jade-branch-qa

[jade-branch-qa]

Hey, Surge! Found this in my grandparent's attic, figured you'd enjoy it.

*Holds out a copy of 'Lots and Lots of Trains'*

A dissapointed Surge was sitting on the living room sofa, scowling at the TV. On the screen was the paused image of a train running past an idyllic country side.

"This isn't informative at all!" she grumbled, her scowl deepening. "It's just short videos of trains rushing past to horrible country music. Where's the educational value? This is garbage!"

She took a deep breath while fiddling with her fingers to calm herself. She turned off the TV and offered a small smile, one she hoped wasn't too forced.

"Thank you for thinking about me but...I think this is meant for kids. I'm sure someone at the Restoration will appreciate it though so...again, thank you."

[jade-branch-qa]

"I believe in calling things what they are." Jade Surge grinned. "Besides, none of the other Surges gives me as good of a fight."

"Hey Gimmick bitch! Check this out!"

Surge turned around to see Jade Surge cradling an old Edward the blue engine toy from the 80s.

"Jewel got it for me. Pretty rad, huh?"

Surge stared at the toy for a second. Slowly, her eyes moved up to meet her counterpart’s, narrowing as they moved with a smug grin growing on her lips.

“Aw. How cute. Your girl found you an old ERTL on eBay, didn’t she? That’s adorable…”

Surge stepped to the side and revealed an entire room full of Thomas merchandise of all shapes and sizes.

“I wonder where I have mine?” she asked herself, looking into the collection, “With how many Thomas’ and Gordon’s I have lying around, Edward gets lost in the blue sauce every now and then, y’know?”

[jade-branch-qa]

"And how many of those did your girlfriends get you?" Jade Surge grumbled as she hugged her Edward toy tight. "Here I thought you'd be happy that another version of you enjoy the show!"

"Hey Gimmick bitch! Check this out!"

Surge turned around to see Jade Surge cradling an old Edward the blue engine toy from the 80s.

"Jewel got it for me. Pretty rad, huh?"

Surge stared at the toy for a second. Slowly, her eyes moved up to meet her counterpart’s, narrowing as they moved with a smug grin growing on her lips.

“Aw. How cute. Your girl found you an old ERTL on eBay, didn’t she? That’s adorable…”

Surge stepped to the side and revealed an entire room full of Thomas merchandise of all shapes and sizes.

“I wonder where I have mine?” she asked herself, looking into the collection, “With how many Thomas’ and Gordon’s I have lying around, Edward gets lost in the blue sauce every now and then, y’know?”

[jade-branch-qa]

Sang-mi, Surge, Jewel, Kit, Lanolin

What would you rather have:

A bottle that instantly refills with whatever drink you want

or

A lunch box that always has the exact kind of sandwich you want whenever you open it.

"It's important to stay hydrated!" Jewel and Lanolin replied simultaneously. The two paperpushers shared a look before they both giggled. It was just another example as to why they worked so well together.

"Sandwich box for me!" Surge said, crossing her arms with an uncharacteristically serious expression. "A large part of our budget goes solely to keeping me fed. If we could make a dent into that, that'd be great."

"Sandwich box for me too!" her sister echoed. "It can be difficult to find proper vegan food when out and about. Always having a sandwich around would help tremendously. I'm honestly surprised Lanolin didn't go with it."

"Never had any trouble." Lanolin replied with a shrug. "I guess it depends on where you are."

"I suppose so." Sang-mi said glumly.

"I'd take the bottle. I eat more than an islander my size but not nearly as much as Surge." Kit explained. "And with an infinite bottle of water I'd be ready for anything, anytime."

"But Kit...you hate fighting." Jewel said and Surge nodded in agreement, both of them sharing the same worried look.

"I do, but I still need to be prepared to defend you guys."

"Pffft, you got me!" Surge bragged as she ruffled her brother's hair. "No need to worry."

But behind her braggart smile was a worry that Kit still put them ahead of himself.

[jade-branch-qa]

Jewel: What is the trait you most value in a person? Besides being mean and green, of course

"Surge might be green but she's not mean." Jewel huffed from her spot behind her desk. "Well, not anymore at least."

Jewel looked at the picture she had on her desk, a picture of a smiling Surge waving excitedly to the camera. She couldn't help but match the tenrec’s smile as she thought of the woman she loved so much.

"I guess that brings us to what I love so much about her. She's loyal and she's a fighter. She's determined to improve, to be better, not just for herself but for her family and friends. I love her determination, that wonderful fire that burns deep inside of her. She might have setbacks but she never backs down, she always gets back up. I admire that about her... I love that about her."

