#hahahaha guess who had the day off work and so decided to have avengers feels?

[writteninscarlet]

What If? ...Wanda told you she loved you? (accepting) ;; @mastcrmarksman

Clinton Francis Barton would make a lot of Top 10 lists for Wanda. For some, even Top 5.

Most annoying, worst jokes, who’d eaten the most pizza slices/doughnuts/etc from the floor…

He was also up there as a main contender for her favourite Avenger. And that wasn’t something she would be embarrassed to admit. Because quite frankly, Clint was AMAZING. He was quick-witted and though his jokes were badly timed (hilariously badly timed ha ha) and some simply were ‘dad jokes’ he was one of the few that could get her to laugh in a serious situation. Or when her depression hit hard. He was incredibly smart and talented. How he was able to make those trick arrows was beyond her. They required precision and an intimate knowledge, and credit where credit was due. And he kept up incredibly well for an archer amongst witches and Gods. He had the heart of a hero - and the bruises and x-ray scans of a stuntman. He was INCREDIBLE. He didn’t judge her - not for the simple things like being vegetarian or not drinking alcohol recently, or the bigger things and there were a LOT of big mistakes and bad choices in her past.

Clint had been there with her from her not-so-humble beginnings as an Avenger. She had taken her lead from Steve, of course. Steve was good and strong. He was a leader with a leaders confidence and soft charm. A gentleman! And Wanda had fallen for those charms and had often rushed to his defence or agreed with his plans. At the same time, Steve often seemed miles away from her.

He was just TOO good. His nature and his morals… he had his moments of course, but things seemed so black and white to him. Wanda always felt like she had to continually run to catch up with him. Steve had brought her into the fold and made her feel welcome, like family. But there was a gap.

Clint was good, too. But with Clint there came understanding and acceptance. The fact he could annoy her was actually amazing. They just clicked. She enjoyed teasing him in return, and didn’t feel abashed or ashamed about telling him off or a few prank hexes. Sometimes, because of her past and coming from the Brotherhood, she felt she had to hide her gifts or be ‘saintly’ all the time. To remain calm and without anger. Just in case it set someone off or frightened her. But the acceptance with Clint allowed her to be herself. And she loved that. The Scarlet Witch was and always would be part of her. But she felt like she was also just Wanda when around him.

The course of heroic adventures never did run easy or true.

Her actions, spurned on by grief and anger and an instability because of her powers, had massive consequences. Irreparable consequences. Her actions were a mistake and in her right mind not something she would have done - but she was still in her mind and she had made choices. Bad ones.

The pain she’d caused those around her was a scar and weight that wasn’t likely to ever go away. What she had done—- what had happened with Clint— Some may have called it a crazed and she supposed it was somewhat accurate, but she was still Wanda throughout and she’d hurt him, badly. (ended him, erased him, need she go on).

Bad choices simply to plague them. She was a chaos witch but Clint didn’t seem to need magic to lead a chaotic life (and how much was it damage she had caused?)

Past mistakes and choices were never forgotten, but neither were last feelings.

And Clint Barton was HOME.

Her mind had been shattered over and over, her life played with by others - her mind sometimes not even seeming like her own. She was regretful and remorseful and would have done anything to change events, but that was just it. The past was the past. And Wanda had learnt that some things were out of her control.

Therapy was a hard decision to make. It was admitting that there was a problem and that she was weak. But talking did seem to help. The medication helped. But she was off that now. And there were a lot of people out there who didn’t know she’d been in therapy or if they did, didn’t know she’d been on medication. She’d told Clint of course, later down the line whilst on the meds. And she’d told him about her therapists, including the one that turned out to be a criminal trying to take advantage. The therapy helped.

What helped more was HOME. A tentative and easy friendship, and then a stronger connection that they were building between them again. Wanda was glad and relieved to have Clint back in her life. There was no hiding any of her past with him for he had been there for nearly all of it. He knew her weaknesses and her guilt and her shame. He wasn’t a therapist and she had no intention of dumping her issues on him, it wasn’t fair. Not after what she’d done and because he had troubles of his own.

But it was easy to share aspects of her life and new troubles with him. And when he needed to open up, she would listen for him. He was the reason she’d ever played the game Yahtzee, the reason she’d learnt sign language, and a really big reason why she’d been with the Avengers for so long. So when Clint had an issue, Wanda wouldn’t hesitate to reach out and offer help.

It was easy to meet up for coffee or food or shopping or any activity together. So easy to pop around and see him. So easy to hug him and tease him. They had seen one another at some of their absolute lowest points, and Wanda accepted Clint for who he was and who he was trying to be. And she loved everything that he was, flaws and all. He wasn’t perfect like Steve always tried to be. He hid some parts of him but wasn’t afraid of being himself either. No big persona to hide behind around her.

When she had news or it had simply been a while, Wanda knew she could count on Clint. Quick phone call, quick message, and they’d work something out to meet. They had a few decent diners to go to now. And if he had trouble or simply wanted to speak, then Wanda would be there for him. It worked both ways.

He was comfortable to be around, he was easy to talk to, he could make her laugh and relaxed. He could completely stress her out and irritate her, too. When something funny happened or she had gossip, she thought of telling Clint. When she was sad or wanted to feel more energetic, she thought of Clint. She was happy and at home around him. And if that wasn’t love, she didn’t know what was.

