#doctors of RI are at it again

[exoticalmonde]

LUNDInium Outskirts /but it's her insane doodles/ PART III

This is inspired by this one time where I sarcastically asked 'Am I demented?' and both Dr. Kryo and Dr. Pinkie answered: 'Yes' and 'Maybe' respectively.

"Are we demented or am I disturbed? The space that's in between insane and insecure Oh therapy, can you please fill the void? Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed"

-Dr. Lundi /Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day/

---

Also remember when I mentioned that I was writing something very indulgent and selfish? Yeah, the yumeshipping is going rather well, if I can say so myself.

This is absolutely calling myself out as rabid and insane, but I am cringe, I am free and I am a writer, so I can do whatever I want in every single moment of my free time.

I also did make a meme out of it because it was too funny not to.

---

But then also this doodle came to fruition because I had a terrible day (the same day I got Hoederer actually) but I had to set down my phone and concentrate on a project very late into the night since I was going to travel for the rest of the week... And the doctors were so kind to be there to support me during it.

The bottom one is my current laptop background.

---

And during that same day, more things happened, but this is all I got to hear from the conversation, so I was a little confused when I did raise my head up to see this. Dr. Pinkie's always there to let you know happ day and borgan.

---

Times pass... But the friendships we make along the way is forever.

---

Dr. Lundi was being silly again, so we ended up having to take a class about it.

We all agree that our tard-wife is the best kind of wife.

---

---

Yesterday:

Me: *Trying to do R8-8 CM* "Speaking of, I wonder if horse decides to show up today." Lundi: "Just say 'Yeehaw', then he comes." Eve: ... Eve: "Let's see." *Refreshes* "Yeehaw!" Mlynar: appears Eve: "OH!"He did show up." Lundi: "I know my horse."

---

In VC:

Lundi: "Pinkie can I shoot you a math question real fast?" Pinkie: "Hit me." Lundi: *Slap sound* Pinkie: "Ouw"

---

Earlier today Dr. Lundi streamed all the Mlynar merch she got for herself, so she also celebrated with a victory doodle for all of us to enjoy. She has so any Mlynar plushies now, I wonder if any of them could ever compare to the Nearl himself.

[rex101111]

Imagine Penance meeting W.

Like, W doesn’t even have to say anything to her, maybe they just pass each other in the hall, maybe Penance overhears something and looks over to see her annoying a few other operators in the cafeteria, whatever. Penance recognizes her. Just barely.

Sarkaz Mercenaries show up pretty much anywhere and everywhere on Terra, its just inherit to their life style. And Siracusa is probably well connected enough to the outside world to have heard about Reunion and what they tried to do. Or at least the public version of it. Chances are she also read a bunch of files in RI so she could learn a bit more of what came and happened before she joined.

And there, right there, is one of the damn leaders of a fucking terrorist cell just walking around this landship she’s decided to camp out in for however long like its no big thing, and she just found out about it. She’s worked with criminals before, and it ended well for absolutely no one. 

She knows about a bunch of the legally shady shit RI had done and is doing, but this is something she would have liked a warning about to prepare for it. If she needs to shove her face in the mud to get justice, again, she’ll do it. But it would have been nice to know what kind of mud to expect.

So, she barges into Doctor’s room, slams her hands on their desk and snarls, “why is there a terrorist war criminal walking around this ship?”

Whatever answer she was expecting, she sure as hell didn’t expect the Doctor to just blink at her and ask, a bit too confusedly, “uh, which one?”

A few seconds later everyone on the landship hears a screech of “FUCK DO YOU MEAN WHICH ONE!?” 

[mossy-bonez]

In an effort to get more minds on the number silly straw I am going to make this it’s own post.

So here we go.

I solved the other three yesterday at around 1:46

Green

Caesar Cipher, +3

Hbh grfwru ri d ghliihuhqw nlqg/ zkr zdqwv wr pdnh klv sdwlhqw eolqg

Translation

Eye doctor of a different kind

Who wants to make his patients blind

Yellow

Caesar Cipher, +3

Lxvvb hdwhu/ edeb eloob/ zrxogq’w gulqn/ zqohvv lwv vloob

Translation

Fussy Eater

Baby Billy

Wouldn’t Drink

Unless Its Silly

Purple

Caesar Cipher, -3

Qeb alzqlo pxvp/ qeobb pfmp x axv/ tfii jxhb qeb sfpflkp/ dl xtxv

Translates

The Doctor Says

Three Sips A Day

Will Make The Visions

Go Away

Red

So we know what those ones say, I however don’t have a fucking clue what the fuck is going on with red. Now I will admit that I have less knowledge on number based codes, so maybe I’m just stupid, but. I have been trying to crake this on and off all day yesterday.

So here are the numbers.

215 858 117 450 110 628 19 211 120 2265 216 951 25 256 27 532 212 506 18 1317 110 1137 221. 658 23 1330 210 231 118 929 112 2043

Now my first thought was A1Z26… but that can’t work because there is a 50 in here twice actually. So A1Z26 didn’t work.

Now I am bad at number codes so I went to my friend and they suggested Hex, and I tried that and nope mostly undefined, then I asked the same friend again and they said maybe Polybus Square, but I pointed out that these sets of numbers are set up in groups more than 2, so that was a bust. So I showed it to my fiancé, who just taught a summer class based on escape room, and thus taught kids about a shit ton of different ciphers and codes, some I told them about but others they new about already and some they had found researching for the class, so I thought that they may have an idea as to what it might be. And they took a cursory glance at it looked up some of the numbers, not all of them mind you, and said that they were area codes, and those of larger cities, both in and out of the US. And I was happy to have an answer, didn’t know how I would be able to use this to answer the code but I had something, so I went through and… not all of them were area codes, it actually broke down quite quickly, see they had checked the first 3 and then moved to look at some of the later ones that were different lengths and the “221. 658” group thinking it was a decimal and then told me that it seemed like all of them were area codes. Now we were back at square one. So I have no fucking clue where to go now.

[expectiations]

Thinking of how "left me like a book on a shelf" is from River's POV and therefore does not mean it is the entirety of the story much like how "the Doctor does not and has never loved me" was uttered from a River who was grieving.

Like the Doctor could have spent a long time putting the TARDIS in stationary orbit around the Library. The Doctor could have puttered about with the Library from years before it was shut down to ensure that everything would go smoothly while doing his best not to change a single thing. And on days when it is too hard, he just stares at the Library from his perch on the TARDIS door. Waiting, hoping, thinking. Trying to find a way out for her. For them.

And he does!

He finds a hundred ways to get her out of the data core. But...something always goes wrong. It's somehow never good enough. She's back, but she's not entirely there.

So he scratches it out, slaps himself, and tries again.

And again.

And again.

But his plans always fail.

But they don't. Not really. His plans could work. Could have worked. His beloved Sexy would help him. She'd always help him when it comes to her Water. But he was too scared. Too frightened of failure. Because one single mistake. One. Single. Mistake. And she's gone. He can never get her back. Forever.

So he runs. And runs. And runs. Until centuries has gone by and companion come and gone. Until he met a younger, more alive version of her. And then they had Darillium. And oh the joys of wonderful joys, what a night that was.

But things end. Even for him. They had to part ways again. Had to say goodbye. So he tries again. Picks up what his previous self had shelved. He tries. Oh how he tries.

But still. That fear exists. Is it worth it? Can he finally accomplish what he'd started a literal lifetime ago?

(He doesn't.)

Off on another lifetime with a new body. He's a...she now? Oh and shorter! Wow. That's new! I wonder what Ri–

On the rare moments she allows herself to succumb to sleep she goes to their his her study. She takes a moment to take everything in. It's unrecognizable now – the study that once was theirs filled with warmth and laughter and-

Every single space was taken. Covered by plans of plans of plans spanning...two...lifetimes now. Sexy still kept it just as it was the last time he she had been in there.

Their His Her favorite throw was still where it was – on their his her favorite corner of their his her favorite couch.

Nothing had changed but everything had changed.

She curled up and buried her face hoping it would still smell of her (It did. They never knew how it worked but somehow her smell still lingered anyway. They thought they were hallucinating at first but other people had been able to smell it too. Sometimes they forget but Sexy also lost her too).

She was a he again. The same face they had four lifetimes ago. The same face who was the first to keep the memory of their meeting.

But wh- what? Why? How? Is this it? Is this the body that finally brings her back home? A fitting act really. He put her in there and so he'll also put her out of there.

But... she wasn't there. Nothing was there. Nothing but chunks of debris and ashes and smelted...somethings.

When he blinked his eyes open (when had he closed them?), Donna's worried face greeted him. He blinked again and blinked. Nothing changed. Everything has changed. He had waited for far too long. He had made her wait for far. too. long. He feared of failing her but now he actually has failed her.

Everything was bland now. Was it just him or is everything a bit...on the side of grey? Donna looks at him like he might break. (He won't. He's a Time Lord. Time Lords don't break.) Even Sylvia had taken to treating him a bit more kindly.

He goes off alone with Sexy. His return to the Noble-Temple (Temple-Noble) household becomes fewer and further in between. One day he finds himself in Venice. Wonderful Venice. His Pond and her Roman (who wasn't yet a Roman) had gone here. There were vampires. And running and –

River?

No silly. River wasn't there.

He blinked. And blinked again. Made sure the sky was blue and the clouds still fluffy white. But was that his leather jacket that just whizzed by past him? Wait. Hold on. That was... Was that? Oh no. It wasn't. It couldn't be. Did they? No. They couldn't have.

But of course, apparently they did. Because that was actually his leather jacket wearing self that just passed by him again(?) tugging along his very-much-not-dead wife along running from... Hold on. Why are they running? What- Who's shooting at her?!

[rlyehtaxidermist]

I think there’s a bit of a tendency to portray Saileach as almost an ingenue? Playing up the contrast to the more physical Bagpipe and more troubled Reed, and leaning in to her characterisation early in Chapter 9. But I think this is a pretty major misreading of her post-Chapter 9 characterisation, as seen in her oprec and profile.

Yes, she’s noted to be kind and beautiful. Yes, she was a rear-echelon soldier with primarily ceremonial responsibilities as a garrison’s standard-bearer. Yes, she has no combat experience prior to leaving the Army. But that’s all stuff that happens before everything goes to hell in Chapter 9. In quick succession, she:

discovers a pending terrorist attack

tries her hardest to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the pending terrorist attack

finds out her own side is planning war crimes and genocide against their own citizens using the pending terrorist attack as an excuse

quits the army on the spot and runs around trying to save as many people as she can, including other soldiers and members of the aforementioned terrorist group

while also picking fights with her former superiors and the terrorist group

joins RI as pretty much the only organisation not doing crazy war crimes

ran around in the aftermath of a dirty bomb but didn’t suffer many ill effects on account of being Built Different

does a bunch of research on and adopts a codename from the language of the people her former superiors were trying to genocide in memory of her friend who introduced her to their culture

shows up and immediately starts a one punch man training regimen intense enough that people who work with noted hardass anime drill sergeant Dobermann take one look at her and say “hey maybe you should chill”

in response, went and got a doctor’s note that basically boils down to “i don’t need to chill. i’m Built Different. you should chill”

in her oprec she basically founds a town and negotiates a peace between surviving victims of the aformentioned war crimes

after getting the rundown from Reed - acting leader of the aformentioned terrorist group and the one directly responsible for the death of her friend - about Reed’s own guilt and relationships that led to it (per RTFS’s file), makes some understanding with her and starts working with her to help her people

some choice bits from her file:

“Where she differs from Bagpipe is that she doesn't, in any way, consider this a duty. From the moment she decided to leave the army, she never again held herself to be a Victorian soldier. In truth, she took to her new identity as a Rhodes Island Operator exceptionally well, and very quickly was proactive in throwing herself into all manner of combat/non-combat missions. She more than once mentioned the deceased elite operator Outcast's influence on her. Returning to Victoria, to her, is more of a calling. She holds a sense of justice deep in her heart, firmly resolved to spare no effort, looking to stand off against the evils that brought her such bitter memories. “

“ As an emigrant of Sargon living in Victoria, coupled with her sensitive nature, Saileach never forgets the challenges of minority communities struggling in the world. Whether she realizes it or not, this is where her longstanding empathy with the oppressed originates; and with her clearer grasp on the differences between herself and said people, it's only more commendable that on missions, without any qualms, she sees Infected children bleeding and offers a hand. “

She starts as a bit of a sheltered idealist, but drops the “sheltered” like Rock Lee’s training weights the instant shit gets real and has been doing 80 hit fighting game aerial combos against Terra being a cynical shithole ever since

[jadewolf22]

Agent Outcast Pt.4

Fem!OC (Arania Northfire) x Larissa Weems 

Warnings: Angst, DARK!!, Mentions of Kidnapping, mentions of torture, talk of human experimentation, death threats, homophobia (if you squint), little fluff spread throughout, hurt/ comfort, Not proofread!!

Word Count: 1,440

A/n: It'S FINALLY HERE!!! I’m so sorry, this series got dark really quickly… The nect chapter will be a lot darker but hopefully the series will get lighter after that… Only a few more parts to go!!

  “Adrien, please…” you knew begging was practically useless but it wasn’t going to stop you from trying. You couldn’t– you wouldn’t let him take Larissa, “I gave you a name. Please, let her go–”

“We agreed not to give him one of us,” Adrien reminded you in a cold whisper, a taunting sneer crossing his face.

“I’m choosing to go,” you argued, “It’s different.” 

“I have an even better idea…” Adrien hissed, a taunting smile pulling across his lips, “Why don’t I give you both to the doctor?”

Your blood froze in your veins. You couldn’t—you wouldn’t let him take Larissa, she didn’t deserve whatever Dr. Snow had planned, you did. 

“No. Adrien, please. I beg you–”

You groaned in pain as Adrien threw you up against the wall, sneering in your ear, “You’re both going. No amount of begging will change that. The doc and I arranged this right before our last meeting… I knew you were second-guessing. The second that happened you became less valuable to us as a member and more valuable as a prize… I told him he could take you both, and offered to let him have you for free even, so long as he made the blonde’s tests incredibly painful and made you watch every one of them…”

“You’re sick!” you spat as you narrowed your eyes, gasping again when his hand struck your cheek.

“Says the woman who’s fucking a bitch,” Adrien sneered, pressing himself closer to you. You could feel his breath on your neck, his other hands coming to rest on your side just below your breast, “I can’t wait to see what the doc does with you, Ari.” Still keeping a firm hold on your neck, Adrien dragged you from the room and threw you into the room with Larissa.

You were back on your feet almost as soon as you’d hit the floor, rushing towards the entrance as you shouted, “Ardien, no!” but the door closed with a soft ‘click’ of the lock as you reached it. You growled like an animal, sapping your palm against the door, the metallic sounds reverberating around the room. 

“A-Ari…?” you heard Lariss croak out from behind you, reminding you that there was a far more important matter at hand.

You turned and ran to her, tears gathering in your eyes as you took her face in your hands. Larissa was exhausted, tear tracks staining her cheeks, red eyes glassy with more tears and flooded with pain. The sight made you murderous, but you would have to put those feelings aside for the time being. It was Larissa who needed your full attention now. 

“Oh, Ris…” you cooed, stroking your cheek as you fought to keep yourself composed, for her sake, “Sh, my love, everything’s going to be alright. I’m right here. Shh…”

“C-can you get these o-off?” she asked, shaking her arms and flinching when the movement shot pain through her body.

“I’ve got it, honey.” you assured, reaching up and beginning to undo the leather straps that connected the chains to Larissa’s wrists, “try not to move too much. I've got you.” 

You helped Larissa carefully lower her arms down to her sides before picking her up carefully and moving her to the bare twin mattress tucked into the corner of the room opposite the door, trying to ignore her whimpers and grains of pain.

“What is g-going on, A-Ari,” Larissa asked as you knelt beside her, “W-who are these p-people, and wh-what do they want from u-us?”

“I…” you sighed, nervously running a hand through your hair. You knew this wasn’t the best time to tell her, but there was no point in lying anymore, “They’re my gang-mates—my old gang-mates…”

“You’re what?!”

“Riss, I need to be honest with you… I’m not a professor, I’ve never been a professor. I never went to college—I dropped out my junior year of high school…” you were ranting a little, trying to avoid the inevitable.

“Ari… what… I don’t—I don’t u-understand…”

You sighed again, tucking your hands into your lap and looking down at the tile floor as you explained, “A month before I came to Nevermore the gang and I were contacted by a man called Doctor Snow… He offered two million in cash if we… if we found him and outcast to experiment on… We accepted the job and he provided us with the paperwork and resources needed to get me a job at Nevermore.” you bit down on your lip as tears collected in your eyes, “It was supposed to be an easy in-and-out job, but then—but then I got to know the staff and the students, I got you and I realized I couldn’t do it… I’m so sorry, Riss.” 

“...So, you l-lied to me from the b-beginning?” Larissa said slowly, her voice cold and hurt, as it should be, “About e-everything?” 

