#this scenario seemed very sonic boom to me

[glitchedcosmos]

Sonic and Shadow never really wanted to admit that they liked each other, especially to their crush's face, but that went flying out the window when Sonic took one of Shadow's threats during their sparring sessions as flirting, and he went for it.

Sonic got gut punched immediately after.

[sequinsonic]

things boom!sonic does that make your heart flutter as your boyfriend! hcs!

pairing: boom!sonic x fem!reader

genre: fluff! | headcanons

warning(s): none:>

word count: 343

note: this has been sitting in my drafts for too long, i just forget to put it out lol. hope you enjoy this! i'll hopefully get around to doing more of these "listing" kind of scenarios:>

+ PLAYS WITH YOUR FINGERS. we know how much of a hard time sonic has staying still, so when he's sitting down or standing near you, he always finds his way to the ends of your fingers and fiddles with them non-stop. sometimes he'll even just tangle his own against yours. he does it very subtlety too, which makes your heart beat as fast as he runs.

+ RUBS YOUR WAIST. whether you're at home watching a movie, cooking, or even out in public by yourselves, he always has his arm wrapped around your waist. he likes rubbing his hand against your side or drawing circles with his fingertips. he rarely does it around the gang though, but it makes such affection feel more intimate.

+ COMPLIMENTS YOU AFTER A BATTLE. after you and the gang finish off another eggman attack, he'll always give you a quick high five or even squeeze your waist a little (if he's feeling bold) and give you a compliment of some sort. "you did great y/n!" "you were so badass today!" "way to kick butt!" etc.. and plus his signature smile at the end of every sentence? my god you're in heaven.

+ COMFORTS YOU. yes a little angst never hurt nobody lol. when there's too many battles in one week, it's only normal that you feel exhausted, and it can get overwhelming at times. you know sonic isn't too fond of talking about feelings and such, so usually you'll play it off but at the end of the day, it's just so tiring and the tears just start to fall. he'll wrap you in his arms and wipe your tears away whilst whispering comforting words.

+ SECRETIVE KISSES. a very obvious one, but hear me out. it doesn't seem like it, but sonic can't go an hour without his lips on yours. you're at home? kisses every chance he gets. out on the battlefield? a subtle kiss behind a bush or something. he's so loving about it, plus the thrill of doing it when no one's watching makes you insane.

[dizzyhslightlyvoided]

If Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog was cancelled by issue fifty and was years later replaced by the Sonic X comic book before that too would be replaced by another Sonic comic title, that being the Sonic Boom comic, how different could the landscape of comicdom (comic fandom) be with Archie Sonic ending it's run in 1997? And what if the 48 page Sonic Super Specials were canned too back in '97?

If my scenario happened, but IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't exist and just did promotional tie-in comic books, like the Sonic Forces comics, would comics promoting the Sonic games (and movies) become very successful for Sega throughout the years had they stuck to that model of producing books from now on? Also, who do you see writing the Sonic comics in this "What if"?

I've read these two asks multiple times and I still can't wrap my head around them. Or why they were sent to me specifically.

Like ... I'm honestly not sure what kind of answer you're expecting here. "What would the history of Comic Books Based On This One Video Game Franchise be like if it was completely different." Like it could have been something that would invite responses like "well we'd miss out on Surge the Tenrec, so it would be unequivocably worse", but the inquiries about whether promotional comics for games and movies would "become very successful" and the authorship of these hypothetical comics makes it seem like you're expecting a coherent answer about facts and statistics regarding this alternate timeline. Like there's nothing to do here except make wild speculation. You're basically asking me to write alternate-universe fanfiction about real-world history. I don't even know that much about the publication history besides reading the comics themselves and a few @thankskenpenders posts!

What if the video game series had ended in 1997 but every single comic book was exactly the same as they are now? What if Sonic was a tenrec instead of a hedgehog, and Surge was a hedgehog instead of a tenrec? What if there was a creature -- what would you do about that? This kind of questioning inherently can't get you the kind of meaningful response you seem to want.

[redpenship]

jumper (2/14)

Sand is not kind to Shadow's air shoes.

For the sixteenth time that day, he is thrown violently into the desert floor after too much sand slipped into his shoes' jets and stopped their propulsion. He rolls once, twice, until he comes to a stop in the scorching sand.

With a hiss, he scrambles to his feet and shakes the sand out of his fur. All of this is terrible. Those stupid motherfuckers at the colony are going to pay for dumping him out here to die.

Don't they know killing him is really hard? If he were as fragile as everyone else, he probably would've kicked the bucket a long time ago. Does his existence as the Ultimate Lifeform mean nothing to them?

Whatever. He's sure that they'll realize the error of their ways when he returns to kill them all.

After an hour or so of walking, he finds a rock formation flat enough to sit on. Some of it is covered by the shade of a boulder, so he might even be able to rest out of the sun for a bit! How lucky.

Once he's settled in, he takes off his air shoes and carefully cleans the sand from the jets. The process takes at least twenty minutes per shoe. Really, it might be worth walking the rest of the way if it means he won't have to clean out his shoes twice an hour. He'll reach the colony later than planned, but at least he'll be less frustrated by the time he gets there.

He straps his feet back into his shoes, and then hears a sonic boom in the distance.

Oh, now isn't this just perfect.

He follows a cloud of kicked up sand with his eyes as Sonic approaches his location. Like usual, it takes no time at all for the blue hedgehog to get there.

Sonic skids to a stop next to him. He pants with exhaustion and looks at the sky with apprehension. "The sun is really killer these days, huh?"

Shadow gives him a level look. "You could say that."

In a stupid gesture, Sonic feigns wiping sweat off his forehead and then finally meets eyes with Shadow. It's stupid because hedgehogs sweat through their bellies. Why bother even going through the motion if it has no benefit?

"Whew! Anyways, long time no see." Sonic breaks eye contact to survey the area. "Is it really like this everywhere? I thought the colony people were lying when they said the whole world was a desert."

"They're telling the truth. The world fucking sucks."

For a moment, Sonic looks like he wants to say something. He seems to decide against it with a small shake of his head, then awkwardly leans back on his heels. A few minutes of silence pass before he speaks again.

"Are you going to kill them?" Sonic asks. He says it casually, with the levity of someone inquiring about another person's weekend plans.

Shadow raises an eyebrow at the question. "Will you stick around long enough to stop me?"

Sonic clicks his tongue and puts a hand on his hip. "You're not allowed to ask me that."

No matter how important the rules of their interactions are, they can be pretty annoying. "Fine. Then yes, I do plan to kill them. They deserve it."

He wonders how Sonic feels about it. If he met the same colonists that Shadow did, then he would know all about their post-apocalyptic slave empire. He would also know that Shadow had been banished after attempting to destroy them.

Sonic probably has very strong thoughts about that colony. Perhaps those thoughts carry more weight than his personal ethical philosophy.

Like usual, Sonic does not make these feelings known. He simply nods and says, "Yeah, okay."

Shadow gives him a once-over, then stares at him for so long that Sonic becomes visibly uncomfortable. Still, he does not let up. There is something about this situation that feels wrong. There is something missing.

Finally, he finds it.

"You're a bad actor," he says with a smirk. Sonic's eyes widen a little in surprise. "You've gone farther than this before. This entire world is the result of a massive ecological disaster--a personal nightmare scenario for you, I'm sure. Shouldn't you be freaking out right now?"

Sonic groans. He holds up a hand. "Stop. Just--stop. You are breaking so many rules right now."

Still, Shadow pushes. "If you're going to do this, you need to get better at acting. You can't make it so easy for me to figure this stuff out."

"These are your rules too, Shadow." Sonic is now visibly frustrated; his arms are crossed over his chest and one of his ears twitches in annoyance. "You have to follow them as much as I do."

With a shrug, Shadow leans back and lays down on the rock. He closes his eyes and smiles. "Leave, Sonic. This isn't a good place for you."

It takes some time for Sonic to finally cave to Shadow's request. Without saying goodbye, he takes off in a cloud of sandy dust and disappears into the distance.

They don't really need to say goodbye. They will see each other again soon.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 141

Last week I posted a day early because vacation was doing vacation things to my sense of time.... This week I forgot to queue the chapter up because Monday was a work holiday, so I forgot today was Tuesday. *insert facepalm here please*

Thanks on this one go largely to @baelpenrose who rightfully pointed out that one part made very little sense to him and therefore was unlikely to make sense to a reader.  The clarification smoothed things out quite a bit, I think.  Just in case, whoever spots the area I’m talking about gets a cookie as soon as travel restrictions lift.

As always, thanks go also to @the-raven-fae, @charlylimph-blog, and @anotherusrname for completing the corners of my support system. And, a super-duper extra-special to @drinksteawithcake! I don’t know if I am allowed to tell everyone why, but you know why you get the extra-special, and I hope you are having fun!

BWAAAAAHP!   BWAAAAAHP!

“Uhhh?” I squinted in complaint as flailing arms clambered over me. One pair snagged me around my waist to drag me from bed before depositing me shakily on my feet. “What are you - ?”

BWAAAAAHP!  BWAAAAAHP!

Any trace of sleep was shoved out of my system, replaced by sizzling alertness when I realized I was hearing ship-wide alarms.  Shoving myself into the first clothing I grabbed, not even bothering with shoes, I was hot on Conor and Maverick’s heels as we raced out of our quarters and into the corridor. We paused only long enough for both men to kiss me and for “I love yous” to be exchanged before they turned and headed toward the areas indicated on their datascreens, while I hauled ass toward the Archives, ducking and twisting to avoid anyone in my path.

“Forty minutes,” Tyche told me crisply as I basically fell through the door, panting. “The Ark could be invaded and the battle over by the time you make it.”

“I ran….huff….the whole….ugh….way….” I managed to gasp out.  Part of me felt like puking, but I was pretty sure the muscles in my abdomen were too busy to figure out the logistics.

Clicking her tongue, she pulled me up from the floor. “Alistair, make a note to suggest to Xio that Sophia’s quarters be relocated once we have a better idea of when we are dropping into real space.”

I nodded numbly. “And probably… amp up… sensors… give… earlier… warning.”

“Nice outfit, by the way,” she laughed quietly as we finally reached the shelter point within the Archives.

Glancing down, I had to suppress a sigh. The first thing I grabbed to dress myself had apparently been a pair of Conor’s boxer shorts and a very filthy t-shirt that I assumed belonged to Maverick, since Conor’s was usually under coveralls. “At least you can’t say I took my time getting dressed.”

Her shaking head was greeted by faces in various states of wakefulness - this had been a drill, and woke nearly the entire Ark during their sleep interval on Delta shift.  But we weren’t out of the woods, yet: the drill didn’t end until all of Xiomara and Evan’s scenarios played out, including the mock combat and various tests of concealment for the other shelters.  As such, Tyche stood guard over the choke-point into this section, while Alistair had stayed behind at the entrance.

Early on, when the drills started, there had been fifty-fifty odds that the mock-invaders would make it this far, but over the past few weeks, that had narrowed to maybe twenty-percent.  It was still too high a chance in my judgement, and Xiomara clearly agreed as she stepped up training schedules and randomized the timing of the drills. 

Taking a swig of water from a stash of bottles, I queued up my datapad and stood next to Tyche, watching the ‘casualties’ from a point where no one could see over my shoulder to avoid panic, which I would have done in a real situation. “They didn’t find mess hall seven this time,” I murmured.

She glanced at my screen. “Acoustics are still too damned high. She must not be simulating for that this go around.”

One of the decoy locations lit up. “Looks like this time it’s heavy on thermal.” The location in question had been equipped with a cooking surface, triggered to activate when the klaxons that had woken me up went off.  Which Xiomara knew, but did not tell the ‘pirates’ for authenticity.

“How did they get past the combatants this time?” She asked, both curious and slightly worried.

Rolling back the sensor data, I watched it carefully. “Looks like these got in during the initial breaches, multiple points. But the line has held since, that’s good.”

Doing another check toward Alistair’s direction, she didn’t seem to see anything concerning. “How many?”

“Four,” I confirmed.  “Sam’s thermal camouflage is working beautifully, though.”  I couldn’t help but grin, and Tyche snorted at the same time. ‘Thermal camouflage’ was a bit of overkill as a name, but it was working well in every round. Potential access points were equipped with fast-acting environmental simulators - originally designed for temporary habitats on inhospitable moons - modified to release atmosphere like a Terran equatorial rainforest within one minute in an enclosed space.  It was a much more simple and elegant solution than any others we had found for giving combatants defending the Ark an advantage - instead of trying to create technology to make them look colder, make the entire area match human heat signatures.  Boom, instantly blinded enemies.

A tense half-hour later, the ‘all clear’ sounded, queueing grumbling from those who had dozed back off as everyone stood to make their ways back to their quarters. I waited with Alistair and Tyche for everyone else to be accounted for on the way out, and the three of us headed back toward our quarters together.  Alistair peeled off first, living closest to the Archives, and no sooner had my sister and I reached my door than the page sounded for the post-drill meeting.  She waved me off as she answered on her databand, and I did the same as I pushed into my quarters and flopped on the couch. “Councillor Sophia Reid, present, audio only,” I answered. “And no jokes, Pranav… I look like I smell awful.”

“Alistair Worthington, present, audio and video. I can confirm that she does, and she does.”

Laughter filled the comms and the rest of the group leaders and Councillors joined the debrief.  Finally, everyone was present and Xiomara called the meeting to order.  First, the leaders of each shelter reported in, as those usually went the fastest. There were a couple malfunctions in the deployment of the shielding to disguise the entrances and hide heat and electrical signatures, but nothing Huynh’s team couldn’t fix.  Tyche and Alistair made the recommendations around earlier detection and the need to move those sheltering in the  Archives closer as we approached time to drop out of relativistic space. 

Once that was out of the way, it was on to the combat and invasion teams. Overall consensus was that Sam’s trick with the portable environments was a rousing success and would be installed at each point determined to be most likely as a breach, with trigger conditions to be determined later. “I hate to say it,” Michael sighed, “but we also need Charly’s team to crank up the scovilles on the arrows and grenades.” His team had played the ‘invaders’ this go around, equipped with sensors and readouts to simulate the effect our defenses would have on the various species who most commonly were found on pirate vessels.  Evan had worked intensely with Pranav and Derek to ensure that the strategies provided by the readouts were modelled after similar strategies based on which ever species each team member was assigned, to ensure we weren’t accidentally drilling against human tactics.

Michael hated it, but he was strict about his team complying nonetheless.

“Seriously?” I squawked, and I wasn’t the only one. “One of those things accidentally went off in my quarters…. Can confirm, they’re pretty potent.”

“They dissipated too fast against my team, and also the contact element left a lot to be desired. Charly, you may want to consider adding a sticking element.”

“Duly noted,” she chimed in with a yawn, her normal pep doused by being woken up and then the drop in adrenaline post-combat.

“What about the sonic weapons?” Xiomara asked, moving the meeting along.

“Still less effective than Nixe is on her own,” a familiar voice I couldn’t put a name to responded with a sheepish tone.  “How hard would it be to train more people to shatter glass with their voice?”

