#sonic - ''was that it? quite pathetic honestly.''

[untitled-swapau]

A large army appears from a portal, and starts marching to Sonic's lair. The army splits off and quickly goes to town, villages, cities, pretty much anywhere they can at a terrifying pace. Is Sonic's territory being conquered? Seems like it, but the army isn't attacking anyone yet...

@great-multiversal-wars

- The blue hedgehogs turf isnt..much past.. Half the planet-- -

- His main base at the moment is sunken below ground.. Hidden as it usually is, though the patrol of badniks around the surrounding turf gives a pretty clear idea of where its generally located.. -

- In most of the Villages, cities, and even a few.. Smaller groups of feral mobians, the Mobians and varying species of machines have.. Started to take notice, and... Alot of them seem uneasy, a few actually seem rather calm about it, but the rest are.. Already trying to hide. -

- Meanwhile, the blue devil himself is observing from his control room.. Sitting in the chair instead of his mech for once, though it is sitting loafed next to him. The cord is still plugged into his backside. -

- His mech suddenly stood up, and pushed his chair towards the control panel with one of its spider like limbs as he pressed a button, flicking all the monitors in the room on, causing the entire patrol of badniks to stop moving at once, and glance around at the soldiers(?). -

[majinsonic-speedboi]

"OH GOD DAMN IT!"

"Beau."

"What?"

"BEAU."

....who are you?

- Swap sonic suddenly morphed back to normal, whimpering in agony. -

"..T-They seem familiar."

[ctheathy]

Hi I love your story and I read your secret histories story and I love it, I wanna ask if your not busy how about a yandere secret history tails x reader where she is a kind and sweet person who never judge someone by their appearance and she dotes and pampers him a lot

Yandere Secret History Tails w/ sweetheart!Darling

Secret History Tails x Reader

Yandere Headcanons

Short Concept

Author’s note : Why hello, Nonnie!! Of course you may, my darling, hope you’ll be able to enjoy<3<3 My apologies for slight inactiveness, I assure each and every one of you that more headcanons of our lil ol’ psycho and other characters are also coming up; things have just been a teensy tiny bit busy for me lately, but I do try keeping up with the requests. Don’t want to let yall down💞

Quick note that I do not write for gendered Readers much though!! Accidents can happen when requesting, and I promise I am not upset, but just so everyone understands that gender is not something I’m going after.

Due to the request describing identical characteristics for the Reader as the one in my A Once Innocent Act of Tenderness fic and no specified choice of content was asked for, headcanons with that particular darling were chosen =} Just see it as a minor backup continuation of the story.

A Once Innocent Act of Tenderness ➷

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

Delusional mindsets • Obsessive + Possessive behaviour • Murder + Torture mention • Forced relationship • Co-dependency • Kidnapping • Worship • Psychological abu$3 • Brainwashing trauma [On Tails’ part] • Tails may as well get his own TW tbh

Outwardly there doesn’t seem to be all too big of a difference between yandere Secret History Tails and his neutral version. They’re both still very much sociopathic, show clear signs of unhinged behaviour and may get obsessive streaks from time to time, are manipulators at heart, can remain atleast somewhat delusional about both of your relationship with one another and they too view you as something much more above than any other mobian that might have their ways in their pathetic unworth of a universe. And although he normally could have recovered from this mindset slowly with the help by his side, his full on yandere form however, does not. And all honestly speaking, it wouldn’t even be likely to occur in the first place without a specific darling that is kind and has been there from the very beginning; when his trauma of brainwash has developed into something else ...and certainly not something in a positive light. It’s safe to say that this version of his may even be more disturbed than the sanity of his usual self, and that information alone is enough to bring in that you’re going to be stuck on quite the bumpy ride.

While his usual worshipping behaviour would hold nothing malicious behind it, this case is a little more ... interestingly different to say the least. Unlike his casual form who most easily said puts you in the place which was originally meant to be taken by Sonic after you’ve came along and properly earned it; this state of his and his already existing delusions have caused him to literally believe you to be his own personal guardian angel, being there for him in order to protect him from all the wrongs, misery and injustice in this existence. Unlike usual, at an early point he knows that the “real” Sonic of his dimension doesn’t want him, just letting the hedgehog take advantage of his seemingly non-lucid state and torment him to no end; causing him to both grow incredibly touch starved for any kind of gentle offering and worsening his already unstable mindset. And the one simple change that makes all the difference between the two is how he’d normally find himself giving in over time torwards your doting nature with him in particular, while this version of his had already emotionally snapped before he even got the chance to do so. Now the only motivations being left to linger in the back of his mind being the one entity that’s been sweet to him right from the start, and the desperate desire to just take them in as his own--His property. The others have been able to keep you and your dearing behaviour all to themselves for far too long by now, it’s only fair.

As information that’s been given before, a darling like this has him fairly taken aback, the sweet demeanour being, quite sadly said, totally foreign to him. On one hand he wants to give in, wants to achieve the gentleness that’s right on the end of the line and so easily accessible, the desires for the consideration and care becoming close to unbearable to him; but right at the same time, he feels suspicious torwards the close to angelic aura around them, feeling as if it’s nothing more and nothing less than some mere act. This distrust being caused by the harassment he’s got back when he wasn’t even in this position as Sonic’s best friend, despite the lack of memory from it. You’re too sweet for your own good, too perfect; of course it couldn’t be genuine. Another thing potentially stalling him is the fact how Sega has quite literally made him believe how his existence is meant to be surrounded by Sonic, it becoming closer to convincing him farther how it holds absolutely zero meaning without the blue hedgehog being in the picture. But even despite these thoughts of protest, the fox can only take so much. there’s gonna be some point where he cannot suppress these feelings anymore.

Even though his usual self is no exception to causing deaths of those that just so happened to cause immense discomfort or pain to you; another thing that can be written off as a big change is that he’s a whole lot more violent torwards any potential rivals, quite literally going off for torture right off the bat, unlike his casual self who just wishes to get the job done with by blowing the said mobian into hundreds of little bits by his excellent yet dangerous explosives. His yandere form however ... Is absolutely not comparable; his actions now being much more similar to how he treated his victims at the end of secret histories. The two-tailed fox absolutely has zero restraints over himself and is often completely out of control when doing so, the blood of his nemesis covering the floor and walls and psychopathic laughter filling the air. Another important aim being how unlike he would have behaved with Sonic’s case, he would be a whole lot more secretive about the entire murder thing around you. He wouldn’t want to upset his precious and divine admirer now, would he? You’d slowly notice those around you starting to disappear into thin air, each and every acquaintance vanishing only to never see the light of day ever again.

Something else I could picture is that he specifically holds immense grudges against any other Tails counterparts of his, going as far to just take care of the little issue almost immediately after notice. Despite being the filthy imposters they are, he’ll likely feel as if their chances with you rival his own, knowing just as well that they’re close to identical in appearance and intelligence. And if anything, he likely feels the most threatened by them, knowing they could all charm and lure you in all the same way you were captivated by him to begin with.

As for his behaviour torwards his darling after legitimately cracking and taking them in out of said ‘‘protection”, it could mostly be written down as both having a rather clingy and worshipping attitude, yet surprisingly distant right at the same time; not wanting to scare them off. You’re not going anywhere, he knows that much, but having them dreadfully fear him to no avail in improvement over time would absolutely crumble the fox to pieces. He absolutely doesn’t mean any kind of harm torwards his darling, to the point of quite literally not daring to lay a finger on them; but if it wasn’t already obvious before, he has clear limits to his patience. Although not directed torwards them, he can be found growing aggressive due to the lack of emotional touch and is often one to take it out on the unfortunate bystanders nearby, gifting you their still beating hearts as his own little way to show his graciousness torwards you, not realising in the slightest how terrified it truly makes them.

Don’t get me wrong, he adores you with your entire being, he really does; but he has never learned to express them the right way. And I cannot really help but see him as a whole lot more repulsive and abominable as a yandere due to one particular reason. The core of his delusions stop him from thinking properly while it causes refusal torwards the evidence literally laying in front of him; being blinded by unrealistic beliefs and inflicting them onto his poor darling in a sense of purification, all while holding them hostage in a cold and dusted basement. He’d also be a whole lot less obedient to what his darling has to say, feeling as if he’s protecting them despite their protests. You’re silly, of course your naiveness wouldn’t let you catch up with all the potential threats--those rubbish imposters just wandering around you throughout the day. And although the confidence in his beliefs has caused them to become close to being the actual truth in his own unhinged headspace,

that hasn’t stopped him from psychologically harming his darling over and over again.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Most painful part of Season 3 was honestly just watching Sonic and Nine run themselves ragged

Well that and what was going on between Sonic and Nine too but like

God, man

They worked themselves so hard without break. And although Sonic could let himself seem tired, he refused to let it stop him. He ran himself ragged again and again and again, determined both to sacrifice himself and to make sure no one's life is sacrificed for his. Meanwhile Nine... I'm so so convinced that most of his act in that season was quite literally that. An act. Not only is he running himself ragged, he's trying so so so hard to show a version of himself that is confident about winning and doesn't care about anyone else. I am honestly convinced his face kept twitching because he was trying so hard to keep masking.