“Pretty much,” you admitted, “Riss, you have to understand—and I am not saying this in an attempt to justify my actions in any way—I grew up with these people. This life… it’s all I’ve known since I was sixteen. These people were like family to me…”

“Is that wh-why  I’m here?” she asked, watching you closely. You could feel her gaze on you but refused to look her in the eye, “You ch-chose me, d-didn’t you?!” Larissa sounded angry and heartbroken, and rightfully so, her tone harsh and accusing. 

“No Riss, never! I would never willingly give you to them!” you were crying now and incredibly angry with yourself, “I changed my mind because of you… After we started dating, I knew I would never be able to choose someone because I knew it would hurt you… but, if I didn’t give a name, they were going to take you… I intended to give them mine, but…”

“But what, A-Ari?”

“But Adrien—our leader—convinced the doctor to take us both… It’s my punishment for betraying the gang. The doctor will punish me physically while the pain he inflicts on you will punish me mentally—But I swear to you, he will never get a chance to lay a hand on you. Not while I’m still breathing…”

Silence fell between you, your words heavy in the air. A part of you wanted to scream, another wanted to curl up in a corner and die of shame and guilt, and yet another wanted to beg Larissa to tell you what she was thinking, but you stayed quiet and still.

“I want to be a-angry with you.” Larissa said after what felt like an eternity of silence, her voice still shaky with pain “I kn-know I should be angry with y-you… but I c-can’t… I can’t blame you for ag-agreeing when this lifestyle is all you’ve kno-known. I can’t be angry with you over p-past choices when r-recent choices have been made to co-correct it—”

“Riss, no… You should be angry with me, furious even. You should hate me, want me dead, something along those lines… I may have just gotten you killed in one of the most horrific ways possible. That alone should make you want to wring my neck.”

“Maybe it sh-should,” Larissa agreed. She wanted to reach out and hug you close, to give comfort and receive it in return, but the pain in her body prevented such movements, “but h-hating you now it’s going to help us. And b-besides, I don’t currently have the st-strength to wring your neck even if I w-wanted to.” she chuckled and you couldn’t help but crack a smile. Even now, in such a dark predicament, Larissa knew just what to do to make you smile. “We’re going to n-need each other if we w-want to have any chance of ge-getting out of here, right?”

You looked up through bleary eyes, the smile on your face turning sad as you whispered, “We can’t escape. These cells were laced with ruins that dull all outcast abilities to the point where you might as well be a normie… Our best chance is to wait until Sunday.

“Two d-days from n-now? I-I’m sure we c-can last that l-long.” Larissa said confidently, giving you a weak smile. 

You smiled back, feeling anything but confident. You had betrayed the gang, there was no way they were going to hand you off without inflicting their own pain first. You just prayed—for Larissa’s sake and theirs—that they chose physical pain over mental because the next time they put hands on her, you wouldn’t hold back. Only Larissa had ever seen how powerful you truly were and you—as much as you despised them now—you didn’t wish that fury to befall anyone.

Tag list: @larissalover3

[jiihu]

너랑 나 (2) — 𝐲𝐮 𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧

﹅ summary — after months of no contact from the blonde doctor, you wanted to hate her. nevertheless, a late night visit brought some old emotions bubbling back up to the surface.

﹅ content — age difference (reader is 18, jimin is 27), power imbalance, doctor!jimin, suggestive

﹅ word count — 2.2k

"y/n, i can not do that!" aeri snorted, shoving your shoulder.

"why not," you pouted. "just gently close the door on my finger; just enough to sprain it." she sighed, rubbing her temples.

"you know you can just go talk to her, right? you don't have to hospitalize yourself for her attention."

"it's not that simple ri, and you know that." she shrugged, her eyes analyzing your own dejected ones.

"if you're not gonna talk to her, there's not much more advice i can give you." as she opened her mouth to speak again, you heard a ping from her phone. "fuck, i'm sorry. my mom wants me back at home for god knows what." she leaned over, pressing her lips to your forehead. "talk to her!" aeri shouted as she left your room.

you sat in silence once you heard the front door slamming shut, your fingers tracing the threads of your blanket. is it worth it to try to talk to her?

your mind wandered back to the last few months, which you mostly spent thinking about jimin. memories flooded your thoughts, painting a vivid picture of the moments, albeit short, you had shared with her. the stolen glances when she came to visit your parents, the meaningless small talk that lingered in your mind long after they ended, and the undeniable connection you felt whenever you were together.

you recalled the night you spent talking for hours, exploring the depths of each other's thoughts and dreams. the way her laughter filled the room, filling your chest with butterflies. the way she listened, truly listened, to every word you spoke, making you feel seen and understood. those moments were irreplaceable, and they held the promise of something more. at least, that's what you wanted to believe.

doubt crept in, questioning whether those moments meant as much to her as they did to you. what if she didn't feel the same way? what if she only viewed you as an immature child? the fear of rejection pricked at the back of your mind, making you hesitate.

letting out a sigh, you shook your head, closing the curtains to block out the sun. you climbed into your bed and tucked yourself underneath your covers. if jimin wanted to see you, she would've come by, or at the very least called.

as you lay there, the sound of aeri's words echoed in your ears. "talk to her," she had urged, her voice filled with certainty. aeri knew you better than anyone, and you always valued her opinion. but the thought that she may not feel the same way held you back, its grip tightening with each passing moment.

a soft buzz from your phone caught your attention, the light illuminating the dark room. with a hesitant hand, you reached for it, unlocking the screen to find a text from an unfamiliar number.

'Hey, it's Dr. Yu.'

'Can we talk, please?'

you found yourself frozen, staring at your phone, your thumbs hovering over your screen. despite wanting jimin to text you first, you couldn't help but feel a little resentment towards her. not only did she ghost you for months, but she walked out on you with no explanation, other than essentially saying you were ‘too young’ for her. so why does she want to talk now?

'jimin?'

'how'd you get my number?'

you picked at the skin on your fingers, debating how you wanted to respond to her messages. you didn't want to sound too eager, but you also didn't want her to think you had no interest anymore.

'Your father gave it to me.'

'I told him you wanted to speak to me about neuroscience.'

you wanted to respond. you really did. but you didn't know what to say, and especially how to say it. despite trying to play it off, jimin made you nervous, and months without talking to her only made it worse. while you were lost in thought, your phone buzzed in your hand again.

'Y/N, please talk to me.'

'I'm sorry about what I said last time. I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say.'

'Just one more chance. Then you never have to see me again.'

as much as you wanted to hate her for disappearing the way she did, something inside of you wanted to give her a second chance. you wanted to see where this could go, and if there was a possibility that she could feel the same way you did.

'alright'

'come over tonight'

you were pacing around your room in your pajamas, squeezing a stress ball in between your fingers. you were thinking about dressing up for her, but you didn't want your parents to get suspicious. your mom already raised an eyebrow at you when she saw you taking a shower twice today, but fortunately, she didn't comment on it.

you felt your stomach sink as you came to a sudden realization. not only would your parents hear jimin coming from a mile away, but they would also immediately know who it was. you could already hear your dad interrogating you as to why dr. yu was coming over in the late hours of the night.

you walked over to your phone to text her, and you were interrupted by the sound of a car door closing. you leaned over and peeked through the blinds, only to see jimin stepping out of a discreet black car, parked right outside of the driveway. once her eyes met yours, she flashed you a smile and pointed toward her car.

you felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness as you hurriedly grabbed your jacket and opened the door. adrenaline rushed through your veins as you silently tiptoed down the stairs, hoping to avoid drawing any attention from your parents. opening the front door, you stepped outside and made your way to jimin's car, heart pounding in your chest.

as you got into the car, jimin reached over to give your hand a reassuring squeeze before starting the engine. "you okay? you look nervous," she spoke as if nothing had happened. as if no time had passed.

"you wanted to talk." you felt a pang in your chest when you saw the hurt look on her face.

"y/n, i apologize for the way i treated you last time we met. i shouldn't have walked away that night, and i definitely shouldn't have disappeared for so long. forgive me?" you looked over to jimin, watching as a growing smile spread across her face. you couldn't hate her.

"i guess. but if you do it again, i promise you'll never get another chance." jimin laughed, reaching over to rub your knuckles with her thumb.

"trust me, i won't need a second chance." you felt butterflies when you heard her words, turning to stare out of the window, hoping that she doesn't see how flustered you are. "also, how'd your parents let you leave out so late? your dad seems pretty protective of you."

"jimin, i'm eighteen. i don't need their permission to leave." jimin snorted, shaking her head.

"your dad barely wanted to give me your number this morning." she looked over to you, smiling at your exasperated expression. "you're right, you're an adult. i'm sorry."

you chuckled softly, appreciating jimin's lightheartedness. the tension that had built up within you began to dissipate as the ride continued, conversation flowing between the two of you like no time had passed. it felt good to be in jimin's presence again, to feel the familiarity and connection that had drawn you to her in the first place.

jimin continued to guide the conversation, telling you about random events that happened in her life in the time you'd been apart. "and then the other intern, who was also scared of blood by the way, left the exam room mid-surgery." she scoffed, seemingly still upset about the situation. "i mean, can you believe that? an upcoming doctor who's scared of blood?"

she shook her head as she parked the car, tapping her fingers along the steering wheel, seemingly deep in thought. you looked around to see you two were parked atop a hill, a dim light from behind the fence slightly illuminating the cabin of the car. "y/n, i know i messed up, and i'm truly sorry for the pain i caused you. i don't want to make empty promises, but i want to show you that i'm committed to making things right. can we start over? take things slowly and see where this goes?"

you took a moment to process jimin's words, feeling a mixture of hope and wariness. her sincerity was evident, and you couldn't deny the lingering feelings you had for her. even though you wanted to protect yourself from getting hurt again, something about jimin's words made you believe her. after a deep breath, you met her gaze.

"of course, we can start over." jimin's eyes flickered between your eyes and your lips, hesitation evident from her hand hovering mid-air. "kiss me, jimin." she leaned over and pressed her lips to yours, her hand coming up to rest on the back of your head. she held onto you as if you'd disappear any second, her other hand trailing up your thigh. her fingernails gently traced shapes on your inner thigh, the hand on the back of your head moving down your neck. she pulled away, her eyes dark and her chest heaving.

"y/n. i don't want to pressure you or force you into anything. are you sure this is okay?"

"this is more than okay jimin, i promise. i've missed you so much." she held your gaze as you watched multiple expressions dance across her face; uncertainty, desire, nervousness.

"backseat."

you groaned as you woke up to your phone ringing, looking at it through squinted eyes to see the name aeri on screen.

"aeri? what's up?"

"hey, sleepyhead. did i wake you up? sorry, i just wanted to check in on you. how did things go with jimin?" you frowned, suddenly waking up at her words.

"how'd you know i saw jimin?" she laughed, and you could see her smug expression through the phone.

"you didn't text back all night. and i saw the way you looked when i suggested you talk to her."

"it went well. for now, we're just taking it slow but i truly think things are different this time."

"as long as you're happy, y/n. if she hurts you again, i swear…" you laughed as aeri trailed off, her protectiveness endearing to you. the call ended, and you smiled thinking back to the events from last night.

jimin took you home and snuck you in through the back door, kissing you goodnight and walking back around the house to get back to her car. she waited until she saw the light come on in your room, followed by your eyes peering through the blinds. you watched as she left, her car disappearing into the night. as you climbed back into your bed, your mind buzzed with thoughts of jimin. the taste of her lips lingered on yours, and the warmth of her touch still tingled on your skin. it felt like a dream, yet the reality of it made your heart flutter.

as time passed, you and jimin spent more and more time together, and you felt like she was genuinely trying to make up for her actions, even though you'd already forgiven her. although you didn't want to admit it, you'd already forgiven her the night she walked out.

"i love you so much, jimin," you mumbled into her chest as you two lounged on her couch. a movie was playing in the background, yet you were hardly paying it any attention and opted for observing jimin's features.

"i know." you scoffed and hit her chest, looking up at her only to see a playful smile that reached her eyes. "i'm joking. i love you too, y/n."

you knew that navigating this relationship would be difficult. between the differences due to the age gap, and knowing your parents would never approve of it, you couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened. what if she found you too immature and decided to break things off? or what if your parents found out and you couldn't see jimin anymore?

while you were starting to doubt your relationship, jimin leaned over you, pressing a kiss to your temple. her hand came up to rub your back, gently patting you as if she were soothing a baby to sleep. in this moment you realized, no matter what happened, you'd be fine as long as you had jimin by your side. and you knew that even if you were given the chance to start over from the beginning, you'd choose her every time.

[lovelyd0gg]

Here I am again with another HC idea haha.

The BoB boys as fathers, anything like that or their reaction on the reader cheated on them.

Would love that, thx💕

Hello again dear. Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'm gonna pick them as fathers. I wouldn't want to write stuff that angsty just yet, if it's alright with you <3

Warnings: FLUFFFFFS!!

Bull Randleman.

•You got pregnant 9 months ago from Bull so when your water broke, he rushed you to the hospital.

•He was calm despite hearing your screams of agony to get that damn baby out of you.

•But he was surprisingly calm and waiting there patiently for you and the baby.

•A couple minutes go by and the room goes silent, and is echoed with a baby crying.

•The doctor tells him he can come in and see the baby and you.

•As he enters, he sees you are asleep due to how painful it was for you, and the baby was being washed and crying.

•He smiled a little and after the baby was washed and wrapped around a little blanket he asked the nurse if he could hold him/her.

•It was so adorable how a small little baby fit in his huge muscular arms, really sweet actually--

•The baby yawned and Bull immediately felt the happiest man alive.

•Living the perfect life with a wonderful wife, and a baby.

•At this point, he didn't even care to have another baby, he loved you and the one baby and was happy to have a small family if you wanted.

•He felt so proud for you and then sat next to the hospital bed with the baby, waiting for you to wake up to see your beautiful baby.

"He/She's real cute. I'm glad she did it."

Eugene Roe.

•Yes he was a medic, yes he has seen tons of things in the war, does that make him calm when you're screaming in pain and the doctors telling you to push? Definitely not.

•He paced up and down the halls in fear, hoping you'd turn out fine and the baby.

•He was so nervous for you and he was praying to god at least every five minutes.

•Once your screams stopped and instead came out a baby scream, he sighed out in relief.

•When the doctor told him he could come in the room, he saw you breastfeeding the baby and telling it to shush calmly.

•He smiled at you and sat down on a little stool next to you. Admiring you and the baby.

•He felt so happy that he had a son/daughter that he could watch grow up.

•He kept telling you how you were so strong and you did a great job for getting the baby out.

•He was still a little traumatized and he couldn't help but remember the screams of the men when he was in the war.

•But he pushed the thoughts out and smiled, focusing on the present.

"You did a great job, Mon amour. I love you."

George Luz.

•This man was super worried (and impatient)

•He wanted to see you and the baby as soon as he could.

•To get his mind off of your screams he had a chat with this old lady, telling her jokes and why he is here.

•After the screams were done, he already burst through the room without the doctor saying he could come in.

•But nothing was happening, you looked really exhausted and the baby was crying a lot.

•He kept jumping up and down slightly next to the nurse while repeatedly saying "gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, gimmie!"

•She found him quite annoying and felt bad for you having to deal with a man like him, oh well, at least he's a sweetheart.

•Once the nurse finished washing the baby she handed it to Luz almost as quick as she could and he held him/her in his arms.

•He cooed at the baby and when the baby giggled a little and gripped his nose tightly, he was so happy.

•He looked back at you and gave the baby to you. Probably because it had to be fed.

•He sat down next to you and telling you how proud he was for you and how the baby turned out amazing.

•He just kept blabbering and blabbering that the nurse had to tell him to shut up😭

"It's so cute! Did you know it's cute? It's the cutest ri-"

"Sir, she's trying to breastfeed."

Bill Guarnere.

•Kinda like Eugene on this one but he wasn't pacing up and down the hallway.

•He was more tapping his foot when he sat down and bouncing his leg without knowing it.

•But it was very clear he was nervous.

•He was silent the whole time and trying to push out the screams that were filling the air.

•He knew you couldn't help it and it probably hurt like hell but he just wanted to be there to comfort you.

•Once the screaming stopped he rushed in as soon as the doctor told him to come in.

•He didn't look at the baby at all just yet, he had his eyes on you first to check if you were okay.

•Once he saw you were okay and healthy he looked at the baby in the nurses arms.

•He felt a little jealous at first because that wasn't her baby, but she had to wash it (bro wtf😒)

•But when she handed him the baby, he immediately went all soft and mushy on it.

•He spent the rest of the time in the hospital next to you, cooing at the baby and telling it literal fucking stories about how he met you. 🤦‍♀️

"Your mother and I met at a bar ya know she was very beautiful--"

Lewis Nixon.

•From what he told you, he wasn't worried.

•But if you saw how he actually was acting you could use the keyword(S) 'fucking worried"

•His heart was beating fast and he was biting his nails, not to mention he was zoning out 24/7 because of how worried he was.

•He heard your screams and he tried ignoring them. Hoping they would get out of his head.

•Eventually it stopped and he entered the room. Looking at you and smiling reassuringly.