“Incredibly,” Grey stressed. “It takes a very unique combination of training and the right vocal chords.”

“Then we may need to work on adding a projection component.  The sonic devices can match the pitch, but not the actual tone and direction. They’re very effective given time and especially contact, but we need something more immediately disabling.”

Xiomara groaned. “Are we back to Mariah Carey on this one?” Objections exploded until she muted the comms. “It’s that or opera.” Votes started scrolling up the screen, and I could see Xio nod. “Opera it is.  Let’s find a suitable piece and try using more analogue-style speakers.”

“I still say that death metal would work better,” Arthur suggested as soon as the comms were back on.

“Annnnd we already tested it, I will remind you. The volume works, but the pitches aren’t high enough to hit a broad enough population of species sensitive to sound.” After that nearly-obligatory objection, the meeting continued going through reports from each combat team until finally Xiomara announced the end results. “I have to admit, this was one of our best drills yet. Ten percent casualties of the combatants defending the breaches, only two percent among non-combatants, and the invaders were only able to traverse three decks before they were subdued.” She let the cheers go for a couple seconds before getting everyone’s attention again. “Yes, great job on the improvements, but let me remind everyone - those numbers still leave us below threshold for a healthy genetic population. Engineering teams, make the necessary adjustments with whatever resources are necessary. Shelters Three and Seven, you will start training for armed and unarmed combat with Shelter Fourteen and Combat Team Two daily.  Sophia, your team will coordinate schedules. Any questions?”

There were no arguments, not even a groan or mutter as the meeting was dismissed. Before I could even add the new task to my agenda the next day, I received the notification that Alistair had beaten me to the punch.

Glancing at the time, I wanted to hit something.  I had to be back up and at work in four hours, and the realization weighed me down with exhaustion.  The guys had come in and gone to bed while I was in the debrief, and I could already hear synchronized snoring coming from the bedroom.  Rather than risk waking them with my now-frozen feet, I pulled the quilt off the back of my couch and rolled myself into it.  Only minutes later, a heavy weight oozed across my hip and started purring furiously.

“Yeah, buddy. I agree. We need a nap.”

<< Prev  Masterlist  Next >>

[idontworkforsega]

Not sure if this is too ooc for you, but I need a good cliche prompt in my life right about now. I’m thinking any scenario that leads up to Boom Sonic and Amy tripping over each other, rolling down and hill, and landing on top of one another. (Like in the Lion King ☺️) A kiss would be pretty rad too. I feel like Sonic and Amy in the Boom universe would make this prompt the most fun :)

I know this cliche and I stan by it.

Also, Prompts are on shutdown! Don’t send any in to @cutegirlmayra or myself at this time!

Prompt:

“I’ve got it!”

“No, wait-!”

Amy reached up for the frisbee that held Eggman’s emotion changing electro-nerobots to it. The second Amy grabbed it, Sonic tumbled into her, and the two went falling down the side of the hill.

“Uh oh.” Sticks, getting shaken out of the emotion-control by Tails whacking the device away with his tails, looked worriedly to the two disappearing out of sight. “I’ve obliterated my friends!” She gripped her head, freaking out.

“No, Sticks. They just tumbled down the hill, come on!” Tails went to fly over to them but while rushing, was intercepted by Eggman’s new machines. Dramabot and Theatricity. The two were created to control the emotions but their own robotic simulation of them got out of hand as well…

“You-!!!” Sticks rose her boomerang to them as Tails was knocked down.

“Aw, little honey badger so UPSET?!” Dramabot mocked, shaking his head around. “Yeah, well, join the club!” He gestured to his devices already on Shadow and Knuckles.

“I… must… resist… urge to… hate everything.” Shadow tried to fight it, gripping the ground. “But… I already do that, anyway!” he snapped the device off of his back and quickly gave a quick look around as he spoke again, “Kittens in baskets? Puppies chewing on shoes? Hamsters who can whistle? Phew… still hate it.” he darted his eyes around while listing the images off in his head, but sighed in relief when it seemed the device didn’t do anything to him.

“Well, ain’t that just swell for you! Whahaha!!” Knuckles cried, taking out a tissue and unfolding it neatly before sobbing profusely in it. Once that ugly crying was done, dabbed his eyes properly and put the tissue away. “You wouldn’t know what it’s like to be the one that’s hated!”

“Actually…” Shadow almost began, but was distracted by Theatricity, who came sparking over to them.

“GREAT GOLLY OF MODERN ART FORMS! We have the ultimate lifeform broken free of his encompassing doom of loathing and the red one still swimming in his sea of lonely self-wallowing! But where is that hubris of a hedgehog? And his little chatter-box of a friend, too?” The feminitate robot twirled his leg up in a strange corkscrew before looking off over the hill. “Ah! My electro-Nerobots have latched onto something! Time to set up the stage! Ohw-woah-hohohoho!” Theatricity sparked off, not even caring about Shadow being released from its device and peeked over the hill. “Oh my stars and bolts!”

Green electricity lit up by Amy’s fingertips as it traveled down to her eyes. She blinked them at Sonic having landed over her.

“Ugh… that was a nasty tumble.” He held his head, not bothering to look down a moment and realize what he was leaning over…

“Nasty? You calling me nasty!?” A green hue shone over her eyes. “I bet you wouldn’t call Sticks nasty! I’m the cutest tumble you’ll ever GET, Sonic The Hedgehog!” she smacked around his head and chest a bit, as though trying to whack him off but it only confused him.

“Ow, ow! Hey! What gives? Ames?”

Threatricity laughed, clicking her controller that changed the frisbee-like devices color in Amy’s hand to yellow.

“Ohh… I’m… I’m not allowed to say how I feel, right? I… I don’t want to upset you…” She suddenly turned very scared and shy. “Please don’t be upset with me!”

“What’s going on?” Sonic slowly moved closer to her face, as Theatricity was tumbled into by Sticks, who knawed at the controller in its hand.

“Wah! What are you doing!?”

“I’m a jungle badger!” behind her, Dramabot was holding his robotic severed hand in his head, making Theatricity cry out and reach for him.

“Oh, Theatricity… I knew thee well.” he then stuck out a robotic tongue as though perishing like a hamlet piece.

“NOOOoooo…!!!” with a dramatic cry out, Theatricity then tried to get the controller out of Sticks’s mouth. “Hand it back over, you! I don’t care WHO or WHAT you are! You won’t spoil my fun tonight!”

“It’s morning!” Tails slammed into Theatricity as well. “And your show is canceled!”

“If anybody’s wondering, the device turned off, and I found inner-peace with my demons.” Knuckles held up the device that was now malfunctioning off since Dramabot was destroyed, and then lovingly touched his chest to show his spiritual journey of self-discovery and love was not for naught.

The device in Amy’s hand started to shortcircuit, causing an array of emotions that she quickly embodied on the spot.

Red for anger, “Grr… Hrahh!” wrestling Sonic off of her, getting on top, before it turned to pink and she giggled cutely while he fought to get off of her, “Hehehe, woah! So strong~” tossing her as she covered her face and kissy-faced the air.

“Wha-huh?” Sonic was just confused, seeing a rainbow-like effect rippling over Amy’s body.

She twitched and her expression changed like drama masks before Sonic finally went to reach for the frisbee.

The color stopped on blue and she cried, pulling the frisbee to her chest, “You never notice me!!! Whahaha!”

It quickly changed to a shade of grey, “What? I have to BE under a emotion control device for you tackle me to the ground? Wow, huh, okay. Someone’s ‘shy’ alright.”

Next, Sonic tried to dive for it but Amy’s color changed to orange, “What’s the matter of you!? Why are you jumping at me randomly? Who does that!? Who jumps at someone randomly, I don’t get it! Did your mother raise you this way?”

Sonic’s face slammed into the ground, peering up as though he had had enough of all these raging emotions for one day.

“That’s it-!” he kicked the device out of her hand, catching it and forgetting about its effects. “I already have to deal with your confusing girl emotions, I don’t want to deal with a multi-polar Amy either!”

Suddenly, the device turned pink, sparking and staying on that as Sticks was pulled away from Theatricity. “Ah-ha!”

“I’d much rather deal with you alone.” and with that, he leaned back down and kissed her nose.

Theatricity was defeated and his eyes turned back to a hue of his natural green, not glowing weirdly anymore as his mouth smushed back out of their stretched-out kissy-fish lips. “What just happened?” his eyes were wide, innocent, as though he really didn’t know.

Amy was the same except she DID remember that the second she came too, Sonic suddenly caught a frisbee and kissed her nose.

“I honestly can’t say.” Amy stated, “I feel so drained and whacked out that I honestly think I’m in a dream with my music on which is creating this musical of mismatching tones and emotions right now.” She certainly didn’t seem to be in the same reality anymore…

With the two robots defeated and the devices destroyed, Eggman was returned to normal as well, having his ‘mid-life crisis’ explained by his emotions being thrown into chaos.

“That’s a shame.” Orbot commented, “You really could have skyrocketed your lawn art business.” around Eggman, he realized he had taken his robots and scrapped them into pieces of forged metal made for art.

“…Oh poo.” He seemed to deflate. “There goes my Egg-army plan…”

“Lawn army!” Cubot’s evil laughter took over as he rode a scrap metal Flamingo out of Eggman’s evil lair’s garage… “AH-HAHA. AH-HAHAHA!”

Fanfiction Entry 601 (x)

[praphit]

The X-People: DP Degrees of BS

Frickin Phoenix!

(What does that even mean? “Every hero has a DARK side?” She kills people! Are all of our heroes murderers? - but I’ll get to that later.)

I'm mad! That's right, people! I'm mad at MYSELF! Why? Well, I could have taken the kids to go see "The Secret Life of Pets 2", so we could laugh our asses off (Idk what kids I'm talkin about - just randomly picking kids up off the streets and taking them to see movies... prob best I didn't do that). 

I could have seen something cultured like "Late Night" or "THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANSISCO"; which I admit is a stupid title, but it seems like it's a good movie. But, no, people! My comic book geekiness would not allow it!

Instead I went to see this bullshit right here - “X-Men: Dark Phoenix”. 

Don't look at me that way, Sansa! You know dag gon well this movie is some ol' bullshit!

You know! The rest of your acting squad knows, the director knows, the writers know - I knew from the first trailer! I knew from the first time they announced that they were taking another crack at a cinematic Phoenix story. Why?? Cuz we've done this before! Yep! 

There it is! - and it was terrible! 

What’s going on with that poster? Apparently, they didn’t have any confidence in that movie either. Why is Wolverine running at me like Sonic the Hedgehog?

I tried to find a better poster, but...

Here they look like they’re posing in some 80′s rock video. TAKE THAT STAND:)

I was mad back then with the first trailer, because I knew that this moment would come. And I actually really liked the first two movies of these particular X-Men. It was Apocalypse that ruined everything. 

People thought that movie was so bad, that it erased all the good that this franchised has done (even going back to the older X-Men):

The ground-breaking 1st movie (tho it prob doesn't hold up),

(Creepy old Magneto is coming for dat ass!)

Wolverine 

(it's hard to imagine anyone playing him better than Hugh Jackman. And he should have won an award for how cut he got... and he was so modest. If I ever  end up looking like that, WHEW! - ladies look out:),  

I loved Patrick Stewart as Prof. X, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's intense hot & frigid bromance (though we never got our make-out seen:), Quicksilver (man, I wish we could get more of him), "Logan" (excellent comic book movie), and I'm not sure if we'd have Deadpool without them ruining that first Wolverine movie. Not to mention that they marketed the hell out of this movie franchise and made so much money! But, then this guy showed up and effed it all to hell!

("Everything they built will FALL... ")

- you ain't lyin, jack!

And while that movie was terrible, it wasn't as bad as everyone said. Bullshit sure, but... there are different degrees of bullshit. Apocalypse was forgettable BS, sometimes there's BS that makes us laugh, or think, or cry - what type of bullshit will Dark Phoenix be? -  Let's take a look:

This movie kicks off with the X-Men in space. Yep! SPACE! Since when are the X-Men astronauts? Which movie did they get training for any of that? How did they build an X-Jet for space travel? Did they learn it on YouTube? And even if that were the case, how's the government allowing this? If a group of talented minorities built a functional space craft, do you think President Trump would allow them to come and go as they please? Shiiiiiii In the movie they don't even test it first. Xavier just says that they'll be fine, and sends the kids off.

I think that there needs to be an investigation. Prof. X is trying to kill these kids. He keeps sending them on missions that they shouldn't come back from:

X-Men: "But, professor, we don't know how to disarm a bomb!"

Xavier: "You'll be fine."

X-Men: "But, professor, the X Jet isn't built for deep sea exploration, we don't even know where we're going!"

Xavier: "Y'all will figure it out."

Then, as they come back, he's counting to see if they all made it - "Ten kids left, and coming back, I count... ten DAMMIT! But, wait, one is injured... doesn't look like he'll pull through. YES! (as he drinks some bourbon - which he does at an alarming rate in this movie... prob to block out all the kids he has killed).

While we're on the topic of him - did the movie "Split" ruin James McAvoy's take on Prof X for anybody else? This is all I kept seeing when he was on camera.

But, as you know, cuz they did this exact plot in "X-Men: Last Stand" Jean Grey gets possessed by some space entity while they're up there, and becomes Phoenix.

Jean (played by Sophie Turner, who actually does a good job) is found to have done something horrible. Xavier (and this is no spoiler, cuz again X-Men: Last Stand") blocks out the bad stuff she has done to try to protect her, this eventually wears off, and now we get DARK 

...wait, sorry.

Now we get DARK PHOENIX! 

There we go!

(”Where’s my money?!”)

Now, Jessica Chastain is in this as well seen here, experimenting with bleach,

 who's leading a group of aliens to manipulate Jean (I'll get to them later). But, if JC is in the house, you can be sure that a women's rights message will be in there somewhere (#drinkinggame) And BOOM, there it was - "Don't let some MAN in a chair tell you what you are? - what you can and can not be! Don't let him controoool you!" 

I'm all for girl power, buuuuuut she HAS been on a bit of a carnage streak, and she has been killing people, annnnnnd isn't Jessica Chastain also trying to control her? But, imma let all that go... what do I know?? :)

I gotta be honest, I was digging the first half of this movie. They were capturing everything I love about the X-Men: social issues, political issues, teen struggles. They have lots of real drama going on amongst themselves. There are times when you'll cheer the X-Men on and times when you'll agree with some of the humans that THEY GOTZ TO GO! I love the flaws of the X-Men; it makes them relatable. I even love the struggle with having so much power, and yet having to try to walk a line of morality - which they suck at btw.

The professor sucks at it the most, which made me kinda sad, actually. BUT, to be fair, he has the power to control people's minds... would any of us with that power be able to consistently resist certain temptations?? Def not giving him a pass though. He does a lot of messed up stuff (some things they draw attention to, and others that they don't). Some things that made me cringe, even though MOST of what he was doing was out of love. I can't depend on none of my fave leaders anymore - not even the fictional ones.

