#will force Sonic to accept that Nine has to die' bit

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

No one:

Some random person, every week since July: Has anyone done this yet? *posts meme redraw of Shadow breaking it to Sonic that they’re gonna have to kill Nine and Sonic going "Damn😔"*

[novantinuum]

jen’s doctor who s11 review

On the whole!

I really enjoyed series 11 for its nice change in pace and especially the relationship built up between Graham and Ryan. I really liked how many of the episodes were lighter and kinda more adventure-y in nature than in past, instead of constant “the world is gonna end” danger. Like I love those kinds of episodes, believe me, but the lighter tone is very welcomed after many series of heart wrenching angst ahahahah! 

I loved how they handled the historical episodes this series, and really dug into the truth of human condition within those time periods, and took risks there. I actually learned a lot about the time periods they visited- for example, I never really heard much about the Pakistan partition in school. 

Thirteen is precious and I want to hug her. She’s so full of hope and that makes me so happy! :DDD I love how she’s a sciency tinkerer and likes cobbling stuff together out of whatever loose ends she can find. I’m still waiting for her to snap, though- maybe that’s just me as an angst lord talking, but I want to see her super super angry. The scene in The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos with her sternly disagreeing with Graham was very good though. But anyways, I love her positivity and her quirky alien charm, and her character feels like a natural progression of where the Doctor left off at the end of Twice Upon a Time. The Doctor has gone through a lot of healing since the Time War, a lot of self reflection and forgiving themself, and Thirteen is absolutely a product of that and it shows. It’s so nice to see them back on their feet, unshackled by that guilt finally, just wandering about the universe like they always did. 

Yasmin is so sweet and so loyal, and h o h boy if there’s anyone I can see sticking with the Doctor until the bitter end out of this crew it’s her. (*nervous laughter*) Out of all the crew she’s the one who’s had the least development though, so I’m looking forward to seeing where she goes as a character moving forward. Also, I hope we see her family more, I like them! Maybe in the New Years special, we’ll see. I’ve absolutely hit the “ADOPT KID” button on Ryan, the more I think about him the more I love him- just, all this time he’s been looking for belonging, for people who aren’t gonna leave him behind like his dad, and he had that with his nan Grace- but he didn’t know if Graham was gonna be the same or if he was only there for him bc of association with Grace. But now through all these adventures through space and time he has absolute proof that Graham will be there for him, and so he’s made the conscious decision to make Graham his family. And Graham, hhh... his grieving throughout the series, while not acting as a shadow on it, was always woven through and it’s nice to see both him and Ryan actually make peace with things through seeing Tim Shaw again and giving him his humble pie. 

In the end when it comes to this series, I love the strong found family vibes it gives. Graham and Ryan and Yaz, they all knew each other in some way before, but they didn’t truly know each other. And through being thrown together with the Doctor, entering her wild adventurous life, they got to grow closer as friends, but more importantly, as a family. The whole series the Doctor was looking for a word to describe her little ragtag group, and she wasn’t exactly sure if “fam” was the right one, but in the end it’s what she settles on because this has become a family. 

Now, what I’m hoping to see more of in the future! 

1) I’d love to see more extended domestic-y TARDIS scenes! We’ve got a lot of pre/post endcap TARDIS scenes, but I’d love to see more small little convos between characters on the way to their destinations, in between, etc. For as long as these episodes were I feel like so much time was spent providing exposition and story for the plot, but I’d love to see more fun nonsense. More glimpses at what they get up to in between, if that makes any sense. (As an example of what I mean, we got a bit of this in The Tsuranga Conundrum, at the very beginning when they were just poking about a junkyard planet, and I quite liked that.)

2) As the characters keep developing I’d love to see more conflict arise between them to test their friendships. We saw some good moments of this with the Doctor telling Ryan to stay behind with Hanne in It Takes You Away after he made a kinda narrow-minded comment about her disability, and when the Doctor flat out told Graham that if he killed Tim Shaw he wouldn’t be traveling with her anymore in the finale. I’d love to see more of this.

3) This may just be because I’m really queer, but I want the Doctor to snap and yell and get really angry at something. That’s the ONE thing that felt entirely missing from this series. In the end I get the sense that this Doctor has a far greater reign on her emotions and self because she’s healed quite a bit, but I still know she’s capable of that righteous anger and I’d love to see Jodie show off her full range with a scene like that.

4) We’ll probably get this in the New Years special, but I’m super anticipating Thirteen facing the Daleks. This is a quintessential thing for every Doctor, in my opinion, and I can’t wait for when they (hopefully!) eventually do that.

5) More of a plot arc. I definitely know the lack of a tight plot arc was because they wanted it to be more accessible for people to just tune in and watch without context,, as they’re gaining some new fans, but I hope that there’s more of a return to an ongoing series plot arc with this next series since everything’s been established. I personally really like those, because I get to be a plot arc detective! I will say that I’m very pleased that Tim Shaw was brought back for the finale, though- that acted as a very nice bookend and helped tie up all the emotional threads.

6) Also not exactly anything I can fault this series for, because I can tell one of the points/themes of it was “not everything is what it seems on the surface” and “sometimes the real monsters,,, are humanity” and I very much respect that, but I do wanna see some more just... alien baddies who ARE baddies and not misunderstood. Listen,, I’m a simple minded person. Love me some monsters! 

My rankings! 

For context, I’m generally very easy with my ratings. I’m not rating them on how critically perfect they are as plots or anything, this is purely based on how much I enjoyed them. I’ve only actually rated nine episodes of Doctor Who 2005-present with scores of 6 or below.

10- Absolutely SUPERB  9- Excellent! 8- Great! 7- Good 6- Okay

1) Demons of the Punjab    (10) This ep made me cry more than any episode of Doctor Who has in a very long time. Incredibly poignant, stunning music and cinematography. Taught me a whole lot I never knew about the partition and how it affected everyday people. I liked how the Doctor assumed the whole time that these aliens were  A good Yaz centric ep, too. It ranks 7th in my list of all-time favorites.  

2) It Takes You Away   (9.5) Wowee, another very poignant one! Some FANTASTIC acting from Jodie in this ep, and a very trippy concept with the sentient universe. Loved getting to see each companion getting a good role to play. ALSO CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH I STAN THAT FROG??? AND THE DOCTOR SEDUCING AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE???? B R U H. Hanne’s actress did a wonderful job too! 

3) Kerblam!   (9) What a heckin fun episode! This one will definitely become one of my comfort eps, I can already tell. The secondary characters were all lovely, and the bots were delightfully unsettling too! I spent the whole thing going “wow I totally experienced this working at Amazon” and I thought that was pretty funny. Also, I might highlight all the wonderful Graham snark we got in this one. 

4) Rosa    (9) Gahhh this was a hard one to watch, but very truthful in its depiction of the time period, and a lovely tribute to an incredibly courageous woman. Shout out to how the ep forced Graham to recognize and accept his white privilege (and the Doctor too for that matter), the scene with Ryan and Yaz discussing racism they’ve had to endure, and also for the scene with the Doctor making jokes about Banksy. That made me laugh. “Banksy doesn’t have one of these! Or do I?”

