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yamisnuffles · 4 years

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Cosmic Love

Not long after the Great Flood, Gabriel comes to lay down a few ground rules for Crowley and tries to set Aziraphale on a better path.

This is the fourth part in my Too Much of a Good Things series, where both Crowley and Aziraphale are angels. It won’t make sense if you haven’t read the other parts.

Read on Ao3

While of course no angel was exactly alike, there were a few things about the Seraphim generally considered rules amongst the other angels. For one, they burned with a fiery passion in all they did, both figuratively and quite literally. For another, they had very lovely voices. If they were to be found anywhere other than deep in the cosmos, it was at the Almighty’s side, singing Her praises. Finally, they were weird. This last point was generally considered a byproduct of the prior two.

Of course, because the Seraphim tended to work at a distance from many other angels, this opinion was likely little more than gossip. How many of the Host could say they spent enough time with even a single Seraph to sum them up? That was Aziraphale’s opinion on the matter. Or, at least, it had been until he had spent enough time with a certain Seraph to form a distinct impression.

Aziraphale had started to wonder if Crowley himself was the reason the Seraphim had developed such a reputation. He was certainly dramatic and what was that if not a sort of passion. Aziraphale hadn’t ever heard him sing but Crowley also had a lovely speaking voice. As to the last bit, well…

There were plenty of ways that Crowley was different from anyone else Aziraphale knew. Crowley went by Crowley instead of his God given name, for one. It was certainly his choice and one Aziraphale respected but he couldn’t say he understood the impulse. For another, Crowley was often using nonsensical turns of phrase, talking about lead balloons and zoos and the like. He said them in ways that implied what he was saying made perfect sense but always made Aziraphale feel an awful lot like something had gone wrong with his hearing. And then there was the way he was always calling Aziraphale “angel” as though they weren’t both angels. As though Aziraphale was something special, singular to Crowley. It made Aziraphale’s heart flutter in a way that definitely wasn’t normal, not for him.

Which was to say nothing of the way Crowley walked since he’d regained his legs. The way his hips and his legs seemed to have a rhythm all their own that defied logic and the laws of gravity while they were at it. It was peculiar. Outlandish. Altogether too much in a way that awakened parts of Aziraphale he’d rather forgotten he’d had and if that wasn’t strange, he didn’t know what was.

Crowley was doing it at that very moment, sauntering about like he wasn’t bound by any of the rules of his corporeal form. Aziraphale had been content to quietly watch him at it until the Seraph started to do something else odd. Crowley had been replanting the fertile but devastated landscape. Lush greenery sprang up in his wake was he walked, arms outstretched. It was a beautiful sort of dance with the way he moved. Or would have been, had Crowley not made frequent stops to grumble at whatever he’d just grown.

“My dear, are you… talking to the plants?” Aziraphale asked. Talking seemed the kindest way to describe what Crowley was doing. Hissing was far more accurate but Crowley got a bit tetchy when his lingering serpentine features were pointed out.

Crowley gave a low lying shrub a parting glare. When it raised its limbs further up toward the sun, he nodded and then looked at Aziraphale. “Just giving them a few reminders.”

“Of?”

“Of the flood. Of the fact that I am graciously giving them all a second chance.” Golden eyes became molten and turned on the plants once more. Their leaves quivered under his glare. “That this all could be taken away in a moment if they’re not careful and so they need to grow better.”

Aziraphale’s heart squeezed uncomfortably at the implications. He tried to think of a way to respond gently to that but a sudden flash of lightning brought his brain to a halt. Gabriel appeared before them in what had been a pristine new field of poppies.

“Greetings, Aziraphale,” Gabriel said in that booming voice of his. He fixed a bright, white smile on Aziraphale and then turned it on Crowley. “And just the angel I was looking for. Hello, Sala-”

“Nope,” Crowley interjected.

Gabriel kept his smile in place, though it tightened noticeably. “Excuse me?”

Crowley crossed his arms. “That’s not my name anymore. It’s Crowley.”

Though Crowley might not be phased in the slightest by the Archangel’s clear displeasure at being both interrupted and corrected, Aziraphale couldn’t help but squirm. “Yes I, ah, I mentioned it in my memo to you?” It wasn’t a question. He knew he had but his voice rose all the same. He twisted the ring on his pinky finger. “In the report about the ark and everything.”

“I thought that was a joke,” Gabriel replied. “We all had a good laugh about it. Well, whatever.” He shrugged and turned his violet eyes down at the flowers crushed beneath his sandaled feet. He either couldn’t see or didn’t care about the way Crowley was glaring at him. “What is this?” he asked, wrinkling his nose and peeling a petal from his sole. “There isn’t supposed to be anything growing here yet.”

“Yeah, well,” Crowley shrugged. Despite his feigned nonchalance, his fingers twitched in clear desire to heal the crushed flowers. Instead he swept his arm to his side and tall grass sprouted in a clump. “Now there is.”

Gabriel frowned. “I see that. Why?”

Crowley bared his teeth in a sharp smile. “Dunno if you noticed, but there was a really big flood recently. That big boat full of humans and animals need more than a whole mess of mud to get on with things. Soooo-” An aggressive arm sweep and more poppies grew up around Gabriel for every one he’d trod on. “I’m helping them out. S’what we’re supposed to do, isn’t it?”

“We aren’t supposed to interfere directly with the affairs of the humans unless ordered. And you aren’t supposed to interfere at all with them.” Gabriel’s frown was traded for his widest, most mirthless smile. “You’ve done more than enough of that, wouldn’t you say?”

Aziraphale nearly stumbled in his haste to get between the two angels. He rather felt like doing so might cause him to be ill. He’d rather not. He’d seen it happen to humans and it looked dreadfully unpleasant. However, he couldn’t let this escalate any further. His own smile fluttered about the edges.

“Gabriel, is there a reason you’re here?”

“To see this, of course,” Grabriel replied, gesturing to Crowley. As though the Seraph was a thing, a spectacle, and not a fellow member of the Host. Aziraphale knew the Archangel couldn’t possibly mean it in that way but it did make his stomach turn again. “When you said in your report that our errant angel, Crowley, had regained his original corporation, I just had to see it for myself. And what do you know, that wasn’t a joke either.”

Crowley’s only response was to bare his teeth further. Snakes weren’t capable of smiling, but Aziraphale had the distinct impression that it would look something like that if they could, a sickle sharp slice of venom. It made the too human hairs on the back of Aziraphale’s neck rise up. Danger, it said.

“No, not a joke,” he said. “Why- why would I lie in my report? I try my best not to embellish.”

Gabriel waved his hand. “Yes, yes. You were quite thorough, Aziraphale. But who would believe this? Not me. Not Michael. Sandalphon was taking bets on whether it would ever happen at all. No hard feelings or anything. You just gotta admit, this came as a surprise.”

Aziraphale couldn’t even think of what to say to that. His mouth worked around a response that wouldn’t come. Before he could find the words, Crowley stepped forward.

“Right, well, here I am. So if you’d just-” Crowley flapped his hand dismissively.

Annoyance flickered through Gabriel’s otherwise impassive features. “That’s not all I’m here for.

You may have your original form back but, sorry to say, that’s not the end of it. It’s been decided that it would be best for everyone if you stay down here to live amongst the humans, as one of them. You’ll still have your miracles, of course. We’re not monsters. Though, in the future, do be less wasteful,” he said, gesturing at the lush greenery around them. “But that means no trips to Heaven.”

“Good riddance,” Crowley muttered.

“And no going off into the stars,” Gabriel continued brightly, as though he hadn’t heard Crowley’s aside.

Aziraphale gasped. He put a hand on Crowley as much to steady himself as to keep the Seraph back. But Crowley was no longer on the offensive. He was trembling. Aziraphale turned to look at him and saw his mouth was hanging wide.

“You can’t.”

Gabriel laughed. “I can’t? The Almighty may have decided in Her infinite goodness to let you stop crawling around but it’s up to Heaven to decide everything else. The humans are still suffering because of what you did, so it’s only fair, don’t you think?”

Crowley’s mouth thinned and a shadow passed over his golden eyes. It should have been easier for Aziraphale to read him now but he’d gotten so used to the body language of a snake. He needed to relearn everything about how Crowley expressed himself. All he knew at the moment was that his emotive friend was all too still and quiet for his liking.

Aziraphale cleared his throat. “Gabriel, could I perhaps speak to you for a moment? Er, privately.” Gabriel raised an eyebrow but didn’t protest when Aziraphale led him out of Crowley’s earshot. “You’ll have to excuse Crowley’s behavior. He’s been rather moody since the flood, what with the almost dying and being left out of plans. I don’t think he quite understands the… the ineffability of it.”

“Aziraphale, buddy, if it was up to me, I’d say getting his body back was the end of it. This is nothing personal. But you’ve got to consider appearances.” Gabriel wrapped one arm around Aziraphale’s shoulders and used the other to gesture at the sky. “Think about it. He already skipped out of his duty during the War and then there’s Eden. How do you think the other angels would feel if he got off so easy? Not to mention those mucking about in Hell. We let Salath- Crowley off after a mere thousand years and before you know it, we have demons demanding they be let back into heaven.”

Aziraphale squirmed uncomfortably. “Yes. Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course I am. As long he’s under Heaven’s care, we’re responsible for him. You wouldn’t rather he not be under our care, would you?”

Aziraphale’s throat went suddenly dry. He couldn’t help but look back at Crowley. The Seraph was barely visible crouching amongst the poppies, a shock of red hair amongst even redder blooms. Nearly everything Crowley had done since coming to Earth seemed designed to make Aziraphale fret on his behalf. He was always pushing at the bounds and asking too many questions instead of trusting in the Plan. Was Gabriel’s goodwill all that had kept Crowley from Falling? If so, what if he ever found out about the things that Aziraphale had left out of his reports, like why Crowley had nearly died during the flood?

Aziraphale shivered. “Crowley really does care for the humans. He sometimes shows it in an unusual way but he is trying. Perhaps if he had duties to keep him occupied?”

“I don’t think so, Aziraphale. It might seem nice to give him some busy work, but think about it from the other side. After what he did in the Garden, which souls are we supposed to trust to his care?” Gabriel shook his head. “I told you bud, gotta keep your eyes on the big picture. Good. Evil. We don’t need rogue agents messing things up.” He clapped Aziraphale on the back hard enough to wind him. “Big picture. Something you should keep in mind yourself when you consider what company you keep.”

