a character that has absolutely no backstory compared to Silver, is uninteresting and already proved to not be popular, not make money and not be a character the general people want to see more about.

Though there are some things that are good from this movie, such as Sonic being the one to talk to Shadow in order for them to team up and save the world, a majority of the things feel shallow, out of place and ill paced.

[petitelepus]

so transformers (any series) with a human/ghost reader. They find a seemingly abandoned planet, but turns out it wasn’t abandoned fully. The race that used to inhabit it (humans) have all died out yes, but some have stuck around as a thing called ghosts.

(Could be another humans are cute one like the apocalypse request you got a bit ago)

It's been so long since you last saw another living creature. For some reason, when you died you didn't go to Heaven or Hell, the next life, or whatever happened after death.

No, you stayed around as a ghost and it was honestly such a lonely life to spend alone with no one to talk to except yourself. Since the apocalypse, any evidence of humankind was year by year wiped away.

The huge skyscrapers and buildings fell into ruins, plants took over the huge cities and animals roamed the lands.

Then it all changed when this alien spaceship with it came to these giant alien machines. They took one look at your planet and saw how the apocalypse had destroyed its human population.

They didn't stay long, but they didn't need to. All you needed was a second and you had you left the Earth's atmosphere with the Bots.

After years of loneliness, you were so glad for another intellectual species! You looked around this ship called Lost Light and learned about its residents.

It was exciting and interesting to follow their lives, but you didn't want to be an invisible and mute bystander anymore.

No, you decided to haunt the Lost Light and so you took control of the huge ship.

Your presence was noticed immediately when you complimented Rodimus for almost making a perfect black flip to his chair.

Or when you asked Ultra Magnus if he would like you to record the next captains' meeting.

Then there was a time when you took over the music in Swerve's bar night and played some of your favorite party songs.

"Do we have a virus or something?" Rodimus asked as he, Megatron, and Ultra Magnus were having a meeting about the weird occurrences.

You smiled as you watched them talk through the cameras.

"I assure you, captain, I'm no virus." Your voice echoed in the speakers and Rodimus nearly jumped out of his armor, "What the frag are you!?"

"Oh, I'm an organic lifeform called a human, from planet Earth."

"But-!" Ultra Magnus blinked, "Humans are dead?"

"And so am I. Or, I was, but now I'm this ship."

"So... You somehow took over the ship?"´Megatron asked.

"I AM the ship now, Captain Megatron." You said with a smile, "And I'm happier than ever before, serving you guys."

Rodimus, Megatron, and Ultra Magnus looked at each other and you could tell they were talking through commlinks, but you could still hear them.

'Can we erase them?'

'Like a virus?'

"I wouldn't recommend that." You warned them, "I'm here to help, befriend, and serve you guys. I'm an ally, not an enemy."

"Can we trust you?" Ultra Magnus asked and you smiled, "Of course you can. You gave me a new home so the least I can do is to be there when you guys need me."

"Alright," Megatron nodded, "So you are one of us now? Then what should we call you as?"

"My human name doesn't matter anymore. You can call me Lost Light." You replied, "Would you like me to inform the rest of the crew that there is a new lifeform, aka me, here?"

"Uh, how about asking them to come to a meeting and introducing you there?"

"That sounds wonderful Captain Rodimus." You nodded, "I promise, I will look after you all."

[dovithedarklord]

Age of Monsters - Chapter Six

Pairing: OFC x Simon "Ghost" Riley, OFC x König

Tags: Slow Burn, Slow Build, Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, POV First Person, Not Beta Read, Medical Inaccuracies, Military Inaccuracies, AFAB OC

Trigger Warning: The story will contain violance, blood and smut in detail. Please, keep that in mind!

⚠️MDNI⚠️

...................................

Author's Note

Leona has a nice adventure in the forest.

Hello!

This chapter has a Trigger Warning! There will be blood, violence, gore, and aggression, so please read accordingly! I know it's in the tags, but I'd rather write it down here too.

Have fun! :D

I.M.L. - Infected mammalian lifeform

if you're interested you can find the story on AO3: Chapter Six

.....................................

I wipe the drops of sweat forming on my hairline with the back of my hand, and I find it quite surprising that, despite the fact that most of the sun's rays are captured by the foliage of the trees, a clammy warmth sits in the air. Although every elementary school student learns about what a forest is like, what cute little animals lived in it back then, and how it was a home of undisturbed peace, nothing prepared me for how stressful the desolate quietness that settles in it actually is. It's been hours since I set off after my pleasant parting and goodbyes with Riley, and since I haven't encountered a death trap or a bloodthirsty monster panting at my heels just yet, I've had just enough time to think about what led up to my current uninterrupted wandering. Apart from the obvious facts.

And during this time, I’ve run through the long thread of my memories that have been created since I drifted into the unit. The fresh forest air seems to have pushed my brain to the brink of enlightenment, because I slowly began to realize why all of a certain Hunter's verbal attacks had found their target so far. I've had to think a lot about why it irritates me so much that he says the thoughts in my head out loud, other than it makes me feel like I'm not nearly as mysterious as I'd like to seem. And I came to quite surprising conclusions on my little health walk. Now I know what was bothering me until now, and what made me continue to provoke him even though I knew sooner or later his patience would reach its end, and he would show what he could do with those hands. The cold contempt that emanates from him evokes the visceral anger in me that I have successfully suppressed with my pride and arrogance. I never accepted people's one-sided and foolish attempts to anger me, and never allowed my perfect mask to crack and reveal my true thoughts, motivations, and self to others. But for some reason, this man cuts through the walls built over the years like a sharp knife, and every single cold look and disparaging comment is another punch to my stomach. And I know that what makes him different from the bastards who tried me countless times in my life is that I know my repertoire is not nearly enough to challenge him. A seductive smile, a witty remark, or clever manipulation won't be effective enough for him. And this encourages me to be much meaner and take our little game seriously. Because I want to prove to him that he is not better than me. No matter how much he despises me, no matter how he takes on this rigid persona, he is no different than me. He's just as cowardly, vindictive, and petty as I am, so he has no reason to look down on me from his high horse. It urges me to show him that he cannot trample or intimidate me, or chase me away. And nothing verifies my theory more than the fact that he brought me to the very edge of the yellow zone so he could reveal with a survival test, that he is capable of playing dirty to prove his point and to break me, with just as much eagerness as I have tried to sink my little teeth into him and find his weakness until now.

And I'm not so conceited and stupid to not know, that his dislike and doubts about me are not unfounded, and from his point of view it was probably a completely logical decision to take me on this excursion. In addition to the fact that he wants to demonstrate his considerable advantage over me, he also wants to show me that he is not afraid to make tough decisions if it serves the interests of his team. And there is nothing wrong with that, because if I were him, I would also try to get rid of that foul and rather dangerous element who only dropped into his little unit to cause trouble. He probably also considered how much of a disadvantage it would be, if my nifty little ability disappeared following my death, and even after this dilemma he thought it was better to carry out his plan. Because this whole situation can only benefit him. If I die or maybe take flight, then he won't have to endure my constant provocation, my behavior, or my little trick to try to get under his skin every given moment we spend together. Worst case scenario, they will just consume a couple more Healers. If I pass the test, he still expects me to understand the essence of the lesson given to me and finally learn to get in line and do my job without a fucking word.

And in light of this, I might as well just give up. After all, the most obvious decision for me would be to take myself and my little package and head towards the nearest colony. And if karma were to forgive me and I was lucky, I would probably find a group of traders along the way who would take pity on me for a leisurely ride, and voila, I made it. But there is something deep in my subconscious that does not allow me to play with this seemingly realistic plan. Because, when even for a minute it occurs to me to leave behind this sadistic brute and his nice little team, my stomach jumps with an unpleasant tug and the stubborn desire to prove myself is revived. And this pants the thought in the depths of my head, that giving up the adventure is not an option, because that would only confirm what Riley believes. That I am a criminal who continues her spineless hiding from duty and fate, which I have perfected throughout my life. And I don't understand why this would be a problem, since it is the truth. Although of course, I do not agree that I am a coward, but rather opportunistic and selfish, however there is no lie when it comes to the hiding part. And nothing would be simpler than returning to my old habits and continuing my peaceful life, free from monsters, Hunters, and Healer obligations.

Still, I have a motivation that definitely drives me forward, and I have only one goal in mind: to get out of the forest. My burning anger and stubborn resistance to the man might even explain why I want to pass the test so fervently, but it wouldn't be enough of a motive to override my selfishness. Because I have enough sense to choose my priority goals instead of my temper. My highly suicidal idea of escaping is also not entirely to be dismissed, because as a good girl, I would solve it so that I don't end up as monster food until the next safe place. That's why I don't understand what's holding me back from grabbing my belongings and dragging myself as far as humanly possible. I can't fathom what gives me that desperate, hardened determination that drives me forward like a complete idiot. Because it belies my nature not to choose myself.

I fish out the communicator from my pocket with growing irritation, to divert my attention from the sea of thoughts fighting in my head, and I pop up the map of the forest with a few button presses. And as my modest self appears on the hologram with a flashing red dot, I quickly assess how far the safe house can be. The little icon blinks about ten kilometers from me, and at this point, I start to worry about the realization that although my pace is not terrible at all, and I can maybe actually complete this insane mission, still I haven't managed to find a single trap in the last few kilometers. I've been in the thick of the wilderness long enough to know that it would be too tame for a Hunter training site if I didn't encounter any difficulties other than mosquitoes and the ever-increasing heat. And Riley wouldn't have brought me here if he didn't expect me to have to work for survival.

The sun is already high in the sky, and although I still have plenty of time to comfortably force myself through this goddamn jungle, the instinctive tightening that is slowly taking space in my stomach suggests, that this all seems far too easy to not take a turn to the worst in an instant. And I have an inkling that this bad foreshadowing feeling that has just appeared will attract trouble to me like a magnet. That is why I decide not to wait until negative thoughts direct the problems towards me, and continue on my cautious path.

Slipping my communicator back into the protective depths of the pocket on my thigh, I prepare myself to leave, to continue my walk in the direction I had previously located. The twigs and leaves crunching under my boots provide the only background noise for my journey, and instead of easing the anxiety raging in me, it encourages me to examine every square centimeter of the wilderness around me with even greater care. I could be thankful for the fact, that my depressing attention to detail finally diverted my attention from my musings on the motivation to complete the test, but it does not cause me joy that a much more burning and life-threatening paranoia has now taken the place of thoughts analyzing my relationship with the Hunters. And suddenly I start to miss the feeling I experienced during the regeneration, because then finally, if only for a short time, the thoughts that were constantly buzzing in my head disappeared.

And with that, my train of thought jumped back to the starting point again, and I only reward the cunning maneuver of my brain circuits with a rather frustrated sigh. Because it doesn't seem to be able to let go of the bizarre situation I'm in right now. I should flee, I should escape, I should cut and run, but no matter if I say it in a hundred different ways, it doesn't make any sense that I'm still moving toward the fucking finish line. I could try to drift as far away as possible from the whole complicated and unreasonably adventurous life situation I've fallen into in the last month and a half, but I won't. And the voice in the back of my skull keeps whispering in my ear that I can’t fail, because causing disappointment is not an option. But why? Wouldn't everyone's lives be easier if I disappeared? Sure, obviously Laswell and Price would be pretty annoyed at losing an investment that wasn't even close to paying off, but what else? Would it change anything if I didn't return to base?

And the thought that my death or disappearance would not leave any lasting mark on the life of Unit 141 somehow brings back a bitter taste to my tongue. I, too, am surprised by the force with which my chest tightens as the faces of MacTavish and Garrick flash before me, as the fanboy role they played with me is revived with someone else, after I have long since faded into the shadows of the past. Price, too, will continue to play a father figure to his students and toss his wisdom-wrapped praises to others, and he will not waste a single brain cell to maintain my memory. And the possibility that all of this could happen forms a lump in my throat, that threatens to burst out at any minute, and this feeling has been visiting me all too often lately.

And unwillingly, the idyllic moment spent in the gym appears before my mind's eye, and the words that the Hunters spoke at that time echo in my ears more sharply than anything else. I thought a lot about how seriously I could take their little confession, and although I came to the conclusion that I have to treat the whole discourse with skepticism, for some reason, now I want their words to be true more than anything. And for the first time, it enters my head that maybe this has something to do with the fact, that every part of me is protesting with vehement disgust against the idea of running away or failing.

But before I could dig deeper into what I want to say to myself with this, a soft, yet completely different click from the noise of the forest that I have experienced so far hits my ears. And I immediately know why the voice sounds so suspicious, because a can-like object suddenly emerges from the ground, which almost instantly presents me with its contents. Thick smoke is released around me with a speed that in all likelihood defies the laws of physics, and I am suddenly unable to move even a muscle out of shock. My eyes begin to burn excruciatingly almost right away as the first suffocating clouds of smoke reach me, and I instinctively close them, but it's too late, because the stinging pain brings tears to my eyes. Everything becomes blurry in front of me in an instant, as the mixture of smoke and increasing tears fills my vision, and when the pleasant surprise of the first trap I found in the forest reaches my lungs, in the middle of a coughing fit, I try to pull myself together and flee somewhere to escape from the fog of toxic fumes around me. No matter how much I pull my turtleneck up to my nose, it doesn't calm the stomach acid pooling in my throat, which, as a result of my very enthusiastic suffocation, is about to make its way to the outside world after flaying the top layer of my esophagus. And then I know that I didn't push the sinister feeling far enough, and finally, the traps I've been missing so fervently have made their appearance.

Ignoring the stinging pain in my eyes and throat, I stumble forward, and after a few excruciating seconds, I start running, because the reflex of flight that awakens in me works much faster and more efficiently than logic. And soon the decision that it is a good idea to continue walking blindly revenges itself, because my ankle gets stuck in something in the next few meters. It doesn't take much intelligence to grasp that I met a rope with one of my pretty legs, and when something on the tree sprawling in front of me snaps with a cracking sound, I don't even have the time to register what's happening. The thing whizzes over my head at an amazing speed, and I can only thank my modest height that the unexpected attack only brushed my ponytail and didn't help my head to degrade into a smashed melon. But with the unstoppable tears coming from my eyes, I don't have a chance to defend myself against the next surprise coming my way, and I immediately feel what it was that I narrowly avoided before. All of a sudden, all the air is forced out of me, as the rod freed from the trap meets my chest with brutal force, and I fall back on the damp ground, staggered by the force of the impact. I don't even notice how loudly my head hits the hardened layer of mud on the ground, because the pain shooting across my ribs cuts through my body as if a tank had rammed into me. For a minute, I'm unable to breathe because of the ache, which pulsates with persistent force, immobilizing all my limbs, and then I begin to gape silently with the elegance of a fish, hoping that the stupor caused by the agony will soon subside and I won't accidentally suffocate from shock.

Tiny colored spots float into my field of vision, and it takes me a moment to understand that I've probably acquired a very nice potential concussion in addition to the broken ribs. And minutes pass until the nausea finally somewhat lessens, and I am able to wriggle myself into a fetal position with slow and clumsy movements. My disoriented mind tries to understand the series of previous events, but the throbbing ache spreading through my body does not let my mind clear itself. That's why the movement is reflexive, with which I try to soothe the consequences of the assault on me, and as one of my hands crawls under the thick material of my turtleneck and smooths over the line of my ribs, following the gentle touch of my fingers, another wave of nausea runs through me. I forcefully swallow the bursting acid, because somewhere in the depths of my mind I know that I cannot waste my chances of survival by releasing the contents of my stomach and becoming dehydrated by that. Clenching my teeth, I press my palm to the place where the rod hit, and I can almost see in front of me how my skin little by little starts to glow in angry red and purple colors. Gathering all my remaining concentration, I push the small waves of my energy under my fingers, and as the sparks pulsing desperately all over my body gather there, I let out a relieved sigh. Slowly but surely, the stinging aching under my palm subsides, as my clever little skill does its best to solder the broken bones together and heal the bruised tissues and muscles. I also send a small pulse of energy towards my skull, because the pain still dully throbs there. And as soon as the crippling suffering that kept my body immobile and my brain in a hazy confusion alleviates, I find the ability to think again.

The smoke is already beginning to clear, and as it rises into the sky between the leaves, it blocks the path of the sun's rays breaking through the leaves. The whole unfortunate situation could hardly have lasted more than a few moments, but it knocked me off my feet with cruel efficiency, and I have to admit that the garbage of a person who set up the trap knew what they were doing. If it weren't for my rather useful gift, I would almost certainly pass out and spend the afternoon here having a pleasant siesta. And although a Hunter would probably have suffered less damage than me, it would have effectively slowed them down as well. But I don't have the time or desire to let some forest booby trap get the better of me.

Groaning, I rest my hands on the ground, not caring that the pain is eating into every part of my being like a familiar friend, and then I force myself onto my knees. I helped my problem just enough so that seemingly serious injuries wouldn't hinder me from progressing on my journey, but with foresight back in my head again, no matter how much every area on my back hurts, I can't afford to waste my strength. Because now it is absolutely certain that I have run out of luck that helped me divert my path from the traps, and the misfortune is catching up with me in full force.

I clumsily fish out the small water bottle that Riley included in my scout pack from my bag, and as I snap the cap off, I touch the cold metal to my mouth and take a sizeable sip, the cool caress of the water calms my burnt throat nicely. I have to be thrifty with this too, because now it has become quite a firm conviction in my head that, confirming my first intuition, it will not be easy to get out of this goddamn forest. In one piece and relatively undamaged.

