#Generally I try to keep to strictly fictional characters but a modern day setting felt called for rather than earlier in life

[theresawritesstuff]

9

Something in the way she moves - James Taylor

And I feel fine anytime she's around me now

She's around me now

Almost all the time

And if I'm well you can tell she's been with me now

She's been with me now quite a long, long time

And I feel fine

October 2015

Stephen Colbert tapped his notecards against the desk as the cameras came back from commercial. "Hey everyone, welcome back to The Late Show. My first guess tonight is a Grammy and Pulitzer prize winning activist and a living legend in the comedy world. Please welcome… Lenny Bruce!"

The band struck up a jaunty take on an old jazz standard as Lenny shuffled out onto the stage to a standing ovation.

The older comedian looked around, waving to the balcony as if to say Aw shucks, knock it off, before making his way up the small steps to his seat.

He settled in with a grateful nod to the crowd before turning to his host. "I like what you've done with the place."

"Thank you very much," Stephen replied. "You'd been here before on the old set a few times back in the day."

"A few," Lenny chuckled, taking a sip of his water.

"So Lenny, can I call you Lenny?"

"Sure. I've learned to respond to it."

The audience chuckled at his underplayed shrug.

Colbert covered a smile before continuing, "Lenny, I want to talk about your latest memoir in just a moment, but before we get to that I want to wish you a happy early birthday."

"Oh, well thank you very much."

"You're going to be ninety next week!" his host stated, clearly impressed.

Lenny smiled. "So they keep telling me."

"How do you feel?"

Another shrug to the crowd. "I feel fine."

"You look good," Colbert offered kindly. "Very spry for a man of your age."

"Why thank you. So are you."

Colbert broke a bit with that along with the crowd.

Recovering,  he said, "You've lived a rather impressive life Lenny. If you don't mind my asking…What's your secret to longevity?"

"My wife," Lenny answered almost immediately. "Now she's spry for a man of her age!"

He smiled as the crowd laughed, continuing, "Honestly I can't take much credit. She keeps me young. I hate to think where I would have ended up without her."

Colbert acknowledged the audience briefly, "For those who might not be aware, you're famously married to the very funny and talented Midge Maisel."

The mention of his wife was met with applause, much to his satisfaction.

"Yes I am," he confirmed. "She'll be happy to hear you said she was funny first. When she first started out as a comic, you know women weren't allowed to be funny. They still were of course, but they never got enough credit for it. A lot of the old boys couldn't handle the idea. So it's a sticking point with her. She even wrote it into our vows that I never forget she's funny, as if I ever could."

"How long have you two been married?" Colbert asked.

"We just celebrated fifty three years."

Another round of applause from the audience.

His host's eyes grew wide. "Fifty three! Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"Forget turning ninety. Tell us your secrets to a happy marriage!"

"Maybe when the cameras turn off. I don't think the censors would appreciate my answer."

Colbert smirked at Lenny's coy response. "That dirty, huh?"

"Well…" Lenny shrugged innocently, earning a smattering of cheers and wolf whistles from the crowd.

He grinned a little sheepishly at his host.

"I'm sorry. I promise I will give you a straight answer or two in the time I'm here. You've been very kind having an old timer like me on. It's an old reflex you know, to deflect with a joke."

"We're very glad to have you," Colbert assured him.

"Thank you." Lenny gave the question some genuine thought. "I think the secret, if there is one really, is that Midge and I enjoy each other's company. We always have. And we're always the other's strongest supporter. Now, when we first met we were both in a bit of a dark place. Back of a cop car to be specific."

The audience chuckled at his quip.

Colbert nodded intently. "I remember reading that in her book a few years ago."

"That was a good one, wasn't it?" Lenny beamed proudly, thinking back. "I still remember that nightgown...She must have really gone for my smooth opener of hey because she bailed me out the next morning. Then I returned the favor a few days later– we were a couple of rabble-rousers back in our day– and we sort of just hit it off after that. It was a few years before we got together but I was pretty gone for her from the beginning. She offered me her umbrella once when I was caught in a proverbial *censor* storm. I talk about it a little in the book. I remember it was this small moment of unconditional kindness. She didn't think much of it at the time but that was it for me. She's always had a way of quietly bringing me out of the dark like that."