•He looked at the baby and saw it's small but visible black hair (thanks to Nixon<3)

•He saw the baby was right now eating but he didn't take his eyes off the baby and just sat down next to you.

•His eyes weren't focused on your tits or boobs or anything. He was only focused on the baby. (Such a gentleman ♡♡)

•After you finished breastfeeding the baby, it fell asleep and he stayed silent.

"Such a beautiful baby, it's got my hair, did ya notice?"

Ronald Speirs.

•This man's face was emotionless.

•On the outside he didn't look scared one bit.

•But on the inside, he was hoping to god that you and the baby were okay.

•Kinda like Eugene too, he couldn't get the screams out of his head and it reminded him of the war.

•But he managed to shake it off easier.

•Once the screams were over, he entered the room, slightly pushing the doctor away but then looking back and letting out a little "sorry".

•He looked at you and the baby, and he was so grateful.

•His face didn't show it, but believe me, he loved you 10x more.

•He thought you were so strong, beautiful, gorgeous, brave, so many different adjectives that described you!

•He held the baby, and it was so funny seeing how careful and scared he was that he wouldn't drop the baby😭

•It was like looking in a mirror. He looked at the baby and it had it's small dark hair.

•He loved the baby and you equally.

"..."

"You gonna say anything?"

"Thanks for the baby."

Joseph Liebgott.

•He told you that he had plans on having more than one baby with you in the future.

•You didn't really mind but he started to get a little nervous with the first one.

•He was standing up and tapping his foot a little, hoping the screams and everything would stop soon.

•He kept thinking that somehow, he could mind talk to you hoping you felt him saying "you got this baby." You obviously didn't.

•He rushed in the room when the baby started crying and he smiled widely.

•He took the baby once it was cleaned and smiled at it.

•Tapping it's nose with his finger gently and smiling at you.

•He kept saying how it was a "mini Liebgott." And he wasn't wrong.

•It did have a lot of his facial features. But you were more happy that the baby and you were healthy.

"It's a mini Liebgott, ya see it?"

"Baby I need a nap--"

[v3nusxsky]

hi! i'm deeply in love with everything you write and reading your fics is like a daily ritual for me.

i'd like to request a larissa/reader fic, but the idea is a bit hard, so it's absolutely fine if you don't want to write it!

r is an art teacher at nevermore and she's in love with larissa. but the thing is that r is bipolar and her mood can change almost unpredictably. larissa invites her for a glass of wine and they end up spilling their feelings for each other (some smut would be nice). but the next day r is feeling depressed and starts ignoring larissa for days thinking she's not good enough for her and it was a drunk mistake. larissa finds her, r tells her the truth and larissa tells her that it doesn't change anything and she will be with her no matter what.

idk why i requested this, it's a bit personal ig. sorry for lots of details, feel free to change anything!

My flickering flame 18+H&C

*Authors note~ Bipolar is a super sensitive topic and I've done my research to try my best to handle it in a respectful and informative manner*

Trigger warnings~ Bipolar r mommy kink oral fixation for r thigh riding face riding fingering and oral sex mentions of sh

Prompt~ see ask^^^^

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

Teaching at Nevermore was something you'd always wanted to do, your ability made your desire for art easy. Your ability meant anything you created would provoke visions of sorts. You were often transported into the work and especially if you were creating something based off present facts or feelings. Being at Nevermore and teaching also introduced you to the one and only Larissa Weems and you were immediately taken with her, the blonde was alluring and you both struck up a great friendship.

It wasn't uncommon for Larissa to invite you for a glass of wine, in fact it also became a weekly ritual. It was something you came to love but you'd had to cancel it every so often due to your bipolar. Your depressive episodes were horrible and made even just breathing difficult but your Mania episodes were equally exhausting and even exhibiting dangerous and risky behaviour. You remember the first time you experienced a Mania episode and you completely blew through all of your savings on random items that you'd never normally buy. You remember telling the doctor, that you were seeing Lucifer and telling you what you should be doing.

You were feeling good today and the excitement of wine with your crush was really overwhelming for you. But you found yourself sat on her sofa with a glass of red wine dangling from your fingers as you drunk in her beauty. "Darling, you're staring" Larissa murmured watching the blush creep over your cheeks. "You're just so beautiful" you mumbled before gasping in shock, your didn't mean to say that out loud.

"So are you darling, I must confess I rather like you" Larissa purred slipping closer to you, close enough your foreheads met. "Like me?" You mumbled confused. "Very much so and I'd very much like to kiss you love." Before you even verbally replied her lips were attached to yours, they felt softer than you ever imagined and the taste that was so perfectly her was invading your senses.

You both pulled back breathless wearing matching grins, "god I want you" you mumbled before tugging the blonde back to your lips, more passion seeping into this kiss. "Ris? Please" you whimpered after she sunk her teeth into your bottom lip. "Mommys gonna take such good care of you baby, you want this yes?" She murmured smothering your neck in kisses as you mewled, "oh god please never wanted anything more."

It was one night of pure passion, love radiating £!0through you both as you brought one another over the edge time and time again. Larissa riding your thigh, coating it in her slick heat, your mouth securely attached to her breasts as you nipped, sucked and licked at her point rose buds. You riding Larissa's face and suckling on your own fingers to prepare them for her needy cunt. You even somehow managed to get off by the woman's tongue alone, something you'd never done before,  her long slender fingers buried deep into your core as you begged for more, harder and faster. You just needed her. You feel asleep in the woman's arm's sucking on her fingers, moaning at the taste of yourself, just happy to sit in your bubble full of bliss.

You left before Larissa woke up the next morning, the blonde was confused and hurt, she really thought that would be the start of something beautiful but you just disappeared. You stopped teaching your lessons, the only contact you and Larissa had was you informing her of your need of a substitute teacher every morning. All sorts began to race around her mind, maybe you regretted that night, maybe you were embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know, and perhaps you just realised she didn't live up to your expectations.

Meanwhile, you were stuck in your room, no energy to do anything. Negative thoughts swirling around your brain, you'd not eaten or showered since that night and you were lucky if you managed to grab 3 hours of sleep a night. The guilt over leaving without saying anything and the feeling of emptiness and guilt knowing you hurt Larissa. Truly it was all too much and you'd convinced yourself you were better off dead, after all what purpose did you serve now? Your old coping mechanisms are back too.

No one had seen you in days, Larissa had a duty of care as your boss to check on you. So she did, anxious butterflies taking residence in her stomach. But the sight she saw caused her heart to drop, you were curled up in bed, tears flowing over the dried tracks they'd ran before your arms legs and stomach littered in scars and new cuts. You appeared to be asleep as you whimpered her name, your sobs starting to make the words sound choked. The complete opposite of what Larissa had imagined.

Hesitantly, she sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed soothing circles into your back in hope of rousing you awake safely. "Oh darling, I'm here I don't know what's wrong but I'm here" she murmured pressing a sweet kiss to your forehead. "Rissa?" You mumbled sleepily before realising the situation and scrambling away from the woman, "no no no she's not meant to be here, you said no luci!" You mumbled to what you thought was lucifer but was actually the wardrobe. "That's the whole reason why I did this" you exclaimed tugging at your abused arms, "I'm not insane! Im not crazy! I'm normal! You're real  I know you are."

"Oh darling, can you focus on me for a second? Just ignore luci for a second. Follow my voice" Larissa whispered to you and you seemed to manage that for a second, rapidly blinking as you faced the woman. "It's happening again" you whimpered before breaking down and throwing yourself into the principals arms, "just a freak with bipolar, you only slept with me because you pity me" you sobbed and suddenly everything made sense to the blonde. "I slept with you because I love you" Larissa murmured into your ear. "Luci says it's lies" you cried and Larissa hushed you, rocking you soothingly.

"Have you taken your medication darling?" You nodded and informed her it wasn't working. So together she helped you phone your doctor and ask for some advice on how to help you now. He informed the blonde as long as she was safe and not posing a risk that she could stay home and have her appointment first thing in the morning to talk about her medication. So that night Larissa slept next to you, In your bed just reassuring you and keeping you safe. She loves you so that means this part of you too, no matter what happens she'll be here for as long as you want her.

Word count ~ 1361

[exoticalmonde]

I've also been writing this one story that is entirely selfish and selfless and it basically writes itself but it's a collab between Dr. Eve and Dr. Lundi going on an adventure in Sami. @cilundiLundi has done a few doodles for the scenes and every time I think about how supportive she is of it I feel like bawling my eyes out. I'm so happy to be writing for someone so sweet and appreciative. Special attention to detail.

She is once again going on about her gun and I honestly know more about Sankta firearms now than I do about my own sword. I know the size of her bullets are big enough for me to hold like a dagger and I also know that this gun can be used for more than firing simple armour-piercing bullets. They can blow you up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They're waiting for Dr. Eve to get on the aircraft but Kal'tsit pulled her aside to tell her something. Wonder what it is...?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also side note of the Aegir horrorTM in the shape of Dr. Pinkie.

Dr. Eve is cowering and crying because Pinkie was once again right about the need for E2 Ifrit, so after, (what?) 6 months of having her lvl80 E1 she actually became viable.

She's lvl45 E2 now because it's difficult to spread out my funds...

It's Lin time and in 20-ish days Hoederer time????

[hey-there-22]

GALLIFREYAN IS THEIR LOVE LANGUAGE

Gallifreyan, the last language of the Time Lords, able to burn stars and rise up empires and topple gods. But it was never just that. It's the first language he ever spoke, the language of his childhood, the language he taught his children and granddaughter. It's the language that brings him home. But his home is long gone and when Gallifrey fell, the language was lost with it.

What had meant family became the reminder of his loneliness. But he never stopped using it. He used it as a reminder of what he had lost, as a reminder not to let anyone else have to make the decision he made that day.

Gallifreyan means so much to the Doctor... And all the companions have sensed that at some point.

Rose used to stare at Nine writing on sticky notes, delicate tracings of all she didn't know about him, perfect circles and lines that fascinated her. She never dared to ask, though. When Jack joined them, not knowing the Doctor was the last of his kind, he had no problem doing it.

"What are you writing?" He asked peering over his shoulder. "Oh, Doctor, do you have a secret code you use to look enigmatic?" Smiling as he said it. "Is it even a real language or are you just using it to impress us?" It had just been their normal banter, he hadn't meant to hurt him.

The Doctor had turned serious for a moment, trying to make clear that Gallifreyan wasn't banter material-

"It's the language of my people." He answered simply. "Now," he added, a smile on his face and changing his tone completely while pressing buttons in the TARDIS controls, "who wants to go to the beach?"

Jack was confused, wanting to ask, but Rose took his arm, signaling for him to let it go.

"You're finally taking me somewhere I can get a proper tan." Rose said smiling to the Doctor, letting go of Jack's arm.

Jack understood Rose and went back to his normal harmless quips.

"Only if he's able to land the TARDIS in a real beach without an emergency crisis going on this time."

The Doctor had seen the interaction between Jack and Rose and he silently thanked her for it. He decided at that moment that if Rose ever asked, he would answer. The image of him teaching her how to read Gallifreyan even crossed his mind for a brief second.

"Oh, Jack, I'm going to land this TARDIS in the most beautiful beach you've ever seen.

And he did.

They never talked again about Gallifreyan with the Doctor, but the beauty of the circles always Intrigued them. They used to joke about what they thought was written on the sticky notes when Doctor wasn't there and that led to them trying to figure out how to read it, which circles where words and which ones where letters, failing every time to decipher it.

Rose understood it when she was Bad Wolf but it all faded away too quickly for her to remember it afterwards. Then, Jack was left behind and Rose stopped trying to figure it out. Ten would have taught her, but she never asked. Tentoo taught her without her needing to say anything.

Jack never stopped trying to understand it. Using the Torchwood files they had about Gallifreyan just like Martha used UNIT's. Working together and knowing what some of the messages said they made some progress at recognizing patterns but not enough to translate other messages.

Donna didn't give Gallifreyan a long thought while she was travelling with the Doctor. Just a Martian language. Sometimes Wilfred finds her doodling perfectly organized circles and lines when she is distracted. He hates not being able to tell her about the Doctor when she gets angry at herself after realizing she is doodling nonsense again.

When Ten met River she told him his name in perfect Gallifreyan. He thought he should have had to really love and trust her not only to tell her his name but to teach her Gallifreyan to the point of speaking it daily, judging by the accent. What he didn't know was that River had born with the ability to talk Gallifreyan, she was, after all, the daughter of the TARDIS.

Jack and River came across each other a couple of times, forming a close friendship over the years. Their love for the Doctor made them create a special bond. At that point Jack had lost all hope in learning Gallifreyan; his adventures with the Doctor had happened centuries ago and understanding sticky notes around the TARDIS had no sense anymore. He had given up the thought of travelling with him again. When River offered to teach him anyway his face lit up with a smile.

Eleven hid his past inside himself, so when the TARDIS redecorated he made sure not to have Gallifreyan anywhere visible. Amy learnt about it when River used it to contact the Doctor but she was more interested in the adventure so she never thought to ask. That's what Eleven loved about her. (Because Army didn't ask, neither did Rory.)

When they got trapped by the angels in Manhattan, Amy's way to cope with loosing the Doctor was listening to the stories her daughter told her. She started to get interested in the little things she hadn't been able to appreciate with the adrenaline of the moment, trying to hold on to anything that reminded her of that moment of her life. When River understood it, she taught Amy to read and write Gallifreyan. Soon, the Pond's house started filling with messages: reminders and recipes written in a language only Amy, Rory and their two children could understand and a letter from Amy for only her Raggedy Man to read once he was ready.

When Eleven met Clara he fell for her, every time. He redecorated the TARDIS for her to ask about Gallifreyan, ready to share that part of his life with her. Clara was like Amy, though, always invested in the adventure, slowly falling for the Doctor. But when he changed, she changed too. Twelve eventually accepted Clara was never going to ask, so he started to write in English in the blackboards of the TARDIS for her to understand what he wrote but still leaving the Gallifreyan in the console's decoration. He adapted to her but he quietly hopped she would do the same one day.

Clara was forced to learn Gallifreyan in order to fly the TARDIS. Me taught her. She had learnt it many years before from her old friend, the Face of Boe.

The first time River spoke Gallifreyan in front of the Doctor was during their night in Darillium. She called him anidiot. She had gotten used to insulting people in Gallifreyan and switching languages was an instinct. River saw the Doctor cry for the first time that day. She hugged him in the floor while the Doctor told her about his kids and his marvelous granddaughter, all in the language of his people. At that moment she had thought that she had reminded him of everyone he had lost when she spoke Gallifreyan. Now, however, she understands the Doctor was thinking about how he was going to lose the only person he had left with whom he could speak it.

When the Doctor let Missy into the TARDIS with Bill, she made a comment about him having the names of his companions as decoration in the console. It took the Doctor a second to realize that Missy understood Gallifreyan, he had been guarding the vault for years and he had never spoken to Missy in their native language.

"We don't speak Gallifreyan." The Doctor mentioned once they were alone in the vault.

"Always so observant, Doctor" Missy rolled her eyes.

The only time he spoke Gallifreyan with Missy was when he was trying to convince her and the Master to stay and fight with him against the cybermen. The next time they saw each other, O spoke in Gallifreyan ("I did say the spy... master."), Thirteen didn't give him the privilege of answering in Gallifreyan.

In the year 2023 a giant graffiti of circles appears in London. It says "You are not alone". Yaz wrote it. She doesn't know Gallifreyan but she asked Jack to translate that sentence after one of her Companions Meetings.

The Doctor knows about the graffiti but she doesn't know who wrote it. She doesn't know that almost all her companions know Gallifreyan. She thinks it's something from her future, not realizing she has already Inspired so many people, not realizing that her companions can sense how much Gallifreyan means to her. Not realizing that Gallifreyan is their love language.

[mrbinglee]

thinking about welcome to samdal-ri and doctor slump (both feature characters who knew each other as teens and meet again as adults who've now hit rock-bottom) and how you could theoretically pin the initial fall of the main characters on one "antagonist" (bang eun-ju, min kyung-min).. but in welcome to samdal-ri, we're shown almost immediately - by the end of ep2 - that sam-dal's arc is not about clearing her name, nor getting revenge, but rather coming to terms with the vulnerable question: has she changed so much that she doesn't know who she is anymore? that, without realizing it, she could have become someone who hurts others to such extremes? (of course, with the help of her hometown, sam-dal finds herself again and learns to believe in herself and re-affirm her values, etc.)

these sorts of inward-facing conflicts are imo more emotionally rewarding, and yet more delicate and harder to execute, than outward-facing ones, so kdramas that start off with the former often end up shifting towards the latter. samdal-ri almost(!) fell for it a few times, and i'm a bit worried doctor slump is falling for it too. the framed-for-murder plot aside lol, i felt it actually did start off on the introspective path for both main characters (ha-neul's "i think i lived my life wrong" phone call to jeong-woo was especially moving for me), but now by ep12 the conflict seems to have shifted externally, with all fingers pointing at kyung-min. i'm still loving the show, but here's hoping the last four episodes shift back a little~

[selnyam]

Helped

Flidais sighed happily as she waited in line at the Last Stand.  She was in Sharlayan recovering from her recent adventures, visiting her wife as she worked on her Sage studies and doctorate.  She smiled, her floppy ears taking in the sounds of the crowd.  Students discussing classes and research.  People happily eating something with actual flavour. A couple to one side giggling and flirting.  Her stomach growled again and she realized it was her turn to order, the line moving quickly.  She was grateful she had arrived before the lunch rush and stepped forward, raising her hands.