(My proof? Well let's just say his expression and act reminded me so so much of Season 2 Episode 5, when Mr. Dr. started insulting his intelligence and calling him alone and pathetic. Because at some point in that scene he realizes what Mr. Dr. is doing and how he (Nine) looks, and so he changes his expression and rises up on his tails to both project confidence and skirt the topic by throwing insults back at Mr. Dr. and the council)

[the-arcade-doctor]

cycles with lyrics Welcome back to this rhythm game, devoid of all wit That's no way to treat an old friend, isn't it? Fine, player, guess I'll play along Let's begin your final siren song You think this is any different than any of my other games just because we're hitting silly notes? Go ahead, drink it all in, at the end of this, I'll take you to your new home, a jail of ones and zeroes! Quite the spunky vessel you got there, Boyfriend, was the name of this little game's fame? HOW PATHETIC! You still think he can keep it up? You do realize this loop will never stop, repeating until one of us drops? And the sonic-second you fall, you'll join the corrupt. This is quite the changing of the paces, stupid beeps and bops instead of gore, how do you find entertainment out of all this? Honestly, such a bore, speaking of, my old song was terrible, right? Of course it was! After all, we've been here before. AND SO, MY WONDERFUL CYCLE REPEATS, FUN IS ENDLESS IT LOOPS AND IT LOOPS UNTIL I'M BORED, DISCARD YOU TO THE SIDE, THE AGONIZING TIDE MADE UP OF BLOOD OF ALL WHOM DARED STAND TO LORD X. Thank you, human, you're an amazing friend, lending me your voice until this sing-song cycle ends. Don't worry, I'll see you next time, who knows? I could be waiting just around the bend.

[scrunkore]

Scrunkore Media "Thread" 2023: Part 7 (FINALE)

the scrunko core is dragged into 2024

77) Barbie (Movie, 2023)

What a wildly meta take on the most famous plastic doll in the world, this movie is a pink-tinted ride from start to finish with a lot of words to say about the patriarchy and consumerism, and it does it in such a strange way that I honestly have mad respect for. It's easy to see why it popped off so hard, it was fun and had very explicit political theming, as well as that banger Ken song. Very quirky movie that I enjoyed. [4.5★]

78) Sonic Dream Team (iOS, 2023)

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more had I played it on a device that ran it a bit better, but still, this was a pretty nice surprise drop from Sega's mobile game developers. You wouldn't expect an Apple Arcade exclusive Sonic title to have levels as fun as these with characters that play fairly well, but here it is, and I'm here for it. Short but sweet, a nice experience that doesn't offer much but what it does have is pretty good. I will say, some characters do sound kind of bad, though. Maybe they need better directing on the next one. Also I like Ariem, do more with her please. [3.5★]

79) Bocchi the Rock! (Anime, 2022)

Every social anxious gay girlie's favourite pink blob really is that pathetic, but honestly the show is pretty real about it once you look past the delightfully expressive nonsense going on with her animations. Genuinely like how joining a band doesn't magically improve Bocchi and she's still a nervous weirdo like a lot of us are or have been, but instead she just makes slow progress with a support network around her. And it does help the show's case that it's just a fun watch with some really good music, drawing inspiration from the likes of Asian Kung-Fu Generation (the main case are named after them lol). I was a year late to Bocchi, but now I totally get it. [4.5★]

80) Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (Switch DLC, 2023)

Pokémon DLC seems to be their "thing" now, and I can't complain because this stuff is genuinely pretty good, though not as exceptional as the main game. Fun new and returning creatures in brand new environments from different parts of the world, being a new part of whatever the Japan stand-in is called as well as the ocean around Unova (which they really have been pandering to), along with a genuinely pretty solid character arc for the new boy Kieran and a nice supporting cast. I don't think this DLC as a whole is anything mindblowing, but it adds some substantial new content to what is one of my favourite games in the series in spite of everything it has going against it. There's an epilogue to this coming too, but that already "leaked" because they left it in the game. Oh, Game Freak. [4★]

81) I'm in Love with the Villainess (Anime, 2023)

Himejoshi of the world rejoiced, for the series they have been gassing up for ages finally made it into anime form, and it was really quite good. What is initially just a silly romantic comedy about a girl who is just extremely gay for the villainess of the game world she was reborn into ends up having some pretty genuine moments with discussions of homophobia and sad backstories that hit. What I hope to be able to call the "first season" covered a nice amount of content and ended on just the right note to get you wanting more, and overall it's just very gay and very good. Helps that the light novels' author seems like a real one too, she's interacted with fans in every language she's able to and I'll have to read her original work. [4.5★]

82) Doctor Who 2023 Specials (TV, 2023)

Doctor Who is back, and they brought back an old showrunner and even an old Doctor for a bit to pretty entertaining results, along with introducing the next Doctor in a divisive but interesting way. I will say, some odd decisions were made there, but I don't really mind too much, as the special episodes released within the last couple months of the year were really fun adventures. Concluding a story that's over a decade old, introducing genuinely good trans rep, finally going back to a classic-era villain just to kick his ass, it's great to see. I think Wild Blue Yonder was the best of these, being perfectly weird as good Doctor Who often is, but they were all nice. Christmas special showed promise for 2024's upcoming series too, May can't come soon enough. [4★]

82.1) Doctor Who: The Daleks Colour Special (TV, 2023)

A curious addition to the 60th anniversary of the series was a cut-down edit of the Daleks' original serial from the 1960s remade in colour with unnecessary inclusions of music and some odd choices of what to trim from it. I'm not sure it was very good, but it was nice of them to bring back a frankly ancient story in a new way. An interesting experiment, perhaps.

82.2) Doctor Who: Liberation of the Daleks (Comic, 2023)

Apparently they want you to read this if you want to know what happened to the previous Sonic Screwdriver, which is kind of funny because that's not actually that big a deal within this rather silly story. It's a short and weird comic plot featuring a virtual multiverse of different quirky Daleks, yet another excuse to have them in something because they weren't in the main specials. I kinda liked it, though, it was fun enough.

83/84) Scott Pilgrim (Comic, 2004-2010)/Vs The World (Movie, 2010)

Took me long enough to get into this series, and yeah it is actually pretty good. Shitty people bumbling into improvement is something that does require reading comprehension to enjoy (lol) but this is a good story where you're obviously supposed to know Scott and indeed several of the other characters have and do make a lot of mistakes. The movie does make this worse as well, kinda skimming over most of the comics' storyline, but it's well-directed so it's good enough if you want to watch it. Really has fun with it, and the series is in fact quite funny especially with how pathetic the lead character is. I do recommend reading the comics, it's a series with a fun vibe but also they say the R-slur a few times because it was the 2000s so watch out for that. Luckily other media in the series avoids doing that, because by the 2010s most people figured you shouldn't say that. [4★/3.5★] 85) Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Anime, 2023)

I can't believe they actually made Rebuild of Scott Pilgrim and that's not really hyperbole, this new Netflix anime based on the series does a great job of both deconstructing and fleshing out the source material in some really nice ways. Characters previously treated largely as jokes in the movie especially (poor Roxie) get a lot more thought put into them and many of the cast end up happier. I don't want to spoil a lot, but this is some good stuff that comes at everything from a different angle without sacrificing too much of what made the original stuff stand out. Might be my favourite of these. [4.5★]

86) Neo Yokio (Anime, 2017)

This show is so fucking stupid, so naturally it's the last thing I watched in 2023. It's some vapid rich person hipster shit but I think it knows that, and a lot of the comedy comes from that, but I feel some of the funny stuff is unintended too. Frankly it's hard to tell what angle it's going for, and it does have one kinda transphobic Ranma 1/2 parody, so I'm not sure if I'd recommend it in good faith, but it was a good thing to just mindlessly watch and laugh at from time to time. I'll watch the Christmas special at some point. [NEO YOKIO★]

And thus, the media "thread" comes to an end. That sure was a year in my life where I consumed media, I can say that much. Maybe for 2024 I'll be better at keeping up with this thing, but no promises. Still, this was fun enough.

Last part

[jadeile-writes]

Fanfic Progress Update 155

I'm so glad it's Saturday, this week has been exhausting because of a Christmas market I participated in today - so much baking and other preparations. Anyway, stay tuned for the last sneak-peek for Keep the Cuddles Platonic -challenge at the bottom of this post!

Current WIPs:

Keep the Cuddles Platonic -challenge

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog, movieverse

Summary: Doctor Robotnik is simultaneously touch averse and touch starved, which results in a plan to "get the touching needs over with" in the most efficient way he could think of: cuddles overnight, when he wouldn't be doing anything useful anyway. Agent Stone was not privy to the plan until they arrived at their hotel room for their business trip.

Progress: Chapter 4 is the current latest chapter and was posted on 7th of December. Chapter 5 is finished and will be posted on 14th of December aka next Thursday, and then this fic will be officially done!