He chuckled self deprecatingly. "I've been known to be a bit of a cantankerous sort, especially in my younger days, but my buddies could always tell when I'd been around Midge. I smiled more I guess."

Colbert smiled, genuinely touched. "That's very sweet."

"Some say I've mellowed a bit as I've gotten older. I think it's just that Midge has been with me pretty regularly now for quite a long, long time. Turns out having someone who loves you around is good for your health."

"Is she here today? We could bring her out," his host suggested.

Lenny smirked, covering a laugh with his finger. "You'd get even fewer serious answers from this interview, Stephen."

Colbert shrugged. "Yeah but I'm a fan so it'd be fun for me."

Lenny grinned. "As much as she'd love to take this interview even more off the rails, she's next door having fun with the founding fathers fan club outside. What's it called? Ham for Ham?"

Colbert nodded. "That sounds right. They're doing a Hamilton lottery event. Ten bucks for a chance at front row seats."

"Oh that's nice! I like that. Give the average Joe a shot at the jewelry seats." Lenny nodded approvingly. "We'll be coming home with at least twelve more full grown adopted grandchildren by the time she's done, just so you know."

Colbert laughed. "And how many do you two already have?"

"Of our own? Let's see…" Lenny took a moment to count. "Four kids between the sum of our marriages, ten grandkids of a discernible blood relation, and our first great grandchild on the way. She's always mentoring the younger set though. That's another big thing with Midge. Giving a hand up to the next generation. Kenan Thompson calls me Zeyde Lenny, you know."

"I did not," Colbert chuckled.

Lenny nodded. "Takes great pleasure in it. Mixes it up with different voices. I'll come down from my office and hear Zeyde Lenny! at least once or twice a month. He and Midge really hit it off when she hosted SNL. He's a good egg. Funny kid."

"That's fantastic."

Colbert tapped his note card, turning to the audience. "Well folks, I'm getting the signal that we need to go to commercial. Please stick around for more Lenny Bruce as we discuss his latest memoir To is a Preposition, Love is a Verb. We'll be right back."

[biteghost]

How do you come up with so many cool characters?? All of your OCs seem so vibrant and fleshed out. Do you have a specific process for developing them, or do they just kinda come to you mostly formed? I find I struggle with building a compelling OCs for D&D games & would love to hear your thoughts on character development.

(This answer got long, sorry.) This is a super nice sentiment, I’m happy you think my characters are all cool and unique!!

As far as process goes, uh, it depends on the character? I’ve spent a long time (years) rewiring my brain when it comes to what I think about when creating OCs. They don’t usually come to me fully formed - I get an idea in my head about a concept, and then over like a week or even months of fiddling I end up with a character for that concept.

A lot of the time my characters are simply people I wanted to see more of in media as a kid! Mostly, female characters I actually relate to or are as nuanced and messy as their male cast members, haha... (It was a trip when I realized in high school that I didn’t hate female characters - it was actually that none of them were written as well as the cool boys in the anime series I liked, haha! Be the change you want to see in the world, basically.)

Inspiration for characters (and stories for them to be part of) come from a lot of places. An easy piece of advice is to make an effort to intake media you like! Read new comics, watch new movies and television shows, read books, play video games, listen to music and obsessively memorize the lyrics - hell, obsessively learn everything there is to know about black holes or public domain characters (that’s what I did, lol...)!

(Note: ’New’ meaning new to YOU - you don’t need to only be partaking of media that’s created in 2021 - you can find a lot to love in media that was created before your time, or for generations before you!)