[jade-branch-qa]

While Surge is showing Sang-mi around Resistance HQ, A wormhole opens and a confused looking older tenrec with Chartreuse quills tumbles out and lands on his backside. "Oof! That last step was a doozy." Fennel groused as he reached for his cane, which had fallen from his hand in the fall. "Can you give me a hand there..." He trails off as he looks up at the pair of tenrecs. "Hoo boy, Surge? and uh... bigger Surge?"

Surge rushed up to the older tenrec to help him to his feet, not even thinking twice about the fact that the stranger knew her name.

She was Surge the Tenrec after all.

There weren't many people on South Island who didn't know the green blur.

Sang-mi meanwhile felt a distinct unease as she watched the man stand up with the help of her sister. She knew that face.

She knew two versions of it.

One that she'd seen in pictures at Juniper's house the one time that the wormhole decided that she needed to pay a visit to her interdimensional self.

The other one was much younger and long dead, her only memory being the pictures that her grandfather kept.

"Abeoji?" Sang-mi mumbled, reaching a hand towards the older tenrec while tears threatened to escape. The logical part of her brain knew that this wasn't her dad. She didn't exist in his world, Juniper did. That said, logic mattered little when brought face to face with your long deceased father, even if it was one from another dimension.

"Abe-whatnow?" Surge asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

Fennel for his part just smiled. A gentle smile, a picture perfect replica of the small smile that Sang-mi had seen a thousand times on the walls back home.

"You must be the tenrec that Juniper told me about." he said as he slowly made his way towards the taller woman. "Surge's sister from another world. Truth be told I didn't believe her at first but...knowing what happened to Saffron, knowing what her old friends are trying to do...it didn't take much convincing."

"Y-you're alive in...in Juniper's world..."

"I am. Just a little worse for wear, but I get by just fine." Fennel chuckled as he gestured towards his bad leg. "But...I'm guessing your father...your version of me isn't?"

Sang-mi just shook her head, unable to speak lest the dam broke. At least she could manage a small smile as she felt her sister gingerly intertwine their fingers. A tender gesture of comfort from the touch averse cyborg.

"I'm Fennel the Tenrec." the older tenrec said, his kind smile never leaving. "If your father is anything like me and what little Juniper told me about you rings true, he'd be one proud dad, let me tell you."

"Wait..." Surge mumbled as the puzzle pieces slotted into place. "You're our dad?"

"In a way, I suppose I am." Fennel replied. "Not the same dad but a version of him."

Fennel took Sang-mi's free hand in his own and gave her a squeeze as he started to shimmer, a telltale sign that his time in their world was almost up.

"If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods again, know that you're always welcome." he promised and Sang-mi could only nod as a quiet sob escaped her lips.

And with that, Fennel vanished into thin air, leaving a distraught tenrec behind.

"Abeoji..." Sang-mi managed before the dam burst and she hugged her sister tight as she turned into a sobbing mess. Surge for her part had no words and instead just hugged Sang-mi tight despite her own discomfort.

Her sister needed her and for once she'd be the one offering solace through the pain.

[jade-branch-qa]

The Whisper whose Sonic is Missing, hissed as she held her hand to her cheek, the bandage plastered to it slighty red from the blood. It would soon need changing, but Whisper didn't mind so much - surge was making excellent progress. Walking through the halls of the Restoration, she blinked as she realized she didn't recognize where she was.

But she did recognize the older version of Whisper sitting at a desk eating a meal. SiMWhisper approached Jade Whisper, maybe she could get some advice on how to handle Surge.

"Handle Surge?" Jade Whisper repeated the other Whisper's words as her ear flicked. "Positive reinforcement."

"Positive reinforcement?" SiM Whisper asked, her own flicking much like her older counterpart.

"Mmm... Surge is used to demands, not having a choice, not being good enough, never good enough. Tell her she did a good job. Thumbs up. Genuine. Don't overdo."

"Or she'll think we're manipulating her." SiM Whisper added, pointing at her bandage and the older wolf nodded.

"Mm, reacts badly. A lot of trauma. Be honest, be positive. She's good at her job, let her know that. She's a strong ally...and a good friend."

"One day, I hope she'll be."

"Give her time. She will be."

And then without warning, SiM Whisper vanished from sight and Jade Whisper let out a sigh.

"Should go feed the ducks again. Been a while."

[jade-branch-qa]

Jewel is completing her day at the Restoration. The instructors from GUN had arrived and started training the Restoration security and the weapon shipments were in the storage bays ready to be handed out.

Sighing with worry, Jewel walked into her office, the paperwork for a armored mech to be donated by the United Federation in her hand as a throat clearing stopped her dead.

