#I should stop thinking so hard

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground Episode 20: When in Rome

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

The plot (for want of a better word): The Oracle of Delphius sends the triplets to another world under the control of an evil Roman emperor. But this time, the Sonic Underground has to save the day without their powers! Can they find their inner strength to save this other world, and learn something about themselves while they’re at it?

Not gonna lie, I mostly picked the image above because it embodies my general feeling about this episode, unfortunately. Manic speaks to my soul.

So this episode does not open with Aleena’s voice over, and does remind us that as much as they complain, Sonia and Manic do kind of expect Sonic to handle everything in an emergency because they’re not only insisting he get them through a ‘forty-foot' thick door, but also run them away from the bad guys when they’re surrounded. This is all fine in the moment, but it does make me raise my eyebrow when they complain about him in other episodes.

Apparently this is the third mission that’s failed recently. It leads to Sonic having a well-deserved vent session about how they’re not getting anywhere. Sonia, who is apparently the optimistic one this episode, suggests they go see the Oracle.

The omniscient oracle doesn’t know why they’re here though. I don’t actually mind the Oracle, mostly because I think he’s screwing around with everyone for funsies and/or fate, but you do have to roll your eyes at him.

The triplets rightfully ask him to, you know, help out. He offers to share some of his knowledge if they go help some people in another world. He does not tell them they have to do this without their medallions.

NOW. Here’s the thing about this episode. They leave their medallions behind, sure, but they also lose all their powers, including Sonic’s speed, which has never before and will never again be implied to have anything to do with his medallion. I make too much of this in my head. In universe, we just accept and move on.

Manic is in the new world for less than a minute before he runs afoul of this world’s Dingo and gets himself arrested. He does it for heroic reasons, but still.

Sonia also manages about the same amount of time (in her defence, she got dropped in the middle of the highly restricted palace), but this is also where we discover the triplets have lost their powers because Sonia can’t defend herself (Manic never can, remember, so his capture is less shocking).

Meanwhile, Sonic is on the outskirts of the city, and trips over himself when he tries to run. Because apparently his actual power is coordination, not speed. But the point is that he can’t get away when he’s approached and is asked for papers. So they’re all immediately captured.

The Song: Where there’s a will (there’s a way), which is just so ridiculously 90s, with the rap, and the funky ‘whoa’ and the bass, and the appropriate music video cuts and camera angles and yep. Yep, it’s… circa ’93, if I had to place it.

 And we meet this episode’s version of Sleet, who is some kind of Caligula or Roman Prince John or something, who knows what they’re actually going for. The point is he’s all for raising taxes and anti-music and who knows what else. The world building is not great this episode.

As punishment for playing music, Sonic is sent to serve as a gladiator who were the first celebrities, Manic is made a jester which was actually quite a high station and Sonia is made the emperor’s hand maiden which was a role only filled by minor nobles in medieval society and has always been a high serving role. This allows them to use all their personal skills to escape. Which are, in order, Sonic’s silver tongue (by teaching the guy threatening him how to pick up girls), Manic’s sleight of hand, and Sonia’s (irrational) political savvy.

Side note, Sonic, you have not shown any romantic or sexual interest in this entire series and you never will, do not pretend like you are good at picking up. You aren’t. Girls like you because you are sweet and comforting, guys become obsessed with you because you’re heroic and have a nice smile. It is NOTHING to do with you being slick.

Manic, on the other hand, really likes this world’s princess Lydia. This will not be a thing, it’s just a blink-and-you-miss it Manic-has-feelings reminder while we introduce this world’s real imperial family.

So while Sonic’s trying to teach the gladiator centaur-minotaur-thing swag, Sonia and Manic have been thrown to the lions. With spears. One could make too much of this. Sonia is not concerned, however, because she’s convinced that if the crowd that have come to watch her die a gory death via lions will see their rightful ruler, they will rebel. Because divine right or something. The world building is not great in this episode.