I must reiterate: intake new media that you ENJOY! You don’t have to like all the same things as everyone else, you don’t have to be invested in the same shows and podcasts as your friends. Varied interests and taste is part of what makes us all unique! Increasing your pool of inspiration will help you come up with interesting ideas, and help you find YOUR voice. Your particular interests and the niche things that speak to you will help you figure out what kind of characters and what kind of stories you like to create! But the process doesn’t end at just intaking media... When you find the stuff that brings you joy, analyze what exactly it is about that thing that speaks to you... Put it into words. Explain it to a friend. Make it tangible, analyze the feelings and why the series made you feel that way... and then take it and shove it into your own stories, lol!

Engage critically and thoughtfully with work you like, with characters you like, and it will help you have the language and thought process to recreate it in your own work!

My creative process is like an exquisite corpse of all the characters and series I’ve liked over my lifetime. I mesh them all together in a grim blender and what comes out is a shake in the vague shape as an OC, lol

BUT... it seems like you’re asking more specifically about making characters for tabletop roleplaying games like D&D? And THAT is a different process for me than making OCs for my comics or original story ideas!

I don’t usually join a tabletop game with a fully fleshed out character, actually?? I don’t spend a long time on their backstory, and I usually figure it out like halfway through the story, or through collaboration with my game master!

My TTRPG characters are usually whatever I think would be most interesting in the given game setting or set-up and... usually they exist in opposition to whatever the core concept of the game is. So, the examples I have from games I’ve played are:

In Cardians: West (World of Darkness: Hunter the Vigil): we played in a modern-day urban fantasy setting, where players were recruited into a supernatural Hunter group that was also a criminal organization that Did Crimes and Broke The Law in the name of keeping peace and protecting humanity from the supernatural creatures that go bump in the night. I played Andrew, a Lawful Good Police Detective, because I thought playing a character who would need to grow past his original ideals of ‘Right and Wrong’ in the name of the greater good would be interesting! (And it was!)

In SINNING ADVENTURE (WoD: Geist: The Sin-Eaters) we payed in a modern-day urban fantasy setting with the premise that the players all Died and were brought back to life by forming a pact with a powerful spirit (and getting cool ghost powers in the process!) I played Cassius, a character who could not cope with his death, and thus refused to use his new powers because they were evidence that he was no longer strictly human. It caused conflict in the group and world, but I thought it would be interesting! (And it was! Cassius was a Bitch.)

In Rex Machina (Dungeons and Dragons 5E), I wanted to play an Aarakocra, but was having a hard time deciding on a class or backstory... until I found out that in the ‘canon’ of D&D Aarakocra only live to be like, mid 20s???? Their lifespans are insanely short compared to other playable races!! And I thought that was stupid, so I decided to make MY Aarakocra, Izzy, a warlock that’s looking for ways to extend his own stupidly short life. His pact essentially granted that to him, giving him extra time to find a way to achieve True Immortality. His conflict challenges what’s ‘true’ living in this world, and his extended life is in direct conflict with a lot of forces in the world we play in, and while it is very stressful I think it’s really interesting to play!

In Lamplighting (Monster of the Week), my character Aicen is an assassin who made a deal with a demon and gained supernatural perks out of it... except I decided that she doesn’t WANT to be in this deal. She is actively trying to undo it because it wasn’t her deal - she inherited it from a CEO that she killed during an unrelated job. (Aicen is probably my character I’ve put the most backstory into, and that’s just because at character creation in MOTW you are given a lot of questions about who your character is and why they’re where they are!)

In Hand of Adam (WoD: HtV), the concept was that all players were going to join a post-apocalyptic supernatural-hating cult. I played Shouter, who was a self-preserving pacifist coward who also turned out to be a fae (which the cult would have killed him over). It was stressful but very fun. I love Shouter. He ran away from fights and didn’t actually kill anyone until the last episode where they fought God (whom he killed, lol).

NOW. THESE ARE ALL JUST EXAMPLES OF HOW *I* LIKE TO PLAY CHARACTERS!! For me personally, I enjoy playing a character who has built-in conflict either with the world, the story, or the other players. I’m only able to play characters like this because my friend group are all really cool and we all know that conflict is not bad - it’s fiction and we’re just roleplaying! If I didn’t trust my GMs and fellow players as much as I do, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable enough playing some of these concepts.

