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amhrosina · 1 year

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Feelings are Fatal (Javier Peña x f!Reader)

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A/N: omg whatttttt amhrosina writing a fic about someone not in a marvel show/movie???? whatttt???? the people who know me in person (& one of my fav mutuals) knew this was coming. what can I say? it’s pedro fucking pascal and i've been in love with him since GOT lol enjoy this angst fest!

request: rosi i noticed that you added pedro pascal to your writing list so im requesting a fic with javi comforting dea reader after a family member/friend dies. soft javi, maybe reader is drinking and theres an established but secret relationship. feel free not to write it if you dont like it but i saw your authors note about pedro and figured i would ask

Summary: Javi comforts reader after she gets terrible news and is forced to confront the depth of his feelings for her. Steve confronts Javi about his secret relationship.

(Warnings: angst, mentions of death, grief, minor injuries, alcohol, Javi is a grump but is a soft!boy w reader, cursing, lots of cigarettes lol, feelings are hard for javi)

The second you heard the receiver click on the other end of the line, the bulky phone slipped from your hand and tumbled to the floor. The booming crack of the plastic smacking the tile, followed by the trinkle of the pieces cascading across the floor, were the only sounds you could hear in the bullpen. You tried to find something to focus on, eyes glazing over as your heartbeat pounded in your ears. You scanned the area around you, skipping over Murphy’s concerned gaze and landing on Javi’s empty chair.

Mierda. (Shit.) He was still chasing a lead in Cali, and he wasn’t supposed to be home until early tomorrow morning. It’s not like he would be able to do anything for you right now anyways, considering you were surrounded by people who would out your relationship in half a second if it meant their career might be boosted because of it, but his reassuring presence was something you sorely needed at the moment.

Your chest tightened as you processed what your dad had just murmured through the phone. You had been sitting when you answered the phone, but at some point, you must’ve stood, because you were currently white knuckling the back of your chair.

Murphy rolled his chair into your eyeline, waving his hands in the air. Everything around you sounded muffled, almost like you were under water, and you couldn’t focus on anything for longer than a few seconds. You ran through the tricks you knew off the top of your head to stave off a panic attack. You tried to take a deep breath, you counted the tiles on the floor, hell, you even tried to find five things you could see, but the rapidly rising pace of your heartbeat, and the shallow breaths you could barely manage told you your panic attack was in full swing already.

A gentle presence on your wrist sent a shock through you so prevalent that you snapped to attention and the world suddenly got very loud. Murphy was standing in front of you with wide eyes, murmuring your name, while the lucky few agents that happened to be in the bullpen when your phone rang stood a few feet back, observing you with keen interest. You weren’t stupid enough to believe they cared about your wellbeing. Nosy fuckers.

Your hands clenched into fists, shaking slightly. The indent of your nails pressing into your palm was a steady ache, one that you absolutely needed if you were going to walk out of the office without incident. And you knew that was where you needed to go. Away from here, away from the DEA’s bullshit bureaucracy, away from Pablo Escobar and his sicarios. You stumbled away from Murphy, turning on your heels when you reached the lip of the bottom stair. You would explain everything to everyone later, when you could think again. ‘If you still have a job later, pendeja (asshole/idiot),’ you thought miserably.

You barely remember jumping into your front seat, nor starting the car, nor pulling out of the police headquarters lot. You had a vague awareness that you arrived home when you unlocked your front door, but you were stuck in autopilot, and couldn’t bear to think about why you were stuck in autopilot.

You eyed the bottle of liquor Javi had left in your kitchen the last time he was here and sighed. Yes, you thought, that’s perfect.

Javi was driving like a maniac, and he didn’t give two shits about it. When Steve had called earlier, he hadn’t been able to give any details about their partner’s bizarre behavior, other than her hasty departure from DEA headquarters after a strange phone call. Steve was puzzled, but otherwise not too concerned about her. Javi, on the other hand, had carefully untangled himself from his business in Cali and hopped on the next available and inconspicuous flight home he could manage.

He could feel in his gut that something was wrong, and he couldn’t leave his girl hanging, job or no job. He wasn’t any closer to capturing Escobar anyways and had already determined that his trip to Cali was a colossal waste of time and resources before Steve had called him.

He’d been pulled away from DEA headquarters for long enough, and this was the perfect excuse for him to high tail it out of Cali and come home. He was tired, and he missed his conejita (bunny – term of endearment), and even though he’d never admit it, he missed Murphy’s early morning grumblings too.

He peeled into the nearest parking spot he could find to the apartment building and hurdled himself out of the driver’s seat. When he entered the building, he eyed the door at the top of the stairs. Dark – either Murphy was still at the office, asleep, or sitting in his apartment in complete darkness. His apartment was also dark, but a soft glow emitted from under his conejita’s door, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He considered using the key she had given him for emergencies. Did this count as an emergency? He sure thought so, but he didn’t want to startle her, so he knocked on the door with anxious trepidation. He waited, straining to listen through the door for any sign of life inside the apartment. There was nothing, and then there was the loud crash of something glass hitting the floor, and Javi was through the door before she could let out a yelp.

She was on her hands and knees, hunched on the floor by her couch. Broken glass was all over the floor around her, though Javi couldn’t tell what she’d broken. He was more concerned for her palms and kneecaps, all of which were being pushed into the broken glass shards with little resistance on her end. He rushed to her side, lifting her off of the glass and into his arms.

“Javi?” She slurred, raising her chin in a defiant gesture.

“Cariño (honey), what happened?” He noted the way she slurred her words and the fact that her cheeks were tinted pink. “Have you been drinking?”

“Have you been drinking, Agent Grumpy?” She pouted, trying to mimic the way Javi’s lips would poke out when he was upset about something.

Clearly, she’d been drinking, but Javi couldn’t figure out what might’ve spurred this behavior. Out of him, Murphy, and her, she was the most levelheaded of the trio, and the least likely to drown her sorrows in a bottle of liquor. Dread coiled in his gut. Something awful must’ve gone down while he was gone, and he couldn’t help but feel like the idiot that couldn’t keep up.

“Baby,” he murmured, carefully navigating through the millions of tiny glass shards all over her living room floor, “¿Que paso (what happened)?”

“I dropped the bottle.” She breathed, clutching onto his shirt with her bloody hands. He didn’t care. He’d use a hundred of his shirts to stop her bleeding. He carefully set her down in a kitchen chair, untangling his limbs from hers. She seemed more alert now, more awake than when he’d busted through the door moments before. The cuts on her hands and knees were probably to blame for that, but Javi couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. First, he had to find a first aid kit.

Every agent was trained in basic first aid, and if they felt like being kiss-asses, they could take classes to get certified in trauma response. Javi hadn’t felt like being a kiss-ass, but he knew he way around a first aid kit. As he poked around her kitchen and bathroom cabinets, he stuck his head in the hallway every few seconds, checking on her. She was waiting patiently at the kitchen table where he’d left her, but she’d adopted a look that could only be described as “far away”, and his concern was growing by the minute.

Javi couldn’t figure it out. When they’d talked on the phone this morning, she was fine, chipper even. She was excited that he’d be home soon, and he had promised that he’d make up for the nights they’d lost while he was working in Cali. When her voice had dropped to a whisper, and she revealed that Murphy had just walked into the bullpen thirty minutes early, his breath had hitched in his throat as he almost let the words “I love you” slip from between his lips.

Javi wasn’t inexperienced with women, but he was sure that she was the only woman in the world that could get him that tongue tied. When the receiver clicked, indicating that she'd hung up, Javi had spent entirely too long staring at the phone in his hands, listening to the dial tone drone on and on as he searched his brain for wherever the hell that had come from.

But that couldn’t be what was bothering her. Steve had mentioned a phone call, but she’d hung up the phone with him before 8am, and she didn’t start acting weird until almost ten hours later. There had to be someone, something bothering her, and Javi’s chest ached with rage about it. The only person allowed to bother her was him, and he took that job very seriously.

“Bebé (Baby),” he sighed, propping the medical kit open on the kitchen table, “Will you tell me what’s going on?”

She swallowed thickly, sighing as he pulled up a chair in front of her. He gently lifted her hands to the light so he could see the cuts. They were shallow, but hands always bled a lot, so both of her palms were stained a deep crimson. She watched him as he began to remove pieces of glass from the cuts, and he waited patiently for her to explain herself. He’d wait for as long as she needed him to.

The stinging sensation hadn’t left your trembling hands, but you wanted to be tough in front of Javi, so you watched quietly as he wrapped your hands in thick gauze. He’d lit a cigarette two minutes ago, puffing smoke in the air at regular intervals as he worked. When he finally moved on to your knees, which had stopped bleeding ten minutes ago, you tried to figure out exactly what to say to him.

It wasn’t every day that your significant other’s mom suddenly and inexplicably dies during an evening nap, leaving everyone, especially your significant other, baffled and choked by her loss. His mom had quietly passed away earlier the year before, and he was only gone for two days before returning to Colombia. He hadn’t broached the topic since then, and you weren’t as comfortable with him then as you were now. You could confidently say that you had no idea how this was going to go.

You took a breath, and before you could talk yourself out of it, mumbled the same words your dad had spoken hours before, causing your world to crumble around you.

“Mi mamá está muerta. (My mom is dead.)”

Javi sucked in a breath, lifting his gaze towards yours with a pitiful expression. Tears welled in your eyes, and for the first time since you’d heard the horrible news, you allowed yourself to cry. Javi dropped the gauze on the table and wrapped his muscular arms around your neck, pulling you into his chest.

“Oh, Cariño,” he cooed, kissing your hair as you sobbed into his shirt, “Lo siento, bebé. (I’m sorry, baby.)”

His shirt was sure to be irreparably stained now that your blood and tears were soaked into it, but he didn’t seem to mind. He stroked your back, kissed your head, and held you close while you cried and cried into his chest. He’d never seen you so vulnerable before, and a rush of fear shot through you at the thought of him scaring away because of that, but every time you tried to push away from him, he’d tighten his hold on you and urge you to let it out.

When you finally got a handle on your sobs, Javi pulled back, searching your expression for any further breakage. He’d weather it, this awful storm, for as long as you needed him to. You knew that, and even still, when he began to put the pieces of you back together again, your heart melted at the thought of him.

Javier Peña was not the guy that women came crying to in the middle of the night. He was the guy you picked up for the one-night stand, the one you’d talk about for years afterwards, the one you’d think about as ‘the one that got away’ until you were too old to remember his name and where he came from. That was Javier Peña, and yet, he was in your kitchen, cleaning up your wounds, healing the part of you that was inexplicably broken. If only Murphy could see you guys now.

“Cuando es el funeral? (When is the funeral?)” He asked, blotting at the scabs on your knees.

“Next weekend.” You murmured, wincing as he taped gauze over a particularly deep cut.

“When mi mamá died,” he started, and you stopped breathing, unwilling to be the one to fuck this conversation up before it even started, “I didn’t let myself mourn the way I should have. I tried to sweep it under the rug, ‘ya know?”

You nodded, remembering the weeks after his return from Texas. He had thrown himself into his work, which made yours and Murphy’s lives a little easier for a while, though neither of you preferred it that way.

“Let yourself mourn, Cariño. It’s my biggest regret.”

“Okay.” You nodded, though you weren’t sure exactly what he meant by that. You spoke before you could stop yourself. “You can still mourn her. There’s not a time limit on grief.”

It sort of felt like the air was sucked out of the room. You’d never said something so bold to Javi, especially not about his personal life. You were five seconds away from blaming your brashness on the alcohol you’d consumed, even though you’d sobered up fairly quickly once he’d arrived, when he nodded.

“That’s true, Cariño.”

You blinked. You must really look like shit if Javi wasn’t actively building walls around himself. Sure, he’d opened up a little throughout the relationship, but he was still working on being vulnerable with you, and he had a lot of work left to do. You knew he was plagued by nightmares – you were too, and who, working this job, wouldn’t be? – but he wouldn’t talk about them with anyone. Instead, he’d pull you closer, kiss you harder, and make you forget why he’d woken in the first place. It was a coping mechanism that both of you recognized as ‘not actually coping’ but neither of you had the resources or the energy to work through that trauma. At least, not yet.

He lit another cigarette, and you watched him breathe in the smoke deeply. He lifted it toward you, and you eagerly parted your lips, taking a much needed drag. Before Colombia, before Javi, you hadn’t touched a cigarette in your life. After being assigned to team Murphy-Peña, you felt like you had a perpetual cloud of smoke hovering over you at all times.

Javi brushed his hands together and threw the remaining unused gauze back in the first aid kit. He gently pulled you from your seat, and the slight movement sent a sting through your legs. You were already regretting the alcohol and your hangover hadn’t even started yet.

“Let’s sleep at my place tonight, Cariño. We’ll clean this up tomorrow.”

You nodded, teary eyed again. You didn’t want to think about tomorrow, or next week, or any time in the future that didn’t include your mom. If Javi noticed your tears, he didn’t say anything about them, and you were grateful for his wherewithal. He always knew exactly how to handle you, and that was part of the reason you’d fallen in love with him.

Love. You blanched. Nope. Not thinking about that right now.

You shrugged the thought away as Javi lifted you bridal style in his arms. Javier Peña didn’t fall in love, and you certainly weren’t going to be the woman to challenge that.

Bonus Scene: Steve confronting Javi about his secret relationship with you.

“Are you fucking stupid? You’ve got to be, to pull this bullshit.”

Javi watched Steve pace across his living room. Again. He’d been walking a hole in the rug for half an hour, and Javi wasn’t sure Steve would be stopping his rant anytime soon.

Technically, Javi deserved this. Everything Steve was saying was true. He was jeopardizing not only his career, but hers too. The integrity of the investigation against Escobar would be questioned if word got out that two of the three agents assigned to his case were fucking each other. Not to mention how quickly procedure would be thrown out the window if either of them were in danger. There’s a reason why those rules existed.

But like most things, it wasn’t that simple. Javi hadn’t been able to offer an excuse for when Steve caught him carrying her into his apartment, taped to high hell with gauze and tipsy as all get out. He’d simply shrugged, unlocked the door, and carried her through the frame without a second glance.

Now, Steve wasn’t stupid, but he chalked up that incident to her being overwhelmed with grief. What friend wouldn’t offer their couch up to their drunk, mourning partner when she needed it? What he didn’t know was how often she slept at Javi’s already. She even had a toothbrush in his bathroom and a stack of books piled on one of the nightstands in his bedroom.

