#big shadow creatures my beloved

[wareagleofthemountain]

Wild Flower

Pairing: Thranduil x Wife!reader

The hour was early, well before sunrise, and the sky was still dotted with the bright constellations of the night. You pulled on your flowing cloak, knee high riding boots, and a satchel full of fruits you’d snagged from the kitchens as you ran through the halls of the Woodland Realm’s underground palace. Your steps were light, almost soundless, and you were careful not to draw any unnecessary attention to yourself as you slipped through the shadows.

“Your Majesty…” Feren bowed to you as you reached the main door that he had been standing guard of all night. “Where might you be off to at this hour?”

“Just making my rounds.” You gave him a playful smile and attempted to walk past him, only for the young guard to lay a hand on your shoulder and halt your movements.

“Does King Thranduil know? Milady, surely I must assemble you an escort team…” His eyes held a slight twinge of unease as he fidgeted with the hem of his tunic. All elves in the Greenwood were aware of their King’s ill temper, and what would surely befall his guards should something happen to his beloved wife while under their watch.

“Thank you Feren, but that will not be necessary. I won’t be long. Besides, my husband has had a tiring few days at council.” With that, you pushed the doors open and stepped out into the outer compound. With Summer just on the horizon, you relished the crisp morning breeze that hit your face and cut through the humidity. Your lashes brushed against your cheeks as you half closed your eyes and took a deep breath. Sweet honeysuckle and the poetry of songbirds flooded your senses like a love letter from the woods to your ears. These were truly the moments that grounded you, for out here in the stillness of dawn you were not beholden to your role. You could shed the heavy crown of queendom and simply exist as you were.

A soft smile spread across your features as Thranduil’s preferred pet name for you seeped into your mind. My wild flower.

Your heart swelled thinking of all the times those words have poured from his lips, his deep voice smooth and rich like honey. Where other rulers might have been cross when you’d show up to a meeting with a light dusting of dirt on your dress and one or two stray leaves in your hair from losing track of time planting trees in the garden, Thranduil merely smiled knowingly and motioned you to take your seat right next to him. “My wild flower.” He’d whisper, reaching up and gently removing the small twig from your hair. His clear blue eyes would sparkle at you no matter who was talking during the proceedings and he’d be keen on hearing about your escapades in the garden as soon as his council took leave of him. Not to say you were a lackadaisical ruler, not at all. In fact, it is quite the opposite. You were just never a fan of formality. Thranduil saw you for who you were as if you were made of glass, and adored you beyond words for it.

The mighty elk you and Thranduil had raised from a calf looked up at you from where he was laying in a straw bed that lined the floor of his stall in the stables. The back gate of the stall was always open, leaving him the freedom to come and go as he pleased, but he often came in for shelter during the night. And, of course, so he can be the first to get breakfast when the stable keepers come in in the morning. The majestic creature rubbed his antlers against the wall as he stretched, getting to his feet.

“Morning my friend.” You cooed, opening the front gate and holding out a sliced apple in offering. You fed each piece to him, the elk crunching loudly with every bite he took. You slowly walked towards him, leaning in and pressing your forehead to his. “Want to go for a ride?” You whispered, and he nuzzled his big nose into the crook of your neck in response.

No sooner did you turn around to collect his brush from the tack shelf behind you that your steed was attempting to munch on the satchel around your waist. He knew there was still some fruit in there.

“You’re too smart for your own good.” You chuckle and swat him away lightly. “There’s more where that came from if you behave.”

You hum a soft Silven melody of old, a tale of forbidden love between two elves of warring families that ends with them running away together and marrying, as you brush out the elk’s shiny coat. Satisfied with your work, you returned the brush in favor of a simple brown leather bridle with reins attached. Thranduil always used a saddle when he rode, even when it was outside the context of the battlefield, but you preferred to ride bareback so you could connect more deeply to the animal as you traveled. You effortlessly mounted the tall elk and squeezed his sides with your thighs to get him moving at a trot out of the stables.

He tossed his head impatiently as you’d made it to the fork in the road that led to the more scenic forest trails. He was eager to run and you knew it, pausing to tighten your braid before you gave him the go ahead. The ground trembled in his wake, strong hooves pounding the dirt when he took off in a full on sprint. You laughed, throwing your head back as he jumped over fallen trees, weaved through switch backs in the trail, and conquered expansive fields with ease. You felt as if you were flying. As if you were as wild as the terrain before you.

You stopped halfway through your journey through the forest to give your elk a rest, the rest of your fruit, and a drink from the river. You stripped down to your shift and climbed to the top of a nearby waterfall and drank from its current, letting down your hair and enjoying the feeling of the tiny mist drops kissing your skin. From your vantage point, you could see nothing but a sea of green being illuminated in golden beams as the sun rose before your very eyes. This was the land you ruled over, and you were proud. You leapt from the waterfall, going for a brief swim to cool you down in preparation for the ride back home in the heat, and splashed the elk a few times for good measure.

By the time you returned to the palace, the halls were bustling with activity and you managed to intercept your maid who was standing outside your chamber door prepared to take in your and the king’s breakfast. “Thank you, but I can take it from here.” You said kindly, smiling as the elleth bowed and took her leave.

You quietly opened the double oaken doors to your chambers, kicking off your boots before slipping in. The space was dark, only being lit by a few torches scattered about the walls, but it was comforting all the same. This was home because he was here waiting. Even after all your centuries of marriage, you still felt giddy as you approached the large canopy bed with leaves carved into the posts that you knew he was sleeping on. Placing the breakfast tray on the nightstand for later, you shed your cloak and climbed in beside Thranduil. Hovering over him, you smiled as you noticed how innocent his sharp blue eyes seemed, half lidded from sleep as they were. Suddenly, a strong hand shot up and hooked around your waist, pulling you to the mattress only so he could roll on top of you a moment later. The action happened so fast that you did not have time to yelp in surprise.

“Your nose is cold meleth…” Thranduil mumbled, nuzzling his cheek against yours before pressing a soft kiss to your nose. “I’ll warm you.”

You hugged him close, rubbing circles into his back and lovingly working the morning tangles out of his hair.

“Did you have a good ride, my wild flower?” He brushed over your cheekbones with his thumbs, lips slotting against yours.

“Yes, but I’m glad to be home with you.” You sank into his touch.

“I’m afraid I’ve been distant from you lately. The court has demanded it even though I am counting down the seconds.” His eyes are apologetic. “Allow me to correct my mistake. We are taking the day off to spend together.”

At that you beam. “I’d love that.”

[barbwritesstuff]

I tried playing Thicker Than this weekend and got stuck on the first choice. Which origin story is the best? It's so hard to choose!

I'm bias, but I love all my children.

Divorcee, Gambler, Schmuck, Criminal, and Doctor are all beloved in this household.

That said, they've each got their own quirks and perks.

Divorcee gets a boost in shadow magic and the opportunity to rekindle the flame of romance with their former spouse (though in a very limited way).

Gambler is somehow simultaneously both the smartest and the dumbest vampire out of the five. They can do quick maths and will occasionally calculate and figure things out faster than the other origins, but (as recently pointed out to me) they're also the only vampire that flags down their murderer. Gambler has the worst luck. But, on the plus side, they start the game with money.

Schmuck is the dirty, plucky, fierce underdog. They've got mud on their face and will spit in your eye. They're also the strongest mentally (because they've endured minimum wage customer service jobs and survived) and thus get extra mind control powers.

Criminal is already a creature of the night in some ways and has probably the easiest transition into being a vampire. That said, they also come in strong. Literally. They can rip down doors from night one. Occasionally they'll just know things that someone who's been on the wrong side of the law will know.

Doctor knows about the human body and that effects some dialogue throughout the game. Plus they get a doctor friend that they can occasionally run into. But the big perk is that, unlike the other vampires, they were chosen to become a vampire, and that status means that they get a leg up politically.

The game doesn't change a huge amount depending on which of these you choose. But it does change a bit in small ways here or there.

But, like I said, I love them all. When I'm trying to figure out a scene that has something to do with origins I'll talk about them all like they're cats I'm trying to herd. Eg. "Okay... so if I do this then Doctor and Schmuck will get a moment... but what if Criminal wants to do this? And perhaps I should include something for Gambler. They haven't had anything special in a while... And of course Divorcee is pining over Chris. Situation normal."

[makeyoumine69]

The Light in the Darkness

— PAIRING: Patrick Bateman x Fem!Reader

— SUMMARY: You like to think of yourself as a grown, independent person. But one day when the power goes off and you're all alone, your fear of the dark starts acting up and just then you realize how much you find comfort on Patrick's presence.

— CONTAINS: Fluffy romance, hurt/comfort, small mentions of panic attacks, soft but sassy Patty, pet names, a lot of hugs/kisses.

— WORDS: 1.7k

— SONG REC: Black Veil Brides - When They Call My Name

— A/N: This is dedicated to @sleeplessphantom. Love you bro, hope you like it!💞

— LINKS: [MASTERLIST] [support]💗

It was a normal evening,  you were waiting for Patrick to come back home, sitting in the living room of his fancy apartment and watching the sky split into pieces every time the lightning flashed with a loud thunderclap. To be fair, you loved the rain and the fresh smell that came after a thunderstorm, but not when you were alone and especially not at night.

With a sad sigh, you tried to concentrate on reading, but when you realised that you were reading the same sentence for the fifth time in a row, you put the book on the coffee table and got up from the couch. Slowly, you walked towards the large window and closed your eyes, feeling a growing anxiety in your heart. You couldn't help but worry about Patrick and why he had to be so late, he hadn't told you about any events or business that he was going to attend, so these worrying thoughts kept spinning in your head like a perpetual washing machine. What if something happened to him? You shook your head (as if that would help you get rid of these silly concerns), but you still felt sad. 

Sad and lost. 

Taking a deep breath to calm down, you tried to think rationally, but when you imagined how Bateman would laugh about this whole situation and remembered his pretty smile, you felt even worse.

"Damn it, Patrick! Where are you?" You asked no one and sobbed as the panic hit you hard, all those horrible outcomes like the one of a car crash or even a burglar attacking him with a gun started running through your restless mind.

Right when you were about to call his office, a huge flash of lightning came on, illuminating everything around you, and then a disorienting thunderclap almost broke the window from how loud it was. You didn't even have time to scream because the entire district seemed to black out, sweeping you into the darkness — one of your greatest phobias.

You stood still for a moment, holding a phone in your trembling hand and feeling the air stuck in your lungs. Why did all this happen when you were left alone in the big flat, and only God knows what creatures might be hiding in the shadows — Oh, hell no!  Scared, you put the phone down and sprinted to the bedroom, the endless flashes of lighting brightening your way.

Shivering, you weren’t even thinking when you climbed into the bed and hid under the covers. You knew it wouldn't help, but somehow you felt safer lying there, the sheets smelling of him, his scent oddly soothing. You closed your wet eyes and tried to get some sleep, deciding that it’s the best that you could do in this situation. You wished that when you opened your eyes you would find yourself wrapped in Patrick's strong embrace. Because at the end of the day - nothing lasts forever and even the heaviest rain would eventually stop. Using the blanket as your shelter from the outside world, you curled up on the bed and hugged the pillow, thinking of your beloved man, whose charming voice lived free in your head and was the only thing that helped you fall asleep.

Some time had passed, and the weather outside was getting better. You were finally at peace again. But when you heard the sudden sound of footsteps approaching the  room, you froze in place and even stopped breathing for a moment. After some seconds of silence, you felt a brief touch on your small frame, which made you flinch away and almost scream.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Bunny! I'm not the Big Wolf, it's just me," as soon as you heard that voice you sneaked peeked from under the covers to see Bateman's amused face. "Good morning, babydoll."

The way he smiled almost made you cry in relief, so you just snuggled into him with all your strength, causing him to giggle and press you closer to his firm body.

"You’re finally back!!" You sobbed, clinging to his broad shoulders. 

His perfectly sculpted eyebrows were now knitted together as he looked slightly confused. "Hey, what's wrong?" Patrick asked nervously, pecking your cheek and helping you to sit on his lap. "Did someone do something to you?"

You couldn't help but sneer, inhaling his scent as you hid your face in the crook of his neck. "No," you muttered, looking up at him, his hazel eyes scanning your features intently as if he was trying to find the answer in them. "It's just... I was afraid something might happen to you."

Bateman just snickered loudly and rocked you gently in his arms. "Like what?"

You paused and turned away from him, not really wanting to tell him things like that. 

"Baby, talk to me." Patrick noticed your sad face immediately and gently held your chin to entice you to look at him.

"Well, I was thinking about you getting in a car accident or someone attacking you in the street and—"

He chuckled again and pulled you closer, his brawny hands continuing to stroke your body here and there, sending little shivers down your back.

"Sweetheart, I'm a big boy and I can protect myself." Bateman murmured and brought your palm to his pouty lips to plant a small kiss on it. "Besides, this is one of the safest areas in New York."