5) The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos    (9) I was VERY glad to see Tim Shaw return for some finished business, and how it allowed Graham and Ryan to finally get a bit of peace for what happened to Grace because of him. This was a solid ep, with some SOLID character moments between Graham and the Doctor and Graham and Ryan. The Ux were interesting, too.

6) The Woman Who Fell to Earth    (8.5) Solid, fun episode. It wastes no time in setting up who Thirteen will be. Still one of my favorite scenes in this whole series so far is when she builds her own sonic screwdriver- GOD the music there is so damn iconic. And gahhh I love Grace so much. How dare they make me love a character so much and then let her die? Rude. That’s homophobia. XD

7) The Witchfinders   (8.5) The Doctor gets dunked in water and has soaked hair. Dare I say more? No, but I was glad to see an ep with an alien danger that actually IS an alien danger that seeks to destroy and conquer, I always love those- and this one, with weird sentient mud that can fill corpses, was delightfully grim. Willow was a great secondary character, too- loved her especially. 8) The Ghost Monument   (8) Okay so I really loved how slice-of-life this episode was? We actually got to know our secondary characters Angstrom and Epzo and I appreciated that. The bit with the Doctor thinking the TARDIS was gone forever at the end... hhhhhhng... that was such a good scene. You could just see the hope drained from her face, and then to see it all rush back as she finally found her?? W o w I’m so emo, y’all ;D;

9) The Tsuranga Conundrum  (7) So I enjoyed this one, but there were some kinda oddly phrased bits of dialogue in it that marks it down for me. The Pting is a delightfully weird and cursed creature, 10/10, would yeet out of a spacecraft. I already mentioned this, but I LOVE the scene in the junkyard and how slice-of-life it was. I also appreciate how someone called out the Doctor on being selfish during this. 10) Arachnids in the UK   (6.5) So this episode was riding right on the edge of “ehh” for me, but it still has some great moments in it, with the Doctor awkwardly interacting with Yasmin’s family and all those heckin spiders bee-boppin down the hallways to the tune of rap music. XD I can’t exactly pick out why it was an “eh” for me, but it just didn’t click. Maybe I was just hoping it’d be an alien thing and was kinda left wanting with the way the episode felt kinda... unfinished. Like, there’s still a bunch of giant spiders? They didn’t solve that. They just- trapped them and left. I dunno I was left wanting with this ep.

[tenroseforeverandever]

The Cupid’s Arrow (Revised Edition): Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Characters:  Nine x rose; Original Character

Rated: Teen-Adult

Tags: Fluff; Angst; Humour; Aphrodisiac

Summary: Rose has her work cut out for her as she struggles with the threat of killer cherubs and the advances of a love-sick Doctor.

Notes: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! What follows is a heap of fluff, a scoop of drama, topped off with a dollop of angst! Hope you enjoy!

For @caedmonfaith, who has told me this one of her favourite stories of mine. ((((hugs)))) darling.

Also read at  AO3

The Cupid’s Arrow (Revised Edition): Chapter 2

Several of the customers were already seriously wounded. Rose frantically attempted to track the cherubs flitting around, looking positively… angelic as they hurled deadly darts at the hysterical clientele of The Cupid’s Arrow. The restaurant, it seemed, was living up to its name.

“How are they getting’ through the forcefield? Doctor? How?” Rose desperately clung to her mind’s remnants of calm and rationality, but between the killer cherubs and the love-sick Doctor, it was frankly, a bit of a challenge.

“No forcefield can keep me from you, my love…”

“Oh, it’s one way, isn’t it?  Like one-way glass. The robot was able to deliver our food, and the cherubs’ arrows can get through, too!” She grinned at her revelation.

“Oh, Rose, always thinking. Fantastic, you are! You and your brilliant mind!”

“Doctor, I need you to concentrate, please!” She glanced through the confetti once more and saw that Zoorgraps was darting maniacally around, eagerly watching the progress of the cherubs, egging them on in his shrill, piping voice, seemingly controlling them from his touchscreen device. “Zoorgraps,” she shouted, “please stop this! This is wrong. Please, listen to me!”

The purple-skinned alien turned his thin face toward her, madness flashing in his eyes. “See! Look at your booooyfriend,” he wheezed at Rose. “And you said you weren’t in love. Everyone who comes here is in love. You cannot deny it!  But who loves Zoorgraps? No one! No one will ever be right for me. And you lot deny your love; complain about how complicated love is, when it’s so easy for you.  After tonight, though, after tonight you’ll never complain again…”

Rose quickly determined that the Maître-d’ was not only controlling the cherubs but was also most likely responsible for tampering with the Doctor’s drink. She was just fortunate she hadn’t taken a sip of her own beverage: one of the two of them needed to be able to concentrate on stopping the massacre that was developing around them, and the Doctor, it seemed, was currently incapable of rational thought. She tried to keep her mind focussed as he pressed kisses up the inside of her arm. “Oh for the love of…” she muttered to herself.

“Love, Rose? Did you say you love me too?” the Doctor crooned.

Zoorgraps’ hysterical voice fluted up from below. “You will die along with all the rest of the lovers. You are nothing… undeserving of love! So unwilling to accept what is right in front of you, when it is so simple just to reach out and take it.” With that he adjusted the cherubs’ course towards Rose and the Doctor.

Rose, very aware of the danger that she and the Doctor were facing, strived to reason with the insane, violet alien. “Zoorgraps, there is someone out there for everyone. Really, there is. You just have to find the right person for you. It’ll happen. This isn’t helping anyone. Listen to me! Please stop!” She glanced up to see a cherub flying directly for their table. “Doctor! Duck!” As the cherub took aim, Rose flung her arms around the Doctor’s neck, pulling him to one side. She felt the breeze of the arrow as it passed over her right shoulder: too close by half!

“Oh, Rose! You’re such an enthusiastic lover! I can hardly wait either. I just want to get my hands on your, might I say, very lovely–”

“Doctor,” Rose whispered urgently in his ear, “your screwdriver!”

“You naughty little minx, you! I like the way you think.”

Out of sheer desperation, Rose decided to humour the Doctor and schooled her voice to a provocative tone. “Doctor, I know what you want,” she sighed. “I want it too, yeah.”

“Oh, yeah!”

The love-struck expression on his face told Rose that reasoning logically with him would be challenging, but she was determined to get through to him. “But we need to get out of here first: then we can head back to the TARDIS.”

He leered at her. “Yes, the TARDIS! Against the console, Rose. I’ve always pictured you–”

“Doctor!” She shoved him to one side again, as another arrow missed them by mere inches. She collected her scrambled thoughts before she spoke to the Time Lord again. “Doctor, Zoorgraps won’t bring our table down.” She forced her voice to tones of heavy sensuality, as much as she could, considering the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. “Maybe you could… I dunno… override his controls with your screwdriver… get us down. And then…” She coaxed her mouth into a lascivious smile, deliberately allowing her tongue to poke through her teeth at the corner of her mouth: she was sure that drove him crazy even when he was sober.

