#Central City Library

[centralcitylibrary]

The Truth About Chaos Control

“But his most remarkable feat is “Chaos Control.” By tapping into the power of a Chaos Emerald, he can warp space and time, moving freely and dominating the competition. I’m… Still working on replicating the technique.”

-Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, Shadow 101: A Brief History of Shadow the Hedgehog

If you know Shadow the Hedgehog, you know Chaos Control, the iconic move that’s associated with him. Eggman’s description says it all, you use a Chaos Emerald to teleport or freeze time.

…

But do you need a Chaos Emerald?

I’m going to delve into the history of Chaos Control, and really get to the bottom of this, and whether this piece of common knowledge has any weight to it or not.

This document talks about the following entries:

Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Battle

Sonic Heroes

Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Sonic Rivals

Sonic Rivals 2

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Comics) Issue #59

First thing I want to establish is that this limitation was even established in the first place, and not just a recent addition. Fortunately, that’s not very difficult, as we get statements in Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic 06, Sonic Rivals, and his Sonic Channel profile that all claim he uses Chaos Emeralds for Chaos Control.

Sonic Adventure 2 (US manual), page 7 (the scan just cuts like that, I presume it’s an error on the actual page as well?)

Sonic Heroes (English manual), page 6

Sonic Rivals official website (archived) (visual error is likely due to imperfect emulation of the original website)

SA2 even presents warping with an artificial Chaos Emerald as an impressive feat, implying that doing so without one at all is impossible. Only for Shadow to immediately use Chaos Control seconds later in his fight against Sonic (and we know it’s Chaos Control despite him not shouting the phrase as it looks identical when Sonic does it, who does shout Chaos Control as part of teleporting).

So what gives?

Is it maybe a matter of proximity to the Chaos Emeralds? That would line up with the Biolizard using Chaos Control in front of the heroes, Metal Overlord using Chaos Control against Team Super Sonic, or Devil Doom using Chaos Control near Super Shadow, or Metal Sonic using Chaos Control when racing against Shadow.

Except that can’t be the case, as Shadow can use Chaos Control even while on the other side of the Black Comet. Well, maybe the range is surprisingly generous, only needing Shadow to be vaguely a city’s worth of distance away?

It can’t be that either, Shadow can use Chaos Control while in Chaotic Inferno, a whole universe away (and Rouge left behind the 6 Chaos Emeralds), but laments that he cannot escape from this universe without one when the portal closes, despite Metal Sonic’s Chaos Emerald quite literally being right next to him.

Is there any explanation at all? Well, kind of.

In Sonic Battle, almost all of Shadow’s moves are described as using Chaos Control

A list of such moves:

Shadow Dash

S. Teleport

Shadow Guard

Shadow Heal

C. Nightmare

Chaos Upper

Chaos Magic

Air C. Magic

Chaos Burst (implied via Air C. Burst)

Air C. Burst

??? (Shadow)

In story, Shadow’s power to fight is attributed to his Chaos Emerald. But when he surrenders his Chaos Emerald to Emerl, he reassures that he’ll be able to continue fighting despite the lack of the Chaos Emerald as “I no longer need it. I have Maria in my heart.” Which simultaneously suggests that physical possession (or extremely close proximity) is required in order to use Chaos Control normally, and that there are ways to utilise it without a Chaos Emerald.

… That explanation works for Shadow, and it’s possible to handwave it away with Metal Sonic (after all, it’s copying abilities allowed it to become one of the most powerful characters in Sonic canon, superior to solo super forms which are powered by 7 Chaos Emeralds), but what about the Biolizard? Devil Doom? Shadow himself during Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)’s Last Story? Those can’t be under the same conditions.

Is there an explanation that can account for everything?

Well, there is one…

In the IDW Comics, in issue #59 (part 3 of the Urban Warfare arc), on page 11, Shadow makes a claim regarding his use of Chaos Control.

“I don’t have the energy to perform Chaos Control without an emerald.”