As quickly as he’d arrived, Gabriel was gone, leaving only the tang of ozone and disapproval in his wake. Aziraphale let out a long, shaky breath. He knew what the Archangel was getting at- that he would be better off without Crowley around. It might be true but he wasn’t worried about himself. Well, not entirely. In truth, ever since he’d given away his sword he’d worried that he wasn’t doing the right thing. But he worried more about Crowley. If Gabriel was concerned about the influence Crowley might be on him, he was far more concerned about the effect he had on Crowley. Maybe they’d both be better off without each other.

With a heavy heart, Aziraphale turned to discuss the matter with his friend. However, Crowley was nowhere to be found. Aziraphale turned his head this way and that, hoping to catch a flash of copper hair or yellow eyes. Nothing. Wind rattled through the grass and dislodged a single white feather from its depths. Aziraphale sucked in a sharp breath. He could feel his heart pound and stopped himself before he got too worked up. There was no reason to believe Crowley was in danger. There had been those demons for a time but… No, no. It was fine. Crowley was hardly defenseless. He wasn’t human.

Nor was Aziraphale, for that matter. He extended all his senses. He wasn’t limited to anything so mundane as sight. Crowley had been difficult to find when he’d been a serpent, muted in a way. Since that day on the ark, though, he’d been like a beacon. He must have loved the world fiercely indeed for as bright as he burned. He was so full of love it was hard for Aziraphale to sense much else around him.

“There you are,” Aziraphale sighed, letting out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding.

With a snap, he appeared in the upper atmosphere. He had to yank his wings quickly into this dimension to keep from falling. Once he’d steadied himself, he examined his surroundings. Above the clouds and everything else, it was easy to find Crowley. With his wings extended and his long hair trailing behind him, Crowley looked like a comet that was defying gravity to shoot upward. He went high enough that he was just one more shining point amongst many when something violently rebuffed him and he went crashing earthward.

Aziraphale shot forward with a yelp. He needed to tuck his wings in and propel himself faster with a miracle to surpass the speed of Crowley’s disastrous descent. He swept the Seraph into his arms and unfurled his wings again in time to stop them from crashing. Crowley looked dazed. He stared owlishly at Aziraphale as the Principality did his best to settle them in for a comfortable landing. He tried to place Crowley back on his feet but the other angel seemed liable to topple over if Aziraphale loosened his embrace.

“Crowley, are you alright? What were you thinking?”

Pink colored pale skin and obscured the freckles that dusted over Crowley’s high cheekbones. He found his feet at last and staggered back a step. “Just wanted to test,” he mumbled. He threw his head back to look up. His eyes were intense as he stared up at the clouds that dotted the blue sky, as if he could see beyond all of that to the cosmos. His eyes were wet when he looked down at Aziraphale. “How did you find me?”

“Simple. You positively radiate love, my dear.”

“I… ngk… wuh?”

Crowley’s face was positively scarlet now, though Aziraphale couldn’t fathom what he had to be embarrassed about. Best to reassure him after all that he’d just been through.

Aziraphale smiled softly. “Yes, I don’t know why I didn’t notice it in Eden but I suppose you hadn’t had time yet to really appreciate creation. Now, well my dear boy, I’m really in awe of how fiercely you love this world. But I’ve always heard how passionate the Seraphim could be.”

He meant it as a slightly teasing compliment but it didn’t seem like he’d hit the right mark. Crowley was still sputtering and the red of his face had seeped up to his ears. “Course you can sense… don’t know why I didn’t think…” All that nervous energy spread and caused Crowley’s wings to flutter. “Yeah, the world’s great. Just love it. Never known anything like it.”

Aziraphale smiled wider over the way Crowley’s voice broke around the word love, as though it was too much to even say. He put a gentle hand on Crowley’s shoulder. “I know you want to go back to the stars but perhaps you can remember that until you’re able to return. It can’t be so unbearable to be trapped with something you love so much can it?”

A small, broken noise escaped Crowley’s throat. “No, s’fine, I guess. Nice. Great.”

Aziraphale thought of what Gabriel had said. Aziraphale couldn’t imagine it was possibly that bad to be around any angel who knew how to love so wholly but he often felt there was a lot he didn’t understand about how to be a good angel. He certainly didn’t know what was best in this case- for him, for Crowley, for anything. Maybe he didn’t need to decide that just yet. It felt cruel to abandon Crowley when he was reacclimating to the world after a millennia as a serpent, especially when he no longer had the comfort of the stars.

“Shall we get back? I know Gabriel said you oughtn’t miracle the plants back but I do think the humans will be rather confused if they come across things unfinished like that.”

Crowley beamed. “Anywhere you want to go, you know I’ll follow. So lead the way.”

#good omens #good omens au #go au: tmgt #fic #my writing #crowley #anthony j crowley #aziraphale #good omens gabriel #and now I can get back to the other fic people voted on #no one wanted this lol but WEV I DID

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sagiri-yukihira-translation-proj · 4 years

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This is the last departure. Next one will not exist. Farewell forever. This star, will never meet, with you and I. Get on already. Ether(hollow breath) also is replacing how heart is, without be knowing. Come on. Keep your chin up, just look forward, don’t look back until you pass further more beyond the tytune(three thousand spiral), reach in someone’s arms whose is waiting for you. I nightly observe, record, wrap and tangle how countless stars float and flutter in briskly bubbling Ether(bismuth) in some wiring of migrant and rest time I’m sleeping usually. Because it’s been a long time since the sun decayed, because so long time passed since the morning, midday, evening left from the surface of this planet, because the night that forget the dawn and electricity-cut continued so long, because I got a bit crazy and have nothing to do. Record, is so convenient, that it is vital action for me, because I’m not good for memorization, because I (was it myself?) can’t keep any story in my brain. This text too, will fall out as I write, and will never return. Nevertheless, because I see dreams, still I may remember me (or myself) or perhaps you (who is reading this, maybe it's YOU). Although, how worthy is unrecollectable memory. The star which obscured and blurred by the night dream link the chain between faint Ether(depth of light). Disappearing into the moon, the beloved child loses sight of me. When you whisper, see, it will drift to a shore far away, like a tiny boat. To whom ya smiled at, for whom ya cried, for whom, Ether(YOU) did? Captivated by the Stella mare, I can’t keep standing. It's like you, faintly shivering, the tuning fork which echoes through with shedding the clear Ether(blue) to the dreams that night see. Heading to the far light, never shall return. Mum is worried. Worried, if ya aren't cold there. At least, mum is hoping, that someone who loves ya, is by ya side. Ya know, ya couldn’t stand being alone. In ya childhood, ya always cries when mum goes out (Ya wondering why mum knows? Yesterday, ya big sis told mum in a whisper. Don't bother her, it's my fault). Why am I recollecting the lovely days, the days when ya small hands hugged me, and couldn't reach my back. No, everyday, every time, even right now, mum wants to be with you. Mum misses ya so much. Every moment mum is thinking, how much I would be happy, if I could meet ya again. Can ya please make fun of me, that she's such a bad mum. I’m running out of time. This would be the last letter. This star, melting little by little, in dribs and drabs and with infinite cosmos, with Ether, fuses into one, then I may be able to be by ya side, in that time, forever. To the beautiful sounds ring, spreads in space, I shed the shattered sliver sand of Ether which I cracked words with you, staring at the blurred fragments which are stuck in between my nails and I stand still alone. I read the story of Babel. God was there up high above the sky so high, scowling at the kids, and the talkers and the noisy idiots, and said, ya things, are flatting your arms, and legs, and the mouths, are gaping open and shut, so noisy, so annoying, can't bear to see, lost my patience, don't wanna do it, so I'll only give ya an ark, ya see I'm rude, said him, laughed, then why did he, God, cry?

Ether: Secondly Child /Àdeér

#sagirity #poetry #poem #translated poem #kakuyomu

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nothisis-ridiculous · 7 years

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Proxy Cosmos- Andromeda

(An alternate reality where Alec Ryder lived, and both twins were awake during the events of Andromeda.)

Chapter Two:

"It's a seizure! Her brain can't handle the connection!"

"Don't you dare, Elsee. Don't you dare leave me alone with him," Scott screamed at his sister, running her cot down the lengthening halls of the Hyperion. Lexi's glance betrayed her inner battle to force him away from the situation, her lips moving as the monolog worked its way through her.

"Ryder's implant is overloading, I suggest a hardwire connection," Scott did have an improvement for SAM, make the damned thing respond accordingly to the situation. His calm and collected voice did nothing to soothe him, just irritated him beyond belief.

As if hearing his distress, Elsee's hand reached for him. She still pulled through for him, even when half ways dead. That last show of effort the final blow in her struggle to stay alive.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

SAM's calm voice announced that she was clinically dead. Offering a cold apology for the life lost to them, the machine's expression of condolence falling short.

Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen.

He didn't remember screaming, just the warm arms surrounding him. Holding him tightly in shared grief, the blur of his emotions too consuming to realize the man holding him was crying too. Attempting to soothe a man he hardly knew.

Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.

Those arms released him, allowing his body to slip to the floor. But he wasn't left alone, no, the stranger stayed at his side. Instead, the hand on his shoulder kept him grounded, something to focus on that wasn't his sister's death. Scott's head stopped swaying.

Twenty, Twenty-one, Twenty-two.

He was numb, was he supposed to be numb already?

Elsee gasped.

Within seconds, SAM confirmed the best possible news. She would live. Scott wasn't ready to move just yet, so he remained, allowing the doctors time to scramble over his sister without getting in his way.

"I'm already reading that you Ryders are a stubborn bunch," Liam mused.

Scott's coarse laugh felt unnatural, "you'll come to regret that soon."

The man chuckled offering out a hand, Scott took the help regaining his feet.

"Doctor T'Perro, Doctor Carlyle, Scott; there has been another complication that we must discuss," SAM's voice chimed before he had made it more than a step away from the node.

"SAM?" Lexi and Scott echoed.

"To save Elsee I had to interface with her on a deeper level," if Scott didn't know better, he thought the AI was feeling uneasy, "removing her implant or my connection to her will be...problematic, likely resulting in her death."

"Dad will love this."

======

"So, we technically have two human pathfinders now?" Scott asked as Ryder Sr was finally out of earshot of any Nexus officials.

