#I've seen quite a few gorgeous arts in it and i think it's really cool

[kalolasart]

I played around

[hairmetal666]

Eddie owns a record store, gets to talk about music everyday. Life is good. Great, actually.

He's consolidating the Christian rock section on a quiet Wednesday morning when it happens. A man with swoopy dark hair, tight dark blue jeans, and a plum Member's Only jacket walks in, and doesn't take his Ray Bans off even once he's solidly inside.

Eddie is awestruck. This dude is gorgeous. Heart stopping. He watches him browse in quiet astonishment, unable to say anything until he blurts, "Can I help you find something?"

The man smiles--Eddie's heart stops--and he says, "Nah, just browsing. Your sign caught my eye."

And he's still not quite with the program, the rich honey of the man's voice taking him totally by surprise. "Ah, oh, it did?" He manages after a few long beats. "Painted it myself."

"No shit? It's great."

"Thanks, man. I also think it's some of my finest work."

The guy laughs. "How can I know unless I see some of your other pieces?"

Eddie's face heats, but he's never been known for having good impulse control. "Maybe you'll get lucky."

Spots of pink bloom on the man's cheeks and the tips of his ears. "And here I was, thinking I was getting special treatment."

Eddie cocks his head, smiles big. "Well, the day's still young." It's so risky and stupid; no way this guy is queer, but he grins at Eddie, laughs a little too.

"That right? Well, tell me your latest recommendations."

"For you?" Eddie eyes him up and down. "Wham!"

The guy's laugh is warm and rich and Eddie wants to drown in it. "Big of you to say for a someone who's only listened to Enter Sandman for the last four months."

Eddie cackles, points a be-ringed finger. "It's a good song! A great record."

"Hey, I've got no problem with Metallica. I just don't think you should be casting aspersions on Wham!."

"Casting aspersions, do you have a word of the day calendar or some shit?"

"No! It's toilet paper."

Their snickers grow until they're both hysterical, needing to lean against a display to stay upright.

It's like he's living in a dream, hitting it off with a beautiful man who just happened to stumble into his store. They catch their breath and Eddie uses the time to grab a record off a nearby shelf.

"Here," he says. "Try this."

"Joni Mitchell?"

"Don't tell me, Wham! fan, that you're too cool for Joni."

"Nah, she's my best friend's favorite. How much do I owe you?"

"On the house," Eddie shrugs.

"Shit, that's generous. Thanks, man. Now, about your art--" He glances at the shiny watch on his wrist. "Fuck, is it really 3:15? Goddamnit, I gotta get going."

And Eddie wants to call him back, doesn't want this dream encounter to end, but he's dashing to the door--

And just like that, the man is gone, the only evidence it ever happened the lingering chime of the bell over the door.

The bell clatters again, and his head wrenches up hard enough it hurts his neck.

"Was that Steve Harrington?" the customer shrieks.

"No," he scoffs. Except. Except. The hair and the clothes and sunglasses and the face and his lips--

"No!?" He feels the way his eyes have gone wide with panic. He didn't just flirt with Steve Harrington. Of course not. Not ever. He would've recognized--

He runs to the racks of magazines in front of the register, grabbing the latest issue of People. The cover features a glossy, polished photo of the man who just left the store. The one who had the highest grossing movie of the summer alongside his co-star, Julia Roberts. The one who, according to the article within, is in Chicago right now shooting a new movie. The one who Eddie flirted with. The one who flirted back.

He groans and covers his face with his hands. At least he'll never see Steve Harrington again.

---

Harrington comes back.

The second time, he's wearing a jewel blue polo and fitted slacks, Ray Bans nowhere to be seen.

"Got anymore recommendations?" Steve asks.

"What?" Eddie's still trying to accept that Harrington came back.

"I finished Joni. It was good. Recommend something else for me."

Fully with the program, he reaches to the rack behind him, handing the vinyl to Steve without ever taking his eyes off him.

"Seriously?" Steve deadpans.

"Tell me you don't deserve it after last time."

Steve studies the cover of Metallica, a complicated look on his face. "Fine, but you have to listen to the album George Michael released last year."

He mimics getting shot in the heart. "After my magnanimous first suggestion, you dare to punish me with Freedom?"

"Think of it more as an opportunity."

"To regret every decision I've ever made?"

"To expand your musical horizons."

Eddie rolls his eyes. "Fiiiine. It's a deal."

Steve beams. "Good! Ring me up."

And Eddie, he'd comp it again, but Steve gives him this look that tells him not to try it.

As they pass the magazine racks, Eddie points at one featuring Steve on the cover. "That thing you wore to the Vanity Fair party last month was hideous."

Steve snorts, then laughs. "Thanks. My stylist decided to go for something--"

"--terrible?--"

"Avant garde."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?"

Steve pays, throws Eddie one last smile, "next time?"

Eddie nods, already certain this time is the last one.

---

He keeps coming back.

Eddie tries not to read into it.

Steve is straight, famously has a girlfriend. former horror movie child star turned cinema wunderkind, Nancy Wheeler. They're always on the covers of the tabloids, in ever more improbable stories about affairs and secret babies and french countryside weddings.

But he keeps coming back. And eventually, they grab dinner. And that dinner becomes lunches, movies, clubs, concerts. Eddie's in paparazzi photos, and there's no speculation about their relationship. Steve has a girlfriend.

But sometimes. Sometimes Steve will rest his hand on Eddie's nape, his lower back, let it linger. He'll trace a finger down the tattoos on Eddie's forearms or the patches of his battle vest. He'll lean too close when they talk, unafraid to press their bodies together. And he catches Steve's eyes on his mouth more than once, his pupils wide.

Over the next few weeks, Steve's gaze on Eddie's mouth gets hotter, his looks longer, and it's killing him. All he wants to do, all he ever wants to do, is close the distance between them, appease the gnawing beast of desire in his chest.