I slide my water bottle back into the bag and struggle to a standing position by holding on to one of the tree trunks with my hand. When I'm sure that my feet are stable enough, I slowly search for the communicator from my pocket to check how far I managed to drift from the target direction due to the previous complication. And as soon as the holographic map appears, even I'm surprised by how skillfully I was able to keep myself relatively close to the right path, and at least that doesn't increase the annoyance that arises in me. Because I am filled with immeasurable frustration, now that I have the opportunity to realize how primitively and stupidly I walked into the first trick that popped up in my way. I'm almost certain that if I hadn't been reflecting on how the fear of losing my relationship with the funny little Hunter team was driving me forward, I would have had the brainpower to notice that I was marching into fucking danger. Then my attention might not have been distracted so far from reality that I would have remembered to pay more attention to my surroundings, which I was sure from the beginning holds sweet little thrills for me.

It seems that my newly found anger gives me enough impetus to overcome the ache that settles in his body, and I take advantage of this momentum to set off in the right direction. I don't give myself time to dwell on my foolishness, but I turn every single one of my senses towards the forest that looks more and more suspicious in front of me. I can't allow myself to be enriched with more of these amazing experiences through some obscure invention, because the idea is taking increasingly bigger space in my mind, that the purpose of these is not only to slow someone down, but rather to eliminate the unfortunate participants in the test.

I proceed with cautious steps, almost paranoidly measuring every single branch and twig that is even slightly suspiciously placed on the ground. All my nerves are focused on the outside world around me, and now I understand why they chose a forest to perform a test of this caliber. Because if the goal is to weed out the weak links among the applicants, then I will take them to a field where it will be revealed how well they can deal with the frustration of the unknown. Those who enter here not only have to worry about whether they will survive if an obstacle crosses their path, but they also have to endure the fact, that although they know that they will surely encounter danger at some point, they can't foresee when and how. And this plants the kind of tension in the depths of one's consciousness, which slowly consumes their sanity. And Riley very cunningly thought that this would be the case with me. The bastard knew very well that it would be enough for me to come across one of the probably thousands of life-threatening small toys in the woods, and it would hinder me just enough that I would try to avoid the others by overthinking my every step. And for some reason, it gives me evil satisfaction that, if it hadn't been clear by now, he analyzed me at least as much as I dissected him.

I don't have to wander far, and my precaution is already paying off, because the slyly hidden wire swims almost imperceptibly into my field of vision, and stretched out between two tree trunks, it is waiting with open arms for me to run into it. I stop for a moment as I take in the thin line of the cord glistening with a metallic shine, and even I'm taken aback as I realize that this seemingly harmless, fine little wire could slash up its unsuspecting victim if they move towards it at the right speed. I'm starting to question more and more why anyone would feel the need to go to such hazardous lengths to test the Hunters' suitability, since it doesn't seem very expedient to want to make sliced-up salami from those whom I want to use for monster extermination. They are outnumbered compared to the number of mutants anyway, so why are they trying to butcher them before the energy and money invested in their training can pay off?

I keep my eyes on the area that stretches out in front of me because it seems too simple that this tiny little inconvenience is the only thing trying to thwart my survival. And I don't have to be disappointed, because the moment I take a closer look at the rather harmless bushes located next to the tree trunks tied together with cable, I realize that on both sides of the trap, there is a nice little package waiting, in the form of the smoke bombs I now know so well. How cunning. If someone doesn't fall for the wire, no matter which side they want to avoid this from, they will definitely walk into another trap. And I'm also absolutely sure that a surprise awaits beyond the cable if someone tries to hide under it.

It seems almost comical that the creators of the training site concentrated all their creative little creations in the middle of the forest, because it seems disturbingly clear that the goal was to distract the bastards who wandered in, and then surprise them later. And I would rather smash my head against one of the tree trunks because of the knowledge, that this tactic worked quite beautifully on me as well.

Putting aside my frustration at my own stupidity, I search for a possible gap where I can cross the area in front of me more safely, and when I see the broad trunk of a tree stretched out on the ground not far away, I decide to give it a go. I carefully move closer and comb through every small crack in search of a device of dubious origin. But when I find nothing, but ivy's tendrils winding peacefully along the grooves of the tree trunk, I'm relieved for a minute that maybe I won't be stuck here, since no fucking route seems safe enough. With quick movements, I hop on top of the wood, and for a second I carefully measure the bare site in front of me, still spying on which blade of grass is bent even in a slightly suspicious manner to hide another danger behind it. And the restlessness revives itself in me again when I can't find anything, because at this point I already expect to step into some funny little structure every second.

I jump off the log with such limber movements that belie the pain running through my body, and the branches break under my feet with a soft crunch as I hit the ground. I proceed carefully, and in the meantime, my eyes scan the bodies of the trees with the attention of a predator searching for prey, to see if fate brings me back to one of the ankle-breaking and neck-slitting traps I've seen before. It paints a deceptively gentle picture in front of me, as a warm breeze dances the leaves of the trees golden from the sunlight, but I do not fall for the apparent peace. Because the strings of my nerves that are strained to the point of breaking tell me precisely, that every fucking square centimeter holds another damn risk for me.

But despite all my awareness, despite every step taken with increased caution, and in spite of the fact that I searched every hidden nook and cranny, my ears are hit by a crack louder than any before, as a twig drifts under the sole of my boot, and I don't have the slightest chance to avoid what follows. Because two bent, metal rods swinging out of the forest floor covered with mud and weeds are closing around my left leg sooner than I have time to process it. And the pain that rushes in my body from the force of the metal pressing on my flesh through the fabric of the pants, elicits a loud cry from me. The instinctive desire to escape awakens in me, and I try to pull my legs out of the straps, but they lock around me like a vise, and with every movement they only send new waves of misery over the bruised muscles.

But, if this wasn't a disturbing enough development in the next stop of my leisurely stroll on the soft lap of nature, a sharp sound goes off out of nowhere, surpassing my panting echoing in the wildness of the forest. The whistling screams at such a deafening volume, that I freeze in fear in the midst of my attempts to escape. A sharp pain rips through my ears, and I instinctively press my hands to them and start searching for the source of the sound. My eyes jump wildly in the tangled mass of trees and vines, and it takes a few agonizing moments before I find the tiny little device attached to one of the tree trunks, from which an enthusiastically flashing red dot points at me. I follow the line of the structure directed towards me, and as soon as I see the flashing red dot on my chest, I immediately understand that the metal enveloping my legs in a friendly hug is not my only problem. Whatever it is that the high-frequency screeching is trying to lure here, it won't do me any good to wait until it gets here. That's why, I double the energy that I've spent on my attempts to break free so far, and I try to remove the bars from myself even more vehemently.

But even the ringing in my ears is penetrated by the crackling sound that suddenly appears in the hidden shadows of the forest, and I reflexively turn my head to the source of the noise. All my muscles go rigid and I become completely immobile as my gaze finds a dark shadow, blurred by distance, approaching with jerky movements in the direction where my humble person has frozen into a statue. And it becomes clear what the series of clever little traps I discovered earlier served, because I now recognize that even though I thought I had suddenly advanced to become an expert in forest traps, every obstacle that appeared up until now wanted to lead me here. No matter where I would have stumbled into this whole damn pile of shit, probably every small structure on the way to the safe house would have directed me here. Because by being a survival trial for Hunters, the goal all along could have been to end up here and find myself face-to-face with a monster. And I feel incredibly stupid for thinking that this would not happen. I should have known that Riley wasn't giving me the fucking gun as a decoration.

As if a divine spark had just ignited in my brain, I break out of the paralyzed anticipation, as my heart desperately tries to pump the adrenaline in my veins, revived by the terror. I hastily tear the backpack from my back, and with clumsy movements, I start to search its depths for the gun that Riley gave me, because, like a real idiot, I forgot that I had it at all. Nothing is more proof of my arrogance and blindness than the fact, that I hoped even for a brief moment, that it would be in a better place at the bottom of my bag than in my hand, because I wouldn't be needing it anyway.

And when my fingers find the cold metal among the many tiny survivor items, I don't get to enjoy the small success, because a bone-shattering roar soars above the deafening noise of the still enthusiastically whistling device. Frightened, my hand clenches around the pistol's grip as I turn my attention back to the unknown creature, and my blood runs cold instantly, as what the noise lured here emerges in front of me. Due to the coverage of the bushes, I can only see a large back covered with sparse, dark hair, and the deformed extensions of the vertebrae rise like sharp spikes along the spine, which are stained dark by the dirt and blood that have dried on them. The I.M.L.'s milky white eyes appear with an almost unnatural glint in the shadow of the canopy, and I forget to even breathe as I survey the monster, which could once have been a wild boar. And it doesn't take much intelligence to figure out that if this huge, bloodthirsty beast with bulging muscles ventures closer, I will not survive that encounter.

The realization is enough to wake me up again from my petrified state and trigger the survival instinct in me, which immediately tells me that even though I have the gun, I don't have the slightest chance of taking down this scumbag in such an open field. Because I can't waste my ammo and pump it full of bullets, because there's a chance that it has a few more buddies who will want to show up if I manage to escape this situation alive. Therefore, I tuck the gun into the waistband of my pants, yank my bag onto my back, and desperately grab the shackles that hold my legs with my hands, and clenching my teeth, I strain against them with all my might. A blinding agony rips through my back from the effort, but I pay no attention to it, but rather use the suffering to fight on, knowing for sure that if the beast gets here, that will be the end for me. And this is enough motivation for some foreign strength reserved in the hidden depths of me to emerge, which almost makes my muscles swell with unknown power. And as soon as the metal bars let go of their hold even for a little bit, I quickly pull my leg out of the trap.

I only take one last alarmed look at I.M.L., who moves out from among the branches, and turns its huge head, distorted by ulcerated bumps towards me, and as I assess the tusks probably as thick as my forearm protruding from its mouth, I don't wait any longer. I start running at such a speed that even my two cheerleader boys would erupt in ecstatic joy. The pain hits my left leg like a hammer with every movement, which continues to radiate into all my joints, but due to the adrenaline raging inside me, my brain only perceives the ache as a dull, distant feeling. Branches tear my clothes and get caught in my hair as I sprint frantically, but I don't care about anything else than getting as far away from the monster as possible, whose pounding steps, for now, reach my ears only from a distance.

In the middle of my panic-stricken rush, I try to go through the possible plans in my stressed brain that can help prevent me from becoming a mangled corpse. Even though the pistol digs into my waist with seductive hardness, I know that, unlike my trainers, my aiming skills are not half as developed that the fired bullet would stray close to the beast while running, let alone hit a vital organ that would lay it flat after one shot. However, the incessant throbbing in my leg reminds me that I can't just flee forever, because this enraged behemoth will catch up sooner or later, and I shouldn't wait for it to impale me with its tusks. And it's not a solution to mindlessly launch into the unknown landscape of the forest, because there's a chance that I'll stumble into a nice little trap again, which will definitely not end well. My only hope is that I can find some hideout and maybe I'll be lucky enough to surprise this bastard and hit it with a bullet while I take cover.

And, as soon as the idea forms in me, I start a desperate search for a nook and cranny, for anything that would be able to conceal me from the swine breathing down on my neck. But no matter how hard I look, the landscape slips past me too quickly for my gray matter to grasp any detail of it, or to identify a potential hiding place, since it's too busy leading me out of the mouth of danger. The thunderous sound of the feet behind me, which is getting louder and louder, doesn't help either, because it only increases my heart rate, which is already soaring to life-threatening heights, which, pounding on my eardrums, provides the only rhythm for my sprinting. I can almost feel the I.M.L.'s breath smelling of decaying flesh on the back of my neck, and every little hair rises from the sensation, and the cruel fist of fear closes around my stomach.

I don't dare to take my eyes off the rapidly changing forest scenery in front of me for even a moment, because the panic is working inside me, that says if I am careless even for a minute, the earth will open in two and swallow me, making sure to prepare me nicely for the monster's arrival. My lungs burn desperately as my accelerated breathing tries to get oxygen into my body, and I surprise even myself with how easy I seem to run without stopping. As if the fatigue had magically left my tormented limbs, and now some completely new force was driving me forward, which wouldn't let me give up or stop even for a second.

Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, the end of the forest floor appears in front of me, and I quickly realize that my survival is facing an unexpected obstacle. But as fast as the complication arrive, I decide my next step with the same speed, and without any hesitation, I throw myself down the steep hillside that emerges. Falling on my side, I slide down, and the sharp pain caused by the roots and stones hitting my body does not arrive at my brain. I quickly reach for the pistol that is slowly slipping out of my pants, and firmly wrap my fingers around the grip, and I stick out my free hand through the cloud of dust raised around me to dig into the ground, trying to control my body as it drifts down the hill.

And as I hit the bottom of the small chasm, I give myself a fleeting second to finally find a shelter, which can give me the opportunity to get rid of the beast that is slowly catching up with me. As if it were a gift from God, a pile of fallen trees towering over each other appear not long before me, and I'm filled with wild joy at the knowledge that I had finally found the perfect place. I immediately swing towards my makeshift fortress at breakneck speed, and the screeching howling from the top of the hill only motivates me to hurry. And when I reach my destination, I tear off my backpack with hasty movements and drop to my stomach to pull myself into the very narrow gap that opens under the trunks of the trees and the ground. The smell of musty, rotten leaves and wet earth fills my nose, and I clench my teeth and swallow the painful moan caused by the rough surface of the tree barks scratching my back, which is already full of injuries.

But before I can get into the right position for the attack, the trees resting above me creak with a loud crack, and I struggle onto my back in fear. And as I find myself eye-to-eye with the monster through the gaps filtering through the trunks, every part of my body freezes with icy fear. The milky white, worldless eyes stare at me, the stench of death and carrion emanating from the huge mouth fills my nose, and the otherworldly growl that erupts from the mutant echoes in every corner of my consciousness. With a loud bang, its heavy head collides with the logs protecting me, and with each movement, splinters of wood fly into the air following its attacks.

And I'm petrified, trembling, waiting to wake up, because the whole situation I've fallen into seems like a bad dream. My brain can't process how close death has come to me, and not a single nerve in me gets a spark from the shock of the realization. A single thought flashes before in my mind as the mutant methodically destroys my cover, that I can't end up like this. I can't die in the middle of a desolate forest, alone, by a damned mutated boar. I can't let myself become a pile of mangled guts and bones. This shouldn't be the last memory that is left of me. I can't let THEM remember me as the girl who got mauled by a fucking pig. I CAN'T DIE.

I have to realize that I have never experienced such terror in my life, and the dread brings a whole new side of me to the surface. And this self of me clings to every fragrant thread of life with its teeth and nails, and invades my body with such determination that it unexpectedly breaks my consciousness out of frozen shock. Such anger and poison ripple through all the fibers of my being, after which my energy boils up in my veins like hot lava, and suddenly all my senses are sharpened and focused on one single goal. My hand no longer trembles, as I raise the pistol clutched in it and load it, and all doubts about whether I will be saved disappear. The barrel of the gun is pointed confidently at the head of the wild animal raging above me, and even though it struggles with the thick tree trunks and gets closer to me, by now every drop of uncertainty has left my body. And as soon as I see the pus-oozing ulcer bulging between its two eyes in the aim, my finger pulls the trigger without hesitation.

The gun fires with an ear-piercing bang, and it doesn't bother me at all as the noise gets louder due to the insulation of the ground and trees around me, and my ears start to ring. Because it fills me with much greater joy when the mutant bastard staggers over and its huge body falls to the ground with a thud. Whining, I turn onto my stomach again to crawl out of my hideout, because the excitement and adrenaline pounding inside me tell me that it's not over yet, I still have to fight.

And when I emerge from under the tree trunks, I throw the pistol on the ground and straighten up to get around the pile of wood, and approach the beast lying on the other side with decisive steps. I had a good guess that a bullet wouldn't be enough to kill these bastards, because the virus that deforms them is famous for making its victims surprisingly durable if it can keep the host alive longer. But this little pig is out of luck, because the energy bubbling inside me gives me a determination that it will most certainly not survive. Bending down, I weave my fingers on an arm-thick stick, and my every muscle is filled with murderous rage as I gallop closer and measure up the monster writhing in the dirt. Black blood is bubbling from the gunshot wound on its head, its legs are twitching wildly as it tries to recover from the shock so that it can stand up and attack again. But I'm already there by its side, and it has no chance to pull itself together again.

I hit it with such momentum that when the piece of wood comes into contact with the beast's body, the force of the impact resonates through my arm almost painfully. But the cruel temper works much more strongly in me, which urges me more and more to continue what I have begun. My hand rises again and again, and with each blow stomach-churning crunches and splashes erupt from the mutant. A loud roar escapes from my mouth as I deliver blow after blow to my enemy who is slowly becoming motionless on the ground, but even then the immeasurable anger raging inside me does not subside. Because every single one of my frustrations is pouring out of me now, which was only reinforced by death coming within a hair's breadth. Gritting my teeth, I slam down without stopping, and I don't care about the gnawing ache in my back, nor the pain straining my palm. And I don't stop my rampage until the branch breaks in my hand and the other end lands on the ground, in a pile of mutilated flesh beyond recognition.

I bend down on my knees panting, and for the first time, I really take a look at what I have just done. And as I survey the ground soaked with dark blood, the brain coils lying in small pieces through the shattered skull, I am filled with a strange satisfaction. Because the image flashes in my mind that if I hadn't been the stronger one, then I would be lying in the mud in the same way now. And even then, I don't regret the brutality with which I executed this vermin, when the red clouds of rage clear from my brain, and the mixture of adrenaline and energy pulsating in my veins finally begins to calm down.