Alec's explanation of Elsee's transfer had come at an awkward time, or rather his willingness to speak about it came at an awkward moment. Alec had hoped Scott would forget it in the blur of running into the rest of the Milky way's travelers to Andromeda. He almost had- especially as the daunting news hit them one after another. Garson, failed worlds, riots, expulsions, and the widespread trouble with the aliens -Kett- they had encountered on habitat seven. But his son wasn't going to let it slide.

"Yes, some glitch in the programming," Alec didn't like the word glitch. Not in association with his work. If word got out that he had removed various safety locks and boosted SAM, it could get him into hot water. Even in another galaxy where the role of an AI was not viewed as entirely evil. Giving himself an advantage over the other Pathfinder's could also disrupt a fragile alliance between the species, which in retrospect was just asking for trouble. But he was here now and needed to deal with the consequences of his actions before Scott peeled back more of the layers.

Scott chuckled, "wouldn't the Nexus leadership be happy about that. Some untested newbie having all the authority of a Pathfinder."

"Addison would quit on the spot," Alec found the thought amusing, "Tann would have a field day, he'd be glad to have someone new to try and indoctrinate."

"Elsee will love this-"

"She doesn't need to know," Alec huffed, it would be easier that way.

"And why not? I get the not wanting to stir up shit, but we're already down three Pathfinders having one more could tip the balance for team Milky Way."

"Or tipping the balance toward team human could result in breaking down all diplomacy the Nexus has left."

It was Scott's turn to sigh, "because buffing up your own SAM wasn't enough."

Alec went silent, not answering was always easier. His son may not have pushed him away as much as his daughter had, but things were still not comfortable between them. Alec's discharge had caused Scott many issues throughout his short career- he was at fault for the boy being stationed at a relay. It was likely the cementing reason for Scott agreeing to relocate to another Galaxy; he had little choice of a fair life back home.

Alec's coughing into his hand the only interruption of the silence between them.

Scott distracted himself for a few minutes longer by looking over the terminal detailing the last year. He was brooding and hovering over something. His bottom lip was protruding in the grimace his face wore.

"Aren't you going to see her?" He finally spoke.

"I don't think she would appreciate waking to her 'dear' old dad," Alec deflected, "besides, I need to prepare for our departure to Eos."

His son snorted, whirling passed him with quick steps. The door closed loudly, finally allowing Alec to study the speckles of blood dotting his palms.

======

Elsee shot from the cot, breathing in deeply as if all oxygen had left her for hours. Waking up to an unfamiliar room was a harsh wake-up call from what one thought was their death. Her eyes followed the ring of pale blue light until she calmed.

"Welcome back, Elsee," SAM greeted.

"What happened?"

"You were clinically dead for twenty-two seconds."

It felt longer, the way her body ached.

"Did the rest of the team make it?" Elsee remembered her brother reaching for her, then her dad inexplicably removing his helmet.

"Hey," the voice that came was soft, a low rumble coming from the floor beneath the cot, "you're still with us."

"So I'm not a ghost," she let out a hiss, moving her left leg sent a branch of pain burning up her spine, "fuck, I can feel pain."

Rumbling laughter escaped his lips as he rose from the floor, "unless this is some wacky comedy about a cop and their paranormal partner."

Elsee grinned, receiving one in return as the man spoke into the Omni-tool, "guys, get to SAM node! Ryder is awake."

Carefully she picked her way to the edge of the bed, placing her feet on the ground as an easy start. That went well, so she felt comfortable twisting around the see SAM's tube behind her the light still a little bright for her liking.

"So, who were you talking to?"

"SAM?" she stated with a cock of her head.

"I didn't hear him."

"Maybe, I'm the one with a quirky paranormal partner," Elsee deadpanned. His chuckle was born out of politeness, but she had something else on her mind, "My father... Scott, where are they?"

"Ahh, that," Liam cleared his throat, "they're fine. Sadly no champagne."

"Champagne?" Had she missed something?

"You might not need to hear this right now, but the Nexus is a mess," Liam breathed in deeply, the way his eyes shifted away making Elsee think he was hiding something.

"And?" she pressed.

"We're the first ark to arrive," he flinched, requiring another goad from Elsee to continue, "none of the golden worlds have panned out. Some riots, stuff like that. Apparently, the Nexus wasn't even aware we were here at first. But hey now that we brought them a Pathfinder, this can all be fixed."

"That's," she stuttered, still processing all of this at once, "that's quite a bit of bad luck."

"Idiot mouth should have waited to say anything."

"No, I needed to hear it. But, thanks," Elsee looked at her hands," is the Nexus everything we hoped it would be?"

"I haven't seen it for myself."

"Why not?"

Liam's words came with an easy roll of his shoulders, "it wouldn't be fair if you were the only one left out," it was unashamed, open, and for once said without the wake of tragedy, "plus waking up in a strange place after nearly dying would be a little scary."

A smile crawled its way across her lips, beaming at the man, who met her glance with a gentle, but unyielding look in his big amber eyes, "you shouldn't have. But thank you, Liam."

His crooked smile was heartbreaking.

"Scott and my father aren't the type to show, " rather than continue to sit around and be smitten by this man Elsee decided it was time to get moving, her first attempt ended with little more than her ass replanted in the cot. The second attempt ended on a better note, as the kind man continued to extend support by pulling her up and into his side. Stooping down, so her much shorter frame didn't need to extend her arm too extremely. The scent of shea butter with the hint of coconut assaulted her at once, inhaling it the scent with appreciation.

"Now, you are definitely Prince Charming," she cooed.

"Find me a horse; I'll do better," making an exaggerated show out of his wink.

"Does that include waking me from slumber with true love's first kiss?" The words left her with a face sprawling blush, damn, was she embarrassing herself.

His belly rolled with laughter, the hand not holding her waist covered his mouth. Sending both of them teetering off balance, while he attempted to regain his composure. Despite the way her face was flaming under heat, she couldn't help but fall victim to the infectious laughter. Elsee didn't know why, it was terrifying, her mouth was terrifying.

"That was horrible," she balked out.

"Be a tease, El," he gurgled through chuckles.

"El?"

"Seemed shorter, is that okay?"

"I like it."

======

Scott hustled from the door with a shake of his head, he could always visit Elsee later. For now letting her flirt was preferable to the awkwardness of interrupting whatever poor attempt she was making.

#liam kosta #rydam #alec ryder #au #mass effect andromeda #fanfiction #procos #elsee ryder #ryder twins

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kkmcanon · 7 years

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KKM'S BIG ROUND UP OF VARIOUS HEADCANONS OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

GENERAL NOTIONS

1- EVERYTHING IS EITHER CANON OR HAS A VERSION OF IT EXIST. EXCEPT IF IT WAS MADE BY KEN PENDERS.

2- GAMES ARE GENERALLY PRIORITARY. NOTHING GETS TO CONTRADICT THE GAMES, EXCEPT FOR IIZUKA HIMSELF WHERE IT MAKES SENSE.

3- GAMES ARE MOSTLY HAPPENING IN ORDER OF PUBLICATION EXCEPT WHEN THEY MUDDLE THE TIMELINE.

4- IN CASES OF VARIOUS ENTRIES WITH THE SAME NAME, THEY'LL BE DISTINGUISHED WITH CONSOLE TERMS.

IN THE CASE OF GAMES BOTH ON THE MASTER SYSTEM AND GAME GEAR, THEY'LL BE MENTIONED BY MASTER SYSTEM (MS).

5- THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GENESIS.

6- JAPANESE MANUALS TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER EVERYTHING ELSE, EXCEPT IN CASES WHERE THEY CAUSE PLOT HOLES.

7- THE CHAOS EMERALDS HAVE A MIND OF THEIR OWN, ALMOST.

THEY WILL MOVE FROM PLACE TO PLACE IF LEFT ALONE, SOMETIMES HIDDEN IN THE SPECIAL STAGE, SOMETIMES FOUND IN THE GENERAL WORLD.

PART 0: EVENTS BEFORE SONIC 1

50 years before Sonic 1, the events in the Space Colony ARK occur. Gerald Robotnik takes Maria Robotnik to the ARK, studies immortality, studies echidna culture, finds the Gizoid, has an uneasy relation with GUN, is visited by aliens, creates Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sonic is born in Christmas Island, 15 years before Sonic 1.

10 years before Sonic 1, as shown in Sonic 06, Soleanna divide Solaris into Iblis and Mephiles.

2 years before Sonic 1, the Sorcerer Achacha kidnaps a girl named Lucy. Two ducks, related to Bean, named Bin and Pin go save her.

Sonic lives with his friends in South Island- Johnny Lightfoot, Porker Lewis, Tux, Joe Sushi, Chirps, and Sally Acorn, who often spent vacations there. He was also friends to Vector the Crocodile, and joined his band, consisting of Max the Monkey, Mach the Rabbit, and Sharps the Parakeet.

He also enjoys travelling the world.

He eventually has his first fight with Eggman somehow, probably finding him mid world travels. This sets the stage for the life-long enmity.

Meanwhile, at Cocoa Island, young Miles Prower lives alone, and is learning mechanics and robotics with mail courses. He's timid, with a complex about his tails. The Battle Kukku invade, however, and he ends up fighting them off alone. Elated by his success, he ends up moving to another Island, deciding to explore the world- however, in West Side Island he ends up losing the adrenaline of the adventure, kinda loses confidence in himself; deciding he likes West Side Island enough to stay, he does so.

At some point too, Eggman, learning of the Little Planet, chains it to keep it from disappearing.

PART 1: THE BEGINNING (Sonic 1 MD and MS, Sonic Eraser, Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car, SegaSonic the Hedgehog)

Eggman attacks South Island. Not Sonic and Eggman's first tango, Sonic fights him back.; Sonic 1 Master System is the same event, just depicting other parts of the Island. South Island drifts in the ocean, and thanks to this through mysterious means has a connection to the Special Stage, where the mythical Chaos Emeralds can be found- this was Eggman's plan. Both him and Sonic only manage to find 6, though.

Sonic Eraser is a bad dream Sonic has one day, as clearly shown by the music.

Having started to become famous as a hero, he's invited to participate in a public service event in Hedgehog Town, where he acts as a policeman for a day. He catches Eggman trying to steal, and gives chase in his patrol car. He's gifted an airplane, the Tornado.

At one point mid travels, he's captured and sent to Eggman's Eggman Isle, where he meets two other travellers who were captured- the very strong Mighty the Armadillo, and the shy Ray the Flying Squirrel. The three manage to escape, and part ways.