But Steve has a girlfriend.

They don't talk about her, not even when he knows all about Steve's best friend, Robin, and the gang of kids who adopted him, or Joyce and Hopper, his surrogate parents. Never Nancy.

He tries not to read into it.

---

They're supposed to meet for dinner. Steve scored reservations at a trendy new restaurant, but Eddie's late. Astronomically, horrifically late. It's pouring rain, it takes fifteen minutes to get a cab, traffic is a nightmare.

Out of patience and time, he decides to run the last few blocks to the restaurant. By the time he reaches the building, he's soaked to the bone, spluttering harsh breaths through mouthfuls of rain.

Steve is walking in the opposite direction, hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat.

"Steve?" He calls.

He turns and this is the first time Eddie's seen him angry. "You're late," Steve's eyes rake over him, and his face softens in an instant. He takes Eddie's wrist, leads him into an alley where the buildings are close enough to block some of the rain.

"What happened?"

"Traffic."

Steve's gaze go all soft and gentle, and Eddie's knees buckle a little. "You look like a drowned rat."

"Yeah, well." Eddie scoffs. "We can't all be beautiful movie stars."

"You're more beautiful than I could ever be, even soaking wet."

He shakes his head, ignoring the cascade of butterflies; Steve shouldn't say things like that. His vigorous movement sends wet strands of hair slapping him in the face.

Steve reaches out, softly brushes it back.

Eddie stops breathing.

Steve closes the distance between them.

What a thing, to be kissed by Steve Harrington. What a terrible, glorious thing.

He breaks it fast, face red, can't catch his breath. "Nancy," is all he can say.

"Nancy?"

"You have a girlfriend."

Steve's face scrunches. "She's not my girlfriend."

Eddie's mouth drops. "Yes, she is." They went to the Oscars together.

"Eddie." Steve takes a few steps back. "Eddie. I'm gay."

He laughs, an ugly honking thing. "C'mon. What could she possibly get out of that?"

Steve's eyes widen, eyebrows reaching his hairline, mouth pursed in a bitchy line. It takes Eddie a minute but, "Ohhhhh. So, it's all--?"

"It was the best way."

"But you're--?"

"I thought you clocked me immediately! Wham!???"

"That was because of the jacket!"

"Have you ever met a straight man who dresses like I do and likes George Michael??"

"That describes five dudes I see a day!"

"And you thought they were straight??"

Eddie stares into the middle distance, replaying some of those interactions, and--"Huh. Okay. I get hit on at work waaay more than I realized."

"For fuck's sake, Eddie!" He's shaking his head, but Eddie sees the way the corners of his mouth shake with suppressed laughter.

"I'm sorry! You have a very public straight relationship!"

Steve giggles, pulls Eddie close. "Is this okay?"

"So okay."

"You do like me back?"

"Are you kidding! Thought I was going insane, how much I want you."

"And now?"

"Come back to my place?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

And Eddie, he's seen Steve playing at love dozens of times, but this--right here, in a soggy, smelly alley where they're both soaking wet--it's more perfect than any movie.

[luxmoogle]

ALRIGHT WASSUP I love your art style and am an art student so I know a little bit bout what makes art recognizable, (not an expert and definitely not good at remembering terms so don't act like this is some art bible) lemme tell you what I think makes your art recognizable and "lux".

First, you got your shape language. That would be what the other person was referring to as proportions. (Since we're talking about Sora, proportions is absolutely not a wrong word to use, but I'm going to talk about shapes specifically.) The cheek? Always the exact same little curve, same spot, the forehead is the same, which creates a head shape that is incredibly recognizable as you. The hair is also always the same, which may seem weird considering your drawing hair that's pre established but you have a very unique way of doing it. The shape of his lower hair on the back of his head especially stands out to me. His body is always the same type of lanky, you draw his arms and hands a very particular type of way. Overall, very recognizable and consistent.

The colors you use. Honestly, I don't even know how to describe this, and I literally took a class on colors. The only word I can think of is "surreal". They're usually very vibrant, but destaturated at the same time? Like you're taking vibrant colors and putting desaturated ones on top? Genuinely hard to describe. It is one of the most beautiful color jobs I've ever seen tho, and I'm not exaggerating. If you could explain I'd honestly love to try (read: steal) whatever technique you use. Also very consistent, even in the black and white photos. I think it's partially lighting but I digress.

The other person brought up your eyes, and that's probably one of THE most consistent parts of your art I notice. I'm not rly gonna go into detail, cause you said you worked on eyes a lot so I'm gonna just leave you to that honestly cause the eyes you draw are iconic imo. Beautiful. Stunning. Breathtaking. No notes just keep it up 🫡

Your lines (and the texture of the drawing) are specifically sketchy, like a very specific type of sketchy. I'm guessing it's the texture of the brushes you use, and it also makes it consistent and recognizable. This is probably one of the things that makes the black and white photos more recognizable as well, since they don't technically have colors to with with and, imo, that's one of the most recognizable parts of your art. The very specific shapes you use are about on par with the colors, with everything else gradually moving down the list.

So yeah. My mini essay on your art. I hope this helps you understand cause honestly? Your art is iconic. Gorgeous. Magnificent. I dream of drawing like you. Pls keep it up cause on god it brightens my day every time I see you post, art or no

I appreciate you taking the time to write out such a long and thoughtful post~! ❤️ This was a very interesting and fun read! I am in many ways completely blind to my own work. Unlike looking at someone else's work, it's very hard to distance myself far enough from my own to see it's prominent features.

For color I can I say I am aware of color theory and mostly follow a sensible routine of cool shadows and warm light points, things that are further away seem more blue etc. etc... But at some point while drawing/painting I do usually fall into adding and prodding the colors into a more impressionistic vibe and away from realism, mostly favoring cool toned colors and adding tones to places that they realistically shouldn't be, but they aesthetically please me, so.