“Hey, yeah, can I get your order?”  the young elezen man behind the counter asked.  He looked like he had not slept the night before, probably up studying. Flidais raised her hands and carefully moved them in greeting, then signed her simple order [Cheeseburger with extra toppings and potato skins please.]   the young man stared at her, mouth agape.  She repeated the order, cursing herself for forgetting her notebook.  The man turned and called over to the back

“Hey uh. U’nia? Can you come here for a minute?  I need someone who knows sign”  he stepped aside as a new worker moved from the back where she was sitting and prepping vegetables.  Flidais looked up, then up more to a pair of gorgeous eyes behind a pair of frames, curved au ri horns framing either side of her head. There with a soft, shy smile stood a tall Eele’ra.  A long tail gently swayed behind her, other workers at the Stand quickly moving a few dishes and pots to the side to avoid an accident.  The woman repeated her hand motion, and Flidais realized she’d been staring and missed her singing the first time.

[Hello.  Can I take your order?]  Flidais brightened immediately and did a small hop in place, her own hands moving to respond.

[Hello!  Can I please have a Cheeseburger with extra toppings and potato skins?]  The tall woman, by the Twelve it was rare to find someone taller that she was, wrote down her order and smiled.  After a moment's hesitation she raised her hands and carefully asked

[I am sorry if this is rude, but can you hear okay?  Do you need us to come get you when your order is done or can we call it out?]  The Viera smiled and shook her head.  It was a common question she got when she signed, it wasn’t rude at all.   She raised her hand and gently touched the choker around her neck, moving it ever so slightly to reveal the scar beneath.   She quickly covered the old wound back up as the other woman’s eyes widened.  She shrugged and winked before casually signing

[Lost a fight and my voice.  I’m Flidais by the way.  Thank you for helping!]  she stepped forward and extended her hand in a greeting.  She wouldn’t admit it yet, but she wanted to get to know this gorgeous woman who also used sign language.  The taller woman took her hand, giving a firm shake that revealed her strength.  Her free hand carefully spelled out her name.

[U’nia, nice to meet you!]

[guqwrvte]

hello !! i have a request for your quote game :)

“I’ll take care of you,” he soothes, “so let me, please.”

with any boy i don’t mind, thank you sm !!

⨽ pairing: taehyung x hybrid f!reader

⨽ genre: honestly i don't know. hurt/comfort(?) angst (?)

⨽ warnings: crying, very brief mentions of past abuse, trust issues, talk about scars and wounds, all that kinda stuff

⨽ a/n: took me ages to get to this request, but i hope you like it! (p.s - this a long one)

---

Taehyung's eyes softened as he watched you try to treat your wounds. 

So many nurses and caretakers at the care centre wanted to lend you a hand. But you'd refuse to be touched, quickly moving away as soon as someone got too close. 

He bought you here a week ago. And the whole time you've been here, you've isolated yourself. Completely. 

You didn't talk to anyone. Not any of the doctors, the nurses, caretakers or other hybrids. You stuck to yourself. 

"I wish she'd let us near her," Luna, one of his co-workers and friend, sighed. "She did a good job taking care of the ones she could reach. But the ones she can't reach need to be treated too."

"I wonder what she went through for her to not trust anyone. Including the other tiger hybrids who are the same species as her." This time, it was Haerin that spoke. A nurse who mainly worked with predatory and exotic hybrids. "I was horrified at the state she was in when Tae brought her here."

"I was horrified when I found her," he sighed. 

He found you on a Friday night, hiding by a dumpster in an alley near his home. 

He remembers how he had just gotten off the phone with one of his friends when he heard something whimpering and some movement.

"Hello?" He called, walking into the alley, and turning on the flashlight on his phone. "Is anyone here- oh my god."

His eyes widened in horror as his light landed on a badly wounded tiger hybrid trying to hide behind some trash.

The tiger was clearly hurt and definitely not dressed for the chilly weather. 

"Oh my gosh, how did you end up here?" He muttered, taking off his jacket before slowly approaching you.

It was clear you weren't just a stray hybrid. It looked like you became a stray after escaping from what could've been an abusive owner, given the number of scars and open wounds on your body.

The closer he got to you, the more you backed into the black plastic bag you were sitting in front of. 

"I'm not going to hurt you," Taehyung said, raising his hands. "I work as a hybrid doctor at a care centre. I want to treat your wounds and give you some meds. So they don't get infected." 

His eyes landed on some of the scars and cuts on your arms and legs. He noticed how new they looked. It was clear you got them recently, and he couldn't help but wonder how long you'd been hiding here. 

"Here. You can take my jacket to cover yourself," Taehyung said, extending his jacket only for you to flinch away from the material. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you. But I'll have to take you to my place since I don't have anything to help with those one me."

He noticed the way your eyes slightly widened. "Oh, um, I know you probably don't trust me enough to go home with me. But if you stay here, they'll get infected. And you would be in even more pain than you are in now."

He didn't expect you to take his jacket. 

To you, he probably looked like a predator... someone trying to gain your trust, only to betray you as soon as the door closes. 

But he was surprised when you hesitantly took the jacket from him to cover yourself. 

"Come with me," he softly smiled, taking a step back because he figured you wouldn't want him to touch you yet. 

You only let him touch you when he was treating your wounds. Other than that, you made sure you were at least more than a meter away from him.

"I wonder why she won't let you assist her again," Luna muttered. "She's let you treat her before, so why not again?"

"I'm guessing she only let me because she was desperate. She was hesitant to go home with me, but she took the risk because she was desperate," Taehyung said. "She didn't even say a word the entire time I was with her. I asked for her name, her age, anything! But she refused to speak."

"And she's still refusing to speak," Haerin groaned. "I tried checking the system, but she wasn't there. It seems like she's one of those hybrids born in breeding facilities and stuff."

"I'm going try and help her... again," Taehyung sighed. "If she refuses, one of you should try. She might want a woman instead."

The two girls nodded before he began to approach you. 

"Hey," he said, crouching down to your level. 

His presence caused you to tense, and you stopped what you were doing. 

"I'm only here to offer a helping hand again. Allow me to assist you with the ones you can't reach."

When Taehyung reached for a cotton ball, you immediately shifted away, pulling your stuff with you. 

"You can't leave those untreated, sweetie," he sighed. "I know you'd prefer doing it alone, but for your back, you're going to need one of the doctors to help you."

You didn't even look at him as he spoke to you. 

"If you don't want me to do it, I can ask someone else?" He said, getting up/ "How about Doctor-"

"No."

Taehyung's eyes widened, surprised to hear you speak. Your voice was so soft you were almost inaudible. 

"Huh?" he asked, crouching back down and sitting in front of you. "Please, can you repeat that?"

"Don't want another doctor," you muttered. 

"So, do you want me to check on the ones on your back?" Taehyung asked, and you nodded, deciding to no longer use your voice. 

"Should I just do it here, or do you want to move to my office?" he asked, taking the bag of cotton balls. 

"Here."

He let out a sigh before nodding. He would've wanted to treat you in his office. That way, he could talk to you freely and try to ask you some things.

But he figured you probably didn't want to be alone with him right now. 

"Alright, please turn around," he asked, picking up some ointment. "I'm going to touch you, okay? But only because I'm treating you. As soon as we're done, I won't touch you until the next time to take off those bandages all over your face and arms."

You only nodded before Taehyung slipped on some gloves and began to apply the ointment. 

"You know... we're going to have to know your name one day," he said.

You figured there was no point in them knowing your name if you'll escape as soon as you were healed. 

You didn't say a word, and the two of you remained in silence before you mustered the courage to ask- "Why?"

"Well, I can't keep referring to you as the tiger hybrid I brought in last week when I'm talking to my colleagues," Taehyung said. "But also because I'd like to call you by your name. I want to greet you and say: Hey... whatever your name is! How are you today?"

You didn't respond, which is something he kinda expected. So it became silent again. 

As he gently began to take off the old plasters, you couldn't stop thinking about Taehyung wanting to know your name so he could call you by it. You hadn't heard anyone say your name in ages. 

Where you came from, your owner never addressed you by your name. Instead, he'd always call you kitten. A nickname you've now grown to absolutely hate. 

You wondered how it would feel to have someone greet you with a smile and call you-

"y/n."

"Huh?" Taehyung asked. 

"My name. It's y/n."

He wondered why you finally decided to speak today. But that didn't matter. He was glad you were now comfortable enough to tell him your name. 

"You have such a nice name, y/n," he smiled. 

"Thank you," you whispered, and he nodded. 

"Your wounds are healing nicely. You did a good job," Taehyung said, putting on the last plaster on your back. "I'd say tomorrow will be the last time we exchange them."

You only nodded before pulling the back of your t-shirt down and reaching for Taehyung's jacket. 

"We're going to need to buy you new clothes," he sighed, standing up. "You can't keep wearing my jacket forever."

You knew you should've returned it to him that night, but you couldn't bring yourself to part from the comforting scent of vanilla on the jacket. 

"Do you want it now?" You asked, preparing to take off the jacket. 

"No!" you flinched, causing him to slap a hand over his mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so loud. You don't have to give it to me now, y/n. You can keep it for as long as you'd like to."

You muttered an okay, causing Taehyung to softly smile.

"Doctor Kim!" Luna called. 

"I don't want to leave you alone, but it looks like I have to go," he said. "Why don't you try to talk to other hybrids? There are lots of them who want to talk to you, y/n. And it wouldn't hurt to make a friend."

Your eyes unconsciously glanced at the group of tiger hybrids laughing together. 

You wanted to be part of them, but you were scared. You came from a place where you'd get in trouble if you dared to make a noise. So seeing hybrids be as loud as they wanted was new and kinda strange to you.

"See you later, y/n."

When Taehyung reached Luna, who was now alone since Hyerin had to attend to some hybrids, she looked at him with a sly smile.

"Are you going to adopt her?" Luna asked, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. Which caused the male to raise a brow. "Don't look at me like that. Anyone can see the way you look at her."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked. 

"You probably won't notice, but I can. You just- I don't know. You look at y/n differently, and I don't know how to explain it. You look at that girl like you want to take her in your arms! And protect her from everything."

"Are you not exaggerating?"

"Maybe I am, but hey," she shrugged. "It's clear you want to care for her. Not on the level as patient and doctor but something a little more."

"Can we talk about this in my office?" He sighed. "I don't know where you're going with this... but I'd rather talk there than hear."

Some hybrid species had exceptional hearing. You are part of them since a tiger hybrid's sense of hearing is the most acute of all their senses.

"Okay," she said before turning away and walking to his office. 

.

"Dr Kim," you said, sitting in a chair.

"I told you to only call me that when we're in front of others," he said, not bothering to look up from the chart he was looking at. 

It had been two weeks since you told him your name and three weeks of being in the centre. During these two weeks, you've become more talkative. You still talked in a hushed tone and sometimes stuttered as you spoke, but you were finally saying sentences that were more than five words long.  

"Taehyung," you corrected yourself, causing the man to look up from his work with a smile.

"Yes, y/n?" 

"Are you very busy," you said, fiddling with your fingers. "I have news I'd like to... news I'd like to share."

"Not really. Why? What's up?" He asked, closing the file and resting his chin in the palm of his hand as he listened to you speak. 

"I Uhm..." you suddenly felt nervous. 

As you walked to his office, you thought it'd be easy to tell him, but all the confidence you had earlier seemed to have disappeared. 

"Just tell me, y/n," he smiled. "I'm not going to do anything to you. I promise."

"Well... I tried making friends," you spilt. 

Taehyung blinked in confusion. You said it so fast that he could barely catch what you said. The only thing he could hear was friends.

"What was that, y/n?" He asked. "Can you repeat what you said but slower this time?"

"I Uhm... well, I tried making friends with some of the tiger hybrids I share a room with," you said, a small smile appearing on your face. "They were really nice!"

He couldn't help but feel happy for you. 

He was so happy to see you were improving. He was glad you were no longer keeping to yourself and finally deciding to socialise. 

"I'm so happy for you, y/n," he smiled. 'What did you guys talk about?"

As you began to tell him about what you and your roommates talked about, Taehyung couldn't help but think about what Luna said. 

"Come on, Tae," Luna groaned. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to take care of y/n on more than a doctor and patient level. You can take care of her on an owner and-"

"You know I don't like the word owner," Taehyung said, cutting off his friend. 

"Sorry. But anyway, I'm suggesting once y/n's comfortable enough, you can bring up the topic of you wanting to adopt the girl," the girl said.

"But I'm her do-"

"And?" Luna asked, cutting off her friend. "I'm a doctor who treated Soohyuk when he was wounded and ill, but I adopted him. Haerin adopted Solar, the snake hybrid she took care of here."

Taehyung groaned, running his fingers through his hair. 

"You know how I am, though. I don't like... the thought of adopting my patients," he said. "It just feels... I don't know."

"It's not wrong," Luna told him. "But if you don't like the idea, don't. I was only saying it because," she shrugged. 

Taehyung couldn't believe it. He was actually considering adopting you. 

Looking at you now, he wondered what it would be like to come home and have you greet him after a long day. 

For someone who loved and worked with hybrids, he's never actually adopted one. 

"And... uh, that's what we talked about," you said, clasping your hands together with a smile. 

"Ah, okay," he nodded. "I'm proud of you, y/n. You're socialising and making friends."

You muttered a thank you as a soft smile appeared on your face. 

'Maybe I should adopt you?'

.

Nurses and caretakers watched with wide eyes as Taehyung followed after the nurse running ahead of him, wondering what was going in.

Less than five minutes ago, a frantic nurse barged into his office while he was looking at bunny hybrid's chart. 

"Nurse Lee! Are you okay? What's the matter?" he asked, getting up. 

"It's y/n! She needs help!"

"y/n? Is she alright?" He asked, immediately getting worried. 

"No- I um," the nurse ran her fingers through her hair. "No. She's not. She abruptly woke up, breathing heavily. At first, I thought she had woken up from a bad dream and was trying to catch her breath... but when I went to check on her... She was shaking, and then she started sobbing."

Taehyung's eyes widened. "Is she having-"

The nurse nodded, knowing what he was about to ask. "-A panic attack. Yes. And she's not letting anyone near her. Doctor Im is trying to get her to calm down, but it's no use."

"Shit," he cursed. "Where are they now?"

"In the second tiger hybrid room. We asked the other hybrids to leave the room so we could get y/n to try and calm down," the nurse explained. 

"Let's go," he said before the nurse nodded and rushed out of his office. 

"There she is, Doctor Kim," the nurse breathed, pointing to you, sitting in the middle of your bed with your knees to your chest. And sitting on the bed adjacent to yours was Luna, and she had a worried expression.

She had tried to get you to calm down but failed. You wouldn't listen to her- no, it's more like you couldn't hear her. 

"Luna," Taehyung said, and the doctor gave him a small smile. 

"Thanks for bringing him here," Luna sighed, thanking the nurse before turning to her friend. "I asked her to call you because I believe you're the only person who can help her. She's been here for a little over a month now. And you're still the only doctor she trusts. At least, the one she trusts the most." 

Taehyung looked at you before nodding. "I'll try to get her breathing to be steady… and I'll try to get her to open up."

"Alright. We'll give you guys a moment," Luna said before asking the nurse to leave with her. 

"y/n," he softly said as he inched closer to the bed. "Can you look at me?"

He wasn't sure if you could even hear him. It seemed like you were too busy whispering things to yourself to notice him. 

Whatever you dreamt about caused you to snap and panic, and he needed to help get your mind off of whatever that was to help you calm down.

But to do that, he needed to figure out a way to get you to focus your attention on him without him touching you. 

"y/n!" he exclaimed, hoping it would grab your attention and cause you to finally acknowledge his presence. 

He almost sighed in relief when you finally looked at him. But that relief quickly disappeared, and his heart began to sink when he looked at him with fear in your eyes. 

'On no,' he thought. He didn't mean to scare you. 

"It's just me, y/n. Taehyung," he softly said. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just needed you to look at me."

"Tae-h-hyung?"

When you choked out his name, he wanted to take you in his arms and tell you everything would be okay, but he knew he couldn't. You weren't comfortable enough for that. 

"Mhm," he hummed, taking a seat at the foot of your bed. "I want you to focus on me and copy what I do, okay? I need you to calm down."

Five minutes. Taehyung sat there, helping you steady your breathing for five minutes. Instructing you to close your eyes and take deep breaths.

By now, you were sitting with your legs crossed and stopped crying. But you were still shaking a little.

"Do you think you can tell me what's wrong?" he asked, taking off his white coat before draping it over your shoulders.

"I just had a- a nightmare," you whispered, using his coat to wipe your wet cheeks. 