PART 2: EGGMAN ESCALATES- TIME TRAVEL, THE DEATH EGG SAGA, EGGMAN'S SPACE EXPANSION (Sonic CD, Sonic 2 MD, Sonic 3 and Knuckles, Sonic 4 Ep I, Sonic Chaos, Sonic Spinball, SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter)

These games are a rare case of being locked into place due to their events. CD technically isn't, but has to happen before 2, and since it was actually released after 2, I'm moving it backwards. Same reason as why SegaSonic has been moved backwards.

Every year, for one month, the mysterious Little Planet, the miracle planet, appears over Never Lake.

Eggman decides to attack Miracle Planet and seize its Time Stones, and also decides he's had enough of Sonic. He had had the foresight of chaining Little Planet to a mountain, covering it in mechanics; he uses its magical flowers to power his Badniks, via robot generators positioned in the past. He also applies all his resources into creating a marvel of engineering- Metal Sonic, a deadly robotic copy of Sonic.

Amy Rose, a young Sonic fangirl, follows him when he visits Never Lake, and ends up kidnapped by Metal Sonic. Sonic sets up to save her and the Planet, and ends up, after a lot of time travel, ending Eggman's plans. Metal Sonic is left, wrecked, in the Planet, that is now free and thus disappears off to its dimensional travels, bringing Metal along.

Frustrated, Eggman begins his next big plan. He had, inspired by the appearance of the mechanically-covered Little Planet, created a massive space station, round and with his face in it- the Death Egg.

He follows Sonic in his aeroplane, as Sonic explores and decides to visit West Side Island. Soon after, he begins noticing he's being watched- and discovers Miles Prower, nicknamed Tails. Seeing Sonic's speed and how cool he is, Tails has his adventuring drive re-ignited; he began tagging along, even if Sonic would often speed immensely beyond him. Tails eventually discovers the Tornado in a beach, and is struck with awe at how beautiful it is- at that point though, Eggman begins his attack on the island, in order to get the Chaos Emeralds, which could also be accessed through this island- and this time, the missing 7th Emerald was present!

Sonic and Tails fight back though, even managing to find all the 7 Emeralds and discovering Sonic can use them to achieve a powered up form- Super Sonic. Tails is left behind as they attack one of Eggman's flying battleships, the Wing Fortress, but through it Sonic reaches the Death Egg. Eggman reveals his new robotic copy of Sonic- to contrast to Metal's slightly flimsy construction focused in speed, this is a hulking massive grey robot, Mecha Sonic. After Sonic defeats it, Eggman attacks with his own massive mecha vehicle- the Death Egg Robot. Sonic manages to destroy it and cause the Death Egg to come crashing down, though, and after being saved from a fall by Tails in the Tornado, rejoices in his victory.

However, the Death Egg instead crashes in the mythical Angel Island, guarded by Knuckles the Echidna, the last of the Echidnas. Knuckles had been guarding the Chaos Emeralds, but they had suddenly, with a ring noise, moved away as they periodically do, leaving behind the Master Emerald. Soon after, he sees the massive round space station, looking like a legendary apocalyptic Dragon's Egg from Echidnean lore, fall in his Island, destroying forests and forcing the Island, unbalanced, to crash into the ocean.

Days later, Knuckles finds Eggman. Having grown isolated, he's fairly naïve, a fact Eggman quickly notices- he claims to be a scientist who came to study the “dragon's egg”, and that he knew a ruffian named Sonic the Hedgehog had stolen Knuckles' Chaos Emeralds…

Soon after, away in South Island, Tails notices a Chaos energy reading in one of his machines, and remembers a huge wave he had seen days ago. He goes consult with Sonic, who was resting in the beach until he found a small Ring with ancient inscriptions, which reminded him of the ancient Echidna culture. They decide to go on the Tornado off to find the source of all that power, and when reaching the now afloat Angel Island, Sonic turns into Super Sonic to go explore first- and instead receives Knuckles' fist in his face, losing his Chaos Emeralds, which are taken by Knuckles who also decides to use all of the Island's traps to stop Sonic in his adventure.

Sonic and Tails, noticing the Badnik army, go forward to stop Eggman's plan, whatever they may be, and get the Chaos Emeralds again via the big Super Rings that appear throughout the Island and directly connect to the Special Stage and through it, to the Emeralds.

Eventually Eggman fixes the Death Egg and begins launching it again, but Sonic quickly stops it, and it crashes down once more, into the Lava Reef volcano. As Sonic collects the remaining Emeralds, Eggman sets his eyes on the big Master Emerald, stealing it from its altar after the big confrontation between Sonic and Knuckles. Knuckles, finally seeing he was being tricked by Eggman, helps Sonic reach Sky Sanctuary, where Sonic has to face the rebuilt Mecha Sonic, leaving it disabled, and heads to the Death Egg, which is launching again, powered by the Master Emerald. After a fierce fight, it is destroyed and Eggman escapes on a new Death Egg Robot- but Sonic goes Super Sonic, and follows to recover the Master Emerald, as told in Echidna prophecies.

Sonic gives the Master Emerald back, the Chaos Emeralds go away, the Angel Island, with the Master Emerald and with the Death Egg no longer weighing it down, flies again, and things are generally over.

Eggman, however, goes back into one of his battleships, the E.G.G Station, part of the armada he keeps increasing in space, to plan anew. He quickly assembles a bunch of recycled Badniks and sends them to distract Sonic, while waiting for the soon-to-reappear Little Planet. E.G.G Station is destroyed by Sonic, and Eggman retaliates with a couple of quick attacks in various places over the following months- an experiment gone wrong with the Red Chaos Emerald and the R.O.C.C. in South Island causes a Chaos energy reaction that begins sinking South Island, until Sonic saves the Island. He conquers Mt. Mobius, in the Kingdom of Mobius, and makes a giant fortress- the Veg-O-Fortress, and takes the chance to search for a bunch of mysterious powerful crystals he mistook for the Chaos Emeralds, while also stealing Roboticizing medical technology from Charles Hedgehog in the city of Mobotropolis, and Robotizing a lot of animals- until, again, stopped by Sonic.

At this point, alarmed by Eggman's expanding Space Armada, the United Federation asks Sonic to go and confront Eggman in space from one of their own Space Stations. Wanting the chance to explore space, Sonic takes the chance- but in the end, despite beating Eggman's mech and stopping him from robotizing bizarre star-shaped aliens, no real effect is really made on his Armada.

Meanwhile, in the Angel Island, some of Eggman's Egg Robos and Mecha Sonic have continued their invasion, so Knuckles fights back, defeating them finally even when Mecha Sonic steals the Master Emerald again and uses it to power up.

Finally, Eggman's wait and resource gathering pays off- Little Planet reappears! He sends Metal Sonic, who had been left damaged in Little Planet, to Lost Labyrinth to gain mysterious and ancient new powers, and begins constructing his new Death Egg- except this time, remembering how he had entrapped the Little Planet in mechanics, he builds the Death Egg mk.II itself around and powered by Little Planet! Sonic and Tails confront him, but in the end fail to free Little Planet.

At this point, Episode III hasn't been released and isn't likely to, leaving this plot line open. We'll assume Sonic and Tails eventually get another chance and DO save Little Planet, but Eggman immediately begins using the husk of the mk.II for a new plan...

PART 3: DENOUEMENT (Martin Adams novels, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 MS, Sonic Drift, Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld, Knuckles Chaotix, Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble, Sonic Drift 2, Tails' Skypatrol, Sonic Labyrinth)

After this defeat, Eggman generally simmers down for a while, and begins acting much pettier. He creates a machine that can turn animals into house appliances, and is defeated despite Sonic temporarily having become a sentient toaster; he experiments with time travel again, and ends up stopped by Sonic with the help of the Time Police from the Fourth Dimension, an organization from another dimension that oversees dimensional and temporal travel (although not very well); He has a first go at exploring the vastly increasing Cyberspace, and discovers how small programs seem to be gaining sentience of their own, but is stopped after trying to use Cyberspace to create more machinery he could then bring to the real world; He decides he wants to win an Academy Award and kidnaps Sonic's South Island friends to force altered clones of them to act in various horror film pastiches, and ends up defeated by the inhabitants of South Island after creating a Sonic-stein; He invades South Island again, kidnaps Tails, and has Sonic collect the Emeralds for him, before being defeated; when he sees that Sonic and friends have begun a racing tournament on South Island, he crashes it; his company creates a basic, lousy arcade building where Sonic quickly defeats all the mini games, etc.

Suddenly, though, an island begins to appear in the Southern Oceans. It grows with incredible speed, and lush vegetation appears. Over on Angel Island, Knuckles ponders if the Island may be appearing in a reaction to how, thanks to Eggman, the Master Emerald was closer to the sea bed recently than it had been in aeons; and wonders if this new Island is related to his Echidna civilization. Curious and feeling it as his duty, he makes a tough decision and leaves Angel Island alone and goes off to check out the new island.

He discovers he was the last one to get there, though. Firstly, Eggman had also been curious, and had already taken over, using the Island's old Echidna machinery to create Dark copies of the golden Rings to power his Badniks, and creating crystalline, powerful Chaos Rings. He begins exploring Ring Power and its ability to cause connections between dimensions, and captures a large number of wandering adventurers that had appeared- Vector the Chameleon, Sonic's old friend, who was curious if there could be a spiritual reason for the Island's appearance; Charmy Bee, a young and curious bee; Mighty the Armadillo, another friend of Sonic's, who had taken a path of pacific travelling and was just visiting the new island; and Espio the Chameleon, a curious detective who was investigating the event. Eggman traps them all in his new machine, the Combi Confiner; Knuckles gets to him before he can position Espio, though. Using Eggman's Ring Power experiments to their advantage, they set off to defeat Eggman; using the Combi Confiner, that only de-frosts a person in exchange for another, and is filled with Eggman robots put there to hinder Knuckles. Eventually, Knuckles and the Chaotix manage to defeat a mutated Metal Sonic, powered by a corrupted Chaos Ring into becoming a giant, red, beastly robot; and Eggman runs away, just as Sonic and Tails arrive.

He begins a habit of searching for the Chaos Emeralds just to pretty much do something, while waiting for new ideas and plans. When doing an experiment after managing to collect 6 of them though, they react with a strong burst of energy and are sent flying in multiple directions. He finds one, and sets to find the others before Sonic and Tails hear what he's doing and come get the Emeralds.

