#aleena has a tag

[chaotic-average-child]

getting back on my drawing slowly but surely ^^ here's an aleena

[libelelle]

Underground reboot: Do you have any plans for when the prophecy IS fulfilled? How will the big showdown go down? Will Tails have to be on the sidelines for it, or will he be a wrench in the works?

Oh he'll absolutely be a wrench in the works. i made this au mostly for him to begin with and i doubt that after everything that Sonic and the others would let him be pushed to the side. they make their own destinies and all that.

the actual show down is. hm idk honestly. still working on the basic stuff

[sugarhog-au]

Round 2 of Sugarhog Redesigns, this time it's the Needlemaus family

Sonni Oggvile (Sonic) Needlemaus: Part-time speedster vigilante, part-time local town gremlin, full-time general good boi (on the inside) who tries to put a smile on as many faces as is realistically possible. He and Shadow aren't on the best of terms at the start, but their rocky beginnings makes way for something different in the future.

Tails Needlemaus (Miles Prower): A young fox adopted by Chuck Needlemaus when he was just an infant kit, his brilliant mind mixed with Sonic's chaotic nature often lead the two into quite the bit of shenanigans when they were younger, but as Sonic's "matured", he's tired to be more responsible with the fox's naive nature. Tails is very much still a tag-along, however.

Chuck Needlemaus: Sonic's uncle, and Tails' adopted father, Chuck runs a farm in Emerald Valley so large, most of the town rely on it to get through the winter. He's a kind old soul who didn't expect to become a father in his older years, but readily welcomed the two into his home when the need arose.

Sonia Needlemaus: Adopted by their Aunt, Aleena, Sonia lives a fairly comfortable life in Onyx city's upper class society. Cultured and well educated, Sonia sometimes wishes for more in her life other than the prim and proper lifestyle she's always known. The farm life that she sometimes experiences when visiting her Brothers in Emerald Valley however, was not what she had in mind.

Maurice (Manic) Needlemaus: Kidnapped Adopted by Scourge as a baby, Manic somehow managed to grow into a fairly chilled out teen, despite the Ex Gangster's sometimes questionable parenting methods. Manic is a charismatic individual at school, a band kid through and through who loves his more humble life regardless of it's rocky start. Him and Sonic are pretty close, despite their rough housing, he greatly enjoys spending the week/weekend on his uncle's farm to visit his siblings.

Muttski: Sonic's dog, very good boy. He's eager to please and has tons of energy to keep up with the Blue blur. Despite his rough past, the mutt remains a friendly dog to others, loving walks and barking at trains.

[dailysonadowfanfics]

Title: Prologue Beyond Prophecy

Author: Skyblaze

Website: Ao3

Published: 17.09.2008

Word Count: 32.356 words

Suited for minors? Yes

Warnings: Light violence

Smut? No

Finnished? No

Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonia the Hedgehog, Manic the Hedgehog, Queen Aleena, Uncle Chuck, Dr. Eggman, Miles Tails Prower, Knuckles the Echidna

Ships: Sonic/Shadow

Author Tags: Fantasy, Romance

Author Summary: Sonic Underground AU. Shadow is a Knight-protector of the Royal Family, and deeply embroiled in the destiny of the triplets. But he is wary of the prophecy even though he has his own destiny to fulfil. AU, pre-slash Sonadow

My summary: A Sonic Underground fanfic with Shadow as a Knight and mentor to a young Sonic. The story isn't finished, but the plot is really interesting, and even though Sonadow doesn't happen (because it's unfinished), they definitely have enough monents to make this worth your time if you're looking for a sonadow fanfic.

You can read it here

[tenshiharmonia]

I was browsing through the Sonic Unleashed tag when I saw someone who was making a tarot deck themed after the blue hedgehog's universe, and I must say, it kind of inspired me. So I wanted to give it a try and imagine what my own version of such a deck would be like. Not that I have the artistic skills needed to concretize my vision, but hey, it makes for a fun exercise. I mean, I've always been a fan of tarot iconography, and it just so happens that one of the franchise's main characters has a canonical interest in the matter (as Frontiers reminded us not so long ago), so it seemed appropriate. XD With that being said, let's see what I came up with. (Note that I'll mainly focus on the major arcana. I know that the minor ones are much richer in terms of meaning, but let's be honest, they don't stoke the imagination as much as their "greater" siblings. :p )

0 - The Fool : Sonic himself. Now, calling him a fool is obviously a gross misnomer, but the card itself represents bright-eyed and free-spirited idealism. It is the start of a new journey, which - you will concede - resonates quite well with the eternal adventurer that the blue hedgehog is. (Besides, it's only natural for the franchise's main character to figure on the first card. :p )

I - The Magician : Tails. This card is all about limitless potential, so the two-tailed fox was an easy choice (besides, as Sonic’s right-hand man, it’s only natural for him to come just after the blue hedgehog :p ). Learning from the Fool’s mistakes and experiences, the Magician works towards manifesting its intentions into beings, which resonates pretty well with the genius boy’s heroic aspirations and constant quest for self-improvement... Also, he is quite the tech wiz, and you know what they say : any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. :3

II - The High Priestess : Tikal. In tarology, the Priestess embodies feminine wisdom and intuition, perfectly echoing Tikal’s own role as the Echidna tribe’s voice of reason (even though nobody listened to her). Moreover, the Priestess is also regarded as a mentor figure, bringing to mind how the girl’s spirit acted as a guide for Sonic and his friends during their quest to stop Eggman and Chaos. Lastly, the Priestess is supposed to be quite knowledgeable about the universe’s secrets, which - once again - parallels Tikal’s ancient knowledge of the Chaos Emeralds and their powers...

III - The Empress : Aleena. I know, I know, Underground is probably a part of the franchise that most people would rather forget (except for its banger of a theme song). But I must admit, I’ve quite a soft spot for the way it depicted Sonic’s family (Manic, my beloved). As it happens, this card symbolizes motherhood. Both literally and figuratively. Since Aleena’s main characteristic is her status as both a mother and a queen, she seemed like a royal fit. :p Visually, I also like to imagine that the card’s illustration would take cue from the show’s opening and depict the gentle monarch, in her queenly attire, resting on a bed with her three playful newborns, highlighting both aspects of her character (I won’t deny that her design could enjoy a bit of a face-lift, though)...