Which… she maybe didn’t know. There was a lot of different ways for people to love one another. Wanda wasn’t sure she really understood love, but she accepted her feelings for what they were.

These thoughts came fairly quickly to her as she listened to Clint describe his latest anecdote, painting the scene of his heroic actions - all, probably, distractions to hide the bruise on his cheek which she could and would heal if asked. But only with consent. Of course.

She scrunched up her nose, slightly amused smile curling up one corner of her lips before taking a sip of her hot tea. Almost finished. And his coffee probably done, too. They’d been talking for some time, after all. The snacks were long gone.

It was simply the two of them in her shop. The Emporium did okay business. She sold a variety of magical objects that only those with knowledge could use, but also things available to everyone. Her main trade was the Last Door of course, so an empty shop didn’t completely bother her (though it might be nice to do good business one day). Sitting comfortably at the table with him, she’d let him go through his anecdotes - jumping in with a question or two, as well as praise but teasing and sincere. And a few scoffs as well. Emphasis some points, that was all. She completely and totally believed he’d done all those stunts. Sure.

With her cup empty, she stood to get more hot drinks but paused as she passed him.

Some feelings deserved to be shared and known. There was no expectation for them to be returned, but some things weren’t meant to be kept inside. Stood by Clint’s side, she placed a hand on his shoulder before leaning in to place a soft, warm kiss to his forehead.

“I love you, Clint,” she said, softly and sweetly. Truth warmth in her tone. And she meant those words. There was a lot of ways to love someone, and Wanda probably loved Clint in nearly all of those ways. There would be times she’d be hard pressed to think of someone more important to her. Clint was wild and impulsive, he could be arrogant and sometimes self loathing. But Clint always tried his best and Wanda could see and appreciate that. Clint Barton was a hero in just as many senses of the word as the way she loved him. And he deserved to know that she cared. Straightening up, those words were perhaps clear on her face and in her smile. And if she needed to, she’d repeat them to make sure he heard. He didn’t need to say anything back, he just needed to hear them. “I love you, and I thought I’d just make sure you knew that.”

[mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea]

Fic Writer Questions

I was tagged by @mcfiddlestan so yay! Fic-y question thingies.

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

57. About to be more than that, though, because I'm working on several next parts to several series, and I assume they count that as individual works.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

324,681. Again, that's about to go up several times.

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Well, that gets fun because what I have on AO3 is mostly Marvel-related with one tiny Hannibal ficlet, one Bill and Ted, one M*A*S*H (that was by request and likely will never be a repeated fandom as much as I love the show), one Zohra Greenhalgh (Contrarywise and Trickster's Touch). Now, what I've written in the past as a fandom was Jay and Silent Bob, and that will NEVER happen again. But yeah, mostly it's Marvel and mostly these days Avengers-related with some X-Men still thrown in for flavor.

4) What are your Top 5 fics by kudos?

Hey Jealousy 378

Far away you were made in a sea just like me 354

(Mis)Understanding and a No-Good Woman 300

Saving the Future...Again 294

Supernaut 283

Yeah, I'm not that popular.

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I respond to all comments I get. I know that for some people it takes a lot of guts to comment, and I think that needs to be acknowledged, even if it's a simple thanks.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't write a lot of angst, and usually by the end of a fic, I prefer to have it happy and not angsty. That said, I'd have to say that it's a toss-up between these small fics:

I know you’ll be a star In somebody else’s sky

Seemed like he knew me, he looked right through me

All the losing and the knowing

Sunset

Time After Time

I have angst in my stories. Some. They mostly seem to be sass and humor and romance and cuddles and sex and making out, but the angst is only a tool to keep the characters fighting and on their toes.

7) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

I've got several series going now, so I won't count them in since technically, none of them have ended yet. I thought about putting that Never Piss Off a Telepath; Or How Logan Opened His Mouth and Said a Stupid Thing just because that's one of my funniest fics, I think, but I would have to say that the happiest ending may be in Two Turtle Doves, which is a Charles Xavier and Raven Darkholme as children/brother and sister at Christmas fic, and the ending still really makes me smile a lot when I re-read it.

8) Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't yet, technically. I started an X-Men/Avengers/Wicker Man (1973 version) one after all of the Brian Michael Bendis AvX bullshit storyline, and I may eventually finish it. I was angry. I wanted Steve Rogers to pay. I lashed out in the fic. Or was going to. The other crossover I'm planning (and even hinted at it in Spinning on that dizzy edge (I kissed his face and kissed his head) will be a Tony Stark/Chris Knight (Real Genius) fic, taking place not long after Chris graduates and is working for Darlington. I've got another one in mind that I've made notes for that's an Avengers/Flash Gordon (1980 version with all the flash and color and Queen songs), and then I just finished watching Boardwalk Empire, so there's a 1920s Marvel'verse AU, though I guess that's not really a crossover.