Steve’s suspicions might’ve grown a little the weekend that she went home to Oceanside for her mother’s funeral. Weekends meant little to the DEA agents working Escobar’s case – every day was another day they could possibly learn information that may or may not give them someone who might know something about Escobar, or not – but Javi was especially fidgety the two days she was off on leave.

Steve finally demanded to know what the hell was bothering Javi when he caught him staring at her empty seat for the third time in an hour. Javi brushed it off, claiming he hadn’t been sleeping well, but Steve wasn’t so easily persuaded to look the other way again.

The final straw, the one that prompted the yelling and the insults and the pacing, made Javi’s relationship with her so obvious that there wasn’t a chance in hell he could talk his way out of it. Steve, being the hero best buddy that he was, had heard an alarming thump from Javi’s apartment, and taken it upon himself to investigate. What he hadn’t been expecting to find was his two partners, tangled in each other’s limbs, going at it on the kitchen counter like rabbits.

Hence, the yelling.

“I mean, seriously Javi? You could fuck any woman in the world, and you chose the one woman that’s off limits!”

“Listen, man. I-”

Javi tried again to interrupt Steve’s rant, to explain himself and what he felt for her. Steve was missing the bigger picture. Javi wasn’t just fucking her, he loved her. He couldn’t figure out if that would make Steve more or less angry about it.

“You what, man? You what?!” Steve threw his hands in the air, beckoning an excuse that might help him understand why his partners would be such idiots.

Javi struggled to translate his feelings into words. He hadn’t even told her yet exactly how he felt and saying it now felt weirdly similar to a trial run. He searched his head for the right words to describe what she was to him.

“I’ve been sleeping.” Javi rested his hands on his hips and sighed, eyes flickering across the ceiling as he realized how incredibly stupid that sounded outside of his brain. “I know I love her, because I can sleep after I’ve talked to her.”

Steve studied Javi, searching for any signs of deception. He narrowed his eyes when he couldn’t find any.

“What do you mean you ‘love’ her?”

“I mean, I fucking love her, man. I don’t know what you want me to say.” Javi was growing restless, tugging at the neckline of his button-down shirt. Conversations like these always made him antsy, and he could feel the temperature in his cheeks rising.

“You.” Steve cocked a grin, “Javier Peña. In love? I’m not buying it man.”

“Well, I’m not going to try and convince you.” It was Javi’s turn to throw his hands in the air in distress. He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply.

“You actually care about her?” Steve’s expression morphed from disbelief to genuine shock. Javi wished he could take a picture to savor the moment.

“Are you going to say anything to anyone?”

Javi would normally never be so obvious about his fears, but he was thinking about her, back in her apartment, probably walking a hole into her rug as she waited for Steve and Javi to hash their shit out. The look on her face when Steve started yelling was enough to make Javi panic, and he was not above begging if it meant keeping her out of trouble.

“Nah, man.” Steve shook his head, plopping down on Javi’s couch. Javi sagged with relief. “Just don’t make it so obvious. I was suspicious before I walked in on you two.”

“Yeah, man.” Javi took another drag of his cigarette.

“Have you told her?”

“Told her what?” Javi couldn’t keep the bite from his tone.

“That you love her.”

Javi envied the ease that Steve managed when he talked about love. Before she’d been transferred to Colombia, Javi had never, in his life, been able to understand why anyone would choose to fall in love. He recognized the signs of it from the years of watching his parents interact, but he’d never experienced it before. When Steve talked about Connie, whether it was a complaint or not, there was always an underlying tone of love in his words. When she showed up, everything Javi had ever thought about love was scrambled, and it terrified him.

“No.” He blew out a slow trail of smoke.

Steve nodded slowly in understanding. If anyone in the world could comprehend Javi’s mindset right now, it was the guy he’d spent hours and hours with every day for years.

“Maybe you should.”

“Yeah, maybe I should.”

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d0youc0py · 11 months

Note

The 141 (or anyone) reacting to fireworks with their ptsd :(

And reader giving them noise cancelling headphones/ music/ a movie/ lots of cuddles to drown them out

Love me some hurt/comfort

He had a pillow pressed tightly over his head. Not that it did much. You were sleeping so peacefully completely unaware of the war going on outside. Well to him that’s what it sounded like. To everyone else it sounded like a bunch of stupid teenagers who got their hands on some explosives. He was so close to waking you up. Yet every time his hand extended towards your body he stopped himself.

‘Don’t bother them.’ Pounded over and over in his head. His heart was beating so fast he was surprised it hadn’t given out. There was surely a sweat outline of his body against the sheets. You moved. A simple sleepy stretch causing soft moan escaping you.

‘Please wake up.’

Didn’t you realize his arms weren’t around you? Didn’t you feel his shivering body? Couldn’t you hear his ragged breathing. Didn’t you hear the attack outside? Didn’t you smell the gunpowder? Didn’t you hear the screaming?

“Sweetheart.” He couldn’t bear it anymore. “Sweetheart.” He repeated again. His head rested against your pillow, his face burying itself in the back of you neck. His arms returned to your waist pulling you so close the two of you couldn’t be differentiated. You groaned.

“Si?”

“I’m sorry.” His voice cracked. Another- much louder boom echoed through the house. His grip on you tightened a soft whimper leaving him.

“Si.” You repeated again, this time out of worry. “It’s okay Si. Why don’t we move to the couch?”

“I’m sorry I woke you up.” He still wasn’t completely present. “I’m sorry.”

You tried to turn in his grasp- he loosened his grip to let you.

“You never have to be sorry.” You pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He pressed his sweaty forehead against yours. “Do you want to go to the couch? Watch a movie?”

He shook his head. “Just wanna stay like this, please.”

You mumbled a small ‘okay’ before pressing your cheek against his, your head sandwiched between his and the pillow. Your fingers traced back and forth over his jaw- something he usually did to self soothe. He closed his eyes, completely allowing himself to sink into you touch.

He was trying his hardest to keep it together. He was always fine with these types of things- maybe jumping a time or two, but something was different. Maybe it was all the people. Maybe it was the fact you were here- his urge to protect doubling. Maybe it was the total black night sky, that made him unable to see his surroundings. Whatever it was was almost sending him to his knees.

You watched with wide eyes as bold colors filled the sky. Fireworks never ceased to bring out the childlike wonder in you. You looked up at John expecting to see a similar look across his face. His eyes were frantically searching the area, his body ridged. Even over the loud boom you could hear his shuddered breathing. Your reached a hand out and pulled at his sleeve. His eyes quickly fled down to yours. He didn’t even need to say anything before you were tugging him away from the scene. You suddenly became all to aware of how loud it was. You felt horrible. You should’ve know better than to bring him to a firework show. You found shelter in a small restaurant around the corner.

The explosions could still be heard, but were muffled by smooth jazz and idle chatter.

“Two please.” The waitress quickly showed you to your table.

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart.” You quickly shushed him.

“It was my fault. I should’ve know better.” You took full responsibility.

“No. If I didn’t think I could handle it then I would’ve said something. I don’t know what got into me.” He said. He gripped your hand pressing a kiss to your knuckles before squeezing it in his. “I’m sorry I ruined our night. I know how excited you were.”

You shushed him again.

“Please stop apologizing. It’s not your fault and I’m a big kid- I can handle a little disappointment. Do you feel better now?” You pulled your hand back along with his, resting both of them in your lap. He nodded his head.

“I do.” He smiled, giving your hand a squeeze. “How ‘bout I buy you dinner so this evening isn’t a total waste?”

You giggled wildly as you were spun around. Two large hands found their way back to your waist, pulling you against him. He pulled away- just to spin you around again.

“You’re making me dizzy.” You snickered, poking at his chest.

“What?” He shouted, pulling a headphone away from his ear.

“I said you’re making me dizzy.” You shouted back. He smiled at you before doing it again.

“Johnny!” You pouted. He let go of you, jumping up and down bobbing his head to the blaring music.

As soon as you received a note on your door about a neighborhood party you decided it was the perfect night to do a silent disco. Both of you had your headphones in with Taylor Swift playing at the highest volume.

“Want to have a dance battle?”

“What?” You yelled, removing your headphones.

“I said do you want to have a dance battle?” He yelled back. Your eyes lit up.

“Loser makes dinner!”

“How ya doing?” You asked, peering up at Kyle over the blanket.

“I’m alright baby.” He assured, placing a kiss on your forehead. “Although if you were trying to distract me you should’ve pick a different movie.”

“Finding Nemo is a great movie!” You gasped. You couldn’t help but poke at his cheek while he smirked. He moved his head and playfully bit at your finger.

A loud boom echoed from outside. He jumped instinctively pulling you closer. The noise was bothering him more than he let on. He hated it. His attention should be solely on you. He was with you. Safe, warm and devastatingly happy. Not out there- in constant danger, cold and scared. He rubbed his cheek against your head, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. You wrapped your arms around him.

“Do you want to play Mario Kart?” You asked softly. His eyes shot opened.

“Now that’s a distraction!”

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edgy-ella · 4 months

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IDW SONIC READERS, PLEASE READ THIS!!!!

I am begging you. On my hands and knees. Begging. More so than anything else I’ve asked of this fandom.

Please please buy the Fang miniseries when it comes out

Don’t just read it. Buy it. I will admit that I’m very guilty of reading through a lot of IDW Sonic through…less than legal means, and I know I’m not alone in that regard. But I think it’s really important that for this miniseries in particular, you actually go out and buy the damn thing. Show your support with your dollar.

Really think about it for a second—they gave Fang his own miniseries. Fang! An underutilized, underrated fan favorite for sure, but hardly a mainstay of the series. I’m sure that this was at least somewhat prompted by Superstars, where Fang is a major antagonist…but Bean and Bark weren’t in that game, and it already received its own online promo comic prior to the game’s release (notably, with Fang as the star).

Classic Sonic stories have also exclusively been relegated to one-shots in IDW, not a full on miniseries like what Fang is getting. Basically all of the IDW Sonic miniseries we’ve gotten so far have been plot relevant side stories to the main IDW comic that focus on side characters with little to no involvement from Sonic himself. Tangle and Whisper, Bad Guys, Impostor Syndrome…the only odd man out besides this Fang miniseries is Scrapnik Island.

Really think about it for a second. FANG is getting his own focus comic BEFORE KNUCKLES.

And that’s why it’s so important that we buy it.

I think Sega is using this comic to test the waters to see if people like Fang and want to see him in more future projects—be it comics, games, or even cartoons. But there’s more to it than just that.

See, Superstars hasn’t been doing that great. I know I said in an earlier post that people seemed to like it, but I retract that statement. It was damned by faint praise at launch, and now most of the discussion I’ve seen surrounding the game revolves around its flaws (chief among them being the middling OST and that the Steam version stealth installs an Epic Games service along with the game). No sales numbers have been projected as of writing, but it’s definitely been beaten out by Mario Wonder and Spider-Man 2.

So, Classic Sonic games aren’t doing too hot right now (I’m sure that many modern fans are jumping for joy at the prospect). But the classic characters are.

People really like the extended classic Sonic cast, just as much as they love the extended modern cast. From my experience, the two fan favorites are Mighty and Fang. Fang stands out to me in particular for a couple reasons: people were really upset that Sega specifically said no to Fang, Bark and Bean coming back after Ian snuck in a reference to them in IDW Sonic #3 (using their old team name from Archie, the Hooligans), and the fanmade 16-bit remake of Triple Trouble, Fang’s debut game, received private praise from many members of Sega and Sonic Team. People like Fang and the media he’s in, and Sega is starting to take notice. That’s why we’re getting this miniseries.

That’s why it’s so important that the miniseries sells well. If the big boys at Sega and Sonic Team see Superstars’ iffy reception but see Fang’s comic sell above expectations, then Sega will want to continue to use Fang (and potentially other “classic” Sonic characters as well) in more narrative driven projects. That means modern Sonic.

“But Sega won’t let any classic Sonic character into a modern Sonic project!” I hear you thinking. And to that I say, so? Sega changes its mind all the time. Remember that whole two worlds nonsense? That was thrown out with in Tailstube. Characters debuting in Boom and the comics were previously barred from the mainline games, but they’ve broken that “rule” in both Speed Battle and Frontiers. Hell, they’ve even been talked out of some of their sillier comic mandates, like characters not being able to wear different clothing.

For all their flaws, Sega does listen, and money speaks louder than anything. If this miniseries fails, Sega will just assume that people aren’t hot on Fang or the extended classic cast anymore and throw them back in the bar. But if the comic sells well, then Sega might take it as a sign that, hey, people like this character (and his two lackeys), we should put him in projects that fans are more interested in. Mighty and Ray probably wouldn’t be too far behind, especially given Mania’s success. Whether that means comics or games, modern or classic, who knows. What’s important is that it sends the right message to Sega, and they will listen to their consumers. That means us. If we don’t support this miniseries now, we might have to wait another thirty years for another chance.

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ashe-studies · 29 days

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things i wish the sonic franchise brought back or implement.

Dark Sonic

seriously, i love imagining a fight between Dark Sonic and Eggman inspired by Korra vs. Zaheer ( when she was poisoned ). where he loses the cool attitude, the smile, everything, and goes in with full power, charging himself left and right at Eggman. it'd be even more fascinating to still have Dark Sonic lose. not because of his lack of power, not because of lack of skill, even when blinded by rage, but because of Eggman's ingenuity.

a lot of people, to this day, misinterpret Dark Sonic as a murderous, rampaging monster, but that completely misses the purpose of why he exists to begin with. i believe this is a case of people not exactly knowing where he comes from, or just a lot of fans drawing a murderous Sonic and it took the internet by storm one day, but just in case you don't know:

Dark Sonic is from Sonic X, a TV show that is sort of an expansion on Sonic Adventure 2, adding more lore, character arcs, and overall meaning to the game's original plot. Dark Sonic was revealed in the episode "Teasing Time" in s3, and the reason he appeared is because he discovered his friends ( Cosmo and Chris ) were injured and that one of them ( Chris ) was unconscious.

the whole reason this form exists is Sonic's love for his friends essentially fueling his rage. it's like Darkspine Sonic from SATSR, or has similar formula. Dark Sonic isn't inspired by any bloodlust or desire to kill, but rather by burning anger at seeing his friends be put in harm's way.

Dark Sonic is made from the strong desire to protect his friends.