IV - The Emperor : Eggman (featuring Sage). Naturally, as the Empress’ counterpart, the Emperor represents the figure of the father. Of course, they are merely symbols, so it’s less about their genders than what they stand for. While the Empress is kind and nurturing, the Emperor’s authority is harsh and severe. He isn’t devoid of affection, but he still views himself as reigning over his progeny, which I think echoes Eggman’s personality and the relationship he has with his creations pretty well. Also, he is at the head of the Eggman Empire, so he truly is the best suited for the job. :p

V - The Hierophant : Professor Pickle. Without going too much into the details, the Hierophant alludes to traditions, institutions, and to a certain extent, dogmatism. Like the High Priestess, he will often take on the role of mentor, providing wisdom and guidance. But he can also represents someone who is a little too set in their ways... All in all, I think you can see why I chose the professor. After all, he is an expert archaeologist who’s passionate about the planet’s many cultures and customs, counsels Sonic and his friends during their worldwide adventure, and who can be a little uncompromising on certain topics (like the making of cucumber sandwiches :3 ). Really, the guy checks all the boxes. One can imagine that the card’s artwork would depict the old chap enjoying a cup of tea and some (properly prepared) snacks while looking contemplatively through his office’s window…

VI - The Lovers : Sonic and Shadow. I mean, this is my tarot deck, so I can indulge myself as much as I want. :p No but seriously (not that I wasn’t serious, but you catch my drift), I would probably attribute this one to Amy. After all, she is the one with romantic aspirations, the one who yearns to experience the sweet embrace of love, waiting for her blue prince to notice her... That being said, instead of depicting Amy and Sonic as an actual couple, I like to think that the card would represent the young girl, bathed in a soft and summery light, simply daydreaming about her proverbial knight in shining armour. Indeed, the card itself is less about romance than fulfilling connections, in the broadest sense of the term. So the idea here would be that, even if her relationship with Sonic is not the passionate fairy tale she’d like it to be, it doesn’t prevent the two of them from sharing a meaningful and inspiring bond. :3

VII - The Chariot : The Tornado, soaring through the clear blue sky. This card stands for travels and freedom, so it was only natural for it to feature our heroes’ trusty mount. After all, it helped them discover so many new and exciting places... (As a bonus, I like to imagine that the card’s illustration would also include the three Babylon Rogues, racing through the sky around the plane. I don’t really know why, but I think it would be neat. I mean, in a sense, they do embody a certain form of freedom. A more abrasive and selfish variant than the one Sonic himself stands for, but still, it makes for an interesting contrast...)

VIII - Justice* : This one was admittedly a little tricky, but in the end, I think I’d go with Chaos. Let me explain. This card is about karma and retribution. It warns us about the consequences of our choices and actions. To put it simply, you reap what you sow. And I think that Chaos, standing impassively among the burning remains of the Echidna tribe, would make for an impressive illustration of that message. Because it’s also important to remember that the line is often thin between justice and madness, and that a righteous crusade can easily turn into a destructive vendetta if hatred and despair are allowed to fester. There is a time to punish, and a time to pardon. * Note that Justice (8) and Strength (11) are known to switch places depending on the deck. This numbering is the one I’m most familiar with, but feel free to procede in the order that suits you best. ;)

IX - The Hermit : Knuckles, sitting on the steps of the Master Emerald’s altar, contemplating the sky from his lonely island. Naturally, the Hermit represents the need to isolate yourself to reflect on your life and actions, which resonates quite nicely with the echidna’s "lone wolf" nature. This choice, however, carries a certain irony. Indeed, while the Hermit is supposed to be a figure of enlightenment, Knuckles’ solitary life has also led him to become a rather hot-blooded - and at times, naive - individual. In a way, it reminds us that maintaining some distance between yourself and the world can often be a double-edged sword...

X - The Wheel of Fortune : You’d think that in a series with so many casino-themed levels, this one would have been easy, but I had a surprisingly difficult time picking who - or what - would be adorning this arcane. Ultimately, my choice would probably be the Chaos Emeralds. As a card, the Wheel of Fortune naturally represents vagrant luck and the whims of fate, an idea that - I think - resonates pretty well with those miraculous jewels. Just like luck, they come and go as they please, and you have to seize them when they pass. And while they often seem to favour the heroes, they ultimately serve no master, meaning that they can be used to defeat evil just as they can help it rise. Their power will often shape the course of history, but there is no telling what awaits those who got caught in their crystalline spiral... Of course, the card’s artwork would depict the seven stones arranged in a neat circle, with the sharp ends all pointing towards the center, to mimic the appearance of an actual wheel. Incidentally, the center of the circle could be occupied by the sparkling silhouette of Super Sonic, to symbolize the ultimate and decisive power that the Emeralds bestow. Alternatively, I was thinking about having an image of the Phantom Ruby in this place, as the Chaos Emeralds’ sinister counterpart, a concept I wish had been explored more. In that case, the image of Super Sonic could be placed above the "wheel", while the bottom of the picture would be showcasing a nefariously grinning Eggman, emphasizing once again how the power of the Emeralds can affect the course of destiny... for better or for worse. (Of course, everything about this deck is merely hypothetical, so don’t take all those details too seriously. This is just brainstorming...)

XI - Strength : Cream. While this card’s name brings to mind the image of a fierce animal, it actually refers to inner strength, the force of the soul that manifests through courage and kindness. As someone once said, it takes a lot of strength to be kind. And I feel like there is no one better than the little rabbit girl to illustrate this message. For her sweetness and innocence hide a heart as strong as the mightiest of metals. A heart that is not afraid of standing against evil and injustice, but that will always choose to extend a hand to those who might need it, be they friends or foes. Brave, humble and generous, the little bunny is truly a shining example of fortitude. (Also, we all know what a punch she packs in spite of her age and daintiness, making her fits the literal definition of "strength" just as well. :p ) That being said, I must admit that I don’t really know what the card’s artwork could look like. My first idea would have been for it to feature Cream happily flying through the sky alongside Cheese while carrying an enormous - and adorably decorated - basket full of Chao*, but to be honest, I’m not entirely convinced... * One can even imagine Gemerl’s head sticking out of the pile, with an air of dumbfounded vacancy colouring his mechanical face, as if to say "I have absolutely no idea how I ended up in this situation, but I cannot say it's disagreeable". XD

XII - The Hanged Man : Big (featuring Froggy, of course). This card invites us to take a break and look at things from a new angle. So naturally, the feline fisherman was the number one candidate, considering how well his laid-back personality and tranquil outlook on life fits the arcane’s meaning. Besides, his passion for fishing provides us with the perfect excuse as to why he would be hanging upside down in the first place, having inadvertently got caught in somebody else’s line because of his clumsiness. :3

XIII - Death : The End. This one is actually deeper than it seems. Of course, the End fancies itself as an ineluctable embodiment of destruction, which already fits the card’s esthetic quite nicely. But those who know about tarot know that this card is actually about transformation and renewal, echoing the End’s role in the franchise’s narrative : by precipitating the fall of the Ancients’ civilization, it triggered the chain of events that would ultimately allow the entire series to happen (or at least most of it). In doing so, it also gave rise to the very hero(es) who would eventually defeat it. True to its name, its advent spelled the end of an era, but it also brought forth a new future, just like a decaying corpse will return to the soil and nourish the seeds that lie beneath... In fact, the card’s artwork would probably have the End’s moon form looming in the upper portion, while the bottom part of the illustration would feature a lonely flower, blooming in the middle of some verdant field (heck, said flower could even be growing out of the husk of a departed Koco, to really drive home the card’s message XD ).