We were getting into some deep stuff! BUT, then it was as if some big shot walked on the set and reminded them that they have a "Blow shit up" quota to meet, and that the plot points were slowing them down. Soooooooo, they burn the script and start blowing things up. Some people might say "Praphit, this is a comic book movie, how much script can you expect?" If this were 20 years ago, I'd agree.

Plus, it's more the fact that nothing makes any sense at this point.

Magneto (who's always the voice of reality in these movies, in my opinion) wants to kill Jean (for very good reasons), but he knows that he can't take Phoenix by himself, so why is he trying? He's a smart dude; why not come up with a better plan? Prof X wants to talk to Jean, to reason with her... the problem with that is that they just tried that a few days ago, and that couldn't have gone any more terribly than it did. The aliens in this movie (which lack all personality btw), who's objective is to control Jean, also know that they can't really do that or take her out (which was plan B), so... what the hell are we doing? The aliens are supposed to be the smart ones!

Prof X should have just controlled everyone's minds, and played a big game of immoral chess to take Jean out - that would have been a cool movie. But, this (though the effects are VERY COOL:) simply became a shoot-out! Not to mention, that right before all of this awesome, but confusing damage takes place, they have a big speech about restraint and not doing harm. Literally, a minute later, the X-Men are blowing buses up!

But, all of that is not even what makes this movie bullshit (grade: D+ btw). What makes this movie bullshit is the fact that it's the last one before Disney takes over.

You'd think that they would have given it their best, so that they can go out making us miss them! But, it felt like half way through the movie the team was told that this is all over, and that Mickey Mouse is coming to collect, but instead of going out with their best, they said to themselves "bleep it" and mailed-it-in.

The way that the final battle scene ends doesn't make any sense. It's one of those scenarios where "If you could do that... why didn't you do that earlier and save more destruction?" and a lil bit of "Well, if you had THAT much power, then none of these other altercations should have even been close."

The way it ends after that too! Man! It's like they just fast forwarded through the parts they didn't feel like acting out. This is the last one, people! Just lazy!

Yeah you!

I've got a spoiler, sooooo if you don't want it, skip through the text after Patrick Stewart - and start reading again when you see his handsome face again:)

(this is back when I learned to love this man)

So, Jean is... gone (possibly dead), and the X-Men name the school after her "Institute of Jean Grey" or something like that. Also, Prof X steps down (maybe due to guilt of his misatkes with Jean, who knows for sure, cuz they didn't act it out), and leaves Beast in charge in with the other teen X-Men to instruct the 'young kids at the school. "Other TEEN X-Men" Did they just make these kids professors? And what qualifies Beast (at this stage in his life) to run the school? Plus, Jean Grey was kind of a murderer wasn't she (and this wasn't a secret from the rest of the world)? Come on,kids, let me sign you up for "Ted Bundy's School for gifted youngsters" Would you be onboard for that? Hell no!

(Here’s PS fresh off a bender. “I promise, Timmy, I’ll try to think about never touching the sauce again, but this hair says that I will.”)

So... I'd say, entertaining bullshit. The effects (especially) at the end are great! But, the rest... and to go out like this... ugh.

There's a cool quote in here from Mystique (played by J.Law) who clearly didn't want to be there. It was a quote about how the women in the X-Men seem to be sticking their necks out and saving the day way more than the men, and that  maybe Xavier should change their name to “The X-Women”. I thought that was not only funny, but a damned good point. I say do it!

I'd love it if you had a a big strong manly man of the team go ahead of the action and stand up to the enemy, and when asked "Who are you?" he replies

"We're the X-Women."

[ethompson928]

We are Bulletproof (BTS GANG AU) Chapter 28

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

There was a dull throbbing in the back of Ally's head.  Her heartbeat was sounding like a sonic boom in her ears as the world began to slowly fade into focus.  In an almost drunken like state she tried to lift her head to see what had happened.  Everything was moderately blurry but slowly coming back into focus.  The world was upside down.  The heart beat was no replaced by a high pitched noise, similiar to one that a dog might cry at or white noise to lull crying babies to sleep, but this was not relaxing in any way, shape or form.  

The main windscreen of the car was completely smashed, whatever car drove into them must ave repetitively rammed the car or hit it at such a fofce that the whole car flipped.  

A slight cough sounded from Ally's mouth as she groaned at the discomfort she was feeling.

"Nam...Namjoon." Ally all but wheezed, her voice very strained and raspy a she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to repress the excruciating pain.

No response.  Ally opened her eyes, and glanced to her side and looked for Namjoon amongst the wreckage in the car.  He was lying at a slanted angle, his head hanging down, mouth slightly agape.  He was unconcious, phone dropped precariously on the floor after the car was hit.

At this point Ally could feel all the blood rushing to her head and made the call to remove herself from the car.  After fighting with her seatbelt she managed to free herself and braced her arm on the roof so she wouldn't hurt herself further.  Her head now beginning to feel slightly dizzy as she haphazardly kicked at the small window to try and give herself a way of exiting the vechile.  The window had already been cracked so a few kicks and the glass shattered, but also made quite dangerous escape method.  

Squeezing her small body through she winced as she felt the glass poke into her skin and scratch the surface, almost clinging at her to make her stay, not wanting to release her from its unrelenting hold.  Her hands clawed at the ground as she pulled herself through the window not bothering to check for any injuries on herself as she stumbled haphazardly on her hands and knees, body swaying ever so slightly as she stood into a crouching position still low enough to balance herself should she need to, away from the wreckage breathing heavily.  

Running a hand through the mess of hair she took a deep breath and examined their surroundings.  This was it, her chance to walk away, get herself somewhere where someone could help her get back home.  She cautiously moved foreward her own body weight trying to force her to the ground as she struggled through the slight pain from her bones screaming at her to stop.  

After a few steps she stopped and turned to look back at the car, glass all over the ground, the car in a state of disrepair and the taste of freedom calling out to her.  She stood and looked at the car, wanting nothing more than to turn away and run, run away from it all.  But something was holding her back.  She couldn't leave this man to die, she couldn't face the burden of knowing what had happened and she didn't do anything to help.

"Why me?"  She whimpered to herself as she returned to the car.  She gripped the handle tihtly and pulled, she gave it two hard pulls and the door finally caved open revealing Namjoon still bery much unconcious in the drivers seat.  Reaching over him she unclipped his seatbelt and he fell into her thanks to the positioning of the car and his dead weight.  She tumbled backaards onto the floor as the weight of him forced her down.  Rolling his body off of her she gripped him under the arm pits and attemoted to drag him away from the wreckage of his old car.  

She had only made it a short distance before the agony and unfitness caught up with her.  Ally sprawled him out on the ground panting, sinking to her knees beside him.  As she sucked in deep breaths of air, she could faintly hear the sound of another car skidding to a halt, a door opening and slamming shut before hurried footsteps approached.  Not daring to look in case the attackers had came back to finish the job she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable.

"What the hell happened!?"  The unmistakenable voice of Suga rang out around the silent street as more footsteps approached.

"We came as soon as we heard the crash over phone...bloody hell are you alright?"  Jimin asked as he took in the sight of the bloody girl and unconcious leader before him.  Meanwhile Suga walked briskfully over to the side of the car and peered in through the shattered windows.

"The shipments gone"  he confirmed "the whole thing was a set up to draw us out..."  an angry undertone to his voice as he rejoined the group gritting his teeth together.

Ally glared up at Jimin before returning to Namjoon as she watched him...it seemed like hours before she paled and whispered..."he's not breathing..."

Ally leapt forward throwing carelessness out of the window as she acted on impulse and decided she was going to try and save this mans life.  Performing her best CPR she had learnt on a weekend away with her school group she put al of her weight into the chrst thrusts.

After what felt like hours were only a matter of minutes as the boys watched helplessly as Ally tried go revive their leader.  Tension and emotions were running high.

"Ally we need to leave now, before someone finds this mess!"  Jin exclaimed as all attempts at reviving Namjoon seemed hopeless.  He pulled on the arm trying to get her to leave but she fought back and continued pumping his chest.

"No I have to try!"  She shouted back angrily putting more pressure onto his ribcage, forcing back the tears that were threatening to flow from the surface.  

"Hoseok a little help here!"  Jin called in a stern voice as he tried to pull the hysterical girl off of Namjoon.  Hoseok darted forward past the distraught Jimin and Taehyung who watched on horrified unsure of their future if the man who had gave them lives when all seemed lost were to die.  "You're not thinking Alison, control yourself!  You're too hysterical!"  He grit his teeth supressing his own emotions.

Hoseok came and pulled Ally away from Namjoon.  Her impulsive reactions kicked in and she started crying, screaming to be let go, that Namjoon was going to die before finally giving into the emotions and sobbed into Hoseok's jacket.  He gently stroked her hair and held her face to his chest so she wouldn't need to see the body.  He felt sorry for her, dead bodies and situations like this were not the norm for her.  Even still, you could train someone for so long in theory and fighting but facing triggering events like these were enough to traumatize someone and that's when your fight or flight response kicks in.  This was all to emotional for Ally and she had never adapted to these types scenarios.  All Hoseok could do was rub her back unsure of what to do or what to tell her to make the hurt and fear stop.  

"We need to leave now."  Jin commanded in an authorative tone when he realised no one was planning to move.

"We can't just leave him here!"  Ally cried turning her head so she could freely speak the tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm afraid we have no choice..."  Jin began but was interupted by Namjoon who took in a large gasp of breath and started breathing heavily, his eyes flying open at an alarming rate and his hand moving to his chest to try and calm himself down.

"He's alive!"  Taehyung muttered suprised "it worked..."  he gasped.  

--

[mossyrossaliceinterviews]

Gettin’ Schooled by Gracie and Rachel

Sep 17, 2020

By Mossy Ross

Photo Credit: Tonje Thilesen

Gracie and Rachel are a finish-each-other’s-sentences, knows-what- the-other-is-thinking, musical soulmate, power duo. They are wise beyond their years, which is reflected in their music and in their conversation. They build each other up and seem to constantly strive to understand each other, so they can better understand themselves. Throughout our interview, they offered tidbits of honesty and advice and honestly, I could have talked to them for hours. And not just because it would have been cheaper than seeing a therapist (and probably with better results). They’re a team of soul-searching, wisdom-spewers who have a lot to say, and they’re saying it on their second album, “Hello Weakness, You Make Me Strong.”

Their new album out this Friday, reflects how life imitates art. And in their case, art imitates life. Their personal growth parallels their development as musicians. They show that beauty can be made, if we can come to terms with our own weaknesses. The two speak freely about addressing their shortcomings fearlessly and head on, and the result is an empowering and ageless album. Their recent video for “Underneath” shows how determined Gracie and Rachel are to be honest with themselves, even if it means making themselves vulnerable.

Mossy: Have you known each other a long time?

Gracie: We met in high school (in Berkeley, California). We were in a dance class together and were assigned to play music for the class. It was kind of an arranged marriage in that way. And then we went off to separate music schools for university, and then came back together to New York City and moved to Bushwick.

Mossy: So what were you like when you were younger, before you knew each other? What was your path like?

Rachel: My path was very serious, and exclusively tied to me, myself, and the violin. I hopped around between public schools, and then I went to a boarding school for two years before meeting Gracie. So I would say, for me, it was just being in this machine of classical music breeding. (Laughs)

Mossy: Was that something that you wanted to do, or you got pushed into doing, or both?

Rachel: I think it was a little bit of both. I feel like there were a lot of blinders up, because there wasn’t a lot of encouragement to explore other genres of music, or how you can use your skills as a classical violinist in alternative ways. I knew that I loved music, and I loved playing the violin and it was working for me, and I liked all that. But I wouldn’t say I always felt socially that comfortable, or like I integrated well or that we had similar interests. I had a lot of different interests in music, like contemporary classical music, and avant pop music. So meeting Gracie gave me this opportunity to explore those interests in a nonjudgmental environment.

Mossy: Yeah, sometimes you need that one musical soulmate for your whole world to change. What did you listen to growing up?

Rachel: Around the house I would listen to a lot of Cyndi Lauper, Elton John, Selena. I would do a dance hour with boom boxes and stuff. But in high school, I got into Regina Spektor, Emily Wells going into college. Artists that had a classical approach, but were flipping it and doing something a little different with it.

Gracie: I didn’t come from as strict of training as Rachel did, so I was really grateful to meet somebody who had that theoretical knowledge, and was just going to ground me a little bit. I was just sort of free form writing songs, and it was just really such a good challenge to meet somebody who needed to know what we’re gonna play and how. And it made me have to be a little bit more regimented and focused in that way. My father was a theater director, and he did avant garde opera music and New Age music. So I was around a lot of composers and people doing some experimental stuff that I think really excited me at a very young age. My dad got me into Erik Satie as a pianist when I was younger. And then I got into my own little singer songwriter world and found people like Fiona Apple that I really loved. And then thought, “Maybe I could do that, too.”

Mossy: I think your music is a really good amalgamation of all those influences. It’s really unique. I love the new album. It sounds to me like a coming of age sort of album. And I don’t mean that it sounds young. I mean, I’m forty and I think I just finished my coming of age album! But just in that it feels like there’s been a development in your lives. Is that true?

Gracie: Yeah. I think that the first record was really just us as a piano and violin duo. And we only integrated drums because the producer we were working with had a drum kit in his car that he needed to bring into our loft.

Rachel: Not even a kit, just one drum! (Laughs)

Gracie: Yeah! Just one drum. Which was a happy accident because it got us to play with the kick drum. Like it became an intentional thing, where it was a kick drum on it’s side, so it was like a timpani, like a classical drum. But they’d rock out on it, and we’d have our drummer there to complete the three piece. But the bones were just piano, violin, and drum. And there wasn’t a lot of other experimentations and using synthesizers and our vocals in different ways. Rachel has experimented so much more as a producer on this record. And I think a lot of it has been about our process of living together and working together, and how we communicate very differently personally and musically. We’re really quite opposite in a lot of ways, and I think that’s where this album started to make a lot of sense to us. In finding strength in those oppositions. Finding strength in our weaknesses, and in what the other person has that we don’t individually possess. So it feels coming of age in that regard.

Mossy: Can you think of a specific example when you realized your weakness makes you stronger?

Gracie: I think in a really basic way, maybe Rachel will find something more interesting to talk about (laughs), but I’m a lot chattier and confronting. And transparency is my favorite thing to, you know, flush out a problem when it happens. And Rachel is a little more guarded and patient and more like, “Let’s work through it maybe in this way first, or work through it on your own first.” And I need that immediate action. So I think really me learning that about her, and where that was useful, and vice versa.

Rachel: Yeah, I was gonna say it’s seeing that other person’s perceived weakness, and how it makes you stronger.

Gracie: Right. Like for Rachel it can be hard not to confront certain things, and for me it can be hard when I confront them too often. I can create problems in my mind by confronting issues that aren’t maybe there. So taking maybe what is Rachel’s weakness and using it as my strength, and my weakness as her strength.

Rachel: Like a reflection.