Thank you for all the compliments, I've re-read this quite a few times now, but don't really know what to say besides a boring thank you~! This has left me a lot to ponder, and I'm very glad for your writing..!

Hope you have a wonderful rest of your day, take care~!❤️

[nuttyrabbit]

I’d like to hear what you have to say about IDW.

Alright, let's do this then! I'm not gonna make a big mega review, because frankly I don't think I need to, but I'm just gonna run down some things I like and don't like about the comic just to get it out there, and I'm gonna do it in a "Like-Dislike-Like-Dislike" format just to make things interesting.

With that being said, let's rock and roll

LIKE- The Art

For whatever problems IDW may have, one the most consistently good things about the comic has been its art. Whether it be Archie vets like ABT, Yardley, and Skelly or newcomers like Mauro, Thomas, and Foundraine, IDW has looked consistently fantastic! Some of the action scenes in this comic are some of the best action scenes I've ever seen in any Sonic media (especially anything drawn by ABT. Y'all accuse me of having Ian as my husbando, but the closest thing would be ABT because that man physically CANNOT FUCKING MISS)

Many of the covers especially are some of the best Sonic has ever seen, PERIOD

This cover in particular is something I'd love to have framed

IDW is just a consistently gorgeous comic, even moreso than Archie at its peak with a few exceptions. Also helps that IDW has multiple good inkers and colorists to help the lines pop out, which was an issue I had with Archie

DISLIKE- The Setting

The thing is, I don't inherently dislike the setting of IDW. Setting it past Forces was a good move and setting it in something similar to the games was also a really good call. While I greatly prefer the mix and match setting of the reboot, there is a charm to a more simple, gamelike setting

The problem is that the setting, at least to me, is too simple. At any point it feels like there's maybe 4 locations on the planet: Resistance Base, Eggman Base, Sunset City, and Forest. There are a couple other named locations like White Park, Angel Island and Spiral Hill and that one camping site, but for the most part it feels like the comic ping pongs between these fairly generic locations. As a result, the comic world feels shockingly small in terms of scope and wonder, which is something weird to say about Sonic of all things, a game franchise which has done wonders in taking the hedgehog to various weird, wacky, and cool locales.

It also doesn't help that unlike the games or other comics or even stuff like the OVA and Prime, a lot of the locations don't really have a tangible history or interesting visual motifs, so they just kinda fall flat

I'm not expecting the comic to go full Archie reboot and have a MASSIVE world full of named locations established with DEEPEST LORE from day 1, since that was an extraordinary situation that kinda hurt the comic long term, but having a bit more variety would help the comic loads.

As is, most of the comic's settings just kinda blur together for me to the point where something like Eggperial City just seems like another Eggman base to me. Unfortunately, given what Ian's said about developing the setting (I.e he won't for asinine reasons), I doubt this'll change any time soon, which is a crying shame

LIKE- MOST of the New Characters

While I'm known as an Archie diehard, I'll fully admit that I do like quite a bit of the IDW newcomers. Tangle, Whisper, Starline, Surge, and Kit are characters I've all found to be enjoyable or compelling to some degree. Other characters like Clutch, Rough, and Tumble are also quite enjoyable, though severely underutilized.

IDW has done a pretty solid job (FOR THE MOST PART) of introducing and establishing new characters that add something interesting to the comic at large, and I'm glad to see that some of them have begun making the leap to the games

DISLIKE- Belle

Yeah, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, I think Belle sucks hard. The concept is fine, but the problem is that A: you know where this shit is going the moment she shows up and B: it takes fucking FOREVER to get there.

Like by the time Belle has her big confrontation with Eggman in issue 50, I'm just rolling my eyes because we knew this was coming and it's just kind of a lame part in an otherwise really cool issue.

Also she just feels like a lesser version of at least 3-4 different characters, including IDW Mecha Sonic. Scrapnik Island is just Belle's arc but actually interesting

Yeah, I just don't think Belle works and is probably the only major dud of the new roster, but man she is a BAD dud. Like the kind that drags down every arc she's in.

Like- Some of the Canon Portrayals

When it comes to portrayals of the canon cast, IDW is a fairly mixed bag, and I think a fair deal of them are abjectly weaker than both game and Archie portrayals (Team Dark being THE most egregious example of this, but Eggman also kinda falls into this)

With that being said, I still do like some of the canon cast in IDW.

Sonic: For all the flak Sonic gets and despite how annoying some of his long-winded speeches can get, I do for the most part like his portrayal. I think having him wrestle with morality, while a bit tedious at times, is interesting, and he still has quite a few moments that make me go "That's my Sonic!" Still inferior to post-SGW Sonic and ESPECIALLY Adventure-era Sonic (who is my eternal GOAT)

Amy: Despite people accusing Amy of being a Sally clone (an accusation which I always find hilarious because it's thrown at ANY female character in a leadership position), she also gets a few pretty solid moments throughout the comic (mainly before and after the Zombot arc). Not as good as Archie Amy but still aight

Silver and Blaze: It's nice to see Silver and Blaze have consistent characterizations and for the latter to not job horrifically. They have good chemistry with each other and the rest of the cast and are a pretty welcome presence, especially since they show up more than once every 600 issues.

The Chaotix: I also like the Chaotix and think they get a lot of really strong moments. Probably one of the few abjectly great parts of the Zombot arc was how they were done

Zavok: Turns out the moment you take Zavok away from the D6 and put him with real characters he actually becomes mildly interesting

The Others: Characters like Cream, Tails, Vanilla, Orbot/Cubot, etc aren't amazing but they're perfectly fine so I'll put them in the good side.