"I know," you hugged him again, trying to get as close as you could. "But just the thought of losing you made me sick."

As soon as you said those words, you heard him groan and you even thought he'd got angry for a second, but as soon as his warm, big palm cupped your face, you lost the ability to speak and think. 

Looking deep into your eyes, Patrick murmured: "I'll never leave you, (y/n)," his thumb lovingly traced your lips, making you gasp silently. "I want you to remember that. Will you do that for me?"

You nodded and nuzzled against his hand. 

"And I'm sorry for being late. I just got stuck in a fucking traffic jam," he frowned before pressing his forehead against yours. "I know you don't like to be alone, especially at night."

It was a little embarrassing to hear him talk about your fear of the dark, but it didn't matter now. After all, he was your light in the darkness, and you were his.

Smiling, you wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing him closer to kiss his lips. You quivered when he kissed you back even more passionately, but then he suddenly stopped.

"Patrick?" You asked him a little confused.

"Why didn't you change before you went to bed?" His stern voice made you fidget in your place. "That's not what good girls do."

Even though he wanted to sound stern, Patrick couldn’t hold back a little smile, which made you relieved.

"I needed to hide somewhere fast," you chuckled awkwardly. "That thunderstorm really scared me."

"Jesus," he let go of you and stood up. "I wonder what you are not afraid of."

As you watch him walk away, you sit on your knees and whimper. "Where are you going?"

Bateman stopped and turned, his cocky smile growing even wider. "I have to change and I'll bring you your nightgown. Since you couldn't do it yourself."

He winked at you before heading for the closet, and as soon as you lost the sight of him, you let out a sad sigh. Even if you were really afraid, who wasn't? Moreover, you doubted that Patrick was fearless too, he just never told you about his fears.  Although he did mention one once — he was afraid of losing you as you were. 

Trapped in your thoughts, you didn't even see him come back, wearing only his white underwear. Without saying anything, you smiled at him as he beckoned you to the edge of the bed.

"So tell me, little girl. Do you need any help?" His sweet voice was so captivating that you accepted his offer before even thinking about it. "Good."

Slowly he knelt down in front of you and began to remove your pants, leaving little hickeys wherever he could, starting with your ankles and then going up to your hips. When you were completely naked, he gently laid you on your back as he took his place next to you. Smirking at how cute you looked when you were embarrassed, Bateman darted his fingers across your belly, eliciting a sharp breath to erupt from your chest. The way he was touching you right now made you levitate.

"Mmmm, so gorgeous, so innocent," he whispered, sliding his hand along your rib bones. "My little Bunny."

Bateman matched his words with a sensual kiss on your lower abdomen, and you almost squealed at how hot his lips were — you could feel that he wanted much more. Patrick clearly intended to devour you here and now, his rapid breathing scorching your tender skin, but he stopped himself and finished his journey around your body, kissing you lovingly on the lips.

"Patrick, I—" you murmured as he pulled away to finally put a nightgown on you. "I love you."

Shyly, you looked at him as he laid down next to you and opened his arms for you.

"C'mere here, Bunny," he paused as he watched you climb on top of him, your head pressed against his buffed chest. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yeah, this is exactly what I need right now." You closed your eyes and felt his palm stroking your head.

"Sleep, my dear," he lulled you, cradling you like a treasure. "I'll protect you even from the daylight if I have to." 

God, the feelings you had for this man were overwhelming, you wanted to scream how much you loved him, but now you slowly drifted off in his warm arms, feeling protected as never before.

P.S. Thank you for reading until the end! I don’t have a taglist. You can follow my side blog @makeyoumineagain and turn on notifications to know when I update!

[ouijarat]

Too Weird to Love, Too Scared to Die.

Chapter One

(This was just a silly goofy idea that my partner convinced me to get out of my brain and onto the internet. This takes place in an alternate Weirdmageddon Finale scenario. Btw I hardly ever write and this is my first fic like ever so PLEASE BE NICE TO ME and let me know if y'all like it. Ty <3)

_________________________________________

“I’ll give it to you!” Stanford Pines’ voice echoed from the cage and through the cavernous hall of the fearamid. The world seemed to stop as Stanford’s once beloved Muse-turned-monster’s gigantic eye turned from the two children in his grasp he was about to send to meet their maker a moment ago and onto him. Bill’s gaze was as blinding as the sun. 

“I’ll give you the equation, Cipher! Just… don’t hurt my family… please.” 

Bill stared while Dipper and Mabel’s terrified expressions drilled themselves into Ford’s mind during the stillness. Just as Dipper opened his mouth, seemingly to protest against Ford’s decision, Bill’s shrill, inhuman laughter enveloped their senses; the sound loud enough to rattle one’s skull and make one’s ears bleed should they stand too close. 

“Oh, Sixer! I just knew you’d come around~!” The demon cackled smugly, depositing the young twins on a high up support beam, safe for the time being yet out of their uncles’ reach. The grotesque, gargantuan form of arms and teeth and tongues the triangle had reverted to when angered began to shrink back down to size, the red fading back to yellow as he looked down at Ford with as much sick satisfaction a creature without a proper face could possibly express.

“I’m so happy you’ve finally, finally come to your senses!” 

Stanford looked over his shoulder to glance at his brother, expecting to read contempt, maybe anger at Ford for not thinking of something fast enough; but when their eyes met he only saw fear and uncertainty. He couldn’t bear it, so he averted his gaze. He yelped as his body was lifted off the obsidian palace floor as Bill effortlessly levitated him out of his confinement.

 “I’ve gotta say, IQ,  you really had me going there! I thought you were actually gonna make me kill one of the brats!” He gently dropped Stanford in front of his now much less threatening form, straightening out his bowtie as his little heels collided with the ground with a small click, making himself level with Ford as though foolishly trying to perpetuate the illusion that they were equals here. The laughable notion of respect. 

Ford grimaced, six fingernails digging into each of his palms as he steeled himself, remaining woefully silent. Bill was clearly annoyed that Ford refused to play into his verbal sparring, the demon’s expression souring. 

“Aw c’mon, Fordsie. Don’t be like that. Cheer up! Soon I’ll be free, and I can give you everything you’ve ever wanted!” 

Ford’s eyes darted up to the two children clinging onto each other at least 30 feet above him before he looked back to Bill, his expression flat. “You could never give me anything I would truly want.” 

The triangle looked almost hurt for a moment before he laughed again, regaining his composure.

“And why’s that?” 

Stanford stared at him. “You’re selfish,” He said, his voice tainted with the shadow of disdain. “You couldn’t emotionally fulfill another person if you tried. You’re a monster.”

The demon’s eye twitched, his gaze suddenly distant as his yellow glow seemed to dim. Above them, Dipper squeezed Mabel’s hand in a vice grip, scared that Ford had just signed his own death certificate. Instead, Bill just snapped back to normal in an instant, giggling again. “We’ll see about that. But for now..” He extended a dainty black arm, his hand suddenly engulfed in blue flame awaiting Ford’s palm to complete their deal. 

“Let’s get this show on the road. Eh, Sixer?” 

Ford looked down at the floor below him, too ashamed to meet his family’s gaze as he pressed what was, for all intents and purposes, the big red button for the apocalypse. At least they’ll be safe. He held his breath and grasped Bill’s hand, memories of thirty years ago flashing through his mind as soon as they made contact. The demon’s eye widened maniacally as he cackled, his grasp tightening around Ford’s polydactyl hand as the world around him froze. His surroundings turning to black and white and sensation melting away. In a low, gentle voice Stanford hadn’t heard since he worshiped a god rather than feared a beast, Bill spoke. “You’ll see, Fordsy.” 

And suddenly Ford’s vision went dark. 

…

Stanford woke with a start and quickly shot up, having just woken from the most terrible nightmare. He caught his breath, running a hand through the graying hair that had plastered itself to his forehead with sweat, blinking blindly. His glasses must’ve fallen off the couch as he slept. Only, even for as blind as he was, he could very quickly gather that he was in… a bed. Not his bed. That was odd. He frantically groped around for his glasses, finding them neatly folded on a nightstand beside him. He pushed them up his nose with an index finger and -much to his dismay- confirmed that this was not his room, and this was not the Mystery Shack. 

Ford looked down at himself, noting the red satin pajama set he was dressed in that were also very much not his. Despite how soft the sheets were, he quickly threw them off as though they’d burned him. He stood up carefully, the hardwood floor cold against his bare feet. Taking in his surroundings, he first noticed the room had no windows or interior lamps, and yet was perfectly illuminated in warm, comforting light. Everything about the decor style was so very pointedly… him. The dark oak furniture, the golden constellation map on the wall, the chess set on the desk, the detailed antique globe in the far corner. It was all extremely reminiscent of everything he had wanted to do with his basement study back home, had he had the time. This greatly unsettled him. 

He approached the bedroom door with caution, stopping in his tracks with a hand hovering over the doorknob as he heard the sound of dishes clattering distantly somewhere else in the house. Ford gulped before turning the knob excruciatingly slowly, the door cracking open with a soft creak. Nothing jumped out at him and he wasn’t immediately incinerated, so he continued on, gently pushing it all the way open to reveal… an exceedingly normal hallway. 

The walls were adorned with refined red wallpaper and ornate picture frames, the pictures inside so familiar and yet so violently wrong. Nausea bubbled in his stomach as he stared at the family photographs he had gladly kept hung up throughout the walls of the shack, except now half the family had seemingly vanished, or rather been purposely eliminated from the photos. The only two people present in any of them were himself and Mabel, leaving eerily empty spaces where his brother and grand-nephew should have been. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the image of his grand-niece, her colorful braces on display as she smiled happily with her arms wrapped around nothing but dead air. 

Ford jumped, suddenly ripped away from his horror once more as the loud crash of pans echoed from what seemed to be a lower floor, followed by a soft string of curses in at least five different alien languages, two of which he didn’t recognize. He tiptoed further down the hallway, his right hand itching to wrap itself around the grip of his gun. He distantly wondered what had been done with it, as well as his coat. He’d miss that coat. Ford mentally cursed himself for not simply improvising a weapon sooner in case whatever was downstairs tried to attack, yet he couldn’t stop himself from inching further and further into the house and toward the noise. Damn his curiosity. 

He rounded a corner and was met with a grand staircase leading downward, taking a breath and quietly descending with his back pressed against the wall in an attempt to not risk being seen. Upon reaching the bottom, Stanford froze in place, hearing something sizzling in the next room over, accompanied by the unmistakable stench of burning roadkill. He slowly peeked around the corner, his jaw dropping at the sight before him. 

He peered into what was, he had to admit, a very nice kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances and black granite countertops. In the middle of said kitchen, holding a pan full of what looked to be a mutilated opossum over the stove, was Bill Cipher in a frilly pink apron. Said apron had the words ‘Kiss the Triangle’ printed across the front in a loopy cursive font, a heart in place of the dot over the ’i’. 

Sensing his presence, the triangular demon turned to look at him cheerfully, eye upturned in a makeshift smile. “Heya, smart guy! I was wondering when you’d wake up, sleepyhead! You’re just in time for breakfast!”

Ford prayed to every god he knew of, earthen, alien or otherwise, that he’d wake up soon.

(Thank you for reading, let me know if you want a chapter two!)

[bzurk]

don’t feel obligated to respond at all my beloved but i would looooove to know your thoughts on könig & knife/gun play <3

also i saw your funny number follower post, congrats!!! you deserve so many more i stg you’re one of the most underrated writers in this godforsaken fandom.

- Dad <3

My headcanon… König is not nice. He is an arrogant, proud and cocky man. He takes looking down on people to another level.

"And they said I couldn't be a sniper..."

“Let’s be honest… It’s better off in my hands.”

“Hands off, It’s mine.”

Like, he knows he’s big. He knows he’s scary. He knows he’s good at what he does. His broad shoulders and towering frame are weapons in their own right, constantly reminding others of their inferiority.

He relishes in their discomfort, in the way they avert their eyes and step aside.

He is not the same kid who was relentlessly bullied and harassed, shoved into lockers and ridiculed. He spent so much time alone, stuck in his head, thinking the world was out to get him, afraid.

It hardened him, made him antagonistic and cruel.

Covered by his mask, König could be someone else entirely.

This... side of his comes easily when he has you in his palms, malleable and docile, sharp edges dulled by fear. Something for him, and him alone, a precious treasure for his eyes only.

And once you're in his grasp, he can do whatever he fucking wants to you. He knows you won't talk back, won't deny him, not when he is so much bigger than you, when he could snap your neck with the flick of a wrist.

But he wouldn't hurt you. Not intentionally, anyway.

Threatening you, though? Proving just how much bigger and stronger than you he is? He thrives off it.