I don’t think you need to know every little thing about a tabletop character, and in fact, not knowing some things and leaving it up to the GM and story to flesh out is an easy way to help you get more invested in both your character AND the story your GM is telling! Tabletops are a collaborative storytelling experience, so if you’ve already plotted out your character’s whole story, there won’t be much participation from other players or your GM. Figure out what your character wants, and let your roleplaying and GM slowly put all the other pieces in place over the course of your campaign!

But the TL:DR about how I make tabletop OCs is that I just... try to give them a goal, an ideal, or a personality that is in direct conflict with some aspect of the game we’re playing. I don’t want the character to be undermining the whole game, because that’s really crappy to do to your GM, but I have to have something for my character to grow through or change. I like giving them built-in character arc starters, lol. I haven’t played a game where my character has gotten along with every other player character and NPC over the entire campaign since my very FIRST game, lol!

Also, if you’re having trouble, why not ask your GM what they think? Again, tabletops are collaborative! Don’t be afraid to talk ideas out with your GM for your character.

A final note about playing in specifically oneshot games (i.e. games that are not long campaigns but are meant to be played in one or two sittings). Personally, I always just retrofit an OC I already have to play in oneshots! When I make a new character for a long campaign, it usually takes me two or three sessions to find their voice and figure out how to roleplay them. If the game you’re playing is only one session, I find it easier to jump right in and get the most out of your character and the game when you’re playing a character you already know pretty well! I’ve played characters from my webcomic quite a few times, and it’s always a lot more fun for me than figuring out a new character on the fly!

SO UH, IN CONCLUSION... sorry if this is mad unhelpfu!! My personal processes are unique to me! but that's the point - no one person will have the exact answer that works for you! You have to keep trying until you figure it out for yourself! Good luck! Keep creating! <3

[mooncaps]

Okay, so I've just finished reading this new Carmilla adaptation novel. I'm not sure if this will develop into a full-on review, but I have a few thoughts.

For the unfamiliar, the novel adapts Season 1 of the 2014 webseries, which itself was a loose adaptation in a modern setting of the 1872 novella written by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. To give a broad and succinct summary: It's about lesbians, mysteries, and vampires.

For the most part, this is a pretty straightforward adaptation of Season 1. It's told from Laura's perspective in a first-person, present tense narration. There's no: "I leaned in. We waltzed around the room. She was so close I could feel her breath." It's all: "I lean in. We waltz around the room. She's so close I can feel her breath." The present tense seemed like a curious choice at first, but it sort of works for keeping the reader with Laura from moment to moment.

The book begins as Laura arrives at Silas, giving a couple of short scenes that weren't in the webseries. This is probably the thing I wanted most from this adaptation: to really add detail to the story. In what ways can the story expand without the conceit that Laura's webcam has to be filming for the audience to see it? What potential is there for storytelling beyond the format of two-to-six minute episodes that are confined to one small set? On this front...I may have set my expectations too high.

With few exceptions, the book goes vlog update to vlog update. Episode to episode, following the webseries. There are a handful of small moments added here and there. Scenes that were only explained to the webcam after the fact now play out in Laura's first-person, present tense narration instead, which is a welcome change. Additional content is generally light, but what's there is appreciated by this reader. There are some extra moments for fans of both Hollence and Hollstein, as well as a few other bits and bobs.

This book still could have benefited from more though. LaF and Perry are still introduced after the blood in the milk container, but introduced as people Laura already knows, and present tense Laura has to explain that she met the two of them in between the moments that are presented to the reader. Danny is mentioned early by Betty, but then shows up later, again introduced as someone Laura already knows and the reader is caught up after the fact. There are so many things that could happen in between the vlog updates, and I feel this novelization by and large misses out on the potential to flesh out the story, opting in almost every instance to follow the webseries beat for beat.