2. An Actual Arc For Shadow

you guys might be confused, especially if you consider some of my previous posts, but lemme explain.

for a long time, it's never felt like Shadow has actually recovered from his trauma, atone for his actions ( yes, i understand he saved Earth ), or live life really at all. it doesn't help that, to this day, SEGA continues to make Shadow relive the past.

i don't consider the movies to be a part of the problem, as Shadow being introduced to the plot was basically a given, and you can't introduce him in your own take without his general backstory ( unless you're Boom or Prime, i guess ). i believe the movie will be doing taking some creative liberties to his story, as they did so with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and i see no reason that they should stop.

the reason why i have an issue with this is because it's an ongoing issue within the games, specifically. Shadow the Hedgehog ( 2005 ) was a disservice to his setup and the 'first arc' ( considering he's still alive after the fans demanded his return ) to his story.

aside from it just giving 'early 2010s deviantart edge', it's just so...

childishly handled.

for one, you're immediately given a Hero or Dark route, like in SA2, which i feel completely misses the point of SA2's true ending. Shadow has redeemed himself ( or began to ), so to give him complete reign to just become an antagonist all over again defeats the whole purpose of a redemption.

it's like what Prime did with Dread, giving him an already established redemption arc ( sort of ), but then corrupting him again for no real reason other than just because.

another issue i have is Shadow's amnesia and attitude in general within the game. technically speaking, yes, it does make sense for him to suffer memory and // or physical issues from his fall from space, but to completely wipe out every single thing he did just to give him the opportunity to relearn his past, do some fucked up shit, do some less fucked up shit, then throw away everything in the past, Maria and her wish included, is...

amazingly obtuse, for lack of a better word.

again, while it's technically not out of bounds, i feel like giving Shadow complete and total amnesia just disrespects SA2's vision and execution of the story. it's redundant, it's lazy, and overall just really damn frustrating to watch.

Shadow deserves to have a story that allows him to heal from his trauma, discover who he is, and respecting Maria's wish along the way. a lot of people seem to think it's either he forgets about his past ( or buries it ) or full-on dedicates his entire life and doesn't bother picking up a life lesson or two, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Shadow can heal, grow, and change. SEGA just won't let him.

3. The Echidna Tribe & Knuckles' Story

Knuckles is one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise as a whole, but his character and story is sorely dismissed. while Shadow has the issue of repetition, Knuckles suffers from being dropped on the head multiple times and played for a joke ( i think Frontiers is one of the more recent games that didn't do this, but i might be wrong ).

one of the reasons why i love Knuckles is how straightforward, yet reluctant he was about finding out his past. at the end of Sonic Adventure 1, he says something to the extent of:

"maybe i'm better off not knowing the meaning behind all of this. because i feel something terrible will happen if i do."

he is content being ignorant for the sake of his own peace of mind.

but in SA2, he's more or less forced to start facing his fear and learn more about the past. unfortunately, though, we don't actually get to see much after this game, because the tribe is almost entirely forgotten. instead, it's brought up in comics that are more or less canon ( i think ), but not fully aligning with the games. i think it's safe to say the comics are their own canon?

like with Shadow, i would've loved to see an actual conclusion on this arc of Knuckles' story. to see more of the tribe in the past, of their wrongdoings, character moments, more of Tikal or Chaos or the little Chao, and how it all ties together.

but instead, we have lots of media repeatedly insulting Knuckles' intelligence, ignoring his tribe and // or his job entirely ( i guess they forget the Master Emerald is portable? ), and just generally dumbing him down to be a hotheaded moron that apparently doesn't care about being the Guardian!

Knuckles is one of the most relatable characters in this series for me, as there's a lot of things i would rather not know and stay ignorant to, but have to face head on in order to fully move past it and grow to be better.

he was completely isolated on Angel Island for so long, yet people still make fun of him to this day for being manipulated by Eggman in SA1 ( even though he didn't even fully believe Eggman, it was just a precaution, but who cares about the details- ). he's not just a hothead, he's strong, he's kind, he's pretty blunt and, honestly, really fucking adorable, i love this echidna.

look at him, just standing there. i love him.

anyway, Knuckles deserves a proper story surrounding his tribe, his identity as the Guardian of Angel Island, his relationships, and to have a satisfying conclusion. or, at the very least, more games or media in general not dumbing him down to an angry hothead with nothing better to do but to yell and ignore his responsibilities.

3. Sonic

"what're you talking about, ashe? sonic's meant to be a flat character! what could be wrong with him?"

yeah, but after frontiers, i want more mentally ill sonic that needs to be concerned for by his friends, okay, that's all i want-

4. Storybook Era

now, now, i know a lot of people don't like the storybook games because of their shoddy gameplay and all that, but i genuinely love these games, their flaws included.

i do believe satbk has a better story than satsr, but i still have an attachment to the latter game, so suck it.

it'd be really nice to see a storybook game with switch, xbox, ps, or similar controls. as the era has Sonic diving into different worlds, maybe a world like Alice and Wonderland could be an interesting game. several elements to work with, locations turning into creative levels or even hub worlds. this is sort of a long shot dream that will probably never exist, but i wanna see an adventure-style storybook game one day.

i'll probably die before that idea is even considered, but it's a fun thought and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

there's no real big reason as to why these matter or anything, as i don't believe you need a storybook in order to send off the messages these games try to give, but they're just really charming to me and i love to see how this type of game could be implemented into video games today, with all the new engines and whatnot.

5. Teams

oof, okay, um-

there's a few games that have teams in them, and i guess you can count sonic forces as one of those games, so i should be more specific here.

i like SA1's flexibility with the roulette-like system, where you could play as any character you wished, but i also like SA2's team system, where they all had a close-knit role within the story from a similar perspective ( hero vs. dark ).

SA1 served multiple perspectives, all giving you pieces of the same puzzle that you have to figure out as you go. by the final story, all of the characters ( except Big, but idc, i love him ) have their character arcs and it's with their changes that the story is fully complete.

SA2 served the entirety of two perspectives and merged them together for the final story, heroes and villains having to work together to fight off the greater evil at hand.

overall, i want more games having the characters work together, having different details // information or even moral differences ( it depends on which system they go with, though ) on the situation at large, but maybe still having to come together.

whether or not they use official teams, i want the sonic franchise to bring back using other characters as necessary plot points with their own individual arcs.

it may not be needed, per say, as there's still a few games that work and don't have either of these systems, but i really miss the adventure games and wish for more of their elements to be implemented in future games.

6. CHAO!!!

BRING THESE LITTLE CREATURES BACK, GODDAMN, WHY ONLY TWO GAMES?!

anyway, that's all i can currently think of. i think these would serve either character or charm to the franchise, but maybe you have some other ideas of what the games could give! maybe proper returns of characters, other forgotten stories, or even new ideas!

lemme know what you think.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic adventure #sonic adventure 2 #sa1 #sa2 #dark sonic #sonic #shadow the hedgehog #shadow #knuckles the echidna #knuckles #team sonic #team dark #team rose #team chaotix #chao #chao garden

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the-dumpster-fire-of-life · 1 year

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Vi, Jinx And Ekko x Reader Flustering Them

What makes them flustered? What action or words make their heart race by us? Is it a tiny simple action or something huge?- requested by RaineRin13 on Wattpad

Vi doesn’t get flustered a lot

By actions or works, really, she isn’t even used to being dependent on someone else

So for her to get flustered by something you said or did is a very big accomplishment

I have no idea but I feel like if you helped her with her bandages

She’d like that??

Like she has been in a lot of fights, it’s not a secret

So it's practically undeniable that she has scars on her knuckles

And on her face

I feel like if you ran your fingers across them, like stroking the scars

She’d love it

It just feels so nice

Especially when you do it without even knowing

Her heart goes boom

She won’t say it does but the blush and red on her face says it all

She isn’t really all about bit gestures or big things

If you keep it small and meaningful she’ll love it

Also she likes when you run your hands through her hair, one of the ways to make her all happy inside

Heart in her ears I’m telling you

Also if you tell her like “I love you” or worry about her in any way

She can’t deny that she loves it

She likes being cared for even if she denies it

JINX

There's not a lot of ways to make Jinx truly flustered or blushy

She usually shake it off or flirts back

But she loves when you flirt back or get sassy

Or when you throw flirty comments at her when she doesn’t have time to process

Watch her slowly let it sink in before curling into herself with giggling

Like a lovesick teenager

Which she very much so is

Jinx mainly likes making YOU flustered

She made it a goal to try not to be flustered by you to see what would happen if she eventually did get flustered and she loves it when she did

I don’t know why but I feel like if you guys get very very serious, she may, MAY, focus on the may, call her Powder

If you knew her before it all

But only reserved for you

Like anyone else?

But you?

Yes

One way to get her heart to race is just by being there with her mainly

Or goofing off with her

Or mainly just helping her with stuff

Like when she has a moment or when she’s making gadgets and shows them to you and you just help her with it

She loves those moments with everything she has

Jinx loves big gestures

Especially if they involve explosions

One very big way to get her heart to race also is if you help her when she is very vulnerable

Or when you tell the voices to fuck off

Like “What’s wrong, Blue?”

“They won’t go away!”

“Who?”

“...Mylo, and sometimes, Claggor…”

“Tell them to fuck off before I beat Mylo’s ass like I did when we were kids. Does he not remember when I kicked him into the gutter?”

She loves it man

Always happy to be with you when they’re bickering at her

She gets sorta flustered when coming to you and you know what’s wrong so you tell them to fuck off and just sit with her

She loves when you try and get her mind off things also

Making gadgets or whatever

She just likes being with you

EKKO

I feel like a way to get his flustered is if you knew him before, calling him Little Man again

He didn’t have anyone else after the explosion that knew about who he was or what he was like before

So he liked having you and you calling him the Little Man nickname again all over

It reminds him of happier times

Also by helping out with the firelights, that gets his heart blushy

ESPECIALLY

When you like plan out a mission or order people around for a mission

He just feels so lucky and secretly blushes in a corner

A small action he also loves, like Jinx, is when you help him with his gadgets and inventing shit

He doesn’t care what it is you’re making

As long as he gets to stare at you while you do it

And if he gets something wrong and if you correct him

He doesn’t get mad, get gets flustered and happy you caught it

If you also catch him staring at you while you fix the gadget yeah, he’s blushing

Also one action is giving him small things or smooth talking

He’s not a really big flirter is all I’m gonna say

He has no game so he’s surprised when he was able to get with you

He’s grateful that he did

Don’t get me wrong

But just being with you gets him all flustered a bit

Also defending him

Don’t get me started

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hwan-g · 2 years

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MIDNIGHT DINER. kim seungmin —

pair. bad boy! seungmin x f. reader (+ chan, minho, changbin) | warnings. profanity, mentions of abuse, brief mention of sa, angst, smut, unprotected sex, age gap (seung is 26 mc is in her early 20’s), karma references, palm reading, soulmate au | word count. 8.2k | in the same universe as route 66, but can be read as standalone.

dedicated to my beautiful mari 🤍 tags. @ughbehavior, @cb97percent, @hyuneater, @lix-ables, @enluc, @danyxthirstae01, @j-0ne25, @hellishmoons, @skz317cb97.

synopsis. he’s seen a lot of shit in his line of work. but this—he couldn’t let this go. not when you were involved.

Seungmin stares down at his hands strangely.

Bony knuckles over thick, not-too-long fingers, silver rings adorning them. Palms rough, and calloused, years of labor work imprinted deep in his lifelines—once, Chan had invited a tarot reader to the club for Halloween. He never got to figure out if the woman was genuine, but once she got to him, she grabbed his hand immediately. The right one, the dominant one.

Her skinny fingers had trailed the hard lines, the long nails grazing the patterns. Changbin had looked over his shoulder, curious as to what was taking so long. Then, as if she had been struck, the reader dropped his hand suddenly, almost like it’d burned her.

Seungmin had waited for the typical ‘Dear boy, you’re going to die soon,’ or the cliché ‘Soon, I can see you’re going to fall in love.’ Always soon, always this rush for something to happen, always a happening of any kind, really. Anything that got the customer satisfied, since human beings are so predestined to impatience. He got none of that.

What he did get— “A person consists of desires, and as is his desire, so is his will; and as is his will, so is his deed,” her words were cryptic, her eyes judgmental. “You will have blood on your hands—someone from your past life will visit you again.”

Everyone around the table had burst in nervous laughter, passing spooked glances. Chan had chuckled next to him, arms crossed over his chest like a shield, but his expression was one of comprehension, and interest.

“What does that mean, psychic?” Changbin rubbed Seungmin’s shoulders, like he was preparing him for battle.

Seungmin nearly thought he might have to go, the weight of the woman’s words lingering in his mind, thoughts of blood, and past lives not sitting quite right with him. He almost called bullshit on her, but the jerk of her hand pushing away his own was still fresh, and certainly much too real.

“It means he will fall in love, but it will cost him.”

Seungmin thinks he figured it out now, looking at you.

The blood, the karmic doom, the war he’d have to leave to—it was all there, across the parking lot of Midnight Diner. In all his four years as a bouncer, he’s seen a lot of brawl fights; drunks assuming alcohol makes them somehow tougher or stronger, girls with claws that know how to use them effectively. He’s mostly kept to the description of his job, making sure to keep the trouble far away, and his mouth shut.

But this—Minho couldn’t get to him fast enough. One moment they were leaning against their bikes, soda cups in hand, the next Seungmin—Seungmin, of all people, the damn pacifist—lashes out at the group of men standing a few feet away, clearly in some sort of argument or power play with the single girl in their company.

And he’d thought it’d be an uneventful break today. Fucking palm readers.

“You better not fucking touch her,” the brown-haired man barked, situating himself between you and the asshole shouting in your face.

“Min, wait, goddamnit!” Minho stopped, panting, and grabbed the guy’s hand before it could strike. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he boomed, eyes shooting daggers.

“Who the fuck are you?” One of them asked, nearing Seungmin dangerously.

Seungmin kept his ground, obviously towering over the man. Gaze tilting downward, head held high, the two of them measured each other. You remained hidden behind him, staring pointedly at his brown leather jacket, studying the creases and wear-and-tear of it.

Someone had helped. When he was about to hit you for what felt like the hundredth time, this time someone stopped it. You would not be foolish again—you’d stay where you were, making yourself as small as possible, and you’d stare at the stranger’s jacket. Perhaps there was a chance—a real chance—that you’d escape tonight, finally, finally leave this nightmare, this awful fucking man that’s made your life an endless torment, a quiet suffering—

The thought alone nailed you to your place.