And as the impulse that had kept me moving lessens, I feel every stab of the pain radiating through my body again, but the knowledge of how my desperate struggle for survival has amortized me doesn't dampen my mood. Because I recall again the image that danced in front of my mind's eye when, like a switch, the terror in me turned into brutal anger fighting for survival. And even I am surprised when I realize how deeply I was affected by the humanity and trust shown to me by the small group of Hunters. Because in the throat of death, among others, the faces of MacTavish, Garrick, and Price appeared before me, and the realization that I could not lose what I had just tasted drove my body towards fighting more vehemently than anything else in my life. And although I still think it's pathetic to admit, I can no longer deny that the reason I rejected the idea of running away and pushed myself forward was the fact, that I've already sampled what it's like to be one of them, and I'm willing to fight tooth and nail, so that I don't experience this for the last time. Because no one has ever, not even once, turned to me with as much compassion and warmth as these people in their own way, and there is no power in this world that can divert my selfish desire to continue enjoying this exceptional treatment. And an amused laugh breaks out of me when I realize that even Riley won't stand a chance, and I'm willing to stroll to the safe house to throw this in his face. On second thought, I should be grateful to the man for bringing me here. Because I suspect that I would not have reached this enlightenment without a near-death experience.

I stand up with renewed motivation, I turn around and start searching for my scattered equipment. And when my eyes find my bag lying on the floor, I pull a small smile on my face and smoothing my hand on the back of my head, I start to heal the bruises and deep cuts running along my back. I will need all my strength and all my equipment, because I will not stop until the end, even if I have to chase myself until my last breath. And when I reach the finish line, I will pass on all the lessons of my new discovery to the Hunter.

* ⃰

Exhaustion weighs on my legs like a heavy burden, and even though I've healed most of my injuries, there's just enough aching left to remind me that I can't stop. And it wouldn't make sense to get rid of it anyway, because I can already see the wretched shack appearing behind the thinning line of trees, for which I crossed this goddamn forest. The fiery rays of the setting sun paint the tin roof of the shabby house orange, and this diverts the attention from the fact that the whole shanty is probably only held together by the Holy Spirit. It may have once been used by hikers to rest on their way after a long adventure, and at the time it may have seemed more suitable for this purpose. Still, this crumbling cabin is the most beautiful thing I've ever had the pleasure of seeing in my eyes now. Because limping towards it means I've done it. I survived the ordeal I thought was impossible and passed the test, which I suspect neither I nor Riley, who is waiting for me at the cottage, expected with full certainty.

My hand looks for leverage in one of the tree trunks as I step forward from the woods, and my gaze almost automatically meets the man's, who merely pushes himself away from the wall of the safe house upon my arrival. And I'd be lying if I said that it doesn't fill me with ferocious joy when I can feel the mild surprise emanating from him even from a distance, since I know that even if he counted on the possibility that I would get out of this affair alive, he also assumed that my path would not lead here. The dark eyes run over me in a split second, and I feel them taking in every available surface of my battered, dirty and blood-stained form, and I have to hide the evil little smile that wishes to come on my lips, when it occurs to me, that the state of my appearance might give him reason for concern.

And when he steps off the small porch of the shack, I, accompanied by a weak moan, let the fatigue and the throbbing ache in my limbs take over and help my body fall to the ground with a dull thud. After the trials of the previous hours, I can accept the feeling more easily as I meet the hard ground, and it even feels a little pleasant, as I enter a state close to resting for the first time since the previous night. Closing my eyes, I allow myself to finally relax for a few moments after the hellish lesson I've been through, and it doesn't bother me at all that I'm stirring up and inhaling the dust below me with my slow breathing. Thanks to MacTavish and Garrick's clever little ideas, I'm almost used to this experience.

But my attention doesn't waver despite my seemingly unconscious state, because I keep my ears open and listen as the Hunter's heavy steps get closer and closer to me, thus leading him into the sneaky little trap that I had time to devise while running the last few kilometers. The shadow of his tall figure looms over me as he stands in front of me, and I can almost feel his searching gaze burning my back, as he surely checks for signs of life on my limp person. His unmistakable spicy scent creeps into my nose as he crouches down next to me, and I feel one of his big hands spreading across my back. The touch with which he pulls aside the fabric of my torn turtleneck to examine my injuries is light as a feather, and I continue to let him explore with the calmness of a fainted victim, even though the worn skin tingles in the wake of his probing.

And the possibility probably fills him with sincere uncertainty that he might have really succeeded and killed the new little helper of his team, because he doesn't even notice the way one of my eyes opens and assesses the person crouching next to me. His left hand is resting on one of his bent thighs, and his tattooed skin peeking out from under his rolled-up sleeve is calling me almost seductively, offering itself to be the protagonist of my little action. I let him estimate the damage for a few more moments, and when his hand slides from my back to my shoulder to reach under me and lift me up, I know the moment has arrived to strike. Using the momentum of the power left in me, I suddenly reach for his free hand, and my fingers lock onto his upper arm with such speed that he doesn't have enough time to free himself from his musings about my battered state. The muscles under my palm tense up as I channel the first sparks of my lightning-fast little energy into him, forcing a momentary confusion on the Hunter in a vile way.

And as he sways for a minute and loses his rock-solid balance, I seize this opportunity to spring up and push into him with my full weight, grabbing his shoulders and almost throwing myself at him. He falls on the ground with a loud thump as a result of my unexpected action, and I am on top of him in a second, and with skillful movements I unfasten a large knife from the tactical vest on his chest in order to point it at his neck and stop him in any kind of opposition that might arise in him. During the journey there, I had plenty of time to imagine how I was going to carry out my little revenge, which I would use to reward the hostile little words addressed to me as a farewell. But I have to say, as I kneel over him, the sight before me is far beyond my imagination.

As he wakes up from the shock of the moment, his brown eyes jump to my face and are filled with honest surprise as they take in the situation and the triumphant smile on my lips. He tries to move under me, but I only press the pretty little blade that I have just so deftly stolen from him to his throat a bit harder. And that familiar tremble appears in my stomach again, as the line of his jaw shifts in frustration when he realizes what a clever little trap I've lured him into with my award-winning performance. And I remind myself to mention to Price later, that he was wrong about that I can't always rely on distraction when I attack. Because I managed to catch even the strongest Hunter in the unit unprepared with the neat little trick.

"Looks like I won." I sprinkle in my comment, and I don't even try to make the superiority that moves into my voice disappear, because, after the day I've been through, I'm finally going to have some fun. And since my goal is to further enhance the already interesting situation, I lean closer to him with my free hand sliding to his chest so that I can study and enjoy every available change of his face from a safe distance. And I pull a smirk on my lips when I note how his body tenses under me, but he continues to wait with deliberate immobility to see where my little activity leads. Although I know that if he wanted to, he would throw me off of himself like a rag doll. "I hope you haven't forgotten what you promised if I manage to touch you with even a finger."

With this, I really manage to catch him off guard for a moment, because I can recognize the process even from the coverage of the mask, as he furrows his brows in confusion. I ponder on the idea, that up until now he could have been preparing for the fact that I would end his career on earth now out of revenge for this whole torture, but fortunately, the enlightenment I experienced in the forest diverted me from this path for some time now. Although it is true that it has crossed my mind a couple of times to inform him of my discoveries in a more uncomfortable and bloodier way than what my present actions convey. But since I am determined to return to the base, even though I need him as a driver, it is also a non-negligible aspect, thanks to my newly found sympathy, that his absence, presumably, would deeply sadden his little team. And maybe my everyday life would become much more boring without our little games.

"I didn't think you’d be able to do it." He says, breaking his silence, and it's not entirely clear whether he's talking about my escape or my little revenge maneuver, but whatever he means, the breath of playfulness in his deep voice gives me satisfaction. Because this is the first time that his speech directed at me doesn't ring with hostility or harsh bluntness.

"I hope you can get over it." I reply to his comment with unbroken cheerfulness, since I really hope that he can put aside his disappointment caused by my survival for the sake of our future relationship. As things currently stand, my plans include spoiling the air of unit for the foreseeable future, and perhaps this outing in the woods has diverted both of us to the path where the atmosphere between the two of us will become somewhat more livable. Of course, it doesn't even occur to me that we'll be best friends, because I don't plan to hold back a single remark from my sharp little tongue, regardless of what revelations I've made in the heat of the fucking life-threatening danger. And I suspect he will feel just a little bit less motivated to break my neck. But that's perfectly fine. If our little duel didn't continue, I'm afraid my life would become too boring and gray. After all, what would I do in my spare time if I couldn't think of creative ways to piss him off?

"We'll see." He reacts to my little suggestion quite casually, and for some reason, I particularly like the way he is stuck underneath me, between my thighs, and lets me enjoy every little moment of my victory. Interestingly, this position suits him surprisingly well, where he's robbed of control by someone taking him to the ground, which I suspect is not a common occurrence. And this is starting to soothe my soul somewhat after today's sea of shit.

But as his dark eyes leave my face and move on to my figure pinning him to the ground, the superiority I just felt suddenly diminishes. And the excited little sparks under my skin shouldn't arise by the way his gaze glides over me, because now I have the upper hand, and in this situation, my morbid little joy should be the cause of the tingle appearing in my stomach at most. But now a new feeling rears its evil little head inside me, prompting me to retreat quickly, because this intimate moment has the potential to take an unknown turn if I stay in it. And as much as I know that the man sprawled beneath me is probably just looking for ways in his indifferent mind to torture me later as a reward for my little move, I still can't get rid of the thrilling excitement that moves into my limbs.

Therefore, I rather decide that it is time to return to the base, because the imaginations in my head are rampant in increasingly wild ways due to fatigue. So I easily give up on my little mission, since I am too worn out and exhausted to burden my already frayed nerves with such complicated thoughts and observations. I push myself away from him with quick movements, giving myself momentum with my hand resting on his chest, and standing up, I take a few steps back to give him a chance to gather himself.

"You could take me back now." I raise my free hand towards him, putting all my indifference into this small gesture, even though I know that this is my first move towards him, in which no insidious, sly ulterior motive is hidden. "I'd kill for a shower." I add a rather realistic reason to my wish, because the only thing that can help my current state is a good bath and my hard little bed. And while before I would have accepted it cynically if the enjoyment of such simple pleasures arose in me, after wrestling with mutants, I somehow re-evaluate how uplifting the feeling can be when I'm allowed to just simply exist pleasantly.

A few torturous moments pass, but finally, he firmly wraps his long fingers around my outstretched hand, and regaining consciousness from the shock of my attack he sits up, and I, accompanied by the screams of my tortured muscles, pull him up so that he can tower above me again. I'm sure that he would have been able to do this stunt on his own too, but the fact that he accepted my hand instead of killing me on the spot, fills me with a breath of contentment that I wouldn't admit out loud, even if a cute little piglet would want to murder me again.

"Remember that you owe me a wish." I remind him, as I tap his vest with the knife I had sneaked away from him, and I can't hold back the cheeky grin curling at the corners of my mouth, which appears on my face at the mention of my reward. If he thought that one of the forest traps would make such an impression on my mind that I would forget his irresponsibly sarcastic little remark, then I'm sad to say, that he played with the wrong person. Because unfortunately, my memory is even better than my survival instinct. "I won't let you cop out." I promise him, and despite the insolence in my voice, my intentions are really serious in this regard, because he can be certain, that I will save up this opportunity for a very sneaky moment. Those who have an irresponsible mouth will have to suck it up and follow through.

"Let's go." He cuts my little threat short, while taking the knife I got from him and sliding it back into one of the intricate pockets of his vest with practiced movements. He gives me another meaningful look, and he doesn't have to voice what his message is to me, because I can decipher it myself quite well. And as the coldness in the dark eyes moderates somewhat, I realize that from now on he wants to chase me away from his team a few degrees less. Because my return was a clear answer to the question that had probably been on his mind until now, and now that he can rest assured that I will not stab him in the back, he will be calmer to let me live.

He walks towards the jeep with comfortable steps, and I follow him, accompanied by a tired sigh, but still keeping my lightness. I don't spare a single glance at the forest behind me, which is slowly fading into the evening, even though it has become the scene of fateful memories. And although the events that took place in the abundance of nature resolved many of my stormy emotions and thoughts, I can't wait to leave the fucking home of life-threatening adventures behind me. Because I am much more interested in how my life at the unit will continue after this. And something tells me that the real excitement will only follow after this.

[rouge-the-bat]

WAH.... I LOVE SHADOW SO MUCH

[egg-emperor]

Had a dream that Eggman got tired of using animals as living batteries for his machines because they didn't provide enough power and needed to be sustained as natural lifeforms.

So he turned his attention to Chao. He experimented with a Neutral but the chao can only grant their power if they're willing, so the first test was a failure.

He later found out they're more obedient and willing if you raise them til they're adults and transformed. So he did that. Then he put it in a machine to test it. The test was successful, for maybe an hour or so... The chao was so willing to help its master that it expended all of its energy and died in the process.

Eggman just shrugged and scoffed as he ordered Metal Sonic to raise a garden of evil chao so that he could mass produce and exploit more of them. Didn't care if they all died, he just wanted them to power his sentinels.

I was wondering... What would you think if Sega took a dark route like this with Eggman? I know you're a fan of the more violent and evil Eggman, so i wanted to hear your opinion on this. Personally, if Sega ever wanted to make a T rated sonic game I'd friggin love seeing this side of Eggman.

DUDE FJSBSBGKSBFKGNZN I'm rubbing my hands together and scheming evilly with this, that's when you know it's good

I've always liked to imagine that one of the few reasons he keeps Chao around is because he's fascinated with them for their connection to Chaos and wants to research to learn more and potentially get some use out of them in future plans. Because that's really his first thought for anything in life, what it can do for him. Even when it comes to innocent little creatures, as he's got a track record of that starting from the very beginning.

How fucked up it would be if all those Chao that he keeps in his private garden and Cryptic Castle would be used for something so twisted in the end. I like to think that no matter how long it was that he had been keeping Chao until he decided to test his theories, it wouldn't be difficult for him to grab one and use it as a test subject for another sick scheme at the thought, just like any other small cute creatures in his life because there are no exceptions.

Starting with a plain neutral which means it's untouched and uninfluenced by him, which one would think that using them would be more bearable than one they've bonded with and become attached to. But Eggman isn't like that, when he finds they need that effort as they need to be willing, it'll only make him more eager and determined and he won't even hesitate to create a bond with a Chao with the intention of breaking it in the worst way possible.

Even if that means showing them the supposed love and affection they require, making them feel happy, safe, and trusting, even admiring him and believing he cares. They don't know that the wild grin on his face isn't that of pure joy to spend time and have fun with them. And they don't know that when he laughs, it's because he's thinking about how these cute little things have so much power he can use and he's not going to let it go to waste.

He changes them into the perfect Dark Chao that are loyal to him- then betrays and uses them just like anything else. And he isn't even cruel before that, only making what becomes of them even worse and more heartless of an act because despite how they were fooled, the process wasn't genuine bonding and he didn't develop feelings of care, he still willingly puts them at risk so easily. That's all it was to him, a process, a necessary step to be taken in his plan.

Well, he's not cruel to them that much so they don't start to hate him and become too unwilling to be used- buuut if he wants to speed up the process of them becoming Dark type, then he could occasionally get a liiittle bit harsher... Because you know how quickly they can change their tune from upset from it to happy, if they're petted and fed after. I mean he has exclusive kicking and slapping animations in the Chao Garden for a reason fjsbgksbgjskgbk god

And it's the same when they die during the test. He doesn't feel guilty about the poor little Chao that he raised and betrayed by bringing it into the world and then taking it out of it. He just hardly even acknowledges its death, aside from being pleased that it worked and likes how it was willing enough to give its life for him but of course, he takes it for granted because he feels he's entitled to it and it should be the standard for all those beneath him.

His only thought is it would've been nicer if it could've lived longer for it to be useful to him longer and that's it. But he shrugs like oh well and decides using the Chao is very convenient than the common creatures for their higher energy and power and how they're actually even easier to mass produce as he keeps them contained in his gardens and castle. So it's onto the next step of hatching and raising more with help of Metal and other robots to prepare for his scheme.

And he's not just careless about how they'll all die but can also find it entertaining, how they're so easy to influence and make willing and obedient, so eager to please that it kills them. It's the loyalty he always demands and will take advantage of in the darkest ways, they must be willing to give their all including their life to do as he pleases. He'd love the power he feels with them submitting their lives to him. They belong to him for his selfish cause, even if it means sacrificing.

He can cruelly torment helpless little Wisps and enjoy their fear and then drain them of their energy for his selfish needs until they become dark negative beings, so I wouldn't put it beneath him and he could even actually enjoy it as well as be apathetic towards it. It doesn't matter who they are or what they look like, he will exploit them for his gain just like anything else with no exceptions, what he wants and what they can do for him always comes first.

I'd absolutely love it if they did omfg 🥰💜💕💘💖 I don't want them to introduce all these huge changes to his character in upcoming games and make him nicer, I just want more exploration of his character the way he is, like the great lengths he'll go for his own selfish gain and how evil and scary he can get. Not changing a single thing about him, just the tone of the overall story to allow the exploration of his already existing great traits and capabilities.