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Hahahaha! Funny you should ask. I received my first ever hate on To get it right even a little / and that little grudging and awkward the other day. In fact, the hate was the first comments I got. I've deleted it, and I did report it but AO3 couldn't do anything about it because the person who commented used a name but wasn't logged in, so they couldn't have their IP traced. But it was all full of "you should kill yourself" and "I hope you're raped" because they claimed to be a Stucky shipper (in fact their moniker was "stuckygirl") and that Steve and Loki were a horrible ship because Loki is just a nasty greasy villain. Blah blah blah. I was more amused by it than anything, especially since there's a chance that the person who commented was a stalker of one of my besties who keeps trying to lash out at them and may well have decided to lash out at me as well. Who knows? Who cares?

10) Do you write smut?

Oh yes. As much as I can get away with. Smut is life. Smut is harmony in the universe. Smut is KFC's 7 herbs and spices.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so. I have no idea how to figure that out.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, I don't know. How would I find that out?

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope. I've rp-written before, but I've never co-written a fic.

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

I don't just have one. Sorry. FrostIron, WinterFrost, FrostShield, WinterIron, Stucky, Stony, Scogan, IronDiamond, DiamondFrost, DashingFrost, DiamondClaws, and I may soon get to see how much I love DiamondShield.

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

That may be the X-Men/Avengers/Wicker Man one. I have to feel the anger to finish that one off, I think, and I've pretty much decided that neither Brian Michael Bendis nor AvX exist, so.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I think humor and sarcasm are two of my biggest strengths, to be honest. I didn't realize it till I started adding it in almost organically, and that's pretty much where it is for me. I'd say the ability to convey emotions, expressions, touch, and romance are right up there, too.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Well, outside of the writing itself, trying not to be discouraged by people's lack of comments and kudos on my fics to the point of not writing is a writers block-inducing weakness, but I think I'm getting over that mostly these days. Trying to find the right balance between explication, "showing," and description, though I've also recently decided that description is not a weakness because I want to make the settings pretty visual.

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think there's a fine line that this concept dances on. I LOVE to do it, but I also now want to make sure that it works smoothly into the story. I try and provide translations in the notes when I do it. I try not to overdo it, but I think it's necessary. It's the same thing as writing in accents. That's also dancing a fine line because you want to give a flavor of the accent, but you don't want to overwhelm the readers with dialect and accent. Not unless you're Stephen King and you've just written Dolores Claiborne.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Okay, the first fanfiction I ever wrote was when I was about 13, and it was a Children of the Corn Mary Sue. It was in pencil. Wrote it start to finish. And it has since gone to the gods in the circular altar.

The first fandom I consciously wrote for was Jay and Silent Bob, and yes, I still have those stories, but they no longer exist online since @jcrewguy blessedly took down his sites. Those fics will never see the light of day again because I don't like the movies anymore.

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Nope. They're all my babies, and I love them equally. I can't pick a favorite.

Tagging: @scottxlogan @elvenferretots @mistressofmuses @izhunny @jcrewguy @chaotic-hypnotic-erotic @kleenexwoman and honestly anyone else who wants to do this.

[atopearth]

Chrono Cross Part 2 - The Prevalence of Death

To save or not to save Kid is always the hardest decision for me. Like, can’t we spend a few days trying to find a way at least? I always feel so slack ditching her since I like her, but honestly, I really want Glenn in my party so I can’t choose her, I’m sorry, Kid. Like, who wants Korcha?! I always love it when Harle appears, she’s so fun lol. Anyway, I always found it saddening yet sweet that Doc got to talk to Orlha about his inability to save patients, but really, it’s difficult for him to save Kid when she needs Hydra Humour and there’s no more Hydra in this world. I’m glad she motivated him to try his best instead of running away though, everyone relies on him in Guldove, so if he gives up, everyone else will too. Btw, gliding on that wire (from the top of Korcha’s house) back to the entrance of Guldove is my favourite thing ever here, so worth the 10G haha. I love how helpful of a person Macha is, it’s true though, Serge didn’t exactly say he wouldn’t save Kid, he just didn’t know what to do hearing that she was going to die. HAHAHA, I love how the laundry lady in Termina is obsessed with her laundry, she literally wonders whether the Radical Dreamers (thieves) steal laundry, so she’s staying there until they dry hahahaha. I really like how the sick kid in Termina who likes listening to Korcha’s stories actually really enjoys Korcha’s company and admires him for being so strong even without a father. She knows that her father most likely isn’t coming back, and understands how hard her mother is working for her, so she listens to her mum, but she also makes her own judgement about people rather than just blindly listening to her mum and that’s really cool. I wonder if it’s Korcha or her dad or something that’s been giving her Drakehorn grass to soothe her cough? LMAO Greco was the real exorcist the dragoons called to the valley that we impersonated?! Hahahaha, so sorry for wasting your time, Greco lol! It’s pretty nice but random that he wants to help Serge find his “way” kinda thing because he’s alive but not alive, but I guess it kinda aligns with his work… Not that I’ll be using him though lol, 2 agility is so slow!

