Johnny: Exists

⸻ he had nothing left, now. what little that truly mattered to him, naught but ash. not even a body he could hold. to mourn. to apologize. to possibly cradle. bootfalls rushing toward his location, rounding that corner and stopping once they saw the carnage and destruction. his chaos energy so out of control, rising and peaking and drenching the very air in this corridor that it caused the emergency lights themselves to short-circuit. washing julius in darkness, save for his red irises. his red irises were visible in that darkness, glowing brightly.

sound of a gunshot, muzzle flash as those G.U.N soldiers opened fire on him. the bullets impacted his skin, causing him to jerk slightly. felt them enter, blood pour, but then that healing and chaos energy made the bullets evaporate before they could exit through him. human weaponry couldn't truly harm him now. they fired at him more, their eyes terrified of how he wasn't going down to their weapons-

his eyes glowed brighter in that darkness.

silently, fueled by rage and hatred, he charged forward and blinked from existence before reappearing in front of one of the soldiers. using that momentum and rage to punch a hole through the man's face, yanking him forward to shield from those bullets, only to toss the corpse aside. glowing in his left hand now, a mini chaos plasma attack, like a knife. he slits the other man's throat with an adeptness that should startle him but doesn't. he's calm. blood sprays forward, coating him as that body slumps.

julius stands there, staring at the wall in front of him. no satisfaction at the sight, the knowledge. there was a slight tickling of that sensation, a barely there notion of enjoyment. numbed over from the reality of his situation at present. more footfalls nearby him, he glances over at the feeling of bullets piercing his shirt and entering his skin, only to heal and fizzle away again.

slaughters his way through the soldiers that between him and his end destination. a newly pristine living quarters, assigned to one james stone. julius stood there, staring down at that dark black jacket that james often wore. sounds of distant alarms from that open door, wash of red from the corridor. a slightly quaking hand reached out, hesitated before cradling that jacket. pulls it closer, hugging it, burying his face into it, inhaling. his scent. muffled, quiet, broken sobs wet that fabric. lowers onto his knees, clinging and pulling that empty jacket closer to himself.

inhaling, a small sniffle of a noise, julius pulled that jacket away from his face. stared down at it. he stood up then, discarding his old bullet ridden one, before pulling on james' old jacket. he has to pull the sleeves off as they're too short to fit his frame properly, but he can sew on new sleeves later on. his gaze lists, noting old sunglasses on the nearby table. walks over to them and lifts them up, a thumb roaming the frame, noting that purple tint. a shaking hollow smile, julius puts those sunglasses on. hoping, at least in some way, by keeping his clothes, by wearing these sunglasses, by holding himself in a way that james may have, that james stone may yet live on.

at the very least, in spirit.

Cathy Linh Che, from Go Forget your father//Friedrich Nietzsche// Richey Edwards// // Moss Angel, Girldirt Angelfog// Rainer Maria Rilke, Fragment of an Elegy,// Leila Miccolis, till death do us part.

julius had zero idea who either of those men that johnny mentioned were. he decided to save himself the embarrassment of admitting as such though. made a mental note to go digging later to see if he could figure out some info. maybe learn about pompadours in the process. silently watches as johnny tries to comb a hand through his hair but can't, and hums a touch at that. he really had enjoyed his previous hairstyle, hadn't he?

he starts to want to smile, mostly to try and reassure johnny. but it stops short when johnny mispronounces his last name horridly. if he had any sense of pride in his family, he'd feel offended. he could care less though. at least from those terms. mostly it was not wanting other soldiers to hear: that'd catch on, in an annoying way. he'd probably be called ro-butt-nik for the rest of his deployment here if that happened.

"....agreed. robbie would be for the best," he certainly hoped that johnny could at least pronounce the name julius without fumbling. though he's still walking, mentally julius does pause: why is he already thinking of johnny calling him by his first name? that feels, sudden. well. he supposes, for what it's worth, he's enjoyed johnny's company thus far. and, if he's allowed to be so bold, it would be.... nice to be able to see johnny more than just the once.

"er, well, let's see," julius begins to point out the usual areas: the barracks where the lower level soldiers slept, and then mentioning the higher tiers and how they all got their own separate quarters, increasing in size until getting to the basically apartment like rooms of the superiors. mentions how a lot of the corridors here are long on purpose, in order to deter would-be assailants or thieves from trying to break into this particular G.U.N base.

"that's why our basic training focused on physical fitness: they're expecting us to be able to run through these halls within a moment's notice during alarms or in case of an attack."

"Well, y' know... a pompadour! Think, uh... Elvis Presley. Or James Dean! Grease. Y' know, that type o' thing." He runs a hand through his hai—oh... It's not there anymore. Right. Johnny awkwardly cleared his throat.

He follows by Julius's side. Even though the buzzing of his head had gotten him down, at this rate he was just happy enough to have somebody nice and around his own age to talk to (or so he assumed, anyway, based on the look of him). He looked confused as Julius brought up the fact that he had... apparently called him different names—honestly, he hadn't even noticed. Names were hard.