Gracie: And us just finding and really capitalizing on those oppositional forces between us, and finding gratitude for them. We can’t all be like one complete perfect person, and I think when we accept that and we dance with our weaknesses as a strength, it’s a really beautiful thing.

Photo Credit: Aysia Marotta

Mossy: Where do you think all of your wisdom and self-awareness comes from?

Gracie and Rachel: (Laughs)

Gracie: Socrates. I don’t know. I’m a really anxious person and sometimes a lot of these songs are written to myself, to just get out of my head and get into the big picture of calming down. I really can’t apply that wisdom very well a lot of the time. (Laughs) So writing these songs to my subconscious is kind of like a way of processing and helping me not judge myself. “When you don’t know, you know” is really powerful Socratic thinking. That we can’t have it all figured out and when we think that we do, that’s when we’re really not learning anything at all.

Rachel: Also, I would say sometimes I feel my weakness has been not being able to find my language tools effectively, articulate something, and translate myself in a productive way. So really where I find the way to translate myself the best is sonically. So this record was a great opportunity that I kind of lifted that up. And it’s okay that I don’t always have all the words. It’s okay that I still have a feeling, and I can put it down, and hopefully communicate through sound rather than through lyrics.

Gracie: I think just finding a perceived weakness of yours and not judging it, but exploring it and opening yourself to it can be just such a revolutionary act. When we have all of this self judgment, we are gonna have that out in the world, too. So I think owning some deficits that we each individually have, has been really helpful to our growth.

Mossy: What are some of the things that trigger anxiety for you?

Gracie: Pfffhhh…what doesn’t trigger anxiety? (Laughs) I think I’m an over-thinker, so I can create fear and worry around a scenario that I might have actually perpetuated just by thinking about it so much.

Rachel: I think we’re both people pleasers. We really like to make everybody feel really heard, and like we’re being respectful. And sometimes we forget to check in with how we’re feeling, and what we’re thinking.

Mossy: It seems like some of your songs touch on mental health. Is that something that’s big for you?

Rachel: We’re both in therapy. (Laughs)

Gracie: Yeah, I think we’re curious about talking about how to be gentle with ourselves. And hopefully that’s something that speaks to a broader issue around mental health. And just that when we aren’t gentle with ourselves, we can really create some huge roadblocks and pain for ourselves. So I think and hope the songs are speaking to a sort of forgiveness of the self.

Mossy: I read somewhere that you said the album made you have to ask each other some difficult questions when you were creating it. Can you talk about any of those?

Gracie: I think it comes back to communication in a lot of ways. Asking Rachel to call me out and come to me with stuff that was maybe not something she wanted to do. And her asking me to have patience with that.

Rachel: Yeah, not scrutinizing every little thing and seeing where it leads us, because maybe it doesn’t lead anywhere.

Gracie: Yeah, letting things roll of the shoulders. Something we were realizing is Rachel tends to judge her emotions and put them into boxes. And therefore if she can’t judge them…

Rachel: I’m just not gonna acknowledge them at all.

Gracie: And I judge my emotions with too much weight, I give them too much weight, where I need to actually compartmentalize them and put them in a box, and put them away. So I think it was asking each other how the other does that, because we do things so differently, and it gets us both into trouble.

Photo Credit: Tonje Thilesen

Mossy: Were there any specific defining experiences that inspired this album?

Rachel: Trusting ourselves, trusting each other.

Gracie: Yeah, trust. We had just come off a big, long tour. And our management told us, “Okay, when you get off this tour, you’re gonna go and you’re gonna write a record.” And I remember just feeling like it’s so bizarre to create art on demand, or on command. And there was a really big fear around that, because we’d been touring for the past couple of years and we were like, “Do we know how to write still?” Do we know how to do that when it’s not coming from an emotional reaction, or a response to a real life event? Like when we’re told to do something, are we gonna be able to do that? And there was a big concept of trust with each other and with ourselves, and we just had to lean into that and say, “Okay, ultimately we have to trust ourselves, and no one else.” And we just went for it. And we had to build that muscle, and it definitely took some time of just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what landed. But we hadn’t really pushed ourselves to trust ourselves, and I think a lot of the songs are speaking to that and to process, and showing up to process, and not being afraid of it. We used to write so individually and then we would bring it to each other. And now it’s like we’re so much more comfortable, just from pushing ourselves to create on the spot. “Write ugly, edit pretty” has become a saying in our household. Just don’t worry about obsessing on it, and I think we apply that to a lot of things in our lives now. We need to just write ugly and edit pretty. Figure it out later, but trust your instincts.

Rachel: Like Patti Smith said, “Freedom is the right to say it wrong.”

Gracie: And then the Kavanaugh hearings. Christine Blasey Ford was giving her testimony when we were in the middle of writing this record. And we saw a lot of really empowering women and people coming forward with their stories, and so there was a big feeling of empowerment. We were finishing the song “Trust” during that time.

And we were like, this isn’t just about trusting our narcissistic fears about writing, it was about trusting ourselves to do something when it’s not always comfortable or easy. So we wrote a number of songs during that time. And we put one of them out that was about the hearings, just because it felt like we couldn’t wait another six months to make the record. We just wanted to have a conversation with people about it then. It’s really cool when you can talk about what’s happening right now, because so much of music culture is, you know, people were working on something for a year, and now the album’s coming out and they’re in a different place. Like, Rachel had more hair when we were making the first record. (Laughs)

Rachel: And also to use our art in that way is a great privilege. Follow Gracie and Rachel on IG @gracieandrachel

New album out Friday, September 18!

[jolienjoyswriting]

Sonic CD - Shake the Planets, Ch. II

The final chapter of "Shake the Planets," a Sonic the Hedgehog CD fan fiction story.

As I said, this isn't the story I wanted to write.  But, you know something?  I'm glad things turned out this way.  I like this so much that I may, in fact, write some more stories in this "timeline," later on. … Tails, you did keep Robotnik from getting those Time Stones… right?

Word count: 4,258 – Character count: 24,077 Originally written: October 5th, 2019

Tails and Amy continue to entertain each other as they wait out the horrible storm outside.

Amy Rose/Rosy the Rascal created by Naoto Ohshima and touched-up by Kazuyuki Hoshino Miles "Tails" Prower created by Yasushi Yamaguchi, Sonic the Hedgehog created by Naoto Ohshima "Sonic the Hedgehog," "Sonic the Hedgehog CD," and aforementioned/related characters and concepts © Sega Games Co., Ltd.

[ ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → ]

    “Amy… please… have mercy…!”

    In a fire-lit cave somewhere in the rocky plains near Never Lake, a two-tailed fox found himself being tortured by a crazy, pink hedgehog girl.

    “I’m not stopping ‘til I find what I’m looking for���!”

    The fox whined and squirmed, his ears pinned to his head and his eyes watering.  Even with those big, white gloves of hers… the girl’s hands were doing a number on him.

    “I-I’m sorry about your c… car…!” he gasped.  “J-just… s-stop and I’ll–”     “And you’ll what?” she asked, the grin on her face staying in place.     “N-no… not there…  Not there…!”     “What will you do, Mister Hero?”     “I… I… ah…!”

    The girl giggled as the fox jolted from her touch.  Her original idea was to poke around in his tails and try to find what he was carrying.  However… when he seemed afraid of her, she decided she’d give that orange-furred boy something to be afraid of!

    “S-stop-stop…!” he begged.  His voice was cracking and his eyes were showing actual tears…  She was wearing him down.     “No way, Miles!  Not until you–”     “H-hee-hee…!”     “There it is…!”     Tails tensed, realizing what a mistake it was to let that laugh slip.  Before he could try and convince the devilish girl not to… she made her move.     “Aaaaah-ha ha ha ha haaa…!!”     And started tickling him all over.

    “What’cha gonna do, now, Mister Hero?” she teased as her gloved hands poked, prodded, rubbed, and teased him under his arms, around his tails, and behind his ears – all very ticklish spots on his body.     “I… I… I…!” he panted as his howling laughter echoed in the cave.  Even if he’d had a response to that question… it would have been impossible to give, considering.

    “Kitchy-kitchy-coo!”     Amy had been tickling the fox for a good three minutes.  In that time, he’d collapsed into a laughing, crying, red-faced ball-of-fluff, barely even putting up a fight as he resigned himself to his fate.  The girl had him completely overpowered.  That is…     “Ahh…!!”     Until he heard a bolt of lightning.

    “M… Miles…?” the girl nervously asked.  “Wh-what’s gotten into you…?!”     Her companion was shaking like a leaf, his body trembling and his arms, legs, and tails wrapped around her.  He whimpered a little, keeping his eyes closed until he felt something run along his head.     “There there…” she quietly told him. “It’s okay…”     He blinked a couple of times.  The tone of Amy’s voice had changed dramatically.  She’d gone from scary to soothing…  Between that and the gentle strokes along his hairline and down his head, he found himself rapidly calming down…  It wasn’t long after that he untangled himself from the girl, then looked away with a shamed blush.

    “It’s okay, Miles,” she repeated as she continued petting him.  “It’s okay…”     “S… stop that…!”     She giggled as he batted her hand away.     “I… I-I’m sorry…” was the next thing he said.  “I just… I hate lightning…!”     “There there–”     “Stop that!”     Amy couldn’t help but laugh a little more.  He’d stopped her from petting him, again.     “It really is okay, though,” she said as she returned to the fire, sitting with her legs resting at an angle.  “Lots’a people are scared of lots’a things!”     “I-it’s… it’s embarrassing, though…”     Tails sighed, sitting next to her and closing his eyes.     “I wanna be brave, like Mister Sonic… b-but–”     Another crack boomed across the plains and into the cave.  And, just like before… Amy found herself “wearing” her friend.

    “It’s okay,” she said in that same calming tone.  “I mean it.”     “S-sorry…” he apologized, letting her go.  When he tried to pull away, though…     “U-um… Amy…?     She wouldn’t let him.     “It’s okay to be scared, sometimes…” she whispered as she held the fox in her arms.  “We can’t all be brave all-the-time…  I heard it’s not good to do that.”     “But…”     “Say, Miles…”  She looked at him.  “I never did thank you for saving me, did I?”     “Wh-what?”  The fox blinked a couple of times.  “I-it’s okay.  I–”     “Maybe… maybe the cards didn’t lie…”  The girl hummed.  “Maybe… I misread them?”     “What…?”  He was starting to sound like a broken record.     “I thought they said I’d meet Mister Sonic on that planet… but, the cards I drew…”  She paused.  “What they really said was if I traveled somewhere, I’d meet someone.  Miracle Planet was definitely that ‘somewhere…’ so, maybe that someone was… you?”     She warmly smiled, leaning in.     “Either way… here’s my ‘thank you…’”

    The fox practically turned to stone.  Without much any warning, Amy kissed him on the nose.  No one had ever done that to him, before… much less a girl.  He had no idea how to react to it… or if he even should.

    “Miles…?”     Amy blinked as she leaned back.  Tails was staring off into space, mouth hanging open and body completely still.  It was kind of adorable, in a way… but also kind of worrying.     “Miles…?” she repeated, giving him a nudge.  “Are you okay?”     “You kissed me…!” he squeaked, almost inaudible.     “Of course, I did!”  She covered her mouth with one hand and giggled.  “You’re a hero and heroes get kisses from pretty girls!”     His face became visibly red, causing her to laugh.     “Guess you liked it, huh?”     She sighed…     “You’re no Mister Sonic… but I’m glad you saved me.”     Her eyes closed and she snuggled up against the fox-boy’s side.     “Thank you… Mister Hero…”     “Uwah…”

    Amy’s eyes went wide and she gave a surprised yelp.  When she sat back up and looked down, she noticed something… that made her grin.     “Did you really just faint?”     The fox’s eyes had rolled back and he’d fallen over, completely limp and red-faced.     “Gosh…” she said with a giggle.  “I wonder if I can get Mister Sonic to do that?”     She happily hummed to herself, her eyes looking the young fox over.  She had to admit… he was kind of cute.  Plus, she liked how soft his fur felt.  Which got her wondering…

    “Hmm…”     Another mischievous grin spread across her face.     “He… shouldn’t wake up if I do this… right?”     The girl looked one way, then the other, before scooting up beside him.  Without any more delay, she laid down perpendicular to him and rested her head on his belly.     “Sooooo soft…” she cooed before giggling.     As she lay there, enjoying her new “pillow,” she reached up and ran a hand over his chest while she nuzzled into his stomach, treating herself to all that super-plush fox fur.  She was in absolute heaven.  However…     “I wonder…”     She soon got another idea…

    As much fun as getting lost in that fox’s pelt was, she thought it could be even more fun if he joined in!  Instead of waking him up, though, she took him by the wrist and brought his arm around her side, making him limply hug her.  She smiled and faintly blushed…  There was something super-cozy about what they were doing.

    After enjoying that fox’s fluffy for a little while longer, she sighed, then cuddled up beside him.  One arm wrapped around his shoulders while the other reached up and played with one of his ears.     “I should stop…” she told herself.  “I could get used to this!”     Despite that… she didn’t.

    With Tails’ unconscious body as her disposal, the girl got a wild idea…  Without so much as a word, she slipped from his side and climbed atop him.     “Oh, Mister Sonic…” she whispered as she formulated a fantasy scenario.  Her hands pulled the fox’s arms around her, again, and she snuggled closer.     “I love you so much…”  Her face warmed and she grinned before asking, “You… want to what?  A-are you sure?  Goodness…  I… o-okay…!”

    The redness in her face increased as she quietly leaned inward, keeping Tails’ nose pointed her way.  Her eyes slipped shut, her lips puckered, and she kept moving closer to that unaware vulpine…  Then, as she drew to within a breath’s distance of kissing him…     “Ah… ah– ah!!”     The sleeping fox woke with a start and shoved her away!

    Amy blinked, watching as Tails sat up, rubbing his mouth with one hand and excitedly panting.  His face was bright red and he seemed a little upset…  When his eyes eventually pointed her way, she shrunk down, blushed, and nervously giggled…     “Wh-wh-what did you do…?” he suspiciously asked with folded ears.     “Nothing…” she lied, trying her best to sound innocent.     The fox somehow got redder.  “What do you do…?”     “Nothing!” she repeated with a huff.     “Amy!” he called, his face breaking into anger.  “What.  Did you.  Do?”     She bit her lower lip.  Then, all-at-once, she blurted out her response.     “I-I didn’t kiss you– I was gonna, but you woke up– I saw you faint and I got curious and thought– I cuddled you and used you as a pillow– I wanted to kiss you to practice for Mister Sonic and… and… a-and…!”     She whimpered… then, just as quickly as she’d started talking…     “Waaaaah…!!”     She started crying!

    Tails’ eyes shot open.  Almost immediately after the girl covered her face to sob, he stood up and walked over to her just to sit nearby.  As he reached out to touch her… he ended up going rigid, again.  Without warning, she’d buried her face into his chest and hugged onto him, just like that!  Not knowing what else to do, he cautiously reached up, and…     “Th… there-there…?”     He started stroking her head from the red scarf behind her ears to the tips of her quills.