Following the webseries is understandable, though I must say this book seems to rely on the webseries in some ways. There's less descriptive language for people and settings than I'm used to in a lot of the fiction I've read. A modest amount is said about how Laura is feeling from moment to moment, but somewhat less is said about what anyone or anything looks like. This could be a deliberate choice, since Laura is the narrator and the focus is on the things she notices, but it ultimately leaves this reader wishing for more. I know that there's something to be said for leaving things up to the reader's imagination. The descriptions don't necessarily need to go all the way to Lord of the Rings levels. What's here though could almost pass for a middle grade novel, were it not for the occasional "shit," "bitch," and "fuck off" sprinkled throughout.

I wouldn't say it's required, but knowing the webseries is definitely helpful in some ways. I don't know what kind of mental image a reader would conjure about the look of Laura's dorm room or of Laura herself based on the minimal information in this text. I think I did less imagining the scene based on the text and more just picturing the webseries...which I could just watch. In other ways, being so familiar with the webseries felt like a hindrance. I found myself thinking things like "why would they change that line?" or "wasn't there a bit more to that exchange?" It feels like this novelization can't make up its mind about whether it wants to stick strictly to only the established events from the webseries or adjust things and add in extra content. While I appreciate the few new things, they're kind of inconsequential; much of the new content doesn't really deepen the characterization or storytelling. The book does enough to avoid being entirely redundant, but I just can't help wishing it had done more to differentiate itself.

I recognize that many of my hangups are based on my own hopes and expectations. As the saying goes: Your mileage may vary. I'm gonna feel really embarassed if I'm entirely alone in all of these opinions though. For my mileage, I think I would've preferred a third-person omniscient narration that could really delve into the goings on around the Silas campus, with focus on what each of the principal characters were doing and thinking, both during the scenes from the webseries and between them. Another thing I would've liked to see is some acknowledgment of the transmedia content. None of it comes up. At all. Again, I feel like I set my expectations too high. I was kind of hoping that this could be a version of the story that unifies all of that content and threads it throughout the flow of the narrative in a more cohesive, natural way.

I don't want to be all negative and nitpicky here. This is a simple and straightforward adaptation of a story that I really love. Laura's character voice is generally quite strong in the dialgogue and narration. The novel is able to explore some things in thoughtshots and prose that wouldn't really come up in dialogue. The significance of some of the body language is given more prominence. There are areas where this book demonstrates some things that can be done in the text-based format that wouldn't have translated as well (if at all) to the screen. I just wanted it do even more of that.

I really love what this novelization has done for LaFontaine. Season 1 of the webseries leaves the audience to infer some things about LaF's identity, without doing much in the way of explaining or establishing. I know the webseries was trying to build a world where people just are lesbians, or bi, or genderqueer and no one makes a big deal out of it. Season 1 felt a bit too vague about LaFontaine though. I clocked one "them" for LaF in all of Season 1 and it might have even been a plural, referring to both LaF and Perry. The novel is much clearer about what it means that LaFontaine doesn't want to be called Susan. They, them, and their pronouns are used from the moment the character is introduced to the reader. The word genderqueer is used. LaFontaine directly states that they do not identify as male or female. Laura corrects Perry's use of improper pronouns. A lot of this didn't come up until Seasons 2 and 3 in the webseries version. I like that the novel gave clear and visible representation from the start.

That said, I really wish the editor had taken another pass at this, because I did notice three instances of she/her pronouns in the narration. As someone who also uses they/them pronouns, it pulled me all the way out of the story all three times. I'm very tempted to take a pen and mark up the typeset with my awful handwriting just to fix it. And there was one other quirk in the prose that repeated so often it became distracting. When a sentence refers to both Perry and LaFontaine, "her friend" is the go-to phrase. Over and over. A simple "them" or "their" would have been easy enough to follow in most instances. A "LaFontaine" or "LaF" could have been used if a sentence would have otherwise become unclear. "Her friend" made some of the sentences feel particularly clunky and the phrase was repeated enough times that it really started to stand out to me.