He comes across Knuckles, who, emboldened by the Chaotix adventure, has started to leave Angel Island alone more often; and playing on his distrust of Sonic, pits the two against each other by teasing Knuckles about how he'd never again guard the Chaos Emeralds as Sonic was always collecting them.

Meanwhile though, a new player appears- Fang the Sniper, from the Special Stage, has collected the remaining Emeralds, looking for some profit. Eventually, Sonic and Tails beat him, Eggman, and convince Knuckles, in an attempt to show good will, to join their new racing tournament in West Side Island. Eggman once more crashes it, this time with Metal Sonic in tow, as does Fang.

After that, Tails goes on an adventure of his own again, flying into an Island he thinks is being invaded by Eggman, to discover it is instead being terrorized by Witchcart and her goons. He defeats them, proving himself once more.

Eggman meanwhile reaches maximum pettiness, and uses the Chaos Emeralds to create… a pair of shoes that slow whomever wears them. While Sonic's slipping, he switches his shoes with the Slow-Down Boots, and then gloats as he traps Sonic in an artificial labyrinth in South Island. Sonic instead realises he can still spin, and quickly beats Eggman.

SIDE PART 1: ADVENTURES IN THE KINGDOM OF MOBIUS (SatAM, First half of AoSTH, early Archie Sonic, StC up to Issue 100, Shogakukan Sonic Mangas)

Adaptation of the various adventures Sonic has in the spin-off media in the 90's, to varying levels of fidelity.

Eggman decides he needs a vacation of sorts, while starting to put resources together for his next big idea. He therefore spends a while terrorizing the Kingdom of Mobius and neighbouring Islands. Sonic and Tails therefore return to the Kingdom of Mobius as South Island has drifted nearby, and become acquainted through circumstances to a bunch of locals, who begin acting as a group to fight Eggman- the Freedom Fighters, led by Princess Sally. Eggman begins experimenting with hiring lackeys, from a cowardly long-nosed short man named Snively, to an escapee from the Fourth Dimension named Grimer who is extremely loyal to him, to two upgraded Badniks who are equally as devoted but complete idiots.

He attacks villages of sentient bean creatures, finds (and doesn't get along with) a wizard named Naugus, tries to reunite with an old love, tries to hold a racing tournament of his own as a trap, is bothered by salesmen, attacks an underground city, creates a new line of Sonic robots, tries to attack the local ancient dragon clans, creates a realistic Robot seductress to try and conquer Sonic, begins exploring the Special Stage further, antagonizes a local evil scientist named Quark Rex, experiments with creating a cult of himself in an isolated village, and tries to create a robot son for himself.

Meanwhile, Sonic gets closer to the Freedom Fighters during Eggman's more intense attacks, befriends Sir Charles the Hedgehog, meets aliens, teases Antoine, participates in the Robolympics, has nightmares, meets biker bears, tries to recover a damaged forest, gets a sloth family moving faster, helps dinosaur herds, becomes the sheriff of Tranquil Gulch, meets other Freedom Fighter groups, befriends a village of damaged and scrapped Eggman robots who want independence, gets amnesia, meets an elderly superhero, investigates ghosts, has to rescue Tails from an intergalactic huntress, shares a house with Antoine, tries to set up Robotnik's rejected robot son with the robot seductress Robotnik created, fishes with Rotor, and gains enough of a liking of the Kingdom of Mobius he decides to explore it further even after Eggman calms down.

He also visits Hedgehog Town, where he helps local boy Nikki stand up against his bullies and meets another girl named Amy Rose.

Knuckles, meanwhile, continues his journey and has plenty of adventures of his own.

PART 4: SATURN ERA (Sonic the Fighters, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Blast, Sonic's Schoolhouse, Sonic R, Sonic X-Treme)

Eggman is ready for his next big plan.

Using the husk of the Death Egg Mk.II as a skeleton, he's been building himself a new Death Egg. And this time, it's not just a new version of the old one, but a whole new thing- the Death Egg II. A mess of a design, it consists of six spherical stations connected to the central Death Egg, with various other assorted mechanical arms and branches around. It is massive.

Tails has quickly built a rocket that can reach it in outer space, the Lunar Fox, but it needs the 7 Emeralds and can only take one person. Per Fang's suggestion (and Sonic's amused support), the “heroes”, each holding one Emerald (plus a fake one that gets in the mix somehow- is it just a paperweight?), hold a quick tournament to determine who's strongest and therefore will do the best job of stopping Eggman's plan. Eventually, Sonic goes, fights Metal Sonic, and manages to defeat Eggman and escape before the Death Egg II self-destructs. The infrastructures and debris will remain being helpful for Eggman, though.

After a while, as Eggman is recuperating and reconstructing yet another flying base, he realises that there is a mystical Island where small flickies live and travel through dimensions by use of large golden rings. Concluding that this may give him direct access to the Chaos Emeralds wherever they go to, he puts the flickies into robots and sends them off to find the gems. Sonic gets news of what's going on, and heads off to defeat Eggman and explore the Island, with Tails and Knuckles helping at some points. Eggman is defeated, and Sonic this time takes the Emeralds with him as he decides to spend a bit of time in South Island keeping an eye in them, predicting Eggman'd be around for a fight again soon.

Eventually, Eggman reveals his new base- the Silver Castle, built from bits of the Death Egg II. Tired of Sonic for once, he shoots directly at the hedgehog sleeping in a hammock- instead hitting the Chaos Emeralds hidden in the tree the hammock was tied to. The Emeralds scatter as usual, with Eggman intending to use the chance to get them and power his base. Knuckles, who in his travels was passing by, decides to help Sonic in fighting Eggman off – more for the wanting to kick some Eggman butt than wanting to help Sonic, mind.

Silver Castle is eventually destroyed as usual, Knuckles heads off on his own, Sonic goes back to travelling, the Emeralds go off, and Eggman retires to plan, deciding that Knuckles too was proving too much of a nuisance for him.

At one point, Sonic is asked to spend a day at a schoolhouse teaching the local kids. He does it fine, but it's not an experience he's willing to repeat much.

Eventually, Eggman decides to get a new plan going, and through one of his shell companies sets up a world-wide racing tournament. Tails and Sonic see the announcement one day, but Sonic isn't very interested in the idea of a foot race- he knows he's the fastest. However, he eventually notices Eggman is participating- and quickly goes off to participate. World-wide, Amy and Knuckles also notice the commercials, and decide to join the race- Amy to prove herself to Sonic, Knuckles wanting to face him.

Eggman is overjoyed, as his plan falls into place- instead of wasting time specifically locating the Emeralds, he'll have the races be on the general areas he detected them at, leaving Sonic and friends to find them- and then he'll use Metal Sonic and his new robot, Metal Knuckles, to take the Emeralds for him! He even did an additional robot, quickly done just to complete the group but without much interest, consisting of a quick Tails plush with a levitating gem attached.

Obviously, all this wasn't enough in the end, and Sonic got the emeralds and even got everyone to race on the Special Stage, leaving Eggman to angrily retreat into one of his multiple bases.

However… he quickly finds himself in trouble. Through his ever-expanding space explorations, he eventually gets infected with a virus from another planet. Researching leads him to Professor Gazebo Boobowski, who has been researching other means of inter-planetary travel and researching the flora and fauna of multiple planets. Eggman quickly concocts a plan- he kidnaps the professor's daughter, Tiara, lets Sonic know of it, hangs her over some spikes, and infects her chains with the virus. Sonic rescues her, and gets infected too- at which point she explains the situation and leads Sonic to her father.

Gazebo recognizes the illness and knows the cure, but is too old to go get all the ingredients needed from all the planets, so instead lets Sonic use his Twist Room- a room with portals to various worlds, on which Sonic'll find the ingredients. Here Sonic finds Eggman has already spread his badniks throughout the various worlds as a fake attempt to stop Sonic, while planning to steal the cure from him once it's done. Eventually, Sonic and Gazebo make the cure, at which point Eggman attacks- and is stopped by Sonic. Once Sonic realises what had been going on all along, he quickly lets Eggman have some of the antidote too, at which point an embarrassed Eggman runs away to plot his next scheme.

SIDE PART 2: RETURN TO MOBIUS (Second half of AoSTH, bits of Archie up to the Adventure saga, StC Issue 100 until Reprints, Sonic Underground)

Sonic keeps having his adventures, including stopping Eggman's plan to stop Christmas. Visits Chun-Nan and fights a crazy monkey named Khan. Fights villains such as Metamorphia, and starts a new band with two other hedgehogs, Manic and Sonia. Meanwhile, Knuckles has kept his travels, meeting sky pirates, sorceresses, and a strange cultist village. Amy Rose has met a bird scientist adventurer called Tekno, who's helping Shortfuse, a squirrel entrapped in a metal suit by Eggman in an experiment.

PART 5: COUNTDOWN TO ADVENTURE (Man of the Year, Sonic Pocket Adventure, Sonic Advance 1)

(Eggman concocts a bizarre plan to mock and ruin Sonic's reputation before Sonic gets elected man of the year. He's meanwhile found Gerald Robotnik's diary and has read up on his echidna studies, so does a couple attempts to get the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. Knuckles has been more easily leaving the island, but this time Eggman makes it personal by making a robot Knuckles to steal his identity and get closer than before to stealing the Master Emerald while also attacking others, so Knuckles takes it badly and retreats to the Floating Island, feeling regretful over abandoning it.)

Sonic Adventure

Eggman realises from his grandfather's notes he doesn't need the Master Emerald in order to gain access to Chaos, just to smash it, which he does. Sonic Adventure occurs as expected- Knuckles goes finding shards, Amy defends a flicky, etc etc.

More AoSTH, also Sonic Shuffle, also Dash and Spin

Sonic keeps having nonsense adventures. He meets a scientist from the future, Von Schlemmer; has time travel mishaps with Eggman; faces other wannabe conquerors such as Dr. Quark and Cpt. Memo, and also reunites with his Sonic Underground band for some more travels. The other characters keep having their own adventures too- Amy and Tekno, etc. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, get summoned in a dream trip into Maginaryworld to help a dream entity.

Sonic Adventure 2

Rouge the Bat tries to steal Knuckles' Emerald and infiltrates Eggman's forces after he releases Shadow thinking it's a weapon. Blah blah, same old SA2.