After some implication that his ability to pick any kind of lock is part of his medallion’s power (yes I make too much of this), Manic gets them out of the lion pit, they meet up with Sonic and the centaur-minotaur-thing, and they run to save Lydia’s father.

For some reason, Sonia’s divine right theory is proven correct. And the centaur-minotaur-thing is actually the Oracle of Delphius in disguise, and declares them announcing the emperor’s return as the right outcome. He returns their magic, and Sonia immediately uses it to get rid of emperor Sleet.

We end on a new prophecy: “You will rejoin Queen Aleena and become the Council of Four: destined to defeat Robotnik, if you are true to yourselves and your powers. And if your hearts never lose faith.” And an image of a multi-tiered… building... thing… that will supposedly be a sign of where they need to go.

I give the whole episode some serious side-eye, because this was clearly supposed to be An Important Episode, narratively (and it’s even the half-way point!), but it… mostly was a mess.

So appropriate to the Trashfire then!

Okay, so… I don’t like the idea of rewriting things to improve them, but I’ll give you a quick rundown of how I think the same story could have been told more effectively. The point was that the triplets aren’t the rightful rulers because they have magic medallions, it’s because they have inner abilities that make them good leaders. And granted, when you have three main characters, that is very difficult to SHOW in 20 minutes, let alone with 90 seconds spent on a musical number. But still. Let’s outline the things that actually make them good royalty:

Sonic (underneath his impatience and attitude) is heroic and kind

Sonia is politically and business savvy

Manic… has not actually shown any good leadership traits in the series so far, but he’s implied to be the most emotional, honest, and caring of the three.

So in theory, these should have been the things highlighted in this episode through an act of self-sacrifice by Sonic, some emotional connection with people by Manic, and some manipulation of Sleet by Sonia. Lydia could have been trapped in the dungeon with them, Manic could have sung her a song about not giving up hope. The centaur-thing could have been in the dungeon and Sonic could have told everyone to run while he fends off certain death alone. Sonia could have demanded to speak to Sleet and found some legal loophole that meant he never should have become emperor, or that Sleet had used underhanded means to dethrone the old one, or some actual and legitimate reason for the people to stop backing him.

As it was, it was just a weird sort of… ‘yeah, you’re going to get the throne back because you’re supposed to be the ruling class’ thing and it’s… it’s weird. Awkward and weird and…

Anyway. Anyway… we move on.

[inkskinned]

the thing about art is that it was always supposed to be about us, about the human-ness of us, the impossible and beautiful reality that we (for centuries) have stood still, transfixed by music. that we can close our eyes and cry about the same book passage; the events of which aren't real and never happened. theatre in shakespeare's time was as real as it is now; we all laugh at the same cue (pursued by bear), separated hundreds of years apart.

three years ago my housemates were jamming outdoors, just messing around with their instruments, mostly just making noise. our neighbors - shy, cautious, a little sheepish - sat down and started playing. i don't really know how it happened; i was somehow in charge of dancing, barefoot and laughing - but i looked up, and our yard was full of people. kids stacked on the shoulders of parents. old couples holding hands. someone had brought sidewalk chalk; our front walk became a riot of color. someone ran in with a flute and played the most astounding solo i've ever heard in my life, upright and wiggling, skipping as she did so. she only paused because the violin player was kicking his heels up and she was laughing too hard to continue.

two weeks ago my friend and i met in the basement of her apartment complex so she could work out a piece of choreography. we have a language barrier - i'm not as good at ASL as i'd like to be (i'm still learning!) so we communicate mostly through the notes app and this strange secret language of dancers - we have the same movement vocabulary. the two of us cracking jokes at each other, giggling. there were kids in the basement too, who had been playing soccer until we took up the far corner of the room. one by one they made their slow way over like feral cats - they laid down, belly-flat against the floor, just watching. my friend and i were not in tutus - we were in slouchy shirts and leggings and socks. nothing fancy. but when i asked the kids would you like to dance too? they were immediately on their feet and spinning. i love when people dance with abandon, the wild and leggy fervor of childhood. i think it is gorgeous.