    Amy must have cried for a good few minutes before calming down.  When she finally quieted, she sat up, rubbing her eyes with an arm, then shyly looked his way with a warm face.     “S… sorry…” she sighed.  “I…”     “You’re such a crybaby…”     “Wha–”     The girl opened her eyes, staring in shock.     “I am not!” she yelled.  When she crossed her arms and pulled away, the fox just grinned.

    “It’s okay, Amy,” he said in a reassuring voice.  “I’m scared of lightning and you cry a lot.  We’re not so different, huh?”     She shot him a dirty look…  When she noticed him smiling, she sighed and nodded.     “I still think you’re brave, though,” the fox added.     “Th-thank… ah… ah…”     He tilted his head… only to wince as she sneezed right in his face.     “Oh, gosh!”  She gasped, covering her mouth with one hand.  “I-I’m so sorry!”     “Ick…  Girl germs,” was his response to that.     For some reason… that just made her giggle.  However…     “Hey… are you okay?”     Tails noticed… Amy was starting to shiver.     “I-I’m a little cold…” she said before sneezing away from him.  “I’ll be fine!”     The fox wasn’t sure why…  The cave was pretty warm, to him.  Then again…     “Oh!”     The girl blinked.  Her friend had spoken up, all-of-a-sudden.     “No wonder you’re cold, Amy!  Your clothes are soaked!”     “What?”     She blinked, again, then looked at herself.  He was right…  Her green blouse and orange skirt were still very heavy with water.  Even the red scarf she used as a hairband was still wet.     “You should take ‘em off and let ‘em dry!”     For once, it was the hedgehog’s turn to imitate a statue.  Her eyes locked wide open and she tensely looked right at the fox.  Then, as her brain finally processed what he’d said…     “Kyaaaaa…!!”     She slapped him and curled against the nearest wall.

    “Ah…!  Wh-wh-what was that f–”     “Pervert…!!” she screamed, her face red and her body trembling in fear.     “P… pervert…?”  Tails blushed, letting his ears droop.  “No… No, I–”     “I was warned  about people like you…!” Amy screamed, cutting him off.  “You want to see me naked…!  Y-you want to touch me in ways or places that make me uncomfortable!  You want to… want to…!”     She paused, blinking.     “W… well…” she said in a calmer voice.  “I dunno what, exactly…  B-but…!”     Her voice raised back up and she hugged herself, screaming…     “Y-you’re a pervert…!!”     “I-I’m not a pervert…!” Tails protested.  “I just want you to take your clothes off!”     “Kyaaaaa…!!”     He winced, then.  That was clearly the wrong thing to say…

    “L-look, Amy–”     “Stay away from me, you pervert…!” she immediately snapped.     “Amy…”     “Keep your hands off me…!” she shouted… despite the fox not being anywhere near her.     “Amy.”     “That’s my purse!” she cried, sounding somewhat confused.  “I don’t know you…!”     “Amy Rose!!”     The girl flinched before looking up.  Tails was glaring at her, again… but, something was off.  He didn’t seem particularly angry.  In fact… he almost looked ready to cry…!  Why?     “I’m not a pervert, darn it…!” he huffed, sounding hurt.  “I j-just don’t want you to catch a cold and get sick!  I-I’m sorry for caring, okay?!”     With that, he spun around and walked over to the campfire, angrily plunking and keeping his back turned away from the dumb girl.     If she’s gonna be like that, who cares if she catches a cold?  Hmph!

    Things felt tense in that cave…  Tails had gotten so upset with Amy, and Amy… didn’t know what to think.     He told me to take my clothes off… she thought as she shivered from the cold dampness of her outfit.  H-he’s a pervert…  B-but… but…     She whimpered.     But, who was the one playing with his fur while he slept…?  Who… who wanted to use him for kissing practice…?     “I’m the pervert…” the girl quietly said.     When she heard Tails give an unconcerned “What?” she shuffled over toward him.     “I… I said…” she shakily started, “I’m the pervert…”     “I… what?”  The fox blinked in confusion.  “That’s not what I–”     “I… I played with you like a doll, after you fainted…”     As she sighed, Tails just blushed and folded his ears.  He wanted to accept the apology… but something kept him from saying anything.     “Y-you’re right, though…” she continued.  “I-If I stay like this… I-I’ll get sick.  So…”     His blush brightened as she softly… shyly whispered…     “N-no peeking…  ‘kay…?”

    Tails felt his heart pound against his chest.  His ears flicked and his tails twitched…  He could hear something behind him.  It sounded an awful lot like wet fabric being rustled… then discarded on the ground.  A couple of moments later… he felt something press against his back.     “S-sorry, if my quills hurt…” he heard the girl say.  “B-but, if we sit back-to-back…”     “N-no, no, I get it…” he said after she trailed off.  “I-it’s less likely I’ll accidentally see something you don’t want me to.  Right?”     She hesitated before telling him, “R-right…”     “Good thinking.”  He smiled to himself.  “Your quills aren’t hurting me, by the way…”     “G-good…  I… tried to push them down… and…”     She trailed off, again.  The girl wasn’t in much of a mood for talk, anymore, it seemed.

    The storm outside raged on, water crashing to the ground, thunder rumbling, and lightning cracking.  To Amy’s surprise, Tails kept to himself during the course… though, after three-or-four flashes of lightning, he was shaking kind of hard.  She felt so bad…     “Gimme your hands.”     “W-w-w-wha’…?”     “Your hands, Miles,” she repeated.  “Lemme see them.”     He wanted to ask why… but he decided to leave it be and just do as she asked.     “I can’t hug you with us back-to-back,” she whispered as she gently slid her fingers between his, “so just hold my hands…  Hold them as tight as you want!  We’ll face this dumb storm together and laugh!  Ha ha ha haaah!”     The fox stopped shivering…  Hearing her be so brave when he felt so afraid inspired him to try a little harder.  Despite that… he took her up on her offer, squeezing her hands tight.

    “Amy?”     “Yeah, Miles?” she called after he spoke her name.     “I’m sorry…”     “About what?”     “I’m sorry for putting you through this dumb stuff… for making you think I was a pervert… for not being very nice when I met you…  I’m sorry for breaking your car, I’m sorry for m-making you sit in this stupid cave… I… I…”     “Miles…?”     The fox whimpered… then, after a short delay… he broke.

    “There, there, Miles…”     Amy gently rubbed her thumbs over his hands and leaned against him.  She couldn’t see it, but she could hear him quietly crying behind her.  It made her feel bad, but…     “Once this whole thing is over,” she told him, “we’ll get outta this cave, fix my car, and go find Mister Sonic!  How dare he make us… wait… for…”     The girl blinked as she slowed.  She had every intention of saying something inspirational, again…  However, something stopped her.  For some reason… she just couldn’t muster the energy for it.  In fact… she realized that, at that moment, she didn’t even care about Sonic.  Just about the only thing she wanted, right then… was to make her friend feel better.

    Tails’ jolted, his face suddenly warming.  He looked down, noticing a pair of tan-colored arms wrapping around his chest.  The next thing he noticed was something warm brushing against his face.  He glanced to his right only to blush a little more.     “A… Amy…?” he called.  “Wh… what are you…?”     “Hush,” she said in a calm voice as she affectionately rubbed cheeks with him.  “I wanna tell you something.”     He quieted, listening…     “When I set out on this dumb adventure, I hoped I’d meet Mister Sonic.  I hoped he’d find me and we’d fall in love.  He never came… but you did.

    “Right now?  You’re a better hero than Mister Sonic, Miles.  Know why?”     She tightened her grip on him.     “‘cause… you’re my hero.”

    The fox blinked a couple of times as she kissed his cheek before going back to rubbing.  He didn’t feel tense or even particularly embarrassed…  He just felt kind of… warm.  That girl hugging him didn’t care that he wasn’t Sonic…  It almost sounded like she was glad he wasn’t, in some way.  He was her hero… and that made him feel really special.

    “Miles…?”     The fox sighed, leaning back as his two tails curled around his friend’s body.     “Sorry for not warning you,” he said in a calm voice.  “I just… really wanted to hug you!  You’re… really amazing, Amy…”     The girl softly giggled. before whispering, “Ditto…”

    After a great many moments of Amy holding Tails while his tails hugged her, the former turned back around.  Once she found his hands, again, she happily sighed…     “This isn’t so bad…”     “There’s worse places to be during a bad storm than in a cave with a friend, I guess,” he said with a soft laugh.     “No, I mean… the whole failed adventure.”     “Yeah…?”     He squirmed as he felt her do the same.  He didn’t want to say anything, but… she’d finally jabbed him with a couple of her spines.     “I didn’t meet Mister Sonic, but…”  The girl beamed.  “I got to meet a cute boy, anyway!”     “A-and… I got to meet a cute girl…?” the fox replied, sounding unsure.     Said girl giggled before saying, “Hey, Miles…”     “Yeah?”     She hesitated, nibbling on her lower lip.     “If… if you wanted to peek…” she shyly told him.  “I… I wouldn’t be mad.  Promise!”     Tails delayed before replying, “Amy?”     “Y… yes, Miles?”     “I… still wanna hug you.”  He paused before asking, “Do you, um…”     “O-okay…!”     He blinked as he got an answer before he even finished asking his question.  He chuckled and heard Amy giggle.  Shortly after, they pulled away from each other, releasing one another’s hands.  Slowly, they turned to their sides.  Before they could face each other, though…     “Huh?”     Tails did something clever.

    “M… Miles…?”     The fox grinned, still blushing.  “I… I know you said I could peek, but…”     He squirmed, his thick, bushy tails shuffling as they pressed against the girl’s front.  The only part of her that was clearly visible, then, was her head.     “You’re so sweet…” she said with a bright smile.  Then, not a second later…     “Ack…!”     She tackled him, reaching through the twin tales and snuggling that adorable fox-boy for all he was worth!

    Eventually, the two realized that the storm wouldn’t be breaking anytime soon and Tails suggested they get some sleep.  When he tried to set up a place for himself…     “Amy?”     He found the sweet girl hugging him from behind, again.     “I don’t wanna sleep by myself…” she shyly told him.  “It’s cold, and I’m scared.  Can… can I sleep with you?  Pretty please…?”     “Well…”  Though he was blushing from the idea, he tried to rationalize it.  “I-if we sleep close together, we can stay warmer for longer–”     The girl cut him off with a sudden sneeze.  She gasped, then, before rubbing the back of his newly-moistened head.     “S-sorry…!”

    “As… I was saying,” he continued, “if we sleep close together, we can stay warmer for longer… share body heat, and stuff.  So… so… i-if you’re okay with it…”     She giggled a little before squeezing him.     “O-okay, then.  U-um… you can use my tails as a blanket, or a pillow, or–”     He blinked, again.  She’d pushed him down, then pressed her body against his, tucking her head against his chest.  Curiously… she brought one of his tails between her legs, kind of using it as a blanket, as he’d suggested.     “This is good,” she said as she looked at the fox.  “A-are you comfy, though…?”     He continued to blush.  That smile of hers was so disarming…     “Y… yeah…” he said with a smile of his own.  “L-let’s get some sleep.”     She giggled, then she hummed…     “G’night, my hero…”     His face warmed a little more.  “G’night…”     Then, the two fell into a quiet, calm rest.

    Sun burst into the cavern the following morning, waking Tails from his sleep.  When his eyes fluttered open, he looked around…     “Amy…?” he called.     “Miles!”     He was glad he was already laying down when the perky girl tackled him.  As she hugged, though, he noticed she’d already gotten dressed.  That made him far less shy about returning the tight hug she gave.     “You’re up, early,” he said with a yawn.  “What time is it, anyway?”     “Dunno,” she said as she cuddled him.     “Well, we should probably head out…”     He blinked as he found himself unable to sit up.     “Amy…?”     “Do… do we have to?”     He blushed as she ran her finger in a circle through his chest fluff.     “Can we just… stay here?  Just a little longer?  You and me…?”     “Y… yeah…?” he nervously asked.     “Good boy…”     With that, the girl smiled and tucked her head under his chin.  She really liked cuddling that fox and, honestly?  He was starting to like cuddling her, too.

    A small part of the morning was spent just lying in that cave, the two kids quietly enjoying each other’s company and casually chatting.  Neither one of them seemed in too much of a hurry to leave the cave, much less the other’s arms.  Eventually, though… they did.

    “Hey, Amy!  I found your car!  Or… w-what’s left of it…”     As the sun made its way overhead, Amy and Tails left the cave and began the search for the broken vehicle – Amy from the ground and Tails from the air.  It didn’t take too long before the latter found it and called the former over.

    “Oh, my car…!”     The girl’s face fell.  There wasn’t much left of her little blue joyrider.  It had practically been smashed flat by the ovular hunk of metal laying on top of it!     “It’ll be alright, Amy!”     “How is this going to be alright?!” she yelled as she gestured to what was once a car.     “I… I’ll make you a new one?” was the fox’s hesitant response.     “Hmph!”  She turned away.  “I wouldn’t need a one if you hadn’t been so reckless!”     “H-hey, this wasn’t my fault!  Not… not entirely, I mean…  Besides!”     Tails offered a a smile.     “I’ll make your new one even better!”     The girl looked over her shoulder.  “Oh, yeah…?”     “I’ll see what I can do!” he assured her.     “Well… okay!”  She spun back around, brightly smiling.  “I trust you, Mister Hero!”

    With the car situation sorted, Amy and Tails decided to head out of the area.  The former gathered a couple of Sonic souvenirs from her destroyed vehicle – a “mirror buddy” and a gearshift knob in the shape of his head – and the two went on their way.

    The trip back to civilization was a long one.  Amy didn’t have super speed and Tails couldn’t fly fast enough with a passenger to make it worth the effort, so they had to walk.  Along the way, the latter got to show off his combat skills by busting a few Badniks, impressing the lady in the process.  Once they found a town, Tails called Sonic via the Tornado’s satellite phone, and a while later, he arrived to pick the fox up.

    “Sonic?  This is my new friend, Amy Rose!”     The pink hedgehog deeply blushed, nervously waving as she tapped the toe of her foot against the ground.  “H-h-hello, Mister Sonic…!” she greeted, feeling nervous-beyond-belief.     “Hey, kid,” the blue hedgehog greeted from his biplane.  “Ready to go, Tails?”     “Not yet.”  He turned his attention to Amy.  “I guess this is ‘goodbye,’ huh…?”     She hummed, staying otherwise silent.  Then, all-of-a-sudden…     “Ah…!”     She threw her arms around him and kissed his nose.     “Thanks for everything, Mi– Tails,” the girl said in a sad tone.  “It was fun!”     Sonic winked and gave a thumbs-up as the young fox blushed and flustered.  He couldn’t believe she’d done that in front of him…     Shortly after, everyone went their separate ways.  But, as Amy called to get a ride back to her home, she had a feeling, someday, they’d all meet again.  Hopefully, sooner than later…

[blazehedgehog]

I can't imagine being open only to the "pleasant little surprises" being a very pleasant way to live. What has cynicism like that done for you except protect you from getting "hurt"?