“Scram, prep boy. Let the grownups handle this, yeah?” The guy in front of Seungmin said smugly, looking him up and down.

Minho sighed loudly. The group turned to him. “Well, you’ve done it now, haven’t you?” he reckoned, turning to his friend. “Guess we have no choice.”

“Guess we don’t.”

If these people thought it’d be a fist fight, they had another thing coming. Being employed at Route 66 was no easy feature. Chan had advised everyone that worked for him to be armed at all times, that he’d get the licenses for them, as long as they had a way to protect themselves. After midnight, the city was a dark place—a lot of illegal activities went on, especially in their area. Changbin had jumped at the idea, but it took Seungmin a good while to get used to it.

Now, the gun in his hand felt nothing more than an extension of him.

“I suggest you walk away, before this gets ugly,” he threatened calmly, looking straight in the fear of their eyes. Mindful of your being behind him, he half turned his head to address you.

“Why don’t you go inside the diner, love? Order yourself a milkshake—say it’s on Seungmin, yeah? Jisung will take care of you.”

“Don’t fucking dare move an inch, (Y/N),” the man that seemed closest to you hissed.

He saw you nod hesitantly from his peripheral vision. He nodded back and towards the restaurant. You went at once, running as fast as you could. Seungmin felt something tug inside him.

“No one orders my bitch around,” the pug faced guy that was eyeing him earlier snarled. “This isn’t over, pretty boys. Y’all better start looking over your shoulders.” He spat on the ground next to him and motioned for his guys to get in their cars.

“You’re not seeing the last of us fuckers,” one of them shouted, and all of them broke out in ‘Yeah’s!’

Then engines roared, and Seungmin got out of their way, gun still held tightly, knuckles going white. Minho saw the change in him instantly, the drop of his shoulders, the haunted look that’s been with him ever since that night on Halloween. It was, and then it was gone—a bullet had been fired, disappearing through the open window of the red Mustang Fox Body, Seungmin recognized. He’d been a car fanatic, before Route. Before motorcycles, late nights, and barfights. Guns, and laws, and what it meant to break one—peculiar women that read magic cards, and find words that aren’t there.

Blood hands. The bullet misses, but Seungmin thinks it won’t stop there. He thinks of you, he thinks of the cost. His veins freeze over.

The car swerves, but exits the parking lot at once, speeding away. Minho lowers his weapon first, putting it back in its holster. Seungmin stares at his hands.

The bony knuckles, the flash of silver. These hands will get him in trouble, he knows, he’s heard it. He’ll try to pretend it won’t be so, but it will, because Kim Seungmin is a stranger in his life. He has no place being here, doing this, and yet he is. Route 66 was supposed to be a temporary gig until he finished school, but he never set foot in those paid classes once, choosing sleep over a career, and friendship over literally anything else. Anything sane.

“Min. Seungmin.” The man in question snaps out of it, looks up at his coworker. His friend. “Hey, let’s go inside. The poor girl is probably scared out of her mind.”

The girl. He goes.

Inside, there was no one but you and the overnight crew. If Jeongin wanted to say something about what had happened right outside his workplace, he kept his lips sealed, and kept sweeping. Jisung, though, knew Seungmin the longest, and was not about to keep quiet to save his neck.

“You stupid fuck! Are you willing to spend your entire life behind bars for a worthless fool?” he yelled at him over the counter.

It had been one hell of a night, and the sun wouldn’t rise for at least another couple of hours. Distantly, Seungmin thought their break must’ve been over long ago, but Chan would understand if they were a few more minutes later. He sat down on the stool next to you, mindlessly studying your profile.

You hadn’t looked up yet, likely terrified of who you’d see, but Seungmin faintly wanted you to. You were safe now, or at least for the time being. He wanted to ask you why you’d been with those men, what they were to you, but he decided against it.

Instead, he answered the seething blue haired man. “You’d do the same if not worse, Han. Don’t fucking lecture me.”

“In any case, that was a close one, Min. I know being at the doors is rough, and that is exactly why we need you,” Minho spoke from a table somewhere behind them. “It was pure fucking luck they didn’t have guns of their own.”

Jeongin was the one replying to that. “Those people never carry. She told me.” He pointed at you.

“They’re regulars here,” Jisung continued. “That’s why I know for a fact— they’re nobodies. She usually stays in the car.”

“That’s not true,” you mumbled, staring at your striped straw.

“What—” Minho tried to ask, but Seungmin glared at him.

“Tell me, love.” He tilted his head to take a better look at you.

Dark circles under your eyes, smudged makeup, scratches, and bruises down your neck. Dirty clothes that barely covered your body. His hands balled into fists on his thighs—he laced his fingers together to keep from shaking. He had to do this—you obviously needed to escape those men. He’d do it again in a heartbeat.

He doesn’t know why. But he gives you his jacket, loosely throwing it over your shoulders. It hangs too big on you, and Seungmin has half a mind to go after those assholes and their race cars. He rarely got this angry, since there genuinely wasn’t much that could get through to him enough to shake him up. But this did. You, looking malnourished, sipping on a strawberry milkshake, abused and traumatized.

The girl from his lifelines. No, this wouldn’t do.

And then you spoke again. “They’re part of a gang from the South Side. They just happen to be the weaker ones,” your voice was low, soft, trying hard not to alarm anyone.

Minho looked at Seungmin knowingly. Chan would probably be familiar with a couple of those people. Yes, but that had nothing to do with Seungmin. He’d made it clear—he wanted nothing to do with the shady shit that went on, on Route. He was there to do his job, get his money, and go the fuck home to sleep all of it off.

“Not so weak if they can do this to you,” he grunted harshly.

You cowered, taking a sip of your drink. “Not so weak,” you repeated, a whisper.

“We could take her to Bang Chan,” Minho offered, serious. He passed a hand through his dark burgundy hair. “Do you have any place to go tonight, darling?”

A shake of your head, and a bite of your lip. Seungmin felt that unfamiliar tug again, like someone pulling on the strings of his heart. He got up, clearing his throat of the strange feeling, and offered his hand.

You looked at him, then, eyes eternally sad, staring into his soul. Your hand slipped in his albeit reluctantly. He gave you a soft, reassuring smile, wishing to make you comfortable around him. He’d do it, no matter what.

“Right, then. On to Route.”

“On to Route,” Minho affirmed.

“Give Changbin my best,” Jeongin grinned. “Tell him it’s been a while since we’ve played pool.”

Jisung roared. “No one can play pool with you In, they’ll end up homeless!”

A high-pitched laugh. “That’s the point.”

“No more stupid shit, fellas! I’m not bailing you out,” the older called out.

“That’s why we got daddy Chan!” Minho yelled back, smirking.

“Shut the fuck up with that,” Seungmin groaned, but couldn’t help the smile on his face.

The night was chilly, dark in an eerie way, yet streetlights glinted like stars in the sky, unafraid. Their bikes had been parked right next to each other, black on black, nearly identical. Minho got on his and turned it on, kicking the stand.

“See you on the other end.”

“Be careful.”

“Always.” With a wink, he was off.

Seungmin didn’t think he’d end up alone with a girl tonight, much less the girl being you. He realized he was still holding your hand, a near death grip squeezing your fingers pale. He didn’t let go. He had to.

“I’ve never been on a motorcycle before,” you admitted, shy.

His eyebrows rose, the wind picking up, blowing hair in his eyes. You thought he looked beautiful, like a proper boyfriend should look. Someone dependable, perhaps a little mysterious, but overall kind and good. You think that’s what you should’ve chosen all those years ago. Not the thrill, not the danger. This. The boy next door. The safe, if that’s what this man was.

He guided you on the bike after getting on himself, and started the motor, balancing on his boots.

“Put your arms around me,” he reached for your hands behind him, circling them around his torso. “Like this. Hold on tight and lean into me.”

“Okay.”

The press of you against him felt entirely too good, for reasons he couldn’t clearly explain. Girls are usually the last thing on his mind—he’s checked off as unable to entertain a relationship, not only because of his line of work, but because of who he was as a person. Maybe, once upon a time, when he was nothing but a regular student, doing regular student things, meeting up with classmates, going to the movies.

Maybe back then, if he could stop time. But now he’s leading a lonely lifestyle, living in a small apartment, working nights and sleeping the days away. The money is enough, but Kim Seungmin has long stopped seeing the point of overspending or of anything, actually, besides living through his life as quietly as otherwise possible.

The ride to the club felt excruciatingly slow, though the speedometer read ninety. Having you flush against him, fingers clutching his thin T-shirt, warm breath blowing over that one spot on his spine—it was torture. It made his thoughts race in inappropriate ways, ways he couldn’t have you, because crossing a line like that meant dealing with the consequences afterwards. Seungmin wasn’t a horny teenager anymore, he could control himself—for the most part. But this was you, and with you it’ll be different—is different already, because destiny (and he cannot believe he’s even considering this) put you on that parking lot, in the exact same way that psychic had described to him.

It all fit concerningly accurate. And so, he guesses it’ll be inevitable—the attraction. History repeating itself, if he believed in reincarnation. Which he doesn’t, because he remembers nothing from his past life, has never been shown even a mere indication that he’s had one, in the first place. Except that night.

Seungmin is dreamless; behind his closed eyelids, there’s always been pitch black darkness, even as a little kid. He used to think there was something wrong with him, but growing older, he started considering it a blessing in disguise. Maturing into an adult, there’s baggage that lingers in the subconscious, trauma or regrets—if he has any, life has pardoned him from the midnight one-man screening of it. But this.

He doesn’t think he can get out of this one. He’s not sure he wants to.

Rounding the corner of his destination, he slows down, makes sure to watch out for the people loitering around the busy street. Route 66 is located on the other side of the area, away from the bustling restaurants and general buzz of nightlife. No, Route was for the people with eclectic taste, something Seungmin respected and admired Chan for making clear, since so many other businesses leer their customers with house music and cheap drinks. In an oversaturated market, his friend has managed to stick out, providing an alternative to the customary.

Seungmin parks his bike in the back alley alongside Minho’s, twisting the key and straightening up, glancing at your arms still circled around his waist. He passes his tongue over his bottom lip, deep in thought, weighing his options.

He can either stay like this with you until silence deafens him—until the end of time or just until his cock calms down in his much-too-tight jeans, whichever came first. Or—or he could take you inside to meet Bang Chan and let him figure all of this out, since he’s so good at solving everything.

Seungmin doesn’t like to admit this, but—he’s not very good with solutions. He’ll usually ignore a problem until it snowballs into a misshapen thing that can no longer be cast aside, and even then, there’s been times when nothing gets dealt with, so it’s just left to hang over him like a cloud full of rain.

He’s sure of one thing. Everything started going downhill ever since that woman touched his hand. He’d never been the worrying type before—there had never been reason for concern. Now, there’s an unsettlement of sorts, a daunting nearing catastrophe taking place in his bones, spreading outward—

Seungmin looks for you over his shoulder.

“We’re here.”

He offers his hand for you to take, and you do, demounting the motorcycle carefully. Together you walk to the back door of the establishment, Seungmin knowingly maneuvering you through the storage room, entering the password for the door that leads behind the bar.

“Who is Bang Chan?” you ask, as music fills your ears.

The club is almost at full capacity, the live band Chan had brought for the weekend playing something rhythmic and sad, stage dripping in yellow light as the rest of the place swam in shadows. Minho was standing by the edge of the counter, talking to the man himself.

“He is,” Seungmin leans to whisper in your ear. The proximity suffocates him, the smell of your skin, your hair tickling his nose—it’s too much.

Still, he pretends. He watches you take in his workplace, ease into it, hugging his jacket closer to your body. He inhales, then, a sharp breath that gets caught in his throat and chokes him torturously. You shouldn’t look as good as you do in something of his. And yet you do.

Thoughts are nothing but a stream of consciousness, yes, but all thoughts of his were completely and utterly yours now, his mind occupied with nothing but you, you, you—his heart might as well start beating your fucking name.

“This is her,” Minho said over the music, motioning for you to come forward.

You looked at Seungmin for reassurance. He tried not to read too much into it as he prodded you to go for it, offering you a tight-lipped smile. Chan studied your face with serious eyes, smoking a cigarette. The low lighting over his head created an illusion of a halo on his hair, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, their boss was a loyal and giving man to anyone that deserved his kindness, but that’s about where the nice ended.

“You need a place to stay?” He asks you through the smoke.

The bassist breaks into a solo, the singer harmonizing over it. Route 66 felt like a fever dream, something you could wake up from. You couldn’t.

“Yes, sir,” you reply, embarrassed about your situation. Even as it was, you didn’t regret running away from your ex and his lackies.

You would never regret that. You’ll always be grateful to the two men that saved you. To Seungmin.

“Do you have a job?”

“No, sir.”

“You can call me Chan,” he broke into a kind smile, pausing his words to clap at the band along with the crowd. Then, “You understand we’re putting ourselves in a tough spot to help you.”

You lower your head, and Seungmin gets a sudden urge to beat his boss unconscious for making you feel like a burden. Chan hadn’t witnessed what he had; the horror on your face as that son of a bitch pushed you, as he lifted his hand to hit you. The casualness of his movements, the exhausted sort of fear scrunching your features together. How you’d hidden behind him.

The bruises are visible, surely he can fucking see them—

Seungmin lunges forward, but Minho’s arm shoots out, hand on his chest, eyes a warning. Chan notices, of course, but keeps that same smile on his face, nodding to himself. It felt like a test.

“She visited after all, yeah Seungmin?” A daring question, but an inside one. You looked between the two men, seemingly confused.

Too bad Seungmin had never been one for games. “She’ll stay with me,” he grunted, a protective hand coming to rest in the small of your back.

“Will she now,” Minho mused, smirking.

“She’ll work here,” Chan suggested, taking a sip of his drink. Then he turned his attention back to you. “Minho will show you how to work the bar. You can be our little helper for now.”

“About fucking time I had some help around here,” Minho mumbles loud enough for everyone to hear.

Chan laughs a resounding laugh. “You poor thing, have I been neglecting you?” And he throws an arm over the annoyed man, going for a kiss. Minho blocks it swiftly, shaking his head.

“Be serious, Bang Chan, have you ever paid attention to me?” He scoffs playfully, but his eyes are glittering.

“I pay more attention to you than I do to my girl, Lee. We’re together all fucking day.” Chan puts him in a headlock, cigarette in mouth, arms flexing.