Radius, Zappa and Garai were dragoons! Dang, Zappa the blacksmith must have been really strong back in the day! Lmao at the guy in Marbule who stares at you as you run around because he wants you to get out since you’re not a demi-human haha! Lol at the guy sleeping in Viper Manor, he’s been sleeping since the beginning of the game! It’s kinda funny though, when you talk to him, he’s like where’s everyone (since most of the dragoons and Viper etc went to Fort Dragonia), but then he’s like whatever and just goes back to sleep LOL. Aww I kinda regret getting iron weapons for everyone now, it makes Polly, Fargo and that black goo monster on the S.S. Invincible so much easier to beat! Kinda wanted more of a challenge aiyaa, I remember I used to think they were kinda hard back then. I love seeing Pip on the ship though, he’s really sailing the seas like he wanted! It’s so cute how we run after him because he’s running away from ghosts lol! It’s quite convenient how Serge is one of the keys to cross worlds as the guy that’s kinda like half dead half alive considering his contradicting existence, but also the Astral Amulet being the other half of the key to cross worlds is nice lol! I never realised until I googled that Norris was the one who saved Kid (with Hydra Humour) and that he’s the spy (who’s acting as a dishwasher in the manor) infiltrating Viper Manor! He’s a cool guy. As for the poem girl, I really enjoy the Home World one, she obviously thinks the idea of there being another her is crazy, but she goes along with it anyway, because who knows, there really might be another her that’s given up on writing poems! So, she gives her collection of poems signed in her name for Serge to give to the other her, and honestly, I really love how she wrote that one can’t appreciate joy without experiencing sorrow, it was cool that her existence and words motivated the Another World poem girl to dream again instead of wallowing that there’s no point. Taking life slowly but surely is also another way to live, it doesn’t matter if her poems amount to nothing in other people’s eyes for now, because this is what motivates her to dream and I think having that in itself is very important.

It’s pretty interesting yet saddening how in Another World, there’s no more hydra and water in the Water Dragon Isle, yet it’s so plentiful and beautiful in Home World. It really shows how different the possibilities can be. I always found it so saddening how the dwarves felt like they were forced to kill the fairies for a home. Like, I’m not justifying their actions because really, they killed so many fairies, I always feel so sad having to play this part because the fairies are such small and peaceful creatures that even the fisherman loves coming here every now and then to fish and watch them dance around. But, I think the last words of the dwarf bosses we killed was really daunting. The fact that humans have trampled upon the ecosystem so much to keep themselves alive, whilst neglecting the lives of all the other species such as them who are forced to move from home to home trying to find a place that they can actually live in felt...uncomfortable. Just hearing their lament and sadness towards it all made me feel like such a bad guy… I guess it’s normal for the fairies to hate Serge and them though. If the humans didn’t chase the dwarves out of the forest, the dwarves wouldn’t have needed to come here, everyone would have still had their friends and family, I’m sure the dwarves also lost a lot of their friends to the humans, and that’s why they felt so frustrated that even in death, humans were always the ones killing them, it honestly felt really terrible. I guess in the sense, a lot of the parts in Another World such as the dried up Water Dragon Isle is probably the result of human actions destroying the nature they should be in harmony with too… Before playing Chrono Trigger, I never really realised who Lucca was so it never really affected me as much when it came to Kid’s past. But, now, when I think about Lucca opening this orphanage taking care of kids like Kid, whilst making her fun and weird contraptions, and then having that all destroyed by Lynx, it really makes me so sad. I can see why Kid is so adamant on finding him and getting revenge. In that sense, I’m surprised the Water Dragon gave her ice breath to Serge and them so easily (to get past the lava in Mount Pyre).

Lmao, I love the demonstration Solt and Peppor give to teach us about trap elements with their stupidity haha. The Fire Dragon is as cute as always~ He would be cuter if he didn’t kill Leena though haha! Anyway, I always used to bring Kid to Fort Dragonia with me because I liked her and it was cool for plot purposes I guess, but I decided to bring Glenn and Leena with me this time, because I want to see how the Dragoons etc react to him going against orders to discover what’s happening, and I kinda want to see how Glenn reacts to it all too. For now, I’m quite loving it, Karsh is shocked, and Marcy just says she doesn’t care about Glenn hahaha. Lmao when Marcy said she hates Serge so much, she practically hates everyone related to him lol. She’s such a cute kid lol. I always thought of Fort Dragonia as a tedious place as a kid, but now that I’m playing it again, it’s not too bad, much shorter than I thought haha. The best thing is being able to trap Iceberg, Freefall, Inferno, Volcano and Holy Light! It’s so cool being able to trap them and then run away from battle and do it again hahaha. The Bunyip had so less health in the first phase though! I wasted a few of my traps lol, but otherwise, I’m really stacked for now hahaha. It’s always pretty disheartening to see Serge swap bodies with Lynx and seeing everyone beat him up. But I think now that I’ve played Chrono Trigger, the most saddening thing is hearing Kid wanting to avenge Lucca. Like, you can’t kill Lucca!!😭 I’m just not gonna think of Chrono Cross as a sequel to make myself feel better lol. The power of the Frozen Flame to swap their bodies etc because they both lost a part of themselves back then (I assume) is pretty crazy. Otherwise, I’m excited to play as Lynx! I used to always hate this part since you kinda lose the characters you’ve built up, but when I think about it, a lot of the characters that join up with you as Lynx are pretty fun too!