Thank you for sharing this concept with me, I adore it. I'm so happy to be getting back to talking about my kind of dark, evil, and violent but also funny Eggman which I really enjoy the most. And this is right up my alley and the exact kind of stuff that I'm gonna be posting even more of on my upcoming side blog! :D

[almalvo]

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY | S1E5 "Choose Your Pain"

[I will react to each episode individually and in full, raw reception and then post as is unrevised here onto my tumblr for the full span of every and all NuTrek episodes and series that have been and will be released. If this falls under your field of interest - I welcome your company in joining me. Enjoy the ride.] -------

yeah i still dont like a black woman being "someone to fear burnham" idk guess we'll see. hmm i feel like there could be something in that telescope oml this view into the bridge and other facilities onboard discovery at the start of this episode is SO PRETTYYY let me LIVE. there. oh this is weird oh so space bear gets the titty stab but not burnham XD ofc ofc awww space bear depressed let him outttt id be depressed too, stuck in there with only a slop bucket and no moss in sight :/

ayyyyeee vulcan aboardd also why katrina's eyes are so red is she ok? bruh i been preoccupied by tardigrades too um ok lorca, mr. isaac clarke over here with your eye stabbery i kinda like lorca's face. hes so "f everything idgaf" oh my god the scale of the ship next to the shuttlepod

beat em up oh crap hmm hes gone so acting captain'll be saru thatll be interesting ugh i love this intro theres this feeling of utter suspension hearing and seeing it ugh seeing discovery fly through all these things and spin its so nice ugh the handssssssssssss i love the measurements and all these things and the constellations left behind ugh so much to see look at saruuuu cant wait till he frkn understands burnham's previous decisions and can stop treating her so blah i love his eyes WHO ARCHER JONATHAN AAAA PIKE CHRISTOPHER OH FUCKKKKK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AND THEN IT WILL BE you know. you know. YOU. KNOW. oh my god ok shaking okokokokok MUDD DID YOU JUST SAY YOUR NAME IS MUDD MUDDDDDDDDDDD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA oh my god this is so cool

oh dang. this poor guy. he was just in there to get foot in face. you sure are mudd. you sure do do that survivin. hi stamets. lmaooooo he knows hes brilliant - get it stamets own that shit it is kind of odd hearing burnham say such praise haha oh yeah its all BURNHAMS fault uhuh. cool to see some lone captain scenes its so odd to see such serious lighting in a trek production. listen. this is still all so NEW to me k. this guy ash tyler is pretty what is that its cute but also id be way to scared to come anywhere near that thing ughhh this outside shot of ncc discovery is so PRETTY thats so interesting? warp freeways because of space shrooms. damn. im with it.

DI DID DID DID THE THEY USE THE F WORD ON S T A R T R E K ???? DID THEY FUCKING USE THE FUCKING F BOMB ON FUCKING STAR TREK, ON THE FUCKING STAR TREK ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME RIGHT FUCKING NOW HOLY FUCK I DID NOT I DID NOT HEAR THAT. my fucking mandible fell off when i heard that. i cannot believe what i just witnessed. i cannot believe my ears. not even AOS did the "fuck". oh my god "fuck" is canon in trek. that brought tears to my eyes hang on yall holy. shit… ima table that cuz i cant get over that idk when i can wow

saru has the perfect voice its so saru. its really cool to see his face like this the prosthetic is so great. it looks more real than (almost) anything pure cgi. cuz it IS real. i love it. beautiful example of practical effects. beautiful execution. also sorry but "predator"? really…? i dont appreciate burnham's treatment at all when its already bad enough that black women are almost always represented racially or with such a societal disdain cuz fucking EVERYONE hates black women. it is what critically annoys me in this series above all else so far :/ also sorry but WHAT THE FUCK DID STEWART DO HOW DARE YOU FUCKING THROW IT FUCK. YOU.

#LorcaNotMyCaptain

ugh not again with the titty stabbers. dude. this is slavery. let the fucking space bear go. look what you did to it. he shriveled up to survive. i HATE the treatment of other lifeforms in this series so far. CRACK IT OPEN? fuck you saru. fuck you too stamets. man everyone is so unlikeable. thats another issue i have in this show so far almost everyone is unlikeable af.

i didnt get to know phillipa that much so not much to say. burnham is so standoffish, idk if we have anough time to unravel her dimensionally. sylvia is kind of more annoying than endearing. lorca is lorca. ofc i dont like him (except i DO like an unperfect captain - i just wonder if hes redeemable). stamets is so catty like i get it yes be proud of your ideas that people might be ignorant towards but bruh still theres not enough good quality to counterbalance it so far. saru looks cool sure but hes so blatantly crass towards even other non-human lifeforms when he himself is non-human, cuz sry all that "crack it open" bullshit is gross af, desperation or not. i would NOT want him as my acting captain, ill say that, no matter how pretty he might be. i like ash tyler the most so far. i mean i get it its only episode 5 of 15 in s1 of 5 seasons - but still maybe im not too used to this many characters simultaneously being difficult to connect with. im gonna wait and see if this all develops. saru's feet. are hooflike his hands are so expressive his shape is so hes so lank. im SO impressed with how amazing he looks up close. i can SEE the subsurface scattering of his skin and the blood in his veins yeah please. we need this small talk with saru. thanks. k. i needed to see this redemptive quality in saru and co. cuz the getgo, everyones so adverse to alignment and connectivity

poor space bear i really hope you will be happy out there, mossie. youre FREEEE oh my god. space bear just warped. oh my god WARPING space bear. i need a plushie of it. mossie. stamets and doc. they gay for each other. they hubbies. they are literally brushing teeth together. yeuip. they gay. mhm. for sure. wow. first ever fucking explicitly gay couple in star trek. and it took this FUCKING long. i aint talking about TOS yall, we all know the love story that is the first 4 seasons + 6 classic films + 3 alternate reality films of Star Trek k - i just mean very literal and established archetypically, that makes sense. about fucking time. IDIC is literally mother gay but this took half an entire century to fucking show a gay couple onscreen. fuck me. k well. SNW Season 2 and 3, dont let us down. Im going to fucking die if theres even a wisp of something near Lower Deck's "K+S" carving scene. i digress.

alright DISCO, ima see how you unpack all this universal animosity, cuz damn are you thick with it in the first entire third of your first season.

[manonblaqkbeak]

Dating and Goodreads

Back for Day 8-Blind date (how the hell do u guys come up with good title fics i struggle so bad lol). I wasn’t really going anywhere with this one, but when i read all of the others and saw how fun the fics were, i decided to finish this one.

also for Summertime and Fresh Strawberries, I deliberately left it blank but I can’t hold onto the secret bc two people were curious as to what happened, so i’ll let the rest of you know that aelin and rowan decided to keep summer and be a cute little family, bc im a sucker for happy endings lol (unless its angst, it’s safe to assume that all my rowaelin fics have happy endings bc they’ve all ready been thru so much and even in alt fics i need them to be happy lmao)

anyway, on to the next one. hope you enjoy!

1.8k words

cw: none

Aelin was a confident woman, something that she was proud of. But that didn't mean that there weren't times she didn't feel self-conscious or awkward and full of doubt.

Because right now, all those negative feelings were swimming inside of her.

And those feelings were just magnified today, especially since she had gotten fired only a few hours beforehand. It was utterly unexpected, she had never received any prior warnings, and while she was a fighter, Aelin didn't feel like stepping into the ring for this one. Not when her boss was a demon from hell that made life unbearable and she had to physically push herself into entering the work building.

Aelin told herself that it was for the best. She was miserable there and hated working in an office typing up the worlds most boring reports and working in a space that was entirely too drab.

But she wasn't looking forward to job hunting. Aelin was aware that she could ask her friends for favours, but if Aelin did something wrong, she didn't want it reflected back onto whoever helped her.

And she was still a little peeved over the damned argument she had online again with that haughty prick on Goodreads. Aelin wasn't sure why those arguments kept going, but each time she would post a review, White Tailed Hawk would respond, telling her that she read the book wrong and this and that and blah blah blah.

Aelin repaid the favour each time, telling him how he was wrong and he had no reading comprehension skills. And on and on it went until Aelin or whoever the fuck that guy was went back to their own lives.

Depressingly, it was the most fun she had some days.

Shaking her head, Aelin forced herself to think of the now and not of her shitty day. Still she sighed, not quite believing that she had agreed to this blind date. Couldn't believe that she had let Aedion convince her it was a good idea.

Aelin had said no at first, after Aedion had voiced his offer, and her cousin left it at that. But days went past, and he would bring up the topic of Rowan, about the things he had said that day, how his dry sense of humour took some time to get used to but once you figured it out, he was actually pretty funny, how he had finished a project perfectly and this and that.

But it got to her, annoyingly. So the other day when he was helping her out with some housework that was a two person job, Aelin told him to set up this date. Aedion cheered as if it was the best thing he had ever heard, telling her how she and Rowan were the perfect match for each other.

Aelin rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything of the assessment.

She had only agreed because it was getting frustrating being asked at every family event if she was dating someone, when she was going to give her parents grandchildren (that question pissed her off the most, as if Aelin was nothing but a birthing machine and that was all Aelin could contribute to society), and who was going to look after her when she was old if she didn't have children (because apparently carers didn't exist).

Aelin was also lonely—she could entertain herself just fine, but she did like the idea of coming home and talking to someone that could respond. She loved Fleetfoot and her enthusiasm when Aelin came home, but human companionship would be nice.

But Aelin didn't have high-hopes for this date because the universe liked to kick Aelin's ass from time to time, she suspected that they were going to hate each other.

Taking a deep breath, Aelin got out of her car, smoothed down her romper and went inside the restaurant, head held high.

X X X X X X

Rowan couldn't believe that he was about to go on a blind date. That Aedion had convinced him to go out with his younger cousin. He hadn't dated anyone since Lyria and he knew that his dating skills were going to be rusty as hell. He had been with Lyria since they were nineteen, married at 23 and divorced at 31; he had been single for the last two years.

It had been...fine, a little strange, after being with someone for so long to find himself a bachelor. Rowan never thought that he would apart from Lyria, but their relationship had just faded. Long before the divorce, it had been more like a housemate relationship than a marriage. He wasn't surprised when his ex-wife had come home after work with divorce papers. He had only stared at the paperwork for an hour before he signed the forms. Truthfully, Rowan was just glad that he was still on good terms with Lyria, that they could still talk to one another from time to time.

Rowan had almost called her earlier today, to ask how the hell dates went, but felt that it would have been crossing some invisible line, so he didn't call and instead had Googled the questions instead.

They didn't really help.

Rowan drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, telling himself that if things went wrong, then it wasn't the end of the world. That if he had to be a bachelor for the rest of his life, then that was fine. He had plenty of ways of keeping himself busy—he had a good career, a nice house, plenty of books to read and to argue online about them with.

He had one earlier today, actually, with Queen of Wildfire about a new release that Rowan had eagerly read within days of its release. And once again, he ended up with an argument with the woman about the messages and themes within the book.

It was stupid, he knew, to be at his age and to be fighting online with a stranger, but something about this woman just had his fingers flying over the keyboard.

Some days he looked forward to it, as embarrassing as that was to admit. He didn't really want to look into himself to figure out what it all meant.

Eyes drifting to the dashboard, Rowan realised that his date was about to start. Popping a mint into his mouth and smoothing out his clothes, Rowan took a deep breath and left the car and went to his first date in twelve years.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be too bad.

X X X X X X

The date had started out a little awkward, but that wasn't a surprise to Aelin, because what blind date started smoothly?

It picked up after Rowan admitted that he was divorced and that he had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do. Aelin appreciated that stark honesty and admitted that she too had no idea what to do.

Since then, the conversation went well, the food was good and Aelin had even swiped a few bites of his dinner because it just looked so much better than hers. Rowan had playfully grumbled underneath his breath, but smiled as he said it.

It was going really well. Maybe the universe had decided to give her a break for the rest of this evening. There was a part of her that maybe wondered if they would have sex, because the man did look fucking fantastic, but at the same time, she didn't want to rush anything in case this actually turned into something more.

“What's the dumbest thing that you've done recently or in the past?” Aelin asked. There was no such thing as small talk between them—Aelin had all ready asked if he believed in aliens and was glad when he said yes, because “it's ridiculous to think that we're alone in this wide universe of ours. It makes sense that there'd be other lifeforms out there.” Which was pretty damned close to Aelin's reasoning as well, so asking him about stupid moments felt like nothing in comparison.

Rowan smirked at the question and took a moment to think before answering. “I engage in online arguments.”

“Really? About what, exactly?”

“It's stupid. But my all my arguments occur on Goodreads of all places. Not Facebook, or YouTube, or Twitter, but Goodreads. It's never anything insulting but just arguments about how wrong some people's in depth reviews are.”

“Fair enough,” Aelin said, “I've been known to do the same thing as you. There's this one user on there, White Tailed Hawk—a stupid name if you ask me—and he just never...” Aelin stopped when she noticed that he stopped eating and was just looking at her weirdly. “Rowan? Are you okay?”

“Do you, by any chance, go under the name of Queen of Wildfire?”

Aelin blinked, and then blinked again, and once the pieces fell into place, she knew right then and there that the universe really hated her. She let out a harsh laugh, the sound echoing throughout the space. Aelin wasn't really sure what to say, because it was true what he said; it had never been insulting, but ending up on a date with the man she had regularly arguments with was just...she had no words, other then, “It really is a stupid name.” She took a sip of her wine, needing to do something other than wanting to bang her head against the table.

“I couldn't think of anything else to write.” And it wasn't also his favourite animal, he had told her that earlier.

They lapsed back into the awkward silence of earlier, both picking at their food.

But Aelin didn't want this night to go to waste. “It'd be stupid to let something as small as this get in the way of whatever this could be,” Aelin said, deciding to be blunt.

Rowan nodded. “It would be. Although I have to be honest, you really have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to Call of the Wild Winds.”

Aelin just about stormed off when she noticed his playful smile, his eyes sparkling bright. Laughing, Aelin threw a bread-roll at his handsome face, and once he caught it and split it in half for them to share, they went back to their earlier conversation.

And when Rowan walked her to her apartment door and kissed her on the cheek goodnight with a promise to text her later, Aelin couldn't help herself by telling him that all his opinions sucked and that he had no idea what he was talking about—all with a big smile on her face as Rowan sputtered as she closed the door on his face.

They spent the rest of the night texting, and all of Aelin's earlier woes faded away. And she looked forward to tomorrow, despite the horror of job hunting. Maybe the universe will finally let things turn around for the better for her.

Aelin went to sleep with a smile on her face, all because of White Tailed Hawk.

And on the other side of the city, Rowan also fell asleep with a smile on his face.

[naomibnova]

you ever wonder why the ultimate lifeform is apparently a hedgehog? like was gerald going for a hedgehog or was he expecting some big monster like biolizard and was really confused why it turned out tiny and cute, or maybe its outside appearance dident matter so when little maria came up and showed him a drawing of her imaginary friend and asked if he could make him real he just went "ya sure why not"

Im not a sonic lore sage, so i could be completely wrong buttt.... It's also not really explained why shadow is able to control the chaos emeralds in a way no one else can. the only power he got from the alien side of him was being able to connect to their hive mind.

It's easy to assume that the two unexplored things about shadow are connected. one could say because gerald maybe used emeralds in research, a hedgehog was always going to be the end result, or hedgehogs are just more predisposed to chaos power. That line of thought would exclude super tails, super knuckles, and technically perfect chaos.

The idea of Maria having a direct hand in shadow's appearance hurts in a special way

[pretty-little-pink]

Things I wanna do:

Omega Author in heat going up to the first Alpha he smells, demanding to be bred right then and there. Preferably for the Alpha to do just that, uncaring if anyone sees them fucking, only taking Author to a bedroom once Alpha knotted him.

Author has gone missing. Your muse has been looking for him for a long time, and finally they find him. He's in some sort of overgrown plant like nest. He's alive, but doesn't look like a normal human anymore. He's been used by a sort of sentient plant for breeding and stuff.

Blind fairy Host got caught in a spidernet! Your arachne muse is in desperate need of laying eggs, and fairies are the perfect incubators for carrying them. Not only because their magical bodies are great for breeding, but also because they make a healthy snack for newbown baby spiders! Though arachne may want to keep the fairy instead of making him a snack....

Host has done some questionable rituals that made him a little less than human. He regularly does rituals where strange creatures and/or magic fucks and breeds him, making him carry various offspring.

Author gets regularly pumped full with eggs while he's asleep, but he's also completely unaware of it happening. Even when his belly swells and grows more and more he doesn't know it's happening. The eggs hatch inside of him, the many creatures finally leaving his body, just for him to get pumped full again.

Author/Host is kept by non-humans for studying. He gets pleasured in many ways to see what's happening, forcefully bred and carrying many different lifeforms. Getting his body pushed to its limits, getting degraded and insulted and hurt. He's just a lil experiment c:

HUCOW!! Author is just such a good cow... such big tits, and such a fertile womb... you really should breed him and milk him yknow?

Slime Author deserves to be used like a good fucktoy :)

I NEED some more siblingxsibling stuff I'm so sorry. I need a sweet little cute Host boy being absolutely wrecked by an older brother. No matter if it's a nice loving brother or a brother who hates his guts. I just need more of it pls

[the-writings-of-kaos]

Galactic crossing program pt 1

The Vicarious empire had been expanding for a large portion of their recent history, the collective government of their race founded a company made specifically to terraform and colonize planets with multiple colonies for the use of population dispersal and to expand horizons. Space agencies were almost exclusively mobile agencies, giant university ships, dragging trawler ship factories, and even the occasional asteroid miner and ship fabricator docks spaced through out the massive reach of space.  And today, Galactic standard date 12/39/13098, I am setting out to explore the uncharted space!

———

“Welcome abound captain Freyith, it is an honour to make your aquaitance.”

The ship greeted its captain in Retah tongue, as Freyith came abourd.