XIV - Temperance : Mighty the Armadillo. This one was easily the most difficult for me to figure out, in part because I feel like there wasn’t really any obvious candidate. In the end, though, I think that Mighty would probably be the best suited for the job. As you can guess, Temperance represents the need for balance and moderation. It invites you to put a little water in your wine, and I feel like it resonates quite nicely with the armadillo’s character. Think about it, Mighty’s main attribute is that he is monstrously strong. Just like Equius Zahhak. He has to be extremely careful around other people, as even one single slip could result in him badly hurting those he cares about. Just like Equius Zahhak. Which is not always an easy feat, as he’s got a pretty extroverted and impetuous disposition. Just like... well, not really, but I think you see where this is all going. XD Mighty’s story is one of constant restraint and cautiousness, which - I think - echoes what this card stands for in a very interesting manner. Granted, I’m not really sure how to convey all that in a simple illustration*, but the idea is there. XD * Maybe having the armadillo rushing worriedly over to Ray - or helping the little guy up - after he accidentally sent the squirrel flying with a not-so-light jab on his shoulder, in reference to that one moment in the Sonic Mania animation (said scene greatly influenced my decision to pick Mighty for this arcane, so it wouldn’t be surprising)...

XV - The Devil : I actually have two different ideas for this one, so brace yourselves. :p - First of all, Solaris. I mean, a being of pure light hiding a heart as black as the darkest of nights ? Yep, that guy fits the bill like a glove. XD As a card, the Devil warns us about the dangers of materialistic obsessions, which could resonate with the all-consuming nature of the sun god’s flames. Not sure about which of his forms the illustration should depict, though. My main idea was for it to feature Mephiles with Solaris’ true form looming behind him, but it’s just one possibility (and even then, I’d still have to choose between the two different forms that the god takes during the final battle). Also, the Devil is usually depicted with a young couple chained at his feet, symbolizing his grip and power over mankind, so I was thinking it’d be interesting to have them be replaced by shackled silhouettes* of Silver and Elise, those whose lives were ruined by the flames of Solaris and the manipulations of his tenebrous half (alternatively, one of them could be replaced by Elise’s father, as it was his own obsession that kickstarted this whole mess)... * To represent how they are just unaware pawns on the fallen god’s chessboard. - Secondly, the Deadly Six. Now, I know what you’re thinking : "urgh, not those guys". But honestly, I don’t really mind them. Sure, Lost World’s writing was a little lackluster, to say the least, but in and of themselves, I don’t think they are that terrible (personally, I have a special fondness for the Zazz X Zavok pairing, but I guess that’s another story XD ). And more importantly, they would be perfect for this card. I mean, as I said, the Devil warns us about self-indulgence and earthly desires, which resonates so well with the hedonistic nature of the six Zeti. Truly, it’s no coincidence if the name of their group references the seven deadly sins. You have the glutton one, the vain and glamorous one, the one who revels in violence, the apathetic one, and Zavok himself is quite the epitome of pride. (And I’m not even taking into account their fittingly demonic, oni-like appearance...) As I said, though, I don’t really know which direction I’d rather take. Ultimately, I feel like the Deadly Six fit the card’s actual meaning better, but I also really like the gravitas that the fallen sun god brings to the table in terms of iconography. How can I put it, I feel like the Zeti would be better suited for the illustration of a minor arcane, if that makes any sense. I mean, the Devil is a figure that comes with a certain weight, and I’m not sure they’d be able to shoulder it. XD

XVI - The Tower : Imperial Tower, with the artificial sun created by Infinite looming over in the background. This card represents impending disaster, so it's only natural for it to feature a level from Sonic Forces. :p No but seriously, I think the choice is rather self-explanatory. In two different ways, actually : Eggman orchestrated the "false sun" battle as the ultimate demise of the resistance, but in the end, it spelled the fall of his own empire...

XVII - The Star : Maria. The Star’s message is one of hope for the future, so Maria felt like the best suited for the job. Her serene kindness and unwavering optimism certainly fit the bill. I mean, even as she was unjustly murdered by those whose role should have been to protect the innocents, her dying words were still for Shadow to not turn his back on humanity, to allow everyone living on the world below "a chance to be happy"... Truly, I cannot think of a better candidate to embody the Star’s promise of a brighter future. (Also, she spent most of her life in a space station, so she’d be right at home on this card. :p In fact, its artwork could easily depict the young girl gazing at the stars through a window aboard the Ark...)

XVIII - The Moon : Rouge. This card is associated with both feminity and deceitfulness, warning us that everything isn't always as it seems, so who better than our dashing femme fatale-slash-master spy to illustrate it. Besides, as a bat, she’d fit the card’s nocturnal esthetic pretty well. :p

XIX - The Sun : Charmy Bee and his two dads and the rest of Team Chaotix. The Sun stands for radiant joy and success, so I thought those three would make for a fitting choice. I mean, they are quite a lively and light-hearted bunch, run a detective agency, and even founded their very own band. Sure, they seem to be perpetually broke, and I don’t think that their musical performances attract that much people, but... what was the point I was trying to make, again ? XD No but seriously, the irony of having those three goobers as an illustration of "success" is not lost on me. In fact, this hilarious contrast is also partly what motivated me to pick them for this card. :p As for the "joy" part, I guess it’s pretty self-explanatory. In terms of visuals, the card’s artwork would probably depict Espio and Vector standing in a sunflower field as they watch Charmy flying happily in the sunny sky above them...

XX - Judgement : Shadow, standing in a flower field, with the Ark looming in the sky above him. Entrusted with the hope of an innocent soul, but turned into an angel of death by his creator, the black hedgehog is ready to pass sentence on humanity. Will he find us guilty, or will he have enough strength in his heart to forgive ? Damnation or atonement, it’s up to him to decide what form the future will take... Anyway, the Judgement card is tied to introspection, so Shadow felt like the best candidate. After all, his personal quest is one of identity, reflecting upon the mistakes that were made and learning the truth of the past in order to move forward and forge his own destiny...

XXI - The World : Chip and Dark Gaia. This one was a no-brainer. After all, those two carry the will of the planet itself. Moreover, the World is, as a card, a symbol of triumph and completion. The journey is over, and it’s now time to celebrate. But it also reminds us that every end is a new beginning. In a sense, it mirrors the glorious cycle of nature that Chip and his brother embody : day and night, death and rebirth, plurality and unity... Now, in terms of appearance, I like to think that the card would depict the little lad hugging an image of the world, in reference to that one panel from the comic, with the serpentine body of his dark counterpart forming like a mandorla around him, to mimic how the card is traditionally illustrated. (Moreover, in order to tie things up and emphasize once again the cyclical symbolism of a tarot deck, I like to imagine that on the illustration of the Fool - which can interchangeably be numbered as either 0 or XXII -, Sonic would be depicted wearing Chip’s necklace/bracelet, reflecting how the story has come full circle and it’s now time to begin anew. Really, Sonic Unleashed as a whole feels like it was tailor-made to illustrate that particular part of tarology...)