"Huh. Did I? Shoot, I didn't even realize. What'd you say it was again—Ro-butt-nik? Ahhh, I'll just call ya Robbie." It always had been easy for him to mix up names; ultimately, nicknames were much easier to remember.

he sensed it behind him, head lilting and shifting up a fraction as that sensation of another world's chaos energy washed over his back. tingled at his skin, thrummed along his own chaos energy like a disorganized harmony losing it's foot and placement. he inhaled, tasting that sensation of chaos energy that he hadn't felt nearby in years⸻

he turned, to face him. knowing without needing look, who it was. stone. & yet, different: older, clearly, a different emotion or perhaps lack thereof clouded his once bright eyes. julius could tell at a glance that this stone had been through quite the life.

& then stone spoke, or began to, "you're not my...." catches himself, redirects, "you are not the man i had hoped to find here."

no contractions. interesting. to denote distance? or were it a sign of silent strength and formality on stone's end? were it anyone else that had said such a thing, the words would have ghosted through julius. he would've barely bat an eye. but, hear those words, coming from that face? with his voice (even if the cadence and grit were different, sharper)? these words SPEARED HIM, felt like his heart was being torn into. at most, julius' lip twitched along the corners. his gaze narrowed behind obscuring sunglasses. but he didn't look away from stone.

he stepped forward. & then he walked forward with purpose and almost hurried nature to his steps. not a word, before he's grabbing stone by the arm and pulling him forward, leaning down and hugging him. his gloved hands are shaking somewhat as his palms press into and his fingers dig into the back of stone's jacket. julius' eyes closed behind those sunglasses, head shifting and lilting inward, towards stone's.

closed starter with @drrobctnik.

how long had it been since he last saw the doctor? he had lost count as the weeks slowly turned to months, and months to years. the last he had seen of the man was the transmission he sent out before choosing to save the earth from its demise.

why had he done that? because of him?

had the doctor just taken him with him to the ark the earth wouldn't have mattered! instead he chose to be a savior at the end of it, and though the transmission was meant to bring closure it did anything but for the sycofriend.

if anything it drove stone mad, and the man soon was toiling away in one of robotnik's hidden lairs. grief stricken and feeling a whirlwind of emotion he works on failed experiments from the man for longer than he could remember. then he got to thinking about the multiverse, and how if it were true then the doctor was still alive. there was a timeline where he lived, and stone was still with him. the thought floored him, and if he could find said timeline he could easily eliminate that stone and take his place, and have the doctor back right where he belonged.

years he spent researching, years he spent studying those stupid rings and seeing if they were capable of multiversal travel. in the end he was right, and as a portal opened up he could see robotnik on the other side. not wasting a moment he quickly steps through, but it was only when the man looked utterly baffled at what just happened that he knew something wasn't right.

he did not look like the doctor, save for them having the same face, no. something was definitely wrong. the realization however happened slowly, as by the time it had struck the portal had closed and the ring outright disappeared. then he focuses his attention back on the man, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before finally speaking.

"you are not my..." he pauses again, feeling a lump form in his throat before he swallows it down and continues. "you are not the man I had hoped to find here."

which tragic death would you suffer?

the betrayal.

you die at the hands of the person you love most. maybe there are tears in their eyes as they drive the sword into your chest, maybe there are none. there are certainly tears in yours. your mouth will open to ask 'why' only to spit blood instead. you will die never knowing if they loved you at all, wondering if you could've done something to prevent this, or if it was always going to end this way.

at how the lankier man mentioned blood being appealing, julius hummed in agreement. "does it turn you on," he holds eye contact as he says it, voice dipping in that thinly veiled lust. "shall i spill more?" chaos energy kisses at his finger tips, sparks of red electricity arcing and dancing deftly across his left hand.

"i did, once." hadn't in years, but julius still remembers how much he had loved putting makeup on, only to have it defiled and smeared during his nights in the clubs. "been debating on whether i should again or not. a darker shade, you say? what colour do you suppose suits me?"

" that's a lot of blood. "

"indeed it is," his face and neck are covered in it. front of his shirt and bits of his jacket are drenched in that blood. "adore your makeup." particularly the lipstick, to say nothing of the accentuation around his eyes. "what brand do you use?"

Came because my interest was piqued seeing you on my dash. Stayed because of your unique portrayal and amazing in depth characterization of the character you've brought to the table. Letting the villain be a villain. The amazing lore behind the character really has me coming back to read it over and over again. Also the mun , ive had nothing but amazing interactions with too.

thank you once again kris, your words never fail to leave me pleasantly stunned and smiling like a doofus.

i'm glad you find julius' lore amazing, that really touches my heart. at times i wonder if maybe i'm doing 'too much' with his backstory & his powers. but then i remember this is my blog & i make the rules dammit. it really reaffirms my thoughts to know that other people also enjoy his lore and his abilities. >w<

as always, i enjoy our convos. looking forward to chatting more via discord with ya. ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

every single thing that stone said seemed to go in through one ear and directly out the other. that frown hadn't left julius' expression, a hand moving to rest on his hip and an eyebrow raised upward ⸻ "i don't care." was his immediate, blunt response to everything that stone had said. & frankly, he didn't. with a slight lean forward of his upper torso, "after all, i'm not your robotnik, right?" the words are sneered. seemed that those specific words had touched a nerve for julius. he moved a hand then, splaying it along stone's chest, "close your eyes and focus on whatever world you came from. once you do that, i can send you back."