“Not my problem. I’m sick of your face.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes at their childish banter, when he hears his name being called, the band then announcing a small break. Changbin comes into focus as the lights shift, a tan one piece tied low to his hips, exposing a black tank top and strong arms.

“Where have you been, man? I need you outside!”

You tug at Seungmin’s shirt, scared of being left alone. Your eyes are wide, staring up at him. He lifts his finger asking for a moment from his friend, as he takes you away from the two idiots still going at it.

“Listen, will you wait here for me? I have two more hours left on my shift, then we can go home, alright?” He didn’t expect it to sound the way it came out, and a flash of heat climbed its way to his neck. He coughed awkwardly at your shy expression. “I meant I’ll show you—I mean—fuck.”

You giggle, nodding. “I get what you mean. You better go, he seems in a hurry.”

Seungmin snorted at that. “He’s always in a hurry.” Neither of you moved, both smiling at each other. His fingers itched to touch your face, feel the soft skin of your cheek, caress the ampleness of it. His hand rose, needing, wanting—

The thought was as insane as the action of it. Seungmin broke the eye contact first, hand dropping into a fist at his side, as he inclined his head at you once more, and turned to walk away.

This was bad. This was fucking bad.

At exactly six thirty in the morning, Seungmin unlocked the front door of his apartment, allowing you to walk in first.

“It’s not much,” he said, scrambling to excuse the small space.

You looked around—a couch with a coffee table, and a decent sized TV, adjacent to a clean kitchen with another table, a wooden one and two chairs. A hall ran straight from where you were standing, previewing more rooms. It was cozy, tidy.

“It’s your home,” you spoke, a sadness laced to your words.

Seungmin wanted to smack his head on the wall. Of course, to you it’s plenty. He forgets to be grateful for the basic things, focused on the future, and what he could have, if only he worked harder or, in this case, smarter. But, for the life of him, he cannot see himself quitting Route. At least not anytime soon.

“You’re welcome to move around freely,” he went on, “make yourself comfortable.” He briefly peeked a glance your way, before walking over to show you where you’d be sleeping for the night—well, day.

“This is the bathroom,” tiny, bright, clean— “and over here, my bedroom.”

The bedroom was minimal, consisting of essential furniture, and a guitar next to the balcony door, in front of thick crème-colored curtains. Everything looked so neat, and well kept. He obviously took care of his own, if you were to also judge from the state of his motorcycle. It made you feel at peace for the first time in forever.

Where you’d been living—suffice to say it was nothing like this. Most nights, you’d lay awake, too scared to fall asleep, mind on overdrive, butter knife gripped tightly under the covers just in case any of his men wanted to try anything. Starved, alone.

Seungmin noticed the haunted look on your tired face and tried to bring you back. He run a hand through his hair, mastering the courage to ask you—to understand.

“I think I have some of my sister’s clothes here somewhere…you could take a shower, whatever you need, love, okay? Consider this space your own.” He caught your eyes and gave you his warmest smile.

You smiled back, seemingly waking up from a dream. “Thank you, Seungmin. You are too kind.”

He furrowed his brows at the word. It felt alien to him. “I am no such thing,” he retorted. “I’m only doing what’s right. Before I leave, though—I have to ask you one thing.”

You nodded, waiting. His jacket felt entirely yours now, he can’t remember ever owning it. “Go ahead.”

Seungmin sat down on the bed, still holding his keys. He played with the ring that held them together. “What were you doing with those men?”

You sat down as well, your knee bumping his. He swallowed thickly, trying hard not to look at your naked thighs, the smooth skin, the curve of you.

“I was stupid and young,” you started, head hanging shamefully. “He promised me love, and I went with him. It was the worst mistake of my life.”

“Did you know?”

“That he was a gangbanger? No. My mom suspected it, but she shunned me away when I tried to come back. I had nowhere else to go.”

Seungmin didn’t think—he enveloped you in his arms, pressing your head on his sternum, fingers tangling in your hair. Your scent wrapped all around him, the warmth radiating off you calming his pounding heart. It wasn’t just attraction, it couldn’t be—you were, without a fucking doubt, the most beautiful girl he had seen, but it wasn’t just that. Something in you called out to him, somewhere deep inside him, and he couldn’t help but reply to it; if destiny had anything to do with you being in his bedroom right now, threatening to take over his life, so fucking be it. Seungmin would make sure no harm would come to you, ever again.

He swears it. Damn the cost.

In the back of his mind, he thinks this is how it starts.

“Go take a warm shower, okay? You’ll sleep here,” he mumbled in your hair. “Stay as long as you need to. I’ll take you to work.”

You tried to move away, protest. He had none of it. “You have no money, no way of getting there. Accept it, love—accept me. Please.”

Your answer was the tightening of your arms around him. He smiled without meaning to, wondering how you ever came to fall in the hands of scum like those men. They’d scarred you, made you feel like you didn’t deserve kindness, he could sense it from a mile away. There were other things, too, things he was too terrified to ask, things he felt he knew already.

He kept you like that for a long while.

After your shower, something you’d been in dire need of, you returned to the room, where a set of fresh clothes had been laid out for you. You could hear noise in the kitchen, a cupboard opening and closing, glass clinking. It felt comforting in the most mundane way. Letting the door fall closed behind you, you dried the water out of your hair, quickly changing in the pajama bottoms and oversized shirt.

You suddenly felt very empty, very lonely. You dared move the curtains to the side, looking out the glass into the pastel colors of the sun dawning, starting a new day. Despite not having slept in more than twenty-four hours, you felt more awake than ever. But the fear in your heart tugged true and hard to ignore.

You would ask, even if he refused. You would ask. The room was left glowing in the light of the nightstand lamp once again.

When the brown-haired man passed the threshold of his bedroom, you shot up from the bed, looking like you were just caught doing something you shouldn’t. His expression softened, the two mugs in his hand steaming with lavender chamomile.

“Okay?” he asked, passing one to you.

You bit your lip, again. Seungmin watched the movement with bated breath, his own lips falling open, thoughts of what it would feel like to kiss you invading his mind, taking over his cock—

He was a terrible fucking man. He shook the thoughts away, choosing to burn his tongue with the hot drink as punishment. Here you were, shaken and timid, and he was having wet daydreams about you. Who the fuck does that?

Get it fucking together.

“I want to ask you something,” your eyes bore into his own, full of uncertainty.

“Anything.”

You paused, contemplating. “Could you sleep here tonight?”

Seungmin faltered. “I told you, you can—”

“With me,” you added, hesitantly.

The mug froze in his hands. His damn hands. He thinks if any killing is to take place, any blood spilled, it will be his own. A moment like this could render him speechless, helpless, the mere thought of sharing a bed with you—

Seungmin has slept with women. He’s had one girlfriend, back in high school. It had lasted a year—he broke up with her before she could. Because she was going to, he could tell, even as immature as he was back then. It wasn’t love, she’d been his first, and they just stuck together after that. As simple as that. Later, when he started working at Route the ropes of the job had taken too much out of him for anything real to flourish. So, naturally, there’d been hook-ups, and one-night stands. He was a man, after all.

He concludes this must be the first time he’s—fuck him, he’s fucking scared to lie next to a woman. No, not any woman. You. Next to you.

“You can say no, if you want. I understand—”

He scurried for words. “No,” he muttered sharply, taking a step towards you. “It’s not—no, it’s not you. Darling…are you sure?”

Your eyes shook, obviously not expecting the question. Seungmin didn’t want to make you any more nervous than you already were, so he sat down on the queen-sized bed, patting the seat next to him.

“Come here,” he prodded. You did, taking a sip of your chamomile quietly. “No one can or will hurt you as long as I’m here,” he affirmed, inclining his head to find your gaze.

You smiled at his action. He smiled back. “I promise you.”

“I haven’t slept by myself in five years. You…bring me comfort,” you admitted.

His cheeks turned a shade of pink. “I’m glad,” he cleared his throat, clearly taken aback. “I’m glad I make you feel that way, darling.”

Birds chirping outside, you laid down, Seungmin bringing the blankets over your figure, tucking them on your sides. The gesture was affectionate, and he caught your eye doing it.

‘You will fall in love.’ He thinks he already has.

An act so simple as getting into bed, was anything but that to him now. Still, he tried to get comfortable, leaving appropriate space between your bodies, and lifted his arm over his head, staring at the ceiling.

“Seungmin,” you whispered in the dark.

“Hm?”

“Do you have a family?”

He shifted against the pillow, against the mattress, against the wool material of the blanket. Your voice sounded so small, like a child asking if Santa Claus was real. Full of wonder, and hope.

He couldn’t break your heart; he wouldn’t be the one to do it.

“I do,” he replied, truthfully. “They live four hours away. My sister visits—sometimes too often.”

“She’s older?”

He hums. “She is. Thirty. Married, with a little girl.”

He could picture the smile on your face. Beautiful, precious. “That sounds nice. And you love her?”

“I do.”

“Seungmin, I left my house because I was a ghost—to everyone.” A pause. He searches for your hand. He finds it, palm open, fingers open. He intertwines them with his own. “And when I wasn’t—horrible things happened to me.”

He kisses you, then. Lifts his upper body, and turns to you, taking your lips for his own. You bloom under him, and he curses all who made you feel less than. You were the softest thing he’d ever touched, a girl that held the very string of him, his past life, his blood, his lifeline.

It would never be an easy love with you. He’d fall under, drown in the wave of you. But he’d do so gladly, he’d walk in the water willingly. Your breast was warm, your cheek as lovely as he’d thought. He went deeper still, tongue exploring, fingers carving—

And then he stopped, heart threatening, throat tightening.

Your orbs search for his in the shadows, confused, panicking. Surely, he’d throw you out now. Surely, nothing good could come of his withdrawal, after all men have shown you time and time again, you were to stay and take it.

Don’t move until they’re done.

And yet it wasn’t, not with Seungmin. You wanted to, with him. You missed his breath over your face, his gentle touch.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out, fist over his mouth, soft hair falling over his tired eyes. “Sorry—I’m so fucking sorry, love.”

“Seungmin—”

He moved on the bed, sitting up, on the edge of it. “Sleep, darling, yeah? You need it.”

You go towards him, fingertips grazing his cotton shirt. “Seungmin, it’s okay, real—”

The look he gives you cuts through the dark room, through your chest, and into your heart. You cower under it, falling back onto the pillows.

“Please,” he croaks, hands on his face, elbows on his knees.

What the fuck are you doing, Kim Seungmin? What the fuck did you get yourself into?

The hours pass by ploddingly. He doesn’t sleep a wink. Laying on the couch, eyes closed, arm draped over his face in a haphazard way—he thinks of your words, what it would mean if he reciprocated, if he let himself go.

The truth is you are a stranger to him. He’s never been interested in other people, never had the mental capacity for it, could never understand their ways, why the did what they did, why they cared so little, loved so little. Seungmin thinks if he ever loves, it will be all consuming. He will know nothing about it, trip all over it and cut himself fatally.

You are a stranger in the essence of love. He’s tripping all over you. Again, the woman’s voice echoes in his mind. Again, he cannot escape his fate. The sun high in the sky, mocking him, piercing through his curtains, a hard reminder that there is no rest for him, no escaping something like this.

A girl in his room. Someone he would spill blood for. If only there was more; if only he could find the psychic, ask her again, seriously this time—I have found the love, will I die for it? What now? What comes after?

Perhaps all fools wait for their own deaths. Perhaps this is the history repeating.

Seungmin drifts off with the thought of your lips molding over his. Lines under his fingers, leading him, whispering to him…

He wakes panting, in cold sweat. The clock reads a quarter past eight. Ten hours.

His feet carry him to the bedroom, dazed, in a fright, remains of his dream stuck to his eyelids. His knuckles rub, try to make way for reality, scared, dreading—are you still here, are you okay—

You are. The relief is immense, his body collapses on the doorframe, staring at your calm figure under blankets and sheets, face lost in pillows and softness. Features relaxed, breath even. He exhales shakily.

In his dream, you ran. In his dream, he couldn’t do anything but watch you. A hundred years ago, two hundred years ago. Again, and again, and again.

Seungmin never dreams. He’s never—never. As a kid, he stands and wonders what of his life has he missed, without you; a question mark to join all other questions. About you. About this. In all his life, never. Now, for the first time, you. He trembles all over, he makes no sense.

You stir. Do you? Have you? The thought of him invading your dreams sends him spiraling. It’s getting out of control, more than he can handle, he needs to do—he needs to know.

He calls Bang Chan.

“Good evening, Kim Seungmin.” A teasing voice.

“I need the tarot reader’s information,” Seungmin cuts to the chase, impatiently. He’s waited too damn long.

Now he’s losing his mind.

A pause. “Oh, her,” his boss answers pointedly. “Curious?”

“Please.”

He’s not sure what made him sense the urgency—the tone of him, or simply the very request. But his friend complied immediately.

“I’ll text you her phone number.”

“Thank you. I owe you,” he rubs his temples, where a headache’s beginning to form.

“Don’t mention it, Min.”

A ding! from the device, and he’s pressing on the digits. Time drags on, the line ringing for what seems like forever, an eternity, eons, and Seungmin still never takes his eyes off you, your undisturbed sleep, compared to his troubled, perturbed one. How, his thoughts demand, how is this possible—

“Hello?” A harsh female voice.

“Hello, yes,” he replies, yet now cannot find the words to describe. “I am—you read my palm at a Halloween party this past October. You told me I’ll fall in love, but it will cost me. Do you—I’m sorry, I sound crazy, don’t I?” He moves away from the door, afraid he’ll wake you. The pull remains.

“Who are you, young man?” the woman demands. At least she didn’t hang up on him. Seungmin is grateful.

“I really don’t think you ever learned my name. But—fuck, I apologize. I just really have to know, please. You told me as is my desire, so is my will. That my hands will be painted with blood. Do you remember?”

Nothing, for a long time. Then, “So you found them.”

His heart stops. “I did. I did!” He paces around the kitchen, over to the living room, his face raw, his mouth dry. “She was being beaten and abused. She has nowhere to go, and I—I feel responsible, and I have no fucking idea where it’s coming from! I’ve never had a dream in my entire life, ma’am, and as soon as I meet her, I dream. What does this mean?”

He talks like a mad man, stuttering over his words, thoughts rushing, ahead of him, always ahead, always knowing when he does not.

“What do you think it means?”

Seungmin stops, considers, his mouth a hard line. “I don’t believe in that kind of stuff.” A lie.