The various SEGA Café games, also very vague adaptation of Sonic X up to Metarex

A bar is opened in Kabuki Tower Zone featuring many casino games themed after the various adventurers, by a Sonic fan who was saved in one of his adventures. Sonic meanwhile falls into the pool of a rich but depressed kid named Chris Thorndike, and keeps revisiting him until he feels the kid has emotionally matured. Eggman builds a base on the moon, and builds machinery worldwide that claims to be helping the energy crisis, but is just making noise to annoy Sonic.

Sonic Advance 2

Eggman is preparing his next plan, one that'll need a lot of research and preparation- something to do with notes he has of a source of energy inside the planet. In one of his research trips though he's recognised by a Vanilla the Rabbit, and panicking, kidnaps her, stumbling into a haphazard plan of sorts to try and stop Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Vanilla's daughter Cream as they go after him, trying to prevent them from discovering one of the various plans he's got building on- he's found and is healing back Shadow!

Sonic Heroes-Shadow the Hedgehog-Sonic Battle-Sonic Advance 3-Sonic Rush-Sonic Riders-Sonic 06-Sonic Rush Adventure

He's managed to prepare a new upgrade for Metal Sonic, but the now Neo Metal Sonic gains too much independence and takes control of the Egg Fleet he's started to build. Sonic Heroes happens as seen. After it, Eggman removes Metal Sonic's will. He begins readying a new plan, having found references to “flames of disaster” while studying the “Gaia legends”. Suddenly, though, aliens invade. Shadow the Hedgehog happens (need to figure what events exactly). During it he manages to find, in a GUN base, the Gizoid. Sonic Battle happens. Eggman does his first attempt at reaching “Gaia”, but his Chaos device divides the planet in spatio-temporal ways, not literally, leading to Sonic Advance 3. He's contacted by the Eggman of another dimension and allies with him. Sonic Rush; additionally, he and Nega design Whisker. Getting closer to finding out about the Flames of Disaster, Eggman starts finding info about Babylon Garden and its ancient treasure. Wanting time to find it, to study on the Flames of Disaster, and money for his biggest operation so far, he sets up a world Extreme Gear racing tournament to trick the heroes into finding the ruins for him (and increasing sales of Extreme Gear, which one of his companies produces). This leads to the discovery of Babylon Garden, but its treasure – a flying carpet – just disappoints him. No problem, though, as he's finally ready to move - Eggman's managed to connect the Flames of Disaster to Elise. Sonic 06 happens, then it doesn't. Sonic Rush Adventure happens.

Sonic Rivals, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic Rivals 2, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Nega reappears, but is actually earlier in his own timeline than the Nega from before (so from his perspective, it's not Rush-Rush Adventure-Rivals-Rivals 2, it's Rivals-Rivals 2-Rush-Rush Adventure). Silver reappears. Etc etc the games. Sonic is sucked into the mythical world of the Arabian Nights one night, having to save its meta-fictional dimensional realm. Nega strikes back, but ends up just being trapped outside space-time- when he manages to return, he realises he's reappeared too early, and takes advantage of this by tricking Eggman into thinking he's his ally (Rush). Eggman, himself, has a meteor crash into a tower belonging to one of his ghost corporations, MeteorTech. This leads into another race between the heroes and the Babylonians, with Eggman trying to control them behind the scenes to discover the secret of the Ark of the Cosmos.

Sonic Unleashed, Sonic and the Black Knight, Sonic Free Riders, Sonic Colours

The Egg Fleet serves its purpose it was designed for, beyond just serving as travel between Earth and his outer space plans- a giant cannon to destroy the Earth and unleash Gaia. Sonic Unleashed happens. His defeat there starts him in a path of more and more frustration. Sonic's once more dragged into a fictional universe, finding himself fighting medieval knights in Sonic and the Black Knight. During that, Eggman's been getting ready after discovering that aliens known as Wisps are full of a powerful energy he calls Hyper-Go-On. He begins by setting up a half-hearted plot involving a new Extreme Gear tournament, half wanting to collect more data from the heroes, and half just to distract them, which works- he finishes works on his next plan without a hitch. Using Wisp energy and resources from all the conquests he's been doing throughout the galaxy without Earthlings noticing, he does his theme park. Sonic Colours.

Sonic Generations

Led to madness, he breaks time-space itself with what's effectively Mephiles' corpse.

"Sonic Adventure 3", general Archie stories from after the Gallagher days (vaguely adapted), Metarex saga, big adventure that replaces Sonic Chronicles

An entire digital world has developed itself, half intentional programming by scientists like Dr. Ellidy, half clashes of programming. Eggman attacks it, being repelled back by Sonic and native to digital world, Nicole. Nicole later meets Sally, through the House of Acorn's scientists exploring the digital world. Various other vague Archie stories can happen here if they haven't by this point, like Mina's introduction. The Metarex attack, and Sonic and friends, meeting Cosmo, take off into space to stop them. At some point though Eggman gives them one of his mass-produced Pseudo-Sonics, and in a ditch effort of technology when defeat seems inevitable, the Metarex adapt it with their technology, creating an army with traits of both technologies, and set them to attack Sonic from “beyond their grave”. The new machines become known through the galaxy as Metallix, a corruption of Metarex. They find remains of Time Eater energies and use it to begin their master plan, conquering all of time and turning it into a Metallix dominion. Sonic eventually manages to stop them with the help of the Chaotix, and most of them are destroyed- except for the first two drones. One of them is recovered by a girl named Sicily and remodelled into Shard. The other ends up on the Sol Dimension and becomes Captain Metal.

Sonic Lost World, very vague adaptation of the Boom side of things, Sonic Runners

Eggman's found info on a mythical planetoid hidden in the skies that can only be accessed in certain ways, when he was researching the Gaia Manuscripts. He finds it inhabited by beings named Zeti, who by magnetism control electronics; but he manages to keep control of them via conchs, whose sounds act as dog whistles. Etc etc SLW. On another occasion Sonic and Tails inadvertently let loose an ancient snake scientist who wants to destroy the world. Etc etc.

2 notes · View notes

oneshul · 6 years

Text

Nitzavim: And the universe spun on….

You stand this day, all of you, before the LORD your GOD—every man and woman of Israel…from the woodcutters to the water-drawers—to enter into the Covenant with the LORD your GOD…. And not with you alone do I enact this Covenant, with those who are standing with us this day, but also with those [future and past generations of Israelites] who are not standing with us this day…to study this Torah, and to perform it.

--Deut. 29:9-14 (translation mine)

A Report from Warsaw, Poland, during World War I:

There were a great many wagons and coaches parked, but with no drivers in sight. …A young Jewish boy showed me…to the shtibl (prayerhouse) of the Jewish wagon-drivers (Yiddish, balagoolas). [There were] two rooms: one filled with Talmud volumes, the other a room for prayer. All the drivers were engaged in fervent study and religious discussion…I found out…that all professions, the bakers, the butchers, the shoemakers, etc., have their own shtibl in the Jewish district, and every free moment [they can take] off from their work is given to the study of the Torah. And when they get together in intimate groups, one urges the other: ‘Zog mir ah shtickl Torah—Teach me a little Torah.’

Chabad House at Stanford University, Retrieved from https://www.chabadstanford.org/article.htm?Torah-Study-70

The Talmud-Study Society of Galaxy Andromeda M31

Sept. 25, 2736—22 Elul, 6502

As NASA Space Flight Engineer Mordechai Kahn eased through the tunnel of USS Space Cruiser Ticonderoga IV, its airlock doors hissed closed behind him. He was careful to touch and kiss the mezuzah that NASA Space Regulations (Section XXIII, Subset 432, Lines 6-9) required of all Jewish Personnel Religio-Capsules. Unlike earthly mezuzote, this one was permanently sealed in plastilex; it might not have been acceptable to the extremely religious, but it was necessary in space, so as not to allow alien microbes to devour the parchment and vegetable-based ink.

As the only Jewish member of the Interstellar Expedition to Starform Epsilon 4943AA, and Conservadox at that, Mordechai could not let a day go by without performing the mitzvah-commandment of daily Torah study b’chavruta—with his study partners. As the only Jew on the Ticonderoga, he could not do this face-to-face, but Star Ship Command, based on the Moon (in the System containing Old Earth, which centuries of pollution and global warming had rendered uninhabitable; hence, all these expeditions to find new planets for humanity to colonize) had handily supplied him with a handy list of other practicing Jews who wished to remotely study Space Talmud. This enabled him to fulfill the mitzvah.

Mordechai knew also that there were interested gentile scholars: a Catholic monk and plant geneticist, Father William Mendel, on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, would often participate when his schedule permitted. There was also a Buddhist, George Freeh Rinpoche, a lexicographer based on Pluto who was writing a Romulan-English lexicon, would “relax his mind,” as he put it, by joining in.

Mordechai enjoyed their insights, but he was happiest when he could effect an Einsteinian Hologram Linkup with Eliezer Bokospeichik, the youngest son of Grand Rabbi Menachem Mendel Bokospeichik, who was head of the Maldemer Chasidim, a sect that, after early sensing the ensuing destruction of Old Earth, had contracted with an Israeli aerospace firm to build a Space Ark large enough to float them to Mars. There, they engaged in converting the Martians, marrying them Jewishly, and raising their children in the faith. They were, sadly, finding it difficult to do so; at least, according to Jewish Law—the Martian Race had three genders.

Back over Epsilon, Mordechai eased into his Study Seat and belted himself in, put on his kipah-skullcap and pulled its elasto-band under his chin. To create the sensation of complete engagement with his study partners, his personal rebbe, Moshe Rochev-Kochav, head of the Otto Lilienthal Yeshiva, had ruled that he must learn under Deep Space conditions, without any artificial gravity. Mordechai donned his Hologram-Helmet and adjusted its View Screen to allow images of his study partners to appear. He was also praying to the Jewish God of all the Cosmos that his other chavruta-partner, Charlie Levine, a navigator on Starship Jules Verne VII, be available—Charlie had promised to change his work schedule to allow time for Torah.

Flicking at the panel of switches and dials before him, and noting the position of the brightest star in his corner of Andromeda M31, Mordechai sent out a homing signal to his chavruta, study partners. There was a soft humming, and then, a slight ringing noise as he made contact, first, with Eliezer—Mordechai muttered a soft prayer; Eliezer’s insights were really, well, insightful.

As for Charlie? Hmm—no luck, today. But, wait! Yes—no—the homing signal flashed into space, and found no receiver. Shoot. Oh, well.

“Eliezer, do you read me? Prepare for hologram-transmission,” said Mordechai.

“Up and running, Chaver Mordechai,” came Eliezer’s voice.