But yeah, I think a few characters get pretty decent characterization with some really strong moments here and there. Though the issue is that none of these portrayals are really the peak of these characters. The most I can say for some of them is that they're good, but there's rarely a moment from most of these examples where I'd point to them and go "This is the perfect way to write this character

DISLIKE- Other Canon Portrayals

Here's what you were probably here for, so let me do this bulletpoint style

Eggman- Isn't as menacing as Archie nor as goofy as his best showings in the games. He has some pretty great moments here and there, with him mulching Starline being a highlight, but he's kinda disappointing overall, especially compared to what's been done before

Knuckles: It's cool they remembered his duty to the Master Emerald and got rid of that dumbass "military leader shit" (which they still kept in Frontiers for some weird fuckin reason. Dunno why they're pushing that). Shame that means he basically sits in the background for most of the comic because there's no Sonic Universe equivalent (which I'll get to). His characterization is okay but MAN compared to all the cool stuff he got to do in the reboot it's very disappointing

Omega- He's still funny, but god it just ain't the same. This is a case where I think the Archie version was just flat out better. He, Amy, and Shadow are the biggest cases of "Archie just did you better"

Shadow: Do I even need to explain this? It's discount Vegeta/Sasuke/Vergil. He's an arrogant prick without anything that made him interesting. Comparing him to Archie is comical since the latter clears so hard it isn't even funny. But fuck, I'd even take Prime Shadow or hell, Boom Shadow over IDW, because at least the former has a reason to be pissy and the latter is at least funny. IDW Shadow is just miserable every fucking time he shows up and I can't tell if it's because the restrictions are that bad or it's because he's just not fun to write, but it sucks. I love Shadow, he's a great character, but every time he shows up I groan. It seems like Sega's gonna be a bit more lax with him, so hopefully that changes things but yeesh

The Deadly Six: It's a shame that Ian couldn't make the Deadly Six outside of Zavok worth a shit, especially since he decided to show them into two separate fucking arcs. I'm not gonna pin my dislike of their portrayal entirely on the comic because I just don't like them, but I am gonna give it shit for using them twice, once in an arc where they didn't belong

The Babylon Rogues: I'm not a fan of the Babylon Rogues, but even I can tell that outside of Jet's sacrifice in the Zombot arc, they've been done exceedingly dirty. That one annual story with Jet and Whisper may be one of the worst stories in IDW Sonic that shit was BAD

Metal Sonic: He's portrayed okay in these comics but my issue is more the shit around him. Sonic trying to redeem him and getting rebuked the first time was interesting stuff. The 2nd time made sense. Beyond that it's gotten obnoxious

LIKE: The Minis

While I dearly miss Sonic Universe and think the comic could use an equivalent (more on that next section), I think the minis we get each year are pretty damn good!

Tangle and Whisper, Bad Guys, Imposter Syndrome, and Scrapnik Island have ranged from good (T&W) to some of the best stuff IDW has put out ever (Scrapnik Island). They're paced well, drawn well, and have really cool shit happen in them. Scrapnik Island in particular was really, really cool and I found Barnes' pacing and character work to be even better than Ian and Evan in places and think he should get a shot at writing some mainline stories.

Also the specials have been pretty good, with the 30th Anniversary Special being extremely pleasant

DISLIKE: Plotting (Or lackthereof)

Now we're getting into some of the nitty gritty.

The big issues with IDW's plots are threefold, so I'll tackle each one individually

Pacing. Evan and Barnes are generally fine with this, but my god Ian Flynn still doesn't know how to pace a story that's more than a couple issues. The Zombot Arc is the absolute worst fucking caes of this (You could cram that entire story into 6 issues and it'd be significantly more effective), but stuff like Eggperial City and even Surge's storyline are also examples of this. So many of the things he plots just drag on and on and repeat themselves ad nauseam in terms of plot beats and even what the characters talk about.

It's an issue that's more readily apparent when reading on a monthly basis as opposed to on a trade basis (where the pacing is less noticeably bad because it's written FOR trades like many modern comics are, much to their detriment), but it's still really bad nevertheless. The only times it hasn't been with Ian are during the minis where, surprise surprise, having to do your story in 4 issues means you gotta actually tighten things up and cut filler.

Again, Evan and Barnes don't seem to have this issue, so a lot of this is on Ian. I like the dude's writing but holy fuck he is still SO bad about this

2. Repetition. I talked about this in a sense in the pacing section by talking about how repetitive Ian's plotting and dialogue can get because of the poor pacing, but I wanna talk about it in a different sense. A lot of IDW's plots are uh, very repetitive, especially as of late. It boils down to "Eggman is doing a thing, go look into it/stop it" a LOT. I know Eggman's the main villain and all but I swear the schtick of "We gotta go check out the Eggman base and fight badniks" has gotten very, very old. Even the Surge and Kit arc ended in "Go to the Eggman base" Arcs like Chao Races and Camping are welcome breaks because they involve the characters doing other shit.

It also ties into my complaints about the setting being small because it often feels like characters just have nothing better to do than go raid Eggman bases and fight Badniks. I know it's an action comic and all but maybe actually utilize some of your smaller villains? Maybe make some new ones? Or maybe even invent some weird new locations for your characters to check out and switch things up? Just an idea.

I keep bringing up that this comic needs a Sonic Universe equivalent and I really believe this because it'd not only give characters like Knuckles, Shadow, and the Chaotix more time to shine, but it'd also give some fantastic diversity in terms of plots. Like while Sonic is fighting Eggman for the billionth time, maybe the Chaotix are doing actual detective work or Knuckles is exploring some ancient ruins and finds a weird new thing he's gotta deal with or an ancient secret he's gotta unlock.

Post reboot Archie benefitted greatly from this since while the main comic was mostly Sonic and co doing shit with Unleashed, Universe was exploring and expanding the world and giving the side characters way cooler shit to bounce off of, making the setting not only feel larger, but also making it feel more varied.