Freyith: “Salutations to you aswell wing, would you please start up the FTL drive?”

W-I-N-G: “Of course, shall we make haste to the edge of mapped space?”

Freyith: “Yes please. Oh this is so exciting, imagine all the new species we could incounter.”

W-I-N-G: “Unlikly, the nearest area of unmapped space contains mostly rouge or unstable systems at the fringes of the galaxy.”

Freyith: “ohh...”

The young Retah slumped down in her helm nest with disappointment, was this really all her space days would be? Jumping from system to system to scout out uninhabitable planet after planet.

W-I-N-G: “Do not fret captain, it is much more safe to see unique planetiod formations rather then potentially hostile and savage life forms. And what’s more if something did truely survive in this area of space, it would be the closest thing to a walking crieyutt.”

Freyith shuddered at that blatantly poor attempt at humour, the walkers of crieyutt were nothing but an old story told to fledglings to make them grow a sense of danger. No creature would actually survive if they were so violent, the laws of the galaxy themselves say so.

Freyith: “Sure sure wing, I ain’t got this reachers license for nothing. Let’s go have some ventures, shall we?”

W-I-N-G: “Commencing space jump in three, two, one.”

Freyith was thrown back in her nest, she laughed with amazement as the lights of stars glimered past in lines of bright white, blue, yellow, reds, greens, and a rare few purple dashes just before the Feathered festival ship dropped out of FTL space.

Freyith giggled and laughed until her sense returned and she was able to sit up once more.

Freyith: “Wing, system report.”

W-I-N-G: “It would appear that we have dropped approximately sixteen yip lengths from a large red dwarf star, celestial body count of 7 comprised of 4 asteroid bodies. Shall we move towards the furthest planetoid?”

Freyith: “Affirmative, let’s see what this system has in the ways of inhabitability.”

The small ship flew into orbit of the third planet.

W-I-N-G: “Readings indicate small surface pockets, of electrolized metal. Likely caused by the exceedingly dense atmospheric conditions, as well as atmospheric friction. Surprisingly this planets core is very hot, suggesting that there is some form of mineral gas in the atmosphere preventing the planet from cooling down. There also appears to be a record 78 orbiting bodies of natural origin, scans suggest that most of them are solid state hydrogen oxide.”

Freyith: “This planet has perfect conditions for terraformation, with all that electrolized metal it would be more than easy to make this into an active food world. And all those hydrogen oxide asteroids could serve as water for millennia!”

W-I-N-G: “Deep scans suggest that there is some sort of... burrowing lifeform on the planet.”

Freyith gasped with excitement, then paused, and began to feel curiousity.

Freyith: “Wait, if the deep scans picked it up, how large would it be?”

W-I-N-G: “Deep scans say it is around, 60-90 Vep (15-20 meters squared) in size.”

Freyith: “Search for possible locations for new life, if something that big is here, surely there is something habitable here.”

W-I-N-G: “Negitive, the life form was very close to the surface. It may be a rapid magmetic convulsion pressure. We should scout the rest of the system, before setting foot with such a thing on the planet.”

Freyith: “ugh fine, but as soon as we are done we are going back to see it.”

The ship cruised along

W-I-N-G: “Planet 2 contains heavy amounts of solid state nitrogen deposits. No atmosphere, scans suggest a strong abundance of sodium meteors in the asteroid rings around the planet.”

Freyith: “Fun, next.”

W-I-N-G: “please refrain from not documenting these planets captain.”

Freyith: “Right sorry, it’s just like the orbital bodies back home. It’s nothing interesting.”

The ship moved along, as the captain had a fight with the ship ai.

W-I-N-G: “Planet number 1 seems to have dense- captain, we have an impact warning in 6 wop. Get up, we need to document this!”

Freyith: “Who in the burning blunder is out here?”

W-I-N-G quickly moved the ship out of the way, then further out of the way as another impact warning played out.

Freyith sat with baited breath in front of the vid screens, as the odd six sided object came hurdling through space. It flew by the ship with a multitude of other objects of the same shape, as all of the swarm of them ignited a bright yellow fire at their bottoms and flung towards the third planet.

Freyith: “Wing follow them to the planet, and I won’t say I told you so.”

W-I-N-G hurled the ship back to the third planet, as they watched the odd ships rain down into the dense atmosphere and crash straight into the under ground tunnels the life form had made.

Freyith: “Wing What is happening?”

W-I-N-G: “It does not compute, there doesn’t seem to be a obvious reason as to why this is happening.”

With astonishment Freyith watched as the planets atmosphere began to clear and thin out, as the odd ships flew through it. The odd shapes having been switched out for the megnitised surface deposits, as the metal was pulled out of the atmosphere and placed in a visible pile.

Freyith: “Wing, land us planet side. As close to that massive deposit as you can.”

The ship did as commanded and flew down to the surface, putting on a atmosuit Freyith hopped out the airlock to look around. The pile of metal was amazing, the small grains of black dust stuck to the magnetic deposits was absurd as more of the odd ships flew over head.

A loud howl like noise suddenly erupted behind her, before she turned rapidly to face the new foe. A small adorable creature stood just a little ways away, it wore no pressure suit, it wore no atmosuit, all it wore was a small patch of fur atop its head and synthetic garments.

The sense of fear and sense adoration were so much, she had no idea what to do. Run back to the ship, or stand her ground to meet the small cute creature.

It began to walk towards her, its clumsy looking bipedal stride mixed with the frail looking limbs made her want to help it towards her as if it was helpless living on a world that was in the dooms day of all doomsday not a few moments ago.

It stood next to her, and outstretched its stumpy grasping appendage towards her. She didn’t quite know what to do, so she reciprocated the gesture. The small creature took her grasping in its and shook them up and down before letting go, and gesturing back to where it came.

Freyith was shocked with how calm the creature was, and the virtually no aggression seemed to be good indicator. Ignoring wing yelling in her ear she followed the small clumsy creature over the flat land, past large metal structures taking atmosphere in and changing it before releasing it out the top. The small creature lead her towards what Wing had thought was the large life form diggin close to the surface, but in actuality it seemed to be a surface miner. What it was mining for was unknown, the small creature gestured that she went inside the living quarters inside the large miner.

She peered inside for any form of threat, all that was inside was a small rectangular nest. On one side a surface with various food items was spread out, and on the other was some sort of sleeping set up. And down a set of platforms was the pilots helm. The small creature followed behind her and went over to the food surface, it opened a compartment from the supporting wall and removed what looked like... meat! The creature was preparing food for her and it!

Just as she was enveloped with curiosity over the small creatures actions, it suddenly placed a metallic bowl with a special handle over top a circle built into the food item surface. It placed the dehydrated meat onto it before adding liquid water, it sizzled as the new smell of cooked meat wafted through the small nest.

The creature paused to looked back at her, and she noticed the two small forward facing eyes. So it was some sort of predator, hmm, yet it appeared completely docilen if not friendly. She looked around the nest a saw photographs embedded in viewing compartments, placed throughout the nest. One had a picture of the creature with another of its kind, and a small predator of a different species sitting in front of them. It looked rather shaggy the smaller thing, big dopey golden coloured ears with a small red live stock collar around its neck. As she puzzled over the picture, the creature grabbed back her attention. It had cut the meat with a sharp metallic utensil, and had placed the two portions on small platters. Only on its platter was some form of stalky green plant matter, and on hers a small bowl of seeds. So they were omnivores, that’s new. Most species they encountered only ate one form of food, and left the other in peace or to be used some other way. This creature seemed to eat both, and likely based off the act of peperation she was showed they ate a multitude of different foods.

The creature was using a different set of metallic utensils to eat as it sat down on one of two circular soft platforms around a surface. She sat down on the empty soft platform, and was handed her own set of utensils. Not wanting to be rude she tried them, it wasn’t a bad way to eat if not a bit safer then the regular. This way she didn’t have anything stuck in her beak, and she didn’t have to wait between bites for her food to properly settle.

The meat was delicious, some how this creatures people had a way of preparing food that made it taste better and more easily digestible. Once she finished she looked at the stalky green plant matter the creature had taken, it picked up one with its stumpy graspers and chewed it between its back jaw bones.

It was finishing the last one before it looked at the small bowl of seeds it had set out for her, it looked concerned. She wasn’t an omnivore, so she had left them alone. She pushed her finished platter towards the creature, hoping it would understand. To her surprise the creature picked up the bowl and simple swallowed all the seeds in one go, so they had multiple ways of eating, interesting.

The creature put the dirtied platters and bowl in a different compartment then they had come, maybe that was a to be cleaned compartment. The creature led her to one of the embedded viewing compartment. She recognized it as some sort of map, as the creature set it on the eating surface. It gestures to her, then to itself before gesturing at the end of a line segment on the map.

So that’s where they were, she gestured to the large circle on the map. The creature brought up a data pad and after tapping on it a few times, it showed her a collection of photos. First was a picture of the large metallic deposits landing on the surface and attracting the black dust, next was the odd shaped ships picking them up and flying them around and clearing up the atmosphere, next was a picture of the creature coming out from a buried shealter and taking down the shell of it to reveal the miner, next was a picture of the map with a swath of multiple line segments leading to the large circle she had originally gestured to.

So this was some sort of terraforming process, so this creatures race had come from an as of yet undiscovered species! And they were capable of terraforming like this? Unbelievable. She held her breath as she examined all the started lines and the few lines on the map that had come to the circle, there were hundreds of these creatures on this planet. Only hundreds, that’s so little for this massive task.

She paused and held her hand up hoping to pause the creature ramblings

Freyith: “Wing are you seeing this?”

W-I-N-G: “Yes!!! We found a deathworlder species and you are in its den, and you are vastly unprepared to face a deathworlder!!!”

Freyith: “I think I’m going to travel with them until they get to the redevue point them have shown me on their map.”

W-I-N-G: “Are you crazy!?! Have you gone savage!?! What if they eat you? What if it takes a few hepta?”

Freyith: “Thats fine, at least I can learn about them. Fly the ship over here so I can load up supplies and other sorts.”

W-I-N-G: “Does the deathworlder know you are doing this?”

Freyith paused as she looked back to the deathworlder, with its adorable patch of fur and its stumpy and clumsy looking limbs. She gesture to what she thought was a resting around, then to herself. The creature tapped on the data pad again as another surface folded out above the first one, the soft material there aswell. The creature then gestured to her and the top sleeping pad.

Freyith: “they seem happy to take me.”

Authors note:

Hey everyone, I know I still have a series on the bench but I’m going to start this one while I work on the final piece. As always thanks to my fellow authors, prompters, and commenters for the inspiration for this piece. Hope you enjoyed, have a good one.

[wyrmzone]

Handmade Dream

Content warnings for depression, burnout, and body horror

Kind of sad? Happy escapism ending

Fel lay on the shore of the abyss.

The weight of the future seemed to weigh heavily on his back, slowly crushing his ribs, his voice dwindling over time, closer and closer to a whisper.

His young joints already ached, and the dark circles under his eyes had remained for years.

But between hours of strain, the tide would calm. Fel could float amidst the soft, dark grayness, unhindered by the weight of gold and silver, of harsh light and artificial faces.

Lying on his back, half submerged in sanctuary, he slept. The gently swirling water and the scent of algae cradled him, and the grayness turned to blackness, the strongly pigmented blue of night.

Fel began to dream.

...

The sun had dipped below the horizon just recently enough to leave a faint glimmer of orange behind, delicate against the deep blues and purples. There were so many stars; as he stared at the sky, galaxies stared back with sparkling cat eyes.

Fragrant pines and short, twisting maples lined the sides of a path, little bioluminescent flowers in the moss naively mirroring the night sky above. The strong, springy moss erased his footprints as Fel followed the path to his perfect home.

"You're back."

A voice called from along the path. Fingers intertwined.

Lill.

"I'm back." Lill smiled and led Fel home, hand in hand.

Their small house stood atop a hill, a short garden of handmade plant species climbing its walls and covering the yard in blooming flowers.

"Would you like to make another?" Lill tilted his head slightly, an innocent orange glow from a nearby lampflower reflected in his warm brown eyes.

"Yes, please."

Against one wall of the workshop was a large table made by the bluish wood of a flat-topped root. Vials of various colors and sizes were scattered across it. Chisels and knives of different shapes stood in large cups, grouped in no particular way. The smooth bark of the table had been stained several colors, and patches of hardy moss and fungi grew in clumps where he had spilled drops from vials.

Fel held out his hands. In them writhed the tendrils of a red bulb, twisting angrily. Lill watched closely beside him as he pinched the sprouts of the bulb, forming thorns. Tears dropped from Fel's lashes, and where they fell on the plant's surface there formed buds, blooming upwards in large, luminous teal-blue flowers. As the thorns pierced his skin the flowers released a faint fragrance.

The defensive flower was given space among the fertile soil outside the house, where it could be admired from a respectful distance, far from its sizeable thorns.

Lill took Fel's bleeding hands, helping the cuts to seal and the blood to flow back inside.

"There's one I wanted to show you," Lill said.

Fel's eyes closed as he was led through a leafy tunnel in the garden. When they opened, soft white light greeted him.

The flowers were small, with round, dime-sized petals. They reminded Fel of a thin white-flowered vine he had placed upon the workshop walls a while before. Numerous tiny flowers were scattered over the curved branches of the tunnel trees, blinking sweetly at him.

Lill's creations were becoming slowly more elaborate. Before, he had struggled to copy Fel's designs, creating feeble little imitations that Fel found endlessly cute and endearing. Lill placed them in pots on the windowsills. Now, the dream was densely populated by unique, realistic lifeforms. Unrealistic. Fantastic.

Impossible.

...

During the day Fel would toil and stress, and at night in the dream Lill would care for him, attempting to replenish some of his vitality. Though he knew he wasn't getting better, Fel's pain seemed less biting in Lill's arms. He slept more and more, rising late, going to bed earlier, taking naps during his few breaks.

In the dream, Lill seemed to create one species a day, sometimes with multiple variants. He would show them to Fel excitedly, though once Fel thought he saw a glimpse of pain in his eyes. If only I could appreciate him, thought Fel. If only I wasn't so tired...

One night, Lill led him to a place in the woods Fel hadn't seen before. A small clearing emerged, decorated with a rainbow of blooming plants and fungi, the likes of which Fel would never have dreamed of.

Lill reached for his hand, which he gave without hesitating.

The wind blew overhead, rustling the curled, tube-like leaves of a large tree overhead. A humming sound was produced, refining and honing until it became song.

Lill pulled, making Fel step forward. They shared a shy smile. Fel's unsure footsteps followed Lill's until they became a dance.

Fel stumbled. He giggled, caught off-guard. Lill laughed gently, and the sound made Fel's chest feel warm.

Lill leaned in close. Fel put a hand on his cheek.

Under his fingertips,

He felt something.

Something like...

An edge?

Grazing his fingertips from Lill's ear to his cheekbone, Fel's nails caught an edge.

He pulled at it. Lill stood unmoving.

It felt like the edge of a large surface, seemingly laid over Lill's face.

He chuckled nervously. That's strange, Lill wasn't wearing a mask.

His stomach twisted.

He had to know.

He pulled

And with a click

What came away in his hands

Was Lill's face

And beneath the mask

That Fel grasped tightly

Knuckles white

Was nothing

But rows

And rows

Of teeth

Serrated and white

Lining a large circular mouth.

Fel ran

And ran

And cried

And cried.

The growth around him wilted more with each step. The lush forest withered.

Bones cracked underfoot as the moss retreated. How many had he lured here? How many were there before Fel?

How many masks had he carved?

He could hear Lill calling after him desperately, telling him he was different, that he was special.

No matter how much Fel wanted to believe it, he kept running. Tears fell behind him in a trail like raindrops. Each drop hit the barren ground and teal flowers bloomed, short-lived, before withering away.

The soft colors of the dream ran like water, leaving grayness.

Out of the dream

Fel ran.

...

It was the middle of the night, and Fel lay crying in his bed.

In the morning, he claimed he was ill and stayed at home.

When he slept at night, he didn't dream.

And after three days in bed, he went back to work.

...

It had been years since Fel had felt the act of true creation. At the beginning of his life, he already felt so tired.

After pouring his energy into his work, he had nothing left when he was alone. He could only close the door to his room and try to distract himself with trivial things.

Trivial things that didn't need energy.

Exasperated from a particularly bad day, Fel kicked the wall behind the foot space of his desk.

He heard the sound of metal rattling against wood. Confused, he looked underneath.

A small door, just large enough for a person to crawl through, that wasn't there before.

Fel turned and looked back at his room. At the piles of clothes, the mattress on the floor, the used plates in stacks.

Fel opened the door, and crawled inside.

...

He was surprised to be met with the smell of algae. Soft, lush greenness surrounded him, caressing his senses with a masterful touch.

A familiar touch.

Across the still green pond stood a familiar figure, taller and older now, who turned to look at him with wet, glistening brown eyes.

"You're back," the figure breathed.

Fel wiped tears from his eyes. He smiled.

"I'm back."

[scope-dogg]

Brain Powerd: Final Thoughts (No, that’s not a typo)

I went into this with only vague ideas of what to expect. This is one of Tomino’s less-known and discussed anime series despite it having a really unique concept and a dream team production staff - Mamoru Nagano teams back up to do mechanical design, and Yoko Kanno contributes another standout soundtrack having just done the same for Escaflowne and Macross Plus. In fact, the whole thing has a very similar feeling vibe to Turn A Gundam, which is something else Tomino and Yoko Kanno would team up on after this - additionally, the two shows share much of the same voice cast and the art and animation style is also noticeably similar. Yet this doesn’t enjoy the same fame and acclaim of Turn A - there isn’t that much discussion about this show out there and the review scores I’ve seen are middling.