“Is that so? Then why did you call me?”

Silence.

“Boy, I think you have your answer already. It is no coincidence, do not delude yourself, and deny the truth. Whatever the outcome, the journey is the point—the heart. You must follow it.”

The words, they echo back, they ring true. They ring through him.

“Will I die?” Even as he says it, it feels wrong.

The woman laughs. “What a foolish question,” she barks. “We all die. What, then? Will you live?”

The line goes dead.

Seungmin scurries, thinks he will do the running, always, after you, for you, whichever came first. His mind is set, the gun on the kitchen table, loaded. If those fuckers came for you, he’d use it, he’d really fucking do it. And this time, he wouldn’t miss.

He wouldn’t die for you. But kill—if it meant he’d dream again, if it meant you’d stay sleeping in his bed, peaceful, unaware. Oh, he’d kill.

For now, his hands search, pull you up, fingers caressing, voice soft, soothing.

“Love…love wake up for me,” he whispered, pushing hair away from your face.

Your eyes open, blinking, alarmed. His touch calms, reassures, against his own heart screaming, pounding, bleeding.

Kim Seungmin usually has it all figured out; he believes in material things, things that exist, possibilities that sound real enough, he weighs them, makes appropriate decisions, has a routine that he’s maintained for the past five years of his life with no problem, nothing out of line, not a single fucking thing, and yet everything crumbles now, before him. Defenses, beliefs, reality and what it means for someone like him, someone that has never experienced much at all in a short life, and yet—Kim Seungmin had it all figured out, and then he fucking didn’t.

He blames his hands, the lifelines of his palms. Who he is, fundamentally. Weak, seeking something greater than himself, unwilling to change his ways, so much so, that his ways had to change him. Will it be enough?

He stares into your eyes, searching, looking, wondering—

“Seungmin?” Your sweet voice, your soft skin.

It will. No matter the cost.

He dives back into you. This time he doesn’t stop, this time it’s real, it’s been proven.

“I need to ask you this, darling, and I need you to be honest with me.”

You wait, hands lost on him, hands holding on.

“Can I go on?” Seungmin brushes his thumb over your cheek, sliding down to your lips, eyes discovering, eyes wide. “Will you let me?”

A nod, a knowing. “I had a dream about you.”

He attacks your mouth then, taking it as his own, like you did with his jacket, like you’ve done long before this life, long before he ever laid eyes on you in the parking lot.

“Of course you did, darling,” he mutters against your skin, head dipping low, pushing your shirt up, kissing trails down your body.

“Of course you did,” and you let him, you open, you spill, you moan, and your hands meet, your hands, the lines connecting, two puzzle pieces missing, finding their way back to each other, remembering.

Seungmin moves the covers to reveal, and for the first time, he wants to unravel, he wants to defile, he wants to dig deep and find, uncover, claim for his own. You’re receptive, you’re so deliciously vocal, and it’s music to his ears, it is a whole fucking symphonic orchestra playing everywhere inside him, showing him the way, guiding him to you. You pull on his locks, and he growls, guttural, so unlike him.

Bottoms off, he goes for your shirt next, his own long gone, passing over his head with one tug of yours. His weight on you, arm supporting next to your face, lips on your breast, fingers disappearing between your thighs, your soft, supple skin, the very curve of you driving him wild with need. His cock is stiff in his boxers, stirring, throbbing, leaking.

Seungmin has fucked before. He’s felt what it means to want a person, so much so you’d do anything. This is more—this is complete annihilation of self. He’d bow for this, beg on his knees. A feeling unfelt, an unfamiliar situation.

“Please,” your voice wakes him up, pleading.

“I will, love, be patient with me, I will.” Finally, his digits push your panties to the side, burying in your cunt in one swift motion. He’s rugged in the way he takes; your hips push off the bed, the sensation unbelievable. It’s never felt like this, it’s never been like this for you—this man cares, this man has been gentle, and kind, and careful with you; he’s handled you like porcelain, he’s tried to refuse it, this, what you both feel, but the string won, the string brought you together like this, you writhing underneath him, his fingers fucking into you.

You’re so fucking beautiful, fuck me—let me see you, darling, let me, and you’re bringing him close, you let him have his way, because he looks struck, he looks lost, and shaken, and his breathing is labored, his thumb rubbing circles on your clit, steady, repeated, and you’re crying out, you’re gonna come, you’re so close, it feels amazing, it feels so good, and you’re him and he’s you, waiting over you, searching for your eyes, locking gazes, all sleep gone, all gone, nothing but you two, on this bed, joining, wanting, coming apart, yesyesyesyes, right there, right there, please, please—

There’s a birth mark on your shoulder, no bigger than a dot, and it taunts him. He’s kissing all around it, riding out your high, his palm cupping your cunt, taming the waves of your hips, your shivering legs.

He focuses on it, tongue going over it once—something stirs in him, something that wasn’t there before, it settles and it washes over, because—he has the same one. Right there. No more than a dot. He tells you this, touch feathery, caressing your sides, showing you.

“Do you think we’re soulmates?” you ask in your haze, breathless.

Seungmin smiles down at you, dropping a kiss on your forehead, as he lines himself to your entrance. “I think we’re more—you’re more, my love.”

More—such a simple word, and yet the meaning of it nestled in your bones at once. He pushed, and you sobbed, full, brimming, overwhelmed. Boisterous, heaving, he rammed into you, hugging your thigh around his torso, lips whispering into yours, hearts beating, alive alive alive—the very sound of you had him tumbling over the edge, his ears tuned to the stirring of your movements, the inhales, the gasps for air. He observed, he marveled. A girl just for him—his girl.

‘And as is his will, so is his deed,’ he hears, and he sinks, he hides into you so he never has to get out, so he can never climb back, so he can bask in your light, and submerge into the very ribcage of you, because it is done, and an action cannot be undone, it is indefinite, it is final. His cock will burst at any minute, your cunt so wet, so fucking wet, he drowns in the thought of it, in the image of your laying on his bed, getting fucked by him, and staying.

Him wanting you to stay. Different, real. So very real.

“I—Seungmin,” your eyes fall shut, your toes curl, and he can’t feel it, but he witnesses it, in the small change of you, in the way you go to turn, no more no more, and he agrees, he paints your walls, he fucking explodes. He almost collapses on you, but you hold him up, you give him time, and he thinks this is it, he’s done for. The falling has concluded, and now it just hangs between you, unsure, regretful.

“I would meet you again, and again, in every life,” you whisper to the jagged man on top of you, tucking sweaty strands of brown hair behind his ears. “Is this too soon, too fast?”

He shakes his head, eyes still not meeting yours. “I’ve known you’d come. I waited for a sign,” he mutters, eyelashes heavy with exhaustion.

You cradled him on your chest, his words resounding, setting little fires. “How do you mean?”

“Lifelines,” a mumble now, drooping, closing, evening. “I thought you a tale.”

“But you’re real, aren’t you?” A squeeze on your love handle. “You’re as real as I am, darling.”

Let the cost come, the blood run. That’d be for later.

#ficscafe #stray kids #stray kids scenarios #seungmin scenarios #stray kids smut #skz smut #skz scenarios #kpop scenarios #seungmin smut #skz fanfic #seungmin x reader #kpop smut #stray kids fanfics #stray kids imagines #stray kids seungmin #—mine.

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honey-minded-hivemind · 2 months

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Yandere Brotherhood (X men Evolution) and preteen fem reader who has Prehensile Hair and can talk to animals and is being fostered by Mystic.

Oooo, yes, more Brotherhood! I can do that, but I keep the Reader gender-neutral, or as the Reader's gender (which means for each Reader, it is whatever they are). Cool mutation idea! Let's try this out:

Your new guardian was pretty weird.

Not just because she was a mutant and a principal (and maybe evil?).

She had other kids at the Brotherhood home, and so far-

There wasn't anyone your age.

Your powers were pretty cool, with prehensile hair, in the shape of tentacles, that curled and grew long, wriggling when you were uncomfortable or curious. Your other power was even cooler, being able to talk with animals, and have them understand you.

It meant you made a lot of friends amongst the natural world...

But it also meant you earned quite the interest from the older teens.

You're looking at a little frog, who's wandered close by after the rain, and are approached by Toad, or Todd, as you try to call him.

"Yo, little teen, what's up?" he asks, squatting next to you in the grass. His tongue flicks out for a second, snatching a mosquito.

"Nothing much. Ribbit-Croak-Plip-The-Third here says he's never seen an amphibian as big as you. Yeah, I know, little guy, he pretty cool. Did ya want to say hi?" You pick the frog up, gently holding it so it can look at Todd. "See? He's kinda like you!"

"It- he... can understand you? And you understand him?" Toad asks, scratching at his hair.

"Yep! And he says he would like to be your friend!"

"That's... That's pretty cool. You're cool, little frog man," he replies, and taps his knuckle against the frog.

"He said you're cool... Okay! Ribbit-Croak-Plip says you're cool, too, and that he knows where some good worms are. If you want, he can show you," you translate.

And that's how you helped Toad and your frog friend make a new friend.

Lance and Fred learn you can lift things with your hair- tentacles- hair-tacles, when you're trying to cook dinner one night.

Two thick strands hold up the mixing bowl as three thinner ones add in herbs, milk, and creamy chicken soup. A few longer pieces are setting up the pan with rice, while the rest dice up the chicken meat. It's busy, enough so that you don't notice them come in right away.

"And that's what Toad said he heard from- Woah! Your hair's moving!" Fred exclaims, and you turn to look at him, as well as Lance, who'd he been talking with. You wave at them, as well as one your hair-tacles.

Lance's face turns pale, then a little green. "I... um. I think I might need to sit down a minute," he mumbles, plopping down into a chair by the chipped table. Fred only comes closer, looking at them and the ingredients.

"Whatcha cooking?"

"Chicken and rice casserole."

"Does it taste good?"

"Mhm..."

"... May I touch one of your... thing-a-ma-jigs?"

"Sure," you say, turning back to the bowl, now being filled with the diced chicken, the now-free strands opening up the oven as you pour the mixture into the pan. You feel a light touch on one of the tentacles, gentle and shaking. With a quick curl, it bumps the hand. "Boom, hair bump," you chirp, adding in some rice and stirring it into the mix, and once it's settled in the pan, you pop it into the oven.

"So... it's not snakes?" Lance asks weakly.

"No... It's like a little octopus," Fred says in quiet awe, bopping another one with a finger, earning a small bop back.

"Oh... So... An Ursula version of Medusa?" Lance says, then looks at the nearest tentacle. It boops him on the nose, then ruffles his hair. "Hey, leave the hair alone!" That only gets a giggle out of you as you wait for the casserole to cook.

Pietro isn't much issue, and neither is Wanda, both accepting g it without much problem, especially once you gift them a kitten, one who happily purrs the moment you plop it into their hands.

"This is Potter, they love people, they're an orphan, and they saw you, Wanda, and wanted to know if she needed a mouse catcher and loyal guardian. They also saw Pietro and said he'd like to nap on him, that he vibrated and so he must purr so much and be happy," you babble, stroking its small head with slow ministrations.

"... I will guard them with my life," Wanda says firmly, petting the kitten as it only purrs louder.

"... And I guess we could use a mouser. But it's not sleeping with me!" Pietro mutters.

(The kitten ended up sleeping with him, and would do so every night after, never being kicked out no matter how much Pietro acted mad) (He wasn't, the kitten, Potter, said it was cooed over and cuddled and given so many kisses that they couldn't help but give the purring mutant and the powerful guardian all the kisses it could give)

Mystique didn't cause as much mischief when you were part of a mission, but that didn't stop her from setting you up in odd situations.

"Why do I have to pretend to be your child?" you asked, looking up at the currently-disguised mutant.

"Because, my dear, it is imperative we catch Xavier while his guard is down," she practically purrs, then pulls you into a hug. "Now, let's try to get closer; I think I see our opening."

The two of you walked around the park, enjoying the pond and nature around you, even getting ice cream together. It was the perfect act, enough to let you two spy on the X-Men's older leader/guardian (it wasn't an act for Mystique, she just wanted to spend time with you and show you off to Charles).

It was pretty nice, overall, being with the Brotherhood.

You just had to keep away from the X-Teens, or otherwise you ended up grounded.

#honeycomb thoughts #platonic yandere marvel #yandere platonic marvel #platonic yandere xmen #yandere x-men #platonic yandere #platonic yandere x reader #platonic yandere marvel x reader #platonic yandere mystique #platonic yandere lance alvers #platonic yandere blob #platonic yandere pietro maximoff #platonic yandere wanda maximoff #platonic yandere toad #platonic yandere fred dukes #platonic yandere quicksilver #platonic yandere scarlet witch #platonic yandere avalanche #platonic yandere Brotherhood

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mama-qwerty · 5 months

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The Knucklesverse Guide

Updated December 15, 2023

A group of us on our Knuckles-centric discord server kind of accidentally created an au inspired by the Spiderverse movies. The Master Emerald—who loves her guardian something fierce—creates a special place where all the versions of her guardian from across different universes can come and socialize, be safe, and not feel so all alone anymore. This place exists in a little pocket dimension the ME created, and is called The Sanctuary.

While at the Sanctuary, the different Knuckles are called by what media or au they come from. Movie Knux is called Wachowski, Sonic Boom Knux is Boom, etc. There are a few au Knuckles that were created in that server that we play with as well, so I figured it would be a good idea to make a kind of cheat sheet so readers will know who these other Knux’s are. I’ll update this if/when I add more to whatever bits of writing I do for the Knucklesverse.

I have done A LOT of writing for this au in the server. They’re a lot of fun to play with.

There are more Knux in the Sanctuary—Archie, OVA, and Underground, for example—whom I will probably not include, mainly because I am not familiar with their backstories and personalities well enough. My main group is the Shatter Triplets, Boom, Wachowski, and a few of the new aus.