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I'm Signing in the Drain

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog, movieverse

Summary (temporary): Not many people know this, but Doctor Robotnik is actually deaf and uses hearing aids to make up for it. Agent Stone does not know this, he just kind of assumes he's told to learn sign language upon being assigned for some other, mysterious reasons, and not as a "just in case" measure.

Progress: This fic will most likely have five chapters, maybe six if I get epilogue-happy or smth. The first chapter is now truly finished, as I fixed the ending to my liking. A new second chapter appeared because of a thing I removed from the first chapter but didn't want to ditch, so now it's in the process of being fully expanded on to be the second chapter. It's about 1/4 done. The old second chapter, now the third chapter, is finished now too.

I'm actually positive I can spin this into full on Stobotnik, because now I have a clear vision of how to go about it :D Also, I need to pick up the slack with writing this, because this will be the next in the line to be published unless some random oneshot(s) appear to fill in between Cuddles and this one to buy me more time. ...Not a word about how I could just write a chapter of this one in the time it'd take me to write an entire-ass oneshot >.> Shh, just be happy if you get more fics!

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SBLF (workname)

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog, movieverse

Summary (temporary):

Wanted: a yesman who is capable of operating an espresso machine, has at least a higher IQ than your average amoeba, and is willing to put work before having a personal life, or indeed a life, period. The extra in your pathetic paycheck is good, but the strain in your psyche will make up for the positives. Forfeit your basic human rights and apply today if this sounds like you. 

Maybe it said something about Agent Stone - and probably not good things - that the poster in the cafeteria's pin board piqued his interest more than any of his official assignments had for a good long while. 

Dr. Robotnik, huh?

Progress: This one will be a longfic, probably around 20 chapters. It's a bit hard to estimate at this point, so the number is subject to change. Or most likely I'll cut this into two fics in a series, because quite honestly, it's two stories in one package (that is, half of it is pre-canon and half post-canon.) My writing hours will be devoted to this fic.

I have the first four chapters completely written now. Chapter 5 is not yet started. I also have two halfway written chapters that don't yet know their exact placement within the fic (they're scenes that will be slotted in to wherever they feel natural, once we get Stone settled in.)

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Other WIPs I’m not currently working on but intend to get back to Someday™:

PoE Drabbles (Pillars of Eternity)

DC Drabbles (Justice League)

Diaphanous Relations (Forgotten Realms, R.A. Salvatore’s books)

Rolling with it (Zelda: BotW)

Hah, our afterlife is the most hilarious bushwa, dearest! (Hazbin Hotel)

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That’s it for the WIPs! Here’s the promised sneak-peek into Keep the Cuddles Platonic -challenge (Note: the text may end up slightly different in the fic itself due to more editing happening before publishing). Enjoy!

Stone woke up at his usual time, two minutes to seven, without any aid from alarm clocks. Not that he had an alarm set for that time anymore, since his work started at ten to accommodate the doctor’s hatred for mornings, but years of habit and him being a morning person were hard to train out of.

Stone stretched as much as he could while being weighed down by Robotnik sleeping on his chest, then looked down at him with a fond smile. As usual, the doctor had his head tucked under Stone’s chin, was holding him loosely around the chest, and had their legs all tangled up together. He had not so much as stirred by Stone’s movements, so used to this arrangement by now.

Stone observed the sleeping doctor’s mess of a hair in the morning sun that was peeking in through the small gaps in the venetian blinds. He could see hints of auburn red at the roots and mentally added black hair dye to the shopping list. Why Robotnik hated his natural hair colour was a mystery to Stone, but he looked forward to helping him with the dyeing process anyway.

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That’s it this time. See you next Saturday!

Links:

My AO3   My FFnet   My Ko-fi    Radiohusk Discord Server

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Hey look who finally decided to show up! And the image quality is shit because Sonic X releases are just like that!

Anyway yeah since I finally have time again and have caught up on seasonals, I’m now back on my Sonic X shit. For today, episodes 25 and 26. The final two episodes of season 1. Let’s go.

Episode 25 was, honestly, shit. It’s basically just Knuckles being a massive fucking idiot and trusting Eggman with all the fucking Chaos Emeralds for some reason - the justification sucks, the idiot ball handed to Knuckles here is atrocious, and it’s made even worse by Chris dragging everyone down even further with how fucking annoying he is.

But surely episode 26 faired better? The season finale, the first appearance of Super Sonic. I was legitimately super excited to get to this moment, I remember it being one of my favourite parts of Sonic X when I first watched it in its entirety. But alas, this episode also uh, sucked! It’s pretty much just the narrative having to pick up from the idiot ball shenanigans of last time, with Chris being a thousand times more unbearable, and now Eggman is utterly pathetic too! He loses control of his mech, he demands Sonic stop fighting because Eggman himself doesn’t want to keep fighting him, and at one point Chris nearly kills himself by getting fried on Eggman’s Chaos Emerald fuelled power source, and Eggman turns it off! And starts talking about how stupid that was of Chris, worried that he could’ve gotten himself killed! Holy fuck! I knew Sonic X Eggman was bad but this is just, pathetic! This isn’t even fucking Eggman! It’s genuinely disgraceful to the character witnessing him act like this! Super Sonic’s hardly a saving grace either with his 30 seconds of screentime, half of which he spends standing beside Chris as he cries and shit! This episode was not fucking it at all man. Genuinely disappointing considering how I’d actually been having fun for quite a while before this.

Oh well. Starting next episode we’re doing the Sonic Adventure adaptation. I don’t have any strong recollection of my feelings on this so we’re just gonna have to wait and see.

[blunderbots]

Rise of the Wisps Part 1

    Orbot paced about the room–Metal Sonic would be here any minute now, and he was not looking forward to having his superior silently staring down at him. The fur on the back of his neck stood on end, and the armadillo put his hands together, attempting to still his quaking. Dr Eggman had originally been overseeing the project, but since the blunderbots were prone to taking too many breaks instead of remaining hard at work, he had decided to put Metal Sonic in charge of them, which was a terrifying prospect of itself. Orbot’s dear companion, Cubot, wasn’t as comforting as usual, mostly since one of the crates containing multiple Wisp containers had nailed him in the head, and promptly caused his voice chip to become discombobulated. Because of that, well, he wasn’t really speaking at all, and when he was …

    “ROCKET!” Cubot boomed, throwing his hand out to catch a tumbling Wisp container that he’d clumsily dropped from his stacked pile. Orbot jumped, and proceeded sigh, shoulders slumping as he walked over to grab his own sets of containers, and bring them over to the nearby Drainer.

    “Cubot, can you please be careful? Metal Sonic is on his way, and the Boss already knows we’ve been lazing about… we have to at least appear good at our jobs.” A bit of a smirk from the armadillo, and Cubot turned his head to give a thumbsup. “We really need to do something about your voice chip, pal. It’s no fun carrying a conversation by myse–”

    And just then, the exit opened up, revealing Metal Sonic as he stepped into the room, red eyes piercing the dim lighting of the room. Orbot and Cubot immediately stood at attention, saluting their superior officer and looking as professional as possible… until it seemed a good amount of time to set at ease. Metal Sonic wasn’t that talkative, so it was better to try and… figure out what he wanted rather than wait for him to say anything.

    “Metal Sonic, Sir! What a–”

       “GOOD! GREAT!! AWESOME!!!”

    Orbot glared at his companion, elbowing him in the side before turning back to Metal, hands clasped together eagerly, “–Honor it is to work with an–”

       “OUTSTANDING!!!!!”

    Oh for the love of– “Marvel of engineering such as yourse–”

       “AMAZING!!!!!!!!!”

    With a kick to the back of the leg, causing Cubot to wobble and nearly lose his balance, Orbot turned to Metal once more and put a hand over the Labrador’s mouth, sighing loudly, “Pay him no mind. His voice chip has been on the fritz, you see.”

    Cubot whined out a pathetic “ROCKET!” from behind Orbot’s hands, and the armadillo groaned, rubbing his temples. Okay, back to business. Metal Sonic was already ignoring the both of them, walking to the nearest capsules and examining them. Orbot was quick to remain by his side, ears lifting up. “Now, is there anything we can do to make your time with us more pleasant?”

    Those piercing red eyes flashed as the blue robot barely turned to face Orbot, and the armadillo felt a chill of pure dread race down his spine. He let out a little nervous laugh, hands squeezing tightly together as he backed up, bumping into Cubot’s front, “Ah, yes, of course! Our jobs…” So much for more breaks. There’s no way Metal Sonic would allow them time to goof off, “We’ve just got to get these Wisps,” he gestures to the seemingly endless piles and crates of the critters, careful to keep his tone friendly and welcoming, “processed and shipped out across the planet.”

    Dr Eggman’s stern words rang in Orbot’s mind, his ears stinging with memory from when the egg-shaped scientist had grabbed them and hoisted him up by them. “And Eggman asked very sternly that we not do it like complete…” he made quotation marks with his fingers, allowing just a bit of his restrained resentment to seep out, “bumbling imbeciles.”