His eyes immediately sought her lips (success!) “A plan, love! Well done! Fantastic!”

“Well, get on with it then!” she spluttered as a cherub spun around to aim at them from below.

“Patience, love.” He pulled out his sonic, wrapping his arm around Rose as he aimed it at the menu panel.

“Doctor! Hurry! God, if only the forcefield worked the other way ‘round, so that the arrows couldn’t hit us.”

“Oh, but that’s too easy, Rose! Genius, that I am, I could do that before you could say Raxacoricofallapatorius,” the Doctor boasted.

“Blimey, we don’t have that long! But, impress me, Doctor. Go on, then.”

The screwdriver activated. “Done!” the Doctor announced.

Rose sighed in relief. “But now we could fall. Am I right?”

“Yup. Now about that plan for getting back to the TARDIS: yes, Rose, against the console; specifically, you naked against the console.”

“A bit cold for that, don’t you think, Doctor,” Rose squeaked.

“You could wear my jacket, love. I’m a gentleman: I’d lend you my jacket.”

Screams from the rest of the restaurant diverted Rose’s attention from the amorous Time Lord. “They’re attacking everyone! Can’t we help them?”

“Only if we get down there,” he pointed to Zoorgraps, “and get a hold of that controller of his.”

“Well? What are we waiting for?” Rose yelped, hoping the Doctor was showing a glimmer of returning to a state common sense. “Let’s go!”

“Rose, what about us? The TARDIS? Naked?” Rose felt her hopes plunging to the floor where Zoorgraps stomped around hysterically.

“Well, we need to get down there, yeah! Save the day! And then, Doctor, we can celebrate…” She licked her lips enticingly, and fluttered her lashes.

“Eh, they can look after themselves. I think our needs are more important than these… strangers.” He waved his hand dismissively at the panicked people around them.

Rose rolled her eyes, her exasperation  at the single-minded alien peaking, and devised some desperate measures she felt might charm him to take appropriate action: “Doctor,” she hummed his name, placing a warm hand between his hearts. “God, it turns me on when you take charge: when you act so brave and bring villains to justice! You are so fit. Fit and manly... and just, well… hot!” She cringed in horror at her words. Not because she didn’t mean them: just the opposite. But, the real truth was that he would be terribly embarrassed when the potion wore off, and he would think she was having him on, when really…  Not that she would actually say that kind of thing out loud (on a normal day,) but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel it, fantasize about it, hope that… just, not like this, with him affected by an aphrodisiac.

“Well, what are we waiting for then, Rose Tyler? Prepare to be turned on!” He adjusted the settings on his sonic and pointed it at the touch screen again. “Going down, love. Now, when we get to the bottom, the forcefield should deactivate automatically, leaving us open to attack. Take shelter! I will protect you!”

“Got it,” she acknowledged, making a solemn vow to herself to disregard his instructions completely. As if she would hide somewhere like some coward while he put his life on the line. “Let’s go!” she urged.

The blue light flashed and Rose heard the screwdriver buzz next to her ear. The table lurched a little and began its descent. Rose kept her eyes on Zoorgraps, ready to take action the second the table landed and the forcefield deactivated. “Doctor,” Rose inquired, “what species is Zoorgraps? Never seen one of them before.”

“That’s what I love about you, Rose. Always thinking. Nothing gets my hearts thumping like a great mind. Ah, and you’re gorgeous, too! A perfect package… The things I want to do to you, Rose, when we get back–”

“His species, Doctor?”

“I was rather surprised to see him here, actually. They hardly ever leave their planet, the Spredifriat-mwooguds. It’s really unusual.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Well, I was starting to tell you about them earlier, and while I’d love to impress you with my extensive knowledge–”

“Oh, I love to hear you speakin’ all intelligent-like and sciencey. God, Doctor, just thinkin’ about listenin’ to your voice makes me all…” She bravely reached out and stroked his cheek, pulling herself closer to him. “Tell me,” she commanded in a whisper that brushed his parted lips.

“Blimey, I was starting to tell you about them earlier, but you must have distracted me with your sexy–”

“Gah! Doctor, we’re already half way down! Jus’ the facts, yeah.”

“Your wish is my command, Miss Tyler!”

“Get on with it, then, yeah! Before we land!”

“Ahhhh, Rose the dominatrix! So strong and forceful! My fantasy girl!” He rumbled, “Maybe the TARDIS can find you a nice, tight, leather–”

“Oh, my God! Doctor, we’ll be landin’ any second! Quick, tell me about the Spredy-moomoo-whatsits. Jus’ the basics.”

“Not your basic species, Rose. Their mating practices are extremely complicated.” The Doctor began a discourse with no apparent sense of urgency. “Five bonded individuals, of five different genders. Just imagine! And each of them must contribute genetic material in order to produce offspring. The ultra-female is the ultimate host to the offspring, but they go through different larval forms, carried by the primary and secondary females, both of whom receive genetic material from the primary male, before the larvae are transferred to their incubation pouches. The females provide their combined genetic material once the larva has attached itself to her. The ultra-male contributes genetic material only to the ultra-female, but all five must be present and working together through each sexual act. The love they all feel for one another is very strong.”

Rose squinted at the Doctor as she rapidly tried to absorb the information he was throwing at her. “But…”

“Oh, it’s very complicated, Rose. Each member of the bond has a different role in each stage of genetic transfer, but each one must be present every time. Beyond that, very little is known: very mysterious the Spredifriat-mwooguds are! They hardly ever leave their planet, because it’s just so difficult to find compatible bond-mates. It is very odd to find one on its own. And they’re usually so peaceable… with four other partners you have to be.  This one is plain bonkers!”

“Poor Zoorgraps! We have to help him, Doctor, yeah? Bein’ alone must be makin’ him go completely spare,” Rose sympathized. As the table landed and the forcefield dissipated, her eyes shot to Zoorgraps whose face was flushed with indigo blotches, his green eyes wild as he furiously tapped in commands for the cherubs. Screams from the customers rang through the air with each shot, somewhat moderating Rose’s compassionate sentiments toward the mad alien, and urging her to action. “We need to get a hold of that touch screen of his!”

“Keep behind the table, Rose,” the Doctor responded curtly, pushing her down to conceal her presence from the maniacal Maître-d’. At the tone of his command, her gaze snapped to his. The look in his eyes told her he had overcome the worst of the effects of the aphrodisiac. This was the real Doctor, her Doctor, who was trying to keep her safe. He strode toward Zoorgraps, bristling with authority, screwdriver brandished like a weapon.

Rose’s eyes roved the restaurant and she realized all the cherubs were now trained on the Doctor, closing fast from all directions. “Doctor! Look out!” she yelped, leaping up from her place of safety to go to his aid.

“Stay where you are, Rose!”

She froze, but found herself muttering under her breath, “Not bloody likely.” How could he expect her to stay hidden when she could be out there helping him; helping the people panicking all around her.  Rose moved out from behind the table stealthily, keeping an eye on the cherubs.