What it’s done for me is usually prove me right. I remember multiple friends laying in to me because they didn’t think Sonic Lost World looked so bad and they wanted to reserve judgement. I was Mr. “screenshots and videos are meant to be judged because they exist to entice you in to a purchase and clearly that’s not working.”

What does being needlessly positive get you? Nobody trusts your opinion on anything because you love everything. Though I am a senior editor for TSSZ, I still think my primary job title is being a critic. I have to be critical. If you’re over there saying everything is awesome, well, nobody needs to go to you for opinions because you’re technically not saying anything. All you’ll attract are people who want to join a circle jerk.

I don’t necessarily think I’m that cynical – there’s a bitterness to being cynical, a tendency to be hyper-critical with impossible standards. Do any of my reviews fit that bill? When I expressed a weird sort of appreciation for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, was that cynical? When I talk about changing my opinion on Crash Bandicoot, does that mean I have a heart of stone? Do I, in general, seem particularly hard to impress if I’ll defend Sonic Unleashed to the death? If, instead of burying my cringe-worthy past, I openly celebrate the teenager I used to be? Does THAT make me cynical?

I just don’t let myself get excited for things. That’s all. I usually can’t afford it, don’t have the platform it’s for, am too busy with something else, or simply want to avoid being disappointed by over-hyping myself, as has been the case in multiple past scenarios.

I am not snide, I am not bitter, I am not rude. I do not sit on social media snarking on everything that comes across my feed. I just do not let myself get over the moon with “omg this will be the best game/movie/whatever EVAR MADE” claims because I don’t see the point in setting myself up for that kind of disappointment.

That’s not being cynical, that’s being realistic.

[sonicforces]

What's your opinion on Sonic Boom's character adaptions?

i think this is an old ask im so sorry thisll be based on the cartoon cause i havent played any of the boom games or watched the cutscenes.  ive tried to just approach it a little more loosely bc when it first started airing, i was really offput by how different the characters are from their eastern counterparts? but i feel like im kinda takin it too seriously, since it is just mostly supposed to be comedic, and its obviously a different take on sonic, but yea ok sorry here we go bouta ramble so heres a read more, its midnight hope im makin sense here

sonic: hes definitely.. different, like he has a different attitude, and his aloofness comes off more as disinterest? hes more grumpy than modern sonic thats for sure.  initially i didnt really like him cause he just seemed sort of jerkish, but i think its not so bad.. i guess im just used to how incredibly sweet modern sonic can be so to see such a contrast in boom sonic was kinda jarring.  but in hindsight its a different and he’s his own hog. hes had his good moments too.  5.5/10

tails: i kinda like this tails! hes more confident, almost snarky at times, in a way that you can clearly see how sonics rubbed off on him, and hes really capable with both his inventions and in battles, but sometimes the boy needs to learn to stay in his lane. 8/10

amy: i really like the direction they took her in, bc any substance is better than ‘oh she likes sonic’ with little else, she’s got her own little set of quirks that set her apart, and she’s got a much more prominent role than her main series counterpart. every now and then she gets kinda overwhelming but for the most part i like. 8/10.

knuckles: ok his is the one that upset me the most bc like.. knuckles isnt stupid.  hes been shown to be somewhat gullible but thats when people take advantage of how trusting he is and hes actually knows whats up, hes capable not to mention somewhat stoic and passionate and i dont like how he gets reduced to the butt of almost every joke.  that being said, its a different canon so i guess its *technically* ok and yea a lot of the jokes are actually funny. im tryna let it go so bad bc like, if boom!knuckles were a separate character id probably like him so much more but like. wheres my knuckles. 4/10.

sticks: the only character who didnt have any pre-established traits, so they had a clean slate with her.  i really love her concept, and shes a p good foil to the rest of the team, but i feel like her traits are often oversimplified.. like shes just painted as the Local Village Crazy and even though shes been proven right many times they still kind of ignore her a lot? she gets thrown under the bus a good bit but theyve shown that she can handle herself and that shes an important member of the team, and i personally really like her :) 7/10.

eggman: so good.  while he might not seem as much of a threat, the comedy involving him is always great and they don’t have to change his character drastically to achieve it.  he’s got the eccentricity that makes him so appealing, and they adapted him well into the boom scenario. i love him. 9.5/10

ok i hope this makes sense but yea, i hope this doesn’t come off as very negative bc i do enjoy the show, this is just my personal onion, lemme know what yall think!

[willsherjohnkhan]

A Phoenix Rises

Chapter 1: Prologue

***

Captain’s Log, Stardate: 2261.87

In an attempt to rectify their error in judgment when appointing Alexander Marcus as the head of Starfleet, the Federation now placed their faith in Admiral Patrick Oswald.

Oswald was not the type to allow fear to get the better of him. Nor would he act first and suffer the consequences later. He offered Starfleet a calm, thoughtful and well measured approach to dealing with any and all situations.

As to whether he would make a better leader was still to be determined. Even as he took office, concerns were being raised.

Though all agreed that Starfleet didn’t need another Admiral Marcus, Oswald’s open armed approach to dealing with the increasing number of alien races the Federation was encountering was making many uneasy.

It was all very well offering the hand of friendship. But it was felt that it should only be done once it had been determined with absolute certainty that those being offered friendship were genuine, and did not have any hidden agenda’s or ulterior motives.

Initially Oswald’s policy seemed to work well, and everyone began to feel more at ease with his more moderate approach.

And then these policies were spread far and wide and into deep, deep space.

It was here that they caught the attention of a race of beings that were not interested in friendship, peace or even war.

They believed in only one purpose – assimilation.

Capt. James T. Kirk

***

Chapter 2: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

***

Starfleet Headquarters – San Francisco

The first anyone knew of their existence was when the peace was violently shattered by a sonic boom as the solitary cube-shaped vessel breached the Earth’s atmosphere.

Shock, surprise and curiosity were quickly replaced with terror and panic as the new arrival made its intentions clear as the ship started firing indiscriminately.

***

The air was soon thick with smoke and debris as buildings toppled under the relentless onslaught.

There were fires in every direction. The acrid smell of burnt bodies wafted on the breeze.

And all the while, explosions and the constant scream of sirens battled for supremacy.

***

James T. Kirk fought his way through the chaos as the population stampeded en mass in a desperate attempt to get to safety.

But Kirk was headed in the other direction.

He didn’t have a plan in mind as such. He just knew that this threat, whoever they were, needed to be dealt with.

For that he was going to need the assistance of one particular individual. Unfortunately it was impossible to reach him by using his communicator.

***

“Did you find them?” Kirk asked as he made his way through the now abandoned warehouse.

Hikaru Sulu looked up from the manifest he was reading. “Yes Captain,” he replied, indicating vaguely in the area to what the Captain sought.

Kirk noted the grim expression on the lieutenant’s face. “Is there a problem Mr Sulu?”

“Yes Captain,” he paused briefly before continuing. “Where there should be 73 cryotubes, there is now only one.”

He then entered a code from the manifest into the terminal in front of him.

As soon as the code was entered, a concealed draw that was located in the wall gracefully opened.

Inside the draw was the remaining cryotube. Its inmate still blissfully unaware of what was happening on Earth at that very moment, nor the role that he would be asked to play to save the planet and its inhabitants.

“Captain, I feel it is my duty to point out…”

“I know what you’re going to say Mr Spock,” Kirk said as he turned to his Vulcan First Officer. “Unfortunately there is no time to debate the issue. Like it or not we need Khan, his intellect and his expertise with weapons.”

Kirk then turned back to Sulu. “Download all the data from the terminal about the missing cryotubes. It may give us a clue as to where they have been moved to.”

Sulu nodded and began to do as ordered.

“Captain,” Spock began.

Kirk spun around. “No Spock. I will not be accused of being another Alexander Marcus. We get all the information we can, and when this situation is over we give it to Khan. He can then decide what he wants to do with it.”

He then flipped open his communicator. “Scotty, four to beam up.”

***

Chapter 3: A Deal With the Devil

***

USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Medical Bay

“There’s no time to debate this. We have to do it now,” Kirk stated firmly.

He, Spock, Doctor’s Leonard McCoy and Carol Marcus were all standing around the as yet unopened cryotube.

“Have you forgotten what he did the last time?” McCoy demanded.

“Of course not,” Kirk responded, determined to keep his cool. He understood everyone’s concerns about what he was proposing they do. But if the reports he had begun receiving from the other Starfleet vessels that had attempted to engage the alien ship, it was becoming crystal clear that they were going to need something special if they wanted to survive the encounter.

He didn’t like no win scenarios, nor did he like losing. And he would not send his crew on a suicide mission.

So, if they were to have any chance of success, then they were going to have to rely on the skills of Khan Noonien Singh.

“He will not trust us,” Spock pointed out.

“I know,” Kirk replied.

“What do you have in mind?” Carol asked.

Before he could respond Ensign Molly Hooper came into the Medical Bay and made her way over to the captain.

“You wanted to see me Captain?”

“Yes Ensign. Your assistance is needed with a task we are about to perform.”

The young ensign looked over at the cryotube. When she saw who was within she unconsciously started to worry her lower lip with her teeth.

“Yes Captain,” she responded quietly.

Doctor McCoy pulled the Captain to one side. “Have you lost your mind?” He knew his friend well enough that he had an idea of what Kirk intended. “Goddamn it Jim, you’re playing with a girl’s life.”

“Bones, if there is one thing at this moment that I’m certain about is that Khan will not hurt so much as a hair on her head.”

“How much are you willing to bet?”

“Stop worrying,” Kirk said with confidence, trying to allay the doctor’s concerns. “Molly is the best person to keep Khan in line.”

“I beg to differ,” McCoy argued.

“She is, believe me. Don’t you remember? From the first time he came aboard this ship, whenever he got a glimpse of her he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. And whenever she was around he was more willing to behave.”

The doctor still wasn’t totally convinced. But even he had to acknowledge that the reality was they were going to need the Augments full and willing co-operation.

So, as crazy as the Captain’s logic sounded, it might actually work.

“All right,” he reluctantly agreed. “Lets get this over and done with.”

***

It felt like his eyelids were made of lead. But as soon as his internal organs started working again, he wanted to see exactly where he was.

Memories from the last time he’d been awoken overwhelmed him: Admiral Marcus, Section 31, designing weapons and ships, betrayal, revenge, the Klingon Homeworld, the Enterprise, Kirk, the death of his crew, crashing the Vengeance into Starfleet Headquarters, his trial and then oblivion once again.

“Its all right,” her soft voice assured him. “Try to take even, shallow breaths. That’s right, you’re doing fine.” And then he felt her small, delicate fingers as she gently ran them over his forehead and into his hair.

His eyes opened, then shut, the brightness of the room almost blinding. He opened his eyes again, looking right into the face of the young woman who had haunted his dreams.

 The Bridge

“Nice and steady Mr Sulu,” Kirk instructed his helmsman.

“Aye Captain,” Sulu responded as the Enterprise navigated its way through the debris of other Starfleet ships.

“Onscreen.”

On the bridges view screen there appeared the enormous cube ship.

Kirk turned in his chair to check with his Communications Officer. “Any response?”

Uhura shook her head. “No Captain. They’re not responding to our hails on any frequency.”

The Captain now turned to his First Officer. “Your thoughts Mr Spock.”

“They do not respond to our hails because they do not understand. Or because they choose not to.”

Kirk nodded in agreement.

The first option was a possibility, given that as far as he was aware the Federation had not come into contact with any beings with a ship such as this.

The second option had him on edge. If they could understand their hails but choose to ignore them, indicated that they were confident that they were the one’s in control of the situation, and they saw themselves as superior.

“Slow to impulse,” he ordered. “Shields up.”

“Yes Captain.”

Having announced its presence by raining destruction down on Starfleet Headquarters, and then destroying the ships that had tried to intercept it once it had retreated back to open space. The cube ship had then come to a complete stop, and waited.

“What are they waiting for? An invitation?” asked Ensign Paval Chekov, frustration and confusion colouring his words.

“Scan the ship Mr Sulu.”

“Aye Captain. Scanning.”

The turbo lift to the bridge opened to reveal Ensign Hooper and Khan Noonien Singh, who was once again dressed in his signature black Starfleet uniform.

“Permission to come on the bridge Captain,” he requested calmly.

“Permission granted,” Kirk replied.

Kirk turned back to the view screen. “Problem Mr Sulu?”

Sulu was busy checking, then rechecking the information that had come up on his terminal. “The readings we’re getting from that ship Captain. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Explain?”

Sulu frowned as he re-read what was on his screen. “Its like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

Something in the Lieutenants tone caught Khan’s attention, and with a nod from the captain, he walked over to view the readouts for himself. And what he read astounded him. “That’s not possible.”

Sulu read the scanners findings aloud. “There is no bridge, or a command centre, no engineering section. And there appear to be no crew quarters.”

“What about life signs?” Kirk asked.

“There doesn’t appear to be any signs of life.”

“Shields? Weapons?” Spock queried.

“There are no shields and no weapons.”

“Impossible,” Kirk exclaimed. “They just devastated San Francisco. How could they do that with no weapons?”

He turned to Khan for his thoughts, but the augment looked as baffled as everyone else.

“It makes no sense whatsoever,” Khan stated, before turning back to look again at the findings. Then almost to himself he noted. “Their ability to limit the Enterprise’s scanners from being able to read anything about their ship would suggest some form of advanced technology.”

“Agreed,” Spock concurred.

Uhura cut in. “Captain, we’re being hailed.”

“Onscreen.”

The view of the cube vessel disappeared and what took its place took everyone on the bridge by surprise.

All they could see was a mass of compartments, in each there appeared to be two humanoid beings, all completely motionless. That was all the ship seemed to be made up of, rows and rows of compartments. They covered what appeared to be an unlimited number of decks. As to number, it was difficult to tell, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of individuals on one ship.

Kirk got up from his chair and took a step towards the view screen.

“I am Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship USS Enterprise…”

There was an abrupt interruption from the other ship.

“We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ship. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile.”

As abruptly as the transmission started, it ended.

Kirk turned to judge the reaction of his crew. Most looked as stunned as he, others were showing traces of fear. Then he turned to Khan.

The expression on the augments face was one of undisguised distaste.

Khan exchanged a look with Molly, who nodded her head encouragingly. He walked over to the Captain, his right hand outstretched.

“I refuse to give up that which makes me individual Captain. So I will help you in any way I can to defeat these…Borg.”

Kirk shook the augments hand firmly. “Welcome aboard.”

***

Chapter 4: Intruder Alert

***

Engineering

Chief Engineer, Montgomery Scott was busy checking and re-checking the systems to make sure that they were in full working order. He needed to reassure himself that the Enterprise was ship-shape and in top order. To that end he was on his way to check that the warp core was purring like a kitten.

As he made his way through engineering, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly came to attention.

Scotty cautiously turned the corner, and stopped.

Standing at one of the terminals was a humanoid figure.

It appeared to be part human and part machine. More than half its body covered with mechanical implants.