    Metal Sonic didn’t seem all that impressed. Actually, he didn’t seem like he had any expression at all, considering he had zero facial emotion to begin with. No mouth, only evil eyes. With the lack of feedback, Orbot bowed low, smiled nervously and gave a thumbsup, before slapping a hand to Cubot’s back and pushing him to another part of the room… To work, to work!

    As the two started picking up capsules, Orbot noticed that Metal Sonic had followed them over, and he attempted to remain friendly. Both Cubot and Metal were unable to talk, which made Orbot self conscious about how much he was speaking, and then, well. It was leading him to just talking from a stream of consciousness sort of way, “but don’t you worry–Big bro!–Can I call you big bro?”

    Oh no, why did he say that? Metal Sonic was going to eviscerate him. Or maybe it would endear the superior robot to Orbot and Cubot, and like his namesake, he’d want to look out for the two Robians. Protect them! … Not bloody likely. The lack of response of any kind had Orbot immediately speaking again.

    “–Anyway, we aren’t bumbling at all! Are we, Cubot?” He’d turned to his companion, who despite being bigger than both of them, was struggling to carry the five or six capsules he’d decided he could totally handle, and they were bouncing around in his arms… CRASH!!!

    This was clearly all the evidence Metal Sonic needed, as he immediately took both of Orbot’s capsules from him, turned, and proceeded to head towards the Drainer, with Orbot wincing and walking after him, whimpering as he tried to think of something to say. This was definitely going to get them scolded by Dr Eggman, for sure.

    While the three worked, they weren’t paying attention to the secret Wisp Mission happening behind them, with Wisps being freed from their capsules left and right. It wasn’t until a Jade Wisp flew through Cubot that things started to get interesting. His body turned green and became translucent, and the capsules he’d been carrying smashed on the ground, freeing the Wisps trapped inside, much to Cubot’s absolute bewilderment. He was trying to recapture the Wisps, but they were too slippery for the big badnik.

    Orbot, who’d been attempting to make sure everything would run smoother from here out, put his hands on his haunches and glared at the Labrador, “Honestly… What did I JUST say about bumbling?” Cubot wanted to whine, but nothing came out of his throat, and so his tail hung between his legs and his ears drooped lower, shoulders sagging.  Just then, more Wisps began to fly around the room, escaping out the exit–Orbot and Cubot had to move fast to try to capture them all. Jumping and running to and fro, grabbing as many as they could as Metal Sonic joined in the hunt.

    Things were going well, but Cubot bumbled into Orbot, and all the progress they’d made was for nothing–there go all the Wisps they’d just caught! Luckily, Metal Sonic had captured the defacto leaders of the Wisp Resistance, even as they used their abilities against him, he was much stronger than they were.

    Still, quite a few Wisps had escaped, and that meant bad news for Orbot and Cubot. Their heads hung as they bowed low to Metal, who walked past them without so much as a glare. Inserting the re-captured Wisps into the Drainer, he mercilessly stole their Energy from them, transforming them into Void Wisps, purple and zombie-like husks.

    It seemed that Metal Sonic would be accompanying the blunderbots across Sweet Mountain, to ensure that their jobs were done properly.

[untitled-swapau]

The sound of a little girl crying suddenly starts. Like she was suddenly transported here. She sounds afraid... perhaps someone should comfort her?

@ask-underfazverse

*The mod had a very uh- unnecessarily difficult time deciding which muse to use*

*One of the familiar blue hedgehogs ear's flicked, Seems the sound has caught his attention enough to make him stop what he was doing and get up and look around the area.*

"..Ehm- Hello? Who's there..?"

[majinsonic-speedboi]

C.S hissed at Xeno before he even disappeared. He was showing DEEP HATRED. The sonic boom had him yowl a bit. That sure caught him off guard. Just in case,he scuttled in front of Sonic,growling. I know I said he'd be calm about citizens unless they are harmful but man this alerted him.

*Fleetway is just flying around having fun lol*

- Swap was.. Mildly shaking, still.. Gently holding the hoglets, just this time he held them closer than before. -

- ...He's trying to protect them. -

[lovejustforaday]

Sonic Youth Albums Ranked (Part 1)

There are few indie/alternative bands that I’d argue are as challenging and engaging, or as formative as Sonic Youth.

From their early days as a radical no wave project, to their mid-career as a hard-hitting noise rock band, to their later years as a mellow indie band with prickly guitar tones, Sonic Youth has reinvented the concept of both the guitar and rock music in general again and again. They’ve probably made at least fifty or so never-before-heard noises with their instruments. Combining these sounds with lyrics that regularly explore disillusionment, nihilism, social transgression, pop culture, feminism, abstract thought, underground scenes, and outsider art — it’s safe to say that Sonic Youth have always gone against the grain.

The members of Sonic Youth are obviously all musicians, but they have also been iconoclasts, satirists, and poets throughout their careers, creating music that demolishes both the conventions of rock as well as the social pretensions of the conservative American lifestyle.

Each member of the main lineup contributes something fundamental to the band:

-Guitarist/vocalist/de-facto leader Thurston Moore, the no-fucks-given anti-rock star icon and visionary (albeit he’s kind of a smug twerp these days)

-Bassist/guitarist/vocalist Kim Gordon, the reserved but sharp-witted feminist and multi-disciplinary artist

-Guitarist/sometimes vocalist Lee Ranaldo, the revolutionary master of bizarre guitar tunings

-Drummer Steve Shelley, whose soft and shy demeanor masks a deliverer of precise, high-speed rhythmic anarchy

I could go on and gush about this band forever, but I’ve decided to settle for writing a big nerdy list all about how I feel each Sonic Youth album holds up when ranked. With 15 proper records in total, there is a lot to digest. Likewise, I highly encourage you if you haven’t already to go listen to some of these LPs for yourself and formulate your own opinions about one of the most fascinating bands to have ever existed. This list is really just my two cents.

Note: we will be focusing on the 15 full-length studio albums recorded under the name “Sonic Youth”. This list does not include the s/t debut EP, nor does it include the “Whitey Album” or the SYR series since those are best understood as separate side projects. This list is going to be long enough as it is anyway.

15. Rather Ripped (2006)

Main Genres: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock

A decent sampling of: Noise Rock

From any other band, this is a perfectly decent album with a few nice, gratifying guitar tones here and there. But as a Sonic Youth album, Rather Ripped sounds like the band is on auto-pilot. This is the band’s only album that to my ears sounds like it could’ve been written by any number of other alternative rock bands at the time. It just lacks a certain essential edge that their music usually has.

It really doesn’t help the case for this record that Thurston Moore began having an affair at this point in the career, and it is disgustingly present in the lyrics in hindsight, with the offensively titled “Sleeping Around” and possibly even “Incinerate” both probably taking inspiration from his dirty little secret.

I usually separate art from the artist to a certain degree, but in this case it really does kill part of the experience, because I can’t help but feel that Thurston is having a stupid little giggle to himself by hiding his affair in plain sight and it’s really just kind of pathetic. Kim Gordon is my favourite member of the band, and to me she’s the epitome of an extremely cool person, which only makes the whole thing worse. Seriously, quit bragging old man.

Speaking of “Incinerate”, I can confidently say that I think this is the band’s most overrated song. Certainly not their worst, but I really can’t fathom how so many people consistently put this up there with “Schizophrenia” or “The Diamond Sea” as one of Sonic Youth’s top five songs when it’s honestly just so...by the numbers.

That being said, Rather Ripped is not ‘bad’ per se, it’s mostly just that it really lacks something the band usually has, which makes the project feel a little soulless. Still, the record has its better moments. “Pink Stream” is rather ethereal sounding, which is pretty rare in the band’s discography given their usual penchant for the bombastic and ear-shattering, or the ominous and unsettling. “Turquoise Boy” is also a nice mellow track that probably could’ve fit in quite well as one of many solid tracks on A Thousand Leaves, albeit most of those tracks would still trounce this one.

Rather Ripped is all-around competent; it’s a pretty consistent listen and a decent enough beginner-level Sonic Youth album in terms of accessibility. But there’s just nothing about this album that really grabs me like literally any of their other LPs. There’s almost none of the band’s personality on this record (save perhaps Thurston’s inflated ego). Perhaps it is best to call it their “least interesting” album instead of their “worst”. Honestly, you could just skip this one and you probably wouldn’t miss much.

6/10

highlights: “Pink Stream”, “Turquoise Boy”

14. The Eternal (2009)

Main Genres: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock

A decent sampling of: Noise Rock

The Eternal is the last LP Sonic Youth put out as a band. With context, the record has somewhat of a somber feeling. Even its name ‘The Eternal’ seems to suggest that the band might’ve known that it would be their last record, as if the album could be at least partially a reflection on the band’s legacy that will eventually go on to outlive each member.

The band really does sound a little burnt out at multiple points on this record, particularly in terms of Thurston’s vocals which can be best described as sounding ‘exhausted’. Again, like Rather Ripped, the music is certainly competent and enjoyable, but it’s also noticeably less adventurous than on earlier LPs. The album is also a bit more sluggish than most of the band’s past work, feeling just about as long as Daydream Nation or Washing Machine despite being well over 10 minutes shorter than either of those LPs.