“Coordinates two-two-zero-fourteen.”

“I read,” said Eliezer.

“And lock.”

The image of his chavruta-partner, Eliezer, appeared in Mordechai’s Hologram-Helmet viewfinder. Eliezer smiled: he was seeing Mordechai, as well.

“Shalom Aleichem!”

“Aleichem Shalom!”

“Nu, vosmacht ah Yid? (How’s a Jew doing?)”

“Not bad. Just lonely. Shall we begin?”

“Yes!—I’m on Talmud Kiddushin Chalal, the Tractate of Space-Marriage,Folio 2, Side One. I will read and translate, from the Sparamaic:

“’The 23rd Century Mishnah states: “A Venusian female organism may be acquired in five ways: via money—that is, Martian drachmae; a contract—etched only on the leaf of a Boddhi-tree; or coimplantment—by one other Venusian, male only. There are also the choices implanted via thought-processes: implant-mental-chip, General Electrons issue; Freedom of Will from the Creator. And she acquires herself back in two ways.

“The 24th Century Gemara explains: “Via money—that is, according to Plutonian Rabbi Lychus: a Plutonian drachma. According to Jupiterian Rabbi Hyle: a Jupiterian dinar. And she acquires herself back in two ways: through a writ of divorce, as enacted in a Space Command Jewish Bet Din Law Court, or through the Departure-from-Life-Form of her Male Counterpart.”

“Wow!” breathed Mordechai, “What an amazing piece of Talmud this is! What does New Rashi say?”

New Rashi was the commentary of one Rabbi Shinar ben Yisrael, a Mercury-born Jew-by-Choice who, stranded on Pluto’s moon Styx after his exploratory voyage crashed there back in 2527, had lots of time to write an extensive commentary on the entire Space Talmud, storing it on a Logo Drive and launching it back to Earth. It had become the Universal Space Talmud Commentary, noted both for its ease of usage and depth of knowledge. Rabbi Shinar, known by the acronym NewRashi, was regarded as the 26th Century’s Prince of Commentators.

“Well, let’s see,” said Eliezer, “how much time for Torah-study have you got?”

“At least five parsec-lengths,” said Mordechai.

“That should give us time to get up to the mental-chip section,” said Eliezer.

“I love this!” said Mordechai.

“Hey, what does God say about Torah?” laughed Eliezer, far-off in the deep reaches of Space, “’It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who shall go off, and fetch it for us?”

“’Nor is it in the depths of the sea!’”Mordechai chimed in, “’It is as near as the nearest hologram-transmitter!’”

And the universe spun on….

Rabbi David Hartley Mark is from New York City’s Lower East Side. He attended Yeshiva University, the City University of NY Graduate Center for English Literature, and received semicha at the Academy for Jewish Religion. He currently teaches English at Everglades University in Boca Raton, FL, and has a Shabbat pulpit at Temple Sholom of Pompano Beach. His literary tastes run to Isaac Bashevis Singer, Stephen King, King David, Kohelet, Christopher Marlowe, and the Harlem Renaissance. Rabbi David Hartley Mark is from New York City’s Lower East Side. He attended Yeshiva University, the City University of NY Graduate Center for English Literature, and received semicha at the Academy for Jewish Religion. He currently teaches English at Everglades University in Boca Raton, FL, and has a Shabbat pulpit at Temple Sholom of Pompano Beach. His literary tastes run to Isaac Bashevis Singer, Stephen King, King David, Kohelet, Christopher Marlowe, and the Harlem Renaissance.

#progressive judaism #judaism #jewish #torah study #drash #nitzavim #parsha #weekly parsh #rabbi david hartley mark #shabbat #shabbos #sabbath #oneshul

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iratesquatch · 6 years

Text

A Bad Moon Rising

He’s really not having a great day

The sound of a klaxon blaring pulled Brommoth from his slumber. The old dwarf pulled himself out of his bunk, the heavy boots on his feet landing with a clank on the grated metal floor. The other mechanics were already scrambling, trying to figure out what the cause for alarm was. They didn’t have to wait long.

The ship rocked violently with a deafening roar, sending Brommoth tumbling back into his bunk. By the time he was on his feet again, the shuddering of the ship set in. He paused for a moment, letting the irregular vibrations flow through him. For a second, he was lost in thought.

Brommoth Varsguard had spent all his life working with spaceships. He had been born in space, aboard his parent’s merchant ship, peddling wares across the various planets that line the Fringe. Situations being as they had been, Brommoth had taken to the wrench and tome, learning the basics of his trade from a young age.

After pirates killed his parents, he found work as an apprentice on a shipping vessel on the other side of the Rings. There, he had refined the things he’d picked up on the Fringe. Between his knack for unconventional solutions and his workaholic nature, Brommoth had quickly moved on to greener pastures. He had spent the next three hundred or so years moving between contracts, usually as the master mechanic aboard. There were few ships he didn’t know in and out, and fewer still that he couldn’t keep running.

A particularly heavy tremor pulled Brommoth back to the present, and he snapped into motion. He strode his way towards the engine, shouting orders to the lower ranking mechanics as he went. He pulled himself up into the engine room, gazing up at the arcane machine inquisitively.

This ship was a stripped-down military surplus that had been rekitted into a long-distance hauler. It’s engine, therefore, was an older one. It was a giant crystal, mined from one of the hotspots just outside of the Rings. The crystal had then been refined and cut into form before being sent of to the wizards. They had to hand carve the runes and tie the crystal into the natural, ambient magics of the cosmos, before it was sent off to be installed into the ship itself.

The crystal was held in aloft by a mass of thick tubes, which disappeared into the ship to power the propulsion, life support, navigation, and all manner of other systems. At least, that was the intention. Brommoth narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the floundering light flickering deep inside the crystal.

“Looks like there’s a short somewhere. Probably wherever that explosion came from. Fix it.” As the younger mechanics spidered off to follow out his orders, Brommoth turned his attention to figuring out what was going on. He shuffled his way over to a comm post.

“Varsguard here, what the hell is happening up there?”

“We’re under attack. Gonna need as much outta the engine as you can manage, master mechanic,” came the reply.

Brommoth grunted and hung up, shuffling his way towards the engine’s shutoffs. If there was a battle brewing, they weren’t equipped for handling this. He began shutting off the nonessential systems. They were going to need the energy for the coming storm.

Another volley rocked his ship, and Brommoth caught himself on the railing around the outside of the engine room. This impact left the whole ship shuddering for a much longer time, and Varsguard could see the light in the engine flash brighter. They were boarding.

“Goddamn motherfucking pirates.”

He pulled himself up out of the engine room, and began working his way towards the propulsion deck. If they were going to break that tether, they were going to need to put some muscle into it. He opened the door and peered into the darkened room. It wasn’t supposed to be dark

“-all I’m saying is, if they weren’t fucking, that would be weird.”

“Dude, I don’t want to think about that. How would it even work? He’s like, six times her size.”

“If you didn’t want to think about it, you wouldn’t be thinking about it”

Brommoth crept forward to the guard rail, wincing at every creak of the metal grating under his boots, and peaked down at the conversationalists below. The catwalk swayed slightly under his movements. Must have taken a hit from the pirates’ ship.

“If you want to know, why don’t you just ask one of them yourself?”

“Are you kidding? Captain would shoot me on the spot if I asked her that.”

“So ask Be-ark.”

“He’d rip my arms of and then shoot me.”

Great, not only were they pirates, but they were the Crossbones. Wonderful. Brommoth began his slow backtrack out of the propulsion deck when the catwalk shuddered. He paused, holding his breath for a few long moments.

“You hear something?”

“Probably engine problems. We hit them pretty hard.”

“Well yeah, its captain Nish.”

When the fragile walkway settled, Brommoth took another slow step.

Of course, the whole thing came unhinged below him. He went tumbling into the scaffolding below, bursting straight through and onto the solid ground below. Right at the feet of the two pirates.

One leaned down and grinned at him, a tabaxi, from the look of him. “Well well, looks like I did hear something. Uus, what do you think we should do with him.”

The other, Uus, a burly half-orc, folded his arms over his chest, breaking into a wide, toothy grin. “Why, I think we’ll have to have ourselves a little sit down with this one. He’s gotta a rather large badge on him.”

Before either of the pirates could sit him down, however, the door across the room burst open as two bodies were flung through it. “-ing hell, can’t even find a decent fight on these rigs.” Ducking his way through the sundered door came an armored behemoth, standing around twelve feet tall, and adorned helmet to boot in power armor. However, it was the shark-like tail that really gave it away, swaying dangerously behind the Shear. “You two, what’s this?”

“Lieutenant, I think he is the master mechanic aboard,” replied the catman, backing away reflexively from the armored barbarian.

“That so. You got a name, small fry?” The Shear’s voice was a rumble that never quite matched up with the sounds Brommoth heard. Must be a trick of the translator.

“Brommoth Varsguard, master mechanic aboard.”

“Any good at your job?”

“No one better.”

Be-ark pulled his helmet off before leaning down to inspect the dwarf’s face. Brommoth’s dark brown beard was carefully braided together and tucked into his overalls, to keep it out of the way. The hair on top of his head was all but gone, but the hair on the sides of his head was pulled back into a small bun at the base of his skull. His sleepy, orange eyes were burning with malice.

The Shear grabbed Varsguard by his collar, hoisting him up to be level with Be-ark’s chest. “Well then, captain’s going to want a look at you.”

Be-ark left the two other pirates to their post, carrying the struggling dwarf through the

ship, all the way up to the bridge. They walked in just as captain Vladlena Nishimura finished subjugating the captain of the transport ship, a couple of lackys forcing the man to his knees. Brommoth was deposited next to his officer. The pirates didn’t bother binding him.

“This one important, Bea?”

“Says he’s the chief mechanic aboard,” replied Be-ark, putting his helmet back on.

“Well alright. We could use one of those. But first, we deal with you, captain. Honestly, I didn’t expect much of a fight, but still. You turned over after our first volley, and we come in here, and- you’re already blubbering.” The little kobold sighed, reaching up to massage her snout as the captain started wailing, pleading for his life. “Just- alright. Someone space this coward, I don’t want to deal with this anymore.” Brommoth watched as they dragged the captain away, presumably to the nearest airlock.

“And you, dwarf. Let’s talk. You don’t seem like a coward.” The woman propped her foot up on the dead body of one of the mercenary guards. She pulled her shotgun off of her back before laying it across her leg.

“Nope.”