Anyway. Here we go!

~~~~~

Boom – age 16-18

from Sonic Boom tv show

the most emotionally aware Knux

the tallest of the batch – stands close to 5 feet tall

acts as the “big brother” to the others, because of his size and emotional intelligence

is very open with physical affection, giving hugs and forehead presses whenever one of the others need it – he’s the only one some of the more stoic Knux’s will accept this from

he’s less stupid in the Sanctuary, because the lack of a ME in his world is what contributed to his spacey thinking

Wachowski – age 16

from the live action Sonic movies

he knew his tribe, so can pass on customs and traditions and the language to the others

lost his tribe at age 6 and wandered the galaxy searching for the ME shortly after, being caught and forced to fight in arenas and such at a young age

typically has the calmest head of all the Knux

Dread – age 22-25

from Sonic Prime tv show – the shatterspace No Place

he, Gawain, and Sinbad are the three eldest out of the rest of the Knux

the shortest of the Shatter triplets, and has a bit of a belly

has a special bond with Boom, and is protective of his brother Gnarly

being in the Sanctuary helps calm the madness within him – his lack of a ME in his world is what made him go kinda bonkers and the Prism Shard didn’t help matters

over time he becomes less selfish and more protective of the others – but he’s still him and will turn to violence if he deems it the best course of action

Renegade (aka Ren) – age 18-20

from Sonic Prime tv show – the shatterspace New Yoke City

no-nonsense and blunt – he’s Prime Knuckles’ sense of duty and protection ramped up to 11

the most responsible of the Shatter triplets, but still gets pulled into shenanigans by Dread and Gnarly (mostly Dread)

gets ‘bad vibes’ when something’s wrong

doesn’t really like Dread all that much, but will step up to help if Dread needs it

Gnarly – age 15ish

from Sonic Prime tv show – the shatterspace Boscage Maze

grew up anxious and paranoid, thinking the trees were talking to him – he’s Prime Knuckles’ chaos sensitivity, and was ‘hearing/seeing’ the chaos energy in all the living things around him

while in the Sanctuary, the ME calms his mind

he’s still fidgety and a little jumpy with anxiety issues

tall and lanky, like a gangly teenager – always hungry and isn’t picky about what he eats

Dark – age 47

from the Dark Mobius storyline in Archie comics

became Enerjak, almost conquered the planet

arrogant and cruel – sucked out people’s souls to make them his minions

when he lost his power he became this old and wrinkly lump of nastiness

none of the other Knux like him, but the ME pulled him in because he’s a Knux and she believes everyone is worthy of redemption (spoiler alert, he doesn’t want redemption, he wants his power back)

he constantly tries to play on the others’ weaknesses and insecurities, to manipulate them into giving him back the power he so desperately wants again

Gawain – age 22-25

from Sonic and the Black Knight video game

essentially forced to be king when Sonic noped out

very protective of his country and people

has strong sense of duty and honor and failing at any mission or task is NOT an option

Sinbad – age 22-25

from Sonic and the Secret Rings video game

a sailor who butts heads with Dread

can use his World Ring to control storms

treasure hunter, but doesn’t have the best luck

X – age 16

from Sonic X anime

shortest temper, easy to rile up

most gullible, but still has the Knuckles heart of gold

always believes in second chances, even for enemies who were trying to kill him a moment before

can be very rude, but cares deeply about his friends

From the various Knuckles aus created by folks on the Echidna's Parade discord server

Cyber - age N/A

created by folks on the Echidna's Parade server

he was made into an A.I by getting assimilated into cyberspace

was saved from cyberspace but ended up with many ai behaviors

is cold but feels bad about it

more logical than other Knuckles’

can summon Holographic screen he can display information on

Jax – 20ish

created by folks on the Echidna’s Parade server

a storybook au that follows along the lines of Black Knight and Secret Rings, based on Alice in Wonderland

ex-knight to the Queen of Hearts (Rouge)

she abused him for much of his life – he put himself in harms way to keep others safe, especially his world’s version of Tails

suffered much of his life due to this mindset of self-sacrifice

the queen cut his quills short – in his world quills are held in high honor and cutting them is a sign of shame and cowardice

one of the more quiet and reserved Knuckles and can have panic attacks

Quetzal (aka Q) – age 16ish

created by folks on the Echidna’s Parade server

a shapeshifter, who can transform into a large dragon, or a mid-size form between the dragon and echidna

has abandonment issues – his parents were killed as they protected his egg and their hoard, and when he hatched he instinctively began to protect the hoard as he waited for their return

adopts his friends and loved ones into his ‘hoard’ and is fiercely protective of them

was prophesied to bring death and destruction in his world, but he simply doesn’t want to so avoided that whole mess

communicates in chirps, whistles, growls and trills while in dragon form

behaves a lot like a lazy cat – loves to nap and force others to nap if he thinks they need it

gives off golden retriever energy when excited

typically not a fighter

Zombie/Zombby (aka Z or Little Z) – age 12

created by folks on the Echidna’s parade server

he was raised by his tribe to be the guardian of the ME, taught and groomed by the priests since he was barely hatched

they betrayed his trust, wanting to use the ME’s power for themselves

when he came of age at 12, they attempted to connect him to the ME but were overzealous and flooded his little body with so much chaos energy it killed him

they tried to hide their crime by burying him in a small grave, but the ME worked her magic and over the course of thousands of years, she ‘marinated’ him in her energy, reviving him

he’s technically still dead, but the abundance of chaos energy within him reanimated him

he can detach his limbs for comedic effects

classic baby of the family – can do just about anything and the others can’t stay mad at him for long

he has a bit of a limp – the others tend to carry him on their backs or shoulders because of this

doesn’t remember much of his life

Nile (aka Mummy Knuckles) – age unknown

personality created by the folks on Echidna’s Parade server

the Mummy skin from the game Sonic Forces: Speed Battle

holds himself in a regal manner

can be cold and distant, but has special soft spot for Zombby

is usually followed by at least 3 ghosts, but can conjure others at his command

very blunt and to the point

went through the mummification process for reasons (I don’t think we’ve hammered those out yet) – it was his choice to do so and he feels very proud for the honor

didn’t retain much memory from when he was alive, so pieced together who he was from the murals on the walls of his tomb – which depicted him as this stiff, regal person

Metzli and Yunuen (aka ‘the twins’) – age 17ish

created by the folks on Echidna’s Parade server

the twins are fundamentally Knuckles split in two

Yunuen was a body-less eldritch being, billions of years old, who wandered the galaxy and inhabited the bodies of mortals to give himself something to do

he would seep into the body of a mortal, copy their mind and memories and personality, and eject the soul of that body, dooming it to roam endlessly or vanish into the ether without that mortal tether

he did this time and time again, sending countless souls to their damnation

one day he came upon a lone figure on a floating island, and decided to inhabit him

Knuckles was copied, and his soul was ejected (after a bit of a struggle, which was unusual) and the being moved in and assumed Knuckles’ life

Knuckles’ soul refused to give up and stuck around, using his new ghost-like abilities to try and contact his friends

after some time, the eldritch being was ‘reverse corrupted’ due to Knuckles’ pure heart and overwhelmingly self-sacrificing nature

wracked with guilt, the being begged for forgiveness, his past atrocities weighing heavily on his mind

the ME recognized true remorse, and refused to let the now changed being leave forever, so she constructed a new body for Knuckles’ soul to inhabit

to avoid confusion the two adopted new names – Yunuen for the eldritch being in Knuckles’ original body, and Metzli for the new body created for Knuckles’ soul

Yunuen is anxious and fearful, his past haunting him

Metzli is very protective of his brother – he holds no ill will toward the being he was

they each retain some powers from their previous forms – Metzli has the ability to astral project, and Yunuen can alter matter and tap into his eldritch form when necessary (I’m not sure what that entails – don’t think we’ve really hammered that all out, either)

Okay, I think that’s all the Knux I typically work with. I’ll update this with more if/when I get more writing out that includes someone new I forgot.

Check out my Knucklesverse bits under snippets!

#knucklesverse #sonic boom #boom knuckles #knuckles the dread #sonic prime #gnarly knuckles #renegade knucks #knuckles wachowski #sonic the hedgehog fanfiction #sonic fanfiction

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michygranger23 · 10 months

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HI HELLO THERE!! I'm thinking I do this post first about getting to know the different Spider-people that I introduced in my last post before we continue with the discduo center story one, so in that way I can give myself and my readers context about their stories and abilities!! Anyways ONTO THE RAMBLE!!

(Part 1/2)

Spider-Man Tubbo "Web Boom" (Earth 2312003)

Tubbo is a 19 year old boy that lives in New York with his aunt Puffy (his parents died on a fire accident, so Puffy took care of him when he was very little). He also has an uncle who he usually visits, his uncle has an alcoholic problem, and he's not exactly a good guy, but Tubbo knows deep down he has a good heart, he just doesn't show it (but he doesn't know that his uncle is actually an enemy of his)

Tubbo was bitten by a radioactive spider when he infiltrated Alchemax's building to get to see up close some scientific projects that he couldn't get to see properly when he went on a tour for school (he's a tech genius, so he really wanted to see the projects, and it was easy to hack into the system). Puffy knew about his secret about a week when Spider-Man appeared, she knows him very well and when he asked him about it (about 2 months later, to give him time), Tubbo couldn't lie to her because: 1.- He doesn't know how to lie and 2.- He didn't want to keep secrets from her.

His special power is that he's able to manifest two big stings on his wrists (kinda like Miguel, but imagine them coming out like how Wolverine does, but only has one instead of three, and it comes out of the wrist instead of the knuckles). He's able to inject a venom that paralyzes them completely, kinda like if they were frozened and can't move a muscle, this venom has an effect of 1 hour, but he's working on making it take more time to dissapear. He also created some mini bombs that contain lots of webs in them to capture easily enemies (hence why the name "Boom")

This hasn't happened yet, but he will lose Jschlatt when he discovers that his nephew is Spider-Man and Techno kills him (Jschlatt is The Prowler here) (yes I'm incorporating your idea @veyette because I really loved it a lot!!/pos)

Other villains he has: Techno as Kingpin, Dream as The Green Goblin, Niki as Doc Oc, Ranboo as the Lizard, BBH as Carnage.

As you can see, almost every villain he has are the same Spider-People that ended up in his universe (yes I made that half intentional because as I said, I make this up as I write it in the moment lol)

Spider-Man BadBoyHalo "Demon Spider" (Earth 020495)

Bad is a 28 year old man that lives in New York with his partner Skeppy (they're in a queer platonic relationship). They both work at a bakery that they opened themselves, it's a small shop, but they get enough money to live comfortably.

Bad was bitten by a radioactive spider when he visited Alchemax's building because Sapnap, a good friend of his he has known for years and basically considers like a son, invited him for a science exposition that another friend of them was part of, George (they meet after a bit of knowing Sapnap). He told Skeppy he was Spider-Man after a month of patrol.

His special power is that he's able to have 2 pairs of extra arms with claws, have another pair of eyes, and have chelicerae (basically like that one episode of Ultimate Spider-Man where he got poisoned and turned into a savage Man-Spider lol), because of this, he has the title of "demon" (it also contributes this because of the black and red clothing he uses-not Miles suit btw haha-). He only uses this power in extreme cases of emergency, since in this state he can get really agressive and almost losing his sanity and humanity.

He lost Skeppy during a fight with Doc Oc (in this universe George is Doc Oc. Just like in the second movie of Tobey Maguire, in another experiment George did, he lost control of the tenticles and his mind became clouded and corrupted -but not to the point of insanity like Green Goblin is-he killed Skeppy when he collapsed a building)

Other villains he has: Jack Manifold as Electro, Quackity as Kingpin, Slimecicle as Venom, Fundy as Kraven the Hunter, etc.

Spider-Man Ranboo "Arachnid Shadow" (Earth 0211003)

I'm gonna use they/them for Ranboo just to clarify/lh

Ranboo is 19 years old and lives in New York with their friends Tommy and Tubbo (they've known each other since kinder-garden and have a great friendship together)

Ranboo was bitten by a radioactive spider when they visited an old warehouse where they would film some scenes for a project for school they were doing (this would be Generation Loss, but more of a format of a movie than a live-stream). They were visiting the building with other best friends like Aimsey, Freddie and Billzo, since they wanted to tag along. The warehouse was located near an Alchemax building. They only told Tubbo about their secret since Tubbo helped them cure some nasty injuries when he found them in an alleway bleeding without their mask.

Their special power is that their able to manipulate the darkness and shadows. This means that their able to create darkness when they need it, form shadow people for a short period of time, and in extreme cases, teleport through the shadows (they still don't know how to handle well this power, and when they teleport, it makes them faint and bleed from their nose for a bit, so they don't teleport unless is an emergency). Imagine like Whisp from "Monster-High 13 wishes", to give somewhat of an idea haha.

He lost Tubbo while fighting Venom (in their universe, Exdee is Venom). Coming from a meteorite that fell on Earth, he escaped from there and while Ranboo was patrolling, he attached himself to them. Ranboo spend almost a month with the symbiote, he started acting agressive, rude, and even started to sleepwalk when he went to sleep (this would be the enderwalk). When they finally realized what was happening to them, they asked help from Tubbo to get rid of the parasite. While doing this, the symbiote got angry at Ranboo and attached himself to Tubbo, causing the two of them to fight. In a fire that was produced by the chaos of the fight, some fireworks from a near store got activated and went straight to Tubbo. The symbiote got too weak and escaped while he still could, leaving without healing Tubbo, who got too injured by the explosions that he sadly passed away.

Other villains he has: Wilbur as the Green Goblin, AntFrost as Kraven The Hunter, Purpled as Mister Negative, etc.

AND THAT'S IT FOR THIS PART!! I'm really having a lot of fun cming up with the backstories and the lore of this AU hehe, it's also difficult thinking who fits best as villains for different universes haha. Anyways hopefully tomorrow I finish introducing the rest of the Spider-people so I can continue with the discduo main one. Let me know your thoughts, opinions and ideas of this :D!!

#tubbo #tubbolive #ranboo #ranboolive #badboyhalo #discduo Spider-Man AU #MichyAU #beeduo #skephalo #georgenotfound #tommyinnit #dream #jschlatt

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pomegranate-pen · 2 years

Note

Since requests are open, could you write Shadow and Knuckles (separate) from sonic Boom with a fem. reader who runs this cute little bakery and is pretty much an embodiment of the coquette aesthetic? Thank you in advance! I love the series Stranded and you’re a wonderful writer! Have a great day! :)

thank you so so much- you're so sweet you made my day- I was actually really insecure about my writing these days so this really cheered me up.

also important note. so apparently tumblr has a character limit and I had to divide this into two different posts just to be able to post it- :"))) so yeah this is part one with half of shadow's headcanons. part two will be posted shortly after this one.

Boom! Shadow the hedgehog part 1:

The first time Shadow met you was after his second fight against Sonic

His body was sore from his kicks, with small bits of bruises here and there and his mood annoyed by his failure. He wouldn’t give up, though. He’s the ultimate lifeform, the only solution for failures is improvement and more hard work.

Yet, even with that strong belief, he felt his stomach growl as a sweet smell takes over his nostrils. Looking around, his eyes quickly land on the small lightly shaded pink bakery merely a few feet away from him.

He’s at first hesitant on entering, but upon his energy getting lower by the second and his stomach becoming impatient, he begrudgingly comes in.

Seeing an injured customer was one thing, them being intimidating and quiet was another. Despite having a bit of suspicion towards him, you didn’t exclude him from your sweet smile and polite greeting.