I always find it hilarious that you shake a berry off the tree to lure Sprigg out of her home so you can go invade it hahahha. I always found the Temporal Vortex a very interesting place, because it looks so much like a sketch of a world, as if it’s in between the real and the fake, it looks so fake but it’s supposed to be real, and I guess that was amusing. Ooh I wondered why Radius became chief for Arni in this world, but it seems that it might be related to the fact that Viper has disappeared in this world? It’s nice of him to want to travel to Another World and save the Viper and Riddel there before it’s too late though. But I really love the different reactions to Lynx throughout the village (since he’s Demi-human and saying he’s actually Serge). Most of them are pretty friendly though! Although there are some that are hostile or scared haha. I always hate the Home World Termina because it’s literally just filled with the Porre military and has none of the vibrancy it had in Another World. But, I do like getting Norris in my team! Kinda crazy how the Viper Manor is destroyed and literally in ruins though..and Karsh and everyone disappeared along with Viper after they went to the Dead Sea, which is also the place where Wazuki (Serge’s father) and Miguel (Leena’s father) went 14 years ago, but Miguel never came back, whereas Wazuki changed after that. I can’t really remember what the whole thing about the Dead Sea was about… 

Btw I feel sorry for Zappa and Zippa (these names lmaoo) since Karsh (their son!) has already disappeared for 3 years and they’ve been waiting for him all this time… Cool that Zappa is kinda continuing the dream of finding rainbow shell, it’s just that compared to Chrono Trigger, rainbow shell isn’t really the legendary thing it once was, because now it’s kinda scattered everywhere in random places haha. It’s kinda interesting to see Van the poor version though. In Home World, Van’s father (called Gogh LOL, is it supposed to be funny or morbid?!) decided to continue pursuing his art dream, but doesn’t want to sell his works unless he’s satisfied with them, causing a lot of trouble with rent, so Van has been trying his best to save money to support his dad. It’s kinda saddening though, because this is exactly what Another World Van’s father knew it would be like and that’s why he chose the path of money instead of his dream. However, I guess there are positives and negatives to both lives, nothing can be perfect. I think it was great that he was supportive of Van leaving to see the world instead of staying and worrying over this hole forever. On the other hand, lmao at Funguy, I’ve always found it pretty hilarious that we give this mushroom lover a random mushroom someone gave us and his head turns into a mushroom LOL, so he joins our party to seek the Frozen Flame so hopefully he can turn back, because he’s too ashamed to show his family what happened. Which is pretty funny in a sense, because when you go back to Lisa’s shop in Termina, she complains about how her Dad still hasn’t come back from his usual mushroom hunting, and how he’s really going to turn into a mushroom one of these days LOL. Yep, he really did lol. Starky is so cute btw hahaha. The big him that wants Star Fragment is so adorable lol. Understandable though, since he needs them to repair his ship when he crashed here. Love stealing some UltraNova off him hahahah. I never realised you could get a plasma gun from the sawfish in Arni with him though! Lmaoo at Starky learning thanks from the fisherman guy because he said you’re welcome instead hahaha. Starky seems to have pretty good stats though, might play with him a bit to try hahaha.

It’s kinda saddening that in Home World, Marbule is deserted because the demi-humans were kinda attacked for the element resources here, so now they’re forced to work at S.S. Zelbess just to find a place to live. The only good thing is that Toma now has enough money to travel again and discover things like this lol. Wait, what?! I never realised that Nikki and Marcy were siblings?! I always loved the story of Fargo, Irenes and Nikki but I didn’t remember this part that Luccia tried her best to save Zelbess (Fargo’s wife and Nikki + Marcy’s mother) but could only save the baby Marcy, and now just supports Marcy from a distance, like wow, never knew that about Luccia! It’s not a surprise that Fargo has really just been drowning in his sorrows after Zelbess’ death and can’t move on, I mean, he names the ship after her and doesn’t really do anything about his own kids, nor does he do anything to help the distance between humans and demi-humans and instead fosters the discrimination by having them do the worst jobs and with no income, just food! As usual, Fargo is a cheater in that spinning game lmao, but in a sense, I always “cheat” too by pressing the pause button so I know where the needle is and then I can kinda pinpoint how to get the needle to stop at the North point lol. It’s worth it though, rainbow shell!! Anyway, I love turning into a cat by Sneff and running around lol. It’s kinda funny how Lynx turns into a white cat, I guess you change depending on your soul? Since Serge is white. The kitchen cat is hilarious btw, it appreciates you for being a cat that has manners by paying your regards to it by talking to it, so it gives you a present hahahaha. Gotta love the mentality where the cat thinks the ship is his hahaha. The sequence of events is so great here btw, it’s definitely my favourite story in Chrono Cross. I love how we can steal the handle for the magnet (as a cat) that lets Fargo cheat hahaha. It’s really saddening how stubborn Fargo is about letting the Sage of Marbule stay here as a janitor and preventing him from teaching the song to bond humans and demi-humans, the song would also save the dying Marbule! I honestly feel sorry for Sneff though, he’s such a good guy getting cheated by Fargo! Fargo makes him stay on his ship by making him wrack up more and more debt through the cheating! It was so cute when Sneff was trying to earn some money to get cat food for us (when we turned into cats) lmao, it was so cute. I feel so bad for him! Wow, you can trap so many great elements from the Sage! I spent a good amount of time doing that lmao. Otherwise, it’s great that the Sage is starting to believe in Nikki as he did with Fargo in the past, hoping that he will be able to save both humans and demi-humans with the legendary song of Marbule. It’s also nice that the Sage acknowledges Serge’s resolve to go to the Dead Sea. Okay, the Grand Slam was as annoying as I remember! Lol. Anyway, I shouldn’t have been cheap lol because the third round is so easy with TotalChaos!! Anyway, you only need the Wraith and 2 random weak monsters because the Wraith should Hellbound that annoying bull (I just run away if it fails lolol) and then it’s pretty easy to kill them. The second round took the most time because I was being cheap with my monsters lol, but I think Snibgoblin, Cat Burglar and the Lagoonate are great because they’re all relatively strong. Then TotalChaos uses Blackhole in the last round and most of them are pretty much dead! Super easy if you don’t try to be cheap haha! Totally doable with the default monsters, because I honestly can’t be bothered going to “capture” monsters just to do this later lol. 