Again, I don't want to be all about negativity. This was an enjoyable reading experience. Truly, I hate to be anything but supportive of this, but I do feel that there was a fair amount of room for improvement here. It's good; I just wish it could have been even better.

This novel is a solid adaptation of a rare gem of a story. I feel certain that I'll want to reread this at some point, after some time passes and I can take it as it is, rather than focusing on whether or not it's what I expected or hoped it would be. I look forward to being able to do that as I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more. At the end of the day, I'm excited that this book exists and I'm very happy to have read it.

[turntothree]

During the Break: Build-A-Hedgehog

Dateline – April 12, 2017

Nintendo is riding high after the overnight success of the Switch and to keep that hype train firmly on track, it airs another of its promotional Direct packages. Jam-packed with A-Listers like Splatoon 2, Fire Emblem Echoes and Arms, the broadcast is a ratings smash!

But in the midst of The Big N’s biggest hits, what got the most attention (at least from fans on the Internet) was the first full gameplay trailer for Sonic Forces. It was pretty good.

...

Editor’s Note: Is that all you have to say?

Well, we got to see Modern Sonic dash and soar through Eggman’s Bad Future like it was some sort of dystopian rollercoaster, while Classic Sonic got to run the vintage Green Hill Zone obstacle course. Both gameplay styles got ample time to show off their pretty set pieces as well as a satisfying impression of speed, momentum and impact.

Granted, it was only a 30 second clip, but it was a nice little indication that Sonic Team went back to what made these mechanics work so well together in Sonic Generations. Perhaps with some added tweaks, this 2526th anniversary milestone will be just as special as its year 20 counterpart. Or at the very least something that might break the “Sonic Cycle”.

Editor’s Note: Gotta keep that emphasis on might.

I guess that about covers it. Don’t forget to like, comment and re-blog; oh and stay tuned fo...

Editor’s Note: *AHEM!*

Heh heh. It seems I forgot to address the shadowy figure stoically lingering in the room.

Yeah, as good as the trailer was, it wasn’t the gameplay that caught the public’s interest but rather the captivating secret that brought it to the finish line.

For an entire month, Sonic fans had been trying to solve the mystery of this unknown Player Three’s identity. Then suddenly, SEGA lifted the cowl...*Sigh*

Editor’s Note: Even knowing what we know now, you still want to discuss your theory, don’t you?

I spent so much time putting it together....how was I supposed to know the reveal would happen before E3?

Editor’s Note: It shouldn’t have taken you weeks to put it together in the first place. But since you worked so hard, have at it. Just make it quick.

OK! So, after digging through every hedgehog, fox, echidna, bat, cat, rabbit, flicky and sniper in Sonic Team’s sketchbook, I narrowed my list down to five possible suspects. My findings were based solely on the curious critter’s fashion sense.

Editor’s Note:  Pop monarch shoes, ruffled up socks and Mouseketeer gloves. Yup, it’s a Sonic character all right.

After a rigorous process of elimination, five became two.

Editor’s Note: Uh-huh. “Rigorous.�� Looking at ear shapes and checking for patagium doesn’t take a whole lot of time, dude.

*Cough* Anyway, two resisters remained; the iconic pairing of Sonic & Tails, no less. Upon a second glance at Mr. Prower, I thought I had the mystery solved.

Everything from the fashion choices to the shape of his head and whiskers, he seemed like the perfect candidate. Yup, I was confident it was Tails...until I saw this model lacked Miles’ big bushy namesakes - them tails.

That just left Sonic.

Editor’s Note: Hey, did you ever consider Antoine? 

I’m quite familiar with that fan theory and I’d be lying if I didn’t also consider him a (somewhat) strong possibility. This whole thing with Eggman ruling the world definitely had an air of Archie to it, and the publisher did commission mock game assets of the Knothole characters to celebrate the Sonic comic’s 2014 revamp. Not to mention the Guinness award winning series is celebrating its own 25-year milestone, so a monumental crossover seemed like a good way to mark the occasion. Also, he was a perfect match for the silhouette. But I had to rule him out.