their adults showed up eventually, and a few of them said hey, let's not bother the nice ladies. but they weren't bothering us, they were just having fun - so. a few of the adults started dancing awkwardly along, and then most of the adults. someone brought down a better sound system. someone opened a watermelon and started handing out slices. it was 8 PM on a tuesday and nothing about that day was particularly special; we might as well party.

one time i hosted a free "paint along party" and about 20 adults worked quietly while i taught them how to paint nessie. one time i taught community dance classes and so many people showed up we had to move the whole thing outside. we used chairs and coatracks to balance. one time i showed up to a random band playing in a random location, and the whole thing got packed so quickly we had to open every door and window in the place.

i don't think i can tell you how much people want to be making art and engaging with art. they want to, desperately. so many people would be stunning artists, but they are lied to and told from a very young age that art only matters if it is planned, purposeful, beautiful. that if you have an idea, you need to be able to express it perfectly. this is not true. you don't get only 1 chance to communicate. you can spend a lifetime trying to display exactly 1 thing you can never quite language. you can just express the "!!??!!!"-ing-ness of being alive; that is something none of us really have a full grasp on creating. and even when we can't make what we want - god, it feels fucking good to try. and even just enjoying other artists - art inherently rewards the act of participating.

i wasn't raised wealthy. whenever i make a post about art, someone inevitably says something along the lines of well some of us aren't that lucky. i am not lucky; i am dedicated. i have a chronic condition, my hands are constantly in pain. i am not neurotypical, nor was i raised safe. i worked 5-7 jobs while some of these memories happened. i chose art because it mattered to me more than anything on this fucking planet - i would work 80 hours a week just so i could afford to write in 3 of them.

and i am still telling you - if you are called to make art, you are called to the part of you that is human. you do not have to be good at it. you do not have to have enormous amounts of privilege. you can just... give yourself permission. you can just say i'm going to make something now and then - go out and make it. raquel it won't be good though that is okay, i don't make good things every time either. besides. who decides what good even is?

you weren't called to make something because you wanted it to be good, you were called to make something because it is a basic instinct. you were taught to judge its worth and over-value perfection. you are doing something impossible. a god's ability: from nothing springs creation.

a few months ago i found a piece of sidewalk chalk and started drawing. within an hour i had somehow collected a small classroom of young children. their adults often brought their own chalk. i looked up and about fifteen families had joined me from around the block. we drew scrangly unicorns and messed up flowers and one girl asked me to draw charizard. i am not good at drawing. i basically drew an orb with wings. you would have thought i drew her the mona lisa. she dragged her mother over and pointed and said look! look what she drew for me and, in the moment, i admit i flinched (sorry, i don't -). but the mother just grinned at me. he's beautiful. and then she sat down and started drawing.

someone took a picture of it. it was in the local newspaper. the summary underneath said joyful and spontaneous artwork from local artists springs up in public gallery. in the picture, a little girl covered in chalk dust has her head thrown back, delighted. laughing.

[makowcy]

jayy

[da-janela-lateral]

Seven-headed beast.

[yhwcomeback]

FOR THE JAY FANS I KNOW... IT HURTS ME TOO BUT I WANT HIM TO FINISH HIS EVIL ARC FIRST

[lazylittledragon]

Heya, feel free not to answer if this is uncomfortable, invasive or you just don't want to :)

I'm a trans guy and I'm, after top surgery, hoping to get laurel wreaths tattooed over the scars with florograpgy accents.

Do you have any advice for someone who's never had a tattoo before? Anyways to deal with pain, common courtesies for the tattoo artist, how the actual session goes, etc.?