In a certain sense, there is a bit of beauty in the idea of Nikki and them playing the song whilst Serge and them defeat the Lagoonate that have infested Marbule (since the song weakens them apparently). I was wondering why Solt and Peppor were doing stand up comedy on the ship, but apparently it’s because they have had amnesia since 3 years ago when Sneff picked them up and helped them! I’m really happy for Sneff though, he’s always wanted to get off this ship, and now that he’s paid off his debt (with his winning streaks at the casino without Fargo cheating him lmao), he can journey with us! Although, I find it really sweet that even though he’s free, he’s planning to stay here with the other comedy guys because they’re family and he wants to take care of them until they’re a bit more independent. Anyway, I can’t wait to hear the song because it’s one of my favourite parts!!

[themysteriousgirl920]

Sonic Forces: Illusions and Cold Hard Truths (final part)

SHADOW

I slowly opened my eyes like a lazy man reluctant to go to work, with my face on the ground. Steadily rising up from the ground with my hand on the right side of my head, I found myself in a dark place. Black and red were mixed together to make this place look… unsettling and spine-shattering.

Could this be the Phantom Ruby’s doing? Am I in virtual reality? The last time I was in virtual reality was when I met Infinite. He told me how he became the monster he is today and then… yes, I AM in virtual reality again. I got out before, so it shouldn’t be that hard to find a way out again.

There must be something I can do to get out. I don’t see any platforms I can use to help me make my escape. Guess I’ll have to run for my freedom. I hope the others are all right. I’m lost in thought as I run within the strange realm. Rouge… Omega… Sonic… Everyone… I hope you’re all safe. Wait for me, I’ll come to you as soon as I can.

So far, I had no such luck in escaping. What is going on? Where is that wretched exit? I can’t stay here, I have to escape one way or another. “Someone,” I say under my breath. “Give me a sign, any sign.” I look around the place only to find nothing. Then, out of nowhere… an evil cackle enters my ears. “Well, look who it is.”

That voice. Is that…? No, it can’t be. I turned around to see the masked monster who put me in this place. “You! What are you doing here?” He simply laughs at me, and I frown at him. “Answer me, right now!”

“Or what?” Infinite enquired before teleporting towards me. However, I was undeterred at his futile attempt to intimidate me. Mask or no mask, he is still… “I know what you’re thinking, Shadow the Hedgehog. With or without my mask, I am still weak.” Weak? When did I ever call him that? I called him worthless and pathetic, but not once did I ever call him weak.

“Weak, because I was defeated after I failed to avenge my squad. The squad you mercilessly eliminated! They were my family, my friends, and YOU… hahaha, you took them away from me!” I chuckled at his emotional state. “And that’s what got you to wear a jewel and a mask with a voice modulator? Because someone beat you up and called you names? You decided to throw a temper tantrum over something as petty as this? Come on.” I turned around and walked away from him, hoping never to see him again.

Then suddenly… “Don’t you walk away from me!” As I continued to walk, my body suddenly froze. I was unable to move for a short period of time before my right arm started acting funny. It was as if it had a mind of its own. “What? What is this? Infinite, what is going on?”

Infinite began laughing at my unwilling actions. He was controlling me like a puppet! He turned me around to face him. I could sense his wicked smile underneath the mask, even though I was unable to see it. For some reason, that smile sent shivers down my spine. “How does it feel to be the one who is afraid?”

“You… you sick…!” “‘Monster’? Hahahaha, flattery will get you nowhere. Especially after you took everything away from me.” “Your squad was in my way. I had no choice.” “But to strike them down in cold blood? Tell me, how would you feel if someone had taken everything away from you?” Infinite’s question reminded me of my past, when I had suffered 50 years ago.

“It did happen. Everything was taken away from me. My home, my creator and, most importantly, the girl who was like a sister to me.” I swallowed hard, thinking about the one thing I swore to put behind me. “She had dreams about visiting the planet, but she couldn’t because… she was sick. One day, when soldiers invaded the ARK and took down everyone who knew about me, my friend chose to save my life, sacrificing hers in the process.”

“And how was she sacrificed?” Infinite asked, wanting to know exactly how she lost her life. “She was shot down. She made me promise to protect the planet and its people, ignoring a soldier’s pleas to step away from the control panel. But when she was gone, I couldn’t think straight. I wanted nothing more than revenge for what the soldiers did to her. I also wanted revenge on the world.”

“So, you were willing to destroy billions of lives for something a small number of people did.” I nodded at Infinite’s statement. “Why didn’t you, when you had the chance to?” “I had two chances to destroy the planet containing her species. Before I suffered amnesia, someone reminded me of the promise I made to my friend: give everyone a chance to be happy.”