I’ll be perfectly honest: if it weren’t for “Massage The History”, this record probably wouldn’t be all that much better than Rather Ripped. Kim Gordon gets to have the very last words on the record with this grim and cryptic requiem about hers and Thurston’s relationship, indicating that she was at least partially aware at the time that the two of them were growing apart.

This would be the last album Sonic Youth put out before Kim became fully aware of Thurston’s affair with a younger woman, leading to her divorce and the band’s inevitable breakup. The song is honestly kind of painful to listen to for that reason, but it is also tragically and morbidly beautiful. “Massage The History” is chronologically the last track in the entire Sonic Youth discography which stretches across 15 LPs over the course of three decades, and it’s a very worthy swan song for the band, if also a bitter reminder that most things cannot last.

“Malibu Gas Station” is another standout, a nocturnal alternative rock jam that sounds very much like a track from the Sister-Daydream Nation-Goo era, and yet another example of Kim Gordon’s capabilities as a member of the band. Really, Kim basically carries this entire LP on her shoulders in terms of the lyrics and vocals.

Nevertheless, I like this record for what it represents if nothing else, and I would still say that it is a level above Rather Ripped thanks to the album closer, and more on par with the next couple of albums on this list. However, I would never recommend that anyone start their Sonic Youth journey with this LP. You can listen to their discography in just about any order you want to, but I’d highly recommend that you save this one for last. The Eternal is a mostly bittersweet experience that is best appreciated after hearing the rest of the band’s output.

7/10

highlights: “Massage The History”, “Malibu Gas Station”

13. Experimental Jet Set, Trash, And No Star (1994)

Main Genres: Noise Rock, Alternative Rock

A decent sampling of: Experimental Rock, Post-Punk

Experimental Jet Set, Trash, And No Star came right after the modest commercial success of Goo and Dirty, and I think you can hear on this LP that the band is reacting to that success by trying to resharpen some of the edges that were smoothed out by Butch Vig’s production on Dirty. Basically, this sounds rather like Dirty but less put-together, less consistent, and a lot more raw.

I appreciate that they wanted to do their own thing and challenge expectations again, and you can really tell that the band is mostly playing around on this record, but in this case I gotta say that the songwriting seems to suffer a little because of that.

The album starts off promising enough with two major highlights. First, there’s a rare acoustic offering with the lo-fi opener “Winner’s Blues”, the first of many tracks that would appear on later Sonic Youth LPs proving that Thurston’s vocals can actually be quite soothing. Then there’s the winding, topsy-turvy patterns of “Bull In The Heather” where lyrically Kim mocks the infantilization of women in her usual snarky, sing-talking fashion. Later on the record, there’s also “Bone” which has a very sinister, bluesy swagger to it that I really enjoy.

But everything else from here on out is kind of a mixed bag. The main setback really seems to be the track lengths; it’s actually pretty weird for a Sonic Youth album at this point in the band’s career to be full of songs that are mostly only two or three minutes long like they are on Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star. That’s not inherently bad of course, but a lot of these tracks really only sound like ‘parts’ of a Sonic Youth song; some really good ideas, but largely underdeveloped.

Take “Starfield Road” for example, which takes a whole minute to build up this really cool and bizarre turbulent sound storm, and then Thurston starts singing over it for a couple of bars until it all sorta just stops abruptly. This track could work in theory if it was structured differently. “Mildred Pierce” off of Goo does something similar, but with that track there’s pay off at the end with the sudden wicked, destructive breakdown which catches you off guard, but here there’s simply no pay off for the listener.

Combine the lack of complete songwriting with the fact that this is actually one of the longest tracklistings on any Sonic Youth album at 14 tracks, and you get an album that feels like it’s bloated with lots of filler. Mind you, there’s still a lot of great little moments on this LP, but very few of them come together to make great songs. It’s an excellent sampler of just how many different ways Sonic Youth can play with a riff or make weird new static noises, but with regards to songwriting, Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star feels more like a collection of demo tapes than a proper album. Still, there’s some cool energy on this record and I’d say it’s a worthwhile listen for any diehard fan.

7/10

highlights: “Bull In The Heather”, “Bone”, “Winner’s Blues”

12. NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000)

Main Genres: Experimental Rock, Noise Rock, Art Rock

A decent sampling of: Post-Rock, Art Punk, Beat Poetry, No Wave

This is a good example of why we can’t have nice things. Somewhere between A Thousand Leaves and this record, Sonic Youth had most of their gear stolen by some jackass, which effectively meant pressing a hard reset button on the band’s sound for at least one album.

Likewise, a lot of people say that this is their worst record, and yeah I get why those people feel that way, but I actually like NYC Ghosts & Flowers for the fact that it forced the band to undergo yet another major sonic transformation. It‘s certainly more consistently interesting than Rather Ripped or The Eternal, just a very strange album in general, and for that it gets some extra points. I should also mention that this is the first of a couple of albums where the band collaborated with the acclaimed avant-garde artist Jim O’Rourke.

With lyrics influenced by the legendary mid-20th century ‘beat poetry’ scene born out of the band’s own New York City, this is the most 'abstract' Sonic Youth ever sounded. You can hear hints of the band’s no wave origins on this record, but with all of the crude chaos of those early LPs replaced with cerebral tension.

It’s also more sparse than any of their other studio albums, even more so than the dark and intangible Bad Moon Rising. Unfortunately, in this case that also leads to some tracks like “Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)” feeling somewhat empty, or perhaps sometimes too monotonous or repetitive without enough sonically gratifying moments.

But there are exceptions, and the middle portion of this album is where the new formula mostly thrives. “Small Flowers Crack Concrete” is vivid post-rock art poetry, not unlike a more noisy, sporadic version of some of the songs off of Slint’s beloved post-rock classic Spiderland. “Side2Side” is very aurally pleasing, with plinkety guitar staccatos and Kim’s voice hopping from one ear to the other like some kind of noise rock ASMR.

“StreamXSonik Subway” is a freaky little track that sounds calmly menacing, and I really like the high-pitch computer-y bloops. But then right after that there’s the seven and a half minute title track “NYC Ghosts & Flowers” which could probably give me a headache if I didn’t distract myself with something else while I was listening to it; truly maybe the worst track of the band’s entire discography if I was asked to pick one.

Overall, I’d say that NYC Ghosts & Flowers is a very artistic and fascinating experience in the moment, but I don’t really end up remembering much of it an hour or two after listening to the record. It just doesn’t really stay with me like some of their other records, and I don’t often feel the need to revisit this LP. I think Sonic Youth does the whole ‘sparseness' thing better when they’re aiming to sound vast, haunting, or nihilistic, as opposed to this kind of small, cerebral, sit-down-in-an-empty-room-and-listen experience which I personally find a bit more suited to other bands.

That being said, I applaud them for taking a lot of risks on this one, and I genuinely like NYC Ghosts & Flowers for the moments where it really does seem to be on the cusp of something groundbreaking. It's also a pretty polarizing record for most listeners, so maybe you’ll love it.

7/10

highlights: “Small Flowers Crack Concrete”, “Side2Side“, “StreamXSonik Subway”

[allegra-writes]

"Fine line" part I

Peter Parker x SHIELD Agent! Reader x Harry Osborn

Teen and Up

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Part of the "Fine Line" series. Welcome to the endgame.

SERIES MASTERLIST | MY MASTERLIST

He had never seen you fight before. It was stupid of him, and potentially dangerous, to stop and think about something like that in the middle of a freaking battle, but he just couldn't help it. You were graceful, deadly. You and Kate Bishop moving together like a well oiled machine. Strike team Delta, Fury's pride. A blur of perfectly shot arrows and high kicks. 

But not even you were enough to stop the giant monstrosity in its path of destruction, not even him was. And it had hostages now. 

"Six!"

"I know K, I'm seeing it!"

"I'm on it guys!" Peter called back as he swung by you like a red and blue meteor, following the greenish abomination currently climbing up the side of a skyscraper, carrying a sports car on his free hand as effortlessly as if it was a toy. 

"One little question though" He switched to coms, "What the hell is that thing??"

"That thing" You explained, "is Norman Osborn…"

Peter's hand slipped, sending him flying face first into the building wall,

"Say what?!" 

"We'll fill you up later, Spidey" Kate quipped, "For now, would you mind giving us a hand before King-kong over there kills anyone? I don't trust his butter fingers not to drop that Audi"

"Yes, ma'am" You could hear Peter's smile in his voice, "S.H.I.E.L.D girls are so bossy"

"Well, we are your superiors..." You noted, finally arriving at the entrance of the building when he was already halfway to the top. 

"Ugh, I hate it when you pull rank on me" He groaned, swerving to dodge the shards of broken glass raining upon him.

You snorted, 

"No you don't"

"No, I don't" He admitted, "Kinda turns me on"

"Ew! Guys, I can hear you" Kate catched up to you, shooting an arrow hooked to a line around her belt. Peter wasn't surprised to see it hit its mark flawlessly on a ledge above his head, "Hi, hot stuff, need a ride?" 