“Look, Zoorgraps, you don’t have to do this. I can help,” the Doctor spoke in a firm, quiet voice.  With a nonchalance only he could master, he responded to an incoming arrow with a casual flick of the sonic screwdriver. The arrow zinged harmlessly out of the air.  Followed by another. The Doctor smiled self-assuredly. “Is that all you’ve got then, Zoorgraps? Little arrows shot by little naked angels?” Zoorgraps’ mouth worked silently in frustration and he rapidly tapped additional commands into his controller, sending more arrows flying at the Doctor.

Rose having stolen a quick glance at the Doctor, and having seen that, for now, he was dispatching the threat of Zoorgraps’ arrows with ease, turned her attention to the frantic people around her. With the arrows all now aimed at one target, the customers and staff who had been at ground level were wasting no time in using the reprieve to their benefit and were beginning to race from the restaurant, assisting others or dragging injured companions with them.

Rose rushed to the side of a man who was desperately trying to haul his unconscious partner, who had an arrow protruding from his shoulder, toward the door.  “C’mon, mate,” she laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, “lemme help, yeah.”

The man nodded, eagerly accepting her aid. Together they lifted the injured man and took him outside. “You’re safe now, I think. Make sure you apply pressure to that wound. And don’t move him again until proper help comes,” Rose instructed, turning to run back to the centre of the conflict.

As she reached the doorway, Rose had to fight her way past the people struggling to get out. Several minutes had passed since the Doctor had tried to engage Zoorgraps, and a quick glance told her that the Maître-d’ still had possession of the control pad. Rose quickly ushered the rest of the frightened customers out, offering reassurances where she could. The customers high in the air at their tables were still trapped, though, and she knew many of them were injured as Zoorgraps had concentrated most of his initial attack at those who had been helplessly confined to the floating platforms. Their broken whimpers and pleas for aid interrupted the now relative stillness of the room. She needed to get that pad!

The Doctor was occupying Zoorgraps’ full attention, and Rose was able to slip past the two combatants, behind the last, straggling customers leaving the building. The cries of the injured people above her, and the zing of deflected arrows muffled any noise she made. Sneaking up behind a display cabinet, she peered out, ready to pounce at the tall, thin Maître-d’. Watching for an opportunity to attack, and observing the Doctor’s movements, Rose noticed the Doctor was attempting to target the control pad with his sonic between attacks. It seemed that getting a hold of the pad was not, in fact, imperative: just distracting Zoorgraps might be enough. She heaved a sigh of relief. Looking at the sheer size of her target in comparison to herself, she didn’t think she would be very successful in any attempt, however unexpected, to overpower the big, wiry alien.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from behind the cabinet. The Doctor’s eyes, widening in terror, locked on hers. “Rose, no!”

She ignored him. “Zoorgraps,” she struggled to maintain a steady voice, “please, listen to the Doctor. He can help. We can help. ‘S what we do.”

The alien wheeled around, his eyes sparking with madness, face contorted with fury. He pounced toward Rose, towering over her, and she shrank back in alarm. He hissed at her, “You can’t help me! No one can. I am alone.”

“We could take you home… back to… back to your family. Back home. You don’t have to be alone.”

In a chilling response to her entreaty, he smirked at her, his fingers flying across the control pad. Suddenly one of the cherubs was veering toward her, its deadly dart poised to fly. “Now we shall see how easily your heart can be broken,” Zoorgraps sneered in a demented wheeze.

She stood frozen to the spot, barely able to breathe, eyes fixed on the arrow that was aimed directly for her heart. Briefly, her eyes flitted to the Doctor’s and took in his agonized expression, as he countered the attacks of the other cherubs but still managed to hold her gaze.

Zoorgraps didn’t miss the exchange. He cackled, addressing the Doctor, “Your heart will be broken, too, if this one dies! Not in love? We shall see.”

“No, I don’t think we shall,” the Doctor intoned dispassionately.

The arrow flew. Rose’s instincts screamed at her to move, to dive to one side, to get the hell out of there. But she was in a stupor, her body immobilized with terror, despair, disbelief. Everything seemed to slow down around her, and all she could make sense of was the dart hurtling toward her heart, and the anguish on the Doctor’s face.

I wouldn’t have missed it for the world…

The arrow never struck. It veered harmlessly away, clattering to the floor, the sharp sound instantly rousing her from her trance. In horror, she realized the Doctor had deflected the arrow trained at her, leaving himself open to direct attack. She watched helplessly as he lunged to one side, dodging the arrows and thrusting the sonic screwdriver over the floor toward her. A shriek ripped from her throat as she dove face first, past Zoorgraps’ feet, to snatch the device as it skittered towards her. Feeling the comforting weight of it in her hands, she rolled onto her back and aimed it up at the underside of the control pad, and activated it.

Everything went quiet, the air still and tense. The holographic cherubs fizzled from existence, the clatter of the little silver arrows on the floor the only sound in the hushed room.

It seemed like an eternity before Rose remembered to breathe, scrabbling desperately on hands and knees to where the Doctor knelt on the ground. “God, Doctor, you okay?” she inquired, voice low, but urgent. Worry consuming her, she began inspecting the Doctor’s back, convinced she’d find arrows protruding from him like porcupine quills.  There was only one, embedded in the sole of his shoe, directly below his heel.

He yanked it out, and handed it to her. “There you go, Rose,” he ground out, “a souvenir.” He sprang to his feet, Rose scrambling up beside him, pointedly leaving the arrow behind.

Suddenly a strange keening noise filled the air. Rose turned toward the sound: Zoorgraps crumpled into a heap on the ground, wailing. With a reassuring touch to the Doctor’s arm, she stepped forward, and tentatively crouched down beside the distraught Maître-d’. “Hey… shhhh. It’s all over, yeah.” She tugged the control pad out of the alien’s limp fingers and passed it to the Doctor, who immediately activated the pad to bring the stranded customers to safety.

“You be careful,” the Doctor’s gruff voice cautioned her. She nodded at him mutely, as he turned away and stalked off to help the victims disembark from their tables.

As medics finally arrived to take care of the injured patrons, Rose turned her attention back to the distraught Zoorgraps. “We’ll get you home; get you back to your family. The Doctor can be very persuasive when it comes to dealin’ with the law…”

“I can’t go back! Never! There’s nothing left for me there,” he bemoaned in his fluting voice, now quivering with distress.

Rose comforted him as best she could. She placed an arm around his shoulders, causing him to shrink away from her touch. Despite his initial reaction, he didn’t specifically tell her to stop, so she persevered, and eventually he relaxed into her arms.

“I should not feel comfort from this… it is wrong…”

“Why?”

“You are not family… only family are permitted to touch so intimately.”

Rose immediately withdrew. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know… didn’t mean…”

“No… thank-you, Miss Rose. You are kind, and you have made me feel more like myself than I have done for several years now.”

She smiled cheerlessly at him, “Glad I could help.” They sat together, just talking, for several long minutes more.