"Can I ask what it was about?" 

You nervously nibbled on your bottom lip, wondering- or rather, you were afraid of Taehyung's reaction. You knew if you told him about your dream, it would lead to you telling him about your previous owners.  

You were afraid he wouldn't want to talk to you and consider you useless once he's heard the things you've done under your old owners. 

"I won't view you any differently, y/n, if that's what you're afraid of," he told you as if he could read your mind. "I promise."

"You promise?" You asked, and he nodded, giving you a small smile. 

"It was about my old owners... I dreamt about them, and when I woke up, I was terrified because, for a minute, I thought they had found me and come to take me," you said, tears brimming in your eyes. "I don't ever want to go back to them, Taehyung. I hated it there."

You began to tell him about how life was before he found you hiding in an alleyway. You told him about the type of people your owners were, the things they made you do, how they treated you... you told Taehyung everything. 

And Taehyung sat there and listened. Listening to everything you had to say. 

He knew where you had come from wasn't a good place, but he didn't expect it to be as bad as you described it. 

He felt horrible knowing that the abuse and poor treatment you experienced was all you knew. 

So many things made sense to him now.

Why it took you so long to talk to someone. Why you didn't want anyone near you. Why you were in the condition you were in when you were found... 

"That's everything," you whispered, wiping your nose. "I understand if you view me differently. I don't think anyone would want-"

"I promised I wouldn't see you differently, didn't I?" He asked, carefully bringing his hands up to wipe the tears off your cheek. "You're still the same y/n I met about a month ago. The only thing different is that I know your story."

"Just because you promised doesn't mean you won't think that way," you sighed, feeling like crying again. "I've heard about how humans feel with hybrids in situations like mine, and It's not surprising if you feel the same way too. After everything I've done and been through... who would want a hybrid like me? I was told chances of me finding a new home were few because no one would adopt a used-up hybrid like me..."

"A lot of people would," he told you, taking a hand. "And you aren't used up. Who even- never mind... but please don't say that about yourself..."

"You'd be surprised that despite all this, I wouldn't mind having an owner. I've heard hybrids talk about how some of their owners treated them, and I want to experience that. I want an owner who'll treat me nicely..." you said. "Even though deep down... I'm scared."

"You want an owner who'll treat you nicely?" He softly asked, and you nodded. "Then allow me to adopt you, y/n."

He's been wanting to adopt you for a while now, but he's never dared to say it. 

He wanted to show you how you should've been treated from the start. He wanted to be the person who would you show that. He wanted you to experience some of the nice things other hybrids experience. And he wanted to be there with you.

"What?" you asked, tears brimming in your eyes. "You want to adopt me? Me?"

He nodded, taking both your hands in his. "Would you be okay with me adopting you, though? You have a say in this, you know..."

"I... do, but I'm scared. I'm scared of going through all of that again," you breathed, closing your eyes. 

You trusted someone, and they tricked you into terrible things. Taehyung understood why you were scared of letting another person in. 

"I- gosh," you breathed before you began to sob, falling forward and burying your head into your chest. 

He didn't expect you to start crying again, let alone cry in his arms, but he didn't mind. He wrapped his arms around you and gently stroked your hair. 

"I understand," he whispered. "But I promise I'll treat you the right way, y/n. And I would never let go through all that again."

"R-really?" You asked, and he hummed in response. 

"I'll take care of you," he soothed. "so let me, please."

.

i feel like rewriting this omg but i really hope you liked it :D

.

part of the quote game , submit request here

[starcrossed591]

KDrama Year in Review 2023

While I watched more KDramas this year than CDramas, none of them consumed my heart and soul quite like this year's crop of CDramas did (CDrama review post here). And I dropped KDramas more readily than I have in years past, in part because there were so many more things to watch than I had time for (also I had to finish my dissertation and graduate, etc etc). Still, there were definitely some that I really, really enjoyed, so here's this year's KDrama round up:

16. My Lovely Liar: Started strong, got boring real quick. Dropped for homophobic murder plot. Still, glad to see that Hwang Min Hyn can actually act (although full disclosure, I did still enjoy him in Alchemy of Souls, wooden as that performance may be). Hoping Kim So Hyun can catch a break and get a role in a drama more worthy of her in the near future.

15. Crash Course in Romance: Excellent performances and chemistry by the ML and FL. Romance between two middle aged people instead of youths is also a treat. Dropped around ep 12 because of the unnecessary, homophobic murder plot. Pass.

14. A Good Day to Be a Dog: Surprisingly stronger than the goofy premise suggests, largely on the basis of Park Gyu-Young's performance as the FL who turns into a dog upon being kissed. Pacing problems in the third act around the origins of the whole dog curse thing. Can't say I recommend unless you're really in the mood for some shenanigans, but largely inoffensive if a little silly. (Also it turns out Cha Eun Woo *really* leveled up his kiss game for this one!)

13. Love to Hate You: Perfectly serviceable rom com. Nothing too special, but a nice weekend binge if you're in the mood for that. Also a good way to see Kim Ji-Hoon's v handsome face and that *hair* without having to deal with everything involved with his rather murderous run in Flower of Evil.

12. Joseon Attorney: A Morality: Perfectly serviceable law procedural/Joseon historical. If you don't like either of those genres your mileage may vary, but I had missed having Bona on my screen, so it worked well enough for me.

11. Welcome to Samdal-ri: I seem to like this one more than literally everyone else I know, and I fully admit that my enjoyment of this drama is more vibes-based than plot-based. I guess I have a soft spot for Shin Hye Sun yelling at people at Ji Chang Wook going a bit unhinged over a woman who ran away from him (see also: Lovestruck in the City).

10. My Demon: Very much enjoying Song Kang as a cranky demon falling in love with a human. Very tropey in the best way, and feels like a return to form for the supernatural romance genre. Remains to be seen if they'll land the ending as of this writing, but enjoying as it goes.

9. Doctor Cha: A contribution to the slate of divorce comedies I watched this year (see also: Strangers Again (KDrama) and Let's Get Divorced (JDrama)), a surprisingly touching story about growing older when you've devoted your life to someone who has not done the same for you.

8. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (Part 2): While Ko Joon-Yung never quite managed to replace Jung So-Min as the FL for me, I definitely still enjoyed the closer to this fun fantasy series. Special shout out to Shin Seung-Ho as Prince Go Won and his pet turtle

7. Strangers Again: I didn't see a ton about this one on tumblr as it was airing, but I found this rom com? melodrama? divorce procedural? makjang? story about relationships and why they end unexpectedly profound. I tuned in expecting mindless makjang hot mess, and instead got a thoughtful meditation on divorce. Left me feeling unexpectedly melancholy at the end, but glad I watched it.

6. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse: Very fun sageuk! Probably won't knock your socks off, but it does what it does very well. Bonus points for a B couple as compelling as the A couple. I've also been a big Kang Hoon fan since Little Women, and there are a couple of other actors in here that I'm always glad to see working.

5. Perfect Marriage Revenge: Tour de force makjang. Came out of nowhere and blew me away. Hits all the right beats, and unexpectedly fun (and was a nice break from the heaviness of My Dearest for me). This was a good year for jaded and slightly unhinged transmigrated FL's back for their #revenge (see also: Story of Kunning Palace in CDrama land), and I was here for it. Also features one of the spiciest make-out scenes of the year, 10/10 recommend

4. See You in My 19th Life: Absolutely loved this haunting, melancholy, and sometimes unexpectedly goofy reincarnation drama. I loved the webtoon and had high expectations, and this drama largely met them! The continuing relationship between sisters Ji-Eum (Shin Hye Sun) and Cho-Won (Ha Yoon Kyung) was a special highlight for me, and while Shin Hye Sun is already a never-miss for me, I'm especially looking forward to whatever Ha Yoon Kyung does next. I prefer the ending of the Webtoon to the KDrama, but I'm still delighted this drama exists and am glad I watched it.

3. The Interest of Love: Look, I loved this drama. Even though it seemed on the surface like nothing but *mess* in the interpersonal lives of these characters working at a bank on the border between a rich and poor neighborhood in Seoul, it nonetheless had some of the most searing class commentary of the year for me. I also love an FL who will (spoiler) pack up her things and disappear at the drop of a hat, even if no one else will understand her decision to do so, because she just cannot deal anymore (see also: the FL in Lovestruck in the City, whom I also love but everyone else hated). This drama kept me gleefully coming back every week in a year where not a lot of others did.

2. Call It Love: A revenge slice of life melodrama that I found unexpectedly touching in its deep melancholy. Loved not only the main couple, but the relationship between the siblings and their pharmacist bestie. A lovely character study. (Also I somehow ended up watching this at the same time as Till the End of the Moon and Li Susu as Ye Xiwu's hidden identity/revenge plot, which was unexpectedly stressful! Had a very "it's the same picture" moment despite two dramas in two genres that could not be further apart.) If you missed this one (and since it aired on Disney+, you might have--Disney+'s effects on the KDrama streaming ecosystem will be the death of me), it's worth seeking out!

1. My Dearest (Parts 1 and 2): Kind of feels like everyone has said everything there is to say about sageuk of truly epic proportions, but it blew me away as well. Epic romance? Check. Twisty political machinations? Check. Heartwarming friendships between women? Check. Strong ensemble cast? And my top FL of the year, Lady Gil-Chae, played to perfection by Ahn Eun-Jin. I've adored her since Hospital Playlist, and am delighted that she's getting the attention and the roles she deserves. Namkoong Min also a top contender for ML of the year as Lee Jang-Hyun. Part 2 dragged for me a bit in places after a nearly perfect Part 1, but such a great drama overall.

Favorite Drama of the Year: My Dearest. See above.

Favorite Female Character: I mean, it's gotta be Gil Chae from My Dearest, right? She starts out as such a spiteful, spoiled noblewoman, and then turns out to have a core of pure steel. Turns out all her conniving and strategizing, which went towards causing mischief in the village, really just needed a proper outlet. While I would never want to be in the circumstances in which she found herself, if I did, she's exactly who I would want on my side.

Favorite Male Character: Everything's coming up My Dearest this year, because this one is Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest as well. Checks the box for my competence kink, and has a knack for showing up just when Gil-Chae needs him, even at great personal cost. Also a smart-ass, which I probably like a bit too much in a man.

Favorite Secondary Female Character: Cho-Won from See You in My 19th Life. Her relationship with her reincarnated older sister was almost more compelling to me than the main romance sometimes, and really helped develop how the ties that bind us are not just romantic ones. Also she was just super cute

Favorite Secondary Male Character: Could have picked anyone from Team Himbo in Alchemy of Souls, but gonna have to give this one to Go Won, himbo prince of my heart

Favorite Ship: Again, it's gotta be Gil-Chae and Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest. Sometimes, there are drama couples that nearly cause me pain when they are apart, and these two quickly became one of them. Though their relationships is hardly functional for much of it, through all that push and pull, they ultimately learn how to show up for each other. Also, their *chemistry* is insane!

Favorite Secondary Ship: I loved Hye-Seong and Sung Joon, the B couple in Call it Love. Seeing the SFL grow more comfortable with herself after a truly shitty ending to her previous relationship was a nice respite from the hidden identity stress of the A couple in this one. I'm also a sucker for a good romance where you start to see someone you've long taken for granted differently. (Close Runner Up: Cho Won and Do-Yun in See You in My 19th Life)

Favorite Platonic Relationship: Gil-Chae, Eun-Ae, and their maids, Jong Jong and Bong Doo, in My Dearest. I loved loved loved the relationship between these women in this drama, and part of the reason the second half of the drama suffered a bit for me is because of how far it moved away from this core relationship. They were ride or die for each other more than the majority of the men in their lives, and I loved that for them.

Trope that Needs to Die: While I find murder plots in rom coms tedious at the best of times, homophobic murder plots are really not it. Quit it, y'all. It's not cute.

Dramas I Missed: Moon in the Day, The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, and Tell Me That You Love Me (grrr Disney+ on this one) are on the list for next year. I'm probably missing others.

Non-2023 Drama Spotlight: Finally went back and watched Do You Like Brahms? for a hit of Park Eun-Bin. A lovely, if also melancholy, slice of life romance that's just as much about what to do when a (career related) dream that you've worked really, really hard for just isn't going to come through as it is about the main romance. Also made me fall in love with Kim Min-Jae and his lovely deep voice, enough so that I also then went back and finally watched Dali and the Cocky Prince, which was also a treat. Recommend both.

Most Looking Forward To: I continue to yearn for a Yumi's Cells 3, and who's to say if that one will ever come through, but I'm putting it out into the universe anyway. More realistically, I'm looking forward to the surprisingly stacked line-up of sageuks coming up, including Captivating the King and Love Song for Illusion.

[local-void-creature-izzy]

ReWrite AU: SA2 Basis; Dark Story

>>> 21:02 Prison Island: Within the Base.

It was deep within Prison Island, when several metal doors began closing shut, alarms loudly blaring throughout the base, it was the protocol procedure for an intruder.

There was an intruder within the base of Prison Island, as the loud speakers came alive with a soldier frantically sending out warnings. "Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert! Security breach at Gate 3! Intruder has been located in the north quadrant, and is moving in the direction of the underground base. All units prepare to engage: basic emergency battle formations. Standard battle formations initiated. Locate and stop intruder from reaching the security area."

The intruder was reaching deeper and deeper in the base, soldiers and robotic mechanics not standing a chance against the intruder.

"This is not a drill! Repeat; this is not a drill!" Came from the loud speaker again before it was cut off entirely.

More metal doors slammed shut, but the intruder simply fired his weapons at the doors, blasting them wide open, making his way through the base.

It was no other than Dr.Eggman. "Hahahahaha!! That was all too easy. Now, let's take a look at what my grandfather was working on; a top-secret military weapon. The military shut down the research because they feared it!" Eggman boasted, jumping down an elevator shaft, continuing to head deeper and deeper within the base.

From time and time again, he had been bested by Amy Rose and her companions, ruining his plans of a great and glorious empire, and world domination, but not this time. With this secret military weapon left behind by his grandfather, he cannot fail this time.

His plan of world domination will succeed this time, no matter what.

The military base kept its attempts at keeping the doctor at bay, soldiers, robotics, every security measure possible, but it was nothing compared to what Eggman had up his sleeve. It didn't take long until he reached Level 7 of the military base.

Approaching the security panel, he accessed it with ease, the panel lighting up and opening the doors to the final level. Eggman stepped through the doors once they opened up enough, approaching another terminal in the center of the room.

It showed a hologram of sorts, it had to be the secret military project! "Oh-ho! So this is the military's top-secret weapon. It's a lot smaller than I expected. Hmm, "enter user data"... ah, enter password. Password is: "MA-RI-A." Maria! Now all I have to do is to place the Chaos Emerald into this console."

Eggman pulled out the Chaos Emerald from his Egg-mobile, placing it within the console. Once it was inserted, the floor opened up to reveal another hidden level, the doctor jumped down and as he did so, a large mechanical pillar rose up from the hidden room sealed by the console.

Eggman could not help but let out a victorious laugh. "Oh-ho!"

One top of the pillar, stood a hedgehog. His fur was black with dark red highlights, blood orange eyes gazing down at the doctor beneath the pillar. "Who are you?" Questioned Eggman. "Are you a friend of Amy's here to spoil my plans?! But wait, that's impossible why would you be sealed here then-"

The mysterious hedgehog spoke. "My name is Shadow. Since you were so kind to release me, my master... I will grant you one wish in exchange for something I want."

Before Eggman could respond, another alarm began to blare through the base. "Now what?!" Exclaimed Eggman.

Shadow jumped down from the pillar, the shoes he wore were in fact air shoes, judging by how he glided with ease on the ground. "Behold the true power I possess." Shadow spoke, taking matters into his own hands as a soldier powered mechanism appeared in the room.

On its own, it would have proven a challenge for Eggman, but Shadow handled the military enemy with such ease. It took only a few simple attacks from Shadow before it exploded into bits, the doctor was thoroughly impressed.

This bought the two some time to talk. "Destroying that guard robot with such ease was spectacular! So Shadow, YOU are military's top secret weapon, but what did you mean you would grant me a wish in exchange for something you want?" Eggman asked.

The Hedgehog simply told the doctor to bring him more Chaos Emeralds, as he walked away, he told Eggman he would be waiting on the space colony ARK, within the central control room.

This surprised the doctor, judging by how he slammed both his hands down on his machine while Shadow walked away.

>>> 11:08 "Desert Area"

Within the desert, there were two arguing over the Master Emerald; Knuckles "Chaos" Echidna. The last Echidna who had a direct connection to Chaos, like his predecessor Tikal, and guardian of the Master Emerald.

And a bat named Rouge, she was a secret agent for G.U.N. who was currently working undercover. She had an infinity for all jewels and gemstones alike, the Master Emerald was no different. "Just... let it go! You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Rouge exclaimed, determined to get her hands on the Master Emerald.

The Echidna looked at her with confusion and wariness. "What're you talkin' about, that Emerald's mine! You got that? The Master Emerald contains special powers that neutralize the energy of the Chaos Emeralds; that makes it very powerful -- What the?!" Knuckles explanation of the Master Emerald was cut off by a giant mechanical claw coming down and snatching up the Master Emerald. It was Eggman.