You rolled your eyes, but wrapped your arms around her shoulders nonetheless, holding on tight. 

"Hey!" Peter protested, mid swing, "No flirting with my girl!"

"I saw her first!" Kate released the latch, and soon you both were ascending at breakneck speed, easily surpassing Peter, "Race you to the top, Spidey!" 

His laughter resonated through the coms, as he sped up to follow you, guns blazing into the battle.

…

There was no laughter anymore. The friendly banter and quick comebacks had died long ago, the second you had realized it was a trap. The goblin creature was far more intelligent than you were led to believe, having set the ploy from the very beginning, his seemingly driftless rampage through the city, not so random after all. 

And far more psychotic, as you had learnt when he tore open the car in his hands to reveal the terrified blond man inside. 

"HARRY!"

Peter's horrified scream matched your own.

"Well well well, it seems you awake quite the loyalty" a massive hand closed around Harry's torso, his indigo orbs finding yours across the rooftop "for such a pathetic little worm"

"Let him go, Goblin" Kate's tone was placating, almost gentle, "you don't know what you're doing…"

The creature laughed,

"That's what you think? What your imbecilic little investigation concluded?" Kate and you exchanged a look. Of course. Your investigation about the Green Goblin and other Oscorp shady experiments relied heavily on Norman Osborn personal files. The thought of the passionate scientist, who valued his work more than his own son, lying in his own research had never even crossed your minds. He had played you like a fiddle, misled you every step of the way, and you had bought right into it.

"I worked with S.H.I.E.L.D longer than you had been alive, and Fury thinks he can sic you after me? Two little girls playing spy and my own creation??" Harry looked about ready to pass out as the Goblin waved him around, gesticulating with his hands as he spoke.

Through the corner of his eye, Peter caught a glimpse of Kate inching closer to the beast, and was only half interested when he inquired,

"What do you mean your creation?"

"Everything special about you," The Goblin's deformed visage twisted in what Peter assumed was supposed to be a smirk, "came from one of my labs!"

"That might be true, you might have involuntarily given me my powers, but you didn't make me Spider-man" Peter countered, "Mister Stark gave me the suit, and showed me what it meant to be a hero, and I loved him and admire him more than you will ever be able to understand, but he didn't make me Spider-man either. 

I choose to be Spider-man, every day. I created myself, cause it isn't who we were made to be that makes us who we are. Our choices make us who we are! You might have the powers and appearance of a monster, but you don't have to be one!"

"If you really think that, you are even more stupid than I thought, Peter Parker"

"Pe-peter?" Harry gasped through the creatures crushing grasp around his torso. Peter hesitated for a second, before taking his mask off. 

"Yeah, it's me, buddy" He admitted, watching his friend's eyes go wide, "It's going to be ok, Haz. We'll get you out of this, I promise…"

Famous last words. Peter should have known better by then than to jinx things like that. Because not two minutes later, he was seeing Kate's little ambush fail, the creature's tail whipping around with enough force to send her flying against a wall and knock her out, Peter's own kick just a little too slow to stop the Goblin from grabbing you in his free hand.

"Wings? It has fucking wings??" Peter cursed under his breath, scrambling to follow the monster as he flapped his enormous, membranous wings, soaring across the city. But the creature had no intention of going too far.

"You say our choices make us who we are, very well" The Goblin challenged him, hovering above 700 feet of empty air, and Peter's heart stopped. "Let's see what yours are. What is it going to be, your friend… or your lover?" 

"Don't do it, Goblin!" He yelled, standing on a ledge, ready to pounce, when he saw it. Or rather, saw her, purple hair blowing in the wind, standing on the air, a little lower and further behind from the Goblin, one palm pointed down, creating some sort of sonic wave that kept her up. She signaled a series of orders with her free hand, and Peter nodded almost imperceptibly, but enough for you to realize something was happening. You twisted in the Goblins grip to see what was going on at your back. Oh, fuck.

"Make your choice, Peter. Now!" 

Norman Osborn let go of you and Harry at the same time, leaving you to watch your boyfriend dive for your ex. But you weren't falling, you were floating, cushioned by a column of vibrating air. 

"Don't worry, rookie," You heard an annoyingly familiar voice say, "big sis is here…"

Great. You were never going to live this down, now. 

Meanwhile, Peter had problems of his own, the momentum the Goblin had thrown his own son away making it difficult for him to catch Harry on time.

And even after he had the other man safe in his arms, he wouldn't stop squirming, fighting in his hold. 

"Noooo! Go after her! Save her!!"

Peter managed to land the both of them in a terrace, 

"She's ok! She's fine, see? She's got this! She's got this…" Peter finally released Harry, pointing up to the place where you still were hovering in the air with that other agent. 

"She… she's… flying?" 

"I think that is actually the other one's making…" Peter shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. Harry started pacing back and forth, obviously overwhelmed, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.

"And you're Spider-man…" he turned to Peter, who nodded. "And that thing… what the fuck was that thing?" 

Peter hesitated,

"Apparently, a crazy scientist" he finally decided on a half truth.

"A crazy… Mate, what even is your life?"

"Honestly? I've been asking myself that same question for years…"

Harry barked out a watery, hysterical laugh. He wanted to punch the shorter guy, he wanted to throw himself at his feet and thank him for saving his life. To apologize for all the drunken midnight calls, and also stab him in his boyishly handsome face for being so fucking noble and heroic and brave and impossibly perfect and for stealing his girl. 

He clutched as his chest, the burn almost making him double over in pain, and he realized he was hyperventilating.

"Harry, Harry, look at me. Look at me! Do you feel my chest? Can you feel my chest under your hand?" 

Harry noticed then that Peter was pressing his open palm, splayed against the spider logo on his own chest. He nodded his affirmation.

"Good, feel how it moves? Breath with me" Peter ordered, "inhale…" 

Harry breathed in, in time with his friend's expanding chest.

"Now exhale" 

Harry let go of his breath.

"That's right, you're doing so great" Peter's praise warmed up something inside his gut. "Inhale…" and Harry did, catching a faint whiff of your perfume. Peter smelled like you, the realization making him notice just how close to each other they were, only inches apart. And he wondered idly if that was the view you were used to, the one you favored over everything else: warm brown eyes, staring into your soul, right before leaning in. He wondered if you appreciated those hard, muscular shoulders under your hands, before pulling him close. He wondered if Peter's lips still tasted like you.

And before he knew it, Peter found himself with Harry's mouth crashing on his.

He knew he should stop it, step away, but he was rooted to the spot, caught off guard by the sudden onslaught of sensations. It was different from kissing a girl. Hard planes where he was used to soft curves. The tickle of scruff, and slightly chapped lips where he was used to your strawberry sweet lipstick. But as Harry's tongue licked his bottom lip, begging for entrance, Peter couldn't help but open up to him, to surrender to him, as his tongue conquered every inch of Peter's mouth, a greddy, hungry victor. 

"I hate you so much" Harry breathed against Peter's mouth, even as his big hands came to frame the brunet's face, the metal of his finger rings cool against Peter's cheeks

"Doesn't feel like hate…" He quipped, before scraping his teeth against Harry's lips, tearing a moan out of him.

"No, it doesn't" the taller boy admitted, pushing one thigh between Peter's, gasping as he felt one of the hero's hands coming to rest against his lower back, pressing him closer. 

"You taste like cigarettes" Peter marveled, for some reason finding the bittersweet taste delicious. 

"And you taste like her" Harry replied, diving in again.

Peter froze. Her. You. His girlfriend. 

"Harry… Harry stop" Peter muttered, between nibbles "we need to stop. This is wrong"

"Feels right" The heir protested, teeth latching onto Peter's lower lip to stop him from pulling away. Peter groaned, but managed to break the kiss anyway. 

"It's not. We can't do this to her." 

Harry sighed, resting his forehead against Peter's, still reluctant to let go completely,

"I know…" he admitted. 

They stood like that for a few moments, willing breathings to calm, and hearts to slow down.

"You should go" Harry spoke finally, taking a step back, Peter immediately missing the warmth of his body in his arms. He wanted to say something, anything, to chase away the heartbreak, the loneliness in those pale blue eyes, but he couldn't. The knot in his own throat would not allow it. 

So he just stepped away, slipping his mask on, and jumped. He caught a glimpse of Harry's teary, red face, sticking out from the balcony to watch him go, before shooting off a web and swinging away, back to the skyscraper where Kate had fallen. Because if he knew you at all, that was exactly where you were going to be, taking care of your best friend.

…

"...I'm telling you, I had everything under control!"

"Is that why you were hanging 700 feet in the air?" The purple haired girl argued, crossing her arms over her chest, "Admit it, rookie, you're lucky I arrived just in time to save your ass. Again."

You were fuming, face flushed and eyes bright, and Peter found himself struck yet again by how gorgeous you were. A pang of guilt stabbed his stomach. 

"I didn't ask you too" You replied, petulantly, "and stop calling me 'rookie', I'm a level 9 agent."

"... I'm still higher than you"

"For one level!" You cried in frustration, "One single fucking level!"