Upon asking what he’d like to order, you would’ve never guessed what he’d say.

“Coffee Beans. Now.”

“p-pardon?”

Coffee beans. Not brewed nor grinded. Just pure normal coffee beans. Without any more seconds wasted, you went to the kitchen to prepare.

This gave the hedgehog time to look around the place. Pastel colors, mostly pink and white, engulfed the area in pleasant harmony. The menu had drawings of what seemed to be lipstick markings all around its background, the font was cute and elegant and pink flowers seemed to be the mascot of the place.

The smell of cakes and cookies was phenomenal. And by looking at the counter before him, he could see how each one was made with close attention and ambition to it.

When you came back with the coffee beans, which were neatly placed in a small sack with heart decorations on it and a pink ribbon tying it all together, you finally noticed the small scars around his body.

With you worriedly asking him about his well-being, Shadow merely shrugged it off and called it nothing but a mere scratch.

“Sir, it's bleeding.”

Shadow huffed and shrugged it off. “I had worse. I’m not a weakling.”

After lots of bickering, you finally made him accept your offer of patching him up.

Having someone’s touch be so delicate and soft was something quite foreign to Shadow. In most cases, Shadow only had physical contact with people who wanted to fight him. Anyone without that intent never tried to get too close due to his sour neutral expression and preference for being alone.

Even though he never understood why, he kept coming to visit. Most times he’d have an excuse of wanting to keep his enemies away from you. But when his visits become normality in both your life and his, he tends to question the true intent behind it.

He mostly shows himself to be very annoyed by you. But never really leaves the place. You find out quite soon that he’s just putting up a façade of displeasure only to hide his true feelings.

Shadow usually patrols the area you work in. keeping you away from harm becomes one of his top priorities along with defeating Sonic. If you ever wondered why Eggman never shows up around the area you work in anymore, do know that's because Shadow’s threats to him work well and make the scientist stay away from you at all costs.

You flirt with the hedgehog lots. Often telling him he looks great and giving him on-the-house treats. As more time passes, the more you learned about Shadow and what he likes and dislikes in a treat. Each treat becomes more to his liking and at some point, you make the perfect treat in his eyes.

He mostly bickers and says “I don’t like sweets.” When you offer him one. But eats the whole thing quickly for someone who calls himself a disliker of it.

You’d definitely be the first one to realize you like him. For him, however, it’d take much more time. He has lots of trust issues and a distaste for getting attached to someone.

He’s, quite literally, the edgiest person you’ve ever met. The definition of a tsundere. He never really compliments or praises you for your work, but his actions do all the talking for him anyway.

Lots of jabs and insults to horrible customers. May even cause a fight if the customer in question has a huge ego and power.

Shadow usually helps you by bringing the boxes full of ingredients to the bakery and taste testing. One thing he said he dislikes doing is taking orders from customers.

But there was this one time, this once-in-a-blue-moon moment where he did help.

The place was overflowing with customers. Meh Burger was out of business at the moment, having been blown into bits one night by Eggman and Chez Amy, the new restaurant that only opened a week ago, got closed.

With that, a flood of hungry customers sprinted at your door for food. And being the only staff at the place, you were pretty overwhelmed.

That’s when Shadow hesitantly decided to help. It took all his might to not punch at least one customer.

But in his eyes, it was all worth it. Seeing you be calm and happy during all of it, at times snickering a bit at his struggle to hold back an insult was tremendously better than having you distressed from the hundreds of orders. He’d never admit it though.

It was all going well until the Sonic gang showed up.

Scowls being traded, annoyance and rage being obvious in both cases, that’s the interaction the two hedgehogs had for nearly five minutes. The others and you just stared at the two in shock and horror. Worried about what will happen in the next second.

Thankfully, no fight started. But there were too many close calls to count. Both have seemed to decide on keeping their rivalry for another day for the sake of your place not being trashed.

That didn’t stop the blue blur from teasing Shadow for becoming soft and it didn’t stop the ultimate lifeform from calling the speedy pathetic and his win in their last fight a ‘nothing but a mere stroke of luck’

part 2 is here!

#sonic #sonic boom #x reader #reader insert #knuckles the echidna #shadow the hedgehog #shadow x reader #boom!shadow #boom!knuckles #boom shadow #boom knuckles #headcanons #headcanons event #fluff #knuckles x reader

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nightfurylover31 · 2 years

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Why Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is one of my favorite Sonic games.

I know this game is full of glitches (what Sonic game isn't?), but I thought it had some very good points for game play and story mode. Again, these are just my person opinions. Please don't bash me for speaking my mind.

Playing as multiple characters. I've seen a lot of people complain about only playing as mostly Sonic. Here, you can play as him, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. And you can choose who you can play as at almost any point in the game. This is a real team effort game!

More open world than most Sonic games. As someone who plays a lot of Pokemon, I appreciate the feeling of exploring areas and coming back to discover new things.

Expressive animation. There is a lot of emotion in the facial expressions, almost the same as the cartoon. It feels like we see more of that than even in more recent games.

Serious Sonic. Another common fan complaint is how Sonic is always cheerful and easy going no matter what the situation. This is a different level. He's still very confident, but we see Sonic taking the matter of releasing Lyric very seriously. Making jokes when needed and being earnest in tough situations. It's one of the things that makes me love Sonic Boom so much.

Lyric. I have to admit, he seems like an interesting character. It kind of reminds me of the older games and comics with Robotnik wiping out nature, view robots and technology as superior. I do wish we got more backstory on his illness and what else motivated him to go this far. And I wish he was in the show too.

#sonic boom #rise of lyric #sonic boom rise of lyric #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #knuckles the echidna #amy rose

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mooshs-crack-headcanons · 2 years

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Okay new Tails-tube short came out and I want to talk about it (mostly about Knuckles edition)

Under the cut because I go on a bit:

#1 Knuckles voice and character direction:

I absolutely love this new Knuckles voice a LOT. Of course Knuckles is being voice by Dave Mitchell, with his first Knuckles role being in Team Sonic racing where his voice there wasn't exactly bad to say but it was clearly trying tbh a bit to hard to be a Travis Willingham impression which I get for the sake of continuity but in that game at least it just seemed kind of too forced and a bit too noticeable to say at least. However, now as this short proves that he is no longer trying to do the Travis impression and is doing his own take on the character which is good!

Like I was very grown used to Travis' Knuckles when having his voice in so many games for so long and I believe personally Boom!Knuckles (at least when ignoring the canonverse Knuckles for just a moment) was definitely his best take on the character and honestly for me at least is most of the part of why Boom worked like it did, not as a sonic show but as a dorky little comedy.

Movie!Knuckles I think is what proved to me that change can absolutely work and was absolutely needed for Knuckles as a character, for so long his character had been so dumbed down and mostly just either used for jokes or incompetent decision making (look at everything he done while he was in charge in Forces) but thanks to the writing and Idris Elba's voicing it turned the page and started a new with Knuckles' portrayal, having him as warrior with honor who spent most of his time growing up alone and made it where while he's not stupid but he does have this naivety to him about how to be around people and exactly what it means to have a true friend letting the S3&K being tricked by Eggman plot line feel more natural than it did in that game. He felt like he had a healthy scale; one end being a warrior with the highest of honors and is absolutely ready to fight whatever and whenever nesscary and on the other end is naive kid new to society and learning the ends and out of what it means to have friends and family and not to be alone, throughout the movie he goes to different parts of the scale depending on the situation and the key of success here was it always felt natural when he did - both sides were him but if need be he can easily switch from one to the other if the situation called for it. It's a nice touch in my opinion and complexes his character out more.

Why do I bring this up? Because new and different voices can do very much a different direction of a character along with different writers and voice directors (there's many examples here in this franchise to take you're pick from) and here in this Tails-tube short Knuckles is proof of all of that; new voice that isn't just an impression of the previous Knuckles' one, new writers especially Ian Flynn which we know was involved with at least this short in particular thanks to one of his tweets, and we *know* there's new voice directors at least in some way while not doing the his 'new voice' for Sonic in this short but given so just how vastly different Roger's Sonic sounds in the small footage we've seen him speak in Frontiers, but even so just everyone who speaks this short sounds WAY less like their interpretations from the meta era sure they made jokes but nothing was nauseating to listen too like it was from colors-forces like you can just telling its Flynn's writing because of just how much it sounds like the IDW comics except it is more exposition dumpy but that's kind of the point of Tails-tube to give us lore and world building for maybe the younger audience who doesn't know much about the previous games so I'm fine with it.

Edit: It's actually Tyson Hesse who wrote and directed this short but pretty much my point still stands, they did an amazing job! :)

#2 Just some more things about Dave's Knuckles I noticed:

Anyway, Dave's Knuckles seems to be slowly forming his own identity in this short and will hopefully be fleshed out more in the Knuckles' prologue short (which I'll come back to later btw) so far he seems to be a lot less bullshity and more serious about his job protecting the Master Emerald than he has been in a very long time, this I'm very happy to see. Also??? This short addresses his consent leaps of absences away from the emerald and actually explains it??? That alone knocked me to the floor. Like he says he leaves to help Sonic whenever trouble he needs his help with comes around, which okay doesn't explain every situation because sometimes Knuckles is seemed just chilling around before the big bad of whatever game it is happens but again maybe there's something a little deeper there of him actually wanting to spend time with his friends just because but he doesn't want to say it out loud so that's the explanation he gives but maybe everyone around him knows that isn't truly the case but chooses not to say anything because the guy tries to keep a front of a guy only concerned with his job but actually cares a lot (which you can both see in this short given the fact even if he doesn't seem impressed or to get why Tails is doing his little internet show he still calls him though concerned at first that he was in danger but still stays on the line to answer Tails' interview questions and even oblivously in that older brother-like way teases him a bit about throwing him off the island for wanting to do tests on the Emerald even though the fox can fly, which was sweet. It's only when Sonic appears that he switches it up back to that front and breaks the camera. So... tsudere a little? Maybe but honestly it was never overbearing or all that noticeable that I think it kind of works and which I find cute but at least Sega is finally remembering that Sonic and Knuckles are also rivals even though their relationship is definitely better than Sonic and Shadow's rivalry which is, you know, more of a cliche hot-mess.

Knuckles' reaction to Rouge just being mentioned was funny.

Not Boom!Knuckles quality of jokes, which is good, but the fucking rock bit was also funny so good thing to know they're trying to regain balance which comedy when it comes to Knuckles' character, afterall even in S3&K comedy was indeed a part of his character (look at the him alone in that game trying not to fall scene and his boss fight being... a joke in itself) "I don't chuckle-" line in his SA2 theme when literally in his first interaction with Sonic that's what he does. ALL OF HIS THEMES IN SA1&2. Literally all of his in game animations in Sonic Riders. This face:

Yeah they might've dumb down his character over the years and went overboard with the jokes but that's not to say the jokes weren't always there, even indirectly. And that's what makes it work, make him indirectly funny.

When asked about if he what to know more about the Master Emerald he straight up gives the most SA1!Knuckles ass response which it's fitting given his SA1 theme is playing the entire time.

They are straight up hinting at some kind of new form for him involving the emerald in some way, I fucking swear. I feel it in my gut.

Anyway I love him.

#3 Frontiers.

Giving the fact they literally state so in the ending, just happens directly before Frontiers with them mentioning picking up Amy to come and join them. A few things:

Knuckles is still on the island so I'm also assuming the Knuckles prologue takes places right after this short. But we know he's going to also be on the Starfall Islands and is most likely also going to be saved like Amy and probably also Tails so exactly what is going to go down in the prologue animation that is also going to drag him also into cyberspace? Something also having to do with the emeralds?

Speaking of which; they are REALLY hamming in hamming in the roles of the emeralds, which I think is good given its been SO long since they had actual importance in a game. And we know we're getting super sonic at least maybe a few times each on every island given there's some bosses you can only fight using him... but that leaves one question what about the final boss of this game? Are we just going to use maybe a more powered up version of super sonic? Or maybe something else? Who knows 🤷🏻‍♂️

The glitches around the image of Starfall Islands. We know their connected to cyberspace so its not surprising that their glitchy but Tails said the chaos emeralds... lead/shown him the islands? How? I know their magic and all that but don't you think it's strange? Exactly how are these two places connected where the emeralds would sense them enough to want to go there? We know they have a subconscious of their own and thanks to Origins we see them travel as they please but why there? It's mysterious and I'm actually invested into learning more about it which is something I don't say going into many sonic games in recent years. I'm very excited.

#4 Prime.

Nothing in this short particularly made me want to talk about it but I wanted to talk about it anyway. So we know Sonic Prime is canon and it's Sonic is supposed to be gameverse!Sonic in some form. It's been speculated and rumored to come out in December and with the recent trailer confirming a winter 2022 release window I think that's very much plausible and at least says one thing: it's coming after Frontiers. Why am I bringing this up? Because I have a question:

Do you think since Prime from what we understand is canon takes place before or after Frontiers?

I'm asking because we know from interviews that Sonic is going to go through a character arc in Prime due to him supposedly being responsible for the dimensional rift or whatever and feels guilty over it and his motivation is to fix it and make things right.

We also know that in Frontiers Sonic is going to go through a similar situation and at least we're going to get a bit more character from him.

It's probably not going to be confirmed and we are kind of only left to guess until we have the game in our hands/watch the show to its fullest but given the two release not that far from each other which would make more sense coming first? Or maybe given the whole different dimension thing maybe (and this is just pure fan theory) they could both be 'versions' of gameverse!Sonic but also be parallels of either the same/similar event that comes out to the same result: improving Sonic's character and address some hidden things over the surface he's hiding (using some of the lines about fear and stuff from the Frontiers main theme as evidence here)

I don't know, we're kind of left in the dark on this one until we get both 🤷🏻‍♂️

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #knuckles the echidna #miles tails prower #sonic frontiers #sonic prime #tails tube #moosh gives his dumb opinions #non request related

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