Editor’s Note: If chilidogs can exist in Sonic Team’s universe, why not Coyotes and Acorns?

Mainly, it’s a matter of licensing issues and “pending” cancellation.

Editor’s Note: Two years on television and 25 years in print. The Freedom Fighters had a good run.

Anyway, that just left Sonic and I think you know where I’m going with this.

Player One is the Sonic we know and Player Two is the Sonic we knew, so I think it would stand to reason Player Three 3 could’ve been the hedgehog Sonic could become.

Editor’s Note: Past, Present and Future all accounted for. That’s a mighty safe deduction, Sherlock. Also, that’s Sonic’s Uncle Chuck, you chuckle head.

As I was saying, I had a feeling SEGA may have wanted to celebrate a quarter century of Sonic games by shaking up the gameplay formula, while using the time travel plot device as a segue.

Editor’s Note: Unnecessary mechanical shake-ups has kinda been Sonic Team’s M.O. for like a decade now. You might as well have assumed this “Future Sonic” would be blue.

Look, I’m not talking low end shake-ups like making the levels spherical or adding a werehog. I’m talking a momentous shift on par with The Blue Blur speeding out on his first grand Adventure. If you’d grant me the pleasure, I’d be more than happy to explain it in excruciating detail.

Editor’s Note: Dude, seriously. This whole rant has been way too slow. Can we just shine a light on this mascot already?

*Groan* It’s the 26th anniversary, it’s a new generation of hardware, and Forces is the first multi-platform Sonic release in over half a decade. So, I figured Sonic Team would celebrate in a big way and what would be bigger than letting this anonymous animal take a new hedgehog engine out for a test spin?

Editor’s Note: I’m waiting!

OK, OK. [Clears Throat] During the 16-Bit glory years, The Fastest Thing Alive was a side-scrolling speedster and starting back from his transition into 3D, Sonic’s been turbo driving in tunnel vision from a fixed third-person vantage point.

Editor’s Note: EXPLAIN FASTER!

I FIGURED THE NEXT BIG SPRINT WOULD BE A PERSPECTIVE CHANGE!

Perhaps we’d finally get a taste of the open road strictly from a hedgehog point of view, like say the FPSonic short made by PIPOCA.

Or maybe we’d see the tried and true third-person tracks evolve to include multiple axes, like in the brilliant Sonic Utopia tech demo by Mr. Lange. 

...Or if Sonic Team didn’t want to change too much, I would have suggested it take advantage of the Forces gimmick and allow Sonic Tois to pass the piton to one of his many friends in order clear out enemy lines or solve puzzles. Think an updated Sonic Heroes or Knuckles Chaotix.    

Editor’s Note: But just as you pasted it together, your “Old Man Sonic” theory ran into a wall.

Dateline – May 16, 2017

SEGA releases another trailer and it focuses squarely on the identity of the third character. Fans gasp with baited breath as the vale was lifted to reveal...a random wolf guy.

Editor’s Note: Can’t say I saw that one coming.

It felt a tad anti-climatic, even though seeing him use a grapping hook to tie up a couple of giant Egg Robos was pretty cool...I guess.

Editor’s Note: Look man, you were wrong; you got to get over it. Also, now that I think of it, Sonic’s head is much too big to fit the silhouette, so you would’ve been wrong anyway. And don’t say he could have gotten a haircut. Sonic would never tame those quills.

Right. Well, before I could register Wolfy the Wolfboy as a new lead, the trailer got its second, third, fourth and fifth wind with the shocking twist this third player is in fact, an “Original Character”.

Editor’s Note: As in - Do Not Steal!?

You see, this charming customer is just one of thousands of possibilities players can dream up using a nifty creator tool and a little bit of imagination. With a long line of clothing options and a choice of one of seven spirit animals, players will be able to make a character that is distinctive to their personality.

As an added bonus, each of the seven classes has its own unique stat boost.