"Would you two shut up?" Kate stumbled up, and Peter broke free from his haze to hurry and wrap a stabilizing arm around her shoulders, "You're giving me a headache"

"Yeah, that would be the concussion," purple quipped, "don't worry, Simmons should be here any minute to take a look at that"

"Yay, finally a sane person to talk to" Kate deadpanned. Purple ignored her.

"And you must be the boyfriend…" She singsonged, nudging you with her shoulder, "He's cute under the mask, how did you managed to get him to go out with you?" 

"Hey!" Peter and you exclaimed indignantly, in unison. 

"I'm kidding, jeez!" She raised her hands in surrender. "Come on, won't you introduce us?" 

You rolled your eyes, but complied anyway,

"Daisy, this is Peter Parker. Peter, this is Daisy Johnson, weirdo fancies herself my sister"

"Ooh, 'fancies'! You've spent way too much time with that brit boy, didn't you?"

"Daisy, I swear to god I will-"

"You need to tell her" Kate whispered, taking advantage of your distraction.

"Wh-what?"

She scoffed, Kate had never had much patience for anyone's bullshit.

"About what just happened with Harry. She will understand, Peter, I promise. But only if she hears it from you"

"H-how do you know?"

"I see better from afar" The archer smirked, before returning her attention to you and, apparently, your sister.

"Are they always like that?" Peter whispered, a little alarmed. Kate snorted,

"Just wait till you meet the rest of her old team…"  

"Yeah, what do you say, boyfriend?" Daisy smirked, mischievous glimmer in her eyes so much like yours, "Ready to meet the family?" 

Peter gulped, he really wasn't. 

To be continued...

[bluefire94]

Why Upgrade's Removal in the Ben 10 Reboot Bothered Me:

Time to get something off my chest more. Hopefully no one thinks I'm pathetic for what I'm about to share.

I will confess that I was hurt by how Upgrade was destroyed at the end of Omni-Tricked in the reboot. He's been my favorite alien since I watched the original series back in the day.

Most people don't seem upset to the extent I was, but it is nothing on them of course. No one is taking it personally like I did.

Why did you, you ask? I feel it's because it felt like a personal attack on me. Upgrade is my favorite not just because of his cool powers and design, but because I honestly see myself in him. I consider myself smart, having graduated college and gotten an IT certification, but I'm not an absolute genius to be like Grey Matter. I have trouble with math problems, and can't program to save my life.

Mechamorphs in general seem like friendly beings by virtue of their soft looking bodies and round eyes. I consider myself kind and helpful to others as I try to help out and support people however I can. 💙

Him being taken out with no remorse by the crew felt like me being told that quirky people like me are left behind in favor of the popular people. Shock Rock was instantly adored by Ben, and of course the rest of the aliens got to have their Omni-Enhaced forms that make them stronger. Meanwhile, Upgrade was gone without a care from Ben. It's not like when Feedback got destroyed in Omniverse and sent Ben into a PTSD bitterness, and ultimately got to return. Of course I know Glitch is technically Upgrade, but to me it's just not the same, neither is Bootleg. In addition, none of the crew on the show seems inclined to bring him back.

I dwelled on the negative thoughts I had through assuming the worst, to the point I couldn't even think of the franchise without bitterness building up inside me. Do people really not like Upgrade anymore? Is he like me and always left behind? These were the thoughts I had.

Deep down, I feel I have issues with abandonment that stemmed from my parents divorce during my childhood, and thus have anxiety about being rejected for not being perfect.

Everything climaxed when I had a nightmare about the feelings I kept bottled up inside. It was vivid and felt like everyone was telling me no one loves me or cares about me. I woke up quite shaken, and knew I had to reach out as the pain was too much to hold.

Thankfully, I soon confided in users here on Tumblr and on a Discord server for the Ben 10 Subreddit. While no one was as bothered as me, they all told me that they still care about Upgrade and wish for him to return too. Much like how I will never be truly alone like anyone else. 💙

However, with season 5 set to premiere, I do fear a relapse if it comes and goes with still no return of Upgrade. Not to mention, I wonder if the reboot will be the last series in the franchise, as MOA is set to work on a new Sonic series and a Generator Rex reboot. Supposedly sequel shows are in the works, but Cartoon Network may decide to pull the plug on them. So if he doesn't come back now, at least as a form to rotate out like the others (example Wildvine), I fear he never will.

Thankfully I am not as bothered about it as I used to be, but I still feel I am not of the woods yet. Of course it's just a TV show, and moreso one I don't actively watch (although I have lurked on it), but I do want Upgrade to be around again for the reboot fans to admire, because he's awesome. 😊

While the deeper problem with abandonment is something I need to work on with a therapist (which I am doing so), I feel this venting is a good step in the right direction. Not to mention, opening up to others is what caused my rediscovery of the franchise and formation with new friends online, which have been awesome. 😃

I share this story as a reminder to not take things personally and that you are always loved. I hope this story helps anyone else in the same boat, even if it's with a different character. 💙

[onestowatch]

Lowertown Is Growing Up [First Look + Q&A]

Photo: Shamshawan Scott

Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg always knew they wanted to make music. The difficult part came when the inevitable questions of how and with who would arise. At least that was the case until a chance encounter in a high school math class in suburban Atlanta, which would eventually serve as the birthplace for Lowertown. Now, a few odd years later Olivia and Avsha find themselves signed to Dirty Hit, home to the likes of The 1975 and beabadoobee, and aiming to make their most ambitious project to date.

“The Gaping Mouth,” a sprawling confessional that blends soft-spoken lyricism bordering on avant-garde poetry and experimental indie rock instrumentation, arrives as the first taste of that ambition. The titular single from their forthcoming EP, set to release September 16, feels like a daring call to arms, a single firework shot in the dark, impossible to ignore and indistinguishable. Most notably of all, it feels like a noted maturation for the duo, a step forward into new, uncharted territory.

On the new single, Osby ponders on the object of her affection, or rather attention, repeatedly uttering the lines “You are the iris in my eye” until they no longer seem to be coming from her, taking on the weight of a mantra spoken outside herself. It’s only one such instance of the duo’s newfound stream-of-conscious lyrical approach, which sees them ruminating on the fallacy of growing up and the associated fantasies that come with it. All of this is complemented by the duo’s fearless instrumentation and production flourishes, which call to mind everything from experimental ‘90s indie rock to the sonic detours that permeated Sufjan Steven’s early works. 

We had the chance to speak to Lowertown via e-mail about the difficulties of shifting from “teenagerdom” to adulthood, the advantages of having a french fry fork and their bold new musical direction.

You two originally met in a high school math class. How did the discussion of music first get brought up and how did it lead to forming Lowertown?

Avsha: Olivia was a new student at the school, and I was shy, so we had sat next to each other for some time before we really had any conversation. After some months, I would look at the music Olivia would listen to over her shoulder and make small excited comments or jokes. That’s how our friendship began, through comments about Olivia’s love of emo music or my insufferable judgment on some new music I had heard. It took a year for us to start thinking about doing music together. The eventual forming of Lowertown happened on a beach in Ottawa, where I was again making a judgment on some new song I had found and decided to show Olivia some of my demos. That was where we decided to work together. Those demos and others eventually formed our first record Friends

Were there ever any thoughts about pursuing music before that fateful meeting?

Olivia: I’d always hoped to be able to do music professionally, but it had always seemed like it was so far away from being possible. I always knew that even if my solo music did not work out as a career, I wanted to work in the music field. Whether that was becoming a manager for other musicians or becoming a booking agent, I knew for a long time I wanted to be surrounded by music no matter what I ended up doing.

A: I had spent almost my entire life hoping to be a musician. I started playing classical piano at age four, and up until two years ago, was planning on going to a conservatory and becoming a concert pianist. As my taste expanded, I taught myself guitar, drums, bass, and production, all with the hopes of continuing professionally. Growing up, I was exposed to many different artists and genres, and I always wanted to give people what the music that I grew up with gave to me. The demos that I had recorded in middle school were the ones I showed Olivia and the ones that led to us knowing that we had to start a band.

What was it like signing to Dirty Hit?

A: The process of signing was definitely a difficult one as we had begun talking with the label only a few months before COVID, and as we were narrowing down on the decision to sign, it became incredibly difficult to see a scenario where we would be able to meet anybody on the label. We ended up having many, many FaceTime and Zoom conversations, wherein we were able to talk in-depth with the team and get a good sense of the label. These conversations were really great, and it was a great signifier of the relationship to come as we have had a really great relationship with the label. Although the signing process was tumultuous, we were able to grasp that the relationship between Dirty Hit and their artists was a familial one, and that made us incredibly excited to work together.

If you could have one thing in the world at this very moment, what would it be?

O: A good night’s sleep. I have terrible insomnia and can’t remember the last time I had one.

A: A french fry fork. I’m pretty exhausted with how messy eating french fries is.

Has the past year affected how your approach music at all?