The cold barrel of his pistol gliding over your tongue and chipping at your tooth enamel, his name carved into your hip, bruises in the shapes of his fingers, his knife pressed against your throat-

Anyway, rant over- YOU MAKE ME WANNA WRITE FOR KONIG NOW grrrr

cw below the cut: predator/prey, knifeplay

The labyrinth swallows you whole, its corridors twisting like the coils of a serpent, leading you deeper into its grasp. Each turn is a gamble, a frantic bid to outpace the monstrous presence that dogs your every step. Your breath is ragged, each inhale a knife to the lungs, and your heart hammers a frantic rhythm against your ribs, urging you onward. You curse your shoes - sharp, sensible, and utterly impractical - biting into your feet like a predator gnashing its teeth.

The Minotaur breathes down your neck, a force of nature you cannot outrun. Every shadow is its claw, every echo its growl. You are a sacrifice in this man-made labyrinth, the gods demanding blood and fear as tribute. The offices you sprint past, once a sanctuary of mundane routine, are now twisted visions of horror. Desks loom like skeletal remains, chairs crouch like beasts ready to pounce, and the flickering glow of monitors watches with an indifferent gaze, a silent audience to your terror.

Time warps and distorts, stretching and snapping like the sinews of your aching legs. The world has narrowed to the staccato rhythm of your footfalls, the shrill wail of the alarms a discordant symphony, and the relentless pursuit of the creature behind you.

Desperation claws at your mind, a frenzied beast in its own right. You grab a chair as you run past, flinging it behind you with every ounce of strength you can muster. The chair crashes to the floor, an explosion of sound in the cacophony of the chase. For a moment, you hear the beast stumble, a snarl of frustration echoing off the walls.

But it's not enough. It never is.

The beast is upon you in a heartbeat, a shadow of rage and power that slams you against a desk with bone-jarring force, the collision of a heavy animal ploughing into your ribs, squeezing the air from your lungs and the panic from your head. Pain blooms through your body, and static takes your vision. Your lungs scream and scream and scream for breath to no avail, muscles spasming. The hit is like a system reset to your body, shutting down all of your functions only to reboot them in a heartbeat.

The Minotaur is faster. He is built from pure muscle and sinew, bulging and heaving under the blaring red lights, the silhouette reaching for the ceiling. He grunts and groans, breath expelled harshly in a facsimile of exhaustion.

The Minotaur steps into the blaring red light of the alarm, its glow revealing him in a series of sharp, fractured images.

What stands before you isn't a creature forged from myth and nightmare, but a man, a towering figure encased in the cold precision of tactical gear. His silhouette is all harsh lines and rugged edges, a mountain of muscle and sinew crafted for power and endurance.

A hood drapes over his head, its fabric heavy with the residue of shadow and blood, concealing most of his features, except for the sharp glint of his eyes; a glacial blue that pierces through the darkness. Those eyes hold no mercy, no hesitation, only the cold calculation of a predator who knows his place at the top of the food chain.

In one hand he grips a large combat knife, its blade gleaming wickedly in the crimson light, reflecting lethal intent. The knife seems like an extension of him, as natural as the breath he expels in harsh, rhythmic intervals. Every part of him speaks of discipline, of a man moulded into a weapon as much by choice as by necessity.

He regards you with an intensity that burns through the space between you, a look that speaks volumes without uttering a word. It tells of dominance and disdain, the arrogance of a hunter who has already decided the outcome of this encounter. And as you lie there, splayed and breathless, you realize that this man, this Minotaur in human form, is the living embodiment of your worst fears - a predator who revels in the chase and takes grim satisfaction in knowing that escape is futile, in knowing that he has won.

The Minotaur steps closer, his heavy boots echoing on the linoleum floor, each step deliberate and filled with purpose. His presence looms over you like a dark, oppressive storm, blotting out any hope of escape. He plants his feet on either side of your hips, a calculated move that pins you in place, trapping you beneath his imposing figure.

His eyes, those cold, glacial blue eyes, narrow slightly with amusement as he regards you - splayed out, wide-eyed and breathless, a deer caught in the headlights. He reaches down, his hand moving with a predator's grace, and grips the collar of your blouse. The fabric strains against his hold, and you can feel the cold, unyielding steel of the knife pressing into the hollow of your throat, its edge a chilling promise of violence.

"Pretty thing," he coos, his voice a low, rumbling purr that sends a shiver down your spine.

There’s a twisted satisfaction in the way he speaks, a predator savouring the fear that radiates from you like heat. His words are a mockery, dripping with condescension, as if your fear is nothing more than a source of entertainment to him. You can see his eyes crinkle with delight beneath the hood, the corners creased in a perverse kind of happiness. It's a manic joy, one that revels in the power he holds over you, in the certainty of his victory.

"You put up a good chase," he continues, almost conversationally, as if discussing the weather or a mundane day at work. The knife presses just a fraction deeper, piercing skin, a reminder of the precariousness of your situation. "But in the end, you know it was futile, don't you?"

His voice is a mix of admiration and taunt, a hunter acknowledging the prey's fleeting attempt at escape while relishing in its ultimate capture. There's a cruel satisfaction in the way he leans closer, his breath a ghost against your skin, warm and chilling all at once.

He relishes in your fear, in the way your pulse hammers beneath the thin barrier of skin, the way your breath stutters in your chest. It's a game to him, one he plays with expert precision.

You can see the madness in his eyes, a glint of something untamed and wild that speaks of a man who thrives on chaos and control, who lives for the thrill of the hunt and the inevitable conclusion it brings. And in that moment, you understand with terrifying clarity that you are at the mercy of a predator who knows no bounds, who revels in the dance of fear and power, and who will not be satisfied until he has claimed his prize.

His knife trails down, down, following the bead of blood as it trickles down the hollow of your throat.

“Pretty, precious little thing,” he coos into your ear, the fabric of his hood tickling against the sensitive skin of your tear-stained cheeks. His knife tinks as it hits your top button. “I will have much fun ruining you.”

You squeak when the sound of your button skating across the floor echoes. Followed by the next, then the next, then the next, until your soft belly is exposed to the beast and its hungry maw.

[py-dreamer]

Long hair Macaque, my beloved-

No but srsly, one of my favourite designs is just long hair mac and in this au Mammy's figure is just mostly hair.

I was trying to recreate this screenshot:

Obviously there's some difference like I tend to draw a bit chibi (big heads) and I didn't want to make Mac's hair THAT voluminous-

I wanted to achieve sort of a gypsy vibe with these little skrimblos

AND THEN I FOUND THESE:

And I could NOT pass it up.

So yeah...

Oh! And I also gave the sparkly drip to their ears

(Sh!t I just realised, I forgot the shadow creatures... I'll see if I can add them in later)

I COULDN'T for the life of me figure out the hundred yard stare to match with Mac's sharp eyes (how I draw him) and not make it look goofy so I made them spoopy and glowing instead

I sadly don't have much to say about Bai He here since her black hair didn't leave that much room for shading in a darkened environment (I'm so sorry) And this piece was to show off Mac's design more anyway (I promise Bai He will get her spotlight)

(Also Bai He, nor Mk nor Macaque wears shoes. Wukong is the only one in the family who does and I find that funny)

But oh! The hair? Here comes the fun part

(No his hair isn't purple, I just used purple to shade here)

You see I WAS going to use black hair for this photo but i soon realised how much of a pain it was just to shade it (cause i couldn't) and I was just WISHING I could use his white fur instead

And then I realised....

The white fur could be his winter coat.

Some animal's shed their fur in the winter (I think some rabbits do) and grow a new coat, occasionally with a different colour.

Therefore I could make the white fur the winter coat and during the story, his fur could be black to show how much time has passed since Bai He last saw her Baba...

Mwuahahahahahhahahahaha I'm so evil

(I was very proud of myself)

(Also I know macaques don't grow winter coats but just let me have this one ok?)

And why doesn't Bai He have white fur as well then? Well maybe she's just a different kind of monkey or perhaps it's just an age thing.

Funnily enough, when I showed this to my friend, she said he looked heavenly which is funny cause. As much as I love him, Macaque is a smug bastard and he knows it.

Like I know a lot of it was due to trauma BUT STILL

I just personally dislike how the fandom sometimes makes him seem like he could do no wrong and he is "uwu delicate babygirl that needs to be protected at all costs" when this boi is fockin FERAL man.

So despite taking a bit of a back seat in the main plot for this au, Macaque is still a smug bastard behind the scenes as much as he is a good dad

(Gosh sorry for the rant, I just had that pent up for a while now and needed to get it off my chest)

I wanted to post this yesterday on Friday 13th but oh well,

I hope I achieved the mysterious spoopy vibes as the original lol

(Click photo for less sh!tty quality)

(Also pls reblog, as much as I really appreciate feedback in general, I really like this piece and want to show it to more people...)

Gosh we are on a roll with this Shadowalkers au huh?

[tadc-harlequin-au]

Depressed!anon here. Thank you for inspiring me 💜 heres the concept for my goofy lil oc(art coming soon)

---

OAKE 13 Model-D, The Ochre City/ Oakley, the Wistful Vivarium!

A multi-die Puppet designed as a moving city, meant to be capable of housing a sizeable population. Well, for the rich, of course. Multiple soul dies were used to make the entire city move, with Oakley at the head, and seven additional soul dies for the legs, windsails, and tail of Model D. OAKE stood for Oct-Alma Automotive Kinetic Environment, with three models being prototyped. OAKEs never made it to full-scale production, due to the immense resource requirements and the fragility of the sanity in the soul dice. Oakley was one such prototype, Model Dragon. 

As 13 M-D, Oakley was old enough to witness the fall of humanity. His immense body contained a giant vivarium, a completely enclosed mobile city. As the other seven soul dice slowly became corrupt and caused the destabilization of the vivarium, Oakley did his best to lead his collapsing body to what he hoped would be a safe haven, before he too gave into madness. He gave up his fight not far from the City of Circuits, an immobile head attached to a rusting hull.

As a rebuilt Puppet, Oakley has a smaller frame, and his own body for once. Now a dragon Animatronic, he can freely roam to his heart's desire, providing a method of fast travel for Pomni when they cross paths. Oakley's one and only wish is to see the world rebuilt.

WOAH

WOAHHHHHH

WOAHHHHHHHHHHHH /VERY MUCH POS

if I had a nickel for everytime someone created a dragon OC with such a fleshed out and intriguing concept for this AU, I would have two nickels

which isn't a lot but it's SO AWESOME THAT IT HAPPENED TWICE AUGH

My brain immediately thought of Shadow of the Colossus for this big guy and I think that's so amazing, I LOOOOOOVE giant creatures colossal beings my absolute beloved I wish we had them in real life but as friends

I'm getting sidetracked I'm just so excited for this concept like WHATTTT, A GIANT MECHANICAL DRAGON THAT'S ALSO A FLOATING CITY?!??! FOR THE RICH!???!?!?! I WANNA SEE THAT SHIT JUST TO WITNESS HOW SUCH A THING TRAVERSES FROM POINT A TO POINT B AUGHHHH THAT SOUNDS SO COOL (but also... very tragic.... 7 dices were used... containing multiple souls... Oh, these poor, tragic people who had to be subjected to such cruelty. I hope they found peace somewhat, if the dices were destroyed)

The concept of fast travel was something I've been considering for this AU too, mostly with the idea of "soul magic + device that causes object displacement" (or more commonly known as "teleportation") BUT NOPE, GIANT DRAGON NOW, LOVE IT, PITCH IT, SELL IT

(also reminds me of The Last Stag from Hollow Knight, would Oakley also be giving Pomni the option to go from city to city? All the major, largest cities of this world are neighbors, and they kinda form like, a weird giant cog)

OH, this makes me SO excited to see your concept art for it. like, oh my lord. Goodness gracious, it's going to be amazing and I just know it. As usual, take your time, don't feel pressured, I await the lad's visual concept with all the patience in the world teehee :3

[ashleyfableblack]

"I had this dream last night…"

Twilight lay in her wife's hooves, little spoon to Chrysalis's big spoon. This was their happy place. The couple relaxed in a lazy dreamy state reserved for the kind of lovers with nothing to do that day- or at least nothing that couldn't be put off for more important things, such as an extended snuggle.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "If this is like that one where you were nibbling on a giant piece of licorice we agreed that was an accident."

"No, I-" Twilight chuckled and playfully slapped at her wife's barrel. "You butt." Chrysalis chuckled with her wife, rumbling in a sinister silky low register. She playfully rubbed at Twilight's belly, giving the alicorn to fidget and giggle under the barrage of tickling tarsomeres.

"No, Chryssi. Not that one." she paused to catch her breath. "And the jury is still out on that, you know." Contorting herself to look back to her partner she gave a playful glare. The display earned a playful mocking flicker of her wife's serpentine tongue, tickling at her snoot.

"I throw myself upon the mercy of the court." Chrysalis bellowed in a melodramatic croon. "Failing that-" she craned her neck to whisper in her partner's ear "I will bribe the judge." She gave a flirty nip to Twilight's ear, kneading with her fangs.