“Then I got a proposition for ya, buddy. I could always use another handy mechanic, and you got the hands of someone who knows their way around a wrench. Wadda ya say?”

“I say, you can choke on my hairy dwarf nuts, pirate.”

“Now that,” she paused to sigh. “That really is a shame.” And then she leveled her gun at his chest and pulled the trigger.

#Sci-Fi #D&D #Fantasy

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fricklefracklexpress · 6 years

Text

Is There Life After Idol? (2014)

"True beauty is something that attacks, overpowers, robs, and finally destroys." - Yukio Mishima

Finding a mysterious idol game, one man glimpses heaven... and is then cast back down to earth. Can anyone hope to recover from love? By Nacchi. Lyrics translated by Honya.

Part I: Baby maybe Koi no BUTTON

The alarm clock rings. Another day. Another sunrise, another empty promise, another agonizing cycle of seventeen-thousand breaths – no, not agonizing.

Even that would be an emotion. Even that would be better than this.

I turn to the clock. It is ticking, far too slowly, as seconds fall off my life. Each click sounds another moment between me and the self I've always wanted to become, widening an eternal gulf. But, of course it does. Humans begin dying the moment they're born; it was naïve of me to think dreams would be any different.

Next to it, in a shattered frame, a single worn photograph.

So, tell me, Hanayo. How am I supposed to go on living when there's nothing left to live for?

Of course, I already know the answer to that. That was the price I paid for my ambition; in embracing that single glorious dream, I had to have known that my recompense would be this purgatory – the greatest curse, to live beyond success.

It was only three months ago. It feels like an eternity now; those days are separated by the void we call “finality”, forever shining on the other side of the cosmos. I was still a legitimate human being then. I can see the transformation in my mind's eye: the weight dropping off, the stubble taking root, the gauntness of body and soul beginning to manifest. Under the steady pressure of time, the corpse rots; the glowing life is forever snuffed out, and hope sluices from the frail frame as it decays.

Do not pity this cadaver. It is already dead, without soul or humanity. It has been dead since it chose to strive for ecstasy. Perhaps that emotion was itself fatal, overloading a system adapted only to a monochrome series of days.

No. Ecstasy wasn't fatal; it was addictive. Within that moment of contact, it had cruelly intertwined with my essence, become necessary for survival.

And then, it had left.

When I had discovered the game, it seemed like a divine windfall. Free of charge. Free of judgment. Just a fun little diversion, a swirling menagerie of tiny delights. I quickly became hooked, and as I spent more and more time with my idols, I had less and less to dedicate to my job, my family, or myself. My wife grew envious. I could see the darkness overtake her, as she began to resent my new happiness. She was “concerned”, and she made it her mission to destroy every bastion of solace I could find. She wanted to go to bed when I was playing; she wanted to talk about my work when I was playing; she wanted me to make dinner for the kids while I was playing.

One day, I simply abandoned everything. I blocked every number I could think of, stepped out into the rain, and called a taxi. I traded my once-comfortable home for a tiny apartment. No matter; the home had become a cage. Full of distractions from the only thing I cared about anymore: My idols.

I began to sell off my possessions. I felt no attachment to the material world anymore. My suit could buy me around 100 Loveca gems, my watch 200. When I had sold everything I owned, I returned home for the first and only time. Someone had changed the lock, but I could make out the silhouettes of my wife and kids gathered around a television set. I left.

Then, the unthinkable happened. I achieved a high enough rank to unlock new content instantly, and had collected and idolized every girl. Certainly, I could have waited for each update, exhausting each new content as soon as it arrived – with my near-unlimited supply of Loveca, I could play forever. But... I couldn't bear the wait. I couldn't bear returning to my normal life. Watching the anime and consuming all possible content sustained me for one sleepless week. But then that was over too, and it seemed I would have to confront reality.

I couldn't do it. I secured a prescription for sleeping pills, hardly a difficult task given my exhausted state but the only time I had left my apartment in months.

As I sat in bed, gazing up at the constellation of characters I had pinned to my ceiling, I had one last thought of comfort: people used to think that when you died, you became part of the stars. Perhaps...

As I shivered, the container of bright, sugar-coated capsules rattled in my hand. Candy for adults.

Rebirth. That was another ancient belief. The glorious hope that when you faded away, you would remanifest in some other form – thus life was not something to be wasted and discarded, but a constant stream wending its way through the fabric of the cosmos. If I were reborn, I knew I would want to become an idol. But even in reincarnation, would that be possible for a soul like mine?

My lips parted slowly as I gathered my will for the final act.

Honoka, Kotori, Umi, Rin, Maki, Nico, Eli, Nozomi... Hanayo... Here I come.

I tipped back the container, and waited for the darkness to descend.

Part II: Bokura no LIVE Kimi to no LIFE

I awoke groggy and drenched in sweat, as if from a bad dream. The scent of cherry blossoms filled the air, clearing my hazy mind.

Behind me, I could just make out an imperious tablet attached to the red wall.

“Otonokizaka High School”... Could it be?

I looked down at my hands. I didn't look any different. Maybe a bit healthier than I remembered, better-rested, but still undeniably me. What was going on?

“Heyyyyyyyyyyy!”, a voice called from across the courtyard. That voice...

Nozomi Tojo was standing before me. Shocked, I tried to think of something to say.

“You're my least favorite girl,” I tried. Shit, bad choice.

She either didn't hear me, or pretended not to.

“Nabocchan, we've been waiting for you!”, she sang. Nabocchan was the username I had chosen. “Are you ready to manage us and direct live performances?”

I felt like I was receiving far too much information, far too quickly. But it didn't matter. I had trained for this more than anyone else. I had been born to do this. I nodded.

The next few weeks flew by like a dream. I scouted, formed a group, and carried out a few minor performances. The bond between me and the others grew; I had become part of their world, just as they had become part of mine. Looking back, those were the only days of my life where I was truly happy.

All too soon, the big show had come upon us. We were asked to play in front of the whole school, during lunch – this would be the performance that made or broke us. Truly, an Expert Mode- worthy gauntlet. Our setlist covered the three aspects of idoldom: Pure, Smile and Cool – more specifically, we would start with Mogyutto "love" de Sekkinchuu!, continue with Aishiteru Banzai!, and end with Wonderful Rush. The required LP alone would make this show require a veteran idolmaster. It would require... Me, Nabocchan, the rising star of the idol world!

The performances demanded such attention that I hardly remember doing them. The set passed by as a flurry of circles, a neverending string of commands... But I rose to the task, and by God, my girls didn't miss a beat.

What I do remember is the celebration afterward. We had made it. We were a recognized idol group now, and Otonokizaka High had been saved – and it was all thanks to me.

As I was hoisted up by my legion of beautiful girls, the sun shone down upon my face, and I finally understood – this was the meaning of life. To give it your all, and achieve your dreams. Just like these idols had been singing about all along.

I smiled, raised high above the crowd. The wonderful afternoon was so warm and comfortable, and I had worked so hard on the performance, that I dozed off right there.

Part III: Snow Halation

Painful consciousness invaded my mind, a familiar feeling now. My head felt like it had been split in two, and my stomach was in agony. Something smelled awful.

I opened my eyes to find that my face was caked in vomit, my pillow stained with dried bile. Small capsules littered the floor, and half-digested ramen was spread across my sheets.

I rose slowly and gingerly tiptoed to my phone. I had to use up my LP for today, in order to regenerate them as soon as possible.

LoveLive booted up as it always did, and Hanayo appeared.

“White rice is so amazing,” she cried. “I wonder how it gets so white...”

The same greeting as always. Had nothing changed?

I called her name, but she didn't respond. We were apart again, flung across the banks of the Milky Way. The thin glass screen was an impermeable barrier, separating me from happiness for all of eternity. I broke down there, swiping my framed photograph of Hanayo off my end table. As I wept, I slammed my phone again and again into the ground, making choking noises, as if to release the hope trapped at the bottom of Pandora's Box.

When I stood back up, I saw that my screen was broken, and my idols were gone. Outside, the first snows were drifting gingerly down. My legs buckled, and I embraced sweet oblivion.

Idol. A figure of devotion, representing divinity. A receptacle for emotion, yet one incapable of reciprocating it. How could I have been so foolish...

I tried to call up my wife, to explain my mystical calling. To explain the only time in my life where I had been worth anything. She hung up.

No one would believe me. None of them could stomach the truth that even someone like me could be something at one shining moment, that even I could touch my dreams momentarily. It was of no consequence. As winter faded and the snow melted, it was time for me to leave behind my empty shell.

It was Christmas Eve when I stepped out into the world for the first time in what seemed like eternity, and the last time for all of eternity. As if bearing a sacred ark, I held the Best Live! Collection disc. The streets were decorated for the new year, aglow with lights and awash with festive cheer. The snow shimmered in the winter sun as I stepped upon its virgin surface, defiling the white perfection.

Without really knowing where I was going, I found that I had traveled to my old home. Did I want to see my kids? My wife? Or was it simply muscle memory?

Regardless, fate would not be so kind. Other people had taken up residence there, a young couple. I wondered what I must look like to them, with only a moe T-shirt and boxers to stand against the biting winter air. They hung at the window for a moment, promising human contact, then they too faded away, the curtains sweeping shut. I had yet again been denied the warmth of companionship.

I kept walking, until I found myself in a park. The streets were empty, and the grass buried by heavy snowdrift – it was like the surface of the moon. I looked at my CD one final time, then snapped it in half. The plastic's edge was razor-sharp, and as I touched my hand to it, a sudden warmth burned against the chill.

The warmth comforted me. I saw a thin stream of crimson trickling from my fingertip, quickly losing its heat.

I held the CD against my neck, its curvature gently cradling my delicate flesh, and pulled in a single, fluid motion.

Like a child, I tumbled into the fresh snow. It blushed at my presence, a deep red. I felt absolutely relaxed. The clear sky was truly beautiful.

Laughter welled up deep inside me. I was going to return to my idols, where I belonged. Though I couldn't form the words anymore, I mouthed them, singing along to a few choice lines:

...Before I knew it, my “True emotion” had grown so large.

...It’s painful only seeing it as a dream!

...Shall I name this heartrending pain “Snow halation?”

...It’s vexing but it’s a pure-hearted devotion called love.

#old #drugs #suicide #self harm #love live #hanayo #writing #i wrote this at a much darker time in my life #also i went by nabocchan once but this character has never been me #thankfully #by nacchi

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