"Wha- Thief" Rouge yelled towards the doctor.

"Look who's calling who a thief." Knuckles sarcastically said.

"I came here following the signal from the Emerald. If I'm not mistaken, this is the Master Emerald, is it not?" The doctor muttered to himself.

Now having a closer look at the emerald thief, it came to a nasty surprise for Knuckles. "It's you…Doctor Eggman…" The Echidna was at a loss for words, it had been some time since him and the others had to see or deal with Eggman. Amy even commenting the other day how quiet it had been without Eggman around, clearly she spoke too soon.

"So that's Doctor Eggman." Rouge pondered, watching the scene unfold in front of her.

"Well, I guess I can use it for something. I'll just take it with me. Farewell, Knucklehead." Eggman waved at the two below, fully prepared to take off with the Master Emerald.

"Not if I can help it!" Yelled Knuckles, as he proceeded to jump up and smash the Master Emerald into pieces. Rouge screaming in shock and disbelief at how easily Knuckles shattered the emerald.

When Knuckles touched the ground, Rouge did not hesitate to start strangling the other. "What the hell was that all about?! And look what you did to my emerald!"

Knuckles pushed her off of him before she could fully strangle him unconscious. "I did that to prevent it from being stolen, you idiot! If it's in pieces, I can restore it. And by the way, that's not YOUR Emerald" Knuckles reminded her, annoyed she was still trying to claim the Master Emerald for her own.

Eggman scratched his head, for one baffled how quickly the two forgot he was even there. And two, what was he going to do about the now shattered Master Emerald. "Hmm... doesn't matter. I'll look into it once I get back to the base."

With that said, Eggman flew away, heading back to his base, leaving the other two to continue their bickering and fighting.

"I despise anyone who takes jewels from me. All the world's gems are mine to keep!" Rouge exclaimed.

"Yeah, well we'll see about that, bat girl!" Knuckles responded, as now began a race between the two, of who could gather the pieces of the Master Emerald completely before the other could.

>>> 20:22 "Desert Area"

There were multiple military vehicles and soldiers in the area, as Eggman had to destroy quite a handful of them to proceed to his secret base without worry of being followed.

It was night time now, as the doctor entered his base hidden within the desert pyramid. Boasting to himself how they were idiots and would never think to check the pyramid itself for his secret base.

Once he was inside his base, he made his way to room that contained a warp device to the ARK, along with a huge high tech computer monitor and terminal. Pushing a few buttons on the terminal, the computer screen came alive with the current news broadcasting.

The news reporter on screen was struggling to not show panic as they spoke. "We interrupt this broadcast for an important newsflash. There has been a break-in at the federal-reserve bank today. Mysteriously, the only thing that was stolen was--"

"--The Chaos Emerald?!--" Eggman finished the sentence in shock and awe, that someone actually managed to steal a Chaos Emerald from such a heavily guarded place.

"--the Chaos Emerald." Continued the news reporter. "According to eyewitnesses at the scene, the suspect has yet to be identified beyond the fact it is a hedgehog. With no signs of the world renowned hero, Amy "Rascal" Rose on the scene, fear and worry grasps at the citizens hearts and minds. The suspect was seen fleeing the scene, destroying the reserve's guard robots in his path. Stay tuned for more details."

The rest of the news report cut away to show something else in the news. "Sounds like the work of Shadow!" Eggman exclaimed, as the another news report managed to record the face of Shadow in its report.

>>> Meanwhile in the City

Shadow stood high on top of a suspension bridge, overlooking the swarm of police units below. Did they really think they could stop him? "Hmph, how pathetic." He commented.

Suddenly he got a sharp pain in his head, as he looked at the flashing red lights of the police cars. A memory from fifty years ago was surfacing, as it replayed in Shadow's mind. He clutched his head, in pain.

He remembered running from G.U.N. Soldiers. How they shouted for the others to find them before they could escape.

They? Yes, that's right. Him, Maria, and…Sonic…

He didn't know what happened to the other, where Sonic went. He just grabbed Maria's hand and ran, ran through the halls of ARK as its alarms blared throughout. Both were panting from exhaustion, and panic, but they couldn't stop now, or a worse fate would await them if they were caught.

His mind went white before another memory came up. Maria was dying, she had been shot by a soldier that was chasing them, as she pushed Shadow into a capsule, shutting the glass over the Hedgehog.

She was bleeding out as she leaned against the control panel of the capsule. Shadow desperately trying to break through it, but the glass was made especially for him. "MARIA!!" He had yelled out, panic, fear, despair in his voice as tears were unknowingly falling down his face.

"Shadow…I beg you….please…." Maria spoke, putting all her remaining strength into staying conscious.

"MARIA DON'T!" Shadow begged her to not do this.

"Do it for me…For all the people…on that planet…Goodbye, Shadow the Hedgehog."

Maria pulled the lever, ejecting the capsule from the colony. The memory then faded back into a white void.

Shadow pulled himself out of his mind, looking back down at the people below. His fists clenched tight. "Maria... I still remember what I promised you... For all the people of this planet... I promise you... REVENGE!"

He jumped down from the suspension bridge and laid waste to his enemies below, no matter how many they sent his direction they stood no chance against him. He promised, he swore, he will have revenge against them all, not just for Maria, but for Sonic as well.

He cleared his own pathway through the city, standing on top of a 6ft robot labeled Big-Foot. He was about to demolish it to pieces with the soldier within, when the comms within spoke a familiar name.

Sonic.

Shadow smashed the front glass of the robot, grabbing the soldier by the neck, slowly choking him to death. "Repeat that, Sonic what?"

Scared for his life, the soldier did as he was told, in hopes Shadow would spare his life. "P-Project Sonic! H-He has awakened too-- s-same as you! H-He's in t-the city outskirts! That's all I know I swear!"

Project Sonic.

Shadow remembered, Project Sonic was created by a friend of Gerald Robotnik, the one who created him, as a counter measure to himself. A fail safe that would balance or destroy Shadow if need be.

Sonic was a hedgehog as well, but he was a bright cobalt blue with emerald green eyes in contrast to Shadow. He was given his name due to his sonic-esc capabilities. He could run at sonic speeds, nothing other than Shadow could come close to his levels in speed. He had a sonic frequency scream, it was always a hazard risk getting him to test it because of just how high and powerful the screech could get. And he could harness his energy to create attacks he labeled 'Sonic Boom' and 'Phantom Rush', needless to say the attacks could do some serious damage at his level of speeds.

When they had introduced Sonic to Shadow, they feared they would be enemies, that there would be hostility between the two, yet it was the opposite in fact.

With Maria around, the two became close, very close in fact. The word that was muttered between the scientists was 'lovers' to describe the relationship Shadow had with Sonic.

When G.U.N. had attacked all those years ago, Shadow thought he lost Sonic the same way, but it seems he wasn't the only one sent down to the planet in a capsule, just waiting to be awakened.

Shadow mentally thanked Maria for her last act of kindness. He returned his attention to the soldier, who was trying to claw out of his grasp but failing miserably. "Do not lie to me, when I ask where in the outskirts? North, South, East, or West?"

"S-South! Honest I-I swear!" The soldier answered in a panic.

"Thank you." Shadow responded, the soldier having hope in his eyes as the grip around lessened, genuinely thinking Shadow was about to spare him. The soldier barely had time to process what happened next. "Now die." Shadow crushed the soldiers neck like a twig, throwing the lifeless body aside.

Shadow pulled out the Chaos Emerald. "South…I'm coming Sonic. Chaos Control!" A green light envelopes Shadow; he is pulled across the area at an incredible speed, flying directly through the city, heading south.

Buildings blurred by as he continued heading south, the closer he got to the city's outskirts, the more he saw destroyed G.U.N. and police units. Shadow knew this wasn't his work, and judging just by how half of the destruction was cleanly cut in bits, and the other half was completely smashed flat, he knew it was the work of Sonic and his screech and energy attacks.

He sped up faster through the destruction, reaching a building that was barely standing, he stood on top of its remaining stand, over looking the destruction in it's entirety. He could feel rage, confusion, fear behind them.

Sonic must have woken up alone.

Shadow jumped down to the destroyed streets, surveilling the area for any signs of life, from the looks of it though, it seems Sonic did a number on everything as the southern outskirts were dead silent, activating his air shoes, he ran forward through the streets. If the other was in the southern outskirts, then he just had to keep going south and eventually he would run into him.

Shadow ran through the outskirts for about five minutes when he saw G.U.N. surrounding someone up ahead. He snarled at the surrounding soldiers and their robotics.

When he got closer, his heart skipped a beat.

"We have you surrounded! Don't resist!" Yelled a soldier holding a gun. He had his weapon pointed at the suspect.

The suspect in question was a cobalt blue hedgehog, who had streaks of white around his eyes and a long streak across the center of his eyes going all the way back down his center quill. He had white marks around his mouth, almost mimicking the icon used for volume sound. In contrast to Shadow who wore gold around his wrists and ankles, Sonic wore silver around his wrists, ankles, and neck. His right arm and leg were almost like water yet still completely solid, while his left arm and leg had a white streak wrapping around them in a downward spiral wrap around.

Shadow could tell Sonic had overdid it with his screech, his eyes were hazy and unfocused, a sign of using his screech one too many times in a row.

Something in the other snapped, seeing the soldiers take another step closer to Sonic. How his blood boiled with pure rage, how it consumed him, as his own appearance went from looking like a normal mobian hedgehog, to the center red streak in his quills became scales, the other red streaks hardening and spikes standing on the ends, his pupils became slits, his fangs grew, and his tail grew longer, spikes growing down it as scales became the ending point.

"YOU GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!" Yelled Shadow, as he disappeared into thin air, the soldiers frantically looking around for which direction that yell came from. Shadow then reappeared in front of Sonic, keeping him away from the G.U.N. soldiers.

The soldiers panicked for a second as their leader immediately yelled to open fire, but that couldn't happen, they barely had any reaction time when--"CHAOS CONTROL!!" --a powerful surge of chaos energy shook through the ground, causing an earthquake…no it shattered the ground beneath the soldiers and they all fell into the depths, a painful descent as the Chaos Energy sent pure electrocutions throughout them and their machinery.

A terrifying display of power, as it was all consumed by a cloud of debris. When the debris cloud vanished, Shadow was catching his breath. He had used quite a bit of chaos energy in his fit of rage.

Suddenly, Shadow felt himself being hugged from behind. "This isn't a dream right…? I'm not hallucinating, right…?" Sonic asked, hesitance lacing his voice. Scared that if he let Shadow go, he would vanish into thin air.

Shadow allowed himself this moment of relief, with no soldiers in sight or no indication any more were on the way, he dropped his guard. He turned around and pulled Sonic into his arms, holding him close and tight, as Sonic practically melted into his arms, burying his face into Shadow's chest.

"I thought I lost you…" Shadow muttered into Sonic's quills.

"I thought the same, when I woke up all alone in those green fields…what happened?" Sonic asked, still not fully awake from the fifty year long nap he had been in.

Shadow pulled away from the hug, but held Sonic's hand tight within his own. "I'll explain later on the ARK. Right now we need to leave before more G.U.N. soldiers show up."

>>> 22:18 "In the Pyramid" : Desert Area

Meanwhile, back at Eggman's hidden base, Agent Rouge has snuck inside. Once she saw the coast was clear, she reached up to her ear and turned on her communicator. "This is Agent Rouge, I've located Eggman's base and will proceed to enter it now." She said, receiving a 'Roger that, keep us updated, over' in response from the G.U.N. Agent on the other line.

Taking a look at the inner entrance of the base, she noticed it was heavily locked down, the door that led to where she needed to go needed at least three keys to open. She sighed. "Hah...I hate to say it. I guess I'm going to have to find that key first."

Luckily she wasn't an expert treasure hunter for nothing, she found all three keys with ease, placing them in the doorway once she was back at the inner entrance. Once each key was in place, they automatically turned to unlock. Giving Rouge access to the innermost workings for Eggman's base.

Eventually she reached the room with the terminal that Eggman saw the news report from along with the transporter to the ARK. She approached the computer and began typing away at it, hoping to find some answers within its data base to what was going on.

"This device-- gasp -- it’s a transporter with its destination set to the ARK?! Wasn't that space colony shut down, over fifty years ago? What's he doing up there, anyway? Doesn't matter. It's my mission to find out what he's up to!" She said with determination. She typed in a few commands and then stepped inside the transporter, once she was on it, the transporter activated, sending her to its destination.

>>> 22:41 Inside the Space Colony: ARK

Rouge was not far off Eggman's trail, as the Doctor had only been on board a few minutes. He was making his way through the twists and turns of the colony. "So this is the space colony ARK. I have to locate the central control room that Shadow mentioned before he left." Eggman said to himself, he needed answers on what Shadow meant when he left that military base.

He began to make his way through the ARK, unlike before where almost every security measure at the military base attacked him, it was quite a simple walk through in the ARK. Shadow must have been responsible for that.

Soon the doctor was at the center control room, where Shadow stood in front of a terminal with a weird device hooked up to it, and…he wasn't alone. "Shadow! What's the meaning of this?!" Eggman questioned.

The two hedgehogs turned around. Shadow taking the first initiative. "I've been waiting for you Doctor." He spoke, turning around and offering his hand to the mysterious blue hedgehog, who was clearly on the defensive towards Eggman, but clearly trusted Shadow. The doctor couldn't help but wonder who he was and what he had to do with Shadow. "Allow me to introduce you to my other half, Sonic. I'm not surprised he was not in the database of your research, they corrupted all his files in the system." Shadow explained.

"Your, other half? What does that mean exactly Shadow, that doesn't explain what you meant when you left the military base." Eggman further questioned.

"It means that he's my equal. You don't need to know anymore than that. Now, I will show the glorious achievement of what the world's leading scientist - Professor Gerald has created." Shadow exclaimed.

On cue, the device behind the two hedgehogs came alive. The doctor stared in awe as the device came online. This time, the blue hedgehog known as Sonic spoke, Eggman was surprised, for a second he considered the other couldn't talk. "The ARK was the first space colony created by mankind. Not many people know that the ARK contained a top-secret research facility, where weapons of mass destruction were being created. This is one of them; a weapon capable of destroying an entire planet. Codenamed: "The Eclipse Cannon." Sonic explained.

The doctor couldn't believe his ears or eyes. "Destroying an entire planet...? Was this my grandfather's legacy?"

"But, it's been deactivated for some time now…" Shadow stated.

Shadow pulled out the chaos emerald he had stolen from the federal-reserve bank, tossing it into one of the seven slots on the device. It fit perfectly in and the device loudly hummed as the chaos energy pulsed through it, giving it more power.

"To reactivate it... large amounts of energy are necessary." Shadow explained.

Suddenly it all made sense to the doctor. "Oh, so that's why we needed the Chaos Emerald. But what about that one thing in exchange?"

"Exactly. To reactivate the machine, we need the seven Chaos Emeralds. Once you have that, then you have the ultimate power of destruction, to use as you please. And then... the world could be yours. As for your follow up question, I have no more need for that exchange, what I needed is here with me now." Shadow vaguely explained, but Eggman could tell he was referring to Sonic, with how his body language kept ensuring Sonic stayed behind him, the other seemed fine with that, not wanting to be involved in the whole ordeal, clearly he has seen some things to warrant the trust issues.

Eggman burst into a joyful laughter. "Hahahahahaha!! Sounds like a plan! I like the way you think, Shadow! I will get the Chaos Emeralds, use the machine to dominate the world and build a legacy of my own!" With this cannon, his empire can finally come into being, and no one can stop him, not even that pesky Amy Rose!

"Do you really think it will be that easy?" A new voice from above spoke, having all three look up to the ceiling. It was Rouge, who was gracefully gliding down from where she was hidden.

Once she was within listening distance, she started talking. "I've got a great idea! How about making a deal?" She suggested.

"A…deal?" Eggman questioned.

"When you grabbed that huge Emerald, you said something about a reaction; a reaction that it may have with the Master Emerald. Now, if you could just let me borrow that radar, I may be able to help you. What do you think?" Rouge elaborated, a cunning smile on her face.

But Eggman was still suspicious. "If I do... what's in it for me?"

Success, she had him right where she wanted him. "I have an idea where the other Chaos Emeralds may be. I may not look like it, but do you know that I am a treasure hunter that specializes in all kinds of jewels?"

With that said, Rouge pulled out a chaos emerald from within her coat, leaving Eggman stunned. How in the world did she snatch a chaos emerald, not knowing what to say, Eggman looked towards Shadow.

Shadow simply nodded in agreement to Rouge's terms. So with everyone in agreement, Eggman turned his attention back to Rouge. "Very well."

"Okay then, it's a deal. I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Rouge the Bat. But, you can call me Rouge." She introduced herself as her and Eggman left the central control room to discuss further details and to give Rouge access to the radar, leaving the two hedgehogs alone.

"You sure were vague with the Doctor." Sonic said to the other.