3. Long Term Plans (Or lackthereof)

This one ties a lot into my complaints about setting, but it's strange seeing a Sonic comic do so little in terms of setting up mysteries or future plot threads (that aren't solved IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CURRENT ARC ENDS), and it also results in a comic that feels more constrained. It gives so little to really talk or speculate about. Maybe it's more a fandom thing for me but I enjoy it when media drops cool background stuff for the viewer to speculate about and make the world like a puzzle the viewer has to piece together. It adds so much to a story and narrative when a viewer can pick up on little plot threads and watch them come together over time.

LIKE Action

This one's simple. IDW has a lot of really well drawn, really interestingly written action bits. Any time there's an action scene, no matter how mundane or banal, it's always gonna look fantastic

Like DAMN. And that's not even an ABT action scene.

DISLIKE: Too Self-Contained

Okay this is a weird complaint but I really don't like that the comic can't explicitly draw on locations and plot elements from not just the games but other side stuff. I get why, but it's also lame because one of the coolest parts of reboot Archie was seeing what insane stuff the comic would pull from and reinvent.

Also it's absolute bullshit they can't bring back the Hooligans and Battle Bird Armada. Like come the fuck on, those are good villains

RAPIDFIRE TIME

Okay so I've been typing this up for way longer than I anticipated so I'm just gonna rapidfire a bunch of other shit I like and dislike

Like: Neo Metal Sonic being the first villains rules and that arc is really fun

Dislike: The Zombot Arc. It's got cool ideas but it goes on for fucking ever and devolves into misery porn pretty hard. Also I don't care if the Zeti were always planned, them being there sucks **IAN**

Like: The fact that Ian isn't the only person writing. I've been saying since Archie that a revolving team of writers would be cool and lo and behold, we've gotten that. Very cool stuff

Dislike: No Off-panels. It's a crime we don't have those because they're funny

Like: The cool outfits the cast wear in Chao Races. I love alt outfits

Dislike: "No alt outfits outside of very special exceptions". See above

Like: IDW actually puts out trades on time.

Dislike: Wispons are overused as FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK. I get randos having them and Whisper specializing in them but I don't think Lanolin needed to have one. It's creative yeah but just give her sound powers

FINAL THOUGHTS

Okay so clearer I had a lot to say about IDW Sonic, and I was deliberately being as general as possible to try and write this up fairly quickly. It's a comic that I find to be decently enjoyable, but also very noticeable flawed and ultimately kinda lacking in some key aspects. I like the comic well enough but it's never clicked with me in the same way other Sonic media like Archie did. I'm hopin in the future that some of these issues I've listed are remedied and that the comic continues to find success.

But yeah, this was fun, albeit exhausting, to write up. So to close this out, I'm gonna give it a numerical ranking

As of now, March 21, 2023, I give IDW Sonic a 6/10 (For context I'd give the reboot a 7.5 overall and the pre-reboot a 6 as well)

[themintman]

I RAN OUT OF TAG SPACE FOR MY YAPPING LMAOOOOO so I'm gonna ramble here 🎉🎉 warning for me not SHUTTING UP THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG ONE YALL

Ok so. Ships first.

Also keep in mind this is my opinion, I don't hate anyone for having different thoughts, ship what y'all want 🩷🩷🩷 mcsm is lucky enough that there's almost NO ships that are genuinely awful (other than animal X people... Eugh)

--

OBVIOUSLY JURM IS MY FAVOURITE. JURM FOREVER 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ YALL KNOW IM SO NOT NORMAL ABOUT IT LMAOO

i have mixed feelings about Lukas x Aiden. I only see them as toxic ex's, if they were together AT ALL lmao. Olivia x Petra is SO CUTE TO ME. hell yeah, badass warrior lady and her cute nerdy girlfriend. They're so perfect.. sob. Reginald, Milo and Isa.. I don't care if they're poly, I don't care who's with who, I just.. omg. I love it dearly 🩷 same with Ivor and Soren or Harper. Also, a friend introduced me to Binta x NELL and oh my goodness. I also love Binta x Fred, but mostly cause of how I interpret her and Nurm.

SIDE RAMBLE BUT I think they're super close best friends. They will talk about ANYTHING, TMI doesn't exist between them. They have the most insane gossip sessions. THEYRE INSANE TOGETHER Binta also speaks to him in Villic so like.. YIPPEE but uhh. My Nurm and Binta became friends after jack fell off the cliff (LOSERRRRR 🫵🫵🫵🫵). They both lost their husbands ☹️ they both have beef with Romeo too. They understand each other. Binta doesn't act like he's crazy for staying behind or praying that jack returns. She gets it 🩷🩷🩷

ANYWAY quite a few ships in the like category I've seen on here. Radar x fem jesse does NOT deserve the hate it got, batunatu's art of them actually makes me giggle and kick my feet like omg.. thank you for making me like them so much. Same with Gill and Axel, I've seen art and OUGHHHHJ. AND PETRA AND XARA. Y'ALL ARE WILDDDDD 🩷🩷🩷 the old order are just.. anything works honestly. Especially Soren, he could go with ANYONE and it'd work lmao. The whore /lh.. COUGH ANYWAYS. Harper and Otto slaps I'm gonna be real y'all. Axel and Olivia are pretty cute too, same with Jesse and Stella. Also.. scratch what I said about Nurm x Binta. It's going in the likes. I'm sorry but I'm insane about them. Friends or dating. Fuck it, au where jack actually DID DIE. And then Nurm x Binta... Perchance.. Jurm is still number one but OHHH my days. (Maybe it could even go up to love...)