From where he stood Scotty could see that he/she/it was scanning data from the terminal with its ocular implant.

The chief engineer got out his communicator and flipped it open.

“Scotty to Captain Kirk.”

“Yes Scotty.”

“We have an intruder in engineering.”

“On my way.”

*

By the time Kirk, along with Spock, Khan, Molly and a security team arrived, the Borg intruder had moved to another terminal.

“Update Scotty.”

“At the moment it just appears to be scanning our systems.”

Kirk stepped forward and addressed the Borg directly. “What do you want?”

It made no response.

In fact it was difficult to tell if it even registered their existence.

Molly pulled out a tri-corder and began scanning the Borg. But when she made to move closer, Khan placed a firm hand on her shoulder keeping her in place.

She turned, raising an enquiring eyebrow.

“I don’t think it would be advisable to get too close,” he responded. “We have no idea just what type of enhancements their technology gives them.”

“Which was why I was scanning him,” Molly replied.

“Better to be safe than sorry,”

“I agree,” Kirk stepped in. “Ensign stand back.”

Molly immediately complied.

“Captain,” Spock drew everyone’s attention back to what the Borg was doing.

Having scanned a number of systems it now used an implant, where its hand used to be, to try and download information from the terminal.

“Step away from the terminal,” Kirk ordered.

The Borg continued what it was doing, ignoring him.

“I’m ordering you, step away from that terminal.”

The Borg paused, turned and looked directly at Kirk before turning back. It then proceeded to download from the terminal.

Kirk turned to his security chief. He nodded, indicating his permission to engage the intruder. “Set your phaser to stun,” he said.

But to everyone’s surprise stunning the Borg only temporarily slowed it down.

When it returned to its task it seemed even more determined and immediately increased its efforts.

Scotty rushed over to check another terminal as lights all around began to flicker. “It’s draining the ship of power,” he reported.

“Neutralize the intruder,” Kirk ordered. “Use whatever means necessary.”

Security opened fire, their phasers still set to stun.

This time their efforts had no affect at all.

“Fascinating,” Spook commented.

Khan looked on in amazement. “Its adapted to the phaser setting.”

“Set to kill,” Kirk ordered.

This time the Borg fell down dead.

But no sooner had it died then another appeared and took its place at the terminal.

When it continued downloading security opened fire again.

To no avail, the Borg had adapted once again.

Once the download was complete, the Borg disconnected itself from the terminal. It then bent down to its fallen companion and calmly removed specific implants.

Then both were transported off the Enterprise.

Kirk turned to Scotty. “How much power did they drain?”

Scotty checked. He didn’t like what the readings told him. “Enough,” he replied. “All systems, shields etc are at 50%”

Outwardly he appeared calm, but internally Kirk was furious. The Earth had been attacked without provocation. Many that he had trained with had died when they had attempted to defend their home planet. And now his ship had been violated.

“I think we need to return the visit.”

***

Chapter 5: In the Belly of the Whale

***

USS Enterprise NCC-1701

The Bridge

Kirk was never happy being left behind. But he knew that the away team had to be small so as to not attract too much attention. Also with Spock and Khan as part of the team, they were more than adequately covered to deal with whatever situation they were likely to be faced with.

That did not mean that he would not be keeping a close eye on what was going on. Their safety was his top priority.

He turned to his helmsman. “Mr Sulu, if your fix on the away team wavers in the slightest, I want you to beam them back immediately.”

“Yes Captain,” Sulu responded.

***

The BORG Cube

The away team made up of Spock, Bones, Khan and Molly rematerialised inside the Borg ship.

Though they had all seen a glimpse of the interior when the Borg had contacted them. Seeing the reality up close took everyone’s breath away.

It was so alien.

There was simply no other way to describe it.

They cautiously moved to inspect their surroundings.

All found it disconcerting. There was nothing that they could see or hear that was anything like what they were used to.

There was no humming of engines, no voices, and no audible communications of any kind. If the Borg had not spoken when they had stated their intentions, it would have been reasonable to assume that they communicated telepathically.

As the Enterprises scanners had already indicated the Borg ship had no bridge, no medical bay, no engine room and no crew quarters, or at least none that the away team would recognise as such.

All they could see were compartments, with two Borg in each. That was all the ship appeared to be made up of, row upon row, level upon level. There were hundreds of them, thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands.

A closer inspection of them showed that they were stasis chambers. This realisation revealed a number of interesting areas for hypothesis.

Bones carefully checked one of the Borg in its allotted slot. “Incredible,” he murmured as he read his tri-corders readouts.

“Analysis Doctor,” Spock queried.

“Each chamber appears to be designed for a specific Borg.”

“To what purpose?” Khan asked as he examined a connection port on an uninhabited chamber. “To recharge their batteries,” he mused more to himself than to the others.

At that moment the away team was taken by surprise when a Borg made its way towards them.

When Khan went to reach for his weapon, Molly stopped him. He looked down at her in confusion.

“Wait,” she said.

The Borg completely ignored the away team and made its way to the chamber Khan had been examining and plugged itself in.

The doctor took some more scans before giving an explanation. “Their purpose appears to be a more…collective one.”

Intrigued, Spock walked over to the Doctor and scanned the Borg with his own tri-corder. “I concur with your analysis doctor.”

Khan looked around at his surroundings. The conclusions they were all coming to were simply awe-inspiring. But they left him feeling very uneasy and uncomfortable. “So basically the Borg are powering their ship themselves through their connection via these slots,” he clarified.

“It would appear so,” Spock responded. “Furthermore it would appear that the technology required for this type of interface is far advanced of our own,” he added.

“What are you saying?” Bones asked. “That they’re from the future!”

“We have to consider the possibility doctor. Everything we have observed so far leads to that being the only logical explanation.”

“So how did they get here?” Molly asked.

Spock looked around, his brow furrowed in thought. “It is possible that they may have developed the technology that could allow them to create a wormhole…”

Before they could continue their discussion they all became aware of a noise. One they were not expecting to hear on a ship such as this.

“Was that a…?” Khan started.

“I believe so,” Spock replied.

“But, how?” McCoy asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Khan said as he, followed by Molly made their way towards the unbelievable sound.

*

Khan, Molly, Spock and McCoy all stood completely stunned, none could believe what they were seeing. Inside a specifically designed humidicrib draw was a human baby.

Or at least that was how it had started out.

Spock flipped open his communicator. “Mr Scott.”

“Yes Commander,” Scotty immediately responded.

“Four to beam back.”

***

Chapter 6: A Difference of Opinion

***

Conference Room

The discussion to decide how best to deal with the Borg had quickly descended into a heated argument between Kirk and Khan.

The others in the room had sensibly decided to stand back and allow the two titans to battle it out.

“You cannot negotiate with them Captain,” Khan argued. “They’re not interested in anything you have to say.”

“They are sentient beings and therefore they must be given due consideration,” Kirk countered.

Khan knew Kirk was doing his best to temper his usual gung ho attitude and attempting to take a more measured approach, more befitting of a Starfleet Captain. But really there was a time and a place, and that most definitely was not now.

“Due consideration? Kirk have you forgotten their demands when they first communicated with us. They don’t wish to be friends, or allies. Their only intention is to conquer, and given their advanced technological capabilities that wont be difficult to achieve.”

“You sound as though you admire them,” Kirk noted sourly. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t be so surprised, given the similarities between you,” he taunted.

Khan looked momentarily stunned at the implied accusation, but he quickly recovered himself.

“You were the one who brought me into this situation Captain. You did so for the exact same reason that Admiral Marcus revived me. You need my superior intellect, my savagery to defeat an alien threat that has attacked the Earth for no known reason, other than that they can.”

Kirk blanched at the mention of Admiral Marcus’ name. It was clear from the knowing smirk on Khan’s face that that had been his intention.

“I did not bring you here to destroy them.”

“Then you’re a fool,” and with that Khan turned and left the room.

Kirk was furious. To be put down in front of his senior officers was intolerable. And it didn’t help that deep down he knew that just about everything Khan had stated was true.

He desperately needed to take his anger out on someone.

He chose Ensign Hooper.

As she moved to follow Khan, he intercepted her.

“Ensign, I thought I’d made my orders clear. You were to keep Khan under control.”

If Molly was supposed to be intimidated by his stance she showed little sign of it. “Even when everything he said was right?” she queried.

The Captain, and everyone else in the room looked at her with a mixture of surprise and admiration.

“At the very least,” she continued. “Do him the courtesy you would of anyone else in this room and at least consider what he suggests. Don’t dismiss them outright because Khan is the one who has made them.”

“That’s not…” Kirk began, but he knew he was on shaky ground.

“Really?” Molly queried as she headed out of the room intent on finding Khan. “Prove it.”

***

Chapter 7: A Moments Peace

***

Observation Deck

She found him on the observation deck looking sightlessly out the window. His spine rigidly straight, arms folded across his broad chest, legs slightly splayed. Khan’s posture spoke volumes, of his anger, frustration, hurt, and…

His loneliness.

Molly paused, uncertain what she could offer him in the face of such powerful and conflicting emotions.

He was a man out of time. Completely out of sync with everything around him. He had no one to confide in. No one who understood how he felt, or cared about what had been done to him, what he had been forced to endure for the sake of his crew since their ship had been discovered drifting in Federation space.

Was it any wonder that he was now so defensive? He had been physically altered without his permission, and his memories modified. When his augmented DNA had reinstated his memories he’d still been unable to obtain any justice. Instead he’d been further manipulated by Marcus to do his bidding, being threatened with never seeing his crew ever again if he didn’t.

She watched his stance change as he become aware of her presence. His gaze met hers in the windows reflection. Bravely she returned his gaze before slowly approaching him.

“He’s nothing like Admiral Marcus,” she began.

Khan looked down at the small woman at his side, and raised an inquiring eyebrow, his expression sceptical.

“He’s brash and hotheaded I grant you,” she continued. “But he would never use anyone the way Admiral Marcus treated you. There are few in Starfleet who would.”

Khan gave a derisive snort.

“Do you know why Kirk chose you?” he asked.

The question took her by surprise. After a moment’s thought she responded. “Because I like you,” she said, blushing prettily.

“Oh if only that were so,” Khan’s deep voice rumbled in wistful amusement.

When Molly opened her mouth to reply, Khan forestalled her by gently placing a finger against her lips and shaking his head.

“No Molly. The reason your captain chose you was because he remembered when I was first brought on board the Enterprise. As soon as I saw you I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.”

Molly’s eyes widened so delightfully at his confession, that he couldn’t contain the smile that spread across his face. But only for a moment, he needed to make her understand.

Taking her upturned face in his hands Khan continued his explanation. “I’m not a nice man Molly Hooper, I have done many terrible things.” He paused, his mind focussed on memories from his distant past through to his futuristic present. He looked deep into her big brown expressive eyes and said with a sigh. “I regret some of what I have done and been accused of, but from where I stood I could see no other alternative.”

Molly nodded her understanding. By the time Khan’s trial had come to an end, and all that Admiral Marcus had done in his attempts to turn Starfleet into a militarised organization had been revealed. There were few that did not feel some sympathy for the Augment who had been so cruelly used as a means to an end.

The timber of Khan’s voice deepened as he admitted. “I took one look at you, and I wanted you. You were something pure and innocent, and I knew I had to have you… body and soul.”

Molly trembled in response to his ardent declaration.

“Kirk saw it, and now he’s using it as a means to keep me under control. He knows I would be willing to do anything to have the opportunity to earn the right to be with you if I can.”

Molly observed Khan’s tortured expression. She read his longing for freedom, to begin a new life, one that might even include her, if she so chose.

Reaching up she brought his face down until it was level with hers. “We all have the capacity to be good or bad, depending on the choices we make. You’ve made some bad decisions, but I refuse to believe that they define you. Nor do I think the Captain believes that of you either. If he did, he could never justify placing me in harms way. So, we’ll help him, Starfleet, the Federation and the Earth’s population to rid our solar system of the Borg. And then maybe your case can be reviewed, and they may be willing to see you in a more favourable light.”

She released her hold on him and stepped back.

As they existed the observation deck, Molly added. “I will help you all I can Khan, but be warned, I am no ones fool. I wont do anything to jeopardise or betray the Enterprise’s crew. Do I make myself clear?”

Khan looked at her with admiration. The more he got to know Molly Hooper, the more he willingly fell under her spell. Without hesitation he readily agreed to her terms.

***

Chapter 8: Making Plans

***

The Bridge

When Khan and Molly exited the turbo lift onto the Enterprises Bridge, it was clear that the debate over what needed to be done had already begun.

They made their way over to the group standing around the Captain’s chair.

Not surprisingly Mister Spock and Doctor McCoy were in the middle of a heated, at least on the doctors side, discussion.

“Given that they appear to be connected together in a hive mind, we must consider the possibility that they’re communicating with others of their kind across space-time.” Spock stated.

“Now there’s a cheery thought,” Bones muttered under his breath.

Spock turned, one eyebrow raised. “Problem Doctor?”

McCoy let out an exasperated sigh. “I just think we’re dealing with enough as it is at the moment. These Borg are clearly the most dangerous species we’ve so far encountered.”

“Your point Doctor?” Spock enquired patiently.

“My point, you pointy-eared bastard is that this crew is dealing with enough as it is at the moment. If you destroy their hope completely, they’ll feel there’s little point in fighting.”

“Agreed,” Kirk interrupted, bringing their bickering to a premature end. “But the question still remains, what can we do to defeat them?”

“If I might make an observation?” Khan requested.

Kirk nodded.

“If the Borg do possess a collective consciousness, then our best chance of defeating them is to take them by surprise.”

“What did you have in mind?” the captain asked, genuinely curious.

“We need to do something they’re not expecting.”

“Like what?” McCoy demanded, waving his arm to vaguely indicate the debris that appeared through the view-screen. “From the wreckage out there I’d say that a number of options were tried. All of which failed I might add.”

Khan gave himself time to consider his words before replying.

“While we were aboard their ship they did nothing to hinder us, even though we were clearly armed.”

Spock saw where the augment was going. “They didn’t view us as a threat.”

Khan nodded. “Correct. If an away team could board their ship with a number of small devices…”

“Explosives?” Kirk queried.

Khan shook his head. “A weapon of that type, no matter how small would be easily detected.”

“What then?”

“What about a device that when activated, only incapacitates?”

Spock looked sceptical. “Surely the Borg would adapt too quickly for them to be effective.”

“Not necessarily,” Khan argued. “If it’s something they’ve never come across before, thereby not expecting, it could work as a diversion. They will adapt to it, but it may give us enough time to get our real weapon up and running.”

Khan’s plan certainly seemed feasible. “What weapon do you have in mind?” Kirk asked.

“Red Matter.”

The hope that was building up in everyone involved in the discussion immediately died.

“It’s all gone,” Kirk said.

“Something else that came from our future,” McCoy added dourly.

But Khan refused to be defeated so easily. “The one who brought the Red Matter into the past is still alive is he not?”

Everyone nodded.

“Then surely we can ask him how we can create it, or something like it.”