And it seems that this post has come full circle too. Haha, I hope that you enjoyed the ride. Some were actually trickier than I was expecting, but all in all, I’m quite pleased with my choices. Of course, there are still a few characters that I wanted to include but couldn’t find an appropriate spot for, like Blaze or Metal Sonic. But hey, for the most part, I’m pretty satisfied. Besides, we still have to tackle the minor arcana. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the courage to do the whole deck (as I said, the suit cards don’t really fan the imagination as much as the "greater mysteries"), but still, theoretically speaking, there is plenty of space left for all the characters who didn’t make the cut this time around. XD Anyway, it definitely was a fun exercise. I wish I had the artistic skill needed to materialize my vision, but alas, my puny words will have to do. Of course, feel free to comment if there is something you’d like to tell me about the content of this post. If you have a remark to make about one of my choices, for example, or if you’d like to share your own take on the premise. Who knows, my knowledge of the Sonic universe is not exhaustive, so I might have overlooked someone or something that would have otherwise been perfect for one of those cards… In any case, I’ll be more than happy to hear your thoughts. ^_^ Also, in spite of my fascination for its iconography, I’m far from being a tarot expert, so don’t hesitate to correct me if I made a mistake when talking about one of the arcana’s meaning. :p With that being said, I don’t think I have anything to add, so I guess it’s time to close this post. Once again, I hope that you had fun reading it, and to those who made it this far, thank you for your attention. Take care ! :3

[sonicunleash]

I'm bored and curious actually so SUDDEN SONIC POLL TIME

Personally I've always liked the canon that he's just any orphan, and that he kinda had to grow up/pull himself together on his own-- I always feel like Sonic as a character works best when at the end of the day he's just some guy like anyone else, with a flawed upbringing

[ao3feed-narlie]

Shatter

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/bo52M7c by kingdomfaraway Queer Intentions had gathered a lot of attention and fame over the last year, and now with their first EP out and charting and a tour starting in a few weeks, it would only get worse. Charlie already had a pretty love/hate relationship with the whole thing. He was happy to be a drummer, and playing live was amazing, but people were invasive and loud and wanted a lot from him all the time. That included fans, the record label, all his new managers and assistants, and a million other people. “How long till I see you?” Charlie asked, despite knowing the exact countdown of days left in his head. Nick would be coming to him in 12 long days and then he’d have 4 weeks of Nick on tour with them. He wanted a change of subject, not to be reminded of what his life was going to be like very soon. “12 long, long days,” Nick sighed. “And trust me, I’m ready to tell everyone to screw it and head down there right now,” he grumbled. Words: 4784, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English Fandoms: Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Sahar Zahid, Aleena Bukhsh, Jay Thornton (Heartstopper), Victoria "Tori" Spring, Sarah Nelson, Tao Xu, Elle Argent, Isaac Henderson (Heartstopper) Relationships: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson/Charles "Charlie" Spring Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Touring, Musicians, Fans, Social Media, Meta, Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper) Needs a Hug, Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper) has an Eating Disorder, Sad Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Protective Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fame, Panic Attacks, Violence, Eating Disorders, Scars, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Stalking read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/bo52M7c

[hibernationsuit-remade]

tagged by @velocitic and @quickhacked to do this picrew hehehe THANK UUUUU <3

tagging @dekariosgale @edgepunk @yrlietlanaevyss @spaceratprodigy @responderschief @reaperkiller @envergothash and everyone else who wants to do this (+ no pressure to do this sjdjjfjfjd)

doing this w/ some pre-hope characters teehee. i've been rotating their backstories once again :-)

first row: toby & klara obviously hehe

Tobias works as a lead chemist in a project that's researching possible cures for hibernation sickness. Though, he also slowly starts to understand that the future of this project isn't really that bright :'^)

Klara is a specialist in UDL's intercorporate relations, which means that her work time is basically 80% meetings or smth. She's extremely busy and has too many extra hours :( But at least udl pays for their specialists' food or smth.

second row:

Sarah (she/her): Klara's supervisor in her UDL team, tired(tm). Owns too many lipsticks bc she always loses them, buys new one, then finds the old one later. Is actually a very funny person. Makes good cocktails.

Samuel (he/him): Tobias's boss in his last project hehe. He is not a nice guy, to put it lightly, but everyone loves him for some reason. Will tell u funny stories about his life. Only wears designer clothes. He comes to my mind whenever i listen to Dark, Twisted and Cruel for some reason. Likes to either wear a full suit or a half open shirt.

Third row:

Jay (he/him): Klara's coworker from her team, he loves paperwork and is an avid user of office gym (he goes to pilates classes three times a week). Always has cookies with him and will offer you one. His eyes aren't amber, they're the color of sunlight during golden hour (done through some fancy surgery). Has two jack russells and a husband.

Aleena (she/they): biomedicime specialist from Samuel's project, leads a team that works closely w/ Toby's. Toby & Aleena know each other since their teenage years and actually had founded a skincare start-up (which was bought later by Kolway). They are coffee break and kanban board breakdown buddies. Fun fact is that her hair is always blue - they made some kind of thing during one of lab projects that could change person's hair color permanently*. Really likes blueberry milkshakes.

*toby also has used said thing, though different color. it's mostly visible in his grey hairs KFKGKFFJJ

[grapecaseschoices]

the lovely @wayhavenots tagged me to do some ocs with this barbie picrew, so here they are!

Hiyam Vinke [This asshole Barbie is a fashion-plated pop singer!]; Lala Sandoval [This troll Barbie is a alternative/folk rock singer who wants to pet your cat]; Aleena Odeh [This Unchosen One Barbie is a dick. And has wings!]

tagging: @sustainably-du-mortain @sunshineandviolets @thee-morrigan @narrativefoiltrope @quinnorion @yes-prisoner @themalkavian @magebastard @mt07131 @indorilnerevarine @eatingyarn and whoever feels like it; as always no pressure!

[thelediz]

I never realized you had a tumblr. I started reading your Lost Prince fic last year after rewatching the old sonic cartoons for nostalgia and have been low key obsessed since.

The suspense of it all! You look at the sonic underground tag on ao3 and look at the ones that have characters from the games and they’re mostly one shots. You especially don’t get to see much, if any, drama between Sonic’s bio and adoptive family.

Speaking of! Are you willing to ramble about the situation between Tails, Sonia, and Manic?

Yeah, I've had this thing for a while, but I don't post much (obvs) because A) I'm more of a lurker, B) as you can tell from my long-form posts that don't make for hilarious reblog chains, it's not really my style, and C) I don't know what I'm doing.

But I do enjoy rambling about characters, so WHY YES!

To talk about Tails and Sonia and Manic, I think I first have to rant a bit about Sonia and Manic and their respective relationships with Sonic, because it matters.

Something I'm really noticing on this rewatch is that the ONLY thing Sonia and Manic seem to connect about is how much they resent Sonic's arrogance. When he's not around, they tend to bicker, unless they're focussed on how much Sonic annoys them. And I think that's a pretty telling keystone of the Sonic Underground: it falls apart without Sonic. He is their focus point, and he matters to their ability to function both with each other and the resistance as a whole.

Despite bickering constantly because Sonia's a girly-girl and Sonic's a gross, arrogant, BOY, Sonia and Sonic have a fairly decent working relationship, and they actually seem to bond over that when they're not trading off irresponsibility. They fight well together, they rely on each other to get intel or materials, they are usually the field agents to Manic's technician. They might argue near constantly, but it really does start to come across more like stress relief, because when it MATTERS, they're usually on the same page.