The power of the Chaos Emeralds are considered a form of energy, dubbed Chaos Energy, or Chaos Emerald Energy, or- you get the idea. We’ve seen non-Chaos Emerald objects hold them before, like the Chaos Drives invented by Professor Gerald. It’s plausible that the various times Shadow (and other such characters) used Chaos Control without a Chaos Emerald were derived from using leftover energy from when they had prior possessed a Chaos Emerald (or Metal Sonic’s copying abilities, which let him compete with Super Forms directly).

Afterall, the Chaos Emeralds turn your thoughts into power, and has been described as being enriched by the heart. Having the bond of someone close to you etched into your heart could have such an effect to amplify the Chaos Energy leftover, at least enough to delay running out for some time.

Credits

Writer: Numbug

Sources obtained by: Numbug (various videogames), Stoshi (Sonic the Hedgehog IDW #59)

[oatzmeal]

iced coffee runs through my veins during finals week

[rabbitcruiser]

Ghostbusters was released in the United States on June 8, 1984.  

[yestoheaven-blog]

new york pics 🗽🕰️🍂

nov/dec 23

[motherlanguageday]

Reading for Odessa.

 UNESCO CITIES OF LITERATURE ARE TAKING PART IN A GLOBAL AND SIMULTANEOUS SHOW OF SOLIDARITY. INSPIRED BY AND IN COOPERATION WITH THE ODESSA LITERATURE MUSEUM.

In Manchester we will be holding a very special reading amongst the new Threads exhibition in the Histories Hub of Manchester Central Library which contains unique items sent specially to Manchester from Odesa. Readings will be in English and Ukrainian from historic and contemporary authors.

We strongly believe that books can help to connect people, and that the network of the UNESCO Cities of Literature are a symbol of both connection as well as support. The readings will happen in advance of the rally in Piccadilly Gardens in support of Ukraine that starts at 2pm.

Readings will also take place on this day in other UNESCO Cities of Literature: Edinburgh, Exeter, Iași City, Krakow, Kuhmo, Lillehammer, Ljubljana, Melbourne, Nottingham, Quebec City, Reykjavik, Tukums, Wroclaw.

Please note that we will be taking photographs and filming at this event, if you do not wish to be photographed that’s absolutely fine, but please let staff know in advance either digitally via the contact form or in person at the start of the event.

With thanks to Milan City of Literature for this initiative.

IMLD 2024: READING FOR ODESA DATE : 24 February 2024 TIME: 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm AGES: All ages welcome PRICE: Free VENUE: Manchester Central Library St Peter's Square, Manchester, M2 5PD THEME: Activism,Languages,Poetry, Political Read ORGANISER: Manchester City of Literature

[stardustweare88]

[willygood]

I took a vacation for the first time in my life 6 years ago, and did all the Manhattan tourist things.

March 2018

[lupismaris]

There's something deeply amusing (in an existential, history repeats sense) of having a socialist meeting in the basement of a public library in an incredibly affluent neighborhood

[simonh]

Graffiti Train Bridge And Skyline, Austin, Texas by Randy von Liski Via Flickr: This view of downtown Austin shows the Graffiti Train Bridge across Lady Bird Lake. The plate girder-style bridge was constructed in 1936, but it sits on the stone piers of a previous bridge. Over the years, multiple layers of artwork and graffiti have been painted on its sides. The graffiti offers a unique and ever-changing perspective, adding a vibrant touch to a view showcasing Austin's ever-evolving skyline.

[centralcitylibrary]

Response to Death Battle's Bowser vs. Dr. Eggman: Part 1/3 - Review

These three parts feature the following media from Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros., and Death Battle:

Basically all of Mario

Basically all of Sonic

Death Battle’s Bowser vs. Dr. Eggman

Welcome to part 1 of my response to Death Battle, the review. What do I think about this episode, the first game Sonic episode since Shadow vs. Ryuko? Eggman’s triumphant return since Season 1 over a decade ago?

Well...

Let’s not beat around the bush. This is, without a doubt, Death Battle’s best episode yet. That’s high praise, given it’s had incredible episodes over its lifespan (with multiple contenders for best/favourite episode coming just from Season 10 alone), but this episode has a very small number of episodes that can even compete with it for that position.

As you can probably surmise, major spoilers for the episode in this review, and if you somehow stumbled onto this review without having seen the episode, I urge you to go watch it. Right now. In fact, here’s a link to the episode itself so you can go watch it.