“For that we would require knowledge of technologies far beyond our capabilities,” Spock pointed out.

“Then allow Ambassador Spock and I to discuss the matter,” Khan responded. “I’m certain between the pair of us we can come up with a solution.”

Kirk turned to Uhura. “Make contact with Ambassador Spock on New Vulcan.”

“Yes Captain,” she responded.

“In the meantime,” Khan continued. “We need to get to work on a diversion. Mister Scott, I believe I’ll need your assistance.”

 Engineering

When Khan and Scotty presented their devices to the other senior crew, their response was more sceptical than impressed.

“Are you certain they will work?” McCoy asked. “They look too simple, so primitive.”

“That’s the beauty of them,” Scotty responded with his usual enthusiasm. “They appear totally non-threatening.”

“And as such the Borg should totally ignore them,” Khan explained. “Only when they’re activated will they realise their mistake. By that time they will be temporarily out of commission. Hopefully long enough for us to get the second part of our plan into motion.”

Kirk had no idea if this crazy plan would work, but really what choice did they have.

“Well let’s hope it works,” he said. “Because we wont get a second chance at this.”

***

Chapter 9: Plan Into Action

***

Engineering

“You don’t have all the components to replicate it,” Ambassador Spock warned.

“Well I’ll just have to do the best I can with what we have,” Khan responded. But as he made to end the transmission, Ambassador Spock waylaid him.

“Khan.”

“Yes, Ambassador,” Khan replied calmly. He was impatient to start work on recreating the Red Matter. The clock was ticking and he didn’t have time for pleasantries.

Ambassador Spock held up his hand, giving the familiar Vulcan salute. “Good luck.”

“Thank you Ambassador.”

With a raised eyebrow the Ambassador added. “You will need it.”

Noting the Vulcan’s expression, Khan muttered none too softly. “A Vulcan with a sense of humour, just what I need.”

*

But the Ambassador’s warning kept reverberating in the back of his mind.

Red Matter was a highly volatile substance at the best of times. Attempting to replicate it knowing you don’t have all the correct ingredients and with no time to test how it would react, was simply a disaster waiting to happen.

Then again, what choice did they have?

The safety of not only the Earth but also that of all quadrants of the Federation could well be in jeopardy if they didn’t attempt it.

Khan knew that with his genetically altered DNA that he was far superior to many around him. But when he looked at the Borg and their way of adapting and improving their knowledge using assimilation and artificial components, it churned his stomach and left him determined to halt their progress in this star system before it could begin.

“Mr Scott,” Khan got the attention of the Chief Engineer as he made his way over to him. “I believe our plan may need a few adjustments.”

*

The Bridge

Kirk, Spock, and Bones looked rightly concerned when Khan and Scotty explained what they had done.

“Let me see if I understand you correctly,” Kirk chose his words carefully as he looked at the cylindrical container in the augment’s hands. “You have now placed Red Matter within the device that is to incapacitate the Borg.”

“Correct,” Khan replied.

“To what purpose?” Commander Spock queried.

“To use a quaint old Earth saying,” came back the response. “We are going to ‘kill two birds with one stone.’”

When all he received was perplexed expressions, Khan went on to explain. “This device contains two timers, the first will activate the Rankine nullifier, which will temporarily incapacitate the Borg. A second timer will go off five minutes later, releasing the Red Matter, if it works as it should, then the Borg ship should rapidly become crushed as it morphs into a Black Hole.”

With no other option Kirk had little choice but agree to the mad plan.

“So, now what?” he asked.

“Given the completely unpredictable nature of the Red Matter we have created, I feel it only right that I be the one to transport across to the Borg ship…” Khan began.

“No,” Kirk stated firmly.

“But, Captain…”

“You’re gonna need help,” Scotty pointed out. “We’ve made six devices, and as you say all are unstable and unpredictable. So I’ll be coming with you.”

“As will I,” Spock announced. Responding to the surprised look on the augments face, he responded with his typical logic. “With three of us, we can place the six devices in the most strategic positions more efficiently.”

“And the quicker we get them placed, the faster we can get outta there,” Scotty added.

Feeling more relieved with the plan, Kirk finally gave Khan the go ahead.

***

The Borg Ship

When the away team first transported to the Borg ship there had been little movement. The same could not be said this time.

Though the Borg continued to ignore the intruders, they themselves were far more active, with the away team having to constantly weave and dodge around the ever-increasing number of Borg as they made their way around the ship.

“I don’t like this,” Scotty said, having to once again move out of the way of some oncoming Borg.

“It would appear they too are getting ready for some plan of action,” Spock noted.

“Then gentlemen,” Khan stated. “ I suggest we get these devices placed as quickly as possible.”

“Agreed,” Spock and Scotty answered together.

***

Enterprise Bridge

“Are they back on board?” Kirk asked.

“Affirmative Captain,” Chekov responded.

With the away team safely back aboard, there was only one thing left to do.

“Okay Mr Sulu,” Kirk instructed his helmsman. “Time to get their attention.”

“Yes Captain,” Sulu responded.

“Fire!”

***

Chapter 10: David and Goliath

***

The shielding on the Borg vessel was far superior and easily deflected the Enterprise’s phaser strikes, which were likely regarded as nothing more than an irritation.

But it was enough to get the Borg’s attention.

Their response was immediate.

*

Enterprise Bridge

The Enterprise was suddenly rocked as if struck by a large asteroid, and the exterior hull began to shudder.

Sulu checked the readings appearing on his terminal. “Captain,” he exclaimed. “They’ve locked on to us with a tractor beam.”

“Go to warp,” Kirk instructed.

Sulu attempted to do as ordered once, twice, three times. But it was all in vain. “We can’t Captain.”

Kirk spoke into the communicator in the armrest of his chair. “Kirk to Engineering. Khan, how long until the Rankine nullifier is activated?”

*

Engineering

Khan glanced over at the timer he’d set up at his station. “Any second now Captain.”

*

The Bridge

No sooner had the words left the augment’s mouth, than the tractor beam became disengaged.

Kirk gave his next order to his helmsman. “Go to warp Mr Sulu.”

***

The Borg Ship

Everything inside the cubed vessel was frozen into motionlessness. The ice-like material clung to every inch of the ship and to the many thousands of individuals that manned it.

But within a couple of minutes movement was detected. And shortly after that, the ship was once again fully functional.

Though the expression on the Borg’s faces showed complete indifference to what had happened, their actions showed an unwillingness to be beaten by a race they had initially believed to be inferior.

The actions of the individuals aboard that one small ship however had shown that they were clearly a race with surprisingly unexpected resourcefulness.

And they would therefore be of great benefit to the Collective.

It did not take the Borg long to discover where the ship had warped to, and they set off in pursuit.

***

The Enterprise re-emerged into an area of space already proven to be uninhabited. And it was here that they waited for the Borg to follow.

They didn’t have long to wait. The Borg ship soon loomed into view.

*

Enterprise Bridge

The atmosphere on the Bridge was tense, a mixture of anticipation and dread, in equal measure.

The view on the Bridge’s view screen suddenly changed from an external view of the ship to an internal one, and as before all that could be seen was deck upon deck of compartments, where the Borg stood connected to the ship.

And as before they spoke as one. “Resistance is useless. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”

*

Engineering

Scotty and Khan could hear the Borg’s transmission as it was being broadcast ship-wide, but their focus remained on the countdown of the timer to the second device containing the Red Matter.

“Three… Two… One…”

***

The Borg Ship

The remaining half of the six cylinders exploded, releasing a number of what appeared to be inconsequential red droplets.

The droplets drifted aimlessly around the ship, completely harmless, until they began to bump and collide into various parts of the ship.

A number of Borg paused, something was wrong. The ships systems were failings, as was its structural integrity.

***

Enterprise Bridge

The Borg’s transmission came to abrupt end.

Kirk allowed himself the luxury of a well-satisfied grin. The plan had worked.

“All right Sulu, I think its time we headed home.”

*

Engineering

Khan and Scotty were also looking very pleased with themselves, but their grins were quickly wiped from their faces when the ship jolted abruptly, and to their horror it was dragged forcibly towards the Borg ship.

“That can’t be good,” Scotty noted, stating the obvious.

*

The Bridge

“Is it their tractor beam?” Kirk asked, hopeful that it was so.

“Negative,” came Sulu’s reply.

“Can we go to warp?” Kirk knew the answer, but felt compelled to ask.

“No Captain.”

Kirk and Spock exchanged knowing looks. Kirk shrugged his shoulders. “It was worth a shot.”

*

Engineering

Scotty remembered the last time the Enterprise had been caught up in a Red Matter created Black Hole, and he’d sworn then that he’d never allow the Enterprise to be put through such a situation again.

And yet here they were. He winced as he heard the creaking of the outer hull and observed the cracks that were sprouting up all over the place as the ship began to go through her death throes as she was drawn back into the all consuming void that the Black Hole was creating.

The sheer force of this Black Hole was far and away more intense than what they had faced before. And if he were honest with himself he wasn’t certain his solution of ejecting the warp core and then detonating it would be enough this time to get them out of their current fix.

What they needed now was a miracle.

Khan had not been idle. As soon at the Enterprise had become ensnared he began looking for possible options. He was aware of Mr Scott’s solution the last time the Enterprise had faced such a situation, and had been extremely impressed by it. But the situation they were facing this time was far graver, and the solution needed was also going to require an extra special kick.

And then he had it.

“Of course,” he murmured, his gaze wandering up and down the dilithium chamber.

*

The Bridge

In desperation Kirk contacted Engineering. “Scotty please tell me you’ve found a solution to get us out of this?”

“We’re working on it Captain,” was not the reassuring response he was hoping for.

“Then work harder,” Kirk ordered. “We’re running out of time.”

“Understood.”

*

Engineering

Scotty looked at the augment like he’d finally lost the plot completely. “You can’t be serious,” he said.

“Increasing the matter/antimatter reaction in the dilithium chamber will give the warp core a super charged boost when it’s ejected. Then when its detonated, the force should push us clear of the Black Hole. You know it will, you’ve done it before.”

“But to increase the reaction would require direct contact with the crystals, which raises the risk of exposure to radiation.”

“Yes, I know. That’s why I’ll be the one to do it.”

“Are you certain your body can handle the potential radiation that the crystals may release?”

“It’s a risk I’m prepared to take.”

“No,” came the distressed cry. Molly had just entered Engineering in time to hear Khan’s statement.

Not daring to look her in the eye, in case her expression weakened his resolve, Khan strode with determined steps towards the chamber. Molly made an attempt to stop him. But Scotty pulled her back.

His expression grave, as he shook his head. “No lass. Let him try, it may be our only hope.”

***

Chapter 11: From the Ashes

***

The Black Hole continued to expand, consuming all matter that was caught up in its destructive mass.

Nothing could escape its pull.

Almost nothing….

A soundless flash before an object was ejected from the Black Hole’s very core as if hurled by an enormous slingshot.

The object spun out of control, its momentum only returning to something approaching normal when it was finally free of the dark matters deadly grip.

The Enterprise was free. The ship’s outer hull had taken a real beating, and internally things weren’t much better. But for all that, they had just enough power to enable them to limp back to Earth at impulse speed.

*

The Enterprise - Engineering

When Khan finally emerged from the dilithium chamber, he was greeted with a jubilant “Ya bloody did it, ya mad bastard,” before Scotty enthusiastically thumped the augment on the back.

When Molly flung herself into his arms, Khan’s exhausted limbs crumbled, spilling them both to the floor. Pulling Molly securely into his embrace, Khan let a smile play upon his lips as he lost himself in the delightful sound of Molly, laughing and crying with relief.

But as his strength returned, his thoughts turned to the rest of the Enterprise crew. “How bad is the damage?” he asked, as he observed Scotty attempting to ascertain the damage with only limited data available.

“It’s bad,” Scotty finally admitted. “But it could’ve been worse…”

Khan nodded in subdued acknowledgement, accepting Molly’s comforting embrace as she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his shoulder, offering solace and support.

*

The Bridge

Damage and casualty reports were coming intermittently from all over the ship. But the one area that so far had not reported in was engineering, and that had Kirk worried.

“Scotty! Khan! Is everyone all right there?”

There was an agonising pause as the ship’s damaged systems attempted to re-establish internal communications. Until finally. “All’s fine here Captain,” The Chief Engineer assured him.

Kirk gave an audible sigh of relief, before giving Sulu one last order. “Take us home Mr Sulu.”

***

The Borg Ship

In the final death throes before succumbing to complete annihilation, one final report was sent to the far reaches of the Delta Quadrant, to the Borg’s central base at Unicomplex.

What it contained, and whether it was received is unknown.

***

Chapter 12: Epilogue

***

Starfleet Headquarters – San Francisco

In light of Khan’s contribution to the repelling of the threat that the Borg had posed, no opposition was raised when Captain Kirk made a request for a retrial.

Though the attempted destruction of Starfleet Headquarters could not be overlooked, the late Admiral Marcus’ manipulations of Khan, was now given due consideration. For it is certain that had the Admiral lived, he would have been charged with war crimes, and probably more.

Then the senior members of the Enterprise crew gave their statements. But by far the most compelling was the statement, and insights made by Admiral Spock, who laid before the Tribunal his knowledge of the Khan Noonien Singh that he knew in his timeline, before giving a comparison based on his thoughts having now had the opportunity to interact with the Khan Noonien Singh of this altered timeline. He spoke eloquently of the decisions made by the augment that led to events for which Khan was originally charged, challenging judge and jury to place themselves in Khan’s position and asking if they would have acted any differently?

In the end Khan’s original charges and sentence were downgraded, and he was released into the custody of the Enterprise’s Captain.

*

Celebrations were in full swing. Celebrating not only the decision of the tribunal, but also their survival, when so many others had not been so lucky when they'd attempted to take on what was clearly the most powerful beings Starfleet and the Federation had ever encountered.

Everyone looked happy and relaxed, though there was one who stood back, preferring to observe the proceedings in quiet contemplation.

Kirk watched Khan closely. But this was a Khan many had never seen before, smiling and relaxed, though Kirk was certain that the young ensign at his side had a large part to play in his transformation.

Kirk himself remained troubled, as there was still the matter of the information he’d withheld from Khan. Information the augment had every right to know.

As if he sensed the intense observation he was under, Khan turned away from the festivities and headed over to the Captain.

“You look troubled Captain, something on your mind?”

It was now or never.

“Actually yes,” Kirk began. “It concerns your crew…”

When he’d finished his explanation he observed the augment’s reaction, noting deep sadness and pain, that his crew were again lost, but sensing no animosity towards himself and his crew.

“We will do all we can to assist you in finding out who has your crew and where they are being held,” Kirk earnestly assured Khan.

“I think you will find Captain that the where is the more important question,” Khan responded after much thought. “For I believe I already know who has possession of them.”

“You do”

“Oh yes,” he replied bitterly. “There is only one organization ruthless and arrogant enough to undertake such an audacious plan of action with the means to conceal their movements. I know them all too well. These actions bare the unmistakable stain that is Section 31.”

***