Wolves have magnetic personalities (rings for days). Dogs bounce back from death with five bonus rings. Cats cheat death by clinging to a single ring after taking damage. Birds are of the flightless variety but can still get air via a double jump. Bears are the heavies of the group and pack a powerful punch with their homing missile. Rabbits get a little extra time to race around with an I-flash damage boost.  And of course, Hedgehogs can pick up the rings they drop after taking a hit.

Editor’s Note: Based on those parameters, I think we might get overrun with re-coloured Sonics...not that there’s anything wrong with that. You do you, Archie did it too, creativity starts somewhere, etc. Speaking of stat boosts and buffs and other such mechanical things, what sort of play style will these OCs adhere to?

Oddly enough, there’s no perspective change or efforts made to shake up everything we know about Sonic. Instead, Sonic Team chose to make avatars playable in both modern and classic styles, but with a twist.

Do you remember the Wisps from Sonic Colors? They’re back...sort of. Throughout the game, each player character will be collecting an assortment of gadget’s called Wispens. Like the Wisps, these trinkets grant special abilities that can be used to take out enemies or to make racing through levels more expedient. 

Editor’s Note: I’m sorry you set yourself up for disappointment.

After thinking on it a bit, this surprisingly safe move was the right one. I don’t want to dig too deep (because that’s a topic for another time) but it took Sonic Team a good long time to get Sonic to run smoothly in 3D. Choosing to step away from all that progress just to give a milestone anniversary some extra publicity could’ve have lead to disaster, much like some of The Blue Blur’s previous gimmicks. Instead, fans are being treated to a neat new spin on what works.

As for the Create-a-Character concept, now that I’ve seen it, I’m surprised SEGA hasn’t capitalized on the whole fan fiction aspect of the fandom before. Sonic surfers can’t go through any social media network, fan forum, or artist alley without finding fan characters of all shapes, sizes, species and colours. With such a cluster of “original” critters, this seems like a million dollar idea.

Editor’s Note: I can think of a couple why nots.

*Sigh* I would be lying if I said I didn’t have some concern for Sonic Forces. As pointed out by...just about everyone, its fan fiction plotline opens it up for being absorbed into that “weirdness”. That said however, I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to rain on the CAC parade.

The majority of these fanfic authors are youngsters that love this series and day dream of seeing their silly side-characters race side-by-side with Sonic. Forces granting their wish is not only a profitable proposition for SEGA, it also encourages and inspires these kids to continue creating. I would like to think that goodwill offsets any potential *cough* naughtiness. 

Editor’s Note: Now that I think of it, said “naughtiness” would be unavoidable anyway just by virtue of being a Sonic game.

...

Editor’s Note: Between disproven theories, big reveals and potential mishaps, I think you’ve covered all the bases. You want to take this home?

Sonic’s 26-year rat hedge race has certainly been eventful. He’s had some incredible highs, embarrassing lows, and is now riding a stable return through the loop. Every moment of triumph, every stumble, every second wind, every trip up and third wind, The Blue Blur has had a loyal and dedicated pack of fans to run alongside him every step of the way.

They grew up in the trenches together and now they stand tall as a battlefield collective, ready to spin dash their way through the Eggman Empire and onward to freedom!

As a quarter-century celebration of its mascot and the fans that made him an industry icon, Sonic Team (probably) couldn’t have done any better than this.

...At least in the event Forces fails to win the day, Headcannon and Taxman will be there to save us with Sonic Mania.

Sorry about all the delays and such. I believe I’m on track now. So, I can say with confidence that you can Stay Tuned fo...

What’s this? It appears my plans for an Undertale review have been rained out, so to speak.

It’s convention season and with big moves being made and many more still to come, my creative energies would be better spent elsewhere, for now.

Huh...well, with that notice out of the way, Stay Tuned for a resistance of a different sort.

Reader discretion is advised.

Research Sources: Nintendo, SEGA, Comic Book Resources, Bleeding Cool, Polygon and IGN