So the fight begins with Bowser’s wedding-

Nah I’m just tricking, I’m not going to skip the analyses like that, I wouldn’t disgrace the debate side of things like that. What am I, a reaction YouTuber?

Anyways, those analyses were given impressive editing, a genius at both being slick and at properly conveying what information the hosts are talking about. It really does sell every single feat and analysis they display, and the information they give flows naturally from point to point as a result.

Bowser’s analysis sets up the family aspect of him and his army quite well, at first masking it behind a joke over being mistreated and farmed for one-ups, planting the seeds for that reading while also being deliberately absurd enough to not take the supposed mistreatment seriously. It’s very well done subliminal priming for their dive into Bowser’s character.

And focusing on family for Bowser’s analysis set up a great contrast to Eggman’s, where it delved into how awesome and intelligent he is, but also on the fact that he’s really all on his own – that army might be formidable, but not a single one of them is a person in his eyes – with the sole exception to Sage. He’s so lonely that his only family was an AI girl that he created.

And both analyses cover a good blend of their most iconic and most dangerous weapons. While blatantly impossible to mention everything (even mentioned by the hosts themselves in regards to just Bowser’s troops), they did cover quite a wide blend, and every single trump card the two possessed was at least mentioned, either in the individual analyses or the post-analysis at the end.

… And yet the analyses also contain the worst part of the episode, and the main reason I wouldn’t call it perfect. Yes, the research was off, even with the black boxes included there were multiple incorrect scaling claims and questionable interpretations of how some of that equipment worked (for example, how they claimed that the Pure Hearts nullified the Chaos Heart, despite the fact that even after two uses of the Pure Hearts the Chaos Heart was still threatening to destroy everything; or how they deemed the Phantom Ruby to lose to real reality manipulation despite the fact that – for anyone caught in the Phantom Ruby’s illusions – it IS real reality manipulation).

Given the sheer size and volume of everything, it’s not a deal breaker for the episode like others are (and like a certain episode just earlier this “season”), but it’s still disappointing to see both sides not quite get their dues.

I won’t focus on it anymore however in this part, and from this point onwards I’ll operate under the assumption that the information presented in the episode is 100% accurate for the sake of the review.

… Now, if the analyses are already this good, and I’m saying the worst part of the episode is contained within them, then what does that say about the actual animation? Especially a fight like this, where it’s simultaneously a fight between two armies and one where both sides have a billion instant win buttons – such a combination is inherently difficult to write and difficult to animate, a recipe for disaster in most circumstances.

… Not this time.

This fight was perfection.

The first quarter or so of the match-up focuses on the armies and how well they fare against each other, and it uses that to transition into the first showcase of one of many trump cards – the phantom ruby.

It being so powerful that when Infinite got one tapped (genius idea to amplify gravity when Thwomps exist, loser), the focus on the two armies’ primary focus became just obtaining that gemstone. It’s chaos, different enemies being thrown around all over – even Orbot and Cubot get involved, that’s how important maintaining control over it is.

And given how powerful just the phantom ruby alone is, when that Chance Time guarantees the destruction of the Phantom Ruby, the battle immediately pivots into both combatants and their generals using their trump cards, with the armies turning into a background detail as a result.

And boy did they really sell the raw power of those trump cards. Neo Metal Sonic defeating standard Bowser in one hit and Super Neo contending with Fury Bowser after the latter overpowered both the Death Egg Robot and Sage, Fury Bowser breaking through the Death Egg Robot in a single strike, and that Grand Star boost being so powerful it obliterates Super Neo and the entirety of the Egg Fleet combined in a single blast.

Everything hits hard, and just from seeing them play out we can see that this is what will call the shots in this war.

And all that raw power comes to a head when Eggman commands Sage to fire the Death Egg’s Final Egg Blaster. This is also where the mini-story that was in the animation comes to a head here – Eggman gathering them all up under the false pretense of a wedding to take them out at once, prematurely assuming the fight’s won (and only entering it himself when he believes that), and how callously he sacrifices any robot if it’s for his own sake. Bowser, meanwhile, focused on keeping his own troops alive when the Phantom Ruby starts decimating them, and unleashed the Grand Star due to his fury at seeing Bowser Jr. harmed (which given that he was already Fury Bowser is saying something), and fighting side by side with his army and generals the whole time.