“Rose,” the Doctor approached, speaking quietly, “the police are here.”

Zoorgraps rose to his full height, seeming to unfold before Rose’s eyes, and with quiet dignity, submitted himself to the authorities.

--oOo--

“Can’t we help him? He’s so lonely.” Rose trotted after the Doctor as he strode through the showers of rose petals back to the TARDIS.

“Rose, he’s just lucky nobody got killed today,” the Doctor reproved impatiently.

“He’s lost everyone… all his family in a fire. His life-mates; his children… everyone gone…”

The Doctor stopped and turned toward her, his eyes haunted by the parallels of Zoorgraps’ story and his own.

The similarities were not lost on Rose either. “He feels like he’s to blame, yeah, ‘cause he couldn’t stop it. He feels like he can’t ever go home again… He doesn’t think he deserves a second chance or that he’ll ever find love again.” She grasped the Doctor’s hand.  “But I told him…,” she cast her eyes downward, unable to meet the Time Lord’s gaze, “…that, while no one could ever completely fill the hole left by his family, some people might just come along that could make it a little less deep, and maybe make a place for themselves in his heart…”

With a huff, the Doctor continued on toward the TARDIS, dismissing her entreaties with a curt shake of his head.

“Please! Is there nothing we can do?”

Abruptly, he stopped again and spoke gruffly: “What would you have me do, Rose?”

Her thumb flew to her lips and she nibbled indecisively on the nail. “I dunno… convince ‘em that he’d be better off on his home planet. You said before that his people, they’re peaceful, yeah. They must have loads of ways to help him that he could never get in a prison on some human-run penal colony.”

“Humph…”

“I’ve seen those places… you showed me. How could they even begin to know how to help him in a place like that?  Please, Doctor…” She fluttered her lashes at him and put on an unrestrained show of what she hoped were her most beseeching expressions.

“That won’t work on me anymore, you,” he admonished, pointedly tapping his temple with a humourless grimace. “No more aphrodisiac to muddle up my thoughts.”

Despite his claims, she persisted with her efforts, entreating him with sad smiles and puppy-dog eyes.

“Oh, alright! We’ll go back,” he finally relented. “But no guarantees.”

“Yes!” she squeaked triumphantly. She began to lean in on her toes to deliver the Doctor a peck on the cheek, but was brought up short by the grim, icy look in his eyes.

He turned away from her, beginning the trek back along the main street, toward the police station.

--oOo--

It was a silent walk back to the TARDIS. The Doctor’s hands remained firmly stuffed inside his pockets, and his strides were long and determined. Rose struggled to keep up. While she was feeling chuffed at their success in convincing the local authorities to permit Zoorgraps to be transferred back to his home planet, she was very concerned about the Doctor: he was taciturn and closed off, resolutely not making eye contact and keeping a significant distance between them.

“Doctor…?” she surged ahead to walk by his side as they approached the time ship. “I just wanted to thank you for doing that for Zoorgraps.  It means a lot, ya know. You didn’t need to–”

“Yeah, I didn’t need to! And don’t you forget it!” he cut her off with a snarl.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“Like you don’t know.”

“No, actually I don’t! Care to enlighten me?” she snapped back, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Trying to take advantage of me while you thought I was still under the influence of that drug. ‘Oh, please, Doctor…’” his voice rose to a girlish pitch as he imitated her. “And the big, sad eyes and eyelash fluttering... Pathetic apes. You’re all the same, thinking sex is the solution to everything.”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearin’!  That’s not fair! I would never…” Her voice trailed away. She had taken advantage when they were being attacked at their table in the restaurant, but she had been at her wits’ end. “Well… when Zoorgraps was attacking us, I needed you to get us down from there, so maybe I did take some liberties… but it was so we wouldn’t be killed…!”

He gave a self-satisfied snort.

“What? D’ya think I felt good about it? And, by the way, before, when I was tryin’ to get you to talk to the police about Zoorgraps… I knew… I knew you weren’t drugged anymore. So don’t you go accusin’ me of takin’ advantage of you! You have no right!” She stormed ahead of him, unlocking the TARDIS and thrusting the doors open as she stepped into the warm, greenish glow.

Following her in, he shut the doors firmly behind him. “Go pack your things. I’m taking you home.”

Her jaw dropped. “Think you’re goin’ to try that again? Leavin’ me behind? Didn’t work out so well las’ time, did it?” She shook her head incredulously. “Is this what’s gonna happen every time we row? You gonna threaten to drop me off or… or leave me behind?”

“It’s not a threat. It’s a decision. I’ve lived for over nine hundred years without you, thank you very much! I’m sure I’ll manage the next nine hundred. Now, go pack,” he growled. “And you can give me back that key.”

Rose was stunned, her heart broken, as she fumbled incredulously for the key that dangled from a chain around her neck. Her lower lip trembled as she placed it into the Doctor’s waiting, open hand. Tears pooled in her eyes. “Doctor…” she whispered.

“Go!” he commanded, pocketing the key and turning away from her, toward the TARDIS console.

She dragged her feet to the passageway that led to her room, turning back hesitantly before proceeding. “Jus’ so you know… in the restaurant… I – I never said anything I didn’t mean. I’m sorry that happened to you. I’m just… I’m sorry.” She continued slowly down the hall.

Several long seconds later, the Doctor’s voice brought her to a halt: “Wait, Rose! Wait!”

She turned to find him standing at the entrance to the passageway, silhouetted by the glow of the TARDIS’ central column, and she stepped back toward him, eyes downturned.

His hand gently cupped her cheek, tipping her head up so their eyes would meet, and she lost herself in the blue depths, in the insecurities and fears he so rarely allowed her to see. Then she felt him press the TARDIS key into her palm. “Promise me, Rose, you’ll try to stay safe. And not wander off…”

She rolled her damp eyes at him, snorting sarcastically, “Yeah, right.”

“Rose…” he reproached under his breath, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Swallowing hard, forcing back her own tears, she muttered: “Valentine’s really is a rubbish celebration, yeah?”

He brightened, chuckling. “I don’t think much of it, myself, but I’ll tell you what: let’s make the most of it!” He clapped his hands, rubbing them together in delight. “What do you say we watch one of your silly rom-coms tonight? Just you and me, some popcorn, and some really great hot chocolate… minus the aphrodisiac?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Placing a hand on either side of her head, he gently pulled her face towards his and firmly kissed her forehead. When he pulled away, his eyes roamed her face as though memorizing it, and he smiled tenderly.

“Do you mind if I have a shower first, get in my jimjams?”

“Nah, you go ahead. I’ll get everything set up. Meet me in the entertainment room in twenty.”

Rose skipped away toward her room, spinning to grin back at him every few steps until the passageway bent and she couldn’t see him anymore.