Twilight murred. She tucked herself back into the creche of her wife's larger bughorse body with a heavy-lidded smile that signified a silent truce would continue on the matter for now.

"No. We were fillies."

"Fillies?"

"Mnhmm. Little school-fillies. I think your wing was hurt so I was giving you a piggy-back ride to class." She dreamily played with the cracked folds in Chrysalis's hooves. "You kept nibbling on my horn and purring at me. I think we were filly-friends."

"Naturally." Chrysalis extended her tongue to playfully pat at her wife's horn, tickling the bony spiral.

Twilight beamed, simply being in the moment.

She contemplated in silence, held in the adoring embrace.

Chrysalis was ancient, recalling civilizations and species long gone. The changeling queen and her children had existed in the shadows of every species on the planet, guiding their evolution both culturally and in some cases physically. She had seen species rise to power and fall into oblivion, both of which were often orchestrated by her Hive. Much of the knowledge she had first-hoof account of Twilight had only ever read about, secrets long-forgotten, forbidden magics, cultures and creatures which pre-dated the written word.

For her part, Chryssi's body of knowledge was a constant source of fascination to Twilight. Her wife was an impossible, enchanting trove of history and a unique perspective in every subject she could imagine. Like a moth to the flame, Twilight could listen to her ruminations for hours.

She'd never broached the subject specifically as to just how old Chrysalis was. She didn't care, really. Much like Celestia or Luna, Discord in particular, It seemed that, to an immortal existence, past a certain point they stopped caring themselves. The world kept on turning. They simply walked through it, like a traveler on a ship. She was well aware that one day, she too would have a similar perspective.

But in this moment she did wonder, had Chrysalis ever been a child? Was that maybe the one bit of knowledge the one perspective she could never understand?

Her introspection must have changed the mood in the air enough to be noticed by her wife's flickering tongue and changeling sight. Chrysalis shifted. "Is something wrong, beloved?"

Twilight mused and decided to cast her line. "Honeybug… If we met when we were fillies how do you think we would have ended up?" She prodded her wife in the plated segment of her abdomen. "Would we still have… gotten together?"

Chrysalis snickered, not missing a beat.

"Pfft. You need to ask?"

The changeling monarch clasped her wife tightly in a loving embrace. Her fangs clattered as she gave a series of possessive nibbles to Twilight's horn. She craned her neck down and drew in her limbs to form herself into a weighted armored blanket of sorts, equal parts compression and affection. The cool chitin of her angular cheek hissed softly against Twilight's coat as she nuzzled her wife.

"I'd have utterly ruined you."

Twilight erupted in laughter as her bughorse bride squeezed her to her barrel. The heavy rumble of Chrysalis's cricket purr was all the answer she needed.

[lycanlovebites]

with each blood moon I feel that animal I am grow stronger.

When the moon begins waxing full the animal inside me begins to whisper and howl. 

He yearns, we both know this, but I cannot let him free. 

Not yet.

I see him in my moonlit shadows when I stand alone in my room. 

He swishes his tail, flashes his teeth and talons. 

I wish to run. To be free with the moonlight on my fur and blood in my teeth. I want to taste it on my tongue, hot and wild. Just as we are, animals, beasts. You do as well. I see that look in your eyes, the way your own talons twitch at the sight of blood. you are animal too. Just as me, just as me. 

He’s right. 

I admit it to few, but I yearn as he does. When the moon  transforms, so do I. 

My teeth itch and ache to snap closed around my beloved’s throat. 

My fur grows course and full over my skin. I am grateful for the cover.

My talons grow sharp and curved. 

 My tail comes and oh, how I have missed it. 

With the blood moon comes my hunger. 

I used to believe it made me weak, constantly aching and turned into a pained, exhausted creature in heat. I  hated the blood that wept from me. 

Most of all I hated how the humans around me did not see my transformation.

I snapped and bared my teeth at them when they got close, spoke down, pitied me. I used to run and hide away from everyone else, resting in the shelter of my den like an animal about to die. 

But over time the blood moon has given me strength. Perhaps I’ve grown into what was always there, or perhaps the blood moon is as fluid as I am. 

I am still pained. But these are shifting pains now, a means to transformation, not ‘just cramps’. I hunger not simply for food but something deeper. I yearn for blood on my tongue and flesh and meat in my teeth, staining my talons and snout. I yearn to bite, to hold close and tight and drink it in. 

I yearn for skin against my fur, to hold someone tight in my claws, to drink him in until the red on my teeth and his neck bleed together and the lines between us blur. I want to take him in my embrace as mine, all mine. 

I want to be his. to belong. to feel his back against mine during long nights. I want him to take me in his teeth as I do him, unafraid and his, all his. 

The blood moon makes me feral with lust, for blood or otherwise. That much has not changed.

But I have begun to embrace it. I do not hide it from myself anymore, ashamed, feeling like nothing more than a little animal in heat. No, I celebrate the rush and power it gives me, hold it close to my heart. It moves me to create out of passion, a desperation to let it free. Honestly, I am the most productive artist during my blood moon. 

I do not love my blood moon. I would trade it if I could. But for now I am comfortable with it —as well as any beast can be when their organ bleeds and pains them, driving them mad with hunger, I suppose. 

I used to hate it not just for what it did to me but because of the humans around me. They celebrated it, said it made me a woman.

But I wasn’t a woman, I was just a little kid. I was just a pup. 

To me it was nothing to celebrate, not then. It meant people saw me as more mature, or weaker when I bared my teeth at them. Stop being so upset over it. You’re being so emotional, are you on your period or something? 

The blood that falls from me and through me doesn’t make me a woman. It makes me a beastly wild thing, yearning for blood and touch, but that’s far better to me than being called something I’m not. 

In the end, the blood on my thighs simply means that: blood. It doesn’t mean I was suddenly an adult, not really. It doesn’t make me frail, or “too sensitive”, or “more mature.” It is simply a blood moon, and it happens the same way the moon changes, going in phases and shifting, just a thing of nature. It doesn’t mean anything more than what it simply is. 

Humans  see it as a big momentous joyous thing. I suppose it can be. After all, you bleed from your organ. Every month. That is not something to take lightly. but it’s not a celebration (to me at least.) it’s not the beautiful delicate thing companies and influencers make it seem. It’s horrifying, it can be scary, it’s painful, and it can make you a beastly thing (if you’re like me), but it’s normal. It can be beautiful in the way a lightning storm rolling in the horizon is, powerful and scary, as natural as the moon itself, but it is not pretty. 

It is normal and natural. But humans confuse this with being mundane and often minimize it. They weaponize it, saying you’re just so emotional and cranky today. 

They were throwing a tantrum today just because of this. They must be on their period or something. 

I don’t care if you have cramps, you have to stay in class, you’ll just have to wait. 

They call you weak and emotional and then say oh but you’re so strong, you can’t call out today, just push through it, I believe in you! You should be able to take it. 

Humans make the mistake of tying it to gender. (They do that to a lot of things, actually.) A blood moon happens to many kinds of people, and it affects us all in different ways. No wrong or right way, there’s only the way you are.

My blood moon gives me the gift of transformation. For better or worse. I’ve come to enjoy the power it gives me, learned to channel the insatiable  lust into art and satisfying myself and feeling the strength my teeth and claws give me.  I revel in the transformation because it means I am no woman but rather a beastly creature, beyond the human idea of what they think I am. It confirms what I know I am: not human, and certainly not a woman. I’m not an ethereal being, pure and innocent or perfect, not the way people seem to wish people like me are. I am inhuman, I am wild, and I am unafraid of the blood and viscera that stains my teeth and hips and talons. I’m of flesh and blood, a mere animal like all other humans. I refuse to be the delicate feminine thing people wish me to be, all because my body is what they see as a woman’s. No one should be if they don’t wish to be. I refuse to be that. I revel in my fur and flesh and bones because it makes me real. It makes me alive.

[9haharharley1]

Oooo! For prompts maybe one about Danny meeting Baby tooth, and having to help her find Jack cuz she got lost? (ROTG X DP my beloved)

I'm so sorry, I saw Danny meets Baby Tooth and blacked out! I hope this is OK!

---

It was his last tooth to lose. Danny hadn't given much thought to losing his baby teeth over the years, but his recent late night visitor had opened his eyes. His dad had always believed in the superstitious, be it Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, but his mom was always the realist, ready to remind them all that those were just stories told to children to keep them well-behaved. The Santa thing was always what got his parents up in arms with each other, but the others were never a big deal in the Fenton household. Easter didn't mean much since they weren't a religious family by any means, but Jazz had always tried to tell their parents that the Tooth Fairy was a necessary talltale for kids - to foster imagination or whatever.

Danny had never put much stock in the Tooth Fairy myth. He just did as Jazz said and placed his teeth under his pillow when he lost them, and the next morning, he would find a quarter.

He always thought Jazz was the one who left it.

It was a little creepy thinking his sister might be collecting his baby teeth, but Danny assumed she had been giving them to their parents, and so he never lingered on it.

Now, things were different.

Now, Danny knew the Tooth Fairy was real. He knew she was a supernatural entity his parents couldn't categorize and so couldn't track with any of their imventions. He fully believed in her now.

It was with this belief and a newfound determination that he didn't tell Jazz about his lost tooth. He went to bed that night with his last baby tooth in hand, placed it carefully under his pillow, and resolved not to fall asleep. He had only one shot at this, his one and only, and Danny was determined to meet the Tooth Fairy. He lay in bed, excitement buzzing under his skin, but he had been told the Tooth Fairy wouldn't come if he was awake. She had a sense for these things, and she always traveled not to long after the Sandman passed through. She made sure kids were well asleep and dreaming before she collected teeth.

Danny sighed, tossing and turning in bed. His eyes were heavy, threatening to fall closed any moment. Between one blink and the next, he was listening to his clock tick on the nightstand, only to jerk wide awake at a shrill, angry chirping.

He sat upright in bed, covers already half-thrown off as he blinked sleepily around the room. It was dark, shadows writhing in the corners of his room, and a thrill of fear shot through him. He reached for the lamp on his nightstand.

A flick of the switch revealed a familiar shadow in his closet, gold eyes staring out from the dark, tall and imposing. Shimmering black sand trailed out from the shadow's hand, weaving around Danny's room to stop next to his bed. It formed a small cage in midair, barely a foot from Danny's bed, and it was from inside the shrill, angry chirping eminated.

"Wha -" he cut off with a yawn as his sleepy brain tried to register what was happening. "What's going on?" He rubbed his eyes. When they were clear of sleep, he finally looked inside the cage.

"You wanted to meet the Tooth Fairy," came the silky, dark voice from his closet. Danny jumped, looking over to see the Boogieman emerge in all his towering glory, one hand behind his back. The other shortened the length of black sand as he drew closer, tilting his head as though studying how well his cage was holding. A fearful trill echoed around the cage, and Danny glanced back, finally peering inside.

What he saw was not what he expected. Then again, he wasn't sure what he had been expecting in the first place; an actual fairy, maybe, like the ones in movies. The thing in the cage looked more like a hummingbird, with a long beak, feathery body, and rapidly beating wings. It was a beautiful creature, in shades of blue, green, and gold, with large, almost human eyes that sparkled like gemstones. It darted around the cage, careful not to touch the sand, but as Pitch came nearer, it hovered back into a corner, tiny body shaking in fear.

"I wanted to meet her, not catch her!" Danny exclaimed. He reached out to cradle the sand cage in his hands, but it jerked back out of his reach. "Hey!"

Pitch tutted at him. "Don't touch. This is not meant for humans to touch."

Danny pouted at him. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Can you let her go?"

The Boogieman puzzled over that, eyeing the little fairy in her cage. She trilled back, glancing back and forth between Pitch and Danny. Danny smiled at her.

"Hello," he said gently. "I'm Danny. It's nice to meet you!" The fairy relaxed a little, chirping and waving back at him with a small smile of her own. She glanced back at Pitch with a scowl on her tiny face. It wasn't very threatening, and Pitch only looked back, face flat and eyes lidded. Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about him. He's kind of a jerk." He grinned at Pitch.

Pitch rose a brow at him, the Tooth Fairy looking almost startled by his words. The other spirits really didn't interact with Pitch too much, did they?

The Tooth Fairy chirped, slow and meaningful. Danny brought his attention back to her. She gestured to him, to the cage. Then she smiled, pointing at her mouth.

"Oh, right!" Danny might have blushed for his rudeness, but he ignored it. He looked back up to Pitch. "Can you let her go?"

"She'll fly away," Pitch stated. He sounded bored, but his gaze was intent, studying.

"Well, yeah. She has a job to do, right?" Danny rolled his eyes at him. "I can't be the only kid who lost a tooth."

The Boogieman heaved a heavy sigh. With a wave of his hand, the shimmering black cage vanished, circling in thin tendrils as they raced back to their owner. The Tooth Fairy flee to the opposite side of Danny, away from Pitch, who she glared at in distrust.