Manic, on the other hand, has much more of a little brother vibe with Sonic. They hang out, they goof off, Sonic knows how to do almost everything Manic does (and is usually better at it), and he's very much guiding Manic to being a responsible member of the Resistance. Manic is super dependent on Sonic physically (because he always needs rescuing), emotionally (Sonia just doesn't trust him, and she makes that clear fairly regularly), and morally (Sonic curbs Manic's thievery while still accepting it and his underworld contacts as valuable).

So they have different relationships with Sonic, but the one thing they have in common (at least at the start of the fic) is that they also feel a real sense of OWNERSHIP over him. He's THEIR brother, by blood and bone. And as I mentioned in the post about Aleena, this family has some real idealised concepts of unconditional familial love. It's made worse for the triplets because they have been trauma bonded, and they do seem to spend the vast majority of every single day with their hands in each other's pockets. For the purposes of my fic, they spent an entire year living, fighting, and bonding together.

Sonic never quite connects with the other two the way they seem to depend on him. He goes off on his own, he's capable, he's (generally) responsible, but he doesn't rely on them.

And then, in the fic, he leaves.

The Sonic Underground touchstone left. And they heard nothing but their mother reassuring them it was fine.

The siblings are not okay at this point. So they do what they always do when left alone - they connect over their shared feelings about Sonic. And so that compounds the feelings they already had for him: Sonia doesn't feel like she can work effectively without him, and Manic doesn't feel like he can be a good human mobian without him.

MEANWHILE, Tails.

Prior to meeting Sonic, Tails was not on a good path. He was bullied, and he was ANGRY about it. Tails is dangerous, and I think people often forget that. He was building bombs and guns and devices long before he started fighting Robotnik/Eggman. But he met Sonic, who didn't bully him, but instead made him feel good about himself and his skills. Through Sonic, he met Amy, and Knuckles, and everyone, and they all respected him, and liked him, and our adorable fox-boy learned to stand proudly on his own as a hero.

In a lot of ways (even ignoring the fact Manic is definitely supposed to be another world's Tails), he and Manic are very similar. They were raised out of what they can now recognise as bad paths by their relationships with Sonic.

And I don't think anyone can deny that Sonic and Tails have a legitimately brotherly relationship (unless you're a shipper, but whatever). But the important difference is that it was a natural one. It evolved on its own, with no prophecy or Oracle or necklace saying "you two must be together" - they just legitimately grew close.

And another--I would argue--more important fact: Sonic absolutely relies on Tails. For inventions, for emotional support, for fun, Tails is Sonic's brick, and he (and Knuckles) can get through to Sonic when nothing and no one else can. And Tails KNOWS it.

But he doesn't think he deserves it. Tails' whole deal is about self-confidence, and his struggle with it. It doesn't matter that he's a genius, it doesn't matter that he's a hero. He's a victim of bullying, and so a huge part of his psyche is never going to get past the idea that he is a freak and a weirdo and not deserving of any affection.

So a big part of him clings to Sonic for validation. Because Sonic cares. Sonic will always care about him.

And then these two STRANGERS come out of NOWHERE, claiming ownership of HIS BROTHER FIGURE. Ownership forged in blood and bone and prophecy. And so all his insecurities, all his fears that he's not good enough, they are all coming back SO HARD, no matter how much Sonic tells him he's got nothing to worry about. You can't just tell a victim of bullying that they're loved and worthy, they won't believe you even if they want to. That's not how that kind of scarring works. So Tails is going to get jealous, and he's going to be an idiot.

With Sonia, it's easy, because she's A) female, and B) treats Sonic more like a colleague. And Tails can roll with that, because Rouge, Knuckles, Shadow - he's had experience with other people taking bits of Sonic's attention like this. And Sonia, in turn, just sees Tails as a friend of Sonic's with skills they can use. He's basically a very young Cyrus, cool.

But Manic... he's just as insecure as Tails. And unlike Tails, who has experience of being a hero in his own right, often without Sonic anywhere in sight, Manic has--not ONCE--stood entirely on his own as something worthy. He has ALWAYS relied on his siblings, and specifically Sonic. He's got nothing to combat his issues.

AND Tails is a better mechanic than him (a skill Manic only picked up because Sonic introduced him to the skill through the Resistance), AND he knew Sonic first, AND he claims to know MANIC'S ONLY BROTHER better than Manic himself.

AND Tails has realised that the whole medallion thing (which Manic is clinging to as proof of his connection and ownership over his brother) is slowly destroying Sonic. And Manic is pushing it, giving Sonic reasons to wear it, giving Sonic reasons to stay in this place that's hurting him. So that's got Tails' ruff up, too.

I'm just saying there have been smaller sparks to start catastrophic bushfires.

...I hope that explains it at least a little...

[an-abandoned-sad-weirdo]

Sonadow Fanfiction Week 004, Day 6,

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive WarningsNo Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandoms: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media TypesSonic Underground

Relationships:

Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog

Manic the Hedgehog & Sonia the Hedgehog & Sonic the Hedgehog

Manic the Hedgehog & Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonia the Hedgehog & Sonic the Hedgehog

Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog

Miles "Tails" Prower & Manic the Hedgehog

Queen Aleena Hedgehog & Manic the Hedgehog & Sonia the Hedgehog & Sonic the Hedgehog

Black Doom & Shadow the Hedgehog

Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonia the Hedgehog

Characters:

Sonic the Hedgehog

Shadow the Hedgehog

Queen Aleena Hedgehog

Black Doom (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Black Arms (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Sonia the Hedgehog

Manic the Hedgehog

Miles "Tails" Prower

Oracle of Delphius (Sonic Underground)

Charles "Chuck" Hedgehog

Lady Windermere

Bernadette Hedgehog

Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Vanilla the Rabbit

Knuckles the Echidna

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe

Angst with a Happy Ending

Slow Burn

Arranged Marriage

Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage

Alternate Universe - Royalty

Royalty

Trans Male Character

Trans Sonic the Hedgehog

Misgendering

Transphobia

Mobius (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Mobius is like Pangrea here

Good Brother Sonic the Hedgehog

Good Brother Manic the HedgehogGood Brother Miles "Tails" Prower

Good Sister Sonia the HedgehogBad Parenting

Everyone Needs A Hug

Sonic the Hedgehog Needs a Hug

canon wasnt wellso i took it out backdw about itno beta we die like Sonic and Aleena's relationship

slowly and painfully

Fluff

Gay Panic

Out of Character

Getting to Know Each Other

Falling In Love

Alternate Universe - Medieval

Misunderstandings

everyone wears clothes

Alternate Universe - No Powers

shadow has powers

Fashion Used To Make A Statement

Implied lesbian Amy Rose

fucking ugly ass mustard jacket and puce pants

black doom being weird af

finally got shadows pov!

Mentioned Knuckles the Echidna

Denial of Feelings

Denial

Shadow has only known Sonic for 4 days but he will kill if something happens to him

Language: English

Current Stats:

34,769 words,

12/? Chapters, on going.