A: In the past, I knew that the more I worked, the better I became, but this year has shown me that the times that you choose to completely leave some things alone are just as important as the times that you focus all your energy on them. I was completely drained of inspiration and motivation until I was able to sit and do absolutely nothing. The lack of music helped me realize that there was a lot about myself that I wasn’t thinking about. I was able to learn more about myself and have new sources of inspiration and thought.

O: For sure. This year has given me an excessive amount of time to get better at playing music in general since I’ve been on my own so much. It has also given me too much time to sit and think by myself, which can be beneficial for music but also pretty detrimental at the same time. I’ve ended up feeling like my old sound and writing process was really stale, since I had been writing songs the same way for years. I’ve ended up experimenting a lot with new sounds and approaches to songwriting, which has been extremely refreshing and I feel like it’s brought out some of my best work. I used to put way less emphasis on instrumentation, but now that I’ve progressed a lot musically, I’ve written a lot of instrumentation that I’m very proud of and that has ended up developing into Lowertown work. I also learned a lot about production over this past year which has been extremely inspiring and helpful for my solo work.

How did you approach the songwriting on “The Gaping Mouth?” The lyricism and experimental instrumentation are honestly breathtaking.

A: When composing the instrumentals, I wanted to write a song that was very expressive and unique but that worked entirely on feeling rather than a traditional verse and chorus song. I wanted to write the piece with points that I knew the guitars would push Olivia’s voice to the forefront and points that raised the energy around Olivia’s words. Olivia’s lyrics are so personal, and she always has so much to say, so I wanted the whole song to ebb and flow together with the identical, and occasionally reciprocal, emotion and intimacy.

O: Avsha sent me this beautiful guitar piece one day and it immediately connected with me, and I stayed up all night working on it. I recorded a demo take of the vocals, just singing/talking over the song where it felt right and natural. That first take I took at home at four in the morning actually ended up being used in the final song because it felt so emotive and raw. The first vocal take had an unmatched authenticity that we couldn’t capture again in the studio no matter how many takes we tried. Our producer Catherine ended up falling in love with it as well and did not want to try to replicate something that was already amazing as it was.

There’s a real sense of maturation present not just in the delivery of the single but in the lyrics, “Being stupid and being 15 / Being older and think I know who I am and what I want… / The way I stay the same and I never change.” Is growing up or rather the idea of growing up a central theme to the music you’re currently working on?

O: I had just graduated high school when we were writing this new project, and I was feeling extremely anxious about the trajectory of my life. I kept thinking about if I was doing all that I should be doing at this age and how much had I really changed since the beginning of high school. I felt like a lot of mannerisms and detrimental ways of thinking that had plagued me when I was 14-15 were still incredibly present in my life, and it felt pathetic to think that I had not made much progress on some of my biggest shortcomings since I had first become a teenager. I feel like at 18/19, you’re not quite an adult, but you’re no longer just a teenager. You begin to shoulder real responsibility and have a lot of agency over your life. It’s quite terrifying being the one who has the power to make important personal decisions. If you screw up, it’s on you and no one else. The transition from high school where you have assignments to turn in every day and tests and a crazy amount of structure (you wake up and go to bed the same time every weekday) to making music and creating with a self-made schedule can be extremely jarring. I’m still grappling with that transition, as my workflow can sometimes trail into six in the morning which sometimes becomes a problem.

“The Gaping Mouth” is the eponymous single from your forthcoming EP. What can people expect from your new EP?

O: It’s gonna be leveled up from anything we’ve dropped before! This is our first project recorded in a studio setting as well as working in-person with a producer. We’ve matured since our last project as musicians and we’ve simply grown more into adults. A lot of this was written when we were 18 and when we’d just turned 19, and a lot of things happened at that point in our lives to write about. Our producer Catherine really helped push me to my full potential while working together. There are some louder songs mixed with some instrumentally dense and beautiful songs. There’s a good amount of experimentation as well in this project that I’m excited for everyone to hear.

A: We’ve focused so much on our songwriting and composition; I think people will be able to hear how we’ve matured. I think this EP reflects our need to always change our sound and grow it. It’s exciting because I think it’s really fresh and still has our musical roots sewn into the core.

And what’s one thing you hope people take away from this next stage of your music?

A: I hope people are able to see the world and the story that we want to create with our music. I hope people can see that our sound will always be maturing and that our music can be surprising and exciting.

O: I feel like our fan base has grown alongside us. Lowertown has been a project since we were 16 and it feels like it has already come so far, which is so amazing and I’m really thankful for everything that’s happened thus far. I hope our music can continue to authentically capture each stage of life Avsha and I live through while making music together. This record was written fresh after graduating high school, so I hope those who are grappling with the jarring transition from teenagerdom to adulthood can find some solace in the feelings expressed in this record.

What is your go-to fast food order?

O: We’re both pescatarian so sometimes finding easy fast food can be annoying. I’m a big burrito person so I’ll always get a bean burrito with a ton of veggies.

A: A universal choice for me in any fast food place would be an extra large order of fries, or however many is the most they offer, and a large Diet Coke. There were points during this year where every day of the week was punctuated with an absurd amount of McDonald’s fries and hot sauce.

Who are your Ones To Watch?

O: Pretty Sick , Horse Jumper of Love, N0v3l

A: Uboa, OOIOO, Donzii

[saturnsgrove-ed]

Saturn's Grove

Entry 2

Tuesday, June 15th, 2021

Tw: Eating Disorders! Self Harm mentions, not explicit! Mental health struggles! ED behavior! Non-recovery! NUMBERS! CALORIES! WEIGHT!

NOT A PRO BLOG. JUST MY THOUGHTS. NO THINSPO EVER.

42lbs from next GW, 62lbs from UGW

As an update to my prior entry, I have, in fact, thrown out all edible things in my fridge, but for the sake of fasting safety-- as I'm planning to go as long as humanly possible, here --I've left a handful of low cal safe foods in the cabinet pantry, as well as some things I'm not entirely sure what to do with, just in case I end up on the verge of passing out. I'm doubtful that would happen at home, it's far more likely to happen while I work, so I've put a single (sugar free) pudding cup in the work fridge.

In retrospect, the 60cal sugar free pudding cups were, quite possibly, the least offensive food item in the house, and throwing them out was a miscalculation of extraordinary degrees. How stupid of me to toss the pudding cups, and yet leave the 100cal/bar special k diet pastry bars.. I am weak to my fruity desires -- the cinnamon ones can go suck an egg, though, its artificial Berry Superiority in this house! In all honesty, though, the special K pastry crisps, or whatever it is they're called, are a great kick in the ass mid-day if you're planning to not eat much (or anything) else throughout the day. Theyre quite lovely -- well, the blueberry and strawberry, at least. I'm not sure what the point was of making cinnamon ones when the cinnamon flavor is mediocre at best. Now, don't get me wrong, I do like cinnamon, just not the lackluster, and frankly pitiful, way it's used in the Special K bars, and if I am going to waste 100 calories, it had better taste like an angel shat it out, alright?

Anyway, back on topic...

My fatass heart shrieks every time I so much as have a passing thought of throwing out all of my lovely sourdough in the breadbox, so I have procrastinated in killing that particular carb-laden monstrosity. Soon.

Aside from the bread, my carb-heavy options are quite limited, and I'm glad to have gotten rid of the tofu (sweet, sweet tofu) in my fridge, else I surely would have drenched it in soy sauce and binged the entire block in a single sitting. If you aren't a fan of raw tofu covered in a kidney shuddering amount of the liquid salt that is soy sauce-- you're wrong. Your opinion is invalid. Soy sauce drenched, raw, ice cold tofu blocks... the most wonderful binge food. Salty, soft, melts on the tongue, and absolutely DANGEROUS. Sure, tofu is quite good for you and all that health nonsense... and it tastes incredible... but 100g of tofu is 76 calories. How dare it be so high in calories when I could certainly eat a thousand grams of tofu, were I ever so inclined to do so? Although, this may be a problem only I have, as most people turn up their noses at the very mention of "plain tofu". Pardon me, tofu is not plain, it is subtle, just as mozzarella cheese is subtle, not bland.

I suppose arguing semantics around normal folk is pointless, but I'm sure some of you understand what I'm prattling on about. People with normal relationships to food are honestly... terrifying. You're trying to tell me you can't look at a food and rattle off the calories? Or worse yet, that if you can't, it doesn't cause you incredible stress and give you that heavy, sickly anchor of dread settling in your guts? Ridiculous. Sure thing, just go eat your burger and don't stress about it... who do you think you are to flex that hard on me? How dare you, random stranger, cause me to have an internal monologe where I lament and carp over my own issues that I have no intention of actually fixing! The audacity of these perfectly normal humans, I swear.

Sarcasm aside, it really is jarring to realize not everyone has a constant alarm in their mind over what they're eating. This past weekend, I went to Sonic with my SOs (we are poly, for context), and I have never been so worked up (internally only, of course) over a pathetically small, egg and cheese burrito. You want to talk about plain, bland food? Have a Sonic egg and cheese burrito without sauce. Disgusting. I loved it.

I'm starting to believe I just have really awful taste in food in general. Whatever, at least I'm not one of those pinneaple-on-pizza heathens.

Bye for now.