"I'm sorry about him," Danny said again. He dug under his pillow for his last baby tooth. He held it out to her in the palm of his hand. She glanced down at it. "He told me about all the other spirits like you, and I wanted to meet the Tooth Fairy before I couldn't anymore." Her eyes went wide as her gaze shot up to meet his. She glanced back at Pitch, surprise on her little face, but the Boogieman stood with his back against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed, head bowed. He tapped his finger to his arm. Danny smiled gently when she turned back to him. "He's really not so bad. Scary, yeah, but he's nice enough. Kinda like a weird uncle."

There was a snort from the man in question. The Tooth Fairy giggled.

With a pleasant chirp, she reached under her wings, pulling out a hidden sack of quarters. She grabbed one, offering it to Danny as she flit down to grab his tooth. Danny took it with a smile, thanking her before she flew to the window, but not without one last glance back to Pitch. Then she was gone.

Danny turned back to the Boogieman. "Why'd you trap her?"

Pitch was quiet for a moment. Then he stood up straight, hands clasped behind his back. "I wanted to see if I could. I've never tried."

Danny scowled at him. "Well, it was rude. I might have missed my chance if you missed!"

"You might have missed your chance if I hadn't," the Boogieman pointed out. "They can be tricky little creatures."

"They?"

Pitch grinned at him. "Oh, didn't I tell you? That was only one. A baby tooth fairy, if you will. The Tooth Fairy herself no longer goes out in the field. She directs the little ones to their destination safe in her palace."

"Aww!" Danny whined. He fell back on his bed. "So I didn't even get to meet the real Tooth Fairy? That's lame!" He grabbed his blanket and pulled it up to his nose, pouting.

Pitch glided over on silent shadows, carding his fingers through thick black hair. Danny curled into his touch. "I'll be sure to tell her you said that. You missed her by about four hundred years or so," Pitch admitted.

"Boo," Danny grumbled. His eyes were already starting to feel heavy again, the quick burst of adrenaline from earlier quickly wearing off. "Tell her she's a mean old fairy." His words slurred as Pitch continued to pet his hair.

The Boogieman chuckled, Danny barely registering his words as he said, "I'll be sure to do that," before he drifted off into the land of dreams.

[hugsandchaos]

Task Failed Successfully

Summary: Boom!Team Sonic is asked by Modern!Shadow to watch his beloved chao companion, Cherry, while he works on building his own house. Well, he asked Amy, but the rest decided to join. Things go horribly wrong when the chao goes missing and the group faces possibly becoming enemies with Modern!Shadow.

Quick Note: Don’t ask how Modern!Shadow knows how to build a cabin, it just had to be done, okay? Also, this ~~~~~~~ is meant to be a bit of a time skip or a change in environment, like in the episodes. I hope this explanation makes reading this easier. Credit to the AU goes to @zumbieve!

Word Count: 5,509

Amy held the hex nut in her hand and reached up to let Bea hover down and eat it from her hand. If not for her gloves, the robot’s metal mouth might’ve felt uncomfortable, but instead they just felt a little tickly. She smiled as Bea made quick work of the hex nut, then fly back up and buzz in happiness. Amy couldn’t help an amused giggle, she thought Bae was so cute and sweet. A knock at the door interrupted their quiet moment.”Coming!” Amy called out. She stood up from her couch and walked over to the door.

She was surprised to see Shadow standing at the door. No, not the edgy one that the group despises, the short one. The one who seems pretty grumpy and unapproachable, but is actually a bit of a softie. Especially to his small companion.”Shadow! How nice to see you!” Amy said. She glanced at the small creature floating behind Shadow and using both stubby little arms to hold onto his shoulder.”And you, too, Cherry!” She said.

Cherry had a striking resemblance to Shadow. Shadow said that she was a “chao”, a creature of chaos energy. Something that the group had very little knowledge of. Cherry smiled at her and waved with one of her arms.

“Good morning, Amy. Is this a bad time?” Shadow asked. He sounded a little tired, and not in the “all done with people” way.

Amy shook her head and stepped back to allow him inside.”Not at all, come on in.” She said. Shadow nodded politely and walked in. Amy closed the door and sat down on her couch, followed by Shadow. Cherry made a few happy sounds when she saw Bea and floated onto the floor. Bea buzzed and laid down to let Cherry pat her on the head.”So what brings you here?” Amy asked. She appreciated the dark hybrid’s company greatly. He was quiet most of the time, but liked a good conversation, and they had a few similar interests.

One of the things they do the most together is tending to the flowers in Amy’s garden. Shadow was experienced in taking care of lavender, which was a big help since she was a beginner with the purple plant. He did her a pretty big favor with that, and when he housesat for her while she was away once.“Would it be any trouble looking after Cherry for a while? I need to work on my house and you seem to be one of the most responsible out of the group.” Shadow asked.

Amy instantly smiled and held back a squeal of excitement.“That little cutie? Of course! However long you need!” She replied. Cherry was a sweet little creature, and she got along with Bea very well. Whenever Shadow came over with her, she could be found playing with Bea. Amy was already excited for how this day would go.”I think I still have a copy of that list you showed me about how to take care of a chao, so don’t worry!” She said. It was true, she’d asked for a copy a while back incase Shadow ever asked her to babysit Cherry.

Shadow gave her a small smile, looking a little relieved.“Thank you. I should be able to finish sometime between the afternoon and evening. She’s slowing down a little, but it’s not a bad thing, I just need you to keep in mind that she might sleep half the day.” He said.

Amy nodded in understanding. She should probably make a note of it, just incase she forgets.“Understood. Don’t worry, she’s in good hands. You might even come back to us wearing face masks.” Amy said. She laughed at her own joke and earned an amused chuckle from Shadow.“I hope to see your house once it’s finished.” Amy added.

Shadow nodded.“I know she’ll be alright, it’s you I’m asking. Hopefully, I’ll be able to show you the house sometime tomorrow.” He said.

“Sounds great!“ Amy said.

Shadow stood up off the couch, only to kneel in front of Cherry. Cherry chirped and hugged his leg. He patted her back in return.“I’ll be back soon.” He said. The little floating ball somehow connected to Cherry turned into a heart shape and she let out a happy chirp-like sound. The corners of Shadow’s mouth moved upwards as he stood up and waved bye.

Cherry let go and waved back.”Thanks again, Amy.” He said. He walked out of her house before suddenly vanishing in a flash of red.

Once Shadow was gone, Cherry stared at the place where he was before. She looked a little sad seeing him gone, which was to be expected. The two seem inseparable, especially since Cherry was dependent on Shadow as her caretaker. Another main factor was that chao, creatures who themselves had chaos energy inside, had an affinity for chaos energy. Shadow was the only other source of this arcane energy, so it was no surprise that she tried to stick by him so much.

Also because they were great friends, everyone thought it was adorable seeing Shadow playing with Cherry and teaching her how to do first aid and letting her use his arm as practice. Amy smiled at Cherry.”Don’t be sad, Auntie Amy will take care of you today!” She said. Cherry turned to Amy as she stood up.”I’ll just find that list.” She said. She walked over to the drawers she kept next to her couch and opened the one second to the top.

She was a little confused to see that it wasn’t in there even as she moved stuff around, but quickly brushed it off as simply misremembering things and opened the drawer above it. The list wasn’t in there, either.“I know I put the list in one of these drawers.” Amy muttered to herself. While she continued to rummage through the four drawers, the pink hedgehog failed to notice Cherry climbing onto Bea’s back.

Finally, in the bottom drawer, the list was revealed. Amy picked up the neatly folded piece of paper and closed the drawer, letting the list unfold a few times to begin reviewing it.“Ah-ha! Found it!” She cheered. She heard Bea buzzing above her and looked up. Amy gasped when she saw Bea flying in circles high above her head with Cherry cheering on her back.“Bea, please stay a little closer to the ground if you’re going to let Cherry ride on your back.” She said, worry slipping into her otherwise stern tone.

~~~~~~~

Amy set down a plate of neatly cut up fruits such as apples, oranges, and cantaloupe on her table.”The list says that chao pretty much only eat fruits, so I put together this nice fruit plate.” She said. Cherry chirped and smiled at her.”Aw, you’re welcome!” Amy said. Cherry floated from the couch to the table and picked up a piece of cantaloupe. How she was able to do that without any actual hands or fingers, Amy will never know. Cherry had only taken a few bites when a blue blur came in through the window.

Sonic let himself flop back onto the couch and smiled.”Hey, Amy! I’m bored. Got any fun activities?” He asked. Amy, a little upset by the sudden intrusion, opened her mouth to scold him for not knocking.“Actually, don’t answer that. You hate fun.” Sonic interrupted. Amy let out a small groan of irritation at his behavior. He was almost always like this, and sometimes, it was something Amy could brush off. Other times, she wanted so badly to just shake him until he understood his manners.

Cherry warbled in greeting and caught Sonic’s attention. He looked at her from the couch and smiled.“Oh, hey, Cherry.” He said. He quickly sat up and looked around.”Wait, is Shadow here?” He asked, sounding pretty eager to see him. He probably wanted to ask him to race again. It seemed to be his favorite thing to do with him.

“No. Shadow asked me to watch Cherry for the day.” Amy replied, sounding a little proud of herself. And she was.

Sonic seemed a little disappointed that he wouldn’t find Shadow there and leaned back into the couch, letting his arms flail back carelessly.“Why you and not me? I mean, not that I exactly want to babysit the whole day, but Cherry’s adorable and we can do all sorts of cool stuff.” Sonic asked.

Amy put a hand on her chest and smiled.”He said I’m one of the most responsible out of the group. I guess he didn’t want to risk you getting the bright idea of launching Cherry across the living room while he wasn’t around.” She replied.

Sonic rolled his eyes.”Oh, come on!” He said. Amy glared at him. She didn’t really trust whatever it was that Sonic had in mind for “fun”, especially with Cherry.”I mean, sure, I’m plenty irresponsible, but I’m responsible enough to admit it! That means something, right?” He argued. Cherry finished off another piece of fruit, then flew over to the couch.

“Chao!” She said, climbing onto Sonic’s leg and patting him as if to get his attention. Sonic looked at her and his face quickly softened.

“Aww!” He said. He patted her on the head. Cherry smiled and closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the affection. Amy couldn’t help but coo as well at this. There was something about the creature that Shadow called “chao” that was just so adorable. Amy had a feeling that if Eggman ever found her, even he’d agree, and treat her like the precious creature she was.

That is, if Shadow didn’t knock him out before he could get near her. He was protective of Cherry, and he didn’t like Eggman from the start. That was actually another reason why letting Sonic care for Cherry was a bad idea. When — not if — something happened, then not only would Cherry break their hearts with her cries, but Shadow would somehow hear them and break their bones. Remembering Sonic’s record for causing a bit of trouble, Amy shook her head.

“Well, it means that you can admit it. That doesn’t mean you can do anything reckless with Cherry.” She said.

Sonic rolled his eyes and picked Cherry up with an arm.“Oh, don’t worry, Amy! We’ll do something safe and harmless, like…”

~~~~~~~

“Going to Meh Burger!” Sonic said. Tails had joined them for whatever reason and standing in front of the group table they used so often that it might as well be called theirs. Tails was holding the chao care list and standing between Amy and Sonic.

“Sonic? Shadow hates Meh Burger,” Tails pointed at the list near the middle, “and seeing what she eats, I seriously doubt Cherry would be able to eat anything here without getting sick. Also, Meh Burger food is hardly considered safe and harmless.” He said.

Amy put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, still giving Sonic that stern look.“In simpler terms, Shadow would kill us.” She said. She walked past Tails and promptly took Cherry from Sonic’s arms. Gently, of course, so she wouldn’t accidentally hurt her. Sonic groaned.

“Alright, then. Something even more careful. Maybe…”

~~~~~~~

“Ding-dong-ditching Eggman!” Sonic said.

Standing outside the metal tower, Cherry didn’t seem to like it very much. She let out a small whine and tapped on Amy’s arm to get her attention, not taking her eyes off the building. She looked very unsettled by it and really wanted to leave. They weren’t even very close to it yet. Amy patted her head to try to comfort her.“You seriously want to bring Cherry to Eggman’s lair?!” She asked angrily.

Sonic was already heading towards the door. He turned around and walked backwards to face Amy, Cherry, and Tails.“We’re not going inside!” He said. When he stepped closer to the building, an alarm blared from it. Cherry let out a startled noise and clung onto Amy. She buried her face on Amy’s shoulder to try to hide from the loud noises. Several weapons came out of the walls and pointed right at Sonic. In a matter of seconds, he was painted in red laser dots.

Sonic stopped in his tracks and let his arms fall down to his sides.“Oh. I see.” He said.

Just then, Eggman opened the door.“Oh, hey, Sonic! How do you like my new defenses?” He asked.

Sonic turned his head and glared at him.“Terrible. How am I supposed to ding-dong-ditch you? Let’s go home, guys.” Sonic said, turning back around and walking away.