"If at any point he becomes a traitor, I don't want him having an advantage over us." Shadow responded.

Sonic was touched, leaning his head on Shadow's shoulder. "Nothing my screech can't handle -- sigh-- you're really going through with this?" Sonic asked, needing to know for certain if this is what Shadow wanted.

"I promised, that day this is what I promised. Now, I can go through knowing her last act of kindness was not in vain." Shadow said, turning to face the other, with his free hand he rested it against Sonic's cheek, watching how Sonic melted into his touch. He leaned his forehead against Sonic's, just taking in the moment, letting himself forget the outside world, only focusing on Sonic.

"Those chaos emeralds aren't going to collect themselves now, where do we begin?" Sonic asked, no matter what happens, he'll have Shadow's back.

Shadow was grateful that through it all, he still had Sonic. "Prison Island, we'll set off before noon."

>>> 11:13 "Prison Island: Coastline"

The four were now within a forest of Prison Island, Eggman was not exactly pleased about being back here after the last time.

"Having to come back isn't my idea of a vacation! How can you be sure your intelligence reports are correct? Why would the Chaos Emeralds be here on the island? Are you absolutely sure?!" Eggman heavily questioned Rouge, who had been the one to lead them back here for the chaos emeralds.

"Well, believe what you wanna believe." Was all Rouge said, shrugging her shoulders. But her confidence is what made the doctor calm down enough to think.

"Hmm, very well. Let's discuss how we are going to do this. I will go in first and distract the military troupes, allowing you to sneak in the base without being detected." The doctor began to explain, he then pointed at Shadow. "Then, Shadow will... enter the armory, where he will set the timer on these dynamite packs. Once that is in place, we will blow up the whole island before anyone has a chance to know what hit them!" He then pointed to Rouge. "Meanwhile, you will sneak into the cargo area and grab the Chaos Emeralds. That's a challenge for such a worthy treasure hunter as yourself, isn't it bat-girl?"

Rouge simply saluted with a wink towards Eggman.

"Don't think I forgot about you, Sonic." Eggman then pointed his attention to the cobalt blue hedgehog. "I have a sneaky suspicion a thorn in my side will show up and try to stop us. I want you to be on the look out for them." Eggman explained.

Sonic looked at the other with a arched eyebrow. "And this thorn in your side is??" He dragged out, emphasizing for Eggman to further elaborate who he was talking about.

"Her name is Amy "Rascal" Rose, she's a hedgehog like you, a pink one, and you could say she's the hero of this world. She's been nothing but a thorn in my side with her companions, an echidna named Knuckles, and a twin tailed fox named Tails. Your job will be to keep them from disrupting our plans before the island blows up, got it?" Eggman concluded.

Sonic just nodded.

"We only have thirteen minutes to pull this mission off, and we only get one try; so don't fail me!" With that final statement from Eggman, everyone left in separate directions.

The first step of the plan was going accordingly, the military troupes put all their attention on Eggman and his path of destruction, that the other three went completely unnoticed. Eventually Eggman had cleared out the entire port of the base.

This allowed him to regroup with Sonic, who was at the other end of take off zone of a G.U.N. battleship, Shadow and Rouge had already snuck inside, so he was left to stay watch.

>>> On the G.U.N. Battleship

"Okay, everyone ready? Shadow, Rouge, on with the show!" Eggman spoke into the comms. Just as the doctor finished his sentence, a hauntingly familiar hammer came flying towards him from behind, the only reason it didn't hit him was because Sonic reacted much quicker and kicked it away mid air.

"I knew you were behind this, Eggman!" It was her, Eggman couldn't mistake that voice anywhere, as he turned around in his Egg-Mobile. Sure enough, there was Amy, in her iconic red headband and her playing card styled dress.

"What are you doing here on a military base?!" She demanded, clearly he was up to no good as usual, but never to this extent.

"I'm the one who should be asking that question! Never mind that, I have more important matters to attend to, she's all yours Sonic, don't let me down." Eggman said, taking off in the opposite direction of the two.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Amy yelled, as she tried to give chase after Eggman, but was stopped by Sonic cutting in front of her. "What the- he's so fast…" Amy whispered in awe at the blue hedgehog's speed.

"That hammer of yours in no joke, I hope you can put up a good fight." Sonic said, before taking off at his high speeds, attacking Amy from every side.

Amy was quick with her reactions, while she had trouble keeping her eyes on the blue blur, she could sense when he stopped to attack and she could then block him with her hammer. But currently that's all she could do, was block. The other was purposely trying to keep her from being able to properly dodge or attack.

It was sooner than later that he kicked her hammer out of her hands, and had his hand at her throat, prepared to stab through if she tried anything funny. "You're very impressive, only one other can block my speed attacks." He praised.

"Why?" Amy asked, panting from the constant attacks. "Why are you working with Eggman of all people? Don't you know he's the bad guy? And why don't you kill me?"

The question made Sonic hesitate, a barely visible startle came out of him. "My orders were to keep you at bay, not kill you." Sonic answered.

But that didn't answer Amy's other question. "You don't look like a bad guy, so why are you helping one?" She asked again.

"I'm not helping HIM. Don't compare me to the likes of him." Sonic spat, clearly she hit a nerve there. But if he isn't helping Eggman like he claims then who?

In his eyes, Amy could see confusion, hurt, scared even. But most of all, she could see doubt in those emerald green eyes. " --deep breath-- Why don't you help me stop him? You really look like you have a kind heart, so why not team up and defeat Eggman together?" She asked, slowly offering her hand to the other, a gentle smile on her face.

Sonic clearly didn't expect this supposed "thorn" in Eggman's side to offer him kindness and compassion. He dropped his hand from where he had it pointed at her neck, her kindness reminded him of someone familiar…her smile, it was like Maria's.

"I see why you're the hero of this world, your compassion is boundless." He said, Amy taken aback by the statement.

"I just believe everyone deserves a second chance if they are willing to try." She responded.

For a moment, Sonic considered the offer, taking her hand, but he smacked it away. Surprising the other. "Unfortunately, you may not show my equal the same compassion. I will not fall victim to your tricks and deceptions."

Sonic jumped back, and was prepared to attack, when a vehicle suddenly landed between them. It was the twin tailed fox Eggman had mentioned, Tails.

"Boy, am I glad to see you! You're timing couldn't be more perfect Tails!" Amy boistered, relief that Tails showed up in the knick of time.

The fox wore a technical visor on his left eye, along with a dark blue jacket. "You're the one that was impatient and couldn't wait for my map to load in." Tails said sarcastically. Amy letting out a nervous laugh, as she shrugged in response to Tails. "Leave him to me Amy, you go after Eggman!"

"Roger that Tails." Amy took off after that, grabbing her hammer and leaving the mysterious hedgehog to Tails.

>>> In the Security Hall

"I'm in position, doctor. Tell me when." Shadow spoke from his comms, waiting for the signal to set the timer on the explosive.

"There's been an unexpected delay on my end. There's no more time to waste. Set the timer for 15 minutes! Let's go, Rouge!" Eggman yelled from his comms, you could clearly hear him being chased by more military troupes in the background.

"Five minutes should be plenty! Here I go!" Rouge exclaimed, having entered the secured storage room with ease. With a leap, she landed on the walkway of the storage room from where she had hidden, and began her search immediately.

Sure enough, five minutes was more than plenty, as in two minutes she had found all three chaos emeralds that had been hidden and stored away on the base. Honestly it felt too easy, and she would be correct.

As when you was just about to leave the storage room, a large military robot appeared and blocked her escape. Flying dog could be read on its side. "Looks like I'll have to get my hands dirty for this one." She said, hiding away the chaos emeralds, and prepared to fight the robot.

It was big, but it was no match for Rouge and her cunning skills, it didn't stand a chance against her

Air-born attacks and soon collapsed into a pile of rubble.

Unfortunately, sometime during the fight, the room got locked down, it was sealed tight with no way out. She couldn't die here, not when she was so close. "This is Rouge. I've got a small problem... I can't believe that I'm trapped inside this locked safe with the Chaos Emeralds! I guess I won't be able to call myself a treasure hunter anymore…" She spoke into her comm, unwillingly admitting defeat.

>>> In the White Jungle

The one that caught this first, was Shadow who had been walking back through the jungle.One of the dynamite packs that Shadow set is at "00:09:54" until its detonation. Shadow pauses, thinking of Rouge, and then he recalls how Maria was in the same situation; laying helpless against a wall, waiting for her own inevitable death to come.

"Ah... shoot. Troublemaker!" He said, turning around and heading back to the base for Rouge and the chaos emeralds.

He flew through the jungle at record speed, he was nearly back at the base when he got met with an obstacle. That pink hedgehog Eggman warned them about.

She looked up at where Shadow stood on a tree branch. "Are you that guy's friend? The one he called his equal?" She asked, but was on the defensive, prepared to attack. Just like Sonic, this guy looked like no joke but unlike Sonic, this one looked fully ready to kill without hesitation.

"You dare speak of him? Hah! You think you're worthy enough to speak of him?" Shadow spoke.

"Wow you're very egotistical for a fake hedgehog!" Amy retorted.

"Faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here." Shadow said, a smirk on his face.

"Well then, why don't you come down here and say it to my face!" Amy yelled.

Shadow jumped down to the ground. "If you insist." With that said, the two began to duke it out.

Shadow had to give it to Amy, she was a very skilled fighter. That hammer of hers was extremely heavy to the average person, but she wielded it like it was nothing, as she swung it with skill and grace at Shadow.

But Shadow was quicker, dodging each swing like nothing. He didn't have time for this, so with a swift kick, he knocked the hammer out of Amy's hands, before spin dashing towards her when she was distracted.

The dynamite now read 00:01:25, as Amy was caught between a rock and hard place, the two hedgehogs panting from their fight. Suddenly, Shadow's radio starts to beep. It was the doctor again. "Shadow?! What are you doing?! Get back here right now before the island blows up with you on it!"

"I'm sorry- Blows up?!" Amy exclaimed in shock. Shadow looked at her, but then jumps back and runs off. With the dynamite at 00:00:56, he makes it into the security vault where Rouge is. She looks surprised that he came, and he runs to her. He reaches his hand out to the Emeralds at he gets closer.

"Chaos Control!" He yelled.They both warp out of the vault, barely making it out before the dynamite packs - which reads 00:00:03 - blow up. The dynamite that Shadow set blow up the island, and a blast obscures all sight of the isle, covering it from end to end.

>>> ARK

Shadow stood alone in one of the many rooms of the ARK, staring at the planet below. He was reminiscing, as another memory came back to him after saving Rouge back on the island.

He remembers standing in front of this very window back then, with Maria by his side. How curious she was about the planet below. "Shadow, what do you think it's like on earth?" The conversation he had with her back then still so clear.

"The professor said his life's work was dedicated to all of those who live down there. He once told that the reason for his existence was, making people happy through the power of science." He had responded to her.

"Shadow…"

"Maria... I just don't know anything anymore... I often wonder why I was created; what my purpose if for being here. Maybe if I go down there, I... I will find the answers... maybe... ...Maria…" Was what he had said back then.

The memory faded from his mind, when he heard the metal door way open. It was Rouge and Sonic.

"Why so melancholy?" She asked Shadow. Shadow paused, he didn't say anything as the two got closer, Sonic more closer as he entwined his arms around Shadow's. Shadow returning the gesture and holding the other's hand.

Rouge chuckled. "It's cute what you two have. That was so unexpected. So unlike you, Shadow, to come and rescue me. But your ability to use the Chaos Control, certainly comes in handy." She offered in compliment to the other.

"Hmm, you know... I didn't come to save you. I came back for the Chaos Emeralds." Shadow deflected.

"Yeah, yeah. But then again, that's not the whole story, now, is it?" She questioned, trying to get one of the two to open up. But in that moment, Eggman walked into the room, stretching his arms, entering the room with a sigh.

"Everything is ready to go!" Eggman proclaimed.

Rouge was skeptical. "Are you sure? We only have six of the seven Chaos Emeralds, you know." She tried to reason with the doctor, contemplating the what if's the could occur without its full power source activated and in place.

"That's more than enough for the demonstration. So let's get this show on the road!" Sonic said, with a unreadable smile on his face, leading Shadow out of the room with him. The two walking to Eggman, and he steps out of his way, looking a tad surprised.

The two walked the hallway towards the control center room alone, giving them a moment to speak their minds. "I don't like how impatient he is. How power hungry he is, he's nothing like the Professor." Sonic said with a tch in his tone.

"Just a little more, and then we won't have to worry about it." Shadow reassured his other half, gently kissing Sonic's hand that was entwined with his.

"I really hope you know and understand what you're doing Shadow." Sonic sighed, the two entering the control center room, now they just had to wait.

>>> The Eggman Empire. "Day X 18:00"

It was nighttime in the city, when the giant television above the city came alive. Eggman has projected himself onto every television across the world.

"Bwahahahaha!! Citizens of earth, lend me your ears and listen to me very carefully... My name is Doctor Eggman, the world's greatest scientist and soon to be the world's greatest ruler. Now witness the beginning of the greatest empire of all time! Hahaha!" He proudly exclaimed.

In outer space, an asteroid cracks its lower half off, revealing a design reminiscent of Eggman's face. The 'nose' area splits apart into four stems, at the center of which is the Eclipse Cannon. The four stems begin radiating an energy net, which the Cannon launches straight through the sky at the Moon. Its side is completely torn off, and fire can be seen inside.

It sent fear into the hearts of everyone in the planet, as the last thing they heard from the projection that was being televised- "Bwahahahahaha! Bwahahahaha!!" Was Eggman's maniacal laugh, as a timer counting down from 24:00:00:00 appears on the televisions; when it times out, the Cannon will fire again, this time at earth.

>>> Back on the ARK

For such a grand display and speech,Eggman is currently hitting the terminal for the Cannon in frustration. This baffled Rouge. "Why are you so upset? Well that was really impressive. You managed to create complete havoc on the whole planet! Does this now mean we control the planet and can do as we choose?" She asked.

Shadow walked into the terminal room at that moment. "At this rate, the cannon will take too much time to charge up. If you want to unleash its full potential, you'll need all seven Chaos Emeralds." He explained.

"Where in the world have you been?!" Eggman demanded, getting a silent glare from the other.

Rouge looked around, not seeing Sonic who was normally glued to Shadow's side. She looked at Shadow. "Something happened?" She asked. Shadow caught what she was really asking, but he wasn't letting the doctor in on that conversation. "Our threats fell on deaf ears." He bluntly stated.

Rouge turned her attention back to Eggman, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with Shadow. "Look at you, throwing a tantrum like a little kid. How totally embarrassing."

The doctor was not having this. "Don't forget your end of the bargain, Bat-girl! What about that last Chaos Emerald?! We had a deal, right?! So where is my Emerald?" He egged on, pun not intended.

With her signature smile, she held out a newspaper in front of Eggman. "Here you go. I found this!" She said with a smug grin on her face.

Eggman was in shock. "Why didn't you show me this before?!" He grabbed the newspaper. "What's this...? "Station Square saved from a life-threatening missile attack. The city has awarded its famed prize to the boy who saved Station Square... Miles 'Tails' Prower was given the Chaos Emerald as a testament of his heroic deed at a ceremony held at city Hall." He cleared his throat. "This makes things a whole lot easier. Hurry, go back to earth and find them fast! I want that Chaos Emerald!!" The doctor leaving the room, ranting on about his big empire plans.

Rouge looked towards Shadow. "Did you get that?"

Shadow was muttering to himself though. "Soon enough... Maria…"

Rouge was a little surprised, as Shadow walked away towards the exit. She waited to be sure the other two were gone, once the coast was clear, she pulled out her radio and began talking. "This is Rouge reporting. Currently, I have not been able to confirm if Shadow is the Ultimate Life Form or not. I will continue my research on Project Shadow, and have a follow-up report very shortly. Just a reminder... don't forget about my jewels." She could have mentioned Sonic, but he wasn't on file nor part of the job description. Her mission was Project Shadow.

"A double agent? Can't say I'm surprised." A voice spoke once she shut off her radio. Rouge could have sworn the coast was clear, but then again, Sonic was the textbook definition of speed.

She looked up and saw him sitting on top of the terminal's monitor. "How much did you hear?" She asked, on the defensive if he tried anything funny.

Sonic simply tilted his head at her, those emerald green eyes staring right through her. "Enough, that I could easily tell Shadow. But frankly speaking--" He jumped down from the monitor and was now directly in front of Rouge. "-- I don't care that you're an agent. What you do isn't my business." He said nonchalantly, shrugging at the end of his sentence.

"But?" Rouge prodded on. There was a catch, there had to be a catch. There's no way Sonic was just going to leave it at that.

"But word of advice, report back anything that will have those agents chasing after him or me, you'll be the first one I target." Sonic's tone left no room for disagreement. Those eyes felt so soulless as they looked directly at Rouge's.

"Keep that in mind, and I'll play along. I'm just here for Shadow after all, what the rest of you do is not my problem." Sonic ended, and then proceeded to leave the room.

Rouge couldn't help but wonder just what was Sonic's deal.