I'm sorry y'all, but I don't like Jesse x Petra or Lukas much. It's so.. bland and flavourless. It feels overdone on sorry ☹️ I honestly don't have much to say about the others. I feel like jack X Romeo has so much angst potential. Whether it's toxic admin or pathetic Romeo oh my god. So much angst.. also again I've seen some banging fanart so that's helped my opinion LMAO. Also my Cassie is like 20 or 30 something and my Mevia id OLD OLD. so it depends on the other person's interpretation of them. Ive seen some cute stuff NGL (WHERE THEY ARE BOTH THE SAME AGE OBVIOUSLY).

I don't like Petra x Jack or Nurm just because I see jack like her older brother and Nurm as her brother in law. Also, I'm so sorry but I just can't get behind Radar x Pama..

I have no clue what to make of any of the admins

And eugh. PAMA x harper.. I'm sorry but that's her baby to me. No thank you

---

Now then. Character opinions.

Nurm: OHHHH MY GODDDDD I WOULD DOE FOR HIM I WOULD ACTUALLY FUCKING DIE FOR NURM. HES SUCH A SWEETIE AND HES SO PERFECT AND COOL AND GORGEOUS OMGGGG AUGH. YALL HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I TWEAK WHEN I THINK OF THIS MAN. HES MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER EVER. I DRAW HIM EVERYWHERE YALL IM SLIGHTLY INSANE

Jack: see nurm. But slightly less feral 🤏

Fem Jesse: I love her so much omg. I really wish I could play as her but playing as female characters makes me dysphoric sometimes.. ☹️ she's so cool though omg.

Male Jesse: he's alright.

Olivia: I love her voice so much in season one I'm upset they changed it. She feels like a different character. But also I kinda like that? It feels like she has grown a lot since season one in a way.. augh. I love thinking about outfits to put her in so much she's so cool

Binta: MY GIRL 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ her and Nurm friendship has actually made me crazy y'all. I started typing the tags and then by the time I got to this Im shaking, head in my hands like OUGHHHHJ BINTAAAAAAAA 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️💥💥💥💥💥💥💥 I love her. Make her a creature 😋

Nell: HELM YEAH she's so chill I love her. One of the characters who I think I'd actually be friends with if I found myself in mcsm. Like, as much as I love jack and Nurm I'd be too scared to even say hi.. nell on the other hand? Literally the most inviting person ever. I love her 🩷

Harper is so sweet too. She's awesome OML

Milo and Reginald: BOTH ARE PERFECT. so different yet my opinions are the same. I wish you had more chances to interact with them ☹️ one episode isn't enough

Ivor: he's Ivor y'all. Come on.

Radar: HES ALRIGHT. HES KINDA ADORABLE but also annoying sometimes.. his voice gets on my nerves occasionally but he's doing his best 🩷

Otto: HELL YEAH OTTO I love his design so much for some reason.. also he stands like a villager so immediately I love him.

PAMA: ADORABLE. Cutest villain ever istg. "YAY :]" AWEEEEE ODNDJDNKSNFJDN OKAY FINEEEE ILL BE USEFUL

Cassie: I just love making her a scene girl... ough. Go girlboss kill em 🗣️🗣️

Isa: I don't like how she treated everyone in sky city but I understand why she did that. Also she's so badass what the hell.. if she was an animal she'd be a cheetah

the rest of the old order: not much to say on them but I like them all 😋

Gill: best member of the blazerods. He's so cute ong.. bro is just happy to be there 😭

Lukas: he's sweet. Overrated as hell in my opinion, but that's not surprising. Can't hate him for it 🩷

Petra: I don't like how she acted in season two .. I know she had her reasons, but put yourself in Jesse's shoes. You'd feel upset too, no matter how much you justify her actions. Put I can't hate her either. She's PETRA. shes so cool and I'm glad her and Jesse are friends again at the end 🩷

Axel: HEHE I LIKE HIM VERY MUCH hed so sweet with his friends. The hug at the end.. and him sobbing when Petra leaves.. AUGH. HUGS HIM OMG.

Romeo: HE LOOKS COOL. I love the concept of the admins. So much. Also seeing all the different designs for him.. AUGH

Xara: SHES SO COOL. her backstory makes me sad though ☹️

Fred: I'd probably love him if we saw him more. He sounds so sweet, but I just. We only hear from him once and the message isn't even for us.

Warden: he's a jerk, but I feel bad for him ☹️

Stella: I just.. hm. Shes horrible in the begining, and only gets nice in SOME playthroughs. I like nice Stella, I hate mean Stella, so okay is the middle ground I feel. Though maybe idk would be better ..

Maya: meh.

Mevia: I'm genuinely so confused on how I feel about her.

Aiden: I have SO MUCH BEEF WITH HIM FOR NO REASON AT ALL. I FONT KNOW WHY I HATE HIM SO MUCH BUT AUGHHHH. I NEED YALL TO KNOW HOW FUCKING UGLY HE IS IN MOUSECRAFT TOO

VILE

Hadrien: Ew.

My opinions on some ships and characters 😼😼😼

Ill explain some stuff in the tags if yall are curious hehe

Template by @stervil !!!

[immagrosscandy]

“♧“ 👉👈 if you want.

You’re my:

a precious mutual, really cool pal :'3

How I met you:

i remember seeing ur art and charlie posts when i entered this fandom. ever since 2019, i think

I've known you for quite a while but I never talked to you because i was like a ghost and a stranger to you and i didn't wanna bother you 😅

ur artstyle was unique and pretty, specially sam, one of the prettiest vampire mcs i've seen here!

Why I follow you:

you. are. the coolest. everyone. knows. you're tbe coolest.

you are awesome and great and kind and cool and fantastic and-

Your blog is:

real pretty! seeing sam and charlie together makes me happy, and they look so pretty together 😭💕

i wanna draw them one day now that i can...

Your URL is:

it's cool, it's a really cool name :D

Your icon is:

very very very very very pretty. like I said Sam is just the prettiest mc, her design is great and she's- she's just gorgeous

A random fact I know about you:

one of the very few people that simps for charlie for quite a while. respect.