I can see why that is - this is definitely a show with flaws that came out at the wrong time - the show has a lot of curious parallels and similarities with Evangelion, which came out shortly beforehand, and despite those similarities allegedly being an unfortunate coincidence and not intentional, Brain Powerd gets written off as a knock-off of Eva by many. However, despite the fact that I think Eva is a better show than Brain Powerd in most ways, Brain Powerd is definitely not a knock-off - the tone of the two shows is entirely different, and Brain Powerd has plenty of its own unique aspects that are worthy of more attention. It’s probably the most heavily Tomino-flavoured Tomino series that I’ve seen - whether it’s the things it does right or the things it does wrong, it all carries the distinct hallmarks of that same legendary but polarising director.

The plot setup is that in the future, much of the planet is wracked by natural disasters, and the future looks bleak for humanity. Amidst this, an enormous and ancient alien spacecraft called Orphan awakens from its slumber in the abyss of the oceans. There are those called Reclaimers who think that Orphan is the key to humanity’s survival, and seek to fully awaken it and use it to allow mankind to escape the stricken Earth and roam the galaxy, whereas others believe it must be stopped at any cost. Part of Orphan’s activity is to disperse strange discs spawned by Orphan called Plates, which can revive into giant humanoid biomechanical lifeforms called Antibodies that are sentient but achieve their full potential via symbiosis with a human pilot. There are two kinds of Antibodies - the Grand Chers, which the Reclaimers exploit to their own ends, and Brain Powereds, which they seek to destroy wherever they can be found. Yuu Isami is the son of the scientists who lead the Reclaimers, and a Grand Cher pilot, who is one day sent on a mission to retrieve Plates and has a chance encounter with an orphan girl called Hime, who forms a bond with a Brain Powered that has just revived from a Plate. Forced to retreat, Yuu reassesses the cause he is serving, and upon learning the horrible truth - that when Orphan leaves Earth, it will result in the death of all life on the planet - he frees a captive Brain Powered and makes his escape, and vows to put a stop to the Reclaimers’ plans. This eventually brings him into contact with the Novis Noa, an arc ship commissioned by the UN with the aim of protecting humanity from Orphan’s devastation, where Hime and her Brain Powerd now reside.

The similarities with Eva are easy to see - a ruined world thanks to the presence of extraterrestrials, mecha that are alive, and a son at odds with amoral scientist parents, but at no point does it ever feel like it’s ripping anything off - it’s presented in its own way, it’s a different kind of story and has its own distinct identity despite the obvious parallels. I think it’s one of the shows’ greatest strengths, but it’s also potentially a major weakness, because it can be incredibly convoluted and unfocused at times. In fact, I suspect that a lot of the lukewarm reviews this show has are because people bounce off the early part of it, not without good reason - everything I described in the paragraph above this one happens in the space of about two episodes with a huge one-year timeskip in between, and it dumps a lot of concepts, characters and plot points on you way quicker than it probably should. There’s a lot of buzzwords and concepts to latch on to - B-Plates, Antibodies, Grand Chers, Brain Powereds, the Vital Globe, Chakra, and so on and so forth. Honestly there’s some I’m not entirely sure about - if I ever got a satisfactory answer to what a B-Plate is exactly I don’t remember. The plot is also kind of meandering for a good few episodes after its opening and can’t seem to decide where to go - to me it kind of seemed like it had its runtime or episode count altered at the last minute and rearrangements had to be made, which weren’t made well.

However, things do eventually seem to click into place at around episode 10, and the story starts to array itself in a more focused and engaging manner. It’s still not perfect - there are still occasionally things that it can’t make up its mind on and some other aspects that get settled too abruptly, but it’s still enough to justify you to continue watching. Even though it dumps a lot on you, it also holds enough back to keep you watching - the true nature of the Antibodies and of Orphan being the main factor in that - you get left with questions right up until the very end of the final episode.

There’s also quite a lot going on with the show’s characters. The show’s main running them on that front is the troubled familial relationships that most if not all of the main cast have, to the point where it can get genuinely Freudian at times. The ways the characters talk and act tends to be very odd in that uniquely Tomino way, which is probably another factor in people bouncing off the show, but if you’ve seen pretty much any other Tomino show and enjoyed it you’ve probably already either inoculated yourself against it or even acquired the taste for it. The tone that’s set gets quite serious, as the fate of the world is at stake, and that gets amplified by all the character drama, but it also has just the right amount of humour and lighthearted moments to relieve the pressure but not enough to descend into farce.

I’d say the strongest unique selling point the show has are the antibodies themselves, both Brain Powereds and Grand Chers. Both are very distinctly designed by Mamoru Nagano - the thin waists, large heads and feet and pointy protrusions give them away on that front - they bear something of a resemblance to the Gothicmades from Nagano’s Five Star Stories manga. Otherwise there’s not a whole lot out there that’s quite like them - I think Evangelion comparisons fall down here especially hard, as while the Eva units were more purely biotic, only wearing metal armour as a facade, the Brains and Grand Chers are purely biomechanical, their bodies made up in a way that blurs the line between living tissue and mechanical construction. The purpose for making them living things is also entirely different - the Eva units being living things made them more offputting and frightening, whereas in Brain Powerd it’s done to make them more human and relatable - at times they’re even cute. Sentient mecha isn’t a first, obviously Braves and Transformers built their franchises upon that concept, but Brain Powerd is different - they’re capable of taking some limited action on their own, but are at their best when working with a human pilot. They have a limited grasp of language, being able to sometimes flash words on the display screens in their cockpits and seeming to understand most human speech, but otherwise they’re limited to communicated by their mannerisms and making noise - the best way to think about them is almost like they’re large, very intelligent and human-shaped horses. It’s as strange as it sounds, and they remain mysterious and alien throughout, but never in a way that’s threatening or frightening. Well, at least that’s true for the Brains, the Grand Chers are definitely a little scarier in both appearance and behaviour to go with their role as the antagonist mecha, but even they get to show a bit of a softer side as the series progresses. Overall, this is definitely the most interesting thing that the show does and probably it’s biggest selling point.

All of this wrapped up in a presentation that I’d say is pretty good on balance. The animation is just okay by the standards of the time, there’s a fair amount of reused animation and some choppy bits, but it never gets outright bad, though it’s never amazing either. That’s made up for by a pretty solid visual direction and by Yoko Kanno, who knocks the soundtrack out of the park once again - it gives the series a hell of a lot of soul. I don’t think the soundtrack is quite as good as Turn A Gundam or Escaflowne, but it’s still in the same ballpark for sure.

On the whole, this series made a really strong impression on me despite being far from perfect, and I think it deserves more attention. I wouldn’t recommend it as anyone’s first mecha anime, or even anyone’s first Tomino anime - it’s probably better to cut your teeth on something like Turn A or Dunbine first to acclimate yourself to his style of storytelling, but if you like what you see in his other works, definitely come and check this one out. I don’t think there’s a guarantee that you’ll like it, but you may just love it.

[radreactions]

Mandalorian Kellogg

Courtesy of our one and only Master of The Force - @saintlyguy!! 

Kellogg as the Main Character Instead of the Sole Survivor (inspired by The Mandalorian)

Sent to retrieve an asset for the Institute from Vault 111, Kellogg discovers that the package that’s been under ice for almost 200 years is really just a baby still fussing in the arms of his already dead parent. Rediscovering his paternal instincts and discovering a chance of redemption, Kellogg dispatches the scientists with him and decides to protect the boy and raise him as his own. On his journey to escape the Institute and find a new home for him and his new son, he stumbles upon a unique cast. Are these people potential allies, or just obstacles to his new found family? Ada: Years of experience and overall distrust of any sentient machine due to his experience with 2nd gen synths have led to a preference Kellogg wishes to satisfy in any situation: NO DROIDS. Be it a synth or Protectron (after a certain unpleasant experience with one back in the Mojave), Kellogg prefers to work with those who haven’t been programmed to think the way they do. But with enough whining and teary eyes from his adopted son, Kellogg came in charging to save a lone automatron that looks like a mess of parts. “First that Mr. Handy in Sanctuary, now this.” Ada had no one left and sought to avenge her family. Above all she wished to not be alone. All 3 desires are satisfied with this grizzled man and his son- “No droids. Get lost. No need to thank me. Didn’t want to help in the first place” But he did. Surely that must mean this man must have some shred of compassion. That would be enough to go on at the moment since Ada has nothing. She’d follow this man until he’d take her with him. “I could be of much assistance to you and your son. I’ll protect the two of you. I’m well equiped for scavenging and building. I can even create a nursing subroutine and care for your son.” “ALRIGHT! I’ll take care of this Mechanist for you. Just stop talking. Take point.” “Wonderful. Now that we’re on our way, I’d like to tell you all that I can do for you-“ You ever hear a robot get their head ripped off without a sound? No. That’s because you gotta be Kellogg to pull something like that. “Finally” the exasperated merc exhales as he looks down on his napping son. “Finally he’s asleep.” Cait: “Get outta here you junkie! Don’t show your face ‘round here til you get that psycho out of your system!” Tossed out of the Combat Zone, Cait never thought that putting on a good show and gouging out a raider’s eyes would get her tossed out. “Your loss Tommy! I’ll just put these guns to work somewhere they’ll be appreciated!” Tommy sadly sighs at how Cait doesn’t realize she’s beating herself to death. Eventually Cait made herself a name as yet another Commonwealth merc, one that even the Gunners stay clear of in fear of getting their head smashed in. Cait would take the most dangerous jobs not just for the hazard pay, but to have an excuse to need psycho. She’d go after a raider boss with nothing but a bat and rage fueled by the poison. She can be found in Goodneighbor at the Third Rail where she’s claimed the counter for herself. She’d drink from the top shelf in between jobs with her own space. Until the infamous Kellogg took a seat at the other end. “Oy cunt! This here’s my bar! Piss off!” First that wannabe shakedown, now this. “Don’t see your name on it. I’ll finish my Nuka-Cola and be on my way. You won’t even notice.” “Oh but everyone else will notice the stain that balding head will leave on the counter!” A brawl breaks out. Well I wouldn’t call it a brawl. More like Kellogg just tiring Cait out by just dodging all while having something bundled beneathe his jacket. Almost out of breath, Cait pulled out  a psycho she didn’t think she needed. Knowing how much damage a psycho user can inflict, he puts her into a vice and forces it out of her hand. “That stuff could kill you.” Cait was just about to explode as a small hand reached out from Kellogg’s jacket and touched her on the nose. Now you don’t boop Cait on the nose without losing that hand. Unless you were a swaddled baby with big puppy eyes. For the first time in her life, Cait felt...soft. Her rage subsided and she eased up, causing Kellogg to finally release her. Cait felt at ease. Actually more than that. She felt...at peace. She felt better than she ever did in her life. “Holy Shite!” Cait was amazed to see that her arms were no longer veiny or pale, she could see and hear clearly, and she wasn’t as angry! She yanked the psycho from her pockets and threw them in the trash. She doesn’t know what happened, but she’s now healed and free from the psycho. “That kid... Could they have...?” Cait looked back at Kellogg to see him fussing over the kid now knocked out. Codsworth: The butler’s sensors had picked up a familiar lifeform coming from Vault 111. “It couldn’t be.” Then he heard a familiar coo from the end of the street. “It could be?” Anticipation was replaced by fear upon seeing young Shaun in the arms of a rather unpleasant looking stranger. Whoever he is, he has clearly abducted young Shaun and it’s up to Codsworth to save him and deliver him back to his masters. “You! I don’t know who you are! But you will unhand the lad or I will contact the authorities!” Oh blimey, there aren’t any authorities left. This may boil down to fisticuffs, but Codsworth will save Shaun no matter the cost! “That’s not gonna happen Mr. Handy. Now why don’t you go clean something. I gotta get this kid to a safe-“ TALLY HO! Codsworth charges Kellogg with his saw aimed at his head and his claw ready to catch Shaun. Soon Codsworth will have one piece of the family he lost when the bombs dropped. Then he’ll go find his masters and reunite them all. Finally he’ll have the life he had lost serving- SKKRRRRRRR Kellogg let go of the robot’s saw after it had cut clean through its armor and he was sure to have destroyed its cpu. “Ma-Ma-Master Sh-Shaun! Wo-Wo-Would you li-like to see Mu-Mu-Mummy and Da-Da-Da-“ As the Mr.Handy’s voice died out, the child reached out to its lifeless hull. Kellogg had connected the dots. This wasn’t just some malfunctioning Mr. Handy, it somehow knew the kid. All sorts of feelings swelled in Kellogg. Finally he looked down at the child. “So. Your name’s Shaun.” Curie: What’s the perfect place to ride out a radiation storm? The very same vaults that protected its inhabitants from nuclear annihilation. The sky turned green and thundered like never before. The closest place was Vault 81. Although it wasn’t too keen on allowing outsiders in, Kellogg needed to get Shaun out of the storm immediately and he knew he had plenty of worthwhile Institute tools he could trade for shelter. After bargaining his into the Vault, Kellogg was able to finally get a warm meal and rest for himself and his adopted son. That is until this Ms. Nanny came bubbling and insisting on seeing to Shaun. “S’il vous plait monsieur! I only wish to give your little one an examination and any treatment he may need! Free of charge. Just let me-“ “NO!” Silence in the cafeteria except for the humming from Curie’s thruster. “If I need a doctor, I’ll go to the real one. Just let us eat our meal so we can go rest.” Curie complied, hiding her disappointment and hurt. She only wants to help... She’s ashamed to admit, but she had hoped to get in the good graces of the man and convince him to allow her to venture out with him and his son (whom she greatly adored and worried about). Curie wanted more out of her life than being Vautl 81’s Ms. Nanny, she wanted to leave her mark on science! She knew she couldn’t do that in 81’s confines. She also knew she wouldn’t be acheiving her goal anytime soon. Danse: “Brotherhood, better sneak around.” Kellogg maneuvered through College Square as to avoid the ferals only to run into a Brotherhood of Steel outpost and they’re not the biggest fan of the Institute. Kellogg’s pretty sure that saying he betrayed them won’t give him a free pass but a trip to a holding cell and Shaun being taken from him. He couldn’t risk that. While slithering on by, Kellogg halted at the sound of ferals screeching then running towards his direction. Kellogg almost drew his revolver but saw a small squad of Brotherhood soldiers come out to deal with the ferals. “Good a distraction.” Kellogg was almost home free until Shaun pointed back at the Brotherhood with the same damn puppy eyes Kellogg has yet to find the strength to refuse. The ghouls nearly overan the soldiers until a civilian charged in and singlehandedly dispatched then despite their overwhelming numbers. “We need him for the Brotherhood” Paladin Danse thought. Before Danse could thank him, Kellogg hushed him with a finger. “Your welcome. No thanks needed. And no I won’t be staying for long. Also I don’t want to work with a machine.” That last part confused Danse. Maybe he doesn’t like tech, which wouldn’t sit well with being a Brotherhood soldier. Danse then saw a tiny body appear over the civilian’s shoulder which waved back at him. Deacon: Oh crap oh crap oh crap. “I’m in the same room with Kellogg. Worse, he’s got a kid! Where did he get them from? Did he kidnap them?” Whatever the case, Deacon needed to conduct some espionage. “So... you come here often?” “Hmm.” Not much of an answer. “Oh my stars! Your kid is so cute! Mind if I held him.” “Hmm” aggressively as Kellogg turned away. Uh oh, I’m losing him! Better think of something quick! “So I’m guessing a busy man such as yourself needs all the help he can get when raising the little one.” “Hmmm” “Well you’re in luck! I am the Commonwealth’s best, if not the only nanny! I’ll watch him while you go do...stuff! I’m a great cook! My bloatfly jerky is hard to pass up! I’m great with kids and I can entertain your kid for hours. Does your kid like songs? How’s this? Ahem.” “Toss a coin to your-“ Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! “Oh great! Your awful singing upset him!” Dogmeat: A faint scent passed Dogmeat’s nose, waking him from his nap at Red Rocket. Standing at attention, Dogmeat spotted a human carrying a small human. Tail wagging, Dogmeat wanted to run up to see the small human. He wanted to follow to see them all the time. He wanted to PROTECT. But that big human may be dangerous. MORE REASON TO PROTECT TINY HUMAN. So Dogmeat followed at a distance and helped where he could. A pack of hounds too close? They’re gone before the humans get a wiff of them. A yaoi gui looking for a meal? Dogmeat stands his ground and gives the humans time to get far. Dogmeat was a good boy. And good boys get rewarded! One night when the humans rested, Dogmeat was invited to join them by the fire with a hunk of meat thrown in front of him. Kellogg dropped a few more hunks to get Dogmeat to come close. After enjoying his meal and a bowl of water, Dogmeat was finally able to see the tiny human up close. Gage: How could one guy get through the gauntlet with a baby strapped to his chest? And how could he defeat the Overboss without the water gun? BY CRUSHING HIM WITH HIS MIND! That last part seems unreal but it’s the truth! Colter was crushed within his power armor when the bald guy went to fight him! Every raider ran out of there except for Gage, who was still in shock. He didn’t notice the man approach until he was asked “What’s the fastest way back to the Commonwealth?” “R-right this way sir.” Now Gage didn’t like being subservient to those he disliked, but he wasn’t looking to die today. Gage had brought him back to the train, sending the man on his way. Just as the train pulled away, through the window, Gage saw the man’s baby peek out and reach out to him. Gage was confused and was further puzzled when he saw that his pants had fallen out of nowhere. Wait. “Did my pants just- Because of that kid- What the hell is going on?!” Hancock: RIP to the bastard Finn, who thought he could shakedown the guy who looks like he could kill with a stare AND carrying a baby. Now Hancock enjoys seeing bullies get their just desserts, but he wasn’t so sure seeing someone’s jaw get ripped off and shoved down their throat. Sure Hancock has killed his own fair share, but never that brutal. And the guy who just did that is taking care of a BABY. “Now hang on a second. I’m all for not seeing Finn again, but I can’t just let a guy who can do all that carry a baby. Goodneighbor is my town, so everything that walks in is my business. Including you two. Now tell me why I should let you hold on to the little tyke-“ Kellogg retorted without halting “Unless you wanna taste what’s left of your jaw just like him. Leave us alone.” Hancock can’t stand a brushoff threat like that, but he can’t do anything with a baby in the crossfire. So he let the guy go for now, gesturing to Fahrenheit to do surveillance on him. Longfellow: 