Looking up, SiM Jewel looked into the older face of Jade Jewel.

"Who-" SiM Jewel began before falling quiet at the frown that her older self was wearing.

"Weapons, war machines, GUN soldiers... Intelligence sharing and the odd joint mission is one thing but this...this isn't the Restoration." Jade Jewel said and while the disappointment was evident in her voice, it was naught compared to the worry shining through." What's going on?"

"What's going on is that Eggman almost killed all of us!" SiM Jewel shouted back in anger. "And I will not have a shapeshifting cephalopod questioning my judgement!"

"Look at me, I'm not Mimic." Jade Jewel hummed as she took off her gloves and held up suctioncup free hand. "I'm you, just another version of you."

"Another me?" SiM Jewel asked, taken aback.

"Yes, I believe they're called we've taken to calling them wormholes." the older beetle replied before she gave SiM Jewel a worried look. "But what's this about Eggman almost killing you all? Weren't Surge and the other Cutters around to beat him back?"

"They were...and they almost died..." the younger of the two said as she looked off to the side, eyes misty at the memory of her wonderful Lanolin covered in bandages. "I...I almost didn't get to tell Lanolin...I almost lost her."

She wiped her eyes, eyes that now shone with determination.

"And that's why I'm working with GUN! I'm not losing her! I want Eggman gone and my friends and family safe! I want *my* Lanolin safe!"

"Your... Lanolin?" Jade Jewel hummed, her poker face hiding the shock at the idea.

"Yes! My Lanolin! My sweet, caring and steadfast Lanolin!" SiM Jewel huffed. "Why is this a surprise? Your older than me! You-"

"I'm dating Surge." Jade Jewel interjected. "I'm a version of you but our universes aren't the same. I'm dating my sweet, caring and steadfast Surge."

"SURGE?!" SiM Jewel shouted in disbelief. "But she-"

"Did a lot of bad things. I know. Horrible things even. Please be patient with her. Trust me, there's a loving, loyal and hardworking tenrec beneath all the cybernetics. I promise."

The ground beneath the interdimensional interloper shimmered and the older director let out a sigh.

"Seems like my time is up so let me just give you one piece of advice. You can trust Topaz. She'll look out for you. Don't trust the brass. Too much politics. They'll turn you inside and out looking for any minor advantage."

And with that, the beetle from the Jade Branch universe blinked out of existence.

[jade-branch-qa]

Alright, this universe seems to be the one with the most in-depth explanation/analysis of what the islanders/animal-people are like, so...

Tails and Kit, you're the smart ones. Why are certain people just born with superpowers? Some have major parts to play in the world, but others like Tangle start out as just ordinary civilians who happen to have gifts.

"If I knew, I'd be rich." Tails snorted while looking over a bunch of schematics. "What I do know is that there's no all encompassing reason. Everyone with what you call 'superpowers' seem to have acquired it in different ways. Knuckles seems to have been blessed by the Master Emerald to be a better protector, Surge...well, the less said the better. Same for Shadow."

She stretched before gesturing to one of the papers in front of her, an x-ray scan of Amy Rose.

"But then we have people like Sonic and Amy and it's just...it doesn't make sense. Yes, they both have more chaos energy in their bodies than the avarage islander but that's likely from continued exposure to the chaos emeralds. The issue is that there's no data from before their first contact with the stones. All I know is that Sonic was fast even before he ever touched a chaos emerald so while they might have amplified what's already there, they aren't the source of his speed."

The sound of bleeps and bloops snapped her out of her tirade and rolled her eyes at her fennec friend who was lazing around on her sofa, playing on his Neo Geo Pocket Colour.

"Don't you have anything to add? The question was for both of us."

"Does it really matter? Some people win the genetic lottery and gets super speed, the rest of us lost and were left with nothing." He replied as he paused his game. "How they got their powers doesn't really matter, what matter is what they do with their gifts."

"That's...not really how genes works but..." Tails hummed before giving her best friend a soft smile. "... you're right, like always. Damn Kit, when did you get so insightful?"

"Spent too much time around saps like you." he grumbled before turning his game back on, the sounds of bleeps and bloops once more filling the room.

"Awww, love you too, buddy!" Tails giggled, earning herself an annoyed huff from the fennec fox.

[jade-branch-qa]

I have a question for Jewel and Surge.

I was born feet first, my head was the last part of my body to leave my mother.

So, for a few brief moments, was I wearing my mom as a hat?

Both of them looked absolutely shell shocked for about two seconds before Surge doubled over in howling laughter, struggling to get words in between her bouts of laughter.