It all comes to a close with the Death Egg, as Eggman’s troops know that they’re being completely sacrificed – the only reason they’re even able to flee being because they’re all being sacrificed in an instant. Bowser, meanwhile, jumps in the way and sacrificing himself to save his army.

And it all means that when Dry Bowser emerges, Eggman’s left with no tools, no options, against the entirety of the Koopa Troop – despite the fact that only Bowser and his son were needed to close out the fight, periodically closing out Eggman’s last few remaining options one by one. He can’t fire the Death Egg again, he can’t run, he can’t use his jetpack – even his weak little gun is denied the opportunity to even fire off a shot.

And his death is celebrated as coins rain down from the sky onto the entire army.

It’s an incredible animation that really sold just how chaotic such a fight would go down with all of their best stuff combined. My only negative is that Sage ultimately did very little, I definitely think they could’ve given her a moment of commanding the Eggman Armada while Eggman himself is busy elsewhere, or a brief POV shot to showcase her aiming at Bowser’s army instead of Bowser, or gave her a voice actress to provide suggestions from her analyses.

Still though, this was already a battle jam packed full of so many factors that it would be hard to include such scenes without ruining the pacing, so I can’t really hold them against it.

Oh, and the music. I don’t have the words to really describe it properly, but the music’s incredible and fits the fight very well. Calling it Game Over is a nice touch.

And then the post-analysis kicks in, and closes out why the Death Battle team came to this conclusion for the battle. It’s a standard post-analysis, but with some really nice brief looks into alternate scenarios. I don’t like how literally all but one of them is Bowser winning for what is supposedly a really close match (and even that one exception isn’t given a conclusion), but they’re great, I really hope they show up again in future episodes when it’s appropriate to have them.

This episode was originally planned for Season 10, but ultimately had to get pushed back due to taking too long to fit in, but man am I glad they gave it the time they needed to, this is without a doubt my favourite Sonic episode in Death Battle. Wait no, scratch that, it’s my favourite episode overall in Death Battle.

I do not normally do reviews on this blog (as you can probably tell), but if it’s something you’d like to see more I can do it for some future Sonic games and/or future Sonic episodes of Death Battle. I mainly did a review this time because I wanted to preface just how much I enjoyed the episode before I delve into parts 2 and 3.

And before I forget (again), I have a Discord set up for this very blog, a temporary link will be available here, and a permanent link should be edited into my introductory message for the blog.

I hope to see you there!

[eclecticchick]

A little hiatus

Hey everyone! Wanted to give you a heads up that I won’t be going live on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitch next week or the week after. I’m taking a little hiatus for the next 2 weeks and will be back live on August 31st. In the mean time, there will be new videos coming up next Sunday and the Sunday after. Yesterday also has a new video up: Here’s a quick update short:

[catholicbeastmode]

the one downside to working in a library is that every time on this godforsaken website i see a post like "just ask your library for--" or "libraries have--" and i'm just like ohhh no no no please no i do enough already please do not ask for this i might explode

[jontycrane]

Helsinki

The appropriately understated capital of Finland, Helsinki reminded me of a smaller version of Stockholm. It was a pleasant place to explore for a couple of days but didn’t particularly excite despite lots of attractive architecture. The train station completed in 1919 is one of the icons of the city. At the heart of Helsinki is Senate Square, and the iconic white Helsinki Cathedral completed…

[rabbitcruiser]

Benches/Chairs (No. 46)

New York City (four pics)

Robert Mondavi Winery, CA (four pics)

Brix Restaurant & Gardens, Yountville (two pics)

[capricornmp3]

Sofía Alfaro

[transit-fag]

Don't worry, You can trust me with the city budget, just let me in there. Come on, just let me have the budget. I will totally not gut the police budget to build a centralized mass transit network and new libraries. I will definitely not do that, just let me in there please. Come on let me have access to the city budget for 5 minutes. That's all I ask.