--oOo--

Half an hour later, Rose came out of her ensuite, hair damp and dressed in cozy pyjamas. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a huge, glittering, tulle-wrapped package, sitting amongst the pillows on her bed. She burst into delighted laughter and scurried over to open it. Inside was a bouquet of a dozen red, Verdurian everlasting roses in a no-spill vase; an enormous box of fudge and a box of chocolates, both from the Cupid’s Arrow; a scrolled piece of parchment tied with a red ribbon; and a hand-written note:

There you go, Rose: chocolates and roses and (not very poetic, me but…) a dumb poem too. Sorry I put you through all of that, today. You deserve better. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: ‘I’m so glad I met you.’

Happy Valentine’s Day,

~The Doctor

Carefully untying the ribbon from around the parchment, Rose unfurled the paper to read the poem:

Rose, you’re fantastic!

The TARDIS is blue,

And all space and time

Is better with you.

With a huge grin, she grabbed the fudge and the chocolate, and humming a cheerful tune, danced down the hall to the entertainment room. Maybe, she thought to herself, Valentine’s Day wasn’t completely rubbish after all, as long as she was willing to do as Zoorgraps had suggested: accept what was right in front of her. Although the Doctor was not exactly her “boyfriend” (he was so much better than that!), and their relationship would probably never be conventional, she realized all that didn’t matter. Her search for one decent bloke was over, and had been for a long time.

[timelineblog]

21st Century: Phase One - Avengers Assemble

2000:

DATE: january 3rd EVENT: A rejected Killian accepts a jilted Hansen into A.I.M. where they work on Extremis together.

2001:

DATE: july 28th EVENT: Under HYDRA’s influence, NASA sends astronauts through the Monolith to survey the planet on the other side.

DATE: september 12th EVENT:  Frank Castle enlists in the Marine Corps following the September 11th attacks.

DATE: september 13th EVENT: General Thaddeus Ross starts the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project through the U.S. Armed Forces in order to replicate Project Rebirth.

2003:

DATE: march 29th EVENT: Iraq War begins, orchestrated by HYDRA.

DATE: august 29th EVENT: Matt Murdock meets his college roommate, Foggy Nelson.

2005:

DATE: february 25th EVENT: Bruce Banner joins the Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project under false pretenses of Thaddeus Ross and earnest convictions of Betty Ross.

DATE: april 16th EVENT: Testing his experiment on himself, Bruce Banner is exposed to a combination of Gamma radiation and Betty’s formula derived from Dr. Erskine’s super-soldier serum, accidentally becoming the Hulk.

DATE: april 19th EVENT: Learning that the Army wants to use him as a weapon, Banner runs, starting a six-year chase across the globe.

2006:

DATE: november 14th EVENT: Microsoft releases the Zune 30. Peter Quill later obtains one.

2007:

DATE: january 3rd EVENT: S.H.I.E.L.D. assists Thaddeus Ross in the quest to bring down the Hulk until 2011. Stark also provides Humvee-mounted sonic cannons.

DATE: october 31st EVENT: Aldrich Killian injects himself with the Extremis virus, healing his disabilities and allowing him to walk without a cane.

2008:

DATE: february 19th EVENT: Killian exposes willing subjects, mostly seriously injured military veterans, to Extremis. Those who survive heal and regrow lost limbs.

DATE: may 15th EVENT: S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Melinda May earns her nickname “The Cavalry” during the Rescue in Bahrain.

2009:

DATE: december 18th EVENT: Nick Fury places Phil Coulson in charge of Project T.A.H.I.T.I. with the aim of using the Kree corpse to potentially revive a fallen Avenger.

2010:

January 12th

January 24th

January 25th

April 21st

April 26th

October 24th

October 25th

November 17th

Tony Stark demonstrates his Accelerated Wave Explosion (A.W.E.) weaponry to the U.S. Armed Forces.

Christine Everhart is kicked out of the Stark Mansion by Pepper Potts after a one-night stand; she later becomes an anchor for WHIH World News. Later, during a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan, Tony Stark is kidnapped by the Ten Rings, who are working for Obadiah Stane.

Under Fury’s orders, Phil Coulson questions Obadiah Stane as to whether or not Stark could have sold weapons to terrorists. Fury refuses Coulson’s request to go search for Stark himself.

Project T.A.H.I.T.I. test subjects go insane and are given new memories to cope with the effects of the trauma.

Stark and fellow captive Ho Yinsen, who saves Stark’s life multiple times, construct Tony’s Mark I suit of armor, allowing him to escape; Yinsen does not survive. Stark’s first flight as Iron Man is picked up by S.H.I.E.L.D.’s radar and Nick Fury contacts the U.S. Department of Defense with the intel.

Image via Marvel Studios

July 16th

Having returned to the U.S., after pulling out of the weapons business and cancelling all military contracts, Stark turns his attention to his Arc Reactor and Iron Man tech.

Pepper Potts and Phil Coulson discover the Iron Monger Armor and Stark uses his Mark III armor to battle the power-hungry Stane, who dies in an explosion of the industrial Arc Reactor.

Stark publicly claims his new nickname as Iron Man, rejecting S.H.I.E.L.D.’s cover story; he’s later approached by Nick Fury to join the “Avengers Initiative.” That same day, Anton Ivanko dies and his son Ivan vows to take revenge on Stark by developing his own powered-armor tech.

Emil Blonsky and his team track Bruce Banner to South America

2011:

April 23rd

May 22nd

May 24th

May 31st

June 1st

June 2nd

June 4th

June 5th

June 7th

June 9th

November 13th

Tony Stark appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Weaponized Suit Defense Program Hearings.

Natalia Rushman, a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff, joins Stark Industries as Tony’s new personal assistant, on Fury’s orders.

Ivan Vanko crashes the Circuit de Monaco, battling Tony Stark, who equips his lightweight Mark V armor and defeats Vanko’s Whiplash tech.

Image via Marvel Studios

May 30th

While Fury confines Tony Stark to house arrest after helping to slow his palladium poisoning, Rhodes delivers the stolen Mark II armor to the military, where it’s upgraded by Justin Hammer.

At the same time, Jane Foster and Erik Selvig monitor strange atmospheric disturbances in New Mexico, landing them on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s radar.

Meanwhile, Thor’s coronation is interrupted by the Frost Giants breaking into Odin’s treasure room; the Asgardian quickly brings the battle to Jotunheim before Odin puts a stop to it.

Iron Man, War Machine, Black Widow, and Happy Hogan defeat the Hammer Drones when Vanko hacks them to attack the Stark Expo. During this battle, a young boy (now confirmed to be Peter Parker) stands up to a Hammer Drone, assisted by Iron Man himself.

Coulson arrives in New Mexico and Thor crashes to Earth while Bruce Banner arrives at Culver University.

Odin enters Odinsleep and Loki begins to move against his brother when his true parentage is revealed.

Romanoff begins spying on Banner while Blonsky receives an unauthorized dose of enhancement serum.

Sif and the Warriors Three arrive on Earth with the Destroyer following them on Loki’s orders. It attacks S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and citizens at Puente Antiguo, but Thor proves himself worthy and, with his powers restored, defeats it.

An enhanced Blonsky battles the Hulk on Culver University’s campus while Romanoff reports her findings to Fury.