The first day

The previous days

The next day

[dailysonadowfanfics]

Reading every single Sonadow Fanfic (Ao3): 42/4.642

Title: Of Chaos and Stars

Author: Heichoucangetit

Website: Ao3

Published: 29.03.2016

Word Count: 15.408 words

Suited for minors? Yes

Warnings: No

Smut? No

Finished? No

Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonia the Hedgehog, Manic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Miles Tails Prower, Amy Rose ...

Ships: Sonic/Shadow

Author Tags: Interstellar 5555 plot, Fusion of Sonic Universes, Sonadow - Freeform, daft punk - Freeform, Prince Sonic, Shadow has the cutest crush, rating will probably change later, shit happens, Angst, Action/Adventure

Author Summary: On the distant planet of Mobius, peace is abruptly broken when Queen Aleena's children are kidnapped by a mad scientist who wishes to abuse their skills. The galactic police force G.U.N is alerted, and two agents are sent in hot pursuit. Will they succeed?

My summary: An unfinished fic that's a crossover between multiple universes, Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are giving a concert to their fans and get attacked. Shadow is a fan boy.

You can read it here

[lordviridis]

Kat Goes Fictober 2022

I realised I might need a way to collect all the ficlets together. You can find them in this post. Under a cut due to expanding in length.

1. Flowers Summary: Aleena is not happy about the flowers Mortis has delivered to her room. Characters: Aleena, Darth Mortis

2. First Kiss Summary: Ocipia teases Helmi until she acts on her feelings. Characters/Pairings: Ocipia/Helmi

3. Special Diet Summary: Asra and Cadoc's weekly ritual. Gothic horror vibes. Characters: Asra, Cadoc TW: Blood

4. Museum Summary: A Sith muses on the history that has been lost and recovered. Characters: Unnamed Sith

5. What Makes Me Remember Summary: Cadoc makes a trip to his home planet, realising it has changed much since his last visit. Characters: Cadoc

6. Duty Summary: Asra finally gets the chance to say good bye to her dead husband. Characters: Asra

7. Crystal Part 1 Summary: Aleena is on Ilum to find her lightsaber crystal. Characters: Aleena

8. Crystal Part 2 Summary: After graduating from Korriban, Aleena reflects on the crystal her new lightsaber has. Characters: Aleena

9. Crystal Part 3 Summary: As a Sith, Aleena wishes to make her own crystal and lightsaber sooner than is traditional. Characters: Aleena

10. With Love, From The Past Summary: Aleena finds the family recipe book in the library. Characters: Aleena

11. Movie Marathon Summary: A movie marathon takes a different turn than expected. Characters: Hadar/Helmi/Ocipia Tags: D/s, light spanking

12. Protest Summary: Aleena attends a protest for alien rights, Mortis sends someone to fetch her. Characters: Aleena, Zavrasha

13. Dinner Summary: Ty cooks Caitlin dinner. Characters: Caitlin/Ty

14. Bedtime Stories Summary: Caitlin reads a bedtime story to her army of children. Characters: Caitlin, six children.

15. "Lightsaber" Summary: Zane buys Aleena a lightsaber shaped dildo for their Sith/Jedi bedroom role-play. Characters: Aleena/Zane

16. Accomplishment Summary: Ratoa reflects on what it means to be a Jedi Knight. Characters: Ratoa (Hero of Tython)

17. Night Summary: Zailia has a lookout turn on the ship for the night. Characters: Zailia

18. Knots Summary: Zailia is adjusting to the life on a pirate ship. Characters: Zailia, Inri

19. Loss Summary: Zailia bets more than they are willing to lose. Characters: Zailia, Inri, Makrak

[shinymisty-blog]

Characters of Authority (Queen Aleena and Robotnik)

I am putting Aleena and Robotnik together because they are both characters of authority…and they are often associated with each other anyway. I enjoy an Aleenabotnik ship when it is done right. That isn’t going to happen here, mind you. But I do enjoy it.

Not only that, but I feel they both suffer from the same general problems. A lot of telling us about them but never really showing us. Aleena suffers this a lot more than Robotnik does, but did get to a point I did notice a bit. But I guess I’ll get to that later. 

Disclaimers and notes for this particular post: ❗❗There is a strong chance I’ll be mentioning a bit of child neglect on Aleena’s side. ❗❗There may also be a chance of physical/mental abuse mentioned on Robotnik’s side. •Be warned: These posts are often just MASSIVE walls of text! I have the "Keep Reading" tab there for a reason! •While there is no real order to these, I’ll try to keep things in order of relevance. •There will be times when I'll reference something that involves things that would be more relevant after the 40 episodes. During these headcanons, I'll place a nice little ✨ to indicate that it is one of those headcanons. (Everything mentioned will have some sort of explanation if needed). Think of it as a sneak peek at the story I am working on. •If I happen to update anything within this post, I’ll reblog it with the tag #Sonic Underground Project Update, along with a note on which information was updated. 

Links: Master Post | The Origin’s Arc 

·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ Queen Aleena ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·

…Would everyone hate me if I admit I don’t like Queen Aleena…

I like her concept. A regal, seemingly loving Queen who had to lose everything including her children to keep her people safe. 

I look at everything she does in the show… And then it hits me.

What did she do? 

I guess that is the point of her character. A mysterious figure the triplets are trying to find. But it leaves her feeling very…neglectful of her kids and people. There are no signs that she is trying to do something aside from the rare few times she becomes a bit of a “Deus ex-mother” and saves the day from the background. Leaves me wondering if Mobius believes she abandoned them.

I may just be remembering wrong, and she has done a lot more than I remember. But I just know she frustrated me during my first journey.

•♫•♬• Headcanons •♬•♫•.

➣Like her children, Aleena was born in Mobodoon. Unlike her children, it was not on the same day. That’s because she grew up in Mobodoon. 

➣Her eye color is brown, paralleling Robotnik.

·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ Robotnik ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·

…I wish you were written more threatening, Robotnik, I really do. He has his moments. The line where he says that Sanctuary, a place full of young children, will become a cemetery was a GREAT line. 

But man. If you are going to constantly threaten your lackeys with roboticization when they misbehave…maybe act on that threat?! I get why the writers never did that. If he roboticized Sleet and Dingo, we’d no longer have antagonists for the trio. But we also see how effective it is for him to just hint that he’d do it, during the Chaos Emerald Crisis Arc. So maybe he should have done that a little more? Maybe…use a limb as a warning? 

Anywho, I also hate how he always HAS to wait for all three of the triplets to be caught to roboticize them. I GET it. He wants to watch as they suffer. But…DUDE! You know the prophecy! You KNOW that, if one is gone, then the prophecy can’t happen! It’s just…Oooh man, it gets frustrating sometimes. 

•♫•♬• Headcanons •♬•♫•.

➣While I usually headcanon Eggman to have the first name of Ivo (that being ī-vō, not ē-vō), I headcanon Robotnik (at least this one) to have the first name of Julian. This is due to some confusion I had reading through the wiki at a young age and not understanding anything that I was reading. It has stuck ever since. 