he knew the man wasn't too pleased with him not returning the hug, and a small part of him feels a bit of regret at that fact. despite it though stone is quiet for a long moment before he smooths out his coat, fixing the gloves... ivo's gloves, on his hands while he listens to the man speak. his tone was harsh, almost irritated and finally he was reminded of his doctor. stone wanted to explain, so badly in fact that he completely ignores the second thing the man had said.

he had to explain, for as much as this encounter had been odd, this was still an alternate of the doctor.

"yes... I come from a timeline where my doctor sacrificed himself to save the wretched people of earth from certain destruction." he wouldn't dare say it was to save him from being eradicated as well, as the thought alone caused his stomach to churn.

"I had hoped there was a timeline where a robotnik was missing his stone, and would accept my company so we could continue our plans to conquer the world." why he was spinning this story he wasn't entirely sure. perhaps because he wasn't ready to return to his own timeline yet?

or perhaps it was because he quietly hoped the alternate robotnik might allow him to stay at his side...

'doctor'

julius stared down at him. hm. curious.

'how are you here?'

"wrong question. it isn't how, but when, when am i here," he's stood not too far from the crater that shadow had created. no doubt from warping here via an errant chaos control. nasty things, those. julius at points had encountered them himself. "or rather: when you are." seeing how he wasn't getting anywhere with his metaphors & here julius thought he was being funny, he clarified,

"this isn't your universe. this is a different universe. things didn't play out quite the same here, as they did there."

@drrobctnik Liked for a starter

Ringing was all the hedgehog heard. Eyesight blurry as he tries to open ruby colored eyes. Everything spinning as he lays in the crater of where he landed. Pain rearing through his body as he raises a hand to his head. Easing it against the throbbing in his head he felt as he simply lays there. Letting air enter his lungs he tries to recall the events of what happened.

Where was he even ?

Shadow hadn't the slightest idea but he knew he needed to get up. He couldn't lay here. Summoning what strength he had to roll onto his stomach. Tucking his arms under him to push himself upwards. Pain flaring as he cries out to himself. ❝ Damn ... ❞ He swears under his breath. Something was definitely broken.

He had to keep going as he feels around. His fingertips brushing against something cold as he glances at the item. The familiar golden sheen of his inhibitor hitting the little light he could see. Grabbing it he sits on his knees a moment. Slowly reattaching it to his wrist as he rubs the back of his head. He didn't see any of the other inhibitors. That was going to be a problem in the long run.

Slowly eases himself back up to his feet. Wobbling as he found his footing as he climbs out of the crater. Oh how everything ached as he hisses through his teeth as he takes a deeper breath. Finally he takes in his surroundings. Seeing a form familiar yet so different he thought was imagining it ...

❝ Doctor ? ❞ He questions. But how was that possible ? The Doctor was inside of the Eclipse Canon as it exploded. What was going on ? ❝ How are you here ? ❞

i'd like to know you ⸻ hearing those words felt, bizarre. as precious and as warm as sunlight, they felt & yet that ever present and nagging fear, numbness threatened julius at the mere notion. the mere fraction of a thought: until you won't. until julius said or did something that was too much, too confusing, too outlandish or too contradictory, or too selfish or too sensitive or too⸻ he was scared, at the thought of losing this. losing him.

& just how much of himself was he willing to give, could he give? could he give parts that stone would help him to understand? julius had always wondered that, how he was supposed to just KNOW things innately when no one ever bothered to teach him, to explain, to show him. to let him feel, not that he felt very often or for very long.

at the reassuring smile, julius gives a small, awkward, brief one in return. like he isn't used to smiling very often, never sincerely. at what is said next, julius blinks, his turn to be caught off guard. oh. right. he supposed they never introduced themselves, did they?

"julius," he steps forward, reaching a hand out and shaking imad's, "it's nice to meet you, imad. er, properly." julius' touch lingers, not wanting to let go of imad's hand. he's probably shaking it for too long. how long did one normally shake another's hand?? julius glanced down, cleared his throat, finally stopped shaking imad's hand after probably 30 seconds, rubbed at the side of his neck again.

considered, but then stepped back, wanting to give imad space. "....your name suits you, i like it."

the little apology caught him off guard, and he chooses to nod as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, seeing yet another change in the man's demeanor. stone figured julius was likely pushing himself way out of his comfort zone, and he really did wonder just why that was. the man had shown he was very capable of deflecting, of being indifferent to what stone said and even expressed, so why the change of heart?

"I'd like to know you, as much as you feel comfortable telling me. In turn I will tell you about myself, that way it is an even exchange."

he offers him a reassuring smile, his previous look of annoyance fading away as he takes on a more friendly stance. "We could start with our first names, yeah? I am Imad, what is yours? I'd at least like to properly address the person I am speaking with."