“After I had suffered amnesia, aliens wanted me to join them in their quest to bring the humans’ planet to its ugly demise. I was siding with them for some time because their leader promised to tell me the truth about my past. When I finally saw the error of my ways, I decided to make up for my mistakes. I drove off the creatures and collected fragments of my past, putting them together.”

“I was a fool to trust the alien leader over a few people who knew about my past, and I’m… sorry about that. But the past is the past and I am willing to move on from there. Speaking of destroying lives, why did you beat up Sonic in cold blood when I was the one who defeated and insulted you?”

Infinite stood there in silence, and released his grip on me, before opening his mouth. “I was simply following Dr Eggman’s orders. He and I formed an alliance. Before my squad was destroyed. When you took everything away from me and insulted me, I vowed to become stronger I was before. And it is all thanks to you, Shadow the Hedgehog.”

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and sighed. “Omega… Sonic…” “Does the Ultimate Life Form miss his friends?” He is clearly mocking me. I can’t show any signs of weakness. “What friends? I don’t have time for friends.” Then I heard a familiar voice, multiple voices to be exact. “Is that so?” Heavy footsteps approach me and I gape at the sight of Infinite’s first victim.

“O…Omega? How did you…?” Omega’s eyes emitted a sinister red glow, as if he was furious with me. “You… left me… alone. Broken… and… destroyed… like a worthless… piece of junk.” “Omega, I…” “No one… came for me. I… was all… alone… for months… waiting for… assistance. You… didn’t care… about me at all.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Omega thinks I betrayed him. Did I really abandon him?

“Omega, I’m sorry. I didn’t…” Just then, Omega raised his arms at me, ready to fire. My heart jumped at the sight of what was going to happen to me. “NO APOLOGIES. NO EXPLANATIONS. YOU MUST PAY. PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME.” This can’t be good. I have to do something. “Omega, please… give me a chance to… no, wait! Please, Omega, please. Don’t do this.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” the E-series robot asked. “Is it because we are friends? You don’t have time for friends.” Just as I tried to escape, my body froze. “You’re not going anywhere, Shadow. Omega, do what you must.” Infinite! He’s preventing me from moving an inch. I can’t even teleport to safety.

Omega was ready to go for the kill. He fired shots at me and all I could do was scream in pain, while my body violently jerked and shook under the impact of the assault. What lasted for 12 seconds felt like an eternity of excruciating pain. Every time I got up and tried to move, the assault would start up again. After the fourth and final assault, I was unable to stand up straight or move.

I was just lying there, face down and breathing heavily. A hand then turns me around, and I see Infinite staring at me before slowly removing his mask. I could barely see his true face as my vision fades at a snail’s pace. “Now you see me. Me… and my pathetic face.” Then there was a flash of white as I felt a fist on my face.

I wake up hearing voices calling out my name. As I sit up and shake my head, I open my eyes to see… black and white animals glaring at me. They were jackals, like Infinite. A male jackal speaks to me. “You did this. You did this to us.” Then a female speaks up. “You destroyed us all. In cold blood. What did we ever do to you?”

Then another male. “You didn’t have to finish us off like that. You could have knocked us out.” Then another female. “Why have you done this to us? Why did you mercilessly slay us all? Why didn’t you spare us?” Multiple voices were asking me why. Why I killed them without a second thought. Why I defeated and insulted their leader. One of the jackals told me that they would have abandoned him for his crazy idea to defeat me if it wasn’t for me.

One question came to mind. “How did you all end up working for Dr Eggman?” A male jackal spoke up. “We had no choice.” This can’t be good. I have to know what caused them to do this. “Were any of you threatened or tortured into this?” “No,” he answered. “Our leader was affected by a glowing red stone when his sword came into contact with it.”

“Then he started acting strange. The man gave him an offer and, instead of listening to us, our leader decided to work with him. We couldn’t bring ourselves to abandon him, so we followed him wherever he and the evil man went. Until the day you came and SLAUGHTERED US ALL.” The jackals roar in anger and cheer in agreement.

A female jackal spoke up next. “You caused our leader to go mad and adopt a new persona. A madman with the powers of a gemstone, which he uses to implant fear into the hearts of men, women and children. We may be physically gone, but our spirits continue to live on. We, as spirits, have seen the endless misery and destruction brought to the planet. The destruction caused by YOUR hand!”

The roar of the crowd echoes across the realm. The sheer thoughts of my actions slowly eat away at me. I closed my eyes tightly as a certain blue hedgehog came to mind. “Sonic… I’m sorry.” “Are you? Are you sorry?” That voice… it’s… And from that point, the same blue hedgehog, covered with cuts and bruises, staggers out from among the quietening crowd. The same blue hedgehog wearing torn white gloves and slightly damaged red and white sneakers.

“Sonic?” He raised his head at a turtle’s pace, his emerald eyes glaring dangerously at me. “Long time no see, Shadow the Hedgehog.” The tone of his voice was low and sinister, like a demon coming to meet an unfortunate soul awaiting his or her impending eternal doom. “Been busy? Where have you been during these past six months?”