"F-FUCK YES YA DID!" Surge howled before falling to the floor, howling with laughter and kicking her feet.

Jewel for her part stared blankly at nothing, the blood drained from her face.

"I'm so glad beetles lay eggs..." she mumbled to herself.

[jade-branch-qa]

Surge.

Boba is round candies in a drink.

Soup can be drunk out of a thermos, making it a drink.

Meatballs are a sphere.

Meatballs in Soup is Italian Boba.

"Being in a thermos doesn't make it a drink but otherwise I'm with you." Surge hummed as she slurped down some Italian Boba.

[jade-branch-qa]

sooo

has anyone here completed crash bandicoot 4, or at least attempted to?

"If you mean beating the story mode, then yes I did." Tails replied with a shrug. "Wasn't that difficult. Got a few skins I liked too. Completing it all the way tho? Nah, you'd have to be insane for that."

Kit just sat there and gestured quietly towards his save file, proudly displaying 106%.

"Can't even disagree with her on that." he hummed.

[jade-branch-qa]

Happy Pride Month!

"Happy Pride Month!" Surge cheered, waving a lesbian pride flag with a big shark grin adorning her muzzle.

[jade-branch-qa]

So you like trains, Surge?

Name every train.

"I have fucking amnesia!" Surge growled as she crossed her arms with an angry glare in her eyes. "I was reminded that I even liked trains yesterday!"

"And her interests were really specific back in the day." Sang-mi said while resting a hand on her sister's shoulder in an effort to calm her down. "She was mostly interested in electric trains from Holangi. I know that a few international electric trains caught her attention but she was otherwise really single minded when it came to her special interest."

"Damm, old me sounds like a fucking dweeb!" Surge grunted, earning herself a raised eyebrow from her sister.

"You're still a dweeb, Surge."

"The hell? You're the dweeb here!"

"Dweebus!" Sang-mi laughed, barely resisting the urge to hug her sister, settling to just tighten her grip on her shoulder with a happy sigh. "But you're my dweebus sister who I love very much."

"Fucking sap..." Surge groaned with a roll of her eyes before leaning into her sister's touch with a small, happy smile on her lips that betrayed her true feelings, even if unspoken.

[jade-branch-qa]

A rather confused looking Surge in a yellow tunic, a chainmail hauberk, and a large Viking-style axe on her back loudly faceplants on the front mat. She doesn't recognize the name Surge and instead goes by Astrid.

Jewel let out a soft sigh as she fluttered through the air. Her day at work had been exhausting but at least she was almost home and -

That's when she saw it, Surge punching what looked like a viking clone of herself in the face while said viking kept chopping Surge in the neck with a giant battle axe.

Not only that but they were both laughing uproariously as they kept hurting each other with happy grins plastered on their faces.

"These wormhole portal visits just keeps getting weirder and weirder..." Jewel sighed as she watched the insanity unfold below her.

[jade-branch-qa]

with a flash of green light, Sonic is Missing Surge barreled into Jade Surge.

"Tell me!" SIMSurge demanded, grabbing onto JSurge's front, "Tell me how you did it! How did you break the programming!? How did you get a girlfriend!? HOW!?!"

"The fuck you on about?!" Jade Surge shouted as she slapped the younger tenrec’s hands away.

"How did you get a girlfriend?!" SiM Surge repeated, her eyes almost manic, prompting Jade Surge to take a step back.

"I mean, I asked her out, took her to a nice restaurant and-"

"No, no, NO! Before that! How did you get past your programming?!" SiM Surge screeched, reaching out to grab hold of the older tenrec in a mad frenzy, only for the cyborg to deftly move out of the way.

"Fucking calm down! I'll fucking tell you just...calm down, okay?" Jade Surge tried, her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I don't wanna have to beat your ass so sit down and we'll figure this shit out."

SiM Surge blinked as if a haze had been lifted and she slowly sat down on the floor, her eyes never leaving the other Surge.

"Now, you wanted to know how I got past my programming? Not sure what it had to do with me dating Jewel besides getting my temper under control but...the realisation that I didn't want to kill Sonic but that Starline did was a start. Emotionally I mean, sure I hate his fucking guts for not stopping the quack but... to know that the desire to kill was just a programmed-"

"Not that one! The one that makes me freak the fuck whenever I think about Amy! The one to stop us from falling in love!" SiM Surge cried, desperation clear I'm her voice. "You beat it! How?!"

"I...didn't? I'm sorry, I just...never had anything like that?" Jade Surge sighed as she sat down next to her younger self and put a hand on her shoulder. "That's a fucked up thing of DuckDoc to do tho..."