➣Robotnik mistakenly roboticized his arm while testing the first Roboticizer, meaning he knows firsthand how roboticization feels.

[ao3feed-narlie]

SUPERSTAR

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/5nOjrW0 by nicknelscns (writinqbyliv) A compilation of one-shots where school teacher, Nick Nelson, is dating world-famous drummer, Charlie Spring. Words: 1894, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Heartstopper (Webcomic), Heartstopper (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Sahar Zahid, Aleena, Jay Relationships: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson/Charles "Charlie" Spring Additional Tags: Fluff, Aged-Up Character(s), Taylor Swift Song Lyrics, Song: Superstar (Taylor Swift), osemanverse - Freeform, nick's first teaching job, nick is a primary school teacher, charlie is a drummer, Famous Charlie Spring, everyone is obsessed with charlie, charlie only has eyes for nick, Nick and Charlie, Narlie, heartstopper - Freeform, Fluff and Humor, Boys In Love, Idiots in Love, Future Fic, world famous, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, supportive boyfriends, Smitten Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Smitten Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), nick down bad nelson, Domestic Fluff, domestic nick and charlie, Post-Canon read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/5nOjrW0

[aerielz]

come and untangle me one of these days

- a dream. a mistake. company, to make it better.

This is for and because of everyone in the original Flower Shop!AU post notes, specially @claudiasjeancregg and @stars-on-the-cuffs-of-her-jeans. You guys went waaaay too fast and I’m still trying to put Donna in here let alone everyone else, but I do hope everyone enjoys this! Title from Come and Find Me, by Josh Ritter. I feel like everything I’ll ever write for this AU will be somehow based off this song, tbh.

fandom: the west wing pairings: JD, CJ/Toby wc: 2453 rating: gen tag: flowershop au

He wakes up at the crack of dawn, stirred by some weird dream he can’t quite remember — some bittersweet memory. The coffee he takes washes away the sweetness and he’s left with only the bitter of it, stuck to the back of his throat.

He leaves the house, then. The streets are still somewhat deserted, but, much like his hometown, DC never really sleeps. Toby walks the five minutes from his house to the shop, and watches as the sun comes up behind the Capitol dome.

Walking into the storefront proves itself a bigger hazard than his own mood, though, as he is almost run over by a flurry of blonde as soon as he steps through the threshold— “Wow.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!,” Donna is already there, crossing quickly towards a table under the wall-to-wall window with a spray bottle in hand and talking into a phone she holds with her shoulder. “Oh— no, no, don’t worry, that was just Mr. Ziegler. Yes, of course. Yeah. Yeah, I’ll let him know, don’t— tomorrow? That should be hard, how about Saturday? Okay. Okay, thank you so much, Dr. Bartlett.”

“Donna,” he says when she hangs up.

“Shouldn’t we receive a shipment of sunflowers this weekend?” She sprays a mist over an arrangement of daisies.

It's too early for this. Too early for and her energy and her incessant talking, but somehow Toby can never be mad at Donna. Even when she sends congratulatory arrangements to funerals by accident. Even when she turns around still spraying, causing him to find himself inside a cloud.

“Donna—”

“We’ll sure need them, Dr. Bartlett just called saying that Liz will be home for the weekend.”

"How many times I have to tell you to never call me Mr. Ziegler?"

"Should I call you Mr. Grumpy, then?"

"It's Mr. nothing, Donna."

"Oh, c'mon. Don’t be so harsh on yourself,” she jokes. But her quip lacks the bite and the sparkle, and Toby finally notices it — she was here before sunup, too.

He barely has time to register the conversation and that last fact when the bell above the door rings behind him. His heart skips a beat.

Donna looks up to check and her eyes widen, just a little bit. Just enough.

“Oh, God, no, not him,” he mutters to himself.

“Can anyone tell me what magnolias are supposed to stand for?”

Toby sighs, closing his eyes.

“This is a flower shop,” he says, turning around, “can’t say much about trees.”

Josh Lyman, arrogant extraordinaire, flashes a smirk, shrugging apologetically. "Maybe you should start thinking about expanding."

He swagger his way further into the shop, stopping just beside him.

“I—,” she says, putting a strand of hair behind her ear, “Well, actually flowers from magnolias are very common in bridal bouquets. They’re these beautiful, delicate, things, they’re supposed to be all about purity and nobility.”

This is why he keeps her here, Toby thinks. For every fact about flowers that he doesn’t know, Donna knows five he’s pretty sure no one but her knows about. But she looks down to the floor, and Toby thinks she sounds sad, somehow.

“Well, that..." Josh’s smirk quickly turns into a grimace. "That makes sense."

“The more you know,” he says, clapping his hands against his legs. "Well, you got your answer, then."

"Yeah, maybe... maybe we should focus on some other flower," Josh says.

Toby is more than ready to focus on showing Josh the door when—

The bell rings again.

Sam walks in, saying, "Oh. And here I was thinking I was gonna be the first."

Toby runs a hand over his face and takes a glance at his wristwatch. It’s barely seven. "Why are you all even up?"

"No reason," Josh answers. It's way too quick, but he's not about to question him.

"The magnolias, they..." Donna looks up directly at Josh, "Why you ask?"

"I— uh."

"Magnolias!," chimes in Sam, leaving his shoulder bag in a corner and sitting on top of the sales counter, right beside Donna, "Such pretty flowers! We're doing bridal bouquets, now? We should, the marriage stuff really is great business."

"Oh, God, no," Josh mutters.

"It really is!,” Sam continues, “There’s definitely money in the sector, and it’s not like it’s an unpleasant job. Donna here, for example, would love it. Anyone with a knack for romance would, really.”

“You work the afternoon shift,” Toby tells Sam, exasperated and already so, so, tired. “On weekends. What the hell are you doing here?”

“I have no idea, Josh was the one who called me.”

“And you came?”

"Absolutely," says Sam, almost triumphant. “I mean why not?”

“I can think of at least, I don’t know, twenty reasons.”

“Well, I like to help my friends when I can, Toby. For the same reasons I think we should really start doing weddings.”

“Unbelievable,” he cries out, “How did we even get to this point of the conversation, we are not doing weddings, what’s wrong with you?”

“I’m a romantic—”

“Yeah, that explains it.”

“—and you know what, I think you are one, too. I think most, if not all, of us here are. Or you're gonna tell me you wouldn't like the sight of the love of your life, surrounded by blooms and blossoms, walking her way towards you? Or, or— maybe doing that walk yourself, that would probably be quite an experience, right? C’mon, Donna, you look like someone who dreams about a big wedding, tell ‘em."

"I... really rather not."

"God, kill me. Right now," Josh mutters a bit too loud, "Just kill me."

Toby notices, strangely enough, that Donna seems to second that thought, but the impression barely has time to settle in because at that exact moment the door opens again. But instead of the light, almost quiet, chime of the bell, they hear a sharp shrill and a loud thud, from the door connecting violently with the wall.

"Joshua Lyman, I will have you hanged," a familiar voice booms.

"I didn’t mean literally," Josh whispers to no one.