Love ya,

Quimble

THAT'S A GREAT IDEA also absolutely!!!

don't stress about it or worry about being 'too much', for someone's first one i will talk through every single thing i'm doing and there are no stupid questions or too many concerns. also don't worry about twitching/flinching, it's not your fault and we know how to work around it

your artist should never make you feel bad about ANYTHING!! you can move the stencil as many times as you want and we don't care about your body or what you look like. if you need to take a break it's fine, if you need numbing spray it's fine. i would honestly rather slightly inconvenience myself than make you uncomfortable. as long as you aren't intentionally wiggling around the entire time or being a dick to the artist, you're all good.

yes it is going to hurt but it probably won't be as bad as you think it will be. when i got my first one i really hyped myself up and was very underwhelmed by the pain aksddfjfdj

bring something with you like a book or headphones if you need a distraction (as long as the tattoo placement allows it). i'm quite chatty most of the time but if you want a quiet session/no smalltalk you can ask for that

the actual session will go something like: show up, look at the design, make any changes if you want, test it out for sizing, put the stencil on and make sure you like it, then start the tattoo. afterwards they'll go through all the aftercare with you and either put on second skin (a film that sticks to your skin and protects the tattoo) or wrap it in clingfilm

if they haven't specified when you book the appointment then ask if it's cash/card/paypal etc and if it's cash, try and get it out BEFORE the tattoo appointment (just a time saving thing). also tipping is never expected but always Extremely appreciated :))

please please PLEASE tell us if you don't like the design/want to change the placement etc. personally i would be mortified if i knew someone didn't like what i'd done and didn't feel comfortable telling me. it's there forever so i want you to like it!!

[bacchuschucklefuck]

dreaming abt sophomore year class swap bard!riz

[izsheum]

lesbian formers…

dratchet and megarod bc why not

[waitineedaname]

not romantic or platonic but a secret third thing (bonded pair)

[fictionadventurer]

Hot Tip: If you're trying to secretly commit bigamy, don't do it when your wife is hidden in the house you currently live in.

Hot Tip: If you stop an innocent girl from committing bigamy, don't leave her living alone in the house with the guy who tried to trick her into bigamy.

Hot Tip: When you're trying to convince a girl to live as your mistress, don't tell her about how you grew to hate all the other mistresses you lived with.

Hot Tip: If you leave your home and place of employment with nowhere else to go, DON'T SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY ON BUS FARE!

[to-boldly-escape]

Data in Gold <3

Expand for higher qualityy

[ashipiko]

ONLY ONE THAT KNOWS YOUR KISS! IT HITS! MY SOUL! ♪

NO-TEXT VER UNDER CUT

[shitty-tma-aus]

ever since I mentioned I plan to delete, everyone’s been sending me really nice messages. I’m surprised and touched that you all like my blog so much. maybe a hiatus would be better than getting rid of it forever

[muttmedley]

genuinely can't stress how nice it is to just enjoy yourself and do what feels good instead of being overly worried abt getting each other off

[yutamayo]

this toy is broken

[crustaceousfaggot]

I'm so sorry I cannot fucking get over the fact that Sevika ended up on the council, and that we're supposed to see that as a good ending for her. Yeah we never really resolved the class inequality plotline, and Zaun and Piltover are both still controlled by a council of oligarchs with unchecked power, but hey! One of the eight councilors (who we're shown usually operate by majority vote) is from Zaun! Equality!

To be perfectly honest I can't see why Sevika would even agree to that. At the very minimum they could have given us a scene of her accepting the position so we'd know her reasoning, because it feels so transparently hollow and performative and I can't imagine she wouldn't see right through it.

Honestly what a milquetoast and centrist conclusion to both Sevika's arc and the Zaunite Independence plotline that was so heavily built up in the rest of the show.

And the thing is, you know this wasn't the original vision. You just know that the writers at Fortiche had a different ending in mind, one where the Zaunite revolution either succeeded in separating from Piltover or was crushed in the attempt - either could have worked if they'd committed to it. Maybe we end with the two in all-out war and the conclusion uncertain, that could have worked too. Then some exec, either at Riot or Netflix, got cold feet at the idea that Arcane would actually be following through on its Eat The Rich messaging instead of just using it for the aesthetics, and made them change it to something less inflammatory.

And instead we got the most trite and played out version of "people with different backgrounds and beliefs can unite to fight against a common evil! Isn't that sweet? Don't worry about the corrupt and overfunded military police force they're nice now I promise."