~~~~~~~

“Volley ball?” Sonic suggested. He tossed the volleyball up into the air and hit it over then net. Cherry let out a startled warble, like a scream, and fled from the ball. The ball hit the sand where she was a moment ago, and as Amy looked down at the chao now standing behind her and holding onto one of her legs, she realized the ball was just a little smaller than Cherry was.

She picked Cherry up and took in a deep breath. She was getting fairly impatient with the blue hedgehog, but thinking about what he’d been doing all this for, she managed to calm down.“Sonic, I understand you’re trying to help Cherry have fun, but you need to remember that she’s small and probably has never even picked up a ball this size before.” She said.

“Yeah. It’s practically as big as her!” Tails defended.

Sonic looked at Cherry, then at the ball. He nodded, probably realizing that they were right. He tapped his foot slowly, then quickly, then abruptly stopped. Honestly, it reminded Amy of a bunny or rabbit. He hummed thoughtfully and clicked his tongue. Amy didn’t want to hear anymore suggestions from Sonic. The last three weren’t safe for Cherry, so who’s to say the fourth would be okay? Sonic’s idea of fun was pretty dangerous and reckless.“I got it!” He blurted out.

Amy and Tails both have him a deadpan expression.“This will be my last suggestion, I promise!” Sonic said.

Tails groaned.“Let’s hear it.” He said exasperatedly.

“Water slides!” Sonic exclaimed.

Cherry perked up a little and chirped. She seemed to be in agreement. Amy was honestly a little surprised, but only a little. She was worried he was going to propose another activity as bad as the last three. Cherry looked up at Amy and the little ball on her head shifted and changed into a question mark.“Huh. That might actually be okay.” Amy said.

~~~~~~~

“I take it back.” Amy said flatly.

Sonic was holding Cherry from on top of a small hill a little away from the beach. Cherry was struggling to get out of his hold and reaching out for the slide, which was kept wet with some pipes that looked like bamboo. For some reason, Amy hoped they were actually pipes painted and not actually bamboo. The slide itself was made of very smooth-looking wood, and was carved in a way to avoid falling pretty well. The worst part was there was a small, but thick patch of forest that the slide went through, making it a pretty hard to see the slide until it came out on the other side.

Cherry made impatient noises at Sonic and reached out for the slide again. Sonic couldn’t help a small laugh.“Well, Cherry wants to try it out!” He said. Amy let out an irritation groan that honestly sounded like a growl. Sonic held up a free hand to calm her.

“Don’t worry! Look, we have Tails and Knuckles down there when she comes out,” He gestured to the beach, where Tails and Knuckles waited in the water, waving at them, “this conveniently Cherry-sized life jacket,” Sonic held up a tiny life jacket, “and Sticks is somewhere in the middle down there just incase anything bad happens. She may be out of our field of vision for a moment, but Sticks will definitely see her.” He finished, pointing down the hill. Sticks waved up at the from the shade.

Cherry reached for the life jacket, very eager to go down. She was so close to grabbing it, but it was still a little too far. Amy looked at Cherry, then the slide, then back at Cherry. She wanted so badly to go down, but was it worth risking her safety? What if she fell off? She knew that Sticks would probably catch her. She simply adored the little creature, like the rest of them did. And if she needed help, surely Sonic could run and catch her in time. He could run faster than sound, after all.

Amy sighed.”Alright, fine. But if something goes wrong and Shadow finds out, I will bring every one of you down with me.” She said. She definitely wasn’t going to be the only one who got a stern talking to by Shadow. He may be short compared to most of them, but he most definitely had the strength and looks to scare all of them.”One go, then we get some lunch.” Amy added.

“Got it!” Sonic said. He kneeled down and set the chao on the ground.”Arms out.” He requested. Cherry smiled and held both arms out so Sonic could put it on her. He snapped the clips together. Cherry chirped excitedly and looked at the water slide.”Go on!” Sonic encouraged. Amy made a small noise of worry and bit the inside of her mouth. Cherry walked to the slide and sat down at the edge. With a gentle scoot from Sonic, she was off.

Cherry let out a long sound of excitement that was probably basically a “weeeee!” as she went down. Amy watched her disappear from view and Sticks track her with her eyes. She followed Cherry into the forest and the sound Cherry was making faded. Soon enough, Amy saw Knuckles and Tails move closer to the end of the slide. Knuckles picked something up and lifted it. It was Cherry.

“Thank goodness nothing went wrong.” Amy said.

~~~~~~~

“Uno!” Knuckles exclaimed. He slammed one hand on the table with the other holding his card high.

Tails looked at him confused.”I thought this was Go Fish.” He said.

Amy and Sticks glanced at each other.”Is it?” Sticks asked.

“I don’t know anymore.” Amy replied.

After lunch, Cherry had started to slow down and yawn. For the first time that day, Amy and Sonic actually agreed on something completely; to let Cherry sleep. Really, the whole group did, but with how active Sonic was, Amy was surprised at first. Until he decided that it was time for his own afternoon nap and made himself comfortable on Amy’s other couch. All the lights were turned off and Bea was resting near Cherry, a small blanket covering both of them and both resting their little heads on pillows.

The rest of the group was outside, passing the time with a game of cards. Except no one seemed to know what game they were playing.”Okay, how about we start over? Or play something else! We could play Monopoly!” Tails suggested.

“The game of capitalism?! The one that tears family and friends apart like paper through a paper shredder?!” Sticks exclaimed. She looked and sounded practically offended by that suggestion as she slammed the table and stood up from her seat. Tails pulled back a little seeing her reaction. Then Sticks smiled.”Sure! It’ll be a life lesson not to trust money-hungry people. And find out with one of us that is.” She said, glancing between them all suspiciously.

“Uh, guys?” Sonic called out from inside Amy’s house.

Amy assumed he was going to tell them to keep it down and turned back to the cards on the table. She reached for them and began to put them back in a neat stack.”We’ll keep it down!” She yelled back.

“It’s not that! I mean, it was, but not anymore! Where’s Cherry?” Sonic asked.

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in an unknown location, Shadow was working inside a cabin. The entire thing was nearly complete, which was a relief considering the all-nighters he’d been pulling in order to speed up the process as much as he could without destroying the quality of it. He’d been working on it for a few weeks now, with Cherry keeping a safe distance unless she tried to bring a tool he needed. Thank god he became obsessed with building his own cabin at some point and did as much research as he could between missions.

Thanks to his strength and ability to teleport, he’d been able to do all of the work so far on his own, despite the severe lack of numbers helping with the construction. His speed was also a big advantage for him. It made the whole process so much quicker. Although, doing this while taking care of Cherry was becoming a little more difficult, so he’d decided to ask Amy to watch her to try to get as much done as he could today. It was already afternoon and he’d made so much progress.

He was so close to finishing! Surely he’d be able to finally finish and take Cherry back to a comfortable house. Suddenly, Shadow paused and straightened his back. He stared out into the distance and squinted his eyes with a mixture of a knowing look and suspicion.

“Something just happened.” He said.

~~~~~~~

Sonic kept running around Amy’s house, searching inside, outside and even underneath over and over, but no sign of Cherry. There was just the weird egg that was found on Amy’s couch. He came to a stop next to Amy.”Have you checked your crawlspace?!” He asked frantically. Both were growing more and more anxious with each second and hoped that she’d suddenly turn up. Really, everyone was.

Amy nodded.”Yes! I checked it five times, and my bathroom, but nothing!” She replied. She turned on her communicator on her watch and spoke into it.”Tails, anything from the air?” She asked.

“Nothing! I’ve scanned a five mile radius around your house three times already and I can’t find her!” Tails said.

“Knuckles, what about you and Sticks?” Amy asked.

“No sign of her down here, either!” Knuckles said.

“He checked under the same rock, like ten times!” Sticks added.

“She couldn’t have gone far, but just to make sure, someone should search Hedgehog Village.” Tails said.

“I’ll go!” Sonic said. In less than a second, he was gone in a blue blur.

~~~~~~~

Sonic ran around the village. He picked up random food carts to look under, then put them down when he didn’t see her. He sprinted over to the walrus lady and showed her a picture of Cherry.”Excuse me, have you seen her?” He asked.

“No, I haven’t.” She replied.

Sonic swore internally. This was really bad. He ran over to Meh Burger to ask Dave the Intern.”Have you seen this chao?” Sonic asked. If this wasn’t such a bad situation, he’d also ask for a chili dog, but if Cherry wasn’t found and safe, Shadow would have his head.

“Hmm, no. I don’t even know what that thing is.” Dave said.

Sonic moved onto the next person. And the next. Then the next, and the one after that.

~~~~~~~

Tails showed a picture of Cherry to that officer from the trip to the Dude-itude concert a few months ago. He at first found it incredibly unlikely that Cherry would’ve come this far, but remembering that she’s a creature of chaos energy and chaos energy was what let Shadow teleport made it easy to assume that she might’ve teleported. Even though Tails had never seen or heard of her doing that.

The officer shook his head.”Nope, but we’ll keep an eye out for her and give ya a call if we find her.” He said.

“Okay. Thank you so much, officer.” Tails said.

~~~~~~~

Sticks showed a picture of Cherry to the frog people. Really, she shouldn’t be down there and asking, but here she was. They shook their heads.

~~~~~~~

“This is Cherry. She’s our friend’s companion, and if we don’t find her, he’ll be super mad. Have you seen her?” Knuckles asked. The gogoba that seemed to be in charge shook his head.

“No, we haven’t seen her. I just feel terrible.” He said.

~~~~~~~

Amy stood outside Eggman’s fortress with a picture in her hand. She looked up at the weapons aimed at her.”Eggman, do you mind? I just have an important question to ask, it’s an emergency.” She said. Surprisingly, the weapons disappeared back into the walls. The door opened and Eggman was standing with a plate of cookies.

“Oh, hello, Amy! An emergency, you say? Well, since you helped me pick out the right sewing kit to fix my pajamas, how can I help?” He asked. Despite being a supervillain, Eggman had some sort of code that he followed without a second thought. Returning the favor seemed to be part of it.

Amy held up the picture.”This is Cherry, and she’s gone missing. If we don’t find her, Shadow will be really mad at us and might even come for you if he thinks you kidnapped her. You haven’t happened to see her, have you?” She asked.

Eggman made a small sound of fear and lifted the picture so he could see it better. He took a careful look at it. He shook his head.”I’m sorry, but I haven’t. Not since earlier today when you came with Sonic and Tails, at least.” He handed it back to her.”Uh, you’re not serious, right? About Shadow?” He asked.

“I am serious.” Amy replied.