"What the actual f— I mean, really, I am never leaving you in charge of the schedule again. Amy just called me asking for your head and I’m pretty sure Joey wants your nuts served on sterling silver — why the hell did you think it was a good idea to have everyone here at like six in the morning, Joshua?"

“Look—”

“Choose your next words carefully because in order for you to keep your internal organs on the inside of your body this will have to be really good.”

His answer ends up not coming in words at all, but in a pleading look — the wide eyes of a man who needs help.

The room awaits silently for Josh's defense, but Toby is looking at CJ, who, for some reason, seems to have a monopoly on his attention whenever she's in the room. And so he catches the moment when her gazes subtly travel to Donna's face. He follows just as carefully, to find her sniffling quietly, cleaning her eyes with the sleeves of her cardigan.

CJ swallows and tracks her eyes back to Josh. Something passes between the two, some understanding, that Toby is not privy to.

“Well." She sighs, rage completely gone. Everyone looks at her. "Since we’re here... maybe... we could all just have something nice to eat...? My treat.”

Josh is visibly relieved.

"I'll take you up on that," Sam says, "I haven't eaten a thing yet."

"You left home without eating?," Donna asks.

"I'm not used to waking up this early."

"Well, let's put some kind of food inside you then," CJ says.

"And coffee," he completes.

They all walk to the nearest café together, finding Bonnie on her bike on her way to work. She unmounts and joins them. Ginger arrives later, when they're all making a fuss over latte flavours, chipping in too. Seasonal spices are seasonal, that's why they're special!, cries out Donna. Nonsense, says Josh, what if I want pumpkin spice all year round, what's wrong with that?

Toby is equal parts impressed and not at all by Josh having an elaborate coffee order. He's hanging back behind the group, watching them have fun with nothing but their own friendship, when CJ finds him.

"What about you, Tobus, gonna drown yourself in cinnamon and allspice, too?," she asks.

He lets himself laugh, "I don't think I have it in me to drink something that complicated."

"A simple man, huh."

"You could say that," he tries and fails to hide a smile.

"I have just the thing."

She enters the line and comes back two minutes later, shoving a blueberry muffin into his hands.

"You didn't have to."

She's the one smiling, then. "I know."

CJ looks up ahead at the rest of their party and her gaze falls on Donna, going soft when she watches how openly the woman laughs while trying to argue some sense into Josh about something as innocuous as coffee.

“Why do I have the impression you know something about my own employee that I don’t...?," Toby asks, then takes a bite from his muffin. It's a bit too sweet for him, but it tastes good. It feels good, like replenishing something inside him.

“I... might.”

“CJ.”

“I’m not supposed to say anything.”

“Those flower arrangements, you like them a lot, right.”

“You don’t play fair.”

“It’s why I’ll never be a professional baseball player.”

“Could've had a chance with the Red Socks team of nineteen—”

“You don’t know anything about baseball, stop obfuscating.”

She sighs, sagging.

“She was supposed to be getting married today.”

Toby chokes on a piece of his muffin. CJ gives him a slap on the back.

“Married?”, he all but yells, between coughs.

“Keep your voice down!”

“What do you mean married?,” he whisper-yells, “You’re telling me she was supposed to marry that asshole?”

“We all make mistakes.”

“Voice of experience?”

“I’m a tattoo artist, Tobias, I have seen things.”

"Married," he repeats. "Married! She's, what, twenty-five? And she's supposed to be getting married to— to a guy who wanted her to throw her entire life away to—"

"I shouldn't have told you anything."

"—what, pay his bills?!"

He breathes in deeply and takes a big bite out of his muffin, knowing the sugar will help him cool down.

It must be quite a picture, his beard covered in crumbs while he munches angrily, because CJ looks at him like she’s about to burst into laughter.

“What?”

"I swear to god between you and Josh the girl’s got more protection than a mafia daughter.”

"Josh knows?," that explains a lot, he thinks. "You're not very good at keeping secrets are you."

"Listen pal, I am very good at it, I just... She needed help, okay?"

"And you think we’re the right people to help her?"

He's not being skeptical, he really isn't. But Donna’s far away from home, and she’s bound to be missing more substantial support. It is true that CJ has a way of making him feel better by just being there, though, and to be fair it is a general talent of hers. Regardless of his protests both her and Josh, they do this, somehow. They arrive, arguing over something tiny, and he forgets he’s worried about anything.

"Yeah, I mean," she shrugs, "isn’t that what friends are for?"

Toby looks up ahead at the people who came around the shop, and all the way here, too, just to keep each other company.

“I think it might work,” CJ concludes.

Between their party and the sugar in his system, he can’t remember what was it that upset him so much that morning.

They all sit on a big table outside the shop, still discussing seasonal lattes. Sam remembers some of his favorites, recalling one or two that never came back another year. Ginger and Bonnie share hot chocolate recipes, and Donna makes notes.

The sun settles itself in the sky and shines down warmly. The District starts moving faster, getting into the gears of the day.

Their regular opening hour approaches.

CJ rises from her place beside Toby and motions with her head for Josh to follow her.

“It's been nice to be robbed blind by a coffee shop chain for your benefit, but we better get to work.”

“Thanks for coming around,” Donna tells her, “I've been having a couple of rough days and…this helped.”

“You should come up to the shop, if it happens again,” CJ says. “Just to hang around. There's always someone there to keep you company.”

“Come today, even,” Josh completes, “I think Amy might not murder me if there’s witnesses.”

“Today's probably not gonna happen,” Donna answers, “We'll be doing some new arrangements, for a while, Dr. Bartlett called.”

“MD or PhD?”

“It’s a lot of work anyway, so does it really matter?”

Josh smiles, shaking his head, “I guess not.”

Is there someone he didn't call?, Toby thinks.

Josh and CJ bid the rest of the table goodbye and head in the direction of their shop. The conversation around them resumes, but Donna is chewing on her lips instead of jumping in to refute Sam's argumentation over croissants.

She steals a glance to watch their backs retreat on the sidewalk, but, before they can get too far, Donna bolts from her seat and stops Josh with a hand on his forearm.

“Josh.”

He stops and looks back. “Yeah?”

She hesitates. When she speaks, it is just loud enough for him to hear.

"Why did you ask about the magnolias?"

She notices she’s still holding him by his shirt and lets go of it, but Josh slides his hand into hers. "Someone came into the shop yesterday to get them done. They reminded me of you.”

He gives her hand a squeeze, that she returns. They share a smile.

“Maybe I could come around tomorrow?,” she says.

“Yeah,” he nods, “Yeah, I think I’d like that. See you tomorrow, then.”

A few steps behind Josh, CJ is watching them, too.

She finds Toby's gaze, when Josh releases Donna's hand to join her. And gives him a wink.

He laughs at the ridiculousness of it, at how warm it makes him feel. But something in the gesture between him makes him believe that there are better days ahead. For all of them.

He turns back to the table around him and when Donna sits down he finally gives in— “You’re all delusional, black forest is just chocolate and cherry, it tastes the same anywhere.”

—starting another round of protests that leads to laughter and lively conversation that lasts the rest of the day.