Kellogg’s journey to find a safe home will take him all over the Commonwealth and to Far Harbor. After hearing of a rumored synth refuge exiting there, Kellogg thought that Maine may be perfect for him and Shaun if the Institute hasn’t found it. Upon arrival, Kellogg realizes that the fog brings all sorts of monsters and that he’d need some of those defogger contraptions if he’s to settle on the island. Asking around the bar, an old man in a trench coat speaks up. “You’re gonna want to get them defoggers from Arcadia, the synth refuge up over yonder.” Kellogg didn’t want to have to interact with the synths, especially since he’s ex Institute. “Are you serious.” With a nod and arming of his rifle, the old man confirms. “I have spoken.” MacCready: Waiting for business in the Third Rail seems like a safe move until Cait gets into a fight. Just like any other fight, Mac was gonna sit this one out. Expecting to hear a loud climatic crack on the bar, Mac was caught of guard to hear Cait happily laugh. Peeking out he sees Cait looking better than she ever did. He then looked over to the man she’d tussled with. He was fawning over a baby?! Mac’s daddy instinct kicked in and he was gonna help the fellow parent. Mac knew something was up with the kid. A sleeping kid doesn’t look like that. As the man tried shaking the kid awake, Mac put a hand on his shoulder only for it to be squeezed and twisted. “Owowowowowow. Hey I just wanna help your kid! I’m a parent too! Just let me help!” “Don’t need it.” “Are you sure about that?” The kid was barely moving but still breathing. It was clear that he needed something more. “I’m gonna buy some meds for him, then a room for the two of you.” Kellogg let go, allowing the help of fellow parent. Mac delivered. Fruit gummy meds for the kid and the cleanest room in Hotel Rexford. Not a single word of thanks. But a hefty sack of caps. Which Mac denied. “This one’s on the house.” Maxson: The Brotherhood’s arrival in the Commonwealth is preceded by reports of Institute teams becoming a more regular occurrence. It’s as if they’re looking for something. Or someone. Scribe Haylen of Paladin Danse’s team mentions that this began shortly after an encounter with a skilled civilian carrying a baby, probably nothing but they’re still worth looking into. Whatever or whoever they’re looking for, Maxson declares that the Brotherhood must find it first. Of course, Maxson wishes to put his best man in charge: Paladin Danse. However, Danse refuses only stating that “I’m not the right person for this job. Please consider Captain Kells to lead the search. Maxson reluctantly agrees but is confused at Danse’s answer. Once again he states that “I’m not the right person” and excuses himself. “I may not even be a person” Danse thinks to himself. Nick: Called out on a case for his old friends the Nakanos, Nick boards a boat to Far Harbor in search of their missing daughter who believes she’s a synth and is escaping to a supposed synth refuge in Maine. “Holy smokes. For a refuge to be out all the way there untouched. Wow.” “Perfect.” Nick sighed as he heard a deep voice and gun click behind his head. He already knew who it was. “Didn’t think I’d run into you out here. Kellogg.” “I see my reputation precedes me. I’m flattered. Now step away from the controls.” Nick does as he’s asked then spits that the most dangerous man in the Commonwealth has a baby strapped to his chest. He has to get the baby away from Kellogg, he doesn’t know how but he has to. Hours pass as Kellogg stands at the control, gun still aimed at Nick, and trying to comfort a fussy Shaun. “I know you got a gun pointed at me, but I’m still decent enough to be willing to take that kid off your chest and give you a break. What say you?” Before Kellogg could refuse, the boat is roughly shaken and makes both lose their balance. In this small window of opportunity, Nick lunges at Kellogg in hopes of getting the kids from him. Nakano’s boat arrives in Far Harbor and is greeted by a welcome party. “Come out where we can see you!” Kellogg emerges from the controls, gently bouncing Shaun in his arms. “Anyone else on board?” “No. Just me and my son.” Piper: Through the town of Diamond City rode a stranger one fine day. Hardly spoke to folks around him. Didn’t have too much to say. No one dared to ask his business. No one dared make a slip. For the stranger there among them had a BABY! Piper has a weakness for babies, whether it be their tiny hands or feet, their coos, or giggles. She just wants to look at the cutie hung from the grizzled man’s chest. Why did this little cinnamon roll have to be with this sort of guy? Why couldn’t he been with some masked stranger in shiny armor? Or hanging in the arms of a well learned woman? “Why do we always get the scary ones?” Suddenly, she felt her hat slightly rise from her head and fall forward. But before reaching the ground, her hat began discreetly floating towards the scary dude. Piper looked up to see a small head and hand over the man’s shoulder. The cutie was reaching out towards...her hat? ............... GASP “Magic baby hands!” Preston: It would take a miracle to deliver him and his friends from Concord. It would take some angel to come from above to save them. But no, they got Kellogg. An unexpected but welcome assistance. “I’m only here because of my kid.” Preston never thought that he’d be saved on the whim of a kid, but here he is on the museum’s rooftop providing cover for Kellogg as he eliminates the raiders. And Mama Murphy and the baby are on the roof watching- MAMA MURPHY AND THE BABY ARE ON THE ROOF WATCHING “Mama! Take the kid and go back inside! It’s too dangerous!” “Aww, don’t be a sourpuss Preston. The little man just wants a front seat.” A front seat to a deathclaw emerging from the sewers and knocking Kellogg a couple of meters back. “Oh crap!” Preston thought as he began to crank his musket in hopes of nailing the deathclaw in a single shot. Just as he thought Kellogg was gonna be deathclaw chow, the big lizard was lifted into the air! As the deathclaw thrashed in the air, Preston felt his jaw drop. “Nice one kid.” Mama Murphy complimented. To which Preston turned his head, seeing the kid’s arm outstretched. “Holy crap the kid is lifting the deathclaw with his mind.” Strong: Nothing gets Strong excited more than a good fight. His favorite by far is when him, human, and tiny human fought Sean. Human had been knocked out with tiny human trying to wake him up. Strong stood between them and Swan to protect them. Just before Swan had brought his anchor down, it was knocked out of his hand. Confused, Strong needed a moment. A moment short lived when he was lifted into the air up to Swan’s head. Looking down, he saw that the tiny humans was doing it! Feeling pride in his tiny brother, Strong knocked Swan’s head clean off. After that fight, Strong would always ask “Tiny Human! Do the magic hand thing!” X6-88: “Kellogg has gone AWOL and intends to keep the asset from us. Eliminate Kellogg and return the asset to us alive X6.” The courser had been given his most important assignment as well as his own long awaited desire: to kill Kellogg. Ever since he had heard of Kellogg’s skills, X6 had wanted to put him to the test and even beat him. Delivering the child is just a bonus. Cornering the two at Greentech, X6 was about to get his wish. “I’ve been waiting to go toe to toe with you, Mr. Kellogg.” “Sure. Fight me. That’s actually easier than the second part of the mission.” “Oh please I’m pretty sure I can handle a baby.” A small head peeks through Kellogg’s jacket and lets out a coo. *Software Instability Detected* “Oh! YOU’RE RIGHT! GET THAT OUTTA HERE!” How could X6 give a baby with such soft cheeks to the Institute?

[rowanthestrange]

Doctor Who Meta: Cyberium AI Meta Masterpost

@grassangel​ said: A thought for you because of your meta: the Cyberium as the fluid in the opening credits.

It definitely does have a resemblance, doesn’t it. And that fits in with the Chibs style of ‘if you think it’s odd/wrong it probably serves a bigger purpose’.

The Cyberium AI is weird as hell. It’s clearly really important, not just as a plot device, but as itself. It’s got characterisation. It’s got a mirror important enough to be in the first episode - Tzim-Sha’s Gathering Coil, the first thing this Doctor ever faces.

And it mirrors the Doctor and Timeless Child’s ‘Power’. I mean it really mirrors them. To the point where, like with the Lone Cyberman and Rassilon, I’m not sure if it’s mirroring the character ridiculously heavily, or if it just straight up is the character. Just like working out Clara was going to be the Doctor with a TARDIS - I knew the result but I didn’t know what form it would take, literally the character or not, until the end. Cus that’s Doctor Who and its shapeshifting for you.

You know how my preferred method is to just point out all the metas as I see them, so you can draw your own conclusions if they’re different to mine, but I will actually put my thoughts as to what this all means at the end.

So click below for every bit of Cyberium AI meta from not just Series 12, not even just Series 11...but all the way back to Season 25)

(Under a cut because there was so much more than I thought there was)

In episode order then:

The Woman Who Fell To Earth

(The Gathering Coil as double-layer, mirroring the Cyberium AI’s role itself; but also therefore as its Doctor character mirror, and Timeless Child ‘Power’ mirror)

-See the title of the episode. The title with at least three references now.

-It crashes into a train when we meet it. A few moments before the Doctor does.

-“What are you? Okay, you don't like questions. More the private type, I get that.”

-Its data is absorbed into the Rassilon-mirror Tzim-Sha.

-In doing so also implants into him - and I quote the Doctor - “Micro-implants which code to your DNA. On detonation, they disrupt the foundation of your genetic code, melting your DNA.” Sound familiar?

-It’s being used - against the laws of the user’s species - in order to attain leadership. (Like Rassilon/Tecteun)

-Looks like one creature but is actually a huge number in the appearance of one. (The Doctor).

-The Gathering Coil might look like an Eldritch horror, but it never actually kills anyone on purpose. When it first shows up, the woman driving the train dies from shock, (“Shock” get it? Like...) Grace dies in an attempt to stop it by electrocuting it. The most damage it itself deliberately does, is short-circuit a crane.

----

The Haunting Of Villa Diodatti:

(Heavily as Timeless Child ‘Power’ mirror(?))

-The Lone Cyberman confirms the Cyberium AI to be both a lifeform and ‘weapon of some kind’. Like the Ux.

-We meet it already inside Doctor-mirror Percy Shelley - suicidal, social activist, and a great believer in the importance of society having Hope even if not so good at it himself. He is not trying to use its powers, but as Guardian of them doesn’t want others to take and abuse them. The word ‘Guard’ is also used by Mary in regards to the child. (And we could leave this episode and say how Irish Metaphor Doctor was a ‘Garda’ but you get the point).

-It hides in a house that appears to warp and change and shield and use a perception filter - theorised to be the Cyberium AI warping the perceptions of people in the building, even though none of them are remotely Cyber in any way. Shelley says directly only some of the changing is his doing. On a practical level, it must have strong telepathic abilities - like the Doctor. On a meta level, it hides itself in a place that mirrors a TARDIS.

-The Doctor can’t find it at first because it’s “hidden away, cloaked, too big to register.” Like the Timeless Child memories.

-The Doctor seemingly genuinely didn’t know what it was a minute ago, when she was asking Ashad what it was. But now suddenly she does know: “Cyber technology. The knowledge of the whole cyber race and AI from the future, containing the knowledge and future history of all Cybermen”. Almost as if she’s remembered.

-This next bit’s important and connected so we’ll just do the whole lot and break it up afterwards:

Percy: “They scorched and split the sky. Built the army of all armies. Left behind only pain, rage, fear and death.” Mary: “How is he seeing all this?” The Doctor: “The Cyberium is burning through his mind. It'll destroy him if it stays in him much longer. An epic battle. The Cyberium at the heart of it, controlling data, strategy, decision-making. Clever! Very clever. Someone took it from the Cybermen, sent it back through time here in an attempt to change the future.” *The Lone Cyberman tries to break in* The Doctor: “In an attempt to protect you from that.”

-Like Donna with the Doctor’s memories, this is burning Percy up. -An epic Battle, like with the Ux - a great battle referenced and not explained. The Cyberium AI instead of the Ux at the heart of it, used to fight it. (If anyone’s still assuming the Timeless Child(ren) thing was simply about regeneration power, there should be more focus on the Division and the Child as weapon). -The Doctor again coming in with extra information. -Possible Future Meta: Someone attempted to change the future by taking the source of power from the Rassilon (see the mirror).

-Thirteen tells the Doctor-mirror to just let the Rassilon-mirror have the power. (Reminds me of how the Timeless Child ‘would not yield any secrets’). But the Cyberium AI has been sending Shelley (Doctor-mirror) symbols and numbers. So Possible Future Meta: It wasn’t just the regeneration power Rassilon got from the Timeless Child, it was also information. (Of course - the Doctor, especially this one meant to mirror all this, is the Builder And Destroyer, after all)

-We confirm the Cyberium AI’s own sentience, separate from its host, (and its reluctance to leave). It changes the mental map of the house specifically to avoid the Lone Cyberman.

-The Lone Cyberman believes the host must be killed in order to get the power out. Mary Shelley immediately talks to the Lone Cyberman about fatherhood, and how he doesn’t want to do this. (Rassilon/Tecteun)

-The Doctor convinces the Cyberium AI to leave by showing it Percy’s future. (The mercury-like substance exits Percy quite like the poison with Ten. Given the amount of Ten-era-mirroring, this one’s cute).  (Possible Future Meta: The Doctor meeting Timeless Child self, like with Martin!Doctor).

-The Cyberium AI goes to the Doctor, who calls herself its “true Guardian”. Says it feels “Very at home”. Going with how she seemed to remember what it was without ever being told earlier...

-The Doctor, when her friends and the planet is at risk, decides to give it over the the Lone Cyberman, and the Cyberium works with her in a way it refused to with Shelley, meaning she didn’t need to die, even though she says it had already started fusing.

-Next after the Doctor-mirror/Doctor, the power enters the Rassilon-mirror.

-(Yaz restarts the Doctor-mirror’s heart. That’s not important to this meta, but it sure is important to other ones).

-We talk about ghosts just as we enter the Ghost Monument.

----

Ascension Of The Cybermen:

(Both as Doctor mirror and Timeless Child Power mirror)

-Cyberium!Ashad says “The Cyberium does know you. Both you and humanity will be destroyed, and I shall bring the Cyber race to its greatest ever glory.” - the Cyberium AI has already seen the Doctor’s death before. Or it’s lying.

-The Doctor’s blatantly obvious talking-to-herself therapy speech is to Cyberium!Ashad.

“The Cyberium has given me understanding. It has distilled my purpose. I am the perfect vessel.” - A container, a ship for the Cyberium AI.

“Everything is in me for the ascension of the Cybermen, and beyond. ... All your deaths. The death of everything is within me.” - First, mirrors the ‘life’ within the Timeless Child. Second, considering before this was previously an AI trying to avoid conflict and entering Ashad, the fact that Ashad and his death particle gets convinced to go to the Master and Gallifrey, makes me wonder how much the Cyberium AI was forced to go along because that’s its nature and it has to follow instructions, or whether it was planning and pulling the strings. Or both - TARDIS-style.

----

The Timeless Children:

(Heavily as Doctor mirror, minorly Timeless Child Power mirror)

-“Oh. Oop. Excuse me. Check my notifications. Oh, goodie! The Cybermen are here, at the Boundary. Better extend the hand of friendship. Breaker 1-2 calling all Cybes.” So the Master knew that the Cybermen would come. How? They haven’t interacted from our perspective at all.

-The Master says to Cyberium!Ashad “I want you to think of me as your new best friend.”

-Master to the Doctor: “Don't heckle, dear. I can always decide to cut you short.” -Master to Cyberium!Ashad: “Oh, shoot. I should've said, somebody needs to cut you down to size, then zapped you. I was just trigger-happy. I'll use it next time.” (Plus, a ‘next time’ - we haven’t seen the last of him).

-The Cyberium AI is revealed to have been the one to create the Death Particle. Which again makes me question who’s pulling whose strings. As the Master points out Ashad is more organic than most, and Ashad simply says that he’ll mechanise when the process is over - ignoring the point that this didn’t work before. And Ashad seems to think it will wipe out everything, ignoring the reality that its coverage is only a single planet.

-The Master is clearly talking to the Cyberium more than Ashad at points.

Ashad: “The Cyberium will process and dictate the strategy.” The Master: “The Cyberium. I've heard a lot about that over the millennia. The heart of all your power. The centre of all Cyber knowledge.” -Sounds very like the other Timeless Child(ren) mirror - the Ux.

-The Master actively flirts with it. “Oh, come on, Cyberium, show us some leg. What do you actually look like, hmm?” And after shrinking Ashad without so much as a close-up, like he’s been nothing to the plot, “Well, aren't you pretty? And fast. You made your exit very swiftly there. Worried, were you?”

-The Master hoped the Death Particle would activate and laments to the Cyberium AI that his “nice little gamble” didn’t pay off - as in it didn’t kill him. (Assuming Timeless Children plural, that may be the only thing that would work, and that he is telling this to the Cyberium AI again could fit nicely with the narrative idea that it knows what it’s doing).