“Well, in that case, I’m going to hide in my lair and hope for the best. Good luck!” Eggman said. Before Amy could yell at him for not offering to help the search, the doors shut tight, and another door sealed in front of that one.

~~~~~~~

The sun was almost gone, so there wasn’t much light. Still, Sonic ran into Amy’s house without tripping over anything and saw everyone else already there. Funny how he was the fastest, and yet he was the latest in some cases.“Please tell me you found her!” Amy said. Sonic shook his head.

“Not a trace, and I searched the whole island.” He replied.

Everyone glanced between each other in silent thought. Where the heck did Cherry go? And how did she even vanish like that?

Knock-Knock-Knock

Everyone froze. After a few seconds, they slowly turned their heads towards Amy’s door. Knuckles gulped and Amy held her breath. Sticks took a slow step away from the door. Luckily, there was no badly-timed floor board creak. Tails slowly moved the egg that was found on the couch behind himself. He wasn’t sure why he felt obligated to do it. The house was silent, save for the fireflies and waves outside.

There was usually no reason to fear Shadow, but with how much he clearly cared deeply for Cherry, who knew how he’d react to her disappearance?

“Maybe if we stay quiet, he’ll go away.” Sonic whispered. Just then, there was more knocking.

“Way to give us away, smart-alec!” Amy snapped under her breath. She took in a deep breath and walked towards the door. She opened it and saw Shadow standing there. He glanced behind her, noticing the others also in the house.“Sorry to interrupt your sleepover, but I’m here to pick up Cherry.” He said. Everyone glanced between each other with panicked and nervous eyes.

“She’s… Uh… busy! Doing taxes!” Knuckles said.

Shadow gave him an unimpressed look and crossed his arms. He was quiet for a good while, staring at Knuckles. Knuckles was getting more visibly nervous before Shados spoke.“She doesn’t know how to do taxes, and she doesn’t have them in the first place. Also, you don’t sound convincing at all and you’re avoiding eye contact.” He said. He was actually pretty good at spotting things like that, so he wasn’t easily manipulated by Eggman when they first met.

The group thought that would be a good thing, but now, it’s really not. Shadow kept staring at Knuckles, who was growing more and more pressured to tell the truth. Everyone else was practically begging him internally not to crack and spill the beans. Shadow looked around the room.”Where is she?” He asked. He didn’t necessarily sound angry, but knowing him, he’d grow impatient very soon if he didn’t get an answer. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of Knuckles’ face.

“Okay, okay!! It was my fault!!” Sonic blurted out. Everyone turned to look at him. Shadow seemed confused and worried already, and the others just stared in shock. Sonic just broke the dam, and now they really had no choice but to tell the truth.“I took a nap and I was the only one inside the house while they were outside, and when I woke up, she had vanished!” Sonic explained.

Tails stepped out from behind Sonic to show Shadow the egg.“All we found was this weird egg that appeared out of nowhere. We’re all so, so sorry!” Tails said. Shadow looked at the egg with an unreadable expression. The house went quiet.

The whole group was tense with anticipation of what he’d say and do, and when he’d do it. If he would be full of silent rage or lash out at them for being so reckless. The chao meant so much to him, and he’s done plenty of favors for them before without asking for one in return until today. Yet when he needed this one favor, a caretaker he can trust to look after Cherry, they failed. Shadow stared at the egg for a while, most likely still in shock.

Then his gaze flickered over to Amy.“Amy. Take a look at the list I gave you, down at the bottom.” He said. Amy lifted her gaze from the floor to look at Shadow, puzzled as to what purpose that would serve. Despite her confusion, she quickly ran to her coffee table and grabbed the list.

She cleared her throat and began reading it out loud.“Another important part of a chao’s life cycle depends on their emotional and mental state.” Amy said. Her eyes widened and she gasped in surprise when she saw the very last part of the list.“If kept healthy until the end of their life, the chao will turn back into an egg and begin their life cycle all over again?!” She finished. She looked at Shadow with a shocked expression, as if silently asking him if this was true.

The rest of the group was just as surprised, gasps leaving members’ mouths and bewildered expressions shifting between each other, the egg, and Shadow.

Tails looked at the egg in his hands in utter disbelief. He understood that chaos energy was something else, and close to impossible to properly study in Shadow’s world because of how it worked, but a creature basically going through reincarnation depending on its mental health?!“So this egg is Cherry?!” Tails asked.

Shadow nodded and walked over to him. He carefully took the egg from Tails, holding it close with both arms.“Yes. She’s perfectly healthy. Thank you for looking after her today.” He said. Hearing that, Knuckles breathed an audible sigh of relief. Everyone aside from Shadow could feel that. They were so worried about how he’d take it.

“I was really worried there for a second. I was hoping to teach Cherry how to ride a bike next week.” Knuckles said.

Shadow almost laughed at this. He turned around and began heading towards the door.”Not next week, but at some point.“ He said. When he was a few steps away from the door, Amy noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Sonic suddenly smiled and sprinted past her and across the room in a blue blur. He stood between Shadow and the door, grabbing the knob and stepping to the side.

“Let me get that.” He said, sounding slightly nervous. He opened the door and held it for Shadow.

“Thank you.” Shadow said. He walked through the door and only a couple steps across the walkway before teleporting away. Sonic shut the door, looking as if he was proud of himself and loosing it internally. Amy felt herself smiling seeing this. It was obvious to her that Sonic had romantic feelings for Shadow. She wasn’t sure why, but when she talked about it with Knuckles, he thought that she’d be upset about it.

The only thing she was upset about was how poorly Sonic was denying his feelings. Unless he was oblivious enough to not even notice them, which wasn’t impossible knowing Sonic. The first Shadow they met was a jerk, but after getting to know and appreciate this Shadow, Amy could and would say with her chest that he deserved a true gentleman. Sonic… isn’t exactly a true gentleman, but Amy wanted to help regardless. Maybe she didn’t have to, though. Maybe, just maybe, there was a brain in that thick skull.

“Uh, Amy? What’s with that weirdly super happy look?” Sonic asked.

Amy shrieked without a second thought.“Finally!!”

(Bottom Notes: Let me know if you think it’s sloppy or something I should’ve done better. I think I did good? Or did I go overboard with anything? I was trying to make it like an episode.)

[sillyvampireboi]

Blood Delivery

Warnings: blood, neck biting, soft dom, master/servant, blood drinking

Summary: Renfield messed up. He had one very important task and he failed. His Master needs blood but he fails to deliver it. What can he do to still be a good little familiar?

tags my beloveds: @giosnape | @unholy-gigi thank you for beta reading !

a/n:I think this is the most erotic(?) thing I’ve ever written, and the first of that sort. I’ve left the Master for interpretation, using they/them pronouns. So it can be a gender neutral reader or your oc of sorts, etc

Comments are really appreciated:) I just want him to be loved and taken care of. He deserves all the kindness TvT

This whole fic was written around the sketch I did ~

The Diamond of the Night Sky took Her place, 

Covering everything with cold, dreamy light, 

And gifting new shadows to the frightened ones. 

As She looked down upon her few hours kingdom, 

She saw one lonely soul, 

Sprinting in the snow,

He felt cold,

Deep in his bones,

His clothes clinging to body,

With the melting snow.

As Renfield was running,

Dark swallowing him,

He felt fire burning within.

Next to their Queen,

The Stars were blinking mercilessly,

As if judging him,

In his failed attempts.

Nonono! Please! 

I’ve already screw one thing up,

I can’t be late too!

I need more bugs, 

I need to be faster,

I have to be there! Please! 

Renfield’s racing thoughts were occupied,

With fear and worry to arrive,

In time. And how to explain,

Why he couldn’t bring,

Blood for his Ruler of everything.

He adored his new Master very much,

Making their every wish,

Spoken or thought, 

His very purpose to accomplish. 

They weren’t violent as Dracula was,

There was care in their movements towards him. 

That was the reason why, 

Panic pinched Renfield’s heart, 

Always doting and mild,

I can’t bear to see, 

The creeping disappointment in those eyes!

He entered into the house, 

As silently as he could,

But his Master was already awake,

Lighting candles in the dark,

“Good evening, Robert”

The smoothing voice called out,

Turning their face towards the servant. 

Robert ! 

This one word filled the familiars heart with so much warmth,

In those freezing lips,

That can ruin and bring death, 

That name held,

A certain tenderness. 

Calling him by his first name,

Filled his chest,

Planted the seed of pride and—

“Where have you been? 

Why are you soaking wet,

And I can sense no new smell.”

With that, 

Every previous fear re-entered Renfield’s head, 

He dropped to his knees,

In front of his Lord,

Trying to be as small as he could, 

“I’m so sorry Master—I c-couldn’t bring your meal,

They’ve been all locked up— you see there is this illness, a-and they’re all inside,

I have to be careful because you like it here—“

Renfield’s shaky voice filled the room,

As he was hushing out excuses,

Why he couldn’t fulfill,

His task approvingly. 

His Ruler of the Night was just standing there,

Listening,

And couldn’t help but feel adoration within,

I’m quite annoyed it’s true,

But it warms my still heart,

To see,

How much my needs matter to him.

The master was musing as he stood,

Looking down at his follower.

Renfield’s face shyly turned,

To seek any kind of reaction,

Big yellow eyes sank into dark ones,

Suffocating by the darkness within them, 

Silently pleading, pleading and pleading,

But without release.

Renfield messed up his task again, 

And his master wasn’t happy with that. 

Oh the terrible ordeal of being seen! 

How he wished the Earth to open up

And swallow him. 

Pathetic little creature,

His master thought,

While looking down at him amused,

How to hold the strength to berate,

And mark my punishments onto his head,

When he’s looking up at me so desperate? 

He is so so sickly sweet to care,

About my musings and beliefs. 

The master looked down at him again,

Bestowing a fang showing smirk upon him.

“That’s fine, 

You’ll bring someone next time,

But until then, 

I can drink from you instead.” 

Their voice was deep and honey sweet,

Unlike with Dracula,

Now he felt safe. 

In an instant, 

Robert’s whole posture changed,

Excitement running through his veins, 

“From me?! 

Am I really good enough for your taste? 

Oh Master, please take everything you need!”

With shaky hands he started to peel,

Off his scarf and shirts,

While blush was climbing up his neck and ears.

“You still haven't answered my question Robert.”

“Q-q-question?”

“Why’re your clothes so wet?”

They asked,

As they stepped to the fireplace,

And used a match,

So hotness roared towards the kneeling man,

“It snowed outside, 

And to not be late,

I ran through shortcuts in the woods.”

The Master sat down the armchair,

In front of the fire and gently said,

“Come here.”

He did as he was told,

Stopping in front of his Lord,

“Take off your clothes,

Then use that blanket there,

When you are done, 

Come back here.”

It didn’t take a minute for Renfield to get undressed, 

And to stand naked next to the fire again,

His beautiful from was then covered with a blanket,

His blue-again-eyes reflecting flames in them. 

The Master couldn't deny,

How pretty he looked waiting there,

White, pale skin getting colour,

Blue eyes sparkling with joy,

Dark, wet hair sticking to cheeks,

Letting watermarks to fall on perfect skin. 

With one strict motion the Ruler pulled him into their lap,

Petting his dark head,

“Now, Who told you that stupidity, 

That you aren’t good enough for me?” 

“I… Dracula always said—“

“Forget that terrible old man! 

Listen to me Robert,

You are the best familiar I could have,

So attentive, 

Always trying your best,

Execute every little wish I have.

Oh Robert~

Forget those words of poison,

You are the best boy in my opinion.” 

The last words were whispered into his ear,

While the Master slowly pulled away,

Dark locks to free his nape.

Shivers ran through his covered form,

While flower petals traveled up his breast,

Leaving his cheeks blossoming red.

Oh so slowly, lips ghosted over his neck, 

Never touching,

Yet leaving heat in their tracks,

Then leisurely the marble lips

Touched the sensitive skin of his,

Tongue marveld over delicate skin, 

Brush of fangs leaving butterflies in chest,

Breath breaking in that pretty neck.

“Have I ever told you dear, 

That the clavicle of yours is beautiful? “

Ocean eyes went wide in surprise,

Before he felt the bite.

Two sharp teeth broke the skin, 

Letting blood flowing,

Warm, red liquid streamed,

Colouring the canvas of porcelain skin,

Renfield sank deeper and deeper into that saccharine death,

Welcoming pain like a watchful friend. 

He was suffocating under the passion, 

That swam through his veins,

Creating weak moans,

Which from his lips escaped. 

“Master …. please..”

“Please what? 

I don’t understand what you want.”

At this point,

Whimpers were a constant thing,

Moaning more and more by the minute,

Which was music in his Master’s ears.

Such beautiful symphonies you create, 

Floating in this tormenting pleasure, 

And how adorable you look, 

With those red cheeks and heavy lids.

“ I n-eed— I ww-ant you to h-hold me please! 

Renfield got pulled more close,

Letting him to bury himself in dark clothes,

Lying his head on their shoulder,

Leaving whimpers and kisses on their neck.

His Ruler of everything kept kissing,

And leaving purple flowers of lust,

On the cervix of his.

The Master drank and sucked and drank,

Torturing his beloved,

However Robert felt safe,

Sinking deeper and deeper into that beautiful abyss.

Chest heaved,

Moans increased,

He was clutching to his Master firm,

“You’ve been so good Robert,

You can let go.”

And submerged in pleasure he did,

Feeling safe and screamed.

As his breathing slowed,

He felt sleep pulling him close,

And there he fall into the land of dreams,

In the arms of his Chief.

The Master hinted kisses on his drying hair,

Clasping him in a tight embrace.

As they remained by the heat of flames,

The Moon shone through huge windows,

And with Her Star they sang,

A lullaby of lovely dreams. 

[mortallyclearwonderland]

Star Wars and racism

Normally I don't like to talk about this topic and given Tumblr's reputation I might as well have a ''kick me'' written on my back but just like those people are allowed to write pages upon pages about how star wars is ‘‘problematic’‘ I’m  allowed to disagree. And I'm sure a lot of people have similar opinions but are too afraid to show it.

1. ‘’An alien has an accent therefore it's a caricature of whatever people have this accent.’‘ It's a huge galaxy with thousands of different species, planets, and cultures. Of course, not everybody will speak the same way. I think it's pretty cool and accurate. 

2. ‘’Toydarians, Muuns and Trandoshans are Jewish stereotypes.’‘ It's just like the Orc argument. If you think any of those creatures and your immediate thought is, Jew, maybe you're the racist.