>>> Sky Rail's vicinity

Shadow stood on top of a small pillar, walkie talkie in hand as he looked up towards the sky. He raised the comm to his head, it came alive with Rouge reporting from her side. "Shadow! They're in that blue plane, spotted at 11 o'clock!"

"Copy that, I'm in pursuit." Shadow responded, ending the communication and giving chase after the blue plane.

Shadow gave chase, until he saw the blue plane going over Eggman's base, he made a full stop and contacted Eggman on the comms. "Doctor, they're heading directly toward us. What should we do?"

"Just sit tight, I've got them on radar. There's no way they can get away! I don't know what they are planning, but I'll be sure to give them a warm welcome." The doctor was confident in his plan as he ended the communication. He just had to wait his time patiently, let those little pests think they got the upper hand.

>>> 14:58 "In the pyramid"

Eggman was honestly enjoying them find all the keys needed to access the inside of his pyramid base. None of them even questioning why the keys were so easy to find and in such interesting places. He could hear them conversing in the distance.

"Huh… That was pretty rough." That was clearly Knuckles, Eggman watched as he hunted down all three access keys.

"We did it! Let's go Amy!" Tails was cheering.

"Yeah! Let's finish this!" Amy had agreed with just as much enthusiasm.

Oh but Eggman wasn't just about to let them have their perfect victory, their surprise looks on their faces when he appeared before them was proof enough that they thought they were being sneaky. "You little thieves! Did you really think you could get out of here alive?"

He had them right where he wanted them. But of course they wouldn't go down without a fight. As Amy was quick to draw her hammer. "Come and get some, Eggman!"

"Amy wait!" Tails tried to reason with her. But she offered the other one of her reassuring smiles. "Just leave it to me! You and Knuckles get out of here!"

"This time, I'll take your lives as well as the Chaos Emerald. I call on you to destroy these pests. Come out, my servant!" Eggman called out, the ground began to shake, as from the sands in the center of the room ahead, a giant Egg Golem ascended.

"Impressive Eggman, but that's just a giant piece of rock ready for my hammer!" Amy yelled, as it looks down at her. The Egg Golem easily towers over the room.

"Now go… and squash that thorn of a hedgehog, Amy!" Eggman commanded his golem. Watching as the battle commenced. This was it, this is where he gets his final victory against Amy and her pesky friends.

Or so he thought, but Amy was smart, as she jumps at the Egg Golem's Head, and smashes her hammer on top of its head, destroying the device that was on top of it. "Ha! Home run!" She proclaimed victoriously.

It was like slow motion as the device on the Golem's head exploded once Amy had smashed it to pieces, and the Egg Golem swivels its head around several times. Amy taking her leave to catch up with her friends, leaving Eggman to deal with the fallout of his failed attempt.

"When Amy struck his head, she must have broken the restraining mechanism! Arrgh! What a piece of junk!" The doctor loudly complained as the Egg Golem's head stopped spinning in circles.

Once it stopped, the Egg Golem looks down at Eggman, and starts to reach for him. Oh this is not good. "No!" Eggman yelled.

While Eggman was dealing with the now freed Golem. The pyramid's top opens up, revealing a large rocket. An automatic voice could heard once the rocket was in place. "Green light for launch! Primary engine ignition on! Beginning lift-off countdown!" In the distance, Amy could be seen running onto the rocket. " 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Shuttle lift-off!"

And just like that, the rocket took off for its destination. The ARK.

>>> ARK: Central control room / Cannon countdown: 2 hours 7 seconds

Back on the ARK, Rouge was once again in the control room containing the eclipse cannon. She was currently talking to Eggman on the communication lines. "Hi doctor. How's it going? What! What do you mean they escaped? That's OK. I will go after them myself. Can you tell me the password for the space colony control?"

Ever the fool Eggman was, as he easily gave her the password without a thought. She quickly ended the communication once she got the information she needed. Rouge couldn't help but giggle on how predictable Eggman was. "Hmm… tricking that old doctor is just too easy! Alright, it's time to get to work. The password is "MA-RI-A". Maria… hmmm? I've heard that name somewhere before. Oh well…"

She wasn't here to debate on what names were familiar. She was her for her mission, as she began search through large groupings of data on the monitor, but being the keen treasure hunter and agent she was, she quickly found what she was sent here for. "This is it! Research Project Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form. Let's see now… What in the world is this?" She gasped, she couldn't believe here eyes, what she was reading.

"I warned you, bite off more than you can chew and you'll choke." Sonic spoke from behind Rouge, startling her in the process.

"This can't be right! Just what is Shadow, anyway?" She asked the other, needing confirmation on what she was seeing was false. It had to be false, it just didn't make any sense.

Sonic merely shrugged. "That's not any of your business now is it. You got what you came here for, don't push your luck, Agent Rouge." Sonic said, an unreadable expression on his face.

Suddenly, a warning message comes on, showing Amy, Tails, and Knuckles in a hallway in the ARK. Guess her questioning will have to wait for another time. She faced Sonic, giving him a salute with a wink, her cunning smile across her face.

"Hmmm, I guess I'll just have to take the last pieces of the Master Emerald!" She then flew off, leaving Sonic alone with the still open data files.

He approached the monitor, looking up at it and its data contents. "Ultimate Life Form huh?" He said, with an almost sad tone in his voice, as he cleared the data search and tried typing in "Project Sonic" to see if anything would come up.

All Sonic got was an error screen, saying the files he was trying to access were all corrupted, erased long ago by some unknown force. "I don't mind being hidden. This just makes things less complicated for me. The world does not need to know of Project Sonic." He said, clearing the monitor entirely, leaving it blank.

Despite what he thought he feel if he searched it, Sonic was just filled with determination. This way, he could forge his own path once this was all over. All he needed was Shadow by his side, no data books telling him what he is, and what he's supposed to be. Just him and Shadow, that's all he wanted.

>>> ARK: Central Tower- Meteor Herd

"Long time no see treasure hunter. Did you find MY Emeralds?" Rouge said, being face to face with Knuckles once again. She was honestly impressed he got this far.

"That's a good one! YOUR Emerald. Talking to you is a waste of time!" Knuckles retorted. At this point, he was done trying to talk his way with Rouge, now it's time to let their fists do the talking.

They were pretty evenly matched, their fight kept them moving throughout the area, until eventually the two were standing on crosswalks above the lava at the tower's base.

They both breathe heavily from exhaustion, then speak in unison. "Whew-! Stop fooling around, and give me back MY Emeralds!" Both were taken aback at their in sync yelling.

"What are you babbling about? You call yourself a hunter? Attacking a lady… Shame on you!" Rouge lectured, turning her head to her side at the end of it.

"What kind of lady goes around stealing gems, anyway?" Knuckles questioned.

"Those belong to me--" Rouge sentence went unfinished, as when she took a step back mid sentence, she misplaced her footing and tripped, falling off the crosswalk towards the lava. "Aahhh! Aaaaaaahhh!" She screamed.

As Rouge falls down from the platform, Knuckles grabs on to her arm. She was baffled by this. "What in the world?"

Knuckles pulls her back up, and they both look at each other for a second. But then Rouge backs up. "Keep your hands to yourself! Don't touch me!" Rouge exclaimed.

"Is that how you say thanks to someone who just saved your life?" Said Knuckles.

"Saving my life, don't think I owe you one! You just wanted to hold my hand, didn't you? That's why you saved me! You're such a creep!" Rouge retorted.

Knuckles stared at her, completely baffled. "This isn't a joke, you know! Think what you want bat girl. I was saving the Master Emerald."

Again with this, Rouge was getting annoyed with this whole thing. She sighed. "No matter what you say, it sounds crazy!" Yet despite what she said, she tossed the Emerald Shards to Knuckles.

Knuckles looked down at the Emerald Shards before looking back at Rouge. "Wha…?" The Echidna was confused.

"Fine, then just take them. They stink like echidnas do." She said.

"If that's what you thought, you should have given me them in the first place!" Knuckles said, scooping them up off the platform, and puts the Master Emerald back together.

Seeing the Master Emerald filled Knuckles with relief. "Finally!" He said, looking back up at Rouge to see her turned away when he looked at her.

"What?" She confronted.

"I'm sorry… if I hurt you." Knuckles apologized, before running off to help Amy.

Rouge looks up into the air. "We should get going." She said softly. She turned to leave, then looks back where Knuckles was, faintly smiling, before running off.

>>> In the Pyramid/Cannon Countdown: 58 minutes.

In the pyramid base's transporter room, Eggman is looking at a surveillance footage of Amy, and Tails before switching to viewing a diagram of the ARK.

"What is Rouge up to, anyway?" Eggman asked himself.

"Does it matter?" A voice came from above Eggman, it was Sonic sitting on top of the monitor.

"How did you- never mind it doesn't matter. That's not a seat you know." Eggman said.

Sonic didn't offer a response, simply pointed at the screen. Pulling Eggman's attention back to it.

The map shows two Chaos Emeralds; both the fake and the real one. "This is strange. It's showing energy readings from two separate Chaos Emeralds!" Eggman exclaimed.

"Sounds like they planned to trick you with a fake. I heard them say it mimics the actual emerald almost to a T, but it's nearly not as powerful." Sonic said, a smug tone in his voice.

Eggman was not pleased with this. "Did they really think they could trick me with that fake emerald?!"

Shadow who had silently walked into the room, was about to turn around and deal with their intruders, but was stopped by Eggman. "Wait, Shadow! I'm the one who should be telling them the end is near, not you!" With that said, Eggman left the room, leaving the two hedgehogs alone.

"When did you notice the emerald was a fake?" Shadow asked Sonic, the other jumping down from the monitor and making his way towards Shadow.

"The walls have ears, by which I mean I eavesdropped on their conversations. Didn't think they were serious about the fake emerald though." Sonic said, a nonchalant smile on his face, shrugging at the end of his sentence.

Shadow grabbed Sonic by the waist, pulling the other in and kissing him. Sonic was taken aback for a few seconds, before happily returning the kiss. "You're incredible you know that?" Shadow said first, a smirk on his face when the two separated.

"I know, but I wouldn't mind you telling me again." Sonic replied, a smile on his face. With the alone time the two had, it was enough to give each other affection without being caught by the others, so they quickly took advantage of it.

>>> Meanwhile

"Now is the time to end this long drawn-out battle, and mark myself a place in history as the ultimate genius!" Eggman exclaimed, knowing if something happened to him, he could leave it to Shadow and Sonic. He started up his Egg mobile, and began making his way to the transporter. "Hurry! The moment for attack has come! It's now, or never!" With that said, Eggman steps onto the transporter, and is sent to the ARK.

>>> ARK

At some point during their exploration, Amy and Tails got separated. "Darn it, I told him to not split up from me!" Amy said frustrated, trying to navigate the confusing layout of the ARK.

She didn't notice Eggman walking up behind her, and pointing a gun at her. "Well, well, young lady? Is there something I can help you with?" He asked.

"EGGMAN-?!" Amy exclaimed, jumping back and away from Eggman, summoning her hammer and was prepared to fight with the doctor.

"If you value your life, you will tell me where Tails and the chaos emerald are!" Eggman threatened. At that moment,Tails enters the room in the Cyclone, Eggman still having the gun pointed at Amy.

"Let's take care of business first, shall we, Tails? Hand over the Chaos Emerald, slowly, and then we'll talk about your friend go. That is to say, if you really care about her." Eggman said smugly.

"Don't listen to him Tails, it's just another one of his schemes!" Amy said, trying to plan out a strategy.

Tails didn't say anything, as he took out the emerald, Eggman gesturing to Amy with the gun to walk forward. A small circle appeared on the floor, Eggman pointed to it. "Put the Emerald down right there and back off!" He said.

"You've turned into a big-time villain, doctor!" Amy said, and when she walked over the small circle, Eggman laughs and a capsule forms and traps her inside.

"What the-?!" She gasped.

"You thought you could trick me with that fake Emerald, didn't you?" Eggman called them out of their plan.

This confused Tails, how did Eggman find out? "So… how did you know it wasn't the real one?"

"Tails!" Amy yelled, sometimes forgetting that despite Tails being a genius, he's still naive at times.

"Heh, because you just told me, fox boy!" Eggman smugly laughed, he wasn't going to be a fool and them that Sonic caught them in the act. Tails gasped.

"Now, for a little space ride! Once the capsule clears the colony, BAM!" Eggman boasted.

"I'm counting on you Tails!" Amy yelled, as the capsule began to slowly descend.

"Farewell! Amy Rose!" Eggman said, and with a push of a remote control, the capsule ejects into space.

"Amy!" Tails yelled.

The capsule then exploded in space once it was far enough away from the ARK.

"Farewell Amy… My admirable adversary!" Eggman said.

"Amy!!!" Tails yelled, tears of anger falling down his cheeks, as Eggman turned around and pointed the gun at Tails.

"Now we have some unfinished business to take care of! If you give me the real Emerald, I will release you. You have my promise!" Eggman explained.

"Amy.." Tails whispered.

"Huh?" Eggman was confused.

With a new fire of determination, Tails was prepared to fight. "Amy has asked me for the first time to do something for her, I won't let her down. I won't give up!" Tails exclaimed.

>>> ARK: Central area/Cannon countdown: 21 minutes 7 seconds

A few minutes ago. From a room on the ARK, Shadow and Sonic see the capsule that Amy was launched out in explode.

"Guess she was a regular hedgehog after all." Shadow said, running his hand through Sonic's quills, as Sonic was looking out the window.

Sonic was silent, he had a bad feeling about all this. Something wasn't exactly right. "Shadow." Sonic spoke.

"Yes?" Shadow asked.

"The emeralds are unattended. Rouge is M.I.A." Was all Sonic said, but it was enough for Shadow to understand and go check the cannon, but before leaving Sonic alone in the room. "Shadow, she's a government agent." Sonic admitted, noticing the way Shadow froze for a second before walking to the control room.

Sonic simply returned to staring out the window. "I wonder, what running through out that planet would feel like..?"

>>> Central Control Room

True to Sonic's gut instinct, Rouge was walking up to the Emeralds.

"Legend has it, whenever the seven Chaos Emeralds are collected, the power creates a miracle. I have six of them. They're mine, all mine!" She proudly exclaimed.

"I don't think so." Shadow said, walking in the control room. Rouge turns to Shadow.

"Shadow?" Rouge questioned, caught off guard by Shadow's sudden appearance.

"So that was your plan from the very beginning, huh? Or was it a direct order from the President?Now I know who you are. You're that government spy, Rouge the Bat, aren't you?" Shadow caught her hook, line, and sinker.

"So you did your homework, is that it? Or did your little boyfriend rat me out? I would say that's an invasion of privacy." Rouge retorted.

"I could say the same thing about you." Shadow was quick with his replies.

But Rouge kept her cunning and calm exterior. "Hmmm! It looks like things aren't quite going your way, but since my job was done… I thought it was time to take what's mine and get out of this place." She said.

Shadow couldn't believe his ears. "You are one pathetic creature!"

"Hmmm, look who's talking? What about you?" Rouge asked, jumping down from the emeralds with a paper in hand. "Here are the results from the research project called the "Ultimate Life Form"." But on the paper in question, was not a picture of Shadow, but a different creature entirely.

"But, if this picture is of the real Ultimate Life Form named, Shadow… then exactly who or what is standing in front of me?" She begged the question.

At that moment, Eggman contacted Shadow from the walkie talkie. "This is Doctor Eggman! I have found all seven Chaos Emeralds! Shadow! Someone is trying to get to the Eclipse Cannon. There's not much time left before the cannon fires again. Can you get over there?" The doctor yelled from his end of the walkie talkie.

Shadow cut the communication, returning his attention to Rouge. "If you want to live, leave the Chaos Emeralds where they are. The fake Emerald is good enough for you!"

"Do you actually believe that you're the real Shadow?" Rouge asked, in awe shock at Shadow.

"No doubt!" Shadow knew who he was.

"Even your memories might not be real, you know?" She further questioned.

"Even if my memories are not real, it's still me, Shadow. And I will fulfill my promise to Maria, to Sonic, that's the only thing that matters to me now." Shadow then left to go deal with the intruder.

>>> Outside Space Colony ARK / Cannon countdown: 5 minutes 44 seconds

Amy was currently standing in a corridor that leads out of the ARK; Shadow walks up to her. "You never cease to surprise me pink hedgehog. I thought that the capsule you were in exploded in space." He said.

Amy chuckled. "What can I say, I'm a stubborn one." Picking up her running speed, and Shadow did the same.

"So, there's more to you than meets the eye. What are you anyway?" He asked her.

"Just a girl that loves adventuring with her friends, Amy Rose! And don't you forget it!" She happily proclaimed.

"I see. But you know, I can't let you live. Your adventuring days are coming to an end." And with that, the two began to fight once more.

>>> ARK: Central control room / Cannon countdown: 40 seconds

At the terminal for the Eclipse Cannon, Eggman walks in with the seventh Chaos Emerald. "Hahahahahaha! This completes my plan to take over the world! Now begins the glorious era of the Empire of Eggman!"

-End Dark Chapter-