-“Oh, sorry, were you close? Candidly, I think you can do better.” ... “Wow, that was quick. Wa-ha-ha! Whoa! Woohoo! At least buy me... dinner!” - (And considering we all had a giggle at the clearly intentionally funny ‘a piece of you is in me’ line that’s going to happen either in about a minute, or in the world of the episode and making adjustments for simultaneous storytelling, right now...)

-“I ransacked the Matrix of the Time Lords, distilled all the knowledge, all the experiences, all the discoveries, into these brains up here. All the Cyber knowledge, all the Time Lord knowledge. Put it together, what do you get? Absolute supremacy in the universe. Choose me.” - (The Master pointing out we’ve now got two sets of incredible knowledge. Rule of three has me wondering about the Timeless Child’s ‘Knowledge’.)

-After the power was originally in the Doctor-mirror/Doctor, it then went to the Rassilon-mirror(?) and then to the Master. If you’re a fan of Timeless Children Plural theory.

-The Master: “No, Doctor. As of now, I wish my enemies a long and healthy life, so they may witness my many triumphs, because they will be legion.” - (So, in case you’re not familiar with the Legion thing, two points: A Legion was a division in the Roman army of about 3000-6000 men. We will be coming back to Rome - oh God will we - but just slot that information away for later. Point two - For another use of Legion, we need to head to the Bible, Mark 5:1-9. ‘Who cares, Rowan?’ Well, this is the story in which there is a man living among tombs, who no-one can bind, not even with chains. He cries out and attacks himself, and on seeing Jesus in the distance rushes over and kneels before him, screaming that he’d put him under oath not to torment him. Jesus doesn’t talk to him, but to what is possessing him, ordering it to come out, and asking its name. And it, not the man replies: “I am Legion, for we are many.” (Fun fact, we eventually get rid of the demons by exorcising them into animals who then run off...a...cliff. *sighs* Ok.)

The Doctor: “You're looking peaky.” The Master: “Oh, yeah. The Cyberium lives in me now, Doctor. Yeah. Yes. See, I've been looking forward to seeing your face about that. I can feel it flowing around in me. The information, the strategy, the... the... the consciousness. It's a beautiful thing. And look at us. I have broken you and created a new race. And now? Now I shall conquer... everything. Oh.”

-“See, I've been looking forward to seeing your face about that.” - This is a quiet point that exemplifies a major one. The Master’s story is different to ours. He knows things that we do not. The Doctor in theory (though I doubt in practice) had never come across the Cyberium AI before, she hasn’t mentioned its name or anything about it to the Master. In theory (again press x) the Lone Cyberman carrying the Cyberium AI just turned up when the Master dragged the Doctor through to Gallifrey as pure happenstance, he should know nothing about that incident with the AI and Shelley (and yet he quotes him). Why has he been looking forward to seeing her face in regards to that? What does he know about it that he expects her to remember? Just like with the Timeless Child infodump, we are fools if we take all this at face value, because the Master planned for all of this. And it seems like the Cyberium AI _itself_ is planning too.

Ko Sharmus: “You didn't start this. I did. I was part of a resistance unit that sent the Cyberium back through time and space. Though obviously we didn't send it back far enough. So this is my penance. Mine to finish. My journey ends here. But the universe still needs you, so I suggest you run.” (Ko Sharmus is treated way too important. We’ve got to see him again.)

----

Done? Done.

Well no, no actually we’re not. Because there is one final episode.

But we have to go back, just a little bit, to the Seventh Doctor. Stick with me. I promise you’ll be glad you did.

Silver Nemesis:

-A story revolving around a thing called Validium.

-To quote the TARDIS Wiki: “It was living metal that could think for itself and was capable of speech as well. When destroyed, it could reform itself.”

The Doctor: “Validium was created as the ultimate defence for Gallifrey, back in early times.” Ace: “Created by Omega?” The Doctor: “Yes.” Ace: “And?” The Doctor: “Rassilon.” Ace: “And?” The Doctor: “And none of it should have left Gallifrey. But, as always with these things, some of it did.”

-Catch that hint of the Cartmel Masterplan where it’s clearly meant to lead you to ‘And? The Other One’. It’s ok, you’re not reading too far into it, I promise.

-“It should never have left Gallifrey, but some of it did. A piece of validium fell to Earth and was found by the Lady Peinforte.” Can you guess what she did with it? Why, she moulded it into a statue of herself.

-A silver lady statue.

-(You remember how we just seemed to abandon Barton? Who is somewhat not human? Was involved with creatures from another dimension? And that statue? Seemed set-up for a cyber plan? Saw nothing wrong with a bit of familial murder? Ooh hoo. Welp.)

-Nazis are involved. Ill-timed notifications. The Doctor forgetting. A cellar. (A fez). A meteorite containing the validium crashes by a barn. On November the 23rd. Happy Birthday. We blow things up. A lot of things.

-The villains of the piece? Besides the nazis and the Time(travelling) Lady? Well it could only be the Cybermen. A bit of the Validium is held by each of them

-The Cybermen take their bit of the Validium to the tomb of the Lady, with an inscription “Death Is But A Door”. The Lady is not buried there, and it doubles as a pun, with a hidden door.

-One of the lead nazis betrays his fellow to be turned into a Cyberman. “Supermen are all very well, but the giants are the master race.”

-The Seventh Doctor is mirrored with the Lady, who describes herself as evil. They even have mirrored scenes with their equivalent companions.

-The Lady: “All power, all power past, present and future, shall be mine. Why, I shall be mistress of all of that is, all that shall be, all that ever was. Yes, all! All!” - Oh, doesn’t she sound familiar now...

-Point Of Interest: Like many of the concepts Chibs has been playing with from Classic Who - the Morbius Doctors, almost certainly the Valeyard - this was apparently a fairly controversial episode among the old guard. Why? Because well...

The Validium: “I am beautiful, am I not?” Ace: “Yes. You're very beautiful.” The Validium: “It is only my present form. I have had others which would horrify you. I shall have those again. You are surprised I speak?” Ace: “I know you're living metal.” The Validium: “I am whatever I am made to be. This time Lady Peinforte called me Nemesis, so I am retribution.”

-I mean this is all cute but it doesn’t explain why it’s here and-

The Validium: “And I'm to destroy the entire Cyberfleet?” The Doctor: “Forever.” The Validium: “And then?” The Doctor: “Reform.” The Validium: “You might need me in the future, then?” The Doctor: “I hope not.” The Validium: “That is what you said before.” The Doctor: “Enough.” The Validium: “And after this, will I have my freedom?” The Doctor: “Not yet.” The Validium: “When?” The Doctor: “I told you when.” The Doctor: “Things are still imperfect.”

-Oh well that’s...Hmm.

Lady Peinforte: “You are nothing. Only the Doctor matters, and he is but a pawn in the game of my making.” ... Ace: “The Doctor's not just going to give you the bow. Tell her, Doctor. Tell her.” Lady Peinforte: “Doctor who? Have you never wondered where he came from, who he is?” Ace: “Nobody knows who the Doctor is.” Lady Peinforte: “Except me.” Ace: “How?” Lady Peinforte: “The statue told me.” Ace: “All right, so what does it matter? He's a Time Lord, I know that.” Lady Peinforte: “Well, Doctor?” The Doctor: “If I give you the bow,” Lady Peinforte: “Your power becomes mine, but your secrets remain your own.” ... Lady Peinforte: “I shall tell them of Gallifrey, tell them of the old time, the time of chaos.” ... The Doctor: “You had the right game, but the wrong pawn. Check.”

-What used to be the Cartmell Master plan is now the Timeless Child Master...plan- Is this why it’s involving the Master? For a pun? Whatever, either way the Seventh Doctor is now a treasure trove of useful ideas - I did wonder why Chibs chose Ace in particular as the companion who should get a ‘Thirteen meeting them again’ book - trying to lure people in for a second look, clearly.

-So what happens in the story? In the Timeless Child, the Master ends up absorbing the Cyberium. In Silver Nemesis, the Validium absorbs our Lady Mistress Of All. How neat.

-The Doctor ‘wins’ by giving the Validium the Cyberleader’s instructions, confirming it understood them, and then the Cybermen let it fly off to their fleet. Which then blows up. Because it chose to disobey them. (As he knew it would).

-The Validium is left floating in space, until the Doctor calls on it again. I’m not saying this relates to opening titles full of goop, but I’m not saying it doesn’t either.

So. That’s a lot. While I would usually doubt the Validium would literally be the Cyberium, and that it would be for fans to join together as they wished or not... Honestly, given the use of lore in Chibs Who, I don’t actually feel certain of that anymore.

But either way, there’s your meta masterpost, you can commence your theorising now.

****

I know no-one comes to these things for my stupid conclusions, but in case you did, here’s a couple of my very disparate fever-brained thoughts, that I’m too ill to put together more...smartly, and might have to come back to if you’re ever going to actually see this post:

-The Doctor/The Other/The Timeless Child had a hand in the weaponisation of the Cyberium AI (forced/cajoled/whatever).

-The Time Lord empire, in at least one version of reality, is inextricably linked to the Cybermen empire, with the Cybermen showing similar levels of technology to Time Lords (a cyber carrier ‘more advanced’ than very far future humans have ever seen - “Coming out of vortex now”, implies it has time vortex travel. And “That’s my home planet - that's Gallifrey”. Immediately the image cuts to Cyberman, then straight back.)

-The Timeless Child was chosen as a vessel to save some form of living knowledge, rather than just being a mystical alien.

-((My nuttiest guess that is only 30% meta and 70% gut feel is it’s a TARDIS-kind, probably our own, which stayed with them because they carried her, and now she carries them. That concept, the little links we’re seeing with TARDISes and their sentience, the implied planetary genocide of all but a saved pair, cyberised humans and cyberised Time Lords - a TARDIS is a cyberised something, the question of living technology, the gloop of the vortex, the Ghost Monument, the Doctor’s agonised loss of her for her first episode that she then only finds at the end of the second on a dead planet ruined by space-fascists...))

-Are those two the same story? You could go in either direction. The stories are all about cycles and loops, so a strong case for mirroring, but at the same time we have a Lone Cyberman who can’t be converted properly and no-one knows why, which makes me think that is still Rassilon with either the ghost of a memory of an old plan, or - thanks to time travel - the old plan itself. That perhaps the Timeless Child’s Power would end up somewhat fused with the Doctor when they turned it into the weaponised Cyberium “AI”, explains why we see it in meta go from benign to weapon creator.

-The Cyberium AI created the Death Particle which would destroy all life and stop the Cyber-Time Lords from taking over. This feels like the exact thing the Doctor was trying to stop with the Time Lords in The End Of Time, and Day Of The Doctor, as their absolute last-ditch plan.

-Certainly the Battle that the Alliance are gearing up for, I would assume is the same battle that we keep seeing in mirrors, and is directly related to Gallifrey. It keeps coming up linked together, like with Ko Sharmus, and we first find out about the Alliance from the inside of a stolen Battle TARDIS.

-So perhaps that’s a point that history is hinging on, and someone - read: the Master - has chosen to interfere. Things all seemed to go wrong after he discovered the Timeless Child information - impossible Time Lords and TARDISes appearing, an Alliance, a Cyber Empire etc. Maybe originally the Doctor/Timeless Child (title, not necessarily youth) was used to control the Cyberium AI and win the battle. But the Master took them away from Rassilon so that couldn’t happen, so everything’s a catastrofuck of paradoxes.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We got a long time to think about it at least.

[solalunar-eclipse]

I’m watching all of the Sonic Heroes cutscenes and decided to write down my thoughts.

Here’s the video I watched! I skipped the boss battles though so there’s no commentary on those OTL

- I just watched the intro and WOW. OKAY. There’s Neo Metal and there’s Team Sonic doing crazy stunts and it’s good

- I have also seen exactly ten seconds of Team Dark and am already happy

- yeah tails just have your friend grab a paper from you while he RUNS NEXT TO YOUR PLANE. showoffs, the lot of them. :D

- Knuckles is just chillin with his feet up on the plane

- WHERE DID THE TORNADO GO IT JUST FLEW OFF

- oooooh rouge is such a good hacker

- I actually like her voice actor that’s a lovely bonus here

- oh boy it’s omega

- augh and shadow just automatically protects rouge they’re friends.... *sobs*

- rouge just gets in the way of a murder robot and the ultimate lifeform like it’s totally chill....also I appreciate how expressive she is that’s nice

- *sings loudly* TRAPPED IN THIS MACHINE

- I don’t have much to say about Amy...sorry team rose fans

- hey Espio I see you like Star Wars (“I have a bad feeling about this.”)

- TEAM CHAOTIX

- They’re detectives you want on your side

- Team Sonic’s victory pose is cute....

- Team Chaotix has some good background music!

- Amy please stop forcing yourself on Sonic...and forcing your team to accept that. (sorry I just get rather salty about that part of her character in particular)

- EGGMAN WHAT WAS THAT. You can’t just mess Shadow up like that and LEAVE.

- Omega riding on a rail looks very strange but I hope he’s having fun.

- Shadow being considerate of Omega’s goals is good.

- OH NO IT’S NEO askshsjksd

- ooooh seeing that android probably did a number on Shadow

- Sonic don’t stop flirting with Shadow it’s the perfect not the right time

- Espio just looks at Team Rose like “come at me bro”

- And here I thought Knuckles was the one scared of ghosts! Looks like Tails is too

- ooooh Eggman almost gave yourself away there with that “mustached moron” thing

- (battleship reveal) “Its power unmatched throughout the universe!” *looks over at the Black Comet*

- Rouge’s ears drooped?!? No!

- Omega was nice....

- Yeah Team Chaotix! Go beat him up!

- WAIT WHAT. WHAT. Eggman wasn’t behind all this? It was all Neo?!

- Let me see what’s going on....let me see what he’s turning into....ok nevermind bye

- Awww, all the teams are working together! It’s the magic of friendship

- I can’t believe Cream can lift both Amy and Big, this girl is strong

- Super Sonic’s bringing his friends along!

- time for some Shadow and Omega bonding time, perhaps?

- ugh this is so corny but good

In conclusion: I love this game.

[messinwitheddie]

Zim "Dib...! DIB!! The sun is up! You're not sick or injured; how many hours of sleep does one pitiful human need?!"

Dib "Fuck off, Zim." *yawns *zzzzzzzzzzzz

*Gravity Falls themesong plays on the phone

Zim "DIB!! Another human is hailing you from your primitive communication device! DIB! Answer the damn call!!" *sighs* "Worthless lifeforms... Hel-?"

Mabel "DIBDIBDIBDIBDIBDIB! Guess what time of year its is?!"

Zim "Silence! Enough of your insipid musical greeting! Identify yourself!"

Mabel "Oh my God, is that you, Reg?! You were just baby last time I saw you--"

Zim "This is NOT the Membrane offspring! This is Zi--"

Dib "What the shit?! Zim, give me my phone!"

Zim "OWWWW!"

Dib "I will rip them off your head!"

Zim "OW-ERRHEY!! Mmmph!"

Mabel "Uh...er...?"

Dib "Hello?"

Mabel "Is... this a bad time, Dib?"

Dib "Mabel!! Yeah--NO! Knock it off!"

Zim "Who is this May-Bell?!"

Dib "Shut the fuck up, Zim! What's up, Mabel? Mabel Mabel if you're able.... *chuckles* You can punch me for that next time you see me."

Mabel *laughs "I will! Soooo, I just got off the phone with Dipper and I'm booking my flight. Are you and L'lai coming to Gravity Falls this summer? I know Gaz and Isla are busy, but-"

Dib. "Aw, shit, I meant to call Dipper. I doubt either of us will make it."

Mabel "Whuuuuut?!"

Dib "L'lai took a flight for Norway a few days ago. They sent her to search for physical proof of the mega-rat population there. She's probably going to stay in Europe a while... The wedding is off."

Mabel "No! First Squee, now this? The gang is falling apart! What do I tell Dipper?!"

Dib "I know. It really sucks. I suck."

Mabel "That's not true...Damn, I can't believe it's over."

Dib "Honestly, I can."

Mabel. "I'm so sorry."

Dib "It's okay. I would rather she go if staying makes her miserable."

Mabel "That's.... that's the worst news I've heard all year. But if anyone can get proof of Norwegian mega-rats it's her."

Dib "Yeah...Listen, I'm in the middle of some shit of the 3rd kind right now, so, I gotta go. I'll contact you guys if anything changes."

Mabel *gasps* "Woah woah woah woah WOAH! Was that Zim?! THE Zim?! He sounds so cute!"

Dib "Trust me, he's NOT. Gotta go, call you soon. Bye"

Mabel "Wait--!"

Dib *ends call* "Don't ever touch my phone again, Zim."

Zim "Don't ever yank on my antennae again...Who are these May-Bell and Dip-Purr humans?"

Dib "Good friends of mine."

Zim "They know of me?"

Dib "I mentioned you in passing. You'll never meet them."

Zim "Since when do YOU have human friends?"

Dib "Since I was 15; when you were gone, thank God. The universe doesn't revolve around YOU, you know."

Zim "LIE!!!"

Dib "I-"

Zim "Filthiest lie ever told!"

Dib "Mabel says you sound cute."

Zim "May-Bell sounds disgusting and irritating."

Dib "Blow me, Zim."

Zim "She's perfect for you."

Dib "......what?"

Zim "Now go make good on your word, and prepare Zim breakfast."

(Some dialogue for my 18-years later AU. Mabel Pines of Gravity Falls makes a cameo. I based her adult design on her voice actress, Kristen Schall)