"You didn't...I'm the only one...the only one to throw up because I think of Amy? It ain't fucking fair!"

"It isn't." Jade Surge hummed in agreement. "But hey, we're a strong bitch. If I could work past my directive to kill the lamehog I'm sure you can get through this. I believe in ya, Kiddo."

"Fuck you." SiM Surge sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "But...thanks...it's just...a lot."

"Hey, on the bright side. At least you've fallen for a dyke!" the older cyborg laughed, a laugh so unlike SiM Surge's own, often sarcastic laugh. A laugh full of genuine joy. "The Pinks of this universe? She moved to another island to be with her wife so if your bundle of love is anything like ours, I'm sure you have a shot!"

"Eh..that..." SiM began before her eyes went wide as saucers. "W-wife?!"

"Yeah? Some badger girl. Strixs? Tricks? Trip? No wait.... Sticks! That's the one!" Jade Surge laughed as she snapped her fingers.

"Marrying... Amy..." SiM Surge mumbled before pain coursed through her chest and her sight started to dim. "Fuck...not now...not..."

That's when the older tenrec wrapped her younger self in a tight hug.

"It'll be alright. Tough bitch, remember? Tough bitch who isn't afraid to ask for help." Jade Surge hummed as she gently ran her fingers through SiM Surge's quills.

SiM Surge felt her breathing get under control. Her body hurt, the other Surge wasn't Kit but it was helping, just being held by someone who was genuinely trying to help. She hugged her doppelganger back with a tired sigh.

"Thank you."

"Always, Kiddo."

The pair sat there, just embracing each other until the younger of the two vanished into thin air, returning to her own world.

"That's some fucking rotten luck." Jade Surge hummed as she stretched her back. "Hope she gets through it okay."

And with that, she began the walk home, being in no hurry, instead just taking it slow and enjoying the autumn leaves slowly falling all around her.

"She could do better than Pinks tho...then again, maybe her Jewel is taken?"

[jade-branch-qa]

Jade Lanolin and Sang-mi are sitting at a café, the tenrec engrossed with the tales of her sister's bravery when another sheep walks by.

SiM Lanolin walks past one of the many cafés littering Spiral Hill when she spots them. The mysterious tenrec who's been evading her questions along with...an absurdly buff version of herself.

"You there!" she shouted, getting the attention of the two café goers.

SiMLanolin ran up to the group, Sang-Mi and Jade Lanolin jumping as they stared at the thinner Lanolin.

"I'm going to have my answers!" SiMLanolin demanded, "Why are you so interested in my reality? You gave me head pats, you left food for Jewel, and you're going to explain why!"

JLanolin blinked in surprise, "Aren't you the least bit curious about how strong I am?"

SiMLanolin waved her off, "Yeah, alternate universe things, I know. That's not important." SiMLanolin stepped closer and waved a finger under Sang-Mi's face, "Now answer me! What are you doing with my universe!?"

"Okay, that's enough." JLanolin said. Getting up from her chair she stepped behind SiMLanolin and picked her up like she was nothing more than a grape. Holding the struggling SiMLanolin under her armpits she carried her away from Sang-Mi and set her down on the side walk.

"You can come back and ask your questions when you've calmed down." JLanolin said, putting her hands on her hips.

SiMLanolin raised a hand, finger pointing, ready to argue, but JLanolin simply stretched her muscles, the cloth tightening around bulging muscles, tendons coming into sharp definition on JLanolin's powerful body. The display of power made SiMLanolin stop, before she glared hard at her counterpart.

"That's enough," Sang-Mi said, stepping closer, "Listen, all I want to do is spread happiness through the multiverse. I'm not trying to cause trouble."

SiMLanolin sighed as she scratched her head, "That makes sense," she said, "But these inter-dimensional things are a pain in my ass."

"Maybe," Sang-Mi said, "But it's true. Now both of you stop arguing and make up."

JLanolin held out a hand, And SiMLanolin eyed teh hand for a moment before taking it. They shook hands firmly, and then parted. "I just want to know," SiMLanolin said, "What were you two doing here? You're not dating are you?"

"Oh, no," JLanolin said, "I was just telling Sang-Mi stories about my Surge. Maybe you have some?"

"I've only known my Surge for a month and a half," SiMLanolin said, walking with JLanolin and Sang-Mi, "But I'd like to hear your stories. Maybe we can compare notes on Surge."

The three would spend the afternoon talking. Sharing stories and laughing together for hours. All in all, a very nice afternoon.

When SiMLanolin came back to her universe, she was smiling wide, and as she looked around her office a thought popped into her head.

'Maybe I should start working out.'