Stark accepts an advisory role with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers Initiative.

Image via Marvel

Later that day, Thor and Loki duel at the Rainbow Bridge. Thor destroys the Bifrost Bridge to prevent Loki from destroying Jotunheim, but that restricts Thor to Asgard and sends Loki into space. After a time, he arrived at the asteroid-strewn area known as Sanctuary, presided over by Thanos.

Blonsky mutates into Abomination when injected with products derived from Banner’s blood. Hulk defeats the Abomination after a destructive battle in Harlem.

Samuel Sterns, who attempted to cure Banner, ends up mutating due to exposure to Banner’s blood. Romanoff finds him and takes him into custody.

Fury receives the necessary funds to study the Tesseract and launch the Avengers Initiative.

Fury approaches Selvig with an offer to join S.H.I.E.L.D. in an advisory role, while the first “Mandarin bombing” occurs.

Tony Stark approaches Ross with a plan to put a team together, inquiring about Blonsky. His attitude rubs Ross the wrong way and the General refuses to release the Abomination, thus fulfilling Coulson and Agent Sitwell’s plan to keep Blonsky imprisoned.

The second “Mandarin bombing” occurs.

Image via Marvel Studios

2012:

January 11th

April 15th

April 22nd

May 1st

May 3rd

May 4th

May 6th

May 9th

July 10th

July 12th

August 19th

December 18th

December 19th

December 22nd

December 25th

December 27th

Aldrich Killian hires Trevor Slattery to pose as the terrorist known as the Mandarin in order to provide a cover for his explosive Extremis side effects which continue to make the news as “suicide bombings.”

S.H.I.E.L.D. continues research on Vanko’s “Whiplash” technology, the Tesseract, Samuel Sterns’ mutation, Jane Foster’s Nine Realms theory, and manage to thaw out a recently recovered Steve Rogers. The Darkhold also comes to their attention.

The Fifth Street Locos shoot up Eli Morrow’s car, which Robbie and Gabe Reyes had recently stolen. The car flips and Robbie is killed while Gabe is paralyzed. The Ghost Rider appears and saves Gabe’s life as well as Robbie’s, though the later is transformed into the new Ghost Rider.

Loki, aided by Thanos and The Other, uses the Tesseract energy to teleport him to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility where he steals the Tesseract and controls the minds of Selvig and Hawkeye. Heimdall alerts Thor and Odin of Loki’s arrival on Earth.

Meanwhile, Romanoff is undercover and interrogating weapons-dealer Georgi Luchkov; her mission is cut short by a call from Coulson, telling her Hawkeye’s been compromised.

Thor arrives back on Earth thanks to Odin’s use of dark energy to transport him. He has a brief skirmish with Iron Man and Captain America that ends with the agreement to take Loki into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

The Battle proceeds to New York where Loki opens a wormhole to allow the invading Chitauri army to swarm into the city. The Avengers unite, defeat Loki, and manage to prevent a missile from wiping out New York City. The invasion is ended and the Tesseract is reclaimed; Thor takes it to Asgard for safe keeping.

Many media outlets and private citizens record video of the invasion that show off both the heroic and destructive effects of the battle, in which the mother of Audrey Eastman and the mother of Ellen Nadeer and Vijay Nadeer died.

Image via Marvel Studios

Loki manages to escape captivity aboard a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier when his mind-controlled agents take it over and the Hulk goes on a rampage. Phil Coulson is killed in the process.

The cleanup from the Battle of New York begins. Citizens begin to gather bits and pieces of the alien tech, taking it either as trophies or for other purposes. To prevent this, Tony Stark and the federal government reformed the U.S. Department of Damage Control, Spider-Man: Homecoming spoiler: which puts private salvage contractors like Adrian Toomes out of business. Toomes, however, takes this opportunity to pilfer more alien technology and put it to criminal purposes.

Phil Coulson is resurrected at the Guest House, though the painful process has the agent begging the surgeons to let him die and necessitating the implantation of false memories, like Tahiti.

Scott Lang is fired from Vistacorp for fixing what he believed was a code error that was illegally overcharging customers.

Lang then breaks into Vistacorp Headquarters to return $4 million of the ill-gotten money to customers. He also breaks into his former boss’ mansion to steal his possessions and drive his car into the pool.

Image via Marvel

July 13th

Lang is arrested and sentenced to five years in San Quentin.

A fourth “Mandarin bombing” occurs.

The fifth “Mandarin bombing” occurs. Tony Stark tests his Mark XLII armor as his Iron Legion project causes friction between him and Pepper.

The Mandarin bombs both Ali Al Salem Air Base and the TCL Chinese Theater, which explodes when Jack Taggert succumbs to Extremis’ effects. Happy Hogan is caught in the blast but survives.

Stark’s mansion is destroyed by the Mandarin.

After discovering Killian’s plan, Stark and his Iron Legion save an Extremis-infected Pepper Potts (who didn’t need much saving after all) while Rhodes rescues the kidnapped President.

Pepper’s Extremis effects are neutralized while Stark has the last of the shrapnel near his heart surgically removed, throwing the old, obsolete Arc Reactor into the sea. Stark has the Iron Legion destroyed.

NOTE: http://collider.com/mcu-timeline-explained/#phase-one-avengers

[sultan-of-weasels-in-boots]

Kin Tarot Readins - My Sonic kins

It’s been a while since I’ve shared any memories, so I thought I’d share some of my past lives via this tarot spread for fictionkins. (It’s a good thing my mom bought me tarot cards of my very own a long time ago.)

I figured I’d start off with my Sonic character kins since I’m starting to get a little more hyped about Sonic Forces (plus happy birthday Sonic!!).

Also please keep in mind that I’m still a bit new to giving myself tarot readings, and I’m just going by the card meanings the set I was given say, so...I apologize if I word my timelines a bit oddly.

Johnny

1. An emotion/feeling/state of mind that dominated you: The World – Everything. Completeness, understanding, trust, perfection, achievement, love. Fullness. Saturation. Lack of space for other things. Everything in the right place.

2. An action you took because of it: Chalices 4 – Habits. Doing the same things, indifference to news, loss of drive. Care and patience for the little things. The same gesture has the same meaning.

3. A key event in your time line: Three of Pentacles – Service. Obedience, duty, respect, work. There is also honor in serving.

4. Your role in the key event: Two of Pentacles – Balance. Moderation, prudence, equilibrium of opposites. Opposites can coincide.

5. Your standing with others: Prince of Chalices – Birth of an emotion. Thoughts come from the heart and take on life.

6. Others' standing with you: Two of Wands – Desire. Search, curiosity, love, far-off thoughts. Where the eyes don't see, the heart sees.

7. Something you've forgotten: Ace of Chalices – Source of life. Everything comes from life and from life comes everything.

8. A mistake you made: Queen of Pentacles – Harmony with the environment. Harmony between us and the world that surrounds us is the basis of happiness.

9. Something you did right: Seven of Swords – Subterfuge. Moving about secretly, shrewdness, small steps, don't attract attention. The straight road is rarely the best.