General opinion:

even if we dont talk much, you sound so kind and nice to everyone! always so cheerful and i love seeing ur nice comments on my posts :')

A random thought I have:

uhhhh you're awesome. keep being awesome. dont let anyone tell you otherwise

[stars-self-ships]

So, you know how after reading Tales of Aether: Future Imperfect Part 2, I made this image collage of her in arguably one of her best design variants? I was fairly certain that this was the prettiest we had seen her yet, and that topping such a perfect design is almost unheard of. You'd have to suit her up in, like, futuristic armor for her to look even prettier than—

NEW FAVORITE OUTFIT ACQUIRED

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 🖤❤️🖤

L O O K AT HER!!! And I thought Clairen in her usual getup or her militia uniform made her look gorgeous— T H I S is a whole another level of pretty!! I've always been one for really sleek, bulky, futuristic armor designs, so seeing Clairen in this getup is ABSOLUTELY getting me feel so lovey over her!! SHE'S JUST SO P E R F E C T 🖤❤️🖤

After reading the third issue of Future Imperfect, I can say with a high degree of certainty that it's now tied with the second issue in the battle of which of the four issues are my favorite. Now, while I'm not going to detail any of the heavier plot elements in this post (Since that's spoiler-ific), there are a few panels that I really wanna show off for one reason or another!

Keep in mind that there might be spoilers ahead as for who appears in the comic, but it really shouldn't be anything major at all, seeing as most of it is just characters who have appeared prior to issue three. Plus, it's almost impossible to resist the thought of hearing me go off about some of my favorite parts, no? Let's get right into it!

First off, let me talk about another design that I REALLY like:

This is issue three's antagonist, Mollo! I think his name might be a play on words of the word 'molotov' because he primarily uses explosives. Not counting Kragg, insect characters are something of a rarity in Aether's canon, so seeing a moth that chucks bombs around with a REALLY cool design (Those eyes. That bandana. His agility. Man's awesome) was quite great! He only shows up for the latter half(-ish) of the issue, but I really like his character. Maybe I'll even do some voice lines for him!

Then, here's another look at Clairen in her cadet armor! I think aside from her appearance on the cover (Alongside an appearance in a few panels after this one), this might be my favorite panel of her in this design. Like, obviously Clairen in her headset and red cloak is iconic, but just look at her here. She is absolutely BREATHTAKING and I am S O in love with her!!

Also, remember how I said that Reuss is best boy material?

Here's more proof on the matter. You can't tell me 'kindly go set yourself on fire' isn't a grade-a quip. When I first read issue two, I liked the triad of characters that Clairen ended up befriending. Reuss, Goss and Burnette were all interesting characters to me, but Reuss stole the show. He still kinda does. But after reading issue three, I adore each character's dynamic. Burnette is a cool character, Reuss is the best boy, and Goss— MAN— don't even get me started on how awesome Goss is!

Oh, uh, speaking of...

Here's a panel where he and Clairen are together! It's always really neat to see my F/Os interacting with one another, but perhaps the thing I focused on the most in this panel is just how big Goss is. Look how huge his hand is in accordance to Clairen! I don't think this is just an issue on drawing a character too big on accident— I'm 100% content on believing he's just that big. The thought of being in his arms is a whole lot cozier now with how much of an absolute unit this man is.

And lastly...

More Clayien!!

I was REALLY hoping that her cameo in issue one wouldn't be the last we'd see of her, and to my surprise she returns in issue three with more art stills and dialogue! I remember gasping and actually whispering "Mom!" out loud when she first appeared, it's so good to get to see her interacting with Clairen, even if the entire sequence is a vision. It was kind of hard picking a panel that didn't have some spoiler-esque dialogue, but I think I like this one the best because it shows both her and Clairen together.

Issue four is going to be the last part of Future Imperfect, and I'm both looking forward to it and hoping that we get to see more Tales of Aether story arcs for characters without much shown lore (Like Etalus and Absa)!

[shiro-0197]

Omigosh thank you 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 Albie— Albie just has my heart, his paws are just so cute I'm sobbing.

oh that's okay love!! Hmm, yeah I guess you could call it winter break, although there's no winter :P we just call it the end-of-the-year break, and we start again on the 20th of January.

Ikr. Dodol is such an odd name. tbh, most of the food names here are slightly strange, but they taste absolutely delicious :D so that's good haha. I'd love to try them with you too. There's 14 states and each has their own special delicacies.

Oh God I agree. The paperwork is TEDIOUS. So you know I work, right? Well, my job is basically to just do the doctor's paperwork at a clinic 😭🤚 things would be so much easier if it were computerized, but alas, it isn't. Who knows? Maybe if you become one, you could hire an assistant to do it for you :P 😭😔 God you're so sweet. No I'd not get hurt around you, at least I'd try my best not to. Why waste a second being injured when I could instead use it to do exciting things with you? :D

thank you!! Have you ever thought of doing something like that too? I'm not very good with young kids (I actually don't really even get along with them so much because they're quite a nuisance) but from experience, the older ones are okay, especially if they're all quiet and polite 😝💖

😭I'm glad they're enough. For now. BUT SOMEDAY I really will hug you !! and someone will probably have to tear me away because I don't think I'll let go 😼

a... dried?? Blobfish?? 😭 Interesting. I don't even wanna know where he got it either omg.

yes. So so so gorgeous 😭💖 I saw an ash lynx one a while ago on Instagram but then it disappeared (I'll find it again I hope) and it was the most beautiful art breeder I've EVER seen.

you're not uneducated hush >:(( you're such a smart person, I really really look up to you grrr. and yeah they're actually different. People acknowledge that fairy tails are fiction, wherelse myths were believed to be true, or at least have a ring of truth to them. :(

I wish you were here too. AND NOOOO KURO WAIT NOOOOOOOO. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HUG HIM IF HE HAS NO LIMBS 😭😭😭

Cashews are delicious!! I don't like all nuts, but some are great. Like peanuts and walnuts. Though I have braces, so I haven't eaten them in a long time, since they hurt my mouth. I'll take them out by march, I hope, and then you bet I'm just gonna eat all of those xD I've tried Baklava!! A friend went to Turkey once, and she brought some back. It's delicious, I hope I'll try it again in the future. tho omg yes!! You're so lucky, the snacks must be to-die-for there😚😚💖💖💖💖 what other types can you get?