“Sonic… I had a lot to deal with during these past six months.” The faker chuckled like a mischievous child with a love for pranks. “Still worrying about that girl, are you? I thought you were past that, Shadow.” “‘That girl’ has a name, Sonic, and I have already put my past behind me.” The blue blur slowly his eyes and shook his head slightly.

“Is that so? Because I assumed you were working with Eggman because the guy I couldn’t defeat promised that he would bring her back… on the condition that you stayed true blue to the doctor.” He slowly approached me, badly limping along the way, as the words filled with anger and anguish came out of his mouth.

“I never wanted to believe that it was true, but then ‘you’ attacked me. Or at least, ‘you’ were about to attack me. Then the real you showed up and told me that the Shadow I was facing was a fake.” Yes, that part was true.

“So, that means while I was locked up and tortured for six months straight, you were just gathering information on Infinite. Well, how long did that take? I guess I wasn’t as important as he was, huh? What, did you think I was perfectly fine?” Using his speed, his hands were like claws gripping on a toy in an arcade machine. He pulled me closer to him by the arms, seething with rage. “Why don’t you take a closer look, Shadow? Which part of me screams ‘perfectly fine’ to you?” His voice was different... like he was descending further and further into insanity. Worry was filling my mind, just thinking about his mental and emotional instability.

“Sonic…” He chuckles maniacally, slightly startling me. “You were not listening,” Sonic stated in a singsong manner. “I asked you… which part of me… screamed ‘PERFECTLY FINE’ TO YOU!” The last word echoed across the room. Finally, I was able to speak. “I thought you would have gotten out sooner rather than later. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I tried to get to you in time, but by the time I got there, no one was there. No one except…”

“The weakling who left me to die.” Weakling? Who is he calling ‘weakling’? “There he was, trying to figure out what that guy’s power was. You know him, don’t you? Good with machines, can fly a plane, has two tails.” Wait, Tails is the weakling?

“He was just there, JUST THERE, waiting on the sidelines for a hopeless miracle. He couldn’t even find the courage to take down a group of eight simple robots. I had to save him, only for me to be beaten nearly to death! All because he was too weak, too cowardly to do anything decent.”

I swallowed hard upon hearing those words. The Sonic I know would never say anything like that, especially about Tails. The two of them were like brothers. “This should never have happened. He never should have gone for you. I tried to stop him, make him understand that I’m the one he should be fighting. But I was too late to stop him.”

“Why?” Sonic asked, wanting to know the full story. “What did you do to make him hate me so much that he tried to kill me?” I took a deep breath and sighed heavily, as I was about to face whatever was going to happen to me as soon as I told him the truth about Infinite’s past.

“To put it shortly, I took out some mercenaries he was leading. Then I had to focus on a mission I had in the jungle. One jackal, the leader of the squad of mercenaries, wanted revenge. He tried to attack me, but I quickly gained the upper hand.”

I slowly closed my eyes as I continued, trying to finish the story of the events I can only remember. “I chose to spare his life. I… said he was worthless and told him never to show his pathetic face around me again. Sometime later, on the day Omega was shut down and you were attacked, we met again. But this time, he was same the man you faced. He said I was the reason for his transformation… and he was right.”

“So, he came after me. Mercilessly attacked me, instead of YOU.” Sonic concluded. I nodded at his harsh yet honest conclusion. “You killed his squad, beat him around, insulted him, and turned him against ME!” He threw me to my right with brute force. “And now the entire world is burning because of YOU!”

He sweeps his right leg, kicking me across the face. I struggled to get up and when I turned to face him. “Sonic, I didn’t think he would take my words to heart so easily.” That, unexpectedly, set him off the edge. “YOU IDIOT!” the world’s fastest hedgehog screamed, at the top of his lungs, as I turned my back to the floor. “YOU were the reason I ALMOST DIED and the world had been taken over by Eggman! What, you thought the guy you met and defeated would just forget about what you did and said to him? He may have been a mercenary, but at least he had a family.”

Sonic grabbed me by the arms again and pulled me closer to him, shaking me violently as he continued to admonish me. “And now, thanks to YOU, he is a villain! Villains are NOT incapable of feeling emotions, sick boy!” Sick boy? No one has ever called me that before.

“Think of your ‘sister’, the girl you loved and lost! She had met her fate at the hands of men, but she DID NOT wish for the destruction of their planet.” Then he released me from his grip as he successfully regained his composure.

Yes, as much as I hated to admit it, it was true. “No, she never wanted the planet to be destroyed. I was supposed to give everyone a chance to be happy, just as I had promised her. Twice, I had nearly broken my promise.” I sighed heavily at my thoughts and actions that were involved with the devastation of the world that now belonged to the evil doctor.

“But now, I realise that I did break my promise… because I did NOTHING to prevent the destruction of our world, nor did I do anything to help the people who were in need during these long, dreadful months. I even wasted the potential of a good friend I had when he was out of commission. And he had been like this for months. Neither I or Rouge even cared enough to help him out.”

I began to notice everything and everyone in the realm fading into nothing but a sea of pitch black. “I thought I could do what the Ultimate Life Form was supposed to do to protect this world, but… I was wrong. The world was at stake and I did nothing to stop it or even try to save it. Sonic… Omega… everyone… I’m sorry. …Maria… forgive me.”  

Then, the light steadily brightens the dark atmosphere around me and slowly reaches out towards me.