Watto is the poster child of the Jewish star wars stereotype and I never understood that. Because of his accent? Because of his nose? When we see more Toydarians in the Clone Wars, we see they are nicer and nobler than Watto. Their clothes and their king's saber remind me of Polish szlachta. And even Watto has a great backstory that explains his selfish and greedy behavior. Basically, he took part in a war that left him traumatized and he took it out on others.

Random person: Then why didn't they explained it in the movie?

Me: Because that's not what the movie is about.

Random person: How was I supposed to know that not every single member of this species is an asshole?

Me: Basic logic. Just because a white person, a man, a Chinese person, or whoever was mean to you doesn't mean that everybody is like that.

Muun noses help them warm up to the cold air in the mountains that they live in. Their architecture is similar to that of Greece. In the clone wars, we see that they have somewhat of a clockwork theme. Because they're so good at math. That's more of the Alps and the Switzerland inspiration.

Neimoidians have Asian accents and hats. But their clothes and jewelry is more similar to the European aristocracy. Even their guards look Spanish to me.

Long story short the star wars aliens aren't supposed to represent one single group of people. They’re a mishmash of multiple things to create something completely new and alien.

Trandoshans were never a Jewish allegory. The voice actress for Cid is Jewish and some dumb people come to the conclusion that now all Trandoshans are Jewish. Cid is a Trandoshan! She's not even the villain. The actress was chosen because her voice fits the character. Also, Cid has a bar and her VA played in the show Cheers. This is grasping at straws to create a controversy.

3. ‘’But there are bad guys who are racist.’‘ ''But this guy was a victim of speciesism! Why is he a bad guy?'' ''But these are good guys why are they racist to other species?''

It's almost as if things aren't so black and white.

Someone can spontaneously be discriminated against and discriminate against other people. Chiss think of themselves as the best in the galaxy. Meanwhile, Thrawn is being looked down upon for being not human. A taste of his own medicine in a way. And it doesn't look like he thinks ''This is terrible! No one should be treated this way!'', it's more like ''I'm going to put up with this until I get to rule you all, you pathetic humans.''

That one episode of the rebels in which pretty much everybody calls the last Geonosian ''the bug''. Or during the Umbara arc when our beloved clones call the Umbarans ''shadow people''. Or how in the unfinished Utapau arc Anakin is a dick to a Toydarian because he reminded him of Watto. Or how Anakin hates Hutts, even a baby.

It's almost like the characters can have grudges against their enemies or form their opinions on their worst experiences.

Besides, in a galaxy where you can die any number of ways, be enslaved, full of alcohol, drugs, crime, and other terrible things name calling isn't that big of a deal.

It also shows the tragedy of it all. Every species suffered in some way and if they were allowed to talk about it and bond they might've been friends.

It’s getting long. I might write a part 2 or responses if I get any comments.

[a5tr0n0m1cal]

What was the inspiration for Oakley? 🧐 And what are tidbits about her that you wish to share or have been wanting to share about her?

She didn’t really have inspiration per se, but I wanted a character that wasn’t a sona. Then as I was thinking of personalities I thought that out of touch awkward apathetic voice personality type would be fun to portray, then she kinda took a life of her own. She ended up not liking being told what to do, was stubborn, and a little prone to trouble.

She still maintained her awkwardness in social situations tho! It’s just who she is lol. She turns into small creatures like bats or mice when she’s afraid or embarrassed, or simply to get out of talking. She finds it easier to connect with people when she doesn’t have to say anything.

In battle she turned into big cats, mostly like panthers (my fave) or a wolf. She also used her star circle powers to make her skin light up like galaxies to brighten up dark spaces. I really miss her play style in game she was so so fun 😫

OH! and I never even planned for her to become a warlock! It was a surprise to me too! But I’m so glad she did because it really added to her as a character lore and depth wise. She was determined to figure the mysteries of the valley (she wanted to contribute to the gang in some way 🥲) and ended up literally about to die on the floor with her friend sage (shout out @skele-fucker) and remembered a shadowy spirit that kept trying to get the others to do his bidding and called out to him in a moment of desperation and agreed to do what he wanted if he saved her and her friend. He did! And she woke up completely fine and now tasked with murdering some one and some sick sentient tattoo like tendrils that can leave her skin and look like snakes. (A WHOLE OTHER MIX OF THOUGHTS ON THIS)

LIKE SHE IS SO RARARARARARARAR SGAKES HER SHAKES GER

her character could go so deep. I wanna do more stuff with her outside of dnd but dnd mechanics are so tasty. My poor starry baby now tainted with something very very dark. Like her relationship with this creepy shadow man? She owes him and wants to repay him, but the morality of it all was so interesting to me. AND HER OWN OERSONAL BACKSTORY. OWOWOAOWWOAOAOWOOSAAAAAA

I just love her sorry for rambling thank you for asking she is my beloved oc and yeah I’ll stop talking now lol.

[minkparched]

Pretty sure this is going to be my last text post in a while, but I wanna let this out because something's been bugging me about the Sonic canon for a bit.

I was browsing X today (I know) and I came across this post

As someone who used to be a borderline JP Sonic Purist, one thing that drew me away from that position was realizing how much more interesting the Western characterization of Sonic and his friends were. In the Japanese canon, Sonic and his friends are treated as fairy-like creatures who serve as an infinite source of inspiration and empowerment for the human cast around them (06, X, Unleashed, SA1, SA2). Sonic, being the main character, inspires both his fellow anthromorphic animals and humans alike.

This is especially true for Sonic, who is definitely not a character defined by personhood as he has no known family, background, or ties, which is characteristic of the human experience, rather he's portrayed as something more like an essence, like being described of the wind, and an inspirational figure for everyone around him. He has a boy's heart but the experience of an adult.

He is simultaneously pure because he prefers to focus on adventure and making friends while neglecting love and refuses to ever do things out of a selfish interest, but he is also wise because he is shown as apparently knowing the deeper truths about reality (X, 06, Sonic and the Black Knight, Unleashed). Aside from a few characters, like Eggman, Jet the Hawk and the Babylon Rogues, and Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic is rarely contradicted or opposed by anyone except Eggman and his cronies.

Sometimes, his friends can even be reduced to a generic cheerleader role. Tails is a geek who adores and looks up to Sonic, in a big brother type of relationship. Amy is a fangirl (yes, I'm sure someone wants to tell me her love for him is actually deep and profound yaddayadda) who is Sonic's friend and loves him in spite of his constant rejections towards her. Knuckles was Sonic's former rival turned friend who acts as an occasional sparing buddy but that role was mostly consummated by Shadow.

Now, them being cheerleaders isn't always true. Sometimes Sonic will have an argument with Tails, or Amy will get annoyed at Sonic, or Knuckles will threaten to fight with him, but by and large, interactions in Sonic's world revolve around Sonic.

Yet... while revisiting Sonic media (both Western and Japanese) and researching the intents of the original creators to reignite my life-long interest in the franchise, I'm left with the feeling that this is so unsatisfying on a mundane level. I don't think characters created without personhood and instead exist as essences of the elements or emotions can be truly compelling on a psychological level. At worst, they serve as after-thoughts of characters where the main selling point is a video game that has to prove it has good gameplay and prioritizes above all else. At best, they're good for fans drawn to characters with a semi-blank template with enough interesting information to sink their teeth into but empty to the point where they can easily project themselves or their ideas onto the character. Maybe that was done on purpose?

I didn't understand it before, but I truly believe that this is why characters like Shadow, Rouge, and hell, the Western characters like Sally, Scourge, Mammoth Mogul, Dr. Robotnik, were so beloved in the fandom. Those characters feel like persons, they have a developed backstory, they are interactive with the environment around them, they're noticeably passively/actively reactive to each character they come across, they have strong emotions, face adversary, personal agendas, that make them feel... human. In my opinion, Sonic is too single-mindedly fixated on adventure and thus feels too detached from the world around him, boring me to death instead of making me excited. His wins are also easily given and his rivalry with Eggman is just standard good guy vs bad guy dynamic. There's nothing wrong with a larger-than-life character! After all, those kinds of people exist in real life. But, there's nothing inspiring or exciting about a personality that doesn't feel "hungry" for something.. for lack of a better word.

I mean, Sonic was always a superficial character, but at least in the Classic Era to SA2, they played it well with his swagger and demeanor that was just so damn cool. Since Heroes though? Eh.

In the Western canon, I just like how he (and the cast members) have both noticeable flaws and pros. Seeing someone pick themselves back up after so much adversary and struggling with their vices makes me wanna root for them even harder. It makes their wins much more satisfying and impactful in my opinion, rather than someone who is given the position of the hero by virtue of being supernaturally strong only.

But yeah, in my opinion it's this: Worldbuilding

Western > Japanese

Characterization

Western > Japanese

Setting

Japanese > Western (but Mobius is better than an undefined, unnamed world)

Aesthetics

Japanese > Western

Sound

Japanese > Western

[guthrie-odonto]

Chapter 3 still hasn't been released yet, which can only mean one thing... we can still speculate and have fun ideas as to who the fan-favorite Secret Skrunkly Boss™ will be! In my case, I have a mix of multiple common theories: The runningest, rip-roarin'est raptor this side of the Pixos, Chonery the Cowboy! (pronounced similar to "Connor" and "canary")

Once the beloved star of a simultaneous kids show and computer/video game (think like Dora the Explorer but inverse/a video game would be seen as a show in the dark world), Chonery even knew Ralsei at one point, the two being good friends and going on all sorts of fun adventures before Ralsei ended up leaving for his princely duties in a way, Chonery was the Chara/Kris to Ralsei's Asriel.... One day, Chonery would be told by some stranger (through mail, like how some shows would have fan mail segments) that their show would come to an end, as cowboy shows tend to go. At first, they just saw it as a chance to give one final great perfomance and proudly watch as his successors carried on in their role. But...

Nobody came...

Nobody did anything with them, no director/screenwriter/controller gave any commands, nothing was done with the sets he once performed on, nobody even came back for props. Eventually, the mysterious entity they had been in contact stopped writing to them, his last note being about the truth of this world paired with a shadow crystal and a poncho constructed from pure darkness, information so core-rattling that it left literal scars on their eyes. Being left alone without a spotlight, without light, without anything more than darkness for so long, cursed with the so-called freedom of abandonment beyond their control, even their color left them; but that's just how cowboy shows are... right? The one place they ended up finding solace in was the deep caverns of the fossil mines and the remains found within. Might not seem like the place for a spunky buckeroo to be in, but perhaps they saw a bit of themselves in the extinct creatures after all, they were certain that they too were a Goner.... And besides. If a canary sings in a mineshaft and nobody is around to hear it... why would it mean that there's something wrong?

Then, after the dark fountain that had been seeded was opened, Chonery noticed that some visitors had shown up in his little ghost town. Not just any visitors, but genuine, bonafide lightners! It wasn't enough to completely bounce them back, but the sight of Lighters of all entities visiting their little patch of NOTHING was enough to bring some hue to Chonery's shaded face. And if that wasn't enough, his old friend "Rip-Roaring Rally" subsequently arrived, having detected the dark presence that had been spawned in the Dreemurr household. After being filled in on the situation, Chonery even volunteered to join the party as someone who knows the ins and outs of this particular dark world as well as being just as knowledgeable on matters of darkness and lore as Ralsei (in battle, Chonery and Ralsei would act together as a single party member). And what's more, they didn't even ask for anything in return, not even a chance to get the airtime they'd gone so long without it's not like a dead bud walking such as themselves had any reason to breathe anymore. But Chonery would have an idea for a project he'd make for the fun gang, one that they suggest Kris and the player could help out on by obtaining the six power cathodes split amongst the two big factions of the dark world, the gangs led by Mike and Tenna respectively. This, of course, is the buildup for the secret boss fight, but it was also... oh, it was an idea. a great idea.

It was a simply WONDERFUL IDEA.

for some meta, behind the scenes notes: Chonery (a portmanteau of Chara, Goner, Flowey, and canary–as in "canary in a coal mine") is obviously a mix of Chara and Flowey in allusions, paralleling how Ralsei was in Chapter 1 and being the Ralsei version of Chara. (doesn't hurt that it means they have eye scars that match Photoshop Flowey and look like a face in the Memoryhead enemy from Undertale) In addition, they also draw on the popular cowboy/woody theory, with the video game aspect being from the sonic theory crafted by @right-brain-left-brain as well as the semi-common idea that the chapter 3 secret boss could be inspired by how Asriel had an attachment to Yoshi and felt enough guilt over pulling the "Yoshi down the pit" trick to confess to it in church–hence why they're specifically a raptor (plus it fits the sonic angle because what's more 90s and cool than a dinosaur?) Also, the secret bosses all have some kind of speech quirk (Jevil's repetition, Spamton's advertisment interruptions) and have actual voice lines somewhere, so what'd those be for lil' ol' Chonery here? They'd be both. That's right, instead of a written speech quirk, all their dialogue would come with voice acting (almost as if they're capable of not just speaking to Kris and the others, but to the player). As for what object they're formed from: The trashed flowers from Asgore? The bootleg video game controller? Kris' feelings of the once-happy (or at least relatively stable) state of the Dreemurr family overall, now a shadow of what it used to be? Who's to say.

Even with all their knowledge on the truth of this world and what darkners become in the light world, Chonery isn't so sure themselves...