CHISHIYA IS ACTUALLY A CATBOY ‼️‼️ THOSE PICTURES JUST CONFIRMED IT.

I hope you enjoy your rewatch!! Coincidentally, I'm rewatching a favourite of mine too. It's called She-Ra and it's on netflix. And here's a few frames of the show I want to share with you 😿💖

I MEAN. First of all; (they're not even canon) BUT THEY'RE SO PRETTY TOGETHER. Secondly, one of them's a catgirl?? And her suit is so pretty?? And thirdly... THE DIP?? I'm dying sorry 😭😭💖

—☃️☃️ (us ü)

Yes yes !!! He's so extremely adorable and I'm kqkkkdkakkd

Оhh, I see !! That's a lot, we're going back to class at tenth, or earlier maybe. I'm glad you guys have a long break!!! You deserve it:D

Оhh, 14!! We also have 14 states (uh, provinces?) Though I dont think every one has a separate delicacy. That's so cool, though!! The more food there is, the better xD

Ackk, I know right. I did paperwork, like, once in my life and it was so exhausting?? I feel bad for you😭 I'd rather become a freelancer 😝

Fair enough! I'd do my best to have you up and straight, so you wouldn't get injured even if you wanted to (though I dont think you would)😋

Well, I've been thinking about helping kids my age with languages. But, well, I'm so bad at teaching. I'm that kind of person to go "how do you not understand this" after two times of explaining. So I try not to do that, because I dont want the teens to think I'm uncool XD

Hehe no one will have to tear you away because I'd love to hug you just as long😭😭😭💕

Aahhh!! I really hope you come across it again!! It sucks to see something gorgeous only to never encounter it again😭

Awhh, that's so sweet of you!!! 🥺🥺 I also look up to you!! You're so hardworking and responsible, couldn't be me😭 but yeah, I really get confused sometimes, people say they're the same and I'm like ????

BWNSJQJD dont worry he's all bark one bite😭😭 he'll hit me but that's all he can do, really

Yeah!!! I adore walnuts, they're my favorite. Peanuts get stuck in my teeth a lot, I still love them though💔 March is in... three months? Huhh that's a while😭 I wouldn't survive for so long without them

Hell yeah, another thing I need to make you in the future!!!! I've also tried turkish delight, the orange and the strawberry ones are my favorite. I dont like the peanut ones tho, they're too sweet😭 we also tried maklube (mac-looh-beh), and it's to die for. Tastes even better when we make it with teh whole class XD our school also has special "keklube" and "tavuklube" versions, which are totally made up names, but basically they're just cake and chicken versions of maklube

I'm forty seconds away from writing an article about why Chishiya is not so secretly a catboy XD

Aaaa I forgot about She-ra qkekkqkd!!! I wanted to watch it as well but then I got into my anime phase 😭😭 they look so good though omg😍😍 I really hope watch it soon~ I hope you're enjoying it!!!

[luminecho]

okami good. i run (ran) @daily-okami and i think its literally the most based thing ever made. ive spent over 1k on merch for the game and i gave my boyfriend my $300 ammy plush. i think ur cool and based too. anytways what are your thoughts on the few small snippets we've seen of the development of the game? like the early videos in the presents from issun menu

HI HI sorry for taking Even Longer to respond to this ask than your last one. I have the capability to answer asks again now tho so here I am~

I DIDN'T KNOW YOU RAN DAILY-OKAMI that's so cool <3 Okami is the best game ever made actually and I just realized I only have like,, one plush? I need more wtf

also ty for thinking im cool and based?? im honored. im your resident Just Some Guy but it's cool to hear that people think i have good opinions or whatever GHJDFK

the only video that's coming to mind when you say that (cause admittedly it's been a while since I looked at that stuff) is the one with the hyper-realism attempt? and hoooo boy hehe . that one

it's eehhh. Idk. I've VERY VERY VERY glad they changed it to be what it is now. Okami's art direction is one of, if not the strongest thing setting it apart from other games and it's one of my personal favorite things about it. The art direction of the game is so fantastic and I don't have anything profound to say about it or anything it's just. it's good!! It's soooo fucking pretty. Ask any okami fan to name one thing they love about the game and a good percentage will comment on the art style. It's just gorgeous.

And the other thing about the art style is that it's timeless. It ages far far better than other games with more realistic styles do. That's what you always have with more cartoonish or artistic styles, but Okami especially so in how creatively it applies it everywhere.

I'm personally biased against the realistic style they used in the old development video, just because I,,, don't think it looks very good GHDEJKF but that's just my opinion. And it's also from like, 15 years ago, lol. But if Okami had that sort of style it would not have aged nearly as well as it has (art wise, the poor-taste stuff in the game is another discussion entirely lol)

Granted, I might've still ended up playing it regardless? I tend to be very attracted towards wolf games regardless lol. Hell, when done right, the realism approach can be super beautiful as well (just take a look at WolfQuest, another beloved game of mine-- it's realistic approach works because it is, at its core, a realistic game. It's a wolf life simulator so ofc it's gonna be realistic in style, and it does it really well). But I don't think I would have enjoyed it quite as much. The art style just lends itself very well to the game as a whole. And I don't think Okami would be nearly as popular as it is if it weren't for the art direction. (And that's saying a lot, since Okami already isn't very popular. lol)