10. A lesson learned: Ace of Wands – The Ego. Know yourself and don't be afraid.

So, from what I can gather, I was at first satisfied with my life. I did pretty much the same things each day (probably a lot of jet skiing). But, despite my hobbies, I worked as much as I could during my time being a part of Captain Whisker's crew and knew to keep myself under control when working. The captain and I were real close, so it was only fair that I repay his kindness towards me.

I'm not entirely sure who the “others” are for 5 and 6. For 5, perhaps the “birth of an emotion” happened once I heard about Sonic. I was jealous of him and it must have taken over me. And 6? ...Maybe I did have some fellow fans/speed lovers out there. Whether they truly adored me or were jealous of me and my skills, I'm not sure.

Here's where things stood out more for me: Something I've forgotten. The source of life.

Whisker... I left him behind. I feared so much for my life that not once did I think about him. I probably just thought he'd be able to fend for himself, but...he didn't. He couldn't. His death impacted my life greatly, didn't it? I just...have this deep feeling that I felt pretty empty once I realized what had happened.

As with my mistake...I refused to make peace with the so-called “heroes”. I kept challenging Sonic to races rather than simply give him his stupid emeralds. After all of that, perhaps after Sonic went home, I made a wise decision to keep myself away from any innocent people, as they probably would've alerted their Blaze that I was still around.

And then, I learned my lesson. The isolation gave me time to retrace any facts about myself. It must've given me enough courage to go out there and do what I do best, possibly even improve my skills a bit. Maybe I even eventually made peace with the kingdom's people.

-

Blaze

1. An emotion/feeling/state of mind that dominated you: Queen of Chalices – Harmony of emotions. Live emotions fully without getting swept away or worn out.

2. An action you took because of it: Eight of Swords – Dead End. Fear, paralysis, difficulty, feeling of imprisonment, ability to react. The solution is found by not giving up.

3. A key event in your time line: Prince of Pentacles – Birth of an interest. Curiosity is the initial contact between us and the world.

4. Your role in the key event: Ace of Swords – Thought. May thought be your blade, penetrate deeply and stop only at the truth.

5. Your standing with others: Death – The Threshold. Transformation. Confront the unknown. Defeat personal fears. Grow. Let go of the past. Make a clean break. We will never be ready to overcome certain thresholds, and yet we will get beyond them anyway.

6. Others' standing with you: Queen of Wands – Harmony with yourself. Don't have remorse or regrets but feel comfortable with yourself.

7. Something you've forgotten: The Hanged Woman – Equilibrium. A rite of passage. Sacrifice, training. Submit to or confront adversities. Understanding paid for dearly. Determination when faced with difficulties. Equilibrium comes from inside.

8. A mistake you made: Prince of Wands – Birth of a wish. Existing means acting and not following.

9. Something you did right: The Moon – Harmony. Dreams, thoughts, imagination. Intuitive understanding, perception of things, going beyond appearances. Illusion, magical moment, fleeting sensations. Harmony in giving and receiving.

10. A lesson learned: King of Wands – Search for the right choice. Don't be centered only on yourself but have self-confidence.

In this timeline, I often made my emotions clear to myself and other people, but along with that, I had some difficulty controlling my powers. Thus, I stopped being open about how I felt, which helped give me time to control my flames, but obviously, it didn't help prevent me from being picked on.

Now, birth of an interest... I guess I was a bit curious about Sonic's world, as it was quite different from my world. But, overall, I had to be focused on getting the Sol Emeralds back. Cream and Sonic helped change me quite a lot. They both helped me overcome my hatred of my powers, which is what made me be able to harness the power of the Sol Emeralds.

Once again, 7 and 8 greatly stood out to me, but not the same way it stood out during my timeline as Johnny. I forgot...equilibrium. Balance. A sacrifice? Did I forget to sacrifice myself? Is this in reference to Iblis? Was I too scared to die that I didn't go through with sealing Iblis away, and the future was never fully saved? I never would've thought I'd have any event from Sonic 06 as part of my timeline, but I guess now it's a possibility. I wonder how Silver must have felt...

I'm honestly not sure what the reading means in regards to harmony, but judging by the lesson I learned, I'm guessing it's more based on the Rush timeline. You could say it had something to do with me making up with Sonic, and that relying on others helped defeat Eggman and Eggman Nega. It's certainly a lesson I'm glad I learned.

-

Fang/Nack

1. An emotion/feeling/state of mind that dominated you: Nine of Pentacles – Possess. Control, opulence, lack of drive, self-confidence. Be careful of what you desire because you might receive it.

2. An action you took because of it: Queen of Pentacles – Harmony with the environment. Harmony between us and the world that surrounds us is the basis of happiness.

3. A key event in your time line: Three of Swords – Suffering. Anguish, solitude, fear, loss. Reason alone does not warm.

4. Your role in the key event: Nine of Wands – Vigilance. Regard for something, defense, commitment, prudence, anticipation of problems. Not everything happens without conflict.

5. Your standing with others: Three of Wands – Wait. Patience, nostalgia, things that follow their course, times that must mature. Sit on the bank of a river and wait. Sometimes it's the only way.

6. Others' standing with you: Six of Chalices – Nostalgia. Remember the past. Recall things believed lost. Find yourself. The meaning one's roots. Flowers grow every year with the same colors.

7. Something you've forgotten: Three of Pentacles – Service. Obedience, duty, respect, work. There is also honor in serving.

8. A mistake you made: The Sorceress – Will. Decision-making ability, beginning of a journey, courage, energy. Will and equilibrium are the basis of every action.

9. Something you did right: Princess of Chalices – An emotion that gains strength. The heart cannot be controlled.

10. A lesson learned: Five of Chalices – Loss. Give up the superfluous. Distinguish the important from that which is not. Preserve something. Look at yourself in the river. Let it divide what you have from what you don't have.

Let's see. During my life as Fang, I had plenty to possess, such as the profits I earned off of selling stolen artifacts. It was this simple life as a thief where I had confidence in myself and I lived peacefully in the Special Zone. Of course, I got caught a few times, thus I lost every treasure I was planning to sell. I was starting to think I was losing my spark, which drove me a bit over the edge. Then I heard that there were these sets of Chaos Emeralds that were always left unsupervised.

So, I waited for an opportunity, or someone, that I could use to my advantage. I waited specifically for Sonic and Tails to get into my dimension, and I went after them so I could get the emeralds once they took care of all other obstacles in the Special Stages...not that it worked, especially once I saw Dr. Eggman get into the picture. I tried to run away, though I guess that was my mistake, 'cause that's when Eggman suddenly struck me down. Pretty much showed how much of a coward I was.

Then Sonic the Fighters happened. I accepted my loss from before and, feeling pretty generous, I helped Sonic and his friends defeat Eggman and destroy the Death Egg II as a somewhat thanks for having the heart to save someone like me from death. I eventually had to go back to my zone, but I guess I ended up leaving a pretty good impression on them, and they still remember me from time to time. At least, from what I understand.